Omertà (2012)

 
Genre: Franco / Thriller
Réalisateur: Luc Dionne
Distribution: Michel Côté, Rachelle Lefèvre, René Angélil, Patrick Huard 

Running time: 109 minutes

 

L’ex-policier Pierre Gauthier opère maintenant une agence de sécurité privée. Il est recruté par son ancien patron pour infiltrer la mafia montréalaise, qui prépare un gros coup impliquant des lingots d’or. Gauthier recrute Sophie, une de ses employés, pour s’approcher de Sam Cohen et de Steve Bélanger, deux proches associés du parrain Dominic Fagazi.

Autant la série du même nom était bonne, autant le film est mauvais. L’histoire ne va nulle part. Michel Côté et Patrick Huard nous ont habitué à de meilleures performances, mais il faut noter qu’ils n’ont pas eu grand-chose à se mettre sous la dent. Stéphane Rousseau en méchant, on n’y croit tout simplement pas. Pour ce qui est de René Angélil, il a des airs de parrain de la mafia, mais son talent d’acteur équivaut à son talent de chanteur.

Au-delà de quelques petits brefs moments qui m’ont fait espérer mieux, ce film est une perte de temps.

Rating: ««

Tom Segura: Ball Hog (2020)

 

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Rami Hachache
Cast: Tom Segura 

Running Time: 70 minutes

 

Tom Segura has quite a knack for telling stories that will make many uncomfortable, but he finds a way to make you laugh with it. Some of the jokes are weaker than the rest, but it is mostly pretty solid material. In this comedy special, Segura talks about his family, chasing dreams, the thought of your parents having sex and many other topics. One of the good comedy specials on Netflix now.

Rating: ««««

 

The King of Comedy (1982)

 Genre: Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Sandrq Bernhard 

Running Time: 109 minutes

 

Rupert Pupkin is an aspiring stand-up comic that is greatly delusional about his own potential. He becomes obsessed about appearing on the talk-show hosted by Jerry Langford, which he sees as his potential big break. After being turned down, Pupkin decides to abduct Langford and blackmail his way on TV.

This is a very creepy dark comedy. Robert De Niro is great as Pupkin. It was a different kind of sociopath for him to play. As for Jerry Lewis, I don’t think he had to stretch too far to play an arrogant established comedian.

This film never really got its due share of love. I just think that it dealt with too dark a matter to really be embraced by the public.

Rating: ««««

Il était une fois les Boys (2013)

 
Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisateur: Richard Goudreau
Distribution: Jassen Charron, Simon Pigeon, Derek Poissant, Samuel Gauthier 

Running time: 106 minutes

 

Dans cet antépisode à la série de films initiale et à la série télé qui a suivi, nous retrouvons les Boys dans les années 60, lorsqu’ils étaient de jeunes garçons jouant au hockey sur une patinoire extérieure de leur quartier.

J’avais très peu d’attentes par rapport à ce film, mais je voulais le voir question de compléter la série. Eh bien, quelle agréable surprise. Quand on fait appel à de jeunes acteurs, surtout ceux qui ont moins d’expérience, c’est un pari risqué. Dans ce cas-ci, de très bons choix ont été faits. Et c’était bien aussi d’avoir les visages connus qui revenaient dans la peau d’autres personnages.

Pour ce qui est du scénario, il contenait une bonne dose de clichés, mais l’histoire était somme toute très intéressante. Un petit film divertissant avec des moments drôles et d’autres plus touchants.

Rating: ««««

 

Monster's Ball (2001)

 Genre: Romance / Drama
Directed by: Marc Forster
Cast: Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger 

Running Time: 112 minutes

 

Hank Grotowski is a correctional officer in Georgia, stuck between an extremely racist father and a son too sensitive to be effective in the same job as his father. After losing his son to suicide, Hank leaves his job and falls for a waitress, who also lost a son, not knowing at first that he just recently accompanied her husband to the electric chair

This is a brilliant, complex film with multi-layered characters. Halle Berry had not been this good in a role before and she has not been since. Whether it was about the material, the direction or a flash of brilliance on her part, the magic operated here. As for Billy Bob Thornton, he is often very solid. He was here too. Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle did fine also in more limited roles. Even Sean Combs AKA P. Diddy, was good for what he had to do.

Overall, this is a very good movie that is well worth seeing at least once in your life.

Rating: «««««

André the Giant (2018)

 Genre: TV / Documentary
Directed by: Jason Hehir
Cast: Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Tim White 

Running Time: 85 minutes

 

This HBO documentary looks at the life and career of late Frenchman André Roussimov, known around the world as pro wrestler André the Giant. In this film, we hear from many of the people who knew him best, such as Vince McMahon, Hulk Hogan, Pat Patterson, Gino Brito and Tim White.

