The Mummy

July 29, 2018July 29, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

I found this action movie rather average and, if they wanted to do horror, well, I wasn’t scared. It is well paced and the acting is good (although Tom Cruise is getting a little old for this, his two female co-stars, Annabelle Wallis & Sofia Boutella, are great), but the story is rather predictable — however, mixing Jekyll & Hyde (Russell Crowe) with it was a surprise! I also like the “Egyptian” designs (the flashbacks, the look of Princess Ahmanet, the tomb & sarcophagus — a little reminiscent of Giger style). It’s interesting that, just in case the movie would be successful enough, they’ve put an open ending to allow for a sequel. I hope not. This reboot of The Mummy franchise offered a nice mindless entertainment but, alas, nothing more (Rotten Tomatoes concurs with a critical rating of 15% !). What’s scary is that The Mummy is supposed to be the first movie in the reboot of Universal’s Dark Universe (Jekyll & Hyde [with Russell Crowe — now the cross-over with The Mummy makes sense!], Frankenstein [with Javier Bardem], Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Invisible Man [with Johnny Depp], etc.). The next movie in line should be Bride of Frankenstein [dir. Bill Condon, with possibly Angelina Jolie or Gal Gadot in titular role] first announced for Valentine’s Day 2019 but its release has now been delayed!

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In this corner of the world

July 27, 2018July 28, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

Another great animation—this time by a less known director (at least in this corner of the world, but Sunao Katabuchi has also directed the TV series Black Lagoon and the movies Princess Arete and Mai Mai Miracle). This is a very traditional Japanese animation which is not drawn in the cute style we usually associate with anime. It is soft, pastel-like, yet a little sketchy. It is also realistic in its concept but yet cute in its own way. However, despite a good dose of humour (through the awkwardness of the main character and how she sees the world through her drawings), the story is quite serious as it chronicles the life and hardships of a young bride in the pre-war and, later, the WW2-era Japanese countryside in Kure. Despite the cartoony style, it is very precise in the description of the everyday life, the clothings, the food rationing, and the military details (warships, bombings, etc.). It is really touching, beautiful, educational and entertaining (although it is a bit long at 129 mins). Like Grave of the Fireflies describes the life after the firebombing of Tokyo, this movie is painting a detailed portrait of the life of ordinary Japanese citizens in the Hiroshima area before the A-bomb and a little after. It is a must-see movie that has been nominated for and received several awards both in Japan and abroad.

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Your name.

July 26, 2018July 28, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

I had forgotten how amazing it was to watch an anime that’s so great you are at loss of words, feeling awestruck, almost like it’s a religious experience. I cannot really begin to describe the complex storytelling of this animation. It’s the story of a teenage romance between a Tokyo boy and a countryside girl who swap bodies as they are linked through space and time by some sort of old Shinto god. Or was it just a dream? It’s a truly fantastical tale — as it follows more or less Todorov’s definition of the genre. And yet, it’s also science-fiction because it involves a comet, some meteorites and technology — cellphones, etc. — is instrumental in the storytelling. In that aspect, it might be an allegory on the kind of relationships people can have through social media without never even meeting in person. But the really extraordinary part is the exceptional quality of the animation. It’s so realistic, precise and beautiful that it does really feel like a dream. You want to be there, to visit this remote part of Japan in the Gifu prefecture!

I could say so much about this movie and yet I just cannot find the words to describe how I feel. You really have to see it to understand how great it is. But, of course, if you’re a fan of Makoto Shinkai, you already know all this. He really is a master animator/director. And with each new movie he surpasses himself (mostly Voices of a Distant Star in 2002, The Place Promised in Our Early Days in 2004, 5 Centimeters per Second in 2007, The Garden of Words in 2013). There’s also a light novel and a manga adaptation, both written by Shinkai. Your name. A must!

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Jumanji: Welcome to the jungle

July 22, 2018July 22, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

I don’t remember the 1995 version with Robin Williams, besides that it was silly. This more modern version is a little less silly and has much more action. It’s a teen movie so we must not take it too seriously, but it is quite clever in its storytelling. I enjoyed it quite a lot. The play with the characters getting totally opposite avatars in the game (especially the vain girl becoming the fat man [Jack Black]) is quite funny. The Rock (a.k.a. Dwayne Johnson) is really good at comedy and the movie is worth it just to see Karen Gillan again. It’s a good light entertainment that will make you laugh (or at least smile). It was released as a Christmas movie and was rather successful at the box-office (bringing in nearly ten times its cost in revenue!) and was relatively well received by the critics (76% at Rotten Tomatoes). A sequel is planned for next year.

