Me and Earl and the dying girl (2015)

	Also Known As: Ich und Earl und das Mädchen, Yo, él y Raquel, Eu, Você e a Garota Que Vai Morrer, This is not a love story!
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
	Actors: Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler, Olivia Cooke
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy, Black comedy, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 02.11.2015, Schauburg, OV Sneak Prview, English with German subtitles
Synopsis: High schooler Greg (Mann) spends most of his time making parodies of classic movies with his co-worker Earl (Cyler). When his mother forces him to befriend a classmate Rachel (Cooke) who has just been diagnosed with leukemia, he obeys and then his life is changed.
Review: This is one of the best stories of the year! It starts with a kind of coming of age movie with Greg in his last year before college. It continues with a black comedy about lazy life for Greg and his friends. It even is a romance for two people not beeing sure it is a romance. It is also a serious drama. The story is complex but easy to understand, and on each aspect or genre the story meets the right points to create emotion and identification. Or at least, it worked on me. The acting is quite good as well. Teenagers looking for their future, trying their emotions but without big drama, without extraordinary lives. This makes it very realistic for the the common man on the street. I liked it.  I liked also the humour that is visible in the original title and unfortunately not in the German and Spanish translations. By luck Brazil did it right! Note that France translated the movie in another English text without the same fine humour.
Rating: 8 /10

The Sixth Sense (1999)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1999
	Director: M. Night Shyamalan (Unbreakable, The Visit)
	Actors: Bruce Willis (Die Hard 1-5, R.E.D.), Haley Joel Osment (A.I., Tusk), Toni Collette
	Country: USA
	Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror
	Conditions of visioning: 10.11.2015, DVD, Home cinema
Synopsis: Troubled psychologist Malcolm Crowe (Willis) helps the no-less-troubled child Cole (Osment) whose behavior makes him an outcast at school and troubles the relationship with his mother (Collette).
Review: After recently watching M. Night Shyamalan's latest movie The Visit, I wanted to see again the one that brought fame to him and his screenplay, and at the same time I was curious to find out if watching The Sixth Sense still produced a positive effect on someone who already knows the whole movie ; it is often the danger with this kind of stories. I hadn't seen it in maybe ten years (I dug out from my collection an old DVD of rather poor quality) and I was positively surprised that it has much more to offer that just a twist. Note that I also had a good memory of Stir of Echoes with Kevin Bacon produced the same year and it also did stand a recent second viewing, and in a different category (more polar/ thriller) I should probably watch again the 2003 Identity with John Cusack. Back to The Sixth Sense, the story is very well built, evolves slowly like it should and is wonderfully put into images by the young writer/director. But the most important is undoubtedly the growing relationship between the two main characters played by the excellent young star Haley Joel Osment (if you wonder what he has become just watch Kevin Smith's Tusk or his upcoming Yoga Hosers) and a Bruce Willis that still had hair and knew how to act at a time when he was not yet stuck to Action Comedies. Not only do the actors play well their respective role through the intrigue, but they manage to create an emotional connection between them two that transpires to the audience, maybe thanks to the acting direction by Shyamalan renowned for that. I can confirm that 15 years later, The Sixth Sense is still worth watching even if you have already seen it.
Rating: 9 /10

