October’s Overlooked Film

Chosen by: John C.

One Week

Release Date March 6th, 2009

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Running Time: 97 min

Michael McGowan (dir.)

Michael McGowan (writer)

Andrew Lockington (music)

Joshua Jackson as Ben Tyler

Liane Balaban as Samantha Pierce

Campbell Scott as Narrator

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Overlooked Film: One Week

By John C.

For this month’s overlooked film, I am shining the spotlight back on the Canadian masterpiece One Week. We had reviewed this film when it opened in theatres on March 6th, and when it came on DVD June 16th.

This is one film that deserves all the publicity it can get. It’s my favourite Canadian film I’ve seen this year, and will hopefully pick up numerous Genie awards. If you haven’t already seen it, please do so as soon as possible.

Is there a film that you think is overlooked? Send the name of the movie to onemoviefiveviews@hotmail.com, or leave us a comment below.

Suzie DVD Review

Suzie - An E1 Films Release

On DVD: August 4th, 2009

Rated 14A

Running time: 93 minutes

Micheline Lanctôt (dir.)

Micheline Lanctôt (writer)

Claude Challe (music)

François Lanctôt (music)

Micheline Lanctôt as Suzie

Pascale Bussières as Viviane - Bibi's mother

Normand Daneau as Pierre - Bibi's father

Our reviews below:

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Suzie DVD Review By John C.

*1/2 (out of 4)

Suzie is the story of a depressed cab driver named Suzie, who finds an autistic ten-year old boy in the back of her taxi, with only an address and a fifty dollar bill. The address belongs to his messed-up father. His father is going on vacation with his girlfriend, so Suzie is told to take the kid to his mother. When they arrive at the secondary address, Suzie realizes that his mother is extremely messed-up. She wanted her ex-husband to take the kid for a week, most likely just so that she can kill herself.

One of Suzie’s many big problems is that it’s not really that interesting. None of the character’s are likable. There is also so much yelling in this film that it would make anyone want to press their ear against a pipe to listen to the rush of water. It meanders it’s way through the entire 93-minute running time just to reach an annoying and unsatisfying conclusion.

The movie isn’t even visually appealing. It’s dark, grainy cell phone/security camera style cinematography gives it a dirty and cheap look. It’s set on Halloween night pretty much just for the sole use of atmosphere. And to justify having people in weird costumes jumping out from behind corners. Also, if it wasn’t Halloween, we wouldn’t have been treated to images of a group of drunk guys wearing rubber breasts.

The DVD doesn’t any bonus features.

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Suzie DVD Review By Erin V.

*3/4 (out of 4)

Suzie is about a taxi driver named Suzie, who one Halloween night discovers a kid all of a sudden in the back of her taxi cab with an address and 50 dollars. (It seems in movies recently, kids just appear in taxi cabs when the drivers turn their backs for a second - it happened in Race To Witch Mountain, [and they usually have a wad of cash with them.]) So, Suzie brings the boy, who utters not a word to her, to the address on the note - his father’s house. His father refuses to take the boy and sends him back to his mother, who is even less stable than he. His mother has a seemingly common breakdown right in front of her kid, and begs Suzie to stay with her for the night, because she has trouble taking care of her special needs child on her own. Then, she yells at Suzie, then Suzie leaves, and the boy’s father shows up, and Suzie comes back, and everyone is yelling, so Suzie takes the boy with her. The parents don’t seem to notice. As a matter of fact, no one really seems to care...

Suzie is a movie that opens with credits with an electronic sounding piano score in the background. Then, we see the title character Suzie sitting/riding on a bus. After about a minute, we see her sitting in a psychiatrists office - interspliced with shots of a ticking clock. She gets up to leave, with only a line of dialogue uttered, and not from her. It feels really slow - and the whole movie follows this pattern. As a matter of fact, the only time it is not this slow, is generally when everyone is yelling at each other. For me, it was no more entertaining.

