I recently sat down to watch Godzilla with Neale (roommate) recently. The experience was, uh, not quite how I remember it from when I was 10. I refer, of course, to the remake starring Mattew Broderick, Jean Reno and each man’s paycheck. As much as I love Raymond Burr, I find the original somewhat hard to watch. Plus, the remake has nostalgia points from my childhood. When I first saw it, I thought the new rendition of Godzilla was insanely cool (and I still think it looks pretty good… although probably not enough to justify an adverb) and bought the requisite back to school merchandise featuring the really-cool-giant-reptilian-monster-that-is-as-close-as-I’m-probably-going-to-get-to-Hollywood-rendering-a-decent-dragon that young Richard so desperately craved.

Anyway, so I was totally willing to watch it again (I even picked up a copy for like a dollar on Black Friday like two years ago! And was so eager to see it that I just watched it now). Some things occurred to me as I watched and I thought I would share them:

Thing 1: This is probably the most important to consider while you read the rest of these (or watch the movie again: (like the double colon?) Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno and Hank Azaria are absolutely the only reason this movie is remotely watchable. Broderick does exactly what is asked of him: a nerdy researcher able to deliver poorly written epiphanies in a dignified fashion. Reno is probably the only badass Frenchman in existence (and should really be in more movies) and Azaria is just funny. The rest of the cast is not so hot (apologies to Harry Shearer, who is a great Mr. Burns, but not a great sleazy TV anchor).

Hank Azaria vs Godzilla. I gotta say, I like Hank's odds.

Thing 2: Mattew Broderick is brought into the military operation as “the worm guy.” This means that the military is at least aware that the entirety of his research has to do with radiation as some kind of mutation enabler. After going to the original site in like, South America, or wherever (with the footprint) and then the washed up oil tanker, he has a revelation. Namely, “radiation is the clue!” Everyone is fucking floored by this. If they didn’t already believe this was the case, why did they bring him on the team in the first place?! He a) isn’t a super-famous scientist b) was hard to reach (working near Chernobyl and c) working with worms. What?

Thing 3: Broderick plays a smart, capable, decent person. I cannot fathom why he’s interested in Audrey (although, based on the relationships I see real people get into, I guess this is no different). Some other comments on Audrey: she is a terrible, unethical person. I also resent the movie’s portrayal of her sense of journalism: I know a guy, therefore, I would be a qualified reporter for this story! The fact that Broderick was a former love interest should completely preclude her from reporting on this story whatsoever.

Thing 3.5: One of the bad things she does is steal a video labeled TOP SECRET from Broderick. This is bad, but on another note, why is that video top secret? There were camera crews and all kinds of media at each of the footprint/wreck sites. Obviously this isn’t a secret. The old man saying Godzilla three times to a Frenchman? What? And it’s not even really a matter of national security, right? It’s just an animal. This makes no sense!

Thing 4: The lengthy, obviously ineffectual attempts to kill Godzilla at one point feature several Apache attack helicopters joining the fray. Godzilla ends up destroying every single one. I will give him one helicopter based on the surprise factor; none of these pilots have any idea what they’re dealing with. The other three? Not so much. First of all, Apaches have a top speed of like 182 mph. Even given Godzillas gigantic strides, that is pretty damn fast. He can keep up with these? Even granting Godzilla that point (which I’m not entirely willing to do, although Neale pointed out they would likely not be going top speed as they maneuver between skyscrapers), the battle requires you to ignore a key (some might say the most essential!) quality of helicopters: their ability to move vertically! They can just go fucking up. Godzilla doesn’t have wings! How is this hard to comprehend? I’ll bet he’s got one hell of a vertical, but even given that (and adding his radiation/flame breath to the end of the jump) is he really going to be getting anywhere close to the helicopter’s max ceiling? I think not.

Thing 5: It takes two Sidewinder missiles to completely level Madison Square Garden, yet six of them have only piddling impacts on the hide of Godzilla? Regardless of his toughness, shouldn’t the explosions be roughly the same size? When I see a small explosion I assume it’s not very destructive. This is very nitpicky, but it’s a problem because the six small ass missiles are what finally do in Godzilla. What?

Neale noted that it’s possibly to nitpick any movie, especially movies with weird shit (e.g. giant dinosaur dragons), but if the flaws are enough to draw me out of my movie experience, I’m going to call shenanigans. SHENANIGANS

La película trata sobre la rivalidad y la amistad del campeón en la vida real Jacques Mayol (representado por Jean-Marc Barr) y Enzo Maiorca (renombrado en la película como “Enzo Molinari”, representado por Jean Reno).

La acción está dividida en dos etapas: la rivalidad naciente entre los dos buceadores en su niñez, y ya como adultos en el campeonato mundial que se celebra en la ciudad Taormina, Sicilia.

Bueno la verdad nunca supe de la existencia de esta película hasta hace algunos meses y es que hay que ver que cuando mi madre a veces me manda a buscar películas que cuando pregunto por ellas todo mundo me mira con cara de Juat!. al principio creí que seria una película de hueva de esas que van súper lentas y solo se la pasan parloteando, pero cual fue mi sorpresa que se trataba de nada mas y nada menos de Jean Reno. ahí fue cuando empecé a ponerle mas atención, la historia se centra en la rivalidad de dos buceadores que son amigos como los mas acérrimos enemigos junto con algunas cosas graciosas y una historia de amor latente de uno de ellos con una chica de no muy malos bigotes, aunque debo advertirles la historia es un drama así que advertidos están las escenas del mar son increíbles y te tranquilizan o al menos yo he comentando que siempre he querido vivir cerca del mar el sonido de las olas es tranquilizante una propuesta mediana pero agradable para los que les guste el cine tipo Frances.

http://danshoot.hi5.com

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I am going to warn you that for today and tomorrow you’re going to be treated to reviews on French comedy.  I know what you thinking:  ”Miseur FilmWipe this is le horrifique.  The French are non humorous”.  Well my doubting army of followers I disagree with you.  I am not entirely sure about the horror that is tomorrow’s film Le Diner de Cons, which i am hoping is as funny as plot synopsis suggests (essentially it sounds like a cross between Lars Von Triers The Idiots and today’s film in question Francis Veber’s Tai-Tois!). But the film we focus on today is a comedy magnifique (for non French speakers among you that means magnificent film (if you’re stupid enough to have taken my French seriously then I will ask you politely to close down your computer and then book a trip to your local mental hospital)). Anyway lets focus on the here and now.  As I said today is Tai-Tois and you’re in for a treat.  Not only is this one of the funniest films to have come out of France in the naughties, but it is also a film that Hollywood producers should look at with a certain sense of trepidation.