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

July 22, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

This is certainly one of the best DC movies (after Wonder Woman of course). It has plenty of good action, interesting story and a very powerful storytelling. I greatly enjoyed it even if it is a bit long and the Hulk-like final enemy/monster is rather disappointing and irritating — the concept of a monster full of energy who fires death rays feels a lot like Godzilla, so no extra point for originality here. I guess you get the best drama when you put emotion at play (or someone’s mama) while pitting super-heroes against each other. I only wish I would have watched this movie before its sequel, Justice League! They also made Lex Luthor into a Batman-type vilain, making the genius albeit evil boy into a simply mad genius — I am not sure if that was a good or a bad thing… Once again, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot offer good performances. Anyway, with this movie you get a great (somber) ambiance and epic battles that make it worth watching. As often, Rotten Tomatoes disagrees with a critical rating of only 27% !

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Justice League

July 17, 2018July 22, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

This movie offers an interesting ensemble of super-heroes (some more known than others, like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, other less known like the Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg). I like Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot in their super-heroes roles. Unfortunately, the bad guy, Steppenwolf, reminds me too much of the Thor movies… As it starts slow and never really takes off, Justice League provides only average action and storytelling, and is overall just good enough to keep you interested (and entertained) into seeing how it ends. The good thing is that you can still “enjoy” the movie even if, like myself, you have not read any of the comics or seen the previous movies introducing the plot and the new DC Extended Universe (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) or its characters (Man of Steel, Wonder Woman, and, lets not forget the bad guys, Suicide Squad). In the end, it doesn’t feel very original. Yawn… Rotten Tomatoes agrees with a critic rating of 40%, although the fans liked it (audience score of 74% !)

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Alienated

July 8, 2018July 9, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

Catching up on some of the movies recorded on my PVR, I decided to watch the latest two movies from the Alien franchise: Alien Resurrection and Alien: Covenant.

In this 1997 sequel of the Alien franchise, Ripley is brought back to life by cloning in order to deliver an alien embryo for an army mad-scientist to study. Of course, everything goes wrong and close quarter’s chases ensue. However, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Delicatessen, Amélie) is no Ridley Scott and the movie doesn’t have the thrill of the original and is riddled with inconsistencies. I’ll list two. First, cloned someone along with the parasite that infects her, and she keeps her personality and memories? Even the pseudo-explanations given to justify that doesn’t make any sense! Second, the alien queen switches from oviparous reproduction to viviparous in the middle of the movie, as she gives birth to the end-level monster which ends up so weak and pitiful that you almost want to champion him instead of the good guys. However, I like that the genetically-mixed Ripley, believe it or not still played by Sigourney Weaver, is such an ambivalent character that you keep wondering whether she’s the bad guy of the movie. I also like the character of Call, played by Winona Ryder. Despite those few positive aspects, the movie is barely entertaining. For once, Rotten Tomatoes seems to agree with me (critics rating at 55% and audience rating at 39% !).

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Alien: Covenant is the 2017 sequel to the Alien prequel, Prometheus, both directed by Ridley Scott. His experience and skills make for a story that is a more suspenseful thriller than the movie above, but after so many iteration, it unfortunately has nothing original left to offer. It’s the same old story. Katherine Waterston, who plays Daniels, the movie’s heroine, is a suitable replacement for Ripley. But in the end the movie received only an overall rating of 66% on Rotten Tomatoes.

A radio signal brings a colony-ship to an earth-like planet home of the ship encountered in Prometheus. There, the android David has released the pathogen that creates a new type of aliens that consumes all animal life on the planet. David awaits, in what looks like an old temple, for new life to visits him so he can pursue further his experiments in creation. I like the fight between the two androids, David and the newer (but emotionally neutered) model named Walter (both played by Michael Fassbender). An opened ending leaves space for yet another sequel. Alien: Covenant is well-made and entertaining, but what’s the point to repeat endlessly the same kind of story? Apparently, that’s what Ridley Scott thinks as well, and he is planning something rather different for the eventual sequel…

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Pline, vol. 5

July 5, 2018July 5, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

Dans le tome précédent : A Rome, la folie croissante de Néron semble laisser toute latitude à Poppée. De son côté, Pline, après le tremblement de terre qui a ravagé Pompéi, fait la connaissance d’un mystérieux voyageur revenu de lointaines contrées.

