Avengers Infinity War : A review

10 years in the making lead to the 3rd Avengers movie, which represents the end of Phase 3 but certainly not the end of Marvel movies.

Infinity War deals with the damage that left everyone after Civil War disbanded and isolated and now that Thanos is here to end it all, it's time for a much needed reunion, but will he succeed against earth mightiest heroes ?

Infinity War was a movie that I had been dreading. I had faith in the Russos brothers (after all they gave us The Winter Soldier AND Civil War) but the thought "What if it is disappointing ?" kept creeping up on me. I mean this Avenger movie isn't just ANY Avenger movie, it is 10 years of end credit scenes, character building leading to this moment that lasted over 2 hours and provided a lot of tears on my end. 

And to say I was not disappointed is an understatement. This movie devastated me. It brought all the characters I love, put a charismatic villain which the MCU was desperately needing at this point , and raised the stakes so high it left me crying at the end .

Thanos is not only physically imposing, he also has goals to achieve no matter what the cost is. You hate to love him but he is a compelling villain. You understand his mad motivations and throughout the entire movie he moves at a fast path that makes you wonder how our heroes will manage to stop him. Even makes you wonder if they'll be able to do such thing, and as much I generally love the MCU movies, they have , for the most part , been sometimes not so surprising and lacked stakes that leaves you speechless. This one however, does not. The stakes are real and when everything goes down, it goes down hard. 

It's a brutal wake up call and a nice surprise. By the end of it you realize that waiting another year for the follow up, is quite a cruel thing that Disney/Marvel Studios has done to us.

As for the characters, nonetheless to say that putting everyone together from the original Avengers to the Guardians of the Galaxy to the newest additions like Doctor Strange and Peter Parker , is quite the task and thankfully the writers and the Russo Brothers achieved what could have been a complete misfire. Everyone keeps more or less their personality , outside of some questionable behaviors at times, and the pairings were made in a clever way that made Doctor Strange and Tony Stark banters quite fun.

As always Thor stays a strong favourite of mine and now that Ragnarok grew a lot more on me, he continues in this movie to be a a strong compelling character and seeing Chris Hemsworth and everyone else giving their all and commit so much to these characters is quite a warm feeling. 

I won't spoil the story but the 3rd act of the movie left me emotionally scarred to the point of literally having nightmares about it the following night. But that ending had a refreshing surprising tone that made me want to see the movie another time to make sure I got all the references and the story right.

Visually speaking the movie is stunning, with each planet (the earth and others in space) being represented as believably as they can and Thanos himself looked great. Honestly not much to say outside of Bruce Banner in the hulkbuster looking very CGI at times. But that's a nitpick.

My biggest nitpick might be the soundtrack, after the amazing work provided by Henry Jackman on previous Russo directed entries, Alan Silvestri is back for this 3rd Avenger movie and I'm not so sure how to feel about it. The Avengers theme is still here and amazing but the rest felt not that memorizing which is a problem that has been present in many Marvel movies. (with exceptions being the Captain America movies from 2014 onward to Spider Man Homecoming but yes, it's just a few and no the songs used in Guardians movie do not count!)


Avengers Infinity War is a beast of a movie to digest and if you've never been into the MCU movies, then you might want to look the other way as this one will be far from satisfying to any non-fan of that cinematic universe. But if like me you've been someone who has been at every showing of all those movies since 2008, then Infinity War will provide everything you ever dreamed of such an ambitious movie could do. The stakes are real and the loss are heavy but the gain from following almost religiously a  series of movies like the MCU has provided pays off in ways I never imagined.

Thanks for reading this review, I plan of writing one for Black Panther once the digital copy is officially out so look forward to this one as well and don't hesitate to tell me what you think of Infinity War down below or on twitter !

Movie Review : Annihilation

The 'Shimmer' is an advancing field that changes everything in its path at an alarming rate. Lena and four other scientists are sent there as a last resort to understand what is happening and how to fix it.

