The Dark Knight

Nous n'avons pas cédé au hit du moment: la sortie du dernier Batman.
Un scénario sombre, un Batman à la voix rauque et un Heath Ledger remarquable dans le rôle du Joker. Dommage qu'il ne soit plus parmi nous...

Wall-e

Après une intense semaine, rien de mieux qu'un ciné pour se changer les idées et oublier le stress du travail.
Le hit du moment ? Wall-e… Plus qu’un hit, je trouve que c’est un pur chef d’œuvre !
Les studios Pixar sont des génies : ils nous ont fait tomber sous le charme d'un jouet, d'un poisson, d'une voiture, d'un rat et maintenant d'un robot!! Ce petit Wall-E est adorable et nous arracherait presque la larme à l’œil !...
Un robot-nettoyeur dans un monde de robots avec pourtant un cœur et une âme… L’histoire est captivante, les images de synthèse parfaites, de l’humour, de la tristesse, un message fort et une sombre projection de notre avenir si nous ne faisons rien pour sauvegarder notre belle planète bleue…
Courrez vite voir ce bijou ! No kidding !

Trois consonnes et deux voyelles...WALL-E …sont en réalité les initiales de Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class, littéralement "Compacteur terrien de déchets". Quant au robot EVE il s'agit de Extra-terrestrial Vegetation Evaluator soit "évaluateur de végétation extraterrrestre".

En orbite depuis 1995 !
L'idée de WALL-E est née dans l'esprit d'Andrew Stanton et Peter Docter (Monstres & Cie) au milieu des années 90. A l'époque, le tandem planche sur ce petit personnage, convaincu de son potentiel, mais sait pertinemment que le financement pour un long métrage sera difficile à obtenir, notamment en raison des caractéristiques de leur droïde (un héros-objet "muet" ne s'exprimant qu'à travers ses mouvements et ses bruitages). Ce n'est qu'en 2001, alors qu'il planche sur Le Monde de Nemo, que Stanton reprend l'écriture, avec la bénédiction de Peter Docter. Il faudra encore sept longues années de travail (et donc près de quinze ans au total) pour que le projet aboutisse !

Synopsis: What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, Wall-E discovers a new purpose in life when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that Wall-E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet’s future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans. Meanwhile, WALL-E chases eve across the galaxy and sets into motion one of the most exciting and imaginative comedy adventures ever brought to the big screen. Joining WALL-E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

Get smart

Mon avis ?
Une comédie divertissante mais qui n'a franchement rien de spécial non plus. En gros : attendez sa sortie en DVD pour le voir…

Synopsis: Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents compromised, the Chief (Alan Arkin) has no choice but to promote his ever-eager analyst Maxwell Smart, who has always dreamt of working in the field alongside stalwart superstar Agent 23 (Dwayne Johnson). Smart is partnered instead with the lovely-but-lethal veteran Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway). Given little field experience and even less time, Smart-armed with nothing but a few spy-tech gadgets and his unbridled enthusiasm-must thwart the doomsday plans of KAOS head Siegfried (Terence Stamp). --© Warner Bros. Maxwell Smart (Steve Carell) is on a mission to thwart the latest plot for world domination by the evil crime syndicate known as KAOS. When the headquarters of U.S. spy agency Control is attacked and the identities of its agents...

Wanted

A one-word review of Wanted would be "Wow."
This fast-paced movie has a lot of action, suspense, special effects, and a little bit too much of violence.

