"Mank", "The Prom", "Mulan", the selection of December films on the platforms

NETFLIX

"Mank"

In 1941, Herman J. Mankiewicz - brother of director Joseph - producer and screenwriter who counts in Hollywood, close to the press mogul William Hearst, was hired by the young Orson Welles - to whom RKO Pictures gave carte blanche to make his first feature film - in order to write an original screenplay.

That of “Citizen Kane”, for which Mankiewickz, known as “Mank”, will largely be inspired by the course of Hearst.

But Mank, cynical and disillusioned despite his good nature, sinks more and more into alcoholism, which "burns" him in Hollywood.

Welles decides to isolate him, without alcohol, in a remote villa, with a caregiver and an assistant.

The more he progresses, the more his Hollywood “friends” try to dissuade him from taking Hearst as a model… With this incredible black and white film, David Fincher signs his own “Citizen Kane”.

A portrait in depth and abyss of an unknown to the general public who won the only Oscar won by the film considered the greatest in the history of cinema, coupled with a dizzying dive into the political and artistic workings of the film industry of the time.

EDITOR'S RATING: 5/5

"The Prom"

Attention event!

The star of the creators of series Ryan Murphy (“Glee”, “Ratched”…) is back with “The Prom”, a comedy as flamboyant as it is political.

And carried by a 4-star cast: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, James Corden, Kerry Washington to name a few.

Nothing is going well for the two stars of the music hall, Dee Dee Allen and Barry Glickman.

Their last show in Dark Broadway under the blow of murderous critics, plunging them in the anguish for the continuation of their careers.

How to become popular again after this setback?

Find a cause that will restore their image!

And it will be that of Emma Nolan, a young high school student excluded from her prom because she wants to go with her girlfriend.

So here are the stars leaving for a small village in Indiana, confronted with deep America and its sectarian prejudices on homosexuality.

Hilarious in its dialogues, led by a scenario full of twists and turns, this film is a marvel, a real hymn to tolerance, which is devoured in one go despite its 2h21.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"Love Actually"

At Christmas in London, ten couples make or break according to funny situations ... Bill Nighy plays a tired rock legend looking to sell his single, while the very cool Hugh Grant is perfect as a blundering clone of Tony Blair dancing on a tube of the Pointer Sisters.

The rest of the cast is in tune for a "so romantic" comedy.

Signed by the team of the famous "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and "Love at first sight in Notting Hill", this choral film dating from 2003 constitutes a little gem of British comedy…

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"The Blues of Ma Rainey"

In a Chicago recording studio in 1927, (white) producers waited for (black) musicians to record a blues album.

The group arrives, but the singer, Ma Rainey, is delayed ... In the meantime, Levee, the ambitious trumpet player, tries to impose his arrangements.

The tension mounts between the musicians, until the violence of segregation bursts into the studio… Adapted from an American play, “The Blues of Ma Rainey” is almost a closed door, carried by a setting. stage and neat dialogues and ultra-charismatic actors.

Facing Viola Davis, perfect in the role of the diva Ma Rainey, Chadwick Boseman (the hero of “Black Panther” who died in August at the age of 43) plays with ardor his very last role.

EDITOR'S RATING: 3.5 / 5

"Midnight in the universe"

For his 7th film as director, George Clooney gives in post-apocalyptic science fiction.

He plays a scientist who, while a plague of unknown origin sweeps the planet, remains alone in a remote station in the Arctic.

Very ill, he nevertheless set himself a goal: to warn the occupants of a space mission that had left for years that returning to Earth was dangerous.

Also plays in this film Felicity Jones ("Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"), one of the members of the starship, whose return trip is not easy.

NOT SEEN

"AND the extraterrestrial"

In the heart of a Californian forest, strange silhouettes bustle about in silence in the starlight.

Put to flight by armed men, these visitors from another world flow back to their ship and take off in haste, leaving behind a small alien, panicked, who fled to the city ... A human child goes to pick him up and take him away. help to signal his parents back into the cosmos ... Huge success at the time of its release, this classic by Steven Spielberg has not aged so much, at least on the themes it addresses: learning to life, respect and trust in others, generosity… And the great moving or funny moments of the film always work wonderfully…

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EDITOR'S RATING: 5/5

AMAZON PRIME VIDEO

"The Planet of the Apes"

Good opportunity to revise this mythical saga of science fiction inspired, cocorico, from a French novel signed Pierre Boulle in 1963. Amazon, which already offered its subscribers the first mythical cinema version, dating from 1968, completes its offer with the Tim Burton's remake, more anecdotal, released in 2001, but especially the more recent trilogy (The Origins "," The Clash "and" Supremacy "), remarkable for its history as much as its special effects.

The action begins in our time, and tells how chimpanzees, gorillas and other orangutans came to consciousness, and came into conflict with humans.

EDITOR'S NOTE: 3/5 for the first, 4/5 for the other three

"The Secrets we keep"

Shortly after World War II, a young woman of Roma origin, Maja, who was deported to Auschwitz, does everything to move on and have a good life with her husband.

They decide to settle in the United States, but there they have an encounter that freezes their blood, believing they recognize one of the executioners who tortured Maja in the concentration camp.

She then decides to kidnap this neighbor… This thriller, an Amazon Original production which was released in theaters in the United States, has two big names in its cast: Noomi Rapace (the “Millenium” saga) and Joel Kinnaman (the “The Killing” series , “House of Cards”, “Hanna”, “Altered Carbon”…)

NOT SEEN

"Die Hard" saga

“Crystal Trap” (1988) remains, and rightly so, as one of the best action films of all time.

