Army of Darkness (1992)

Genre: Horror / Comedy
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Cast: Bruce Campbell, Embeth Davidtz, Marcus Gilbert
Time: 88 minutes

 

Following the events of Evil Dead 2, Ash Williams finds himself transported in the Middle Ages, where he is captured by Lord Arthur’s men. He manages to escape execution, but he must fight the undead to find the Necronomicon and be returned to the present.

This is the third and final installment in the original Evil Dead franchise. Here, it is played a lot more for laughs than for the scary effects. That aspect of it made it fun for me. Many lines made me laugh, and Bruce Campbell’s charm and delivery contributed a lot to the deal also. Sure, there is a lot of silliness involved, but I was entertained.

Rating: «««

For a Few Dollars More (1965)

Genre: Western
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Gian Maria Volonté
Time: 132 minutes

 

Manco and Colonel Douglas Mortimer are two bounty hunters who meet in El Paso as they are both trying to bring down ruthless bank robber El Indio and his gang. They decide to work together to accomplish the difficult job.

The on-screen chemistry between Eastwood and Van Cleef is amazing. Both are so convincing in their respective roles. This spaghetti western remains a classic. The story drags a bit in the middle, but, overall, I enjoyed it very much.

Rating: ««««

A Man Called Otto (2022)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Marc Forster
Cast: Tom Hanks, Mariana Trevino, Rachel Kelly
Time: 116 minutes

 

Six months after losing his wife to cancer, Otto Anderson has become a true curmudgeon. At 63, he has just been pushed into retirement from his job in a Pittsburgh steel plant. He cancels the utilities in his rowhouse and he plans on killing himself to join his wife. His plan to hang himself is interrupted by the arrival of a young family across the street. Slowly, Otto finds himself getting involved in these people’s lives.

This film doesn’t bother itself with subtlety when it comes to tugging at your heartstrings. It pulls hard, but it does it well. Tom Hanks, as usual, is convincing like no other. He has a knack for inhabiting a role and making you believe in his character. The supporting cast was really good too. I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

Rating: ««««

Jim Gaffigan: Comedy Monster (2021)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Jim Gaffigan
Cast: Jim Gaffigan
Time: 70 minutes

 

Live on stage in Minneapolis, Gaffigan was quite topical here, discussing the pandemic for quite a while. A lot of the material made me laugh or at least smile. The comic also discussed such topics as food, billionaires, and family. Gaffigan has never been my favorite, but this show was good.

Rating: «««

Creed III (2023)

 Genre: Drama
Directed by: Michael B. Jordan
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors
Time: 116 minutes

 

As Adonis Creed’s boxing career is winding down, he moves into promoting, while spending more time with his wife and young daughter. Damian Anderson, an old friend from Adonis’ youth, comes knocking, after being released from prison. Hiding his true intentions, Damian asks Adonis to arrange for him a title fight so he can finally get the chance he never got before in the sport of boxing.

This is the third installment in the Creed franchise, which is a follow-up to the Rocky series. For the first time in the whole franchise, the Rocky Balboa character is not involved. And, frankly, contrary to what I first apprehended, he is not missed.

I really loved this film. Michael B. Jordan did a solid job as director and lead actor. The story is very compelling. I was pulled in from the start and fully hooked all the way through. Overall, a very good installment in a franchise that has been part of my life for so long.

Rating: ««««

Death Wish 4: The Crackdown (1987)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: J. Lee Thompson
Cast: Charles Bronson, Kay Lenz, John P. Ryan
Time: 99 minutes

 

A year after the events of the previous installment, Paul Kersey has relocated to Los Angeles, where he operates his own architect firm. Haunted by his vigilante past, he is trying to live a normal life with a new girlfriend, who has a teenage daughter from a previous relationship. After his girlfriend’s daughter dies from a drug overdose, Kersey hunts down the pusher who sold her the drugs and ends up being recruited in a plan to bring down two rival drug organizations.

The recipe was getting stale at this point, but I did enjoy a bit more how the action was structured here, with the planning and all. All that being said, a big suspension of disbelief is still needed, as some of the action is laughable. Yet, I found myself enjoying this movie.

Rating: «««

Generation Um... (2012)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Mark L. Mann
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Adelaide Clemens, Bojana Novakovic
Time: 96 minutes

 

John Wall is a man who wastes his life walking and driving around downtown New York City. He spends his birthday with two party girls, Mia and Violet, who are also lost souls wasting their life away into nothingness and addiction.

I found this character study existential film absolutely boring. The shaky camera aspect of it could have been forgiven with interesting material, but I just found these characters and their lives totally uninteresting. Towards the end, I fell asleep, and I did not even care to go back to see what I missed.

Rating: «

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

Genre: Western
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Marianne Koch, Joseph Egger
Time: 99 minutes

 

A stranger with no name arrives on his horse in the little town of San Miguel, on the border between Mexico and the United States, and he finds himself caught, by choice, between two rival families of smugglers waging war against each other.

This Spaghetti Western is certainly loaded with clichés and violence, and sometimes the acting is over-the-top. That being said, a young Clint Eastwood comes off the screen upon appearance. The man had a presence on screen from the get-go. This is a fun piece of entertainment for the fans of the genre. It has grown into a classic through the years.

Rating: ««««

Filière 13 (2010)

Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisateur: Patrick Huard
Distribution: Claude Legault, Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, Paul Doucet
Durée : 112 minutes

 

Thomas est un policier de Montréal souffrant de constants maux de tête, qui l’empêchent de bien faire son travail. Après qu’une de ses arrestations tourne mal, il est forcé par son patron à faire du travail de surveillance sur une vieille dame dont le fils est un criminel. Jean-François, un relationniste de la police qui se met dans le pétrin en raison de son anxiété, se joint à lui. Devant la tâche monotone qui leur a été conférée, les deux hommes décident d’enquêter sur Fecteau, un homme impliqué dans le scandale de commandites.

Ce film est assez niaiseux merci et très caricatural à plusieurs niveaux, mais plusieurs gags m’ont tout de même fait rire. Claude Legault m’a particulièrement diverti dans son rôle de gars bougonneux à l’os en raison d’un mal de tête constant. Pas un film qui marquera l’histoire, mais un bon divertissement.

Note: «««