Reviews & Revues

#230: Super 8, Movies recommended or seen lately...Les films a voir

2011-08-08T07:17:00.000-07:00

Genre: Sci-Fi/Science Fiction
Annee/Year: 2011
Country: US
Format: Cinema
Super 8 is one of this summer's strongest movie. For many the best of the year. Director and writer is JJ Abrams (Star Trek remake, LOST, Cloverfield, Mission Impossible 3) and produced by Spielberg... This is a movie set in 1979 a time at which many grown ups can relate. It makes us relive a bit of our youth in the same way that movies such as "stand by me" and ET did. Not a pure sci-fi film, but more of a comedy with a scifi twist all age groups will love this movie. The child actors used in the movie are not very well known but are excellently casted and directed. The story is the one of a group of friends making a film and accidentaly witnessing a huge train wreck. Out of the wreck escapes am alien abducted by the air force years before. Sounds a bit like ET? Well certainly, our alien gets busy stealing euqipment to build his craft and head home. But this is not ET our alien was vindicated by the army and is not happy on this planet; did i mention he is about 25 feet tall and kills a few of his army fans along the way... The movie is well construcuted and includes a friends group and a love story with one of the girls. One of the important elements of the movie is also the father and son relation being played through the movie. Definitely an entertaining movie playing on many levels quite successfully. If you are all out waiting for a "monster" movie you may end up disappointed as this movie is definitely more about the relations between the teenagers and the adults. If you have not seen it , hurry to the remainin theaters playing it otherwise you will have to wait for the Blu Ray at christmas.

Super 8 est un des succès de cet été. Réalisé et écrit par JJ Abrams (Star Trek remake, LOST, Cloverfield, Mission Impossible 3) et produit par Spielberg ce film est une réussite certainement mal connu. Ce film est du genre `Stand by me`et ET et il vous rammener à l`été 1979 ce qui est toujours attirant pour les plus vieux comme moi. Ce n`est pas un film purement science-fiction mais plutot une comedie avec un twist science fiction. L`histoire suit les aventures d`un groupe de jeunes ados qui font un film super 8 et sont spectateurs d`un énorme déraillement de train duquel émerge un extra terrestre géant qui était captif de l`armée américaine. Ca ressemble à ET? Attendez... Notre ET de 25 pieds commence a colletionner des objets et du métal pour fabriquer un vaisseau et retourner chez lui. Mais la s`arrete la comparaison car notre géant n`est pas si gentil et n`hésite pas a tuer certains des soldats de l`armée qui l `ont capturé. Le film est bien construit et parfaitement réalisé. On suit la relations entre les amis du groupe et leurs familles; une relation amoureuse entre deux jeunes mais surtout la relation entre père et fils. Ce film ne manque pas d`action et fonctionne très bien à plusieurs niveaux. Si vous vous attendez à un film de monstre vous serez décu car le monstre occupe peu de place. Définitivement à ne pas manquer.

Great quotes:
Cary: He's too stoned!
Martin: Oh, drugs are so bad!
...
Dr. Woodward: If you speak of this, you and your parents will be killed.
...
Louis Dainard: I've seen it... nobody believes me...
Joe Lamb: I believe you.
...
Cary: Excuse me, can I have another order of fries? Because my friend here is fat.
Charles: At least I don't need a booster seat.
...
Joe Lamb: She used to look at me... this way, like really look... and I just knew I was there... that I existed.

Link: http://www.super8-movie.com/#/video

Entertainment rating: 8.5/10
Cast/acting rating: 8/10
Artistic rating: 6/10
Reflexion rating: 6/10
Production rating: 9/10
Adult factor: 9/10
Wide audience: 9/10
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Overall personnal rating: 8/10

#229: Galapagos the island that changed the world, Movies recommended or seen lately...Les films a voir

2011-08-04T09:25:00.000-07:00

Genre: Documentary/Documentaire
Annee/Year: 2007
Country: UK
Format: Blu Ray

Galapagos the island that changed the world. This film from National Geographic and the BBC brings us the same quality and visual quality as the Earth series also from BBC. This is a documentary in three parts which covers all the major aspects of life's diversity on this pristine island of the Pacific. Special sections highlight Charles Darwin's passage on this island and it helped to shape his truly new vision he expressed in the Origins' of species. Great films from undersea, the air and the land show us the rich biodiversity of the island and it multiple ecosystems as well as it's geology (volcanoes). Great for all ages.

Galapagos the island that changed the world est un documentaire sur cette magnifique archipel du Pacifique. Les galapagos font partie des dernières iles presque intacte sur notre planète. La diversité de la vie sur ces îles nous montre la nature dans toute sa splendeur. Le documentaire de National Géographique et de la BBC est en trois partie et une partie y est dédié au passage de Darwin sur ces îles et sur l`impact qu`elles ont eues sur lui et à l`élaboration de son classique `Sur l`origine des espèces`. Un intéressant film sur un sujet qu`on ne se lasse jamais de revisiter, avec des images spectaculaires surtout sur Blu Ray. À voir pour tous.

Great quotes:

Link:

Entertainment rating: 8/10
Cast/acting rating: 7/10
Artistic rating: 5/10
Reflexion rating: 9/10
Production rating: 9/10
Adult factor: 10/10
Wide audience: 10/10
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Overall personnal rating: 8/10

#228: Martyrs, Movies recommended or seen lately...Les films a voir

2011-08-03T17:25:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur
Annee/Year: 2008
Country: France/Canada
Format: DVD

Martyrs is definitely not a movie for everyone. But for those who seek the ultimate in sensation this is at the pinnacle. Director Pascal Laugier in his second feature length movie (after Saint-Ange) takes us into a grim vision of the world from the point of view of a young women taken into extreme situations. This movie is amazing first because it has three different phases. Feels like a metamorphose each time and that DID surprise and please me a lot. The beginning finds two young women seeking to take revenge on a couple who abused one of them in her childhood. They stake them out and kill their whole normal seeming family. In phase two of the movie, one of the young girls deals with an imaginary captive in the house and her imaginary side wins as she commits suicide. Intersting duality and ambiguity about the reality and the imaginary part of that woman's psyche. The remaining girl finds another captive woman in the basement and attempts to rescue her. This all ends with the third phase where reality set's in that these abducters are not at all a family but a sect which explore the limits of torture in their victim as they get close to death in order to see the "other side".... very creepy and one of the very well realised horror flicks of the last decade. Only for those with extreme movies taste.

Martyrs est un film qui n'est définitivement pas pour tous. Le directeur, Pascal Laugier, nous fait vivre une aventure aux extrèmes du cinéma dans son deuxième long métrage (après Saint-Ange). Ce film est fascinant car il est composé en trois actes. Dans le premier acte, on vois deux jeunes femmes aux prises avec de sérieux problèmes sociaux qui cherchent à se faire justice. Ils recherchent un couple apparamment normaux qui aurait enlevé l`une d`elle 15 ans plus tôt. Lorsqu`elles retrouve le couple l`heure de la vengeance à sonnée: ils tuent tous les membres de cette famille. Dans le second acte, on voit une des filles aux prises avec sont imaginaires ou elle imagine une fille qu`elle doit liberer dans cette maison. Mais la fille imaginaire ne pense pas ainsi et elle attaque la jeune fille. Ceci nous es montré comme la jeune fille qui se suicide par lacérations. La jeune fille restante décide alors de sauver une femme qui et enfermé dans le sous-sol de cette infame famille. En essayant de l`aider tant bien que mal le troisième acte débute. La surprise qui nous attend est que la famille ne travaillait pas seule mais qu`il s`agissait réellement d`une secte organisé qui revient pour prendre contrôle et capture la jeune fille. Il la torture a mort afin de pouvoir avoir un appercu de ce qu`il y a de l`autre côté de la mort...
Un film très bien réussi avec un casting du tonerre (Morjana Alaoui, Mylene Jampanoui). Plusieurs acteurs québécois y jouent avec un accent Francais (fail). Ce film est un des meilleur film d`horreur des dernières années si vous avez le coeur assez solide. Définitivement un film sous évalué par plusieurs et qui deviendra culte.

Great quotes:
Mademoiselle: Martyrs are exceptional people. They survive pain, they survive total deprivation. They bear all the sins of the earth. They give themselves up. They transcend themselves... they are transfigured.
...
[last lines] Mademoiselle: Keep doubting.

Link: http://www.martyrs-lefilm.com/

Entertainment rating: 7.5/10
Cast/acting rating: 8/10
Artistic rating: 8/10
Reflexion rating: 7/10
Production rating: 8/10
Adult factor: 1/10
Wide audience: 2/10
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Overall personnal rating: 8.5/10

#227: Le poil de la bete, Movies recommended or seen lately...Les films a voir

2011-07-16T07:02:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur
Annee/Year: 2010
Country: Can
Format: DVD

Le poil de la bête is a film from Quebec which I would have made if I was making movies. The mix of history and horror is great and not enough exploited in north america. The story is a bout a band of werewolf taking advantage of the early quebec colony in 1665. A brave coureur des bois embodies a dead priest werewolf slayer to save the lady of his heart.

This is a comedy/horror genre movie with great french actors but a average script. The production is quite good. Unfortunately it has only english subtitles. This movie is way underrated and had so much potential. The sequels originaly planned (before the negative reviews) would have been way better i feel. Maybe we will get the chance of seeing one of them at least.

Le poil de la bête est un film presque génial et le genre de film que j`aurais fait si j`était réalisateur. Ce film est du réalisateur Philippe Gagnon qui nous a aussi apporté la comédie `le 1er juillet`. Mis en place en 1665 au début de la colonie de la nouvelle-france, nous retrouvons notre héros (Guillaume Lemay-Thivierge) en coureur des bois qui se sauve de la justice de la vilel de Québec après avoir fait des avances à la belle fille du roi qui était promise à l`intendant Jean Talon. Il tombe par hasard sur le corps d`un prêtre mort dans un champs et il en profite pur lui voler ses vêtements et objets personnel pour ne pas se faire indentifier. Cela fonctionne un temps mais il s`appercoie vite que le prêtre en question était un grand tueur de loup-garou.

Il se retrouve rapidement a défendre la petite localité (et surtout ses convoitées filles du roi) qui sont promise au seigneur local. malheureusement le seigneur (Gilles Renaud) et ses fils forment la bande de loup-garous en question. Beaucoup d`action et de comédie dans ce film en font un fil pas très épeurant mais très divertissant. Le réalisateur parle de faire une trilogie de ce film et je crois que ce serait une excellente idée car ce film a beaucoup de potentiel. Il n`est pas toujours très bien scripté mais je crois que les suites pourraient être encore plus fortes. Noter en passant la présence des acteurs: Michel Barrette, Patrice Robitaille, Antoine Bertrand et plus encore. A voir au moins pour encourager notre cinéma local.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517506/

Entertainment rating: 8/10

Cast/acting rating: 7/10

Artistic rating: 6/10

Reflexion rating: 6/10

Production rating: 8/10

Adult factor: 8/10

Wide audience: 9/10

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Overall personnal rating: 7.5/10

#226: Logan's Run, Movies recommended or seen lately...Les films a voir

2011-07-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

Genre: Sci-Fi/Science Fiction
Annee/Year: 1976
Country: US
Format: Blu Ray

Logan's run another '70s SCi-FI classic comes to Blu Ray. Logan's run was directed by Michael Anderson (Doc savage: the man of bronze, Orca, 1984,...) and is a typical '70s future vision on film. The movie is set in 2274 where people seem to live in a perfect world: no disease, everyone is young and beautiful, no one has to work and life is play all the time in a city under a giant dome. Only problem is that there are such people as our main character Logan (Michael York who has played in over 150 movies or TV series from Austin Powers to babylon 5) who is a cop (called sandman) who captures runaways from the caroussel a lottery game in which you get eliminated to prevent population control and aging. But in this idyllic world almost no one asks questions.

One day, our sandman is instrucuted by the master computer, to runaway himself and find the elusive sanctuary which is the mythological place the runaways are supposed to go to. Ensues a giant chase exiting the city dome through it's dirty/maintenance undergrounds. Eventually our sandman and a pretty girl accompanying him (Jenny Agutter) make it outside the dome where life destroyed by a nuclear war long ago has now returned to an almost virgin state. They find the ruins of our modern world there and decide that it is now time to end the tyranny of the dome.

This movie is quite interesting on many levels. Yes it is a good entertaining chase movie but on top of that it will also make you think abouta few interesting anticipation concepts. Gotta see.

Logan's run un film de science-fiction classique des années '70. Réalisé par Michael Anderson, ce film nous présente un monde idéal en 2274. Vivant dans une ville sous un dôme après une guerre nucléaire qui à détruit tout, les gens vivent maintenant dans un monde sans maladies, sans vieillissement et où ils ne travaillent pas et ne se posent pas de questions ou presque. Le soucis est qu`une lotterie nommée le Carroussel promet un future brillant aux vainqueurs mais en fait ils sont éliminés à l`age de trente an afin de controller la population et le vieillissement.

Certains n`accepte pas cette fin et se sauvent. Ces runaway sont alors poursuivis par des policiers spéciaux pour les éliminer. Le héro de notre film ( joué par Michael York) se nomme Logan et est un policier, nommé Sandman, qui est chargé par l`ordinateur central de retrouver le sanctuaire: endroit oû tous les runaway s`échappent. Avec une jolie compase jouée par Jenny Agutter ils s`échappent et sont pursuivis par les agents policier dans une poursuite infernale à travers la cité. Ils finissent par s`échapper du dôme en passant par les sousterrains de maintenance désaffectés et en délabre. Ils atteignent l`extérieur du dôme et comprennent alors que le monde extérieur est revenu presque vierge après tant d`années. Ils décident alors dèn aviser leurs compatriotes et de détruire la tirannie du dôme, si les policiers les laissent le temps de le faire. Très bon films qui se joue à plusieurs niveaux. À voir ou revoir.

Great quotes:

[watching Logan's son, Logan 6, in the nursery]
Francis 7: Do you know who his seed mother was?
Logan: Of course not! I'm curious, not sick!
...
Jessica 6: A friend of mine went on carousel. Now he's gone.
Logan 5: Yes, well, I'm sure he was renewed.
Jessica 6: He was killed.
...
Box: Regular storage procedure. The same as the other food. The other food stopped coming. And they started.
Logan 5: What other food?
Box: Fish, and plankton. And sea greens, and protein from the sea. It's all here, ready. Fresh as harvest day. Fish and sea greens, plankton and protein from the sea. And then it stopped coming. And they came instead. So I store them here. I'm ready. And you're ready. It's my job. To freeze you. Protein, plankton...
...
Jessica 6: [seeing the sun for the first time] What is it?
Logan 5: I don't know. Whatever it is, it's warm.
...
Logan: NO! Don't go in there! You don't have to die! No one has to die at 30! You could live! LIVE! Live, and grow old! I've seen it! She's seen it!
[Shows the crystal on his palm]
Logan: Well, look! LOOK! LOOK, IT'S CLEAR!
[Crowd laughs]
P.A. System: Lastday, Capricorn 29's. Year of the City: 2274. Carousel begins.
Jessica: No! Don't! Don't go! Listen to him! He's telling the truth!
[More laughter]
Jessica: We've been outside! There's another world outside! We've seen it! [Sandmen grab them]
Logan: Life clocks are a lie! Carousel is a lie! THERE IS NO RENEWAL!
...
Logan 5: There... is... no... sanctuary.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074812/maindetails

Entertainment rating: 8/10
Cast/acting rating: 7/10
Artistic rating: 7/10
Reflexion rating: 9/10
Production rating: 8.5/10
Adult factor: 9/10
Wide audience: 9/10
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Overall personnal rating: 8.0/10

#225: Soylent green, Movies recommended or seen lately... Les films a voir

2011-07-03T07:45:00.000-07:00

Genre: Sci-Fi/Science-Fiction
Annee/Year: 1973
Country: US
Format: Blu Ray

Soylent Green, a classic sci-fi movie from the '70s from director Richard Fleischer who brought us over 60 movies (Conan the destroyer, Red Sonja, The jazz signer, Amytiville 3D, Fantastic voyage, Tora, tora, tora and more) is now on Blu Ray. What better time to revisit this great work. Charlton Heston plays the role of detective Thorn a macho street cop from futuristic New-York 2022. In this vision of the future, the world is fed by colored pellets as there is a great challnge to feed everyone due to overcrowding. Some women are back to slavery and are considered part of the furinture for the rich. Due to overpopulation folks are allowed to get medically assisted suicide for those who cant handle it anymore. Thorn is put on the case to investigate the murder of a director from the company Soylent which makes the food pellets eaten by all. At this point he discovers a hidden truth which will be world changing (People are soylent green!). Definitely a movie which will entertain but make you think. The themes touched are all very much headline material close to 40years later. To be seen.

Soylent green (Soleil vert) est un grand classique de la science fiction des années '70. Richard Fleischer le réalisateur qui nous a donné plus de 60 films de années 40 à fin 80 (Conan the destroyer, Red Sonja, The jazz signer, Amytiville 3D, Fantastic voyage, Tora, tora, tora et bien plus), nous offre ici un film qui nous divertis et nous fait réfléchir: de la science-fiction comme je l`aime. Charlton Heston joue ici le rôle de détective Thorn un policier crasseux qui mène ses enquêtes avec des méthodes douteuses mais usuelle pour ce temps. L`action se passe dans le New-York de 2022 où plusieurs femmes sont esclaves et font partie du mobilier des appartements, où l`eau chaude et le savon est un luxe, où la surpopulation produit une dévaluation de la valeur des êtres humains et où la nourriture naturelle est remplacée par des pépites sèches nommée soleil vert ou rouge. Thorn est mis sur l`investigation du meurtre d`un des dirigeants de l`usine de soleil vert pendant laquelle il découvrira un secrêt bien garder sur l`origine du soleil vert. (Le soleil vert est des personnes!). Certainement un film qui vous fera réfléchir et dont les thèmes sont extremement d`actualité. À voir ou revoir!

Great quotes:
[Announcer doing a commercial announcement before Gov. Santini's interview] Richard: ...is brought to you by Soylent red and Soylent yellow, high energy vegetable concentrates, and new, delicious, Soylent green. The miracle food of high-energy plankton gathered from the oceans of the world.
...
Det. Thorn: I know, Sol, you've told me a hundred times before. People were better, the world was better...
Sol: Ah, people were always lousy... But there was a world, once.
[Thorn chuckles]
Sol: I was there, I can prove it! When I was a kid, you could buy meat anywhere! Eggs they had, real butter! Not this... crap!
...
[Shirl tells Thorn that she's getting a new tenant]
Det. Thorn: He'll like you. You're a helluva piece of furniture.
Shirl: Don't talk to me like that. Please.
Det. Thorn: OK.
...
Hatcher: What's the story with the Simonson homicide?
Det. Thorn: It was carefully set up to make it look like he was killed after he caught some punk burglarizing his apartment.
Hatcher: What do you think it was?
Det. Thorn: It was an assassination. A well-planned assassination.
Hatcher: You know this for a fact?
Det. Thorn: Four reasons. One: the alarm system in the building was out of order for the first time in two years. Two: the bodyguard who was supposed to be protecting him was conveniently out shopping. Three: the punk that broke into the apartment didn't take anything. And four: the punk who killed Simonson was no punk because he used a meat hook instead of a gun to make it look like a punk.
Hatcher: Well, if the punk didn't take anything from the apartment, what did you take?
Det. Thorn: Everything I could lay my hands on.
...
Gilbert: [hesitating before killing Simonson] Uh... they told me to uh... to say that they were sorry, but that you had become... unreliable.
Simonson: That's true.
Gilbert: They can't risk, uh... catastrophe, they say.
Simonson: They're right.
Gilbert: Then, uh... this is right?
Simonson: No, not right... Necessary.
Gilbert: To who?
Simonson: To... God.
...
[last lines] Det. Thorn: It's people. Soylent Green is made out of people. They're making our food out of people. Next thing they'll be breeding us like cattle for food. You've gotta tell them. You've gotta tell them!
Hatcher: I promise, Tiger. I promise. I'll tell the exchange.
Det. Thorn: You tell everybody. Listen to me, Hatcher. You've gotta tell them! Soylent Green is people! We've gotta stop them somehow!

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070723/fullcredits#cast

Entertainment rating: 7.5/10
Cast/acting rating: 7/10
Artistic rating: 7/10
Reflexion rating: 10/10
Production rating: 8/10
Adult factor: 9/10
Wide audience: 8/10
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Overall personnal rating: 8.0/10

#224: Ray, Movies recommended or seen lately... Les films a voir

2011-07-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

Genre: Drama/Drame
Annee/Year: 2004
Country: US
Format: Blu Ray

Ray, after waiting for many years i finally was able to get my hands on the newest iteration of this film in Blu ray format. I wanted to insure the music quality was of the highest order and that is what the Blu ray delivers as well as an excellent image transfer. Director Taylor Hackford (An officer and a gentleman, Against all odds, White nights, Chuck Berry hail hail rock'n roll, Dolores Clairborne, The devil's advocate, Proof of life and more) brings us a very endearing biography on the life of Ray Charles who died on the same year this movie was released. Jamie Foxx plays here the role of his career as a blind mind who is the master of piano. We follow Ray through his career from his humble beginnings where he gets hustled (because he his blind and naive) until he creates his chart toping Rhytm and Soul music hits and back through the hell of heroin addiction. A respectful, sensitive movie which really makes you think it is very close to reality.
EXCELLENT musical interpretation. If you have not seen this film you owe it to yourself to watch it and the new Blu Ray release is very much a good incentive to do so.

Ray, une biographie du musicien extraordinaire Ray Charles réaliseé avec soin par Taylor Hackford (An officer and a gentleman, Against all odds, White nights, Chuck Berry hail hail rock'n roll, Dolores Clairborne, The devil's advocate, Proof of life et plus) qui a déjà fait plusieurs films musicaux. Ce film est une réussite et beaucoup de ceci est dû à Jamie Foxx qui interprète Ray Charles tout au long de sa longue carrière jusqu`à sa mort en 2004 année de publication de ce film. On suit dans ce film la carrière de Ray Charles de ses humbles débuts, où il se fait rouler par ses collègues autant parce qu`il est aveugle que par sa naïveté, jusqu`à la parution de ses plus grands succès Rhythm and Soul des années 60-80. On le suit également à travers ses problèmes familiaux et avec l`emprise de l`héroïne. Un film respectueux et très bien réalisé et surtout avec une trame sonore du tonerre. Si vous n`avez pas vu ce film qu`attendez vous? La sortie en Blu Ray est surement la meilleure excuse possible.

Great quotes:
[first lines] Aretha Robinson: Always remember your promise to me. Never let nobody or nothing turn you into no cripple.
...
Quincy Jones: Say, daddy-o, what axe you play?
Ray Charles: Uh, piano. Just blew in from Tampa, Florida. Me and my partner, Gossie McGee, came here, you know, want to fatten up our style. Cop some licks from some more experienced cats, you dig?
Quincy Jones: You know what? Why don't you let me take you inside? You know, show you around.
Ray Charles: All right. Perfect gentleman.
Quincy Jones: Yeah, this is just like my place. So, what's your name?
Ray Charles: Ray Robinson.
Quincy Jones: I'm Quincy Jones.
...
Ray Charles: Don't jive me, man.
...
Fathead Newman: This ain't no weed, Ray. And we ain't snorting no bitch. This is boy! Boy'll make your ass null and void.
Ray Charles: Null and void, just like my life.
...
Milt Shaw: You know, Ray, your contract with Atlantic expires in 4 months.
Ray Charles: Yeah, I know. Ahmet and Jerry sent me my new contract. They're gonna double my royalties.
Milt Shaw: Before we go down that road again I thought I'd check and see what else was out there.
Ray Charles: Now, who told you to do that? Atlantic is family. Just like the Shaw agency.
Milt Shaw: Ray, my job is to find you the best deal out there. Now, I had a very productive meeting with the folks at ABC Paramount and they are very interested.
Ray Charles: No. How interested?
Milt Shaw: How about a 50 thousand dollar advance every year for the first three years? You choose your own music. They'll deduct recording costs and pay you 75 percent. Now, look, Ahmet and Jerry are flying in tomorrow night. Will you at least put them off until I have a chance to talk to the boys at ABC?
Ray Charles: Well, my mama always said there was nothin' wrong with talkin'.
...
Jack Lauderdale: Smell that, Ray? It's the smell of success. We're in LA now. A place where the negro can really spread his wings and fly.
...
Ahmet Ertegun: If you think pennies, Mr. Charles, you get pennies. If you think dollars, you get dollars.
...
Della Bea Robinson: [talking about Ray's drug problem] You have got to stop this now because there is something you love more then me...
Ray Charles: No, don't say that, Bea...
Della Bea Robinson: ...there is something you love more then me, the children, and every woman you ever slept with.
Ray Charles: No, don't say that, Bea. You know I love you more then anythin'
Della Bea Robinson: [shouts] It's your music! [starts to cry]
Della Bea Robinson: And if you keep usin' that needle they'll take away your music and put you in *jail!* Is that what you want?
...
Della Bea Robinson: If only your mama was here.
Ray Charles: She's here. She ain't never left.

Link: http://www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/ray/

Entertainment rating: 8.5/10
Cast/acting rating: 8.5/10
Artistic rating: 8/10
Reflexion rating: 7/10
Production rating: 8/10
Adult factor: 8/10
Wide audience: 8/10
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Overall personnal rating: 8.0/10

#223: The human centipede, Movies recommended or seen lately... Les films a voir

2011-06-30T17:42:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur
Annee/Year: 2009
Country: UK/Netherlands
Format: Blu Ray

The human centipede (first sequence). I certainly had a hard time to find this movie despite there being a lot of publicity on the web about it. I had to order it from Amazon in the end. This is one of the latest controversial movies. The sequel promised in the title has laready been banned from UK so is this a publicity stunt or a true horrific movie. Director Tom Six decided that in his third movie he would hit us hard by creating this concept of the human centipede. This means three people surgically attached together from mouth to anus and having to walk on all fours. Most people will stop at this point... For those more intrigued you will find a well built movie with good casting of the vilain doctor Heiter (Dieter Lasser who made multiple german movies and tv series Lexx). The doctor makes this movie on his own and the rest of cast is limited to grunts and crying. This is certainly not a great movie but it does stand on it's own besides movies such as Hostel and more. Only for the toughest viewers.

The human centipede est un des derniers films qui à créé de la controverse. Il m`a été si difficile de le trouver que j`ai dû le faire venir d`Amazon.ca. Le directeur Tom Six à tellement fait de promo sur la suite que l`Angleterre à déjà bannie ce film avant la sortie: pub ou horreur à vous de décider. Tom a créé le concept du centipede humain en imaginant une chaîne de trois personnes chirurgiquement attachées de bouche à anus et devant se déplacer à quatre pattes. La plupart des gens arrêteront de lire ici... Pour ceux qui sont plus curieux, vous découvrirez un film bien ficelé et qui comporte une excellente distribution du méchant docteur Heither (Dieter Lasser qui à fait plusieurs films allemands et la série tv Lexx). Le docteur tient le film à lui seul pendant que le reste des acteurs se limitent à pleurer et gémir. On ne peut qu`être triste au fait que le docteur est tué à la fin du film et ne pourra pas être intégré à la suite. Sûrement pas un grand film, mais il tien sa place à côté de film tel Hostel. Limité aux spectateurs les plus braves.

Great quotes:
Katsuro: God. Are you God? I'm just a puny insect. I cast out my parents, left my child, dismissed their love and led a selfish life. Just like an insect. No, my existence is even lower than insects, but... but dear God... that's how I've lived, and this is my punishment. I want to believe that I'm still a human being... Hey girls! Hey mister! What an insane world we live in.
...
Dr.Heiter: You want to bite me? Bite my boots!
...
Dr.Heiter: Feed Her!

Link: http://www.ifcfilms.com/films/human-centipede

Entertainment rating: 7/10
Cast/acting rating: 6.5/10
Artistic rating: 5/10
Reflexion rating: 4/10
Production rating: 7.5/10
Adult factor: 1/10
Wide audience: 1/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 6.0/10

#222: Babylon 5 movie collection, Movies recommended or seen lately... Les films a voir

2011-06-30T08:57:00.000-07:00

Genre: Sci-Fi/Science-Ficition
Annee/Year: 1993-1999
Country: US
Format: DVD

Babylon 5 the movies. Here is a quick review of the movies which extend the story of one of television's most appreciated science-fiction series.

