The Drummer — The small time movie that wanted to be big — 4*/10

The Drummer missed out on a few key elements that stopped it from reaching its unstated goal, which was to make a philosophical statement. Unfortunately, the last gangster part of the movie is very weak. It's not a bad ending per say, it's just badly played out. It's difficult to tell is it's simply the acting that is sub-par, or if it's the scenario, the editing, or even the directing.

When you see the end, you put into question the rest of the movie, and the light it casts just makes it look like low budget movie. It doesn't look that way until the end. What happened? Hard to say.

Exclude the end and you get great visual with an interesting movie, but I can't recommend it because it leaves you with an undesirable aftertaste.

4*/10

Curse of the Golden Flower — Intrigue and over-scaled fighting — 5*/10

Curse of the Golden Flower's intrigue is very interesting and offer a complex story. The over-opulence is even easy to disregard, until the fighting begins. It's like applying fine white lace to a garment made of coarse unbleached wool. It's messy. All the refinements get lost very quickly.

The visuals are very poignant, the acting is good for the most part, and the scenario quite enjoyable. Had they cut out all the fighting, it would have made a pretty good movie. I would definitively enjoyed it more.

However, if you're a fan of asian style wire fighting, impossible odds, beyond measure heroes in action, then you'll have no problem enjoying this fine film. If not, then patiently sit through the battles and wait for the conclusion for closure.

5*/10

Foolproof — A crime caper with a different perspective — 7*/10

Foolproof is your typical heist film but with a nice "beginners" element. You have a basic blackmail to get the show rolling, but the different twists the scenario brings in can keep you guessing until the end.

The acting is not stellar, but good enough not to distract you. There's also a caricatural feeling to it that's dosed just enough to keep the whole thing simmering with fun.

The only real big drag, is the thing with the lasers... It seems that they all have to do it, and every time it's a question of contortion, as if alarm systems were that dumb.

It's entertaining, it's intelligent, it's worth seeing even if it's not a master piece. It's an easy pick.

7*/10

Hackers — A pretty bad movie — 3*/10

Hackers is a movie I decided to endure. Within the first few minutes, I could tell that the acting, editing and directing was going to be bad. Angelina Jolie does a good job, but her role is just as mediocre as the others.

The hacking is represented in a profoundly misleading way, with the only exception of social hacking and dumpster diving. The idea of chipping away at each and every transaction is not even new. At least in Superman, the villain took remainders, fractions of cents, which would be much less noticeable.

The music is bad, the action lame... The only thing that kept me going was the fact that I wanted to know how it would develop and the beautiful Jolie.

Don't think about seeing it.

3*/10

Outside Providence — Feel Good Movie — 7*/10

Outside Providence is a real feel good movie. It's starts out and you think it's going to be a stoner movie, or maybe a kid rise out of a broken family movie, you even hate the father immediately. Alec Baldwin is overacting his role, but at some point... you're saying to yourself: "It's just right". It is a caricature, but a sensible one.

The evolution of the main character is truly believable, and you're given all the right milestones to his progression. The rescue he conjure up is even realistic.

The acting is good, even if the stoners are overdone, especially the main one. The editing is invisible, the soundtrack well incorporated, the story interesting, the dialogues solid, and the romance very sweet.

See it, and you'll have a good evening.

7*/10

Detachment — Strange Simple Drama — 9*/10

Detachment starts in confusion. It's difficult to get a grip on the movie's MO at first. It has a documentary feel, yet it has acting which clashes strongly in the beginning because of the over strong feelings the characters go through of which we have no clue. The poetic/philosophic vibe seems out of place, the characters too sketchy, but eventually, a symphony emerge, and tragedy ensues.

It is harsh, it is realistic, it is undiplomatic, but at the same time, carries strong moral values, basic ones, not made up religious nonsense. Excellent acting, good editing, nice soundtrack, and great visual. You'll love the characters, all of them, even flawed, by the end.

Watch it, endure the rough beginning, it will all make sense, I promise.

9*/10

The Sisters — Drama and Psychosis — 6*/10

The Sisters has an interesting scenario and will keep you guessing. Although it's good entertainment for a slow night, it's slightly over dialoged, it has a tendency to feel like a play more than a movie, and the editing could be easily improved. The character of the "beautiful" sister can easily get on somebody's nerve, but it is well played as are all the sisters, and even the brother to some extent. The other characters are much weaker.

Not bad, worth being seen if you feel like witnessing a family going through theatrical drama.
6*/10

Chloe — Sensual Intrigue — 8*/10

Chloe. Loved it, except for the fact that the escort in it has a broken personality. It's another bad notch in the public image of the profession, but of course, you need something to get the story going, so I'm not holding it against the screen writers. Excellent acting. Only flaw is the son's character, especially his final meddling which lessens the strength of the ending.

Realistic couple.
The main sex scene is hot, loved it.
Great suspense without being heavy, it's more of an intrigue.
Julianne Moore is perfect.

See it.
8*/10