JeromeArlettaz Reviews

Instant Family (2018)

It's not OK!

[5/10 · 23 February 2019]

One more a light comedy about a profound subject. If it had been somewhat more realistic, it would not have been a comedy. I've fostered a teenage boy, who's been in the system for a while, with an absent drug addicted mother. The plot is similar, but I haven't found in this movie any of the problems I've faced. Parent's addiction and the foster system are causing major psychological troubles to growing kids: they grow up without love, build no self estime and have to find their way among other broken kids. Most of them suffer from anger, depression or worse. And like many others, he had two major trauma: when the mother promised him she will quit drugs to take care of him by love, followed by a relapse showing she love drugs more than her son. And when the cops came to brutally take him away from her, from everything he loved, from his room, his toys, his friends, his school. He was eight at that time and was sent to what he considered to be a jail with crazy inmates and prison guards paid to pretend to care about him. We had good times, but much more dramatic situations. How do you react when a 15 years old tells you he wants to die? When you find heavy drugs in his room? When the cops are looking for him for having set a bus on fire? When he quits every school or job he starts? When he refuses to see a doctor being very sick? When his jealous former "friends" are waiting in front of your door to beat him? When he refuses to leave his room for days? Or when he does not come back home for days? When all he cares about is the next joint? It broke my couple in a coupe of years. Finding myself as an old guy alone with a kid, the only concern of the authorities was to regularly spy on me to check if I wasn't some kind pervert. I got absolutely no support for any the problems listed, not even someone I could talk to for guidance. This happened in Switzerland; maybe it's better in less primitive countries where human values take precedence over financial interests. I don't know... The movie's right on some points: There's been a lot of love, laughs and bad words. I had to swear to get his attention, although I usually don't. For him, it was as if words had no weight unless they were transgressive. Kids in the system hear so many false promesses and deception with sweet words, that they prefer straight talk with bad words. And the love made everything more dramatic. I couldn't be indifferent and tell myself nothing was my fault. You end up asking yourself: how will I handle the guilt of failing his education, knowing that I'm his guardian, but that most of the damage was done before I knew him? These are the questions I had to answer and that the movie eluded, depicting a common family with the issues of spoiled crisply kids. I'm not rating this movie on its cinematographic quality, as I usually do, I'm rating its ambigus message. So here's my message to mothers watching this movie, intending to abandon a kid, arguing that a better family will take better care: It's not ok! Your kid will be depraved of the most vital element: a mother's love. If you really have no other choice, remind him as often as you can that you love him and that you had no other choice, even when he's grown up. Because, as soon as abandoned, even in the best foster family, receiving the best education and the best explanation for what happened (your mother was sick), deep inside of him, these awful words will be forever engraved: "I'm not loveable enough to deserve even a mother's love!"

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Scatography

[1/10 · 30 July 2018]

As I do with all Marvel stuff, I've loaded it onto the tablet I keep in the bathroom. The scenes are perfectly cut for some minutes in there. And it doesn't matter if you don't remember your last visit after a day or two, there's no correlation. Wether it's shapeless, explosive, dripping, ludicrous or misleading, it always ends with the feeling that there could have been more. But even if you try harder for another minute, there's only void. And as soon as you stand up, the whole stuff is flushed out of our memory. Only persists a reminiscence of nauseating miasma. Mankind seems to enjoy it. Well in that case, I've got a be an alien. I've decided to quit eating any fibre to never have to endure it again.

Coconut Hero (2015)

Difficult topic addressed with talent

[8/10 · 16 February 2016]

Young people's most common drama is also the less talked about.

This movie talks about a teenagers who "wants to leave" with a sensitive and dark sense of humour (As the movie does not say the word, I won't say it either). It talks about different aspects of death without falling into the maudlin and compassionate trap. I guess there's no other way to do it. The common Hollywood way would have insisted on an initial trauma and there would have been a lot of tears. It would have found a justification for the "departure". And it is well known that a fiction representing a tearful and motivated "departure" can cause epidemic "departures". In this movie, things are as they are with no motive, as it frequently is in real life. In contrast with the sensitive and slightly distant beginning, the movie shows an accident in a very harsh way.

