Eddie the Eagle (2016)

Genre: Biographical

Directed by: Dexter Fletcher

Starring: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman

Running time: 105 minutes

This film is based on the true story of Eddie Edwards, a British man whose sole dream from the time he was a very young boy was to be one day be an Olympian. Having had poor health as a child, Eddie was never a natural athlete. As a matter of fact, he sucked at sports. But, through absolute determination, he found his discipline of choice, ski jumping, and made it to the 1988 Winter Olympics, in Calgary.

It is a rare thing in cinema, but there are cases where an acting performance is so solid that you forget that there are actors at work and you just feel like you are seeing real people living their lives before your eyes. Eddie the Eagles offers two great examples of that. Taron Egerton’s transformation into the title character is as good as it gets, feeling real without falling into the trap of caricature. Hugh Jackman is also amazing as the fictional character of Bronson Peary, a former ski jumper who works as a snow groomer and spends his nights drinking. Peary becomes Eddie’s coach in the movie, and Jackman makes you believe the plight of the man trying to find his spark back.

A cameo by Christopher Walken was also a nice touch at the end.

Eddie the Eagle was strongly criticized for its heavy-handed attempt at inspirational movie-making. Those accusations may have a bit of merit, but, in the end, this film charmed me. It was inspirational, but, in my opinion, it did not go way overboard into tear-jerking melodrama. It was sweet, but I could stand it. Overall, it was a very good movie.

Rating: ««««

Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Directed by: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke, Joel Edgerton

Running time: 157 minutes

Zero Dark Thirty depicts the manhunt for Osama Bin Laden that lasted over 10 years after the attacks of September 11^th 2001, through the eyes of Maya, a young CIA officer who had spent all of her short career working on this case.

This film has won more awards than I care to name here, and I have a feeling that seeing it so long afterwards while knowing of those accolades might have skewed my appreciation of it. I expected so much that I could not help feeling disappointed in the end.

The movie started and I quickly felt like there was so great filmmaking at work. I was pulled in as a viewer. Some of those interrogation and torture scenes are hard to take, but I have a strong stomach and I love to be shaken as a cinephile. That stuff was well done, it felt real. Unfortunately, as the film went on, it kept on moving in different directions and it all kept piling on; by the end of it, I could not wait for the closing credits. And at close to three hours, this is a long ride if you keep looking at the time left.

Maybe I was not in the right mood and I should give this another try at a later time, but, while this film has great qualities, it also has great flaws in my book.

Rating: «««

La grenouille et la baleine (1987)

Genre: Franco / Comedy/ Drama

Réalisateur: Jean-Claude Lord

Distribution: Fanny Lauzier, Denis Forest, Marina Orsini

Running time: 92 minutes

Un jeune couple en voyage dans la région de la Côte-Nord, au Québec, fait la rencontre de Daphné, une jeune fille de 11 ans qui entretient une relation particulière avec les baleines et les dauphins qui se promènent autour de son village côtier. La vie de la petite risque maintenant de basculer, alors que son grand-père songe à vendre son auberge à des investisseurs cherchant à faire du développement dans la région.

La grenouille et la baleine est un autre classique de la série des Contes pour tous. Il s’agit d’un autre film ayant marqué mon enfance, même s’il ne s’agissait pas de mon préféré du groupe.

Le jeu des acteurs y est quand même très juste, avec la jeune Fanny Lauzier qui se démarque très bien avec sa bouille espiègle. Les producteurs du film ont fait du bon travail en dénichant cette petite, qui était très jolie mais qui avait quand même un look assez distinct pour porter le personnage de Daphné. Il est aussi plaisant de revoir Marina Orsini à cette époque, malgré la voix parfois légèrement agressante.

Somme toute, il s’agit d’un petit film familial hyper touchant et cute, avec un petit message en arrière sur l’importance de protéger l’environnement pour le bien des humains et de la faune.

Note: «««