Friday's Top 5: Films Unworthy of An Oscar for Best Film

No order of preference. I'm talking about films who didn't deserve to be nominated or be awarded the Oscar for Best Motion Picture.

#5: Crash

Paul Haggis's Crash certainly deserved a nomination for the Oscar of Best Motion Picture. Unfortunately, the Oscar for Best Motion Picture should have been awarded to Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain in 2006. In fact, Lee's film gives a more humane face to homosexuality by having a lead character (played by Heath Ledger) who can reconcile his manhood with his homosexuality. Although Brokeback Mountain is important for its depiction of gay in films, it's not just a "gay" film. It's a story about trying to break free when society tells you its expectations.

Tous les soleils (2011)

Philippe Claudel's Tous les soleils has a good concept of comedy: the colash of two generations embodied by a single father and his teenager daughter. Unfortunately, the film loses some momentum as we get into its story's second half.

A Better Life (2011)

Whether you're in favour of illegal immigration in the USA or not, Chris Weitz's A Better Life is definitely an eye-opener.

Friday's Top 5: Coolest Gadgets of James Bond

No order of preference, really. Moreover, cars are not included.

#5: The Ericsson mobile phone in Tomorrow Never Dies.

A stun gun of 20,000 Volt that can shock unauthorized users, a fingerprint scanner, a lock pick and a "flip-open" remote control to control a bad-ass car. The perfect weapon for a spy!

Decoding the Ancients (2011)

History Television, a Canadian cable network, will air tomorrow at 10 PM a six-part investigation on the History of Christianity. While it's ambitious, this investigation unfortunately left me on the fence.

Fantasia 2011: Die (2011)

Although Dominic James's Die isn't an original thriller, it sure is entertaining and well acted. Nothing less. Nothing more.

Fantasia 2011: Bleak Night (2011)

Even though Yoon Sung-hyun's Bleak Night (Pasuggun) is about a father looking for the cause of his son's death, you'll definitely be surprised.

Global Renews 'Rookie Blue' for a 3rd Season

Global, a Canadian TV network, will renew Rookie Blue, a dramatic series about five rookie cops, for a third season.

Friday's Top 5: Uneffective Marketing Campaign For Films or TV Series

No order of preference, really.

#5: Bodyguard

Although I'm not a fan of Tony Jaa, I believe he's a great fighter. This is why I once decided to rent this film at my local library, because I saw Jaa's name right on the top part of the DVD cover. Unfortunately, while the film lasts for 105 minutes, Jaa only makes a cameo appearance for about five minutes in a fight scene. Pathetic.

Fantasia 2011: Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame (2010)

Chinese director Tsui Hark finally got back in good shape. His latest film Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame is by no definition Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Nevertheless, his film provides a somehow solid and entertaining story.

Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times (2011)

Andrew Rossi's Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times brings nothing new to the debate on the possible survival or death of print media. It nonetheless is necessary, because Rossi's team gained an unprecedented access to the New York Times (NYT), one of the most respected newspapers in the world.

L'âge de raison (2010)

Yann Samuell's L'âge de raison is just what you'd expect from a summer film. Although it's not worthy of an award, L'âge de raison is fun to watch thanks to its lead actress Sophie Marceau (The World Is Not Enough).

Trailer of 'Le bonheur des autres'

Les Films Christal, a branch of the Canadian film distributor Entertainment One, has released the trailer of Jean-Philippe Pearson's Le bonheur des autres. The film will come out in Quebec's theatres on October 7.

CityTV Orders Reality Show 'Canada's Got Talent'

The reality show America's Got Talent, a show in which you must prove to three judges you possess a talent worth $1 million, will have a cousin up North. CityTV, a Canadian TV network, ordered a new reality show called Canada's Got Talent.

History Television To Air An Investigation On Christianity

History Television, a Canadian cable network, will broadcast an investigative documentary on Christianity. Forget what you already know about this religion and be prepared to learn new things about it, says the cable network.

Mario Dumont's Show Blamed by Quebec's Press Council

Former politician Mario Dumont has been hosting since almost two years a commentary show called Dumont on V, a French Canadian TV network. His fellow commentator Éric Duhaime and him showed intellectual dishonesty while talking about Amir Khadir. This is the recent conclusion of Quebec's Press Council (QPC) after it studied a complaint from a citizen.

