Wild Strawberries (1957)

Genre: Drama / Foreign

Directed by: Ingmar Bergman

Cast: Victor Sjöström, Bibi, Andersson, Ingrid Thulin

Running time: 91 minutes

Professor Isak Borg, a 78 year old widowed man, is set to receive the degree of Doctor Jubilaris, 50 years after receiving his doctorate. A cold, distant and hard-headed old man, he decides to make the trip from Stockholm to Lund for the ceremony by car instead of by plane, like was originally planned. His daughter-in-law, who has been visiting since having a fight with her husband, decides to ride with him, though she doesn’t like him much. Over the course of that day, multiple dreams, daydreams and reveries will force Professor Borg to look back upon his life and make some stark realizations.

This Swedish film is a beautiful work of art that requires effort on the part of the viewer. If you don’t speak the language, you have to rely on subtitles, which is a turnoff for many. There is also the slow pace.

That being said, the cinematography work by legendary Ingmar Bergman is magnificent. The camera work contributes greatly to the telling of this wonderful story about aging, guilt, regrets and finding peace. This is a multi-layered movie with loads of symbolism to take in. There was some solid actor work done here also.

All things considered, this is a great film that should be seen at least once, if not more, in a lifetime.

Rating: «««««

Gad Elmaleh: Partir en Live (2017)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisation: Mario Rouleau

Distribution: Gad Elmaleh

Durée: 57 minutes

C’est comme une vraie bombe d’énergie et de rires que Gad Elmaleh prend la scène de l’Olympia de Montréal dans son spécial humoristique disponible présentement sur Netflix. Elmaleh y discute entre autres des différences culturelles entre le Maroc de ses racines, le Québec (où il a vécu pendant plusieurs années) et les États-Unis de son rêve américain.

J’aime comment Gad Elmaleh joue merveilleusement bien avec la langue, les accents et les mots. Son accent québécois est tordant. Je ne savais pas trop à quoi m’attendre de ce spectacle d’humour, mais j’ai énormément ri. Une belle heure de plaisir qui passe trop vite.

Note: ««««

Requiem (2006)

Genre: Drama / Foreign

Directed by: Hans-Christian Schmid

Cast: Sandra Hüller, Imogen Kogge, Anna Blomeier

Running time: 93 minutes

Michaela Klingler is a young woman who suffers from epilepsy. In spite of the illness, she’s adamant about leaving home and going to college to become a teacher. She soon starts showing signs of other ailments, which her family and the church believe to be demonic possession.

This film was loosely inspired by the real case of Anneliese Michel, a German woman who was believed to be possessed and died in 1976.

Sandra Hüller is solid in the lead role. You can truly feel the plight of Michaela through her performance. The supporting cast was also very good. The story of Requiem was easy to follow with the subtitles, since I have very minimal knowledge of the German language.

I found that this film ended too abruptly; I could have taken more. It is a very intense character study that is well worth seeing. It is a little scary to think that these kinds of cases happened for real.

Rating: ««««

Bomber (1982)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisation: Michele Lupo

Distribution: Bud Spencer, Jerry Calà, Mike Miller, Kallie Knoetze

Durée: 96 minutes

Bud « La Bombe » Graziano, un ancien boxeur devenu capitaine de bateau, fait la rencontre de Jerry, un promoteur de boxe, lors de son retour au quai. Jerry a maille à partir avec un groupe de militaires corrompus, mené par Roscoe Dunn, le seul homme à avoir battu Graziano, non sans avoir triché. Question de venir en aide à Jerry et de régler une fois pour toutes sa vieille rivalité avec Dunn, Bud entreprend d’entraîner un jeune athlète prometteur qui pourrait lui succéder dans l’arène.

Ce film offre de nombreux parallèles évidents avec Rocky. Ce petit clin d’œil au grand classique du cinéma américain m’a bien fait sourire. Comme dans tous les films de Bud Spencer, les traits sont gros et les personnages sont caricaturaux, mais c’est un bon divertissement. Bomber est loin d’être le meilleur de la collection, mais j’ai bien apprécié quand même.

Note: «««

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream (2007)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Peter Bogdanovich

Cast: Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, Jeff Lynne, Stevie Nicks, Dave Grohl

Running time: 238 minutes

Runnin’ Down a Dream is an extensive and comprehensive documentary chronicling the ongoing career of the band known the world over as Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. Over the course of almost 4 hours, we are taken from Petty’s origins in Gainesville, Florida, to the formation of a band called Mudcrutch and to the access to the big time, through hard work, great songwriting and dedicated musicianship on stage. The movie ends on an anniversary concert, in 2006, in Petty’s hometown.