Plus que jamais assoiffé de connaissance, Pline comprend que les écrits de ses contemporains ou des auteurs du passé ne lui suffiront pas. L’heure du départ a sonné, cap vers l’Afrique !

Pline écoute les récits de Larcius (fils d’un négociant en vin de Pompéi qui a beaucoup voyagé) et cela lui donne l’appétit de faire ses propres voyages de découvertes. Pline, Euclès et Félix raccompagnent donc Larcius à Pompéi afin de voir comment la situation y a évolué. La reconstruction de la ville se fait de façon inégale, au gré des besoins de la politique et des moyens financiers des habitants. Ils retrouvent l’ingénieure Mirabela et font la rencontre de Aselina Eumachia, une riche et influente commerçante de la laine. Sur l’un de ses bateau, à Naples, ils prennent la mer sur la Mare Nostrum en direction de l’Afrique!

Après une tempête, ils rencontrent l’épave d’un navire attaqué par des pirates. Le seul survivant est un enfant très doué pour la navigation et son corbeau. Les vents ont fait dériver leur navire vers les Iles Éoliennes. Ils font escale à Strongyle pour attendre que se calment les vents et charger un cargaison d’obsidienne mais l’équipage les abandonne sur l’île! Le Stromboli choisit ce moment pour faire éruption et Pline désir observer le phénomène en détail et de près. Il constate que les volcans forment une ligne du sud vers le nord, de l’Etna au Vésuve en passant par Vulcano et Stromboli. Il remarque aussi que l’éruption du Stromboli est différente de celle de l’Etna qu’il a observé précédemment…

pages 22-23

pages 158-159

Avec ce cinquième volume, il me semble que l’action commence vraiment alors que Pline décide de se lancer dans l’aventure. Il est surtout amusant de constater que le destin de Pline est décidément marqué par les volcans: l’Etna, puis le Vésuve, et maintenant le Stromboli! Réussiront-ils tous à survivre à cette éruption et s’échapper de cette île volcanique? C’est ce que nous saurons dans le volume six, qui vient tout juste de paraître en Europe!

Ce manga historique demeure tout aussi fascinant. Le récit est bien mené et capte notre attention alors que Mari Yamazaki et Tori Miki nous font découvrir de nombreux aspects de la société romaine: géographie, politique, architecture, commerce, etc., sans oublier quelques anecdotes d’histoire naturelle! Le travail des deux artistes nous offre un graphisme toujours aussi beau et détaillé, et qui gagne même en assurance. Un très bon manga historique qui s’avère une lecture à la fois agréable et instructive. Vivement recommandé!

Pline, vol. 5: Sous les vents d’Éole, par Mari Yamazaki et Tori Miki. Paris: Casterman (Coll. Sakka), Jan. 2018. 200 pg, 13.4 x 18 cm, 8,45 € / $15.95 Can (ePub/PDF: 5,99 €), ISBN: 978-2-2031-5359-2. Pour lectorat adolescent (14+). Voir couverture arrière.

[ Amazon — Biblio — Casterman — Goodreads — Google — Wikipedia — Worldcat ]

Voir mes commentaires sur les volumes précédents:

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Black Panther

July 1, 2018July 1, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

That movie had been hyped so much that when I finally got to see it I was almost disappointed. It is what is now the average super-heroes movie with a thin storyline and lots of special effects. Superficial but with just enough storytelling to be interesting and a plethora of action to be entertaining. The originality of this film is that it offers a cultural super-hero — which bring a breeze of fresh air into the genre. Maybe we’ll see some offshoot of this concept, creating a new trend (the Maori super-hero or the Navajo super-hero or the Mexican Quetzalcoatl-man?) — as long as they don’t push it too far…

The movie was very successful (97% on RottenTomatoes and returned six times its cost with a box office of $1.3b!). The acting was excellent and I liked very much what they did with the African accent of the characters (I wonder what was their inspiration for it?). It reminded me of the south african-style accent for the Belters in the TV series The Expenses. So, excellent idea to revive this super-hero (he appeared first in 1966 in the comic Fantastic Four #52), average action movie and, all in all, a good entertainment. Let’s see now what more they will do with this character.

