philcold_59 Reviews

F9: The Fast Saga (2021)

If absurdity could be a movie name, it would be this one

[3/10 · 4 February 2023]

I give it 3 stars out of respect for 1: The actors 2: The special effects, the music department, the costume designers.

3: Stunts and the rest of the people who didn't participate in the script, production or direction, because those who did are not worthy of a star.

This is the most absurd film I have ever seen.

The question is, why did I see it to the end?

The explanation is simple: because I wanted to see if the next absurd situation or action could be more ridiculous than the previous one... And yes, it was possible.

I wonder what the writers smoked before writing all this, but I think that those who gave the green light to the production must have been smoking something stronger.

Rogue Heroes (2022–2024)

Anacronism kills truthfulness

[7/10 · 18 January 2023]

Despite the interesting story and well done action scenes, this show could have been perfect if characters have been realist with the period of time they represent.

There are few characters too much modern there, in my opinion not quite representative of the people living in that time, characters more like soldiers who fought in recent wars.

To make matters worse, the music is not adequate, making us listen to songs and electric guitar solos that have nothing to do there.

I miss the days when great composers like Jerry Goldsmith and others would have composed music that would have thrilled us with the action scenes and the quieter moments, instead of listening to modern bands that don't fit at all to this time.

It is obvious that this was done to appeal to a younger audience, to make them appreciate the series and to broaden the viewer base.

Fatman (2020)

Mondo Boys music?

[25 December 2020]

Sorry, I shall not critic the movie in this case, anyway I can say that I found it entertaining and different of many others Christmas movies. My critic goes to the music by Mondo Boys... Sorry to say that, but part of the music is a clear plagiarism of the music "Rabbia E Tarantella" by Ennio Morricone. I thought that it should be said.

The Chalet (2017–2018)

It deserve your patience

[10/10 · 21 May 2018]

This show starts slowly... We are waiting for something important, we feel that something important has to arrive, but it comes slowly, step by step... And this is what the story wants to create on us, a sentiment of urgency, because we want to know what is going to come. Then, things begin to take place. We see that things are happening, even if we do not know why, and little by little things are taking their place, until the puzzle is complete, intriguing, captivating, very good.

Daredevil (2015–2018)

The best superhero show

[10/10 · 16 March 2018]

As a great fan of Daredevil since now more than 45 years, I can say that this is the best superhero show that I have ever seen. Tense, serious, very well filmed, with real good dialogues (far from teenagers dialogues of the most part of the other superhero shows), with good acting, with a hero who suffers emotionally and physically... With very good scenarios... What else can we ask for? ... Oh, yes... We can ask for... More!

The Jews (2016)

Mr. Attal, you should not praise the jews while ridiculing the chistians

[2/10 · 19 February 2018]

What is the worst way of defending our identity? The way which uses the mockery of the identity of others. This is what Yvan Attal does when he wants to explain that the jews are in possession of truth while the christians believe in someone who died on a cross to save the World, when anybody else could have done it, even a sinner, and christian believers could have believed in him also. It is a despicable way of using the Jewish unbelieving on Christ, and it is regrettable that it is made in a movie which would have been able to be interesting otherwise. So, Mr. Attal, trying to justify the jewish people when they protest against antisemitism, you fall on the other part of the ravine, mocking the christians.

Anthropoid (2016)

Anthropoid Vs HHhH

[9/10 · 7 May 2017]

It's curious that what pushed me to watch "Anthropoid" was the fact that I had read the novel HHhH by Laurent Binet relating the same events, and I was waiting impatiently to the movie HHhH (aka "The Man With The Iron Heart"), when I saw that this one was nearest to be released.

I first thought that "Anthropoid" should be probably inferior to "HHhH" (Don't ask me why, I don't know), and I was not too much motivated to see it. Then I saw, (thanks IMDb), that "HHhH" was going late, and "Anthropoid" was finally the first to be released.

I could not watch it at the cinema, and had to wait to its DVD release. I finally watched this movie yesterday (I have to say that the Blu-Ray release is not too good), and I loved it a lot.

This movie is a "must see", I recommend it to everyone, and specially to those who are interested on events of the second World war, being this one a very important one. The ambient is very well recreated, the tension and the suspense catch you from the beginning and holds you in its claws until the final moment. The action is very well designed and the performances are very good.