As a fan of documentaries about music and its creative process, I loved Runnin’ Down a Dream. It is very long, but it kept me interested all the way through. In that sense, Peter Bogdanovich did a great job pulling all of the important info together and presenting it on screen. Some people might find this film a bit too much to undertake, but I loved every minute of it.

This documentary offers interviews with actual and past members of Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers, and with the likes of George Harrison, Stevie Nicks, Jeff Lynne, Dave Grohl, Johnny Depp and many more.

Through successes and hardships, with new members and departures, this film takes us on a rollercoaster through the life and career of a band and its members. What a great ride it is.

Rating: «««««

Le Shérif et les Extra-terrestres (1979)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisation: Michele Lupo

Distribution: Bud Spencer, Raimund Harmstorf, Cary Guffey

Durée: 95 minutes

Les résidents de la petite ville de Newnan, en Georgie, sont tous convaincus d’avoir vu des OVNI et ils sont absolument hystériques. Dans tout ce brouhaha, le shérif de la ville demeure implacable : Les extra-terrestres n’existent pas. Toutefois, un soir, lorsqu’il trouve un garçon inconnu durant une ronde, il doit bien se rendre à l’évidence que, compte tenu de ses pouvoirs particuliers, ce petit doit venir d’une autre planète. Le shérif devra faire des pieds et des mains pour protéger son nouvel ami du capitaine de l’Air Force, qui voit dans ce garçon une occasion de faire avancer sa propre carrière.

En regardant ce film à nouveau, quelques décennies plus tard, je n’ai pu m’empêcher de rire un peu en le caractérisant de ET à petit budget. Comme dans tout film du Bud Spencer, le scénario est prévisible et les bagarres sont exagérées. Dans ce film, il y a aussi des effets spéciaux particulièrement comiques. Le tout est tellement divertissant. Et, dans ce film particulier, nous avons la chance de voir un côté plus attendrissant du gros cogneur bourru, aux côtés d’un jeune garçon espiègle qu’il tente de protéger en s’attachant peu à peu à lui.

Somme toute, un film très divertissant.

Note: ««««

The Rolling Stones Olé Olé Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America (2017)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Paul Dugdale

Cast: Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, Ron Wood

Running time: 125 minutes

This documentary covers the major tour The Rolling Stones did over multiple Latin American countries in 2016, a tour which culminated into a massive free outdoors concert in Cuba.

What I loved most about this particular documentary is that each of the four official members of The Stones got their chance to shine and share their view of things. Also, the locals, whether they were artists and musicians or just fans of the band, had an occasion to be heard, which made for some very touching moments. Many of these countries were under dictatorships not that long ago and did not have access to foreign music, never mind major concerts.

This film also gives us an appreciation of how much of a logistical hassle the Cuba concert was. I particularly loved Keith Richards’ answer to the Pope’s complaint about the show taking place on Good Friday.

Overall, this was a great documentary. Any occasion to tell us more about the greatest band of all-time, who celebrated 55 years of existence recently, is solid in my book.

Rating: «««««

Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes (1998)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Cass Paley

Cast: John C. Holmes, Ron Jeremy, Misty Dawn, Bill Armeson

Running time: 105 minutes

This fascinating documentary covers the tumultuous life of the late porn actor John C. Holmes, who died from complications from AIDS in 1988.

I loved how the filmmakers manage to place John C. Holmes’ life and career into its full context within the porn industry. The man better known for playing the character of Johnny Wadd on screen was one of the premiere figures in that controversial business, and this film did a good job of showing that. Thanks to various interviews with former colleagues and people who were prominent in Holmes’ life, we get a better idea of the kind of complicated man he was.

Considering the subject matter, this documentary does contain some nudity, but hardcore sex scenes are not fully shown. So, future watchers now informed.

While a bit long, and isn’t that appropriate for Holmes, this documentary is fascinating and well worth watching.

Rating: «««««

Louis C.K.: 2017 (2017)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Louis C.K.

Cast: Louis C.K.

Running time: 74 minutes

Taking the stage in front of a Washington, DC, audience, Louis C.K. most certainly pulled no punches. He dove right in, from his first words, going into such topics as abortion and suicide. In that sense, Louis C.K. is very reminiscent of an idol of his and of mine: George Carlin. In his latest special, the comic also discusses drugs, teachers, love and other topics. This is a hilarious show, but the most sensitive souls out there might want to stay away. Louis C.K. muses on difficult topics and does it well, but some stuff might be hard to take if you are dealing yourself with difficult issues.