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Victoria & Abdul

June 27, 2018June 27, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

Based on a book by Shrabani Basu, this movie is the fictionalized account of the extraordinary friendship between Queen Victoria and an Indian-muslim servant named Abdul Karim (a.k.a. the Munshi) that broke her boredom and loneliness, reviving a little her days for the last fifteen years of her reign (1887-1901). Of course, such movie is always largely made of fiction — how could we really know what happened between them? — but the fact remains that they spent lots of time together and Victoria gained an interest into the farthest corner of her empire. Amusingly, it makes of this movie some sort of a sequel to Mrs Brown (1997) where Dame Judi Dench first portrayed Victoria. However, the major aspects of the story must be somewhat truthful as it is based on the memoirs of Ponsonby, Victoria’s private secretary, published in 1951 and on Abdul’s own diary and some of his correspondance that were discovered in 2010. This little historical insight into Victoria’s reign, the excellent acting and the light tone — almost comedic — of the movie makes it being quite enjoyable and entertaining.

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American Made

June 22, 2018June 27, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

Poster art

This movie is presented as a biopic but it’s really just “inspired” by the life of Barry Seal. It’s nevertheless enjoyable to see Tom Cruise play in a comedy — although this story should really be a tragedy since it’s about how Reagan’s government was trying to prevent communism to prevail in Central America by arming the Nicaraguan Contras against the Sandinistas using drug smugglers. It doesn’t end well for Seal but the light tone of the movie makes the heavy subject entertaining enough to be enjoyable — while we should have been puking in disgust instead…

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More on “The Terror”

June 21, 2018June 23, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

I just finished watching The Terror — which I already commented earlier this month. It’s interesting but a little disappointing. The fantastical aspect of the Inuk mythology seemed at first the most promising element but was left largely unexploited. The slaying of the beast was the symbol of the white men killing the native spirits, or their innocence, the beginning of their conquest. I guess the larger theme is homo homini lupus or, in extreme circumstances, men are their worst enemy. It’s a story of survival, even if it failed for all but one — who nevertheless disappeared into the wilderness as he went native, probably to atone his failure. Apparently, they are planning a second season set during WW2 in a Japanese-American internment camp. An interesting speculative-historic drama.

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The Terror

June 3, 2018June 4, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

I’m watching The Terror (three episodes in so far): It’s cool, although the storytelling moves like a slow agony and the suspense is unbearable! Joke aside, it is a very interesting 10-part TV series from AMC, based on Dan Simmons’ novel of the same title. I was first hesitating to watch as it is presented as an horror drama, but it should be considered more fantastic (as it seems to follow Todorov’s definition of the genre). The series was well received (92% rating on Rotten Tomatoes) and for good reasons: It has a great cast (Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies, Ciarán Hinds, Nive Nielsen!) and offers an interesting story about Franklin’s lost expedition which was looking for the Northwest Passage in 1845–1848. The story is, of course, largely fictionalized, but nevertheless based on all the known facts about the fate of the expedition. Many subsequent expeditions searched for survivors or for the two Franklin’s ships without much success: the only clues cames from Inuk eyewitness accounts (1854-55), as well as a few artefacts and skeletons (1859-69). Only very recently, modern expeditions found the remains of the HMS Erebus (2014) and of the HMS Terror (2016).

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The Dark Tower

June 2, 2018June 4, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

Once again a movie that was widely trashed by the critics (16% on Rotten Tomatoes ! — although it did well at the box office and the audience score is at 46% — the overall critical response being that it is “incomprehensible to newbies and wildly unfaithful and simplistic to fans of King’s books”) but which I greatly enjoyed. Despite not having read Stephen King’s series, I had no problem following and understanding the story. The storytelling was well paced and I found the background of the story quite interesting: what’s not to like about a universe that mixes dark fantasy’s wizards and western’s gunslingers! The acting is rather good, and, although the story itself is not exceedingly great (it feel like an relatively ordinary YA movie), it is quite entertaining. A sequel is considered and a TV series is in production at Amazon.

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Movie Capsule-reviews (02.018.145)

May 27, 2018May 28, 2018 / Clodjee / Leave a comment

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

This movie offers good action and relatively interesting storytelling. It fits pretty well within the saga and it is a great joy to see Mark Hamill as Luke again. It is beautifully made and succeeds to express the depth of the characters’ angst facing their destiny — but with a good dose of humour. However, this movie is turning a page, as Disney seems to bring the franchise into a new direction. Yes, let’s get rid of all the old characters to reboot the story with an entire new cast! Good? Bad? We’ll see. I greatly enjoyed the movie but, strangely, there’s a disparity on Rotten Tomatoes between the critics’ rating (91%) and the audience’s (46%).

