March of the Dinosaurs (2011)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2011
	Director: Matthew Thompson (Prehistoric Park)
	Actors: Stephen Fry (narrator)
	Country: GB
	Genre: Documentary, Animation
	Conditions of visioning: 11/13.11.2012, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: We follow a young Edmontosaurus called Scar in his first migration from the pole to more temperate lands.
Review: From the team that created the revolutionary BBC TV-series Walking with Dinosaurs, and the following Walking with Beasts and Walking with Monsters, that I found all equally good. But then Prehistoric Park that they did after looked really cheap and I couldn't stand to watch all episodes. For this new concept, they chose to go full digital, and it seems like a good choice, seing that the quality of the images is much better than in Prehistoric Park, and the story told much more interesting. But it still didn't create in me the same interest as the original series, and it lacks the "shot like a documentary"-stlye.
Rating: 4 /10

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)

	Also Known As: L'uccello dalle piume di cristallo
	Year of first release: 1970
	Director: Dario Argento (Suspiria, Profondo Rosso)
	Actors: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Maria Salerno
	Country: D, I
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 11.11.2012, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: An american writer (Musante) spends some months in Italy to find inspiration. Two days before leaving he witnesses a murder attempt, believed by the police to be the work of a serial killer. He will become a target as he starts his own investigation.
Review: The story is quite classic for a thriller of that period, especially Italian, but Argento integrates the first elements of Giallo: black coat, leather gloves, first-person view of the murders, some vivid colors and jazzy music. I have seen some thrillers that are supposed to have started the Giallo genre (What have you done to Solange?, Seven Blood-Stained Orchids, The Hunchback of Soho) but those ones have defects, usually they are too long and slow, while The Bird... stays interesting all along. Argento also shows us a side of Rome that we might not know: no Colliseum or Vatican, but small suburban streets, paved roads, narrow alleys. He benefited from the influence of three persons to do this movie: his father Salvatore who produces it, Ennio Morricone, friend of his father who promised to score Dario's first film, and Sergio Leone that Dario met several times and from whom he learned to shoot nice view like the close-up on the actor's eyes, full-screen. I think I still prefer the following thriller by Argento  Deep Red (Profondo Rosso), and the giallo Suspiria, but then The Bird with the Crystal Plumage comes third. With no doubt a cornerstone of Italian cinema. So, I have finally watched the first movie directed by Dario Argento, and in its best existing copy. Indeed this Blu-ray by Blue Underground is supposed to be better than the UK version published by Arrow, in terms of original aspect ratio and colors rendering. It is now out of print and took me some effort to finally find it at a reasonnable price and import it from Canada. The result is indeed pretty good for a 40-year old movie.
Rating: 7 /10

Immortals (2011)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2011
	Director: Tarsem Singh (The Cell, The Fall)
	Actors: Henry Cavill (Man of Steel), Stephen Dorff (Blade), Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Luke Evans (Clash of the Titans), Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler, Iron Man 2), John Hurt (1984, The Oxford Murders)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Epic
	Conditions of visioning: 12.11.2012, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: In Ancient Greece, Theseus (Cavill) was born blessed by the Gods. When his village is decimated by the ruthless Hyperion (Rourke), we will have to choose his path.
Review: I can imagine the executives in Hollywood: "OK guys we made a lot of money with 300, we should do something similar do do even more! Something with the name Immortals in it, and in the movie they have to say "Their numbers count for nothing". It has to be full of CGIs, with sepia colors to look more ancient, and we have to find a good director. Yeah Tarsem is trendy and his visual style fits. Also we need only young actors like this guy from Twilight. Let's go! We need it done for the 11.11.2011". This is a bit how the movie feels. I liked the storytelling and visual style of Tarsem in The Fall, especially the colors, but here it is drowned in the rest, in particular in the CGIs that are everywhere, not always useful or well done. You always feel like the surroundings of the actors are fake. Rourke and Hurt are good actors but they look a bit lost. Some scenes feel good, like most apparitions of the Gods, but otherwise it is pretty flat (the "Titans" are ridiculous). I started to watch the making-of but I stopped because it is too full of itself: "our movie is the best, we did better than Star Wars at its time, better than Avatar, better than 300, we revolutionize the Epic genre..."
Rating: 4 /10