The film follows Quentin (Gerard Depardieu), a kind hearted simpleton thief who inadvertently annoys every person he meets to the point that either consider killing him or themselves.  He finds himself in prison with Ruby (Jean Reno), a brooding outlaw.  Ruby attempts a solo escape but finds himself lumbered with Quentin.  What ensues is a race to find the other criminals that Ruby was involved with before he went to jail in order to find the person responsible for the murder of his lover.

The film is made by two of the best leading male performances in recent comedy history.  The pair play off each other wonderfully.  Reno is the straightest of straight men.  This contrasts superbly with Depardieu who creates one of the most lovably annoying and outlandish characters seen in film.  Earlier I mentioned Von Triers The Idiots, and frankly it is as if he stolen moments from that film but dramatically accentuated them.  The break out from the prison will leave your sides so split that you will be wandering if your liver is about to collapse on to the floor.

Conveniently writer/director Francis Veber also performed his acclaimed double act on tomorrow nights film.  He is clearly an ageing director of some talent.  Now in his early 70s (he is probably one of the few directors who gives Clint Eastwood a run for his money in the elderly stakes) Veber is still knocking out films like a girl from Essex fires out children in her attempt to overpopulate the world.    However, he is possibly one of the finest comedy directors still working.  His control over the film is remarkable.  His comic timing is exemplary.  This is the type of film that could quite easily have run out of control but he manages to stop it becoming silly and annoying.  The invention that he allows is second and his reminiscent of classic Hollywood comedy’s.

Overall I recommend this as one of the finest films that you can beg, borrow or steal from your local video store.  If you’re a Jean Reno fanatic (like me) then you will gobble this up like Richard Blackwood rediscovering food after his coffee enema.

8/10 – Enjoy

La locandina francese di "La legge del crimine"

LA LEGGE DEL CRIMINE
di Laurent Tuel
con Jean Reno, Gaspard Ulliel, Sami Bouajila

Il problema di “La legge del crimine”, firmato dal regista Laurent Tuel, consiste principalmente nel suo trailer – che potete vedere CLICCANDO QUI – e nelle immagini messe sulla copertina del film. In entrambi i casi, infatti, si vuole mostrare un lato di questo lavoro che in realtà è totalmente assente, sia nella trama sia nelle intenzioni più o meno recondite del regista stesso.

“La legge del crimine” non è un thriller, un action o un gangster movie come trailer e pubblicità vogliono far sembrare, forse per edulcorare il suo essere fondamentalmente un noir basato sull’introspezione e sul tentativo di caratterizzare in modo marcato i personaggi, con le loro emozioni, i loro sentimenti e le loro scelte a fare da impalcatura, da struttura portante per l’intera storia. Quel poco d’azione che è presente nel film, come le rare scene di crimine e le sparatorie, non è altro che una cornice o, al massimo, uno sfondo, uno scenario entro cui la vera vicenda si svolge. “La legge del crimine” è fondamentalmente un noir europeo e un film francese come spesso siamo abituati a immaginare un film francese, magari anche stereotipandolo, ma avvicinandoci molto alla sua realtà: ritmi lenti e personaggi tormentati.

Milo Malakian (un ingrassato, ma sempre bravissimo, Jean Reno) è un boss vecchio stampo, uno che si fida solo dei propri “familiari”, intendendo con questo termine il clan che in anni di onorata carriera criminale è riuscito ad aggregare intorno a sé. Per lui la famiglia è tutto, come il buon Vito Corleone insegna. Milo ha un figlio a cui vorrebbe lasciare tutto in eredità dopo un ultimo grande colpo capace di garantirgli una tranquilla pensione e una imminente attività di nonno a tempo pieno. Ma si sa come sono questi giovani, “so’ ragazzi”, più che a portare a casa la pagnotta, a costruirsi un futuro solido apprendendo un mestiere abbastanza certo come quello del ladro di professione, pensano piuttosto a correre dietro alle gonnelle della bella infermiera della nonna arteriosclerotica. E questo, per uno come Milo, può essere un grande problema, una fonte di distrazione del figlio, una scheggia infilata sotto l’unghia del clan in grado di aprire un varco alla polizia che guidata dall’ossessione dell’ispettore Saunier potrebbe sfasciare per sempre il giocattolo messo in piedi in tanti anni dal vecchio boss.

In questo quadro generale si svolge poi la preparazione del colpo da parte di Milo e il contemporaneo moto centrifugo da parte del figlio Anton, sempre più critico sia sul futuro che il padre vorrebbe per lui sia sui metodi da questo utilizzati per svolgere in modo dannatamente efficace il proprio lavoro. L’intera vicenda, partita come un thrillerino da cassetta, assume con il procedere del film i connotati di un noir di spessore ben diverso, esplorando quella parte oscura dell’animo umano in cui la fedeltà alla vecchia famiglia, all’ambiente che ti ha cresciuto e strutturato – in generale potremmo semplicemente dire “al padre” – si scontra, forse inevitabilmente, con il desiderio di ribellarsi ad un futuro preconfezionato e precotto da qualcun altro, preferendo inseguire, piuttosto, le proprie ambizioni e il proprio desiderio di costruirsi una vita autonoma che non sia il calco di quella del genitore. Ma per fare tutto ciò è inevitabile una scelta, lo spezzare e il prendere posizione nella infinita tensione tra il passato e il futuro. Tutto ciò non è ovviamente indolore, richiede un costo da pagare, una forca caudina attraverso cui cercare di passare indenne, sia che tu sia il padre sia che tu sia il figlio.

Alla fine capisco pure le esigenze della produzione di spacciare un film come questo quale il solito gangster movie americano per accattivare un pubblico che altrimenti sarebbe stato refrattario a vedere un film a tratti doloroso come “La legge del crimine”, anche se non le condivido. Bisogna pagare i costi di produzione, no? Però c’è il serio rischio di deludere chi lo approcci credendo di noleggiare l’ennesimo “sparatutto”, perché “La legge del crimine” è un noir nel vero senso della parola, più assimilabile a uno dei migliori film noir degli ultimi due anni e cioè a “Onora il padre e la madre” di Sidney Lumet (che rimane comunque una spanna sopra), a “L’ultima missione” di Olivier Marchal o a “Sogni e delitti” di Woody Allen, piuttosto che a “Die Hard”.

Perché mio figlio mi ucciderà se vorrà crescere ed essere se stesso. Ma è da questo che nasce la speranza. La speranza del futuro e del progresso.

CLICCANDO QUI potete accedere alla scheda del film.

