Mass Effect

I'm carrying on to clear my backlog of "games I should definitely play, years later".
The advantage is that I only get the cream...
Mass Effect definitely is part of it.

Funny how cinema tries (and fails) to make video games movies, yet Bioware are getting closer & closer to make a "movie video game". Sure, they're refining a formula that they've been working on for years, through Baldur's Gate, KOTOR et al. But here, to the "usual" (yet always outstanding) action and branching story paths, they added an impressive dose of style. Camera work is getting very close to the real thing, using handheld style in places and the direction reaches in the dialogs phases, making them a lot more dynamic than just shifting from 1 face to the other.
The story is, as always, very good, compelling with good characters.
I guess that if you compared it to movies however, it could still be considered "standard". But you can really feel that they're pushing the boundaries of the medium...

And then you get the universe, which is really a joy to explore. The design is brilliant and although it is based on familiar SciFi concepts, it feels fresh enough with a lot of background on the races you discover to keep everything interesting. It's quite a feat as in essence it's quite like Star Wars, but it just works without feeling like a rip off.

So definitely a must play, I'm looking forward to play the 2nd and the 3rd in a few years time... :)

Buried.

To hold a movie in just 1 place is a bold enough concept. Choosing a coffin as that place shows real spirit and it's quite amazing to see a movie that makes such a premise work that well.

Director Rodrigo Cortez even pulls the feat to shoot the box from so many angles that I could genuinely believe not 1 shot was used twice. It makes up for something that, just from a visual perspective, feels incredibly fresh.

The script, clever & tight, ramps up the pressure fast and keeps it high, pushing the audience towards the edge of their seat further and further...

Last but not least, it all wouldn't work if Ryan Reynolds wasn't up to the task and he definitely is... He conveys the character's arc completely convincingly throughout.

You'd have however to be able to stomach it, as I'd think it won't be anyone's taste.
But, if you're up to it, it's truly gripping stuff and as a cinematic experience, it feels quite flawless. It's one of those "small" movies you have to see in the cinema, as you really get this claustrophobic feel, with the darkness (it's only shot with "natural" light), the sounds...

Definitely convinced me never to try to get buried alive...

The Other Guys.

I went to see this one on impulse. I usually stalk the movies I want to see for a long time, ensuring that I'm going to like them... For this one I just saw the trailer during the summer and thought it could be quite good. OK, I did check a few reviews first...

Another point was that I had never watched a Will Ferrel movie (only saw parts of Elf, which I found surprisingly entertaining, although not quite hilarious), so for my culture I just needed this. And I like Mark Walhberg. And Michael Keaton.

I had a slight worry coming in that I wouldn't be in on the jokes. There's nothing worse than going somewhere to laugh and ending up not laughing. In some occasions I do worry like that which is weird because I didn't worry for Shaun Of The Dead or Hot Fuzz or Scott Pilgrim (no idea why those titles popped into my head EDGAR I LOVE YOU (IN A SORT OF MANLY WAY)). But I guess they weren't really marketed (I hate that word but can't find another one) as "funny movies", just movies with a few laughs in it. Anyway.

Fortunately I did have a few frank and good laughs there.

The movie uses the reverse formula of the supercop-action-thriller (which would be the losercop-action-comedy). It's similar to KICK-ASS in the sense that KICK-ASS is a comic book movie that focuses on the "normal guy" instead of a super hero, here it's an action thriller that focuses on the normal cop instead of the super one.
And some very cool things come out of that, as well as a few totally hilarious moments (which come handy since that's what we were here for in the 1st place).

The one thing that I regreted was that with those few moments I laughed my face off, I wished the movie had been funnier overall. Not that the rest isn't funny, quite the opposite actually and if anything it's always satifying, but it's just that it's not AS funny.
Expectations are such a pain...

For the rest, I'd say it's all good, Will Ferrel seems to play mostly the same type of roles, but he does it brilliantly, Mark Wahlberg is excellent as the frustrated angry cop that wish he could shoot anything and I have to put a special mention to Michael Keaton (didn't know about TLC, but a brilliant idea).
There are even a few good action sequences thrown in the mix!

Oh yeah and the soundtrack is good (although I'm obviously biased towards anything that uses RATM or The White Stripes) and I enjoyed very much the educationnal ending credits, listing some of the most memorable financial scams in history...

So all in all, a good movie. Could have been better I guess, but it gets the sympathy vote with all those side great ideas...

Scott Pilgrim VS The World.

I came out of Inception saying I couldn't possibly think how I could see something better this year.
Well I just did.

I did know that Scott Pilgrim was coming up and it had this label "movie made for me" slapped firmly on it. But although I expected it to be good I was far from expecting the kind of pure awesomeness it actually delivers.
To give an idea, I was already wanting to clap only a few minutes in.

It's a movie that succeeds on just every level. And it has many.
It is a (not dumb) teen comedy, an action movie, it is about music, video games and blends everything in a way that is unique and completely natural.
It's completely over the top of course, but it all makes sense.

I, of course, loved Spaced & Shaun Of The Dead & Hot Fuzz and Wright already showed through these that he's the ultimate geek, but here he also shows how much he's digested all his references and shows what he's capable of doing his own thing. As a matter of fact, Shaun & Fuzz were tributes to other movies and therefore the way they were shot in the same way of their models. Pilgrim shows Wright unleashed, proving the true virtuosity his capable of. I knew he was good, that he was THAT good.
The integration of the special effects, the way he films the fights and the rest, it's just incredible.

And that's just the surface.
Because the universe of the original comic is also quite excellent. I mention the comics here, because, not having read them, I don't know to who the credit should go.

The leads are likeable, but just, which only makes them more interesting.
And all the others manage also to be clearly fleshed out, even if there on screen only for a few minutes.
Kudos to the cast for this. You could single out Michael Cera, Mary-Elizabeth Winstead and Kieran Culkin, but all the others rock all the same.

And then there's the music.

It's one of those movies where you have 1 genius idea per shot.
It rocks. If not it's cool. If not it's funny (and weeeell funny).
Every moment is awesome. Every line is quotable.

And it's so radical, that there will ever be only one. That's also a deeply satisfying thing.
Instant cult classic doesn't even qualify here. Because this is an instant cult classic made for ME.

Funny how for Inception, I would just go and recommend it to anyone. Like "if you like cinema, you have to enjoy this".
For Pilgrim, this is a way more personnal thing. Because it is not for everyone. Some people won't get in all the references and in-jokes (I'm not saying I got them all here, as an example I noticed in the credits that I didn't recognised a Sonic & Knuckle track somewhere, I'm quite annoyed at that actually). Some people will bail over the visual overload. So I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Just the handful few I know will enjoy it truly, as much as I did. I find this precious.

