Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989)

Genre: Science-fiction / Comedy
Directed by: Stephen Herek
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Alex Winter, George Carlin
Running time: 159 minutes

 

With the help of a mysterious man named Rufus, dim-witted high school students and aspiring musicians from San Dinas, California, Bill and Ted, travel through time to gather various major historical figures for a presentation to their history class.

While the special effects do look very dated, this is still a fun film. The two main cast members are so perfect for their roles, and it is always cool to see George Carlin in anything. Some little details were overlooked, like the fact that the guy playing Napoleon, is clearly not French. In spite of that, I love this movie, with the many good jokes and the various cultural references.

Rating: ««««

Katherine Levac: Grosse (2021)

Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisatrice: Chloé Robichaud
Distribution: Katherine Levac
Durée : 51 minutes

 Visiblement enceinte de jumeaux, l’humoriste franco-ontarienne Katherine Levac est montée sur scène devant un petit public afin d’offrir près d’une heure de matériel original en temps de pandémie. Dans ce spectacle, elle parle de sa grossesse, de son poids, de son orientation sexuelle, de sa conjointe, des banques de sperme et de tant d’autres sujets.

D’entrée de jeu, mes attentes étaient basses. Je dois dire que, ces dernières années, mon appréciation de Levac a diminué, après le boom de SNL Québec. Cela dit, elle avait du bon matériel ici. Il y avait des moments plus faibles, mais, somme toute, sans que ce soit génial, c’était divertissant.

Note: «««

Bill Burr: Live at Red Rocks (2022)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Mike Binder
Cast: Bill Burr
Running time: 82 minutes

 

Live on stage in Colorado, Bill Burr fills this latest comedy special with material about such topics as cancel culture and the cancellation of dead people, feminists and women’s sports, his family life and his anger issues.

Burr remains one of my favorite active stand-up comic. All the while tackling difficult topics, he does it with such brilliance that I marvel at the way he gets from point A to point B. I guess that it helps that I mostly agree with his views, but, to me, he is among the best of the trade right now.

 

Rating: «««««

Be Kind Rewind (2008)

Genre: Comedy
Directed by: Michel Gondry
Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover
Running time: 98 minutes

 

Elroy Fletcher is an aging video store owner who is having a hard time keeping his small New Jersey business opened in spite of his claims that jazz pianist Fats Waller was born in that building. As he takes a business trip, he leaves his young employee, Mike, an aspiring movie director, in charge. When Mike’s friend, Jerry, accidently erases the content on all the VHS tapes in the store, the duo decides to shoot shorter homemade versions of the movies they erased.

Looking back at this particular movie around a decade and a half later, I must say that it hasn’t aged so well. It has its moments — few and far between —, but, overall, it is all very silly. Jack Black tries hard, but he is not given much to work with. Danny Glover brings a bit of gusto to the whole thing, but he’s not there enough to help. When it comes to Be Kind Rewind, I would say Be Smart Avoid.

Rating: ««

Elvis (2022)

Genre: Biographical / Musical
Directed by: Baz Lurhmann
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge
Running time: 159 minutes

 

This very colorful biographical film chronicles the life of one of the most famous singers of all-time, Elvis Presley, with a particular focus on his complex relationship with manager Colonel Tom Parker.

First off, director Baz Lurhmann is clear to see here, yet again. The colours, the sets, the details; all is there. Austin Butler is really solid as Elvis. He brings him back to life. As for Tom Hanks, what can I say? He is a mater at work. The transformation he accomplished to become Tom Parker is the work of a true talented thespian.

Elvis is a touching film about a talented man who, in spite of all of his faults, had such a positive impact on so many people. By the end, you cannot help feel bad for how he was basically run right into the ground like a dead horse by an unscrupulous manager. I also appreciated how the film made such a big place for the Black musical community, that was such an influence on Presley.

Rating: «««««

Wreck-It Ralph (2012)

 Genre: Animated / Comedy
Directed by: Rich Moore
Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer
Running time: 99 minutes

 

Wreck-It Ralph, the villain from the arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr., is sick and tired of being a bad guy and of feeling ostracized by the other characters in his universe. Looking for a way to become a hero, Ralph leaves his world for another.

This is a very cute, animated film with a nice little morale. It also serves up a good portion of nostalgia and cultural references, so it is made to appeal to both adults and kids. Visually, it is really well done. All things considered, this is a fun movie.

Rating: ««««

River's Edge (1986)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Tim Hunter
Starring: Crispin Glover, Keanu Reeves, Ione, Skye Lee, Daniel Roebuck
Running time: 99 minutes

 

A group of aimless teenagers living in California must come to term with death and the weight of their own conscience after they find out one of their friends killed his girlfriend in a fit of rage and is now bragging about it.

River’s Edge is a complex film with deep analysis of a very heavy situation that have a major impact on the lives of young people. It pushes you to wonder where you would stand in such a predicament.

The acting here was quite solid, with some actors that were not that well known there. And then, you had Dennis Hopper bringing experience and his own brand of madness to the deal. The story almost lost me at one point, but, in the end, it got where it needed to go.

Rating: ««««