3DD!3

I didn't expect to be able to sell Trasformers as a fairy tale to my daughter, but I did! Dumb Bumblebee with no memory won her over by being scared, dancing and spitting tapes of crappy music. Travis Knight returned the brand to its roots and instead of Bayhem, he offers a nice story about a young girl's relationship with her VW Beetle. Hailee Steinfeld is very good, so is John Cena, and the others don't really need to be mentioned, except for my friend Paul, who almost destroyed the planet with his trust in bad aliens. Great action, nice music, bring in the sequel.

It starts as interesting-looking sci-fi, but for a long time it doesn't know what it wants to say and what comes out of it raises a lot of questions. On the other hand, it's a very original concept. Sang-ho Yeon can make a nice film. Decent action, the visual effects inferno at the end and the mother-daughter scenes have something to them (the mini-twist concerning the little doll is downright cruel). The bleak reality, where you may not die, but they can make a sex fiend or a janitor out of you, begs for a sequel from civilian life. Hyeon-joo Kim is brilliant.

The disintegration of life in the post-pandemic era, live... The composer Lydia Tár is not a very pleasant person. She’s a manipulative, arrogant professional who treats people like pieces on her personal chessboard, but with tact and a smile. But the moment they don't perform as they should, she smashes them to pieces. Yet her undeniable talent, enthusiasm for the cause and willingness to submit to the music and take it as her own permeate loudly throughout the film and the viewer must admire her despite all her negative qualities. Lead singer Todd Field mixes in paranoia, comments on cancel culture and lesbian family life (someone has to be the daddy). Cate Blanchett is mesmerizing with her performance and is confidently walking for the golden statuette for Best Actress. And to top it all off, beautiful music. A masterpiece, albeit little self-absorbed.

It turns out that Scott Cooper does need studio oversight, because his biggest problem is his tired and unimaginative direction and his unwillingness to let any material on the cutting room floor (figuratively speaking). The story isn't bad and the finale in particular is very strong, it's just that the overall investigation lacks traction and lurches from one lead to the next without building suspense or anything original. Fortunately, we have the great Bale, who really carries it on his shoulders. Melling handles Poe very convincingly and ably seconds Bale. Shore’s music makes for half the atmosphere. Such a shame because the potential was enormous, especially given the great conclusion.

Sly is back and he is really enjoying it. Tulsa King has a likeable half-hour format that keeps me from falling asleep before the end, plus there's always something going on. Sheridan took care of the opening and the ending, and those parts are admittedly among the best. Especially the arrival in Tulsa and getting established in the new setting works out great. The acting is very good, FBI agent Andrea Savage, in particular, is impressive.. There are a few mistakes, shortcuts and strange decisions, but overall a very good project. I’m looking forward to the next season.

An unexpectedly funny comedy. Some of the final twists are cheesy and predictable, but the charisma of the Miller family still pulls it through to a more than satisfying conclusion. Cynical quips, Sudeikis is excellent, so is Jennifer Aniston, and the strip with the final wink is unexpectedly cool.

A refreshing social horror film that at times pretends to be something more, but in the end doesn't want to be anything else. We like ordinary things and therein lies the twist! Black humour and revenge for the emptiness caused by empty people + the captivating Anya Taylor-Joy are the best ingredients of this culinary treat. It wasn’t completely flawless, but sometimes striving for perfection is enough.

Hugo Weaving's niece in a swimsuit, with a kitchen knife or a shotgun, take your pick. A horror take on Home Alone with a dash of Satanism. The opening with the nanny that every boy (and not just boys) dreams of having sets the right tone and then spills over into the bloody destruction of the beautiful blonde's evil plans. It's often overwrought and McG seems to have ditched consistency and drama, but I enjoyed it unexpectedly a lot.

A great noir-heist film with a devastating twist. The non-linear narrative that was a huge influence on Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs is something unheard of in a 1960s film, but then so was Stanley Kubrick. The portrayal of the characters is austere but sufficient, the actors are great and the dialogues are brilliant. There’s brutal black humour in unexpected places, and the ending is great.

Tommy Wirkola combined the story of a Santa who lost his faith in Christmas with Die Hard. A rich family is gathered in their well-guarded mansion for the holidays when they are attacked by evil kidnappers just as Santa is eating cookies from one of the few good girls there. David Harbour is initially profiled as a pudgy drunk who wants to quit his job, but when glimpses into the past reveal his origins, he takes on an almost mythical dimension. Then, when he picks up a sledgehammer in a shed and goes to rescue the little girl, things get intense, with mashed-up heads, dismembered kidnappers and ground-up soldiers. The action is not blurred and it’s also innovative in a Christmas way. The jokes ooze with cynicism, the references to Home Alone are downright brutal. It’s just a little slow at times, you need some patience at first, but most of the time it's great fun.