Synopsis: Wanted tells the tale of one apathetic nobody’s transformation into an unparalleled enforcer of justice. 25-year-old Wes was the most disaffected, cube-dwelling drone the planet had ever known. Until he met a woman named Fox. After his estranged father is murdered, the deadly sexy Fox recruits Wes into the Fraternity, a secret society that trains Wes to avenge his dad’s death by unlocking his dormant powers. With wickedly brilliant tutors—including the Fraternity’s enigmatic leader, Sloan—Wes grows to enjoy all the strength he ever wanted. But, slowly, he begins to realize there is more to dangerous associates than meets the eye. And as he wavers between newfound heroism and vengeance, Wes will come to learn what no one could ever teach him: he alone controls his destiny. (Universal Studios)

Starring James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman, Terence Stamp, Thomas Kretschmann, Common, and Angelina Jolie

Kung Fu Panda

J’ai adoré ce dernier bijou de DreamWorks !
L'image est superbe, les personnages adorables, l’histoire attachante, le tout arrosé de beaucoup d'humour.
De plus, les voix des personnages principaux ne sont autre que celles de Jack Black (Po), Dustin Hoffman (Shifu), Angelina Jolie (Tigress), Jackie Chan (Monkey), et Lucy Liu (Viper) entre autres.

Pour briser la morosité actuelle, je ne saurais donc que trop vous recommander d'aller voir "Kung Fu Panda" et vous détendre les zygomatiques !!!

Synopsis: "Kung Fu Panda" features Jack Black as Po the Panda, a lowly waiter in a noodle restaurant, who is a kung fu fanatic but whose shape doesn't exactly lend itself to kung fu fighting. In fact, Po's defining characteristic appears to be that he is the laziest of all the animals in ancient China. That's a problem because powerful enemies are at the gates, and all hopes have been pinned on a prophesy naming Po as the "Chosen One" to save the day. A group of martial arts masters are going to need a black belt in patience if they are going to turn this slacker panda into a kung fu fighter before it's too late

Sex and the City

Dès sa sortie, ce film crée un véritable phénomène sur Santana Row où des hordes de filles en mini-jupes sortent du cinéma Century pour aller terminer la soirée dans un bar...
Attendu par les fans de la série, "Sex and the City" 'The Movie' se passe 4 ans après le dernier épisode à la télé.
N'ayant pas suivi la série mais curieuse de voir ce qui crée un tel engouement, j'accepte l'invitation de Marthe et ses copines pour aller voir ce film ce soir.
2h15 plus tard, j'ai l'impression d'avoir assisté à un défile de mode, vu les rues de New-York, eu un aperçu de la vie dans la grosse pomme, et d'avoir partagé un moment de la vie de 4 trentenaires/quadragénaires....
Bref, j'ai plutôt passé un bon moment.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Tadada tadada tadada tadadada tadada, 19 ans après "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade", Harrison Ford nous revient dans un nouvel épisode tant attendu de Indiana Jones... et nous sommes allés le voir ! Beaucoup d'action, d'effets speciaux (parfois trop même) et un scénario avec des moments un peu trop abracadabrants et extra-terrestre... Mais pour le côte divertissement, c'est divertissant....

Synopsis: When we last saw Indiana Jones on screen, it was 1938, and the world stood on the brink of war as Dr. Jones chased down evildoers to find the Holy Grail. Nineteen years later, he’s cracking his whip again, and many things have changed ... but some have remained the same. Again, the world is at a precipice, this time caused by the specter of nuclear annihilation, and Indy’s struggle is once again to ensure that a precious, mysterious object remains safe from those bent on destroying humanity. When we last saw Indiana Jones on screen, it was 1938, and the world stood on the brink of war as Dr. Jones chased down evildoers to find the Holy Grail. Nineteen years later, he’s cracking his whip again, and many things have changed ... but some have remained the same. Again, the world is at a...

Iron Man

Voilà un bon film d'action avec de la rock musique, de la technologie, des méchants, des gentils et un super héro!

Synopsis: Tony Stark is the complete playboy who also happens to be an engineering genius. While in Afghanistan demonstrating a new missile he's captured and wounded. His captors want him to assemble a missile for them but instead he creates an armored suit and a means to prevent his death from the shrapnel left in his chest by the attack. He uses the armored suit to escape. Back in the U.S. he announces his company will cease making weapons and he begins work on an updated armored suit only to find that Obadiah Stane, his second in command at Stark industries has been selling Stark weapons to the insurgents. He uses his new suit to return to Afghanistan to destroy the arms and then to stop Stane from misusing his research.

