Red 2 (2013)

Genre: Action / Comedy
Directed by: Dean Parisot
Cast: Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Marie-Louise Parker, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren
Time: 116 minutes

 

Ex-CIA operative Frank Moses tries again to lead a normal retired life, now with girlfriend Sarah Ross, but he gets pulled into another mission along with his friends. With people out to kill him, Frank Moses must intervene in a matter involving a powerful nuclear weapon hidden in Russia.

While it still has its funny moments, this sequel has lost some of the comedic magic of the first one. With a clear DC Comics influence more prevalent than before, a lot of the humor is replaced with more explosions and fights. Also, the story is a little more convoluted.

Nonetheless, with such a talented cast at work, the film manages to be quite enjoyable, in spite of its clear flaws.

Rating: «««

Café de Flore (2011)

Genre: Franco / Drama
Réalisation: Jean-Marc Vallée
Distribution: Vanessa Paradis, Kevin Parent, Hélène Florent
Durée: 120 minutes

 

L’histoire de Café de Flore se déroule en deux temps. D’abord, dans les années 60, une mère élève son fils trisomique seule à Paris, refusant de l’envoyer dans un établissement spécialisé. Ensuite, dans les années 2010, Antoine, un DJ montréalais, vit du tumulte dans sa vie personnelle, alors qu’il laisse sa conjointe de longue date, qui est aussi la mère de ses deux filles adolescentes, pour une autre femme.

J’avais vu ce film à sa sortie et, dans mon souvenir, je l’avais aimé. En le revisitant maintenant, je l’ai trouvé fort beau, du point de vue artistique, mais tellement lourd et difficile à suivre. La trame narrative est livrée dans un désordre frôlant le fouillis. Il faut travailler fort, en tant que cinéphile, pour capter tous les indices et s’y retrouver.

Le jeu des acteurs est solide ici ; aucun reproche à cet égard. Kevin Parent y était même surprenant. J’ai bien aimé l’utilisation de la musique dans ce film. On y voit du Jean-Marc Vallée, avec son amour pour la musique. C’est un amour que je partage, alors cet aspect du film m’a plu. Avec ses nombreux silences et une histoire racontée dans le désordre, Café de Flore est un film qui ne se laisse pas prendre facilement, mais c'est une histoire touchante sur la difficulté de laisser aller les gens qu'on aime.

Rating: «««

 

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Jay Roach
Cast: Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Michael York
Time: 95 minutes

 

Austin Powers is a British spy living his best life in the 1960’s, partying, bedding women and chasing his nemesis, Dr. Evil. When his enemy escapes and has himself cryogenically frozen, Powers does the same thing, so he can be brought back when needed to fight the evil-doer. Dr. Evil resurfaces 30 years later, so Austin Powers is brought back to counter his evil plans with a team assembled for the occasion. The British spy must now acclimate to a very different era, the 1990’s.

This is such a fun spoof of the spy movie genre. It particularly targets elements from the James Bond franchise. As such, it is really well done. Mike Myers is very good as both Austin Powers and Dr. Evil, though I can’t help but wonder how good Dana Carvey would have been as the villain. Egos will be egos, I guess. The supporting cast is also good, and the multiple cameos are quite fun.

Overall, this is not a movie without flaws, but it is very entertaining.

Rating: ««««

Ding et Dong: Le Film (1990)

Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisation: Alain Chartrand
Distribution: Claude Meunier, Serge Thériault, Raymond Bouchard, Sophie Faucher
Durée: 96 minutes

 

Ding et Dong forment un duo d’humoristes tentant par tous les moyens de vivre de leur art. Après de multiples bourdes et échecs, ils rencontrent un vieux riche au bord de la mort et le font bien rire. Cet étranger les nomme héritiers de sa fortune. Les deux hurluberlus décident de fonder le TNT, le Théâtre de la Nouvelle Tragédie et d’y interpréter Le Cid de Corneille. Leurs nouveaux entourages respectifs mettront leur amitié à rude épreuve. 

Ce film est sorti est alors que j’étais adolescent. Dans mes souvenirs, je l’avais trouvé tellement drôle. En le regardant aujourd’hui, quelques décennies plus tard, il a quelque peu perdu des plumes (comme moi, d’ailleurs). Il y a plein de situation cocasses qui me font rire, mais il y a un grand manque d’unité dans l’histoire. C’est plutôt un ramassis de situations qu’une histoire bien ficelée.

Pour la nostalgie de la chose, j’étais bien heureux de revisiter ce film, même si ce n’est pas du grand cinéma. Fort divertissant.

