csagne Reviews

Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)

A very good sequel

[9/10 · 20 December 2015]

***** NO SPOILERS *****

JJ Abrams had a very difficult task to face when he accepted to direct Episode VII. All the fans out there (including George Lucas) expected a variety of things. The story and individual scenes feature a large number of nods to Episodes IV V VI, and even to I II III (I was too engrossed to look for them all as I have only seen the film once, but I have noticed 6 on this first viewing).

The set design, lines, landscape, are also perfectly in line with the story we know, and those details are noticeable, but never obnoxious.

The film might actually be a bit confusing for a kid who has never seen another film from the franchise, but honestly I do not know if TFA will be anybody's "first" Star Wars (if so, it will not be their last).

I know Episodes I II III were widely criticised, although I believe they had their good bits too. TFA will not gather negative reviews like they did and when I heard George Lucas say he liked it, I have the feeling that he is not just meeting a contractual agreement with Disney, he probably means it.

V (2009–2011)

Good Swiss cheese

[5/10 · 13 October 2011]

I would not want to spoil the fun but my review is in fact dealing with plot holes. I watched season 1 and 2 and while the acting is good, the whole plot really is a problem.

I like the set design, the special effects. It is also good to see that we don't really get too much lizard skin and that the show is around what a small group of resistants know (the V's are lizards who are invading us the soft way) but that this is no more a spoiler than say, knowing that Darth Vador is Luke's father. You didn't know about Vador? Sorry mate ;o)

The issue is that characters make illogical or hurried choices, there is no follow up of many threads, and ultimately what happens is just a big incoherent story where many other options were discarded for any given situation.

9 (I) (2009)

Not for kids, not for grown ups, and full of holes

[3/10 · 12 September 2011]

3 That's for the CGI and actors' voices.

SPOILERS BEGIN The issue I see is that if 9 had not done anything and gotten rid of the beast, then what? The machine does not wake up, and then?

What about the end when the machine is gone? OK, a few rag dolls own the earth, and what? They are objects, they can't reproduce.

With the too obvious reuse of Matrix / Terminator imagery, this is not for kids below 11. But after 11 they can't get the references to Frankenstein and fascism. So push it to 16, and then they're no longer interested in rag dolls. Later then? Then adults are finding the story silly. So this story tried to walk on both sides of the road and ended up ran over.

The set design is nice, very Tim Burton-esque, steam-punk, and presents an alternate 1940's earth, fair enough.

But again what would have happened if the machine had never woken up? Well in fact then, we wonder why the inventor said his doll would save the world, there was after all at that point only one cat sized beast he could have destroyed himself.

As for the coin sized device which is the central plot item, we are left wondering how he (the inventor) managed to get hold of it if it used to be on the machine (as the machine used to be operational and no longer is, we need to assume it used to be there).

Whatever. Don't watch this, watch the trailer on the internet and skip.

Did You Hear About the Morgans? (2009)

OK for TV

[7/10 · 16 January 2011]

I'm a bit sorry there's so many negative reviews about this film. I do agree that there's nothing really original there. I smiled at a few places in the film and alright this movie will not change my life, won't watch it against something else.

I certainly was more willing to watch it because it was on TV and did not cost me a thing. No, I will not buy the Collector DVD, the "Special Edition" BluRay gift box and I admit I would not have paid for it - and spending a few Euro to see it in the theatre would have been out of the question.

Main photography was decent, but I am now worried (maybe I shouldn't) about SJP ever finding a part outside her SATC bucket.... maybe she can't. Dialogue was not exceptional, but I used to think films should be life changing.... OK this one isn't but I did not suggest switching the TV off, and it was relaxing to watch once.

Electric Dreams (1984)

I don't even know where to start

[1/10 · 12 December 2009]

I'm not into hate comments, but this time I had to. I mean I even watched Megalodon till the end to be sure my rating would be based on the whole film. At first I thought 2 would be okay because the lead actress is hot and the song during the credits is fine, but then the film is too weak to deserve a 2 (even a 1 to be honest).

This film officially ranks as one (THE ONE) of the worst films I have ever seen, from dreadful acting, abysmal plot... of course the most dreadful of all this is Edgar's abilities, I mean the premises of a lot of science fiction films are easier to believe than that.

