Professor Marston and the Wonder Women — A compelling romance — 8*/10

It's simply told, but the story itself is anything but, even today. It presents kinky and non-monogamous relationships for the whole world to see and, more importantly, to understand. It doesn't go in depth, but it definitely is compelling. It doesn't contain any action, but it doesn't have any flaws either. A quiet strong romance. A solid biography.

Rebecca Hall and Bella Heathcote.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt6133130/

Les 3 p'tits cochons 2 — Rigolo et sentimental à la fois — 6*/10

Amusant avec un peu plus de profondeur émotionnelle que le premier (lire ma critique ici). Il perd un peu du comique, l'histoire est moins bien étoffée et la fin est moins intéressante bien que l'épilogue soit bien fait. Reste que c'est un bon divertissement.

Paul Doucet, Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge, Patrice Robitaille, Isabel Richer et Sophie Prégent.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5097398/

Their Finest — A well-rounded comedy with some itty-bitty romance — 8*/10

This is a movie to be proud of. It's funny, interesting, with a strong female role, many witty repartee, a surprising ending and solid acting. Go see it, it's well worth it.

Gemma Arterton, Sam Claflin, Bill Nighy, Richard E. Grant and Jeremy Irons.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1661275/

Gifted — If you're not looking for action you should see this — 8*/10

It's beautiful, touching with quite a bit of wit. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for something sentimental. However, it does have two major flaws.

One, it pounds in the gimmick that love conquers all, which in real life never happens because it's not true. If it happens it's because of something else.

Two, in life, things are never this black or white. It's always gray. If you assume things are black or white and you see yourself as being the good person, automatically the other person is bad and nothing could ever be further from the truth.

Mckenna Grace (watch out for her in the future, she's going to be a great actress), Chris Evans, Lindsay Duncan, Jenny Slate and Octavia Spencer.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4481414/

Wilson — The wacky edge of this flick hides some cutting emotional depth — 7*/10

It's all about being satisfied, turning the page, moving on. It let's us think about our lives through his. It's his life and his shortcomings. It's simple, slow, unusual, silly, wacky, funny, but, weirdly, emotionally stark in many ways.

Judy Greer, Laura Dern and Cheryl Hines.

Woody Harrelson shows great range with this role.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1781058/

Table 19 — Easy to watch and enjoy comedy — 7*/10

It's a low-key kind of funny semi romantic flick. Well acted and with a few surprises even if it seems like it's playing an old tune. Last two scenes of the epilogue are very funny.

Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1412528/

The Space Between Us — A very nice semi sci-fi semi-romantic story — 7*/10

The relationship between the boy and the girl is very well done, but the rest is spotty at best and the science fiction a mere background, often faulty. It is easy to enjoy, and it's good light entertainment.

Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Carla Gugino and Gary Oldman.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3922818/

20th Century Women — A powerful and uplifting movie about the reality of women — 9*/10

Slow and so well constructed. Extremely interesting. You can't help but smile and root for those women and that boy. Excellent feminist view port. It's emotionally complex, but it's not a downward drag. On the contrary, it's kind of inspiring.

Annette Bening, Elle Fanning and Greta Gerwig.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4385888/


You can hear the 98 sec of Jimmy Carter's speech about consumerism that's in the movie here (there's more too after): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-c4WSd2d9M

A Monster Calls — A beautiful fantasy tale about a hard emotional time — 9*/10

Not an easy tale. Very touching and emotional. However, it is not a damaging tale, it will not drag you down into darkness and leave you there. It is compelling, captivating and extremely well told with great visuals, especially those side stories.

Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones and Liam Neeson.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3416532/

Collateral Beauty — Beautiful sentimental piece that could have been more — 6*/10

• Overall: You'll be touched, you'll be captivated, but you might be disappointed if you’re expecting something different.
• Who is it for? Anyone looking for something emotional, but simple and slick.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4682786/
• Known actors: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Michael Peña.
• Setting: New York middle upper class.
• Style: Emotional story designed to give you a sad smile.
• Intro: It's not bad, per se, it's just straight from the standard mold and it's that particular trick woefully unnecessary.
• Story: Extremely interesting ideas, full of nice details and even a few side stories that are well built. Touching.
• Ending: Weak. Not because it's not good or uninteresting, but really, why? That was a good idea, but not nearly imaginative enough to be as good as the core of the story.
• Epilogue: Could have done without that. It was already pretty clear without it.
• Dialogs: Solid. Intelligent. Sometimes witty or funny.
• Characters: Well developed. Nice depth, even if a few of them are archetypes.
• Acting: Excellent, although Will Smith looks like he has been there and has done that and I think the little girl's father-hating phase sublimated too quickly, but I blame the director for that. Loved Edward Norton and Helen Mirren.
• Visuals: Beautiful, on the too-slick side.
• Afterthoughts: I loved it, but I was still disappointed because the ending just wasn't up to the quality of the rest of the flick.