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Maze runner: The Death Cure

Better than expected. I liked it despite the low Rotten Tomatoes rating (42%). Good action (bigger and louder than the previous two movies) and drama (although not always credible and sometime predictable). It is supposed to be the end of the trilogy, but the open ending might suggest otherwise… After too many average YA novel adaptations (i.e. Hunger Games or Divergent) it doesn’t feel too original, although I am a sucker for any dystopian, post-apocalyptic story — even with a simili-zombie twist. Anyway, I am not too demanding with that kind of movies: I just want to be entertained.

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Fahrenheit 451

The latest TV movie adaptation of the great Ray Bradbury’s novel is quite disappointing. It is a slow burn: there’s not much action, the acting is not that great, and the storytelling felt like cold ashes compared to my memory of the novel. Although it is not that different from the previous, interesting but painfully slow, adaptation by François Truffaut. Evidently, Ramin Bahrani wanted to rekindle Bradbury’s dystopian future (where “firemen” burned books instead of putting out fires) in order to give a warning about the dangers of a presidency during which truth and personal liberties are eroded a little more every day.

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Assassin’s Creed

I never played the video game but despite this I still enjoyed the story. The concept of the “genetic memory” is quite far-fetched but still somewhat interesting. Strangely, I was expecting a movie set in the past, not in the modern days, so I was a little caught off-guard. It is amusing to see the templar knights portrayed as the bad guys for once. Can wanting to end all violence and wars be a bad thing? Of course, it is if it involves removing all free will from the people!

It is worth watching mostly because it is so visually beautiful and entertaining — but not much else.

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All the way

AllTheWay-cov This is a biographical TV movie mostly about Lyndon B. Johnson’s struggle to pass the Civil Rights Act. The title comes from LBJ’s campaign slogan (and how his opponents’ misused it!). It is an interesting historical movie, but it also offers sort of a commentary on the contemporary political situation. Politics don’t really change much with time and all the political in-fighting is quite reminiscent of the 2016 election campaign. However, fifty-four years after LBJ passed his civil right bill that was supposed to put an end to white people killing black people, where are we? Again, nothing seems to have changed much. Quite an educative movie indeed.

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Youth

Two retired friends, composer Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) and filmmaker Mick Boyle (Harvey Keitel), are spending their vacation in the Swiss Alps. Fred is bugged by the Queen’s emissary who want him to perform for the prince’s birthday, but he refuses because the music piece they chose was written for his wife (who has now Alzheimer’s). Mick is putting the finishing touch on the script of his next movie. Family and friends will bring disturbance, drama and, eventually, tragedy. This is another relatively contemplative movie by Paolo Sorrentino (Il Divo, La Grande Bellezza). It is rather similar to The Great Beauty. It is a really beautiful movie, with great actors (although the acting itself seems a little contrived sometimes), and which offers deep reflections on life. I enjoyed it a lot.

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Media Capsule Reviews

April 15, 2018April 16, 2018 / Clodjee / 3 Comments

The Scorch Trials

The sequel to Maze Runner is okay but nothing more. The storytelling is rather ordinary and predictable, but entertaining enough to keep viewers interested. It’s now a mix between a rebel fighter movie and a zombie movie. Hopefully the next and final instalment of the series will be better, but I won’t hold my breath because lately YA novels’ adaptations have mostly been disappointing and the first reviews of Maze Runner: The Death Cure are not very positive…

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Dalida

Le récit tragique de la vie d’une chanteuse de charme populaire, d’origine Italo-Égyptienne. Était-elle cruelle ou juste malchanceuse en amour? Car nombreux sont ses amoureux ou ses proches qui se sont enlevé la vie! Une vie qui s’est acharnée sur elle — nourrissant et inspirant son talent — jusqu’à ce que cela lui soit insupportable. Je ne croyais pas connaître vraiment son oeuvre jusqu’à ce que je me rende compte que beaucoup de ses mélodies me soient familières (ayant grandi à l’écoute de la radio française). Un beau film mais sortez vos mouchoirs!