Don't watch, don't rent, don't allow anyone to watch it, even if you hate them.

Six Degrees Could Change the World (2008 TV Movie)

Ouch

[9/10 · 8 December 2009]

Major spoiler here: we are having a dramatic impact on the climate, and the climate change will have a dramatic impact on us.

Some years ago still, managing the interests of all sorts of industrial groups was causing censorship of key material. Not any more. This documentary is nicely done: scientific data, little computer imagery, no time fillers, less 100% US trivia, and no careful, tactful, industrially-correct comments. The documentary points the blame to those who deserve it: in the North for our individual excesses in energy consumption and materialism, in the South for out of control population growth, and everywhere for an economic and industrial model which is short sighted.

6 degrees will basically endanger animal life, cause famine, war, and also the odd flooding and hurricane. Big spoiler, in fact this does not happen during the documentary, this will only happen to our kids.

Life After People (2008 TV Movie)

Crumbling buildings, but little more

[4/10 · 9 November 2009]

Life after people is a ripoff of Alan Weisman "World without us" (first of all by using a title structure in three words, but whatever).

The basic thought experiment of Alan Weisman is aimed not so much at looking at how nature would recover after we have left, and how buildings etc deteriorate but in fact analysing to what extent our actions on the environment are permanent.

Life after people (the main program) hardly mentions our use of plastics, our pollution of the planet with PCBs, how permanent nuclear waste will be and focuses on the mild, innocent traces of us that will be erased easily: wood, paper, iron, cement. Overall both the program and the series remain a list of crumbling buildings, repeated over and over again, with the same engineering viewpoint.

The series (which I lazily address with this comment too) do mention this a bit more, along with our impact on fauna (eg bison population), or the recovery of fish population due to our current overfishing. Too little still.

The documentary is reasonably good, padded with special effects that are shown over and over again, and with a shift of focus to American landmarks, which is understandable as it was made for US TV.

The content presents a somewhat idealistic and benign-ized vision of our impact on the planet, which really misses the point of actually addressing what are the harmful things we are doing right now and which our descendants will curse us for.

Citizen Kane (1941)

Outdated, possibly used to be great

[2/10 · 23 September 2009]

Citizen Kane is one of these films that one feels obliged to watch in order to be able to discuss it with other film fans.

I found that as sound take is still 1941 technology the low quality of the sound makes the dialogue nearly impossible to follow. Am I unfair? Possibly, but when Orson Wells rejoices in background noise over spoken dialogue, not so much

Actors are awfully static, and they do not convey emotions, they do not raise empathy, I found it impossible to connect with them.

The shooting is sometimes innovative, fairly modern, but I do not judge the merits of a film for the impact it had on other films, nor how good or how new it was when it came out, I judge it for what it produces on me now.

As for the story, the "mystery" of Rosebud being the sort of philosophical thought that a man always longs for his childhood happiness, sorry about that, but it does not justify 90 minutes.

I resent the lack of clues towards that mystery too. It seems that Orson Wells thought "I'm going to do the biography of a media tycoon, what could I do to pretend there is a story?" and then came up with some sort of vague philosophical idea about the meaning of life, et voila!

If you disagree with this opinion and think "He did not get the true meaning of the film", just remember this one thing: I judge a film for what it brings to me now, not for what it brought others a long time ago.

By today's standards, Citizen Kane has fallen into the "old boring film" category.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

A story I can't relate to

[3/10 · 25 August 2009]

I watched this yesterday - it's not every day you get to watch something that mythical. So what was all the hype about? Dr Strangelove has a reputation, but that's about it. The plot itself is the weak point of the film: it's irrelevant to us today.

Was it more relevant for people during the cold war? Probably. But for a film to be a classic, it cannot age if the politics have changed.

The treatment of the topic is funny, but only at times (about 3 times during the whole film). I found it long, tedious to watch, and it's not a long film. Peter Sellers is good, but it takes more than his individual talent to lift it up. It was like a story I can't relate to.

It's directed by Stanley Kubrick? So what? I don't rate a film according to who directed it, even if the director is considered a god by some. After all I disliked Eyes wide shut and found 2001 boring too.