Babylon 5: The gathering
Directed by Richard Compton. This movie was the first in a series of five movies to extend the storyline of Babylon 5 universe. This first movie is actually the pilot of the Babylon 5 series itself. We find the main characters being presented and the dynamic on the space station is established to set the series. A mysterious Vorlon ambassador is victim of an assasination attempt and the new station's captain Jeffrey Sinclair is suspected. This sets the table for an explosive mix when so many races get confined in a closed space. If you are new to Bab 5 start with this episode. Note Billy Mummy (kid from Lost in Space) in the role of a Membari.
Overall personnal rating: 8.0/10

Babylon 5: In the beginning
Directed by Michael Vijar. This excellent movie sets again the stage for the series. This time we relive the bloody war between humans and Menbaris which occurred 10 years before. The war was started by miscommunication at first contact and nearly destroyed the human race as the Membaris were much more advanced. The war came to a sudden end when the Membari discovered that some humans were carrying the souls of reincarnated Membaris. The Babylon 5 station was put in place as a kind of UN to serve to try to create bridges between races and serve peace. A very well built movie narrated by my prepefarate character Londo Mollari (Peter Jurassic) the president of the Centauri republic at the apotheose of his reign.
Overall personnal rating: 9.0/10

Babylon 5: Thirdspace
Directed by Jesus Salvador Trevino. This movie takes place during the foruth sesaon timeframe. The story is about the B5 staff finding a massive artifact in the hyperspace where it appeared to be lost. By bringing it back to the station they play with the risk of unknowingly opening a portal to a another dimension (third space after normal and hyperspace) where delves a very dangerous and violent race. The artifact was built by the ancient races (Vorlons) and lost in hyperspace when they found out how dangerous this discovery was. Interesting but more like an extended episode than a real movie and not so much relevant to the rest of the series story arc.
Overall personnal rating: 7.0/10

Babylon 5: River of souls
Directed by Janet Greek. This movie occurs in the period after the series. A race of creepy individuals named the Soul hunters who are said to reap souls released by the dying, invade the station in an attempt to recover some special dangerous soul containers which were stolen from them and brought to B5 by smugglers. Captain Lochley (Tracy Scoggins who played in Dynasty and The Colbys tv series)has to deal with the situation at same time she is fighting the installation of Holographic virtual brothels on the station. A sometimes funny movie but without the substabce of the previous ones; more like an extended episode. Note great role by Martin Sheen in the role of the soul hunter.
Overall personnal rating: 6.5/10

Babylon 5: A call to Arms
Direted by Michael Vijar. The final movie takes place 5 years after the end of the B5 series. In this one we see the Drakh a race friendly with the Shadows, who were cast off by the alliance, taking arms to attack the humans and the alliance. President Sheridan and his friends fight to the death to fight off the Drakhs using the 2 new battle cruiser developped by the human's and membaris. They succeed in fending off the attack but fail to protect earth from the "planet killer" virus sent by the Drakh.
This puts virus has for goal to completely destroy life on the planet within a couple of years. This sets the table for the expansion series of B5 called B5 Crusade.
Overall personnal rating: 7.0/10

Great quotes:
Ambassador Londo Mollari: [voiceover] I was there at the dawn of the third age of mankind. It began in the Earth year 2257, with the last of the Babylon stations located deep in neutral space. It was a port of call for refugees, smugglers, businessmen, diplomats, and travelers from a hundred worlds. It could be a dangerous place, but we accepted the risk because Babylon 5 was our last, best hope for peace. Under the leadership of its final commander, Babylon 5 was a dream given form. A dream of a galaxy without war, where species could live side-by-side in mutual respect. A dream that was endangered as never before by one man on a mission of destruction. Babylon 5 was the last of the Babylon stations. This is its story.
...
Londo Mollari: I suppose there'll be a war now, hmm? All that running around and shooting at one another. You would have thought sooner or later it'd go out of fashion.
...
Garibaldi: I wonder if they'll ever find that transmitter you slipped in G'kar's drink.
Sinclair: No they won't. Because there is none. If I had put one in, sooner or later, they would have found it. This way, they'll keep looking.
Garibaldi: Are you aware of the tests they'll perform and the things they'll do to him?
Sinclair: Yes. Come on.
Garibaldi: There are some days I love this job.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106336/

Entertainment rating: 8/10
Cast/acting rating: 8.5/10
Artistic rating: 7/10
Reflexion rating: 9/10
Production rating: 7/10
Adult factor: 9/10
Wide audience: 7/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 6.5-9.0/10

#221: RED, Movies recommended or seen lately... Les films a voir

2011-06-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Genre: Action/Comedy/Comedie
Annee/Year: 2010
Country: US
Format: Blu Ray
RED means Retired Extremely Dangerous from young director Robert Schwentke (who also brought us Flightplan and The time travelers' wife). This action comedy is very well written with excellent dialogues. Lead role of Frank is played by Bruce Willis playing a retired special ops agent who has not lost his edge but is bored in his retirement life. Frank falls for a government pension employee (played by Mary-Louise Parker) who's life is equally boring. Both of them get sucked into a race to save their skin as an older spec ops agent is determined to eliminate his old colleagues. This forces Frank to contact his best buddies (played by Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich) to get even odds to save their retired skins. Great action, witty scripts and great actors make this an excellent entertainment value not to be missed.

RED est un film du jeune réalisateur Robert Schwentke (qui nous a aussi apporté Flightplan et The time travelers' wife). Cette comédie et film d`action à la fois, est vraiment bien fait et le jeu d`acteur y est solide. Le tout est agrémenté d`excellents dialogues. Bruce Willis joue le rôle de Frank un ancien agent des forces spéciales qui est maintenant à la retraite mais qui ne s`y plait pas du tout. Il tombe en amour avec une fonctionnaire qui rêve d`aventures romantiques jouée par Mary-Louise Parker pour qui le rêve devient une réalité lorsqu`un anciens agents des force spéciales décide d`éliminer ses anciens collègues. Frank part a la recherche de ses amis pour se défendre et se donner une chance de survie. Il retrouve les charactères joués par Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman et John Malkovich qui sont absolument parfait. Beaucoup d`action, de superbes textes et de très bons acteurs en font un film très divertissant à ne pas manquer.

Great quotes:
Marvin Boggs: [from trailer ] Why are you trying to kill me?
Frank Moses: Look, why would I be trying to kill you?
Marvin Boggs: Because last time we met, I tried to kill you.
Frank Moses: That was a long time ago.
Marvin Boggs: Some people hold on to things like that.
...
Marvin Boggs: I remember the Secret Service being tougher.
Victoria: Me too.
...
Frank Moses: [to Marvin] Open the pig! Open the pig!
[Marvin unzips the pig, and pulls out a grenade launcher]
...
Businesswoman: That's right, old man!
Marvin Boggs: Old man?
Frank Moses: No respect.
Marvin Boggs: Can I kill her now?
Frank Moses: [nods affirmative]
Marvin Boggs: [steps out from behind shipping container and shoots her oncoming bazooka rocket blowing her up]
Marvin Boggs: Old man my ass!
...
Frank Moses: Watch you back, too.
Joe Matheson: I'm 80 years old. I got stage 4 live cancer. What the hell can they do to me?
Frank Moses: They can still shoot you.
Joe Matheson: Well... I never thought this would happen to me.
Frank Moses: What?
Joe Matheson: Getting old. Well I mean, Vietnam, Afghanistan. The Green Spring Rest Home?
...
Cynthia Wilkes: You just got your ass handed to you by a goddamned retiree!
...

Link: http://www.red-themovie.com/

Entertainment rating: 9/10
Cast/acting rating: 8/10
Artistic rating: 6/10
Reflexion rating: 4/10
Production rating: 8/10
Adult factor: 9/10
Wide audience: 8/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 8/10

#220: Existenz, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-06-24T06:44:00.000-07:00

Genre: Sci-fi/Science-Fiction
Annee/Year: 1999
Country: Canada
Format: DVD
Existenz is a really under rated movie in my book. Directed by David Cronenberg (Shivers,Rabid, The brood, The Fly, Videodrome, Eastern promises, Crash and more) one of the most prolific and respected Canadian director. There are a few movies issued lately about alternate universes (Matrix, Exception...) which are quite succefull. This movie is about the same theme but treated in an interesting quite relevant way: virtual reality video games.
Through cool biotechnology living interface consoles which plug directly into your nervous system through a plug which is installed in your spine the close future people interact in very rich virtual reality games where designers reproduce reality with all senses in it's smallest detail until it becomes hard to know what is reality and what is the game. The movies exploits multi layered realities where the protagonists: Ted Pikul (Jude Law) a marketing trainee who has to assist the most well known game designer of her generation Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) through the world in her latest game environment in order to insure the game is not damaged by a hardware problem. Follows an exciting discovery of the different virtual worlds and their inherent rules. Willem Dafoe plays a secondary role which is very interesting as well. A very beautiful metaphore for current gen video games if there is one. The question is can someone loose his own reality through these alternate universes? A great movie from Cronenberg.

Existenz un film définitivement sous évalué par plusieurs. Le célèbre réalisateur canadien David Cronenberg (Shivers,Rabid, The brood, The Fly, Videodrome, Eastern promises, Crash et plus).
Dernièrement il y a eu plusieurs films avec des couches de réalités alternatives qui ont connus pas mal de succès (Matrix, Inception). Existenz traite ce thème mais sur un ton différent: les jeux vidéos basés sur la réalité virtuelle. Avec une technologie futuriste biotechnologique qui utilise des consoles d`interface vivantes, les personnages de cette époque rapprochée se branche sur des réalités virtuelle à travers des ports de communication qui leur sont installés directement à leur système nerveux par leur colonne vertébrale. Cool. Une fois dans ces mondes virtuels les personnages y visitent et interagissent comme si ils y étaient vraiment mais il sàgit de jeux complètement fait par des designer vedetttes qui y mettent autant de détails que dans la réalité. On peut même accéder à d`autres mondes virtuels pour une approche par couches, concept que ce film exploite pleinement. Nos personnages principaux Ted Pikul (Jude Law) un jeune agent de marketing qui doit assister Allegra Geller (Jennifer Jason Leigh) la plus grande designer de jeux virtuels de son époque à travers l`environnement de sa toute dernière création afin de s`assurer que le jeux n`a pas été compromis par une destrucution partielle de la console sur laquelle il était sauvegardé. S`ensuit une excitante poursuite contre des puissances compétitrices qui veulent le comprettre. Willem Dafoe joue un rôle intéressant dùn personnage nommé Gas que vous n`oublierez pas On y découvre alors les règles qui régissent le jeu. Ce grand film est une métaphore intéressante sur les jeux videos qui envahissent nos vies de plus en plus. Bravo Cronenberg pour un film qui nous stimule et fait réfléchir!

Great quotes:
Allegra: So how does it feel?
Ted: What?
Allegra: Your real life. The one you came back for.
Ted: It feels completely unreal.
Allegra: You're stuck now, aren't ya? You want to go back to the Chinese restaurant because there's nothing happening here. We're safe. It's boring.
Ted: It's worse than that. I'm not sure... I'm not sure here, where we are, is real at all. This feels like a game to me. And you, you're beginning to feel a bit like a game character.
...
Ted: What the fuck are you doing? You killed him. Are you going to kill me next?
Allegra: Pikul, he was only a game character. I didn't like how he was messing with my mind.
Ted: You didn't like that, so you killed him?
Allegra: He's only a game character!
Ted: Allegra, what if we're not in the game anymore?
Allegra: If we're not.
Ted: If we're not then you just killed someone real.
...
Ted: It's none of your business who sent us! We're here and that is all that matters... God, what happened? I didn't mean to say that.
Allegra: It's your character who said it. It's kind of a schizophrenic feeling, isn't it? You'll get used to it. There are things that have to be said to advance the plot and establish the characters, and those things get said whether you want to say them or not. Don't fight it.
...
Ted: Free will is obviously not a big factor in this little world of ours.
Allegra: It's like real life. There's just enough to make it interesting.
...
Ted: What was your life like before?
Gas: Before?
Ted: Before it was changed by Allegra Geller.
Gas: I operated a gas station.
Ted: You still operate a gas station, don't you?
Gas: Only on the most pathetic level of reality.
...
Allegra: You have to PLAY the game, to find out WHY you're playing the game.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120907/

Entertainment rating: 8/10
Cast/acting rating: 7/10
Artistic rating: 8/10
Reflexion rating: 9/10
Production rating: 8/10
Adult factor: 6/10
Wide audience: 5/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 8.5/10

#219: Cannibal ferox, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-29T01:55:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1981

Country: Italy

Format: DVD

Cannibal Ferox is not for everyone. This movie is promoted as very violent and actually banned in 31 countries. Hard to find you may need to special order it from an Amazon source. The movie was created by the prolific Italian director Umberto Lenzi (65 movies to his credit between the '60s and the 90's most of which being war/action or horror titles). This is clearly defined as an exploitation genre movie and it's production quality is not great.

The story is that of a group of friends who set out to accompany a young anthopologist who is out to prove that Cannibalism is nothing but a myth. They follow the tracks of rumours of canniballistic tribes in the deep Amazonian forest. Obviously they run into trouble and team up with two other people who are in trouble as well. The situation degenerates from there as the folks they met up with turn out to be be ruthless drug addicts in search for quick money by taking advantage of the locals by killing in mistreating them. That is until the locals decide to get revenge... This movie will take you to the limits of what is publishable on video in terms of violence, rapes and mutilations. I would even say beyond because this was the early '80s and some scenes done to real animals would not be accepted today. Only for explorers of the limits of what can be seen on film.

Cannibal Ferox n'est pas un film pour tous. On fait la promotion de ce film par son extreme violence et par le fait qu'il est banni dans plus de 31 pays (Record Guiness). Umberzo Lenzi en est le realisateur (il a realise plus de 65 film des annees 60 a 90 surout oriente guerre/action et horreur). Ce film est clairement identifie comme un film du genre exploitation et la qualite de la production laisse souvent a desire.

L'histoire est celle d'une anthropologue des US qui se rend en Amazonie afin de prouver que le cannibalisme n'est qu'un mythe. Elle est accompagnee par deux de ses amis et ils se trouvent rapidement perdus dans les trefonds des jungles amazoniennes. La ils rencontrent deux autres individus douteux avec lesquels ils s'allient. Malheureusement ce ne fut pas un bon choix car ils sont des drogues dangeureux qui tuent et exploitent les aborigenes locaux dans leur quete d'argent vite fait. Ceci excalade jusqu'au moment ou les aborigenes decident de se revenger...

Ce film vous emmenera aux limites de ce qui est presentable sur les grand ecrans tel violence, viols, mutilations. Je dirait meme que la violence faites aux animaux pendant le tournage serait maintenant banni entierement. Ce film n'est pas frappant en bout de ligne meme si les effets speciaux y sont fait avec bon effort. A voir seulement par les amateurs de sensations fortes qui explorent les limites des films disponibles sur le marche.

Great quotes:
Rudy: What a wasted vacation.
Gloria Davis: And maybe our lives too.
Rudy: Yeah...
...
Gloria Davis: [Pat runs to eat a piece of meat] No! Stop! It might be Rudy!
...
Gloria Davis: Oh God, please let her die soon. Oh, let her die soon. And let me die soon too, please.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082700/maindetails

Entertainment rating: 6/10
Cast/acting rating: 4/10
Artistic rating: 3/10
Reflexion rating: 6/10
Production rating: 4/10
Adult factor: 1/10
Wide audience: 1/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 4/10

#218: Dont be afraid of the dark , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1973

Country: US

Format: DVD

Don't be afraid of the dark. Director John Newland brought us many TV series and films from the '50s to the 80's. This film is not very well known but this is a movie which truly marked me when i was young. Funny thing is that when i mentioned this film to folks my age they remembered that movie but no one ever knew it's title. People refered to it as "the movie with the little monsters in the chimney" generally followed by a spine tingling sensation. After I discovered some horror maniacs like me on the web site Horreur-web .com i was able to track the movie's title with their help. Obvisouly i secured a copy from Amazon and relived that experience 30 years later to see if it still held some magic.

My wife and I sat and watched the english only movie (too bad) and actually enjoyed reliving this experience. Obviously this movie has aged quite a bit but still plenty of fun to be had. The story is about a young couple who move in a very old house who belonged to the ladie's (played by Kim Darby) grandmother. She is strangely attracted by the study used by her grand-father which contains a condemned fireplace. She opens the fireplace without heeding the warnings of an old man working to renovate the house. This unleashes some unseen demons trapped deep within the firaplace. The demonic creatures live only in hte dark and are of small size.
The husband (played by Jim Hutton) is busy with his work and not very receptive to the complaints from his wife who slowly sinks into a paranoia as she observes more and more strange things occuring in the house. The demons goal is to capture the lady of the house and bring her inside the fireplace so she can become just like them... The movie culminates in a peak of tension which is very well done. Definitely to see for old school horror buffs. And by the way Del Toro is working a remake of this film for this summer....the trailer is horrifying

Don't be afraid of the dark. Le réalisateur John Newland nous a apporté beaucoup de film et d`émissions pour la TV des années 50 aux années 80. Ce film est peut connu mais il m`a marqué dans ma jeunesse. Lorsque j`en parlait aux gens de mon age; ils disaient souvent s`en rapeller mais personne ne se souvenait du titre du film. Tous se souvenait avoir la chienne des petits hommes dansl cheminée cependant. Après avoit découvert le site de Horreur-Web.com j`ai fait appel à l`expertise de ces experts de l`horreur et ils m`ont rapidement trouvé le titre de ce film. Après une rapide commande chez Amazon j`était prêt à revisiter ce titre quelque trente ans plus tard pour voir si la magie était toujours au rendez-vous.

Le film est seulement en anglais et sans sous-titre francais en plus. Triste. Mais cela ne nous a pas arrêté. L`histoire est celle d`un jeune couple qui hérite d`une demeure ancestrale appartenant a feu la grand-mère de la jeune fille, Sally, jouée par Kim Darby. La jeune Sally fait renover la maison afin d`y emmenager mais elle se trouve attirée par une pièce en particulier qui était le bureau de son grand-père disparut plusieurs annéees plus tôt. Sans écouter les avertissement du vieil ouvrier qui refuse de le faire; Sally ouvre la trappe qui bloque le foyer du bureau. En ce faisant elle ne sait pas qu`elle vient de relacher une puissance démoniaque qui s`en prend à elle. Les petites créatures horribles ne sortent que dans le noir pour s`en prendre à elle et pour la tirer dans la cheminéee et en faire une des leurs. Tout au long du film la jeune femme est témoins d`événements de plus en plus insolites qui la lance dans une paranoia extrème. Son mari completement concentré sur son travail ne lui porte que très peu d`attention. La tension du film augment jusqu`à la fin et culmine dans une série de scènes dont vous vous souviendrez longtemps. Définitivement un film à voir pour les amateurs de la vieille école. De plus un remake est en préparation pour cet été du brillant Del Toro et vous pourrez trouver le trailer sur le web qui est assez effrayant merci.

Great quotes:

Creatures: [opening lines] Will she come? Do you think she will come?
First Creature: She will. You know she will.
Second Creature: But when? When?
First Creature: Very soon. It's just a matter of time. Of waiting for a while. All we have to do is bide our time. Bide our time.
[laughs]
Creatures: But it's been so long. So many years. When will she come and set us free-set us free!
First Creature: Patience! Patience! We've all the time in the world.
[laughs]
Creatures: We've all the time in the world. In the world. In the world. To set us free! In the world!
[Maniacal laughter]
...
Sally Farnham: [on a shopping spree] Maybe Alex is right. Maybe I am losing my mind.
Joan Kahn: You know how a husband can tell you've lost your mind?
[laughs and takes her arm]
Joan Kahn: When you stop spending their money! So let's go spend some more of our husbands' money right away.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069992/fullcredits#cast

Entertainment rating: 7/10
Cast/acting rating: 6/10
Artistic rating: 5/10
Reflexion rating: 3/10
Production rating: 7/10
Adult factor: 8/10
Wide audience: 8/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 8/10

#217: Paranormal Acitivty 2 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Country: US

Format: Blu Ray

Paranormal Activity 2. If you liked the first one, you will like the 2nd. If not dont bother obviously. This 2nd film is directed by Tod Willliams who did not do the first movie of the franchise. The story is this time mostly a prequel to the first movie. A couple is increasingly visited by a demonic entity which seems to be bent on getting at their 3yrs old son. The footage is mostly from the many security cameras installed around the house. Again a low budget approach but excelletn tension is established. The couple find out that the grand mother of the wife may have had dealings with the demonic side to insure her financial success in exchange for the first born son; which happens to be this couple's boy...

They take steps to get rid of the demon by chasing him out to her sister. And that is what is observed in the first movie... This second movie ends when all is quiet around the house but the posessed sister enters in the house for the final scene...

Great effect for a low budget movie as good if not better than the first one. Will there be a third, you bet! Will it be better, no chance but you never know.

Paranormal Activity 2, si vous avez aimé le premier film vous adorerez le second. Ce film du réalisateur Tod Willliams (qui n`a pas fait le 1er film) nous remène dans la période précédent le premier film et où un jeune couple se retrouvent visité de plus en plus fréquemment par une présence démoniaque dans leur demeure qui veut s`n prendre a leur jeune fils de 2-3 ans. Le film nous est montré à travers les caméras vidéo de sécurité autour de la demeure. Encore une approche à budget très réduit qui demeure bien efficace.

Le couple découvre que la grand mère dame aurait fait un pacte avec des forces démoniaques afin d`assurer son succès financier. En échange le premier fils né devra être donné en échange. Il s`agit donc de leur fils... Afin de se débarasser du démons le couple interviennent et envoi celui-ci vers la soeur de celle-ci. Le résultat en est décrit dans le premier film. Le second film se termine après les événements du 1er lorsque la soeur possédé par le démon revient à la charge dans le demeure de sa soeur pour la scène finale. Plusieurs scènes sont marquantes sans tomber dans le gore.

Y aurat-il un troisième film dans la franchise? C`est sur. Serat-il réussi? Moins sur...

Great quotes:

Daniel Rey: Hey! Who left the front door open?

Link: http://www.paranormalmovie.com/

Entertainment rating: 9/10
Cast/acting rating: 7/10
Artistic rating: 5/10
Reflexion rating: 2/10
Production rating: 7/10
Adult factor: 4/10
Wide audience: 6/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 8.0/10

Book #1: The Selfish Gene, Richard Dawkins; Books to read, les bouquins à lire

2011-05-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Titre/Title: The Selfish Gene

Author/Auteur: Richard Dawkins

Year/année: 1976

Genre: Science, Biology/Biologie

The selfish gene, this book is now a genre classic from what i consider to be one of the most intelligent scientist alive today. It has taken me quite a while to get to this book and to actually complete reading it. This is not an easy read. It is however targeted to a greater public as the public version of the scientific equivalent named `the extended phenotype`.

These two books published the concept of moving the evolution frame of reference from the animal (living being) or species level down to the specific gene level. Dawkins argues that the basic replicator object in nature is the individual genes themselves and not the individual. Thus this takes the evolution concept of Darwin to a more microscopic level. One of his interesting argument is the fact that every living creature starts off every time from a single cell (set of genes) to develop into what is often a complex being.

Great book, decisive theory and very good science. Well written but often very heavy to read.

The selfish gene, ce bouquin à plus de 30ans déjà et est considéré comme classique en son genre. J`ai mis pas mal de temps pour lire ce bouquin mais cela en valait la chandelle. Dawkins est un des hommes que je respecte le plus en notre époque. Il était le rival d`autre de mes biologiste écrivain préféré Stephen Jay Gould. Mais depuis le décès de Gould , Dawkins s`en prend au concept de Dieu... une longue bataille se présente devant lui.

The selfish gene est un bouquin populaire qui est le mirroir du bouquin scientifique pur produit par Dawkins, `the extended phenotype`, dans lequel il présente la théorie qui suit. La vie étant définie comme une suite de réplication; Dawkins nous dit que les réplicateurs fondamentaux sont bien les gènes et non les individus ou les espèces tel que sous entendu par Darwin au siècle dernier. Ceci est bien argumenté et cette théorie est une version améliorée et acceptée de la nouvelle évolution. Un des arguments utilisé par Dawkins est le fait que chaque individu doit être créé à partir d`une seule cellule même si cet être est complexe.

Un livre définitif en son genre et très bien écrit. Par contre il peut être difficile à lire par moment. Définitivement pas une lecture légère.

Entertainment/Divertissement: 5/10
Knowledge/Connaissance: 9/10

#216: Irreversible , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2002

Country: France

Format: DVD

Irreversible. After having played Cleopatre in the Asterix comedy; the same year Monica Belluci (arguably one of the world's most beautiful woman) decided to play one of the main role in the opposite style of movie that is Irreversible.French director Gaspar Noé (who brought us Seul contre tous, Enter the void and many anti Aids short films) brings us a very original, very tough movie. Most people will walk out on this movie before the first 15 mins are over.

This is too bad because there is a pay off to stick with it for a little while. The movie makes more sense as time passes since the movie is edited as a series of 5 mins clips moving backward in time. The movie starts with the end of the story and moves backwards as we discover the storyline. As if this was not enough the beginning of the movie uses a spinning camera effect which makes it very hard to understand what is being shot. This is really used as a metaphore for the mental breakdown occuring at the end of the story.

Dont despair this movie does have a story however. The story is about a young couple (Vince Cassel and Monical Belluci) meeting iwth a friend for a party and the boyfriend being a bit crazy (drugs) making the girlfriend leave the party alone. She crosses the street through a underground tunnel and gets raped by a thug who was beating up a transvestite whore in that location. The rape/beating scene is very brutal and graphic and definitely not for everyone. The two men see her body being carried by the ambulances and the start chasing after the killer for revenge. Overall an interesting and different movie underlining the irreversibility of time and human actions. ONLY for the very strong of heart and those not subject to dizziness.

Irréversible. Un film du réalisateur français Gaspar Noé (Seul contre tous, Enter the void et plusieurs courts métrages conte le SIDA). Ce film met en vedette Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel et une des plus jolie femme du cinéma: Monica Belluci. Qui jouent les rôles d`un jeune couple et de leur ami commun qu`ils rejoignent pour une fête. Après que le petit ami fait le con et prend de la drogue la copine quite seule la boum. Elle emprunte alors un passage sous terrain pour traverser le boulevard du centre ville ou elle croise un bandit qui brutalisent une prostituée travestie. Celui-ci l`attaque, la viole et la bat dans une longue scène très brutale et crue. Les deux copains voient le corps de la copine embarqué à bord d`une ambulance et ils pètent les plombs et se lancent à la poursuite du tueur qu`ils veulent eliminer. L`histoire se termine dans un bar S&M gai nommé Le Rectum et avec une autre scène de meurtre sanglant.

L`histoire bien que difficile n`est pas la raison principale pourquoi la plupart des gens rejetteront ce film... L`histoire y est conté à l`envers par tranche de cinq minutes. Ce qui est original, rend l`histoire plus complexe et rend le film beaucoup plus difficile à suivre. Si ce n`était pas assez, les quinzes premières minutes du film sont tournées avec une caméra qui pivotent en trois D ce qui peut en rendre plusieurs malades et rend l`action très difficile à suivre. Ceci en convaincra plusieurs à quitter la salle ou arrêter le film avant la fin des premiers 15 minutes. Cet effet
n`est pas complètement gratuit car ils est une métaphore pour la folie qui s`installe à la fin de l`histoire. Donc un film ultra violent, très difficile a suivre et qui en rendra plusieurs malades si vous êtes sensibles aux prise de vues erratiques. Malgré tout très original et un message intéressant sur les effets destructeurs du temps et l`irréversibilité du chaos humain.

Great quotes:

Marcus: I want to fuck your ass.
Alex: I thought you were romantic.
...
Philippe: Time destroys everything.
...
Mourad: With a little money, we can help you get revenge. The assailant drew blood. Blood calls for revenge. Vengeance is a human right.
...
Pierre: You're behaving like an animal. Even animals don't seek revenge.
...
Marcus: Off to The Rectum

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290673/fullcredits#cast

Entertainment rating: 6/10
Cast/acting rating: 7/10
Artistic rating: 8/10
Reflexion rating: 7/10
Production rating: 7/10
Adult factor: 0/10
Wide audience: 1/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 7.5/10

#215: Taxi Driver , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-08T16:19:00.000-07:00

Genre: Drama/Drame

Annee/Year: 1976

Country: US

Format: Blu Ray

Taxi Driver. What better opportunity to review a classic movie than it's transfer on Blu Ray. This great film from director Martin Scorcese has recently been gloriously trasnfered on blu ray through an extensive restoration project of the highest quality.

After having played in the godfather, Scorcese cast Robert DeNiro in the role of the taxi driver/vietnam veteran Travis Bickle. This sis the story of this nevrotic cabby who descends more and more into paranoia as he observes the vermin inhabiting the New York city around him. He falls in love with a young woman Cybill Shepherd from the upper side but the relation quickly makes a turn for the worst when she figures how illeterate Travis really is. Later on he focuses on trying to free a young prostitute played by Jodie Foster from her pimp played by Harvey Keitel. The attempt does not work and fianlly the movie ends in a blood bath when he takes his anger against the pimp and his group. Strangely the end shows Travis as a hero in the newspaper. Definitely referred to as a classic but not one of my personnal preferate.