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Blade Runner 2049

Excellente continuité d’ambiance et de style avec le premier film. Le récit est lent mais captivant et constant. Il y a suffisamment de scènes d’action pour maintenir l’attention du spectateur (d’une façon assez similaire au premier film). L’histoire nous amène dans une direction un peu inattendue. Excellent film.

[ Amazon — Biblio — IMdB — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

Guardians of the Galaxy 2

A good old space opera with lots of humour, some reflections on solitude and a good dose of action that defies the laws of physic. But who cares when it’s greatly entertaining!

[ Amazon — Biblio — IMdB — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

Wonder Woman

This is the story of the transition of a classical hero into a superhero. Beautifully choreographed combat scenes. Probably the most accomplished movies set in the DC universe so far. It offers stronger moral and better storytelling than any other character of the Justice League, and is less dark and violent than the Batman or Superman movies. It about time we see a movie with a strong female character. Let’s see more of that. Strangely the extra on the BluRay are longer than the movie itself!

[ Amazon — Biblio — IMdB — Official — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

John Wick 2

Boring! Almost non-stop violence with a thin tread of story. Keanu is cool but that’s not enough to sustain a movie. And yet it was a success at the box office. What ever!

[ Amazon — Biblio — IMdB — Official — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

Captain America: Civil War

This movie is all that we expected it to be: entertaining with lots of fighting and explosion. Released two years ago, it strangely foretold the socio-political situation of today’s USA. When you’re against an enemy, no need to fight: you just need to plant the seed of dissent and let it follow its course. People will destroy themselves (now, the country is divided, the Republicans are divided. Even the Democrats are divided, well done mister Russian Dictator!). Of course, the movie ends on an hopeful note — eventually all wounds between friends will heal… You just need to watch the next movie!

(Of course, in order to avoid being accused of whitewashing, they added the Black Panther in the line up — how many Avengers is there, anyway? And they ended up producing what is said to be the best movie so far in the Marvel universe. I can’t wait to see this one…)

[ Amazon — Biblio — IMdB — Official — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

X-Files TV series Season 11

With this new (and final) season of the TV series “they” push the self-parody even further… It’s the Trump Era after all! So nobody wants to believe anymore. And it is really funny.

[ IMdB — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

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Animeland

January 28, 2018June 15, 2019 / Clodjee / 6 Comments

AnimeLand est le 1er magazine français sur l’animation japonaise et internationale, les mangas et tout l’univers otaku en France. C’est probablement le meilleurs magazine du genre à l’extérieur du Japon. Dans chaque numéro on nous offre des dossiers sur les anime, les mangas et les jeux vidéos qui se sont récemment démarqués. On y retrouve aussi des portraits et des interviews avec des artisans du milieu (seiyu, animateurs, etc.), ainsi que des actualités et commentaires sur les parutions récentes. Pour le contenu détaillé de chaque numéro, vous pouvez consulter le site du magazine: animeland.fr.

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Capsule reviews (02.017.247)

September 4, 2017June 15, 2019 / Clodjee / 9 Comments

Bande-dessinée

Yoko Tsuno #28: Le temple des Immortels

Une autre aventure plutôt invraisemblable de l’électronicienne nippone. Leloup développe ici des éléments de récits qu’il avait laissé en plan dans des albums précédents ( #12: La Proie et l’ombre, #25: La Servante de Lucifer, #27: Le Secret de Khâny ). Comme c’est souvent le cas dans ses oeuvres plus récentes, le récit semble un peu précipité alors qu’il essai de raconter son histoire dans le cadre étroit du format traditionnel de quarante-deux pages. On a l’impression de vivre le récit en accéléré…

Le problème avec des albums qui font sans cesse référence à des volumes précédents est qu’on ne se rappelle pas toujours des détails qui s’y étaient déroulés, ce qui laisse des lacunes dans la bonne compréhension (et l’appréciation) du récit. Toutefois l’idée de moines médiévaux avec des Vinéens et des tributs celtiques vivant au creux de la terre, dans un gouffre profond, a quand même du charme. C’est une lecture nostalgique mais tout de même un peu décevante, donc d’un intérêt moyen…

Cela donne le goût de relire de vieux albums (car étrangement je suis resté sur ma faim — c’est presque toujours le cas avec ces très court albums à l’européenne). Comment un artiste peut-il vivre en publiant juste de tels albums aux deux ans? C’est un dur contraste avec les mangakas nippon qui produisent en moyenne une quantité de pages similaires (en noir et blanc toutefois) CHAQUE SEMAINE (!) pour la pré-publication en périodique…

[ Amazon — Biblio — Dupuis — Goodreads — Wikipedia — Worldcat ]

Commentaire aussi disponible sur Goodreads et Les Irrésistibles.

