J'avais énormément aimé le livre. C'était la première fois que je lisais un auteur qui rentrait sans doute en 3e quand moi-même attaquais la 6e. Et forcément, son ton me parlait.
Si le film reste fidèle au livre, il y a forcément eu des coupes, et le ton me parle globalement beaucoup moins. Bref, si vous avez le temps ou l'envie, préférez le livre.
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The Adam Project is a hybrid child of Terminator, Back to the Future, Deadpool, and a lost scene from Good Will Hunting. It shouldn’t work – but somehow, it mostly does.
It’s a fun, family-ish adventure with just enough heart to make the time-travel chaos land. I’d probably wait until my kids are 10+ to show it – there’s quite a bit of violence and some heavy themes – but I’d happily watch it again.
Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo bring such warmth to their roles that you can’t help but be pulled in. Also, that house? I want it.
Of course you’ll cry at the end – the movie knows exactly where to hit you.
Not the greatest, but undeniably likable. Comfort sci-fi with a soft center.
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Again, Letterboxd is amazing. Their commitment of web standards allows me to choose my next movie simply by visiting this URL: https://letterboxd.com/dirtyhenry/watchlist/on/favorite-services/type/stream/by/shuffle/.
This link filters my watchlist to show only the movies available to streaming services I subscribe to, and randomizes the order. My strategy? I just pick the first movie that appears. It’s that simple.
I like losing the context of when or why I added a movie to my watchlist. I trust that my past self picked these films for a reason. This approach saves me time and helps me avoid indecision.
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After watching Hoosiers, I unintentionally dove into a Gene Hackman retrospective. That led me to The French Connection, William Friedkin’s gritty thriller that predates his work on The Exorcist.
What struck me most wasn’t the car chases (though they’re as intense as legend suggests), but a quiet, brilliant sequence on a subway platform – a tense game of cat and mouse between cop and suspect that relies entirely on body language, suspicion, and timing. The film captures a pre-digital world of investigation: long hours of surveillance, tailing suspects through the city with no radio backup or GPS, just instinct and determination.
It’s a lean, street-level thriller, and the avant-garde jazz score gives it an unpredictable, edgy momentum — a sound that still feels bold even today.
Footnote: the movie starts in Marseille, and at one point, we see the giant Pan Am sign on the building of the same name in the background. Marseille… Panam… Funny, right?
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Hoosiers is a charming underdog sports film that balances grit and heart. Gene Hackman delivers a compelling performance as a man seeking redemption, battling his inner demons while offering others a shot at their own second chance. Beneath the surface, the film quietly underscores a deeper message: the discipline required not just to succeed, but to truly belong to something greater than oneself. 🍿
This was my third time watching the movie, and I enjoyed it as always. Rewatchability might not be a requirement for great art, but it may imply it. The performances are outstanding. I don't think I had noticed the music before, but it is excellent as well, composed by Nicholas Britell, you don't say.
I see The Other Guys, The Big Short and Don't Look Up as a remarkable trilogy by Adam McKay.
It is also quite sad that he and Will Ferrell ended their creative partnership. These two guys made some movies with strong, often subtle statements, and it's a shame we can't enjoy more of their work together. They were on their way to winning my very own Peace Prize (and I am 100% serious).
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Whoever needs to go needs to go.
I just saw Stephen A. Smith on the Daily Show, and I must admit he made quite an impression on me. I feel bad for previously expressing my dislike for him when I was upset about FiveThirtyEight going dark.
While I still don’t appreciate loud, hot-take punditry, I’ve come to realize that he has much more substance than that. 🍿 × 🏛️
Fini de (re)regarder Le Combat des Chefs, d’Alain Chabat. Excellent, tout le monde a aimé à la maison.
Mes highlights :
Bravo.
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Je viens de me rappeler qu’à 6 ou 7 ans, à la sortie de N’importe quoi de Florent Pagny, j’étais fan. C’est plutôt rassurant sur le fait qu’il ne faut pas s’alarmer trop vite des goûts musicaux de ses enfants. Ça peut encore basculer du bon côté. 🍿
Finished watching Andor S2.
