Pop Culture
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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