Taxi — Une détente et des rires assurés avec ce film d'action sur quatre roues — 7*/10

Un film de voitures qui a bien vieilli et en met plein la vue. Un scénario bourré de jolis détails de la part de Luc Besson. De la vitesse, des rires, du ridicule et une petite romance incluant l'actrice Marion Cotillard. À voir.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0152930/

Patch Adams — Good but with a number flaws easily disregarded — 7*/10

• Scenario: Overall, it's interesting and captivating, but like all movies based on real people, certain events are polished, embellished or peppered with details that are not always homogenous. The result makes the experience less than it could be. However, don't let that deter you from seeing it, because it's good.
• Known actors: Robin Williams (who gives a solid prestation), Philip Seymour Hoffman and Bob Gunton (who was better in The Shawshank Redemption).
• Visual & sound: Pretty good.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129290/
• Who is it for? Williams fans or those looking for a biography with more laughters than tears.

The Big Lebowski — The story and the characters are priceless — 7*/10

• Story: Funny. The intrigue changes direction so often that it keeps you riveted.
• Characters: They are as much an attraction as the intrigue.
• Dialogs: Very funny.
• Scenario: Great timing with a nice mix of scenes.
• Actors: Jeff Bridges's performance is forever a classic for this stereotyped character. John Goodman is the hot spices to his mellow friend. I adore Julianne Moore, but this is a small role for her. Same goes for Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman and John Turturro. It was before they were well known. It's also true of Tara Reid, although to a lesser extent.
• Photography: Acceptable.
• Special effects: Very few, and mostly crap.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0118715/
• Who is it for? Stoners and mellow dudes looking for an idol, or those looking for a simple movie where the intrigue keeps on giving.

Sometimes, you hear so much about a picture, revered in some circles as a classic, that you have to see it. This is one of them. I'm glad I saw it.

I gave it a lower rating than I would have liked, because the production was a little shitty compared to the quality of the story, the characters, or the performances of Bridges and Goodman.

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

Sliding Doors - Only interesting for the comparative scenario - 6*/10

Sliding Doors is getting old and it shows. The story itself is old fashioned, but the way it's told is interesting. Beside Gwyneth Paltrow's acting there isn't much to capture our attention.

For Paltrow's fan.
6*/10

Blade — Vampire fights with techno music — 7*/10

Blade is an other take on the vampire scene based on a comic book.

The good. Lots of action. Great music. Nice gadgets. Tightly paced scenario.

The actors. This is not an acting movie, but Wesley Snipes, Kris Kristofferson, and Stephen Dorff give us acceptable performances. And you can also see Traci Lords.

The bad. Simple story. Some logical flaws in the scenario. Fight scenes look good, but have some slight continuity and timing problems, noticeable when viewed multiple times.

The ugly. Nothing.

The result. Solid entertainment for action or vampire lovers. Don't expect complexity.

7*/10

Slums of Beverly Hills — Something different that will make you chuckle — 7*/10

Slums of Beverly Hills is cooky and touching.

The good. Interesting story with a number of surprising twists. Well paced scenario. Nice acting. Funny with a touch of drama. On a totally different vibe from most other productions.

The actors. Natasha Lyonne uses her rebellious nature to great effect. Alan Arkin plays the dysfunctional father just right. Marisa Tomei is sweet and totally perfect as the problematic child.

The bad. The secondary characters, like the brothers, could have used a little bit more depth. The editing is a bit awkward when it comes to breasts shots, obviously done so they could use body doubles, no subtlety.

The ugly. Nothing.

The result. An offbeat film that is great for those who like the genre, but would probably be disappointing to the masses.

7*/10

Dark City — A bewildering situation full of questions without answers — 9*/10

Dark City is one of those movies that is very difficult to categorized. It makes us experience something truly unique.

The good. Extremely imaginative setup. Very dark. Strong intrigue with multiple parts that keeps us guessing for most of the movie.

The actors. Rufus Sewell gives us a solid performance as the main confused protagonist, and we feel just like him. On the other hand, as a watcher, it is William Hurt playing the detective who leads our inquiries, trying to understand the mystery as we would. The ever beautiful Jennifer Connelly is adorable in her gentle role. Kiefer Sutherland gives strange ticks to the persona he is playing, making him seem slightly fake.

