Blow (2001)

Genre: Biographical

Directed by: Ted Demme

Starring: Johnny Depp, Jordi Mollà, Pénélope Cruz

Running time: 124 minutes

Blow is a biopic about George Jung, who came out of humble beginnings in Massachusetts to become a cocaine smuggler. This 2001 film directed by Ted Demme covers the rise and fall of this man who ended serving massive jail time and who is still alive to this day.

Johnny Depp is very good (as usual) as George Jung. Depp manages to make a very flawed character so much more likeable than he really should be. There comes the biggest issue with Blow: It tries to paint George Jung as a poor victim, while he’s more of a fool who got himself into a terrible mess with his greed and lack of acumen. Depp is such a good actor that he makes the painting of that particular distorted portrait actually possible.

In spite of all my misgivings about the main character in this biographical film, the story itself is a very compelling one when we take it for what it is (entertainment). Even if the moviemakers worked a little too hard to make Jung a sympathetic victim, we can see through it and all that is left in the end is a pathetic man who lost it all. Overall, Blow is a very interesting story about a very uninteresting man.

Rating: «««

Copacabana (1947)

Genre: Comedy / Musical

Directed by: Alfred E. Green

Starring: Groucho Marx, Carmen Miranda

Running time: 92 minutes

Lionel Devereaux and his fiancée Carmen Navarro are having very minimal success as nightclub performers. With bills piling up, and realizing she is so much more talented than he is, Lionel decides to become her manager and to try to book her at the famous Copacabana club. Getting caught in a lie while trying to look more credible as a manager, Lionel has to find a second act for his roster, a French singer called Mlle Fifi. Carmen will now have to carry on the subterfuge, playing both roles, so they can benefit from that much needed contract.

This 1947 musical comedy was mostly a showcase for Carmen Miranda’s singing. As a nightclub singer, she was indeed very good. As an actress, she was too over-the-top for me. All her grimacing became a bit much after a while and too much emphasis was put on her and the music.

Groucho Marx got to feature some of the comedy he became famous for, and that was a hoot. It may not be in everyone’s taste, but it has always made me laugh. It was Groucho’s first movie without the Marx brothers and he seemed a bit lost at times. That being said, I still enjoyed the comic relief he provided in between the musical parts.

Copacabana was a fine movie for Groucho’s comedy. All the nightclub singing was not my thing, but it might be pleasing to some. Go in with low expectations if you decide to give it a look.

Rating: «««

Collateral (2004)

Genre: Thriller

Directed by: Michael Mann

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jamie Foxx, Jada Pinkett Smith

Running time: 120 minutes

As he starts another night shift as a taxi driver in Los Angeles, Max Durocher picks up a beautiful prosecutor and drives her to her office. After she leaves, a man named Vincent gets in and asks Max to drive him around the city for a large sum of money. The driver soon realizes that this will not be an easy task, as Vincent is a hired assassin on the job.

Sometimes, action movies and thrillers put too little effort on the setup and go straight to the bang. That is not the case with Collateral. With just a little effort, they manage to set things up nicely and that makes us care so much more for the characters. As the film starts, we see Max Durocher (Jamie Foxx) preparing his zone, his taxi cab for the night. It will be his office for a few hours and that workplace is about to get invaded. Then, the action kicks into high gear and it is thrill galore.

Over the years, my appreciation for Tom Cruise as an actor has varied greatly from one role to another. I can find him as good as I can find him real bad. As Vincent, the assassin, he is cast against type and it works really well. He changed his look a bit and he seemed to put a great deal of effort into this character. It worked for him as I managed to forget the actor behind the role. Jamie Foxx has shown his range in recent years and he is really good as a dreamer who will have to adapt and act fast if he wants to make it out of this situation alive.

Collateral is a thrilling ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Drags a bit a times, but, overall, a fun thriller.

Rating: ««««

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

Genre: Science-fiction / Comedy

Directed by: Garth Jennings

Starring: Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel, Mos Def

Running time: 108 minutes

In this cinematic adaptation of Douglas Adams’ novel, Arthur Dent wakes up to find out that his house is about to be demolished to make room for a byway. As he tries to stop the heavy machinery in his yard, a friend of his, Ford Prefect, lures him to a nearby pub to tell him that he’s from another planet and that Earth is about to be destroyed by aliens. What must happen happens, but the two men save themselves by boarding an alien ship.

Maybe it is because of my lack of knowledge about the source material, but I simply could not get into this movie; I gave up halfway through, as there was no way for me to enjoy. I usually dig Sam Rockwell as an actor and I’ve always had a special place in my heart for the ultimate sweetness of Zooey Deschanel, but all of that was not enough for me to go on for the ride. This movie has gotten a lot of positive reviews, but I don’t get it.It is billed as a comedic sci-fi movie, but I did not find it funny at all.

