Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - Season 1 (2008)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2008
	Creator: Josh Friedman
	Actors: Lena Headey (300, Dredd), Thomas Dekker, Summer Glau (Firefly TV-series, Serenity), Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills, 90210 TV-series)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, SF
	Conditions of visioning: August 2015, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: After having apparently stopped the Skynet Artificial Intelligence from ever being created, Sarah Connor (Headley) and her son John (Dekker) face a new Terminator sent to eliminate them. Hopefully they are helped by another Cyborg named Cameron (Glau).
Review: This TV-series takes place shortly after the events of Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Only two seasons were made, the second much longer than the first, I bought them in Blu-ray some years ago but stopped watching early in the second season. I am now more motivated to dive back into that universe, especially after reading the excellent novel T2: Infiltrator (2001) by S.M. Stirling. I found it nice to meet again this universe created by James Cameron with The Terminator in 1984, but immediately noticed the cheapness of the TV-series, far from the standards the audience expects nowadays after getting used to the shows produced by HBO (Game of Thrones) or Netflix (Daredevil). The suspense is not really tense, the bad guys (Cromartie for example) not charismatic enough, the action soft, the pace too slow and the special effects disappointing. Even the Blu-ray image quality make it look like a DVD. A few good elements are the nice idea of time travel in the Pilot, the character of Cameron and Lena Headey playing a convincing Sarah Connor, although I don't like how her voice introduces and concludes the episodes with some philosophical remarks. A word about the episodes: The Turk and Queen's Gambit introduce the possible birth of Skynet, while Dungeons & Dragons shows flashbacks (flash-forwards?) of the life of a Resistance fighter. Heavy Metal tells us a bit more about Skynet's endgame, and The Hand of the Demon focuses on the character of the FBI agent Ellisson and sees the return of the T2 character Dr. Silberman. Finally the season Finale What He Beheld is very weak and ends with a poor cliffhanger, in spite of a nice scene played in slow motion on the soundtrack of Johnny Cash's The Man Comes Around, reminding of how it is often done in Sons of Anarchy, which started the same year by the way. Some ideas seem to have been remotely inspired by the novel T2: Infiltrator that I already mentioned and have just finished reading. But in fact and in spite of the absence of images, the novel is much more powerful and I found that it immersed me back into the Terminator universe better than the series did. I hope for some improvements in the second season but as it was not extended into a third, I fear that I will be disappointed.
Rating: 3 /10

Aliens (1986)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1986
	Director: James Cameron (Terminator 1-2, Titanic, Avatar)
	Actors: Sigourney Weaver (Paul, Chappie, The Cabin in the Woods), Michael Biehn (The Terminator, Planet Terror), Carrie Henn, Lance Henriksen (Millenium TV-series), Bill Paxton (Twister, Edge of Tomorrow)
	Country: USA
	Genre: War, Horror, SF, Action
	Conditions of visioning: 10.08.2015, Blu-Ray, Home cinema, Special Edition
Synopsis: Ripley (Weaver) is found drifting is space more than 70 years after the encounter with the Alien that killed all of her crew. When the outpost located on the planet where she found the Alien becomes silent, she is asked to accompany the rescue team.
Review: Mentioning a possible Alien sequel in my post on Chappie made me want to watch again some movies from this saga initiated in 1979 by Ridley Scott. I found on that day that the summer sky was still too bright to watch the claustrophobic Alien (I like to be in the right mood to watch this one, i.e. tired and alone in the dark), so I jumped to this Aliens directed by a young James Cameron fresh out of The Terminator, and that used to be my favorite when I was younger because of the badass military team and the non-stop action. And it is exactly as I remembered it, although now I see different qualities to it. Ripley's character builds on what she survived in the first movie, and her transformation towards the end of the movie is striking (reminding Sarah Connor's between The Terminator and Terminator 2). Some jokes and punchlines from the military team are a bit too much and typical from the 80's but that's OK. James Cameron successfully managed to steer the franchise in a totally different direction, away from the claustrophobic horror of the first movie towards a SF War piece inspired by the Vietnam conflict. An amazing achievement. And the movie is filled with scenes that have impressed on my young mind 25 years ago: Bishop the android (a small role but an unforgettable one for Lance Henriksen), the landing on the planet, the first underground battle with the Aliens relayed via the helmet cameras of the soldiers, the Weyland-Yutani company's evil plots through the Burke character, and of course the final battle. I found all of this very well thought, shot and edited and accompanied by a strong music. I bought the Blu-ray box-set of the quadrilogy years ago but realized I only watched the first and last movies when I discovered a Special Edition for Aliens that I had never seen before. I didn't particularly like the director's cut of the first Alien, but this one (favored by Cameron and Weaver) gives some interesting details on Ripley's background by revealing that she had a daughter, element used through several scenes and explaining better her relationship with the little girl Newt. The other main addition involves new weapons: sentry turrets that are used to keep the Aliens at a distance, which are interesting but were clearly not mandatory in the shorter version of the film. Another new long scene takes place on the colony before and during the discovery of the alien ship. For a full list of the differences refer to that web page. Aliens is definitely a Masterpiece of Science-Fiction.
Rating: 9 /10