Edgar (and the team!), I love you man.

The Expendables

When you see the cast of a movie such as this, gathering the action heroes from the 80s, there are some standards you expect: a ludicrous story, ludicrous one-liners & a ludicrous amount of ludicrous violence.

It's completely fair to say that Stallone delivered on every count here.

It's a complete 80s throwback and I found it a huge amount of fun. And loved the fact that it's not a parody, but on the other hand you get a good few laughs that are with the movie. It doesn't fall in the category "so bad it's funny". It's tongue in cheek,
but still with a 1st degree approach.
There's no comment to make for the acting (although Rourke has a fine monologue) or the script, however none come in the way and the latter provides good set ups to put those action men up against each other.

And even if a good amount of cheese is there, there's nothing cheesy about the action, which just rocks: it's completely over the top in a good way (much better than The A-Team for example, as far as I'm concerned). It's filmed in a clear manner (ie it uses handheld camera, but not too much), you understand what's going on and although it makes no sense, it's still completely entertaining and believable in the context of the movie. And appropriately gruesome of course! :)

Some could regret that it isn't THE DEFINITIVE 80s MOVIE. Sure, it isn't, it's yet another one.
But a good one.

The boys are back in town!

Gainsbourg, Vie Heroique.

It's great to see a biopic that strays off the usual path.

The association of Joann Sfar, reknown comic book author and Gainsbourg seemed a strange match to me at first (although I'm sure it's all down to a lack of knowledge on my part).
Seeing a comic book author come to making film is also unusual.

Yet after seeing this movie, it all makes sense and I have been much impressed by Sfar's work, as a 1st time director. He managed to infuse his movie with his sensibilities far beyond all the drawings you see on screen, as Gainsbourg paints, clearly bearing Sfar's mark.
There's genuine inventivity in his direction and although it IS a real movie (not a conceptual mess as other artists can tackle the medium) you can feel his comic book origins throughout.

It's movie that works more as an experience than a story, not because the story's poor (there's more than enough material in Gainsbourg's life), but because it's what Sfar wants.
And it's a stimulating one.

And it's very subtle with a lot of events (and famous songs) just referred to.
In a sense, it's what any biopic should do: not TELL you everything you should know about the subject, but inspire you to go and find out more about it.
And the movie does that beautifully by blurring lines between reality and dream.

It's suported by an outstanding cinematography (again, for a 1st timer, the effects are brilliant) and by an amazing cast.
They all managed for me to portray those icons I've seen "for real" as I indeed remembered them, from Gainsbourg to Birkin, to Bardot...

Gainsbourg himself, because of his "gueule" (as the movie states it) wasn't a specifically likeable character, yet he was a compelling one and the feeling is perfectly conveyed here.

I was disappointed to see that, at the end, Sfar had to show a message as a disclaimer to explain why he took this approach. As far as I'm concerned, the movie speaks for itself and I respect his choice even more so that I liked them.
But I guess the general public would need this, which makes me slightly sad.
But this has nothing to do with the movie anyway.

The A-Team.

Well among the stupid remake / adaptations ideas, when announced, I thought the A-Team was right there with the likes of GI Joes. Then again, when handled properly, you can always get good stuff from trash.

And this adaptation comes as a good surprise. No greatness, but quite fun still.

On the down side, it slightly too over the top for its own good and the action is quite over edited.
But the film manages to saves itself with its characters, very well cast (all 4 main cahracters) and I thought very likeable. Whenever I was about to get fed up with a set piece that I was finding "too much", I got something (eg Murdoch asking the way to Berlin) that made me think "oh why not after all...".

So "just" a disposable blockbuster, nowhere near a Star Trek, missing the madness of a Transformers, but still way better than a Pirates Of The Carribeans in my book.
All in all, fun.

Predators

Disappointed...

I don't think I came in expecting "too much". The original Predator still casts its shadow on today's action movies, there was no point expecting something anywhere close.

All I wanted was some balls out action with macho commandos. And I got that. Along with some very nice ideas.
But things bothered me. I don't mind stereotypical in this context, but some characters just stuck out. I didn't feel they belonged there (as an example, no offence to Dany Trejo, who I'm looking forward to watching right in his place in Machete!).
And what also bugged me were all the references to the first Predator (from weapons to situations to music) and some obviously tongue in cheek moments. I would have thought that it would have worked so much better as a no-nonsense movie (which the 1st Predator was).

On the upside, Andrien Brody was quite credible as an action man and with Alice Braga had beleivable characters. The movie is also very competently shot and as I mentioned some good ideas come in the mix: the initial freefall, the revelation of whre the team is, the fights (although I didn't really buy the samurai... Then again Danny Glover killed one), the place to the inital Predator, the origin of Alice Braga's character.
One could argue that actually the movie delivers in the right moments...

But on the whole, even small annoyances tend to spoil the sauce...
So I can't help to feel that this is a missed opportunity...

Inception

I have no idea how he does it, but (almost) every Christopher Nolan has made have had the same effect on me, when the credits roll: a chill (of pleasure) down the spine, a huge smile on my face & my mind ebullient by the spectacle I was given to watch...

Inception is no exception.

It's one of those movies that I find myself embarrassed to talk about, because I can't help to have a sort of maniacal smile on my face, need to speak loud with big hand gestures, because I find it so good I can only be passionate about it.

What's also amazing about his films is that he hasn't yet repeated himself. There's something in common. An elegance in the direction, a definite love of mind games, some fairly twisted (yet likeable) characters, but it always takes place in a different context. A film noir, a super hero movie, a magic trick...
In this occasion it's a heist movie. Ocean's 11, only by Nolan.

It's less of a puzzle than, say, Memento, as you know pretty much from the beginning where you stand. No magic powder thrown in your eyes either.
But don't get me wrong, it's no less groundbreaking. It feels almost wrong to reduce this as an action movie, because it takes such a fresh and cerebral approach to it.

Visually, it's stunning with visions that are from dreams yet grounded in reality (I guess in the same way that the Batman movies were realistic in a way).
And this being an action movie, there are some crazy set pieces, that 1) made me wonder how they did that and 2) were simply mind blowing. In some aspects, it beats Matrix to its own game (although they actually don't really play in the same park).

