Monsieur Lazhar (2011)

Genre: Franco / Drama
Réalisation: Philippe Falardeau
Distribution: Mohamed Fellag, Sophie Nélisse, Émilien Néron
Durée: 94 minutes

 

Martine Lachance, une enseignante du primaire à Montréal, s’enlève la vie par pendaison dans sa classe au cours d’une période de récréation, laissant ses élèves dans un choc profond. Un réfugié algérien un peu rigide et au passé difficile, Bashir Lazhar, prend la relève comme enseignant de la classe de la défunte.

Monsieur Lazhar demeure un très bon film, très touchant, mais non sans failles. D’abord, notons que la distribution fait du bon boulot. Même les jeunes acteurs et actrices rendent bien leur rôle. L’histoire est bien ficelée, quoique le tout se gâte à la fin. On dirait que le tout se termine trop sèchement, comme s’il manquait quelque chose à cette histoire. Ça laisse un goût de frustration au bout du compte.

Rating: «««

If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd (2018)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Stephen Kijak
Cast: Gary Rossington, Johnny Van Zant, Bob Burns
Time: 97 minutes

 

This film covers the genesis of the Lynyrd Skynyrd band, its rise to fame at a young age, its songs, the excesses, the in-fighting, the plane crash that took the lives of many of them, and its rebirth with new members joining the survivors of the crash.

This movie was well done. It was a compelling documentary about a southern rock band that left its mark. The filmmakers even dared to touch on sensitive subjects, such as racism, and they did it tastefully. I was particularly moved by the survivors of the infamous plane crash recollecting the tragic event from their point of view. This is truly a great rock documentary.

 Rating: «««««

Turn It Up!: A Celebration of the Electric Guitar (2014)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Robert Radler
Cast: Kevin Bacon, B.B. King, Nancy Wilson, Slash
Time: 86 minutes

 

Hosted by actor and musician Kevin Bacon, this documentary looks at the history of the electric guitar and of the competing brands of makers of the beloved instrument. We hear from famous musicians, such as B.B. King, Paul Stanley, Nancy Wilson, Slash, Jerry Cantrell and many more, and from business people who also enjoy playing the guitar in their free time. This film is very informative. As a lover of the guitar myself, I sure was interested. It made me want to pick up the guitar again.

Rating: ««««

Ron White: A Little Unprofessional (2012)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Tom Forrest
Cast: Ron White, Margo Rey
Time: 79 minutes

 

Live on stage at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, Texas, Ron White looked right at home in his home State, with a mic, a stool, some whiskey and a cigar. He delved into his typical brand of humor, discussing his wife, marriage, fatherhood, Tiger Woods, Dr. Phil, the Special Olympics, homosexuality and so much more. White’s material can be crude, but it is a lot of fun. The stories are interesting, and the punch lines are solid. The big Texan comic has perfected and mastered his style. He does not set out to make you reflect on things, but he makes you laugh about them. Even when he tackles difficult matters, he never comes off as mean-spirited. I enjoyed this show very much.

 Rating: ««««

Nobody (2021)

Genre: Action
Directed by: Ilya Naishuller
Cast: Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, RZA, Christopher Lloyd
Running Time: 92 minutes

 

Hutch Mansell is a retired government assassin who moved on to a regular life with a wife, two kids and a tedious job working for his father-in-law. After his house gets broken into by two armed robbers, putting his family in danger, Hutch reverts to his old ways, setting in motion a series of violent events that will get him in trouble with a crazy drug lord.

I loved this film. The story is a little nuts, and some of the support cast’s work is a little over-the-top, but Bob Odenkirk is so awesome in the lead role, it is amazing. He carries this film. He looks so unmenacing, but he can kick ass and he ends up being believable at it. I love when that can be pulled off on screen. And seeing Christopher Lloyd again was a treat.

Rating: ««««

14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible (2021)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Torquil Jones
Cast: Nirmal Purja
Running Time: 101 minutes

 

Nepalese mountaineer Normal Purja undertakes, along with his team, to climb the 14 peaks around the world that are over 8,000 meters within a period of 7 months. The previous record was 7 years.

I watched this with my wife over the weekend, since this is her kind of thing. While this was not my cup of tea, I still found it entertaining, interesting and inspiring. It takes a whole lot of guts (or maybe craziness) to try this kind of challenge.

