Philippe Blasband Movies
Man Bites Dog is a Belgian faux-documentary and high-concept satire of media violence which follows the lethal exploits of Benoit Benoit Poelvoorde, an affable, and very talkative, serial killer. He kills for money, and he kills for pleasure, and he talks all the while about philosophy and the proper technique for weighing a corpse down underwater. He is followed through his slaughter-fest by the filmmakers, Rémy and André (the actual filmmakers, Rémy Belvaux and André Bonzel), and the line between reporter and subject becomes blurred pretty quickly. The filmmakers become more and more involved in Benoit's actions, starting with the relatively innocent act of holding a flashlight for him. Eventually, when their funding runs out, Benoit hires them to continue making the film, and soon they are accomplices in a gang rape. While this film has the subtlety of a sledgehammer, its message rings true: the media tend to become part of the stories they report upon as surely as a physicist changes a wave by looking at it. ~ John Voorhees, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benoît Poelvoorde, Remy Belvaux, (more)
In this drama, two people discover that it's not as simple as they thought to have a purely sexual relationship. A man and woman in their early 40s (Nathalie Baye and Sergi Lopez), are introduced to each other through a personal ad and agree to meet once a week for a sexual liaison. The meetings are meant to be exciting but impersonal; they agree that they won't exchange names or ask questions about their lives outside this relationship. They also don't engage in convention, though we're never told (or shown) just what the couple is sharing instead. However, as the weeks go by, a bond grows between them, and after several weeks he proposes that they have dinner together before retiring to their hotel room; a few months down the road, she suggests that they should try making love in the traditional manner for the first time. These events bring them closer together, but they also change the tenor of their relationship; this change is symbolized most clearly when a man collapses in the hallway outside their motel room and together they take him to a hospital. Une Liaison Pornographique was screened at the 1999 Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nathalie Baye, Sergi López, (more)
- 1999
Max is a Sicilian living in Brussels who makes a living as a hairdresser. His flourishing business goes bankrupt when he gets hairdresser's eczema overnight. He loses his customers and his wife. What is more, he is in trouble with the law. At the police station, he encounters heavyweight Bobo who asks him for all his money. When Max refuses, Bobo gets the impression that he must be tough. In reality, he just wants to be left alone. In his good old days, Max never cared for anyone, so now there is no one he can turn to. Bobo, who spent all his life in foster homes and youth centers, seems to be the only one to care for him. Together they devise a plan to find some quick money. Bobo's idea is to rob a jewelry store. Max & Bobo, which was the audience favorite at the 1998 Mannheim-Heidelberg Film Festival, is impressively edited by the director himself, who can strike a good balance between humorous and dramatic elements. The acting by the two main leads carries the story convincingly. The film was also screened at the 1999 International Film Festival in Rotterdam. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alfredo Pea, Jan Hammenecker, (more)
A high-tech shut-in finds love in an unexpected place in this satirical comedy. Thomas (voice of Benoit Verhaert) is a profoundly agoraphobic 33-year-old man whose condition prevents him from leaving his apartment or allowing others in to visit. Fortunately for him, he rarely needs to do either; Thomas has been declared officially disabled, making him eligible for government services for the handicapped; he's also well-insured and has a claims representative (Alexandre von Sivers) ready to meet his every need. Thomas also has a high-tech "vision-phone" that allows him to communicate with the outside world without having to make actual contact. While Thomas' psychologist (Frederic Topart) tries to sort out his mental state, his insurance representative offers to help with his more personal needs: it seems the government provides prostitutes for the disabled, and Thomas is now eligible. Thomas speaks by phone with Eva (Aylin Yay), a State-funded call girl, and soon finds himself smitten -- so much so that he begins to ponder actually leaving his room. Meanwhile, the psychologist has registered Thomas with a phone-dating service as a more healthy alternative, subjecting Thomas to the not entirely welcome attentions of Melodie (Magali Pinglaut). Thomas Est Amoureux was shot on video entirely in "first person," with the viewer seeing only what Thomas himself would see through his "vision-phone." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Investigating the murder of the entire family of a known drug lord, Brussels police round up and interrogate another wily suspected drug lord, who is the probable enemy of the deceased in first-time director Philippe Blasband's psychological thriller Step by Step. Hubert Verkamen (Benoit Verhaert) -- who has been arrested numerous times by narcotics investigators without any successful convictions -- is brought in yet again as the chief suspect in the aforementioned massacre. Leading the interrogation are officers Mercier (Serge Lariviere) and Denoote (Federic Bodson), as all three are watched via video hook-up by division chief Bex (Yolande Moreau). Control of the interview quickly changes hands, as the extremely self-assured Verkaman sets out to destroy the integrity and honor of Bex and her officers -- aided by the ghost of his old gangster mentor, Mr. Chevalier (Philippe Noiret). But as the officers find Verkaman's weakness -- his pride -- they begin to gain an insight into the businessman's past that may lead them to bringing him down. Step By Step was an official selection in the 2002 Montreal World Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benoit Verhaert, Philippe Noiret, (more)