How do you write a review about a movie like 'Annihilation' ? On one hand I want to share my experience and how I felt after watching it, but on the other hand telling you , person reading this article, too much would be a disservice to you in your own journey through discovering this movie.

So, Annihilation . What a movie.

I went completely blind into it and I recommend you do too. The less you know the more you will enjoy it. Or at least you might.
Just like Garland's previous movie 'Ex Machina', 'Annihilation' in a way is a reflection of human nature that uses its antagonist to make us question our surroundings and our very own existence, only this time it's a little bit more abstract and requires you to enjoy slow paced scenes and be in no hurry of a big monster being shot by Natalie Portman's Lena. This aspect I personally found quite rewarding and never found myself bored. In fact I was glued to my computer. (having netflix on it)

Even though it is a new Sci-Fi entry, it will certainly not be as popcorn worthy as Aliens, but it definitively borrows here and there with references being sometimes subtle, sometimes not from a wide variety of movies, novels etc... while also allowing the movie to exists in its own terms. 

I wish I could share other movies that Annihilation made me think of, but again it would almost be too spoilery. So go watch it and hit it me up on twitter or in the comment section here to share !

So what can I really say about 'Annihilation' ? Well , let's start with the acting. Everyone involved no matter how small their part is was excellent. From 'even more stoic than usual' Oscar Isaac to Benedict Wong's small part, to of course the team of scientists that we spent most of our time with, there is not one person in this movie that does not give their talent a boost . Actually the performances feel so selfless in this movie that I did not see the actors, I saw the characters, something that is not as easy as it used to be and always more than welcomed.

Natalie Portman being the one getting the bigger piece of the pie dialogue and story wise, you cannot deny that she brings it everytime. She's no Jackie Kennedy here , but she has to deal with the loss of her husband too .

Thompson's quiet and soft Josie Radek is a nice contrast from last year's Valkyrie in Thor : Ragnarok even though both characters share some painful scars in their own ways.

Even Gina Rodriguez' Anya is a fierce and unpredictable character that makes you feel for her and even though her actions are lead through panic and fear, you understand where she is coming from.

I also have to talk about the soundtrack, by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow, a haunting,at times creepy and sometimes comforting soundtrack that goes along the movie and soars when needed. It almost like it is surrounding you like 'the Shimmer' at times. Also, please note that as I am writing this review I am listening to this OST and it's quite effective in refreshing my memory.

Annihilation is a Sci-Fi movie that makes you think and it might not be the usual popcorn Sci-Fi where everyone shoots before they think, but it is quite efficient and I personally found it to be right up my alley. There are questions pending, others answered (sort of) and unanswered,  but it definitively stays with you and makes you wonder about the world in a way you might not have  before.

What did you think of Annihilation ? Let me know in the comments down below or on twitter , and thanks for reading my review !

Movie Review : FullMetal Alchemist (Live Action)

FullMetal Alchemist aka FMA is an extremely popular manga made by Hiromu Arakawa that has two anime adaptations, one movie and a couple of video games, nonetheless to say it is quite a popular and well known one, but also one that has been one of my favourite for many years.

Back in 2016 a Live Action adaptation of FMA was announced, the reception was less than favourable, and the more cast members were announced the more it felt like this movie was going to be a hot mess.

Well it came out in December 2017 in Japan and just 2 months later the movie is now available on netflix and I decided to give it a try.

Making a live Action Adaptation whether it's based on a video or a manga/anime always seems like a tedious challenge often ending in a complete misfire. The only good example I can think of goes back to 2005 with NaNa, a faithful and enjoyable adaptation of the popular manga of the same name.

Ever since whether it is in Japan (*coughs* Attack on Titans movies,anyone ?) or Hollywood versions (Ghost in the Shell and the great story of whitewashing Asian main characters!) not everything since 2005 has been a peaceful walk when it comes to live action adaptations.

And I went into FullMetal Alchemist fearing a hot mess, but I came out almost relieved.

