2014 Movie Diary

It's really not easy to do a rip-off. It takes a strong scenarist, a great cast, some intelligent references to the original. Maleficient has it all: it is well written, well played, and brilliantly done. Overall, one of my favorites of the year. (29.12)

(01.11)

(29.10)

(11.10)

(10.10)

(10.10)

(10.10)

This is how you write a thriller. Complex, brilliantly orchestrated and with great performances from Ludivine Seigner and Kristin Scott Thomas. (24.07)

I don't know why I've waited so long to see this film. Julie Taymor is an amazing director, and what we see in Frida proves it. Aestetically achieved and completed with a strong cast, the film is inspiring, true and full of light. (21.09)

Buck Angel is an interesting character for this kind of portrait. Avoiding pathos, the director shows us a strong male figure, which truly makes an effort to raise awareness on trans issues. (18.09)

(17.09)

A strong trio of actors carries this noir story about family, grief and the unknown. From the beginning, we feel that something is wrong, and 'til the end we're reaching for what exactly is the explanation for all this mystery. (17.09)

Such an amazing cast and a wonderful scenario. This short film leaves me eager to see the next films of the talented Monia Chokri. (16.09)

It worths it for the amazing performance of Charlize Theron as Ravenna, the Evil Queen. But her counterpart, Kristen Stewart, doesn't really nail it to my sense. The film has its long moments, and I've had to take pauses for reaching the end. See it for Charlize, or don't. (16.09)

(13.09)

A strange film, a film within a film which tells the tentative of two directors to recreate some deleted footage from Crusing (William Friedkin, 1980). Though the idea is interesting, Franco's message about sexual liberty and right to image may encroach the narrative, which results in a blurred, cold tale about how such a film is made. (12.09)

Real, strong and talented Elaine Stritch truly opens up in this documentary, where we see Stritch's humor and love of life as much as her struggles and her vulnerability. Magnificent. (11.09)

Now a classic. Rewatched. (11.09)

I heard so much about this film, I was definitively expecting more. Maybe it's the genre, the complex story or the english dubbing, but I haven't been moved by the film. I took me long to watch it to the end. (10.09)

Rewatched. Preparing a class. (09.09)

(08.09)

One word : Amazing. What I really loved about the franchise is that there's never a dull moment in Harry Potter. Everything is dramatic, every detail is important. (08.09)

I wanted to love this film as much as I loved Ma nuit chez Maud. But it was impossible. It wasn't bad at all, but I would have wanted to hear more about desire, which is the key element of the film. (27.07)

Rewatched. Still charmed.(16.07)

An amazing Scarlett Johannson in this strong movie on desire, image and fantasm. I loved the minimalism of the scenes and dialogues, which autorizes us to feel more than to try to explain. One of my best cinematic experiences of the year. (07.06)

Having made a master on Pink Flamingos, I've thought I knew everything about Divine and the world of John Waters. I've been surprised how much new information was in this documentary, and happy to see new archives of Divine. (25.05)

A documentary on The Cockettes, a wild theatre troupe in the 60s era, which featured Divine at some moments. I just love this proto-punk style, with all its contradictions. (25.05)

Performance video. The artist make a list of all the tools she got in the kitchen, in a particularly violent way. (24.05)

A weird silent film with food, half-naked women and a zombie-like aesthetic. (24.05)

A parody of Bergman films. The first apparition of Madeline Kahn. (24.05)

Surprisingly good. A kind of lynchian thriller about the gaze of the porn spectator. A nice aesthetic, even for its apparently cheap budget. (16.05)

(16.05)

An interesting documentary on what it means to be "masculine" in the gay world. (10.05)

A film with its lenghts, but interesting suspense. Plus Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Bonnaire make a really good duo. (10.05)

(24.04)

I feel Dolan wanted to create an atmospheric film, more oppressive and heavy. The intention is laudable, but maybe because of its abrupt ending, I left the movie theater with the impression of something missing, an outcome that didn't happen. (08.04)

Wonderful. Opulent, magnificent and filled with an amazing cast. Strong characters. Dolan surprises me each time. (01.04)

Rewatched. Strong, contemplative film. Ideal to shut your head and just live. (30.03)

Rewatched. Because this film is everything. (19.03)

Every film maniac MUST SEE this film. Recycling cuts from throughout the history of cinema, György Pálfi creates a touching story around the cinematic clichés. To watch absolutely. Plus-value : you'll always try to guess "Oh, from what film is this frame?". Hours of amusement. (21.03)

What was that strange thing I've had before my eyes? In the tradition of Tetsuo, Rubber's Lover is a wild cyberpunk delirium with some over-the-top performances. To watch if you feel like it. (21.03)

An introduction to the gay Ball scene in the 1980s, with great interviews, strong characters, memorable quotes and touching stories.(07.03)

For the upcoming Maleficient movie, it was only fair to go watch her first appearance. Anyway, I still don't know my Disney classics, so I must remedy the situation. Great classic of animation, which has not aged a bit. (09.02)

(25.01)

(25.01)

Thrilling documentary about Robert Lepage's work at the Metropolitan Opera with Wagner's Ring. Impressive, and really instructional on the method of Lepage. (05.01)

Rewatched. (04.01)