Ironweed (1987)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Hector Babenco

Cast: Jack Nicholson, Meryl Streep, Carroll Baker

Time: 143 minutes

Francis Phelan used to be a great baseball player with a good throwing hand. After accidently dropping his infant son, killing him in the process, the guilt overtook him and he left his house and family behind to live as a bum in the streets. Decades later, he is drinking his life away, hanging out with his lover Helen Archer and his buddy Rudy. Francis’ past comes back to haunt him, though, and he decides to pay his family a visit, which will bring profound change within him.

Jack Nicholson offers a performance full of restraint here. You would think that Jack playing a drunk would be a great opportunity to go overboard, but there is no such thing in Ironweed. He really manages to melt his larger-than-life persona into the character and make it believable.

Meryl Streep is also great at inhabiting her character. You forget that there is an actress at work and you care for the character. That scene where she sings in the bar, with a mixture of reality and fantasy, is wonderful.

Ironweed is a very compelling character study. There is not much in terms of action, and it might feel long and dreary to some, but it is well worth watching to see some great actors at work.

Rating: ««««

Marauders (2016)

Genre: Thriller

Directed by: Steven C. Miller

Cast: Christopher Meloni, Bruce Willis, Dave Bautista

Time: 107 minutes

An armed robbery committed by four thieves in the Hubert National Bank, that ends with the taking of 3 million dollars and the execution of the bank manager, leads to a joint robbery-homicide investigation by the FBI and Cincinnati PD.

Quite honestly, I quickly lost interest in this straight-to-video movie that I found on Netflix. I did not even make it to the end. The story was convoluted and uninteresting and the acting was bad. Do not waste your time on this one unless you are starved for punishment.

Rating: «

Pelé: Birth of a Legend (2016)

Genre: Biographical

Directed by: Jeff Zimbalist and Michael Zimbalist

Cast: Kevin de Paula, Seu Jorge, Mariana Nunes, Vincent D’Onofrio

Time: 107 minutes

This is a biographical film about Pelé, the world-renowned Brazilian soccer player, that covers the period between his impoverished youth in the Brazil of the 1940’s to his success in the World Cup of 1958.

While the story of Pelé is highly inspiring, from a rags to riches point of view, this film suffered from a deep lack of depth. The storytelling is formulaic and it remains on the surface a little too much. Some of the dialogue also felt fabricated, especially in one particular scene where the young Pelé is talking to a friend. Kids never would have discussed these subjects with those words. What we got is an Americanized version of the story.

All that being said, in spite of its clear flaws, Pelé: Birth of a Legend remains an interesting film about a very inspiring person.

Rating: «««

Attention les dégâts! (1984)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisation: E.B. Clucher

Distribution: Bud Spencer, Terence Hill, April Clough

Durée: 99 minutes

Un cascadeur et un saxophoniste sont embauchés par une firme pour remplacer deux milliardaires brésiliens dont ils sont les sosies pendant une semaine. Les deux hommes fortunés veulent se cacher de certaines personnes qui veulent les empêcher de signer un lucratif contrat.

Attention les dégâts est un autre film dans la pure tradition des comédies de Bud Spencer et Terence Hill. Histoires abracadabrantes, bagarres multiples et personnages très clichés; tout y est, mais c’est tellement divertissant. Il est aussi intéressant de voir les deux acteurs principaux jouer deux personnages chacun dans ce film : Un peureux et un courageux.

Somme toute, nous avons ici du bon divertissement léger.

Note: «««

Amy Schumer: The Leather Special (2017)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Amy Schumer

Cast: Amy Schumer

Time: 57 minutes

A few years ago, I started out a big fan of Amy Schumer. I would see her in small doses, on TV, in interviews, doing bits of her thing; and she made me laugh. The problem is: The more I see of her stuff, in bigger doses, the less I like what I see.

In her latest comedy special, recorded from Denver, Colorado, she offers the same sex talk she usually does, with the angle of how it is as a woman. That is fine. The problem is that she tries so hard to be raunchy that it comes off a little fake to me. There never seems to be a compelling thread to follow to the inside, so I always feel stuck on the outside looking in and never really caring much. And, as usual, too much self-congratulating for my taste.