Shelf Life: The Professional

This week, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released Leon: The Professional on Blu-ray, and because I have the best job in the world, I got to watch it for this column. The truth is that this was a formative movie for me, not only augmenting my budding cinephilia in terms of attention to and interest in strongly visual filmmakers, but in understanding the technical and artistic value of widescreen cinema. Before the film was released on widescreen VHS and later, DVD, I watched the pan-and-scan version when it was first released on video and almost got sick from the cropping and scanning of director Luc Besson’s balletic camerawork.

Thankfully, I never have to watch it via that sort of butchered presentation again, and even if you don’t think the movie is a masterpiece, at the very least, SPHE’s new Blu-ray offers a gorgeously rich transfer that fully celebrates Besson’s cinematography. But even though this is a film I’ve revisited several times since its original release in 1994, I was curious to see how well The Professional would hold up some 15 years later – which brings us to this week’s “Shelf Life.”

The Facts: Released on November 18, 1994, The Professional (as it was called in the U.S.) was Luc Besson’s Hollywood real Hollywood breakthrough after helming La Femme Nikita and the French films Subway and The Big Blue. Although it received zero nominations from stateside critics groups, the film was nominated for seven Cesars (the French Academy Awards), including best music, best actor for Jean Reno, best director for Besson, and best picture. Ultimately the film only grossed about $20 million domestically, but it still maintains a respectable 74% fresh at Rotten Tomatoes. And of course, it introduced the world to Natalie Portman, whose performance as Mathilda is still one of the best in her entire career.

What Still Works: The relationship between Reno’s Leon and Portman’s Mathilda cements the film’s more visceral elements and truly elevates what could have been standard-fare (or even superlative) action to something more substantial. Besson has always been more of an intuitive and emotional filmmaker than an intellectual one – the them of his follow-up, The Fifth Element, is unapologetically “love conquers evil” – but here he perfectly balances the sentimentality of their budding bond with the harsh and inescapable realities of what Leon does for a living.

Remarkably, however, Besson creates one really fascinating scenario after the next, not only as a set piece to thrill the pulse, but one after another that focuses and utilizes the little character details that are introduced throughout the film. For example, Leon’s ongoing fitness regimen comes into play when he’s suspended over the doorway in a hotel room where he’s being attacked; or although Leon develops a great sense of humanity through his interactions with Mathilda, he also gains literacy, which helps him deal with Tony (Danny Aiello), much to Tony’s chagrin. At the same time, these little details aren’t overstated, nor are the backgrounds and back stories of the characters, so that when Tony mentions Leon’s troubled history with women, it conveys his emotional immaturity without needing to provide a concrete description of how and why he ended up in the states as a hitman for an Italian bookie.

What Doesn’t Work: Surprisingly little, although anyone who was already troubled by the film’s vaguely romantic coupling of Leon and Mathilda will be no more reassured 15 years later. Some of this is emphasized in the extended cut (which with the release of this Blu-ray is for the first time available on the same disc as the theatrical version), but in both, Besson doesn’t skirt the idea that Mathilda has been forced to grow up faster than she might be ready for, which is why she seems to be exploring her budding womanhood when she talks to Leon – which produces appropriately outrageous results.

But the subtle examination of this mentor/ parent-child/ romantic relationship is just one part of the film, and the movie is fairly clear in suggesting that such a coupling would be inappropriate – not the least of which because she often seems more mature than he does – and rescues the film from turning into something other than a redemption story for these two characters.

What’s The Verdict: As Leon or The Professional, Besson’s film holds up beautifully, not only from a thematic and emotional standpoint but technically: in every frame of film, you can see that Besson is a born filmmaker, creating a fluidity and a beauty in his set pieces that emphasizes both the energy of the sequence and its emotional foundations. Personally I think that the two versions are equally good, if only because as interesting as the sequences are of Mathilda and Leon actually doing jobs together, the extended cut runs a little bit long and seems unnecessary in telling the core story of Leon and Mathilda’s relationship with one another; but as a quasi-irresponsible tale of a little girl who becomes a hitman or a hitman who regains his humanity with the help of a little girl, The Professional is a truly fantastic film, and still one of my all-time favorites.