DiCaprio yet again confirms what a fine actor he is, with a performance that just might be his most relaxed to date (in the films I've seen of him at least, to illustrate, he's got very intense performances in The Departed or Shutter Island). But the rest of the cast is also to credit. I know I always tend to say that but just have a look at the cast: Helen Page, Joseph Gordon-Lewitt (if you haven't seen Brick, go see it), Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy... So much talent in just a few names...

And as for the concepts developped, just don't get me started. Shall I say that, as usual, the film isn't really throwing a "message" at the audience, yet the ideas raise so many questions, just choose how metaphysical you want to get...

I can't think of any way I could see something better this year...
Strange how I remembered thinking that when walking out of The Dark Knight...

Update: after mulling over it during the night, it might be more of a puzzle than 1st thought... :)

Toy Story 3

The 1st 2 Toy Story were definitely a tough act to follow...
Then again, excellence is the least to expect from Pixar.
So it comes as no surprise that Toy Story 3 comes out as an incredible end to an incredible trilogy.

Strangely enough, the only drawback would be that the 1st 2 came 1st, therefore taking the surprise away. So there are expected moments that do happen and therefore could feel like "box ticking".
Yet the movie never repeat any of its predecessors and still applies the subtle mixture of comedy, action and more nostalgic moment, making it accessible to kids of course but equally enjoyable (possibly more emotionnal even) to any adult that once had favorite toys...

New characters are introduced and well developped (Ken, as the fashion-obsessed bad boy refusing to be a girl's toy is a stand out for me...), but never at the depends of the main characters, still strongly in focus. The script moves seamlessly from clever idea to clever idea, integrating all its references and tributes into the story.

From a technical point of view, it's full marks on all counts, an amazing achievement, especially considering the standard it had to sustain.
But this movie is also more than the sum of its parts, for everything the story of those toys tell about us, our inner child.

So it's yet again a big thank you to Pixar for delivering such a ride, yet a heartbreak to have to say bye to those characters... All in all, worth it!

A quote...

"The reason Memento worked for audiences is that it was a tremendously emotional film. Which had nothing to do with me. It was all Guy. This genius actor comes into my film-noir maze and is playing it for real. And in playing the truth of that, he opened it up for the audience. It never would have succeeded otherwise."

That's from (in case you didn't guess) Christopher Nolan and although I think he's also a genius in his own right, he's spot on there...

The Rage Factor.

I had the privilege to be at Finsbury Park yesterday, for celebrating Rage Against The Machine's victory at the UK Christmas chart last year.

Well I don't think anyone present will say they don't know how to throw a party...
Brilliant organisation (I've never been served that fast at any bar anywhere...), incredible set up (3 massive LCD screens, cameras everywhere so no one misses a thing) and great support bands (The Gallows, Roots Manuva & Gogol Bordello)...
The weather was on top of this generous, with only a small drizzle here and there. It wouldn't have changed the mood anyway.

It wouldn't have been much if the headliners hadn't been in good shape, which of course wasn't the case.
Of course, they came in only after being duly introduced by (a cartoon) Simon Cowell...
Although clearly (and understandably) in full crowd-pleasing mode, they threw their usual energy in the set. That included Testify, Bombtrack, Know Your Enemy, People Of The Sun, Bullet In The Head, Guerilla Radio, Township Rebellion, Freedom, Sleep Now In The Fire and also a cover of White Riot from the Clash. They could just throw anything at the crowd.
We also had the opportunity to applaude the people who set up the Facebook group that started it all.
And then, after even very cheekily featuring the song they won against, it was time to finally blow the place up with Killing In The Name.

And to think that I had given up to actually see them performing live...
There was nothing more that I could have wished for. Well actually yes, but there was nothing more I could REASONNABLY have wished for. I mean, they did all this FOR FREE!!!

Huge thanks to RATM & all involved for making this possible.
Brilliant.

I took a few crappy pictures:

From El JhOjo's junkyard

From El JhOjo's junkyard

From El JhOjo's junkyard

You had to be there...

Ironman 2

I went to see this a few weeks ago but didn't take the time to talk about it here.
A shame really since cinema "reviews" (more like opinions) used to be pretty much the only thing I managed to keep doing... Anyway, better late than never.

I didn't expect anything from the 1st movie and came out begging for more. The downside is that I expected a lot from this sequel.
I'm happy to report that it didn't disappoint. In the "Hollywood blockbuster" genre, they still hold 1 of the best recipes currently in use.

In a clever twist, they manage to put Tony Stark in a similar position than the 1st movie: he starts as an obnoxious borderline-unlikable playboy (although Downey Jr. plays it perfectly and that the character has his own reasons for being that way) before redeeming himself to his friends and the audience. :)

This time round, he's also got a proper nemesis and Mickey Rourke proves (although unsurprisingly) a bad ass choice.
And I didn't even mention Black Widow... :)))))))))

It's also good to see that they didn't sacrifice character development for action. The drawback is that you end up wishing there was a bit more action, but that's also because the 3 set pieces here are really outstanding. Varied and just plain fun.

So again, this is not really art, but as Hollywood blockbusters go it's not dumbed down, it's spectacular, just dark enough yet fun enough...
A great movie therefore!

Bit Trip Runner

It's been a long time I didn't post.
I actually regularly think of things to post but I don't get to actually do it anyway.

Today I found an incentive.

I acquired Bit Trip Runner, the latest in the "Bit Trip" series, available on WiiWare. And I find it quite excellent.
I've been following the series with great interest and I could have sworn I mentionned it here but I can see now I didn't.
So to recap: it's a collection of games that take a "retro" look, ie big pixels, bright colors and simple (yet not simplistic) gameplay, with still some modern bells and whistles of the current technology. They also leave a non-negligible space to music, making them almost rythm games to some extend. 8-bits style of course.
And they all are devilishly difficult.
It's how I like my games: revolving around a concept rather than flashy graphics. That makes the series fresh and stylish.

Bit Trip Beat paid tribute to Pong & Arkanoid: you controlled a pad to send back dots (balls? pixels?) where they came from. It's the original concept, very simple yet completely addictive.

In Bit Trip Core, you would do kind of the same thing, but using "beams" that you could send in 4 directions. I liked it also but I found it way too difficult.

Bit Trip Void saw you control a "dot", trying to collect other black dots while avoiding the white ones. It reminded me of Ikaruga in many ways and with very clever design it does reproduce some "shoot-them-up" situations. However there's one thing that irritates me in this one: the background changes a lot and sometimes becomes dark, which is a cool effect, but prevents you from seeing the black dots you're supposed to collect. While I know this is done on purpose, I think it's rather cheap and that the game is already difficult enough without this.