Trailer for the 2008 Iron Man movie. Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow and Terrence Howard :

10,000 BC

Saturday night movie at the new AMC theater in the Valeo shopping Center.

Synopsis: In the year 10,000 B.C., a hunter (Steven Strait) loses his woman (Camilla Belle) to an evil warlord, so he gathers together a massive army to cross the wilderness fighting all manner of man and beast to find a lost civilization and mount a daring rescue.

Leap day

Année bissextile oblige, aujourd'hui est un jour spécial puisque nous sommes le 29 février, et cela ne se produit que tous les quatre ans. Le prochain 29 février sera en 2012 ! Que serons-nous dans quatre ans, ou allons nous ?... Je préfère ne pas le savoir.
Pour la petite info, j'ai appris que les anglophones appellent ce jour spécial un "Leap Day".

Pour marquer le coup et puisque nous sommes vendredi, un petit jacuzzi chez Clément s'impose... ;o)
Après une bonne heure de relaxation dans l'eau chaude bouillonnante, nous nous sommes visionnés le film culte "La Classe américaine" aussi connu sous le nom "Le Grand Détournement".

C'est un téléfilm de 1993, écrit et réalisé par Michel Hazanavicius et Dominique Mézerette. Il est exclusivement composé d'extraits de vieux films de la Warner, montés et doublés afin de créer un nouveau film inédit. Le titre du film provient de l'expression populaire classe américaine.
La première diffusion a eu lieu sur la chaine Canal+ le 31 décembre 1993. Une seconde diffusion a eu lieu en 2004 sur la chaîne Festival (devenue depuis France 4). Le film n'a jamais été édité officiellement en VHS ou en DVD. Il connaît néanmoins une nouvelle jeunesse grâce à des versions numérisées qui circulent sur Internet.

Ce film est considéré comme un film culte dans l'histoire du détournement.
Il débute avec l'affichage de la phrase : « Attention ! ce flim n'est pas un flim sur le cyclimse. Merci de votre compréhension ». Le synopsis ainsi que le déroulement du film en multiples flashbacks parodient Citizen Kane d'Orson Welles.

Synopsis:
L'histoire débute avec la mort de l'homme le plus classe du monde, George Abitbol (John Wayne) au large de l'atoll de Pom Pom Galli, situé entre l'Australia et la South America, dans l'Ocean South Pacifique. Les journalistes Dave (Paul Newman), Peter (Dustin Hoffman) et Steven (Robert Redford) enquêtent sur ses dernières paroles : « Monde de merde ». Les journalistes vont donc approcher toutes les personnes qui l'ont connu pendant sa vie au Texas, et découvrir qu'il n'était peut-être pas aussi classe que la légende le prétendait...

La Classe Américaine - Le Début-

Cloverfield

The less you know before going to see this movie, the better it is !
Plus, if you avoid a heavy meal before and you are not the kind of person to have motion-sickness, I think you will enjoy the movie...
I am not kidding. The scenario and the way it is filmed is a first in the movie industry and it is quite..heu...successfull?
You will like it or you will hate it !
Personally, I did not fully enjoyed the movie because of 'motion-sickness'. After half an hour, I started to not feel well. Hopefully, the movie was only 1h24min...
I think they insisted too much on the "home-video" side. But the scenario idea was interesting.
Go and make yourself your opinion.
Also, the end leaves the door opened to a possible serie. Let's see...

I am Legend

Just released last Friday, "I am Legend" is a great movie: Will Smith performance is awesome, and his dog's too!
The scenario is inspired from Richard Matheson's novel written in 1954. The suspense is there all along the movie but I tell you, the end is a little sad...
I feel that this kind of scenario could really happen. With all the genetic experiments going on, man does not know everything and could generate a very bad bacteria, virus or clone against the mankind. Maybe it already happened? We never know... It is like this controversial theory about HIV virus. It suggests that the AIDS epidemic was inadvertently started in the late 1950s in the Belgian Congo by Hilary Koprowski's research into a polio vaccine... Hmmm, disturbing isn't it?