By the end of the movie, the kid would have seriously been in the custody of children’s aid. His parents need help, yet no one so much as suggests a therapist. He is living with an unstable mother, has an unstable father who comes and goes, was kidnapped by an unstable woman - (doesn’t faze the parents all that much), etc. The boy in the movie is hinted at having autism, which everyone seems to think is why he is the way he is, although his unstable living environment is an added stress that in the real world would really need to be removed.

If you’re really curious about it, rent it, but it’s not really a positive portrayal of anything - it’s more just a downright not-uplifting movie.

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Suzie DVD Review By Nicole

** (out of 4)

Suzie is a slow movie, and somewhat disturbing Canadian film. The title character, Suzie, is a 58 year old taxi driver, who after 20 years, is still haunted by her daughter’s abduction by her Moroccan father. One halloween, Suzie is surprised to find a ten year old boy alone in the back of her cab, with nothing but an address and $50 in his possession. The boy obviously has special needs, and it is apparent that the boy, Bibi, probably has autism. When Suzie arrives at the address, she finds Bibi’s mentally unstable mother, who complains, right in front of Bibi, that he is too difficult, and that the father should have him that night. The father then comes home, and, again, in front of Bibi, complains to his ex-wife that she should have him, as he scares away any girlfriends. Suzie is upset that Bibi should have to hear all this nonsense, so she attempts to abduct Bibi to Morocco. When the police finally find out what has gone down, they do nothing. No charges are laid. After the parents claim that they were almost relieved to see their son abducted by a perfect stranger, the police send Bibi home. This is completely unrealistic. Both Suzie and Bibi’s parents are unstable, so why isn’t Bibi being protected? Bibi is the only likable character in this film. The tragic thing about this film is that we have a highly sensitive, and vulnerable child caught up in a world of unstable adults. While the implication is that it is difficult to care for a child with special needs, it seemed like Bibi was the one with the least special needs. I found Bibi’s character interesting, and very realistically portrayed.

Special needs are no excuse for child abandonment. The message that should have been in this film is that despite the challenges of being a parent of an exceptional child, there is still beauty in being able to share life.

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Suzie DVD Review By Maureen

*1/2 (out of 4)

Set on Halloween night, “Suzie” follows events that unfold when a ten year old boy with special needs is dropped off with reclusive Montréal taxi driver, Suzie.

This is a dark and emotionally intense movie. Having the story take place Halloween night only adds to a very unsettled and disturbing atmosphere. The boy, Bibi, whose special needs are never clearly defined, is implied to be autistic. Bibi is shuttled back and forth between an emotionally unstable mother and an angry, self centered father. Taxi driver Suzie takes Bibi to shield him from his parents’ fighting and to heal her own emotional wounds. In a real world outside of a movie script, Bibi would have been in the custody of a youth protection agency so fast there wouldn’t have been a story.

I couldn’t feel sympathy for any of the characters except of course, Bibi. The underlying message that having a special needs child is so overwhelming that any parent would act irresponsibly is irresponsible to me. I didn't really like this movie. Throwing autism into the mix of the story just seemed to be a plot device to latch onto a current hot topic.

Unless you enjoy any Montréal made film or have a real interest in any of the actors then this is a really negative way to pass an hour and thirty-three minutes.

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Suzie DVD Review By Tony

** (out of 4)

Suzie (Micheline Lanctôt) est une femme de 58 ans qui travaille comme chauffeur de taxi pendant la nuit. Elle souffre d’une dépression, vivant seule et parlant le moins que possible. Le nuit de l’Halloween, elle trouve dans son taxi un garçon de dix ans, un sac sur la tête, nommé Bibi (Gabriel Gaudreault), avec $50 et une adresse. Elle trouve là un couple au point de partir en vacances, dont l’homme (le père de Bibi, joué par Normand Daneau) n’a aucune envie de s’occuper de son fils et donne à Suzie $100 pour le rentrer chez sa mère. On trouve la mère (Pascale Bussières) tout épuisée et fachée que son ex ne voulait pas partager leur fils “difficile”. Plus tard, le père arrive et les deux se mettent à disputer. Suzie prend Bibi dans son taxi et prépare de le conduire loin de tout. Elle lui dit qu’elle ne veut pas le laisser abandonner, ayant elle-même perdu une fille enlevée par son père Marocain il y a presque trente ans.

