Soderbergh seems capable of setting his hand to anything. In The Christophers, he keeps it simple, letting us enjoy the atmosphere while Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel chew the scenery. Magnificent.
Seems a little unsure of where it wants to position itself, and is more vibes than commentary. Still, it's a fun and unsettling ride with very strong performances. Just a shame it has nothing to say in the end.
Some good dialogue and some excellent actors, but it's a bit paint-by-numbers. Still, the heart is in it and the message of coexistence is always worth repeating.
Spielberg popcorn that feels like it belongs to another time. Perfectly enjoyable, but also quite empty. It's a sequence of chases interrupted by detours into theology, refugees, and other themes that are never allowed to develop. All this leading to a spectacular anticlimax.
Somewhat based on the Dutroux affair, so you know it's going to be a hard watch, and it is. Despite taking place in the 90s, it got a dark 70s vibe to it, the industrial landscape of Charleroi adding even more grit. The story is uneven, but really captures the psychological damage the real-life affair had on Belgium.
Reminded me a little of "Cube" in how an independent film with a low budget can pull off something that feels much bigger. If a horror film was an art installation, this would be it. The supporting story is a little shaky but, wow, the atmosphere makes up for it multiple times over.
My kind of humour. Loved this absurdist takedown of our obsession with comparison. Everyone's great but Laurent Lafitte really shines in the dual Alex/Axel roles.
Someone spent way too much time recreating the 80s rather than on writing. Pretty to look at, empty to watch, and only occasionally funny. A wasted opportunity.
Starts as a promising psychological thriller, then falls apart, turning into a shallow and repetitive story about desire, control, and unhealthy relationships. It indulges in male fantasies of domination but never gives its female characters any depth. Not the social commentary it thinks it is. Some great acting, though…
I don't usually review series, but I'll make an exception for this limited one, because it's a masterpiece that I somehow missed for 10 years. It's brutal, brilliant, enthralling, and with stellar performances all around.
Feels a lot longer than its actual running time. It lacks all the things that make the comic book interesting. The jokes fall flat. Many voices don't work. And I can't say I'm a fan of the 3D look. Doesn't even have the voiceover intro made famous by Pierre Tchernia…
The most colourful dystopian satire I've ever seen. Anticapitalism and class solidarity have never looked so good. Exactly the type of absurdism I love, even with its imperfections.
I had surface knowledge of the band, not much beyond that. Well … there's a lot more to them than the big hits. Maurice White was a visionary and a genius, albeit a flawed one. A lot of really interesting stories in here and a push for me to dig deeper into their discography.
Yet another "dangers of AI" story that brings nothing new to the table. Beyond that, the whole thing is just soporific. Good French sci-fi is a rare beast.
This a really solid dive into the genesis of the free party movement. Some amazing footage in there, and a solid dose of nostalgia for those who experienced anything similar. If I had one criticism though, it would be the complete lack of introspection after all these years. Everyone interviewed still seems to look at it all through rose-coloured glasses, completely ignoring the externalities.
A little clumsy here and there, but it's a beautiful and touching film that doesn't go for the clichés or the easy redemption arc. Mya Bollaers is magnetic.
There's a scene in Blackbird where Michael Flatley walks off-camera, the sounds of a brawl are heard over an empty frame, he then walks back on screen, bloodied and satisfied. The film treats this as cinema, which should tell you all you need to know. A vanity project that (self-)casts Flatley as a magnetic man of mystery, with some of the flattest dialogue I've heard in a while. Stick to Riverdance, Michael.
A delightful magic trick of a film. Top marks for pulling off this incredible and charming mix of improv, guerilla filmmaking, and even a little law-breaking.
Tender and well-meaning, with some solid dialogue, but loses its way as it progresses – mostly due to the editing. It's still very enjoyable, but it had so much more potential.
Not at all what I was expecting, but very enjoyable despite its unevenness. It's got a throwback optimistic sci-fi style I hadn't seen for a long time (but also the cliché "white American man saves the planet" story). Gosling's charm carries the whole thing, it would have been a very different film without him.
Completely daft, but the director and cast know it. Odenkirk plays his usual battered everyman finding himself at the centre of chaos. Fun and forgettable.
What initially feels like yet another Beatles-inspired romp, ends up being a quite cynical take on the commodification of youth rebellion, with a French new wave edge to it. A pleasant surprise.
The Magic Faraway Tree books were my favourites as a child, I read and re-read them many times. The film updates the story for today's kids, which makes sense, but ends up also making it feel a bit rushed and uneven at the same time. Still, it's charming, and I'm sure children will love the universe and its characters. It's just a shame the film spends so much time away from the titular tree compared to the books.
This is one of those films that would work much better at a midnight screening with an audience. It's derivative and runs out of steam well before the end. Luckily, there are some really good scenes that make it worth holding on for.
Wayne does his usual he-man act, the chases are fun, and seeing 70s London is nice. But it feels like someone took scenes from different films and sewed them together.
Keeps the blood and chaos-filled formula of the first, but loses a bit of the simplicity. It's still tremendous fun, though. Who doesn't enjoy watching the 1% explode?
Gritty British noir that's surprisingly brutal for its time. Richard Attenborough's sinister performance is mesmerising. Despite the final scene not being in the book, I found it quite haunting.
It stumbles here and there but, for the most part, this is good fun and quite inventive for something that recycles a lot of previous stuff. Could have done without the slow shutter sequences though, those were jarring.
Like a slow, animated Edward Hopper painting that takes place in the crumbling Brussels of the eighties. Not my favourite Akerman, but it has a certain hypnotic aura that kept me watching.