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Magazine

AnimeLand #216

Le numéro de juin-juillet 2017 nous offre des dossiers sur l’importance du visuel dans la société nippone (“Quand la 2D se tape l’incruste”), sur le marché de l’anime en France en 2016 (qui ne progresse pas aussi positivement que celui du manga car divisé, à 70% / 30%, entre le DVD et le Blu-ray et considérablement affecté par la popularité du simulcast, qui a toutefois l’avantage de faire régresser l’utilisation de sites illégaux de diffusion), et sur les anime “engagés” (socio-politiquement: Harmony, Genocidal Organ, Ghost in the Shell S.A.C., Galactic Hero Legend, Gundam; ou écologiquement: L’école emportée, Conan: Fils du Futur, Nausicaa, Princess Mononoke, Pompoko, Ponyo sur la falaise, Earth Girl Arjuna, etc.).

Comme toujours, AnimeLand nous fait découvrir de nombreux anime (Hirune Hime, Dans un recoin du monde, Golgo 13, Le grand méchant renard, My hero academia, Atom: The Beginning, la saison 2 de L’attaque des titans, Dragonball Super, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul, Capitaine Flam), mangas (Kenshin, One Piece, Mob Psycho 100, Les mémoires de Vanitas, Reine d’Égypte, Voyage à Tokyo, Tenjin, Gloutons et Dragons), et jeux video (Persona 5, et un article sur les mondes ouverts). On nous trace aussi des portraits de seiyu (Mamoru Miyano) ou de musicien (Akira Yamaoka) et nous présente une dizaine d’interviews avec Kenji Kamiyama (Hirune Hime), Eric Goldberg & Neysa Bové (Vaiana), Masashi Kudo (Chain Chronicle), Yasuyuki Muto (Rolling Girls), Studio La Cachette, Nobuhiro Watsuki (Kenshin), Kiyo Kyujyo (Trinity Blood), Tatsuki Fujimoto (Fire Punch) et Chie Inudoh (Reine d’Égypte). Finalement, on retrouve les indispensables actualités et commentaires sur les parutions récentes.

Nul doute que AnimeLand est une source inépuisable d’information sur l’animation et la bande-dessinée japonaise, et le seul magazine francophone sur ces sujets. Toutefois, je n’ai rien trouvé de bien excitant dans ce numéro…

[ Amazon — Site web — Wikipedia ]

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Manga

Pline #2: Les rues de Rome

Ce second tome, s’il nous offre beaucoup moins d’action que le premier, n’en est pas moins intéressant car il approfondit de beaucoup notre connaissance des protagonistes. Euclès découvre la maison (remplit de manuscrits!) de son nouveau maître, Pline. Celui-ci souffre grandement de l’asthme mais se méfie beaucoup des médecins. Il finira cependant par se soumettre au traitement du médecin grec Silénos, qui lui recommande surtout l’air pur de la Campanie. Euclès tombe amoureux d’une jeune esclave, Plautina, qu’il a rencontré par hasard, mais celle-ci est aussi tombé dans l’oeil de l’empereur Néron! Celui-ci se sent un peu égaré sans les conseils de son précepteur, Sénèque, qu’il a exilé. On y découvre une image plus humaine de Néron, qui apparait moins comme un tyran qu’un jeune homme cultivé mais moralement faible. Poppée, qui n’est pas très aimée du peuple, se fait lancer des pierres. Elle annonce à Néron qu’elle est enceinte, ce qui le convainc finalement de la marier et de régler le sort d’Octavie. Felix, le garde du corps un peu frustre de Pline, a une famille à Rome mais sa femme se plaint de ses absences prolongées et surtout des conditions de vie difficile dans les insulae romaines. Alors Pline leur offre de s’installer dans l’une de ses maisons. Mais le personnage le plus important de ce tome, c’est sans doute Rome elle-même alors que l’on découvre plus en détails ses bas fonds et ses lupanars!

C’est une lecture passionnante si vous êtes amateur de manga historique et de Rome antique. Et ce qui est particulièrement remarquable dans cet ouvrage c’est le grand détail et la qualité du dessin de Mari Yamazaki et Tori Miki. À lire absolument!

