Pop Culture
Austin Powers in Goldmember, 2002 - ★★★
The opening self-parody works. Mini-Me becoming Mini-Austin is hilarious. Michael Caine is brilliant. The mole scenes with Fred Savage are memorable. 20-year-old Beyoncé is already a star. 🍿
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, 1999 - ★★★
I will state the obvious: silly but funny overall. The Mini-Me introduction and Scott on the Jerry Springer Show work, and Heather Graham is charming. 🍿
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, 2026 - ★★★
No surprise: a solid film from the always-reliable Illumination Studios. It’s a crowd-pleasing fan-service ride packed with lovable characters, strong music cues, and well-placed nostalgic nods. The plot is predictable, as expected.
The 3D + Dolby screening was pricey, but we had Chandler & Joey–style recliners, which made the premium feel worth it.
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TIL La biographie de Jean Chalopin ressemble au scénario d’un Serge le Mytho.
Une récente édition de la newsletter de l’INA propose son portrait, qui le décrit comme « le papa d’Ulysse 31 et des Mystérieuses Cités d’Or ». Dès la fin de cette vidéo, j’ai plongé dans le trou de lapin, qui m’a amené à découvrir qu’il avait ensuite contribué à sortir la Gaîté-Lyrique de l’abandon pour la transformer en parc d’attractions, Planète magique, fermé après seulement 12 jours d’ouverture (et qui fait l’objet d’une vidéo de la chaîne Arkeo Toys). Il était récemment président d’une banque aux Bahamas liée aux cryptomonnaies.
Sortez le popcorn et allez-y.
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Another act of genius by XKCD! Which do you prefer, “Grayscale mode” or “Greyscale mode”? 🍿 × 💻
I just got RickRolled by this link from the New York Times’ Morning newsletter. I wonder what that says about me. 🐟 × 🍿
Mr. Popper’s Penguins, 2011 - ★★★
Not as bad as I feared it would be. I chose it on a strong impulse to introduce Jim Carrey to my kids, while dismissing The Mask as potentially too violent, crazy, or scary for them. The film is quite predictable, but it offers good ideas—the phrasing of Pippi Pepenopolis topping the list—and, of course, it will make you tear up at the end. And — I had totally forgotten this —, one of the writers is no other than Sean Anders, who has written and directed some of my favorite comedies of all time. 🍿
Plusieurs replays de la cérémonie des Césars 2026 m’ont tapé dans l’œil avec en premier lieu l’intro d’abord émouvante puis épatante de Benjamin Lavernhe et le passage musical avec -M-. La transformation, le roast gentil, la chanson finale, le tout était inhabituellement réussi et bien rythmé, malgré un public parfois ingrat voire sinistre. Même la stomp box de Matthieu Chedid a eu du mal à le faire réagir (à comparer avec celui des Golden Globes, avec un roast un peu plus prononcé de Nikki Glaser)
Au même titre que Lavernhe, plus jeune que moi de quelques années, Jim Carrey est une idole de ma jeunesse. J’ai voulu regarder The Mask avec les enfants mais c’est sans doute trop tôt et nous nous sommes rabattus sur… Monsieur Popper et ses pingouins.
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The Princess Bride, 1987 - ★★★
A classic for a reason, this film offers a fresh take on the damsel in distress story. It combines absurd humor with the typical elements of a princess narrative. I’m continually fascinated that Iñigo Montoya is played by the same actor as Saul Berenson in Homeland. It also brings back memories of my childhood crush on Robin Wright during her time in Santa Barbara when I was just 5 or 6. 🍿
Top Secret!, 1984 - ★★★
Another ZAZ movie. Stupid but fun. It’s a movie that is very playful with image and sound. The plot is really dumb. But you are not here for the plot, are you?
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Enchanted, 2007 - ★★★
It's a fun movie. Like most comedies with a gimmick plot, the first half is much more convincing than the second. However, it's still very funny. Amy Adams is remarkable; pay attention to how she uses her arms, reflecting a Disney princess demeanor. Before watching it with your kids, watch at least Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty with them, as there are numerous references to older Disney movies. 🍿
School of Rock, 2003 - ★★★★
I enjoy this movie more with each viewing; this might be my third or fourth time watching it. As a former amateur musician, the film truly resonates with me. It explores education and emphasizes the importance of allowing kids to pursue their own dreams rather than conforming to their parents’ wishes. The final scenes always make me tear up out of joy. Knowing that Mike White, the writer, is behind both Migration and The White Lotus has deepened my appreciation for the movie even further.
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I am halfway through Mad Men season 2. Another critically acclaimed show I’m bravely discovering 15 years late. The ending of A Night to Remember was particularly brilliant.
And I love that the internet provides ego-soothing confirmation bias: someone thoughtfully uploaded the scene to YouTube, and the comments are full of people explaining why it’s genius. My opinion? Widely pre-approved.
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Better Man, 2024 - ★★
The technical achievement is impressive. However, beyond the gimmick, it feels like an unoriginal biopic that failed to engage my interest in Robbie Williams. 🍿
2001: A Space Travesty, 2000 - ½
I got overly excited about my recent rediscovery of the Naked Gun series, so I added all the Leslie Nielsen movies I had never seen to my watchlist. This one was awful. Apparently, it is even famous for being one of the worst movies in history, and I agree.
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The Killer, 2023 - ★★
Cool images. But the story is too slow and predictable to be engaging.
Note pour l'audience francophone. Dans ce film, Tilda Swinton raconte l'histoire drôle dite de l'Ours Bleu. Je suis retourné voir sa célèbre interprétation par José Garcia dans Rire et Châtiment. Là tous, les commentaires pointent vers une version a priori meilleure d'un certain Renaud Rutten. Quoique bon client du genre, l'histoire drôle n'est pas le plus prestigieux de la gamme de l'acteur. Voir Tilda Swinton jouer sur ce terrain avait quelque chose de déconcertant.
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Stranger Things S5 Gets Hope and Closure Right
Was Stranger Things Season 5 up to the hype? Some people say it was not. I disagree. I found it spectacular and genuinely fun—not because it tried to outdo itself, but because of the way it handled hope and closure.
The hope and joy that a growing team brings. Stranger Things centers on characters who must convince others that a terrible threat is approaching. This is never easy. People resist the idea of danger for many reasons, ranging from self-interest to a simple fear of disrupting a comfortable life. Yet as the team grows, so does the hope for a positive outcome. Each new ally makes success feel more plausible. The show is often linked to Steven Spielberg’s influence: E.T. or The Goonies. This time again, this narrative dynamic echoes a familiar Jaws pattern: the threat is real long before the community accepts it. It is hard not to see a parallel with climate change—where the danger is clear, but collective belief arrives late.
An extended epilogue. Season 4 already took its time to wind down, and Season 5 goes even further. It was really nice to take the time to say goodbye to Hawkins after being connected to it on and off for the last ten years. That patience felt earned. It is the opposite of The Karate Kid, which I still remember for having one of the most abrupt endings imaginable.
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Happy belated birthday to me! 🍿
Back to the Future, 1985 - ★★★★★
Best way to start the year. First time with the kids. I think they enjoyed it. 🍿