Calvaire (2004)

Genre: Franco / Horror

Réalisation: Fabrice Du Welz

Distribution: Laurent Lucas, Jackie Berroyer, Philippe Nahon

Durée: 94 minutes

Marc Stevens est un chanteur qui voyage seul dans sa camionnette pour faire son spectacle, destiné plus particulièrement aux personnes âgées, dans les différents coins de la Belgique. Alors qu’il quitte une maison de retraite après son tour de chant pour se rendre à un autre événement pour Noël, le véhicule de Marc tombe en panne dans un coin isolé, tout près d’une auberge. L’aubergiste, Bartel, promet d’aider le jeune chanteur, mais, le prenant pour la réincarnation de la femme qui l’a quitté et lui a brisé le cœur, il le séquestre, le viole et l’enlaidit en lui coupant les cheveux pour s’assurer de le garder pour lui.

Quel film déstabilisant. Je sais que le réalisateur s’est inspiré de différentes œuvres du cinéma européen du même genre, mais j’y ai aussi vu des traces de Misery et de Deliverance. Calvaire met en scène des personnages effrayants de véracité. L’ascenseur ne monte pas jusqu’à l’étage du haut pour les habitants de ce village où Marc Stevens se retrouve prisonnier. Même si le jeu est parfois un peu gros, l’atmosphère du film et la tension qui monte peu à peu fait ressentir toute la pression que le personnage principal doit vivre. Certaines scènes sont particulièrement dures, de par les sons et de par l’image. Un film à voir, mais pas pour les âmes sensibles.

Note: ««««

Escroc, Macho et Gigolo (1983)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisation: Bruno Corbucci

Distribution: Bud Spencer, Tomas Milian

Durée: 101 minutes

Tony Roma se fait beaucoup d’ennemis en séduisant les épouses d’hommes riches pour ensuite leur dérober bijoux et argent. En plus, en s’échappant d’une chambre où le mari arrive plus tôt que prévu, Tony est témoin du meurtre d’un homme par la mafia. Roma échappe continuellement aux autorités, donc le sergent Alan Parker, qui a une feuille de route sans faille quand vient le temps d’intercepter des fugitifs, est mis sur sa trace. Parker devra bientôt protéger sa cible des autres qui le pourchassent.

Il y a de bons moments dans Escroc, Macho et Gigolo, mais les éléments qui font le charme des films de Bud Spencer (principalement les bagarres) sont trop peu présents à mon goût dans cette œuvre. Cela dit, la chimie entre les deux acteurs principaux est bonne, et le film est somme toute divertissant. Le personnage de Tony Roma est très caricatural, mais, pour ce genre de film, c'est normal.

Note: «««

Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Chris Smith

Starring: Jim Carrey

Running time: 94 minutes

This Netflix original documentary covers the creative process actor Jim Carrey went through to portray Andy Kaufman on screen and the shooting of the film Man on the Moon.

This film goes back and forth between a recent interview with Jim Carrey and archived footage shot during the making of Man on the Moon. Those watching this documentary might end up finding Carrey a little cuckoo, and who could blame them, but this movie is a magnificent look into the mind of a very creative man. As creative as he is, though, I’m not sure I’d like to put up with him on a regular basis.

Rating: «««««

Man on the Moon (1999)

Genre: Biographical / Comedy

Directed by: Milos Forman

Starring: Jim Carrey, Danny DeVito, Courtney Love, Paul Giamatti

Running time: 119 minutes

This 1999 biographical film covers the life story of comic Andy Kaufman, from his youth in the suburbs of New York to his untimely death from cancer at the age of 35.

The quality of Man on the Man as a movie relies largely on the shoulders of Jim Carrey, who did such an amazing job bringing Kaufman back to life. It seems the Canadian-born actor was tough to work with on the set, since he only wanted to be referred to as Andy. That kind of dedication must have been hard to deal with at the time, but it showed in the result.