Jamais n’est mentioné (comme le nom Valdemort) la question de l’autisme, dont Bibi possède les symptomes, partagés en part par Suzie, ce qui la fait comprendre sa peine. Par exemple, il parle peu, et quand il est frustré il a des cris typiques, mais il est doué aux jeux vidéos et à poker. Très sensible aux bruits, il se calme dans la salle de bain en laissant couler l’eau. Trop souvent comme ici, les mariages sont brisés à cause des enfants autistiques.

L’atmosphère du film est sombre et intense, presque sans humeur. On voulait éviter peut être un tone didactique au sujet de l’autisme par ne pas le mentionner, mais pour les gens qui ne le comprendent pas, j’ai peur que les personnages ne seraient pas sympathiques et leurs actions seulement bizarres.

The subtitles are in Quebec English, which includes vocabulary unknown elsewhere, such as “dépanneur” (literally “fixer”) which in French Canada means a convenience store, often run by Corean (sic) immigrants, and the rich reportoire of profanity based on the now largely abandoned Catholic tradition, such as “Calvaire” (Calvary), referring to a particularly miserable situation.

**1/2 (Pour les autistiques et ceux qui les connaissent) ** (pour les autres)

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Consensus: Suzie is not an uplifting movie, it has a lot of problems in it - the characters also have a lot of problems in it. If you are are really curious, rent it. *3/4 (Out of 4)

Happy Canada Day 2009!

One Movie, Five Views would like to extend our Canada Day greetings to all our Canadian readers. In honour of the special occasion, here is a list of some recent Canadian films that we have reviewed. Hope you all have a great day!

Here is a list of Canadian movies we reviewed over the past year:

De Nouvelles Du Nord (Northern Greetings)

Passchendaele

À L’Ouest de Pluton

One Week

Saint Ralph (Overlooked Film)

Hank and Mike

Toronto Stories

Adoration

C'est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!)

Ce qu’il Faut Pour Vivre (The Necessities of Life)

One Week DVD Review

Victoria Day

Liberty, USA

One Week DVD Review

One Week

http://oneweek.ca/

http://www.mongrelmedia.com/dvd/info.cgi?id=1441

On DVD: June 16th, 2009

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Running time: 97 minutes

Michael McGowan (dir.)

Cast: (in order of appearance)

Joshua Jackson as Ben Tyler

Peter Spence as Doctor

Gage Munroe as Young Ben

Liane Balaban as Samantha Pierce

Fiona Reid as Mary Tyler

Chuck Shamata as Gerald Tyler

Caroline Cave as Nancy Tyler

Campbell Scott as Narrator

Joshua Jackson as Ben in One Week.

Our reviews below:

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One Week DVD Review By John C.

**** (out of 4)

Read Original Theatrical Review Here

One Week is the story of Ben Tyler. From the opening scene when he's told he has stage 4 cancer, we know this won't be a conventional film. So before he starts any treatment, he decides to take a motorcycle trip. What was meant to be a two day trip, turns into a one week quest for the west, from Toronto, ON to Tofino, BC.

One of the things that makes One Week so perfect is the narrator. The narration is simple, profound and very funny. It's also one of my favorite things about the film. Another perfect element is the beautiful scenic backdrop. The filmmakers weren't confined to any spaces, so they used part of a whole country.

One Week is quite simply a Canadian masterpiece. Don't rent this DVD, buy it. One of my favorite films so far this year. The special features on the DVD include a making-of, an interview with director Michael McGowan, a Q+A with the director and Joshua Jackson which was filmed at the Varsity theatre (when they attended a screening of the film on March 5th), a photo gallery and the films theatrical trailer. This all adds up to about 40 minutes. There is also director's commentary with Michael McGowan.

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One Week DVD Review By Erin V.