Taxi Driver. Si vous n'avez jamais vu ce classique de Martin Scorcese, maintenant est le bon moment. Après une magnifique restauration ce film a été récemment mis sur Blu Ray. Robert De Niro y incarne le rôle d`un vétéran du Viet-nam qui devient chauffeur de taxi à New-York.
La il oberserve la violence et la misère sous tout ses aspects. Travis tombe en amour avec une jolie femme sophistiquée qui le rejette vite lorsqu`elle apprend a quel point il est illettré.
par la suite Travis se met en tête de sauver une jeune prostituée (Jody Foster) de son pimp (Harvey Keitel). Après qu`il s`apercoive qu`elle ne veut pas être sauvée; travis se met en tête d`éliminer son pimp et ses amis dans un bain de sang. On croirais que ce film se ternine mal pour travis mais au cotnraire le film se termine par son éloge comme héros dans les journeaux.
Vu par plusieurs comme vrai classique moderne; ce film n`est pas personnellement un de mes préféré.

Great quotes:

Travis Bickle: Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk.
...
Travis Bickle: All the animals come out at night - whores, skunk pussies, buggers, queens, fairies, dopers, junkies, sick, venal. Someday a real rain will come and wash all this scum off the streets. I go all over. I take people to the Bronx, Brooklyn, I take 'em to Harlem. I don't care. Don't make no difference to me. It does to some. Some won't even take spooks. Don't make no difference to me
...
Travis Bickle: I think someone should just take this city and just... just flush it down the fuckin' toilet.
...
Travis Bickle: [Travis is trying his guns on the mirror] Huh? Huh?
[Draws]
Travis Bickle: Faster than you, fucking son of a... Saw you coming you fucking... shitheel. [Reholsters]
Travis Bickle: I'm standing here; you make the move. You make the move. It's your move...
[Draws]
Travis Bickle: Don't try it you fuck.
[Reholsters]
Travis Bickle: You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talking... you talking to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to? Oh yeah? OK.
[Draws]
...
Travis Bickle: I realize now how much she's just like the others, cold and distant, and many people are like that, women for sure, they're like a union.
...
Iris: God, you're square.
Travis Bickle: Hey, I'm not square, you're the one that's square. You're full of shit, man. What are you talking about? You walk out with those fuckin' creeps and low-lifes and degenerates out on the streets and you sell your little pussy for peanuts? For some low-life pimp who stands in the hall? And I'm square? You're the one that's square, man. I don't go screwing fuck with a bunch of killers and junkies like you do. You call that bein' hip? What world are you from?

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075314/fullcredits#cast

Entertainment rating: 7/10
Cast/acting rating: 8.5/10
Artistic rating: 7/10
Reflexion rating: 6/10
Production rating: 8/10
Adult factor: 3/10
Wide audience: 6/10
------------------------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 8.0/10

#214: Faster , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

Genre: Action

Annee/Year: 2010

Country: US

Format: Blu Ray

Faster. Director George Tillman jr brings us in his fifth feature lenght movie another revenge movie. This type of movie really gets on my nerve as it is becoming more and more popular. But as your mother has been telling you for years: "ain't nothin good coming out of violence" so kids please put on your judgement hat the right way. Let's not dismiss this movie too quickly however.

Dwayne Johnson is cast in the main role here as a ex-con named "driver" who starts going on a rampage right after completing his 20yrs prison sentence. He systematically kills the member of a gang who eliminated his own gang 20yrs earlier to get the hands on their profit from a bank heist. In the process they eliminated Driver's brother and him and this became personnal... Obviously Driver refused to die and came back in the hospital only to serve 20yrs during which time he was preparaing his pay back.

Billy Bob Thornton plays the role of heroin addict crooked cop who is wise and experience enough to maybe catch up to Driver. Carla Gugino plays the straight cop that has to work with Thornton's character on this assignment. They add a good dynamic to the film.

If this was not enough a cool and very intelligent professional killer is sent after Driver to eliminate him before he accomplishes his goal.

An interesting chase between four parties which makes the story interesting and certainly the action level to the max. Entertaining after all and not a bad story with some level of depth makes this an OK movie.

Faster. Un film d'action du réalisateur George Tillman jr qui dans son 5ieme film nous donne un autre maudit film de vengeance. Ces films sont à la mode ces temps ci et ils m`énervent en général. Celui -ci un peu moins grace a un casting solide et une intrigue un peu plus complexe et surtout avec plus de profondeur.

Dwayne Johnson joue le rôle d`un ex-bandit qui sort de prison après vingt ans. Il se lance dans une folle poursuite pour éliminer les gars qui l`ont descendu lui et son frère. Lui a été plus chanceux et s`en est tiré grace a sa plaque de métal dans le crâne.

Il est pour suivit par un duo de policiers: un sombre et héroinomane incarné par Billy Bob Thornton et l`autre une bonne policière jouée par Carla gugino. En même temps sa tête est mise a pris par une de ses victimes potentielles et un super tueur professionel est mis à ses trousses.
Le résultat est beaucoup d`action et de poursuites entre les quatres groupes. Le facteur divertissant et le profondeur des caractères et de l`histoire rendent se film un peu plus que tolérable.

Great quotes:

Marina: Do you know what hell is? It's not fire and devils. All that stuff they taught you when you was little. We make our heaven and our hell while we're alive, Every time we cause pain, every time we cause suffering.
...
Evangelist: [from trailer] Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?
Driver: I can't. [a gunshot is heard]
...
Cop: I created my own hell.
Driver: And I am the demon who crawled up out of it. [a gunshot is heard]
...
Baphomet's Son: How do you have my dad's phone?
Driver: He asked me to call you. Baphomet's Son: Are you the one who killed him?
Driver: Yes.
Baphomet's Son: I'm gonna find you and I'm gonna kill you.
Driver: You do what you need to do. But you better be sure, cause that's a long, dark road you're headed down.

Link: http://www.fasterthemovie.com/

Entertainment rating: 7.5/10
Cast/acting rating: 7/10
Artistic rating: 4/10
Reflexion rating: 3/10
Production rating: 8/10
Adult factor: 7/10
Wide audience: 9/10
----------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 6.5/10

#213: Route 132 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-08T07:14:00.000-07:00

Genre: Comedie/Comedy

Annee/Year: 2010

Country: CAN(Quebec)

Format: DVD

Route 132. Un film québécois du réalisateur Louis Bélanger (Neuf films à son actif dont Gas bar blues) de budget restreint mais avec un contenu important. Francois Papineau y joue le rôle d`un homme ordinaire de Montréal, Gilles, qui refuse d`accepter la mort de son très jeune fils. Il se sauve en dehors de Montréal avec un vieil ami d`enfance, Bob, qu`il rencontre dans un bar en se soulant la gueule. Il s`ensuit une suite rockambolesque d`histoires pendant que nos deux comparses sombres dans les petits vols et essaient de remonter la route 132 le long du fleuve St-Laurent. Inconsciemment nos deux comparses remonte au sources pour rencontrer les tantes et grand-mère qui ont faconné la jeunesse de Gilles. Après avoir sombrer au fond du baril et ètant capturé par la police il réussi enfin a faire la paix avec lui même, pendant que son copain Bob se case les pieds auprès d`une jolie fille du bas du fleuve.

Un film au budget restreint mais qui inclus plusieurs acteurs québécois connus tel André Lachapelle, Sophie Bourgeois, Gilles Renaud, Jannine Sutto, Clémence Desrochers et Roger Léger. Ce film nous raconte l`intense douleur que plusieurs hommes portent avec eux (Guerre, perte d`enfant, non réussite dans la vie...); plus spécifiquement celle de la génération 40-60 ans et se sujet mérite sa place. Donc film tragique et intense à la fois mais bon pour les amateurs de bons films du Québec.

Route 132. A solid movie from Québec by director Louis Bélanger (9 movies including Gas bar blues). This is a film about the tragedy carried by middle age men in their hearts. Whether through loss of a child, war or being a looser to society. We follow the tale Gilles a man who has lost is only young son and refuses to accept this fate. His runs away from the funeral and leaves Montreal altogether with a buddy of his met in a bar. Both men travel along the beautiful shore of the St-Lawrence river unconsciously towards the land of their youth. Living of petty theft and small crimes; Gilles meets many of his aunts and grandma along the way which allows him to start his healing process. A beautiful scene is when the cousin of Gilles shows him a funeral build he and his war time friends have built to help them heal form the pain of seing children die in Kosovo. Evnetually reaching the bottom of the barrel and being searched by police Gilles comes to term with his grief to restart his life. A harsh but intense movie of low budget but tellign a tale which truly has it`s place: the grief of 40-60 yrs old men.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1461211/maindetails

Entertainment rating: 6/10
Cast/acting rating: 7/10
Artistic rating: 7/10
Reflexion rating: 8/10
Production rating: 6/10
Adult factor: 4/10
Wide audience: 5/10
-----------------------------------
Overall personnal rating: 7/10

#212: Weird Science , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-06T17:11:00.000-07:00

Genre: Comedy/Comedie

Annee/Year: 1985

Country: US

Format: DVD

Weird Science. A comedy from John Hugues (Home alone, breakfast club, Ferris Bueler's day off...). This is a typical Hugues adolescent movie. Where two nerds Gary and Wyatt (played by Anthony Michael Hall and Llan Mitchell Smith) cannot score with girls... The two losers decide to create the prefect women on their own using their new tech toy: a personnal computer... remmeber this was still a tool of fascination back in the '80s. The result is a not only a drop dead gorgous (Kelly Lebrock) women but also a super genius and she seems imbued with magical powers (think remake of Jinny).

Insues fun and game as the two nerds gain self confidence with difficulty and become men.
Lots of laugh and good '80s music. Note presence of young Robert Downey jr, Bill Paxton and Michael Berryman. A fun teenage oriented movie.

Weird science. Pas de version francaise sur mon DVD... Ce film de John Hugues (Home alone, breakfast club, Ferris Bueler's day off...)fut un bon succès à l'époque. Deux ados nerds décident de créé la femme parfaite sur leur nouveau gadget techno: un ordiateur personnel (ben c`était dans les années `80...). Cette femme parfaite (Kelly Lebrock) est aussi super intelligente et semble avoir des pouvoirs magiques... Une jinny reincarné quoi.

Il en resulte beaucoup de plaisir a mesure que nos deux compères gagnent en maturité et en confiance personnelle. La scène ou ils recoivent chaqun une rutilante voiture sport est très bien réussie. noter la présence de jeunes Robert Downey jr, Bill Paxton et Michael Berryman. un succès assuré pour les ados de coeur.

Great quotes:
Garry: That's not a bad idea.
Wyatt: What?
Garry: Making a girl. Actually making a girl. Like Frankenstein... except cuter.
Wyatt: [stands up] You're serious? [Gary grabs Wyatt by the collar and pulls him towards him]
Garry: Look me in the eye. Do I look serious?
Wyatt: Gary Wallace, that's-that's gross! That's sick! I am not digging up dead girls! [Gary puts his hand over Wyatt's mouth and sits him down on the bed]
Garry: No, I'm not talking about digging up dead girls, Wyatt. I'm talking about your system, idiot, your computer!
...
[Gary is chanting incoherently. Wyatt seemed very confused by his best friend's odd behaviour. They are both wearing bras on their heads]
Wyatt: Gary?... By the way, why are we wearing bras on our heads?
Garry: [hesitates] Ceremonial.
...
Garry: You know, I can't believe this, Wyatt. I'm so disappointed in us. I mean, all our lives we've been saying how great it would be if we went to parties, right? And now it's our party and we're in the john. We're in the john!
...
[Gary and Wyatt are about to go out with Lisa and they both are wearing dorky suits and hairstyles]
Wyatt: What are we going to do with her?
Garry: Look, we'll just go with the situation okay? And I'm sure by Sunday you'll think of something. You're a very bright guy. I have a lot of faith in you okay?
Wyatt: I'm just being practical.
Garry: I know you are and I apperciate it.
Wyatt: But what are we going to do about this mess?
Garry: Wyatt you have plenty of time to clean up tommorrow okay?
Wyatt: Ok but don't get any B.O. on Chet's suit, or he'd kill me. [they walk out of the room and all of a sudden they are wearing nice suits]
Wyatt: Where are we going anyway?
Garry: I don't know she said we're going downtown and OH MY GOD! Whose stuff is this? Is this yours?
Wyatt: Oh shit!
Garry: What's going on here?
Wyatt: I don't know.
Garry: Wyatt, what's going on here?
Wyatt: GARY I DON'T KNOW! But you look good though all right?
Garry: Yeah?
Wyatt: Yeah.
...
Wyatt: [referring to Lisa] Do you think she'll understand? [Gary puts his arm around Wyatt's shoulders]
Garry: I'm sure she will. I mean, I sure as hell wouldn't wanna date you.
[Wyatt grins] Garry: You're not my type, you know.
...
Wyatt: Gary, Gary, Gary! There are motorcycles in my house!
[Gary grabs Wyatt by the lapel and pulls him towards him]
Garry: Wyatt, there are killer mutants in your house, okay? [the front wall of the house is suddenly torn down. Lord General and a biker girl enter the house through it]
Wyatt, Garry: Screw the house!
...

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090305/maindetails

Entertainment rating: 8/10

Cast/acting rating: 7/10

Artistic rating: 5/10

Reflexion rating: 3/10

Production rating: 7/10

Adult factor: 6/10

Wide audience: 8/10

--------------------------------

Overall personnal rating: 7/10

#211: Mesrine: ennemi public #1 part 2 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-05-01T08:46:00.000-07:00

Genre: Action

Annee/Year: 2008

Format: Blu Ray

Mesrine: ennemi public #1 part 2. This is the second part of the movie featured in our previous review. French director Jean-Francois Richet closes the story with the last years of Mesrine. We see how he returns to France to find even more difficulties and action (killings, bank roberies, high security prison escape and amazing escape from court after telling off the judges, kidnapping...). Mesrine meets Francois Besse (Mathieu Almaric) in prison and escapes with him. Both fellows end up associates who carry one for a few years until Besse finally goes on his own way.

As he ages, Mesrine flamboyant public character is not backed by anything very profound. We see him trying to associate more and more with a background of revolutionaries and that is the time he chooses to associate with Charlie Bauer (Gerard Lanvin) a more political figure than Mesrine although he never had Bauer's convictions. After cruely eliminating a journalist who tried to dirty Mesrine's image; we see him taken down by a specific brigade of cops dedicated to find and take care of public ennemy #1 once and for all. They plainly eliminate him in the middle of the street in his car in a very premeditated manner.

Again Vincent Cassel carries this movie on his shoulder in his personnal masterpice. A great two part movie. The second part is not as strong as the first one and has a couple of parts which seem a bit long. But the roller coaster ride is definitely worth every penny in the end. A great movie which all action buff should watch. Also for biography buffs as this is all based on a true bigger than life story.

Mesrine ennemi public #1 partie2. Ce film est la seconde partie du realisateur francais Jean-Francois Richet. Nous y voyons le retour en France de Mesrine suivit de capture par les policiers, incroyable evasion de la court, multiples vols de banques, evasion de prison haute securite, poursuite par l'armee, enlevements, meurtres et plus. Il fit la rencontre de Francois Besse (Mathieu Almaric) en prison et s'associa a lui pendant plusieurs annees.

En vieillissant, Mesrine sent qu'il manque de la profondeur derriere sa facade publique . Il s'associe donc a des gens plus connus pour leur cote politique revolutionnaire tel Charlie Bauer (Gerard Lanvin) mais il n'aura jamais le tier de leurs convictions etant un solitaire.

Mesrine fut descendu en pleine rue, par une escouade policiere qui lui etait dediee, sans lui donner aucune chance. La fin d'un film en deux parties qui est un oeuvre marquante pour le cinema francais et la carriere de Cassel. Ce deuxieme film comporte quelques longueurs mais vaut quand meme le coup. Une vrai montagne russe d'action il saura plaire au amateurs de film d'actions et de biographie car quand meme base sur la vie reele et rocanbolesque d'un vrai personnage.

Great quotes:

La journaliste interview: [Begins interview] Why are you doing this?
Jacques Mesrine: [long pause] Because I don't like laws.
Jacques Mesrine: I don't like the laws and I don't want to be a slave of the alarm clock my whole life.
Jacques Mesrine: I don't want to spend my entire life dreaming. I don't want to always think how I have to work half a year just so I could buy some thing.
La journaliste interview: What do you expect from your life? Recognition? Money?
Jacques Mesrine: [chuckles] What a question! Money, money, money... all of you just keep talking about it, always the same. But I'm completely different.
Jacques Mesrine: What exactly am I doing? I'm looking for the money in the places where they are - in the banks. [laughs]
La journaliste interview: Regarding the politics, are you on the left or the right?
Jacques Mesrine: [sighs] Neither side. I think politics are a dirty game. It's better to keep the distance from it. I don't trust any politician.
La journaliste interview: Do you consider yourself as a dangerous individual?
Jacques Mesrine: Dangerous... And according to you? I don't know, maybe I'm dangerous. I don't know. Why are you asking? [laughs]
Jacques Mesrine: Depends to whom. For instance I don't play with cops.
Jacques Mesrine: [pulls out his pistol and poses for the photographer] Shoot it!
Jacques Mesrine: Good photograph, publish it!
Jacques Mesrine: Dangerous... Probably yes. I'm probably dangerous.
La journaliste interview: What kind of old age and death will you have?
Jacques Mesrine: Old age... Honestly, I don't think I'll live that long.
Jacques Mesrine: One day they'll shoot me to death, and it will completely make sense. Natural. After all, for someone who was in prison with maximum security, there are no rules. Like me, I live without rules.
La journaliste interview: Without rules and without hope?
Jacques Mesrine: [does not answer]
La journaliste interview: Do you have any plans?
Jacques Mesrine: I've got a lot of plans. Close the prison with maximum security. I lived there for 5 years. Can you imagine? The whole 5 years! I want all of those who sit there to be freed! I've seen what's going on over there, how they break people, how they destroy them. But our Mr. Minister, Alain Perfite, he doesn't get it yet. I am an excellent shooter and I can kill a few judges.
Jacques Mesrine: [exclaims] Do we need in France gangs of Bordello? Do we need Red Brigades? Let them ask themselves the question. Because if there will be need to go in their neighborhoods to train with Palestinians, I'll go! They can shit their pants!

Link: http://www.mesrine-lefilm.com/

Rating perso: 7.5/10

#210: Mesrine: l'instinct de mort part 1 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

Genre: Action

Annee/Year: 2008

Format: Blu Ray

Mesrine: l'instinct de mort part 1. Ce film français du réalisateur Jean-Francois Richet (Assault on precinct 13, Etat des lieux) est coupé en deux parties. Dans cette première partie on voit la biographie de Jacques Mesrine charismatique braqueur de banque et tueur français des années '70. Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Irreversible, Jeanne D'arc, Eastern promises, Ocean 12, Ocean 13, Brotherhood of the wolf et plus) joue ici un des meilleurs rôles de sa carrière en incarnant Jacques Mesrine. Plusieurs excellents acteurs y jouent de tres bons part également tel Roy Dupuis, Gerard Depardieu, Gilbert Sicotte, Cecile de France, Michel Duchaussoy et plusieurs autres.

La vie de Mesrine n'a pas besoin d'être exagérée pour le grand écran, car elle est déjà incroyable. Violente, mais incroyable. On le voit comme jeune militaire français en Algérie pendant la guerre algérienne. Puis a son retour essayant de se trouver une place dans la société française bourgeoise. Il trouvera finalement sa place aux prés des escrocs mafieux ou il deviendra au dessus du troupeau tres rapidement. Braquages de banques et tueries sont au rendez-vous jusqu'au moment ou il se déplacera au Canada pour éviter de se faire arrêter sur sol français.

Au Canada il s'alliera avec jean Paul Mercier, personnage près du FLQ et avec lequel il se retrouvera incarcéré. Dans une des meilleures scènes du film Mesrine et Mercier après s'être évadé de cette prison haute sécurité, y retourne avec mitrailleuse pour l'attaquer a deux et essayer de libérer des copains restes derrière. INCROYABLE et hautement excitant. Ce film est une vraie montagne russe d'action et d'émotion filme au quart de tour. 32 vols de banques et 4 fois échappent de prison. L'histoire nous est présentée de façon tres neutre, ni trop diable, ni trop démon, mais 100% malfrat ce qui rend le personnage tres attachant et crédible. À voir pour tout les amateurs d'actions et de policiers. Ce film est un Bonny and Clyde moderne et francophone. Un futur classique.

Mesrine: l'instinct de mort part 1. This french movie from director Jean-Francois Richet (Assault on precinct 13, Etat des lieux) is told in two parts. In this first part we start the biography of charismatic Jacques Mesrine a notorious french bank robber and killer from the '60s and '70s.

Vincent Cassel (Black Swan, Irreversible, Jeanne D'arc, Eastern promises, Ocean 12, Ocean 13, Brotherhood of the wolf et plus) plays here THE role of his young career by incarnating this well known character. Many other great actors play along his side: Roy Dupuis, Gerard Depardieu, Gilbert Sicotte, Cecile de France, Michel Duchaussoy and many more.

This biographic film does not even need to be exagerated such is the life of Mesrine. You will be taken through a roller coaster of action and emotions. From his military presence in Algeria durign the war to his return to bourgeois life in paris where he is looking for a place to fit. We see Mesrine slowly joining the ranks of the local mob and slowly taking a more and more important place. bank robberies and killings succeed each other with tender moments for the women in his life. Once the situation is too ot in France he moves to Canada and joins up with Jean paul Mercier a character sympathetic with the FLW movement. Together they hoist banks until they get caught and are incarcerated in a high security prison. The most exciting part of the film comes after our two buddies escape from prison only to return there the next day to free up some of the friends who did not manage to escape... Two men attack with machine guns on a federal prison...Unbelievable but true! This film will not bore you as it is so well acted, exciting and based on a true story. This is truly a modern Bony and Clyde told in a very effective way. To be seen by all amateurs of cops stories and thrilling credible action which is refreshing compared with over the top Holywood crap. A classic to be.

Great quotes:

Mesrine: Nobody kills me until I say so.
...
Journalist: Are you a dangerous man
pause
Mesrine: I guess you can say so.

Link: http://www.mesrine-lefilm.com/

Rating perso: 8.0/10

#209: House of Dracula, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-25T08:05:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1945

Format: DVD

House of Dracula. After Son of Dracula, Universal became a bit less lear about the mythos and Erle C. Kenton (140 movies including House of Frankeinstein and Ghost of Frankeinstein) directed this movie which joins the Wolfman, Dracula and Frankeinstein's monster. Lon Chaney Jr again plays an excellent Wolfman, Dracula is played by John Carradine (this actors has played over 300 roles in various films, amazing) but is a poor Dracula. Glen Strange plays the Frankeinstein monster with some success.

The plot revolves around the Dr Edelman (Onslow Steevens) to whom Dracula and the Wolfman turn to get cured from their "disease". After the treatment fails to cure Talbot (human side of wolfman) he jumps off a cliff but fails to kill himself. Instead he stumbles in a cave complex where he finds the Frankeinstein monster. The doctor goes wild reviving him and the all out war then begins betwen all. Interesting concept but poor scritp leaves us wuth a thin movie. Carrdine plays a wek Dracula which does not help either. Another cult classic from Universal but definitely not at the level of the originals (Dracula, Frankeinstein, Wolfman movies)

House of Dracula. Ce film noir et blanc classique de Universal des années 1940 a été réalisé par Erle C. Kenton (140 films qui incluent House of Frankeinstein et Ghost of Frankeinstein). Ce film met en vedette le Loup Garou, Dracula et le monstre de Frankeinstein. Lon Chaney Jr joue un excellent rôle de Talbot/Loup garou, Dracula est joué par John Carradine (plus de 300 rôles dans divers films) mais un pauvre Dracula. Glen Strange joue le rôle du monstre de Frankeinstein avec un assez bon résultat.

L'histoire tourne autour du Dr Edelman (Onslow Steevens) qui a la réputation de pouvoir guérir vampires et loups-garous de leur malheur. Dracula et Talbot se rendent donc chez notre bon docteur pour servir de cobaye à ses techniques d'avant garde. Malheureusement Dracula a un oeil sur la jolie assistante du docteur et Talbot tente de se suicider après que l'intervention du docteur échoue. Mais même se jeter en bas d'un précipice ne tue notre loup-garou et ils se retrouvent dans des catacombes ou il fait la découverte du monstre de Frankeinstein qu'il libère. Notre bon docteur est excite de cette découverte morbide et le film se finit avec une bataille générale qui culmine avec une foule de paysans enrages attaquant le château (encore?). La performance pauvre de Dracula et le script léger et peu croyable nous rendent un film de médiocre qualité bien que le concept sur papier soit intéressant. À voir pour les mordus des classiques Universal seulement.

Great quotes:

[first lines]

Dr. Edelman: What are you doing here? Who are you?

Count Dracula: I am Baron Latos. I have come to you for help.

Dr. Edelman: It's five o'clock in the morning.
Count Dracula: I must apologize for the intrusion. But travel is very difficult for me, and I've come a long way.
Dr. Edelman: I don't understand.
Count Dracula: Perhaps you will, after you've led me to the basement room of this castle.
Dr. Edelman: Eh - a very strange request. This castle is my home!
Count Dracula: Have no fear, doctor. Had conditions permitted, I would have presented myself in the usual manner.
Dr. Edelman: Well, it is most unusual...
Count Dracula: I will explain everything, before sunrise.

...

[last lines]

Lawrence Talbot: Get out! It's the Frankenstein monster!
Mob Bursting Into Lab:
[multiple ad libs] Get out... The Frankenstein monster...
[unintelligible noises and shouts, as they turn and run]

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037793/fullcredits#cast

Rating perso: 6.0/10

#208: Son of Dracula, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1943

Format: DVD

Son of dracula. Another Universal classic movie. This time Robert Siodmak a director of over 60 films in German and french and english takes a stab at the genre. He is very experienced and is a specialist of the film noir and suspense genre. However his result with a horror movie are questionable and not his best work.

Cast includes Lon Chaney jr whom we love as an actor. He plays here the role of count Alucard (Dracula spelled backwards). His performance although a good attempt fails completely at being scary. Lon is too much of a good guy to play Dracula. This new installment shows the count arriving in the southern USA for taking place in a new household through the influence he has on a lady which has an interest in the dark arts. Off course the local doctors will counter his efforts and chase him down to hi lair in a boat in the swamps. They kill him by burning his coffin and lair. Then comes the final showdown. Definitely one of the weaker films in the dracula franchise.
The sets are again interesting but the scare facto is definitely not there. The special effects are too much in your face and date now back over 65years so you can imagine. Just for the most died in the wool Universal addicts.

Son of Dracula. Le réalisateur Robert Siodmak qui a réalisé plus de 60 films dans les années 1920 à 1960 était spécialiste du film noir. Mais sa spécialité ne l'a pas aide dans son incursion dans le genre de l'horreur. Lon Chaney jr, acteur que l'on apprécie vivement, joue le rôle de Dracula (son fils du moins) mais cela ne colle pas. Lon est bien trop bon gars pour que l' on prenne au sérieux dans ce rôle.

Malgré les décors et images intéressantes de Universal studio, le film ne lève pas. L'histoire nous amène le vampire des Carpates jusqu'aux États-Unis. Sans doute le concept que les vampires peuvent se rapprocher de NOTRE monde pouvait être inquiétant pour les gens de 1943. Par contre pour nous... Le compte Alucard arrive dans le sud des US et conte s'installer dans une riche famille apres y a voir tue le père. Il marie (...) la fille et la succession des terres lui revient. Cette fille a attiré le compte dans ces recherches sur l' occulte. L'histoire se conclue avec les amis de la famille qui retrouve la tanière du compte dans un bateau échoue dans les marécages avoisinants et la brûle. La fin du film est un combat entre les deux partis. Chaney est décevant, mais le reste de l'histoire n'arrive pas à raviver notre intérêt. Pour les plus mordus des films noir et blanc Universal seulement.