The bad. The green screen shot are poor, and fortunately somewhat rare. The rest of the special effect imperfections can be viewed as "stylish" and more easily absorbed. The final fight is a bit too simple.

The ugly. That dying critter near the end that looks almost pixelated.

The result. Quite a stupefying ride. Recommended to anyone, especially lovers of strange intrigues.

9*/10

Saving Private Ryan — Tough, real, touching, and superb — 10*/10

Saving Private Ryan is the best Second World War movie ever made.

The good. Almost everything could be listed here as exceptional, but I'll just mention what really makes this a master piece. First and foremost, the fighting and how it's depicted. You feel the same stress, terror, and confusion as the soldiers. There are some heroics, but it's normal man heroics. Men die by the score, there's no favorites. It's dirty, it's loud, it's dangerous, it's inhumane. Beyond that, you've got an incredibly compelling story, amazing photography, a rich scenario, very attaching and real characters, as well as interesting thoughtful dialogs.

The actors. There are so many excellent ones, and a number that were on the cusp of their stardom. Tom Hanks is of course in one of his best incarnation ever. Tom Sizemore is the perfect solid loyal sergent. Paul Giamatti has a small role, but without contest one of his best by playing his normal edgy style in a war context with a thin veneer of authority and calm. Edward Burns is just right as the loud mouth New Yorker. And you cheer Barry Pepper as the God blessed sniper. Now for a few surprises. Giovanni Ribisi, playing a bit far from his usual role, is excellent as the overwhelmed caring medic. Dennis Farina, which I normally do not like, is a stoic senior officer with an calm aura. You can also see a young Nathan Fillion in a quick cameo. Here, one might argue wether Matt Damon was given a large role or not, but he did carry it out well, if a bit subpar for him. However, the truly big surprise is the appearance of Vin Diesel playing something completely out of his usual affectations with credible results.

The bad. It's a near perfect film, but there's one thing that irked me. The family of the veteran was either badly chosen of badly directed. When he starts to cry they all act as if it was a big surprise. Really? What did you think he was going to do?

The ugly. Nothing.

The result. Be ready for some tough bloody scenes, and you'll love this realistic representation of war.

10*/10

Soldier — Adaptability is key to a soldier — 7*/10

Soldier is a simple and easy movie to watch.

The good. Finally, a script that introduce a character without visible emotions and of little words that stays with it. An audience expect these flesh machines to become more human, but it's illogical. This flick doesn't pander to those desires and make good use of it. That's great continuity. Nice action. Good concepts and ideas. Well designed planet. Interesting story.

The actors. Kurt Russell is perfect for that role.

The bad. The spaceship special effects are showing their age a bit, but they're still acceptable. The combat scenes are nice to watch, but lack realism.

The ugly. The wars during the introduction are very weak. Fortunately, it's a short moment to pass through.

The result. A nice action film for a some good entertainment. If you're a Russell fan, it's a must.

7*/10

Armageddon — The Earth is to be obliterated and the US save the world — 6*/10

Armageddon was a blockbuster and still is good entertainment.

The good. Lots of action, explosions, heroics, and a taut suspense. You get cool gadgets, astronauts, one cosmonaut, some bad russian accent, a crazy crew, and an excellent score.

The actors. Bruce Willis is still in his action hero phase, not having yet matured, but still good. Billy Bob Thornton is right on target. Ben Affleck as yet to reach his peak, yet delivers a solid performance. Liv Tyler easily tugs at our heart strings. Steve Buscemi and Michael Clarke Duncan are hilarious and perfect. And finally, you don't see enough of Owen Wilson in his small role.

The bad. The amount of testosterone contained in this film could put an 80s East German female swimmer to shame. Logic, laws of physics, and general scientific thinking seemed to have been set aside to build the scenario. Nothing holds up to even the barest of scrutiny.

The ugly. That's some ultra US-centric flick. It's gag worthy. More over, the word "god" is repeated so many times, you'd think it's a recruiting video.

The result. Excellent brain dead explosive entertainment for the whole family. Don't expect more and you'll love it.

