Change Your Image
waivedwench
Reviews
Blackfly (2001)
no Corner Gas, but love the jokes!
I found "Blackfly" by accident one Saturday afternoon. It lacks the finesse and bite of such Canadian comedies as "Corner Gas" or "Royal Canadian Airfarce" but it still has its moments and it makes me feel good. It's one of those shows, like "History Bites" that is destined to remain within the sphere of Canadian broadcasting, because a lot of the humour will go right over the heads of non-Canadians watching it. I particularly like the little "in-jokes" such as this exchange here:
Ti-Jean: Someday a Frenchman will run this country! Blackfly: You're talking out the side of your mouth, my friend.
Who else immediately pictured Jean Chretien? One drawback of jokes like this is that they might be too sophisticated for a younger audience. I teach History to teenagers and have thought about using this, but after trying them on "History Bites" and having moments where I was the only one laughing, I might give the matter some thought.
Emily of New Moon (1998)
should have stuck to the books
As a longtime fan of Emily of New Moon (much better than that Anne girl!) I was looking forward to this series when it first aired. I wasn't disappointed by the first season because they stuck quite well to the book and the characters were all believable and well-done. But the rot began to set in after Aunt Elizabeth died at the beginning of the second series. The screenwriters basically rewrote the whole story and it wasn't good. There were some good episodes, but some of the stories must have come out of a not-very-good-magician's hat. In the end I gave up on it. It would have been a lot better if the screenwriters had either gone on with the rest of the series, using the books, or just left it at the end of the first season. I must say, though, the kids playing the parts were good.
Hotel Rwanda (2004)
a very hard film to watch, but no more than we deserve
I saw this film in the theatre this afternoon and I can honestly say that not since "Schindler's List" have I been more moved, saddened, shocked and angered by a movie than I was by "Hotel Rwanda". It is a well-crafted, hard-hitting script that is both a testimony to one man's courage and a searing indictment of the West's unforgivable indifference to the tragedy. It is not easy viewing, but I can't help but think that really, we deserve this. We all have blood on our hands. The acting was excellent, particularly Don Cheadle and Sophie Okoneda (Oscar nominations, anyone?). But I was a little irked by Nick Nolte rather "uneven" Canadian accent. If anyone to learn more about the man who inspired Nolte's character, read "Shaking Hands with the Devil" by General Romeo Dallaire. It's every bit as disturbing and compelling as "Hotel Rwanda"