Ticking Clock (2011)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2011
	Director: Ernie Barbarash (Cube Zero, Stir of Echoes 2)
	Actors: Cuba Gooding Jr. (Men of Honor, Pearl Harbour), Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers, Minority Report)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 10.11.2012, Standard Definition VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: Lewis Hicks (Gooding) is a reporter that often critisizes the police work. When he is involved in a series of murders that nobody can solve, he has to lead his own investigation.
Review: At the first glance the movie looks like a bad cross-over betwen a cheap telefilm and an episode of The Outer Limits. Indeed the movie was released directly to the video market without ever seing a cinema screen. The images look awfully green and I still can't tell if it is due to the VOD streaming. But the unexpected turn of the story keeps it interesting and the two main actors, not first-timers, keep you from falling asleep. Would benefit from a remake.
Rating: 5 /10

The Battle over Citizen Kane (1996)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1996
	Director: Michael Epstein, Thomas Lennon
	Actors: -
	Country: USA
	Genre: Documentary
	Conditions of visioning: 07-08.11.2012, DVD, Home cinema
Synopsis: Young genius, Orson Welles ends up in Hollywood at the age of 24 with total control given over his next film Citizen Kane, largely inspired by the life of a William Randolph Hearst, publishing magnate of the early century. The meeting of the two will leave scars.
Review: A very good documentary about the genesis of this movie widely considered as the best of all times (see my review). More than that, the documentary makes the parallel between the lifes of Welles and Hearst, separated by 50 years but that clashed just before the movie release. Both were very clever men with huge egos. We learn how much of Hearst's life is copied in the movie, and how much actually comes from Welles' experiences. Crispy detail the name Rosebud, central to the movie, is one Heast had given to a part of the anatomy of his 40-years younger mistress..
Rating: 6 /10

The Thing (2011)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2011
	Director: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr.
	Actors: Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Final Destination 3, Death Proof), Joel Edgerton (Star Wars 2&3), Ulrich Thomsen (Festen, Adam's Apples)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Horror
	Conditions of visioning: 07.11.2012, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: In 1982, a young paleontologist (Winstead) is asked by Norwegian colleagues to come to their scientific base in Antarctica to examinate their discovery: what they call a structure and a specimen...
Review: This is the prequel to the 1982 classic The Thing by John Carpenter starring Kurt Russell. In it, we will learn what happened in the Norwegian base where was discovered the entity that decimates the cast in the following movie. But the years of separation between the two movies, the similar storyline and the same title hint that it is actually a hidden remake. At least this is what I read before watching the film. It is partly true: there is the same story of an alien entity replicating humans, we never know who is still human, who to trust etc. The characters are not as well developped as in the original but it fits with the general mood of the movie. The music is sparse and there are not many jump-scares like in other recent horror movies. I read people criticizing the CGI effects for the monsters that replace the good old prosthetics of the 80's, but actually I found them pretty good and respectful of the original designs. To conclude, I would say that the movie lacks a bit of emotional involvment from the viewer but in general it is nice to watch (although not scary), especially for a fan of the original like me who enjoys the implied references.
Rating: 7 /10

Looper (2012)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2012
	Director: Rian Johnson
	Actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises), Bruce Willis (Die Hard 1-5), Emily Blunt (The Wolfman), Jeff Daniels (Dumb and Dumber)
	Country: USA
	Genre: SF, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 03.11.2012, MK2 Cinema (Paris)
Synopsis: The job of Joe (Gordon-Levit) is to execute people sent to him from the future, when time travel is used only illegally by the biggest crime syndicates. He is pretty efficient at it until he is sent his own older self (Willis).
Review: A good and clever movie about time travel, that contains some action scenes but not too many, and rather focuses on the actions and reactions of the main protagonists which are natural and believable. This is what I liked most in the movie, together with the slow pace. A discrete but efficient facial make up on Gordon-Levitt make him look more like Willis, and his acting is also directed to increase this ressemblance (the way he moves his eyes, smiles or turns his head). You can see he is a very good actor. Willis is as always. Daniels is also good as gangster boss. The future society and the technology in it are depicted in a realistic way. For once I found the movie trailer well done, inciting me to go watch the movie but not revealing the main scenes or plot lines.
Rating: 8 /10