Great quotes:

Harry [townsman bit]: How are ya, doctor?
Prof. Harry Brewster: Hi, Harry.
Frank Stanley: Hey, Charlie! Charlie, station agent: Hello Dr. Brewster, Mr. Stanley.
Frank Stanley: How are ya. Say, uh, those all the passengers you have? Charlie, station agent: Just the four.
Prof. Harry Brewster: You didn't put anyone off at the wrong station, did you? We're here to meet a friend of the Caldwells, a Count Alucard. Charlie, station agent: There was no Count on this train. All customers. Say - there was a lot of stuff in the baggage car that might belong to your Count.
Prof. Harry Brewster: Thanks, we'll take a look at it. Train Conductor Voice: [offscreen] All aboard.
Frank Stanley: [looking at a pushcart piled with trunks and cases] Well, does this look as though he's come to stay for just a couple of weeks?
Prof. Harry Brewster: No, it doesn't. I wonder what's become of him?
Frank Stanley: Probably coming by car. Don't worry, he'll show up.
Prof. Harry Brewster: [The Doctor moves close to the luggage, studies the name on a crest on a box which has been stacked sideways] D - R - A - C ...
Frank Stanley: What are you mumbling about?
Prof. Harry Brewster: Nothing, nothing. Just a silly idea hit me. Well, if there's no Alucard, there's no need of our staying around here. I've got to get back to the office.
[He leaves scene as Frank now looks at the sideways crest. Fade to black]
...
Sheriff Dawes: You mean, that's all that's left of Count Alucard?
Prof. Laszlo: Look at the ring on his hand. It bears the Alucard seal, just as on his luggage.
Sheriff Dawes: Well assuming it is Alucard, or Dracula, or whoever he calls himself - where is Frank Stanley? He's still wanted for murder.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036376/maindetails

Rating perso: 5.0/10

#207: Frankeinstein meets the Wolfman, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-23T20:37:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1943

Format: DVD

Frankeinstein meets the Wolfman. Another universal classic from the vaults. This is again early 1940's black and white film with absolutely great sets. This movie directed by Roy William Neill, a prolific director who between 1917-1946 completed over 100 movies. This is the only well known horror movie genre movie he produced; he was very well known for his multiple Sherlock Holmes movies. Roy put together an excellent cast for this movie: Lon Chaney jr playing the Wolfman, Bela Lugosi playing the Frankeinstein monster, Patrick Knowles as the doctor Mannering and the beautiful Ilona Massey as Baroness Elsa Frankeinstein. Chaney plays again an excellent Wolfman role though not as seminal as the original one but we were glad to see him back. Lugosi is not as convincing in the monster role as Karloff was in the previous movies. He should have stuck with Dracula. Ilona Massey is literally shining on the screen as the lovely and innocent baroness.

In the movie we see some grave robbers who mistakenly expose the long dead body of the Wolfman to the moonlight; this brings him back to life and after getting rid of our robbers he sets out to find a cure for his lycanthropy. He turns to the expertise of the Dr Frankeinstein to find his final rest. He travels to Frankeinstein original town to find out he is past away. While looking for something useful he finds the monster who is stuck in the ice and frees him. Originally buddies the two monsters eventually turns against each other. A classic in the series but it is more a wolfman movie than a Frankeinstein movie. Without the old doctor and Karloff the movie definitely rests on Chaney and his relation with the baroness. Unfortunaltey the dark side of the story is intricate and not so interesting. Only for absolute fans of Universal classics.

Frankeinstein meets the Wolfman. Un autre film classique des voutes Universal. Ce film a été réalisé par Roy William Neill (qui a complété plus de cents films enre 1917-46) qui est connus pour ses films de Sherlock Holmes. Pour ce film, Neill a utilisé une distribution forte: Lon Chaney jr y joue le loup-garou, Talbot, et il est vraiment la star du film. L`histoire repose presque entièrement sur lui. Bela Lugosi joue le rôle du monstre de Frankeinstein; celui-ci nèst pas vraiment convaincant comme monstre et a tout a envier a Boris Karloff. Patrick Knowles joue le rôle du docteur Mannering (ca prend bien un docteur qui dérape) et la très jolie Ilona Massey tien le rôle de la Baronesse Elsa Frankeinstein qui brille literallement sur l`écran.

L`histoire est compliquée et sans grand intéret. Le jeu entre Chaney et Massey soutient lìntéret du film et l`histoire peut se resumer a un retour a la vie accidentel du loup-garoû après huit ans lorsque sont corps est placée en contact avec la lumière de la pleine lune par des voleurs de tombeaux. Celui-ci se met à la recherche d`un procédé pour retouver la paix éternelle. Il croit que le docteur Frankeinstein pourrait l`aider mais il est décédé auparavant. Talbot fait donc appel à l`héritière de Frankeinstein qui lui donnera les notes du docteur pour qu`il arrive a ses fins. Entretemps Talbot découvre les reste congelés du monstre dans la cave des ruines du chateau. Il le dégage ce qui ramène le monstre à la vie. D`abord amis les deux monstres entreront éventuellement en conflit pour la scène ultime du film. À voir pour les grands amateurs des classiques unversal ou de Massey.

Great quotes:

Maleva: He is not insane. He simply wants to die.
...
Inspector Owen: This is Inspector Owen speaking, in Cardiff. Have you got anything in your files about a man named...
Llanwelly Police Sergeant: Lawrence Talbot? Why of course, he lived here.
Inspector Owen: Well, that's all right, then. We've got him up here in our hospital.
Llanwelly Police Sergeant: I wouldn't want him in *our* hospital; he died four years ago!
...
Vazec: There, that's his burial place. A fire destroyed him and all his misdeeds.
Maleva: He is dead?
Lawrence Talbot: Oh but he can't be!
Vazec: He didn't die any too soon for us; we all wished he'd never been born!
...
Lawrence Talbot: Why have you followed me?
Dr. Frank Mannering: Talbot, you're a murderer.
Lawrence Talbot: Prove it.
Dr. Frank Mannering: You're insane at times and you know it. You're sane enough now though to know what you're doing. Why don't you let me take care of you?
Lawrence Talbot: You think it would do any good to put me in a lunatic asylum?
Dr. Frank Mannering: You know that's where you belong. It's the only thing to do.
Lawrence Talbot: Oh that wouldn't do any good. I'd only escape again sooner or later.
Dr. Frank Mannering: We might be able to cure you. It might prevent you...
Lawrence Talbot: I only want to die. That's why I'm here. If I ever find peace I'll find it here.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0035899/maindetails

Rating perso: 6.0/10

#206: Black Sheep, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-20T15:10:00.001-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2006

Format: DVD

Black Sheep. First time i saw the trailer i was absolutely sure this was a joke, a spoof trailer. Second time i realized that someone out there was probably crazy enough to pull this through as a reel movie. Well that is exactly what Kiwi director Jonathan King pulled off. Waht do you expect from a new Zealand movie other than evil sheep bent on invading the world.

Take a NZ sheep farm add the ingredients of two brothers: one evil and the other a sensitive boy. Put them against each other in controling the fram's legacy and you have proper grounds for sheep genetic engineering making them vicious carnivores... add in some green activist to lit up the fire and some human/sheep hybridization and you have the funniest movie you can think off.

With very average actors and a script obviously pulled by the hair you have a good recipe for black humor at it's best. Not for everyone but if you are an amateur of dark humored movie a la "Shawn of the dead" this is for you.

Black sheep. La première fois que j'ai vu la bande-annonce de ce film, j'étais convaincu que c'était une farce. La seconde fois j'ai compris qu'il y avait vraiment un Kiwi assez fou pour réaliser ce film.

Une comédie du réalisateur Neo Zelandais Jonathan King (aussi apporte Under the mountain) qui est une folle comédie noire. Si vous prenez une ferme de Nouvelle-Zélande et y ajouté deux frères un instable aux tendances dangereuses et un second trop sensible. Mettez-les tous deux en conflit sur l'avenir de la ferme familiale. Ajouter un gros paquet de mutation génétique des moutons pour les rendres carnivores et agressifs. Allumer le tout avec une étincelle fournit par des activistes Greenpeace pas trop futés. Le résultat donne des hybrides humains/moutons et de l'action et des rires à souhait.

Acteurs moyens réalisation moyenne et effets spéciaux borderline cet excellent humour noir vous plaira si vous aimez le genre (tel Shawn of the dead).

Great quotes:

[Henry panics while under attack from a sheep]
Experience: What is wrong with you?
Henry: Ovinophobia, my therapist calls it.
Experience: Well, what's that?
Henry: Just the completely unfounded and irrational fear that one day *this* is going to happen!
...
Experience: You're a tree.
Henry: I'm not a tree. I'm a fucking sheep!
...
Tucker: What about the sheep?
Angus Oldfield: Fuck the sheep!
Tucker: No time for that bro. Go go go!
...
Henry: What's that?
Experience: Geranium: aromatherapy for uplift and hormonal balance.
Henry: Do your hormones really need balancing?
Experience: Considering I've been attacked by genetically-engineered monsters, jumped off a moving vehicle, been chased across a paddock, dragged into a torture chamber, pulled into a mountain of rotting flesh - yes, my hormones need fucking balancing.
...
Henry: Are you OK?
Experience: I won't be OK ever again.

Link: http://www.nzonscreen.com/title/black-sheep-2007

Rating perso: 6.0/10

#205: The horde, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-17T15:51:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2009

Format: DVD

The Horde. A french zombie film that is a bit more unusual. Directors Yannick Dahan and Benjamin Rocher bring us a zombie apocalyse film where the main actors are seedy cops and violent gangsters who team up in a Paris suburb ghetto to become a uber top of the food chain group. Well almost, as the zombies are quite ferocious and the team lines up with Algerian war veteran who is now a dangerous old timer. A really exquisite role played by Yves Pignot who makes the whole movie worth watching in my book. Zombie war yeahhhh!

La horde. Un film français de zombies pas usuel. C'est ce que les réalisateurs Yannick Dahan et Benjamin Rocher nous servent comme premier long métrage. Ce film est intéressant parce qu'il est structure comme une bataille a en finir entre des policiers violents et un groupe de bandits au beau milieu d'un ghetto de Paris l'apocalypse de zombies se déclare a ce moment et nos deux groupes d'ennemis doivent s'unir tant bien que mal afin de survivre contre les morts-vivants.

Notre groupe de gros canons se ligue avec un local qui est un veteran des guerres algeriennes. Ce vieillard enrage est joue par Yves Pignot qui est sublime dans ce role. A lui seul il vaut le cout de voir ce film. La guerre de zombies, ouiiiii!

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183276/

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#204: Let me in, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

Let me in. Why remake a decent movie months after it came out? Damn good question. many people enjoyed more the remake of the movie "Let the right one in" called "Let me in" than the original. Perhaps it is because the movie felt less off center than the original swedish version. I personnaly think that it adds. If you have seen one of the version dont bother with the other as they are almsot identical except the american version emphasized a bit more the aspects that the main character is being bullied by his school peers.

The role of the young boy is played very well by Kodi Smit-Mcfee (The road) and the one of the young vampire girl is played by the excellent Chloe Moretz (Kickass and more). The movie's direction was handled by Matt Reeves (The pall bearer, Cloverfield). The movie tells us the story of a young boy who gets to be friends with a vampire of the same apparent age. She truly becomes his only friend and actually protects him from the school bullies. A meeting of two very lonely souls. Slow paced and without a lot of drama, this movie is very contemplative and definitely not for everyone. Good if you like your horror a bit more cerebral.

Let me in. Un remake d'un film suédois très récent (Let the right one in) et qui est très équivalent à mon humble opinion. Si vous avez déjà visionné l' original, la version américanisée ne vous apportera que très peu. Film vraiment pour les amateurs de film un peu plus cérébral et avec un rythme tres lent. Le film est réalisé par Matt Reeves (Pall bearer, Cloverfield) qui est un bon pote de JJ Abrams. La distribution est excellente et Kodi Smit-Mcfee (The road) y joue le rôle principal du jeune garçon qui devient ami avec une jeune fille vampire aux apparences tres jeune joue par l'excellente Chloe Moretz (Kickass et plus). Cette petite aura un grand futur à Hollywood. Donc pas un film pour tous.

Great quotes:
Owen: Are you a vampire?
Abby: I need blood to live.
Owen: But how old are you, really?
Abby: Twelve. But... I've been twelve for a very long time.
...
[from trailer]
Abby: [touching Owen's bandaged cheek] What happened there?
Owen: Some kids from school.
Abby: I'll help you.
Owen: But you're a girl.
Abby: I'm a lot stronger than you think I am.
...
Owen: Do you want to go steady?
Abby: What do you mean?
Owen: Do you want to be my girlfriend?
Abby: Owen, I'm not a girl.
Owen: You're not a girl? What are you?
Abby: I'm nothing.
Owen: You know, it's ok if you don't want to be my girlfriend. You don't have to make stuff up.

Abby: Can't we just keep things the way they are? Owen: Yeah, fine. Whatever.
...
Abby: You have to hit back.
Owen: I can't. There's 3 of them.
Abby: Then you hit back even harder.

...

Link: http://www.letmein-movie.com/

Rating perso: 6.5/10

#203: Altitude, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-10T08:54:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: DVD

Altitude. Director Kaare Andrews is coming from the comic scene. This is clearly shown in his first full length movie Altitude as it is based on a "Tales from the dark side" type of pulp stories. If you are not familiar with the strange story pulp comics then look at this movie as a full length twilight zone episode.

This is the story of a young pilot who takes her friends along for a plane flight to a rock show. In route they enter a strange cloud and start being attacked by an imaginary flying giant squid... Well the story is definitely strange and incosistent but the crux of the story at the end is quite interesting. So the comic 5 page story was probably enough; not sure a full lenght feature was required. Some of the actors are truly irritating (as teenagers often should...) but if you go above that the script is still holding some interest. Definitely not for all.

Altitude. Le director Kaare Andrews nous vient du monde des bande dessinés sur papier. L`idée de ce film provient clairement d`une de ces courtes histoires de BD. Ca ressemble a un épisode géant de Twilight zone.

L`histoire est celle d`une jeune pilote qui embarque ses amis abord d`un bimoteur afin de se rendre a un concert rock dans une ville voisine. Ils entrent dans un nuages sombres et étranges duquels ils ne peuvent sortir. Ils y font la rencontre d`un monstre imaginaire a forme de pieuvre volante géante... Si vous arrivez à soutenir les acteurs adolescents irritants (comme plusieurs ados) vous risquez de découvrir la fin intéressante mis en place. Une excellente histoire qui aurais put être raconté en 5 pages de BD... mais quand même un peu d`intéret. Pas pour tous.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.altitudemovie.com/

Rating perso: 6.0/10

#202: Cargo, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-10T07:23:00.000-07:00

Genre: Sci-Fi/Science-Fiction

Annee/Year: 2009

Format: DVD

Cargo. A first full length feature Swiss movie from directors Ivan Engler, Ralph Etter. The resuts are mixed but there are multiple good points even if the overall is disappointing. When i bought this movie I thought it was an anime movie due to the cover of the DVD. But it is a real actor movie; which was a first good surprise. The movie is set in the future when human kind's life on the earth become so miserable that they all move into gigantic space stations around the earth. The scenes showing these sapce stations are definitely well done visually and are amongst my preferate scenes from the movie. This made it bode well from the start. The period shown is when the earth is looking for new worlds to colonize. This is made very difficult since moving from world to world takes years at a time even a close to light speed travel. This is nice because this is realistic; however it is not since the script does not account that time flows differently from static people when traveling at speed of light.

The story is about a doctor lady joining a cargo ship flying to the closest waypoint station (station 42) which is supposed to be the point from where reasearch ship fly out from. On route all staff are put in cryo sleep but one to oversee operations. So when our lady doctor shift comes up about 3/4 of the way to the station she starts seeing strange things a believes somebody else is awake on board. She wakes up othe membersof the crew and trouble starts coming down. They soon find out that their cargo is a large number of humans in cryo sleep and the story opens up to show us that what most people think is family moving to perfect nice new planets is actually much darker. Humans have not successfully colonized any other planets and their families moved on to these new dreamlike planets are actually in a virtual planet while they are all really in cryo sleep. Dark and scary. Good premise but the action around it is not so interesting and that is the week part of the movie. How does it end...certainly not in a memorable way. So good beginning interesting premise but week story in the end. Only for real sci-fi fans who iwll enjoy the few good bits from that movie.

Cargo. Premier film des réalisateurs Suisse Ivan Engler, Ralph Etter. Ce film a du bon mais n`est pas très réussi dans son ensemble. Aucun acteur connu ne joue dans ce film. Le film se situe dans le futur ou la terre est si polluée que toute la population est déplacée dans des stations spatiales gigantesques (qui forment les scènes les mieux réussies du film). La vie dans ces stations n`est pas vraiment géniale et tous les humains ne rêvent qu`a une chose: de rejoindre les premiers chanceux à se relocaliser sur de nouvelles planètes vierge.

Notre héroine s`inscrit sur un vaisseau cargo en direction de la station 42 qui est un port de départ ou tous les vaisseaux de recherche de planètes à coloniser font leur départs. Le but est de rejoindre la famille de sa soeur qui est déja relocaliser sur Rhéa après avoir gagné son passage. La mission est d`une durée de 4 ans où pendant la plupart du temps l`équipage est en sommeil cryogénique sauf un membre qui s`occupe des opérations. L`atmosphère du vaisseau nous rapelle beaucoup le feeling du vaisseau de l`Alien original: noir, industriel et impersonnel et claustrophobique et isolée.

Après le trois quart du voyage notre docteur se prend a voir des choses étranges à bord du vaisseau. Elle décide donc de reveiller ses collègues de voyage et d`enquêter sur la situation. Rapidement ils découvrent une sombre vérité. Le cargo est en fait des humains en sommeil cryogéniques et connectés a un serveur qui les laisse évoluer dans un environnement artificiel qui simule les colonies promises.

De la l`action du film est étrange et déconnecté même si l`histoire est intéressante. Cela nous laisse l`impression que plusieurs parties ont été coupées vers la fin. Un film intéressant pour les grands amateurs de sci-fi; mais pas pour tous.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.cargoderfilm.ch/

Rating perso: 6.5/10

#201: Battle Los Angeles, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-09T06:30:00.000-07:00

Genre: Sci-fi/Science-Fiction

Annee/Year: 2011

Format: Theater

Battle: Los Angeles. In his fourth full feature film in career Jonathan Liebesman tries his hand at sci-fi. I believ we can say that is with much success. This is a huge production movie filled with action and special effects which are quite well rendered. The story is of a full scale alien invasion in the world's major cities by aliens with clear human extinction goals. It is a bit a war of the worlds told from a more soldier to soldier perspective.

We follow the story of a US marine Sgt nantz (played very well by Aaron Eckart) ready for retirement but reactiviated quickly after the surprise attack by aliens who fall to the earth in their spaceships looking like meteors. Nantz and his squad learn to fight an unknown species and quickly find how to hurt them where it counts. At the same time most of his marine colleagues learn to operate in a real war while protecting the last civilians left in LA. Lots of action and a great story line. You will not get bored in this movie; i love it.

Battle: Los Angeles. Quatrième film du réalisateur Jonathan Liebesman qui essai le genre science-fiction pour la première fois avec beaucoup de succès. Cette production de grande échelle est très impressionnate et nous montre une invasion d`extra-terrestres a grande échelle qui s`attaquent aux grandes villes de ce monde. Leurs intensions sont clairement d`en finir avec nous les humains le plus rapidement possible.

Le film nous montre les péripéties du Sergent Nantz et de sa compagnie de marines qui se battent pour sauver les derniers civils de LA. On se faisant ils doivent apprendre à se battre dans une vrai guerre, vivre avec des pertes de collègues, apprendre a tuer ses nouveaux ennemies à la physiologie diffèrentes et aux technologies inconnues. Vous ne vous ennuierez pas dans ce film surtout si vous aimez les films de guerres. J`ai vraiment apprécié.

Great quotes: Corpsman Jibril Adukwu: Shit, I'd rather be in Afghanistan. ... SSgt. Michael Nantz: Stavro, Harris, the lieutenant needs recon on a bus. If it runs, bring it back here... Either of you know how to hotwire a bus? Cpl. Kevin Harris: Um, Stvrou can. He's from Jersey, sir. ... Cpl. Kevin Harris: Santos, you okay? TSgt. Elena Santos: Yeah. I got that nasty stuff all over my mouth, man. TSgt. Elena Santos: Ha ha ha ha. Cpl. Kevin Harris: It's not funny. TSgt. Elena Santos: Ha. You let him do you on the first date.

Link: http://www.battlela.com/

Rating perso: 8.0/10

#200: Incendies , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-05T12:14:00.000-07:00

Genre: Drama/Drame

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu-Ray

Incendies. For my 200th review I cover the magnificient film Incendies from director Denis Villeneuve. Can 1+1=1? Sometimes yes. This great movie is based on the excellent play of the same name from Wadji Mouawad. This story is so amazing that it beats the most tragic greek tragedies (such as Oedipus Rex). The morale of the story is about disarming the cycles of violence seen in many middle eastern countries. Although shot in Jordan the movie actually takes place in a fictive country in which many can recognize their own stories.

In the film, we follow the adventures of twins (guy played by Maxim Gaudette and girl played by Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin) who are sent on a quest following the death of their mother. She asks them in her will to find their long lost father and their brother which they did not know existed. The quest takes them to their mother's country of origin and they rediscover their mother in a completely different light as she lived through many ordeals before coming to Canada in her later years. The truths they discover are incredible and this makes for an amazing tale. The ending is very surprising and poignant and makes one of the best story ever told. YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THIS MOVIE. It was not nominated for an Oscar for no reason. To be seen by all my arabic friends as well.

Incendies. Pour ma 200e revue voici du bonbon: un film célèbre au Québec et pas seulement parce que c'est un success-story local. Ce film est absolument époustouflant. Le réalisateur Denis Villeneuve nous démontre que 1+1=1 des fois. Cet excellent script est basé sur la désarmante pièce de théâtre du même nom de Wadji Mouawad. Cette histoire est si prenante quelle rivalise les plus grandes tragédies grecques. La morale présentée nous montre comment peut on désarme le cycle de violence souvent vécu dans plusieurs pays du moyen orient.

L'histoire se déroule dans un pays fictif même si le film fut tourné principalement en Jordanie. Plusieurs personnes de la région pourront y reconnaître une histoire similaire à la leur. Dans le film nous pouvons suivre les aventures de jumeaux non identiques (gars joue par Maxim Gaudette et fille jouée par Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin) qui sont lancés dans une quête double suivant la mort de leur mère (joue par Lubna Azabal). Dans son testament (Remy Girard y joue le rôle du notaire) la merde demande a ses deux enfants de retrouver leur père et leur frère qu'ils n'ont jamais connu. Ils se lancent donc dans une folle aventure dans le pays d'origine de leur mère ou ils découvriront la vraie histoire tres riche de celle qui fut leur mère. La recherche des pères et frère nous fait vivre un tragique drame qui nous surprend et choque au plus haut point. Mais c'est ce qui en fait une histoire mémorable et digne de mention. VOUS NE POUVEZ PAS MANQUER CE FILM! À voir à tout prix vous ne le regretterez pas. Il n'a pas été nominé pour un Oscar juste pour ces excellentes images et jeu d'acteur vraiment extraordinaire. Bravo Villeneuve et bonne chance pour vous surpasser. À voir surtout pour tous mes amis d'origine arabe.

Great quotes: Notary Jean Lebel: [after making a promise] To a notary, Mr. Marwan, a promise is a sacred thing.

Link: http://www.incendies-thefilm.com/#/trailer

Rating perso: 9.5/10

Deja #200...#200...#200...#200...apres un an de Blog Reviews & revues

2011-04-03T20:04:00.001-07:00

Et bien déja un an la semaine prochaine que j`ai commencé à écrire ce blog.
Merci pour tout votre support apporté par vos messages et commentaires; ils étaient vraiment important pour moi. Visionner 200 films peut paraitre énormément de boulot; mais c`est rien comparé à écrire 200 revues BILINGUES. Chaque revue me prend environ 45 minutes de recherche et écriture. Cela prend donc presque autant de temps que de voir les films. Donc ca demande beaucoup de discipline.

J`ai pu apprendre beucoup pendant cette période. Non seulement au sujet des films et de leurs histoires mais aussi des gens qui les produisent. J`adore spécialement retrouver des liens et influences entre les différents films.

merci encore milles fois pour votre support. J`espère que ce blog amateur aura su vous faire découvrir quelques films hors de votre sentier battu. Sinon aurais-je sans doute su vous faire éviter un film qui vous aurait déplu. N`hésitez donc pas à me partager vos suggestion de revues ou à me faire part de vos commentaires sur cette aventure de la dernière année.Merci encore de lire `Reviews & revues`: http://reviewsandrevues.blogspot.com/

NB: la 200ième revue sera très spéciale à mes yeux et sera publiée demain.

Deja #200...Already #200...#200...#200...after 1 year, apres un an

2011-04-03T19:54:00.000-07:00

Well it has already been 1 full year next week that I started this blog.
Thanks for all the support that your comments and mails have given me.
It may sound like lots of work to watch 200 movies in a single year. BUT
i assure you that is the easy part. WRITING 200 reviews is the tough part
and with every one taking about 45mins on average I do spend as much time watching movies now as writing and researching the films.

I have learned a lot through this period about the local french films and the english movies and documentaries from all origins. Stopping and thinking about these great and not so great work really is worth it. It allows to make a lot of connections between the people making the films and story behind them all.

Thanks for you support. I hope this amateur Blog has given you the taste of watching
at least a couple of movies which would be out of your way. Otherwise maybe it has enlightened you to skip a couple to save you time. If you have any feedback let me know how you enjoyed this last year's adventure. Let me know if you would like me to pay attention to certain movies in particular. Thanks for reading "Reviews an Revues".

Link: http://reviewsandrevues.blogspot.com/

Note: I reserve a very special review for #200 tomorrow. Stay tuned.

#199: Fragile , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-03T09:14:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2005

Format: DVD

Fragile. Is it possible to make a terryfying film which is beautiful? It seems that Spanish director extraordinaire Jaume Balaguero (Darkness, REC, REC2) has managed the feat. I thought I would get scared out of my wits with this ghost story set in a children hospital but it turns out the end is mild enough to be beautiful a very interesting twist and an interesting new approach. Calista Flockhart is very well cast in the main role of a depressed nurse who finds a job in a remote children hospital which is about to close. Only a handful of children remain but the local ghost refuses to let them go. The sitatuion escalates till the end as our nurse leads her own investigation to find out who and why some spirits would be refusing to allow the children to leave. A mysterious mechanical girl is at the center of the story and the suspense is intense. One of the excellent horror genre movie which many will appreciate. Gotta see.

Fragile. De l' excellent realisateur espagnol Jaume Balaguero (Darkness, REC, REC2). Ce film est du genre horreur mais la fin assez innatendue nous montre un beau film. Vraiment unqiue comme approche. Calista Flockhart est excellente dans le role d'une infirmiere depressive qui prend un nouveau poste dans un hospital pour enfant tres isole. Il ne reste plus qu'une dizaine d'enfants dans l'hospital et il doivent etre deplaces dans un nouveau centre incessamment. Mais un presence fantomatique, referre par les enfants comme la fille mecanique, empeche les enafats de quitter le site. Notre infirmiere se lance dans une enquete pour trouver les sources de ce mystere et proteger les enfants. Un intense suspense qui croit jusqu'a la fin du film. A voir absolument. Definitevement a ne pas manquer pour les amateurs.

Great quotes:

Link: http://movies.filmax.com/fragiles/

Rating perso: 7.5/10

#198: Smokey and the Bandit part 3 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Genre: Comedy/Comedie Year/Annee: Format: DVD Smokey and the Bandit part 3. Even if you liked the other two popular Bandit movies from the late seventies, you may not enjoy this one so much. It is really false advertising as Burt Reynolds and Sally Field are no longer part of the cast. Director Dick Lowry known for multiple TV movies, looks like he was hired by the producers to milk the cow a bit further even without old Burt's participation. The only positive side is Jackie Gleason's participation if that is your cup of tea. The only laugh are from the Junior Justice as he is so incompetent. Dont watch this one; it will only tarnish your like of the others and will prove how to kill a successfull franchise. Smokey and the Bandit part 3. Un film de Bandit sans Bandit...pouvez-vous le croire? Ce film est une insulte au spectateur et une manière de ramasser du cash à notre insu. Dick Lowry a réalisé ce film désagréable ou ni Burt Reynolds, ni Sally Field ne participe vraiment. De plus on utillise la TA de nouvelle generation (1983) qui est aujourdhui bien moins populaire que la génération précédente. Ouash...le seul élément positif est la participation de Jackie Gleason si ca vous chante. Le plus drôle est Justice Junior qui est si idiot qu`il en est drôle a qqes occasions. Film à éviter... Great quotes: Buford T. Justice: I've said it before and I'll say it again. There is no way, no way that you could come from my loins. Soon as we get home, I'm gonna put a lump on your mama's head. ... Junior: Daddy, my face is all white. Buford T. Justice: Well, put a little lipstick on, I'll drop you off at a gay bar. ... [talking about Junior] Buford T. Justice: He's dumb... but a loveable shit. ... Junior: Does this mean I won't be your little tick turd anymore? Buford T. Justice: Son, you'll always be my tick turd. ... Cledus Snow: I'm going to be the bandit! I get to wear the hat and drive the car! I love this! Gimme the car! Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086325/fullcredits#cast Rating Perso: 1.5/10

#197: Mein kampf , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-01T17:55:00.000-07:00

Genre: Drama/Drame historique Annee/Year: 1999 Format: DVD Mein kampf. A historical dramatized version of the Adolf Hitler story as a young man of university age. This movie from Swiss/German director Urs Odermatt (10 other movies to his credit) follows a younf Adolf arriving in Vienna and attempting to join the art school. He is mid way through the movie denied access to the university program and grows very bitter from that. The movie tries to explain much of the psychology of Hitler from that very poor and desperate period. But is it not so convincing and we remain with a bad taste about the historical accuracy of it all. Not a pleasant experience although it had lots of potential. The movie sounds almost in the tone of a french comedy and Hitler's depiction is definitely downplaying the character. Visually well produced however I am sure there are better movies done about this period and subject already.

