Cyberlapinou Reviews

Bug (2006)

A different William Friedkin?

[8/10 · 3 June 2006]

I was lucky enough to see the movie in a French theater showing a part of the Cannes film festival selection.

If you know William Friedkin mostly for his gritty thrillers or The exorcist, Bug might be a surprise: a single location, 5 characters, no car chase, but still a lot of ambiguity and psychological exploration.

Bug actually reminds me of the first Friedkin movies, also based on plays and more interested in character study than spectacular effects. It's all the more striking that Bug looks like a young man's movie, filled with energy, experimentation, absurd humor and a genuine sense of artistic freedom. Bug tries a lot of things, doesn't always succeed but remains an intense exercise of style. Recommanded for everybody who enjoys a good surprise.

France Five (2000– )

Sentai power

[8/10 · 28 April 2004]

The Power Rangers, edited from a Japanese TV series, made the sentai genre popular around: five young people gifted with super powers and colourful costumes struggle against vicious aliens.

Created by a bunch of French animefans, France Five appears as a parody but is rather a sincere homage to the sentai genre, every visual and narrative code is fully respected and adapted to French clichés (wine, cheese, bread, the Eiffel tower), with a low budget and a non professional crew, but an impressive energy.

This first episode is still flawed (photography, costumes) but full of ideas and potential. The three next episodes (there should be 5) only go better technically, with impressive special effects, fight choreography and a real dramaturgy.

Definitely a cult movie for all fans of sentai, animes and video games!

Les grandes bouches (1999)

Run away!

[3/10 · 20 September 2002]

Stay away from that film, especially if you don't speak French! The only interest is maybe, and I say maybe, the vivid dialogues, strongly inspired by French dialogue writer Michel Audiard, which are impossible to translate and in my opinion become quickly boring, even if they're played by funny actors.

The rest of the film is just awful. No story, no pulse and especially an incredibly ugly visual style which reaches its peak during the final gunfight, probably the worst action sequence I ever saw, which proves that it needs more than few good intentions to become the new Tarantino and especially the new John Woo. But one day France will prove it can make good action films. One day...

Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)

stupid, vulgar and insulting

[3/10 · 25 March 2002]

I am an Evangelion fan. Following the advice of many friends, I was waiting for this film with curiosity, although I was already much satisfied with the original and very surprising ending.

Now I know: The End of Evangelion is one of the most disgusting and unpleasant artistic suicide I have ever seen. It literaly destroys the original series and intentions. Even Steven Seagal would have been more subtle. Shinji was a shy, full of complexes teenager, he is now an unbearable autist. Asuka was an upsetting lolita, she is now a psychotic killer. Rei, one the most FASCINATING characters in Japanese animation even becomes a mere Godzilla clone! All the secondary characters are exterminated like cattle.

It's ultraviolent, it's sordid (Shinji masturbates while looking at Asuka!!! ), it is filled with nihilistic ideas and rubbish esoteric symbols (a very secondary aspect of the series) and worst of all, it wants to make us believe this is the 'real' ending of Evangelion. The real ending was about hope and was a new beginning. The End of Evangelion is a real end: the only thing left is a black hole, full of sad emptiness. The worst anime I saw in ten years.

The Nest (2002)

a pure B-movie!

[7/10 · 8 March 2002]

Dry, harsh, without concession. Nid de guêpes is a pure B-movie strongly inspired by Carpenter's Assault on Precinct 13th, but directed with professionalism and a real personal style. After the unbalanced The brotherhood of the wolves and The crimson rivers, here comes the first real achievement in the new wave of French entertaining movies. Don't hesitate!