jeudi 25 septembre 2014

This Is Where I Leave You — A mess of a family done in a not so messy way — 7*/10

This Is Where I Leave You depicts a messy family. It presents us with various novel ideas mixed in with tried and tested ones as well as some that are just too easy. You'll laugh, you'll be surprised, but you'll also say "Really?", and most of those will be centered around the mother and the oldest's wife, with the worst instance being the poorly done final mother's kiss and ensuing revelation.

Entertainment you can count on.
7*/10

The Maze Runner — Not a masterpiece but still some nice entertainment — 6*/10

The Maze Runner definitively doesn't bring anything new to the table, even the overall idea of the test is not new. However, there are a number of good points. The action scenes and the special effects are solid. The story is interesting with a captivating pacing and even a few nice twists. More over, beside a couple of hiccups, the acting is acceptable.

Just for the kick of it, but don't have any expectations.
6*/10

mardi 23 septembre 2014

Waking Ned Devine — Watch at least 45 minutes of it and you won't stop — 7*/10

Waking Ned Devine is not what its synopsis conjures up, it's a much better take on it. It's very novel, and funny, but you better be ready for a small Irish town setting with no frills, because that's what you'll get. The end is quite catching and reveal a nice twist in its B story. It can take a while to get hooked, but by the middle of the film, you should be.

If you don't need any glamor or action in your comedy.
7*/10

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist — A solid modern take on the teen comedy romance — 8*/10

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist is a great attempt at breaking the Hollywood mold for teen comedy romance. You have your standard heartsick underdog, beautiful ex-girlfriend, love-hate potential conquest, and happy ending, but the rest is pretty novel. It's very funny, with lots of great ideas, solid acting, and a scenario that doesn't follow the standard routine.

A treat for anyone not looking for action.
8*/10

samedi 20 septembre 2014

Populaire — Une comédie légère avec un peu de romantisme et un touche de réalisme — 7*/10

Populaire une belle comédie d'époque avec un flair pour mélanger son auditoire quant aux motivations des personnages. On s'attache rapidement à l'héroïne, tout autant que son patron peut être antipathique. Très divertissant, avec une histoire intéressantes et des dialogues soutenus.

Pour ceux qui aime les comédie un peu farfelu avec une touche de réalisme.
7*/10

jeudi 18 septembre 2014

What to Expect When You're Expecting — Pretty much what you'd expect, but don't expect too much — 7*/10

What to Expect When You're Expecting is not a masterpiece, but does a fair job at tackling the subject in a fluffy manner. The scenario puts different kind of "expecting" side by side with some slight character background crossover. The storyline pops a few surprises from time, even if it doesn't break the expected mold. Overall, the production delivers a pretty much average entertainment, but considering the star studded cast, we would have expected a bit more. Beware the end, The Cheesy Pig is the unwanted cherry on a overly sweet sunday.

Do not expect too much out of this flick.
7*/10

mercredi 17 septembre 2014

Forgetting Sarah Marshall — It's a surprising flick you should really give a try — 7*/10

Forgetting Sarah Marshall starts really pathetic, I even found it difficult to watch at first. However, it slowly improves. Come the middle of the movie, you won't be able to stop watching it, and by the end you should be very happy you made that choice. There a number of scenes in that scenario that are gems. Their beauty comes from the fact that they take unexpected turn, at least when it comes Hollywood standards. The end is rosy, true, but it's not too syrupy and it's very funny.

Truly worth the pain of the intro.
7*/10

Let's Be Cops — To be watched only if you truly liked the trailer — 5*/10

Let's Be Cops is what the trailer looks like. To appreciate it, you need to at least have enjoyed the previews, then make sure you have no expectations and finally, please turn your brain off. It's a weird mix of slapstick comedy and reality check moments. Its main problems are the poor story and the shallow characters.

Only if you must.
5*/10

dimanche 14 septembre 2014

Girl Most Likely — Average comedy for when you don't know what to watch — 6*/10

Girl Most Likely is a silly simple comedy about a dysfunctional person at the end of her roll. There's nothing truly bad about it, but then there's northing truly extraordinary about it. It's entertainment in a very basic form.

On a slow night.
6*/10

samedi 13 septembre 2014

A.C.O.D. — Be ready for a lot of facepalms, it's that kind of flick — 7*/10

A.C.O.D. is funny, no doubt about it, but can be hard to watch. However, maybe it's just because my generation is the first to be mostly all ACOD. Anyway, I'm warning you, you'll probably want to slap the parents silly, assassinate the researcher at some point and tell the main character to grow a spine. Beyond that, the situations are hilarious, the story interesting, and the dialogs well constructed.