So I guess it's probably because I'm not a Kurbick fan in the first place.

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (2008–2009)

Very decent spin off

[8/10 · 20 August 2009]

If you have watched T3 and T4 with the opinion that you did not quite get your money's worth, SCC will probably be decent enough.

Consider that managing to take over Linda Hamilton was not easy, but Lena Headey pulls it elegantly. Thomas Dekker does not have such a challenge, but he needs to fill a character full of contradictions and whose psyche is evolving into JOHN CONNOR.

Gareth Dillahunt as Cromartie is a believable Terminator, and assimilated the spirit of his kind really well, with excellent body language. Summer Glau manages her challenge too. At some times she shows the cold machine logic of the Terminators, with subtle hints at Schwartzy's performance (eg the dialogue about diamonds are a girl's best friend).

At all times, though, where the series excel is in the photography and dialogues, which recall specific moments of T and T2.

The series as a whole tends to create a lot of story lines, and leaves some plot holes as well as incoherences with the canon (eg the skull at the end of the pilot).

Nonetheless there is a great fan work here in the dialogues, shooting style and character work, decent special effects for a series (budget taken into consideration), and IMHO something in that vein (reduced in scope) would have been a better T3 than what we got, a better sequel taking into account that finishing the franchise would also imply working without the Gov of California at some point (T3 with an ageing Arnold was somewhat odd).

Expecting Love (2008)

New Polish cinema on its way... not arrived yet

[4/10 · 30 November 2008]

I watched this with my wife and even she had to acknowledge the shortcomings of this run-of-the-mill romantic comedy.

Pros first: - Hollywood does worse romantic comedies that make more money - Location choice is OK, and cast somewhat convincing - some good quid-pro-quo situations - cheeky pokes at Poland and the Poles, as seen by a foreigner in Poland

Cons... Now where do I start? - Continuity errors. They call a taxi, it's afternoon, it's pitch black in the car ; better: it's night by the window, they leave the building it's daylight, guy goes for takeaway more than 2 miles from his hotel, - Non believable events such as: person recently had surgery moves around in the hospital bed like a puppy, pregnant girl jumps over fences and rides a bicycle

As for the rest of the story, which I cannot describe in too much details, it basically tells the story of a wealth US superficial yuppie who got a Polish girl pregnant and comes to Poland to be with her (instead of getting rid of the matter).

Could have been better written, but shooting is nice, although even in the category 'romantic comedies' it certainly does not deserve (talking for you ladies there) more than half your attention, and would be a complete waste of money buying it on DVD or paying for a seat. Background TV for very busy audiences only.

Donkey Xote (2007)

Poor story

[4/10 · 19 October 2008]

Another reviewer wonders whether this is just drinking up EU subsidies, and I have to admit that a rare Spanish venture in animation ended up in a disaster.

One - animation is decent, although animals look like old Pixar and Dreamworks, or clones of them * especially the donkey, who is 99% Shrek's Donkey, and the hen, very much like in 'for the birds'.

Two - a very complex storyline, based on a very long book with a difficult plot and many subplots... that wasn't a good idea for a cartoon, which gets lost Three - some good second level jokes and some good first level jokes.

Overall... too hard for kids, too long, too convoluted. Pity they hired decent animators but poor editors and script writers.

Meet Dave (2008)

Hard to keep it going, difficult to finish

[5/10 · 16 September 2008]

From the outset, you know this is not going to change your life.

So you expect a reasonably well made family comedy which will give you 90 minutes of entertainment, a few good laughs, and that's it.

I DID laugh, especially in the first half, with Eddie Murphy delivering a sincere and funny performance. The film reminded me a lot of MIB (especially with the little alien in the artificial body) but I do admit that after the first half, I started checking how long was left, and not laughing any more.

That's because you need to end the film, you see. And the writers had a funny idea to start with, and no clue on how to close the script (did they write the script as the shooting was going on? It really looks like it).

Of course if I were 7 years old, I probably would not care much - but as a grown up paying for the seats, I do. I will watch the first half again with pleasure when it's on TV, but I would not recommend paying to see it.