Rating: «««

The Brave One (2007)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Neil Jordan
Cast: Jodie Foster, Terrence Howard, Naveem Andrews
Time: 122 minutes

 

Erica Bain is radio host who gets savagely attacked when she is walking in a New York City park at night with her fiancé. She survives the attack, but her lover dies. Afraid for her safety as she recuperates from her injuries, Erica buys a gun, and then turns to vigilantism to rid the city of some of its criminals that the law does not catch. Detective Sean Mercer, who is investigating these news murders happening around the city, gets closer and closer to Erica. 

This was a new twist on the Death Wish / Vigilante genre, where it is now a woman seeking justice to avenge a lost loved one. In the process, I find that the filmmakers did a solid job giving more depth to the character. More work is put into establishing motivations, without going overboard with it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one. The chemistry between Foster and Horward, and the well laid-out story, hooked me from beginning to end. Some places dragged a bit, but really good.

Rating: ««««

Envole-moi (2021)

Genre: Franco / Comedy / Drama
Réalisation: Christophe Barratier
Distribution: Victor Belmondo, Gérard Lanvin, Yoann Eloundou
Durée: 91 minutes

 

Malgré ses 29 ans, Thomas refuse de vivre une vie d’adulte responsable. Il passe ses nuits dans les discothèques et dort le jour, vivant chez son père, chirurgien. Ce dernier, qui en a assez de voir son fils gaspiller ses talents, décide de lui couper les vivres. Par la même occasion, il le force à passer du temps avec Marcus, 12 ans, un de ses patients en situation de polyhandicap qui commence à manquer de motivation pour se battre après de multiples séjours à l’hôpital. 

Ce film est basé sur un roman allemand, qui avait déjà été porté à l’écran dans cette langue. C’est une histoire fort touchante, bien menée à l’écran et bien jouée par les comédiens. Certains passages sont un peu convenus ou clichés, mais, somme toute, Envole-moi offre un sapré bon divertissement.

Rating: ««««

French Girl (2024)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: James A. Woods and Nicolas Wright
Cast: Zach Braff, Evelyne Brochu, Luc Picard
Time: 106 minutes

 

Gordon Kinski teaches high school in Brooklyn, while his girlfriend, Sophie Tremblay, works as a chef. She gets invited to test, with a chance of being hired to work at the Château Frontenac, in her hometown of Quebec City. So, the young couple travel together to Quebec, where Gordon meets his girlfriend’s family for the first time and her new boss, which she used to date.

I remember seeing the preview for this film and being quite curious. Being bilingual, I am usually entertained when the shock of cultures between French Canadians and English is used on screen. Unlike Bon Cop, Bad Cop, French Girl relies a little too heavily on clichés.

 That being said, the story is still entertaining and the cast does a good job, though some roles are way to caricatural to be believed.

Rating: «««

Red (2010)

Genre: Action / Comedy
Directed by: Robert Schwentke
Cast: Bruce Willis, Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, Marie-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren
Time: 111 minutes

 

Frank Moses is a retired CIA black-ops agent whose living a peaceful life in the suburbs, with a budding long-distance relationship with a woman working in a call centre. When an attempt is made on his life, in his own home, by a squad of men that he fights off by himself, Frank tracks down that mysterious woman, fearing that she is a target too, and reunites his old team to fight these people that are out to kill him.

With a fun storyline and such a cast loaded with talented folks, this film is so entertaining. Along with the fast-paced action, there is a good dose of humor. Some of the stuff is silly, but, all the way through, I found myself laughing and thoroughly enjoying myself. I really enjoyed this one.

Rating: ««««

Killshot (2008)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: John Madden
Cast: Diane Lane, Thomas Jane, Mickey Rourke, Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Time: 95 minutes

 

Wayne and Carmen Colson have recently separated. After crossing paths with a couple of hitmen, they are placed together in witness protection, but that does not stop the two bad men from coming around trying to eliminate them from circulation.

This action thriller is based on the 1989 Elmore Leonard novel of the same name. The premise is compelling enough, but the acting feels very uninspired and the characters are pretty one dimensional.

Rating: ««

Mon cirque à moi (2020)

Genre: Franco / Comedy / Drama
Réalisation: Miryam Bouchard
Distribution: Patrick Huard, Jasmine Lemée, Robin Aubert, Sophie Lorain
Durée: 105 minutes

 

Laura est une adolescente vivant une vie assez atypique, avec son père veuf qui est clown de profession. Elle passe beaucoup de temps en tournée avec son père et son assistant, Mandeep. Cependant, Laura rêve d’une vie plus rangée et d’aller à l’école privée. Ce désir ne cadre pas avec les valeurs de son père, qui ne croit pas tellement dans l’éducation formelle.