Rating: ««««

The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz
Cast: Shia LeBeouf, Zack Gottsagen, Dakota Johnson
Running Time: 98 minutes

 

Zak, a young adult with Down syndrome, escapes his assisted living facility with the hope of having his idol train him to be a professional wrestler. On the outside, Zak meets Tyler, a rebel fisherman on the run from his enemies. The two men form a bond and start traveling together.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. The acting was solid, the story was compelling, and the whole thing had me hooked all the way through. It was also a nice treat to see the likes of Mick Foley and Jake Roberts in a movie. Highly recommended for the human aspect of this tale on film.

Rating: «««««

Lonestar: Stevie Ray Vaughan - 1984-1989 (2017)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Tom O’Dell
Cast: Thomas Arnold, Timothy Duckworth, Jim Gaines
Running Time: 118 minutes

 

This documentary looks at the life and career of blues guitarist and singer, Stevie Ray Vaughan. I found it very interesting. Through interviews with people who were in Vaughan’s life and others who analyzed his career, we learn so much about this great musician that left us way too soon. I enjoyed it very much. I appreciated also the quantity of archive footage included here.

Rating: «««««

Empire Records (1995)

Genre: Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Allan Moyle
Cast: Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield, Debi Mazar
Running Time: 90 minutes

 A group of record store employees try to prevent the business they work for from being sold to a major chain. In the process, they figure out a whole lot of stuff about themselves and each other.

The strongest part of this movie is undeniably the soundtrack. It is amazing. You can also see the potential in many of the cast members involved, like Renée Zellweger, Liv Tyler and Rory Cochrane. They were all destined for greater and better things. The film itself is predictable and cheesy, but with the soundtrack and the cuteness of Tyler and Zellweger, I give it a passing grade.

Rating: «««

The Family Man (2000)

 Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama
Directed by: Brett Ratner
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Téa Leoni, Don Cheadle
Running Time: 125 minutes

 

Through a bit of Christmas magic, Jack Campbell, a successful Wall Street executive living a luxurious lifestyle, gets a glimpse of what he missed out on by walking out on his girlfriend Kate 13 years prior to focus on his career.

The “this could have been your life” thing has been overdone in Hollywood. Here, with a compelling rehash and some pretty decent acting, it is entertaining enough, albeit not very fresh.

Rating: «««

Le trip à trois (2017)

Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisation: Nicolas Monette
Distribution: Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin, Martin Matte, Romane Martins
Durée: 110 minutes

 

Estelle et Simon sont ensemble depuis une décennie et forment une petite famille toute simple et sans histoire, prise dans la routine du quotidien de parents avec un enfant qui alternent entre le boulot et le train-train de la vie de couple rangée. Désireuse de sortir de sa zone de confort et de sortir son couple de sa torpeur, Estelle entreprend le projet d’avoir un trip à trois avec son mari et une autre femme. Mais, qui sera cette femme?

Entre la chimie évidente entre les acteurs principaux et les dialogues truffés de petits bijoux bien comiques, j’ai beaucoup ri avec ce petit film simple. Ça ne révolutionne rien, mais ça divertit solidement. Et je suis convaincu que plusieurs sauront se reconnaître dans les personnages et les situations.

Rating: ««««

Jimmy Carr: His Dark Material (2021)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Brian Klein and Amanda Baker
Cast: Jimmy Carr
Running Time: 59 minutes

 

With Jimmy Carr, nothing is sacred; absolutely no subject is taboo. And, as he says himself, joking about bad things is nothing like doing the said bad things. Carr starts off with COVID-19—the topic of the last couple of years—but he quickly moves on to other things. He discusses sex, religion—and a combination of both of these—, family and a multitude of other topics. With Jimmy Carr, it is not really about long bits on various topics. What you get here is a series of liners, all very edgy and dark. The comic finishes off with what he calls his “career enders”, where he pretends to remove the gloves he never really had on. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Jimmy Carr has truly become a master of his craft. He is at his peak. The man is truly a genius when it comes to liners and crowd work.

