Batman Returns (1992)

Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Tim Burton
Cast: Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, Michelle Pfeiffer 

Running Time: 126 minutes

 

While Bruce Wayne must contend with ruthless businessman and industrialist Max Schreck, Wayne’s alter ego, Batman, must now fight two new enemies in Gotham City, in The Penguin and Catwoman.

Looking at this almost 20 years later, I must say it has not aged well in my book. While some complained that it was too dark and violent, I still found it quite cartoonish. It is a Tim Burton film after all. Also, the plot felt like it had more than its share of holes.

My main plot issue was that the Selma Kyle character is the victim of an attempted murder by her boss Max Schreck. She knows he did it. She survives, turns herself into Catwoman, and goes after Batman, not Max Schreck.

Also, while Danny DeVito was quite good as the dark Penguin, he was not given very good material to work with.

A few bits and pieces saved this film from being totally mediocre, but, really, it is not very good.

Rating: ««

ReMastered: Trick Dick and The Man in Black (2018)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Sara Dosa and Barbara Kopple
Starring: Pat Buchanan, John Carter Cash, Joanne Cash Yates
Running time: 59 minutes

 

This documentary looks at the time, in 1970, when country singer, songwriter and icon Johnny Cash was invited to The White House, by President Nixon, to perform. It was mostly a ploy by the US President to play to his base by using a man they admired. With comments from family members of Cash and other people who witnessed the events, we learn about what happened and about how the singer was torn between his respect for the institution of the US Presidency and his fight for the least fortunate.

This was a very interesting documentary. The subject matter was fascinating, and the material made for compelling television. Though it is not a long film, it felt very complete. Loved it.

Rating: «««««

Super Duper Alice Cooper (2014)

Genre: Documentary / Biographical
Directed by: Sam Dunn, Scot McFadyen and Reginald Harkema
Cast: Alice Cooper, Dennis Dunaway, Bob Ezrin 

Running Time: 83 minutes

 

This Canadian made documentary chronicles the life and career of rock legend Alice Cooper, from his rise to fame, his immense success, his fall from grace due to alcohol and then drugs, and his rise from the ashes. We hear from Cooper himself, from some of his early collaborators, from his mom, from his wife and from such other icons as Iggy Pop and Elton John.

I loved the Jekyll and Hyde imagery used between the chapters of this documentary. It fitted nicely with the dark overtones of Alice Cooper’s stage act. I am a fan, so I loved this film. The subject matter interested me, and I have always found Vincent Furnier (Alice Cooper) to be a smart man worth listening to. The footage unearthed was pretty cool. I also enjoyed that we never saw the modern-day faces of the interviewed people narrating. It did not detract from the flow and from the subject at hand.

The only flaw I can find here is that I would have taken more. For example, I would have loved to hear about the Trash album, that came after his 1986 return from the depths of addiction.

Rating: ««««

Get Shorty (1995)

Genre: Comedy / Thriller
Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
Cast: John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo 

Running Time: 105 minutes

 

Chili Palmer is a mobster and loan shark from Miami with a big passion for cinema. As he travels to Los Angeles to collect on a debt, he meets Harry Zimm, a B movie director. Chili seizes the opportunity to get involved in the film business.

This is a very smart and entertaining satire comedy/thriller. With a loaded cast and a compelling storyline, and a talented director at the helm, it made for good cinema. And, as a cinephile, I definitely could relate to the main character’s love for classic films.

Rating: ««««

Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

 Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas 

Running Time: 118 minutes

 

In spite of the fact that he is still under house arrest for his involvement with the Avengers, Scott Lang/Ant-Man stills ends up teaming with Hope van Dyne and Hank Pym in an effort to retrieve Hope’s mother, Janet van Dyne, from the Quantum Realm.

In spite of the nerdy superhero stuff involving realms and such, which is really not my cup of tea, this is still a fun and entertaining flick. Rudd and Lilly have a really good chemistry on screen, and there are loads of action to sink your teeth into. The story gets a little convoluted at times, but it was still enjoyable.