After its release, this film received much criticism from people claiming that it tampered a whole lot with facts and only focused on a small portion of the man Andy Kaufman was. I can see that: There clearly was an oversimplification of the subject. That being said, for Carrey’s performance, this will always be a movie I love.

Rating: ««««

The Case for Christ (2017)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Jon Gunn

Starring: Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway

Running time: 113 minutes

After her young daughter almost chokes to death on a bubble gum in a restaurant, Leslie Strobel decides to let Christian faith into her life. Her husband Lee, an investigative journalist who has long been a fervent atheist, strongly disapproves of this newfound faith. Being obsessed with the idea that facts trump everything else, he starts an investigation to disprove once and for all the concept of the resurrection of Christ.

This film is inspired by the true events in the life of Lee Strobel, a real journalist. I am quite shocked at the strength of his opposition to his wife’s newfound faith back then. It seemed quite overblown to me. Nonetheless, in spite of this being a Christian film, I found the story quite compelling and the acting to be very good. It is not often the case with that genre, but it was here.

My own wife has become interested in religion, which brought us to seeing this movie. I am not offended by it; I just find it weird and I remain a very lapsed Catholic. I might not fully agree with the conclusions and the message of this film, but I can certainly appreciate its cinematic merits.

Rating: «««

Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014)

Genre: Film Noir

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

Starring: Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Running time: 102 minutes

This second installment in the Sin City movie franchise offers another collection of short stories inspired by Frank Miller’s graphic novel collection of the same name. It is part prequel, part sequel, with some of the old characters coming back and some new ones.

The visual signature that was a strong element of the first movie is still there, with the mixture of black-and-white and color. Unfortunately, the stories being told are not quite as compelling as in the first Sin City film. It was decent, but nothing to write home about.

Rating: «««

Metallica: S & M (1999)

Metallica: S & M (1999)

Genre: Musical

Directed by: Wayne Isham

Starring: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted

Running time: 133 minutes

Over two days, in April of 1999, the band Metallica got on stage, in Berkeley, California, with The San Fransisco Symphony. What came out of those two shows is an amazing blend of heavy metal and orchestra music. At first glance, one would think that these two genres would not mix. But, the people involved made it work. This is a grandiose show, well worth seeing.

Rating: «««««

London Has Fallen (2016)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Directed by: Babak Nakafi

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman

Running time: 99 minutes

As they all travel to London to attend the funeral of the UK Prime Minister, the group of world leaders present come under attack from a group of Pakistani terrorists. The main target is US president Benjamin Asher. Asher’s head of security Mike Banning will have to do everything in his power to stop the terrorists from taking the president and executing him live on the Internet.

It took me a while to get into this one. I just realized that it is a sequel and I have not seen the first film, which might be a factor. That being said, the acting felt uninspired. Once the action started, though, London Has Fallen became a fun thrilling ride, as long as you did not overanalyze it. It is full of action movie clichés, but, taken for what it is, it is entertaining.

Rating: «««

Sin City (2005)

Genre: Film Noir

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

Starring: Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis

Running time: 124 minutes

Sin City offers a collection of short stories inspired by Frank Miller’s graphic novel collection of the same name.

With a loaded cast on board, Sin City is above all else a visual tour de force. Shot mostly in black and white, with color being added to certain objects and characters, this film is a wonderful work of cinematography. The stories are filled with violence, but the visual signature of Sin City makes the whole thing beautiful and artistic.

Some of the acting was a bit weak at times, in spite of the big names involved, but this is a flick well worth seeing for the visual aspect of it.

Rating: ««««

A Good Man (2014)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Keoni Waxman

Starring: Steven Seagal, Victor Webster, Tzi Ma

Running time: 103 minutes

The leader of a failed cover operation joins Sasha, a man forced to work for the Russian Mafia to pay off his father’s debt, to protect Sasha’s two younger sisters against Mr. Chen, an arms dealer.