by Todd Gilchrist

La prima cosa che venne in mente a tutti era che il governo centrale francese l’aveva fatto fuori. Forse non ne potevano più, forse aveva fatto qualcosa. Chissà. Il fatto strano era la modalità: uccidere con un picchetto? Mi pareva teatrale, quantunque fosse simbolico, significativo: ti uccidiamo col picchetto, a te che c’hai un campeggio e che sei selvaggio come tutta la Corsica. A te che sei così stronzo che ci impedisci di costruire selvaggiamente sulle coste, per salvaguardare la tua cazzo di Corsica-ah se anche noi avessimo Lui, ah, se anche noi avessimo Silvio il palazzinaro quante ne avremmo già fatte! No, non era possibile. Era troppo, troppo plateale uccidere col picchetto, figurati poi quanti testimoni avevano assistito al delitto! Di fatto però, tutti se la facevano nelle mutande e nessuno parlava, nessuno aveva visto niente.
Ehi ehi? Justice? Justice dove sei? Non aleggi sulle bocche degli onesti francesi? Nessuna testimonianza, nemmeno il cappellaio matto.
Evidentemente le vacanze impigriscono gli spiriti più onesti. Ma non i nostri. Noi volevamo sapere, in fondo eravamo dispiaciuti per Jean Reno.
In ogni caso il modo era a metà tra il partenopeo e il melodrammatico, non mi convinceva la pista francese, lo confessai anche agli altri:
“Se vuoi far fuori qualcuno, fai come i russi: usi l’elemento radioattivo, una sfregata di plutonio 45 morte nausea e sciupamento. L’avete visto quel povero Mitrhokin, le avete viste quelle foto che stava per tirare le cuoia, no?Era un verme, una larva. Oppure fai come i ceceni-filorussi, una schioppettata nella schiena, uno schioppettata appena fuori dall’ascensore…”
“Sì ma la conosci anche tu la situazione, l’abbiamo saggiata a dir lo vero…”era la Frangy, chiamava l’Inghilterra Albione, e diceva “a dir lo vero” manco Sanguineti.
“Frangy hai ragione, ma a me la faccenda mi puzza. Non vorrei che questo povero Jean Reno, che dopotutto è- pardon- era, un bell’uomo, ci avesse pezzato le cuoia per qualcosa di più passionale, più terra terra, cioè insomma per qualcosa di reale come il sangue e la carne e non ideale come l’indipendenza, la libertà. Dai non si muore più per quello, e dubito che qualcuno ci sia mai morto- e se mai- non un capo.”
“Sarà, ma sai bene che qui stiamo parlando di resort sul mare, alberghi con piscina, villaggi turistici. Un bel giro di soldi che potrebbe prendere avvio se solo non ci fossero loro”
“Ma poi, anche fosse, ne hanno fatto fuori uno, uno, seppur il capo ma è uno. Avranno già insediato il successore…”
Tutt’a un tratto mio fratello cominciò a gesticolare come un primate, producendo suoni, certo, articolati così:
“Oh, ma quella non è la sfigata che ci sta a fianco?La Rowling…. quella che ha la tenda da uno e sta sempre da sola, va in spiaggia da sola, ma pure in discoteca da sola?? Non ce la può fare vecchi, non ce la può fare.”
“sì, è lei. Andiamo a salutarla, magari vuole fare un pezzo di strada con noi”rispose Jonny.
Nel trambusto totale non eravamo riusciti a rimediare un taxi e nemmeno un passaggio. Decidemmo di avviarci a piedi, ma prima ci fermammo a parlare con la nostra vicina di tenda. Non sapevamo come si chiamava, noi l’avevamo soprannominata la Rowling perché una sera le avevo chiesto se voleva venire con noi a cena e lei mi aveva risposto, mentre metteva sul fuoco qualcosa che sembrava un calzino:
“Oh, no…Thank you for askying, but I’ve to finish my novel, a lot of work to do…”
Non era inglese, era, nella migliore delle ipotesi, danese. Qualunque cosa fosse quella donna un po’ bionda, un po’ grassa, decisamente pallida e con gli occhiali, noi da quella sera la sfottemmo senza ritegno alcuno. Ma chi è che si mette a scrivere un romanzo in campeggio? Devi avere dei problemi…ma lei, incurante, tutte le mattine si ricaricava il pc, per poter lavorare la sera.
La chiamammo Rowling in riferimento alla drammatica storia della scrittrice di Harry Potter, con la sola differenza che quest’ultima, seppur nella povertà, scriveva da un paesino dell’Inghilterra, all’interno di una catapecchia almeno riscaldata, e non in una tenda da uno nel bel mezzo dell’estate. Con la sola differenza che quest’ultima, dopo Harry Potter, aveva partorito miliardi. La Rowling danese ci disse che aveva dei progetti: era il terzo anno che veniva in Corsica, nel campeggio del fu Jean Reno, ma non era soddisfatta: voleva un campeggio in cui tutti stessero da soli, un campeggio per persone sole che vogliono stare da sole. Inutile dire che a questo seguirono sfottò d’alta caratura: ci immaginammo una pubblicità piena di sfigate come lei che si svegliavano la mattina e mettevano sul focherello un calzino a cucinare, portavano il pc a caricare e intanto si preparavano per una giornata di mare: costume intero nero, scarpe da scalatori, pantaloncini nascondi femmina e dulcis in fundo, camicia a quadri rimediata da un ex fidanzato degli anni 90 o, nei casi più disperati, dal padre montanaro. Immaginammo una voce bassa in sottofondo, con accento americano, che spiegava il tutto: “ Camping Rowling. Alone is the word.” “camping Rowling, you can stay alone” “Camping Rowling. You can improve yourself, really”, “camping Rowling, you can not socialize”…e chi ne ha più ne metta.

Ho sempre amato particolarmente Sting, sin da quando era nei Police (e non solo perchè è una freschezza d’uomo, anche ora che ha la sua bella età, ma è sempre ok ), la sua voce ha qualcosa di tremendamente rauco, e sexy, e mi colpisce tutte le vote che lo sento…

Ma questa canzone, cazzo, proprio mi sconquassa, è bellissima…

Ed anche il film, Leon, è strepitoso, uno strepitoso jean Reno (che amo), e una strepitosa, piccolissima Natalie Portman che amavo già qui, e che dopo si è rivelata per quello che è, e cioè incredibile : Ed è stata poi la protagonista di V for Vendetta per cui…grande!

Quando poi alla fine del film cominciano le note di “Shape of my heart” mi viene sempre un nodo alla gola, penso sia uno degli abbinamenti canzone/film migliori della storia, e chi non ha visto il film correte nel bagno a fare 2 minuti di vergogna e poi andatevelo a guardare

Ah, consiglio la visione solo a chi lo ha già visto perchè ci sono spezzoni anche del finale…

Meraviglia!

Will this be Good Leon style Reno or Pink Panther Reno?

Remember when Jean Reno was ultra cool? Back in the days of Nikita, Leon (The Professional) and maybe a bit of Ronin. Then he went on to make films such as Godzilla, The Pink Panther and…well after the Pink Panther I need say no more.

Well it looks as if he is heading back to the good times with L’immortel, or 22 Bullets, a cool sounding gangster revenge style film.

Richard Berry is directing the story he adapted with Mathieu Delaporte from Franz-Olivier Giesbert’s novel.

After a long, brutal and successful career in the Marseille mafia, Charly Matteï has gone straight. For three years, he has lived a quiet life devoted to his wife and two young children. Then, one winter morning, he is left for dead on the docks of the old port with 22 bullets in his body. Somehow he survives. And goes looking for Tony Zacchia, the only man who would dare to try to kill him. Zacchia made just one mistake: he failed.

Sounds good doesn’t it. Fingers crossed we get to see Reno being balls nasty to those who deserve it.

Do you like the sound of 22 Bullets? Has anyone read the book? Will it make a good film?

Source: Quiet Earth

Versus serisinin bir diğer ayağıyla karşınızdayız. (Peh peh peh)

Leon’u izlerken bir  sahnede Jean Reno gülmüştü ve şok olmuştum. Bu gülüşün aynısını görmüştüm çünkü. Bu gülüşün sahibi Old Boy’un ihtiyar delikanlısı Oh Deasu’dan başkası değildi. Filmi bitirince Leon-Oh Deasu benzerliklerinin bir sırıtmadan ibaret olmadığını farkettim. Başlıyorum, haydi kolay gele.

1. İkisinin de zaafı çocukları olabilecek yaştaki bir kız. (Düşmanları da bunu biliyor ve kızları kullanıyor.) Burada Kang Hye Jeong’u dehşet sempatik bulduğum için gönlüm Mido’dan yana olmakla birlikte Mathilda karakteri Leon kadar beni de etkiledi.
2. İkisinin de gençlikleri sadist insanlar yüzünden çöpe gitti ve sonraki 15-20 yılda cehennem hayatı yaşadılar.
3. İkisi de günün sonunda intikam yüzünden perişan oluyor.
4. İkisi de gözlerini kırpmadan adam öldürebiliyorlar ve iki filmde de bu form için her gün ne kadar antreman yaptıkları kafamıza kazınıyor.
5. İkisinin de son derece ciddi görünümlerinin altında çok kırılgan bir kişilik var. Bunu çok nadir gördüğümüz çarpık gülüşten anlıyoruz.