Rating: «««

Mon oncle Patof (2021)

Genre: Franco / Documentary
Réalisation : Sandrine Béchade
Distribution: Serge Desrosiers, Monique Giroux, Dominique Michel
Durée: 53 minutes

 

Dans ce documentaire, Serge Desrosiers retrace le parcours de son oncle Jacques, qui a incarné pendant plusieurs années le clown Patof à la télévision. Il discute avec des membres de sa famille et des amis de son oncle pour en raconter l’histoire.

 J’ai trouvé ce petit documentaire fort intéressant. Patof était un peu avant mon temps, alors j’en connaissais peu sur le sujet, à part quelques bribes. J’ai bien apprécié en découvrir plus sur le sujet. C’est un petit film fort intéressant et fort bien ficelé. Drôle et touchant à la fois.

Rating: ««««

M'entends-tu? (2018-2021)

 Genre: TV / Franco / Drama
Distribution: Florence Longpré, Mélissa Bédard, Eve Landry 

Nombre de saisons: 3

 

Ada, Fabiola et Carolanne sont trois filles provenant d’un milieu plus pauvre. Malgré leurs personnalités très différentes, une amitié indéfectible persiste entre elles, au fil des années et des coups durs de la vie.

Quelle série! Wow. Je viens de regarder le dernier épisode, et j’en suis encore estomaqué. Vraiment pas la fin à laquelle je m’attendais. Grande série coup de poing écrite par Florence Longpré, qui est également fort convaincante dans le rôle d’Ada. En fait, toute la distribution est solide ici. Et que dire des textes? Des moments hyper drôles, d’autre ultra touchants. J’ai ri, j’ai été ému. Vraiment toute la gamme des émotions. Des moments à faire frissonner de par leur violence réaliste aussi.

Quelques petits moments de la troisième saison m’ont fait décroché légèrement, et j’ai trouvé la fin un peu rushée, mais, somme toute, vraiment une excellente série.

Rating: ««««

Rush Hour 3 (2007)

Genre: Action / Comedy
Directed by: Bret Rattner
Cast: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, Max Von Sydow 

Running Time: 91 minutes

 Buddy cops Lee and Carter are back at it, this time traveling to Paris to track an assassin with close connections to Lee and to solve a mystery involving the Chinese triads.

Story-wise, this film is paper thin. Really, at that point in the franchise, most of the action was a lame excuse to plug-in the various antics of the two main characters. It started to feel like the filmmakers were trying to parody themselves instead of creating something fresh. A few rare funny moments, but, overall, not worth it.

Rating: ««

Bad Words (2013)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Jason Bateman
Cast: Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn, Rohand Chand
Running Time: 89 minutes

 

Guy Trilby is a very smart 40-year-old middle school dropout that uses a loophole in the Golden Quill Spelling Bee rulebook to enter the contest and compete against children, to the great dismay of organizers and the parents.

This is a wonderful dark comedy, the likes of which I am a big fan. So many of Jason Bateman’s dialogue made me laugh hard. And the antics made me chuckle. It got a little silly at times, but it was a lot of fun. Bateman was solid, both as director and main actor. And the supporting was good too.

Rating: ««««

The Perfect Storm (2000)

Genre: Biographical / Drama
Directed by: Wolfgang Petersen
Cast: George Clooney, Mark Walhberg, Diane Lane 

Running Time: 130 minutes

 

Inspired by the non fiction book of the same name written by Sebastian Junger, this film tells the story of the Andrea Gail, a fishing vessel that took the Atlantic out of Gloucester, Mass, and that was lost at sea after getting caught in the Perfect Storm of 1991.

Visually speaking, this film is absolutely magnificent. The special effects are superb. There is a loaded cast at work here, and most do a good job, though, in some cases, the Boston area accent felt a little forced. The premise is compelling, but, in terms of story, there is not a lot to tell and it is stretched out over a very long movie.