Up (2009)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2009
	Director: Pete Docter (Monsters Inc., Inside Out), Bob Peterson
	Actors (voices): Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer (The Sound of Music), Jordan Nagai, John Ratzenberger
	Country: USA
	Genre: Animation, Comedy, Adventure
	Conditions of visioning: 09.08.2015, HD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: The elderly Carl Fredricksen (Asner) sets on a trip to South America in his house lifted by thousands of Helium balloons to honor a promise to his gone wife. Russell (Nagai), a young Wilderness Adventurer, is determined to help him in his quest.
Review: For me the main interest in this movie, what makes it stand apart, is the heartbreaking opening backstory (that last for about 15 minutes), when Fredricksen meets his soulmate as a kid, they live their lives as a married couple and she passes away before they can accomplish their childhood's dream. And the consequent references to this backstory (Karl calling his house Ellie for example) constantly remind us of the motivation of the main character. This was something really unexpected for an animated film with an expected audience of 5 years olds. Around that, the rest of the movie is more what you would expect from such a movie: Adventure and flying machines, talking dogs (well, they made me laugh as well) and weird colorful birds, comic poses (Squirrel!) and those kind of things. The animation looks good and colorful and pleasant to watch, the house and cloud of balloons in particular. Another relative success for Pixar. I am curious to see their latest production Inside Out which I heard is really good.
Rating: 6 /10

Three Days of the Condor (1975)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1975
	Director: Sydney Pollack (Tootsie)
	Actors: Robert Redford (All the President's Men, Captain America: The Winter Soldier), Faye Dunaway (Bonnie and Clyde, Eyes of Laura Mars), Cliff Robertson (Obsession, Spider-man), Max Von Sydow (The Seventh Seal, Conan the Barbarian)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Polar
	Conditions of visioning: 02.08.2015, SD VOD, 22" TV
Synopsis: Simple book analyst in a branch of the CIA, Joseph Turner (Redford) sees all his team murdered before he barely escapes and now hides with Kathy Hale (Dunaway) while trying to reveal the rotten secrets within the organization.
Review: This movie fits into a Genre and a period I like but I had never seen it. I liked the music and the slow introduction of the characters like it is often the case in that period, and the fact that a simple guy has to evolve to become a true spy. The film-making by Sydney Pollack is  impeccable, and the actors Robert Redford and Max Von Sydow carry the movie on their shoulders. But then some events are a bit far-fetched, in particular the kidnapping of the character played by Faye Dunaway and the lengthy discussions, trust games and eventually the Romance that follows. Too bad for a movie that is otherwise a good spy-Polar.
Rating: 5 /10

Into the Storm (2014)

	Also Known As: Storm Hunters (Germany)
	Year of first release: 2014
	Director: Steven Quale (Final Destination 5)
	Actors: Richard Armitage (The Hobbit 1-3), Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 01.08.2015, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: A Documentary crew of storm chasers finally catch up with a big series of tornados that threaten a small town and its inhabitants.
Review: I saw the trailer of this movie on another Blu-ray and thought I could give it a try as it looked more serious and less cheap that other current disaster movies. Still, I was not expecting much from it so I was pleasantly surprised to see that the story is not too bad although obviously quite predictable, the special effects are not sparse and of good quality, and the actors are OK. I could hardly recognize Richard Armitage (Thorin from The Hobbit) as a school principal and father of two. The choice was made to shoot half of the movie hand-held, as if we were watching the footage recorded by the Documentary crew. The goal is to immerse the viewer in the action, it is not badly done and well incorporated in the rest of the movie shot in the standard manner. Don't read me wrong, Into the Storm is not nearly as good as the classic Twister with Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton, but it was pleasant enough to watch and I can recommend it.
Rating: 6 /10

Chappie (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Neill Blomkamp (District 9, Elysium)
	Actors: Sharlto Copley (The A-team), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Hugh Jackman (The Fountain), Sigourney Weaver (Alien 1-4, Avatar)
	Country: USA, MEX
	Genre: Action, SF
	Conditions of visioning: 29.07.2015, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: In the near future the Police of Johannesbourg recruits robots to fight crime. The creator of those units (Patel) is dreaming of upgrading one with Artificial Intelligence, when he is kidnapped by gangsters.
Review: After the excellent surprise District 9 and the slightly disappointing Elysium, Bloomkamp delivers yet another high-tech SF story in which classes clash and a loner gets trapped in the middle of stakes bigger than life. Only this time the loner is a robot freshly equipped with A.I., and so learning about life as a child would. By the way a nice vocal and motion capture performance by Sharlto Copley. The story is interesting and Chappie and its relationship with humans touching, but it is difficult to take the bad guys seriously, which minimizes the spectator's involvement in the movie. There are some nice action scenes like the one towards the end with a big robot that looks like like Robocop's ED209, and that reminds of the Mecha in District 9, but those scenes are a bit under-used and too quickly expedited. Note that the tagline "Humanity's last hope isn't human" is mis-leading as the movie doesn't reveal any world-class threat. Let us now wait for the director's next project, an Alien sequel in which he got involved after getting a lot of attention thanks to some concept drawings he distributed online (see some of them below).
Rating: 5 /10