What else? Two hours during which you can relive one of the important moments of the resistance during the Second World War.

I have only one wish now: that "HHhH" is better than "Anthropoid" (it shall be difficult!), and that then we will be able to say "Please, make us more presents as those".

Spectre (I) (2015)

Could have been better

[7/10 · 5 March 2016]

This Bond is not so bad, but there is something that could have done it better: a good villain. Obviously we always tend to compare the last Bond with the previous one. In this case, we compare Spectre with Skyfall. By avoiding other comparisons that other people have done, in my opinion the most important is that where the first one had a very good villain (Bardem was excellent), this one lacks of it. Christophe Waltz is an excellent actor, one of the best in this moment, but he is not too much present in the movie, and when he is present he does not transmit all the wickedness that he should. He seems too kind, also too fragile to be as evil as his character should be, and we feel immediately that he is not a dangerous rival for 007. At the end of the movie I felt immediately that this was the error. I would have liked seeing more confrontations between James Bond and his opponent, and, why not, confrontations between Waltz and Craig as actors, but we have not had too much opportunities for that.

Woman Under Influence (2015 TV Movie)

A film that everyone must see

[9/10 · 9 October 2015]

I saw this movie yesterday evening, with my wife and my son (19 years) and none of us remained insensible to the message passed on meanwhile, when we remained nailed on our seats, attending the hardness of what live this woman and her children under the influence of a violent husband and because of the impassiveness of the major part of the society, in face of such situations which reproduce too often in our world, around us. The acting is quite good and the transmitted message leaves nobody insensible. This movie answers very well the questions that can arise, on the reasons which can get a victim of domestic violence to keep silent, and to stand such acts. Everybody should see this movie, to become aware that our silence is only the complicity of the men who mistreat their women and their children. I highly recommend this movie because it can be a revulsive to change something in our society and maybe avoid similar situations.

Prisoners (2013)

Disturbing do not mean bad

[9/10 · 3 March 2014]

I do not agree with bad reviews for this movie.

I think that there is certain confusion for people, between " I do not like this movie " and " I do not like what this movie tells ".

When a story, in a movie, disturbs us, if it lowers us the look or obliges us to look away from the screen because we do not support what we see, it does not mean that the movie is bad. If that we see puts back us at home with a bad sensation in the stomach because of the cruelty, of the hardness of what we contemplated, it does not mean that the movie is exaggerated. Unfortunately, reality often overtakes fiction.

All this can even mean that the movie is very good. It can mean that the acting is superb.

We cannot judge a movie by our limitations, our prejudices or our way of conceiving life. We go to see a movie to escape us of our own life, remove our spirit of our everyday life, or know what happens around us, even if it can be surprising and disturbing.

Give a chance to this movie, watch it, because it is one of the best of 2013.

The Red Balloon (1956)

47 years after...

[10/10 · 21 February 2014]

I first saw this movie when I was 7 years old, in France. It is now so far as 47 years. What a wonderful movie, who tells about love, envy, travel, incomprehension on behalf of the others, dreams of childhood, passion for our belongings, blindness of the adults and many more... I have never given a 10 for any movie. But I give it to this one, because it is the movie which gave me the desire to see movies. It is the movie which had created in me the passion for stories told with images and music. Life is so beautiful and the cinema gives to our lives still to take advantage of it, with a simple story to be told, so simple as that of that red balloon flying over our heads.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

What did Lucas and Spielberg had smoked before making this movie?

[3/10 · 21 February 2013]

Did I lost something between the last Indiana Jones, which was wonderful, and that one?

Innocence not, because I lost it long time ago, and before the first Indy.

Did I maybe lost my head? It is possible, because I had a big brain accident a few years ago, which causes me a coma of 5 days... And I am verifying just now that it was just on the release date of that movie.

But it seems that my stroke was contagious for Lucas and Spielberg, because they made a deliriously movie, where nothing stands, where the characters ring false, whose history has neither feet nor head, and where Indy did not even has his place.

Instead of Lucas, I shall have finished the movie with a scene where Indiana Jones wakes up from a bad dream after delirium due to high fever. That should have made the movie more credible.