During a show on December 16, 2010, Mario Dumont and Éric Duhaime "blatantly" distorted the thoughts of Amir Khadir as they were quoted in an article of La Presse from June 7, 2006 titled "Amir Khadir n'écarte pas la théorie du complot" (Amir Khadir doesn't exclude the conspiracy theory), believes that citizen.

Dumont and Duhaime said that in Khadir's opinion, the bombings of September 9, 2001, is a conspiracy. Duhaime even added this remark: "For him (Khadir), it's (the bombings) a conspiracy from the CIA."

According to the decision of the QPC, Dumont and Duhaime clearly misunderstood Amir Khadir's remarks as they were quoted by La Presse's journalist Katia Gagnon.

In her article, Khadir was quoted saying this: "[...] the official version on 9-11 (Osama Bin Laden being behind the bombings) makes sense, but given the American government's record in manipulation, one must have doubts and an independent inquiry is necessary."

Mark Sorella, V's lawyer, said that Khadir openly favours the conspiracy theory when it comes to explaining 9-11. Moreover, added Sorella, a journalist of Radio-Canada, a French Canadian TV network, named Florent Daudens even quoted Khadir saying "it's reasonable to believe that there might be a conspiracy."

However, this same Daudens noted that Khadir added: "[...] if a huge inquiry was conducted, it would surely concluded that Osama Bin Laden is actually the mastermind of the bombings." This is a very "important nuance", according to the QPC.

In short, V and its show Dumont were blamed by the QPC for factual inaccuracy. Nevertheless, the QPC believes that Dumont and Duhaime were not being partial because they both host "an opinion show".

Injured Contestant Replaced On 'So You Think You Can Dance Canada'

The elimination process narrowed the competition down to 22 contestants on the reality show So You Think You Can Dance Canada, which just entered in its fourth season. However, Winnipeg's Moses Leyco (photo) had to ice himself following an injury.

During yesterday's show in which the Top 22 had to perform, 26-year-old Leyco revealed that he had sustained a shoulder ligament injury from the rehearsals to the performance show.

This is why the first Manitoban contestant in So You Think You Can Dance Canada's history will be replaced by Adam Asselin-Rioux (photo), a 21-year-old contemporary dancer from Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC.

This decision was made, because of all the eliminated contestants so far, Adam Asselin-Rioux came close to being in the Top 22.

Stockwell Day Joins CBC News Network

Former cabinet minister of the Conservative Party, Stockwell Day, will be a political commentator on CBC News Network (CBCNN), a Canadian continuing news network. This is what confirmed Kristine Stewart, the executive vice-president of the TV network CBC, on Twitter.

Stockwell Day will take part in the news show Power and Politics with Evan Solomon, which is broadcasted on CBCNN on week days from 5 to 7 PM.

CBCNN hasn't confirmed when Day will start in his new job. Let's recall that Day, who's a very vocal social conservative, announced in March 12 he didn't seek re-election in the Canadian 2011 federal election (May 2). At that time, he was finishing his mandate as the President of Treasury Board.

Kristine Stewart wrote on her Twitter page that Day will appear on Power and Politics on a weekly basis.

'Flashpoint' Gets 1.4 M Viewers In Canada

CTV, a Canadian TV network, just revealed that its original procedural series Flashpoint debuted on Friday, July 8, with 1.4 million viewers in Canada.

Moreover, Flashpoint's season four premiere and also the follow-up of the third season's cliffhanger attracted 6.23 million viewers in the USA on CBS, a TV network.

In Canada, these numbers make Flashpoint the most watched show during the night of Friday, July 8. The show Flashpoint won the demographics of adults aged between 18 and 49 years old. The series follows a team of the tactical unit of Toronto's police department.

In the premiere, Ed Lane (Hugh Dillon), one of the members of that tactical team, survive five gun shots while on duty and is rushed to the hospital. He risks everything to be with his wife, who is about to deliver their baby. Meanwhile, Ed's team is chasing his shooter in the streets of Toronto.

Among the regular cast members, Enrico Colantoni, Amy Jo Johnson, Sergio Di Zio, David Paetkau and Michael Cram reprise their role. Moreover, Clé Bennett (Barney's Version) will join the regular cast as a rookie in the team.

In the next episode, on Friday, July 15 at 8 PM, the team will have to escort a police officer (Max Martini, Castle) from the courthouse after he's been declared innocent in the shooting of an unarmed black student (Ashley Brown). The crowd of angry protesters, led by the student’s father (Julian D. Christopher, Human Target), becomes a full-fledged riot under the sway of violent Black Bloc Anarchists targeting the police. During the melee, the officer is abducted and the tactical team must race to rescue him from a vengeful and unexpected assailant.