- 2003
French filmmaker Catherine Corsini co-writes and directs the black comedy Mariees Mais pas Trop (The Very Merry Widows). Jane Birkin stars as Renee, a femme fatale with a knack for making herself into a wealthy widow. Just as her latest husband's death is being investigated by insurance agent Thomas (Jeremie Elkaim), her long-lost orphaned granddaughter Laurence (Emilie Dequenne) has come looking for a place to stay. The grandmother is soon teaching the young girl everything she knows about marrying rich men on the verge of death. After Laurence meets a few of the local men, she realizes the inherent romantic possibilities with Thomas. Meanwhile, Renee actually finds herself developing real feelings for a man named Maurice (Pierre Richard). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Birkin, Émilie Dequenne, (more)
A middle-aged woman fears that her husband is cheating on her -- and chooses a very unlikely method for verifying her paranoia -- in this psychological drama from the writer of Une Liaison Pornographique. Catherine (Fanny Ardant) is a successful Parisian gynecologist whose long-term marriage to Bernard (Gérard Depardieu) has been passionless as of late. When she checks his cell phone messages one afternoon, she discovers a suggestive "thank you" from a young colleague of his, which creates an even wider chasm between the two. Desperate, Catherine goes to an upscale strip club nearby to solicit the services of Nathalie (Emmanuelle Béart), a matter-of-fact prostitute. It seems Catherine wants Nathalie to seduce Bernard and report back to her each week, an assignment that's initially off-putting to the young woman, but one she begins to relish as the weeks pass. Soon, Nathalie is using intimate details to fuel Catherine's rage toward her husband. Nathalie... had its gala North American premiere at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fanny Ardant, Emmanuelle Béart, (more)
A woman struggles to hold on to the man she loves in this drama set in the 1930s from Belgian filmmaker Frédéric Fonteyne. Elisa (Emmanuelle Devos) is a housewife who is passionately devoted to her husband, Gilles (Clovis Cornillac), who works in a steel mill. Despite taking care of twin daughters and unfailingly seeing to the cooking and cleaning in their home, Elisa is as adoring of Gilles as she was on the day they met, and she eagerly tends to his ravenous sexual appetite. However, while most men would be thrilled to have a wife like Elisa, after years of marriage she begins to suspect that he might be having an affair with her sister Victorine (Laura Smet) while Elisa is pregnant with their third child. Elisa is too much in love with Gilles to leave him, but while she can accept her husband's faults, neither she nor her husband are certain if this is a casual fling or a love affair that will put an end to their relationship. La Femme de Gilles (aka Gilles' Wife) was adapted from a novel by Madeleine Bourdouxhe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emmanuelle Devos, Clovis Cornillac, (more)
Legendary rocker Marianne Faithfull (of "As Tears Go By" and Broken English fame) stars in director Sam Garbarski's gently observed comedy drama Irina Palm (2007). She portrays Maggie, a working-class fiftysomething increasingly desperate to cover the cost of her ailing grandson's (Corey Burke) operation. When denied one loan and prospective job after another, a hopeless Maggie plunges headfirst into the underground skin trade of Soho London and prostitutes herself, under the aegis of new boss Miki (Miki Manojlovic). Equipped with a new name, "Irina Palm," Maggie begins working customers with a stimulatory technique so popular that patrons are soon lining up around the corner to be "serviced" by her. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marianne Faithfull, Miki Manojlovic, (more)
- 2007
A lonely man's infatuation with a mysterious beauty leads him into a dangerous game in this thriller. Georges (Jules Werner) works as a conductor on a train that makes a daily run from Luxembourg City to Bettembourg; Georges is a nice guy but painfully shy and he's never had much luck with the opposite sex. One day, Georges checks the ticket of an attractive young woman from Algeria named Yamina (Sabrina Ouazani) and is surprised to see her riding the train again the next day. Yamina tells Georges she's being followed by strange men who mean to do her harm, so Georges helps her find a safe compartment on the train, and allows her to stay in a cottage he keeps for vacations. Georges falls in love with Yamina and when she mysteriously disappears, he sets out to come to her rescue; however, it doesn't take him long to discover she leads a more dangerous life than he ever imagined, and he's unwittingly put himself in jeopardy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jules Werner, Sabrina Ouazani, (more)