**** (out of 4)

Read Original Theatrical Review Here

One Week is the story of Ben Tyler, a writer who as he has grown up has lost his dreaming trait that he had as a child. When he finds out that he has stage four cancer, something reawakens in him, and he feels an overwhelming urge to see the country that he lives in. Engaged to be married, his fiancée - being an actuary - does not understand his need to take a 'vacation' rather than seeking treatment as soon as possible. But what he wants her to understand is that he needs to truly live before he becomes a patient, too sick to do anything. As we are told through the perfect narration, everything happens for a reason. From his canceling his appointment at the hospital, to taking what seems like a simple picture for tourists.

One Week holds up just as well for me as it did on my first viewing in theatres. I had been waiting to see this one again, and I am so glad to now have it on DVD. In my original review, I said that this movie succeeds in showing the natural beauty of Canada. Watching it again, it is amazing just how many shots of this film could be postcards - that is Canada for you, and I am just glad that the cinematographer used so many amazing landscape longshots. I still find the choices of music in this film to be spot on, and Andrew Lockington's score matches the songs well. You can hear the music online at One Week's official site.

This is a movie that shows that sometimes we just need to have the adventure, that we always dreamed of having as a child - before life took over. The question is, do we want the adventure, or to run from our fears? The premise of the need for adventure and to escape the world by seeing another part of it, reminds me slightly of some elements of Up, now that I've seen that movie. Interestingly enough, as of now, both One Week and Up are on my top 10 list for 2009. Both in the top 5 currently... I wholly recommend them both. Here is my advice: Buy One Week for Canada Day.

The DVD has several extras. A making-of featurette, an interview with director Michael McGowan, a Q & A with Michael McGowan, and lead Joshua Jackson, a photo-slideshow, the theatrical trailer, and a commentary track for the film. After watching everything but the movie with commentary, I must say that I am happy with the approximately 35 minutes of extras on the disc. It was fun to see in the making-of featurette that just about - if not all - of the small crew had an appearance as an extra in the film.

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One Week DVD Review By Nicole

**** (out of 4)

Read Original Theatrical Review Here

One Week is a beautiful film that celebrates Canada. The movie follows Ben, a terminally ill young man, and his journey going across Canada on a motorcycle.

There is about 35 minutes of bonus features on this DVD, as well as well as directors commentary. The "making-of" featurette is decent, and shows what inspired the film, as well as how it was shot and cast. This featurette also shows how Andrew Lockington was inspired to write the score. The interview with the director and crew talks about what the film means to them. This segment is also really good. The One Week screening: Q+A with Joshua Jackson + After Party is really funny. There is also a theatrical trailer, as well as a photo gallery. One Week is an excellent movie, that is worth owning on DVD. just in time for Canada day, but great anytime of the year.

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One Week DVD Review By Maureen

**** (out of 4)

***1/2 (for the DVD)

Read Original Theatrical Review Here

I loved One Week when I saw it in theatres and I like it just as much, if not more on DVD. Watching One Week again is like going through an old vacation photo album or slideshow. Yes, you've seen the images before, but they make you smile everytime you see them again. The road trip the main character, Ben makes from Toronto to the Western coast is wonderful to see.

Overall, this is a really nice movie. It's a story of hope and a wonderful tribute to the stunning beauty and many quirky tourist spots that make Canada unique.

The One Week DVD would make a great Father's Day or Canada Day gift. It has enough extras to make the DVD interesting, but even if you don't get around to watching them, the movie itself is worth seeing again. Treat yourself to One Week. This makes a great summer watch.

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One Week DVD Review By Tony

**** (out of 4)

***1/2 (for the DVD)

Read Original Theatrical Review Here

The DVD has the usual extras, in English only: a director’s commentary track, a “Making Of” featurette showing the crew on their bus, various interviews, a trailer and some stills. My only criticism is that no French subtitles are available for those who like me prefer to listen to the original actors. However, from what I could hear in various scenes, the French dubbing is well done.