C’est un très bon film, touchant et drôle à la fois. Le jeu des comédiens est très fort et les dialogues sont bien ficelés. C’est facile d’embarquer dans l’histoire et de s’y intéresser jusqu’au bout. C’est un peu sirupeux à l’occasion, mais, somme toute, j’ai bien aimé.

Rating: ««««

Escape Plan: The Extractors (2019)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: John Herzfeld
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Max Zhang, Dave Bautista, Devon Sawa
Time: 96 minutes

 

Security expert Ray Breslin gathers a team to counter the son of a former ally-turned-enemy, Lester Clark Jr. Clark Jr. and his group of terrorists have abducted a delegation from Hong Kong based company, Zhang Innovations, and Breslin’s girlfriend.

This is the third installment in the Escape Plan franchise. While not a great movie, it is a clear improvement upon the previous offering. The action is fun and the fight scenes are well done. The story is better structured, though there still are a few plot holes. The acting is decent overall. All things considered, okay entertainment.

Rating: «««

Striptease (1996)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Andrew Bergman
Cast: Demi Moore, Armand Assante, Ving Rhames, Burt Reynolds
Time: 117 minutes

 

Erin Grant used to be a secretary for the FBI, but she lost her job because of her ex-husband’s arrest record. Thanks to his connections, the ex-husband gets custody of their 7-year-old daughter Angela. To get the money to fight this situation and get her daughter back, Erin starts working as a stripper. In the process, she gets the attention of corrupt congressman David Lane Dilbeck, who becomes infatuated with her.

This is a mess of a film that suffers from a contradiction in tones. While Demi Moore plays her character pretty straight, all the other characters are treated as comical caricatures. Burt Reynolds is particularly bad as congressman Dillbeck. And the story does not make much sense if you try to analyze it in any way. The nudity is fun and nice, but other than that, there is not much to see here.

Rating: ««

Grown Ups (2013)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade
Time: 101 minutes

 

Lenny Feder has moved back his family from Hollywood to his hometown. Along with three of his best friends and their respective families, he gets involved in multiple crazy antics, including a fight with a group of young college frat boys.

While the original film in this franchise was silly enough, there was at least a story behind the shenanigans. Here, all semblance of a story went out the window. All that is left is the silliness. Sure, there are some funny bits here and there, and some cool cameos, but it is not enough to make this movie really good.

Rating: ««

The Boondock Saints (1999)

Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Troy Duffy
Cast: Willem Dafoe, Sean Patrick Flanery, Norman Reedus
Time: 108 minutes

 

After beating two Russian mobsters to death in an altercation, Irish American fraternal twin brothers Connor and Murphy MacManus get an epiphany and decide to turn to vigilantism as a mean to rid their city, Boston, of the people doing wrong deeds. In their cavalcade, they are pursued by FBI Special Agent Paul Smecker.

In terms of action and thrills, The Boondock Saints is a fun film. There is a good dose of dark humor and you can see that the filmmaker, writer and director Troy Duffy, does not take himself too seriously here. The aim clearly seems to be entertainment. The main issue here is that plot-wise, it is a very thin offering. Nonetheless, I was entertained while it lasted.

Rating: «««

Quills (2000)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Philip Kaufman
Cast: Geoffrey Rush, Kate Winslet, Joaquin Phoenix, Michael Caine 

Time: 124 minutes

 

Adapted from the Doug Wright 1995 play of the same, Quills offers a heavily fictionalized account of the Marquis de Sade’s last years of incarceration in the insane asylum of Charenton, before his death, at the age of 74. Here, we see Sade manage to keep on publishing his controversial works, thanks to the help of a laundress, leading Napoleon 1 to send in Dr. Royer-Collard to attempt to silence the Marquis once and for all.

With a compelling story involving such an interesting character, a talented director at work in a project he is passionate about, and a cast loaded with such amazing actors, this film packs up quite the punch. The sets and costumes are also great. Sure, like the play, the movie does not limit itself to the facts of Sade’s life. There are a lot of liberties taken but isn’t the Marquis the perfect subject matter for the taking of liberties. Quills is a very riveting exploration of such subjects as censorship, pornography, sex, art, and mental illness. I enjoyed this one very much, though it dragged a bit in a few places.

Rating: ««««

Trap (2024)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Night Shyamalan
Time: 105 minutes

 

Cooper Adams is a firefighter, but, unbeknownst to his family, he is also a serial killer the authorities call The Butcher. As they try to catch the dangerous criminal whose identity they are unsure of, they set a trap at a concert where he will be with his teenage daughter. Now, Cooper has to find a way to leave the arena where the concert is held, with his daughter and without being caught by the cops.

