The Sound of my Liver Crying

It's been a hell of a week. And an inferno of a week-end, of course.

Might explain my lack of manifestation. My "disinterest" in all things rigorous. My brain is still, to this day, bathing in vodka. My body aches, and my chronic back pain, which only awakens when I'm really exhausted, has been back all week like a bitch. You might say I'm wounded. My heart is bleeding, and my liver is crying.



Is fun, in your life, more important than being in good shape ? I'm not saying that my health is in danger, or that I will never recover from the week-end. But I've been hit pretty bad. Stopping the madness was difficult. In fact, I had to stop when there was either no money left, or no booze left. Tough luck. Boozer.

I've had a good time, and on Sunday, against all odds, the party turned out to be quite explosive at Pas-Sages. There was a dancefloor, and we sure needed one. Joël B turned 25 in a classy fashion : with drunken friends and good music. As for me, let's just say it's hard not to drink until you fall down when the only thing stopping you from getting another free drink is the next mix you have to turn in.

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I had some time to watch movies, during all this madness, and I did. If I remember correctly, we began with RUNNING SCARED, the trashiest and most violent piece of crap I've seen in a while. Directed by Wayne Kramer - me neither - in what seems to be an attempt at revealing his fascist side to the world, this is a very stinky movie indeed.



It's about Joey Gazelle (pretty boy Paul Walker, who seems specialised in "brainless" movies - think THE FAST & THE FURIOUS), a small time crook who has to hide a gun used to kill dirty cops. Simple task ? Not when your neighbor's son steals the gun from your basement and goes on to shoot his stepfather and run away ! So get this : if Joey doesn't find the gun, the police will, at one point or the other, and his life will then be fucked because, well, his criminal friends will not really like it.

One point goes to the direction : fast, delirious, and out of control ! The shooting scenes are especially painful to watch. And the tension never really lets go : there's a child at stake here ! Everything is thrown in for good measure : sports, muscle cars, violence, hot chicks (Idalis DeLeon, Six Feet Under's "Sofia", plays a well rounded ho'), gangsters & cops.



The dialogues are ridiculous. When asked who he is, a pimp says : "I'm a mac daddy pimp !". Joey, to a small russian boy in his car : "Why the hell are you listening to russian music ?! You're an american !". You get the idea...

This is brainless action at its worst. You have to see how the director fades to a deployed american flag during the climax of the movie. Dishonest, xenophobe and downright outrageous, this movie is not for the easily impressed.

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On the other hand, Robert Morin's latest, QUE DIEU BÉNISSE L'AMÉRIQUE, is quite a good surprise. Not really a surprise in the sense that I knew it was going to be good, but the good humor and offbeat rythm is quite welcome.



Those of you who have seen his previous one, LE NEG', know that Morin, after all these years experimenting, has finally found his "style", a slick & personal take on the world surrounding him. The basic plot of QUE DIEU... is quite simple : during one day, on Sept. 11th '01, about 10 persons living on the same suburban street will be faced with a ruthless killer eliminating some sexual predators still living in the area.

A quiet, clean neighborhood, and people who never stop to talk to each others : that's what we get. Gildor Roy playing the dumbest cop you'll find on this side of the Atlantique ? Check. Gaston Lepage with a mullet ? Check. Characters with dark secrets ? Check.



It's a pleasure seeing all this unfold. The heartwarming conclusion is not very typical of Morin. Could he have found peace with the world ?

Judging by the hysterical documentary in the DVD's extras, "La Méthode Morin", that's far from being the case. I won't say too much about it but let's just say that this is the most incredible "making of" I've seen in a while. My advice ? Don't walk to rent it, use a very fast car or run, because this is definitly a must-see !!