Casino (1995)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1995
	Director: Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Shutter Island)
	Actors: Robert de Niro (Taxi Driver, Heat), Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct, Total Recall), Joe Pesci (Moonwalker, Home Alone 1-2, Lethal Weapon 2-4)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Drama, Polar
	Conditions of visioning: 01.11.2012, 32" TV, French dubbing
Synopsis: The relatively small gangster played by De Niro ends up unofficial manager of an important casino in Las Vegas. He explains us how to run the business.
Review: I didn't have a good memory of the last time I saw the movie. However it was not because it is bad, but because it put me ill at ease, knowing for sure that it is going to end badly for all the main characters. The storytelling is quite original as it does not show how the games are fixed by the gangsters, but on the contrary how much money they can make by beeing (almost) completely legal. The "almost" is because corrupting politicians for them to close their eyes doesn't mean that you are clean. The continuous voice of De Niro as narrator is also an interesting choice of storytelling, and is guiding you efficiently through the movie. The characters are also very believable. Sharon Stone plays a prostitute that dreams of a golden life but cannot stand the quiteness of it. De Niro is very stable, hard-working and serious but he will be doomed by his dream for love and his old friendship with the character of Joe Pesci, who is profoundly evil and never has enough. To me one of the best Scorcese movies, behind Taxi Driver, in front of Shutter Island and far better than The Departed that I personally don't like. The original Honk-Kong movie (Infernal Affairs) is much better, stronger. The Oscar he received for it is better seen as an reward for his whole carreer.
Rating: 7 /10

The Oxford Murders (2008)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2008
	Director: Álex de la Iglesia (Acción mutante, The Day of the Beast, 800 Bullets, El Crimen Ferpecto, The Last Circus)
	Actors: Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings, Sin City), John Hurt (Alien, V for Vandetta, 1984), Leonor Watling, Dominique Pinon (Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain)
	Country: E, GB, F
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 29.10.2012, HD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: A PhD student (Wood) comes to Oxford with the idea of meeting a master mind of philosophy and mathematics (Hurt). This confrontation will be helped by a series of murders revolving around mathematics.
Review: I love the work from Álex de la Iglesia and he didn't dissapoint me this time either. All his previous movies, although small budgets, have something special. 8oo balas might be my favorite. I am looking forward to watch The Last Circus in Blu-ray, and am trying to find the DVD of his TV series Plutón B.R.B. Nero. The Oxford Murders is his first movie made outside of Spain and in English language. It is based on a book that might be the source of the intense mathematical and philosophical discussions, which are interesting if you are at ease with some mathematical notions. Unlike in The Big Bang Theory TV-series, those notions are not used for humour but to explain humain behavior. The best part in the movie is not the police investigation, but the couple of lead actors which is pleasant to follow (Wood makes it easy for us to forget his character of Frodo in The Lord of the Rings trilogy). It was the first time that I  watched a movie through a VOD provider, Maxdome.de as it happens, supposedly the number one in Germany. The Pros are that you can watch the movie immediately (or within 48 hours), in HD and original version. I had a cheap offer to start with but normally I should have paid 6 euros for it, which is not cheap. The Cons are that it is only TV-HD (720i and not 1080i), the colors are not as vibrant as on a Blu-ray, the sound is only 2.0, the images gets jerky when the camera pans (maybe due to my laptop video card), and there were no subtitles available. Overall a good first contact with VOD.
Rating: 7 /10

The Hangover (2009)

	Also Known As: Very Bad Trip (France)
	Year of first release: 2009
	Director: Todd Phillips (Starsky & Hutch)
	Actors: Zach Galifianakis (Due Date), Bradley Cooper (The A-team) and Justin Bartha (National Treasure)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 30.10.2012, Blu-ray, 36" TV
Synopsis: Four friends to go Las Vegas to celebrate the bachelor's party of one of them, getting married two days later. They wake up in the morning with no memory of the previous night and the groom is nowhere to be found.
Review: The 2009 hit that has altready generated two sequels. The basic concept (memory loss after a wild night) is prone to comedy, and has already been used at least in Dude, where is my car? The movie is pretty funny to watch with friends. Of course like I previously wrote about Dodgeball with Ben Stiller, you have to like this kind of dumb humour, which is here gross in addition. There is not much to say about the technical qualities of the movie: it is just a succession of crazy scenes as we follow this wolf pack tryig to recover their memory and find their friend.
Rating: 7 /10