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Consensus: As said when we reviewed One Week theatrically, this is a film that celebrates being Canadian. Perfect for a Canada Day gift, this is one movie that if you haven't seen it in theatres, you definitely don't want to miss on DVD. ****

C'est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!) DVD Review

C'est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!) - A E1 Films Release

On DVD: May 12th, 2009

http://www.cestpasmoijelejure.com/

Rated G

Running time: 110 minutes.

Philippe Falardeau (dir.)

Philippe Falardeau (writer)

Bruno Hébert (book)

Patrick Watson (music)

Antoine L'Écuyer as Léon Doré

Suzanne Clément as Madeleine Doré

Daniel Brière as Philippe Doré

Catherine Faucher as Léa

Gabriel Maillé as Jérôme Doré

Our reviews below:

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C’est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!) Review By John C.

**1/2 (out of 4) (Pretty Good)

When we first meet 10 year old Leon, he is hanging himself from a tree. His mother gets quite irate and tries to cut down the tree, his older brother Jerome wishes he had a normal brother who didn’t try to kill himself as much. I’m not sure if this makes any sense, but C’est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!), is better than I thought it would be, but not as good as I hoped it would be. First of all, the film is to long by about 20 minutes. With tighter editing, this could have been done in 90, rather 110 minutes. This film is labeled as a “Comedy, Drama”, but don’t mistake this for light and fun popcorn entertainment, it’s actually a bit disturbing. This is the kind of script that requires the main character’s mother, who is just as messed up as her kid, if not more so, to have just ran away to Greece. Because if she hadn’t we wouldn’t feel a grain of sympathy for her kid as he breaks into the neighbors house and trashes it. A lot of the time the kid is just being a brat, but his mother having left, I suppose, is meant to justify his behavior.

I didn’t hate this film, but I certainly did not love it. I was pretty much indifferent to it. I was glad I saw it, but I don’t feel any need to watch it again. Although I must say, there is so much talk about this film, that it’s worth seeing just so you know what everyone's talking about.

The DVD includes the film in French, with fairly easy to read English subtitles. It also includes three featurettes and the films trailer. All special features are in French only.

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C’est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!) Review By Erin V.

**1/2 (out of 4)

C'est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! - It's Not Me, I Swear!, is an interesting film, but not one that is all that memorable when compared to other independent films out there. The movie opens with the main character, Léon, age 10, trying to hang himself in the front yard. Apart from attempting suicide from time to time throughout the movie, he also vandalizes the neighbour house while they are on vacation. There is no mystery in the film where Léon gets his behaviours from - his mother is just as happy to egg the houses on the street as he is. When his mother leaves for Greece, the separation from his mother devastates him, and his behaviour doesn't get any better. With the girl - who has family problems of her own - across the street, whom he befriends, he makes a plan to run away. Destination? Greece.

The movie has decent acting from it's young cast members, as well as it's older ones. I found many of the plot points kind of annoying to watch, in part due to the fact that the main character is kind of unlikable. Overall, this is an interesting film, that is pretty good if you want to check it out on DVD. It's not one that I would want to watch again and again, but I didn't mind seeing this one once.

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C’est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!) Review By Nicole

**1/2 (out of 4)

N/A

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C’est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!) Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

N/A

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C’est Pas Moi, Je Le Jure! (It’s Not Me, I Swear!) Review By Tony

**1/2 (out of 4)

N/A

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Consensus: While it’s far from a bad film, it’s not as memorable, nor as good as it could have been. Worth checking out if you’re interested in film, or just curious to see what everyone’s been talking about. **1/2 (Out of 4)

Hank and Mike DVD Review

Hank and Mike

http://www.hankandmike.com/

On DVD: April 14th, 2009

Rated 18A for sexual content, substance abuse, language and nudity

Running time: 86 minutes

Matthiew Klinck (dir.)

Thomas Michael as Hank

Paolo Mancini as Mike

Chris Klein as Conrad Hubriss

Joe Mantegna as Mr. Pan

Boyd Banks as Leon

Maggie Castle as Lena

Tony Nappo as Stu

Kathleen Laskey as Connie Schytt

Jack Jessop as Watermelon Man

Derek Gilroy as Liam

Hank and Mike walk the downtown streets in Hank And Mike.