Mein Kampf. Ce film est une dramatization de la période ou Adolf Hitler, jeune étudiant sans ressource, se retrouve a Vienne pour y rejoindre le département d`art de l`Université. Cette période en Autriche est très bien représentée techniquement et le réalisateur Urs Odermatt, réussi a faire du bon travail avec ses acteurs (Tom Shilling joue Adolf). Cependant le script laisse a désirer. L`histoire est racontée de façon drôlement senblable à une comédie Française ce qui est étrange. De plus on essai de nous expliquer tout les détails psychologique qui ont fait ce que l`on connait maintenant de Hitler et ceci n`est pas très crédible ni ne semble historiquement correct. On y voit la folie et le désespoir mais pas du tout la force de charactère nécessaire pour devenir le Fuhrer... Film à éviter, car je suis sur qu`il y a de meilleurs films sur le sujet.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038045/maindetails Rating perso: 4.5/10

#196: Gojira/Godzilla, King of Monsters! , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-04-01T17:02:00.001-07:00

Genre: Sci-fi/Science-Fiction Annee/Year: 1954/1956 Format: DVD Gojira. The first movie of this monstrous franchise was completed in 1954 by Japanese director Ishiro Honda working for Toho films. This was a black and white movie about a 400feet high lizard monster which was awaken from the deep seas by the nuclear tests done by the american fleet. The monster sinks a few enormous cargo boats before starting rampaging on the nearby shores. Eventually the monster starts raids into Tokyo as the defenses against the beast escalate. But nothing can defeat it! Except a dark scientist, called Serizawa with too much ethical sense to make public his discovery of a weapon which kills all life. The weapons becomes known to a young girl who makes it known and the dark doctor decides to let the Japanese authorities use his weapon to defeat Godzilla. A surprisingly well made movie for the time with quite believable special effects. But mostly a beautiful metaphor for the atomic bomb which had devasted Honda's country just years before. The movie was so successfull that it was americanized with a version which includes an american journalist in Tokyo which helps to set and narrate the scenes. The americanized version was called "Godzilla, King of monsters!" and came out two years later in 1956. The americanized version does not add annything so you might as well stick to the original Gojira even is only subtitled in English. Not withstanding, this was so succesfull that 29 movies involving Godzilla have been produced to date. Latest one being "Godzilla final wars" from 2004. Gojira sorti en 1954 et sa version américaine (Godzilla, King of monsters!) sorti en 1956 furent le point de départ d`une des franchise de cinéma les plus populaire de tous les temps. Réalisé par Ishiro Honda des Toho film du Japon ce film japonais avec sous-titre anglais, ce film noir et blanc transcende vraiment son époque et demeure quand même intéressant après plus de cinquante ans. La franchise qui comporte à date plus de 29 films est toujours active avec le dernier né sorti en 2004: Gozilla Final War. La version américaine ajoute la narration d`un journaliste américain a Tokyo pendant les événements; mais ceci n`est pas nécessaire. Je recommande la version originale Japonaise avec sous titres anglais. Gojira est l`histoire d`un lézard monstrueux de 400 pieds qui crache un faisceau de radiation et feu qui est émerge des profondeurs océaniques après des essais nucléaires de l`armée américaine. Au départ il s`attaque a des navires cargo puis il gagne les villes environnantes pour terminer a Tokyo ou il détruit tout sur son passage. Aucune arme ne peut l`arrêter mais un scientifique sombre mène des expériences qui lui ont permis de developper làrme ultime qui détruira toute vie dans ses environs. Le scientifiques se laisse convaincre d`utiliser son arme pour arrèter Godzilla mais pas avant dèn payer avec sa vie. Une très belle métaphore pour la bombe atomique qui fut utilisé seulement quelques années plus tot au Japon. Un excellent film qui vieilli bien malgré ses effets spéciaux primitifs. A voir. Great quotes: Steve Martin: [asking Officer Iwanaga] Steve Martin: What is the name of this monster? Old Man on Hill on Oto Island: Godzilla... Security Officer Tomo Iwanaga: You hear that? Godzilla. Steve Martin: So, they believe that this Godzilla is responsible for all the ship disasters? Security Officer Tomo Iwanaga: They're certain of it! ... Dr. Kyohei Yamane: They are so wrong. Godzilla should not be destroyed, he should be studied. ... Dr. Serizawa: The Oxygen destroyer must not be used! Ogata: If we do not defend ourselves from Godzilla now, what will become of us? Dr. Serizawa: And what will become of us if a weapon, such as I now have, falls into the wrong hands? Ogata: Then you have a responsibility no man has ever faced. You have your fear which might become reality. And you have Godzilla, which *is* reality. ... [last lines] Steve Martin: The menace was gone... so was a great man. But the whole world can wake up and live again. Link: http://www.classicmedia.tv/ Rating perso: 8.0/10

#195: Forrest Gump , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-30T16:27:00.000-07:00

Genre: Comedy/Comedie Annee/Year: 1994 Format: DVD Forrest Gump. Finally convinced my son to watch that great movie with me. It took a lot of effort but it will certainly live with him for a while. A classic movie from director Robert Zemeckis (Beowulf, Polar express, Cast away, Back to the future 1-3, Contact, Romancing the stone,...) a veteran to excellent movies. Zemeckis cast one of his fetish actor: Tom Hanks in the lead role of Forrest. This was really one of hte turn about movies for Hanks (with Philadelphia) as before that he was truly seen as a light comedy ho-hum actor. But after Forrest Gump his career was shot forward with great roles and as a great producer especially. Support roles were cast to Robin Wright, Gary Sinise and Sally Field who play excellent along Hanks. Gump is a slightly reatarded kid with a great sense of ethics which he was taught by his mother. We follow Forrest through his adventures in the '60s and '70s as he manages to go through college (being good at football), joins the army and the vietnam war (gets a medal of honor and his ass shot), becomes an armys supported ping pong star (visits China with Nixon) and starts a shrimp fishing company which makes him a millionnaire. The great message carried through the movie is that even a good willed person without much going for him can succeed in life. All through the movie he runs after his great friend who has the looks and the brains but waste's it all away on fleeting loves and '60's fun and drugs. She ends her life a very sad person counting on Forrest to take care of her son. A classic movie, which has not aged one bit since the last 15 years and which carries a strong message which will always ring true. Run Forrest RUN! Forrest Gump. J'ai finalement réussi à faire écouter ce film avec fiston. Il ne voulait vraiment pas voir ce film mais après plusieurs mois d`insistance il a plié et il garderas ces images avec lui pour longtemps. Robert Zemeckis est le réalisateur de classique (Beowulf, Polar express, Cast away, Back to the future 1-3, Contact, Romancing the stone,...) et il n`est pas étranger au succès. Il as donné le rôle principal de Forrest Gump à son collaborateur de longue date: Tom Hanks qui y joue un rôle magnifique. Il est fortement supporté par une équipe du tonerre: Robin Wright, Gary Sinise and Sally Field. Forrest Gump est l`histoire dùn garcon un peu simplet qui à plusieurs aventures a travers les années `60 et `70. Malgré son QI limité il arrive à joindre l`université grace a ses forces de coureur qui le fait joindre l`équipe de football universitaire. Après sa graduation, il se joint à l`armée et se rend au Vietnam où il revient avec une médaille d`honneur. Puis il se joint à l`équipe de ping pong de l`armée ou il est parmis les premiers occidentaux a se rendre en Chine au coté de Nixon. Il s`achète ensuite un bateau de pêche a la creavette en Louisianne juste après une tornade qui à ravagée la région et il y fait fortune. Ce film nous montre que même un être limité comme Forrest peut arriver dans la vie avec un peu de chance et en écoutant les principes éthique que sa mère lui a inculqué. par contraste Forrest courre après sa jolie copine tout au long de sa vie. Celle-ci est belle et intelligente mais ne réussi pas à trouver le bonheur de par les mauvais choix qu`elle fait tout au long de sa vie. Un film qui devient rapidement un classique et qui n`a pas vieilli depuis les 17 dernières années. Court Forrest, Court! Great quotes: Forrest Gump: My momma always said, "Life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." ... [when the bullies from school were chasing him] Jenny Curran: Run, Forrest! Run! ... Coach Bryant: That kid may be the stupidest son of a bitch I've ever seen, but he sure is fast! ... Forrest Gump: Mama always said, dying was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn't. ... Lieutenant Daniel Taylor: Have you found Jesus yet, Gump? Forrest Gump: I didn't know I was supposed to be looking for him, sir. ... Bubba: Anyway, like I was sayin', shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey's uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There's pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that's about it. ... [Forrest Gump referring to Apple Computer] Forrest Gump: Lieutenant Dan got me invested in some kind of fruit company. So then I got a call from him, saying we don't have to worry about money no more. And I said, that's good! One less thing. ... Forrest Gump: [running] I had run for 3 years, 2 months, 14 days, and 16 hours. [he stops and turns around] Young Man Running: Quiet, quiet! He's gonna say something! Forrest Gump: [pause] I'm pretty tired... I think I'll go home now. ... Forrest Gump: Will you marry me? [Jenny turns and looks at him] Forrest Gump: I'd make a good husband, Jenny. Jenny Curran: You would, Forrest. Forrest Gump: ...But you won't marry me. Jenny Curran: [sadly] ... You don't wanna marry me. Forrest Gump: Why don't you love me, Jenny? [Jenny says nothing] Forrest Gump: I'm not a smart man... but I know what love is. ... Jenny Curran: His name's Forrest. Forrest Gump: Like me. Jenny Curran: I named him after his daddy. Forrest Gump: He got a daddy named Forrest, too? Jenny Curran: You're his daddy, Forrest. Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109830/maindetails Rating perso: 8.5/10

#194: The town , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-27T06:19:00.000-07:00

Genre: Drama/Drame Annee/Year: 2010 Format: Blu Ray The Town. A movie with Ben Affleck as director and main actor. Some doubts already? Well let's see where he takes us. Ben recounts the story of the folks from Charlestown a suburb of Boston where many people lead rough lives and often turn to robbery from father to son. The movie depicts the relation between the different folks from that town. Those taking advantage of others, those ahppy being there and those thinking of leaving it all behind and moving to a new life. Ben's character, Doug Macray, is in this last category and finds out the hard way that wanting to leave is not as easy as doing so. He falls in love with a girl named Claire , played by Rebecca hall, who was a victim in the latest bank heist his team performed, which makes the story even more complex and interesting. Other actors to mention are Pete Postlethwaite who died recently and Jeremy Renner as Doug's best friend(The hurt locker) and Chris Cooper one of my preferate actors. A solid movie with good acting and a good story with enough action to keep you interested all the way through. This movie is a third of the way between a social study, a love story and an action movie. There is something for everyone and it plays at many level. Good work ben! The Town. Un film réalisé par Ben Affleck et dont il est l`acteur principal. PAs sûr vous dîtes? Et bien voyons. Le film est solide et comporte une histoire bien intéressante d`un quartier mal fâmé de Boston ou les gens sont souvent des bandits et surtout des voleurs de banque de génération en générations. le film focus sur les relations entre les personnes y vivant et en ce sens presque une étude sociologique. Le fil est aussi un film d`amour avec notre acteur principal Doug Macray qui tombe en amour avec une fille nommée Claire (Rebecca hall) qui était une caissière impliquée dans leur dernier vol de banque. Situation complexe et intéressante. Mais ce n`est pas tout... ce film est surtout un bon film d`action avec plusieurs scènes a haute adrénaline comme le vol de banque du début et celui ou ils volent la caisse du stade des Red Sox après la joute. Tension, morts et poursuite automobile sont au rendez vous. Le film est un savant mélange bien dosé et qui plaira a plusieurs. À noter: une des dernièrs rôles de Pete Postlethwaite décédé l`an dernier; il rendait toujours un super jeu au gars tough. Aussi excellentes performances de Jeremy Renner (Hurt locker) et d`un de mes acteurs préférés Chirs Cooper dans le rôle du père incacéré de Doug. Bon travail Ben! Great quotes: Doug MacRay: I need your help. I can't tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it later, and we're gonna hurt some people. James Coughlin: ...Whose car we takin'? ... Fergus 'Fergie' Colm: You're going to do this for me, or I'm going to clip your nuts, like I clipped your daddy's. Doug MacRay: Don't talk about my father. Fergus 'Fergie' Colm: Son, I knew your daddy. He worked for me for years. Years. Then he wanted his own thing. You play the horses? You know they either geld the horse with a knife or with chemicals. When your Daddy said no to me, I did him the chemical way. Gave your mother a taste. Got the hook into her. Ahh, she doped up good and proper. Hung herself with a wire, on Melnea Cass. And you, running around the neighborhood looking for her. Your daddy didn't have the heart to tell his son that he was looking for a suicide doper who was never coming home. If there's a Heaven son, she ain't in it. ... James Coughlin: You grew up right here! Same rules that I did. ... James Coughlin: If we get jammed up, we're holding court on the street. ... Doug MacRay: We're fucked if we see a helicopter, we're fucked if we see SWAT. We see a cruiser, stop, take out the engine blocks, keep movin'. No one needs to get hurt. James Coughlin: Yeah, these guards like to test you, though. They wanna get hurt for ten dollars an hour, don't get in the way. ... Doug MacRay: No matter how much you change, you still have to pay the price for the things you've done. So I got a long road. But I know I'll see you again - this side or the other. ... Doug MacRay: Not the way I planned it, but for the first time in my life, I'm leaving this city. Maybe if I go, I can stop looking. Link: http://thetownmovie.warnerbros.com/dvd/ Rating perso: 7.5/10

#193: Mission: Impossible : III , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

Genre: Action

Annee/Year: 2006

Format: Blu Ray

Mission : Impossible : III. The third installment of the franchise was directed by the now famous J.J. Abrams (Lost, Star Trek, Super 8). What a good choice that was. Abrams has a great judgement on many aspects of creating a good movie. Her ethe result is excellent. Casting a gain a Star crew: Tom Cruise in the lead role, supported by Ving Rhames, Michele Monaghan, Billy Crudup (bad IMF boss) and Laurence Fishburne (good IMF boss) and Simon Pegg as the Q role. Abrams cast Philip Seymour Hoffman as one of the best bad guys, Davian, i have ever seen in action. Loved is play here.

The movie starts in Berlin whre the baddie, Davian, is holding an IMF agent which he has killed without mercy. This fires up Ethan Hunt to take him down. But Davian as an ace up his sleeve, he associated to a mole in the IMF managment team. Although Hunt abducts him from the vatican, they loose him in a beatiful scene on the Chesapeake bay bridge where the convoy is attacked by drone and chopper by a major force. This is one of the best action scenes ever shot. And Davian escapes.

Davian abducts in turn Hunt's new wife who is not even aware he is an IMF agent. In return for his love, Hunt has to deliver the "rabbit's foot" a piece of Intel with high value. Hunt orchestrates a hesit in Shanghai high rise to recuperate the rabbit's foot. The end is in true action movie profile.

For me this is the best movie of the franchise with the best action scene (without being over the top) and the best bad guy seen in recent action movie history. You will love this one , dont miss it.

Mission : Impossible : III. Le meilleur est souvent pour la fin et c'est le cas ici. MI3 est le meilleur film de cette franchise. Le réalisateu JJ Abrams a été choisit pour ce film et c`était vraiment le bon choix(Lost, Star Trek, Super 8). Intenses scènes d`actions mais sans être trop exaggérées Abrams a réunis une distribution du tonerre: Tom Cruise, supporté par Ving Rhames, Michele Monaghan, Billy Crudup (méchant boss IMF boss) and Laurence Fishburne (bon boss IMF) et Simon Pegg comme Q. Abrams à untilisé Philip Seymour Hoffman dans le rôle du méchant Davian et c`est vraiment réussi: certainement le meilleur méchant mis sur pellicule à mon avis.

le film nous emmene à Berlin ou Davian tue une agente du IMF proche de Hunt. Erreur... Hunt déecide d`enlever Davian afin de le faire parler. Pour ce faire ils organisent une mission extraodinaire au milieu du Vatican où ils enlevent Davian a bord d`une Lamborghini...

En ramenant Davian au bureau chef ils se font attaquer par une force aérienne (drônes et hélicoptères) sur le pont de la baie de Chesapeake. Une scène a vous couper le souffle et définitivement une des mes scènes d`action préférée. Ceci nous révèle que Davian a cependant un associé dans le dirigeant du IMF. Davian procède immédiatement à enlever la nouvelle femme de Hunt qui n`est même pas au courant qu`il est un agent IMF... En échange Hunt doit voler a Shanghai au sommet des tours de bureaux un objet de valeur sur le marché international nommé la patte de lapin. Le film se termine dans un duel HuntéDavian a couper le souffle littérallement. Un bon film dàction dur a battre que vous ne regretterez pas. À voir.

Great quotes:
Owen Davian: Who are you? What's you're name? Do you have a wife? A girlfriend? Because if you do, I'm gonna find her. I'm gonna hurt her. I'm gonna make her bleed, and cry, and call out your name. And then I'm gonna find you,and kill you right in front of her.
...
Ethan Hunt: Blow the car.
Zhen: Oh, its such a nice car.
Ethan Hunt: And yet, do it.
...
Ethan Hunt: I have the Rabbit's Foot, but I can't make it to the roof!
Declan: What the hell d'you mean you can't make it to the roof - where are you?
Ethan Hunt: Look up! Look up! Look up!
...
Luther Stickell: That look in your eyes is pain in my ass, you know that, right?
...
Ethan Hunt: I'm part of an agency... called the IMF.
Julia: What's that stand for?
Ethan Hunt: Impossible Mission Force.
Julia: [chuckles] Shut up.
...
Brassel: I don't care if your daddy plays golf with the President. This is Intelligence. So far, I haven't seen any.
...
[when asked if he knew what the "Rabbit's Foot" was]
Benji Dunn: It's interesting - I used to have this professor at Oxford, okay? Doctor Wickham, his name was and he was, like, this massive fat guy, you know? Huge, big guy. We used to call him - you know, well, I won't tell you what we used to call him, but he taught biomolecular kinetics and cellular dynamics. And he used to sort of scare the underclassmen with this story about how the world would eventually be eviscerated by technology. You see, it was inevitable that a compound would be created which he referred to as the 'Anti-God'. It was like an accelerated mutator or sort of, you know, like a, an unstoppable force of destructive power, that would just lay waste to everything - to buildings and parks and streets and children and ice cream parlors, you know? So whenever I see, like, a rogue organization willing to spend this amount of money on a mystery tech, I always assume... it's the Anti-God. End-of-the-world kinda stuff, you know... But no, I don't have any idea what it is. I was just speculating.

Link: http://www.missionimpossible.com/

Rating perso: 8.0/10

#192: Mission: impossible II , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-26T06:38:00.001-07:00

Genre: Action

Annee/Year: 2000

Format: Blu Ray

Mission: Impossible II. For the the second installment of the franchise the producers needed to step it up a bit to keep the interest. They therefore hired director John Woo a Honk Kong Native who always brings us a major action content even if often over the top (Broken arrow, Face off, Red cliff, Paycheck and many chinese movies). John often oversteps the line of the believable but often in the good interest of giving a great show. This is again the case.

A heavy cast is used again with Tom Cruise in the main role of Ethan Hunt, Dougray Scott, Ving Rhames and the beautiful Thandie newton in support roles. The baddie is well played by Richard Roxburg. This is the story of the top spy team for IMF returning on active duty to save the world from a deadly virus called Chimeara. Fortunately the antidote exists in Bellerophon but the bad guys differ on opinion on how to make use of the two.... Again an intense batlle starting in Sydney. By the way the bad guys i a again an IMF agent gone bad. These guys really have to start picking their staff better... The movie takes us from a texas Mountain ot downtown Sydney and it's sourrounding area. The plot uses the girl Hunt has associated with to get information from the other agent gone rogue. Plans which obviously turns bad for the chick. The end is a major motrocycle chase and duel in which the bad guy finally gets killed. And hunt achieves his mission to save the girl and the worls at the same time. Again a very entertaining movie which will entertain your senses 100%.

Mission: impossible II. Pour le second film de la franchise les producteurs avaient besoin de plus de punch Ils ont alors engagé le réalisateur John Woo. Woo est un réalisateur d`origine de Hong Kong qui faite de bon films d`action (Broken arrow, Face off, Red cliff, Paycheck and plusieurs autres films anglais et chinois) qui sont souvent du côté dangeureux de la crédibilité. En plein ce les producteurs voulaient pour garder le souffle sur la franchise. Tom Cruise joue encore dans le rôle principal de Ethan Hunt avec Dougray Scott, Ving Rhames et la jolie Thandie Newton dans les roles de support. Le mauvais garçon est joué par Richard Roxburg un agent de la IMF qui décide de se joindre au côté sombre de la force. Encore un transfuge...ils devraient commençer à mieux choisir leurs employés à la IMF. Roxburg vole un virus extrêmement dangeureux qui est
accompagné dùn antidote qui pourrait se vendre à grand prix si le virus était mis en liberté...

Heureusement pour nous Ethan Hunt est là et il assemble une nouvelle équipe pour reprendre le virus; dont la belle jeune fille qui est l`ex copine du méchant. Bien entendu cela torune mal pour la jolie et Hunt devras retrouver le vaccin en qqes heures pour la sauver elle ainsi que le monde.
Encore une fois beuacoup d`action, souvent `over the top` (comme le duel en moto); mais pas de scènes aussi mémorables que dans le premier MI. Encore une fois un bon film pour vous amuser et une bonne soirée pop-corn.

Great quotes:
Mission Commander Swanbeck: Mr. Hunt, this isn't mission difficult, it's mission impossible. "Difficult" should be a walk in the park for you.
...
Dr. Nekhorvich: Every search for a hero must begin with something which every hero requires, a villain.
...
Mission Commander Swanbeck: Good morning, Mr. Hunt. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, involves the recovery of a stolen item designated "Chimera." You may select any two team members, but it is essential that the third member of your team be Nyah Nordoff-Hall. She is a civilian, and a highly capable professional thief. You have forty-eight hours to recruit Miss Hall and meet me in Seville to receive your assignment. As always, should any member of your team be caught or killed, the Secretary will disavow all knowledge of your actions. And Mr. Hunt, the next time you go on holiday, please be good enough to let us know where you're going. This message will self-destruct in five seconds.
Ethan Hunt: If I let you know where I'm going, I won't be on holiday.
...
Ethan Hunt: We've got 19 hours and 57 minutes. I'll get Bellerophon into your system by then. Just stay alive. I'm not going to lose you.
...
Billy Baird: You OK, mate?
Luther Stickell: That punk put a hole in my Versace.

Link: http://www.missionimpossible.com/

Rating perso: 6.5/10

#191: Mission impossible , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-23T20:00:00.000-07:00

Genre: Action

Annee/Year: 1996

Format: Blu Ray

Mission Impossible. The first installment in this three part sequel is now already 15 years old. Wow. Director Brian De Palma (Carrie, Fury, Dressed to kill, The untouchables, The Bonfire of vanities, Carlito's way...) brought us this top action movie. His keen sense of timing, tension and action are all well used in this spy thriller. Cast includes major hitters such as Tom Cruise in the main role of Ethan Hunt, John Voigt in the good guy gone bad, Emmanuelle Beart, Ving Rhames and Jean Reno in support roles. This is the story of the top spy team for IMF which gets exploded as one of the main characters is tagged as a traitor. Ethan Hunt is cut loose and has to get back to the baddies on his own terms.

This movie is extremely well produced and some scenes are now true classics in their own: scene where they attack the main computer of the CIA most secured facility, or the scene where Ethan is framed ina european restaurant with huge aquariums who are exploded as he barely escapes. The final scene is also well remembered as the helicopter chases Hunt on top of the train through the Channel tunnel. Nice... Stuff great movies are remembered by. It may not feed your brain but it will entertain your senses 100%.

Mission impossible. Le premier film de la série moderne. Ce film est réalisé par Brian De Palma (Carrie, Fury, Dressed to kill, The untouchables, The Bonfire of vanities, Carlito's way...) Brian nous apporte un film bien rodé avec une valeur de production énorme. La distribution est super solide avec Tom Cruise dans le rôle principal de Ethan Hunt, John Voigt le gentil/mauvais, Emmanuelle Beart, Ving Rhames et Jean Reno dans des super rôles de support.

Mission impossible est l`histoire d`une équipe crack d`espions qui bossent pour l`IMF au moment ou ils sont infiltrés par une taupe qui fait littéralement exploser le sol sous leurs pieds. Ethan se retrouve tout seul pour retrouver une liste des espions qui ne doit absolument pas se retrouver sur le marcher. CE film nous apporte plusieurs scènes mémorables: telle la scène d`invasion du serveur central de la CIA suspendu par câbles du plafond; ou la scène ou Ethan est piégé dans un resto européen et qu`il s`échappe de justesse en faisant exploser les multiples aquariums gigantesques du resto. Ou encore la fameuse scène de poursuite d`Ethan sur le toit d`un train TGV par un hélicoptère à l`intérieur du tunnel de la manche...

Un film rempli de sensations fortes et d`adrénaline qui a peu vieilli. Il devient maintenant très près d`un classique du genre. À voir pour tous.

Great quotes:
Ethan Hunt: Relax Luther, it's much worse than you think.
...
Jack Harmen: [describing his "special" gum to Ethan] Stick of gum, right? [Ethan shakes his head. Jack demonstrates]
Jack Harmen: Red light, green light. Come up against a lock you can't pick, you mash them together... *boom*. Hasta lasagna, don't get any on ya. You'll have about 5 seconds... [hands the "gum" to Ethan]
Jack Harmen: Just don't chew it.
...
Eugene Kittridge: What, can we do Barnes... put a guy at the airport? How many identities do you think Hunt has? How many times has he slipped past customs and in how many countries? These guys are trained to be ghosts... we taught them to do it for Christ's sake.
Frank Barnes: Well what do you suggest?
Eugene Kittridge: Let's not waste time chasing after him, just make him come to us. Everybody has pressure points, Barnes. You find something that's personally important to him and you... squeeze.
...
Ethan Hunt: [referring to CIA headquarters] This is the Mount Everest of hacks.

Link: http://www.missionimpossible.com/

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#190: Memento , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-21T20:19:00.000-07:00

Genre: Drame/Drama

Annee/Year: 2000

Format: DVD

Memento. This is another great movie from director extraordinaire Christopher Nolan (Inception, Insomnia, Batman begins, The dark knight,...). This movie is very well rated by most critics as Inception will be in coming years. The movie casts Guy Pearce as Leonard Shelby a private investigator working for insurance companies. He sufferes from a very special condition called anterograde amnesia induced by a blow on the head. This conditions prevent him from remembering anything occuring to him from one day to the next. Strange. But to really throw you off Nolan shot the movie in two crossing threads: one counting a story forward in black and white and the other recounting a complementary story in color but moving backwards in time. The two threads alternate through the movie until the end where they meet in time. Definitely original and complex. You have to pay attention.

The story itself tells the tale of an investigator obviously struggling with his memory condition trying to find and get revenge against the man who raped and killed his wife. Problem is that the killer is spending his days WITH our main character who does not know better. Really original and interesting storytelling structure. This movie was good on an older DVD i bought but in the last month this movie was put out on a blu-ray cleaned up version. Good movie for those who like their movies a less than predictable; which certainly includes me.

