Old Dads (2023)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Bill Burr
Cast: Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale, Bokeem Woodbine
Time: 104 minutes

 

Jack, Connor and Mike are three colleagues and best friends in their late 40’s or early 50’s who just sold their business to a younger man, and they now find their personal and professional lives falling apart in a society that is rapidly changing around them.

This feature film is clearly an extension of Bill Burr’s comedy act. Many of the same themes are brought back and stretched out. Personally, I prefer it in stand-up comedy form. Nonetheless, I was entertained. The acting was decent enough and a good chunk of the dialogue made me laugh out loud. I also could relate quite a bit. I’m not a dad, but I am old.

Rating: «««

Bon Jovi: No End in Sight (2022)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Lucy Ciara McCutcheon
Cast: Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora, David Bryan, Tico Torres
Time: 46 minutes

 

This documentary is a huge waste of time. It has such a cheap unauthorized feel to it. It is just a voice-over telling the story of the band, with a few pictures and some public footage. The rest is a bit of stock footage repeated on loop. The information given is not even that accurate. At least, it’s not a hit piece, but there are no fresh interviews done expressly for this.

Rating: «

Le dernier placard: Vieillir gai (2023)

Genre: Franco / Documentary
Réalisateur: Christian Lalumière
Distribution: Dany Turcotte
Running time: 46 minutes

 

Dans ce documentaire, l’humoriste et animateur Dany Turcotte s’interroge sur ce que cela peut représenter d’atteindre le 3^e âge en tant que membre la communauté LGBTQ+. Quelle est la réalité de la vieillesse au sein de cette minorité parfois cachée? Turcotte rencontre divers intervenants pour en discuter plus en profondeur.

En tant que spectateur hétéro, je n’ai jamais eu à me poser la question de la prémisse de ce documentaire. J’ai trouvé cela fort intéressant, quoique je trouve que ce petit film est somme toute demeuré pas mal en surface.

Rating: ««««

Killers of the Flower Moon (2023)

Genre: Drama / Western
Directed by: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone
Time: 206 minutes

 

Members of the Osage Nation, in the Oklahoma of the 1920’s, are getting killed one after the other for the money they got when oil was found on their tribal land. Among the white people targeting them are William King Hale, a man pretending to be a benefactor for the Osage people, and his nephew Ernest Burkhart, who married a native woman called Mollie to then target her and her family.

This is a true epic masterpiece given to us by Martin Scorsese. It is great to see this great director still at it at his age. The cinematography was just magnificent. You can see that Scorsese was passionate about telling this story, and he did it with all the respect and reverence in the world.

The cast was brilliant. De Niro and DiCaprio were both solid, and so was Lily Gladstone. Overall, I loved this film and I intend on seeing it again.

Rating: «««««

House on Haunted Hill (1999)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: William Malone
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Famke Janssen, Taye Diggs
Time: 93 minutes

 

A sadistic amusement park mogul invites a group of strangers to a party in an abandoned insane asylum for his wife’s birthday. He intends to have them play a game for his own amusement, but he might be less in control than he actually thinks.

This was a putrid supernatural horror flick. The story is stupid, the acting is horrible and the whole thing just feels like a total waste of time.

Rating: «

Legally Blonde (2001)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Robert Luketic
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair
Time: 96 minutes

 

Elle Woods is a blonde sorority girl studying in fashion merchandising. After she gets dumped by her boyfriend, who finds her not to be serious enough to fit into his future plans, she decides to enroll in the same Harvard Law program as him in an attempt to win him back.

This is a cute film. It is loaded with clichés and stereotypical characters, but a solid performance by Witherspoon and the fun storyline bring the material up to an entertaining level. The message is a little heavy handed but, hey, such is life with Hollywood sometimes.

Rating: «««

John Q. (2002)

Genre: Drama / Thriller
Directed by: Nick Cassavetes
Cast: Denzel Washington, Robert Duvall, James Woods
Time: 116 minutes

 

John Quincy Archibald is a factory worker. Him and his wife Denise have a hard time making payments. When their son ends up in the hospital on the edge of heart failure, John finds out that his HMO insurance will not cover the transplant needed for his son to live. He decides to take the hospital staff hostage to force them to perform the surgery.

This film does not deal in subtleties. The main character is hard working and easy to root for. The people with power are evil, heartless and easy to despise. That being said, the actors and actresses are all solid in their respective roles, and the story is compelling as heck. Beyond all the Hollywoodness, there is a lot of truth here about the health system in general. This movie does a hell of a job pulling on heart strings.

Rating: ««««

Mr. Dressup: The Magic of Make-Believe (2023)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Robert McCallum
Cast: Craig Baird, Lilly Barnes, Sandra Beech
Time: 90 minutes

 

This Amazon original documentary covers the life and times of Ernie Coombs, who became known as Mr. Dressup on the TV show of the same name that aired in Canada, on the CBC, for close to 40 years. We hear from his family members, high friends, his former colleagues and from fans about his impact on all of us.

