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Reviews
Madman (1981)
Truly one of the worst slasher films ever
Please don't watch this film expecting it to be anywhere near half decent because to put it lightly - it's pants. How anyone can watch this film and really enjoy it is beyond me. The plot is very, very basic and involves a psycho killer, 'Madman' Marz hung by locals for killing his wife and both of his kids, who starts to kill again after a foolish teen, who is in the woods with his friends looking after kids with special abilities, says his name louder than a whisper and summons him...
Then come the killings, which though slightly tense, due to the darkness of the woods, look very, very cheap and are anything but frightening. Oh, and there's the acting... or lack of, especially from the kids, who look like they've been plucked from school with no noteable knowledge of acting whatsoever. I also didn't like the blonde girl, though she was probably the best actress (of a bunch of rubbishy ones), she looked eerily like Gywneth Paltrow.
If you are considering renting, buying, stealing or whatever, this film with the idea (like I did), that it has to be something quite cool because it got banned in some countries, then please don't! You won't find anything in the completely uncut version that's available freely in Britain now, that you wouldn't find in other films that weren't banned such as the far superior, 'Friday the 13th' and 'Scream'. At least in those films the blood and gore looked credible, in this, the crew must have been idiots if they thought the blood looked anything like the real stuff.
Overall, a great film...if you like your films badly written, badly acted, with a noticeably low budget, a very basic and stupid plot, tomato ketchup style blood that looks anything but real and a killer who doesn't look in the slightest bit scary.
La vie de Jésus (1997)
Dull and uninspiring French Drama
Drama about racial tensions in a small French town, with the central plot revolving around a 22 year old epilepsy sufferer called Freddy. The film explores the monotonous nature of life in the town using a group of guys, including Freddy and the venting of their anger on an Arab boy whom Freddy believes to be a sexual rival. The film also explores the boredom of Freddy by showing how tedious and monotonous his life is, his only respite being found in the sex he has with his girlfriend and the seemingly endless rides into the countryside that he has on his moped.
None of the film is as interesting as it might sound and has little merit other than the scene towards the end of the film where Freddy is lying in the grass after escaping from prison, which though beautiful could not begin to redeem this boring, monotonous and quite self indulgent film. The sex scenes are appallingly shot and unromantic in the extreme but I dare say a necessary addition to the film, showing the lack of communication and love between Freddy and his girlfriend Marie. Then there's the long shots of Freddy and his friends riding their mopeds through the French countryside, which are very boring and too frequent.
Scenes of interest in the film are the aforementioned one at the end of the film, and the one where Freddy and the gang visit a friend in hospital who is dying of AIDS. This scene is quite well observed and the only one where there is anywhere near good acting.
My main quarrel with this film is that there is little character developement and little emphasis on the racism aspect of the storyline which according to the box cover is what the film is all about. A film that has been called 'important' by certain reviewers should at least stay true to its themes and and have some sort of message which this film clearly does not.
Overall, I didn't completely dislike this film - in some places I found it touching and perhaps moving, but it isn't worthy of the full marks it has been given in some reviews. The acting is sub-standard and the script is atrocious - or maybe that's just the translation, and the film is very jumpy.
All in all a fair attempt from first time director 'Bruno Dumont', which catches the mood of each scene exceptionally well, but unless you have the opportunity to see this film for free, it really isn't worth bothering with. If you want to see a truly great French film - try 'Amelie'.
2/5