Next floor (2008)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2008
	Director: Denis Villeneuve
	Actors: -
	Country: CDN
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 02.08.2015, Phi Centre - online
Synopsis: During an opulent and luxurious banquet, complete with hordes of servers and valets, eleven pampered guests participate in what appears to be a ritualistic gastronomic carnage.
Review: I was curious to watch more from Denis Villeneuve's work and his short movies. This short can bee watched online from the production company site, Phi-centre. This is a great idea from the production because it allows to bring the shorts accessible to a wide public.  The movie itself is tense. The few dialogue is either "Next floor" or not understandable. The first minute settles already the tension. Then the vulgarity and almost gore images of the food evokes La grande bouffe, but also generates disgust. The end and again the focus on the main waiter asking for our approval for this carnage is quite disturbing and therefore good.
Rating: 7 /10 Another short by Denis Villeneuve ist available online. 120 seconds to get elected. A parody of political talk. Basic but having a logic in the dialogue quite realistic and funny.

Prisoners (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Denis Villeneuve
	Actors: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Maria Bello, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard
	Country: USA
	Genre: Polar
	Conditions of visioning: 25.07.2015, Bluray, Original English version
Synopsis: When the six-year-old Anna and her friend Joy are missing the parents turn into panic. The only lead is a dilapidated RV that had earlier been parked on their street. Heading the investigation, Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal) arrests its driver, Alex Jones, but a lack of evidence forces his release. As the police pursue multiple leads and pressure mounts, knowing his child's life is at stake the frantic Keller Dover (Jackman) decides he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands. But just how far will this desperate father go to protect his family?
Review: The fine story is typical from Denis Villeneuve, after Enemy, Incendies and Polytechnique. A very psychological story where the character's psychology spreads from the architecture, the lights and the casting itself. The movie is long, 2h33, but I felt so emotionally involved that it did not feel long at all. It was tense all along. The character's evolution is pushed by their relationships. Anna's mother, Grace Dover (Bello) turns lost and asking for protection and accusing Keller for not protecting the family. Joy' father, Franklin Birch (Howards) is pushed by his wife Nancy (Davis) to continue in the violent path he does not agree with. Each actor is able to act with the right tone and have actually the right temperament. This makes their difficult acting (difficult because complex in terms of feelings) very authentic and credible. Denis Villeneuve confirms with his casting, with his ability to get this performance from the actors, with his visual language that he is one of the best directors of the moment.
Rating: 8 /10

Coconut hero (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Florian Cossen
	Actors: Alex Ozerov, Bea Santos, Krista Bridges, Udo Kier, R.D. Reid
	Country: D
	Genre: Comedy, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 27.07.2015, Schauburg, OV Sneak Preview
Synopsis: Mike (Ozerov) is 16 and lives together with his mother Cynthia (Bridges) in Faintville, a timber town lost in the woods of Canada. Having no friend, believing his father went back to Germany, having a distant and annoying mother, he decides to commit suicide and fails. The doctor (Kier) gives him some exercise lessons with a young teacher, Miranda (Santos), in which he falls in love.
Review: The story may have nothing extraordinary, a young man, his family and some characters in a small town, but it is full of authenticity and the actors enhance it with their excellent acting. On top of it, there are some special characters like Udo Kier as German psychologist, R.D. Reid as funeral director quite rock'n'roll. Really funny and weird!  The discovery of love by Mike is subtle and beautiful even if naive. The drama is mostly that SPOILER the most vivid character dies and this gives hope to the suicidal boy for living. I really liked this movie, full of comedy, of torn feelings, of good actors, of authenticity.
Rating: 8 /10

Slow West (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: John Maclean
	Actors: Michael Fassbender, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Caren Pistorius, Ben Mendelsohn
	Country: NZ, GB
	Genre: Western
	Conditions of visioning: 20.07.2015, Schauburg, OV Sneak Preview
Synopsis: Jay Cavendish (Smit-McPhee), a young noble Scottish man travels across America in pursuit of the woman he loves, Rose (Pistorius). Rose and her father are hunted. This attracts the attention of an outlaw who is willing to serve as a guide, Silas (Fassbender) and of many bounty hunters.
Review: The story sounds interesting at a glance. There are some scenes with a funny absurdity mainly driven by the anachronistic Jay or daily-life scenes where both Jay and Silas are turned ridiculous. But the style used all along seems very serious and this contrast is a bit strange. When someone known dies by mistake, there is no thought about. Thus the characters seem to have no feelings at all. This might be the West imagined by the Kiwis or here by the Scottish director and writer? This makes difficult to have a demanding acting. All the characters are a caricature and follow this all along the movie, without much evolution and this is what I miss. The supposed North American scenery is from New Zealand, what makes is very new and beautiful. When Jay tries to express his romantism in front of the starry sky, the stars do not fit at all with the spelled constellations. This might be disturbing only for me and the few astronomers and astrophysicists around the world, therefore I do not account it.  I liked the costumes of the bounty hunters and in the Scottish scenes.
Rating: 5 /10