Canadian 'Being Human' Season 2 Begins Production

The second season of Canadian TV series Being Human just began production in Montreal. The show will return on SyFy and Space, respectively an American and Canadian cable network dedicated to science-fiction. This is by the way the Canadian remake of the hit British TV series Being Human.

The TV series follows three persons who try to look like human beings, something that they're definitely not. Aidan (Sam Witwer), Sally (Megan Rath) and Josh (Sam Huntington) are respectively a vampire, a ghost and a werewolf who appear to be in their twenties.

Together, they rent a house in Boston. They also try to blend in their neighbourhood and the society without raising suspicions.

The premiere date hasn't been announced, but it will probably be during the next winter. There are new things to be expected. The first one being that Australian actress Dichen Lachman will join the show's regular cast. She'll play Izumi, a reclusive, centuries-old vampire who turns the world upside down when she returns to Boston's vampire millieu.

Below is a trailer of the first season.

Spike Lee Will Direct U.S. Remake of 'Oldboy'

The South Korean film Oldboy will have an American remake. In fact, Mandate Picture, an American production company, has just announced that Spike Lee will direct that American remake called Old Boy.

Just like in the South Korean film directed by Park Chan-wook (Thirst), the American remake will centre on a man who gets abducted on the birthday of his daughter. He's then held for 15 years in solitary confinement without explanation. When this man is released, he prepares his vengeance.

The expectations for the American remake are thus, really high. This is because the original South Korean version won the Grand Prize of the Jury during the Cannes International Film Festival in 2004.

This news confirms that American director Steven Spielberg (Saving Private Ryan) will not be involved in the U.S. remake. In fact, back in 2008, Spielberg and actor Will Smith (I Am Legend) were seeking to get their hands on the remake rights of Oldboy through Spielberg's company Dreamworks.

For the moment, no actors have been hired to star in the American Oldboy. According to IMDB.com, Old Boy will be released in the USA in 2012.

Quebecker Box Office: 'Le sens de l'humour' Tails 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon'

For a second week-end in a row, Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark of the Moon is still leading Quebec's box-office. Quebecker film Le sens de l'humour followed Michael Bay's action film at the box-office, which is a good performance.

During its third week in Quebec, Transformers: Dark of the Moon made $534,138 between Friday, July 8 and 10. In total, this American film got $3,296,312 at the Quebecker box-office.

Number one comedy

As for the close-runner, which is Quebec's Le sens de l'humour, it made during this week-end $463,324. However, given that this film starring Michel Côté, Louis-José Houde and Benoît Brière came out on Wednesday, July 6, it got $711,176 during its first week.

Given that Transformers: Dark of the Moon is an action film, this performance from Le sens de l'humour at the Quebecker box-office makes it the number one comedy in Quebec.

As a matter of fact, some films who found their place in last week's Quebecker box-office are comedies hailing from the USA. The film Horrible Bosses is in third place with $206,998. The animation film Cars 2 is in fourth position with $187,531.

The flick Zookeeper, which is a comedy starring Kevin James, debuted in Quebec at the fifth place with $179,429. Other comedies who made the cut are Bad Teacher, Monte Carlo, Larry Crowne and Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.

Another comedy coming

Moreover, let's note that on Friday, July 29, Starbuck, a Quebecker comedy starring Patrick Huard, will hit Quebec's theatres. Expectations for this film are high given that it was written and directed by acclaimed director Ken Scott.

***

Quebec's box-office figures from July 8 to 10
Rank	Title	Week-end gross (CDN $)	Cumulative gross (CDN $)	# Weeks
1	Transformers: Dark of the Moon	534,138	3,296,312	3
2	Le sens de l'humour	463,324	711,176	2
3	Horrible Bosses	206,998	206,998	1
4	Cars 2	179,429	179,429	3
5	Zookeeper	179,429	179,429	1
6	Bad Teacher	86,551	1,387,628	3
7	Monte Carlo	52,475	306,417	2
8	Gerry	50,465	1,690,028	5
9	Larry Crowne	35,181	238,008	2
10	Midnight in Paris	27,073	900,031	6
Source: Cinéac.

Trailer of Steven Spielberg's 'The Adventures of Tintin'

The trailer of Steven Spielberg's The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn is now online. The film will hit theatres on December 23 in Canada.

