Reviews

I think this movie is the perfect comedy. The situations of the characters are incredibly terrible, yet they are possible ; the movie surprises you because the fun doesn't come from where you expected it ; and the actors bring a really fantastic performance.

Thierry Lhermitte interprets the really bad minded guy, making fun of not-too-bright people using his situation. His character lives in a world cut in two : the hosts, bright, intelligent, cynic and sarcastic, detached from the difficulties of the "common man", and the guests, faithful, hopeful, passionate... and dumb. On this other side of the balance, Jacques Villeret, gives us an extraordinary performance. He succeeds in using his gentle and friendly physic to reveal a not-so-dumb guy, accumulating mistakes with good will. Pignon admires Brochant because of his social situation, but he is sad for him because of Brochant's cruelty. He plays a formidable clown and a real touching man... he once again reveals a real talent and shows how great an actor of comedy can be.

But the actors are not all that deserves compliments. The story is rich, and well explored. And there's no need for giant sets to see Brochant's cold world crash and change : a single apartment is enough (and they even don't blow it !!!), no special effects (apart from the car crash, which wasn't really necessary to show to let the audience understand)... and still the story goes strong and triggers laughters every second !

You really must go and see this movie. Not only is it great entertainment, but it's also a deep reflection on the human nature and how people's behavior transform when they get richer, how they forget the simple pleasures... I wish I could have given 11 to it !

I just wanted to add a few things to what has already been said about this movie. When I went to see it, I really felt the feelings of the young Marcel, his discovery of a whole wild world during his holidays. I've spent a lot of holiday time in Provence when I was young and it's still true that the first time you meet those landscapes, rocks up to the horizon, with the vibration of warm air and everywhere the sound of crickets... It's like a desert, yet it's full of life, and everything you encounter turns to be a marvel. The movie makes you feel it, with the diner late at night, the peaceful and friendly ambiance... the deafening thunder rolling across the land while a real storm bursts in the sky... the old houses of rough stone, the contrast with the activity of the city... everything's there, and you can almost touch it. And not only can you feel the Provence, but you also experience the evolution of the society of these times, with the funny view of little Marcel (I'll always remember the way he speaks of micro-organisms, how they'd just been discovered and how everyone started to fear them as if they hadn't existed until then !). I personally recommend that you see this movie and "Le château de ma Mère" in a theatre, or with a good sound system to reproduce the ambiance of young Pagnol's life... this film is simple in its purpose, but so rich in its details, sets and views that you would feel frustrated with a bad sound!

Wahooo ! This movie is a masterpiece of entertainment, comedy and mystery ! Yes, it's possible ! I won't repeat the story other people have told, but I want to underline the great performance of Michael J. Fox, ectoplasms Columbo (just look at the car !). The wonder duo Zemeckis/Fox once more brings a great moment of fun and action, this time turning to the deads world... Michael J. Fox is the perfect desperate man living upon scams, of a very particular kind. But I think the real best performance was Comb's. I do particularly like this kind of character, the complete weirdo, totally mad, paranoid, aggressive and terrified, but above all completely unpredictable. They are the real elements of surprise, what scrambles completely the story you were in... and he does his job superbly ! Finally, a word about the FX... splendid digital tricks, the Death looks more real than if you'd seen it in front of you. It's an animal, vicious, powerful and hideous,the mind of a madman with the power of demons... This movie is a great achievment, and guarantees a great evening. And even nightmares, who knows...

It's been a surprise for me to see this movie was made in the late 60's. I just can't count the times I've seen it during my childhood, because it was such a great parody of the Hollywood peplum and historical movies. As usual, Goscinny's story and talent brings out a lot of fun and humorous situation, helped by the excellent quality of drawings. Too bad there wasn't enough money to make more frames per sec., but this anime's quality and humour lie in the great work of reconstitution and study of houses, temples, furnitures, each becoming a reason for fun; the two friendly companions Asterix and Obelix once again show their talent helping an architect for a bet between Cleopatra and Caesar. A long and funny story making you travel from the shores of Gaul to the water of the Nile... perfect entertainment for kids (and their parents !). And listen carefully for the lyrics of the "Arsenic pudding" song !!! :)

All of you who despaired looking at the emptiness and weaknesses of Disney Studios' last productions, here comes something that should heal your wounds... Once and for all, A Bug's life brings the proof that purely synthetic pictures conducting a good scenario provides more interest than fake "hand-made-old-Disneys-like" drawings (see the Lion King, Pocahontas, and all the latest productions where you sadly regret that Bambi's magical background and atmosphere are gone forever).