Our reviews below:

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Hank And Mike DVD Review By John C.

*** (out of 4)

The title card only appears 22 minutes into the 86 minute film, but by the time it does we have already been introduced to the characters and the premise has already been set up: Hank and Mike are two Easter Bunnies who get fired from their jobs and get down-in-the-dumps while looking for work. Hank and Mike is their story. This is actually surprisingly good for a movie about two Easter Bunnies. Especially when the bunnies are played by adult men in mask-less suits. The film is quite often hilarious, but also follows a reasonable plot line. The film also has it’s moments of sweetness and in the end actually boasts a positive message: Even if it’s dark and raining, the sun will always come back out.

Please don’t mistake this for family entertainment, the film has a ton of instances of swearing, sexual situations and a lot of female nudity in the first half. But, for mature audiences who don’t mind the vulgarity, the film is funny, enjoyable and in it’s own strange way, has a heart. This is destined to become a Canadian cult-classic that will likely be watched for many years to come.

The DVD boasts “over 4 hours of special features”, including the original 15 minute Hank and Mike short film from 2000, deleted and extended scenes, featurette’s, making-of’s, an alternate ending, auditions, filmmaker commentaries, a photo gallery and a poster gallery. The disc also includes the Canadian exclusive special feature “Hank and Mike heckle the movie” and a dozen Easter Egg’s for you to find.

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Hank And Mike DVD Review By Erin V.

*** (out of 4)

Hank And Mike is the story of two blue-colour Easter Bunnies, who are laid off from their jobs because, A. Budget Cuts/Downsizing within Easter Enterprises, and B. They missed a house on thier route. Hank is a drinking, smoking, (not just tobacco), and partying Easter Bunny, who is always half asleep in front of the TV when Mike wakes him up to go hide Easter eggs on Easter morning. Mike on the other hand, happily hops out of bed when his alarm clock rings at 2:20 am for them to go out and do their job as Easter Bunnies. Mike could not be any different then Hank, as he enjoys his organic carrots, and being a hardworker at the job that he loves so much. It is the contrast between the two main characters, that really makes the movie work so well. An interesting note, is that this introduction to the two main characters and their plight, takes up the first 22 minutes of the movie, before the title card comes on. And it’s the perfect introdution. By the time everything starts happening, we already know the characters that we are dealing with, and for the remainder of the 86 minutes, we can just watch to see how it all turns out.

This movie is surprisingly quite good, and there is far more of a storyline than you may expect. After the movie, I saw the original 15 minute short film that this movie was based on. Hank and Mike were both drunk Easter Bunnies in that, and I found that it worked better with the contrast. It is interesting to see how this short evolved into a movie, as it really didn’t have much plotline more than the idea of two Easter Bunnies fired from their job, and getting drunk in a bar.

The interesting thing about Hank And Mike, is that you realize that you are watching a movie with the two main actors dressed in pink bunny suits. Then, you realize that they are not supposed to be in bunny suits - they are bunnies. The odd thing is that you just except this fact, and enjoy the movie. There were a few really rude scenes, sexual related nudity, etc., and the language throughout certainly deserves the 18A rating. This is not a kids movie, and would certainly not really be appropriate for those under at least fourteen, (or older as the rating suggests). Other than that though, I really enjoyed this movie. It is quite good, with this odd sort of Canadian feel to it.

The Hank And Mike DVD includes over 4 hours of extras, including deleted scenes, the original Hank And Mike short film, featuettes, a dozen Easter eggs for you to find, and much, much more. If you don’t mind the rudeness, this movie would be worth checking out. And if you rent it and love it, you just may have to get yourself a copy. This is the kind of thing that years from now could become a classic.

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Hank And Mike DVD Review By Nicole

**1/2 (out of 4)

When I first saw the trailer for Hank and Mike, I thought it would be a really bad movie. Surprisingly though, Hank and Mike is actually funny, in a really quirky and whimsical way. The movie follows Hank and Mike, two Easter bunnies who work for a sleazy company called Easter Enterprises. When the duo miss a house and the company downsizes, the bunnies are fired and in need of a new job. They try everything, from “butcher shop”, to delivery service, to working in a school, (and getting the kids hopped up on chocolate). However, when hank and Mike get too caught up in the temptations of the world, such as lust and a desire for material things, their lives hit rock bottom. Only when they learn to love and forgive others, instead of desiring things for themselves, do their lives come together again.