Manchester by the Sea — For those in need of an emotional flick — 8*/10

• Overall: Very emotional drama with interesting ideas and unusual choices. Great, but for a single detail.
• Who is it for? Anyone wanting to feel something powerful.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4034228/
• Known actors: Casey Affleck.
• Setting: Low-middle class small town America.
• Style: Emotional drama.
• Pacing: Slow.
• Story: Well told, with strong emotional ties between the characters. However, there's barely any change in them as the story progresses. It kills the possibility of a story, it turns the film more into an anecdote than a movie.
• Ending: It ends too realistically. I rarely say that, but it made me think too much of a biography, because there is no real ending. It sort of just stops. Even historical movies do better. It might be courageous to do so, but you still need to be able, as an audience, to be left with something or else you have no attachment and you just forget about it.
• Dialogs: Very realistic. Powerful.
• Characters: Impressive emotional depth and solid realism.
• Acting: Perfect. Very realistic. Casey Affleck's best performance to date.
• Score: Very classical with great effect, but sometimes, it can take you by surprise or be a bit repetitive.
• Afterthoughts: As I watched, I could sense a great movie in the making, with only a few weak spots, but the ending, just... I won't say it ruined it, but it did diminish its accomplishment.

The Edge of Seventeen — A silly comedy that doesn't shy away from realism — 8*/10

• Overall: Fun and quite taking. It feels very real and yet it has a totally silly impossible vibe to it. A great mix.
• Who is it for? Anyone looking for some fun mixed in with some serious stuff.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1878870/
• Known actors: Hailee Steinfeld and Woody Harrelson.
• Setting: Well-off suburbia.
• Style: Silly comedy with realistic settings.
• Intro: The usual childhood recap. Well done, quite funny, with really nice details.
• Story: It's full of great details that make you really pay attention as well as really serious subjects that are taken in a silly manner yet treated with respect.
• Ending: You could see it coming, but there's a nice funny twist on it.
• Dialogs: Witty, sometimes a bit dramatic or over the top. You're never sure what you're going to get at any given time and it makes the whole experience that much more interesting.
• Characters: Great characters, even though they're not that complex they have a certain emotional depth and some surprising realism to them. That really makes them come really close to the perfection (in terms of silly-serious comedy).
• Acting: Solid. My hat to them.
• Visuals: A bit too clean, but it makes for a good escape from reality.
• Afterthoughts: I was really surprised and I totally enjoyed myself. Everyone should see it.

Arrival — The must-see of the year, even if you don't really like sci-fi — 10*/10

• Overall: Perfect. Very novel. A masterpiece by Denis Villeneuve.
• Who is it for? A must see. It's a sci-fi like you've never seen.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2543164/
• Known actors: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner and Forest Whitaker.
• Style: Introspective realistic sci-fi, but it's so much more.
• Pacing: Amazing. This is one of its greatest strengths.
• Intro: Great, especially once you understand the ending.
• Story: Mostly tense with unreal or introspective moments incredibly done. It transports you somewhere completely different. The real world fades to something barely known and you live again. Plus, it has a very strong sentimental dimension to it. And the mood... the mood is incredible, thick enough to hack at with a machete and sharp enough to shave.
• Ending: Things get into focus and the film bloom. It's as if a beautiful butterfly would morph into something even more beautiful.
• Dialogs: Always full of meaning.
• Characters: This is not a character movie, so they barely have any importance. Except for the main one, the others are rather simple, but you don't get to spend enough time with any of them to notice, so everything is fine.
• Acting: Excellent. Can't ask for more.
• Visuals: Astounding. Masterful.
• Special Effects: Perfect.
• Camera Work: Riveting choices. Lots of thought went into it and it shows.
• Score: Very reminiscent of 2001. Not so much the score itself, I find it much better, but the way it is built and used.
• Afterthoughts: It's one of those movies that you never forget.

Song of the Sea — An extremely touching and soft story — 9*/10

• Overall: A sad but marvelous faerie tale.
• Who is it for? Anyone that doesn't mind a slow pace and a few tears.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1865505/
• Known actors: Brendan Gleeson.
• Style: An old folk tale with magic.
• Pacing: Slow. If you let yourself float on, by the end of the first act, you won't want to stop.
• Story: No action, but full of meaning. Very touching. Beautiful.
• Ending: Amazing. Be ready to shed a few tears.
• Epilogue: It helps. Extremely short.
• Dialogs: Simple, but just right.
• Characters: Simple, but well developed.
• Acting: Solid.
• Visuals: Extremely beautiful. Very stylized.
• Afterthoughts: It took me a while to get into it, but it touched me greatly. Loved it.

