Two, after the first 30 minutes, I couldn't help but feel that it was a budget movie. Pity, because the incident took on major proportions; I thought the film had to at least equal that magnitude. A disconnect there somehow.
The dialogue could have been improved - in fact, I was thinking that the film was seriously lacking in dialogue, and there should have been less focus on going back and forth in terms of time.
I don't like wearing the hat of a severe critic. The film had its merits, and the director did a fine job. Perhaps his hands were tied and he had to kowtow to the producers' wishes. But overall, the film deserves a good grade. The lead actress, Karin Vanasse, one of my favorite Quebec actresses, did justice to her character.
The film Polytechnique revealed a new character I wasn't aware of - the male engineering student who was in the same classroom where the ladies were killed. He was profoundly affected by the crime that he later killed himself. The feeling that he could have done something to save his fellow students nagged at his insides until he couldn't take it anymore. He could not have done anything, not the way Marc Lepine held those women hostage in the classroom.
From news reports I read 20 years ago, I thought the killer went on a rampage in the university cafeteria. I didn't know some of the women were killed in different areas of the building.
On to another movie. My brother and I watched Grace is Gone last night, starring John Cusack. I'd describe it as a poignant movie and it would touch the hearts of both pro-war and anti-war advocates.
Grace is Gone
is the story of a man who has 2 young daughters to look after when his wife joins the troops in Iraq. When she's killed, he can't bring himself to tell the girls about her death so instead takes them on a long road trip to Florida. He wants to take them to Enchanted Gardens, a trip he had promised them before their mother took off for Iraq. It was only when they start to head home that he takes the girls to the shore and there tells them that their mother was killed in Iraq. You could feel him simmering with forceful emotions throughout the trip, and he struggles with monumental effort to act like everything's normal. The elder daughter, Heidi, however, senses that something's amiss.
The film brings out the message that patriotism is a fine thing. Dying for your country in the line of duty is a noble, commendable act. But what happens to the moral fiber of those families who lose a loved one in the war? A heart-wrenching movie. I recommend it. Superb acting by Cusack, Shélan O'Keefe (Heidi) and Gracie Bednarczyk (Dawn).
Here is the final set of 12 film titles:
FRENCH | ENGLISH |
| Anges et démons | Angels & Demons (2009) |
| Année bisextile | Leap Year (2010) |
| Au coeur de la tempête | Into the Storm (2009) |
| Après la noce | After the Wedding (2007) |
| Ça roule | Whip It (2009) |
| Camp de jour en folie | Daddy Day Camp (2007) |
| Capacité réduite | Diminished Capacity (2008) |
| Cash back - la beauté du temps | Cashback (2007) |
| Casque et talons hauts | New in Town (2009) |
| Ce qu'il faut pour vivre | The Necessities of Life (2008) |
| Ce qui se passe à Vegas | What Happens in Vegas (2008) |
| Charmée | Crush (2008) |
. I found two more on Amazon that may help you if you're seriously considering a translation career with specialization in subtitling and close captioning:
is an example. Another is 
- a film about a top fashion model, Gia Carangi, whose tragic life ended because of drugs and a terminal disease. Her life was excellently portrayed by Angelina Jolie. 
" starring Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin was released on Christmas Day. If you want to watch it in French, don't ask for "C'est Compliqué" which is the literal and most obvious translation. Instead, you should ask for "Pas Si Simple."
. It probably has to do with box office success. If a film rakes in millions on its initial release, film owners would of course have it sub-titled in multiple languages but prefer to keep the title as is.
