Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020)

 Genre: Documentary
Directed by: Lisa Bryant 

 Number of Episodes: 4

 

Based on the book of the same name by James Patterson, and co-written by John Connolly and Tim Malloy, this four episode docuseries deals with the story of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This documentary miniseries details how Epstein used his wealth to escape justice for a long time and it also finally gives a voice to many of the survivors of his awful acts.

This is the type of documentary that makes you mad that such realities do exist. It is a well done docuseries, though it feels a bit incomplete. It stayed a little too on the surface for my taste. That being said, it was very informative and it was good that many of the victims got to share their story.

 

Rating: ««««

Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

 Genre: Superhero
Directed by: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans
Running time: 141 minutes

 

The group of superheroes called the Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow and Hawkeye) are teaming together again to stop an artificial intelligence called Ultron from destroying them and the rest of humans.

While this is extremely long movie, the action is at least fast-paced. There is rarely a truly dull moment. The acting is fine for the genre. Story-wise, it was not bad. A lot of the nerdy gibberish typical of superhero movies, but still somewhat enjoyable.

Rating: «««

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019)

 

Genre: Biographical / Drama
Directed by: Marielle Heller
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Susan Kelechi Watson
Running time: 109 minutes

 

Based on an article written by Tom Junod and published in Esquire, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood tells the story of a successful but troubled journalist who gets an assignment very different from what he is used to: Interview TV personality Fred Rogers for a short profile on heroes. That meeting with Rogers and the unlikely friendship that ensues will forever change the reporter’s life.

It took me a while to get into this film, considering it was sort of built like an episode of Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood. I thought that was a very left field way of doing things, but, once I was hooked. This is quite a touching movie.

Tom Hanks did a wonderful job bringing Fred Rogers back to life on screen. At first, I found him positive to the point of creepiness. But, that was mostly my more somber self talking. It was a solid acting job by Hanks.

 

Rating: ««««

Black Hawk Down (2001)

 

Genre: Action
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor 

Running time: 144 minutes

 

Based on true events, this film tells the story of the events surrounding the US military’s 1993 raid in Mogadishu, Somalia.

This film was served by a renowned action movie director and an ensemble cast of talented actors. The story is compelling and it all felt quite real in the way it was delivered on screen. The soundtrack was awesome. Yet, there was a disconnect for me here. For some odd reason, I never really managed to fully get emotionally invested here. This film just felt overly long. So, in spite of good qualities, it felt as just okay.

 

Rating: «««

 

Siren (2010)

Genre: Horror / Thriller
Directed by: Andrew Hull

Starring: Eoin Macken, Anna Skellern, Tereza Srbova

Running time: 80 minutes

 

A young couple and a friend of theirs go on a boat trip on the ocean, where they encounter a rambling man swimming frantically. They get him on board, where he dies shortly thereafter. The group then goes to an island, where they meet a mysterious woman that looks confused. This woman, with a beautiful singing voice, will soon bring demise into their lives.

This is a really bad film. The story is uninteresting and the acting is bad. Usually, in that genre, they go overboard into the sexiness and the exploitation to compensate for the rest. But, there is not even that here. It is quite tame. Billed as a mix of horror and thriller, it is neither scary nor thrilling.

 Rating: «

Martin Matte: La vie, la mort...eh la la! (2019)

 

Genre: Franco / Comedy
Réalisateur: Jean-François Blais
Distribution: Martin Matte 

Durée: 61 minutes

 

Dans ce premier spectacle d’humour québécois complet sur Netflix, Martin Matte parle de famille, d’élever des enfants, des réseaux sociaux et de la vie qui change. Je ne suis pas un grand fan du personnage de Martin Matte, mais je dois avouer qu’il est en pleine possession de ses moyens ici. Ce spectacle est solide du début à la fin. Les punchs entrent comme un tonne de brique, avec des prémisses bien ficelés. Et, comme un spectacle d’humour doit le faire, idéalement, la fin est canon. J’ai vraiment adoré ce spectacle. Le petit sketch au milieu ne servait à rien, mais, autrement, c’est du solide.

Rating: ««««

Gacy (2003)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Clive Saunders

Starring: Mark Holton, Adam Baldwin, Tom Waldman 

Running time: 88 minutes

This crime horror film is based on the true story of Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who assaulted and killed multiple young men and boys only to bury many of the corpses under his house.

This film offers but a glimpse of what made John Wayne Gacy what he was and of those awful things he did. It felt like the filmmakers wanted to make omelets without breaking any eggs. There is barely any suspense, or violence, in a film about a serial killer that was sought by the police for quite a while before getting caught.

Gacy is a short full-length film that skirts around the subject, never managing to be interesting. Other than Mark Holton’s performance in the lead role, there is nothing much worth mentioning here.

 

Rating: ««