Live Flesh (Carne Trémula) (1997)

Live Flesh (1997)

Genre: Thriller / Drama

Directed by: Pedro Almodovar

Starring: Liberto Rabal, Javier Bardem, Francesca Neri

Running time: 103 minutes

Victor Plaza has an altercation with a junkie girl he was trying to sleep with for a second time, and, when shots are fired, two cops arrive. In the melee, one of officers get shot and injured. Victor ends up in jail. Upon his release, years later, he seeks revenge on those he blame for what happened to him: That injured cop, now a wheelchair-bound basketball player, who now forms a couple with the reformed junkie.

Unlike so many of Pedro Almodovar’s movies, this 1997 Spanish thriller/drama does not deal so much with mommy issues. Here is a story of revenge, jealousy and desire. All the actors involved do a very good job to carry a compelling well-woven story. It was especially nice to catch a glimpse of Javier Bardem before he was so well known for his work in American movies.

Live Flesh (Carne Trémula) is a very good film. Some might be turned off by a Spanish movie with English subtitles, but it is so easy to follow and get on board. Almodovar truly possesses a knack for solid and compelling storytelling and he always has known how to pick good actors to carry the roles he writes.

Rating: ««««

Sons of Anarchy (2008-2014)

Genre: TV / Drama / Author’s Favorites

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Katey Sagal, Mark Boone Junior

Number of seasons: 7

In a little over a month, I have devoured every single episodes of this TV series that tells the tale of an outlaw motorcycle club, the Sons of Anarchy, in the fictional town of Charming, California. The action centers around Jackson “Jax” Teller, who is the vice-president of the club when season 1 starts. His late father was a founding member, but the leader is now Clay, who married Jax’s mom after her husband passed away. As the show progresses, Jax will learn some difficult truths and there will be no turning back for him, his club and his family.

First and foremost, it must be told that Katey Sagal, as Gemma Teller Morrow, the matriarch of the clan, is the light that shines the brightest of them all in Sons of Anarchy. What an amazing acting job she does, walking the fine line between both sharp edges of her character. One minute, she’s the domineering and manipulative mother figure who oversees everything with an iron hand; the other, she’s a fragile soul with many dark secrets. On that tightrope, Sagal makes Gemma feel real at all times, never falling and never going overboard one way or the other.

Charlie Hunnam is also very solid as Jax Teller. I am convinced that many women, and some men, watched the show mainly for his presence on screen. I’m confident enough to say that he is indeed a good looking male. Hunnam also makes his character very real, with all its various shades. He brings to life a Jax Teller that can both be sweet and cruel, and it never comes off as fake. And good job also in hiding the British accent.

I will not elaborate on every single member of the supporting cast, as it would never end, but let’s just say that they all did their share to make this show such a success. I cannot think of a single weak link among them.

Kudos to the creator of this show, Kurt Sutter, who created characters so well defined that they all felt real. Soon enough, there was no stopping me from caring about these make-believe people. And the story being told was so captivating and compelling, it kept me hooked until the final scene. There are many Shakespearean overtones in Sons of Anarchy, and a comparison to The Godfather can also be made. Jax Teller reminded me of Michael Corleone, in wanting to make the family business legit but in always getting pulled back in.

Music also has a great place in this wonderful show. Many great originals as well as some very good covers of well-known songs, the musical interludes always enhanced the action and brought it all together in a more cohesive mix.

Overall, Sons of Anarchy is an awesome TV series that I will certainly watch again down the line. Loved it, among the best I have ever seen.

  

Rating: «««««

Les Uns et les Autres (1981)

Genre: Franco / Drama

Réalisateur: Claude Lelouch

Distribution: Robert Hossein, Nicole Garcia, James Caan

Running time: 184 minutes

Les Uns et les Autres raconte sur trois générations l’histoire de quatre familles – une russe, une française, une allemande et une américaine – unies par l’amour de la musique et de la danse. L’histoire se déroule de la période avant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale jusqu’à 1980. Les quatre histoires se rejoignent dans la scène finale.

Je qualifierais ce film de Claude Lelouch d’épique. Appuyé par un nombre grandiose d’acteurs et d’actrice de talent, le célèbre réalisateur raconte une histoire d’envergure.

Cela étant dit, ce n’est pas vraiment mon genre. Pour que je puisse apprécier un film qui dure près de trois heures, ce dernier doit raconter une histoire captivante et contenir des dialogues qui viennent me chercher. Or, dans Les Uns et les Autres, il ne se passe pas grand-chose et l’accent est plutôt mis sur la musique que sur ce que les personnages ont à dire. Et comme il s’agit ici de musique classique, ce film a tôt fait d’agir comme somnifère pour votre humble serviteur.