For those who like silly comedies.
7*/10

Austenland — Funny, but with as basic a humor as you can get — 6*/10

Austenland is a simple movie, and it's neither as bad or as good as you think. Its main winning points are that it doesn't take itself seriously and it has a number of very funny situations. Be warned though, it's slapstick comedy mostly. Its detractor might find some of the characters really annoying.

It's up to you.
6*/10

mercredi 10 septembre 2014

Magic in the Moonlight — An intellectual comedy fro easy entertainment — 8*/10

Magic in the Moonlight a light comedy where the dialogs are the meat of the story with a simple intrigue to confound and amuse the audience. The acting is great and the characters are fascinating.

For those who like intellectual comedies.
8*/10

mardi 9 septembre 2014

The Congress — You might not understand it, but it will make you think — 8*/10

The Congress is the type of movie you need to think about. I didn't understand it, but it made me think and imagine a different future. The first part is incredibly immersive with excellent acting. The rest feels like an acid trip, or at least what I think an acid trip feels like. It's confusing and mind-boggling.

Judge for yourself.
8*/10

Kiss Me — Watch it and be slowly entranced by the blooming relationship — 9*/10

Kiss Me is a great little Swedish romance flick. It's simple, realistic, with well developed characters, beautiful scenery and a story that will slowly captivate you.

For romantics who don't mind the unusual.
9*/10

The November Man — Great entertainment, but ultimately flawed — 7*/10

The November Man, a spy action flick, is excellent entertainment. Although its story has a few minor surprises, it's unfortunately devoid of a real soul. Depth is skin deep.

Don't expect too much.
7*/10

mercredi 3 septembre 2014

A Most Wanted Man — Different, brilliant, ambiguous, treacherous... what spying is — 10*/10

A Most Wanted Man is a mostly action-deprived spy thriller. It's a surprise at almost every turn, and you won't believe the end. The acting is superb, the characters full-fledged, and the tension constant. If you liked Zero Dark Thirty, you'll probably fall in love with this european flavored cousin with a much better ending and moral.

It's not for everyone, but just go see it.
10*/10

The Hundred-Foot Journey — Quite a culinary trip full of laughters — 8*/10

The Hundred-Foot Journey is funny, light, tasty and full little surprises. The dialogs and repartee are full of flavors, the scenery is often breathtaking, the story captivating, and the dishes beautiful. Only two negative comments come to mind. One, the inconsistency in scenario regarding languages. Two, the seemingly incongruous part in Paris.

For food lovers and those in need of a good comedy.
8*/10

When the Game Stands Tall — A great story and an inspiration if you don't mind a few dertails — 7*/10

When the Game Stands Tall is a solid inspirational football movie. The strength of the scenario is the story itself. However, in his retelling of the story, the director seemed to push emotions on us a bit, it feels buffed and shiny. Also, religion plays a certain part in it, so it can be somewhat of a turn off to those of us, like me, who are atheist.

For football and real story fans.
7*/10

mardi 2 septembre 2014

Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For — Not bad, but definitively not as good — 7*/10

Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For doesn't match the quality of its predecessor Sin City. The main flaw of the production is its inability to sink you in the universe of Sin City. Instead of feeling every sweaty heartbeat as your own, you get the impression of skipping on the surface like a spinning flat stone thrown hard against the water. Maybe the error was trying to tie it back to the first film, I don't know, but the result is disappointing and confusing. One more odd thing, Marv's face seems to fluctuate in appearance throughout the flick, what's that all about? All in all, it's not bad, just not as good.

If you haven't seen the first one, maybe you'll like it more.
7*/10

lundi 1 septembre 2014

The Expendables 3 — Unsuitable for most audience, action lovers only — 5*/10

The Expendables 3 has much more value in its cast than its content. More over, its CGI are piss poor, the dialog very simple, the story linear at best, and the acting barely adequate. That being said, the long final battle scene is pretty good. This chapter is definitively the worst of the series.

Only for the hardcore action fans.
5*/10

Fiston — Une histoire romantique typique retournée sur elle-même — 6*/10

Fiston est intéressant, une fois que l'on dépasse le ridicule du début, car celui-ci tue. Le message final est même positif si on y pense bien, ou tout du moins, inhabituel côté film. L'histoire est charmante, la trame tient bien notre attention, mais l'idée de base n'est pas nouvelle. Cela dit, j'ai beaucoup aimé la fin.

Pour ceux qui veulent un film romantique léger et qui n'ont pas peur du ridicule.
6*/10