Voir aussi mon commentaire sur Pline #1: L’appel de Néron

[ Amazon — Biblio — Casterman — Goodreads — Wikipedia — Worldcat ]

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Movies

Jackie

Slow, boring movie that shows a not very sympathetic, selfish Jackie, control freak of her image and obsessed with Lincoln funeral and the fact that his widow died destitute and penniless. Is this a well researched bio pic or just an iconoclast fiction? In the end, it is all about the making of the modern myth of the American camelot.

After John‘s death, Jackie meets with a journalist and reminisce about her traumatic ordeal in order to reshape her husband’s presidency. What makes a president great and be remembered like Lincoln was? His accomplishment or his image?

[ Amazon — Biblio — IMdB — Official — Wikipedia — Youtube ]

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TV Series

Samurai Gourmet

Someone recommended to my wife this Japanese TV series streaming on Netflix. The subject is cool, I had already heard about the writer of the original manga and the main character is played by an actor that I like, therefore I had no hesitation to subscribe to Netflix in order to binge on this mini series of twelve episodes of twenty minutes each. I have absolutely no regret. It was quite funny and very interesting as I leaned a few things about Japanese cuisine. Highly recommended!

Nobushi no Gourmet (漫画版野武士のグルメ) is based on a manga written by Masayuki Kusumi and drawn by Shigeru Tsuchiyama (first pre-published in November 2013 by Gentosha Plus web magazine and then in print in June 2016 — I have already commented on the very similar manga that Masayuki Kusumi did with Jiro Taniguchi in 1994-96 titled Kodoku no gourmet). It tells the story of 60-year-old salaryman Takashi Kasumi (Naoto Takenaka) who just retired. Having lost his corporate title and the support of his company, he finds himself with lots of time on his hands. His wife Shizuko (Honami Suzuki) is always busy with something (choir practice, etc.), so he goes for a walk, wandering around and decides to enter a restaurant. For the first time he has a beer in the afternoon and rediscovers the pleasure of a good meal! Being a great fan of Sengoku Period samurai stories, he often imagine what a masterless samurai (played by Tetsuji Tamayama) would do in his situation — which always creates hilarious scenes!

As most of the episode is made of showing off food and the protagonist inner monologue, you might think it is quite boring: in the contrary, it’s an excellent series (see comments on Japan Times, Eater, Thrillist) as proven by a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!

[ IMDb — Netflix — Wikipedia ]

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Yoko Tsuno: Aventures Allemandes

December 31, 2006December 24, 2019 / Clodjee / 1 Comment

“Tranquillement, le Rhin et la Moselle déambulent entre plateaux et coteaux. Mais, pas loin de leurs rives, des hommes jouent avec le feu et provoquent la mort. Un orgue dont le souffle diabolique rend fou. Un vampire qui vient, la nuit, vider d’une partie de son sang la jolie Ingrid. Une machine capable de transformer la foudre en arme de destruction… Décidément, l’Allemagne, derrière les charmes de ses paysages, recèle bien des mystères et des dangers! Comprend: “L’orgue du Diable”, “La Frontière de la Vie”, “Le Feu de Wotan.” Ce second volume est complété d’un copieux dossier de documents inédits.”

Yoko Tsuno c’est de l’histoire ancienne, non? Ces aventures ont d’abord été publiées dans le magazine Spirou, puis compilées, respectivement en 1972-73, 1976-77 et 1984! Mais si la technologie qu’utilise Yoko et ses amis est plutôt démodée (sauf les éléments de science-fiction, bien sûr), le récit des aventures de la jolie nippone demeure toujours actuel et captivant. Ce qui rend intéressante cette compilation thématique, c’est d’abord le dossier de 24 pages qui explique et illustre la génèse des albums. Ce qui la rend irrésistible, c’est son incroyable prix de $24.95! Pour trois albums! Cette série me rappelle bien des souvenirs d’enfance… C’est une lecture agréable, assemblée en un superbe volume.

Intégrale Yoko Tsuno T.02: Aventures Allemandes, par Roger Leloup. Ed. Dupuis, 2006. Couleur, 20 x 22 cm, 176 pgs. $24.95 Can. Tous Publics. ISBN-10: 2800138416; ISBN-13: 978-2800138411. Site officiel.

Pour plus d’information vous pouvez aussi consulter les sites suivants:

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Capsules