The Santa Clause (1994)

Genre: Christmas / Comedy
Directed by: John Pasquin
Cast: Tim Allen, Judge Reinhold, Wendy Crewson
Time: 97 minutes

 

Scott Calvin is a 37-year-old divorced father working as a marketing director for a toy company. As he spends Christmas Eve at home with his 8-year-old son, he accidently causes Santa to fall from his roof to his death. Calvin is then set on the path to becoming the new Santa Claus.

This is your typical Disney movie with a Christmas twist to it. It is cute, it makes you feel good and it puts you in the holiday spirit. It is fun, light entertainment perfect for this time of year.  

Rating: ««««

Bullet to the Head (2012)

Genre: Action
Directed by: Walter Hill
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, Jason Momoa
Time: 91 minutes

 

A hitman named Jimmy Bobo and a WDCPD detective named Taylor Kwon are forced to work together to counter a common enemy, another New Orleans hitman that has been targeting the both of them.

This is a fun action film with some good action scenes and some snappy dialogue. It does not reinvent the wheel or bring anything fresh to the table, but it entertains you while it lasts.

Rating: «««

Mike Birbiglia: Thank God for Jokes (2017)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Seth Barrish and Mike Birbiglia
Cast: Mike Birbiglia
Time: 70 minutes

 

Live on stage, comedian Mike Birbiglia discusses events in his life and his vision of humor. He talks about the importance of jokes in his life. Birbiglia is a great storyteller and he is also pretty solid when it comes to crowd work. A very good show overall. Some weaker moments, but very entertaining.

Rating: ««««

Being Flynn (2012)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Paul Weitz
Cast: Robert De Niro, Paul Dano, Olivia Thirlby
Time: 102 minutes

 

Nick Flynn is an aspiring writer who was raised by a single mother, whom he lost to suicide in his late teens, something for which he blames himself. Working in a homeless shelter, he crosses path with his estranged father Jonathan, an alcoholic ex-con who proclaims himself a masterful writer that was never published.

This is a fine film, especially for De Niro’s performance. As usual, the legendary actor manages to bring a character to life and make him believable. Paul Dano was also pretty good himself. The film had its moments, but the whole thing fell kind of flat in the end.

Rating: «««

House (2004-2012)

 Genre: TV / Drama
Starring: Hugh Laurie, Lisa Edelstein, Omar Epps, Robert Shawn Leonard
Number of seasons: 8

 

Dr. Gregory House is a medical genius leading a team of diagnosticians in a big fictional New Jersey hospital. Despite chronic pains in one of his legs that has him addicted to painkillers and misanthropic attitude, House goes through his career solving puzzles and saving lives in the process. Even when his personal life is crumbling around him, his genius comes through in the end.

Dr. House is such a strong anti-hero character. He can be abrasive, merciless and despicable to people in his entourage, but, you know that, deep down, he is a good guy. And Hugh Laurie does such a powerful acting job here. He brings House to life and makes you feel like it is a real person. The supporting cast, that changed a lot over the eight seasons of the series, were all very good also.

I dug how, over each episode, new cases came along, as the lives of the main characters evolved. It is a long series, with a large number of episodes, but it is worth the investment in time.

 Rating: «««««

A Little Bit Zombie (2012)

Genre: Comedy / Horror
Directed by: Casey Walker
Cast: Kristopher Turner, Crystal Lowe, Shawn Roberts, Kristen Hager
Time: 87 minutes

 

Shortly before his wedding, Steve takes his fiancée Tina, his best friend and best man Craig and his sister Sarah to the family cabin to spend some quality time. Things go awry when Steve gets bitten by a weird bug that is slowly turning him into a zombie-like human that craves flesh.

This film is quite a bit on the lighter side of things, but the fact that it doesn’t take itself too seriously is part of its charm. It was also a treat to see Acadian wrestler Robert Maillet have a small role in this thing. Overall, this was fine for what it was.

Rating: «««

Mick & Keith (2021)

Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Finley Bald
Cast: Tony Calder, Gerry Conway, Mick Jagger
Time: 67 minutes

 

Through archived footage and interviews with music critics, this short documentary looks at the careers and lives of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, two of the founding members of rock band The Rolling Stones. I was not expecting much with this one, but I gave it a chance as major Stones fan. I was pleasantly surprised. Though it sure felt unauthorized, a good deal of footage has been obtained and the new interviews done for the film were quite interesting. Nothing new was brought out, but it was a solid overview of an amazing career.

Rating: ««««

Borderline (2008)

Genre: Franco / Drama
Réalisateur: Lyne Charlebois
Distribution: Isabelle Blais, Jean-Hugues Anglade, Angèle Coutu, Sylvie Drapeau
Running time: 109 minutes

 

Kiki est une jeune étudiante en littérature vivant avec un trouble de la personnalité limite. Pour calmer son mal de vivre, elle se réfugie dans le sexe et la toxicomanie. Elle revient sur son passé trouble question de finalement faire un peu de ménage dans sa vie et dans ses pensées.

Ce film, inspiré de deux romans de Marie-Sissi Labrèche, est très dur et très cru. Il ne donne pas dans la demi-mesure, à l’image de la condition décrite par le titre. Ayant une personne borderline dans mon entourage très rapproché — elle n’a heureusement pas tous les mêmes symptômes —, disons que j’ai reconnu l’intensité du personnage principal.

Isabelle Blais est criante de vérité ici. Elle se livre corps et âme dans ce rôle certainement pas évident à livrer. Beau travail de réalisation de Lyne Charlebois également.

Rating: ««««

Mike Birbiglia: The New One (2019)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Seth Barrish
Cast: Mike Birbiglia
Time: 85 minutes

 

Live on Broadway, comedian Mike Birbiglia goes into great details about his long and difficult journey to parenthood, from the perspective of a man who had never wanted to be a dad. Birbiglia is like an open book here, discussing his various health issues and his flaws. This show both hilariously funny and touching at times. Birbiglia is a solid storyteller. There is a point towards the end of the show where he gets a massive reaction out of everyone. It was pure magic. I loved this show. Smart, funny and brilliant.

Rating: «««««

Candy Cane Land (2023)

Genre: Christmas / Comedy
Directed by: Reginald Hudlin
Cast: Eddie Murphy, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jillian Bell 
Time: 117 minutes

 

Chris Carver is man who has forever been obsessed with Christmas. After getting laid off from his office job in December, he puts all his efforts into winning his neighborhood’s decorating contest, going to lengths that will put the safety of himself and his family in danger.

My wife wanted to watch something this weekend and I know she loves Christmas movies, so we gave this one a chance. It is not without sweetness and a few moments made us laugh here and there, but it was overly silly. The acting was decent, but the story dragged on and got too over-the-top at times.

Rating: ««