Synopsis: Robert Neville (Will Smith) is a brilliant scientist, but even he could not contain the terrible virus that was unstoppable, incurable, and man-made. Somehow immune, Neville is now the last human survivor in what is left of New York City and maybe the world. For three years, Neville has faithfully sent out daily radio messages, desperate to find any other survivors who might be out there. But he is not alone. Mutant victims of the plague -- The Infected -- lurk in the shadows... watching Neville's every move... waiting for him to make a fatal mistake. Perhaps mankind's last, best hope, Neville is driven by only one remaining mission: to find a way to reverse the effects of the virus using his own immune blood. But he knows he is outnumbered... and quickly running out of time.

Saw IV

SYNOPSIS

Jigsaw and his apprentice Amanda are dead.
Now, upon the news of Detective Kerry's murder, two seasoned FBI profilers, Agent Strahm and Agent Perez, arrive in the terrified community to assist the veteran Detective Hoffman in sifting through Jigsaw's latest grizzly remains and piecing together the puzzle.
However, when SWAT Commander Rigg is abducted and thrust into a game, the last officer untouched by Jigsaw has but ninety minutes to overcome a series of demented traps and save an old friend or face the deadly consequences.

Pass your way on this one: you will loose your time and your money.
Jean and myself have seen Saw I, II and III and we found those pretty good. But that one is boring, not captivating and it even makes me feel nauseous the way it is done. This installment continues the story of the Jigsaw Killer, and his obsession with teaching people the value of their own lives. Even though Jigsaw died in the last installment (Saw III), this film focuses on his ability to manipulate people into continuing his work. But it a succession of traps, with multiple characters which makes you lost the interest in the story.
Wait for the DVD release if you really want to see it.

30 Days Of Night

1h53 mins: I was stuck to my seat the whole time...

"They" are hungry, "they" are strong, "they" can smell your blood, "they" will not stop tracking you and ...."they" have 30 days of complete dark to do so...

What a scary movie! If you like vampires and horror movies, you will be fully served!!!
Even the soundtrack alone is frightening! It simulates your heart beating harder and harder and makes you jump on your seat! This movie combines suspense, shock, horror, and gore.
If you like this kind of movies, I encourage you to see it, it is a good one. Otherwise... stay away! Far away...

Synopsis: Producer Sam Raimi (Spider-Man™) brings audiences the terrifying thriller 30 Days of Night, set in the isolated town of Barrow, Alaska, in the extreme northern hemisphere, which is plunged into complete darkness annually for an entire month. When most of the inhabitants head south for the winter, a mysterious group of strangers appear: bloodthirsty vampires, ready to take advantage of the uninterrupted darkness to feed on the town's residents. As the night wears on, Barrow's Sheriff Eben (Josh Hartnett), his estranged wife Stella (Melissa George), and an ever-shrinking group of survivors must do anything they can to last until daylight.

The HeartBreak Kid

Synopsis: Single and indecisive, Eddie (Ben Stiller) begins dating the incredibly sexy and seemingly fabulous Lila. Upon the urging of his father and best friend, Eddie proposes to her after only a week, fearing this may be his last chance at love, marriage, and happiness. However, while on their honeymoon in sunny Mexico, Lila reveals her true beyond-awful nature and Eddie meets Miranda, the woman he realizes to be his actual soul mate. Eddie must keep his new, increasingly horrid wife at bay as he attempts to woo the girl of his dreams.

Friday night, let's go see a movie!
We picked the new comedy released yesterday from the directors of "There's Something About Mary" and staring Ben Stiller amongst other things.
It was a nice comedy but it doesn't worth it to see it on a big screen. My advice: wait for that one to be released in DVD! Plus, you see most of the gags in the previews: (however, the most 'chocking' ones are not there...)

Resident Evil: Extinction

To relax after a hard week of work, let's go see Milla Jovovich kick some Zombie asses!...
Girl's power, I like that!

