Bienvenue au blog "Reviews & Revues" ou vous trouverez, j'espere, des informations interesantes sur les films, livres, musique et autres interets.

Welcome to my blog where you will find some interesting info i hope on all my interests in the form of reviews of movies, books, music or other.

Expanded rating system:

Entertainment rating: Are you having fun (10), is this too long and boring(1)

Cast/acting rating: good actors, good performance(10)

Artistic rating: What is the artistic value for this film, will it be a classic(10)

Reflexion rating: does the movie stimulate any provocative though(10)

Production rating: how well produced is the film, good FX(10)

Adult factor: is the film children ready for sex, violence, gore(10)

Wide audience: is this film opened for all tastes(10) or genre specific(1)

Overall personnal rating: My view on the worth of that movie to guide your choice

mardi 28 septembre 2010

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #88: They

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2002

Format: DVD

They. This is a movie associated to Wes Craven (Nightmare on Elm street fame). But really it seems to be just by name. The producer was Robert Harmon (nothing else notable produced)
and writer Brendan Hood. Seems like Wes just presents the damn thing. This movies theme is about the boogy man hidden children's bed and closets being fantastical creatures from another dimension... The creatures are scary enough. The script is barely adequate. The acting is borderline at best with Laura Regan and Marc Blucas (Buffy's army boyfriend).
The tension is quite good in the movie but some magic is missing to make the movie really take off. The alternate ending supplied on the DVD is really lame so glad they chose the original one.
Interesting for amateurs of the genre but effective mainly on people afraid of the dark.

Ce film est très moyen. Wes Craven prête seulement son nom ici. Le producteur, ecrivain et les acteurs offrent tous ici une performance moyenne. Ce film traite du bonhomme sept heures et du fait que ce personnage est réellement des créatures d'une autre dimension. Étrange... Le film bénéficie d'une tension intéressante, mais qui ne fait pas lever le film malheureusement.

Great quotes:

[at Billy's funeral] Sam: Well, you know, he was, he was taking Prozac. I guess it didn't work.
...
Terry: I mean, I'm twenty-four years old, and I walk into a dark room now, and its like I'm five again.
...
Julia Lund: Sarah, do you have bad dreams?
Sarah: Sometimes.
Julia Lund: What happens in your dreams?
Sarah: They come for me.
Julia Lund: Who comes?
Sarah: They.
Julia Lund: Why do They come for you?
Sarah: To eat me.


Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0283632/

Rating perso: 5.5/10

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #87: Halloween 3 Season of the witch

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1982

Format: DVD

Halloween 3: season of the witch. Well this third installment was a failure. There are three main reasons for that.
1- The loss of John Carpenter as writer. Tommy Lee Wallace wrote and directed this film and it sucks.
2- The sorry story line of the movie is a major fault. The world is to be destroyed by a mega corp making Halloween masks. Excuse me but why would they want to do this? Is this bad/scary thinkg in the movie a techno gadget with a chip in the mask or is it a supernatural phenomena...imposssible to tell. Sorry nothing is believable on such a thin script.
3- Obviously Mike Myers was THE antiHero of the first 2 Halloween movie. Why oh why keep the same title and go into another completely different direction. The only thing in common is the fact that both films occur on halloween night.
The only thing by Carpenter in this movie is the soundtrack and that has aged a lot dating from the early synthesizer period. Oh and did I mention the most anooying jingle of all times? By the end of the movie they played it so often you want to shoot the screen...
Sorry , I could not find any good reason to revisit this nightmare. Hail Carpenter.

Ce film est un navet de premier ordre. Il n'a rien a voir avec les 2 premiers de la serie ne mettant pas en vedette Mike Myers. De plus il est base sur un script bourre de trous et sans reel interet. Tommy Lee Wallace a ecrit et dirige ce film qui a tue une serie tres populaire a ce moment.

Great quotes:
Daniel Challis: Why Cochran? Why?
Conal Cochran: Do I need a reason?
...
Commercial Announcer: It's time. It's time. Time for the big giveaway. Halloween has come. All you lucky kids with Silver Shamrock masks, gather 'round your TV set, put on your masks and watch. All witches, all skeletons, all Jack-O-Lanterns, gather 'round and watch. Watch the magic pumpkin. Watch...

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085636/fullcredits

Rating perso: 4.0/10

mercredi 22 septembre 2010

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #86: Les sept jours du Talion

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2010

Format: Blu Ray

Les sept jours du Talion. Undeniably one very strong and good movie as well as certainly one of the best Quebec made horror movie. This is a hard movie to see, with no score and some of the best acting seen lately. It will make you think and not only gross you out. Gotta see for hardcore of the genre or for those who like their movies to make them think.

