Machete (2010)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2010
	Director: Ethan Maniquis, Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, Planet Terror, Spy Kids)
	Actors: Danny Trejo (Planet Terror), Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar), Robert De Niro (Heat), Jessica Alba (The Fantastic Four 1-2), Jeff Fahey (The Lawnmower Man), Lindsay Lohan (I Know who killed me), Steven Seagal (Above the Law), Cheech Marin (From Dusk till Dawn), Tom Savini (Dawn of the Dead)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 12.10.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Machete Cortez (Trejo) was a mexican cop. He was left for dead and is now illegal in Texas. He will be made an offer he cannot refuse. But his employers will fuck with the wrong Mexican.
Review: It was incredible too see so much excitement around the fake Machete trailer that Robert Rodriguez filmed as part of the Grindhouse double feature (now Deathproof + Planet Terror). He hadn't planned it, had dreamt about it, and ended up shooting a full-feature lengh movie matching the trailer, and using for the first time the badass-faced Danny Trejo in a leading role (I am sure this guy is actually a doll in real life an maybe loves cats...). The concept of exploitation movie revival is nice: I like to see Texans and Mexicans, hot babes falling for the anti-hero Machete, his name itself invokes a lot, I like the gunfights and the exagerated violence, and I like to see famous actors in special roles (De Niro, Fahey, Seagal). But each time I watch the movie (now 3 or 4) I notice more and more that the direction is really poor, and Rodriguez relies on his good actors and fucked-up screenplay to attract the crowds. It works for a while but can become tiresome, and I heard the same critics (in worst) about the upcoming Machete Kills. Indeed Robert Rodriguez is known for spending more time hosting barbecues around the set of his films than on the sets themselves. I have just read a carreer interview he gave to the magazine Mad Movies, in which he explained that he likes to do everything on a movie, do be able to do things more according to his vision, and faster so that actors don't get bored and show energy on film. I tend to agree to that but he shold put more effort in delivering a consistent movie. Nice touch: playing a bodyguard we can see Nimrod Antal, director of Kontroll, Metallica Through the Never, and of the Predators produced by Rodriguez.
Rating: 6 /10

Charlie's Angels (2000)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2000
	Director: McG (Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Terminator Salvation)
	Actors: Cameron Diaz (Something about Mary), Drew Barrymore (E.T., Scream), Lucy Liu (Kill Bill), Bill Murray (Groundhog Day), Matt LeBlanc (Lost in Space), Crispin Glover (Back to the Future, Willard), Sam Rockwell (Moon)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 14.10.2013, HD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: The Angels are three gifted female detectives (Diaz, Barrymore, Liu) operating for the millionaire but discrete Charlie. They are hired to investigate voice recognition software theft and GPS satellites.
Review: Waw, I didn't remember it was so bad. What a shock. I knew it was just an action movie, but watching it again after 10 years I was annoyed by the epileptic rythm, quick and loud music changing too often, cheap special effects, poor jokes and cheap attempts at arousing the viewer by showing the three main actresses in ever thinner clothes and sexy poses. To keep from this movie is the excellent character of thin man (I liked the translated name in French of "sac d'os") played by the wonderful Crispin Glover that you loved in Back to the Future and that was already playing a tortured character in Willard (a man in love with rats!). The man doesn't say a word during the whole movie. In particular I liked his first fight scene with the Angels at the sound of Prodigy. You can forget about the rest of the movie. I will watch the sequel (Full Throttle) soon anyway, on a day when I don't want to use my brain.
Rating: 3 /10

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

	Also Known As: Die Hard 5
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: John Moore (Max Payne)
	Actors: Bruce Willis (Looper), Jai Courtney (Jack Reacher), Sebastian Koch (The Lives of Others)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 12.10.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: John MacClane (Willis) learns about the whereabouts of his son Jack (Courtney) which he haven't seen in years. He goes to Moscow to see him and finds himself in the middle of a political war.
Review: I was fearing the worst before watching the fifth adventures of John McClane, because I read some bad about it, and the fourth movie was over the top and out of pace compared to the series. So I was quite pleased to see something different, no terrorists this time but McClane still in the middle of an impossible situation that he will have to solve alone (or with his son this time). The first car chase is too much, too many cars are destroyed without purpose (this reminded me of Terminator 3), but when looking more closely I noticed that some of the stunts were pretty impressive, in particular because you could see the drivers inside the cars which gave the stunt an immediate real feel. The choregraphy of the car chase was also particularly good (you always know whose car is where). The rest of the movie is also filled with some action (but not too much) and unexpected turns of events. The typical father-son relationship situations that you could expect are present, but are quite OK. Definitely not at the level of Die Hard 1 or 3, but maybe as good as the 2, and for sure better than the 4.
Rating: 7 /10

