D.Moore

Three and a half rounded up mostly for the sensational Dustin Hoffman. Had he been given a little more space, had Burns played better (or had someone else replaced him), and had there not been a slight ennui at times, those stars might have been proper.

Flushed Away is a cartoon that I can say I'll be happy to watch again later on. Lots of ideas, jokes, funny characters and a really devilishly devised plan of the robber boss... Add to that the singing slugs, toad ninjas + mimes, references to classic Aardman films with Wallace (his jacket between the suits at the beginning) and Gromitt (we only get to see the poor guy’s head) as well as Chicken Run, a wink at Pixar and other omnipotence (a cockroach reading Kafka's “The Metamorphosis" - oh my!)... Thanks to all this, I didn't even mind that the story is a pretty ordinary fable about "how an abandoned mouse became not abandoned". I'm rounding up four stars and a bit for "Tom Jones" as well.

The cleverly written story benefits mainly from the pair of actresses in the main roles and plays with the viewer in such a way that first the first one is likeable, then the second, then both, then a moment later neither of them... And finally... Let’s just say it's worth it. In the Scarlett X Natalie battle, the latter did it for me this time (which I was surprised by), Eric Bana is fit to be the king, and Kristin Scott Thomas' mother is clearly the leader of the supporting characters. I praise the costumes, the cinematography and the music, but I don't praise the almost two-hour runtime, which seemed unnecessarily long about fifteen minutes before the end. Still giving it four stars, though.

Where do you stand? 1) Do you love the Stones and know their songs by heart? If so, there's nothing to worry about - this two-hour show will be your ticket to rock and roll paradise.__2) Do you know two or three songs by the Rolling Stones and want to see what their show is like? No problem, go ahead and watch Shine a Light.__3) You don't care about The Rolling Stones and you're just wondering what the hell Scorsese made? You better slow down a little bit, then. This film is mainly about the band and their concert. Don't expect a No Direction Home-style documentary that tells you more than the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry. You only get to enjoy Scorsese (as a personality) in the opening quarter hour, which is great though - the nerves over the playlist are especially good. The rest is "just" about Marty's flawless and superbly playful recording of the concert, interspersed here and there with archival documentaries.__I belong to the first category and I was in seventh heaven. Five stars.

A film about a woman whose beauty managed to silence an entire town. Malena is Tornatore's study of human characters, in which the envy, lust and hypocrisy of adults and the dreams of those who have yet to become adults are at the forefront. The film is clever and, above all, initially warm - but all the more surprising is its dramatic part, which I can't call anything but dark and full of crap. There is no point in describing the charms of Monica Bellucci, because even a blind person would notice them, so I will just praise the direction of Mr. T. and the precise music of Mr. M., which gives it all the proper juicy Italian atmosphere. Four and a bit.

Spider-Plant Man is not a groundbreaking event, it's not even explosively funny, and you'd almost feel like you've "seen it before" if... if it hadn't starred Atkinson, Broadbent, Pegg, Robinson, Frost and Crook. For the opportunity to see them all together in a refreshing quarter-hour flick and for a decent number of funny moments, I give it four stars. As a feature film, SPM probably would have failed (there have been enough parodies on the subject already), but I don't mind it this way.

I give it four stars, and I like giving them. The Invention of Lying is an atypical romantic comedy that is smart, funny and touching at the same time. Ricky Gervais proves that when it comes to the driest possible humor, he has no competition. But he surprised me with the way he handled dramatic positions (the scene with the mother). The film should be taken as a kind of message, a journey into the strange human soul living in a strange world of truth, and as a humorous subject for healthy reflection. Then it works great.__P.S. If you liked Gervais' Ghost Town, don't hesitate for even a second.__P.P.S. If you didn't like Ghost Town, then hesitate... But give The Invention of Lying a chance anyway. You may be pleasantly surprised. I'm not lying.

There's no comparison with the audio recordings. There are a few good jokes, but awkwardness mostly prevails.

No matter how I look at Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, it always looks perfect. The actors. The visuals. The retro atmosphere. The funny script and funny dialogues. Ubiquitous fantasy. Shearmur's music. What we have before us is a much underrated gem that combines the adventures of a gentleman named Biggles with the fun of Star Wars and the imagination worthy of Karel Zeman with a nostalgic tear in the corner of the eye. Five and never otherwise.

The weakest The Hire so far (though it is not a failure). Lee conceives the story in his own way, shows us the car chase with classical music as one big dance number and not as a spectacular action scene, there are a few jokes, including a cool Hulk reference... I can't say I was bored, but it just lacked something.