Memento. Un film extraordinaire du réalisateur Christopher Nolan (Inception, Insomnia, Batman begins, The dark knight,...). Ce film est définitvement pour vous si vaus aimez les films plus complexes et sutout impredictible. Guy Pearce joue le rôle de Leonard Shelby un enqueteur d`assurance dont la femme est tuée et violée avant qu`il recoive un coup sur la tête. Le résultat est une condition três rare qui cause la personne de ne pas se souvenir des événements des journées précédentes. Un genre de jour de la marmotte plus intéressant... À chaque jour notre héro continue sont enquête pour retrouver l`assassin de sa femme. Tordu? pas assez pour Nolan. L`assassin accompagne notre héro à chaque jours pour le lancer dans de fausses pistes... Pas assez vous direz? Bien Nolan pense de même. Le film est raconté en deux fils parallèles qui s`entrecoupent à tous les 10 minutes. Un des fil est couleur et remonte le temps; l`autre noir et blanc et se déroule normalement. Et voila le travail. Maintenant il vous faudra travailler pour remettre tout ca dans l`ordre. LEs deux fils se rejoignent au milieu de l`histoire à la fin du film... Un film a voir qui deviendra surement un classique. Nolan un directeur qui n`a pas finit de nous en faire voire de toute les couleurs. Bravo.

Great quotes:

Natalie: What's the last thing that you do remember?
Leonard Shelby: My wife...
Natalie: That's sweet.
Leonard Shelby: ...dying.
...

Leonard Shelby: I meet Sammy through work. Insurance. I was an investigator. I'd investigate the claims to see which ones were phony. I had to see through people's bullshit. It was useful experience, 'cause now it's my life.
...
Leonard Shelby: I always thought the joy of reading a book is not knowing what happens next.
...
Natalie: Is that what your little note says? It must be hard living your life off a couple of scraps of paper. You mix your laundry list with your grocery list you'll end up eating your underwear for breakfast.
...
Leonard Shelby: Probably burned truck loads of your stuff before. Can't remember to forget you.
...

Link: http://www.otnemem.com/

Rating perso: 8.0/10

#189: Cruising bar 2 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-20T15:58:00.000-07:00

Genre: Comedy/Comedie

Annee/Year: 2008

Format: DVD

Cruising bar 2. A follow up comedy to a quebec classic where Michel Cote (Piche:entre ciel et terre, De pere en flic, C.R.A.Z.Y., lots of TV and the hit stage show Broue) plays the role of 4 very different characters 15 years after the first movie. The characters maybe the same but their lives are now quite different since we saw them the last time. Funny but not that funny; seems to me this type of comedy is old school and without a lot of interest.

Cruising bar 2. Vive Michel Côté un acteur extraordinaire de chez nous (Piché:entre ciel et terre, De père en flic, C.R.A.Z.Y., beaucoup de TV et surtout Broue) . Il fait un grand effort ici encore une fois pour jouer le rôle des quatre loosers de l' original. Bon effort; mais ça tombe complètement à plat et après avoir visionné ce film je ne peux que me dire: POURQUOI! Ne perdez pas votre temps à moins que votre veillé soit vraiment platte...

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.vivafilm.com/fr/28/details/display/11462/

Rating perso: 3.0/10

#188: Resident evil: afterlife , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-20T12:38:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

Resident Evil: after life. A fourth installment in the popular series: Resident Evil. Maybe we could say 5th if we count the animation movie Resident Evil : Degeneration. This movie is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson who also made the original Resident Evil movie in 2002 (as well as Mortal Combat, Event Horizon, Alien vs Predator, Death race...) and is also the lucky bastard married to the beautiful star of this movie Milla Jovovich.

Milla is again the star of this Resident Evil episode. She starts this movie by destroying a major complex of the Umbrella corporation single handedly with her super powers confered by the evil virus she was shot with earlier in the series. This time, however, she becomes human again in the opening scene as she is shot by the bad guy Albert Wesker president of the evil Umbrella corporation (played by Shawn Roberts) with a cure for the evil virus at the heart of this franchise's story line. After destroying the Tokyo headquarters of the corporation Milla now human proceeds to find the last remains of the human population which was decimated by the aforementioned virus which turns humans and dogs into nasty zombie like creatures. Hope seems to be aboard a ship which is traveilng along the Californian coast. Problem is getting there. After joining a group of humans isolated in a LA high rise and surrounded by 1000s of zombies. They meet a formidable and way cool boss zombie called Axeman 10feet high, super strong and wielding one the largest weapon (axe/meat cleaver) you can ever imagine. Really surreal and cool. Off course they finish him and hundreds of unfortunate zombies on their path and proceed against all odds to the famous boat of hope. Their the find that hope is actually another challenge and they end up in a final challenge with Wesker.

Resident evil the franchise is a really interesting phenomenon starting on the basis of good old zombie lore the movies evolve rapidly into it's own and the movies feed the R.E. video games and the vice versa until no one is sure which is the lead anymore. It is more a multimedia opus. Especially if we count in the animation movie on top of that. Beautifully produced, well shot, major budgets, interesting actors (i dont dare say good), major script turns and CGed out of hell the movies are solid and build up a nightmare universe without ends. Definitely entertaining but not for every one. The RE universe keeps expanding and still gathers followers even almost 10yrs after it was started. Seems like Milla's magic is still fully operational.

Resident Evil: after life. Le 4e film de cette populaire série. Réalisé par Paul W.S. Anderson qui nous a aussi donné l`original Resident Evil de 2002 (ainsi que Mortal Combat, Event Horizon, Alien vs Predator, Death race...) il est aussi le chanceux qui à marié la vedette du film Milla Jovovich.

Dans ce film Milla, toujours dans le rôle d`Alice, est toujours sous l' emprise de super pouvoirs qui lui sont conférés par le virus maléfique combattu dans les premiers films de la franchise. À elle seule, elle détruit une armée et la maison mère de Umbrella corporation a Tokyo. Elle est cependant rattrapée par le chef de la corporation, Albert Wesker (joué par Shawn Roberts) qui lui injecte un antidote qui la retourne a son état initial de bien humain. Ceci nous la rend un peu plus terre-à-terre même si ce film demeure toujours `over the top` . Alice part à la recherche des derniers humains qui ont survécus a cette catastrophe zombie qui a décimé le monde. Elle en retrouve un petit groupe isolé dans un gratte-ciel de LA entouré par des milliers de zombies. Là, ils feront la rencontre d`un super zombie boss nommé Axeman qui mesure 10pieds de haut et a une force surhumaine. De plus il est équipé d`une hache-marteau géante: super cool, j` ai adoré ce personnage. Bien sûr Alice et cie l`élimine rapidement pour se rendre sur un bateau de cargaison qui navigue sur la côte californienne et où se trouve il paraît les derniers vestiges d`humanité. La ils se battront pour ces vestiges avec Wesker dans un combat ultime.

La série Resident Evil est une vision très imaginative dont les films sont stimulés par les nombreux jeux vidéo du même nom et vice versa. Ajoutez à cela le fim dànimation de 2008 (RE degenration) et vous avez une franchise vraiment multimédia qui est surpassée seulement par Star Wars. Gros budget, design super réfléchis, acteurs solides (je n’ose pas dire bons), action incessante et vraiment plus gros que la vie; la vision infernale de Resident Evil ne vous laisseras pas indifférent même si pas pour tous. On ne verra pas la fin de cette franchise à court terme, je crois...

Great quotes:
Alice: [narrating] My name is Alice. I worked for the Umbrella Corporation in a secret laboratory developing experimental viral weaponry. There was an incident. A virus escaped. Everybody died. Trouble was, they didn't stay dead.
...
Alice: Please wait.
Albert Wesker: Last words?
Alice: Thank you.
Albert Wesker: For killing you?
Alice: For making me human again.
...
[Axeman is banging at the gate with its battle hammer]
Claire Redfield: Luther, just shoot that motherfucker. [Luthor shoots Axeman repeatedly in the head, it keeps banging at the gate]
Luther: What the fuck is that thing?
...
Albert Wesker: The T-Virus brought me back. [his head jerks, jaws set, chest heaves]
Albert Wesker: But it's so strong. It fights me for control. I thought if I ingested fresh human DNA, I could redress the balance.
Alice: No wonder your crew abandon ship.
Albert Wesker: No matter. Now I have a new subordinate. And a new plan. You were the only one who successfully bonded with the T-Virus. Your DNA is stronger than the others. I ingest you, I gain control.
Alice: [nods, walks a few paces to a table] That's pretty smart thinking. There's only one problem with that plan.
Bennett: [aiming gun at Alice] Stop right there.
Albert Wesker: And what is that?
Alice: I'm not on the menu. [she kicks a tray of surgical instruments at Wesker and takes out Bennett's gun with a roundhouse kick. Wesker dodges the scalpels that impale his chair]
...

Link: http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/residentevilafterlife/

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#187: Gone with the wind, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Genre: Drama/Drame

Annee/Year: 1939

Format: Blu Ray

Gone with the wind. One of the american cinema's greatest classic now beautifully restored and availble on Blu Ray. Definitely a good investment. This classic film was done in 1939 and is shown in full screen (aspect ratio 1.33:1) as the movies of that period were shot. Sound and image are perfectly restored and we cannot flaw this restoration.

Director Victor Fleming created this masterpiece on the same year he put out the also excellent Wizard of Oz. Two movies who marked the art and the times by the same director on the same year(which happens to be the year the 2nd world war started as well); nothing less than breathtaking.

Victor used one the most amazing cast for this movie: Vivien Leigh plays the main role of a spoiled rich girl named Scarlett O'hara, who is placed in unsusually grueling circumstances which she must face to survive. The famous Clark Gable is cast in the main male role of Rhett Butler a sleazy character with enough ego to pull through the war and get out winning. The tale is set in 1860 in southern USA in the area of Atlanta during the civil war. The movie starts us before the civil war with the southerners and their beutiful plantations and their huge egos and pride. We see the beautiful soires organised on the plantations and the young Sacrlett plotting to get at the heart of every man she can convince. She is especially interested in the one man which cannot get and who will get engage with her cousin/neighbor and she hates her for that.

The movie quickly turns us to war time and how the south bitterly lost the civil war. The plantations were mainly destroyed and pillage and life for young Scarlett makes a turn for the worst as she has to take control of her surroundings, her father's plantation after he goes crazy and has to do anything to stay alive and keep her land as well as help her sick friends.

After the war we see Scarlett marrying to a man she does not love but who will bring her revenue and allow her to become a shrewd business woman. After this second husband gets killed in a political face off, she gets engaged to Rhett who always saw her for what she truly is. Perfectly knowing his wife still secretely loved her friends' husband. After having two children/babies and losing both in tragic accidents involving Rhett she fianlly realizes her true love is her husbad Rhett at the moment her best friend dies and she realizes she could have her husband but does not really love him. By then it is too late and Rhett leaves her in a tragic final scene where she realizes all she has is her land named Tara.

An epic movie, larger than life, with countless sets and scenes and actors. Beautifully crafted and shot with exquisite dresses and decors. This movie is a 4 hour adventure recounting an important part of the american history from a very interesting perspective. Mixing action and history to a complex love story this is truly a classic tale. Never has a movie aged more beautifully, it is truly timeless.

Autant en emporte le vent. Un grand classique américain dans la plus grande tradition du cinéma. Ceci est la revue de la restauration du 70e anniversaire de ce grand film qui est distribué sur Blu Ray. Le réalisateur Victor Fleming a aussi sorti en 1939 le film le Magicien d'Oz; vraiment incroyable qu`un réalisateur puisse sortir deux films si marquants la même année...

Victor utilisa une des meilleures distributions de tous les temps pour ce film: Scarlett O`Hara jouée par Vivan Leigh et Rhett Butler joué par le non moins fameux Clark Gable ainsi qu`une troupe énorme de personnages secondaires inoubliables. Ce film grandiose est mémorable autant par sa trame sonore (toujours utilisée lors de la remise des Oscars, que par ses décors gigantesques, ou par la qualité de sa cinématographie, mais aussi par ses costumes inoubliables.

Le film se déroule en 1860 et nous fait revivre la période précédant la guerre civile américaine en première loge des plantations autour d`Atlanta. On y voit la richesse des propriétaires et de leurs familles et leur vaine fierté qui les conduisit à la guerre avec les Yankees. Pendant la seconde partie du film, on vit les affres de la guerre et les difficultés des habitants à y survivre. Le film se termine sur la reconstruction de l`économie et des familles après cette sanglante guerre. Mais ce film nous montre ceci comme arrière-plan seulement, car le film suit la vie de Scarlett à travers cette guerre et on la voit de jeune fille riche et impudente devenir une femme plus épanouie qui a su survivre dans une période très difficile. Le film la suit dans ses amours avec trois maris qu`elle n`a jamais su aimer; jusqu'au moment où elle réalise à quel point elle adore son mari Rhett. Dans la scène finale elle lui avoue son amour, mais trop tard, car il la quitte... Dans la plus pure tradition des vraies tragédies grecques.

Un film grandiose et un des plus grands classiques que tous doivent voir. Mais attention ce film dure 4 heures. Elles seront vite passées en si bonne compagnie. Ce film n`a vraiment rien perdu avec l`age; tel un bon vin!

Great quotes:

Title card: There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called the Old South... Here in this pretty world Gallantry took its last bow... Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their Ladies Fair, of Master and of Slave... Look for it only in books, for it is no more than a dream remembered. A Civilization gone with the wind...
...
Scarlett: Atlanta!
Mammy: Savannah would be better for ya. You'd just get in trouble in Atlanta.
Scarlett: What trouble are you talking about?
Mammy: You know what trouble I's talkin' 'bout. I's talking 'bout Mr. Ashley Wilkes. He'll be comin' to Atlanta when he gets his leave, and you sittin' there waitin' for him, just like a spider. He belongs to Miss Melanie...
Scarlett: You go pack my things like Mother said.
...
Rhett Butler: With enough courage, you can do without a reputation.
...
Scarlett: [pleads with Rhett as he is about to leave to join the Confederate Army] Oh, Rhett! Please, don't go! You can't leave me! Please! I'll never forgive you!
Rhett Butler: I'm not asking you to forgive me. I'll never understand or forgive myself. And if a bullet gets me, so help me, I'll laugh at myself for being an idiot. There's one thing I do know... and that is that I love you, Scarlett. In spite of you and me and the whole silly world going to pieces around us, I love you. Because we're alike. Bad lots, both of us. Selfish and shrewd. But able to look things in the eyes as we call them by their right names.
Scarlett: [struggles] Don't hold me like that!
Rhett Butler: [holds her tighter] Scarlett! Look at me! I've loved you more than I've ever loved any woman and I've waited for you longer than I've ever waited for any woman. [kisses her forhead]
Scarlett: [turns her face away] Let me alone!
Rhett Butler: [forces her to look him in the eyes] Here's a soldier of the South who loves you, Scarlett. Wants to feel your arms around him, wants to carry the memory of your kisses into battle with him. Never mind about loving me, you're a woman sending a soldier to his death with a beautiful memory. Scarlett! Kiss me! Kiss me... once...
[he kisses her]
...
Rhett Butler: Take a good look my dear. It's an historic moment you can tell your grandchildren about - how you watched the Old South fall one night.
...
Rhett Butler: Now that you've got your lumber mill and Frank's money, you won't come to me as you did to the jail, so I see I shall have to marry you.
Scarlett: I never heard of such bad taste.
...
Scarlett: Sir, you are no gentleman.
Rhett Butler: And you, Miss, are no lady.
...
Scarlett: As God is my witness, as God is my witness they're not going to lick me. I'm going to live through this and when it's all over, I'll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again.
...
Melanie Hamilton: Whatever happens, I'll love you just as I do now until I die.
...
Scarlett: Rhett, Rhett... Rhett, if you go, where shall I go? What shall I do?
Rhett Butler: Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.
...
[last lines] Scarlett: Tara! Home. I'll go home. And I'll think of some way to get him back. After all... tomorrow is another day.

Link: http://warnervideo.com/gonewiththewind/

Rating perso: 8.5/10

#186: Son of Frankeinsten, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-15T19:40:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1939

Format: DVD

Son of Frankeinstein. This is the third movie in the Universal classic series. This one is directed by Roland V Lee (The counto f Monte Cristo, Captain Kid, the mysterious Dr Fu Manchu...) and is his first in this franchise. Lee casted Boris Karloff as the monster and Bela Lugosi as Ygor the infamous assistant. Basil Rathbone was cast as the son of Henry Frankeinstein: Wolf who returns from abroad to take back his father's estate with his wife and son. Obviously the good doctor is easily persuaded to try to complete his father's goals and he thus revives the monster from his coma. He drops the matter having thought he failed but Ygor takes advantage of the sitatuation and uses the monster to eliminate some of his town enemies. The doctor is accused and the town Burgmaster starts and investigation around the Frankeinstein estate as the town mounts against the Frankeinstein's again.
The movie ends as Ygor is shot and the monster turns crazy that his only friend was killed and is dropped in a fire pit.

The casting and shooting is quite well done on this movie but some of the magic from the original is missing. The good doctor is a bit too likeable a character and a family man to boot. The story falls a bit short after all. For fans of the genre or the franchise mainly. Black and white with mono sound.

Son of Frankeinstein. La troisième partie de cette populaire franchise. Ce film a été réalisé par Roland V Lee (The count of Monte Cristo, Captain Kid, the mysterious Dr Fu Manchu...) et il sàgit de son 1er Frankeinstein. Lee a utilisé une distribution solide pour ce film: Boris karlof dans le rôle du monstre, Bela Lugosi dans le rôle de l`infâme assistant Ygor et Basil Rathbone dans le rôle du descendant de Frankeinstein qui revient de l`étranger pour prendre possession des ruines du château familial. Ygor réussit à convaincre le bon docteur de reprendre les travaux de son père en faisant revivre le monstre. Ceci ne fut pas difficile et Ygor qui est le bon ami du monstre l;utilise rapidement à ses fins pour éliminer des membres du village qu`il n`aime pas. Tout cela finit mal quand le stratagème de Ygor est découvert et qu`il est tué par balle. Le monstre pogne les nerfs et décide de tout peter encore une fois. Le docteur élimine le monstre pour protéger sa famille en faisant tomber le monstre dans une fosse en flamme.

Bien que clairement un des classiques Universel, ce film est solide par ces acteurs et sa bonne réalisation. Cependant il lui manque la magie de la foile Frankeinstein des premiers films. Le bon docteur est trop un bon gars et un bon père de famille pour son compte. À voir par les vrais amateurs des classiques Universel ou du genre surtout. Ne pas oublier que ce film est noir et blanc avec trame sonore mono.

Great quotes:

Elsa von Frankenstein: What a dreadful storm and awful lightening.
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein: It's magnificent. Nothing in nature is terrifying when one understands it. Darling, my father drew that very lightening from heaven and forced it for his own will to bring life to a being he created with his own hands. Why should we fear anything?
...
Inspector Krogh: One doesn't easily forget, Herr Baron, an arm torn out by the roots.
...
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein: My son, herein lies my faiths, my beliefs and my unfoldments. A complete diary of my experiments, charts and secret formulas. In short, the sum total of my knowledge, such as it is. Perhaps you will regard my work with ridicule or even with a distaste. If so, destroy these records. But if you like me burn with the irresistable desire to penetrate the unknown, carry on. The path is cruel and torturous, carry on. I put secret after truth, you will be hated, blasphemed and condemned. You have inherited the fortune of the Frankensteins, I trust you will not inherit their fate.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031951/maindetails

Rating perso: 6.5/10

#185: My soul to take , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-13T15:56:00.000-07:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

My soul to take. The latest film (until smream 4 is out) from writer and director horror master Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm street...). This film has split the opinions of many who have seen it. The reason being that Wes had a good idea for a script but it was a bit complicated; may be too much for many of his audience and maybe because of the contrived way he tried to tell the tale.

The story is about a multiple personality serial killer who gets finally cuaght by police. On the night he dies (in a very spectacular ambulance accident) his seven personnalities are split and find themselves in the seven babies born that night in this little town. The main part of the movie actually takes place 16 years later as our teenagers celebrate their 16th birthday in a ritual put in place by local kids to turn back the serial killer. One of the seven is the reborn killer soul and is out to get the others... will they find out which one it is before they are all dead...

An interesting concept on paper but definitely hard to get on audiences without the concept. This is a well built film with some suspense and shocks but nowhere near the originality and vision of the "Nightmare" series. Still interesting to see by the amateurs of the genre.

My soul to take. Un autre film de l'écrivain et directeur maître de l`horreur Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm street...). Ce film a été pas mal malmené par plusieurs sans doute pour sa difficulté à en comprendre le sens. Sans doute par son audience qui n`aime pas se casser le coco mais aussi par sa manière un peu tordu de nous faire part de son histoire.

Ce film est l`histoire d`un tueur en série qui à sept personnalités et qui est finalement rattrapé par la police. Il se tue dans un accident d`ambulance vraiment spectaculaire. Ses sept âmes se retrouvent dans 7 nouveaux nées qui viennent au monde dans ce petit village ce soir là. Le majeure partie du film se déroule 16and plus tard lorsque les sept enfants atteignent leur 16ans et que leur deuxième âmes deviendra active. Le but est d`identitfier le tueur avant d`en être la victime. un bon suspense avec des chocs qui vous surprendront. Mais le film demeure loin de l`originalité de la série Nightmare. Bon pour les amateurs du genre sinon vous pouvez passer.

Great quotes:
Penelope: [about the Reaper] Pray for our souls, Bug. He's coming.
Bug: Jesus?
...
The Ripper: Fear Ye, The Ripper!

Link: http://www.iamrogue.com/mysoultotake

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#184: Grown ups , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-13T08:21:00.000-07:00

Genre: Comedy/Comedie

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

Grown ups. Another great comedy from Adam Sandler who is the main actor and writer of this light but enjoyable comedy. Predictable but quite fun for the whole family this movie directed by Dennis Dugan who brought us similar movies in cooperation with Sandler (Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore, Parenthood, Problem child and many TV series). These are light comedies with no big surprises but which also bring along some basic good vibe/philosophy with it.

In Grown ups we see a fabulous cast put together from the old SNL days: Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Space, Chris Rock, Kevin James; throw in Salma Hayek and we are sure to get your attention.
The story is the one of a group of good friends who meet again after 25 years for the funeral of a coach they had in high school who helped them set their positive attitude in early life. The movie is about the get together of good friends and a reassesment of their views on life at mid life crisis point.
The chemistry between these guys is excellent and adds to the final effect. A good comedy overall.

Copain pour toujours. Un film dont Adam Sandler est l`acteur pricipal et à écrit le script. Dennis Dugan qui nous a donner plusieurs autres films du même accabit avec Sandler (Big Daddy, Happy Gilmore, Parenthood, Problem child et plusieurs séries TV). Une comédie légère et sans surprises mais qui garde toujours un aspect réflectif sur la vie.

Sandler est accompagné ici par plusieurs de ses pottes de Saturday Night Live: Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Space, Chris Rock, Kevin James; et ajoutez Salma Hayek pour son charme.
Le film nous fait vivre la réunion d`un groupe d`amis après la mort de leur entraineur de Basketball qui leur a inculcé plusieurs notions de confiance en soi. La réunion tourne vite en réflexion sur les vrais valeurs et l`amitié. Nous avons ici une recette gagnante avec une chimie géniale entre les comédiens. Très agréable à voir.

Great quotes:
Roxanne Chase-Feder: [an old woman approaches them] And this must be your mother.
Rob Hilliard: My wife.
Roxanne Chase-Feder: I'm sorry!
Rob Hilliard: I'm not. [kisses his wife]
Marcus Higgins: [onlooking] Oh, grody.
...
Marcus Higgins: Hey Y, where's MCA?
...
Becky Feder: [about the bug zapper] Daddy! Where is it taking them?
Marcus Higgins: ...Hell.
Lenny Feder: Higgins. Don't say that.
Marcus Higgins: Oh I'm sorry not Hell... Mexico.
...
Lenny Feder: You see that? You just aim for a spot and shoot the ball there?
Eric Lamonsoff: It's true. Your dad has won over 50 games with that shot.
Greg Feder: Really? Because that shot doesn't work on the Wii.
Eric Lamonsoff: Well, you should Wii-turn that Wii and get yourself a Wii-fund. Tim Duncan has had over a hundred game winners with that shot.
...
Mama Ronzoni: Deanne, you should have married that Italian guy like I told you.
Deanne McKenzie: Yeah and if I did, you'd be the one who's pregnant right now.
Mama Ronzoni: You're probably right. I'll butt out now.
...
Water Park Stud: [in a high pitched voice] What's up ladies? I'm from Sascatchatoon! That's up in Canada, eh? You American ladies ever been up to Sascatchatoon? Yeah, you American ladies would enjoy being in Sascatchatoon. [all the wives laugh at him]
...
Bean Lamonsoff: I want cookies.
Marcus Higgins: Ha. Cookies and MILF.

Link: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/grownups/

Rating perso: 8.0/10

#183: The adventures of young Indiana Jones: vol 1-3 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-12T12:40:00.000-08:00

Genre: Action

Annee/Year: 1992-1996

Format: DVD

The adventures of young Indiana Jones: volume 1 to 3. So you you like Indiana jones movies? You thought you saw it all. Well I may have a surprise for you... and a bif one at that. Were you aware that Georges Lucas had committed to film a series of episodes and films about the young life of our preferate hero. This was re-edited a couple of years ago into a set of 3 box sets of 22 2 hours episodes. A grandiose and huge work which certainly merits a lot better view than the one it currently has.

The series was shot on location around diverse places in the world and basically visited much places such as Russia, France, Italy, Ireland, the US, Mexico, Congo, Egypt, transylvania, Prague, Indonesia, New guinea, China, Germany, Vienna, various parts of Africa, Barcelona, Palestine, Istambul and more...wow a real world tour. We see there the world as it was in this critical part of the 20th century from year 1908 until 1920.

The first series The adventures of young Indiana Jones: volume 1 The early years has us follow a 8year old Indy and his parents as they travel the world. They visit interesting places and meet great people through the process. Indy makes many friends which paves the way for his solo adventures later on. We the yound boy loosing his mom and his strict father becoming a hermit in Princeton in following years.

In the second series The adventures of young Indiana Jones: volume 2 The war years we follow an adolescent young men of 18 (played by Sean Patrick Flannery) as he runs away from his fathers' house and enjoy the freedom of traveling and seeking adventure on his own. He goes to Mexico where he joins the ranks of the rebel of Pancho Villa the Mexican rebel and where he meets his best friend Remy Beaudoin a Belgian revolutionary. Remy will influence Indy to join the first world war as a member of the Belgian army. That is where indy takes up the pseudonym Henri Defense. He will fight against the Germans in many theaters of the great war: Verdun, Somme, Africa. Eventually his skills in languages amongst others will allow him to join the intelligence forces through the rest of the war.

The last series The adventures of young Indiana Jones: volume 3 The years of change takes us through the end of the war and the return of Indy back home in the Unisted States as a changed and more mature man decided to take on his university studies in Archeology. After a brief return to his father in Priceton he concludes that his dad is the only person in the world who he cannot get along with. He leaves for Chicago university and starts devling into the Blues scene playing trumpet. Spends some time afterward in New york to be part of the Broadway shows and ends up in Holywood behing the scenes to see the first talking movies being produced. The rest is history which you know.

This mega series is so inspiring as it makes us live through the major events of the 20th century first hand along the greats: Russian revolution, 2nd world war, Picasso, Verdi, Hemmingway, Howard Carter, Dracula, pirates, Goddart, Churchill, Rockwell, Patton, DeGaulle, Clemanceau, Lawrence of Arabia, Eliot Ness, and so many greats. I highly recommend watching it with the young ones as they will learn so much interesting history throught this story and have great fun while doing it. The series is often funny, with lots of action as we should and many romantic and inspiring moments as well. There are fabulous documentaries which will allow you to get deeper into the real history behind each episodes. All are very well made.

If you owe it to yourslef to discover one gem in my reviews I really hope that this is it. The three volumes are readily available though a bit hard to find and a bit more expensive but oh so worth it.

The adventures of young Indiana Jones: volume 1-3. Une série en trois boites de 22 épisodes de 2 heures chaquns. Une oeuvre magistrale du reconnu Georges Lucas (Star Wars...). Cette série n'est malheureusement pas traduite en francais et c'est bien triste. Il s'agit d'une magnifique série qui nous emmenes litérallement aux quatres coins du globe et qui nous fait vivre la jeunesse fictive du jeune Indiana Jones. Les premiers épisodes nous le montre à environ 8ans pendant qu'il fait le tour du monde avec ses parents. Par la suite, il devient jeune adulte et on le suit dans ses aventures lors de sa participation à la premiere guerre mondiale comme capitaine Courage de l`armée Belge. Il fait partie des événements marquants du début du 20ième siècle tel Verdun, la fin de la grande guerre, la révolution russe et les débuts du jazz ou du cinéma holywoodien. Une grande lecon d`histoire racontée d`une manière toujours divertisante; à la fois drôle, romantique ou excitante. Si vous pouvez vous permettre plusieures heures d`écoute en anglais.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.youngindy.com/trailer.html

Rating perso: 8.0/10

#182: The Pacific , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

Genre: Action/Drama/Drame guerre

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

The Pacific. Team work. First way to describe this HBO historical series recounting the Pacific frame of the second world war from the American perspective. This highly acclaimed series is a continuation of the popular Band of Brothers series which recounted the European frame of the second world war. The first series was so highly acclaimed and appreciated that making a follow up series was definitely a tall order.