Sex and the City (2008)

Better than expected

[7/10 · 13 August 2008]

I was not expecting a ground breaking experience. In fact, looking at the stats on IMDb i thought this might be a total waste of time. You see, I'm a fan of the show (and a bloke) and the film was advertised far too much. The girls did little more since the end of the show a few years ago but rest, cash on the show, and basically starve artistically speaking. They were so much trapped in their characters that they probably had a tough time finding better roles. So in 2008 with a film that some describe as "a pathetic pele-mele" "a money making venture" "betrayal of the spirit of the show" I was not keen on watching it. Well of course it looked like a bread-making sequel for starved actresses, hey I heard Kim Cattrall delayed it because she asked for a fair lot of money to do it, and even advertised a book under the name of her character.

But then I did watch it and, OK the show was usually funnier and better. But the film has a few clever lines and the plot does not get heavy on the stomach (treated in more time than in a standard episode, which is fair), and it looks like a longer version of an episode, which could have been chopped into 2 "finale" episodes. but it does not feel long, cheesy, or overdone - although the girls take all the attention, all the time. Supporting roles kept faithful to themselves, the set was as good as ever.

In short I would have watched it earlier if there had been a little less marketing around it, because the marketing campaign gave me the feeling the film wouldn't sell itself, so needed to be sold. Do not watch if you did not like the show - but do you need this advice? Otherwise go ahead it's not the 8th wonder of the world but still worth seeing.

Welcome to the Sticks (2008)

Some funny bits, mediocre overall

[5/10 · 18 March 2008]

So this is the comedy that brought France laughing their heads off? I guess I was in the wrong mood to enjoy it or maybe... It must take a strong desire to escape from French reality to enjoy this film.

The actors are OK, and the plot is not complicated (at least has the merit to be simple enough to avoid continuity errors). Now in this age of consciousness of the dangers of alcohol, a film focused on "how funny is it when you're blasted" sounds like how much fun a child has hearing a rude joke than how grown ups enjoy themselves.

While some moments are funny, pushing the language joke too far makes it look like the writers had nothing else to laugh about. OK the accent up North is funny. But NOT funny enough to base a whole film on it! When a single joke "Et je vous dis quoi" turns into a language class and is taking more than one minute and a half, you start wondering if someone had a proper look at the final cut. When that same language joke is repeated four times in 90 minutes you start wondering "is the way northerners speak the only funny thing?"

Do consider as well that the leading character is supposed to come from a region in Southern France where people are known to have a fairly strong accent too, but oddly enough does not have any accent himself, you start wondering whether this "Essex meets Glasgow" film deserves that much attention.

A few good jokes here and there, in particular about how people in Southern France see anything beyond Lyon as "the North (Pole)", a decent performance from the actors, but really, really not worth the hype.

Gattaca (1997)

Not as good as Code 46

[7/10 · 9 November 2007]

I saw Code 46 which in many ways could be compared to Gattaca. For one, the set design is well thought out. In Gattaca, there is a strong contrast between the technology and the fashion, like everyone owns a remake of a 1940s car and out-of fashion suit. This contrasts with modern interiors, Japanish minimalists-West Coast, and the high tech car in the intro sequence, and obviously the technology itself and knowledge of DNA.

The film deals with discrimination on a genetic basis, highlighting even that racial discrimination has vanished - and seems to present a world free from political trouble and poverty. In that sense the eugenics paradise has been achieved, in much the same way as in Brave New World, the book by Aldous Huxley.

In other aspects, Gattaca deals with the eternal topic of a man pursuing a dream, against all odds, and adds a little romance to spice it up.

Nonetheless I felt these topics, the moralism, behind the script was too obvious a recipe, like "I guess you say that to all the girls". My review is rather negative in that respect, but I admit this film is considered a must-see by many others. It just did not live up to my expectations.

Emmanuelle (1974)

Average

[4/10 · 8 November 2007]

This film used to be a classic adult piece and is based on the book, which in itself was judged scandalous when published in 1970 something. Now, thirty years later, it is a fairly stylish soft blue film, which is served beautifully by its soundtrack and somehow by photography, which remains charming and announces the David Hamilton style of Bilitis.