It was very good.
I remember being impressed by a scene from S1 where with just the right questions and the wrong answers, tension between a policeman and a random passerby could escalate very quickly. That moment stuck with me — and I think plenty of scenes from Season 2 will, too.
It’s a dark show, no doubt. But knowing it all leads to a successful rebellion against a fascist regime gives it a strange, uplifting power.
I think i’m up to rewatch the whole thing from the beginning again, and queue up Rogue One right after.
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Extrait de Les vivants :
Bref, elle est restée bloquée dans le vieux rock, The Police partout, Justice nulle part.
😂👏
Bravo Ambre Chalumeau. 🍿
This Niamos! theme by Nicholas Britell for Andor is quite something. I already loved it when i watched Season 1 but the wedding party in Season 2 makes it even better. 🍿 × 🎵
Finished watching White Lotus S3. The finale did not match the really high expectations we had from watching these reactions on Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, but it was still pretty solid. I had a good share of laughs and of Schadenfreude satisfaction with this show.
Fun facts about the cast:
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My daughter will recommend the movie as well. I think she watched the movie about 20 times in the last few weeks. ↩︎
Après avoir vu l’expo Léo, les coulisses d’un film d’animation au Clos Lucé, j’étais très impatient de voir le film le soir-même. Bien que la réalisation et la direction artistique soient impeccables, je n’ai pas été séduit par le scénario et l’histoire, alors que le matériel à disposition était abondant.
Quelques notes :
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Finished watching Welcome to Wrexham S1. For some reason, it took me 15 months to watch all 18 episodes. While it has brilliant moments, those gems might be too infrequent to make me want to binge-watch. 🍿
The only aspect I enjoyed was the costume designs. The outfits are incredible, and you can see them all in the trailer. 🍿
Continuing my Penny Marshall saga, I finally watched Big, a classic that I had never seen before. It features a sweet story and a charming cast. I was delighted to see the iconic scene where Tom Hanks plays music on the foot keyboard; it is very well done and uplifting. I was also surprised by how much Elizabeth Perkins resembles Millie Bobby Brown. 🍿
A fun family movie! While the plot offers no major surprises, it remains enjoyable and entertaining. I even noticed a wink to Zoolander's Mugatu (or maybe that's just my obsession with Will Ferrell speaking) and Home Alone 2 (pigeons with an arch in the background in Central Park), so bonus points for that! I'm a bit scared to rewatch it with my wife because she might say, “Mick is such a Mack” (I am). As for the kids, they might decide never to eat birds again. Note to self: I’ve never tried canard à l'orange; I should! 🍿
This is my second time watching the film. The first time was at the movie theater, where I fell asleep and woke up confused, unsure of what I had just seen. This time, I watched it at home, breaking it into four or five segments. Again, I dozed off during each part. However, I appreciated the ability to pause and resume the next day. I realized that this movie is 100% a comedy, rather than a family drama about a broken relationship between a mother, her husband, and their daughter. It cleverly weaves fun into these family issues, making them vague enough for everyone to relate to on some level of "what if…?". I enjoyed it much more this time around. 🍿
I watched it by myself. I believe kids need to be teenagers or pre-teens to truly appreciate it. While it's not quite as good as the original Inside Out, it is still very solid. The ending is reminiscent of the one in Monsters, Inc., and it made me shed a tear. Again. 🍿
This is my first rewatch in years. I was inspired to watch it after randomly seeing a video featuring Alexandre Astier commenting on it. The acting is excellent, and the direction is impressive. I wonder if the movie touches on themes of loneliness. 🍿
Great skit by Troy Iwata, for the Daily Show:
My name is Jean Lemón, I am Elon Musk’s normal body movement choreographer.