This animation film will be shown in 3D as well as in a conventional way.

The film The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, which is produced by Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings), is based on three comic books by Belgian writer Georges "Hergé" Rémi: The Crab with the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure.

Tintin (Jamie Bell) comes across Captain Archibald Haddock (Andy Serkis) for the first time after he finds a clue leading to the Unicorn, a pirate vessel. This vessel happened to be under the command of Sir Francis Haddock, the ancestor of Archibald Haddock. Tintin and Haddock will also be helped by Detectives Thompson and Thomson, who are played by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg.

The film also stars Tony Curran, Gad Elmaleh, Kim Stengel and Daniel Craig.

***

Release date by territory for The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn
Country	Release date
France	October 26
Belgium
Ireland
Netherlands
UK
Denmark	October 27
Germany
Portugal
Russia
Japan	December 1
Canada	December 23
USA

3 Canadian Films Win Awards at the Karlovy Vary Int'l Film Festival

Five Canadian films went to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. However, only three won some awards.

In total, Canada got four awards. The film with the most, which means two, is Martin Donovan's Collaborator. It won the Award of International Film Critics (FIPRESCI), which is a non-statutory award, and a Best Actor Award thanks to the performance of David Morse (John Adams, Treme).

In the Forum of independents, a group for indie films, Aaron Houston's mockumentary Sunflower Hour won the Independent Camera Award.

Moreover, Ivan Grbovic's Roméo Onze won the Special Mention award. Let's mention that producer Paul Barbeau, Ali Ammar and Joseph Bou Nassar, two actors of the film, went on the stage to take the award.

Finally, the theatrical release of these films in Canada have yet to be announced.

Friday's Top 5: Female Characters Who Kick Ass

No order of preference, really.

#5: Lisbeth Salander, Millenium

If you had, like me, the luck to see the 6-episode miniseries (not the films), you'll see that she doesn't back down, can uses any weapon near her and even knows how to deal with a psychopath who suffers of congenital insensitivity to pain.

#4: Shu-Lien, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

An independent woman who knows how to deal with men. Nonetheless, she also knows which man is worthy of her love. That's why she's such a sympathetic character.

#3: Cameron Phillips, Terminator: The Sarah Connors Chronicles

If you're looking for trouble, stay away from her!

#2: The Bride, Kill Bill

Even if I had an army at my disposal, I wouldn't even mess with her. When she seeks vengeance, the result is not going to be pretty!

#1: Lee Geum-ja, Lady Vengeance

Any person who can knock you out before getting close to you in order to kill you with his/her short-range pistol scares the hell out of me.

'Beur sur la ville' Out In France On Oct. 12

French director Djamel Bensalah has a new comedy in store. In fact, his next film Beur sur la ville will come out in theatres in France on October 12.

The film takes place in a poor suburb of Paris. Khalid Belkacem (Booder) failed his Diplôme national du brevet at 15 years old, his driving exam, his BAFA and even his baccalauréat général (BCG).

In a nutshell, he's a complete failure by French standards. However, by a stroke of luck, he becomes the first French cop hired by "affirmative action".

The film also stars Issa Doumbia, Steve Tran, Sandrine Kiberlain, Josiane Balasko, Gérard Jugnot, Roland Giraud and François-Xavier Demaison.

No Canadian release date has been announced.

'Lost Girl' Season 2 Will Have 22 Episodes

The second season of Lost Girl is currently in production in Toronto. The series was supposed to have 13 episodes. However, Showcase, a Canadian cable network, ordered nine more episodes for Lost Girl's second season.

The Canadian TV series Lost Girl will come back on Sunday, September 4 at 9 PM on Showcase. Showcase explained that Lost Girl premiered in September 2010 by breaking a record in terms of ratings. In addition to that, Lost Girl ranked number one on Showcase for adults aged between 25 and 54 years old. Moreover, Lost Girl led scripted series across all specialty channels in Canada.

The story is centred on Bo (Anna Silk). She's been raised by humans all her life. She discovers that she's in actuality a creature, a fae, who passes off for a human being and who can feed off them. While she tries to discover her origin, Bo will do her best to protect human beings.

In the USA

In May, SyFy, an American cable network, acquired season one and two of Lost Girl. An American premiere date for the first season has yet to be announced.

