Hey folks, Harry here with a Euro Special... First we hear that Jeunet's latest film is absolutely wonderful!!!!! YIPEEE!!!! I'm so happy to hear he rebounded back from ALIEN IV.... ugh.... with something with passion and love and vision. Very happy! Meanwhile a review, at last, for CITIZEN TOXIE brings tears of joy to my eyes.... and lastly... the tidbit about Tsui Hark possibly making an ULTRA-MAN movie today.... OHMYGOD COOOOOOOOL! Ultra-Man is only the coolest thing ever! I want monster decapitation and joyful frantic insanity! And tons of it! I just hope we get the original costume back... it ruled! Here ya go....
Hello... Edgard here with a EURO AICN special... Champagne 2000 came to the rescue with two reviews that should be enjoyed by many of you... I am notreally familiar with the Troma universe so I can't really comment on that... all I can say is that he raised my curiosity on this TOXIC 4 and that I want to see it now... but most important - at least for me - this first review of the new film by JP Jeunet excites me even more... This film will be released here in Paris on April 25th... so it's getting closer now... I can't wait... I am a big fan of DELICATESSEN, CITY OF LOST CHILDREN and even ALIEN - RESURRECTION (okay the last 20 minutes are even worst than the ending of MISSION TO MARS... but the rest is great... maybe I am the only one to like <= of the film, but I do). So anyway... here's Champagne 2000....
First year anniversary of EURO AICN and no champagne to celebrate that ??! Well hopefully Champagne 2000 comes to the rescue with the first reviews of LE FABULEUX DESTIN D'AMELIE POULAIN (the new JP Jeunet) and of CITIZEN TOXIE - TOXIC AVENGER 4 !!
LE FABULEUX DESTIN D'AMELIE POULAIN ("Amélie from Montmartre")
This is Jean-Pierre Jeunet's return in France after his journey to American for ALIEN RESURRECTION. To keep it simple, let's say that this new film follows a young woman who decides to make people happy around her. She's evolving in a "magnified" Paris like only Jeunet could imagine, a Paris in-between the Paris from the 50's and the contemporary Paris... To get this vision - hard to imagine before seeing the film - Jeunet got help from the FX company that worked on ALIEN IV. Like with Zemeckis the effects are most of the time very discreet (to change a sky, to add bounces in the water,...); and this brings you in a world half between pure poetry and dream. I know that if you haven't seen the short films from Jeunet & Caro or even DELICATESSEN (their first film) it's hard to get the idea. I will make a comparison that might talk to Harry (but that might also make scream all the Jeunet's fans !) : imagine the romance and poetry of LA FILLE SUR LE PONT (THE GIRL ON THE BRIDGE) and multiply it by 10... no by 100... and you're not there yet !! This film will most certainly be a big success in France but I think it will mostly mark the foreign countries as it presents a magnified vision of what already makes France charming to other countries (Montmartre, the little café's, the romance, the accordion... by the way, Yan Tiersen's music is very moving). For me, I must say that I totally loved the first part which introduces us to Amelie's childhood. The world is seen through Amelie's eyes and the result is a wonder of humour and poetry. For those of you who saw FOUTAISE (a short film from Jeunet & Caro), let's just say that Jeunet uses the same idea of this short film (I won't say more as I don't want to spoil anything). Besides LE FABULEUX DESTIN... is full of ideas that could feed many short films (the joke Amélie does to her father, the life in the café, the occupation of the boy that intrigues Amélie...). The film is full of ideas and little thoughts on the daily life, still LE FABULEUX DESTIN... is very homogeneous. Frankly I don't know anyone who did not LOVE the film (the press screening did not take place yet) and it is in my opinion one of the three best films I saw since the beginning of the year (the two others are TRAFIC and REQUIEM FOR A DREAM - I know we're a little bit late in France).
My quotation (between "Table Wine"; "Sparkling Wine"; "Average Vintage" or "Vintage Wine") : VINTAGE WINE !!!
Let's continue with one of the most awaited film in the universe :
CITIZEN TOXIE - TOXIC AVENGER 4 !!
This film was screened last week-end in Brussels as a world premiere and of course Lloyd Kaufmann was there (and me too, how could I miss that ?). Lloyd Kaufmann is in my opinion one of the persons who most inspires me respect in the movie world today, not because he loves to put lesbians and big monsters in his films (although it could be a good reason after all) but because he's a model of integrity in the corrupted world of cinema; he's a man of convictions and faithful to the line of conduct he has chosen. That guy who enjoys when people puke on each others in his films is more upright that many of the worshipped directors by the intellectuals from all over the world; these directors who are ready to compromise themselves just in order to participate in some festivals (for those of you who are doubtful, read the fantastic book from Lloyd Kaufmann "All I learned to know about filmaking I learned from the Toxic Avenger"). Now that I bored you with my opinion on Troma, let's review TOXIC IV !!
According to the great Lloyd, CITIZEN TOXIE is the real version of CITIZEN KANE, the one Orson Welles wanted to direct, the one the censorship forced him to cut, depriving us of the lesbians scenes, shit throwing, smashed heads and apocalyptic masturbation's. It's maybe true. Personally I didn't like TOXIC 2 and 3 and I am probably not the only one as TOXIC 4 opens with the words "the real sequel". TOXIC 4 tells how Toxie gets thrust in Amortville - the parallel negative universe of Tromaville. Of course when Toxie arrives in Amortville, the bad Toxie - Noxie - will be in Tromaville. One of the solutions that the city will find to get rid of Noxie will be to call the Troma superhero dreamteam : Sgt Kabukiman NYPD, Mad Cowboy (in fact a human cow), Dolphin Man (my favourite... uproariously funny), Master Bator (who keeps... well you'll see by yourself), and the Vibrator (I also let you guess). TOXIC 4 is probably the most trash film ever produced by Troma. Personally I really enjoyed the film. The first half hour is maybe better than TOXIC 1. After it gets bogged down a bit but there's always a great joke to make you forget about the slower rhythm. The final is great (SPOILER WARNING !! : with a battle between baby Toxie and baby Noxie in the belly of their mother while Toxie and Noxie are also fighting !!). This film shows everything why the cinema was invented : sexy lesbians, stupid jokes, the biggest fart in the cinema history, rubber monsters and gore. Thank you Troma for this film that might make you forget about CITIZEN KANE, the first version. My quotation : VINTAGE WINE !!!
Little bonus : I know for a sure source that Tsui Hark is working now on ULTRAMAN - THE MOVIE !!
Talk to you soon...
CHAMPAGNE 2000