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Hilarious vintage bits from Ed Helms on the Daily Show. I laughed out loud at the speedo nut cam and his commentary on mobile phones from that time (I’m guessing around 2003-2004):
It combines the rapid battery depletion of a high powered digital camera with the image production capability of a phone. […] with these portable, easily concealed dynamos, violating someone’s privacy has never been easier or more fun.
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Astier remet le couvert pour une adaptation encore plus réussie que Le Domaine des Dieux. Il aborde subtilement le thème de la mort, de la transmission et même des choses plus poétiques comme “est-ce que tout ce qu’on fait doit être utile”. Du Kaamelott pour enfant, avec un vocabulaire qui sera un peu complexe pour les moins de 6 ans. 🍿
I know some people may not think it’s cool to say this, but I love the Frozen series. The characters, humor, atmosphere, visuals, and, of course, the music are all top-notch. I’m lucky to watch the original version with my kids because the few scenes I have seen from the French version really fall short. It’s a family favorite with a high rewatchability factor and we can’t wait for the 3rd episode. There, I said it. 🍿
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is visually striking and stunning, making it nearly overwhelming. It offers a unique experience filled with laughter and emotional moments driven by poignant, albeit excessive, teenage angst. A quick spoiler alert: the film concludes with a cliffhanger and a To be continued notice, which has not yet been released. Therefore, if you require a story resolution, there’s no rush to watch this movie. 🍿
Wromance, the S1E17 episode of Welcome to Wrexham got me. And I am not the only one. Sports are definitely something to share. What’s the point otherwise? ⚽️ × 🍿
A fun rom-com with a twist and two insanely attractive leads. The philosophical scenes shouldn’t be taken too seriously, as they risk becoming unsettling. However, the film leaves you with a thoughtful question to ponder before bed: "Am I truly the person I want to be?" 🍿
Dans Guy, Alex Lutz créait déjà un personnage qui en mélangeait pleins (Sardou, Claude François, Belmondo, etc.). Ici, on a un mélange de Richard Gasquet, Paul-Henri Mathieu, etc. ie un petit génie du tennis qui ne confirme pas, avec ici un potard lose bien plus accentué que ses modèles, car eux ont fait des belles carrières malgré tout. Roland-Garros fait presque partie des personnages. La dernière partie du film m’a rappelé le final de Bohemian Rhapsody, où on voit les personnages exercer leur art in extenso, en version cinéma. Chouette petit film. 🍿
Super vidéo : un mashup des lives du SNL, qui sert de teaser pour un documentaire intitulé 50 Years of SNL Music. On y retrouve Franz Ferdinand, Run DMC, Hanson, Queen, Fun Lovin’ Criminals, et bien d’autres encore (liste non exhaustive d’ordre d’apparition pendant que je tape ceci). Côté introductions et invités, il y a des acteurs, des sportifs…
Plusieurs tentatives ont été faites pour créer une version française du SNL — Les Nuls, l’émission, Samedi soir en direct —, mais aucune n’a duré plus de quelques saisons. À quoi cette vidéo ressemblerait-elle si nous avions eu un SNL à la française pendant 50 ans ?
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Hilarious sketch from Sheng Wang:
Guacamole is like the banana bread of avocado.
Tech note: the lack of video controls on Instagram is maddening.
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Finished watching Silo season 1. It was great. After many people from my feeds recommended it, I finally gave in, and it did not disappoint. The plot, characters, cast, acting, atmosphere, and decor are all amazing. The episodes are the perfect length (about 40 minutes). My only reservation is the music; while the main theme is pretty cool, the background music during scenes feels a bit too on the nose for my tastes. But I might be being overly critical. Now, onward to season 2! 🍿
How was I supposed to tell my kids that the Christmas movie season was over after watching Die Hard a couple of days ago? Written by Richard Curtis, who also directed Love Actually, this film humorously pokes fun at the genre. It is sweet and heartfelt, making me tear up about four or five times. I highly recommend it. 🍿
Everything pales in comparison to Die Hard. It’s like a freeze-dried version of a tasty traditional recipe. 🍿
Here is my Year in Review from Letterboxd for 2024.