Besides, on July 22, Lost Girl's lead actress, Anna Silk, and Emmanuelle Vaugier, who plays the villain, will lead a panel discussion at Comic-Con. Silk and Vaugier will be joined by Jay Firestone, Lost Girl's producer, and Michelle Lovretta, the creator.

During the Comic-Con, a limited-edition comic book of Lost Girl will be given to those who will attend the panel discussion. This book happens to be the prequel of Lost Girl's season one.

Pictures of Vanessa Paradis On the Set of 'Café de Flore'

The first pictures of actress Vanessa Paradis on the set of Jean-Marc Vallée's Café de Flore has now surfaced online. On these pictures, you see her shooting the film in Paris. Moreover, the film will come out in Canada in September 23.

The film's story takes place in the Paris of the 1960s and nowadays' Montreal. The fate of Jacquelines (Vanessa Paradis), a single Parisian woman raising one kid on her own, and Antoine, a DJ from Montreal, is obviously different. However, their odissey have on thing in common: the search for love.

The film also stars Evelyne Brochu, Hélène Florent, Marin Gerrier, Alice Dubois, Evelyne de la Chenelière and Michel Dumont.

Finally, the film's release date in France has yet to be announced.

The Tree (2010)

Overall, Julie Bertucelli's The Tree is an interesting film that explores our relation with nature. Unfortunately, the film is too badly paced.

Dawn (Charlotte Gainsbourg) lives with her four children in the Australian countryside. She must face the sudden death of her husband (Aden Young). However, Simone (Morgana Davies), Dawn's 8-year-old daughter, believes that her father lives again as the huge fig tree growing in the garden.

The whole family comes to believe that. However, some of the tree's branches fell over the house and its growing roots threaten the water pipes. When George, the new man Dawn sees, suggests the O'Neils to have the tree cut down, Simone won't allow it. This is because she's been talking to her father through that tree.

Julie Bertucelli's directorial skills gives the film a good momentum. Her depiction of the O'Neils' daily life after the death of the father allows the cast to deliver a nice performance. As Dawn, Charlotte Gainsbourg shows us a character who tries to stay strong while she lives her bereavement. Gainsbourg's performance looks so natural as much as Morgana Davies who knows how to look like a petulant child.

Unfortunately, the film loses its momentum when we're halfway through the film. This is because the story seems to keep going on for an eon. During the press screening, I occasionally fell asleep when the film went into its second third, because I got the story's point.

Rating: 3.5/5

Origin:	France/Australia/Germany/Italy (2010)
Length:	100 minutes
Genre:	Drama
Screenplay:	Julie Bertuccelli and Elizabeth J. Mars
Director:	Julie Bertuccelli
Starring:	Charlotte Gainsbourg, Marton Csokas and Morgana Davies

André Sauvé Will Turn a Sketch of His Into a Film

Canadian comedian André Sauvé will adapt into a film a famous monologue he did in a sketch: the grocery store (l'épicerie). The film will fittingly be called L'épicerie.

This will be the second film in which André Sauvé plays after Filière 13. Instead of being in a supporting role like in Filière 13, Sauvé will be the lead actor.

Christal Film Productions, a production company, announced yesterday that André Sauvé will write the film's script along with Claude Lalonde (Filière 13). For the moment, no director is attached to the film.

The film is about a man who goes to the grocery store. Once there, he starts to panick because of what's offered to him on the shelves.

In the next months, the producers of the film will seek subsidies from Telefilm Canada and the SODEC, respectively a federal and a Quebecker cinematographic funding agency. The producers expect L'épicerie's budget to be at $6 M.

Some Canadian comedians who went to the big screen Rachid Badouri (L'appât) Stéphane Rousseau (Les invasions barbares, Astérix aux Jeux Olympiques, Le Projet Omertà) Dave Foley (Suck, The Wrong Guy) Russell Peters (The Con Artist) Louis-José Houde (De père en flic, Le sens de l’humour) Michel Barrette (Aurore, À l’origine d’un cri, Le bonheur des autres)

Novel "Hell.com" Might Be Adapted Into a Film

Canadian director Daniel Roby (Funkytown) will write and direct the upcoming film Hell.com. The latter is based on a best-selling novel by Patrick Senécal.

In an exclusive article, the newspaper La Presse also added that the film will be produced by Nicole Robert. This producer has adapted into films other novels by Patrick Senécal.

She turned into films Sur le seuil and Les sept jours du talion.