However the movie has a lot of issues. Like, a lot. First of all, being the passionate FMA fan that I am, I am glad to say I connected every dots in this movie quite easily ,got all the references and most of the storyline(s) made sense. But what if I had never read/seen FMA ? Well this movie would have felt like a heavy convoluted 2 hours and 14 minutes of barely any established mythology of what it's based on and any character would appear as non important, which is a problem considering we are supposed to care about them.

Edward and Alphonse Elric are two brothers who practice Alchemy, what is Alchemy you ask ? Well don't expect the movie to expand too much on it outside of a 5 minutes explanatory exposition by Alphonse after a good 30 minutes already in because the movie itself counts on you to understand it all like a champ'. As if you already knew it all .

And that's my biggest complaint, instead of being a nod to the fans, the movie should have tried harder to convert new people to its rich universe. But instead it simply expects you to get it all on one try and that is truly a shame. The movie tries so hard on spectacle at times that it forgets to have a soul.The Elric brothers are the soul of FMA and yet the movie spends an incredible amount of time separating them for no reason, sent on random quests that try to add +10 characters for both references to the original material and try to make sense but fails on both levels quite hard.

Acting wise I have to give props for most of the cast because they do try their best to represent those beloved characters as best as they can for the short amount of time they get on screen . Even Ryosuke Yamada who had the burden of portraying a tough and emotional character like Edward , manages to represent the character the best way he can . His outburst and emotions always felt as a reflection of the original character and I can only salute him for doing his very best . (even with a horrendous wig on.) It is hard to develop more on any characters as they barely have time to appear on screen for you to establish a bond with them and I only did so because of all my fond memories . (but I wouldn't blame anyone who is an outsider of this universe to barely care about any of them as they just don't matter as much as in the original material.)

Many questions are left pending and the movie ends on the hope of a sequel, maybe that is why it is now on Netflix worldwide trying to get the money for it. I weirdly wouldn't be against it if only the sequel manages to focus up.

FullMetal Alchemist is a movie that feels like it had 10 different storylines all happening at once and expects you to follow it all as if it was that simple. The movie does try to honor the original material but also makes some questionable changes and tries to woo audiences like a blockbuster when it should have been a story about two brothers trying to deal with the pain they went through and explore what Alchemy really is . One simple thread with the Philosopher's Stone at its core would have worked wonders but instead you spend over 2 hours wondering when the movie is going to end and why you should care about any of the characters, even the beloved brothers.

Movie Review : Thor Ragnarok

Every year Marvel likes to give us sequels, new projects and after last year Dr. Strange, this year Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 and Spider-man Homecoming, you can't say they haven't been busy.

Thor Ragnarok is according to Thor himself,  "the destruction of everything" and especially Asgard.
In between he has to deal with new villain Hela and a new planet straight out of the Guardians of the Galaxy universe : Sakar. 

The main reason why I was excited about Thor Ragnarok is mostly the director : Taika Waititi. I enjoyed both previous Thor movies but I think it's fair to say that the Thor saga always felt a bit less than most of the Marvel Movies and Waititi has some excellent movies like 'Hunt for the Wilderpeople', and my ultimate favorite 'What we do in the shadows' under his belt so, what could go wrong ?

I'll start with what I liked with the movie : the humour. It was nice to have Thor be what he always seemed to be : a dumb golden retriever. Here Hemsworth is having a great time making the character even more of his own and the humour clearly makes his performance resonate a lot more as you can tell that the actor is having a great time.Even Hiddleston's Loki became a lot more likable this time around, Hiddleston always bringing a Shakespearean approach to the character that compliments and sometimes ridiculises the character in a charming way.

Unfortunately living in France,I had to see the movie with French voice actors and as always it took 70% of the jokes out and made the movie seem less funny than I believe it actually is. ( Crazy how the actors' performances are altered when the only french accent you get is a typical Parisian one. 

