iamjoopvandenberg

Every once in a while I try to watch a French film, based on recommendations from my friends there. Helps me practice the language, and man, we do need to watch something else than the usual Hollywood film at times. On my last trip to Paris i got my hands on this DVD, and I must say I liked it. It's creative (a comedy about call centers), funny, different, well-acted, well-thought. Sure this is not a landmark of the history of film, but it's with this kind of films that cinema remains a popular art. Wonder what it could have been with a bigger, Hollywood-sized budget. It would probably have been a hit. But I guess clever producers must have found out about his hidden gem and collected more than a few ideas there for their future works.

I was bitterly disappointed by this film It takes a lot to shock me but I must admit I was afraid of seeing that one. But this film did not make me scream in terror, it just made me laugh out loud. The chainsaw noise was intriguing for one minute then became absolutely ridiculous. The "family reunion" made me think about the Addams Family. The killer is lame, the victims are dull. There is absolutely no buildup in the terror, no atmosphere, no development, you never get hooked. Being bang on the shocking scenes may have been an editorial choice, but for me it just doesn't work at all. The only thing this film is noteworthy about is that it predated the classic, lame teen slasher movies, with the group of teenagers and the busty girl in a tank top going for a ride in the country and running into much predictable trouble, filmed with shaky cameras.