For those who will start to criticize, yes, it is in the same vein as Resident Evil: Ground Zero (2002) and Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004). So, of course, if you did not enjoy those previous releases, don't go see that one! I warned you!
As usual, the critics are quite harsh but I found the movie globally successful. So, make your choice!

Years after the Raccoon City disaster, Alice (MILLA JOVOVICH) is on her own knowing that she has become a liability and could endanger those around her is struggling to survive and bring down the Umbrella Corporation lead by the sinister Albert Wesker (JASON O'MARA) and head researcher Dr. Issacs (IAN GLEN). Meanwhile traveling through the Nevada Desert and through the ruins of Las Vegas Carlos Olivera, (ODED FEHR) L.J., (MIKE EPPS) and new survivors K-Mart, (SPENCER LOCKE) Claire Redfield,(ALI LARTER) and Nurse Betty (ASHANTI) must fight to survive extinction against hoards of zombies, killer crows and the most terrifying creatures created as a result of the deadly T-Virus that has killed millions.

The Bourne Ultimatum

Finissons le week-end comme il a commencé : par un cinéma !
Accompagnés de nos amis de Stanford, FF, Christophe et Anastasia, nous avons tout d’abord fait un stop à « Pizza Antica » sur Santana Row. Leurs pizzas tiennent plus de la flamekeuche que de la pizza, mais bon, c’était correct.
Puis direction, notre bon vieux cinéma pour y voir le succès du moment : "The Bourne Ultimatum".
Alors, je dois avouer que ce film m’a rendue malade… C’est entièrement tourné camera au poing, même pour les scènes fixes dans les bureaux de la CIA… Le tout avec succession de courses poursuites pendant près de deux heures à Moscou, Paris, Londres, Tangier et finalement New-York… Si vous allez voir ce film, je conseille fortement de choisir les places le plus au fond de la salle possible ! Sinon, vous allez vous sentir mal tout le long du film comme je l'ai été...
En résumé, il est trop fort ce Jason Bourne, il ne subit pas de décalage horaire, il est super intelligent, fait des super cascades et épargne même la vie de ses adversaires quand il le peut. Je salue les passages d'appart en appart dans la ville de Tangier. Mais perso, j’avais gardé un meilleur souvenir de The Bourne Identity et The Bourne Supremacy. Et après tout ce que j’avais lu dans les medias et notamment les 69,3 millions de dollars d’entrées le week-end d’ouverture, il faut dire que je m’attendais à mieux.

All he wanted was to disappear; instead, Jason Bourne is now hunted by the people who made him what he is--legendary assassin. Having lost his memory and the one person he loved, he is undeterred by the barrage of bullets and a new generation of highly-trained killers. Bourne has only one objective: to go back to the beginning and find out who he was. Now, in the new chapter of this espionage series, Bourne will hunt down his past in order to find a future. He must travel from Moscow, Paris and London to Tangier and New York City as he continues his quest to find the real Jason Bourne--all the while trying to outmaneuver the scores of cops, federal officers and Interpol agents with him in their crosshairs.

Et pour clore la soirée, petite partie de Wii entre amis pour se changer les idées.

Rush Hour 3

With 5 theaters at walking distance from our place, it will be a shame to not see a movie and start nicely the week-end.
After lot of work this week (the project I was working on for 3 months went live last Sunday), it was time for a restful activity.
Just released today, "Rush Hour 3" is in the same tone as the two first ones: action, humour, stunts, seduction and jokes.
A usual, the cast is composed of Jackie Chan in Chief Inspector Lee and Chris Tucker in Detective James Carter. This time, the two must travel to Paris to battle a wing of the Chinese organized crime family, the Triads.
Please note the presence of two French actors: Yvan Attal and the glamorous Noemie Lenoir.

The showing was full and listening to people’s comments at the exit, I can say that it is quite a big success.
Of course, you have lots of beautiful scenes of Paris and people with “Ze” French Accent. Funny to see all the clichés American people have about France.
To conclude, if you want to see an entertaining movie, go see Rush Hour 3. But take it as it is.