But hey, at least Korg and Miek were still awesome. )

A character that I truly loved and welcomed was Valkyrie (played incredibly well by Tessa Thompson) , her strength and vulnerability made her stand on her own just as much as her males counterparts and that felt refreshing, especially in the MCU which cruelly lacks any really interesting females on the big screen.(Where's our Black Widow movie at ??? )

And of course what about the villain you may ask ? Hela played by Cate Blanchett was sufficient I suppose,she did lack a lot of screen time that was strangely taken away by Skurge (played by Karl Urban who is still always a welcome sight ) and her own story felt dull and seen again and again many times before. (and made me think of S4 of Sherlock, a lot.)

The CGI also felt somewhat uneven at times, and not at the top of the game like previous MCU installments (especially in comparison to Guardians) which was surprising. But I also need to point out that some of the shots in the movie are stunning, Waititi clearly a fan of Baroque paintings , it definitively added a lot to the visual aesthetic of the movie.

Some moments in the movie were meant to induce emotions (I assume) and felt not as quite reaching enough, but that may be more due to the MCU itself, especially when it comes to deaths, I now feel always very unbothered by most of them in that universe,and I wonder how Avengers 4 is going to handle that. 

I was also surprised by the amount of references to Avengers : Age of Ultron. There are a lot of them and considering how that movie ended up being quite dull and full of promises never fulfilled, it's a bit weird to hear Thor and Banner talk about it like it happened yesterday. (but still,I guess it makes sense considering both have been out of the MCU for 2 years now) 

The soundtrack carried by Immigrant Song was great,I liked the fact that it kept elements of the 1st Thor movie while having a very 70s/80s vibe to it.(my ultimate weakness!) . 

And finally, the post-credits scenes were...disappointing. The 1st one being obvious, and the 2nd one cashing on Goldblum being ...well Goldblum. And while I love the grand master and Goldblum's performance , it felt still coming out of nowhere and made me miss the time where post credits scenes in the MCU actually meant something.

Don't get me wrong,I had fun watching Thor Ragnarok, but it seems that this one and Guardians are a type of the MCU I just can't fully get into as the grittier ones like Captain America : Civil War and the lovely Spider-man Homecoming were the most recent ones that I truly fully enjoyed.

I'll wait for the DVD to be out to actually watch it again in original version but for now I give the movie...

Thanks for reading my review! What MCU movie got your attention this year ? Let me know in the comments !

Movie Review : Ingrid Goes West

I guess as someone who has dealt with mental health issues for quite some time, I get drawn more into movies like England is Mine or the one I just saw a few days ago : Ingrid Goes West.

The premise of Ingrid Goes West is simple : Ingrid is a loner with some serious issues who finds solace in her use of the social media app : Instagram. But things get out of hands when she shows a behavior closer to stalking and obsessing when she discovers Elizabeth Olsen's character Taylor Sloane, the typical California girl you see a lot on Instagram who takes pictures of stuff...and gets paid for it building a large following or people wanting to be just like her... and then everything goes quite...west.

I have to say this movie was unsettling for me, it is a critical  message about what apps and social medias can do to us. And in some parts I definitively agree with what the movie tries to convey. Like Ingrid I wanted to be someone else, and when the "celebrities" you follow on Instagram promote a product, a part of my mind always thinks "Maybe I should buy it".
This always reminds of the song by Marina & The Diamonds "Sex yeah" :  "Question what the tv tells you, question what the pop star sells you."

I think anyone who uses social media has to be careful. I had the chance to discover most of it along my late teenager years, but now anyone from any age starting from 13 ('technically') is on social media. It's as much part of our life as eating.

Now what rubbed me the wrong way was how the 'theme' of the movie was handled. Instead of focusing on Ingrid's deteriorating mental health, we are left with a one sided conversation : She's addicted to instagram and can't stop. The app is destroying her life. Everything is pointing at the app being the cause of her mental health and this is where I disagree.

What about Ingrid ? The main character, the girl who lost her mother, the woman who had to go through a mental health facility care alone... well, we never really get close to know what really goes on in her mind because the movie tries so hard to say "Social media is the cause of all this!" with its finger pointed at Instagram in particular, that we never really focus on what she actually goes through. 