Recently, I have been reading a massive biography written about André, so I thought it would be interesting to watch this film. It was. It is a well done documentary, with loads of information about a man that was larger than life. You cannot help feel sympathy for the man, who could never hide wherever he went. That must have been so hard at times, along with the pains and aches of his gigantism. This is well worth seeing, whether you are a fan or not. It was even a bit short to me, I could have taken more.

 

Rating: ««««

Babyteeth (2019)

Genre: Drama / Comedy
Directed by: Shannon Murphy
Cast: Eliza Scanlen, Toby Wallace, Essie Davis 

Running Time: 120 minutes

 

Milla Finlay is a 16-year-old girl who was recently diagnosed with cancer. The disease and the treatment of it is making her very sick, and her parents are overprotecting her. While waiting for the bus, Milla meets Moses, a young drug dealer. She falls for him, though her parents do not approve of the idea of a relationship.

The premise sounded interesting and showed some promise, but something got lost in the delivery for me. I held on at first, but, in the end, I lost interest in this mess of a film.

Rating: «

Les Boys: La série (2007-2012)

 Genre: TV / Franco / Comedy
Distribution: Rémy Girard, Yvan Ponton, Patrice Robitaille, Pierre Lebeau 

Nombre de saisons: 5

 

Après une série de quatre films, les aventures de l’équipe de hockey de ligue de garage Les Boys sont passées au petit écran, avec 73 épisodes sur 5 saisons. Certains membres de la première heure sont là et de nouveaux visages se greffent à eux pour remplacer ceux qui ont quitté le navire.

Les cinq saisons de cette série contiennent bel et bien des moments hilarants ici et là, mais disons que la sauce commençait joliment à être étirée. L’ajout de nouveaux personnages a aidé, ainsi que l’écriture qui offrait son lot de moments qui font rire, mais rien de vraiment extrêmement marquant. Au bout du compte, il était temps que cela se termine.

Rating: «««

Cinema Verite (2011)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pucini
Cast: Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, James Gandolfini 

Running Time: 90 minutes

 

This film is a fictionalized account of the events surrounding the shooting of the An American Family TV documentary for PBS, in 1971. The Loud family are convinced by documentary-maker Craig Gilbert to embark on this innovative television adventure, a decision that will have major ramifications on all of their lives.

With a compelling story and some very talented actors to carry it, this movie offers a very interesting look at the price of fame that may be much more than what some might expect. This title had been on my list of things to see for a while. I am glad I finally got a chance to see it. I am sure it was an embellished account of true events, but it was still very interesting.

 

Rating: ««««

Green Book (2018)

Genre: Biographical / Drama / Comedy
Directed by: Peter Farrelly

Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Mahershala Ali, Linda Cardellini
Running Time: 130 minutes

 

This film is inspired by the true story of jazz and classical pianist Don Shirley’s undertaking of a musical tour of the American Deep South with his trio in 1962. As a black man, he hired bouncer Frank “Tony Lip” Vallelonga to drive him around the South and insure his protection in a time of segregation.

This is a brilliant film. Both lead actors are so believable in their respective roles. I particularly dug Viggo Mortensen’s portrayal of Tony Lip. I have personally known guys like that in my life. Deep down, they are good stand-up guys, but they sometimes are stuck with some outdated ideas ingrained in them from early on. Mahershala Ali also did a solid job bringing Shirley back to life on screen.

This was compelling story. I laughed, I was touched; all things considered, I was fully entertained. We have come a long way since the 60’s, but we still have a long way to go.

 

Rating: «««««

Being Frank (2018)

 Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Miranda Bailey
Cast: Jim Gaffigan, Logan Miller, Anna Gunn 

Running Time: 99 minutes

 

A rebellious teenager who aspires to go study music in New York disobeys his father’s orders by going away for Spring Break with his best friend. On this trip, he finds out his father has a second family and he decides to spend the weekend with them, throwing a monkey wrench into his father’s big elaborate lie.

I went in with low expectations here and I was pleasantly surprised. The premise sounded silly, but what I got was a sweet comedy focused on the father and son relationship. The acting was not bad, though some stuff was a little over-the-top. Overall, this is an enjoyable little movie.

