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Reviews
Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004)
It's not that bad
I took my daughters to see it and I have to say it was nice family fun. Old fans of the series will recognize some of the monsters from the very first seasons. Just as in the first episode, it goes against the rule that everything has a rational explanation. Supernatural forces are yet again called to animate the bad guys.
The story is not that bad, the animation and special effects are a bit too much for little ones to follow, but they all seemed to have a blast.
The acting is the bad point. It seems these actors are tired of the franchise already and seemed to be tied by a contract for at least one more episode. And you can tell they are bored. Plus they look awful and tired! Only Lillard makes an effort.
The Transporter (2002)
Definitely a "Wait for the video"
This is nothing but a simple action flick with a dumb story line, which is usual with most of the simple action flicks.
It seems that Luc Besson has decided to stop directing and to start producing instead.
Check out his IMDB profile: he has a lot on the grill.
The Transporter has a few good ideas and, as Frenchman livign in America, I thought I could just go watch a French action movie in English just to see what my home country looks like these days.
That's why I truly enjoyed how the cops are made fun of.
Some parts are truly original and, even if the plot sucks, it remains good entertainment, but not worth $8.00. Definitely a wait for the video.
Driven (2001)
What is this? A video game commercial?
The CART league is desperately trying to get some attention from an American public mostly interested in Nascar racing and an international public mostaly attracted to the FIA Formula 1 championship.
It's trying to make CART look like a spectacular sport, which it is, but with the wrong angle.
It's not because a motor sport generates a lot of crashes that it's a good one.
Yes, motor fans like to witness crashes in Nascar or in F1, because the driver usually walks away, with the exception of an Earnhardt Sr or of a Senna.
But it's not necessarily what it's all about.
Driven has no real focus. It tries to focus on the racing events, but it does not do a good job at it. What is this? A video game commercial?
It also tries to focus on the drivers. Besides a few shots on the real drivers, the rest of it is about a bunch of totally unrealistic characters.
I hate to say it, but the whole movie is a waste and an insult to the racing fans.
The Way of the Gun (2000)
A bang! bang! and blah! blah! movie
The movie is a lot of "bang! bang!" and a lot of "blah! blah!"
It goes like this:
1. bang! bang!
2. blah! blah!
3. bang! bang!
4. blah! blah!
5. bang! bang! bang!
6. blah.
Therefore it has more bang than blah.
Capitaine Conan (1996)
Nicely shot, very well played, visually impressive but lenghty
This film is about how the military experience can transform a person, and no, it's not about the army making men out of boys.
Conan leads a group of trench cleaners, who, in reality, were thugs and pathological killers who enjoyed butchering their enemies after infiltrating their lines at night.
Problems emerge when the war is over, but some of these men cannot deal with their wartime homicidal pathologies and keep doing what they were trained for and mount a heist which results in killings.
Conan then has to choose between his camaraderie for his men and his responsibilities as an army officer.
This film has many originalities, especially in its war scenes and, I must admit, the whole thing is entertaining.
It's lengthy at times, but Torreton gives a great performance and really deserved the Cesar for best leading role that he got that year.
It is, in my knowledge, the only film which treats of that very particular post-World War I episode, when the "Reds" tried to invade Bulgaria and the French came to stop the expansion of what was not yet know as the Soviet block.
La légion saute sur Kolwezi (1980)
Pretty good film about a famous operation by the French Foreign Legion
This film was made right after the French Foreign Legion proved its valor (once again) in a military operation in Congo.
The Legion saved hundreds of Europeans taken hostages by rebels and managed to drive them away after losing only 5 of its men.
The film is very low budget, but very accurate and most of the legionnaires on the screen were actual legionnaires involved in the fights. Very interesting for the ethnic variety of these guys.
It's really not Black Hawk Down. It's a simple and efficient film with a very straight story line, and it depicts the facts and only the facts, with a few composite characters among the civilians.
I would only recommend it if you want to learn about the even or about how the Legion operates.
The Getaway (1972)
Best western in a disguise
I always considered this movie a western transposed in modern times. All the ingredients of the classical outlaw westerns are in it. And there are quite a few nods to the genre as well. It's one of my favorite 70s movies. Of course, I hate the remake.
Spider-Man (2002)
Amazing first half, boring second
The first half of the movie is truly amazing. Lots of great ideas, the original story is very well adapted.
But half way through it, the story gets so dumb you want to find who ever wrote the script and web him to silent forever.
Too much blah blah in the second half, and besides Willem Dafoe, none of the actors really give a good performance.
In this second half, there is too much disparity between the family scenes and the action scenes. And even the action scenes, besides perhaps the last one, are just plain dumb and stupid.
I could not wait for this to be over.
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001)
Surprisingly good and intelligent sci-fi movie
I had heard so many bad critics about this movie that I thought I would just see a barely enjoyable Sci-Fi movie about robots that could be just as bad as a bad Spielberg movie. Well, I was ready for something like The Millenium Man.
Surprise... The movie is a very good Sci-Fi flick, with an intelligent story line, good acting and great special effects used with efficiency.