And so all this built up to Bit Trip Runner. Wonder Boy is referenced here and the gameplay expands also, as you now control an actual character (although it's the same one you where controlling in the previous games, here you can see him better), who runs, jumps, slides & kicks. 4 actions then, all cancelling an obstacle you might run into. No life here, as the levels are partitionned in small segments. If you hit anything, you start from the beginning of the segment. To score points, you need to collect some gold on the way, which gives some interesting risk / reward dilemmas...
The general feel is less abstract than in the previous entries and has an incredible charm. The fact that you're running through levels in bite-sized segments make the whole thing a lot more approachable than the previous entries, in which you needed to sit through a complete level in 1 go (roughly 15minutes of intense concentration). This doesn't mean that Runner is easier. It just STARTS easier. By the end of the 1st level, you're already confronted to some meaty chains of moves that require you to refrain from blinking...

It reminds me of Vib Ribbon, on the Playstation, although here the levels are not auto-generated by the music you use. In recent memory, Cannabalt, which I already mentionned and Tomena Sanner (which is also a gem of Japanese nuttiness) come to mind.

Although it's gameplay at its simplest, it's just a joy to play. The graphics, controls, music come together to offer an experience that is charming & rewarding and it's a pleasure to revisit completed levels to try and beat your previous high score...

It appears 2 more games are planned for the series, I'm very much looking forward to seeing what surprises Gaijin games have in stock for those...

Cannabalt reloaded.

I replayed Cannabalt (which now features a vicious typing tutor) and got 8405m!!!

Run, Jesus! Run!

A flash game that's completely ridiculous, but that's why I love it:
Run Jesus Run

It does give you a crash course on the New Testament...

KICK-ASS

I went in expecting something close to Wanted (which I dug the hell out of).
I was glad I was wrong.

While KICK-ASS (I only can write this with capitals, I'm afraid) does carry the same strain of irreverance and anarchy Wanted did (both were originally written by the same person after all), it also manages to be a sort of bastard son of Watchmen & Spiderman.
We're talking a cross between 2 of the best super hero movies ever made, with the energy of one the the best actionner that Holywood produced in recent memory.
If that doesn't give you the picture, nothing will.

The concept only is genius: to make a comic book movie, so set in a comic book environment, but give the leading role to Peter Parker's "normal" friend. So you're not in the real world, but it gives that more edge, as the guy could be anyone.

Any genius concept wouldn't work without a great character to root for. KICK-ASS doesn't have 1, but 3. Big Daddy & Hit Girl will most definitely stay in all memories as the cutest yet deadliest father-daughter team.
Nicolas Cage is just awesome in this. He makes us believe in this deeply loving father who does shoot his daughter in the chest to show her how it feels. And I just loved what he did when he talks as Big Daddy. Completely iconic.
Hit Girl is just so sweet, even when she slices peoples limbs off.
2 characters like that could steal a movie. Yet the emphasis stays on Dave, the main character. Aaron Johnson is again perfect here, as just the "standard" teenager who decides to try and make a difference in his own way. Anyone who has been teen in the last 20 years could identify to him. I certainly would. It's a movie that brings the super-hero fantasy one step closer to the average joe...
They're all nuts, yet so likeable, you just have to root for them.

And because of the "realisticish" setting and the hardboiled nature of the story, you just fear something will happen to them so you just root even more for them.
Even more so because Mark Strong composes a very fearsome baddy to face them...

In the director's chair, Matthew Vaughn delivers like I would never had dreamed he would.
He manages to be gritty yet colorful, mastefully shifts the tone (even the incrusions into teen comedy are a joy) and give us some incredible action sequences.
The movie just moves from memorable moment to memorable moment. Hit-Girl's kung fu antics, a brilliant tracking shot reminiscent of Old Boy, the best in-the-dark-shoot-out since Equilibrium, a back story told in comic book... The list goes on.

It's a wonder that it ever got done and it's another credit to give Vaughn that he originally financed it on his own.
In fine, he single-handledly delivered one of the best comic book movies ever made and a revigorating breeze on the genre.
For that I'm forever thankful to him.

Alice In Wonderland.

When it was announced, teaming up Lewis Caroll & Tim Burton seemed like a match made in heaven. I just couldn't wait to see what this could give and there was no doubt it would nothing short of amazing.

Then as a few first reviews came out, wildly negative, I was stunned. What could have gone wrong? Could Tim Burton waste such an opportunity?
So I went in slightly worried, but with an open mind. After all, I've pretty much liked anything he did (Planets Of The Apes was a low, but still enjoyable), especially his latest Charlie & The Chocolate Factory & Sweeney Todd.

So is it the disaster the critics announced?
No.
Yet, it didn't entirely work for me either.

There is a lot of stuff here that I really loved.
Visually speaking, it's a pure delight. Burton's Underland manages to really blend Burton's visuals with what you would expect from Alice's Wonderland.
It's happening 10years on so the world is kind of derelict and has a darker side, which works perfectly. No character has the same size or proportions and it all fit together seamlessly.
And for someone who says that he doens't know how to film action scenes, I thought he did a fine job on the final battle...

I liked a lot of ideas brought to the world due to the fact that Alice is older, especially her ambiguous relationship with the Mad Hatter.

Speaking of which, the characters, also, are brilliant. My heart goes to the Cheshire Cat (voiced by Stephen Fry), all feline grace and vaporous apparitions. But Helena Bonham-Carter's red Queen is also superb, as is Anne Hathaway's White Queen (I really like her way to really go over the top in how the character is gracious, yet has this calculating way of having people do what shes wants). Not mentionning Johnny Depp's Mad Hatter. And then there's also Crispin Glover, Alan Rickman... What a cast...
The designs of the red Queen's soldiers were also a highlight for me. Generally the production design was incredible.

So what went wrong then?
Well if I have to blame something, I'd say the story.
For starters, it didn't feel like it flowed very well throughout. Motivations of the characters weren't quite evident to me and I could see sort of shortcuts that didn't feel quite logical.
I'm not one for over-thinking movies, I usually take what the director gives me, but this did prevent me from fully getting into it. More like, I would be sucked in, but something would throw me out from time to time.

Also, the end for me was way too over the top. It felt rushed and clicheed. It's not all bad, there are good ideas, but I just didn't feel it was introduced well enough for me to buy into it...
There's nothing worse than leaving the theatre on a bad impression...

So it's far from a disaster, there's a lot to like here and any one who says that Burton wasn't inspired here would be clearly out of his mind, given the amazing visuals. But I can't help to think it would have been so much better with a better script.
I'll try and watching it again someday to give it another chance...