Rating: «

The Rock (1996)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Michael Bay

Starring: Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage, Ed Harris

Running time: 136 minutes

A group of rogue marines take some tourists hostage in the prison of Alcatraz and threaten to launch some highly deadly gas on the city of San Francisco if their demands are not met. The FBI decides to send one of their teams along with Dr. Stanley Goodspeed, a chemical weapons specialist. Since Alcatraz is a fortress that is difficult to penetrate, they also seek the help of John Mason, a longtime prisoner who was the only man to have escaped from the island prison years before.

The Rock is a thrilling cinematic ride. The action is fast-paced and the explosions are numerous. If you go in expecting to be entertained without having to think too much, you will be served and come out satisfied. Michael Bay is known by now for his work in the action genre, and this is one of his very good movies.

Nicolas Cage and Sean Connery have a good on-screen chemistry in The Rock. Connery has been steady over the years. Quite frankly, with that accent and voice, he could say almost anything and it would come off great. Cage was still in his prime in the 90’s. He plays his typical character, but he does it well. Ed Harris is also very good here, which is no surprise really. I just wish his character would have been developed a little more.

All things considered, this is a film I had not seen in years. It was truly a pleasure to revisit it, and I highly recommend it to fans of the action genre.

Rating: ««««

Coluche, l'histoire d'un mec (2008)

Genre: Franco / Biographical

Réalisateur: Antoine de Caunes

Distribution: François-Xavier Demaison, Léa Drucker, Olivier Gourmet

Running time: 100 minutes

Alors au sommet de sa gloire et de son art en tant qu’humoriste, Michel Colucci, alias Coluche, décide de faire un coup de publicité en se portant candidat aux élections présidentielles de 1981, en France. Ce qui n’était qu’une farce au début prend rapidement de l’ampleur et le comique a tôt fait de devenir un porte-voix pour les uns et une menace pour les autres.

François-Xavier Demaison, qui interprète le rôle-titre, est une belle découverte pour moi. Il rend très bien Coluche, dans toute sa complexité. Sa transformation est assez remarquable. Demaison joue son rôle sans toutefois tomber dans le piège de l’imitation caricaturale. Le reste de la distribution se démarque bien également.

Coluche, l’histoire d’un mec est un film qui se concentre sur une petite partie de la vie de l’andouille qui faisait l’imbécile, soit son entrée dans la campagne présidentielle française de 1981 et les mois qui ont suivi. J’aurai préféré une vue d’ensemble de la vie de Michel Colucci, mais j’ai bien aimé en apprendre un peu plus sur cette partie quelque peu particulière de l’histoire de la France.

Cette comédie biographique de 2008 est un film fort intéressant sur un personnage qui nous aura quittés trop vite en raison d’un putain de camion. Coluche a marqué son époque et est ensuite entré dans la légende après sa mort, et ce film est l’histoire d’un mec de cœur qui en avait beaucoup à dire.  

Note: ««««

Jacob's Ladder (1990)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Adrian Lyne

Starring: Tim Robbins, Elizabeth Pena, Danny Aiello

Running time: 113 minutes

Jacob Singer is an American Vietnam veteran. As he tries to resume his life following his time in the military, he is continually haunted by his memories as a soldier and by the death of his young son, who was hit by a car prior to the war. As it all gets much worse for him, Jacob tries the best he can to find out the truth about what really happened to him overseas.

Jacob’s Ladder is a very unsettling psychological horror movie. It is a constant battle to figure out whether what is happening is real or it’s just the fruit of the main character’s troubled psyche. The moviemakers definitely managed to keep us on the edge of our seats, always guessing. It is sometimes hard to follow, but it worth the effort.

As usual, Tim Robbins offers a performance filled with intensity. He never goes for the easy roles, and he tackles quite the doozy here. The story of this film rests largely on his shoulders and he carries it quite well.

Jacob’s Ladder had minimal success upon its release, but it has gained a cult following later on and came to inspire other moviemakers. It is definitely a film that is worth seeing, for the fans of the genre. I believe it should even be seen more than once, so it can be fully grasped and appreciated.

Rating: ««««

Beautiful Girls (1996)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Directed by: Ted Demme

Starring: Matt Dillon, Lauren Holly, Timothy Hutton

Running time: 112 minutes

Beautiful Girls is the story of Willie Conway, a musician whose career is not what he hoped it would be. As he goes back home to Massachusetts for his high school reunion, he finds himself at a crossroads in his life where he wonders what to make of it all and if he should marry his girlfriend. While talking to his former classmates, he comes to realize that they are all going through the same thing.