The lack of subtlety, the bad acting, the clichés, the over-the-top martial arts; this movie has everything any Steven Seagal flick has ever had. Watching this one with my dad over the weekend, we got a good chuckle out of the fact that Seagal must have been cold at all times. Even when he was indoors, having a beer, he had that big leather jacket zipped up. He must have gone to the modern Axl Rose school of thought about layering clothes. Even at the end, when he was making out with a girl, a gross scene that made no sense, he still had the leather protection.

Really, in spite of the comic relief it provided, I recommend skipping this one.

Rating: «

Metallica: Cunning Stunts (1998)

Genre: Musical

Directed by: Wayne Isham

Starring: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted

Running time: 121 minutes

This concert film offers a Metallica show recorded over two days in May 1997, in Fort Worth, Texas. It offers a great number of their hits, older and newer (at that point), performed in high-octane fashion in front of a hot crowd. There is also some different and interesting song choices here, such as So What?, the Anti-Nowhere League song. Overall, a very good show well worth watching again.

Rating: «««««

Patriots Day (2016)

Genre: Action / Drama

Directed by: Peter Berg

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman

Running time: 133 minutes

Patriots Day deals with the events of the bombing perpetrated in April 2013 by brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev during the Boston Marathon and the massive manhunt that followed and lead to the death of one them and the arrest of the other.

With this 2016 film, we are given a glimpse into these real life events as seen through the eyes of a few of the people who lived through it. Fictional characters, like the one portrayed by Mark Wahlberg, are also added to the mix.

Some might object to the fact that this movie glamorizes the real events on the Boston Marathon bombing, but I like how this film pays homage to the first responders, the victims and the survivors of these terrible circumstances. Boston really pulled together in difficult times, and that needed to be mentioned.

As for the movie itself, it was action packed and compelling, with good acting performances. I dug how they ended by a touching tribute to the real people affected by the tragic events.

Rating: ««««

Hidden Figures (2016)

Genre: Biographical / Drama

Directed by: Theodore Melfi

Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner

Running time: 127 minutes

Based on the non-fiction book of the same name written by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures tells the story of three black female mathematicians who had to combat segregation and bigotry as they worked at the NASA during the Space War of the 1960’s between the United States and the USSR.

It is amazing to think that things were the way they were not that long ago. Things sure are not perfect today, but we’ve come a long way. In itself, it is a great thing that the story of these three women was told on the big screen, so they can finally fully take their rightful place in history. That being said, it is unfortunate that the filmmakers felt the need to embellish and change the facts to tell a more compelling story.

The story of Hidden Figures is indeed compelling in itself, and it is largely carried on screen by the great acting performances of all involved. The tone felt a bit off at times, as if the characters were on the outside looking in. I highly doubt that people making history are walking around telling each other that they are making history as it happens. Nonetheless, these actresses managed to pull us in and make us care for these very real women. I also appreciated the epilogue, where we got some of the facts about the rest of the story of these important women.

Overall, this is a movie to see, in spite of its few flaws.

Rating: ««««

Faut pas pousser (1980)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisation: Michele Lupo

Distribution: Bud Spencer, Cary Guffey

Durée: 99 minutes

Dans cette suite du film Le Shérif et les Extra-terrestres, le shérif Bon Scott et son jeune ami H 7.25 réussissent à échapper à l’armée, qui veut prendre l’enfant extra-terrestre pour en connaître tous les secrets. Ils s’en vont dans la ville de Maroe, en Géorgie, qui se cherche un shérif pour régler le désordre qui y règne. C’est dans cette ville qu’ils seront confrontés à des Aliens de la planète Damien, qui veulent prendre contrôle de la population.

Du premier au second film de ce duo, le charme s’était quelque peu dissipé. C’est comme si les gens impliqués avaient voulu presser plus de jus qu’il y en avait réellement dans le fruit. Malgré quelques bons moments, ce film est loin d’être mémorable.

Note: ««