Shutter Island

Well I'll make it short here, because discussing this movie without spoiling anything is way too tricky and to spoil anything would be just unforgiveable.

At least can it be said that Scorcese delivers a masterclass in storytelling, on how to slowly but surely capture the audience in order not only to make it believe anything, but also to make it physically go through what the main character does...
The cast supporting this is wonderful and DiCaprio shows once more that he's definitely more than the good-looking guy from Titanic.

And the result is a beautiful magic trick.
You have to be able to stomach it, as the pathos is quite strong. But I found that what stayed with me was the pleasure of having been tricked and working out how all the pieces of the puzzle brilliantly fit together.

It's always an honor to see a master at work...

The Hurt Locker.

It came out last summer and I missed it at the time but thanks to its epic Oscar win, it was rereleased so I finally managed to catch Kathryn Bigelow's latest.

I remember that I went to see Black Hawk Down a few years ago and it had very good reviews saying that Ridley Scott had filmed war unlike anyone before. I completely hated that movie, so I guess that made the cinematography less impressive than it probably was, but I thought that treating the Somalis like nothing more than waves of aliens was utterly shocking. When the subject is "proper" war, I just expect more substance, more gravita. Real people are killed, it's not to be taken lightly.

The Hurt Locker does the exact opposite. Firmly anchored on its characters, depicting how each copes (or doesn't) with the stress of war. No heroism, or faked manly friendship (they're all on a job), as you often see. That makes it very unusual in this genre and almost "un-hollywoodian", which makes the flurry of Oscars not only more surprising but also more satisfying.

And here, Bigelow DOES film the war like no one before. Close to the action, making you feel right there, almost experiencing the rush, the paranoia. It is an incredibly tense movie.
There are no big battles, but still the "action" scenes will be worth your while, most notably an incredible sniper exchange. But none of this is glorified, always grounded in reality.
It could almost feel like a documentary actually.

What's striking as well is how the movie manages to define characters exactly in just a few frames. It is quite surprising that Guy Pearce, David Morse & Ralph Fiennes only really have a scene each. But just in that time, their characters exist and matter to the rest. Not a lot of movies can do that.

With the same subtelty, you also get a picture of the more global context, the situation of the locals, despite the fact that all is told through the soldier's perspective. And you're left with a lot of questions to ponder.
But on the other hand, with the chaos described here, how could people not turn mad?

It echoes a bit with Jarhead, although they explore very different themes (Jarhead deals more with the "dehumanising" process that turns people into soldiers, while Hurt Locker is more about their day to day life). A lot might be down to the identical setting.

But as war movies go, this one is a must. On every count.

Metroid Prime Trilogy.

I managed not to know anything about the Metroid Prime series before getting this compilation.
To be honest I was really skeptical at first. I was a fan of Super Metroid and although the universe is great, I was fed up at the time of this habit to turn everything into an FPS. Did Metroid need that? Certainly not.

Yet given the raving reviews, the lack of a good FPS in my game collection and the fact this package was offering 3 games for the price of one, I just took my chances.
I'm glad I did.

Without any hesitation, I will say that Metroid Prime had the same effect on me as Maroi 64 did: it takes everything the previous entries that defined them and adapted them with a 3rd dimension thus adding value and creating something different and equally great.
The 1st brilliant thing in Prime is the level of immersion.
In any other FPS, you see through the eyes of the main character, yet you have various information (life, ammo, etc) that get in your view. No one usually sees that. Here it's completely justified: you're in a suit of armor! Every piece of data, menu becomes part of what you would see if you were actualy in Samus shoes. I think it's an incredible plus to the whole atmosphere of the game.

That also introduces the concept of visors. As you progress through the game, you can change the way you see the world. seeing in IR for example. Not only does it add a great depth to the various puzzles you encounter (you have to question what you percieve), it's also insanely cool.

The next great thing is that it's not a FPS. The Metroid games are not about shooting things. They're about exploring a world. And that, thankfully, is what Prime's about. That's what saves it to become part of the endless flow of standard FPS you see nowadays. The environments are big, but small enough so you can learn your way around it. You can spot areas where you know you will have to come back with a better equipment. It's a great drive. And since all environments are very well designed, it's a pleasure to backtrack and search every areas, listening for that hum that informs you a power up is close by.

The equipment progression is also great. Every new piece of equipment brings new possibilities and it leads you to which area you should go next. Silent storytelling. Very clever. Although the previous entries did that already, this is a token to how this evolutions stays true to its roots.

Last, but not least, the numerous boss fights are all brilliant, always challengng you to use all your equipment to the full, switching weapons, visors, all the while doging, jumping, etc, which the gameplay allows you to do very easily.
I found the difficulty very appropriate, being permissive enough so you don't die all the time, yet fights can usually get you just that close to death so you're always on your toes.

And then you finish this 1st Metroid Prime and think "oh gosh it'll be the same again in the 2nd one, same weapons, isn't that going to be a bit boring?". No it won't. Of course, you will get missiles, the morph ball, the charge beam. But you get enough twists that it all feels fresh. And by having a parallel dimension where the atmosphere is toxic so you lose health continually, Metroid Prime Echoes dramatically shifts the challenges. That and it enhances the graphics substantially. I thought Prime was already beautiful (for a game that's over 5 years old), but Echoes blows it out of the water.

And then you finish Echoes and Corruption awaits! And it's even better visually!
I only have started this one, but I'm expecting great things, still in Samus' shoes...

Thinking that Metroid: Other M is due for release this year and will bring yet another take on this unoiverse...
That's how any franchise should be handled...

Micmacs a tire-larigot

Jeunet's latest is a very good movie.

There is a lot to like in here, especially for fans of his style.
It's beautiful to look at, it's bursting with clever ideas in the way it's filmed, the actors are all excellent, with a very diverse cast involving the old guard (Dussolier, Marielle), Jeunet's usual (Dominique Pinon, for example) and newcomers.
Jeunet's film also have a very specific atmosphere which I find has a lot of charm.
And it's funny.
So it's an extremely well crafted movie, perfectly enjoyable.

There's a small hitch though.
It's strange, but although I did enjoy it very much, somehow, I expected more from the maker of City Of Lost CHildren, Delicatessen & Amelie Poulain...
It's something that says that Jeunet's been freewheeling here and that, should he have pushed just a bit more (the script maybe?), we'd have had something much much more substantial.
The self references (to Delicatessen & itself), for example, are funny yet they seem a bit too easy...
It's a weird feeling.