Bolt (2008)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2008
	Director: Byron Howard (Tangled), Chris Williams (Big Hero 6)
	Actors (voices): John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, Susie Essman
	Country: USA
	Genre: Animation, Action, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 08.11.2015, HD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: Action hero believing his movies to be the truth, the dog Bolt (Travolta) ends up alone at the other end of the USA, having to face the real world.
Review: Amazing that I had never dared watching this movie since its release in 2008 because I assumed it was only for kids, and now it became one of my favorite animated films, not far behind The Incredibles. Not knowing the full story, at first I thought: "Naah, is this for real?! A bit over-the-top isn't it?". And in fact it is, until you discover the true nature of Bolt's world. Then the fun really begins, mostly articulated around the contrast between Bolt's behavior (terribly offbeat but often perfectly placed into a different context) and the real world in which he meets decisive characters like Mitten the cat and most importantly for me the ultimate couch potato / Bolt fan in the shape of Rhino the Hamster. Kudos to the designers of this hilarious side-kick: background, voice, character, animation... I seriously laughed several times and cannot help giggling when thinking about it. I also had good laughs from a bunch of Italian pigeons that even if they don't appear very often hit the spot every time. The animation of their movement has something so realistic and comic at the same time. Beyond those fantastic characters I also liked very much a story part-way between road-trip, redemption, discovery of your true self, friendship and courage. And behind animal faces with known actors' voices there is also a strong mise en abyme of the cinema industry very well executed. Warmly recommended to both the kid and adult in you.
Rating: 9 /10

Chain Reaction (1996)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1996
	Director: Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Above the Law)
	Actors: Keanu Reeves (Matrix 1-3, Ronin), Morgan Freeman (Deep Impact, The Dark Knight trilogy, Oblivion), Rachel Weisz (The Fountain, The Mummy), Kevin Dunn (Transformers 1-3), Brian Cox (X-men 2)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 19.11.2015, SD VOD, 14" computer screen
Synopsis: Member of a scientific team working on a project of clean renewable energy, Eddie (Reeves) discovers that his lab has been sabotaged and barely escapes a massive explosion. Together with physicist Dr. Lily Sinclair (Weisz) he will continuously evade the FBI and a trained team that wants to make him take the blame.
Review: Not such a bad action movie from the 90's, with the then-trendy Keanu Reeves just after Speed and before The Devil's Advocate and The Matrix. The topic of an American corporation fighting to keep control of energy resources if ever-actual. The non-stop chase is well executed by Reeves although it is a bit too much a times (no time to rest for our heroes) and thus the movie is well described by its French title Poursuite. As the story revolves around scientists, an interesting choice was made to show to the audience a tour of several nice locations: a large lab in an abandoned factory, a particle accelerator, a Natural History Museum and the photogenic Yerkes Observatory. We also get to see chases on a draw bridge and a frozen lake. By the way it was original (although probably difficult) to shoot this movie in winter close to Chicago. The snowy landscapes look good and the actors do not have to fake being cold in their heavy jackets! Other filmmakers would have followed the easier choice of shooting in L.A.
Rating: 6 /10

How to Train your Dragon (2010)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2010
	Director: Dean DeBlois (Lilo & Stitch), Chris Sanders (The Croods)
	Actors (voices): Jay Baruchel (The Magician's Apprecntice, This is the End), Gerard Butler (300, Gamer), Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jonah Hill (21, Jump Street)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Animation, Fantasy
	Conditions of visioning: 15.11.2015, HD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: The young Viking Hiccup (Baruchel) aspires to make his father (Butler) proud by killing dragons like all of his people is expected to. On a decisive night he actually befriends one instead of killing it.
Review: I had read some good about this animated movie and it must have had some success to generate many spin-off short movies and a sequel. I was at first disturbed by Jay Baruchel's voice that doesn't fit a young boy, but it turns out to loosely fit this nonchalant character, I got used to it and it gives a different style to the movie. The story is not particularly original but pleasant enough to follow in this Fantasy Viking society. Oh, I almost forgot to mention that in that world the dragons actually look and behave like... cats! This makes for some offbeat jokes including one involving the equivalent of a laser pointer. It is unfortunately too obvious that the target audience is young boys feeling outcast and that dream of becoming heroes like the main character does. Some scenes of the movie are remarkable like the ones showing the growing relationship between the boy and his dragon, the flight scenes (reminding of Avatar) or the whole ending. From the looks of the 2D version of the movie, I would expect the 3D version to be immersive (particularly during the flight scenes) and not too much in-your-face. It is probably worth watching in that format.
Rating: 6 /10