This film really captures the essence of Mr. Dressup. It is a feel-good film, in spite of the little bits of sadness towards the end. It made me smile widely most of the way through, and it touched me deep when it needed to. It brought me back to the years of the innocence of youth. Highly recommended.

Rating: «««««

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966)

Genre: Western
Directed by: Sergio Leone
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach
Time: 177 minutes

 

A bounty hunter, a mercenary and Mexican bandit find have theirs paths cross on the search of a mysterious treasure hidden in a cemetery in the midst of the American Civil War.

This film is the third and final installment in Sergio Leone’s Dollars movie franchise. It did push Clint Eastwood to stardom. Of the three films, it is the best. The cinematography here is awesome, with the great music and the long shots. The acting is also solid. The three leads are so convincing in their respective roles 

The only minor fault I can find here is the length. The story takes a few detours too many to get to the payoff, but, all things considered, this is a great piece of cinema.

Rating: ««««

La Grande Bouffe (1973)

Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisateur: Marco Ferreri
Distribution: Marcello Mastroianni, Philippe Noiret, Michel Piccoli, Ugo Tognazzi
Running time: 130 minutes

 

Quatre amis bourgeois — un restaurateur, un pilote d’avion, un producteur de télé et un juge — décident de fuir la monotonie de la vie et de s’enfermer dans une villa pour un séminaire gastronomique. Il s’agit en fait d’un pacte de suicide, car les quatre hommes planifient de manger jusqu’à mort s’en suive.

Quel film bizarre. C’est gros, c’est burlesque, c’est étrange. Il s’agit en fait d’un satire visant à critiquer la société de consommation dans laquelle nous vivons. Il s’agit d’un film culte du cinéma, et il demeure déconcertant et déstabilisant. C’est tout un divertissement.

Rating: «««

John Wick (2014)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Chad Stahelski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen
Time: 101 minutes

 

John Wick is a former professional hitman who retired from the business to spend time with his wife. After his wife’s death due to illness, he is trying to gather up the pieces of himself again, with the only thing she left behind: a young puppy. Some thugs come knocking, to steal Wick’s sports car. They kill his dog in the process, which brings the hitman out of retirement, on a rampage for revenge.

The premise might sound silly at first glance, but the finished production is a stylish action film with great action and a compelling story to sink your teeth into. Good start to a movie franchise.

Rating: ««««

Saw X (2023)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: Kevin Greutert
Cast: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnove Macody Lund
Time: 118 minutes

 

John Kramer has advanced brain cancer, and he is told by doctors that he only has a few months to live. He then learns, from a fellow support group attendee, that there is an experimental Norwegian treatment that may be able to cure him from his medical death sentence. Kramer travels to Mexico to take part, but he finds out after the fact that it was all a scam. Out for revenge, Kramer sets up a deadly game, with the help of his assistant Amanda, for the people involved in swindling him.

This film serves as more of a prequel to the original, and it is clearly the best movie of the franchise. They got it right. Here, the focus is clearly on the John Kramer character, as it should have been from the start. Tobin Bell offers quite the performance, and the movie has a lot more depth than the first nine. It is more than blood and guts, there is a story here, and it is a compelling one.

Rating: «««««

Perfect Bid: The Contestant Who Knew Too Much (2017)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: CJ Wallis
Cast: Theodore Slauson, Bob Barker, Drew Carey
Time: 72 minutes

 

This documentary tells the story of Theodore Slauson, a school math teacher and super fan of The Price is Right, who studied for years the prices of the products used on the game show. He was a contestant once, and allegedly helped many other contestants from the crowd, including Terry Kniess, who did the unthinkable in 2008 by guessing the exact amount of his final showcase.

This film was interesting. It is crazy to think about the energy that man put into his fandom of a TV game show. It was also cool to hear from Bob Barker, who, sadly, passed away recently.

Rating: ««««

John Denver: Rocky Mountain High - Live in Japan 1981 (1981)

Genre: Musical
Cast: John Denver
Time: 74 minutes

 

As the title indicated pretty clearly, this is a concert film of a performance given by John Denver in Japan in 1981. Here, the country-folk singer-songwriter and musician performs all of his biggest hits and more in front of a crowd that seemed quite appreciate of the event. Denver even got gifts and flowers on a few occasions from spectators. Overall, a very good show with a talented man gone too soon. Was also cool to see that Glen Harding and James Burton, who had worked with Elvis before, were also on hand as part of the band.