I love Letterboxd and have been using it since 2012. It has improved continuously over time. I also appreciate their commitment to web standards. Just look at the RSS feed icon on any user’s diary! 🍿 × 💻
The trick that made Mickey Mouse famous: a fascinating video by Phil Edwards explains how optical sound technology contributed to the success of the first Mickey Mouse cartoon by achieving perfect sound synchronization. 🍿 × 💻
I just realized that The Ringer has removed their RSS feed with the latest redesign. What a shame. I guess this is goodbye until this is fixed then. 🍿 × 💻
My kids have watched this movie about five times this month, so I feel the need to log it again here. This is solid entertainment for kids, and some lines always get to me, with Luigi’s "You’d be surprised" ranking first. 🍿
Spirited is a great movie. It’s funny, has layers of complexity, and its purpose is very ambitious. I don’t understand why it isn’t more popular. Perhaps it’s too long or requires too much attention. Maybe musicals are deterring potential viewers. Nonetheless, this film is an amazing instant classic for Christmas, and this year’s rewatch confirmed that once again. 🍿
The screenplay is quite thin, but the real enjoyment comes from watching Ryan Gosling’s humor. He excels as a comedian. However, if you’re looking for more of his comedic brilliance, consider watching The Nice Guys (one of my all-time favorite movies) or his Papyrus (1 & 2) sketches from SNL. Ryan Gosling and Will Ferrell teamed up for the Knife Guys on Kimmel, but I hope Gosling can one day become the new Mark Wahlberg or Ryan Reynolds in a future Will Ferrell movie. Fingers crossed. 🍿
Alors évidemment, le “consulting”, c’est comme tout, ça dépend comment c’est fait. Mais comment ne pas sourire et se rappeler des souvenirs de début de carrière quand on entend :
De temps en temps, il y avait des consultants qui venaient et qui expliquaient pourquoi il fallait virer untel, faire des économies là. Un mec qui était à son poste depuis 25 ans, ils lui disaient “non, c’est pas comme ça qu’il faut travailler monsieur”. C’était quand même à la fois violent et universel comme phénomène, ils étaient partout. Et puis après j’ai travaillé dans des organismes publics, ils étaient toujours là. Et ils faisaient la même chose, il faut faire des économies, il faut faire des gains d’efficacité, la performance. Et puis alors ce langage, ce langage avec plein d’anglicismes et puis ce langage expert qui exerce un pouvoir. Et comme des millions de français, je l’ai subi. Et ça s’exerce comme une science, comme les économistes un peu, ils pensent que c’est une science. Et donc c’est un discours qui est sans réplique quand on y est, sauf qu’après on peut écrire des livres. Et là on peut se venger. Alors vous dites avec un certain amusement, mais aussi avec pas mal d’ironie et la volonté de ridiculiser ces pouvoirs faussement savants. La littérature, voilà, elle a toujours à faire avec la bêtise de son temps. Le consulting, il y en a de mille manières. Donc il y a des choses plus ou moins vertueuses, des choses plus ou moins bidons. Alors j’en ai quand même rencontré des consultants. J’ai lu des livres, des consultants repentis, certains qui travaillaient encore, etc. Et il y a des phrases… “Être consultant, c’est prendre sa montre à quelqu’un pour lui donner l’heure et partir avec la montre”. Voilà. Enfin voilà, il faut raconter tout ça quand même. C’est apprendre à ranger une sale vide aussi ? Ah oui, alors ça oui, un consultant qui m’a dit ça, bah oui c’était apprendre à ranger une sale vide.
— Nicolas Mathieu, lors d’une interview dans la librairie Dialogues, à Brest
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The idea of treating Christmas as a challenging logistical operation is quite amusing. The subsequent adventures, although a bit lengthy, are heartwarming and funny. I recommend it for young children. 🍿
The Strava-art drawings showcased on strav.art are incredible. Some of the drawings are so intricate that I wonder if some artists are cheating, and if so, how? 🍿
YouTube tends to transcribe “ChatGPT” as “Chachi BT”. Funny.