As for the rest - and let's not talk about the supposedly adult character of the film, if anything it spread the word about "French" films in the English speaking world, but has the flavour of a 1970s film, which basically means handlebar moustache and burners, funky shirts and picturesque house furniture (especially in the opening scene in Paris).

Some aspects of the script, such as a rape scene, young Marie-Anne are shocking today - apparently they were not so much back then.

It ranks more as a drama with sex today and should be considered like Basic Instinct or The Lover or even Last Tango, rather than like soft porn. This style has very few exceptions that survive the years, oh! life is difficult for erotic romance.

Still the supposedly intellectual approach to sexuality is fairly boring today, and rather pedantic. 5/10 for a nice soundtrack and photography and a script which does tell a story albeit a dull one.

Alien vs. Predator (2004)

Congenital disease

[1/10 · 7 November 2007]

Warning! Congenital diseases can affect franchises too. When the holders of the Alien and Predator franchises decided to cash on their respective cults, they had only one thing in mind: cash. So a cock and bull story was born, involving a mysterious ruin not crushed under the ice of the Antarctic (reminding me of a small element of a book by Barjavel), and a moving labyrinth, which really was cool given the video game ambitions there. What do you get?

A commercial machine bred from a poor, if not laughable script, a few action scenes which unfortunately cost a lot (less cash for the producers, but they had to), a nice preprequel which in turn can breed as many sequels (one in 2007 - oh no!) as a gullible public will fork out. Watch this on DVD - this way you can fast forward - and obviously do not buy this or you would be counted among the milch cows.

Meet the Fockers (2004)

Laugh out loud for grown ups

[8/10 · 28 October 2007]

Now that is a title that brings a smile on your face! I watched the beginning of Meet the Fockers with a bit of concern about whether this was a waste of time or not. Then, from joke to joke, I got entertained and kept watching.

Jokes are below the belt, and the clash of values between the families is really funny, and in fact this is what really matters when you want a funny film. Not for the whole family but for grownups it will be laugh out loud.

I was also pleased to see De Niro and Dustin Hoffman and a surprising Barbra Streisand, who are so serious, capable of the best dramatic performances, in something so refreshing. I think that they had a lot of fun shooting this, and that in a way it shows.

Flightplan (2005)

A long film

[2/10 · 26 October 2007]

Watching Flight Plan you can only start wondering .., "Is this the Jodie Foster of the Silence of the Lambs? and Sean Bean as in The Lord of the Rings?". Not that their performance is not good, you are just wondering how they could have been dragged into something like this. Starved, "must-be-shooting-something" syndrome which Hollywood stars must be familiar with. Then such scripts have a chance of attracting their attention. Lousy script that is. Playing on a closed environment and a disturbed woman. On top of that you need a plane big enough to host a bar (all those who know how much leg room you have in a real plane will say that THIS is clearly the most unlikely thing of all). Overall a long film, sorry I meant plain boring. Don't waste your time.

Queen of the Damned (2002)

A fairly good sequel... if you forget it is based on a book

[6/10 · 12 October 2007]

A lot of people walk into "The queen of the damned" and ask where is Tom Cruise? Where is Brad Pitt? A lot have read Anne Rice and think "why did they take 3 books into this film and leave half questions unanswered?". So did I. There is far too much in Anne Rice that would get the poor woman into trouble if her writings were read by the man on the street that it was a reasonably safe bet to remove this religiously sensitive material from the film and work on the fun bits of "how much fun can you have when you are a vampire". It looks more like a "Dracula is my friend" than like the strong material where it came from but the whole remains very enjoyable.

Photography and set design in particular are exceptional and if you're not tempted to dress in black, leather jacket, piercing where nature can allow, well you probably never will. I guess young Goths will simply love this film and rush out buy something - anything provided it's black with silver on it.

In my view a very well done sequel that does not claim to be 100% sequel, and a fairly good use of a material which was not easy to get on screen.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (2001)

A beautiful film, an even better book

[9/10 · 12 October 2007]

This excellent adaptation of Louis de Berniere's book is not as good as the book. It is incomplete, and the script is cut with a chainsaw. I gave it a 9. So you need to multiply 9 by 5 or 6 (on a total of 10) to have an idea of what the book deserves. 45? Yeah that's about it.