The Hole (1960)

Better than playing video games

[9/10 · 15 November 2012]

My son was 14 years old when he saw that movie for the first time. That was 2 years ago, in 2010, so this film had 50 years when he saw it. I tell everybody I can, that this movie became one of my son's favorites, and I tell this because I consider important, so far, that people do not think that today's cinema is the best and the only one that young people can like, but that youth have lots of old movies to discover, lots of good moments to share with adults and with other young people, discovering many movies which were made without special effects, without high budgets, but with good "savoir-faire", great ideas, good actors and a big dose of love for the cinema.

How many moments is losing today's youth with video-games and stupid teenager movies, when they have a great treasure to discover in such old movies.

Since then, my son is ready to see the old movies which I propose to him, being sure he will have a good time that will remain etched in his memory.

The Big Year (2011)

A good movie, too much underrated

[8/10 · 3 October 2012]

I saw that movie with my wife. She was not convinced to see it, because she does not like Jack Black, does not like Owen Wilson, and she does not like Steve Martin in his last movies. Anyway, instead of this, she loved the movie because she loves birds.

In my opinion, there are a few reasons more to love this film.

Jack Black is sober in his acting. Not too much exaggerated, altered, psychotic...

Owen Wilson seems to continue acting for Woody Allen, this time playing a man suffering between his love for success and his love for his wife.

Steve Martin continues running after planes with his baggage, like if he was still acting in "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" .

My son, 16 years old, loved the movie because of good laughing sequences and sane spirit of the film.

I loved it because bad ratings given here had persuaded me that I would see a bad movie, while it is charming, funny and full of spirit.

My daughter was not there to see it... But she shall probably see it soon.

The Memory of a Killer (2003)

Better than many others

[9/10 · 6 January 2012]

American thriller are often a reference in my own valuation of this movies genre.The performances, the rhythm and the editing of the action, the interest of the story and its solvency, the quality of the production, the music, are generally safe values in the American cinema and reach lesser levels in this kind of European movies, except some rare cases in the French or British cinema. But what a Belgian movie combines all these qualities up to a point above suspicion, is a surprising thing, and this film does it. I recommend this movie to all the amateurs of this genre. They won't be disappointed. This movie reaches the quality levels higher than heap others who were more conceited by counting with renowned actors and even more experimented directors. I am amazed that no American producer was interested to remake it in the U.S.A. with American actors, as they often do with the other European movies.

Battle Los Angeles (2011)

Did we see the same movie?

[8/10 · 4 August 2011]

Maybe I did not see the same movie that most of the people who gave a bad vote to this one. How can someone say that this movie is bad? If you put in a balance what is bad and what is good in this film, you will inevitably arrive at a good notation. The acting is very acceptable in every character. The effort of the actors is evident, from the children to the adults. Since the less important characters to the most important one. The screenplay is good, in spite of clichés. Those who wanted to see a science-fiction movie, can be frustrated because there is not too much science fiction scenes, it is most a war movie than a science fiction one, but special effects are very good. Taking it as a war movie, it is a very good war film. Situations are credible in the most part. There are not exaggerated scenes like those of some latest movies, which in theory should be less inclined in exaggerated scenes (I think on movies like Mission Impossible II for an example, and many more, too much, lately). There is just a too long scene, this one of the battle against the aliens in the moment that the soldiers want to save the children by making them abseiling, but the action continues well. The music of Brian Tyler is considerable, often good, and accompanying well the action. The photography is good too, and the editing is effective. Due to a comment in IMDb, that I had read before watching the movie, I was afraid to see too much "shots extremely herky jerky close-ups", because I suffer from dizziness sometimes and I was afraid of not appreciating the movie in these conditions, but I was surprised to discover that this comment was exaggerated.

In summary I shall say that this movie is more than reliable, even very good in some scenes, that is why I have the impression, when I read certain comments on IMDb, not to have seen the same movie as the others.

Bound by Honor (1993)

Blood In Blood Out... The music too

[10/10 · 13 May 2010]

I've read several comments about this movie and I agree with most of them that give an excellent note to this film. For my part, I'd like to tell to everyone who likes movie scores that Bill Conti has made a fantastic job in this one. The music of Blood In Blood Out is amazing. It serves really well the ambiance and the spirit of the movie and I don't understand why this score has been so ignored by music amateurs. I dare to compare the chemistry which arose from this collaboration between the images of Taylor Hackford and the music of Bill Conti to the one who was born in the sixties between Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone. Great job Mr. Conti. Thank you for your talent.