Rating: ««««

Spiral: From the Book of Saw (2021)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: Darren Lynn Bousman
Cast: Chris Rock, Max Minghella, Samuel L. Jackson
Time: 93 minutes

 

Detective Zeke Banks has earned the ire of many of his colleagues after snitching on a fellow cop who killed a man on duty years before. Now, people involved in that case are falling prey to an evil mastermind mimicking the Jigsaw Killer, and Banks clearly wants to get to the bottom of this case.

This is sort of a spinoff serving as the ninth installment in the Saw franchise. The presence of such people as Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson brought some freshness to the mix, but the ending fell kind of flat to me.

Rating: «««

 

Jigsaw (2017)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: The Spierig Brothers
Cast: Matt Passmore, Tobin Bell, Callum Keith Rennie
Time: 92 minutes

 

While a group of people are locked in a barn and forced to take part in a series of deadly games to ensure their survival, the authorities start their investigation into a resurgence of murders inspired by the infamous Jigsaw Killer, who has been dead for about 10 years.

This was a revival of the Saw franchise, after Saw 3D, which was presumed at the time to be the final chapter. It is fine for what it is. The acting is decent, so is the plot. It offers the usual nastiness and gore. Nice plot twist at the end. Not bad.

Rating: «««

The Equalizer 3 (2023)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, David Denman
Running time: 109 minutes

 

After a special mission in a winery located in Sicily, Robert McCall ends up badly injured and is taken in by the local doctor in small coastal Italian town, where he can recuperate and gain back his strength. While walking about town, McCall finds a small paradise where the inhabitants are terrorized by members of the Camorra. The former DIA agent decides his next mission will be to help free these people from the mafia stranglehold upon them.

I hope this installment concludes the linear story of the Robert McCall storyline, as it was the best one so far. It would be a great way to bring the whole tale full circle.

As usual, Denzel Washington is convincing in the lead role. The supporting cast does its job also. Antoine Fuqua has a knack for cinematic storytelling, and he brings the whole thing together with lots of talent. The scenery was magnificent and made me want to go to Italy. The story was compelling and offered a great lesson on redemption and coming to terms with one’s past.

Rating: «««««

The Equalizer 2 (2018)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders
Running time: 121 minutes

 

Robert McCall still lives in Boston and he works as a Lyft driver, all the while helping people who are in trouble with the help of his former DIA colleague, Susan Plummer. When Plummer is assassinated while in Belgium, McCall sets out for revenge, uncovering a mess of a cover-up involving former allies.

This franchise is a rare case where each installment gets better and better. This sequel was better to me than the original. Washington is a strong and believable lead here. The plot is compelling, and you can relate to the fight of the main character. It is quite easy to root for him, as a character that combines strength, intelligence, and devotion to helping his fellow humans.

Rating: ««««

Train (2008)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: Gideon Raff
Cast: Thora Birch, Derek Magyar, Gideon Emery
Time: 94 minutes

 

A US college wrestling team are taking part in a championship in Eastern Europe. Following a night of partying that turns rowdy, they arrive late to catch their scheduled train to Odessa. They are convinced by a young local woman to board another train, where they will all become the targets of a group of torturers looking to take organs from tourists to sell them off to buyers who needs them.

I saw the preview for this title ahead of another film and decided to give it a chance. What a boring piece of cinema this is. The only way these slasher films can be made palpable is if they go full-on with the exploitation, be it with gore or with sex. Here, everything happens in the dark shadows and through various subterfuges, so as to suggest rather than show. And most of the acting is pretty bad. The end was somewhat fun, once we see a bit of light, but, other than that, very forgettable.

Rating: ««

Saw 3D (2010)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: Kevin Greutert
Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Cary Elwes
Time: 90 minutes

 

A man who falsely claimed to have survived one of Jigsaw’s games to become a local celebrity is forced to really go through the ordeal. Meanwhile, the authorities are closing in on Detective Hoffman, after John Kramer’s ex-wife, Jill, blows his cover, launching a cat-and-mouse game that is bound to end in blood.

This seventh installment in the Saw franchise was a really good way to bring the original storyline full circle. While it did run too long, the end was somewhat satisfying, with some good surprises. It was violent, it was bloody, but that comes with the territory here. The acting was decent overall, which is not always the case with the gory horror movie genre.

Rating: ««««

Saw VI (2009)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: Kevin Greutert
Cast: Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Betsy Russell, Mark Rolson
Time: 90 minutes

 

Detective Mark Hoffman is secretly perpetuating the work of the late Jigsaw Killer, John Kramer, while the FBI is starting to believe that Agent Strahm, whom Hoffman framed as Jigsaw’s successor, might not be the culprit. The FBI continues the investigation while the rogue detective tries to cover his tracks.

The makers of this franchise were really dragging their feet at this point, trying to stretch out the story as much as humanly possible. The torture scenes are still pretty rough and the stories of paying for one’s sins are still compelling but this thing never needed to last so long.

Rating: «««