Up in the Air (2009)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2009
	Director: Jason Reitman (Thank you for Smoking)
	Actors: George Clooney (O'brother Where Art Thou?, Gravity),  Vera Farmiga (Conjuring), Anna Kendrick
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy, Romance
	Conditions of visioning: 13.10.2013, SD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: The job of Ryan Bingham (Clooney) consists in travelling across the USA to fire people in several companies, and he does it for more than 320 days a year.
Review: I was misinformed, I thought the movie was about a guy having so many frequent flyer miles that he was litteraly living of them, sleeping during his airplane trips around the globe, eating for free... Actually he travels because of his work, stays within the USA, sleeps in airport hotels and has a very small home where he spends 40 days a year. The beginning of the movie is about this peculiar way of life, but most of the movie is about the consequences of it: detachment from family or friends, loneliness, ... The humor is similar to the one of Thank you for Smoking, previous direction by Jason Reitman, son of cult 80's director Ivan Reitman (Ghostbusters, Evolution, Twins, Junior). Indeed he tries to make us like people with despicable jobs. The relationships of Clooney's character with women in the movie (his partner, his date, his sisters) are all interesting to follow and I enjoyed the whole movie, actually a reflection about the choice of building a couple and a family versus staying alone and enjoying the freedom.
Rating: 7 /10

Doom (2005)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2005
	Director: Andrzej Bartkowiak (Cradle 2 the Grave, Director of Photography on Spieces, Dante's Peak, U.S. Marshals)
	Actors: Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings 2-3, The Chronicles of Riddick, Dredd), Rosamund Pike (Die Another Day, Wrath of the Titans), Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (The Scorpion King, Welcome to the Jungle)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, SF
	Conditions of visioning: 09.10.2013, Blu-ray, Home Cinema
Synopsis: Sarge (Johnson) and his team are sent to the planet Mars through the mysterious Ark to rescue a group of scientists after receiving a distress signal. What will they find there?
Review: Adapted from the hit video game of the same name (I am not sure but probably the original First-Person Shooter), Doom came right on time to please the nostalgic gamers, benefit from decent special effects and feature the action hero of the years 2000 in the person of The Rock. Watching it now in Blu-ray gave me the same feeling as when I watched it in a Theater in 2009: the movie looks like a copycat of Alien not trying to be too scary, but rather focusing on the Marine's team hunting down monsters in the sewers. The simplistic story actually reminds of this era in videogaming when story was not very important, unlike nowadays when even First-Persons Shooters have stories worthy of a Hollywood movie. The 5-minutes scenes towards the end when the hero shoots enemies in corridors (viewed in First Person of course) could be seen as a useless gimmick but for me completes well this adaptation. Not a major film, but a nice entertaining B-movie, for me better built than the Resident Evil series, and not taking its viewers for imbeciles without saying it. Doom doesn't pretent to be anything more than a movie in which guys with big muscles shoot monsters with the help of Big F***ing Guns.
Rating: 6 /10

Harry Brown (2009)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2009
	Director: Daniel Barber
	Actors: Michael Caine (Zulu, The Dark Knight Trilogy), Emily Mortimer, David Bradley
	Country: GB
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 05.10.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Harry Brown (Caine) lives in British suburbs and cannot understand the life of the young generation who are dealing drugs, destroying properties or simply looking for trouble... that is until his best and only friend Len (Bradley) is killed.
Review: Michael Caine is a great classical actor. He is responsible for the only emotional scene I found in The Dark Knight Returns. Harry Brown seems to have been written for him, and the movie spends a good deal of time focussing on his acting, in particular the face. His character is thus very well established. The story leads this ex-Marine to do things he didn't think he was still capable of. The depiction of the British youth is scary: no respect for the elderly, stealing, dealing, drinking, getting stoned, and getting away with it because of a too discrete Police Force. The Force will come to realize what really happens in those suburbs through the character played by Emily Mortimer. The face-off between some of the youngs and Harry Brown makes for some very strong scenes, although sometimes too caricatural. Harry Brown had quite a success in the Festivals in 2009 and I can say it deserves it.
Rating: 7 /10