Three directors participated to elaborating the series (J Podeswa, T Van Patten, D. Nutter) and a slew of producers put their hand to it as well; amongst which Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg the genius behind the first series as well. This series is beautifully crafted and is a true classic in all senses the word can be used.

We follow through this series a number of characters based mainly on the true stories of real vetarans: Robert Leckie, Eugene Sledge and the war hero John Basilone. We follow their adventures through the taking of the Pacific islands from the japanese: Guadalcanal, selling war bonds back home, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa... all names which still ring in everybody's ears to this day. The story of John Basilone will bring a tear to the eyes of any men and women and will make you feel this sense of owing these veterans something to this day.

Beautiful series and well worth the Blu ray version. A classic series to be and something no one should miss especially if you are a history or war buff.

The Pacific. Un classique en devenir et un travail d'equipe gigantesque.Cette serie de HBO nous raconte l;histoire de la deuxieme guerre mondiale dans le theatre du Pacifique du point de vue des Etats-Unis. Cette serie est la suite spirituelle de la populaire et acclame serie Band of Brothers qui revoyait le theatre des activites en Europe.

Trois directeurs ont participés a l`élaboration de la séerie (J Podeswa, T Van Patten, D. Nutter) et un nombre de producteurs y ont mis al main également; parmis ceux-ci on retrouve Tom Hanks et Steven Spielberg qui ont aussi été les génies derrière Band of Brothers.

Nous suivons l`histoire de dix épisodes à travers les yeux d`un nombre de personnages qui sont basées sur l`expérience de réels vétérans: Robert Leckie, Eugene Sledge et le héro John Basilone. Nous les suivons dans des aventures lors de la reprise des îles du Pacifique de la main des japanais: Guadalcanal, vente des bonds pour la guerre à la maison, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa... Tous des noms qui sont restés gravées dans notre mémoire collective. L`histoire de basilone en particulier saura tirer une larme au plus froides âmes.

Une séerie presque parfaite et un classique en devenir. Le cinema et la TV ne font rien de mieux que la qualité donnéee à cette série. À ne pas manquer surtout si vous apprecié l`histoire etles films de guerre.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.hbocanada.com/thepacific/

Rating perso: 8.5/10 The Pacific, et 9.5/10 Band of Brothers

#181: Dust to glory , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-05T08:09:00.000-08:00

Genre: Ducumentary/Documentaire/action

Annee/Year: 2005

Format: DVD

Dust to glory. A documentary from Director Dana Brown who also brought us non fictional thrillers such as Endless Summer revisited and Step into the liquid and Highwater (Surf movies). These are docu dramas about real life events with the actual characters who live them. Some of these characters are truly larger than life.

Dust to glory is about one of the most grueling off road race which takes place in the Baja point of Mexico; one of the world last almost wild desert area. This is a 1000 mile event which is really hard and hot and through which racers need to race day and night amongst breathtaking lasndscapes and in extreme conditions. There are many accidents every year with racers and/or spectators hurt or killed. It reminds us very much of the famous Paris/Dakar race.

The movie puts us in the shoes of many great drivers as they face the challenge on motorcycle, quads, Buggy cars, Baja trucks or extreme custom machines down to almost stock original Beetles raced by locals. The race attracks a slew of great drivers such as Mario Andretti, Robby Gordon, Sal Fish and in the past greats such as James Garner and Steve Mcqueen. The best story is the one of Mike "Mouse" McCoy, a true racing hero who won every offroad bike race until he was 17yes old. Then he dropped since he had done it all. Mouse in a solid return tried to complete an unnatempted feat: to complete SOLO the 1000miles race without stopping or resting on a motorcycle. Wow! This had been done once in a car but to do this on a motorcycle was taking truly taking it up one step. Worst is that he managed to survive through this and complete the race after breaking a few bones. A true real life hero.

The movie is well shot and I would have loved to get this in Blu Ray but i doubt the shooting was originally done in high def anyway. The vistas are great and the story flows well and keeps you interested till the end. I definitely love this kind of docu drama and we need more like it.

Dust to Glory. Un film documentaire sur la renommé course du Baja 1000miles dans la pointe du Baja au Mexique. Ce film de Dana Brown nous fait vivre la sensation de participer à cette course endiablé à travers le desert sauvage du Mexique. Il s'agit ici d'un des événements de course les plus difficile en Amérique et certainement au monde du même calibre que le Paris/Dakar. On suit ici la course sur le terrain avec plusieurs pilotes célèbres tel Robby Gordon, Mario Andretti, Sal Fish et plusieurs grands tel James Garner and Steve McQueen. La course se fait à bord de motocross, quads, buggy, pickup modifier style Baja, ou custom offroad. On suit la course de plusieurs équipes mais une d'entre elle ressort clairement: la course de Mike "Mouse" McCoy qui s'est donné comme objectif de compléter cette course SOLO sur une moto. Cet exploit avait été completé une fois dejà dans un véhicule à quatre roues mais de le faire en moto augmentait l'exploit de quelques coches. Le pire c'est qu'il à réussi à compléter la course mais avec plusieurs os brisés. Exploit d'un vrai héro entêté. Un film à voir si vous apprécier les voitures ou la course ou si vous voulez voir l'endurance humaine mise au test. J'aime ce type de film et il devrait en exister plus.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386423/maindetails

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#180: Babylon 5 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-03T16:40:00.000-08:00

Genre: Sci-Fi/Science-Fiction

Annee/Year: 1994-1998

Format: DVD

Babylon 5. Arguably one of the best science-fiction TV series of all times. This is a 5 year story arc which takes place in the year 2258 on a neutral space station far from earth and which is a meeting point for multiple races who try coping to live together. A beautiful story of how people and races struggle to live together in the best way possible. The races struggle with their differences in attitude, religion, ethics, aggresiveness and technology as some are very advanced and others barely able to travel in space.

The series is made of 110 episodes of action packed adventure. The special effects were rudimentary back then as they represented the true begininnings of computer graphics use in such a series. They look now quite poor but it does not take us out of the frame as the story is SO good! This is story telling at it's best and J. Michael Strakzynski gave all he had to complete this series and deserves all the credit for succeeding against all odds.

This series takes us through a pan galactic war between the dark (Shadows) and the light side (Vorlons) two mega advanced races who fight on a 1000 year cycle. The other races: Membari, humans, N'arn, Centauri,Brachiri, and many more, struggle to survive and aling themselves to their individual advantage. All races have ambassadors on Babylon5 and this is the main point of interest. The station is under human control under the strong hold of commanders Sinclair (Michael O'Hare) and Sheridan (Bruce Boxleitner) and Lockley (Tracy Scoggins) and their crew (Garibaldi, Ivanhova, Zack, Dr Franklin, and more. The real interest lies in the interractions between the different humans and the ambassadors. A true study of social interactions and some philisophy pitched in. The series highlights the interactions between rich and poor, men and women, different religions, different military groups, political groups, terrorists, class struggles, racial tensions between earth and it's regions (Mars), between normal humans and telepaths and the militarized telepaths named psychore. All the way through we see the struggle to survive and make one's place in the universe; as one weaker human race helps to pave the way to unite races together in a galactic nations for the common good and forcing the more ancient advanced race to give them a fighting chance.

Special highlight on the Narn and Centauri ambassadors (G'Kar played by Andreas Katsulas and Londo Mollari played by Peter Jurassik) who have the most interesting interplay. Being of two races who hate each other they manage to become friends only to get them struggling again as the Centauri destroy the Narn homeworld (after they get manipulated by the mighty Shadows). The two descend to the worst depths of hate before their mutual respect finds hope in remaining best of friends in these worst circumstances possible. G'kar becomes a spiritual leader for his race as Londo becomes pure political beast and becomes the leader of his race in the worst conditions possible.

The FX are not the best but i would never dream of trading them for better if this had any chance of loosing the first class acting done in this series which has best of class story line and true human meaning behind it all.

Babylon 5. Une des meilleures séries de Science-Fiction que vous pourrez trouver. Les effets spéciaux sont moins réussis et reflétèrent les premières tentatives d'effets générés par ordinateur. Par contre l'histoire racontée dans les 110 épisodes est de première classe et touche beaucoup de sujets qui sauront garder tout le monde intéressé. Les interactions entre les personnages humains et autres races sont le bonbon qui gardera cette série un classique pour la postérité. À voir par tous. Bravo à J. Michael Strakzynski qui a écrit et produit cette série.

Great quotes:
Opening narration, season 1] Commander Jeffrey David Sinclair: It was the dawn of the third age of mankind, ten years after the Earth-Minbari War. The Babylon Project was a dream given form. Its goal: to prevent another war by creating a place where humans and aliens could work out their differences peacefully. It's a port of call, home away from home for diplomats, hustlers, entrepreneurs, and wanderers. Humans and aliens wrapped in two million, five hundred thousand tons of spinning metal, all alone in the night. It can be a dangerous place, but it's our last, best hope for peace. This is the story of the last of the Babylon stations. The year is 2258. The name of the place is Babylon 5.
...
[Opening narration, season 3] Susan Ivanova: The Babylon Project was our last, best hope for peace. It failed. But in the year of the Shadow War, it became something greater: our last, best hope for victory. The year is 2260. The place - Babylon 5.
...
Delenn: I am Grey. I stand between the candle and the star. We are Grey. We stand between the darkness and the light.
...
Ambassador Londo Mollari: Ah, arrogance and stupidity all in the same package. How efficient of you!
...
Lord Refa: Why should I do as you say?
Ambassador Londo Mollari: Because I have asked you; because your sense of duty to our people should override any personal ambition; and because I have poisoned your drink.
...
Citizen G'Kar: The Earthers have a saying: "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." I believe they stole it from us.
...
Citizen G'Kar: If I take a lamp and shine it toward the wall, a bright spot will appear on the wall. The lamp is our search for truth... for understanding. Too often, we assume that the light on the wall is God, but the light is not the goal of the search, it is the result of the search. The more intense the search, the brighter the light on the wall. The brighter the light on the wall, the greater the sense of revelation upon seeing it. Similarly, someone who does not search - who does not bring a lantern - sees nothing. What we perceive as God is the by-product of our search for God. It may simply be an appreciation of the light... pure and unblemished... not understanding that it comes from us. Sometimes we stand in front of the light and assume that we are the center of the universe - God looks astonishingly like we do - or we turn to look at our shadow and assume that all is darkness. If we allow ourselves to get in the way, we defeat the purpose, which is to use the light of our search to illuminate the wall in all its beauty and in all its flaws; and in so doing, better understand the world around us.
...
Captain John Sheridan: No surrender, no retreat.
...
Sinclair: They say God works in mysterious ways.
Michael Garibaldi: Maybe so, but He's a con-man compared to the Vorlon.
...
Kosh Naranek: Ah, you seek meaning?
Talia: Yes.
Kosh Naranek: Then listen to the music, not the song.
...
Citizen G'Kar: We all believe in something... greater than ourselves, even if it's just the blind forces of chance.
...
Delenn: The third principle of sentient life is the capacity for self-sacrifice, the conscious ability to override evolution and self-preservation for a cause, a friend, a loved one.
...
Delenn: We are star stuff. We are the universe made manifest trying to figure itself out.
...
Captain John Sheridan: If more of our so-called leaders would walk the same streets as the people who voted them in, live in the same buildings, eat the same food instead of hiding behind glass and steel and bodyguards, maybe we'd get better leadership and a little more concern for the future.
...
Zathras: Zathras is used to being beast of burden to other people's needs. Very sad life... probably have very sad death, but at least there is symmetry.
...
Citizen G'Kar: I believe that when we leave a place a part of it goes with us and part of us remains. Go anywhere in these halls, when it is quiet and just listen. After a while you will hear the echoes of all of our conversations, every thought and word we've exchanged. Long after we are gone, our voices will linger in these walls for as long as this place remains. But I will admit that the part of me that going will very much miss the part of you that is staying.
...
Commander Jeffrey David Sinclair: Mr. Garibaldi was right. He said this was going to be trouble.
Susan Ivanova: There's nothing more annoying than Mr. Garibaldi when he's right.
...
Ambassador Vir Cotto: As Mr. Garibaldi would say, it's been one hell of a day.
Lennier: Yes. A hell of a day.
Ambassador Vir Cotto: And a hell of a year.
Lennier: A hell of a five years.
Ambassador Vir Cotto: Hell of a life.
Lennier: You win.
...
Citizen G'Kar: [to Londo after they discover the Centauri are still building warships during peace time] Well, with everyone now on the same side, perhaps you're planning to invade yourselves for a change. I find the idea curiously appealing. Once you've finished killing each other, we can plow under all the buildings and plant rows of flowers that spell out the words, "Too annoying to live" in letters big enough to be seen from space.
...
Captain John Sheridan: You know, I just had a thought. You've been back and forth to your world so many times since you got here. How do I know you're the same Vorlon? Inside that encounter suit you could be anyone.
Kosh Naranek: I have *always* been here.
Captain John Sheridan: Oh, yeah? You said that about me too.
Kosh Naranek: Yes. [starts to walk away]
Captain John Sheridan: I really *hate* it when you do that.
Kosh Naranek: [turns around] Good!

Link: http://www.babylon5tv.co.uk/home.html

Rating perso: 8.5/10

#179: Pyranha , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-02T17:28:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

Piranha. This movie was backed by serious money. A director with a few movies under his belt: Alexandre Aja (The hills have eyes, Mirrors,...). A great cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Eli Roth, Ving Rhames, Christopher Loyd, Elizabeht Shue, Jerry O'conner (Sliders), and more. A huge production value. and 3D. Maybe after all the 3D part should have given me a clue.

The result is a piece of crap. This movie was the biggest let down in the last months. They even managed to screw up the blood in the water which was CGed...wow! That should be quite affordable with such a production. They play up a lot the scene of the springbreak and the young girls which quickly get naked. But pirnahas eating a chick and leaving the silicon implants floating...really.. the guy who gets is dick eaten and spit out for cheap 3D effect...come on. Juvenile, unnecessary and without a real scare factor at all. This type of movie gives horror movies a bad rap. So PLEASE DONT EVER compare that to Jaws who was a masterpiece compared to this. An insult and definitely to skip unless you need to see naked chicks and cant affort a real porno.

Piranha. Ce film est une honte. Une honte au genre du film d'horreur. Une honte en ce comparant à jaws. Une honte qu'avec autant de ressources ($$$, acteurs fameux tel Richard Dreyfuss, Eli Roth, Ving Rhames, Christopher Loyd, Elizabeth Shue, Jerry O'conner (Sliders)). Une honte parce que ce film se veut populaire auprès de nos ados: come on il faut insulter leur intelligence a ce point? Une honte pcq malgré tout ce cash pour faire de la 3D ils n’étaient pas foutus faire du sang dans l'eau qui soit crédible (CG). Quelle merde et quelle déception. Pourtant il y avait du potentiel et des ressources pour faire qq chose de bien. Le seul point intéressant est la nudité gratuite et encore...voir un mec se faire bouffer la queue par un piranha et la recracher a l'écran pour un effet 3D moronique c'est un point bas jamais atteint a ce point. Ne perdez pas votre $$ sur ce film.

Great quotes:
Novak: There are thousands of them and they are pissed!
...
Andrew: [to crowd] When I say tit you say e's! Tit...
Crowd: E's!
Andrew: Tit...
Crowd: E's!
...
Brett: [to Jake] Hey ass wipe! Nice shirt! [splashes Jake with his slurpee]

Link: http://piranha-3d.com/

Rating perso: 4.0/10

#178: The last exorcism , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-03-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

The last exorcism. This is one of those movies which work better on paper than in the final product. If you are wishing for a spriritual descendant from the Exorcist; forget it. This is the second movie from Director Daniel Stamm (who also made A necessary death) and shows some interesting potential.

The movie is about a preature in the US (played by Patrick Fabian) who has preached all is life and practiced dozens of exorcisms although he does not believe in the process himself. The priest is at a turnpoint in his life where he is no longer a believer himself and walks in his shoes as an automaton without any convictions and treating his work/faith much like a shaman. He is followed by a camera crew as he gets his last request for an exorcism in rural Louisianna. We follow him and the film crew as they engage in this exercise and meet a family of father and two kids; one of which a naive adolescent girl called Nell ,admirably played by Ashley Bell.

The movie which starts very slowly takes us through a roller coaster ride until the end which is a really great surprise and makes it quite memorable. A solid thriller movie but really not in the same vein as the old Exorcist.

The last Exorcism. Le second film du directeur Daniel Stamm, mettant en vedette Patrick Fabian dans le rôle d'un prêtre désabusé qui n'a plus la foi. Lors de son dernier exorciste en carrière, il est suivi par une équipe de tournage qui nous fait vivre l'expérience en première loge. Ils sont invités à aider une famille ou le père qui a deux adolescents est aux prises avec une fille somnambule et des animaux tués pendant la nuit. On y rencontre la jeune Nell (excellent role de Ashley Bell) une jeune ado naive.

L'exorcisme et le film nous font vivre un début un peu long, mais qui se transforme en montagne russe et dont la fin en surprendra plusieurs (meme-moi et ça c'est pas facile). Donc un film intéressant dans le genre, mais qui ne surpasse en rien l'original Exorciste des années '70.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.thelastexorcism.com/index.html

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#177: True Blood season 1 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-28T16:23:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2008

Format: Blu Ray

True blood season 1. A popular TV series started in 2008and now through it's third season. I review here only the first season. Based on the novels of Charlain Harris, true Blood was brought on TV by 7 different directors. The series takes place in Louisianna's small town of Bon Temps and follows the life of Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin), a waitress in a bar/restaurant. We follow Sookie after the vampire community makes their "coming out" in the light to become legitimate citizens after a japanse manufacturer commercialise a synthetic blood replacement called True Blood.

This is an exploration in rural america of the social impact of such a large premise. Every aspect is revisited: racism, social unrest, ostracism, vampire blood as a drug, human being killed for food or fun, religious interractions, human and vampire politics and interracial love and sex. This is a very sexualized series which is not for the young ones. We see Sookie who has the special ability to read human minds; falling in love with a vampire who lived through the civil war. As the series progresses we see other fantastic characters (shape shifters, possesed people...) A series with great potential and set in the middle of sweaty,gritty, poor america. Very good series but not for everyone. I also dont consider it very much horror driven but more of a social study.

True blood saison 1. Cette nouvelle populaire série américaine tourne depuis 2008 et est maintenant dans sa troisième année. Sept directeurs différents sont mis à contribution pour mettre sur le petit écran les bouquins de Charlaine Harris. La série se situe dans la Louisianaise rurale et on y voit des personnes très terre-à-terre faisant face à une réalité qui change rapidement. En effet les vampires sont sortis du garde-robe et sont devenus des citoyens normaux grâce à la manufacture de sang artificiel nommé : True Blood. Les humains normaux sont donc aux prises avec divers dilemmes: conflit interracial, meurtre de vampires et d'humains, sang de vampire utilisent comme drogue, politique vampire et humaine, impacts sociaux, amour et sexe interracial....Une série tres sexualisée et pas pour les enfants.

On suit dans cette série la vie de Sookie Stackhouse une jeune fille serveuse dans un resto qui fait la rencontre d'un vampire qui a fait la guerre civile américaine et dont elle tombe en amour. Sookie a aussi un pouvoir distinct de lire dans les esprits des humains, pratique, mais souvent gênant. À mesure que la serine se développe, on découvre que d'autres formes de personnes fantastiques existent (changeur de formes, possession...) Un monde tres riche et ou les multiples personnages sont tres bien développés. Dansl a première saison l'histoire nous met a la recherche d'un tueur en série dans le village: un vampire ou un humain? Une série qui fait réfléchir et qui est tres intéressante; mais pas réellement dans l'horreur pure, mais plutôt dans l'étude sociale. Vivement la deuxième saison.

Great quotes:

Sookie Stackhouse: [to Bill] I always thought as different as we are, some how we could still be together. And now I don't know.
...
Bill Compton: [to Sookie] There is nothing more natural than the act of making love. Who am I to try to change what comes naturally to you?
...
Sookie Stackhouse: [surprised] You're alive?
Bill Compton: Technically, no.
...
Sookie Stackhouse: [to Bill Compton] I almost died last night... again!
...

Tara Thornton: [to Lafayette] Giving V to Jason Stackhouse is like givin' ho ho's to a diabetic!
...
Eric Northman: Perhaps I'll grow on you
Sookie Stackhouse: I'd prefer cancer

Link: http://www.hbocanada.com/trueblood/

Rating perso: 8.0/10

#176: Salt , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-28T15:00:00.000-08:00

Genre: Actio

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

Salt. An action packed high energy movie from director Phillip Noyce (Dead calm, Patriot games, Clear and present danger and many TV movies and shorts) For this movie Noyce cast the popular Angelina Jolie in the main role of Evelyne Salt: a CIA agent who's husband is abducted by a group of russian special force. The russians dream of restoring the previous greatness of their country and plan to kill the president and take control of the US nuclear weapons. A more than ambitious plan named Day X. On that day a number of planted agents from over 20 years ago get activated to act on this plan and kill the russian premier for a start. Salt is identified immediately as one of these agents but the through the whole movie she walks the line between being on bad or good side and playing along to save her husband. An action packed movie with a premise remind us a lot of "the Manchurian candidate". Great entertainment and good movie but not a classic.

Salt. Un film de Phillip Noyce (Dead calm, Patriot games, Clear and present danger et plusieurs courts métrages et films pour la TV). Un film d'action solide et tres bien réalisé. Noyce a utilisé les services de Angelina Jolie dans le rôle principal de Evelyne Salt: une agente de la CIA qui est rapidement reconnue comme traîtresse potentielle. Tout ceci est mis en route par l'enlèvement de son mari par un groupe de force spéciale soviétique qui rêve de remettre la Russie au sommet de sa gloire. Le plan ce nomme Jour X et des douzaines d'agents infiltres depuis des douzaines d'années aux coeurs des États-Unis doivent s'activer pour tuer le premier ministre russe et celui des US tout en prenant contrôle des missiles nucléaires américains. Salt est mise en doute des le début et on ne sait si elle joue le jeu en tant qu'agent infiltre pour sauver son mari ou si elle est vraiment agent double. Un tres bon film d'action qui saura divertir.

Great quotes:

Evelyn Salt: What is your name?
Vassily Orlov: My name is Vassily Orlov. Today, a Russian agent will travel to New York city to kill the President. This agent is KA-12.
Evelyn Salt: The KA program is a myth.
Vassily Orlov: Don't you want to know the name?
Evelyn Salt: You're good. You can tell the rest of your story to one of my colleagues.
Vassily Orlov: Salt.
Evelyn Salt: Yes?
Vassily Orlov: The name of the agent is Evelyn Salt.
Evelyn Salt: My name is Evelyn Salt.
Vassily Orlov: Then you are a Russian spy.
...
Peabody: How many more like you are there?
Evelyn Salt: Like me? None. Like him? More than you or I can handle alone.

Link: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/salt/

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#175: La peau blanche , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2004

Format: DVD

La peau blanche (white skin). This is a light horror movie from Quebec which is a pleasnt surprise. I was ticked on to this movie by an american critic who placed highly in his list of best horror movies. I thought this would at least be worthwhile to review even if this movie is not very well known.

The result is very pleasant. This movie was the first full time movie from director Daniel Roby (he also made recently the popular Funkytown). It is a softly played movie about a couple of friends played by Marc Paquet (the white guy who also played in the TV series La galere) and his friend played by (the black guy Frederic Pierre seen in many movies and tv series). The both encounter a couple of girls one night and one the girls (a redhair) attacks the balck friend. This episode past the main character played by Marc falls in love strangely with a red hair girl to which he is strangely fascinated. Turns out this fascination is not so usual and the passion he feels for this girl (played by Marianne Farley) will be put to test as he discovers her family of girls only. One of the sister of his girlfriend ends up being the girl which attacjed his buddy. What is the terrible secret tying this red haired female family together.

A very nice movie not so scary and without any gory scenes. The interest is in the build up of tension in the movie. It is also shot in Montreal which is depicted in a very true sense. I especially loved the themes touched in the movie: black vs white, redhair traits,... which keeps it interesting till the end.
Not a movie which will balst you US style but a movie with lots of sensibility and an interesting plot.

La peau blanche. Un film québécois d'horreur léger du directeur Daniel Roby (qui a fait Funkytown). Ce film n'a pas été tres bien reçu et est peu connu. Je l'ai découvert suivant une critique positive d'un américain. Je ne pouvais pas passer a cote de ce film. Et après l'avoir cherché pendant plusieurs mois, je l'ai trouvé neuf pour 3.95$. Mon meilleur investissement 2011. Ce film a été une surprise plaisante et j'ai bien aimé en général. Les scènes de Montréal nous montrent la ville dans son cadre reel. Également le film touche à plusieurs thèmes raciaux (blacks, roux...) et ceci est très bien joue.

Nos deux principaux acteurs sont blanc et noir et sont colocs. Un est joué par Marc Paquet (la galère TV) et l'autre par Frederic Pierre (souvent vu dans d'autres films ou à la TV). La dynamique copain ici est excellente. Tout va bien jusqu'au moment ou notre personnage principal rencontre une fille rousse avec lequel il tombe follement amoureux (même s’il avoue ne pas aimer les rousses...). La fille, jouée par Mairanne Farley, est certainement étrange. La passion pour cette fille sera mise à rude épreuve lorsqu’il rencontre sa famille qui est composée uniquement de femmes rousses et dont l'une d'elles a agressé son coloc dans le passé. Le reste du film il tentera de percer le terrible secret de cette famille serré. Définitivement un film lent et subtil qui ne vous agressera pas (pas de blast ni de gore) mais qui saura vous charmer si vous lui en donnez la chance.

Great quotes:

Link:

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#174: Giallo , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-27T07:23:00.000-08:00

Genre: Action/Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2009

Format: DVD

Giallo. Another movie from italian director Dario Argento. This is another thriller not tryuly horror in that sense except for some gory scenes. Argento cast Emmanuelle Seigner in the role of a young woman looking to find her beautiful sister who is a model (Elsa Pataky) after she gets abducted by a ruthless serial killer operating in the city of Torino. Adrien Brody (The village, King Kong, Predators...) plays the role of a US inspector trying to find this killler which happens to be a very ugly person going after young beauties. This is again a thirller racing against the clock of loosing yet more women to the bad guy. The title Giallo means yellow in italian and has to do with the condition of the killer (i wont spoil it here). Not the best movie from Argento but a great thriller and a different light to shine Adrien Brody's skills as an actor.

Giallo. Littéralement "Jaune" en italien. Encore un film de Dario Argento (voir plusieurs revues passées) celui ci est plus un thriller qu'un film d'horreur, mais typique du style Argento avec un peu de gore et un tueur sans pitié. Emmanuelle Seigner jour le rôle ici d'une femme qui essai de sauver sa soeur, qui est un modèle, des griffes d'un tueur en série. Le tueur a un rapport au titre, et il est absolument affreux et il s'en prend seulement à de jolies jeunes filles. Le film se déroule à Torino en Italie et l'inspecteur responsable de l'enquête est joué par Adrien Brody. Un inspecteur au passé lourd et qui est decies à éliminer le tueur à tout prix. Un magnifique thriller tres près du style Argento et avec une trame sonore moins pénible que plusieurs de ces films plus âgés. Pas sa meilleure oeuvre, mais intéressant d'y voir évoluer Brody et certainement un super thriller.

Great quotes:

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1107816/maindetails

Rating perso: 6.0/10

#173: Highlander , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-26T08:35:00.000-08:00

Genre: Action/Sci-fi

Annee/Year: 1986

Format: Blu Ray

Highlander. A movie with great success in the eighties but is now showing it's age. From director Russel Mulcahy (who brought us Razorback and lots of TV material since the '90s) Highlander was a two movie franchise accompanied by a poor tv series. Casting Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery
and Clancy Brown as a members of a super race of immortal fighters with special powers. They live among us unknowningly until the time of the GATHERING at which point they meet and fight until they eliminate the others as they absorb their powers (The QUICKENING) in a display of dated special effects. The movie has aged quite a bit although the Blu Ray transfer does it justice. Still quite entertianing but will not catch on with the new generations.