Obviously, a third novel of Patrick Senécal has also been made into a film, which means 5150, rue des Ormes.

Once the first draft of Hell.com's script is over, it will be sent to Téléfilm Canada and the SODEC, which are respectively a cinematographic funding agency from Canada and Quebec.

Trailer of 'Servitude'

Maple Pictures, a Canadian distributor, has finally released the trailer of Servitude, which will come out in select theatres in Canada in fall 2011.

The story is about a group of waiters of a popular steakhouse. They're so frustrated that they decide to take over the steakhouse they're working in when they discover they're about to get fired.

The film stars Dave Foley, Joe Dinicol, John Bregar, Kristen Hager, Linda Kash, Jeigh Madjus, Enrico Colantoni, Rachel Skarsten, Margot Kidder, Lauren Collins, Aaron Ashmore and John Boylan.

Moreover, Servitude will be screened at Montreal's Just for Laughs Film Festival on July 28 at 9 PM at the Du Parc Movie Theatre.

Philadelphia (1993)

In Hollywood, for every Twilight films, there are at least two films which tackle touchy issues. While Jonathan Demme's Philadelphia is a little bit cheesy at times, the film is still relevant today as it was when it came out.

Andrew Beckett (Tom Hanks), a former lawyer, got fired from his firm because he's a homosexual with AIDS. His boss, Charles Wheeler (Jason Robards), said he fired Beckett because a file was only found at the last minute before going to court. Beckett, on the other hand, believes his condition led his boss to show him the door.

Andrew ask for representation from Joe Miller (Denzel Washington), one of the most known lawyers in Philadelphia. This is because no other lawyers want to defend Beckett against his former employer. Miller will accept to represent Beckett despite being himself a homophobic.

While Philadelphia doesn't have the same quality as Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, it's one of the best films on gay issues. This is mostly due to Tom Hanks' memorable performance as Andrew Beckett. Sure, the film might look a little bit cheesy because it's set in Philadelphia, the self-proclaimed "city of brotherly love". Add to that the very predictable road to "redemption" taken by the homophobic character of Denzel Washington. Nonetheless, with its strong script, the film Philadelphia succeeds in casting a compassionate glance on the problem of AIDS that affect homosexuals and straight people alike.

Although Philadelphia has a preachy tone, it looks at the American or any other society with such an incredible honesty. In fact, as the film points out, many people just use AIDS as the ultimate excuse to discriminate gays.

Rating: 4/5

Origin:	USA (1993)
Length:	125 minutes
Genre:	Drama
Screenplay:	Ron Nyswaner
Director:	Jonathan Demme
Starring:	Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington

Le sens de l'humour (2011)

After De père en flic, here's another attempt by over-rated director Émile Gaudreault to hit Quebec's box-office with what should look like a summer comedy. As a result, we get a rather average film.

Gaudreault's film follows two second-rate comedians, Marco (Benoît Brière) and Luc (Louis-Josée Houde), who are on tour around Quebec. Marco is the sympathetic guy while Luc seems obnoxious on stage. During a show at L'Anse-au-Pic, a remote village, the two comedians decide to pick on a random spectator in the form of Roger (Michel Côté), the cook at the local snack bar, "until it's no longer funny".

Unfortunately for them, Roger takes their jokes very personally. After their show, Roger captures Marco and Luc to torture them. However, in order to buy some time, Marco and Luc will teach Roger how to be funny.

While Gaudreault laughs at most Quebecker comedians' incapacity to be original, he also plays with the known genre of abduction films in the likes of The Disappearance of Alice Creed. In addition to some well thought gags, Le sens de l'humour offers us what we actually expect to see: long conversations between the captor and his hostages along with scenes in which the two victims try to escape.

All in all, we've got a very ordinary and also thin storyline. Add to that, a troika of actors (Brière, Houde and Côté) who seem to have fun displaying all the clichés defining their respective character. As a parody of psychopath, Michel Côté will make you laugh without having you believe that his performance is idiotic. However, the only reproach is that the film seems to be too long.

Honestly, Le sens de l'humour doesn't really venture into uncharted territories. Still, the fact that it's a rather easy film to understand should attract many people who aren't looking for too much.

Rating: 3/5

Origin:	Canada (2011)
Length:
Genre:	Comedy
Screenplay:	Émile Gaudreault and Benoît Pelletier
Director:	Émile Gaudreault
Starring:	Benoît Brière, Louis-José Houde and Michel Côté