İşte bu sonuncusu, yani 32 dişini göstererek sırıtma, beni fena sarstı. Gerçi Leon’unki “Ben bir koca çocuğum” havasındayken Oh Deasu’nunki “Şimdiye kadar değilse de artık kafayı yedim, ehi ehi” havasındaydı. Yine de dışardan bakınca birbirinin aynısı iki gülüştü bunlar.

Hangisini daha çok sevdim? Karakter olarak Leon’u. Mathilda’ya sahip çıktı, onu gözünden bile sakındı. Ama film olarak hala Old Boy bir numaram ve Choi Min Shik en beğendiğim Kore’li aktör. . Leon bana çarptı oysa Old Boy beni darmaduman etti.

Yine de oyum daha insani olması yüzünden; üstüne küçük gelen kısa pantalonu, üstüne büyük gelen koca paltosu ve vazgeçilmez yuvarlak gözlükleriyle artık efsane olmuş olan Leon.

Başka benzerlik farkeden varsa lütfen beni de haberdar etsin.

Bu ikisini o kadar sevdim ki.

Lil’kim, Jay-Z, Beyonce and many more showed up to this year’s installment of the MTV Europe Music Awards.Beyonce was the big winner,the global music icon walked away with three of the night’s biggest awards — Best Female,Best Song, (“Halo”) and Best Video, (“Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”). She had been nominated for four EMAs, including Best Live Act. The win for Best Video repeats her win at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), held in New York last September 13. Beyonce used the occasion in Berlin to thank her husband, Jay-Z for “putting a ring on it.”

Flip through photos of all the action in Berlin

More pictures

NOTA : 6

Download subtitrare Le premier cercle

Trailer Le premier cercle :

VERDICT:
9/10 Badass Mentors

One of the all-time great actions movies and arguably the second best thing Luc Besson has done for this fine planet, barely trailing behind La Femme Nikita.

The Professional is about a hitman named Leon who takes a young girl named Mathilda under his wing after her entire family is murdered because her dad bumped some coke off a crooked cop, (nice one, pops). Naturally, the girl wants to get revenge on the said cop, one thing leads to another and she convinces her brand new surrogate dad to train her as a junior assassin and in return she helps him to break out of his reclusive shell. All the while, this jerk cop is tracking down the hitman-with-a-heart-of-gold because his crew is getting offed at an alarming rate by a mysterious Frenchman who’s damn good with a gun. Being that there aren’t too many people that fit into that category in NYC (I’m guessing), and not to mention that this little girl can ID the cop for whacking her family, Leon quickly finds himself in hot water.

The relationship between Leon and Mathilda gets a little strange at times – especially in the Director’s Cut – but everything else about this movie is the bomb.

Geez, where to begin.

How about we start off with the mastermind behind it all, writer and director Luc Besson. Even though it’s been over a decade since his last good effort came out (The Fifth Element in ‘97), when he’s on, this mofo is on. There are two things that Besson does really damn well as a film maker: 1) balance out serious action with lighthearted fun and, 2) pacing, pacing, pacing – something he probably does better than any other director I know of. The plot here constantly escalates from perfectly calm to flat-out warzone so smoothly that you’ll be too busy peeling the vice grip off your thigh to think about how the shit managed to hit the fan so fast without even seeing it coming.

Kinda hard to describe, but let me tell ya, folks, it’s a thing of beauty. Besson’s also whipped up a great script to boot with great characters and great dialogue for his cast to work with. And that bring me to the cast…

Jean Reno (who also played a hitman in the aforementioned La Femme Nikita – fun fact!) plays Leon, and for those who don’t know, Jean Reno is the freakin’ man. This is a fantastic introduction to a fantastic actor who really deserves to no longer be recognized as “That guy from Ronin (awesome)/The Pink Panther (not awesome)/Couples Retreat (heard it was far from awesome), etc.” There aren’t a whole lot of movie hitmen I can think of that measure up to Leon, and a lot of that is due to Reno’s performance. Someday he’ll get his due, and that will be a glorious day.

This was also the breakout role for a young Natalie Portman as Mathilda. I still think this is the best thing she’s ever done, which is kind of double-edged sword at this point, but since I’m talking about The Professional and not about Portman’s career, gonna give her the props she deserves. A very mature and demanding role for such a young kid and she totally pulls it off.

Danny Aiello is also in this as Leon’s boss – for those of us who still remember Danny Aiello. What the hell happed to that guy? He used to be in everything. One of history’s mysteries.

But the star of the show, the psycho actor to end all psycho actors, is the one and only Gary Oldman as our crooked cop, Lt. Stansfield. Dude, Oldman’s one of the best in the biz and to say he takes this role to a whole ‘nother level is an understatement if there ever was one. Stansfield is one of the great movie villians, straight up evil, cold as a carcass, and loving every minute of it. After you see what Oldman does here, it should be no surprise why he’s become the go-to guy for all characters batshit crazy. Also has the best lines if that wasn’t enough.

Man, this movie just kicks so much ass. Seen it a bagillion times and it never gets old. Such a cool ride, the action scenes are out of sight, phenomenally well crafted – especially for an action movie – and it’ll blow you away, even if you’ve already seen it before. In a nutshell, if your looking for one brutally dope action movie, everyone would should just go ahead and watch The Professional.

“Everyone?”

That’s right…

EEEEVVVEERRRYYYYYOONNNEEEEE!!!!

El cuarto episodio de los videos con participación “externa” a la musical viene con el común denominador de que esta vez son actores con carisma y veteranía. No todo iban a ser modelos y actrices, pillines.

Comenzamos con el grupo escocés Texas, que en el año 2001 sacó al mercado su recopilatorio de Greatest Hits en el que se incluían dos canciones inéditas, Inner Smile e In Demand. Para el video de esta última contaron con la presencia de Alan Rickman. El actor londinense deja su impronta en el clip, dando una soberbia réplica a la cantante Sharleen Spiteri, que desde la publicación de su superventas White On Blonde en 1996, saca su vena más femenina y sensual. Y es que el video respira un aire de sensualidad total sin caer en los archisobados “juegos carnales”. Una canción que llegó al número 1 en Inglaterra y en Francia, y que tanto me gusta desde entonces.

Seguimos con los escoceses Texas y en esta ocasión con otro video que rodaron en 2003 y que tiene muchas similitudes con el anterior. Para la canción I’ll see it through también escogieron a otro actor, al marroquí de Casablanca pero francés de adopción Jean Reno. De padres andaluces (Sanlúcar de Barrameda y Jerez de la Frontera), su verdadero nombre es Juan Moreno y Herrera Jiménez, pero lo afrancesó traduciendo su nombre de pila y dejando sólo las dos últimas sílabas de su primer apellido. Parece que a Sharleen le gustó que le abrazara Rickman y repitió la experiencia con el actor de películas como León, Ronin, o Los Visitantes. Inspira ternura y fragilidad a partes iguales ver a la pareja cada vez que se mira o se abraza. La voz de Sharleen una vez más hace de esta canción que sea otra de mis favoritas.