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1997
	Director: Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers)
	Actors: Mike Myers (Wayne's World 1-2), Elizabeth Hurley (Edtv), Michael York, Seth Green (Idle Hands)
	Country: USA, D
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 17.11.2015, SD VOD, 14" computer screen
Synopsis: Very popular spy in the 60's, Austin Powers (Myers) gets himself frozen after his arch-enemy Dr Evil (Myers) does the same. They both come back to life in the 90's, one still looking forward to world domination, the other trying to stop him while acclimatizing to those different times, helped by his partner Vanessa (Hurley).
Review: Probably due to a favorable conjunction, I loved this movie when it went out at a time when I was watching the Naked Gun, Hot Shot or Airplane movies on a monthly basis, so much that I knew all the funniest dialogs by heart and often repeated them to my friends, also enthusiasts. Mike Myers has indeed created a very interesting character with Austin Powers. But as much as I still like watching Wayne's World, it was rather painful and sad to watch Austin Powers after so many years, in spite of some moments that I will never forget and the images associated to the soundtrack that I often listen (see this article about some worthy movie soundtracks). I found the jokes to be very slow and playing in a style that doesn't correspond to me anymore. This was not helped by the fact that I still knew most of them by heart. To save from this movie are the James Bond parodic moments and the way the music is used (in the danced intro and outro, or the Las Vegas bus evening for example). I was very disappointed by the first sequel The Spy Who Shagged me and I haven't even dared watching the next one Goldmember.
Rating: 3 /10

Non-Stop (2014)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2014
	Director: Jaume Collet-Serra (House of Wax, Orphan)
	Actors: Liam Neeson (Batman Begins, Star Wars I, Taken 1-3), Julianne Moore (The Big Lebowski, Jurassic World), Scoot McNairy, Linus Roache (The Chronicles of Riddick)
	Country: F, GB, USA
	Genre: Action, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 15.11.2015, Bllu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: Alcoholic, depressed and fearing flight, Air Marshal Bill Marks (Neeson) receives messages apparently coming from a terrorist onboard the same plane as him, but as time goes by he becomes a suspect himself.
Review: Liam Neeson seems to have become a new kind of action hero after the successful Taken trilogy, although I expected him in more intellectual roles. But well I guess he has a family to feed like everybody else, and Taken 1 and Taken 2 were satisfying enough to watch. Playing on a similar character basis (unexpectedly gifted CIA-type spy) but more tortured by past family and job issues, Neeson is definitely central to this movie and his performance is nothing to complain about. The idea behind the story is also interesting: only him has contact with the terrorist and when he takes more and more actions on board the plane, his superiors rightfully start to doubt his intentions. The movie contains the expected phases of doubt while trying to unmask the bad guy. But the evolution of the situation quickly becomes unrealistic and centered on a few passengers only, each of then a stereotype (including the Arab of course...). And the resolution is quite anti-climatic, too predictable and even cheesy (seriously, a romance story in the middle of that?!?). OK to watch on a stress- (and brain-)free evening.
Rating: 4 /10

Inside Out (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Pete Docter (Monsters Inc., Up), Ronnie Del Carmen
	Actors (voices): Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Lewis Black
	Country: USA
	Genre: Animation, Comedy, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 07.11.2015, In-flight entertainment 6" screen
Synopsis: Since her birth Riley is driven by an increasingly large set of feelings. Now at the critical age of 11 and going through a family removal to San Francisco, this little world in her head usually driven by Joy will have to face the increased contribution of Sadness, Disgust, Fear and Anger.
Review: I had read good reviews about Inside Out and it turned out to be a good Pixar movie, the best in my opinion since Wall-E. It is based on the interesting idea of following the inner workings of a human, similar to what has been done in my childhood's TV-series Once Upon a Time... Life or the more recent semi-animated Osmosis Jones will Bill Murray, but with feelings instead of blood cells and antibodies. I cannot say that I could identify with the main character (11 years-old girl) but I was content enough to  watch the show as an outsider. There is in this animated movie a depth that I often find missing in others so that even though I am an adult, I could identify partly to the phases the girl is going through, and I could appreciate the complexity of the feelings the filmmakers tried to describe. It is also nice that once in a while we get inside the heads of other people, mainly Riley's parents, and see how those feelings are prioritized in adults. And the movie's ending is definitely clever and touching. Highly recommended for kids and grown-ups alike.
Rating: 7 /10