Highlander. Un film qui a eu du succes dans les annees '80 mais qui montre maintenant son age. Le directeur Russel Mulcahy (Razorback et beaucoup de TV depuis les annees '90). Il y a eu deux films highlander et une serie TV pas tres reussie. La distribution incluais Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery et Clancy Brown dans le role d'immortles combattants aux grands pouvoir qui vivent parmi nous en inconnus. Lors du GATHERING ils se rejoignent pour s'eliminer les uns les autres et absorber l'energie du perdant en faisant le QUICKENING un falsh d'effets speciaux un peu vieillots. Ce film a pris de l'age et bien qu'interesant a retrouver pour les plus vieux il est mal recu par les plus jeunes malheureusement.

Great quotes:

Ramirez: [narrating] From the dawn of time we came; moving silently down through the centuries, living many secret lives, struggling to reach the time of the Gathering; when the few who remain will battle to the last. No one has ever known we were among you... until now.
...
Connor MacLeod: Tell me how'd it happen for God's sake.
Ramirez: Why does the sun come up? Or are the stars just pin holes in the curtain of night, who knows? What I do know is that because you were born different, men will fear you... try to drive you away like the people of your village. [MacLeod turns his back]
Ramirez: You must learn to conceal your special gift and harness it until the time of the gathering.
Connor MacLeod: What gathering?
Ramirez: When only a few of us are left, we will feel an irresistible pull towards a far away land... to fight for the prize.
...
Connor MacLeod: I am Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I was born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. And I am immortal.
...
Sunda Kastagir: Macleod, it's good to see you again. It seems like a hundred years. Connor MacLeod: It's been a hundred years.
...
Kurgan: At last. The Gathering... [Mini-blades pop open from Kurgan's sword before a knock is heard by his door]
Candy: Hi. I'm Candy.
Kurgan: Of course you are...

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091203/maindetails

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#172: Insomnia , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

Genre: Drama/Drame policier

Annee/Year: 2002

Format: Blu Ray

Insomnia. Few directors have achieved the reputation that Christopher Nolan enjoys today with seven films only under their belt! Nolan who brough us Inception, Dark Night, Batman begins, Memento, the prestige has been enjoying a major round of success only ever getting bigger and better. Insomnia was his third movie and i just had to go back and revisit. Nolan cast Al pacino in the role of the main character: an aging cop with a history who kills by mistake his partner half way through the movie. He tries to hide his deed but only sinks himself deeper into a the hands of the real killer he is after. The baddies' role is played by Robin Williams in the role of a very intelligent writer. An interesting combination with Haillary Swank playing the role of the local cop who is so impressed by Pacino's hero status that she cannot see the truth in front of her.

The story takes place in the Alaskan summer and the 24hrs day light along with his on demons keeps our investigator without sleep for a week. As the movie progresses he has to deal with real fog and his mind being like a fog from the lack of sleep; culminating in halucinations and questionable judgement. A recipe for a tough climb to get his hands on a very wise murderer. The movie is very well realised and Pacino's role is excellent. Williams' role is so different it is interesting but never feels quite in character. Maybe it is just the flash backs from "Mork and Mindy" for me. Not sure.
A solid movie but not the best from Nolan. But a very good police thriller in a great setting.

Insomnia. Peu de directeurs on atteint la reputation de Christopher Nolan avec seulement 7 films sous la ceinture! Nolan qui nous a donne: Inception, Dark Night, Batman begins, Memento, the Prestige a un succes de plus en plus retentissant. Ce film est l'histoire d'un enqueteur de police qui se deplace en Alaska pour elucider un meurtre. Al Pacino qui joue le role pricipal est torture a travers le film par son passe et par le fait qu'il tue par erreur son partenaire au milieu du film. Bien qu'il s'agit d'un accident, il ne le dit pas et fait passer le meurtre sur le dos du tueur qu'ils poursuivent. Ce tueur est un ecrivain tres intelligent joue par Robin Wiliams.

Le film se deroule en Alaska dans des paysage grandiose et l'atmosphere du film devient de plus en plus opressante a mesure que notre policier glisse dans un etat d'esprit diminue a cause du manque de sommeil (soleil de 24hr en ete dans l'Alaska et aussi de ses demons). Un film bien reussi mais pas le meilleur de Nolan. Bien que Williams joue un role excellent on a beaucoup de difficulte a oublire le clown en lui. Quand meme un excellent suspense policier.

Great quotes:
Finch: [over phone] Must be hard to concentrate on this case after 3 days without sleep...!
...
Rachel Clement: I can't judge. There are two kinds of people in Alaska: those who were born here and those who come here to escape something. I wasn't born here.
...
Det. Ellie Burr: A good cop can't sleep because he's missing a piece of the puzzle. And a bad cop can't sleep because his conscience won't let him.
...
Dormer: You shouldn't knock misdemeanors.
Det. Ellie Burr: Oh, but it's small stuff. It gets so boring.
Dormer: It's all about small stuff. You know, small lies, small mistakes. People give themselves away, same in misdemeanors as they do on murder cases. It's just human nature. Aren't you gonna write that down?
...
Finch: You and I share a secret. We know how easy it is to kill someone. That ultimate taboo. It doesn't exist outside our own minds.

Link: http://dontcloseyoureyes.warnerbros.com/

Rating perso: 6.5/10

#171: Devil , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

Devil. This movie is written by M Night Shyamalan; which for some reason has made a lot of detractors. Personnally i dont understand why since this writer has a load of great ideas to put on the screen (which is more than we can often say from most of the hollywood crowd). This made the movie very polarizing from the start. Director John Eric Dowdle in his fifth movie (he also directed Quarantine), has done a great job of shooting a movie which mainly occurs inside an elevator car. So you dont like elevators..?....

The story is about five seemingly harmless strangers who get stuck in an elevator and who are killed one by one by an unknown killer as mysterious events take place in and around the elevator. The premise is that the devil himself is part of the five and is playing with his victims who are not so harmless as we learn through the movie. The crunch of the movie which keeps it interesting is the role of the maintenance/security crew trying to help our captives and the police investigator who gets involved as the police is informed of the first murder.

A great thriller with more than one interesting twists which builds a good tension throughout. Not that scary but certainly very entertaining.

Devil. Beaucoup de gens disent ne pas apprecier ce film ni M.Night Shyamalan qui a ecrit son histoire. Je crois qu'il y en a plusieurs qui ont mauvaise foi ou bien qui ont carrement peur des ascenseurs..?... Le directeur John Eric Dowdle dans son 5ieme film (il a aussi dirige Quantaine) nous fait vivre l'aventure de cinq etrangers qui se retrouve pris dans un ascenseur. Un des passager est le diable lui meme et le film nous fait vivre un suspense afin de decouvrir le meurtrier a la 10 petits negres; car ils sont tues dans des circonstance etranges un par un. En meme temps un enqueteur de la police essai de les aider sans succes et il apprend que ces cinq innocents ne le sont pas autant que pense au debut.

Un bon thriller avec un suspense qui croit a mesure que le film evolue et qui nous mene vers quelques moments chocs et rebondissements tres interessants. A voir mais attention plusieurs n'aiment pas quand meme.

Great quotes:

[first lines] Ramirez: [voiceover] When I was a child, my mother would tell me a story about how the Devil roams the Earth. Sometimes, she said, he would take human form so he could punish the damned on Earth before claiming their souls. The ones he chose would be gathered together and tortured as he hid amongst them, pretending to be one of them. I always believed my mother was telling me an old wives' tale.
...
Young Woman: It feels like something *bit* me!
...
Ramirez: Everybody believes in him a little bit, even guys like you who pretend they don't. [Detective Bowden takes out a small folded piece of paper and throws it to Ramirez that reads "Im so sorry"]
Ramirez: What's this?
Detective Bowden: An apology note left at the site of a hit and run. My wife and son were killed out on Bethlaham Pike five years ago, but that's OK, because whoever did it is *sorry*. You can tell by the heartfelt apology on the back of a carwash coupon.
[pause]
Detective Bowden: So no, I don't believe in the Devil. You don't need him, people are bad enough by themselves.
...
Ramirez: You're never going to get these people to see themselves as they really are, 'cause it's the lies that we tell ourselves, they introduce us to him.

Link: http://www.thenightchronicles.com/devil/

Rating perso: 7.5/10

#170: Supernatural , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-20T14:09:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur TV series

Annee/Year: Season 1-5

Format: DVD

Supernatural. This is one very well done TV series which is appreciated by the whole family (if your children ar no below 10). Supernatural is the story of two brothers and their adventures ridding the world of demons and other associated evil creatures. Very similar to Buffy the succes of the series is really tied to the play between the two brothers Sam and Dean (Jared Padalecki who laos played in the Friday the 13th remake and Jensen Ackles who played in My bloody Valentine). Sam being a bit more sensitive and rebelious as opposed to Dean who is a good boy listening to his father's rules and being very much the macho type. The dynamic between the actors makes the film interesting and very funny at times. Note here that the actors are quite polarizing and some people cant stand these actors (so love it or hate it). Other members of the cast: ever missing Dad played Jeffrey Dean Morgan, a '58 Chevy Impala, Castiel an angel played by Misha Collins, Bobby Singer the red neck demon killer played by Jim Beaver and many more.

The series over the 5 season moves from your run of the mill "let's find the demon and kill it" to a more focused "let's find out what dad has been doing lately". By the end of the first season Dad ends up in hell after selling his soul to the demon to save his son Dean. In season TWO the brothers restore themselves back to health and lick their wounds. Kick ass starts getting louder and the series becomes a bit darker still. Until one of the brother ends up dead. The other brother makes the ultimate sacrifice by selling his soul ot the devil to save him. This type of scenario occurs a couple of times during the 5 seasons and the two brothers often sacrifice their own skin for the other. In the process they open the door to hell, letting hundreds of demons out (amonsgt which are the seven deadly sins).

As the seasons progress, season 4 becomes the darkest for brothers as hope seems to diminish. Lucifer is set free from his prison and angels become dark side in the 5th season which does not make their lives easier. If you think that wasn't enough the brothers are stuck trying to find a way out of the ultimate apocalypse: a showdown between Lucifer and the archangel Gabriel which will bring global destruction on the planet. The kicker is that both of them count on Sam and Dean to relinquish willingly their bodies for to wear for the showdown. hmmmph...hmmmhph...running out of breath. To top it all the four cavaliers of the apocalypse are set free by lucifer and the brothers need to bring them down one by one to steale their power rings and reopen the prison in which Lucifer can be put back. Now the only need a way to throw him back in without setting off the final apocalypse....

As you can see, a lot of imagination is wrapped into this series which is always exciting to watch although a bit dark at times. But the core recipe is the brotherly love and sacrifice made by the brothers despite all odds. Add a bit of humour and occasional self derision and you have a series as solid as the old Buffy the vampire. With great casting and excellent production, much of it's success is again due to good character development and kick ass action.

Great quotes:
Dean Winchester: Ugh, the thought of him driving my car.
Sam Winchester: Oh, come on.
Dean Winchester: It's killing me!
Sam Winchester: Let it go.
...
Sam Winchester: Dean, there's ten times as much lore about angels as there is about anything else we've ever hunted.
Dean Winchester: You know what, there's a ton of lore on unicorns too. In fact, I hear that they ride on silver moonbeams, and that they shoot rainbows out of their ass!
Sam Winchester: Wait, there's no such thing as unicorns?
...
Dean Winchester: Come on man. I know Sam, ok? Better than anyone. He's got more of a conscience than I do. I mean the guy feels guilty searching the internet for porn.
...
Dean Winchester: Damn cops.
Sam Winchester: They were just doing their job.
Dean Winchester: No, they were doing our job, only they don't know it so they suck at it.
...
Sam Winchester: Dude, I'm not enabling your sick habit. You're like one of those lab rats that pushes the pleasure button instead of the food button until it dies.
Dean Winchester: What are you talking about, I eat.
...
Sam Winchester: Well, before we go stabbing things into Cooper, we're gonna wanna make damn sure it's him.
Dean Winchester: You're such a stickler for details, Sammy.

Link: http://supernatural.warnerbros.com/

Rating perso: 8.0/10

#169: Commando , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-20T13:35:00.000-08:00

Genre: Action

Annee/Year: 1985

Format: Blu Ray

Commando. This is the first over the top mega movie which made Arnold Schwarzenegger after playing in the Conan and Red Sonja movies. From director Mark L. Lester who is best known for his '80s action movies. In Commando Arnold plays the role of a tough sepcial ops veteran named John Matrix who's daughter gets abducted by the baddies from a latin american country. The purpose is to force Matrix to do some dirty deeds for them. Little did theu know him and it will cost them dearly in a debauchery of machine guns and explosions. Pure entertainment which has aged a bit since the '80s.
Schwarzenegger still pops out of the screen though with his inept acting skills but bigger than life charisma. A good memory revisited with barealy acceptable Blu ray tramsfer.

Commando. Un des films déterminants de la carrière de Arnold Schwarzenegger après avoir joués dans Conan et dans Red Sonja. Le directeur de ce film est Mark L. Lester bien connu pour ses films d'action des années '80. Arnold joue ici le rôle de John Matrix un vétéran des opérations spéciales américaines dont la fille est prise en otage par des méchants d'un pays d'Amérique du Sud. Tout ca pour manipuler Matrix à les aider à renverser leur gouvernement. Mal leur en a pris, car Matrix leur bottera le cul dans une orgie de mitraillettes et d'explosions. Du divertissement a l'état pur. Arnold y joue un rôle tres bien adapte, malgré son peu de talent d'acteur il crève l'écran avec son charisme plus grand que nature. Un bon souvenir revisite malgré la qualité tres moyenne du transfert en Blu-ray.

Great quotes:
Diaz: Mellow out man. We can't talk business with you waving guns in people's faces. Your daughter is safe, Colonel. Now whether she stays that way is up to you. My people, they got some business with you. And if you want your kid back, then you gotta co-operate, right?
Matrix: Wrong!
[shoots Diaz between the eyes]
...
Sully: Here's twenty dollars to get some beers in Val Verde. It'll give us all a little more time with your daughter.
Henriques: Heh.
Matrix: You're a funny man, Sully, I like you. That's why I'm going to kill you last.
...
Cindy: Can you tell me what this is all about?
Matrix: Yeah, a guy I trusted for years wants me dead.
Cindy: That's understandable. I've only known you for five minutes and I want you dead, too.
...
Matrix: Don't break radio silence until they see me.
Cindy: How will I know?
Matrix: Because all fucking hell is going to break loose.
...

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088944/maindetails

Rating perso: 6.5/10

#168: Omen IV: The awakening , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-20T10:18:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1991

Format: DVD

Omen IV the awakening. The fourth installment in the Omen series was a film made for TV. Directors Jorge Montesi and Dominique Othenin-Girard (both mostly known for their TV work although DOG directed After darkness and Halloween 5). This is a movie with a very twisted plot necessary to continue on the original three movies. In the third movie the antichrist was slayed by Christ return so how does one continue such a plot situation... Well it turns out that the antichrist had seduced a journalist before the end of the previous movie and this allowed him to perpetuate his fate in an evil girl child with a plot twist to return a boy child antichrist after wards. You are lost? well it is defintely contrived. The young girl named Delia gets adopted by a family of lawyers who slowly find out the truth about their daughter as the body count starts increasing again around the girl. The cycle is restarted.... Interesting movie but far from being as strong as the previous three of the series. The music is definitely weaker as Jonathan Sheffer steps in Goldsmith's shoes.

La malédiction IV. Un film fait pour la télévision et définitivement pas du calibre des trois premiers. Que peut-on faire pour faire revivre une franchise où l'antihéros est éliminé? Bonne question et les directeurs ici on pondu une histoire tordue qui nous ramène l'antéchrist à travers la naissance d'une fille conquise par Damien lors du troisième film. Une fille antéchrist? Presque. Elle prépare le retour de notre antéchrist male en ayant l;embryon de son jumeau dans son corps. Médicalement tres peu probable. Enfin... La série a pu continuer quelques instants grâce à ce souffle. Vraiment pour les mordus seulement ou ceux qui n'auront jamais assez de ce thème. Parlant de thème, la musique n'est pas de Goldsmith cette fois-ci et le film en souffre beaucoup.

Great quotes:
Karen York: You made me a surrogate for Delia's brother, you son of a bitch!
...
Karen York: [Referring to her son, Alexander, revealed as new Antichrist and world leader] That freak will never rule, because I'm gonna kill him!

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102585/maindetails

Rating perso: 5.0/10

#167: Omen III: The final conflict , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-20T09:35:00.001-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1981

Format: DVD

Omen III The final conflict. The third installment in the Omen series was also successfull but not as cleanly realised nor received as the others. Director Graham Baker (Alien Nation...) casts a very young Sam Neil as antichrist at a ge 32.

Now a successfull industrialist and a politacally astute man, Damien Thorne gets appointed to be the UK ambassador. This is actually part of the prophecy as Damien is planning to prevent the coming of the Christ who was reborn in that country. Damien's plan is to have all the members of his dark army now following him to eliminate all the children born on that day predicted by the convergence of stars. During that time a group of 7 priests attempt to eliminate Damien but that is a very dangerous task. Damien seduces a beautiful red haired journalist who was the last chance to display his true indetity. Then in the ultimate scene makes a face off with the christ child himself. The final scene is a bit of a let down on FX sides from our point of view 30yrs later. This movie had definitely lost much of the magic from the two previous installment. That even though the music from Jerry Goldsmith continues to evolve on the same themes. Entertaining but weaker than the other 2 movies.

La malédiction III. La troisième partie de ce classique nous est apporté par le directeur Graham Baker et met en scène un tres jeune Sam Neil dans le rôle de Damien à 32ans. Devenu un homme d'affaires important et influent sur la politique internationale Damien est nomme par le président des États unis au poste d'ambassadeur américain de Grande-Bretagne. Là il fera la guerre au retour du Christ lui-même qui doit revenir en Angleterre selon les alignements astronomiques. Damien utilisera son armée de fidèles pour tuer tous les enfants nés en ce jour. Après avoir séduit une belle journaliste rousse, qui était le seul espoir de le démasquer, Damien confrontera dans la scène finale le bébé du Chirst lui-même dans une scène peu convaincante nous montrant le retour du Christ lui-même. À voir pour terminer la série, mais définitivement plus faible que les 2 autres films de la série.

Great quotes:
Damien Thorn: Disciples of the Watch; I stand before you; in the name of the one who was cast out from Heaven, but is alive in me.
...
Damien Thorn: He was born last night... I feel his presence. Like a virus, a parasite feeding on my energy; trying to drain me of power. For everyday that he lives and grows, my force will weaken.
...
DeCarlo: Every child still living born between those hours is in mortal danger if, indeed, he has not already been killed.
Kate Reynolds: Are you suggesting they've been murdered?
DeCarlo: No, no, I am not. I'm stating it as a fact.
Kate Reynolds: But who on Earth would do such a thing?
DeCarlo: He is born again. And so is the Antichrist - the son of Satan - as foretold in the Book of Revelation.
Kate Reynolds: I'm sorry, Father. Look, I do respect your faith but I don't share it.
DeCarlo: You are not a practicing Christian.
Kate Reynolds: No, I'm a practicing journalist. And one of the first rules of journalism is to be a doubting Thomas. I need to see evidence with my own two eyes.
DeCarlo: All right, here is your evidence. Check that for yourself.
...
Kate Reynolds: I feel like a moth, flying closer and closer to the flame.
Damien Thorn: Which is the moth, and which is the flame?
...
Damien Thorn: Nazarene, charlatan, what can you offer humanity? Since the hour you vomited forth from the gaping wound of a woman, you have done nothing but drown man's soaring desires in a deluge of sanctimonious morality. You've inflamed the pubertal mind of youth with your repellent dogma of original sin. And now you absolve in denying them the ultimate joy beyond death by destroying me ? But you will fail, Nazarene, as you have always failed. We were both created in man's image, but while you were born of an impotent god, I was concieved of a jackal. Born of Satan, the desolate one. Your pain on the cross was but a splinter compared to the agony of my father. Cast out of heaven, the fallen angel, banished, reviled. I will drive deeper the thorns into your rancid carcass, you profaner of vices. Cursed Nazarene. Satan, I will avenge thy torment, by destroying the Christ forever.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082377/maindetails

Rating perso: 6.0/10

#166: Damien: Omen II , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-20T08:54:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1978

Format: DVD

Damien: Omen II. The Omen was very successfull and quickly spawned a whole franchise. The second movie was also a success and is in no way weaker than the original. Director Don Taylor (Final countdown, Escape from the planet of the apes...) was brought in this time to share with us the second phase of the story where we find Damien the antichrist at age 12 now and living with his uncle Richard Thorn a rich industrialist (played by William Holden) and his wife (played by Lee Grant). Damien's role is cast to Jonathan Scott-Taylor who plays it very well.

Again the plot is a race between the disciples of Satan who support Damien in every way possible and the truth which his parents need to understand; helped by a number of priests and archeologists who discovered a 2500 yrs old mural with the face of Damien clearly represented as the antichrist. Again a great thriller with a steady suspense build up until the end. This movie is as solid as the original and will leave you with some memorable scenes such as the death of a senior staff member of the Thorn industries during a hockey match on a frozen river and the man having gone under the ice is seen as he is carried by the current. Another memorable scene is when Damien kills his beloved cousin in the woods and though that truly discovers his true nature. Another excellent scene is when the father sees the mural in the train and the art director gets crushed by accidentally between two train cars. Again a true horror classic, well performed and with solid actors.

La malédiction II. Un autre film qui nous a bien hante dans notre jeunesse. L'original a été si bien recu que rapidement le film est devenu une franchise de 4 films. Dans le second le directeur Don Taylor nous fait retrouver Damien a l'âge de 12 ans ou li découvre sa vraie nature. Le film est encore un suspense qui augmente jusqu'à la fin. La trame sonore du 1er est réutilisée, mais a toujours le même impact. Plusieurs scènes mémorables figurent dans ce film: telle la scène ou on homme se noie sous la glace d'une rivière pendant une joute de hockey. Une autre scène nous montre le père adoptif de Damien qui retrouve une murale tres ancienne dans un train qui montre Damien comme étant l'antéchrist et ou un homme périt écrase entre les rames de trains. Et plus... Un autre classique qui aide a perpétué cette série.

Great quotes:

[Damien has just seen the Mark of the Beast on his scalp, indicating he is the Antichrist. He runs out of the Academy building] Damien Thorn: [shouting] Why? Why me?
...
Damien Thorn: I love you, Mark. You're like my brother.
Mark Thorn: No! No!
Damien Thorn: You are my brother. And you mean more to me than...
Mark Thorn: No! The Beast has no brother! Don't call me your brother!
...
Dr. Charles Warren: Richard, I have to ask you something very personal.
Richard Thorn: We're friends.
Dr. Charles Warren: Can you tell what actually happened to your brother in London?
Richard Thorn: Why do you ask that?
Dr. Charles Warren: I've just opened a letter box that was sent from Israel. It belonged to Bugenhagen, they found it near his skeleton.
Richard Thorn: So?
Dr. Charles Warren: Did you know it was Bugenhagen who gave your brother the daggers to kill Damien?
Richard Thorn: What the hell are you talking about?
...
Richard Thorn: Ann, give me the daggers!
Ann Thorn: [stabs him with the daggers] There are your daggers!
Richard Thorn: Ann?
Ann Thorn: I've always belonged to him! [Richard falls dead as Ann lets out a primal scream]
Ann Thorn: Damien!

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077394/maindetails

Rating perso: 7.5/10

#164: Buffy the vampire slayer Season 8 , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-18T17:47:00.001-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2011

Format: Blu ray

Buffy the vampire slayer Season 8. Many can say that they waited a long time to see such a thing. Most of Joss Whedon fans out there who revered Buffy the vampire slayer series for 7 years then Angle for another 5 years; wished the ride would never stop. But like any good things there must be an end. Joss's mind, on the other hand , never does stop. So he committed this story to as a 40 issues comic series under the Dark horse publishing house.

Well no one could leave well enough alone so they setout to create a video motion comic version of season 8 based on 19 episodes. The results are mixed with really good episodes and some not so interesting. Many people did not enjoy the motion comic version so they are many that wont go that far to sooth their need for Buffy. For those who like it they seem quite happy of the result.

The series explores new avenues in the Buffy universe such as Faith (Buffy's sister) being turned into a giant and a centaur... Buffy surprises many by exploring her lesbyan side... and there are some really kick ass moments such as the episodes with Dracula's return with the japanes vampires. Really cool for the big time fans. If you have not seen the 7 previous years dont bother with this one there are too many historical references and the pace is very,very, rapid making it hard to follow for those having difficulties with english. Lots of fun for the fans though. Go Buffy!

Buffy the vampire slayer Season 8. Après des années d'attente Joss Whedon nous ramène Buffy dans une 8e saison. Cette fois cependant la série est de 19 épisodes basés sur une bande dessinée de 4o épisodes de Dark Horse. La série est donc une adaptation BD de Buffy avec les voix de personnes nouvelles. Le rythme est si rapide que c'est tres difficile à suivre (anglais seulement).
Le résultat est partagé et plusieurs ne pourront s'ajuster à ce nouveau média. Pour les autres vous pourrez suivre Buffy et son arme de tueuses aux prises avec des monstres aussi sombre que dans le passé. On y retrouve Xander, Willow et Faith qui est devenue géante (littéralement) et ensuite devient centaure... Buffy elle explore son homosexualité ce qui nous surprend un peu. Par contre elle vivra des aventures toujours aussi captivantes; surtout celle où Dracula est de retour et fait face à une armée de vampires japonais, pendant que Faith joue à Godzilla dans Tokyo. Cool. Nous sommes prêts pour saison 9 maintenant.

Great quotes:

Link:

Rating perso: 7.0/10

#165: The Omen , Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

2011-02-12T16:27:00.000-08:00

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1976 original and 2006 remake

Format: DVD

The Omen. One of the truly scary movie from my adolescence. Director Richard Donner (Goonies, Lethal weapons, Superman, and lots of TV series) brought us this high suspense horror movie which is memorable. Donner paired up with Jerry Goldsmith who created one of his best scores ever for this film. If there is a strong contribution from all movies from their score this is one where it made a hell of a difference.

The Omen relates the story of an ambassador who finds out that his son fulfills the christian prophecy and should become the anti-christ. The movie is about the difficulties the couple (played by Gregory Peck and Lee Remick) in dealing and accepting the true nature of their son (played by a young Harvey Stephens).

A series of sordid deaths around the couple lead the father to attempt to stop the prophecy by stabbing his young one with 7 daggers of Meggido. After 35 years the movie has aged a bit but a remake done in 2006 does not actually add anything to the original. A well crafted movie which builds a tremendous suspense throughout. Some scenes are truly memorable and will stay with you forever: such as the priest which dies from the point of a church struck by lightning and spearing him to deaf; or from the scene where a 3yrs old Damien bumbs into his mother on his big wheel making her fall from a second story balcony and thus making her loose her second baby. A horror true classic.

La malédiction. Un film qui nous a bien hante dans notre jeunesse. Il demeure encore frais et toujours aussi intéressant après 35ans. Le remake fait en 2006 n'ajoute rien au film et n'a pas de place. Le directeur Richard Donner (Goonies, Lethal weapons, Superman, et plusieurs séries télévisées) a utilisé les services de Jerry Goldsmith qui a créé ici une de ses meilleures bandes sonores. Le film nous est présent en un suspense énorme qui augmente jusqu'à la fin. Le film nous montre l'histoire d'un riche président de compagnie dont le fils naissant meurt et est remplacé par un autre enfant. Cet enfant malheureusement est ne d'une mère chacal et n'est rien de moins que l'antéchrist. Après plusieurs morts sordides autour du bambin le père commence à croire aux prophéties annoncées par la bible et décide d'éliminer son fils avec les 7 dagues de Meggido. Un grand classique de l'horreur souvent oublie.

Great quotes:

[first title card] Title card: Rome / June 6th - 6 AM

...

last title card] Title card: "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man; and his number is 666." Book of Revelation Chapter 13 Verse 18

...

Robert Thorn: What do you know about my son?

Father Brennan: Everything.

Robert Thorn: And what is that?

Father Brennan: I saw its mother.

Robert Thorn: You saw my wife.

Father Brennan: I saw its mother.

Robert Thorn: You are referring to my wife!

Father Brennan: Its *mother*, Mr. Thorn!

Robert Thorn: If this is blackmail, come and say it! What is it your're trying to say?

Father Brennan: Its mother was a Jack... [Father Brennan is interrupted as the door behind him bursts open violently]

Marine: Everything all right, sir?

American secretary: You sounded strange. The door was locked.

...

Young nanny: Look at me, Damien! It's all for you. [she jumbs off a roof, hanging herself]

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075005/maindetails

Rating perso: 8.0/10 for the original and 7.0 for the remake