Old boy (2003)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2003
	Director: Chanwook Park
	Actors: Min-sik Choi, Hye-jeong Kang, Ji-tae Yu
	Country: ROK
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 03.12.2013, DVD
Synopsis: An average man is kidnapped and imprisoned in a shabby cell for 15 years without explanation. He then is released, equipped with money, a cellphone and expensive clothes. As he strives to explain his imprisonment and get his revenge, Oh Dae-Su soon finds out that his kidnapper has a greater plan for him and is set onto a path of pain and suffering in an attempt to uncover the motive of his mysterious tormentor.
Review: I did well to watch the original just after the remake. The story is really good and revolutionary. It questions "I am a monster, but I have the right to live". And actually we see really two crazy monsters in this movie. The philosophical questions are omnipresent, while they completely disappeared from the Spike Lee remake. The heroe is an average man and behaves all along as such, which makes it closer from the viewer. This way we can more easily take his place, while in the Lee version, the heroe is like a superheroe and therefore not interesting in this movie. The Korean movie has some great scenes for the originality ("I need to eat something alive", the hammer scene) and for the directing (hammer scene) but also several lacking of better technology or time and looking therefore very cheap. The ending of the movie is very Asian, explaining the rationale with an off voice, and very cruel and revolutionary for its content. No movie would depict (SPOILER) and destroy with no mercy the heroe this way! If no scene would look cheap as it does several times, this could have become a master piece.
Rating: 8 /10 Additional bonus point for the Korean movie, the posters are much more esthetic. See some other ones below.

Old boy (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Spike Lee
	Actors: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Sharlto Copley, Samuel L. Jackson
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 02.12.2013, Schauburg, OV sneak preview
Synopsis: A man is kidnapped and locked without human contact for 20 years. When he is released, he is obsessed by vengeance.
Review: After having seen this movie, I felt like: "ok, it is a remake of the Korean Old boy" and I recognized some cult scenes, but I knew something was missing that was a major point of the original movie, without remembering what it was. So I decided to watch the original.  The Spike Lee version is a good movie. It shows some scenes with more clarity than the original movie so that it is easy to understand. The acting is nevertheless quite bad from Josh Brolin but maybe he could not save the role given by Spike Lee of superman, that differs from the original movie and turns this version a bit ridiculous. Sharlto Copley is even worse for the flash back scene at the end.  And the revolutionary part of the original is not remaked at all and this is really a pity! Therefore the Spike Lee movie is good and entertaining, but nothing more.
Rating: 5 /10

La 7ème cible (1984)

	Also Known As: Tödliche Angst
	Year of first release: 1984
	Director: Claude Pinoteau
	Actors: Lino Ventura, Jean Poiret, Lea Massari, Elisabeth Bourgine, Jean-Pierre Bacri
	Country: F
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 30.11.2013, DVD
Synopsis: A former great reporter, Bastien Grimaldi, is subject to death threat. His family worries but he prefers to hide it to the police as he has other worries, family, married mistress. He starts his own inquiry and discovers that he is the target of a known blackmailer, Hagner.
Review: This movies saves the whole pack of Lino Ventura DVDs! This movie follows at the beginning the same type of suspense as other thriller movies, an innocent guy followed by mysterious bad guys. The traditional secrecy of Bastien's family is also very oppressing. This time Pinoteau avoided his early mistakes and makes a very mature thriller at the level of the best Hitchcock's. And the classic music in the storyline involves the talented Vladimir Cosma as componist of the soundtrack. This is one major advantage! The theme fits perfectly to the thriller and suspense atmospheres. Then Lino Ventura as well as the other roles are very well acted: Jean Poiret, Lea Massari, Elisabeth Bourgine and Jean-Pierre Bacri. This is the kind of Lino Ventura movie, I had in mind from my youth. Excellent!
Rating: 8 /10

