Star Wars: The Force Awakens by J.J. Abrams, 2015 (PG-13)

with Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, Harrison Ford, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis

Thirty years after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, the galaxy faces a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) and the First Order. When a defector named Finn crash-lands on a desert planet, he meets Rey (Daisy Ridley), a tough scavenger whose droid contains a top-secret map. Together, the young duo joins forces with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) to make sure the Resistance receives the intelligence concerning the whereabouts of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), the last of the Jedi Knights.

And we missed them so much... It was good to see them again. And finally, making fun of the Stormtroopers as they really deserve (they are the comic relief). And see some new characters emerge, intelligent, witty as Han Solo was. They chose a cast that is impeccable, with a mix of up-and-coming actors and Oscar winners and nominees, targeting the widest audience ever for a Star Wars movie. And as Star Wars fan, how could you miss Solo and Leia being back together?
Of course, that means there are a lot of things that you were sort of trapped to live as an audience, and the pattern of the story-line is getting a little old... But still, it was worth the watch... Now we have to wait another two years minimum to know more about Finn, Rey and Poe (Oscar Isaac). That is way too long...

300: Rise of an Empire by Noam Murro, 2014 (R)

with Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green (Dark Shadows, Penny Dreadful, Perfect Sense - The Last Word), Lena Headey (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, The man with rain in his shoes, Game of Thrones, 300), Hans Matheson, Rodrigo Santoro (I Love You Phillip Morris, Love Actually, 300), Callan Mulvey, Andrew Tiernan, David Wenham, Jack O'Connell, Andrew Pleavin
Sequel of 300

Rodrigo Santoro is back leading the Persian forces in their invasion of Greece as mortal-turned-god Xerxes. Determined to thwart him is Greek general Themistokles, who takes to the sea in his quest to unite his country.

The first one had the effect of surprise in terms of style (yes, Sin City came first, but this one was in color, and pretty cool with its own aesthetic and slow motion). This one is darker at the image of pretty much every role of Eva Green, which turned out to be the only interesting thing about the sequel, but also for somebody who has seen a lot of what she does, another more of the same... So, I guess this is not a very interesting movie. And another one where Lena Headey is symbolic... By the way, now that Sin City: A Dame to Kill For came out, it would be interesting to see where they innovated too.

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Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Anthony et Joe Russo, 2014 (PG-13)

Extending the saga of Marvel's The Avengers, this superhero sequel finds Steve Rogers living quietly in Washington but growing increasingly restless. So when a deadly new foe surfaces, he transforms into Captain America and allies with Black Widow.

I like superhero movies, but this one was effective, and somehow good, perhaps because Captain America is the only hero nowadays people make fun of, being so straight and old-fashioned, therefore you cannot take the movie too seriously. I guess it also explains the way people get to like him, in the movie and in real life, in a Clark Kent kind of way.

with Chris Evans (Captain America: First Avenger, Avengers, Puncture), Scarlett Johansson (Her, Hitchcock, We Brought a Zoo, The Avengers, Scoop, The Horse Whisperer), Sebastian Stan (Captain America: First Avenger, Black Swan), Anthony Mackie (The Adjustment Bureau, Man on a Ledge, The Hurt Locker), Cobie Smulders (Captain America: First Avenger), Frank Grillo (Disconnect, Zero Dark Thirty, The Grey, Warrior), Emily VanCamp, Hayley Atwell (Captain America: First Avenger), Robert Redford (The Company You Keep, The Horse Whisperer, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Out of Africa, The great Gatsby), Samuel L. Jackson (Django Unchained, Jackie Brown, The Avengers), Toby Jones (The Girl, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Hunger Games, Snow White and the Huntsman)

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Fast & Furious 6 by Justin Lin, 2013 (PG-13)

with Vin Diesel (Pitch Black), Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson (Get Smart), Jordana Brewster (Annapolis), Michelle Rodriguez (Avatar, Lost, Girlfight), Tyrese Gibson (Annapolis), Sung Kang, Gal Gadot, Ludacris, Luke Evans (Immortals), Elsa Pataky (Don't Tempt Me - Sin Noticias De Dios), Gina Carano (Haywire)
From the director of Annapolis

Hobbs has Dom and Brian reassemble their crew in order to take down a mastermind who commands an organization of mercenary drivers across 12 countries. Payment? Full pardons for them all.

I haven't seen the other FandF, but this one looked like a thrill and would be just that shot of adrenaline I needed. The cast with Michelle Rodriguez and Gina Carano sounded promising, and I like Vin Diesel. Well, I wasn't deceived, very cool car races (and other moving machines), combats, stunts of all kind, and an easy story to follow, entertaining. So why not, from time to time, buy in to these mainstream productions and enjoy the ride?