Metallica: Through the Never (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Nimród Antal (Kontroll, Predators)
	Actors: Dane DeHaan (Chronicle, Lincoln), James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich
	Country: USA
	Genre: Music, Fantasy
	Conditions of visioning: 05.10.2013, 3D, CINEMA theater
Synopsis: Trip (DeHaan) is a young roadie for Metallica. During their concert in the MAdison Square Garden, he is sent on an errant through a decrepit town.
Review: I am not the biggest fan of Metal music nor of Metallica, but I like to listen to some once in a while, and especialy I wanted to see what Nimród Antal would do of this project, since I liked his Kontroll (Predators less so). The most impressive has nothing to do with the movie, but it is the show itself that the band puts together. When you see them live (I saw them only at a festival), you really get value for your money: large scene, explosions, giant stuctures moving or getting destroyed, ligthning... Then I found that the 3D shooting of the concert scenes (actually 90% of the movie) was reflecting quite accurately the experience of being in the concert hall. The sound was good and the camera was always in motion just above the heads in the crowd. I found that the Madison Square Garden was fitting perfectly a 3D shooting, the wall of people in the stands offering a nice background to the band members in foreground. The purpose of the "quest" around the movie eluded me and was not really interesting, although it provided a few spectacular moments (the crowd-control police hitting their shields at the rythm of the music, waw!).
Rating: 6 /10

Gravity (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Alfonso Cuarón
	Actors: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney
	Country: GB, USA
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 07.10.2013, CineMaxx, OV screening
Synopsis: A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them drifting in space.
Review: The storyline is excellent and not so fictive. In 1985, the USA shot a scientific satellite Solwind P78-1 with a missile from an F-15. So did China in 2007 with a ballistic missile on their meteosat Fengyun-1C. This last one is now a bunch of space debris spread around the Earth.  The movie shows a very convincing microgravity (done also with puppeteers techniques) and space flights (lights and CGI). The 3D has a real perspective effect, which makes of this movie the second one for me really using the 3D, after Avatar. The Hobbit was also not so bad.  As the movie focuses on two actors, the acting had to be good ... and is. The dialogues are very good, both deep and funny. I expected actually even more dialogues, about the overcome of fears and loneliness. But this is not missing. In Y tu mama tambien Alfonso Cuarón did also a scene very intimate and with good dialogues about life in the middle of scenes with more action. This time also this scene is brought very well from the story line point of view. The decision to make a long take from the right beginning let me feel immediately being in space and was therefore very good. Even if actually it is also exagerated to show the fine special effects.
Rating: 8 /10

Reality (2012)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2012
	Director: Matteo Garrone
	Actors: Aniello Arena, Loredana Simioli, Nando Paone
	Country: I
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 30.09.2013, Schauburg, OV sneak preview
Synopsis: Luciano is a Neapolitan fishmonger who supplements his modest income by pulling off little scams together with his wife Maria. A likeable, entertaining guy, Luciano never misses an opportunity to perform for his customers and countless relatives. One day his family urge him to try out for Grande fratello (Big Brother). In chasing this dream his perception of reality begins to change.
Review: The story starts very well showing the Napolitana way of life. Full of authenticity and personality. The big family, all tight together, goofing around, making tricks to make money. Then together with the main protagonist, the story goes into the depth of despair and becomes boring. But maybe not so meaningless, if the goal was to show how the reality show disturb your own perception of reality and/or make you stupid. It was actually quite promising, but I missed a bit of verve and fascination on this topic. Note that the actor playing Lucianois not really an actor and was in jail before the movie. But he played very well the first part of the movie.
Rating: 3 /10

The International (2009)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2009
	Director: Tom Tykwer (Lola Rennt, Cloud Atlas)
	Actors: Clive Owen (Children of Men, Shoot'em Up), Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive, King Kong), Armin Mueller-Stahl
	Country: USA
	Genre: Polar, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 27.09.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Louis Salinger (Owen) is an Interpol agent trying to uncover the arms-dealing activities of a large bank. He will face more and more trouble as he digs deeper into his investigation.
Review: Clive Owen is good at playing this agent trying to get to the bank by the rules. Of course you guess that at some point he will have to get more dirty, but fortunately the movie never transforms him into a super agent. He remains all along this simple man fighting for what he believes. Naomi Watts plays a kind of side-kick but her role is never that important. The story is not predictible which is an important quality. The International is a good thriller with its lot of conspiracies, manipulations an increasing threats against the hero, and banks are seen as the ideal enemy in movies nowadays (see my recent review of Robin Hood).
Rating: 7 /10