But in the end, it didn't spoil it for me, as a "minor" Jeunet is still miles away from the usual standard... :)
I just hope he'll get the chance to do something "bigger" next time.

The Lovely Bones.

Peter Jackson seems kind of "back from the geeks" with this outing. It seems definitely more serious than his previous work, carrying a lot of substance but still managing to show his incredible inventivity.

As most movies dealing with this kind of themes (the murder of a young girl), it is wrapped in a sort of crime mystery (will the culprit get caught?). However, as the good movies dealing with this kind of themes, the real focus is on loss & grief. Because a movie about death is also about life and because, in the end, everything else than a life ending is inconsequential. Death is a natural thing anyway and however it happens, life has to go on for the rest of the world. Chaos prevails.

Incredible turns from all actors involved, combined by fantastic visuals (the afterlife provides quite stunning vistas) achieve a brilliant result, that hits right at the heart.
Sure there are a lot of things in here and at some pointI wasn't sure where all of this was going. Yet it's also refreshing to see a film so bold & layered, enjoyable on so many levels, whether it's for the teen romance, the portrait of a killer, the suspence or the eerie atmosphere. It's also very cleverly constructed (and not overdone) for a story that's finally very simple.
Peter Jackson shows his versatility here and uses all his tricks to compell the viewer (I especially liked his use of extreme close ups and slow motion).

A brilliant, elegant, sad, harsh yet sweet & beautiful movie.

Update: I wish it got a BAFTA, yet there was a lot of competition and it wasn't really robbed...

Mission: Impossible - 3

I had never seen it before.

Well it's got brilliant cast and is aptly filmed, however it's OTT in the wrong way as far as I'm concerned...
I'm glad Abrams did Lost before this and Star Trek after...

Ethan Hunt's nowhere as good as Jason Bourne, I'm afraid.

Shady URL...

The site says "Don't just shorten your URL, make it suspicious and frightening."
What a brilliant idea that is! :)
Go on, try it, you know you want to!

And don't forget to bookmark the present website: http://5z8.info/foodporn_w2t1_launchexe
:D

(Originally read this from Ecrans)

One Button Bob

It's been a long time since the last flash game, so here it is.

One Button Bob.

Slightly more sophisticated than Cannabalt.
Not better (the music is all), but very clever still...

Due respect to Ecrans where I got the link...

Swede Mason.

This is utterly brilliant.



Reminiscent of Lasse Gjertsen's work...

More here... He doesn't miss a beat indeed...

I've also watched Jungle All The Way and GimmebackMason and they're a lot of fun as well...

Sans rapport...

"Mickey Maousse", c'est pas mal comme nom d'acteur porno...
C'est con mais ca me fait rire.

Joie.

Des fois je hais l'informatique. L'informatique refletant la connerie propre, il en resulte que des fois, je me hais.

Tatsunoko VS Capcom.

I used to be a fighting game fiend.
Actually I still am, but I've gone cold turkey for years now, having not had a console since the Dreamcast (which died on me) and having a Wii. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Super Smash Bros Brawl. But it's as much platforming as it is fighting and although it's got a deep gameplay, it revolves more around keeping a safe space around you waiting for a killer blow than combos and actual fighting techniques.
Until now.

Tatsunoko VS Capcom brings the craziness of Capcom's VS series to the Wii in style.
It's beautifully OTT, full of vivid colors. The core system is simple, allowing first easy combos, but soon show a lot of depth, with advanced techniques (air combos, counters et al.) that do require a good deal of training to master.
And to my own surprise, none of the 20+ fighters available play the same! Between the special moves and the way they move jump & dash, each has its own particularities, which makes them all interesting and require a slightly different approach. Also, despite the Tatsunoko side being mainly unknown here (expect the Gatchaman charaters), they've got a great design and completely fit in.
It's pure fighting goodness.

And the fact that it comes to our shores with 5 more characters and an online mode compared to the Japanese version just puts icing on the cake.

Although all things considered, it doesn't bring much novelty to the genre, like New Super Mario Bros Wii, it refines every great things that Capcom have done in the field to still bring the best experience.
It would be foolish not to enjoy this...

Quote.

"It is not our job to parent the child or determine what content is acceptable or unacceptable for our players. But on the other hand, it is not your job to dictate what content we include or don't include in our games. Game development is not a collaborative effort between developers and gamers; it is a dictatorship, where we alone determine what content goes into our game. You the player make the choice whether that content is acceptable to you (and/or your family) or not."
Stanley Woo - Bioware.
(as seen on Kotaku)

I find that this works very well on movies and music...
Reminds me of concepts (thrown around by disappointed fans usually) like "commercial", "selling out", etc.
At the end of the day, it's still a choice, whether you like it or not.

Something I like...

Even after all these years, I still can't help but smile when I see those packs of cereals with "BITES" written in huge letters on them (sometimes even enhanced with a "Chunky" or similar)... Some jokes never get old...

If you don't know French (and therefore don't know what I'm talking about), there's always Google Translate for knowing how "bites" translates from French to English...

Hyperglycemia.

♫ \\(^_^) ♫ (^_^)// ♫ \\(^_^) ♫ (^_^)// ♫ \\(^_^) ♫ (^_^)// ♫
"Blue eyes, blue eyes, what's the matter matter, blue eyes blue eyes..."
♫ \\(^_^) ♫ (^_^)// ♫ \\(^_^) ♫ (^_^)// ♫ \\(^_^) ♫ (^_^)// ♫

(@_@)
(~_~)
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!!

GIVE ME SOME METALLICA!!!!
(-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/
GIVE ME SOME RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE!!!!
(-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/
GIVE ME SOME THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT!!!!
(-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/ (^-^)\n/ (-_-)\n/

Pfiuuuu...

(Too much sugarey pop drive me crazy. And to a smiley overload.)

Bilan Angouleme 2010.

Angouleme 2010, c'etait le week end dernier et on y etait!
Tres bon cru cette annee.

Les expos etaient interessantes, notamment celle sur One Piece, pedagogique pour ceux que le manga effraie (une autre expo generale de presentation du manga, que j'avais vue une annee precedente a la reflexion etait aussi a voir au CNBDI) et l'expo "cent pour cent" qui si elle m'est globalement passee au dessus de la tete (complique!!!) etait un tres bon concept.

Le concert de dessin a ete aussi tres inspire cette annee, sur un scenar de Zep, simple mais fin. Les dessinateurs s'en sont aussi donnes a coeur joie avec quelques effets de styles rejouissants: le dessin a 5 mains est un classique toujours efficace, mais je n'avais jamais vu d'animation en temps reel!

