Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Southpaw (2015)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams
Running time: 123 minutes



Southpaw is the story of Billy Hope, a boxer who lives in New York with his wife and daughter. After his wife gets killed, he decides to climb back into the ring, but, his mind not being into it, he loses and hits the referee in frustration. He then gets suspended and loses his manager. After a night of drinking, he gets in a car accident. Indebted, his house and belongings are repossessed and he loses custody of his kid. Having truly lost everything, he will have to find his way back on track if he hopes to get his daughter under his care again.

Jake Gyllenhal is really convincing as Billy Hope, a man more apt to speak with his fists than with his words. The actor did an awesome job bringing this character to life and making him a believable entity. He really made you feel the pain of that man who loses everything and has to claw back to make his way back in. The physical transformation of the actor also needs to be mentioned.

Forest Whitaker also offered a solid performance as Titus Wills, the gym owner who helps Billy get back on track as a boxer and as a human being.

Southpaw was written by Kurt Sutter, the same man who gave us the Sons of Anarchy TV show. We can easily recognize the patterns. The film takes pleasure in playing with our emotions, sometimes using old clichéd tricks to do it. It gets a little predictable in the end, but the performances of the two main actors make this story of redemption a very good one.

Rating: ««««
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