I like the important rhythm breaks emphasizing the slow contemplative scenes, as well as dynamic ones. The filming is very clean, sometimes uncommon and in good coherence with the narrative and sound track. The young actor has a promising carrier. I was afraid he might be stuck in the same attitude for the whole movie, but at the end, he shows a wide palette of reactions.

If you're concerned about showing this movie to teenager, I would probably let him watch it if he's not too stupid and accompanied. I'm not the type of guys prohibiting movies to kids, but in this case, you want to avoid misinterpretations and a trivialization of death.

The Girl Is in Trouble (2015)

What's your problem with this movie?

[7/10 · 2 January 2016]

I always choose my rating before opening IMDb to avoid influence. With rare exceptions, I rate about -1 point bellow average, -2 if it's an action movie, -3 when it shows an apathetic guy in a spaceship (sorry Matt). Over time, I became pretty good at guessing ratings. I was extremely surprised to see that most of you gave this movie a 5. Looking at the demographics, women are rating higher than man and the delta increases with age. So I've rated this movie like an old American lady. Maybe we are both missing a sweet voice telling us stories while watching a guy running in a grey city. The dissociation of the narration and the picture is perfectly cinematographic and used to be common decades ago. It is not an incursion literature in cinema, but it just requires some imagination to visualize what's not on scene. Recent movies for younger generations intend to avoid ellipsis at all cost and depict in details and in real time or slow-mo each aspect of a story, leaving no room for imagination. What else can I say? - I like the highly multifaceted characters - The storyline follows several unexpected turns. If someone pretends to have guessed the next moves, don't believe him. - I didn't notice such a constant voice-over and went through the movie once more choosing 20 random scenes: 2 had a voice-over, 1 had indirect speech and 17 were direct dialogues. So I don't think that the problem with the narration is its duration, but the fact that it takes us far from the context and can be sometimes academic. Personally, I liked learning about the New York immigration timeline. - I've seen so many shaky cams recently, that I barely notice them anymore - For those who like movies with a moral, there is probably one about quick judgment based on out-of-context videos. As a conclusion, I think it's a pretty good evolution to the film-noir. Too bad you all seem to want to bury the genre!

American Hero (2015)

I could if I wanted to But I won't.

[7/10 · 13 December 2015]

That's the story of my life, as it is for many. "I could quit bad habits and write a novel, but I'm stuck in my couch watching other peoples dream instead, as the years go by." I'm going to show this movie to my young neighbour following the same path: "I'll be an astronaut one day, but right now, I'll just have a joint in the bath tub." Steven Dorff is great in this role: sincere and sober (his acting, not the character). He is highly credible as a drunk cokehead and pothead. The realism is reinforced by the handshake camera and a couple of winks at the cameraman. I'm a fan of inclusions of supernatural into a realistic story: a movie is a fiction, so why being limited by the lows of physics? On the other hand, when a movie starts talking supernatural, it usually becomes a central point, leaving the characters soulless. Making digressions from a realistic comedy into a magical world is not common, except in some Latin American movies. They are often misunderstood by the viewers, as they aren't complying to knows standards. When lows of physics are breached to serve the story, I find it perfectly acceptable. Aren't teleportation, flying and telekinesis common in night dreams?

Victoria (II) (2015)

Not an intellectual experimental movie!

[9/10 · 25 November 2015]

Now we all know how long it really takes to shoot a movie!… Just kidding! I can't imagine the amount of work to prepare it and the numerous times they've had to restart from scratch.

