London Has Fallen (2016)

Genre: Action / Thriller

Directed by: Babak Nakafi

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman

Running time: 99 minutes

As they all travel to London to attend the funeral of the UK Prime Minister, the group of world leaders present come under attack from a group of Pakistani terrorists. The main target is US president Benjamin Asher. Asher’s head of security Mike Banning will have to do everything in his power to stop the terrorists from taking the president and executing him live on the Internet.

It took me a while to get into this one. I just realized that it is a sequel and I have not seen the first film, which might be a factor. That being said, the acting felt uninspired. Once the action started, though, London Has Fallen became a fun thrilling ride, as long as you did not overanalyze it. It is full of action movie clichés, but, taken for what it is, it is entertaining.

Rating: «««

Sin City (2005)

Genre: Film Noir

Directed by: Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller

Starring: Jessica Alba, Mickey Rourke, Clive Owen, Bruce Willis

Running time: 124 minutes

Sin City offers a collection of short stories inspired by Frank Miller’s graphic novel collection of the same name.

With a loaded cast on board, Sin City is above all else a visual tour de force. Shot mostly in black and white, with color being added to certain objects and characters, this film is a wonderful work of cinematography. The stories are filled with violence, but the visual signature of Sin City makes the whole thing beautiful and artistic.

Some of the acting was a bit weak at times, in spite of the big names involved, but this is a flick well worth seeing for the visual aspect of it.

Rating: ««««

A Good Man (2014)

Genre: Action

Directed by: Keoni Waxman

Starring: Steven Seagal, Victor Webster, Tzi Ma

Running time: 103 minutes

The leader of a failed cover operation joins Sasha, a man forced to work for the Russian Mafia to pay off his father’s debt, to protect Sasha’s two younger sisters against Mr. Chen, an arms dealer.

The lack of subtlety, the bad acting, the clichés, the over-the-top martial arts; this movie has everything any Steven Seagal flick has ever had. Watching this one with my dad over the weekend, we got a good chuckle out of the fact that Seagal must have been cold at all times. Even when he was indoors, having a beer, he had that big leather jacket zipped up. He must have gone to the modern Axl Rose school of thought about layering clothes. Even at the end, when he was making out with a girl, a gross scene that made no sense, he still had the leather protection.

Really, in spite of the comic relief it provided, I recommend skipping this one.

Rating: «

Metallica: Cunning Stunts (1998)

Genre: Musical

Directed by: Wayne Isham

Starring: James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett, Jason Newsted

Running time: 121 minutes

This concert film offers a Metallica show recorded over two days in May 1997, in Fort Worth, Texas. It offers a great number of their hits, older and newer (at that point), performed in high-octane fashion in front of a hot crowd. There is also some different and interesting song choices here, such as So What?, the Anti-Nowhere League song. Overall, a very good show well worth watching again.

Rating: «««««

Patriots Day (2016)

Genre: Action / Drama

Directed by: Peter Berg

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman

Running time: 133 minutes

Patriots Day deals with the events of the bombing perpetrated in April 2013 by brothers Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev during the Boston Marathon and the massive manhunt that followed and lead to the death of one them and the arrest of the other.

With this 2016 film, we are given a glimpse into these real life events as seen through the eyes of a few of the people who lived through it. Fictional characters, like the one portrayed by Mark Wahlberg, are also added to the mix.

Some might object to the fact that this movie glamorizes the real events on the Boston Marathon bombing, but I like how this film pays homage to the first responders, the victims and the survivors of these terrible circumstances. Boston really pulled together in difficult times, and that needed to be mentioned.

As for the movie itself, it was action packed and compelling, with good acting performances. I dug how they ended by a touching tribute to the real people affected by the tragic events.

Rating: ««««

Hidden Figures (2016)

Genre: Biographical / Drama

Directed by: Theodore Melfi

Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner

Running time: 127 minutes

Based on the non-fiction book of the same name written by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures tells the story of three black female mathematicians who had to combat segregation and bigotry as they worked at the NASA during the Space War of the 1960’s between the United States and the USSR.

It is amazing to think that things were the way they were not that long ago. Things sure are not perfect today, but we’ve come a long way. In itself, it is a great thing that the story of these three women was told on the big screen, so they can finally fully take their rightful place in history. That being said, it is unfortunate that the filmmakers felt the need to embellish and change the facts to tell a more compelling story.

The story of Hidden Figures is indeed compelling in itself, and it is largely carried on screen by the great acting performances of all involved. The tone felt a bit off at times, as if the characters were on the outside looking in. I highly doubt that people making history are walking around telling each other that they are making history as it happens. Nonetheless, these actresses managed to pull us in and make us care for these very real women. I also appreciated the epilogue, where we got some of the facts about the rest of the story of these important women.

Overall, this is a movie to see, in spite of its few flaws.

Rating: ««««

Faut pas pousser (1980)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisation: Michele Lupo

Distribution: Bud Spencer, Cary Guffey

Durée: 99 minutes

Dans cette suite du film Le Shérif et les Extra-terrestres, le shérif Bon Scott et son jeune ami H 7.25 réussissent à échapper à l’armée, qui veut prendre l’enfant extra-terrestre pour en connaître tous les secrets. Ils s’en vont dans la ville de Maroe, en Géorgie, qui se cherche un shérif pour régler le désordre qui y règne. C’est dans cette ville qu’ils seront confrontés à des Aliens de la planète Damien, qui veulent prendre contrôle de la population.

Du premier au second film de ce duo, le charme s’était quelque peu dissipé. C’est comme si les gens impliqués avaient voulu presser plus de jus qu’il y en avait réellement dans le fruit. Malgré quelques bons moments, ce film est loin d’être mémorable.

Note: ««