Sure the app enhances an already unbalanced behavior , but the movie tries so hard to say "This is all because of the app!!!!" that it doesn't stop to think that maybe...just maybe the app is just the trigger. Because I believe that with or without social media, Ingrid's issues would still be there. She went through the loss of her own mother that she says was like her "best friend", even without any social media, there would still be a lot of pain and hardship.But I do believe that Instagram ,in her case, enhanced her need to not feel alone anymore and since she is a very awkward girl, it only leads her to imagine that the app is the answer to everything, lifting all of her problems away.

Now don't get me wrong ,this movie was enjoyable, it had solid performances (if not over the top from Plaza with crazy looks that honestly would never work in real life) and it definitively invites you to have a discussion about social medias and how they impact our behaviors, no matter where we are from in the world, but I think it misses the point at times.

I've been like Ingrid, a lonely kid who barely had any friends and seeked refuge into this incredibly appealing digital world, and I got lucky I never went into this dark road, if anything I've had for the last 10 years some decent experience with any social medias I've been on , but this movie can show you how easy it is to fall into the rabbit hole of obsessions and very unhealthy behaviors (on both Ingrid and Taylor's side) . It's just a shame that the movie focuses so much on the app it tries to denounce that it never quite manages to make a decent portrait of someone dealing with mental health issues like it should have and that is why I give it...

Thanks for reading another movie review ! I'm really enjoying writing about these movies and I hope you do too ! I'm seeing Thor Ragnarok tomorrow so I'll try to get a nice little review in during the week end or next week !

Movie Review : England is Mine

I know, I've kinda let this blog collect the dust, but to be fair my YouTube channel as well, it's been a couple of complicated months I wish I could erase and yet here we are. Now here comes a review of a movie I've had the chance to see recently : England is Mine by Mark Gill.

England is Mine is according to its iMDB summary "A portrait of Morrissey and his early life in 1970s Manchester before he went on to become the lead singer of seminal alternative rock band The Smiths."

Now I have to confess something, I never listened to The Smiths, ever. Actually I didn't even know who Steven Morrissey was and yet I felt drawn to this unofficial biopic because I could relate to its main character a lot more than I ever expected.

Now I think if you're a Smith fan, this movie could work or absolutely not work for you. I genuinely have no idea about Morrissey's life and if I have to be fully honest this movie did not really make me want to dig deep into The Smith's music or Morrissey's solo endeavors. 

What really made me love this movie is more about the psyche of the main character. (played beautifully by Jack Lowden) As someone who has been dealing with social anxiety ever since I was a kid, this movie ,I believe, represents what it's like to simply be artistically impeached by it. Sometimes anxiety takes so much out of me physically and mentally that I feel like I'm slowly drowning in a lake, unable to breathe or to escape my invisible enemy dragging me down into an endless pit.

The moment when Steven is in front of his typewriter, unable to write, feeling like creativity has flown away because of his mental health issues reminded me of myself and how sometimes I am unable to make reviews, to focus on new released music, and simply unable to write anything, as if my mind goes blank, and the need and desire for all that is simply gone.

But among all of the chaos, there's hope. Just like the final part of the movie shows, there's is a way to swim back to the surface and breathe again, in this case music and his writing remain the salvation for Steven's mental health and you see the subtle changes appear in such a natural way that it makes the movie stand on its own feet just fine.

Let's imagine for a second that England is Mine exists in a parallel universe where the main character shares the same name as a famous singer like a coincidence , so we can then focus beyond the shadow of it and see the real treasure it gives us : a honest portrait about someone dealing with crippling anxiety and depression. I found a lot of myself in this movie and I believe anyone dealing with the same mental issues will as well, and it is depicted in a way that is genuine and caring without ever sugar coating what it is like and that is why I give the movie :

Thanks for reading my first ever movie review here ! After seeing this movie I really needed to write down my impressions on it as it had an impact on me I never expected. I'd be happy to know what you think of it and feel free to share other movies that share a similar approach to mental health issues. I might do more movie reviews (as it's something I quite enjoy even if it's not as much as music, it's still a big part of my life ) if you'd like more. We'll see how things will go~