Best and worst of Quebec pop culture that I've seen

My love affair with Quebec cinema continued in 2017

I got copies of more films that were on the list of their best like:

1987 by Ricardo Trogi---Best!

• Jesus de Montreal (1989) I avoided viewing this initially because it was made a long time ago and I felt I didn't want to see a film with a big message. But I relented and I don't regret it at all. It's about an actor who is asked by the local church to update their passion play and he goes overboard and finds himself persecuted the same way that Jesus was! It may seem dated now, post- Dan Brown and Da Vinci code, but it still is controversial.
• Mon Oncle Antoine (1971) This one is said to be the most highly-regarded Quebecois film. So much so that their film awards used to be named after the director Claude Jutra. It's said to be a coming-of-age film of a boy who realizes that the adults around him are frail and imperfect. Personally, I didn't really get it. 
• Decline of the American empire (1986) This one is filled with dialogue. It's about a group of intellectuals discussing history, philosophy, politics and sex. But mostly it reveals that Montreal professor Remy is a sleazeball who has slept with almost every woman he has met.
• Les Invasions Barbares (The Barbarian Invasions, 2003) What a surprise to learn that I had already seen this on DVD because it won an Oscar for best foreign film. I didn't really like it back then. But A.C. (after Canada,) I watched it with older eyes and appreciated this sequel to "Decline of the american empire" which is still talky but now also has at its heart the story of the rocky relationship between terminally ill Remy and his son, Sebastien. 
• Les Demons (2015) is another film I didn't quite get about a boy who is scared of imagined demons but there's also a real human monster lurking. The major highlight for me was seeing some familiar faces from Tactik like Pierre-Luc Funk

• Funky Town (2011) is about the golden age of disco in Montreal. I loved that it was bilingual and again saw familar faces like Patrick Huard, Francois Letourneau, and Paul Doucet in a deliciously campy role.
• Sarah prefers to run (2013) was a bore. It's about a girl who loves running so much she agrees to a sham marriage to get financial benefits from the city. But things don't turn out well (duh) and they break up and that's more than an hour I'll never get back.
• Everything is fine (2008) is a difficult film to watch because it's about a group of teenagers who make a pact to commit suicide. One of the friends is left out and is depressed and also tries to kill himself. It reminds me of Les Etres Chers but not as devastating.
• It's only the end of the world (2016) is Xavier Dolan's latest and most divisive work. I personally prefer films he wrote himself. This felt overacted and stuffy.
• De pere en flic(2009) is the worst Quebec movie I have ever seen. It's about a father and son, both policemen, who are sent to a kind of therapy camp to fix their relationship. It was not funny at all.
• 1981 (2009) Now, this is a comedy brimming with affection and nostalgia. Ricardo Trogi's autobiographical movie about his life at 11 years old is heartwarming and cute. I also like that Jean-Carl Boucher of Tactik is the lead actor.
• 1987 (2014) is the vastly superior  sequel to "1981" This time he's 17, about to graduate from high school and 80's fashion and music is in full display. I loved every minute of it!
• Votez Bougon (2016) is a political satire about a white trash scoundrel who rides on a populist wave and becomes premier of Quebec. 
• Gabrielle (2013) is about a girl with "Williams syndrome" which from what i understand is like autism but instead of being withdrawn, she has a very lively personality. The lead actress really had Williams syndrome but held her own in even the dramatic scenes. I was also impressed with her co-star Alexandre Landry who i thought was also mentally-challenged.
• Louis Cyr (2013) I read about him in one of Michel Rabagliati's comic books. He was the strongest man in the world and made money as a circus performer. He was however, very insecure because he didn't know how to read. This was beautifully shot, like a painting. And while Antoine Bertrand's expressive eyes drew me in, the rest of the film feels like it was trying too hard to win Best Film.
• Bon Cop, Bad Cop 2 (2017) With the success of the first film, it's a wonder why they took so long to make a sequel. Star/writer Patrick Huard said they wanted to make sure it was a good sequel and I had high hopes but was disappointed. Not enough laughs. Several action sequences didn't feel exciting at all.
• Les Boys (1997) is about a group of men who bond over ice hockey. This is funny though some of the humor is a bit dated, including what's supposed to be a very tolerant attitude towards a teammate's sexual preference but comes across now as offensive.
• Montreal La Blanche (2016) is very intriguing to me but unfortunately, i can't find subtitles for it so I don't know what it's about.
• Good Neighbors (2010) is actually an English-language movie set in Montreal starring Scott Speedman and Jay Baruchel as neighbors in an apartment and there's a serial killer on the loose. I knew who the killer was early on but it gets very twisted at the end
• Nelly (2016) is about a prostitute who writes about her experiences and becomes a best-selling author. But all these makes her depressed and suicidal. Not for the faint of heart but lead  star Mylene Mackay won Best Actress for this.
• Nitro Rush (2016) This has to be the most disappointing movie here. though I've never seen the first movie, Nitro, I assumed it would be acceptable as an action movie. Nope. Another action film from director Alain Descrochers which was only exciting in one part but I couldn't enjoy the rest because of the big gaping plot holes.
• J'en suis (1997) a comedy about a down-on-his-luck architect who pretends he's gay to work as an art dealer. Again, not politically correct, but not a complete waste of time.
• Corbo (2014) Set in the 1960's, it's about Jean Corbo, a teenager who gets seduced into joining the FLQ, a separatist movement in Quebec. Very timely now that lots of kids are getting radicalized into joining terrorists. Well-made film but it left me cold. 

While most of the films were hit or miss, I thoroughly enjoyed these 2 Quebec made Tv series:

• Serie Noire- this is about two tv writers who hate their show and decide to plunge into the crime world to make their writing more real. Of course, they will live to regret it as they get involved in the gay mafia and entangled with a crazy guy named Marc Arcand, who is hilariously unhinged. There's a second season but I can't find subtitles for it.
• Les Beaux Malaises is a tv series starring martin Matte, a stand up comic who talks about a variety of issues he seems to encounter in real life. Particularly funny is his sex-crazed mommy. Highly recommended and good news: it's on Netflix!
• Tactik is my current obsession. It's about a group of teens who became friends because of football bu the show is now focused on their lives. It's shown every weekend on TV5 Asie with French subtitles. It's like TGIS and Dawson's Creek and I've grown so attached to the characters I actually felt sad when I found out the series had ended way back in 2013!

Comic books

I read a lot of comic books this year, I even ordered all of Michel Rabagliatis' books onlie to complete the "Paul" series. Too bad I learned that he's now divorced and will not continue the series. My aunt even sent me one in the original French!
But the best one I read(even though it's not quebecois) has to be "Beautiful Darkness" by Fabian Vehlmann and the art duo Kerascoet. At first it looks like a fairy tale but then it turns real dark and scary. An unforgettable , seductive journey in to the darkness that lives in the hearts of men .

Other great books I read were Beauty by Hubert and Kerascoet, Hostage by Guy Delisle, and My favorite thing is Monsters by Emil Ferris

The most disappointing would be Miss Touch me not by hubert and Kerascoet because the first book was so raunchy good that the second book was such a let down with that terrible, awful, WTF ending! My advice, buy just the first book! And revel in the intricately drawn images of 1930s Paris!