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The Matrix Revolutions by Andy Wachowski and Lana Wachowski, 2003 (R)

with Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, Constantine), Laurence Fishburne (Contagion, Man of Steel), Carrie-Anne Moss (Pompeii, Fireflies in the Garden, Chocolat, Snow Cake), Hugo Weaving (Captain America, Cloud Atlas), Jada Pinkett Smith, Mary Alice, Harold Perrineau, Monica Bellucci (Remember Me, My Love - Ricordati di me, Asterix and Obelix Meet Cleopatra, The Whistleblower), Harry Lennix (Man of Steel), Lambert Wilson (On connaît la chanson - Same Old Song, Of Gods and Men (Des Hommes et des Dieux), Nona Gaye, Anthony Zerbe, David Roberts, Tanveer K. Atwal
Sequel of The Matrix and The Matrix Reloaded

The final installment in the Matrix trilogy finds an unconscious Neo trapped in a subway station in a zone between the Matrix and the machine world. Trinity and Morpheus fight to free him, but a powerful enemy complicates their mission.

I just did a Matrix marathon, a little upside down, so I saw the end of Matrix Reloaded, not the beginning, then Matrix Revolutions, and finally the Matrix. Of course, I had seen it before so it didn't bother me. I have to say Matrix Reloaded has some good points, but having finally understood Matrix Revolutions, I can at last say I really love the whole trilogy (The Matrix will still be my favorite...). Anyway, surprisingly, after more than 10 years later, the movie is still really well done, still current, and I love the universe they created for the characters, between the grunge underground, and the sleek and elegant Matrix universe. A Classic trilogy.

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Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade by Steven Spielberg, 1989 (PG)

with Harrison Ford (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strike Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Morning Glory, Blade Runner), Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, River Phoenix, Michael Byrne (The Saint), Kevork Malikyan, Robert Eddison
Following Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Fedora and whip at the ready, Indiana Jones sets off on his third cinematic outing accompanied by none other than his father, Henry, to explore the cradle of civilization on a perilous hunt for the Holy Grail -- which the Nazis are also after.

This is my favorite, perhaps because it plays with switching roles, because the relationship between the two Jones is funny and it works, also perhaps because it happens at the heart of WW2 in Germany, which is easier to relate to than deep India. And finally because it tells you a little more about Dr. Jones, his childhood, and his emotions... making him a little more interesting than just a witty seductive man.

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Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom by Steven Spielberg, 1984 (PG)

with Harrison Ford (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strike Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Morning Glory, Blade Runner), Kate Capshaw, Jonathan Ke Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Roy Chiao, Ric Young, David Yip, Philip Tan, Dan Aykroyd, Michael Yama, Chua Kah Joo, Rex Ngui, Akio Mitamura, D.R. Nanayakkara, Dharmadasa Kuruppu, Stany De Silva

Following Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark and followed by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The second film in the Indiana Jones series takes Indy, young sidekick Short Round and spoiled songbird Willie Scott to a remote fortress in India to find a missing magical stone. In the process, the trio stumbles upon a pagan cult.

This one is cute, the comic element being centered on the little boy and his funny comic of situation. The action is easy to follow, and they journey enjoyable. The story is a little less scientifically realistic, and perhaps the relationship between the characters less believable... Oh well... I was told each new Indiana Jones were better than the previous one (excluding the alien of 2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). So the expectation kept rising...

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Red 2 by Dean Parisot, 2013 (PG-13)

with Bruce Willis (Looper, Bandits, Surrogates, RED), Helen Mirren (Hitchcock, The Debt, RED), John Malkovich (Disgrace, RED), Anthony Hopkins (Hitchcock, Thor, 360), Mary-Louise Parker (Solitary Man, RED), Byung-hun Lee, Catherine Zeta-Jones (Playing for keeps, Traffic, Ocean's Twelve, Side Effects, Broken City), Neal McDonough (Philly Kid), David Thewlis (War Horse, Harry Potter)
From the director of Galaxy Quest

Retired black-ops CIA agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device. To succeed, they'll need to survive an army of relentless assassins, ruthless terrorists and power-crazed government officials, all eager to get their hands on the next-generation weapon. The mission takes Frank and his motley crew to Paris, London and Moscow. Outgunned and outmanned, they have only their cunning wits, their old-school skills, and each other to rely on as they try to save the world-and stay alive in the process.

Ok, the first one was funny, and ok the trailer for the second one was funny. The only problem is that the movie itself, I mean RED 2, is not funny long enough and gives too much space to combat, with constant close ups from a very doubful hand camera work, which basically blinds us from any possible choregraphy, movement, or even meaning. The actors would be good, but there is no space for them, and the story is not that great. Catherine Zeta-Jones and David Thewlis allow for some time of humor, but so little it feels a little stingy. From the director of what could be called an actors' movie, Galaxy Quest, it feels like he tried everything possible to do the exact opposite of what he achieved in the past. Sad...

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