6*/10

What Dreams May Come — Hopelessly utopic romance in a fantastical version of heaven and hell — 8*/10

What Dreams May Come is an incredible take on life after death mixed with the subject of soul mates.

Robin Williams, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Annabella Sciorra all give good performances. The same can be said of Max von Sydow and Rosalind Chao in their more minor roles. The designs and cinematography are powerful and beautiful. The story is captivating and the intrigue well integrated. Overall, it's excellent.

Now, beside some slightly aging CG, the main problem of this picture is that it's pushing two ideas that are detrimental to our life. One, is the concept of soul mates, that love conquers all, which can lead romantics to stay in relationship that are not good for them. Second, is the idea of the perfect life after death, which robs any purpose out of life. However, those are my opinions and do not diminish the quality of the movie.

It's very emotional entertainment. It's a must for romance lovers.

8*/10

Practical Magic — A soft movie about witches and woman power — 8*/10

Practical Magic is very much a woman's movie which is very different from a chick flick that essentially tries to capture the attention of female viewers by playing on their desires. This picture is about women for women and mostly made by women.

Everything has a soft feminine touch to it, even the violence and the action. In this piece, witchcraft simply represent women power. The scenario is built around what it means to be a strong woman, how it can set you apart, and the danger associated with this strength.

It has sweet moments, some tearful moments, some funny moments, and a certain dose of intrigue to pique our interest. Now, you can't jump into this movie and expect a big bang, like what you usually get out of most Hollywood movies. No, you'll get entertained, but delicately.

It has a few flaws, but small ones, and the acting is not stellar, but very good, and sometimes just average. So, it's not perfect, but if you want something more gentle, it's excellent.

You don't want fireworks, and still want to spend a good evening, this is for you.

8*/10

The Truman Show — Exposing reality TV, and giving a sweet tale to make you think — 8*/10

The Truman Show is a tale that will tug at your heart strings. It's the movie that showed the world that Jim Carrey could play drama. His wild gesticulating or face distortion barely make an appearance compared to his previous incarnations.

The film feels a little tacky, but it's dealing with a tacky subject: reality TV. It rode the wave of its inception as well as initial popularity and at the same time as it was making fun of it. Each character, but the main one, is a caricature of reality TV and its entourage, even its dissidents. It feels as fake as its subject, yet it brings important points. Is happy ignorance better than truth? Do you define yourself, or does your environment?

The sweetness of it all will capture you. Truman's predicament will rivet you. The last scene will move you.

See it, it's worth it.

8*/10

Pleasantville — A profound movie with a light hearted facade — 10*/10

Pleasantville can be enjoyed by everyone and watched on a regular basis. The depth of its analysis on how we judge others, how we facet ourselves to fit, on bigotry, education, and civil society is well hidden by an all enveloping funny light tirade.

Anyone can enjoy the humor of the movie, which has a rib-cracking prevalence in the beginning. However, if you so choose, you can easily explore all the issues it brings up as the story line develops.

All the characters are well played. Tobey McGuire is certainly giving a much better performance than in any of his Spiderman movies where there's little room for psychological development. Reese Witherspoon is adorable as she explores the evolving duality of Jennifer. And Joan Allen will tug at each and every one of your sensible chord.

Visually, its all subtleties and perfection. The dialogs are powerful, the story entrancing, the editing flawless, as is the scenario.

You can watch it many times, until you get every nuance, and then you'll watch it some more just appreciate the real nature of the movie and how it all comes together.

A must.

10*/10

Krippendorf's Tribe — A very intelligent family comedy with a flair for the exotic — 10*/10

Krippendorf's Tribe has achieved something special, an incredible balance of fun and smarts accessible to all.

There's a bit of exaggeration that will hold the interest of those who want primal fun, but little enough as not to displease those who do not want to be submerged by unrealistic situations.

The intelligent humor of the dialogs and scenario will easily enthused those who need smarts to appreciate a comedy, but not so much as to rebuff those who do not want to work their brains to laugh.

The acting is without reproach, even if a few of the secondary characters are a bit caricatured. The photography, soundtrack, and editing are as perfect as they are invisible, yet remarkable. The story is without logical flaw.

A must see, easily enjoyable by anyone.

10*/10