Jumanji: The Next Level (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: Jake Kasdan (Sex Tape, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle)
	Actors: Dwayne Johnson (Fast & Furious 7, San Andreas), Jack Black (Nacho Libre, Be Kind Rewind), Kevin Hart (Central Intelligence), Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy 1-2)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 15.10.2020, VOD, 14" computer screen.

Synopsis: The gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world's most dangerous game. Review: After the pleasant surprise of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in 2017, the studio didn't wait long to release this sequel and I was curious to watch it. It is pretty much more of the same, but a bit evolved. The reactions from the characters are less exaggerated because they know how the game works now. The attacks but CGI animals with an exaggerated appearance is a mandatory part of those movies so there are a few here too, but they are just here for Action value and are quickly forgotten. The great idea in this movie is that passed the interest to see mature actors playing like the teenagers they are impersonating, now we see Johnson and Hart play respectively Danny DeVito and Danny Glover, and that's a delight because even though those characters are only briefly introduced at the beginning, as we know the actors we have no problem recognizing them when played by others, and both Johnson and Hart are excellent at it.. The idea of being able to swap characters is also interesting and allows more actors to play more characters, for a few laughs. As much as the animals, the story of the game is forgettable but the journey the characters go though isn't. Not as surprising as the previous movie but with a few new ideas. It was fun to watch. Another movie in the series is already in discussion.   Rating: 6 /10

Men in Black: International (2019)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2019
	Director: F. Gary Gray (The Italian Job, The Fate of the Furious)
	Actors: Chris Hemsworth (Thor 1-3, The Avengers 1-4, The Cabin in the Woods), Tessa Thompson (Thor: Ragnarok), Kumail Nanjiani
	Country: USA, CN
	Genre: Comedy, Fantasy
	Conditions of visioning: 01.10.2020, VOD, 14" computer screen.

Synopsis: After managing to enter the Men in Black organization, protecting Earth from Alien threats, Agent M (Thompson) gets her first assignment to London with legendary Agent H (Hemsworth) who recently saved the world, or so it seems. Review: I read really bad reviews about this movie so I was pleasantly surprised to find it watchable, far from the original Men in Black, more between the second and Men in Black 3. This one does not feature Will Smith nor Tommy Lee Jones but we hear about them (see them on a poster in fact) and recognize Agent O (Emman Thompson) from the third movie. It has nothing really touching like Men in Black 3 had, and no particularly good story, but it is rather harmless and I found it fun to watch, including decent special effects. Some would say it is not a necessary addition to the franchise, but maybe I was tired of watching bad Superman movies and found it refreshing in comparison. It includes what you would expect: action, goofy-looking aliens, re-visitation of history and of famous people (although I noticed I am too old to recognize some references...), big guns, alien tech... It doesn't matter that the MIB often operate in public view. The one thing that bothered me most is how they negate the premise of the first movie (this is called retconing I think) by presenting Gustave Eiffel as already harboring alien refugees in his days. The movie doesn't try to hide his intent to reproduce the chemistry between Hemsworth and Thompson in Thor: Ragnarok, and that didn't even bother me. On top of all that, the director knows how to handle a big blockbuster after The Fate of the Furious, (and I am looking forward to his M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand based on the animated series which I loved as kid), so the movie is well built. Easily digested entertainment.   Rating: 5 /10

Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1987
	Director: Sidney J. Furie
	Actors: Christopher Reeve (Superman 1-4), Gene Hackman (Enemy of the State), Margot Kidder
	Country: USA, GB
	Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
	Conditions of visioning: 06.10.20, VOD, 10" tablet screen.

Synopsis: The Man of Steel (Reeve) crusades for nuclear disarmament and meets Lex Luthor's (Hackman) latest creation, Nuclear Man.   Review: I was fearing to watch this fifth movie of the series (after Supergirl), often described as one of the worst movies of all times. Frankly, when you have seen the others of the franchise before like I did, it is not that bad. Pretty bad sure, but I found it better than Superman 3 for example with its sentient super-computer. Nuclear Man is ridiculous of course, built from superman's hair, enough tissue to cover him decently and some solar radiation. I have the feeling that less and less in this franchise had the writers any idea of the original Superman stories, and of basic Science. It is hilarious when Clark's new love interest Lacy Warfield floats between Earth and the Moon with no problem breathing. In passing, funny also to see a young Jon Cryer (Alan in Two and a Half Men) in one of his first roles as Lex's nephew. The love triangle (or square?) is also laughable and sometime reveals huge plot holes (Lois knows Superman's identity one moment and forgets the next...). The less bad thing in the movie is Superman's motivation to rid the world of nuclear weapons, although no country, especially the U.S.S.R., seem to complain about it. Among the rest, it looks like a decent plot. So as I wrote, pretty bad but I managed to watch it in less than two attempts. Rating: 3 /10

Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2020
	Director: Dean Parisot (R.E.D. 2)
	Actors: Keanu Reeves (The Matrix 1-3, 47 Ronin, John Wick 1-3), Alex Winter (Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure), Kristen Schaal
	Country: USA, CDN, I
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 11.10.2020, VOD, 10" tablet screen.

Synopsis: Now middle-age dads, Bill (Winter) and Ted (Reeves) are still expecting to come up with the rock song which will unite the Earth, save the Universe and Reality itself, as they were told during their time-traveling adventures. Review: I missed the fun in Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure when I recently watched it, but I understood why. Then I forgot to watch Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey to which Face the Music is the sequel, and conclusion to the trilogy. This explains that I missed the reference to several characters and adventures. Sadly, this movie belongs to the growing list of sequels produced far too late after the success of the original. I discuss this phenomenon at length in my review of Bad Boys for Life, although this one was the exception to the rule. I don't understand why Keanu Reeves accepted to be on board, with his continuously successful career, the John Wick series being the latest addition to it, and he is rumored to soon enter the MCU. I guess it is hard to refuse an easy paycheck. But in exchange, he delivers a performance stunningly in line with the one from 30 years ago (waw!), quite goofy for an actor we are more used to see in serious / action / violent roles. Alex Winter follows the same line, as well as their daughters. As expected, the movie offers more meetings with celebrities through time, with the addition of Bill an Ted meeting many versions of themselves. The story is not hard to follow but I didn't laugh at any moment, I just watched the scenes happening as they had no effect on me. Really, quite as the original movie. Except that this was an immediate success, hitting the right audience at the right time, while the new movie is a programmed release to cash on nostalgia from viewers now in their 40's. A release in 2020 (COVID-19 year, in case you have forgotten by the time you read those lines in the distant future) probably didn't help the movie making a profit, and it will be quickly forgotten.   Rating: 3 /10

Supergirl (1984)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1984
	Director: Jeannot Szwarc
	Actors: Helen Slater, Faye Dunaway (The Towering Inferno, Eyes of Laura Mars), Peter O'Toole (Lawrence of Arabia)
	Country: GB
	Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
	Conditions of visioning: 26.09.2020, VOD, 10" tablet screen.

Synopsis: After losing a powerful orb, Kara Zor-El (Slater), Superman's cousin, comes to Earth to retrieve it and instead finds herself up against a wicked witch (Dunaway). Review: Continuing the series of original Superman movies, I had to watch this Supergirl after Superman III. It is not to be confused with the recent TV-series Supergirl with Melissa Benoist in the lead role. More than a few details tell you it takes place in the same Universe as the successful movies: we don't see Christopher Reeve playing Superman but a picture of him, we are told about his recent exploits and see the same Marc McClure playing Jimmy Olsen. The movie takes place in a small rural town in contrast to the New York-inspired Metropolis. What makes it better than the latest Superman movies is the mystic / wizardry story, and the presence of the experienced actors Faye Dunaway and Peter O'Toole who, even if they sometimes seem lost in the story, elevate the movie with their talent. This movie looks as kitsch and cheap as the others and contains the same amount of coincidences, the worst being Linda Lee (secret identity of Supergirl) finding herself roommate with Lois Lane's sister! And why does she want to blend in anyway? Also she has funny powers like generating the clothes she wants. The movie is well-shot with nice details like the light on the witch's eyes and slightly improved special effects, but many points in the story are laughable like the love potion story. The interlude in the phantom zone seems also out of place and here only to remind of Superman 2, but it is in fact one of the best moments in the movie (thanks to Peter O'Toole again) and a turning point. Also funny that in contrast to Superman coming from outer space, Supergirl comes from a city filled with survivors from Krypton, in inner space. Thus at the beginning she emerges from the bottom of a lake on Earth (!). I don't know if this was present in original DC comics, but with my modern references it reminded me of the quantum realm in Marvel's Ant Man. For 80's hardcore nostalgics only.   Rating: 4 /10