Haley Joel Osment is not giving a performance as good as in the Sixth Sense but he sure confirms he knows how to act and understands the script (something not every child actor does). Jude Law is truly amazing in his character and William Hurt just being the usual William Hurt (he reminded me a lot of the character he played in Until the End of the World).
The story line has lots of good ideas. It takes you on a 2 hours and 20 minutes journey in a grim and dark vision of the future with a smart transposition of old themes: "Do robots dream of electric sheep?", Pinocchio, rejection of the different - well, the last one is Spielbergian, ain't it?
Rollerball (2002)
Get ready for 15 minutes of green and blurry action!
There are plenty of good ideas in this movie, but most of them very badly used.
The main good idea is that of the sport circus broadcast around the world in different languages. Some good references to the original movies or even to the Japanese comic book Battle Angel Alita.
But the entire development of the story is extremely disappointed. Who could think that the man who gave us Die Hard could give us *that*?
There is nothing wrong with the acting, or the actions, or even the script in itself. Just the whole filming and putting together of that movie is totally out of it.
Now, would you shoot an entire night sequence using infrared cameras, forcing people to watch 15 minutes of green and blurry action? McTiernan did. It looked awful on a 50 feet wide screen. It sure will look even more awful on a 50 inches screen.
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
What was that all about?
Maybe it would be a good thing to pick up people who can actually sing, for a musical, don't you think?
Still wondering what was that all about.
The director tried to steal from Jeunet and go ahead with the mix of elements that are supposed to create a je ne sais quoi out-of-time universe with a clumsy attempt at honoring the time of Melies, Toulouse-Lautrec, and of the Cancan. Just that it totally duds.
Oh, and having these people sing modern pop classics out of sync, out of tune and out of the blue, that's so much NEVER SEEN before.
At least, in a Knight's Tale, there was some action going on.
Killing Zoe (1993)
Killing Zzzzzzzzzzzz ... Boring!
Who wrote this flick? An uninspired 15 year-old?
Could have been written by one of the kids who did the Columbine shooting.
Totally nonsensical, not funny all, boooooooriiing...
Plus this: the French do not put their flag everywhere. You do not walk into a French bank and see the tricolore flag displayed like that. Even on Bastille day.
I have nothing against the blood bath thing. It's just that none of this is either credible or funny. Or parodic, or anything like that.
Ok, those who liked this flick will tell you I must be some type of fascist, so forget about my comment.
Le placard (2001)
You're just as gay as others think you are
First of, a personal story: I dated that very pretty girl from work one day (I know, it's not a good idea). I was surprised she accepted to date me so easily, as she was really pretty and I do not think I am that pretty myself.
Towards the end of the evening I started to make my intentions a little clearer, to see where this would end, when she burst out laughing and told me she thought I was gay.
Not only did she think I was gay, but the entire company did. Why that? The heck if I know. Maybe the way I act, the language I speak, the things that I like...
What does it have to do with this film?
Well, the character played by Auteuil in this movie, pretends he is gay to save his job as an accountant in a condom factory (!), following the advice from a neighbor, who tells him that, in order to truly be accepted as a gay guy, he just has to be himself.
Why are people so fascinated by homosexuality, that they are so excited to find out that one of their coworkers might be coming out of the closet? So much that he becomes the new center of attention, and even becomes an important figure in his company?
The narrative focuses on how his coworkers (including a very chauvinistic Depardieu, great as usual) accept or reject him.
This is not too serious a movie, as it is a down to Earth French comedy, with some pretty good actors in it (Depardieu and Auteuil, who was in the Eighth Day). But it's pretty witty, and gives a good view on how company politics can be turned in ridicule.
There is definitely not too serious a movie, about the place of gays and lesbians in our society, as this would bore everybody, including gays and lesbians.
I do not know how gay people like this movie themselves. A lesbian friend of mine saw it and liked it, as she thought it was pretty hilarious to see how suddenly people think you are interesting when you come out of the closet (I guess she also spoked for herself).
The Man in the Iron Mask (1998)
Worst musketeer movie ever, best Porthos ever.
Depardieu is the only one who tried to give a good performance as Porthos, and he did. I truly think the big guy produced the best Porthos on the screen ever.
Malkovitch also was a good Aramis, but besides him, all the other actors were only there for the paycheck.
The script is very ridiculous, and would only give shivers to my 14 year old niece, who thinks that Pearl Harbor was a good flick.
I think this is the worst musketeer movie I have ever seen.
La crise (1992)
A picaresque journey through the France of the 90s
This movie gives a good view, although somewhat distorted, of France in the 90s.
A man in his mid-life crisis loses his wife, his kids and his job the same day. He then goes through a picaresque journey with a nitwit side kick he finds on his way and whom he decides to help.
The man, played by a very good Vincent Lindon, meets friends, friends of friends, and relatives, and realizes what the true reasons of his failures are.
Everybody is going through his own crisis and the main character realizes that everybody's life sucks (or does it really?)
This film treats about every social problems in our modern societies: solitude, lack of love, lack of work, lack of understanding, lack of appreciation.
Some of the characters are a little bit cliches, but most of them give a very very good interpretation. I also think that the cliches are very acceptable because the whole atmosphere of the movie is very surrealistic.
Look out for the scene with the parents. It's my personal favorite.