An American Werewolf in Paris (1997)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 1997
	Director: Anthony Waller (Mute Witness)
	Actors: Tom Everett Scott (Race to Witch Mountain, Sons of Anarchy TV-series), Julie Delpy (Three Colors: Blue, White, Red, Tykho Moon), Vince Vieluf
	Country: USA, F, GB, NL, L
	Genre: Comedy, Horror
	Conditions of visioning: 16.11.2015, SD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: Andy (Scott) and his buddies are touring Europe when he meets a mysterious girl (Delpy) attempting suicide from the top of the Eiffel Tower. When trying to contact her he will enter a dark world dominated by the cycles of the Moon.
Review: The cheap sequel to John Landis' classic 1981 An American Werewolf in London that caused Michael Jackon to ask him to create and direct the video clip for the song Thriller. I could barely remember this movie, but after a while it was obvious that I had already seen it, and this many times in VHS but not since 15 years. I had a fond memory of it and I was glad that I still liked the fun story in spite of the cheap-looking CGI and prosthetics monsters. If you are not too fussy about those effects and watch the movie on a small screen it is OK and you can even enjoy some good horrific and scary moments. The setting in the underground world of Paris is a good idea, Tom Everett Scott is quite funny when he undergoes his transformation, Julie Delpy is all contrast between her two characters and some other characters like the policeman played by Tom Novembre are nicely in balance with the main ones. The parallel story with Andy and his ghosts could seem out of place but I found it funny as well. Really a fun Horror movie.
Rating: 7 /10

Spectre (2015)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2015
	Director: Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall)
	Actors: Daniel Craig (Layer Cake, Cowboys and Aliens), Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds, Django Unchained), Léa Seydoux (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Grand Budapest Hotel), Andrew Scott (Sherlock TV-series)
	Country: USA, GB
	Genre: Action
	Conditions of visioning: 05.11.2015, Costanera Center Cineplanet, Santiago
Synopsis: Disavowed by his superiors, James Bond goes alone on the hunt of a mysterious organization called Spectre that could be behind several terrorist attacks across the world.
Review: The ten-minute sequence-shot introducing this new Bond adventure in the middle of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City held some good promises: nice atmosphere, good-looking images, fluid motion of Bond and his girl in the midst of a city-wide party... During this scene and the rest of the movie the colors and the tone are in line with the previous Skyfall by the same director (which makes it the first movie in the franchise I think that doesn't fully stand alone but is part of a story arc). We are far from the more classic and actually rather bland Bond of Quantum of Solace for example (I have just decreased its rating in light of the comparison). So we finally see Bond facing the omnipotent criminal organization Spectre and its leader Blofeld, a recurrent enemy in many old Bonds (the introduction of the organization reminded me of a similar story in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation), everything is more Grim'n'Gritty, Bond doesn't have it as easy as he used to and we get to learn more and more about his dark back-story. All-in-all not so bad but for some reason I didn't manage to get fully involved in the movie in spite of an apparently interesting story. But the worst in Spectre is definitely the relationship of the secret agent with his Bond-girls played by Monica Belluci and Léa Seydoux. It is all too obvious that those two characters are here to satisfy the minimum requirements for a movie in that franchise although it seems like the director could have easily done without, when you see the lack of conviction with which he depicts those relationships. The way Bond takes them to his bed is even ridiculous: one just after the burial of her husband (then she completely disappears from the movie) and the second after an energetic chase ("What do we do now?", the obvious answer lies in bed...). On a more positive note, I have to mention that I like the actors playing M (Fiennes), Q (Ben Whishaw), C (Scott) and MoneyPenny (Naomie Harris).
Rating: 5 /10