This psychological thriller rests heavily on the shoulders of Josh Hartnett, who is excellent in the lead role. Unfortunately, most of the supporting cast is not as solid. The premise itself is cool, but a little bit gets lost in the delivery, through plot holes and a desire to be too cool for school. Some of the tongue-in-cheek humor made me laugh, but it felt like Shyamalan was trying a little too hard at times.

Rating: «««

Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

Genre: Drama / Comedy
Directed by: Jon Avnet
Cast: Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker
Time: 130 minutes

 

Evelyn Couch is a timid housewife living a life she considers pretty boring. While visiting her husband’s aunt in a nursing home, she strikes a conversation with an old woman named Ninny Threadgoode. The senior lady starts telling stories to Evelyn about people that were in her life in the past. Evelyn becomes so enthralled by these strangers’ lives that she comes out of her shell in her own life.

Resting on the shoulders of such a talented cast and of a very competent director, this film makes a for a very compelling tale about love, friendship, loss, racism and so many other topics. Everybody is pretty good here. Mary-Louise Parker’s southern accent threw me off a bit, but, otherwise, this was a good film.

Rating: ««««

Twister (1996)

Genre: Drama / Action
Directed by: Jan de Bont
Cast: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes
Time: 113 minutes

 

Two rival groups of storm chasers are on a trek to deploy an innovative tornado research device in the midst of an outbreak in Oklahoma. In one group, there are Jo Harding and her estranged husband Bill. Bill has reoriented his career to become a weatherman and met another woman. He is back so Jo can sign the divorce papers, but he gets sucked into the action with his former team and his ex-wife.

As far as the action is concerned, Twister is a fun film. The pace is fast and relentless. There is not much time spent on character development, so you end up with one dimensional characters. That being said, this is an entertaining film on a slow night when one is looking to shut off his brain for a moment.

Rating: «««

Nos Belles-Soeurs (2024)

Genre: Franco / Musical
Réalisation: René Richard Cyr
Distribution: Geneviève Schmidt, Guylaine Tremblay, Anne-Élisabeth Bossé
Durée: 102 minutes

 

Dans un quartier modeste de Montréal, dans les années 1960, la ménagère Germaine Lauzon se voit l’heureuse gagnante d’un million de timbres qui lui permettront d’avoir gratuitement, par l’entremise d’un catalogue, tous les électroménagers, les meubles, les vêtements et les autres accessoires dont elle a toujours rêvé. Elle invite sa fille, sa sœur et ses voisines à l’aider à coller tous les timbres dans les livrets de commande, mais, lors de cette soirée de femmes, la jalousie s’installe et le tout tourne au vinaigre.

Ce film est inspiré de la pièce de théâtre Les Belles-Sœurs, de Michel Tremblay. La comédie musicale qui en a découlé a d’abord été faite sur scène, et la voilà maintenant au grand écran. C’est un film fort réussi, mené par un réalisateur efficace et une distribution d’acteurs et d’actrices de talent. Ce film repose largement sur le dos des personnages féminins, et chaque femme tire son épingle du jeu dans ce travail d’ensemble.

Même si l’histoire se déroule dans les années 1960, elle demeure tellement d’actualité encore aujourd’hui. La jalousie par rapport à l’argent demeure un fléau de notre société. J’ai beaucoup aimé ce film, même si les comédies musicales ne sont habituellement pas ma tasse de thé.

Rating: ««««

Grown Ups (2010)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Dennis Dugan
Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider
Time: 102 minutes

 

A group of five guys who were best friends and members of the basketball team back in school reunite many years later at the funeral of their former coach. Along with their respective families, they get together at the lake house where, 32 years before, they celebrated their big basketball win.

This is a sweet and fun comedy that has its comedic moments and that offers a decent message. I think that the bigger issue resides in the fact that, with such a loaded cast, most people were expecting a lot more in the side-splitting laughter department. In the end, it was a bit of a disappointment in that regard.

Rating: «««

Super (2010)

Genre: Comedy / Superhero
Directed by: James Gunn
Cast: Rainn Wilson, Elliot Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon
Time: 96 minutes

 

Frank Darbo is a short-order cook who has never had much luck in his life. When his wife, a recovering addict, leaves him for a drug dealer named Jacques, Frank decides to create a superhero character called the Crimson Bolt for himself to fight crime and get her back. The problem is that he has no special powers, so he needs a weapon.

I absolutely love the comedic tone of this film. It is dark humor, and I dig it. The characters are well defined, and the acting is pretty solid. It was easy to get emotionally involved in the story and to care to see what happened next. I loved how there was a happy ending, but not your typical Hollywoodian one.

Rating: ««««