Rating: «««««

Being the Ricardos (2021)

Genre: Biographical / Drama
Directed by: Aaron Sorkin
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Javier Bardem, J.K. Simmons
Running Time: 131 minutes

 

This films tells the story of the relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, focusing mostly on a very difficult week leading to the taping of an I Love Lucy episode, after Ball was labeled a Communist sympathiser in the press.

Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem gave spectacular performances in the two lead roles. It is especially surprising for me when it comes to Kidman. In spite of all the talent she has, I would have never imagined that she could pull off a convincing Lucille Ball. She did. The transformation was amazing. You forgot the actress behind the role while the movie lasted. 

The material given to the actors and actresses was also very good. You could see that they were having fun biting into it. My only issue is with the tone, which felt confused at time. There seemed to be a small lack of focus in the direction, that made you wonder what was the point of it all. But, the strong performances and the good lines still gave me a new appreciation for Lucille Ball, a strong woman way ahead of her time.

Rating: ««««

Chappelle's Show (2003-2006)

 Genre: TV / Comedy
Starring: Dave Chappelle, Charlie Murphy, Donnell Rawlings
Number of seasons: 3

 

This is a Comedy Central sketch comedy show hosted by comic Dave Chappelle. Chappelle also appeared in most of the sketches. A shorter third season was produced, after Chappelle left the show over various conflicts with the network, and those episodes were hosted by Charlie Murphy and Donnell Rawlings, with previously produced sketches.

This sketch comedy show had a lot of great moments. Among my favorites are that sketch with the white family with a racial slur for a name, the racial draft and the Frontline parody. The Lil’ John bit seemed popular with the crowd and with critics, but I found it redundant and annoying. I am a big fan of what Chappelle is doing now with his comedy. He has become a master of his trade. In this TV show, he showed some flashes of brilliance, but I don’t think he was ever enough in control of it, and it showed.

Rating: «««

Sacrifice (2011)

 Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Damian Lee
Cast: Cuba Gooding Jr. Lara Daans, Christian Slater, Kim Coates
Running Time: 100 minutes

 

John Hebron is a tough Canadian undercover cop whose job has already cost him his wife and young daughter. Still reeling from the loss, he gets involved in the case of a dangerous heroin ring, where he must protect the younger sister of Mike, a young defector of the drug gang.

This film has a real TV movie feel, with cheesy dialogues and bad acting. There were a few interesting glimmers, like seeing Kim Coates on screen again (really dug him in Sons of Anarchy). Other than that, this was really pedestrian and uninteresting.

Rating: ««

La grande séduction (2003)

 Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisation: Jean-François Pouliot
Distribution: Raymond Bouchard, Benoit Brière, Pierre Collin, David Boutin
Durée: 110 minutes

 

Saint-Marie-la-Mauderne, un petit village de pêche de la Côte nord du Québec, vit des moments difficiles du point de vue de l’économie. La petite population du village, sous la gouverne du nouveau maire, Germain Lesage, tente le grand coup pour séduire un docteur de la ville pour qu’il s’installe dans la collectivité, car la présence d’un médecin est le critère manquant pour qu’une compagnie place une usine dans le coin.

J’adore ce film. Le jeu est parfois gros, mais cette comédie est le bon véhicule pour ce genre de chose. Les personnages sont bien définis (on en connaît tous des gens comme ça) et ils sont bien livrés à l’écran par des comédiens et des comédiennes de talent. Le scénario et les dialogue sont divertissants, et la réalisation est bien ficelée. Voilà un film que j’aime revisiter encore et encore.

Rating: «««««

Merci pour tout (2019)

 Genre: Franco / Comedy / Drama
Réalisation: Louise Archambault
Distribution: Julie Perreault, Magalie Lépine Blondeau, Robin Aubert
Durée: 99 minutes

 

Marianne et Christine sont deux sœurs aux styles de vie fort différents. Depuis un bout, elles sont en froid, mais, suite au décès soudain de leur père, elles décident de faire le voyage ensemble aux Iles-de-la-Madeleine, la terre natale du paternel, pour répandre ses cendres et fuir leurs problèmes personnels, qui les suivront malgré tout en route.

Ce film est somme toute assez divertissant. Le scénario n’est pas sans faille et le jeu est parfois gros, mais la chimie indéniable entre les deux comédiennes principales rend le tout bien meilleur que nous aurions pu l’espérer de prime abord.

Rating: ««««