I didn't hear about the movie before watching it and had no idea what to expect. To be honest, I'm not really interested in how they did it or what a great feat it is to perform in a single shot. I'm an emotional movie consumer, only interested in the outcome. In painting, literature, music or any art, there's only one good technique: the one you forget.

What an emotional journey! I've never felt so much tension watching a movie! Aligning ten disaster movies in a row wouldn't affect my heart beat as this movie did. And sorry for the one shot concept, but I had to create my own breaks a couple of times to avoid a stroke. This movie does not let you breath one second. Unlike most movies, there's no fictional filter keeping you distant: an exaggerated make-up, unrealistically clean surfaces in film sets, fake rains, ugly digital insets, cameras precisely zooming and panning from impossible points of view, declaimed lines following one another like a metronome, robotic characters who don't stammer and don't drop their cigarette. This fiction is an extremely immersive reality fed by its flows. Life is made of flows: how many times a day can't you remember a word? do you drop something? are you blinded by the opposite car's headlights? The immersion is so intense, that the scenario does not require extraordinary adventures to keep you breathless. I don't care what technique contributes at most to the viewer's empathy: Is it the one-shot? the brilliant improvisation? the highly realistic characters? Or maybe some other secret ingredient no one noticed, like an alchemist's pigment in a painting.

It simply is: dreadfully true, endearing and disturbing.

I can only agree with other reviewers: a new page is written in the history of cinema.

Heroes Reborn (2015–2016)

Recycling

[4/10 · 14 October 2015]

Close to the original series, except for one tiny little detail: novelty… The same plates are now served cold as a caricature of themselves: the short sequences are punctuated by a metronome, the interlaced narrative flows are multiplied, these awkward silences with the camera panning on a digitally reprocessed scenery are repeated indefinitely and the story keeps looping around these not bad guys doing bad things by mistake or for higher purposes. The underlying message hasn't changed: tolerate the difference, but the perspective on the world sticks to the point of view of a wealthy white Christian American middle aged man: the world is a chaotic and dangerous place requiring a revamp by informed people, using violence. I've survived the show until the half of the fourth episode and will stop here. I understand that my expectations for anything surprising will not not be fulfilled.

Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015 TV Movie)

Insignificant

[1/10 · 29 September 2015]

Stupid TV movie, with poor acting in fake studio sets. I've noticed that all movies of this TV channel are systematically overrated by 2 or 3, by getting a high percentage of 10s. I'm pretty good at guessing ratings, as they are usually 1-2 above mines, but Hallmark movies are always 3-5 higher. I can only strongly suspect that a bunch of guys from a poor country spend their days rating 10 all Hallmark movies. I've just found out about a web side where you can buy 50 IMDb ratings at $5. That's probably how they do it. Just a note for the developers: why don't you lower the weight of the ratings of new profiles just giving high ratings to unknown movies that other new profiles are also overrating? Or something like that.

Documentary Now! (2015– )

Unusual sense of humour

[8/10 · 8 September 2015]

I love this sense of humour based on characters having a great consideration for themselves, looking ridiculous from the viewer's perspective, with a pinch of cruelty and tons of nonsense. In short: the character doesn't know he's in a comedy. It isn't common in US comedy, more frequent in GB. This sense of humour requires a perfect execution in the filming and acting and I think that this series has brilliantly achieved it. I'm not an easy laugher and I'm usually the guy with the poker face in the cinema when everyone is exulting. But watching this show, I think I've disturbed my neighbours with my unpracticed heavy laugh. I particularly appreciate the introductions.

Mr. Robot (2015–2019)

Great fiction, perfect acting!