Ce film du directeur Podz (aka Daniel Grou) est un autre bijou de l'esprit sombre de Patrick Senecal qui a aussi écrit 5150 rue des Ormes. Ce film est réussi à plusieurs niveaux, mais demeure dur d'accès de son contenu extrême de violence et de torture. La torture montrée n'est pas que graphique, mais également et surtout psychologique. La performance extraordinaire de plusieurs de mes acteurs québécois préférés est mise de l'avant ici: Claude Legault et Fanny Mallette jouent les rôles d'un couple de professionnels dont la fille est enlevée, violée brutalement et tuée. Le film raconte l'histoire de ce médecin qui essaie de faire face à la vie après ce triste événement. Lorsque la police met la main sur le coupable joue par Martin Dubreuil, le personnage principal décidé de l'enlever a son tour pour le torturer sur une période de 7 jours en culminant par le meurtre du meurtrier. Le thème touché ici est celui de la revanche et de l'impossibilité de corriger la violence par la violence. Remy Girard jouant le rôle de l'enquêteur nous fait un excellent contrepoint puisque sa femme a été tuée 6 mois plus tôt dans un vol à main armée. Celui-ci ne s'est pas fait justice, mais la douleur le ronge autant. Il n'y a donc aucune réponse à cette question qui ne laisse aucun indifférent. Excellent film, mais pas pour les âmes sensibles.

Great quotes:


Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445054/

Rating perso: 7.0/10

lundi 20 septembre 2010

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #85: Addams family values

Genre: Comedy/Horror/Horreur/Comedie

Annee/Year: 1993

Format: DVD

Addams family values. A sequel to The Addams family may not have sounded like a great idea but bear with it and you will not regret it. This movie, like the original one, has not aged a bit. The excellent FX still look good enough in this gothic tale of a very special family. How can we continue on a good story? well add a new baby in the household and a murderous women falling in love with uncle Fester and you have an explosive mix.

This movie has one of the best witty script written for a comedie without falling in the stupid funny. I was laughing about some jokes on the next day thinking back on it. (ok sometimes i am not the quickest). Barry Sonnenfeld directed the movie (he also directed the first one as well as both Men in Black movies and many more). The casting is at the highest level with Raul Julia, Angelica Huston (sexiest couple of film?), Christopher Loyd (Prof from back to the future), Christina Ricci and Joan Cussack. This is a movie you can watch over and over. My 12 year old loved the two movies and never knew they were almost 20 yrs old by now...

Bien que plus difficile a trouver en traduction française, ce film est une comédie des plus réussie. Même s’il s'agit d'une seconde partie d'un bon film; il ne lui perd rien. Faut voir si les comédies noires et gothiques vous plaisent.

Great quotes:

Debbie Jellinsky: These Addams men, where do you find them?
Morticia: It has to be damp.
...
[about baby Pubert] Gomez: He has my father's eyes.
Morticia: Gomez, take those out of his mouth.
...
Gomez: [to Fester] You'll meet someone. Someone very special. Someone who won't press charges.
...
[the dancer in the cake doesn't pop out] Gomez: That poor girl. Lurch, was she in there before you baked? [Lurch hangs his head]
...
Wednesday: Pugsley, the baby weighs ten pounds, the cannonball weighs twenty pounds. Which will hit the stone walkway first?
Pugsley: I'm still on fractions.
Wednesday: Which do you think?
Pugsley: The cannonball?
Wednesday: Very good. But which one will bounce?
Pugsley: The baby?
Wednesday: There's only one way to find out. Ready? One... two... three.
...
Pugsley: It's a boy.
Wednesday: It's a girl.
Uncle Fester: Gomez!
Grandma: What news?
Wednesday: Father, what is it?
Gomez: [just upon returning from the hospital room, bursting] It's an Addams!
...

Young Girl: And then Mommy kissed Daddy, and the angel told the stork, and the stork flew down from heaven, and left a diamond under a leaf, in the cabbage patch, and the diamond turned into a baby!
Pugsley: Our parents are having a baby too.
Wednesday: They had sex.


Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106220/

Rating perso: 8.0/10

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #84: Survival of the dead

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2009

Format: Blu Ray

Survival of the dead. Another zombie movie from director/writer George Romero...isn't he done with the genre yet. I dont think so. After so many years of reinventing his original success (and watching others do the same) Romero is truly trying to turn the zombie flick into something more original. It seems after so long that he may actually have more to say in his latest flicks than he did back in the last 30 years; and that is good 'cause this guy still has orginal ideas to explore.

In this installment he starts to use converging timelines and roles from his previous movie (Diaries of the dead reviewed a while ago). This is cool and if Romero can help it we will see his movies become a wider tapestry; cool!

