Reviews
Bon Cop, Bad Cop (2006)
One great cop-buddy flick - and it's Canadian!
While Bon Cop Bad Cop mines deeply from existing cop-buddy flicks of the past (in particular, the Lethal Weapon series), the Canadianization of having the cops come from Ontario (straigh-laced Martin Ward (Colm Feore)) and Quebec (rebel David Bouchard (Patrick Huard)) adds a very interesting dash of difference to the whole affair. It really helps out matters that the leads share a great chemistry on-screen, and both can really act.
Feore is a popular actor in English Canada, while Huard (who shares writing and producing credits) is perhaps the most popular actor in Quebec. Put the two of them together with a decent budget, a good script and taut direction and you have a real winner of a movie.
The story starts off with a dead body found draped over the sign at the Ontario-Quebec border, forcing the two mis-matched cops to work together. The story involves a serial killer who is wiping out hockey personas due to a grudge against the "great game" being sold out to American interests. Naturally, the two cops differ in methods and ideas, but over the course of the case, come to like and respect each other. Typical cop-buddy fare, but so well done here that you barely notice any cheese creeping in.
I laughed in the right places, groaned in the right places, and felt touched in the right places. The film features good stunts, high production values, and wonderful, politically incorrect, Canadian-based humour (Americans be warned - there is some Yankee-bashing going on here). Experienced Quebec filmmaker Eric Canuel directs with a tautness that borders on French cinema and keeps the action moving quickly.
Look especially for the performances of Pierre Lebeau as Captain Le Boeuf and Rick Mercer as the Don Cherry-like Tom Berry (the names comprise a wonderful set of jokes all on their own).
Highly recommended for everyone who enjoys this genre.
Grind (2003)
Better than average teen summer flick
It's not going to win any academy awards, and in many ways it's just another formulaic summer teen exploitation movie, but there is something that sets Grind apart by just a wee bit. Perhaps its the straightforward approach, the fact that the movie has much more heart and soul than most of it's ilk (thanks to very good work by the ensemble lead, particularly Vince Vieluf in a wonderful, mostly improvised performance), or just that the filmmakers knew enough to bring Morgan Stone and Tony Hawk's 900 Films onboard for the skating sequences.
By far and away the best bits of the flick are the skating scenes, generally performed by professional boarders, including Brian Patch, Brian Sumner, Matt Ball and Chad Shettler subbing for the four main characters, with appearances by Bam Margera, Chad
Fernandez and a raft of others. You have probably never seen skating sequences as good as this in a motion picture - it's great!
"Go for Your Dream," is the film's theme, and it delivers that message with some charm, some drama, and quite a few good laughs. Check it out, dude.
The Book of Stars (1999)
Incredible movie - Fully recommended!
I hate "Disease of the Week" movies that centre on the plight of a character with a major disease. One of the few to date with redeeming social value was "Lorenzo's Oil." I saw Book of Stars at the Victoria Independent Film and Video Festival, and now we can add this movie to that list. Michael Miner's visual imagery is stunning, and the acting performances of Mary Stuart Masterson and Jena Malone are searing, riveting and astounding. Delroy Lindo adds some weight with his performance, and the story telling is superb. Even the potentially cliched hospital sequences ring true and are sure to moisten even the hardest heart's eyeballs. See this movie now!
Killer Bud (2001)
Totally humourous, loony-tunes type of movie that's wonderfully enjoyable.
It's nice to see a simple farce again after so many mega-blockbuster disasters lately. Even though David Faustino simply reprises his role from "Married with Children," he shows some talent, while Corin Nemec is superb as his good buddy Waylon. Nemec has the charisma and talent to carry a movie.
See this flick and enjoy - you will not be disappointed.