A few jokes here and there made me laugh, but, overall, this was highly disappointing.

Rating: ««

Big Time in Hollywood, Fl (2015)

Genre: TV / Comedy

Starring: Alex Anfanger, Lenny Jacobson, Jon Bass

Number of seasons: 1

Jack and Ben Dolfe are two young adult brothers still living with their parents. They are aspiring filmmakers who have a greatly exaggerated view of their own potential. When their parents ask them to leave the parental nest, panic sets in and they strike up a plan of action to avoid having to leave. In the process, they create a chain of events that is sure to leave a trail of blood and dead bodies behind.

Big Time in Hollywood, Fl is a very funny dark comedy, and I fail to understand why it was not renewed for a second season. The cast was good and the writing was funny, though some stuff was a bit over-the-top, even for that genre. It was easy to get invested in the characters and there definitely was the potential for more.

Also notable in this show were the cameos from well-known actors, such as Cuba Gooding Jr., Jason Alexander and Michael Madsen. These guys were pretty game to partake in this lesser-known project.

This is a very good show that unfortunately feels a little incomplete at only one season.

Rating: «««

It's So Easy and Other Lies (2015)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Christopher Duddy

Starring: Duff McKagan, Slash, Nikki Sixx

Running time: 84 minutes

This documentary is the film version of the autobiography written by Duff McKagan, who has played bass guitar in such bands as Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver.

It’s So Easy and Other Lies offers a very compelling look into the rock n’ roll life of McKagan. The rock star is brutally honest about the drug and alcohol addictions that almost lead to his untimely death. He survived, only to briefly fall again and then recover to live on with his family by his side.

While the movie is interesting, I would have taken more. It was much too short. In my opinion, it stayed a little too much on the surface as far as certain aspects were concerned. And I found the use of cartoons to illustrate certain situations distracting. Nonetheless, the subject matter is interesting and the film is still worth watching. I would also highly recommend reading the book.

Rating: «««

Artie Lange: The Stench of Failure (2014)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Ryan Polito

Starring: Artie Lange

Running time: 60 minutes

When author, actor and comedian Artie Lange took the stage, in his hometown of Newark, New Jersey, for this comedy special of his, he did so with a very charming fearless abandon. In this show, Lange discusses his troubles with addiction, his days of partying and his stints in rehab and in a psych ward.

Artie Lange is really good at pulling the viewers into his stories and taking them for a very entertaining ride. While the subject matters are not always naturally funny, the comic manages to make you laugh almost all the way through.

Rating: ««««

Rocco (2016)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai

Starring: Rocco Siffredi

Running time: 105 minutes

This documentary film details the last year in front of the camera of porn actor Rocco Siffredi, before his retirement from the controversial industry that made him a star to many people around the world.

Here, Rocco Siffredi offers a very honest take on himself as he looks back on his youth, on some traumatic experiences and on how sexual desire took over him at a very young age. Through it all, he managed to find a wife who loves him in spite of his job and to raise along with her two boys. Now in their late teen years, they know what their father does and don’t seem to be bothered by it.

Rocco is not a documentary for the faint of heart or for those who are easily offended. While not a full blown porn flick itself, it is a film about a porn star. There is quite a bit of nudity, and we see Rocco and his costars at work on set. Deeply interesting for the open minded folks.

Rating: ««««

When You're Strange (2009)

Genre: Documentary

Directed by: Tom DiCillo

Starring: Jim Morrison, Ray Manzarek, Robbie Krieger, John Densmore, Johnny Depp

Running time: 86 minutes

Through the use of loads and loads of archived footage, When You’re Strange tells the story of the rock band The Doors and of its enigmatic lead singer, Jim Morrison. The film, which is narrated by actor Johnny Depp, also uses footage from HWY: An American Pastoral, a film made by Morrison.

This documentary was meant to serve as an answer to the 1991 movie made by Oliver Stone about Morrison and The Doors. In that sense, it offers a much more accurate portrayal of their story. Unlike most documentaries, there are no interviews with the people still alive today; it is just the archived footage, narrated by Depp. The advantage of this way of doing things is that the focus remains on the facts and not on the revisionist history that often comes from rock n’ roll interviews.

