Kindergarten Cop (1990)

 Genre: Action / Comedy
Directed by: Ivan Reitman
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed
Running time: 111 minutes

 

John Kimble, a police officer prone to violent action in the workplace, is forced to go undercover as a kindergarten teacher, hoping to locate the wife and young son of Cullen Crisp, a drug dealer he has been chasing for a while.

Back in 1990, this was one of the first comedic vehicles given to action hero Arnold Schwarzenegger. He showed some comedic skills. Kindergarten is a fun, albeit silly, movie that is not totally devoid of entertainment value. Not bad.

Rating: «««

Black Swan (2010)

Genre: Horror
Directed by: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Natalie Portman, Vincent Cassel, Mila Kunis, Barbara Hershey, Winona Ryder
Running Time: 108 minutes

 

Nina Sayers is a young ballerina working in New York City. She is competing for the dual roles of the White and Black Swan in a production of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. She is the perfect choice for one of the roles, but the production wants the same ballerina to hold both roles. As she is trying to find the darker side of herself, Nina slowly descends into madness.

With Aronofsky’s adept direction and Natalie Portman’s incredible performance, this film remains a must see. Wow. And the rest of the cast is also very, very good. I had seen it years ago, and revisiting it again made me realize how great this movie is.

Rating: «««««

The Accountant (2016)

 Genre: Action / Thriller
Directed by: Gavin O’Connor
Cast: Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, J.K. Simmons
Running Time: 128 minutes

 

A man going under the assumed named of Christian Wolff is a high functioning autistic man who does forensic accounting work for various criminal organizations. His work has him followed by various people, either looking to arrest him or to kill him. In the process, Christian, who is well trained to fight, also must protect a young fellow accountant who found the same issues he did and who is in grave danger too.

I was hooked by The Accountant from beginning to end. Great storytelling and good acting. I loved how the filmmakers established the background for the mean character. It make you care about him. This film had more of a human touch than many other action films out there. And that ending, I never saw that coming. Cannot wait to see the sequel.

Rating: «««««

Weeds (2005-2012)

Genre: TV / Comedy / Drama
Starring: Mary-Louise Parker, Elizabeth Perkins, Justin Kirk
Number of seasons: 8

 

Nancy Botwin finds herself the young, widowed mother of two boys after the death of her husband. To support her family and to make ends meet, she decides to turn to selling marijuana, with the help of her late husband’s brother, her accountant Doug and the husband of her best friend.

Over eight seasons of this show created by Jenji Kohan, things evolve at quite a pace. There is a revolving door of supporting cast members. I enjoyed this one very much. The acting was solid and the stories had a great way of hooking you. I particularly enjoyed the last episode, that tied things up pretty neatly.

Rating: ««««

The Amateur (2025)

Genre: Action
Directed by: James Hawes
Cast: Rami Malek, Lawrence Fishburne, Rachel Brosnahan
Running Time: 124 minutes

 

Charlie Heller is a CIA cryptographer whose wife gets killed by terrorists while on a business trip in London. In profound mourning and dissatisfied with his organization’s response to the murder of his wife, Charlie, who has gained knowledge on the identity of the perpetrators, asks to be trained to avenge his fallen wife himself. While he doesn’t have much to offer in terms of physical attributes for fighting, his brain might be strong enough to make up for the other deficits.

This film is based on the 1981 novel of the same name by Robert Littell. I adored this film. It’s a thrilling action film from beginning to end. The cast is strong from top to bottom. As far as the story goes, I love when a character who is an underdog because of his lack of physical strength can make up for it with smarts. I find those characters easy to root for. I was on the edge of my seat all the way through this one.

Rating: «««««

Drop (2025)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Christopher Landon
Cast: Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane
Running Time: 95 minutes

 

Widowed therapist Violet Gates is going on a first date in a long time after surviving an abusing relationship. She leaves her young son with her sister and goes to a fancy restaurant with a photographer she met on a dating app. Shortly after arriving to the restaurant, she starts receiving threatening messages on her phones that are getting darker and darker.

Drop is a fun thrill ride. Some plot twists do not make a lot of sense, but, as far as entertainment value is, it is highly pleasing.

Rating: ««««

Bungalow (2022)

Genre: Franco / Comedy / Drama
Réalisation: Lawrence Côté-Collins
Distribution: Sonia Cordeau, Guillaume Cyr, Geneviève Schmidt
Durée: 101 minutes

 

Sarah et Jonathan sont un couple de jeunes adultes qui prennent la décision d’acheter une vieille maison en très mauvaise condition, tout ce qu’ils peuvent se permettre compte tenu de leur situation financière, avec l’intention de la rénover eux-mêmes. Ce projet amènera son lot de stress et de tensions dans leur couple, à mesure que la situation va dégénérer.

Visuellement très intéressant, ce film contient des moments savoureux de dialogues qui m’ont fait sourire. L’ensemble de l’œuvre est un peu bizarre et champ gauche. C’est un bon divertissement.

Rating: «««

Precious (2009)

 Genre: Drama
Directed by: Lee Daniels
Cast: Gabourey Sidibe, Mo’Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, Lenny Kravitz
Running Time: 110 minutes

 

Claireece Precious Jones is a 16 years-old girl with a troubled life at home. Victim of physical, sexual and verbal abuse, she finds herself pregnant for the second time. Kicked out of her junior high school, she is referred to an alternative school called Each One Teach One, where goes despite her mother’s lack of appreciation for the importance of education.

This film is based on the 1996 novel Push, by Sapphire. It tells a grim story, but a powerful one. The cast does a strong job here. Sidibe and Mo’Nique are particularly solid. Precious is a movie that packs quite a punch, one that will keep you reeling well after its done. Well worth seeing.

Rating: «««««