El siguiente turno es para los Guns & Roses, que en 1993, cuando la formación daba sus últimos coletazos, editaron Spaguetti Incident?, un álbum de versiones en el que grabaron Since I don’t have you de los Skyliners. En el video aparece un diablo muy sonriente cuyo papel lo interpreta un camaleónico Gary Oldman que está irreconocible. Esta fue la última aparición de Slash como miembro del grupo. El título de la canción no podía ser más premonitorio con la ruptura de uno de las mejores bandas de los 90.

Acabamos con Madonna, con la polémica reina del pop y recientemente calificada como “retrasada” por su ex Guy Ritchie. En 1986 sacaba su disco True Blue en el que incluía una de sus canciones más conocidas Papa Don’t Preach. El video recrea la misma historia que la letra de la canción: una chica que se queda embarazada y que le dice a su padre que no le sermonee. De padre sermoneador hizo Danny Aiello (nominado al oscar en 1989 por Haz lo que debas) y de novio guaperillas Alex McArthur. Obtuvo el premio al mejor video femenino de la MTV en 1987.

servizio di LUCA SVIZZERETTO e GIANLUCA MEOLA

(tratto da Nuovo Oggi di giovedì 29 ottobre 2009) – Vince Vaughn e Malin Akerman sono arrivati a Roma per presentare ‘L’isola delle coppie’, la pellicola diretta dal produttore Peter Billingsley (alla sua prima regia), e scritta dallo stesso Vaughn con Jon Favreau e Dana Fox.
Il film, girato a Tahiti e precisamente a Bora Bora, racconta le vicende di quattro coppie del Midwest che partono insieme per una piacevole vacanza allo scopo di salvare il matrimonio di una di esse. L’isola, infatti è nota per un particolare tipo di terapia di coppia che, però, si scopre solo dopo, essere obbligatoria per tutti. Le coppie scoprono presto che nulla è come sembra, specialmente nei loro rapporti.
Una commedia frizzante che fa dei paesaggi da favola il suo punto di forza. Negli States questa produzione ha sbancato i botteghini già alla sua prima settimana nella sale e promette di ottenere discreto successo anche in Italia, dove amore e sole sono sempre in mix molto apprezzato dal pubblico, specialmente da quello più giovane.
“Erano 30 anni che un film non veniva girato a Tahiti”, racconta il regista alla conferenza stampa, (iniziata con una performance di ballerini polinesiani). Da single impenitente Vince Vaughn dice “con ‘L’isola delle coppie’ ho voluto fare un film che parlasse delle cose positive della famiglia e dei genitori”. “Forse non si possono risolvere tutti i problemi, ma bisogna divertirsi finchè c’è tempo. – sostiene l’attore e produttore americano – Io sono stato single per tantissimo tempo, ma a un certo punto le cose cambiano, le priorità diventano altre: famiglia e figli”. Poi però parla anche della sua carriera: “io mi sono basato sul lavoro. Il lavoro è importantissimo, perchè attraverso esso si può crescere. Certo le cose possono non andare sempre bene. Anch’io all’inizio della mia carriera ho avuto delle difficoltà, ma quando le cose vanno male si impara tantissimo, più che quando vanno bene perchè si capisce anche quale è il proprio potenziale. Questa è la cosa bella della vita”.
Nel film Vaughn interpreta un marito che di professione produce videogiochi e, a proposito del ruolo dei videogame nella società, dice “sono un’ottima cosa ma non bisogna farsi alienare, lasciare da parte famiglia e amici per vincere alla fine un trofeo virtuale”.
“Faccio sempre dei film che possano relazionarsi bene con l’uomo comune” – continua Vaughn – “In effetti in questa storia io impersono le problematiche che tutti noi abbiamo: famiglia, figli e via dicendo”.
quando gli chiediamo del suo doppio ruolo di produttore e attore la sua risposta è chiara: “In realtà, come ricorderete,ho iniziato scrivendo perchè scrivere aiuta a recitare”.
Tornando invece al suo personaggio e alle problematiche quotidiane che affronta nella pellicola: “La vita è sempre molto complessa proprio per questo motivo dobbiamo tenerci strette le cose a cui teniamo maggiormente”.
Durante le riprese Vince si è trovato anche a nuotare in mare aperto, circondato da squali, un’esperienza difficile da dimenticare: “sono cresciuto in una città senza mare e quindi all’inizio ho dovuto necessariamente abituarmi ma è stata un’avventura molto interessante”.
Malin Akerman si limita a poche parole nella consueta conferenza stampa. Spiega come sia intenzionate a fare presto un figlio anhce nella vita reale e quindi come recitare questa parte sia stato per lei una specie di esperimento per prepararsi. Tanti sorrisi per tutti dipinti un uno volto splendido che farà senza dubbio la fortuna di questa attrice emergente che abbiamo già avuto modo di apprezzare in ‘Watchman’, ‘Lo spaccacuori’, ‘Ricatto d’amore’ e ‘27 volte in bianco’.
‘L’isola delle coppie’ arriverà nelle sale italiane il prossimo 4 dicembre distribuito dalla Universal.

Le Film: Un très bon thriller/policier francais.

Un très bon moment, que ce thriller/policier qui marqua le cinéma français en 2000.

Vincent Cassel est excellent en jeune flic, Jean Reno est très bon et les second rôles sont plutôt convaincants. En revanche Nadia Fares est plutôt mauvaise dans son rôle.

Mathieu Kassovitz opère une mise en scène plutôt classique a l’exception de quelques plans, mais efficace. On est peut être pas au niveau de La Haine niveau technique de mise en scène, mais bien loin des mauvais films hollywoodiens de l’ami Kassovitz.

La musique de Bruno Coulais est bien entendu magnifique et comme toute excellente bande-son porte en partie le film sur ses épaules.

Au niveau du scenario, ce film adapté du roman de Grangé possede un thème intéressant et ne manque pas de rythme. La première fois qu’on le voit on est bien tenu en haleine et les fois suivantes, l’histoire bien ficelée avec deux enquêteurs et deux enquêtes qui en apparence s’opposent complètement pour se rejoindre est assez bien trouvée.

78/100

L’image: Un transfert plutôt bon mais avec quelques problèmes.

Si d’un point de vu général cette édition est plutôt bonne, il y a au niveau de l’image a boire et a manger.

