French to English: Film Titles, Part 3

In my last blog, I promised to let you know of my reaction to the film, Polytechnique.  I was particularly eager to zero in on the subtitles, but it looks like there was a misprint in Entertainment Magazine.  It said there would be English subtitles but the entire film was in English.  And there I was, comfortably ensconced on my sofa, with pen and paper to jot down my comments.  Pas grave!  Un malentendu, c'est tout.

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)