Enfin, cette annee fut la 1ere ou, ayant le temps (sur 3j de festival), on a chasse de "la grosse dedicace". Comprendre "celle des gens connus". Les annees passees s'etaient plus jouees sur les decouvertes fortuites, donnant lieu a d'excellentes surprises (Bookhunter & Sheitan pour n'en citer que 2), ou des coups de bol monstrueux (Stan Sakai).
Cette annee, l'organisation etait meilleure, avec reperage prealable.
Boulet & Maliki furent donc a portee mais aussi Fred et (par un coup de bol monstrueux!) Moebius!!
L'emotion fut donc grande.

Je remercie mille fois les dessinateurs, pour leur patience et leur superbes croquis!
Ci-dessous qqs photos des dedicaces...

Et j'attends aussi pas mal des "decouvertes fortuites" de cette annee:
* Mutafukaz (par Run) - Une grosse surprise car j'etais tombe, il y a non moins de 10ans (ca a ete confirme par l'auteur), sur une bande annonce en flash que j'avais trouvee tres sympa. A feuilleter le bouquin vite fait, les promesses ont l'air tenues: de l'action debridee avec des entre-actes de catch mexicain.
* Le Patrouilleur (par Pierre Minne) - Un comic a la francaise, tres old school dans la forme par un adorateur des comics de la 1ere heure. Ca peut pas faire de mal!
* Etoile Du Chagrin (par Kazimir Strzepek) - Mon comics independant de l'annee. Un monde apocalyptique, une atmosphere qui melange comedie, desenchantement et violence, un dessin atypique renvoyant un peu a Akira Toriyama... Quoiqu'asez classique, les 1ers chapitres soint tres prenants!
* Internal Lobster (par Laurent Colonnier) - Le titre m'a intrigue, le dessin est chouette et ca a l'air d'etre un trip Lychien... L'auteur dit que toutes les clefs sont la, je pense pas tout comprendre du 1er coup, mais au moins ca me donnera un pretexte (si besoin) de le lire plusieurs fois.

Maintenant, reste plus qu'a lire tout ca!

Les notes de Boulet.

Ça fait maintenant près de 2ans que je suis avidement le blog de Boulet (le 1er element dans mon flux de partage date du 12 Mars 2008 - ca fait un moment).

Il était donc relativement normal que je finisse par acheter un de ses albums.
A ce titre, étant donne que je ne suis pas encore arrive a un stade suffisant dans Donjon, il était donc logique que je me rabatte sur un volume du recueil des notes de son blog (on se sent toujours mieux dans un environnement familier).
Le Volume 3 ne semblait deja pas avoir trop de recoupement avec ce que je connaissais et c'est plus sympa de rattrapper le retard sur papier (je n'ai pas pris le temps de le faire en ligne).

Bon pour le reste que dire? Ce post a plus pour but de faire un peu de promo et de raconter sa vie.
Quiconque connait le site de Boulet en connait la qualite. Quiconque ne connait pas devrait s'y mettre. C'est peu d'admettre qu'il est fort le bougre.

Au format papier, ca se lit un peu comme la Bible en fait.
Sur le chevet, avant de se coucher, histoire de se marrer entre gens de qualite.
C'est marrant cette impression qu'il dessine "pour moi"...

En tous cas merci a Boulet de nous illuminer de la sorte et merci pour la dedicace a Angouleme!
Je la regarde et je me marre. :)

From Angougou 2010

Un Prophete.

It feels great to see the French cinema industry give birth to such a movie.

It's the kind of movie I'd have so many things to say about that it would just be too long to describe here and incredibly unsatisfactory, as I wouldn't be able to express it in the true sense.

It's got something of Scarface (the ascent of a nobody in the crime hierarchy) & The Godfather (the lamb becoming a lion). I don't think this is exagerated.
Filmed close to the people, you can't help but to root for the main character, as the misery surrounding him make all those "bad" choices he makes pretty much the only ones to survive. Also, by not glorifying the violence in anyway, it doesn't promote the way of life either. Anyone willing to go to prison after this would be truly out of his mind...

Visually, narratively, emotionnally, it's so rich & layered it just made my head spin. And the tension throughout is incredible.

Brilliantly told, brilliantly acted, it's quite simply the best "polar" (something close to crime fiction) I've seen since 36 Quai des Orfevres.

The Book Of Eli.

Here's a movie that reminded me how I missed the post-apocalytic genre.

From the very 1st shots, you know you're in for some awe-inspiring visuals and the movie doesn't disappoint. The desolated wasteland have that kind of feel that just lingers in your mind after you've gone home.
As an action movie, it also stands its ground, with some very cool action scenes and an unflinching violence that sticks close to the harsh "western" world the characters live in.

The Hughes brothers, however, have a bigger vision than just that. Some people will no doubt complain about the religious subtext and I would think they're wrong. This is not a religious movie, it's a movie about religion. The tone and the very nature of the main character make it quite clear: it's more about faith, about being driven. What a person would be able to overcome, given a goal.
As such I see it as a very good companion piece to Man On Fire (with a similarly tough Denzel Washington).

Eli doesn't even want to teach what he knows he doesn't want to "use" his book, unlike his "nemesis" Carnegie. His goal is to preserve a bit of culture that is most important to him, although he doesn't even live by it.
That makes the movie steer clear of any judgement on the content of the book. Beliefs are just part of us. Any other context could carry the same idea.

So what was a difficult subject, screwed up by many movies before it, just make sense in that context & tone.
And it brings in this extra dimension, takes it beyond its own genre.

Being delivered with such a moody, bad-ass & epic SciFi movie will certainly be one of the nicest things to happen this year...

Daybreakers.

I'm among those who think that there isn't something cooler as a vampire (although I don't care about Twilight, too old for this shit ;) ). Throw vampires somewhere and at least you got me listening. There's something interesting in the concept and it has given over time an awful lot of great movies.
The great thing about a "vampire movie" is that it could be anything. Action romp, straight horror, western, even a teenage romantic thing...

Knowing that the Spierig brothers, coming from the low budget gore (they did Undead which I heard was a lot of fun), had the gig for Daybreakers was another point of interest.
Unfortunately, this one doesn't quite know what it is either. Tempted by a serious line but also by action and gore, it made me wonder what I was supposed to make of it at points. Maybe it was just that the story was quite predictable.