When you search for “Chachi BT” on Google, there are so many results and pretty much all of them are indeed about ChatGPT. Meaning that no human edited the posts before publication to fix this typo even in titles, meta tags, etc. Scary.
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I just finished watching Modern Family.
For about five years, it’s been a constant part of our routine when my wife and I have lunch together at home. The last time we watched the show, Season 11—the final season—wasn’t available in France, so we rewatched the entire series. Now, we’ve finally completed Season 11. It was an emotional moment, both on screen and in our living room.
I’m not sure why it’s not more popular among our friends, but for me, it’s definitely in my hall of fame. 🍿
Many people of my RSS feeds recommended Panic’s Cabel Sasser talk at XOXO 2024:
Watching it did not disappoint. 💻 × 🍿
I just finished watching Bad Monkey on Apple TV+. It was really good and I highly recommend it.
Some notes:
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Big thanks to Manton Reece for pointing me to this hilarious bit by John Mulaney about captchas.
It’s now up there with Michael McIntyre’s sketch on passwords in the hall of fame of tech-related comedy. 💻 × 🍿
I am a little late to start watching Malcom in the Middle in 2024, but I have spent the last couple of days by how good this show is. The last occurrence was the scenes where we see the world through Dewey’s eyes. 🍿
Reading about how Matthew Perry was addicted to ketamine before he died. Really sad. 🍿
Pierre Niney est assez épatant dans son passage à Hot Ones. 🍿
I love rewatching movies and TV shows. Some pass the re-watchability bar, many others fail. On the agenda lately, Barbie painfully failed. I had enjoyed the movie when I first saw it though. Ted Lasso passed with flying colors. I am in the middle of season 2, and it might even be better than the first time since you can see that narrative arcs are all instilled very early on. 🍿
This evening, i was forced to watch The Idea of You. At the beginning of the movie, before Solène enters Hayes' trailer, I wrote this:
She’s gonna date a Moon. Then the age difference is going to be a problem. So they split up. But then they’re getting back together because love is the most important.
Bingo.
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L’étape, l’étape, oui mais c’est Pantani.
Vincent Delerm raconte que son père, Philippe, avait appelé L’Équipe pour proposer ce titre lors d’une victoire d’étape de Marco Pantani au Tour de France. 🍿
I had insomnia last night and I killed time imagining a new movie adaptation of The Bonfire of the Vanities. My cast would be Matthew Macfadyen for Sherman McCoy (because of the obvious similarities between the characters of Sherman McCoy and Tom Wambsgans, from Succession), Margot Robbie for Maria Ruskin, and Daniel Craig for Peter Fallow. 🍿
Excellente interview de Nicolas Mathieu par Mouloud Achour, coutumier du fait : l’évocation du son de cloche de Top Gun, les Goonies, son non-verbal, tout fait mouche. Hâte de lire Le ciel ouvert. 🍿
Mon opinion sur le débat Édith vs Aya ? Aucune ! Mais j’ai une opinion sur le fait de pas avoir d’opinion 🍿
In spite of my efforts, I could not figure out the ties in the McCallister family tree, but Internet had the response: Uncle Frank is Pete McCallister’s older brother. And yes, there are part of the top 1%. Problem solved. 🍿
Let’s consider holiday movie season started.
And we might reconsider 2 new items for this list:
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🍿 I just finished watching the first three seasons of Schitt’s Creek and, while it took me while to get into it — hello xkcd — I am now on board to complete the three remaining seasons. From what I heard from the show, I was expecting many lough-out-loud moments, it turns out it is a much warmer show with great characters that you grow attached to.
🍿 I am inspired by the ability of young children to watch the same movie over and over again during a short period of time. These days, it’s Robin Hood and Beauty and the Beast. I now tend to watch movies that I have watched already. I like how a movie you watched 2 or 3 times can become familiar, the same way you can get very familiar with a music album.