A bug's life (1001 Pattes for my fellow french cinemaniaks !) succeeds in avoiding all the imperfections that make you awaken in the middle of the movie and say "Hey, this thing is computer generated !". No weak parts, a tremendous effort showing its efficiency in the backgrounds and the general look of the sets, an astonishing 3D bird (close to perfection in its imitation of reality)... and that's only to mention the technical aspects.

The scenario, my friends, the real backbone of a motion picture, has some thickness ! Curiously, and obviously thanks to Lasseter's team, there is practically no musical sequence in A bug's life. Which means the story is long and rich enough to free itself from these 3 or 4 minutes that some kids appreciate, but most others dislike (same thing for the parents or the anime fans, like me). This movie reminded me of a really old movie featuring Steve Martin and Chevy Chase : the 3 Amigos ; it had basically the same background story (a whole mexican village living in the fear of a few bad guys hires gunmen (who finally turn to be actors) to protect them, etc...). Simple, but efficient, and brilliantly adapted to a colony of frightened ants facing the wrath of vicious insects.

Since Microcosmos, many movies tell tales of insects, their lives, fears and hopes, but I do think that A bug's life is the funniest and best directed of all. The humanisation process has been perfectly well achieved... And the whole audience was captivated by Flik's (aka Tilt in France) adventures.

A big thank you for Lasseter's team, especially for the last 30 seconds... it's so strange and great at the same time to see a whole theater caught in laughter while the bugs/actors forget their lines or hit the camera...

And finally, especially for those of you who have seen the french version, other congratulations go to the dubbing actors who made a great synchro work on this movie. A bug's life is a really good piece of entertainment, and I think it will soon become part of my collection of videos (a privilege granted to extremely few movies, and that's not a problem of storage room :). Go and see it, that's an order.

Why this title? Simple. A friend of mine invited me to a premiere of this movie, last Monday. We do not consider ourselves as cinemaniacs, but we both know a lot about what has been done these last 40 years. And I'm forced to say that "Asterix and Obelix, the movie" is pulling the global level downwards.

It's always a challenge to adapt a successful comic for the big screen. Many tried and failed (see Lucky Luke, Spawn, etc... only to name the most recent). My opinion is that this movie could have reached its target if Christian Clavier hadn't been involved.

First of all : Asterix, played by Clavier, is far from being funny, intelligent and mischievous like in the comics. The character we see is mainly over-excited, he is as dumb as his nice-but-not-too-bright friend Obelix. And you just can't stand this voice when you've heard Pierre Tornade's interpretation in the cartoon versions....

Next comes Obelix, interpreted by Depardieu. It's curious when you say it, but the character is far too clever. And like Asterix, they talk a lot and don't laugh enough.

Caesar... well, the usual bad guy.

FInally let's turn to the story. It has some interest, but not many efforts have been made to involve the audience. It looks like a shapeless compendium of 2 or 3 comic books,with a strange beginning and a weak end. In between : the vast silence of lack of imagination. Many interesting things could have rose from it all, but everything drowns under the flood of pitiful puns and wordplays... Where are the beautiful views of roman cities, all Goscinny's irony about military states and administrative zeal ???

Oh, I almost forgot the sexy girl, Laetitia Casta... believe me, she was born to be photographed but definitely NOT to act !!! I'm sure all you english-speaking viewers will hear a nice voice after the sound dubbing : remember the French had to deal with the sleepy, boring and un-talented Laetitia. God, forgive her because she doesn't understand what she says...

One phrase to say it all : better buy the comic books collection. This way you'll be sure to have a lot of fun. Or have a look at the films (especially with the Brittons... :))

In a way, Corridors of Time is a success story because the movie reaches its goal : being seen by thousands. But it fails at making them laugh...

Les Visiteurs has had its success, because the subject was an original way of considering the time travel : forget about Zemeckis's Back to the future, here comes the old France, the middle-age knight and its nearly barbaric way of life. Full of pride, funny thanks to the ancient words he uses, Montmirail can sometimes be disgusting but he keeps his honor. Then comes the sequel.