However, on the plus side, it's wonderfully shot, with 1st class actors (Ethan Hawke, Sam Neil & Willem Dafoe, no less!) who do their thing just right.
Also the story might be predictable, it still brings some memorable scenes and images. And lets not forget to bring the vampires on the "winning" side also brings something fresh to the table. And strangely they waste their resources just like us! It brings up another dimension of the myth: they may be immortal, they're still not immune to decay...

Overall though I missed that little spark that makes a movie more than the sum of its parts (liek it did for me with Equilibrium, which I think is similar in quality, only with that spark). As I said at the beginning, I think it's a tone problem. Bottomline though: I didn't connect with it. I could think through it.

So not another definitive vampire movie, a sort of B+ series that is well crafted and nice to watch and that I will certainly keep in my good book.

Death Metal Rooster

No comment required. :D

New Super Mario Bros Wii.

There are actually a few games I've played during the year I wanted to talk about here, but I never get to do it. The difficult point I guess is: when?
1st impressions? Well it's a bit early isn't it?
When it's finished? It usually takes me a lot of time to do that.
So somewhere in the middle.
So I delay...
I picked up momentum talking about Braid and since those 2 are somewhat linked in my mind, let's do this.

I think it's a kind of punk statement Nintendo has made with New Super Mario Bros Wii (they could have found a better title). Back to basics.
And just the original formula still works like a charm. Only here, it's also been refined with the lastest tricks. Mario's move set has been expanded vastly, building on previous iterations of the series. Walljumps, triple jumps, hovering are new feats that need to be mastered.
And the fully 3D graphics (although used only in 2D) allow lots of cool effects and devious obstacles. Revolving platforms, clouds hindering the vision, moving lights... Each level adds something new, a twist that gives it it's own feel.
The difficulty is also just fine, not too frustrating, but not too easy (some hidden stars do require skill).

As far as I'm concerned, the pinnacle of 2D Marios has to be Yoshi's Island and I didn't expected NSMBW to top it. It didn't, I think mainly because the Yoshi's egg throwing dynamic enabled a lot more freedom, especially on boss fights.

However it still makes for a amazing game, extremely addictive and with great replay value.
1 proof of this is that, 3 levels from the end, I'm already longing for more, because with all those crazy concepts I've seen, they could have used them in twice the amount of levels and I wouldn't have got bored...
Never mind, revisiting the ones that are there will be more than enough.

And there's multiplayer. Here you get to an entirely other dimension: whether you play cooperatively or against each other, there's so much potential...
And the useful example videos that you can unlock playing the game show some incredible gaming wizardry that just show how far it can go.

It's a bit of a disappointment that it can't be played online, as it limits the fun to local but then again there's nothing like a slight elbow movement to make an opponent miss a jump... :)

So not the best, but by all means not minor either and by Mario standards, that says a lot.

Braid.

I love Steam, because it gives me the opportunity to discover some truly great games, that will never have a retail version.

World Of Goo was one of them, now Braid is.

What starts like a sort of tribute to Super Mario Bros quickly shows some groundbreaking concepts, taking it closer to a puzzle game that a platformer. I remember being stunned when I saw the "image scratching" transitions in Samurai Champloo. Here, you time scratch! You're the time DJ.
The puzzles are quite twisted but always rewarding, even when you're given the solution, because you still have to pull it out yourself. I'm actually quite happy that I only relied on external help for a few pieces of the puzzle.

And then there's the atmosphere. The impressionist backgrounds, the music. And the story. How things can change depending if you look at them backwards or forward. Where's forward anyway?

Again (like World Of Goo) it's a game that adds up to more than the sum of its part.
It becomes an experience.
Also it will stay unique. I'll cherish that memory.

Sherlock Holmes

Starting 2010 with a 2009 movie.

Well the ever entertaining Guy Ritchie managed to start a new action franchise here. There's a lot to like in this movie, although there's a little something missing, can't put my finger on it but that prevents it to reach "Ironman quality" (my yardstick for clever, outstanding blockbusters).
But that doesn't say it's bad, far from it and just for the play between Robert Downey Jr's Holmes and Jude Law's Watson, it's worth the ticket.

I like Ritchie's style, which is apparent here although more restrained than in Snatch for example (a good thing ;) ). Also, I'd think that it doesn't betray the Conan Doyle's character while pimping it up to today's action standards. The near steam punk often associated to Victorian England is well handled.

The inevitable setup for the sequel promises a better movie, which I'll look forward to.

2009 cinema round up.

So a decade of cinema has past.
To be perfectly honest I was surprised when I looked back at 2008 to see that I gave 5 films 5 stars. Looking back they did deserve it as well. And I did say in last year's summary that 2009 would have to work hard to do as well as 2008...
Well it did: I gave 7 movies 5 stars this year.

I give scores to movies just to remember exactly what was my main impression just after seeing it. Globally I can remember what the movie was, of course, but it's that general feeling, that can go away later, when you think things over. Here it's to capture the moment. 5 is awesome, 4 is excellent, 3 good, 2 disappointing, 1 crap.
I haven't given any 1s, not because I'm a softie (although I am) but because I select what I see. I still get disappointed, like this year with Wolverine and Transformers 2.
Anyway 7 movies blew me away and those which didn't quite aren't bad either... :)

01- Where The Wild Things Are (2009)
02- Avatar (2009)
03- Watchmen (2009)
04- Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The (2008)
05- Up (2009)
06- District 9 (2009)
07- Inglourious Basterds (2009)
08- The Box (2009/I)
09- Harry Brown (2009)
10- Star Trek (2009)

Wild Things was an obvious 1st, Avatar had therefore to be 2nd. Then I thought about Up, but realised Watchmen was this year. 3rd then. And Benjamin Button? I can't forget it just because it was ages ago... So Up & District 9 have to end up 5th & 6th (those where I cried tend to come 1st). That may seem low, but looking at the opposition, it's not bad... Among all, the Basterds could seem a bit more minor to some, but QT's too gifted and I had too much joy not to place it next (beside it's the last of the 5 stars and I have to order by score). Then The Box's SciFi mystery, the grits of Harry Brown and Star Trek, this year's sleeper blockbuster (like Ironman last year).

There's a nice mix here, between massive Hollywood entertainment, "Oscar movies", Comics adaptation and also more independant movies... Quite biaised towards Hollywood though. I also depend on what's shown.

So... Better in 2010? Who knows...

Vu sur Les Cahiers du Football...

Les Cahiers du Football || mensuel de foot et d'eau fra�che: "POSTE POUR POSTE
'Zidane sur un timbre' (lequipe.fr). On n'a pas fini de lui lecher le cul."


C'est bien vu... :D