Rating: «««««

As You Like It (2006)

As You Like It (2006)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh

Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, David Oyelowo, Romola Garai

Running time: 127 minutes

This film is based on the famous Shakespeare play of the same name. I will not go into much detail about the plot and I will not give much of an analysis, as I was bored to tears by this movie, and, after about 20 minutes, I gave up on it. Not my cup of tea; just adding it here to archive it as having been seen and hated.

Rating: «

The Equalizer (2014)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Directed by: Antoine Fuqua

Cast: Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz

Running time: 132 minutes

Robert McCall is a former black ops operative who now lives a quiet solitary life in Boston and works in a hardware store. While reading books in a small diner in the evenings, he befriends a teenage girl, Alina, who works as a prostitute for the Russian mafia. When Alina runs afoul of her bosses and ends up in the hospital, severely beaten, Robert will spring back into action to seek revenge and launch a series of events that will leave its mark.

I originally saw this film in 2017. I decided to revisit it in preparation for the third and final installment in the franchise. My appreciation for it has grown. The story is compelling, the direction is effective and Denzel is a strong and believable lead in the role of Robert McCall. The plot drags on a bit in some points, but, overall, a very good action film.

Rating: ««««

Pair et Impair (1978)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisation: Sergio Corbucci

Distribution: Bud Spencer, Terence Hill, Marisa Laurito

Durée: 93 minutes

Johnny Firpo est officier de la marine et il reçoit le mandat de démanteler un groupe de bookmakers criminels à Miami. Pour arriver à ses fins, il devra obtenir l’aide de son demi-frère Charlie, un as des jeux de hasard et ancien croupier devenu camionneur. Le problème est que Charlie a maintenant horreur du jeu et il ne se laissera pas convaincre facilement. Johnny devra donc utiliser un malin subterfuge, avec l’aide de leur père, pour obtenir l’appui de son frangin.

Pair et Impair trône parmi mes films préférés de la collection Bud Spencer-Terence Hill. Tout y est; scénario tiré par les cheveux, personnages caricaturaux (mais attachants dans le cas des héros), bagarres très exagérées et ainsi de suite. Cela dit, ce film me ramène tellement loin dans mes plus beaux souvenirs de jeunesse, alors que je rêvais d’être ce Bud Spencer qui n’avait peur de rien, que je ne peux faire autrement que l’adorer malgré ses failles évidentes. Note parfaite pour le plaisir coupable qu’il me procure encore même si j’ai dû le voir une bonne cinquantaine de fois en 40 ans de vie.

Note: «««««

To the Bone (2017)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Marti Noxon

Cast: Lily Collins, Keanu Reeves, Carrie Preston

Running time: 107 minutes

Ellen is a 20 year old artistic young woman dealing with a severe case of anorexia. She is a walking skeleton as she returns to the home of her ever-absent father, after another failed attempt at getting better. At the behest of her stepmother and her younger sister, Ellen reluctantly accepts to take part in an inpatient program supervised by Dr. William Beckham. So, she moves into a house, with six other patients suffering with the same issues.

This film, which was just released internationally on Netflix, beams with raw honesty and sincerity. Mental illness, be it anorexia or any other, is a difficult topic, but it is important to talk about it in the most honest fashion. To The Bone does that: It goes straight to the core.

Lily Collins offers a solid performance in the lead role. She looks the part and she really makes that character believable. Even Keanu Reeves, in whom I have never had much confidence as an actor, is good here.

Overall, this is a movie well worth seeing. It is sometimes difficult to take in, due to the subject matter, but it is nonetheless important to talk about these issues.

Rating: ««««

Trainspotting (1996)

Genre: Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Brenner, Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle

Running time: 96 minutes

Based on the novel of the same name, written by Irvine Welsh, Trainspotting takes us through the chaotic daily lives of a group of young heroin addicts in Edinburgh, Scotland.

With a cast of talented actors who really looked the part, a compelling storyline, a riveting script and solid directorial work, Trainspotting packs up quite the punch.

Based on what I have read about the use of heroin and what I have experienced in the party life of the drinkers, this film feels quite honest and real. Some scenes are truly disgusting and revolting, but it is clearly not too far from the realities of certain people.

Trainspotting is a movie to see. The squalor of the characters and their lives is a little depressing, but the viewer cannot help embark for the ride of a lifetime.

Rating: ««««