Despite the fact that Hank and Mike is a movie about Easter Bunnies it is in no way a family film. The language is strong, there are scenes of gratuitous female nudity in a sexual setting (my one objection to the film), as well as substance abuse. However, despite all the content, Hank and Mike is a very timely film with a good message. In this time of recession, Hank and Mike is a film that reminds us what is really important in life. This film takes a critical look at our culture of greed, the culture of death and the the temptations of the world, such as drugs, alcohol and sex. The contrast between Hank, the grumpy chain-smoking slacker bunny and Mike, the friendly more optimistic bunny who loves organic carrot smoothies, is very apparent. The overall message of the film is, even when things look bleak, the sun will shine through. This message fits well with the real meaning of Easter. (An added bonus is the Canadian production). Check this movie out around Easter, (just wait till the kids are in bed).

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Hank And Mike DVD Review By Maureen

**1/2 (out of 4)

Hank and Mike is one funny movie. This timely but quirky story about two Easter bunnies dealing with unemployment is so oddly believable that it’s sure to become a Canadian pop classic among the college crowd.

It’s interesting to watch how Hank, the bad bunny and Mike, the good bunny cope with the fallout of unemployment-a string of unsatisfactory temp jobs, no money, depression. Yes, they behave badly, but ultimately their friendship gets them through the tough times. When they choose to fight the evil Easter Enterprise corporation, the result is a perfect Easter ending.

Despite the pink fuzzy suits this is not a family Easter movie. The 18A rating is appropriate with the language and sexual content. The movie would have been just as funny without the few nude scenes, (the bunny are always in their fuzzy suits). There is also a lot of substance abuse in the storyline. I know the Easter bunny who delivers Easter goodies to my house never behaves like that.

There are a lot of Special Features on this DVD, (over 4 hours). I found it interesting to watch the original 15 minute Hank and Mike short film. The full length movie is way better. I know I’ll watch this one again next Easter. Skip the popcorn for this one, it’s much more enjoyable with a bowl of cheap Easter chocolate.

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Hank And Mike DVD Review By Tony

**1/2 (out of 4)

Hank and Mike were two easter bunnies created in 1998 by actors Thomas Michael and Paolo Mancini respectively along with director Matthiew Klinck, who had all worked together in sketches since the 7th grade in 1991. As seen in a strange short film of the time (included on the DVD) they were both dissolute characters drowning their sorrows after being fired from their job delivering chocolate eggs for Easter Enterprises. In the current film, Hank is still a jerk, but Mike has evolved into a sweet character. From the opening sequence it is apparent that these are really bunnies, not men in bunny suits, whose role in society is valued, though limited to one night of breaking and entering along their delivery route. Their boss Mr. Pan (Joe Mantegna), like his mythical namesake, is a lover of nature, painting au naturel women and playing a panpipe. His goal to spread Easter joy among the kids that still believe is challenged by the crass bottom line thinking of Conrad Hubriss, whose role is to downsize the “second tier” (in a commercial sense) Easter division of the parent holiday corporation. When Hank and Mike miss one home on their route, the public outcry puts them at the head of the layoff line, and they spend the next few months in a number of disastrous jobs. When Hubriss threatens to take over and replace chocolate eggs with advertising coated cardboard, Hank and Mike find a way to put things right and give Hubriss the comeuppance that his name deserves, in a boardroom scene reminiscent of Dogma (without the guns).