Orgazmo (1997)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1997
	Director: Trey Parker (South Park TV-series, Team America: World Police, Cannibal! The Musical, South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut)
	Actors: Trey Parker, Dian Bachar, Michael Dean Jacobs, Matt Stone
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 30.09.2013, DVD, Home cinema
Synopsis: While preaching door to door the love of Jesus, Joe Young (Parker) will reluctantly become the hero of a cheap pornographic movie.
Review: I discovered this movie at the end of my period of attraction for parodies (Naked Gun, Airplane, Hot Shot...) and at the time I was liking the dumb humour (Dodgeball, BASEketball, Dumb & Dumber, Dude where is my car?). I have seen it several times in the past but I didn't remember it looked so cheap, and the very poor quality of this DVD edition doesn't help. In spite of that, the story is crazy as only Parker and Stone (creators of South Park) can deliver it, and the juxtaposition of the Mormon Joe with the world of pornography is prone to laughs. Add to this the sidekick Chodaboy, creator of the real Orgazmo-ray, apparitions by ex-porn stars like Ron Jeremy and Chasey Lane, and the ridiculousness of the porn shooting that will however make it more successfull than E.T. (!!!) and you get a dumb comedy fun to watch with friends accompanied with beer and pizza. In a similar spirit you can also watch Zack and Miri make a Porn by Kevin Smith (Dogma, Red State) and Flesh Gordon, parody of Flash Gordon that also includes some kind of Orgazmo-ray.
Rating: 6 /10

Pi (1998)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1998
	Director: Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain)
	Actors: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis (Scarface, Black Swan), Ben Shenkman
	Country: USA
	Genre: Drama, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 27.11.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: A paranoid mathematician searches for a key number that will unlock the universal patterns found in nature.
Review: This movie was an obvious topic of conversation for physics students like I was in 1998. I remember that I liked watching it but found it really strange and experimental. Having now grown, knowing more about movies and watching Pi in optimal conditions, I can appreciate better its qualities. The topic of a scientist looking for the hidden laws behind Nature still appeals to me and I still find the sci-talk in Pi interesting and accurate (probably a mathematician would disagree with me). Beyond that,  I could see the talent of Darren Aronofski as filmmaker and storyteller. In spite of limited means (the black and white film is very grainy) he manages to convey all the anxiety of the main character through the repetition of sentences ("When I was a kid my mom told me not to look into the Sun, so when I was six I did it") and actions (taking the pills, locking the door, adding milk to coffee). The electro/trip-hop music also fits the general atmosphere. The set is cheap (old computers, the main processor in a plastic container...) but chaotic and thus more believable. I feared that the movie would be too long and sometimes boring as I remembered, but it was not the case. The main character evolves, meets interesting people like the Rabbi, and the viewer is then compelled to wait for the climax.
Rating: 8 /10

Epic (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Chris Wedge (Ice Age, Robots)
	Actors (voices): Amanda Seyfried (Jennifer's Body, In Time), Josh Hutcherson (Voyage to the Center of the Earth, Detention), Beyoncé Knowles (Austin Powers in Goldmember)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Animation, Adventure
	Conditions of visioning: 01.122013, SD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: A young girl (Seyfried) is projected into a tiny advanced society living in the forest and fighting for the spirit of Nature against the dark forces of putrefaction and rot.
Review: I only knew about this movie after reading bad critics of it having copied the ideas from Avatar. It may be true to some extend: one character that will risk her life to protect a world which is not hers, the communion of the alien people with Nature,the flying soldiers... But I didn't feel it like a rip-off mainly because the message in the movie is not the same and the target audience is different as well. Avatar is very strong about how humans destroy everything while in Epic evil doesn't have this face. Epic is more for a young audience but I liked the fact that it doesn't take its viewers for dummies and doesn't overwhelm them with good feelings, cheap drama and key funny faces from annoying comic characters. The comic characters in Epic are a blind three-legged dog running in circles and a duo of snail/slug, and I sincerely laughted each time they appear on screen. Not a major animated film with double meanings for children and adults like The Incredibles, but refreshingly different from the usual lot.
Rating: 6 /10

A selection of worthy movie soundtracks

I have just realized that over the years, I collected the CDs of a few movie soundtracks, although I did not see the interest of this twenty years ago. I have come to realize that although the vast majority of movie soundtracks are not worth mentioning, a few have a particular quality to them, and in some cases the soundtrack is so good that it is a character in itself in the movie. There are many websites dedicated to soundtracks review like soundtrack.net or filmtracks.com.
Let me guide you through my collection of soundtracks, starting with the one that made me come to this realization: The Wicker Man.

Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2012
	Director: John Hyams (Universal Soldier: Regeneration)
	Actors: Scott Adkins (The Bourne Ultimatum, The Expendables 2), Claude Van Damme (Bloodsport, Welcome to the Jungle), Dolph Lundgren (The Expendables 1-2)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 29.11.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: The family of John (Adkins) is murdered in front of his eyes by Devereaux (Van-Damme) and he is left for dead. When he awakes from a coma he will start to investigate, while becoming stronger than ever.
Review: The first Universal Soldier is an excellent SF/Action movie and I like it. I can't remember the sequels except the last one (Regeneration) which was OK but very B-movie and predictable (a lot of fights). Although from the same director John Hyams, son of Peter Hyams (Timecop, Sudden Death, End of Days), Day of Reckoning is very different. The story evolved more slowly than in the usual action flick and the fist/gunfights are scarce. Instead we get attached to the character of John (intense Sean Atkins) who is the heart of the movie. In spite of the movie posters that show Van-Damme and Lundgren in forefront, we see them only a little, but we feel their influence. The movie remains modest, there is no huge team of scientists hunting the Universal Soldiers, only one man. The ageing Van-Damme plays a disturbing Luc Devereaux that we know to be good deep inside. I love the black and white make-up he wears during the final fight. A good movie that takes you by surprise when going against the traditional rules of an aciton movie. But don't take me wrong, there is still a lot of manly action and blood splatter!
Rating: 6 /10

Sin City (2005)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2005
	Director: Robert Rodriguez (Planet Terror, From Dusk till Dawn)
	Actors: Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2), Clive Owen (Children of Men), Bruce Willis (Looper), Jessica Alba (The Fantastic Four 1-2, Machete), Rosario Dawson (Death Proof), Benicio del Toro (Traffic), Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Line), Michal Madsen (Kill Bill), Tommy Flanagan (Sons of Anarchy), Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Nick Stahl (Terminator 3), Elijah Wood (Maniac), Josh Hartnett (Pearl Harbor)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Polar, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 20.11.2013, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: The town of Sin City is filled with crime and corruption. The good guys are not always the ones you would expect.
Review: I had already seen Sin City once or twice, but it made its way back on my pile of "movies to watch again", probably after I read some good about it, or after watching the performance of Elijah Wood in Pawn Shop Chronicles, or because the sequel Sin City, A Dame to Kill for will be out next year. I had forgotten that the cast was so impressive. As too often in adaptation of comic books (like in 300), the best in this movie is what comes from the comic book, in this case the eponymous Sin City series by Frank Miller: the dark stories, anti-heroes, black and white tones with rare flashy colors, the narrator's voice. The movie doesn't add much to this apart from motion, music and some known faces. Sin City was one of the first movie completely shot in front of blue screens with all backgrounds added later (like Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow). It was praised for that. I don't find it to be extremely well done (looking too artificial) but it is good enough. Also I find that the narrator's voice is too present ; this was OK in a comic book but could have been adapted better for a movie. The Blu-ray edition I have watched includes a few new scenes, and the editing has this time separated the four segments instead of merging them into one movie. The Customer Is Always Right is the shortest segment that briefly shows Hartnett as a contract killer, a nice short story. That Yellow Bastard is the story featuring Bruce Willis as an old cop rescuing Jessica Alba from a rapist, actually son of the mayor. Corruption is everywhere and the story is very dark. The Hard Goodbye features Mickey Rourke as the excellent Marv, mountain of muscles with a little brain, chasing the killer of a woman he loved for one night, exemplar Sin City story. Finally The Big Fat Kill shows Clive Owen as anti-hero fighting side-by-side with a self-managed gang of prostitutes, against a corrupted cop played by Benicio del Toro and the mob.  To summarize, the stories (copied from the comic book) and great and dark, but the adaptation work is insufficient.
Rating: 5 /10

Turistas (2009)

	Also Known As: Touristes
	Year of first release: 2009
	Director: Alicia Scherson
	Actors: Aline Kuppenheim, Marcelo Alonso, Diego Noguera
	Country: RCH
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 30.11.2013, City46, OV
Synopsis: Carla is 37 years old, married and leaves Santiago for holidays with her husband. Suddenly they querell and she is left alone on the road. She decides to continue her way with the Norvegian tourist Ulrik to a National parc, where they camp between trees. Both are tourists.
Review: It is the second movie in a row showing people behaving without feeling nor humanity. But this time, it is what Alicia Scherson wants to show and she leads the story around that. Clara is a tourist in her own life, as she is not motivated by anything, not sure of anything and do not care about the others, all in a quite passive way.  The directing is great, as nature and Clara's life mirror one another subtly. The nature encounters human on its way making the life harder, as Clara encounters humans and herself making her life harder. The picture is very good, of the nature (plenty of close-up on trees and small animals) as well as of people. The composition of the picture is also very well thought and is almost surrealistic. Some technical defects in the picture when kind of special effects are used do not disturb much.  Very nice surprise! It looks like as if Clara is looking for answers or help in the nature because she trusts it fully, but (SPOILER) does not find any answer nor help.
Rating: 7 /10