Really.

The book is a masterpiece of literature and the film chops a major character down to a few lines, another character to a few moments, and major historical plots to insignificant references. Plus the book has the courage of a sad ending whereas the film goes to a happy ending, and still a happy end is what you'd wish because the characters "deserve" it. I gave the film a 9 because managing to make a coherent film when you have thrown away (for lack of time) two thirds of a script and still make such a wonderful film, with actors that fit so well in their role, a film where you will cry and where you will be afraid like you're 6 and everything that happens on the screen is for real, please please forgive them for salvaging the core of the script and making you want to read the book, which will keep you fascinated and remain in your memory for the rest of your days.

The story - but do you really need this in a nutshell? - is about acts of heroism and love and the horrors of the war. Reducing it to a love story is just this, reducing it, and it certainly does not deserve it. Save money, buy Captain Corelli's Mandolin DVD + the book and remember the film is only there so that you can have the joy to read the book, one of the best works ever written.

Brokeback Mountain (2005)

Not a publicity stunt

[7/10 · 12 October 2007]

There was a lot of talk about this film, a lot of publicity because of the gay interest in the script, and like always when there is too much talk, I don't pay for a seat because there are a lot of clever marketing scams around these days.

It went away and then it was in my video store. I waited. Then it went on "3 for a week for a fiver" and I rented it. Ang Lee did a great job there, not only in shooting a difficult story, but also with exceptional photography (it looks like an ad for a cigarette brand, but I don't remember which) and brilliant acting and bringing us back to the US in the 1960s.

The story itself, about a secret love affair, is dealt with cleverly, and with qualities in the script, in the performance, and without cheap and easy voyeurism, which in itself is admirable of Ang Lee. Heterosexual love is the subject of so many films that directors lack practise in treating homosexual love, and with the controversy around Brokeback Mountain managing to get through the minefield was not easy. I felt a bit that only one of the two cowboys was in love with the other - but this is an opinion only, but most importantly it seems to me that Brokeback Mountain deals also with the eternal topic of forbidden love, and in that way manages to send the gay aspect of this love to the background

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)

Faded and not replaced

[5/10 · 9 October 2007]

There is indeed a lot in this film to bring it to cult status. The Holy Hand Grenade, Shrewberry and Knight that say Ni are so weird, beyond any measure that they have had no equivalent. It is wonderful that a film made with such a low budget could survive for so many years, but for me it just did not work, sorry.

I also approached it with high expectations, I mean at 35 I only remembered watching it once when I was 8, and had only vague memories of it. Is it a matter of mood? Humour gone stale or repeated too often as "a film they watched and they remember as great?". Possibly. Some old films are better as memories than for what they are. For their cult status, once built, cannot be completely destroyed.

Holy Grail is possibly one of them. Oh it still has its charm, especially its absurdity and the "we had no budget, and we did better than you with a big one". The Monty Python put a lot of talent there, and are still making a living out of those crazy years but 30 years on (yes, 30 years on), the comedy effect they achieve, which was such a breakthrough, has faded away, at least for a "first time" viewer of 2000. I do not mean something has come to replace it, except maybe Wayne's World, and this is probably the saddest conclusion. Nothing has really replaced the weird Monty Python. So watch this, enjoy it with all its faded absurd humour and hope the next laugh-out-loud film will come within your lifetime.

Back to the Future Part III (1990)

A nice ending

[5/10 · 9 October 2007]

In the third installment of the series, we discover that Doc is alive in the past and Marty goes back to the beginning of his home town, only to find that Doc may be murdered in the past. This one is not as brilliant as the first two, but to its credit it is a nice end to the series, and in fact was scripted and shot with the second installment. I liked the set, which shows how the town has changed without changing - by the clever use of the layout of the set, as well as some jokes that have now become a classic - in particular the reference to Clint Eastwood.

Although this film is not as good as the first one, it is a must watch as it closes the series and although the end is a bit wacky (were they opening the way for a fourth installment?) it is clear that should Michael J Fox be in a position to deliver a fourth installment today "for the sake of cash", the audience would follow. Kids will enjoy this third part more than once. Grown ups once only.