A film like this could easily have been a disaster. Fortunately, like the films of Kevin Smith, it generally works both despite and because of its weird premise, grossout humour, political incorrectness, and profanity (even to little kids who respond in kind). Like other successful comedy teams, such as Dante & Randall (Clerks), Felix & Oscar, Ernie & Bert, etc., Hank and Mike have lived together for so song that they are completely believable, and most importantly, likeable. The musical score is especially good, from the quirky opening egg delivery sequence to the songs, some of which were specially written as commentary (like a Greek chorus), notably during a surreal strip club sequence where Hubriss belts out his feelings to a lush accompaniment. We hope its Canadian provenance doesn’t stand in the way.

Along with the aforementioned short, the DVD has lots of the usual extras, which we hope to see soon.

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Consensus: Funny Easter movie with it’s own quirky heart. Fun to watch around Easter, just not for kids. **3/4 (Out of 4)

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Hank and Mike selling off their junk in Hank And Mike.

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Mike gets advice from Watermelon Man in Hank And Mike.

Elegy DVD Review

On DVD: March 17th, 2009

Rated Canada 14A for sexual content and nudity

Running time: 115 minutes

Isabel Coixet (dir.)

Penélope Cruz as Consuela Castillo

Ben Kingsley as David Kepesh

Peter Sarsgaard as Kenneth Kepesh

Patricia Clarkson as Carolyn

Dennis Hopper as George O'Hearn

Antonio Cupo as Consuela's imagined lover

Deborah Harry as Amy O'Hearn

Kris Pope as Consuela's Brother

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Elegy Review By John C.

*** (out of 4)

Elegy is the tale of English professor David Kepesh, (Ben Kingsley), who is in his 60’s, but likes woman about half his age. But ever since they stuck up the phone number for the sexual harassment hotline across from his office, he no longer sleeps with his students while teaching them, but when classes finish, he throws a huge graduation party at his place. In hopes that at least one young woman will stay behind in his bedroom. This time is different because Consuela Castillo, (Penélope Cruz), didn’t just stay that one night, she came back for more. They are both very intelligent and share a love for art. Which would make them a perfect match, if they had their age in common.

I did not see one sunny day in this movie. The film takes place over at least two years in New York. I imagine that the sun would come out at least once over two years while you live in New York. But then it struck me. How can the sun shine in New York when you’re only filming for a couple of weeks in Vancouver, presumably in the fall?

While the acting in the film is excellent, the musical score is pleasant, and some of it is well shot, it at times, gets kind of boring. While the film should have only been around 95 minutes, it goes on for nearly 2 hours, over staying it’s welcome by about 20 minutes. This is by no means a bad film, and is actually mildly worth seeing. But it’s also not a great film. So I am giving it a mild three stars, but just a notch above 2 1/2. I would say it’s worth a rental, but not really something that needs to be in your permanent collection.

I can’t believe I’m even saying this, but I never thought I would see a topless Penélope Cruz and the Easter Bunny in the same movie. That’s right, Folks! The EASTER BUNNY is in this movie. Watch for his cameo within the first half-hour.

The DVD includes the films theatrical trailer, and a seven-minute featurette entitled The Poetry of Elegy.

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Elegy Review By Erin V.

*** (out of 4)

Elegy tells the story of David Kepesh, (Ben Kingsley), a university professor, who seems to always fall for women his students ages - and he is around 60. One becomes very special to him - Consuela Castillo, (Penélope Cruz), who shares his love and fascination for art and music. To David, she is, as he puts it, “a work of art herself.” Unfortunately, she really is too young for him, which makes the relationship hard to sustain.

The movie is built around their relationship, and is interesting enough to check out, but could have been way better. This was a well-enough made film, although I found that it kind of dragged on a little bit too long. The acting was good, and the musical score in the background was quite nice to listen to, so I really liked that aspect of the film. I would recommend checking this one out on DVD if you’re interested, although you could probably rent it to do so.

The DVD also includes the film’s trailer, as well as a seven minute featurette.

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Elegy Review By Nicole

???? (out of 4)

N/A

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Elegy Review By Maureen

???? (out of 4)

N/A

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Elegy Review By Tony

???? (out of 4)

N/A

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Consensus: Elegy is well acted, and the music is nice to listen to in the film. It does drag at times though, but would be worth at least a rental. *** (Out of 4)