Rating: «««

The Sheik (2014)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Igal Hecht
Cast: Khosrow Vaziri, Jack Black, Jim Duggan

Running Time: 95 minutes

 

This documentary film looks at the career and life of Khosrow Vaziri, better known around the world as The Iron Sheik. We learn about Vaziri’s early life in his native Iran, his departure for the United States, his experience as a wrestling coach in the Olympics and his jump into the world of professional wrestling as one of the most reviled villain in that business’ history. The film also discusses how, in his later years, Sheik battled drug addiction and went on to become a Twitter phenomenon.

I found this film captivating. It gave me a deeper look into a personality I mostly knew for his onscreen character. I was glad to learn more about his family life and his battles with addiction. I am also happy to see that he is in a better place now. The only fault I found with this film is that Sheik’s pro wrestling history was a little rushed and ended up missing some elements. Nonetheless, well worth watching.

Rating: ««««

Omertà (1996-1999)

Genre: TV / Franco / Thriller
Distribution: Michel Côté, Luc Picard, Michel Dumont 

Nombre de saisons: 3

 

Cette série télévisée québécoise en trois saisons — les deux premières ayant comme sous-titre La loi du silence et la troisième ayant comme sous-titre Le dernier des hommes d’honneur — relate le travail d’un groupe de policiers chevronnés pour contrer les efforts criminels de la mafia italienne de Montréal.

Cette série enlevante est une création de Luc Dionne. On y retrouve une panoplie de personnes intéressants campés, la plupart du temps, par des acteurs de talent effectuant du bon boulot. Le début de la troisième saison, qui était en quelque sorte un antépisode, détonait un peu du reste, mais c’était néanmoins fort intéressant.

La plupart des personnages étaient criants de vérité, et je me suis bien amuser à retourner dans le temps voir cette série que j’avais manquée à l’origine.

Rating: ««««

 

Before Sunset (2004)

 Genre: Romance / Drama
Directed by: Richard Linklater
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy 

Running Time: 80 minutes

 

Nine years after their chance encounter on a train and their night spent roaming around Vienna, Jesse and Céline a reunited in Paris when Jesse travels there on a tour to promote the book he wrote about that night they spent together. They reconnect and spend the afternoon together, as Jesse is set to fly back home later that day.

This is a charming sequel to Before Sunrise. It is short, but sweet. A very compelling story. A lot of dialogue, but it is delivered masterfully by the two leads, who share some solid chemistry on screen. The characters still feel real, though they have evolved after nine years. I love this film.

Rating: «««««

Hillbilly Elegy (2020)

 Genre: Biographical / Drama
Directed by: Ron Howard
Cast: Amy Adams, Glenn Close, Gabriel Basso
Running Time: 115 minutes

 

Inspired by the memoir of the same name written by J.D. Vance, this film depicts Vance’s family history in poverty-stricken family dealing with violence and drug addiction. As a Yale law student, Vance must go back home to Middletown, Ohio, to deal with a family emergency involving his junkie mom.

In spite of the overly melodramatic movie-making, this film greatly benefitted from excellent acting by Amy Adams and Glenn Close. The script itself was very uneven, but, in the end, I was entertained by this story of resilience and overcoming the odds.

Rating: «««

All Is Bright (2013)

 
Genre: Christmas / Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Phil Morrison
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Paul Rudd, Sally Hawkins 

Running Time: 107 minutes

 

Dennis is a con man out on parole. His ex-girlfriend and the mother of his young daughter is unwilling to give him another chance, and he finds out that she has started a relationship with his former associate, Rene. Needing money to buy a nice Christmas gift for his daughter, Dennis begrudgingly accepts a job selling Christmas trees in New York with Rene.

I liked this dark comedy. Going in, I did not quite know what to expect. The premise seemed silly, but a fun script and a solid acting performance by both leads made this one much better than it could have ever hoped to be. Giamatti and Rudd had a great chemistry and worked well off each other. Overall, a nice little unexpected gem here. I laughed and I was touched in some moments.

Rating: ««««

Happiest Season (2020)

 Genre: Christmas / Romantic Comedy
Directed by: Clea DuVall
Cast: Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie
Running Time: 102 minutes

Abby Holland and Harper Caldwell have been a lesbian couple for over a year. Feeling bad that her girlfriend hates Christmas ever since she lost her parents, Harper decides to invite her to spend the holidays with her and her family in her hometown. On their way there, Abby realizes that Harper never came out to her family, which is bound to make for a complicated situation.

This is your typical Christmas rom-com with a little modern twist to it. While it does indeed contain a good dose of clichés, it is not without charm. The little speech about coming out delivered by Dan Levy’s character, for example, felt very preachy. Nonetheless, this movie made for a fun evening of cinema with the wife, with a compelling story and some decent acting.

Rating: «««