La scène d’ouverture avec des gros plans sur un cadavre montre de magnifiques détails sur les gros plans et une colorimétrie parfaitement maîtrisée. En revanche dès la scène suivante, qui suit en plan large la voiture du Commissaire Niemans, l’image est très floue même si ici encore la colorimétrie est très belle.

C’est un peu a l’image du reste du film, des plans moyens et proches très bons mais des plans larges très souvent trop flous, a l’exception de quelques uns.

Ce qui amène a se poser la question suivante : reprise du transfert ratée ou mauvaise photographie lors du tournage.

Il y a un léger grain pellicule présent tout le long du film, pas du tout dérangeant. Cependant, on observe du grain sur quelques scènes, comme notamment celle de la cave dans le glacier.

A noter enfin un contraste qui n’est pas parfaitement maitrisé, avec quelques noirs bouchés et des blancs qui auraient pu etres plus blancs.

Enfin sur quelques scenes, notamment de Vincent Cassel a l’ecole, il y a un petit probleme de fluidite, on a l’impression que sa tete saccade lorsqu’il est dans le couloir et suit la directrice.

Bref un bel upgrade sur la version DVD, mais un sentiment d’inachevé.

72/100

Le Son: Pas rentre-dedans, mais excellent.

Une Piste DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 magnifique, encore meilleur que la déjà excellent piste 5.1 DTS du DVD !

La musique composée par Bruno Coulais peut ici prendre toute son ampleur, exploitant a merveille les 6 canaux.

De même le mix compose par Cyril Holtz est l’un des plus léché qui m’ai été donné d’entendre.

Les voix sont parfaitement retranscrites, il est d’ailleurs étonnant d’entendre que celles-ci font partie de ce qui bénéficie le plus du passage au DTS HD Master Audio, elles sont en effet bien plus intelligibles.

Le mixage utilise au mieux les 6 canaux du home cinéma et on se trouve au milieu d’une ambiance parfaitement retranscrite. Il y a une multitude de détails a entendre, comme par exemple le tic-tac de l’horloge dans le bureau du recteur, ou des bruits d’ambiance sur la scène arrière lors de la rencontre entre la bonne sœur et Vincent Cassel, ou des bruits de voiture électrique ou de vélos sur le campus de l’université.

Chaque passage d’hélicoptère utilise parfaitement l’espace sonore, de même que les scènes d’action.

On regrettera seulement une sous-exploitation du caisse de basse avec des infras qui ne se font que trop peu souvent sentir.

Mais au final on est bien en présence d’une piste sonore de démo, certes plus subtile que rentre dedans, on se rapproche plus d’une piste a la Benjamin Button que du Transformers 2.

Tous ces petits effets et cette ambiance parfaitement retranscrite font mouche et les scènes d’action font preuve d’une belle dynamique.

98/100

Genre: Policier/Thriller/Action
Durée: 1h46
Zone: All
Langues: Français DTS Master Audio 5.1/ B.O. isolee DTS High Resolution 5.1
Sous-titres: Anglais / Français

A última premiação da MTV do ano se aproxima. O Europe Music Awards 2009 será no próximo dia 5 de novembro, direto de Berlin e com transmissão ao vivo da MTV Brasil. A apresentação ficará mais uma vez nas mãos de Katy Perry, pela segunda vez consecutiva. A cantora, que venceu a categoria Artista Revelação em 2008 e promete um show ainda melhor esse ano, concorre também em 2 categorias [Melhor Cantora e Melhor Videoclipe, por "Waking Up in Vegas"]. Também foram confirmados shows de Foo Fighters, Jay-Z, Robbie Williams e Shakira, cantando seus novos singles. Eles se juntam à Green Day, Leona Lewis e Tokio Hotel na lista de performances da noite. Joss Stone, Backstreet Boys, Jonas Brothers e Juliette Lewis, além dos atores Jean Reno, Miranda Cosgrove e Asia Argento, entre outros, apresentaram shows e categorias e Pete Wentz, do Fall Out Boy, apresentará a premiação pelo site oficial e mostrará os bastidores. Novas informações serão confirmadas até o dia do evento, então aguarde!

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Vários lançamentos movimentam o fim de ano no mercado musical. Britney Spears [na foto ao lado] e Foo Fighters lançam suas coletâneas. A cantora acabou de lançar o novo single “3” que é o carro-chefe e que já alcançou o primeiro lugar na principal parada dos EUA, a Billboard. Já a banda, lança junto com seus sucessos as novas “Wheels” e “Word Foward“. ”Foo Fighters Greatest Hits“ sai no dia 3 de novembro [em CD e DVD], enquanto o “The Singles Collection” de Britney será lançado em 24 de novembro [em cd e box edição limitada]. Já Lady Gaga aposta em  “The Fame Monster“, uma nova versão de “The Fame” com algumas músicas bônus, entre elas “Bad Romance” que deverá ser o primeiro single e a versão remix de “LoveGame” com a participação de Marilyn Manson. Está previsto para ser lançado em 23 de novembro. Rihanna já aposta em um cd inédito. Através de seu Twitter ela prometeu lançamento também para 23 de novembro e deverá lançar single novo na próxima terça. Outros artistas como John Mayer, Leona Lewis e Tokio Hotel também lançaram seus novos trabalhos. Aqui no Brasil, os lançamentos ficam por conta de NX Zero, Charlie Brown Jr. e Jay Vaquer. A banda de Santos acabou de lançar “Camisa 10 joga bola até na chuva” e “Me Encontra“, primeiro single, já faz sucesso nas rádios. Já o NX Zero lançará no próximo dia 20 “Sete chaves“, com o single “Espero a Minha Vez” que foi a música mais tocada na rádio logo no lançamento. Jay Vaquer lançou ”Alive in Brazil“, seu primeiro registro ao vivo em CD e DVD no início do mês, com versões de seus sucessos.

Couples Retreat, the new comedy written by and starring Vince Vaughn and John Favreau, gets my vote for the most surprisingly unfunny movie of the year.  How is this possible?  While it is not terrible, it left me wondering how a film featuring a whole cast of brilliant comedians could turn out to be so overlong, tedious and completely devoid of humour.

I’ve been a fan of Vaughn and Favreau since the 1996 hit Swingers, so I had reasonable expectations for this film.  Then when I heard Jason Bateman and John Michael Higgins (two of my favourites from Arrested Development) were also going to be in it, Couples Retreat became a ‘must-watch’.  The rest of the cast wasn’t too shabby either – Malin Ackerman (The Heartbreak Kid), Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), Kristen Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Faizon Love (My Name is Earl), Ken Jeong (Role Models), Peter Serafinowicz (South Park) and Jean Reno (The Pink Panther 2) – all actors with comedic experience.

The premise was also very promising – four couples with various relationship problems going to a paradisaical resort.  The opportunities for laughter were seemingly endless.