All things considered, this is an excellent documentary that is well worth seeing.

Rating: «««««

La Famille Bélier (2014)

Genre: Franco / Comedy / Drama

Réalisation: Éric Lartigau

Distribution: Louane Emera, Karin Viard, François Damiens

Durée: 105 minutes

Paula Bélier est la seule membre de sa famille qui ne souffre pas de surdité, donc la jeune fille de 16 ans est une interprète indispensable pour ses parents et son frère cadet. En plus d’aider sa famille à la ferme et à la vente des produits au marché, Paula a une vie scolaire et une meilleure amie, Mathilde. Lorsque le prof de chant de l’école lui découvre un talent de chanteuse, la vie de Paula s’en trouvera toute chamboulée.

La Famille Bélier réussit fort bien à jouer sur deux tons en étant à la fois drôle et touchant. La majorité des personnages sont criants de vérité, et on a tôt fait de s’attacher à eux. Le jeu des acteurs et actrices est juste pour ce qui doit être livré, et l’histoire est magnifiquement ficelée, même si parfois les choses se règlent un peu trop rapidement et facilement.

Somme toute, nous avons ici un excellent film dans son genre.

Note: ««««

La mygale jaune (2004)

Genre: Franco / Documentary

Réalisation: Jean Leclerc et Martin Laporte

Distribution: Patrick Huard, Michèle-Barbara Pelletier, Pierre Lebeau

Durée: 60 minutes

Ce petit film documentaire fort éclaté, à l’image de l’homme qui l’a inspiré et créé, devait marquer la mort du personnage de Jean Leloup et le retour au poète Jean Leclerc, loin des griffes du rock n’ roll. Nous savons maintenant que cela n’a pas duré.

Dans La mygale jaune, nous voyons Leloup et ses acolytes sur scène offrir un dernier spectacle rock endiablé. Nous voyons aussi Jean Leclerc en arrière-scène en train de préparer un cérémonial de mise en mort de son personnage, qui se fera en mettant le feu à sa guitare sur un petit radeau sur l’eau.

Au-delà de tout le cérémonial et du geste en tant que tel, j’ai bien apprécié ce petit regard intime sur un des artistes les plus intéressants du Québec. J’ai toujours aimé la folie géniale de Leloup, et ce film est un autre beau témoignage.

Note: ««««

Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day (2012)

Genre: Musical

Directed by: Dick Carruthers

Starring: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham

Running time: 124 minutes

This film captures a live performance recorded by the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin and Jason Bonham, son of John Bonham, the band’s late drummer. The show took place in December 2007, at the O2 Arena, in London, and it was a one-time deal for the band as part of the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert.

Celebration Day is very solid. Though he has aged quite a bit physically since his days as the Golden God, Robert Plant’s voice can still hold its own with the difficult material of the band. And Jimmy Page’s guitar playing is still strong. John Paul Jones does his job well and Jason Bonham will always be the best replacement possible on stage for his father behind Zeppelin.

Overall, this is a very good concert that offers a trip down memory lane with aging rock stars who can still actually go.

Rating: ««««

Nez rouge (2003)

Genre: Franco / Romantic Comedy / Christmas

Réalisation: Eric Canuel

Distribution: Patrick Huard, Michèle-Barbara Pelletier, Pierre Lebeau

Durée: 114 minutes

Un critique littéraire un peu chiant se voit forcer de faire du bénévolat pour Opération Nez rouge après avoir été arrêté pour conduite en état d’ébriété. Avec son avocat quelque peu spécial, il partagera ses heures à Nez rouge avec une jeune auteure dont il a déjà démoli la pièce de théâtre dans une critique. Il ne la reconnaît pas, mais cette dernière compte bien se venger, jusqu’à ce que les desseins du cœur s’en mêlent.

Nez rouge est une comédie romantique de Noël fort sympathique. Les personnages sont très caricaturaux et l’histoire est cousue de fil blanc, mais, si on se laisse tout simplement aller dans la magie des Fêtes, c’est un bon divertissement.

Note: «««