Nobody had foreseen the tremendous success of Les Visiteurs, the first. And it's no use being a movie expert to realize that the Corridors of Time has been made for money.

The general story begins after the end of Les Visiteurs, and immediately tries to justify the sequel with a time paradox that would have needed some second tought. Explanation : it's no use trying to get back the jewelry Jacquouille has stolen ; don't you remember this nice red shiny and expensive car he bought at the end of the 1st episode ? Where do you think he found the money ? Selling the jewelry... And that's only one of many holes Poiré tries to avoid... and fails.

Let's have a look at the characters : Montmirail doesn't change, he's just a little more boring. Regarding Frenegonde... that's another story : Valérie Lemercier decided not to compromise herself in this sequel to avoid getting stuck in the bourgeoise role. And Muriel Robin tries to imitate her in a way that I found so pitiful I nearly felt pain for her. And Poiré doesn't realize that a cast of humorists isn't enough to make a good comedy.

Forget about the time travels, about the digital effects, concentrate on the story and you'll see that there's enough room on a mail stamp to write it 10 times.

The main interest of this film is the landscapes. A movie for youngsters, let's say up to 13 years old.

As a French, I can only say one thing : this is one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Not only because the scenario is empty, the actors subexistant and DeNiro looking like he's been bit by a pit bull. It's essentially because : 1- French people have other forenames than Jean-Paul, Jean-Pierre, Jean-Luc or Jean Whatever. 2- French police don't let anyone drive on the wrong way, whether it happens in Paris, Nice or anywhere. 3- If some reason had been used when writing the scenario, there would have been absolutely NO CAR CHASE IN PARIS, for the simple reason that the Périphérique is ALWAYS JAMMED. 4- Michael Lonsdale is not typically french just because his hair is dirty 5- If you consider Pulp Fiction and cut the story about the suitcase, the movie still has some value. Try to do the same with Ronin : the movie is now 5 minutes long. Including the cast.

If you're desperate with life, if you like to get bored to tears, try to have a look at this. But do not bring your girlfriend, she's still mad at me because I took her out to see it. As a real frenchman could say, "Si tu tiens à la vie, passe ton chemin".

Corridors of time. The movie you can watch if you're looking for a sophisticated way of suicide. Some use guns, ropes, or gas, but you want to ruin your brains ? Do not wait any longer ! Corridors of time is probably one of the biggest possible mistakes : thinking Christian Clavier is able to act and to bring you fun. I do not miss the 45 francs this poor thing cost me : sometimes, one has to reset its evaluation system looking at the absolute zero. This film deserves a 2/10, but that's only because I like Jean Reno. Too bad for him, he also stars in Ronin. I think I'm gonna dislike him...

Pitiful. Desperately boring. I've seen this movie the same day I watched the 5th Element. The story is just unbelievable. Example : Delon and Belmondo do not know each other, but when they take their weapons for the gunfight (in an arsenal worthy of Saddam Hussein in his best days), they joke about an hypothetic "good old time" when they obviously have met... Another example : everyone knows that a latex ball (you know, the kind your dog likes to bite) is the perfect tool to steal a Mercedes or a BMW : just push it hardly, it's magic, forget the keys !!! I could have talked about the "hidden daughter" that comes back after years, but it has been used and reused so many times... I was even surprised to learn that Leconte had been unimaginative enough to use it again ! As an advertiser, he knows his job. But this movie convinces me he should stop spoiling film... Turning to Belmondo and Delon, they are lost for action movies. And Paradis... well, she was a rebellious teenager in "Noces blanches". And she looks quite the same in "1 chance sur 2". Perhaps she'll dare to act as something else one day... who knows, maybe as an actress !

This anime is a pure chef-d'oeuvre. And you can believe a french man saying it. As usual, Miyazaki Hayao brings wonderful drawings, smooth character animation and background pictures have obviously been done with great art and hard work. What makes the difference with any Disney-like anime is the movie-making talent of the Ghibli Studio team. The scenario exists, it has depth and induces reflection. About the hopes of people, their fate, the greed of adults, their lack of imagination and permanent war-making attitude... In the center of the story, 2 children, who fight to find and to preserve Laputa, the flying castle/tree, magnificent and deadly. This movie makes you laugh, think, and it even made me cry (and that's not so frequent). My advice : watch it and go directly to sleep. The movie still runs in your dreams.