Je dois reconnaître le mérite artistique de Lelouch et la qualité de ce film en tant qu’œuvre d’art. Je suis certain qu’un grand nombre de gens apprécie cet opus, qui a été largement récompensé. Malheureusement, il ne m’a offert que très peu de plaisir. Je lui donne la note de passage pour l’effort artistique, mais ce n’est pas un film que je reverrai de sitôt.

Rating: «««

We're The Millers (2013)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Rawson Marshall Thurber

Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts

Running time: 110 minutes

David Clark’s life is going nowhere. No wife and kids, he gets by as a low-level pot dealer. When his money and drugs get stolen, he is forced by his supplier to smuggle Marijuana from Mexico. Crossing the border alone looking life he does doesn’t sound like a good way to fly under the radar, so he decides to enlist the help of a stripper who lives in his building and of two kids roaming around. Posing as a family, they will try to smuggle the drugs, but this experience might prove to be more difficult than they ever imagined.

The main purpose of We’re the Millers is to entertain. There is no big message here, just plain comedy. As such, it is quite funny. I have found myself laughing quite a few times, especially at Jason Sudeikis’ antics on screen. He has a gift for comedic situations. The kids are also good here.

My main issue is with Jennifer Aniston. While she has been good in other roles, I did not find her convincing at all as an aging stripper. She never seems to fully commit to the role. That dance scene she does to impress the bad guys and get the family out of trouble was all right, but, otherwise, she never really managed to make me believe it.

The story of We’re the Millers is entertaining. Sure, you have to suspend disbelief and some things are greatly exaggerated, but that is to be expected with that kind of comedy. A good movie for a slow night where you want to relax a bit.

Rating: «««

Nobody's Fool (1994)

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Directed by: Robert Benton

Starring: Paul Newman, Jessica Tandy, Bruce Willis

Running time: 110 minutes

Based on the novel of the same name written by Richard Russo, Nobody’s Fool tells the story of Donald “Sully” Sullivan, an aging hustler who is living in the New York area. He keeps trying to get a settlement in court for a leg injury he blames on a local contractor he is often at odds with; and, each time it fails, he steals the man’s snow blower just to see the owner take it back. Sully’s life gets turned upside down when his now grown son comes back into his life. After walking out on his family years before, the old man may now have a chance to learn how to be a father and grandfather.

In terms of action, there is not much happening in Nobody’s Fool; it is more of a slice-of-life story with interesting characters and a compelling storyline. Though he’s an aging hustler and rascal, Donald Sullivan is a sweet man at heart. Circumstances have brought him where he is and he has made some mistakes, but an opportunity at redemption is knocking at the door.

As usual, Paul Newman was great on screen. The man has always been a terrific actor and he brought to life another character we had no problem caring for. Though he is no saint, we cannot help but root for the man Newman portrays.

Nobody’s Fool had a solid cast to support Newman, with actors such as Bruce Willis, Melanie Griffith and Philip Seymour Hoffman on board. The end result was a really sweet story that deeply touched me and stayed with me for a while. Highly recommended.

Rating: ««««

Southpaw (2015)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Starring: Jake Gyllenhal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams

Running time: 123 minutes

Southpaw is the story of Billy Hope, a boxer who lives in New York with his wife and daughter. After his wife gets killed, he decides to climb back into the ring, but, his mind not being into it, he loses and hits the referee in frustration. He then gets suspended and loses his manager. After a night of drinking, he gets in a car accident. Indebted, his house and belongings are repossessed and he loses custody of his kid. Having truly lost everything, he will have to find his way back on track if he hopes to get his daughter under his care again.

Jake Gyllenhal is really convincing as Billy Hope, a man more apt to speak with his fists than with his words. The actor did an awesome job bringing this character to life and making him a believable entity. He really made you feel the pain of that man who loses everything and has to claw back to make his way back in. The physical transformation of the actor also needs to be mentioned.

Forest Whitaker also offered a solid performance as Titus Wills, the gym owner who helps Billy get back on track as a boxer and as a human being.

Southpaw was written by Kurt Sutter, the same man who gave us the Sons of Anarchy TV show. We can easily recognize the patterns. The film takes pleasure in playing with our emotions, sometimes using old clichéd tricks to do it. It gets a little predictable in the end, but the performances of the two main actors make this story of redemption a very good one.

Rating: ««««