This 1996 romantic comedy deals with a matter most of us will understand. It is a safe bet to say that we all, at one point, reassess our life and wonder where to go from there. I sure can relate. And my high school reunion is coming soon too.

Beautiful Girls has a loaded cast of talented actors and the story is interesting, but there is something missing; there is not much happening. By the end of it all, we get that this is about people going through a crossroads in their lives, but there is a certain lack of activity at that fork in the road.

The highlight of the film for me was the interaction between the main character and the teenage neighbor, played by a young Natalie Portman. Willie Conway benefited a lot from meeting that old soul on this particular trip.  

Beautiful Girls is a good film that is not without its flaws.

Rating: «««

Gerry (2011)

Genre: Franco / Biographical

Réalisateur: Alain Desrochers

Distribution: Mario St-Amand, Capucine Delaby, Marc-François Blondin

Running time: 130 minutes

À l’occasion de 25e anniversaire du décès du chanteur Gerry Boulet, le 18 juillet dernier, j’ai décidé de regarder de nouveau le film biographique sur cette figure marquante du rock québécois. Réalisée par Alain Desrochers et scénarisée par Nathalie Petrovski, cette œuvre cinématographique relate la vie de Gérard Boulet, de son enfance jusqu’à sa mort des suites du cancer dans la jeune quarantaine.

Petrovski avait beaucoup de pain sur planche pour adapter pour le cinéma l’excellente biographie écrite sur Gerry par Mario Roy. Cette brique contenait beaucoup d’information et il aura fallu faire des choix. Ce travail périlleux a été assez fort bien réussi, quoique le film a passé trop rapidement sur certains passages de la vie du chanteur et musicien et n’a pas traité de certains autres éléments importants. Je recommande aussi la lecture du livre, pour une vision plus complète du personnage.

Gerry Boulet était un être plus grand que nature, malgré sa taille réduite. Un homme intense et habité par la musique. Il avait ses défauts, comme tout le monde, mais il a vécu sa vie pleinement jusqu’au bout.

Mario St-Amand est criant de vérité dans le rôle-titre. Il nous livre Gerry dans toute son intensité et il nous le rend très attachant. Excellente performance de sa part, dans un rôle qui devait être très loin de l’évidence.

Pour ce qui est des personnages secondaires, le jeu était juste dans la plupart des cas, malgré que des choix différents auraient pu être faits pour ce qui est de la distribution. Certains comédiens manquaient quelque peu de présence et détonaient du reste. Mais, bon, bien souvent, ces personnages n’étaient qu’accessoires, car le plus gros de l’accent a été mis sur Gerry, ce qui aura déplu grandement à certaines personnes ayant gravité autour du leader d’Offenbach de son vivant.

Somme toute, Gerry est un portrait très touchant d’un homme qui a touché le monde musical québécois par sa musique et sa personnalité. Je le recommande fortement.

Note: ««««

Sarah préfère la course (2013)

Genre: Franco / Drama

Réalisatrice: Chloé Robichaud

Distribution: Sophie Desmarais, Jean-Sébastien Courchesne, Hélène Florent

Running time: 94 minutes

Sarah est une jeune athlète qui ne vit que pour la course. Elle quitte la maison familiale, en banlieue de Québec, pour s’inscrire au club de course de l’Université McGill, à Montréal. Elle s’installe dans la métropole avec son ami Antoine, avec qui elle se marie pour avoir de meilleurs prêts et bourse.

J’ai regardé ce film le weekend dernier avec ma femme et je dois avouer que nous n’avons tous les deux pas du tout compris quel en était l’objectif exact. Nous nous sommes tous les deux bien ennuyés tout au long, espérant voir enfin jaillir la lumière au bout du tunnel. Nous nous demandions si Sarah aimait les filles ou les garçons et si elle allait finalement sortir de sa coquille; Sarah ne préfère pas la course, elle n’aime que ça.

Le personnage de Sarah est terriblement unidimensionnel, et le jeu de la comédienne Sophie Desmarais n’aide en rien à le rendre plus attrayant. Tout au long du film, elle a ce regard de chevreuil pris devant des phares d’automobile. À un moment, on croit qu’elle a un sentiment d’amour pour quelqu’un; c’est un malaise d’arythmie cardiaque.

Si Sarah préfère la course, moi, je préfère les films qui portent sur des personnages intéressants. Il existe sûrement des gens comme Sarah, mais jamais il ne viendrait l’idée de faire un film sur eux.

Note: «