This film is about the decay of society after a zombie apocalypse and some survivors converging on an island in the North East US where they all think they can be safe. Wrong! The island is populated by humans which are always worst critters than the brain chompers. Two families clash on the island to treat the "meatheads" as they call them into: scenario 1 KILL ASAP or scenario 2 THEY are sick and need to be cured so lets save them.

The movie is a funny one with a few good laughs and a general feel of cowboy movie which makes it a success. The casting is good and the characters interesting; at least until they die.
The Blu Ray issue is great looking and had very good soundtrack.

The survival of the dead est un autre film signe Romero qui traite des zombies. Vous en avez assez des zombies ; attendez donc de voir Resident Evil 37 qui sort bientôt. Si vous êtes un maniaque de l'horreur ou plus spécifiquement du genre zombie vous ne passerez pas a cote d'un nouveau film du maître Romero. Celui-ci ne déplaira pas aux amateurs. Avec une version Blu Ray qui est très bien traitée vous ne vous ennuierez pas en visionnant ce film horreur avec plusieurs touches de comédies et construit sur un moule de film de cowboy. Vive les zombies!

Great quotes:

The only good zombie is a dead zombie!

Link: http://magnetreleasing.com/survivalofthedead/

Rating perso: 7.0/10

dimanche 12 septembre 2010

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #83: Transporter 3

Genre: Action/Drama/Drame

Annee/Year: 2008

Format: Blu Ray

Tranporter 3. This is the 3rd installment in this newer franchise. Again we see a movie written by french writer/producer Luc Besson with his over the top (more american than americans) style. The direction is from another french colleague of Besson's: Olivier Megaton. The movie idea is the same as the others: make the delivery with an Audi product placement.

The acting from Jason Statham and Natalya Rudakova maintains a minimum of interest in the movie. The over the top action however does not. This movie is very uneven with exciting and entertaining fight scenes and cool car chases but many lengths and periods where the viewer looses interest. This 3rd installment will be the last i hope as the franchise is rapidly loosing steam and this last movie is getting more painfull than fun.

La troisième partie de cette série Transporteur ne fait pas le poids. Statham et Rudakova font une paire intéressante, mais a le 3e devient pénible et ce serait triste de continuer sur cette pente negative.part les excellentes scènes de combat ou de poursuite automobile le film a des longueurs non négligeables. Et l'histoire perd son intérêt pour l'audience. J'espère qu'il n'y aura pas de 4e film à cette série, car les deux premiers étaient pas mal.

Great quotes:

Frank Martin: Let me guess. You're the smart one.
The Giant: No. I am the big one.
...
Inspector Tarconi: It's a good thing that we French have such a highly developed sense of humor.
Frank Martin: With all due respect, the French think that Jerry Lewis is a genius.
Inspector Tarconi: Jerry Lewis is a genius.
Frank Martin: Dean was the genius.
Inspector Tarconi: No. Dean just stood there with a drink and a cigarette.
Frank Martin: My point exactly. Anyone can fall down and get a laugh. But how many people can do it standing still with a drink and a cigarette?
...
Frank Martin: You don't want to do this.
Mighty Joe: I don't think you're in a position to tell me what to do or don't what to do. You have ten seconds to change your mind.
Frank Martin: I'll give you five seconds to remove your hand.

Link: http://transporter3film.com/

Rating perso: 5.5/10

samedi 11 septembre 2010

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #82: Halloween 2

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1981

Format: DVD

Halloween 2. This is the second installment in the original series (the pre-Rob Zombie). This is the one written by John Carpenter/Debra hill and directed by Rick Rosenthal. The movie had excellent casting with a very young jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasance playing the psychatrist's role. The movie begins exactly where the original one left off and in this sense is cruely a continuation of the first Halloween. At the time,1978, Halloween, the original was one of the biggest box office hit of the period. Made much sense to come with an encore. This second installment is excellent suspense and builds on tension more than gore; which is a sure win.
Ok there may be a few lenghts in the movie and the attack scenes now look a bit dated but the magic is still mostly there after almost 30 years. Good movie for a pre Halloween party with friends.

Halloween 2 est vraiment une suite parfaite au premier de la série. John Carpenter/Debra hill on écrit le script et la direction a été faite par Rick Rosenthal. Une excellente distribution incluait la jeune Jamie Lee Curtis et Donald Pleasance dans le rôle solide du psychiatre. Un très populaire film a l'époque, le deuxième de la série ne lui fait pas tort. Le film a aujourd'hui presque 30 ans et n'a pas trop mal vieilli, car il mise sur le suspense plus que les effets spéciaux (qui eux on un peu vieillit il faut l'admettre). Ce film saura vous faire sursauter plusieurs fois. Un classique au même titre que le premier.