[10/10 · 1 June 2015]

It's rare not to feel taken for a fool in a fiction. This one is sharp, sensitive, educated. When complexity is usually brought by stupid flash-backs, numerous characters or false leads, here it is only relying on an enlightened perspective on our world. The narrative flowing uncluttered in almost real time is highly subjective due to the main character's sweet voice-over. This paradoxical role is played with complexity, sensitivity and talent. I've noticed that guy a while ago, and I think I've found one of my favorite actors. He is antithesis of the usual hero with a static and stereotyped acting. He is capable of infinitesimal facial expressions that allow him to embody fragile characters with great realism and finesse. I love you Rami! By the way, I'm a computer security expert, and the technical references are quite accurate. I was surprised as realistic computer security is not so sexy. Usually we see people tracked by their GPS or other non-senses. I'm not rating it 10, otherwise, what would I do when it gets better?

See You in Valhalla (2015)

A family comedy for an unusual angle

[7/10 · 25 April 2015]

I love the characters, rather caricatured to stay in comedy, but with enough subtlety to take human shape. It reminded me how close people can be violent with each other when not fulfilling each other's expectations. I guess it reminded me of something somehow. One scene is particularly intense and realistic. I'm not a family guy, so the message of this category of movies usually leaves me cold. It's probably the only family movie that touched me somehow. I've never seen a movie from Jarret Tarnol, so I'll try to watch some others. I'm surprised the rating is so, low, as I'm usually the one underrating. It may be due to the weak scenario.

Bad Asses on the Bayou (2015 Video)

Bad Act?

[3/10 · 30 March 2015]

I thank Craig for demonstrating what precisely is bad actors' direction. Most bad movies are combining bad actors, bad directors and a low budget. In this one, most of these actors have been good actors at least a couple of times. The budget is probably not bad with most scenes outdoor and a plane crash. So, to explain these awkward silences between dialogs and this feeling of kids playing the actors, I only see one cause: bad direction. After this painful experience of 85 minutes, I conclude that badly directed actors are definitely looking like bad actors. So I'd like to express my sincere apologies to all actors I've disparaged in the past: maybe they were good actors under bad direction.

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)

Tolkienator

[3/10 · 9 March 2015]

A confused succession of battles with random computer generated explosions. Ridiculous low and deep voices prophesying additional dramas, primarily consisting in the screen flickering in black, white and red. In short, a rough and noisy chaotic mess. The mixture of grotesque costumes and clumsy computer graphics regularly distracts us from the narrative. Poor dialogs, declaimed with theatricality, between exploding stuff, do not help to follow the story. The characters are soulless and frozen caricatures. Those guys should have had a look at Tolkien's writings, instead of watching Saint Seiya manga series, but they probably can't read. To be honest, I lowered down the volume and played crosswords after 30 minutes. I got much more excited...

The Tree of Life (2011)

Outstanding

[9/10 · 23 September 2011]

Don't ever watch it! Any other movie would seem like ducks farting in front of a webcam. I missed poetry so much and thought I was the only one left looking for beauty and contemplation. I'm exalted, as movie can for once depict my dreams. This is just a UFO in the middle of vulgar claims, strident shouts, low instincts, stupid morals and expected schemas. Just a piece of quite dream, and probably the first time I vote 10. I'm a neighbor of Godard, in Switzerland. His camera is fixed but he knows strength resides in silences. He'd be proud of you. I have to write ten lines to post in here, so I could go on like this for hours, but I think my first line was enough; rough, but enough.

Breaking Bad (2008–2013)

Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[9/10 · 31 May 2010]

I just saw episode 3x10 and have only one thing to say: Whuawahua! It's just the best fiction I've seen for years. In France we call cinema the 7th art, in the US it's the industry of entertainment. In most cases, I prefer the American way of saying it. But for this episode, I'm on the French side… Imagine the pitch: let's put two guys and a fly in a cave for 50 minutes. Who's crazy enough to accept such a scenario? The actors are so real, so sensitive, so violent and so fragile; I just fell in love with both. I leave next door to Godard, in Switzerland and I'm sure he'd like this challenge: no sex, no violence, no incredible camera effect, no make-up and no tricky scenario: just two guys in a cave with a fly. Only those incredible actors could have made it so tense and beautiful. Please go on!