However, for some unfathomable reason, Couples Retreat simply wasn’t funny.  Sure, some of jokes fell flat, but the bigger problem was that there just weren’t very many jokes in the 113-minute film.  Being Couples Retreat, there was of course a lot of focus on relationships, but it was as though they forgot that this was supposed to be a comedy.  The situations were custom made for laughter, yet the laughs rarely came.  And it was like this all the way through, until the end when the film was reduced to a sentimental mess with painfully forced resolutions.

Without the laughs, it was just a bunch of selfish, annoying, unlikable people being obnoxious in a beautiful place.  Now, being unlikable does not stop a person from being outrageously hilarious or even endearing (eg Homer Simpson, George Costanza, David Brent/Michael Scott, the entire Bluth family).  Unfortunately, not one of the characters in Couples Retreat managed it.  Only John Favreau delivered a few decent laughs and only Malin Ackerman’s character demonstrated mild endearing qualities.

At the end of the day, Couples Retreat was a massive disappointment.  I saw an interview with Vaughn and Bateman when they were promoting the film in Australia and they were absolutely hilarious by just being themselves.  It will forever remain a mystery to me why Couples Retreat couldn’t have channeled some of the hilarity of its wonderful stars into it.

2 stars out of 5

Malin Akerman (center) realizes her love scenes are with Vince Vaughn while her co-stars pretend not to notice her discomfort.

(Universal) Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Kristin Davis, Jean Reno, Faizon Love, Kali Hawk, Carlos Ponce, Peter Serafinowicz, Tasha Smith, Temuera Morrison, Jonna Walsh. Directed by Peter Billingsley

Relationships require a lot of work and even with that, none are ever perfect. Sometimes we have problems with our mates that we didn’t even know we had.

Dave (Vaughn) is a happily married video game salesman (specializing in Guitar Hero) who has a nice suburban Chicago home, two mostly well-behaved kids (although one has a tendency to use just about anything as his personal toilet) a stressful job that demands long hours, and a gorgeous, loving wife (Akerman) named Ronnie who is completely absorbed in remodeling their home. He is less enthusiastic about the project and this has brought some tension to the marriage.

His best buddy is Joey (Favreau), who married Lucy (Davis) just out of high school after he got her pregnant. They show a united front to the world, especially when their daughter Lacey (Walsh) attempts to leave the house in the middle of winter dressed like a hooker, but in reality they can’t stand each other and plan to divorce as soon as Lacey leaves for Stanford. In the meantime, they are cheating on each other as much as they can.

Shane (Love) is already divorced and dating Trudy (Hawk), a much younger model wannabe. He’s going through a big time midlife crisis, but is having some financial troubles after his wife Jennifer (Smith) soaked him in the divorce. He asks his buddy Dave to co-sign on a loan to buy a motorcycle, which Dave refuses at first but eventually gives in when Shane opens up and tells him how much he needs it on a personal level. Dave’s an enabler that way.

Finally there’s Jason (Bateman) and his wife Cynthia (Bell) who seem perfect for each other. So anal they make squeaking noises when they walk, they have had difficulty conceiving a child. This has caused strain so severe on their marriage they are considering a divorce, a fact they reveal to their friends in a PowerPoint presentation (squeak, squeak, squeak). They intend to give their marriage one last-ditch effort at the beautiful Eden resort in the South Pacific, where they will have the opportunity to jet ski and learn couples skill building at the same time.

The others aren’t so enthusiastic about going, although their interest is piqued when Jason and Cynthia promise them they don’t have to do any of the touchy-feely stuff. Dave’s objection is that he can’t really get away from work and that they couldn’t get anyone to watch the kids anyway, but when his kids beg him to go and even call his dad to babysit, Dave and Cynthia – who had skipped their honeymoon when Dave got a job offer – decided to take advantage of the opportunity.

Once there they fall under the ministrations of the smarmy concierge Sctanley (yes, that’s how he spells it) and the new age guru Marcel (Reno) who is something of a whiz kid at rescuing marriages. Once there, they realize that all the fun stuff is located in the singles side of the island to which they are forbidden to go, and that all of them had to partake of the skill building sessions. As they go through therapy, cracks in the facades of all their relationships begin to appear until it becomes evident that none of them may leave Problem Island with their marriages intact. 

Vaughn co-wrote and co-produced this epic with his buddy Favreau, and if you like either one of their onscreen personas in previous movies like Swingers and Wedding Crashers, you’ll want to see this. Vaughn gets most of the great one-liners (the advantage of being your own producer and writer) and he delivers them seamlessly, Vince Vaughn-style.

It seems odd that the three middle aged flabby guys all have super hot wives (Akerman, Bell and Davis all look pretty spectacular in bikinis) and Love, who is a bit of a behemoth, has essentially a 20-year-old supermodel doing the nasty with him in oh-so-nasty ways. However, this is Hollywood and I suppose anything is possible.

The cast is really solid and they all are given characters that give them at least something to latch onto as actors, and they’re all good enough to take advantage of it. It’s too bad the script couldn’t have given them a better story. While the concept is solid, the way they get from beginning to end is pretty weak. I think they would have benefited from a little more realism and maybe the knowledge that not every marriage works out okay should have been introduced. The whole notion of love conquering all is mainly a Hollywood invention and nobody really believes it anymore. While I’m sure studio executives were anxious for everyone to end up happy and in love, the movie would have been better if they hadn’t.

Filmed at the St. Regis resort in Bora Bora, one of the most beautiful places in the world, it’s a great-looking film. The bottom line is whether or not it’s funny. The answer is, yeah for the most part. There are some moments that fall flat, and some of the writing seems a bit forced into making a Hollywood happy ending. The underlying message is that as long as the sex is good, so is the marriage which doesn’t really ring true. Still, there are enough laughs for me to recommend this slightly. It’s not as horrible as other critics are making it out to be; it’s just slightly better than okay. Not a ringing endorsement I know, but the sandal definitely fits.

REASONS TO GO: Jennifer Garner’s best performance to date augments an intriguing premise. The movie has a good deal of heart and has at least one genuinely moving moment.

REASONS TO STAY: The romantic comedy aspect doesn’t work as well as the satire. Too many cameos spoil the broth.

FAMILY VALUES: Some PG sexual situations and one scene in which some self-pleasuring is implied; nothing really overt but you may want to think twice before bringing kids who are less aware of sex.

TRIVIAL PURSUIT: Couples Retreat marks the fourth movie that both Vaughn and Favreau have been in together.

HOME OR THEATER: Although some of the lovely shots of Bora Bora look gorgeous on the big screen, it works as well on the home screen.

FINAL RATING: 6/10

TOMORROW: The Reader