Great quotes:

[after Michael disappears]
Doyle Neighbor: What's going on out here?
Sam Loomis: Call the police! Tell the sheriff I shot him!
Doyle Neighbor: Who?
Sam Loomis: Tell him, he's still on the loose!
Doyle Neighbor: Is this some kind of joke? I've been trick-or-treated to death tonight.
Sam Loomis: [looks at the blood on his hand] You don't know what death is!
...
Sam Loomis: I shot him 6 times! I shot him in the heart-but... HE'S NOT HUMAN!
...
Jimmy: God, they should have handled him more carefully.
Laurie Strode: Who?
Jimmy: Michael Myers.
Laurie Strode: Michael Myers?
Jimmy: Yeah, he's the guy who was after you tonight.
Laurie Strode: You mean from the Myers House? That little kid who killed his sister? But he's in a hospital somewhere!
Jimmy: He escaped last night.
Laurie Strode: How do you know?
Jimmy: It's all over the radio. Television too, it's on right now.
Laurie Strode: [gasps] Why me? I mean, why *me*?

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082495/

Rating perso: 7.0/10

vendredi 10 septembre 2010

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #81: The descent : Part 2

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 2009

Format: DVD

The Descent. Part 2. Ok so you liked the Descent; well the follow up is definitely NOT up to par. The acting sucks. The decors are reused from part 1 and the script is really a failure. It is a shame Jon Harris' name is associated to this flick. The only thing which may scare you is if you are less than 14 years old and maybe if you are claustrophobic. The ending is an utter insult.

Ce film est un désastre à tous les égards. Même les effets spéciaux sont réussis à 60 %. Come on!
Ne perdez pas votre temps ici. Triste parce que j'avais bien aimé le 1er.

Great quotes:
none whatsoever...

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1073105/

Rating perso: 4.0/10

lundi 6 septembre 2010

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #80: J'ai tue ma mere

Genre: Drama/Drame

Annee/Year: 2009

Format: DVD

J'ai tué ma mère. A psycho drama by a young Quebec producer/writer with much potential. Not sure if there is an english translation to it but definitely would be a challenge to do so without loosing in the translation. Amazing movie for a young producer such as Xavier Dolan who also plays the main protagonist. Script is about the angst of a young men dealing with his mother, his independance and his homosexuality.

Ce film est le premier signé production, script et acteur principal par Xavier Dolan. Wow et bravo. J'ai un peu de misère avec ce genre de film, mais j'ai été vendu par son approche artistique: traitement des images en flash ou en "slow motion". Le script est excellent et extrêmement réaliste. Le sujet est superbe. On voit ici la rage de vivre d'un adolescent en devenir qui lutte avec son indépendance, sa mère et son homosexualité. Un film brutal, mais brillant qui démontre la difficulté à s'accepter dans son image personnelle ainsi que la difficulté non moindre d'être parent pendant cette même période. Xavier nous promet une longue et fructueuse carrière. Anne Dorval dans le rôle de soutien joue la performance de sa vie. Bravo.

Great quotes:

Hubert Minel: Qu'es-ce que tu ferais si je mourrais aujourd'hui?
Chantale: Je mourrais demain.

Link: http://www.ikilledmymother.com/

Rating perso: 7.5/10

Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir #79: Dracula's daughter

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1936

Format: DVD

Dracula's daughter. This is also one of the old Universal monster classic. After the original Dracula and it's spanish version this is definitely one of the first of the vampire genre. The director Lambert Hillyer took on actors Gloria Holden, Otto Kruger and Marguarite Churchill which play very solid performances. Gloria plays a great countess role (Dracula's daughter) where she is very hypnotic and aristocratic but definitely not scary in the modern sense.
Entertaining but did not bring the genre forward by any means.

Ce film n'a pas de traduction sur DVD. Il demeure cependant l'un des classique du genre et un des premiers film de vampires. Gloria Holden joue un role magnifique qui est hypnotisant mais quand meme pas tres epeurant dans le sens moderne. Pas un film qui a avance le genre enormement.

Great quotes:
Countess Marya Zaleska: Sandor, look at me. What do you see in my eyes?
Sandor: Death.
...
Lady Esme Hammond: Sherry, Marya?
Countess Marya Zaleska: Thank you, I never drink... wine.
...
Hawkins: [comes out of Dracula's castle] Some man is in there with a stake through his heart.
Albert: Scary.
Hawkins: [looks at Van Helsing] You know anything about this?
Prof. Von Helsing: Yes, I did it.
Hawkins: Who is he in there?
Prof. Von Helsing: His name's Count Dracula.
Hawkins: How long has he been dead?
Prof. Von Helsing: About 500 years.
...
Countess Marya Zaleska: Be thou exorcised oh Dracula, and thy body long undead find destruction throughout eternity in the name of thy dark unholy Master. In the name of the oh holiest and through this cross be the evil spirit cast out until the end of time

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0027545/

Rating perso: 6.5/10