Rating: «««

Batman (1989)

 Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Tim Burton
Cast: Jack Nicholson, Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger 

Running Time: 126 minutes

 

Gotham City is dealing with lots of crime, and the authorities just cannot keep up. Thankfully, there is a new sheriff in town: Batman. Batman is the secret identity of millionaire Bruce Wayne and, on top of his regular crime fighting, he must now contend with the Joker, a dangerous man he has a very tragic history with.

I had not seen this one in years. Revisiting it now, with the experience of so many other superhero movies, this one feels very cartoonish. The fight scenes are very ridiculous and a lot of the action is a bit silly.

Thankfully, Jack Nicholson shoots off the screen as Jack Napier/The Joker. He so outshines Keaton, who plays Batman, it is not even funny. The face Jack makes when he loses his balloons towards the end of the movie remain a classic to me. And so many great lines greatly delivered. For Jack’s performance and for Kim Basinger, I will give this a passing grade.

Rating: «««

Cedric the Entertainer: Taking You Higher (2006)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Stan Lathan
Cast: Cedric the Entertainer 

Running Time: 56 minutes

In this first HBO comedy special of his, actor/comedian Cedric the Entertainer offered his own brand of entertainment, backed up by a full band and dancers. While there were some good gags here and there, for the most part, the material and delivery was not really my thing. The attempts at impersonations were a little weak too. But, still, a few moments made me chuckle, and Cedric did give it all he had.

Rating: ««

Rush hour 2 (2001)

Genre: Action / Comedy
Directed by: Bret Rattner
Cast: Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker, John Lone 

Running Time: 90 minutes

 

Buddy cops Lee and Carter are vacationing in Hong Kong, where they get involved in the investigation of the double murder of US Custom agents. Lee suspects that Triad crime lord Ricky Tan, a man he has history with, is involved in the matter.

While this sequel offers some good action and comedy, a lot of the freshness from the original seemed to have been lost in the process. It felt a little bit forced, like they were trying to stretch thin material into 90 minutes. The stunts were fun, like they usually are in Jackie Chan movies, but this felt like a reheated dish.

Rating: «««

Run Fatboy Run (2007)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: David Schwimmer
Cast: Simon Pegg, Thandee Newton, Hank Azaria 

Running Time: 100 minutes

 

Dennis Doyle was about to marry his pregnant girlfriend Libby but he got cold feet and left her at the altar. Five years later, his life is going nowhere and he regrets leaving Libby. To impress her and win her back, he decides to run the Nike River Marathon, in London. Unfortunately for him, right at his side is Libby’s new boyfriend, Whit, a successful and good looking, albeit arrogant, man.

This is a fun movie. Sure, there is a lot of silliness, but the fact that this movie does not take itself too seriously is charming. Sure, it is pretty predictable, but I appreciated the fact that they did not go for the totally obvious overly unrealistic Hollywood ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one.

Rating: ««««

Grandma (2015)

Genre: Drama / Comedy
Directed by: Paul Weitz
Cast: Lily Tomlin, Julia Garner, Marcia Gay Harden 

Running Time: 79 minutes

 

Sage is an 18-year old girl who finds herself pregnant and wanting an abortion. Unable to get the money needed for the procedure from her boyfriend and unwilling to approach her mother about it, Sage goes to her grandmother, a lesbian poet who is still coping with the death of her long-time partner. The grandmother will do her best to help her granddaughter collect the money for the abortion, reconnecting with her estranged daughter in the process.

While the characters portrayed here are far from ordinary, they still feel real and not caricatural at all. I feel that is in great part due to the writing/directing work of Paul Weitz and to the acting from the cast, especially Lily Tomlin. Tomlin shoots off the screen in every scene. She is so great.

This is a beautiful little gem of a movie. While it is not very long, it still feels so complete. I love it.

Rating: «««««