Mini-DVD Review: Artoo crazy for C.R.A.Z.Y.

WOW! You have to see this great film! I totally understand now how the film won all those Jutra and Genie awards a few weeks back. it's a gem of a little movie.

The Amazon story: December 25, 1960: Zachary Beaulieu comes into the world, fourth in a family of five boys. An ordinary suburban family with a loving mother and a dad who's a bit gruff, but proud of his sons. The beginning of a beautiful childhood, where Christmases and birthdays follow one after the other to the ubiquitous solo of the elder Beaulieu singing Aznavour's Emmène-moi au bout de la terre, washing the car in the fresh air and trips to the snack-bar for Zac, his father's favourite. But not for long, alas!

The Skinny: It had been a while since i'd seen a film that was so fresh amd original. I'm still fuzzy as to why this wasn't nominated for an oscar as a best foreign selection this past year. If you have a chance and understand the language, do yourself a favour and watch thefilm in french. An emotianally packed film with many scenes that give you shivers.

Rarely done for a canadian film, the director Jean-Marc Vallée of the film went after some major rock tunes to support his story (pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Bowie, etc.). He has mentioned in interviews that the music was essential to conveying the message and images he wanted to share with us in his film.

It reminded me a little bit in a rock'n'roll way to Cameron Crowe's film Almost Famous since it used music from the same time period. As much as I liked Almost Famous, this story is stronger in that it seems more personal and closer to our lives. We can see ourselves in some of the family dynamics that are on screen.

My rating: A solid 9/10 for me and once i've seen this film again, it just might crack my top 10 films of all time. Great one! For another appreciation, check out James's post.