The Dressmaker — An incredible movie that will fill your emotional cup — 9*/10

• Overall: Beautiful touching story with strong female roles. Very interesting and entertaining, full of surprises.
• Who is it for? Anyone, unless you require pervasive action.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2910904/
• Known actors: Kate Winslet, Hugo Weaving and Liam Hemsworth.
• Setting: 1950s rural Australia.
• Style: It's going back to where you came from to show off mixed with the discovering the past.
• Pacing: A very human scale. You slowly get more and more interested until by the end you're completely engrossed.
• Intro: Excellent patchwork of scenes until you get the proper introduction.
• Story: This is more than just a homecoming, there are several secrets to discover and the script is full of surprises and very unusual turns. Incredible emotional realism.
• Ending: Fitting. Excellent. Loved it.
• Dialogs: Build with great care.
• Characters: Great depth and color. The leading man is the only present stereotype.
• Acting: Powerful. Loved Kate Winslet, but was really impressed by Hugo Weaving.
• Visuals: Beautiful and complex, full of details.
• Costumes: Incredible. Loved them.
• Afterthoughts: Great movie. Extremely satisfied with my choice. I recommend it to everyone. I can't believe it took it a year to get from Australia to our theaters.

Mr. Nobody — Be ready for a quiet surreal sci-fi ride — 8*/10

• Overall: This is the kind of movie that feels very exploratory.
• Who is it for? Only a few, those who like sci-fi and films that mess with time in a surreal way.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485947/
• Known actors: Jared Leto and Rhys Ifans.
• Style: Almost surreal sci-fi.
• Story: It's about choices, building time and deconstructing it. A very different sci-fi with romance, sadness, hopes and illusions. You get lost, but you explore so many possibilities.
• Ending: Could have been stronger. Kinda weak compared to the rest.
• Characters: You get an excellent feel for those characters that do not fit into your standard stereotypes.
• Acting: Excellent.
• Visuals: Strong.
• Special Effects: Solid, if not perfect.
• Camera Work: Excellent. Makes the story telling work.
• Afterthoughts: I thought it was weird, my kind of weird and few others. I loved it because it was so bold in what it tried to convey. My mind felt at ease with the script going in every direction, because it works the same way. I just wished for a different ending.

The Fundamentals of Caring — As sweet touching comedy about some serious stuff — 8*/10

• Overall: A sweet, touching, funny and unexpected Netflix original that lightly goes where humanity's drama waits.
• Who is it for? Anyone wanting to watch something very humane with a touch of comedy.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2452386/
• Known actors: Craig Roberts, Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez.
• Cameos: Bobby Cannavale.
• Setting: Simple.
• Intro: It feels like a massive weight is dropped on you, but it gives exactly the right feel the flick.
• Story: No heavy drama, just really twisted jokes and many funny character moments. Many unexpected turns, a few predictable ones.
• Epilogue: Short and funny.
• Dialogs: Very witty, funny and well built. This is one of its major strengths.
• Characters: Nice depth and extremely well developed.
• Acting: Great, almost flawless.
• Afterthoughts: I was pleasantly surprised, had been nicely entertained and was satisfied with my choice.

Cyrano de Bergerac — D'une justesse et d'une beauté pratiquement irréprochable — 10*/10

Si vous aimez le texte originel d'Edmond Rostand, il n'y a pas de raison de ne pas adorer ce film. Cela fait maintenant plusieurs années que j'apprécie ce film et il est difficile pour moi d'imaginer une interprétation différente.

Le visuel est parfait et vieilli très bien. Les mots sont portés avec une précision émotionnelle et intellectuelle impressionnante. Je n'ai presque rien à redire de cette production.

À voir.

Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099334/

Café Society — An enjoyable moment just short of great — 8*/10

• Overall: Lives lived in the fast lanes, interesting and full of details, but the film fails to really be special.
• Who is it for? Fans of Woody Allen.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4513674/
• Known actors: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Steve Carell.
• Setting: Hollywood and New York jet-set crowd and venues in the 1930s.
• Story: Although it is very interesting, full of details and different things, including family lives, Jewish humor, romance and some anecdotal violence, it fails at greatness. Short of that lofty goal, you still get captivated by all the interweaving lives.
• Ending: It ends as life does, on a suspended note. A bit unsatisfying, but realistic.
• Dialogs: Witty. Quick.
• Characters: Full of life and details.
• Acting: Solid.
• Visuals: Rich and vibrant with well-chosen color palettes.
• Costumes: Beautiful and on the spot.

Corpse Bride — A beautiful and creepy stop animation film by Tim Burton — 8*/10

• Overall: Enchanting, in a creepy way. Touching romantic story. Could have done without the singing.
• Who is it for? For fantasy lovers, Burton fans and anyone looking for a creepy love story or some good stop animation.
• Synopsis & information: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121164/
• Known actors: Helena Bonham Carter, Johnny Depp, Tracey Ullman and Christopher Lee.
• Style: Very Tim Burton.
• Pacing: Quick and to the point, it is short after all, especially if you don't take into account the songs.
• Intro: Annoying singing.
• Story: There lies a hidden intrigue within this fantastic touching love story based on a very simple premise.
• Ending: An interesting little twist in how it happened, even if the end result was generally predictable.
• Dialogs: Neat.
• Characters: Quite fantastic, well made and thoroughly thought out.
• Acting: Solid.
• Visuals: Beautiful.
• Music: Haunting and perfect, by Danny Elfman. The singing was totally unnecessary.