He brings a simple argument to its paroxysm, that of a fellow who finds himself, by chance, in a critical situation and is going to derail everything.

Here, it's Bruce Willis, then on the rise in Hollywood, and masterfully led by John McTiernan (“Predator”) who plays a cop stranded in the middle of a hostage-taking at the top of a building.

Downright jubilant like its sequel, “58 Minutes to Live” (1990), with even more brawls and explosions.

The concept then turns to routine, even if you never get bored during the three subsequent opus, “Une Journée en enfer” (1995), “Die hard 4: Retour en enfer” (2007), “Die hard: Belle day to die ”(2013).

EDITOR'S RATING: 4.5 / 5 for the first film, 4/5 for the second, fourth and fifth, 3.5 / 5 for the third

"La Boum" and "La Boum 2"

These flagship teenage comedies of the 1980s, directed by Claude Pinoteau, adored by the French at the time, which launched the career of Sophie Marceau, aged 14 for the first part, will be visible on the platform from December 10.

In "La Boum", Vic, a Parisian high school student, is torn between her parents (played by Brigitte Fossey and Claude Brasseur) who are experiencing marital problems, while she has only one obsession: to participate in her first boom.

The film is also carried by the song “Reality”, signed Vladimir Cosma, interpreted by Richard Sanderson, huge hit in 1980. In the second part - less successful-, Vic, tired of boys, will nevertheless fall in love with a handsome student …

.

EDITOR'S RATING: 3.5 / 5

Integrals Maurice Pialat and Yves Robert

Amazon adds to its catalog the complete films of two great French filmmakers who have passed away, in very different genres: Maurice Pialat (1925 - 2003) and Yves Robert (1920 - 2001).

On the side of Pialat, we will be able to review or discover wonders such as “Loulou” (1980) with Gérard Depardieu, “A nos amours” (1983) who launched Sandrine Bonnaire, “Sous le soleil de Satan”, always with Depardieu, who won France a stormy Palme d'Or in 1987, or “Van Gogh” with Jacques Dutronc (1991).

As far as Yves Robert is concerned, we will have the choice of laughing with “Alexandre le Bienheureux” (1967) with Philippe Noiret, “Le Grand Blond avec une Shoe Noire” (1972) and “Le Retour du Grand Blond” (1974), both with Pierre Richard, or the famous diptych “An elephant that tricks enormously” (1976) and “We will all go to Paradise” (1977) with the merry band formed by Claude Brasseur, Jean Rochefort, Guy Bedos and Victor Lanoux…

EDITOR'S RATING: 5/5

"After: Chapter 2"

Taken from the “young adult” erotic saga written on an iPhone by Anna Todd - millions of copies sold around the world, this second installment depicts the torrid affair between the young student Tessa, fiancee and promised a bright future, and

Hardin, tattooed and pierced, who looks like Harry Styles, the singer of One Direction.

In this new unseen film, the two enthusiasts try to put the pieces back together, but the arrival of a new suitor in Tessa's life will complicate their relationship…

NOT SEEN

"Sylvie's Love"

In the 1950s, Tessa, a young and bright African American who dreams of a career in television, is forced to give it up to help her father who runs a record store.

His meeting with Robert, a beginner and talented saxophonist, will lead to a passionate but thwarted relationship over decades ... Shown at the Sundance Independent Film Festival, this Amazon Original production was very well received, with critics appreciating its form. “Old-fashioned” and its lack of clichés, some going so far as to write that this is the film we need for this confined Christmas.

In the cast, we find Tessa Thompson (the sagas "Avengers" and "Westworld") and Eva Longoria ("Desperate Housewifes") ...

NOT SEEN

MYCANAL

"The forest's call"

Chris Sanders' film, starring Harrison Ford, Omar Sy and Karen Gillan, tells the story of Buck, a big dog with a big heart, kidnapped by animal traffickers during the Gold Rush.

Alone in the face of the dangers of the world, often mistreated, he will end up finding his place, in the snows of Canada, with an old gold digger who will offer him the possibility of a return to nature ... Adaptation of the novel by Jack London, in which the animals are made in digital images, "The Call of the Forest" is a captivating and endearing film.

He owes a lot to Harrison Ford, very aptly in the role of a gold digger.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"Les Dblouis"

Camille, 12, the oldest of three children, is looking for her way by taking clown lessons.

At the same time, his parents get to know the members of a religious community that advocates sharing.

They invest more and more in it, until they immerse themselves in a universe which demands total submission to the rules of the group.

Camille plays the game out of love for her mother, whom she knows to be fragile.

But another reality, which endangers her little brothers, opens her eyes little by little… First feature film by the actress Sarah Suco ("Discount", "Les Invisibles") inspired by what she has herself lived, “Les Éblouis” gives a blow to the operation of some of these “charismatic communities” with un-Catholic ambitions.

The film undoubtedly draws its effectiveness from its casting.

Special mention to the young Céleste Brunnquell, truly… dazzling in her ability to appropriate a whole complex palette of reactions and emotions.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"The Singing Club"

In the midst of the Iraqi conflict in 2011, soldiers based in Yorkshire were sent to the front for many months.

Their women, who remained on the base, will, at the instigation of one of them, create a choir of popular hits.

Despite their differences and disagreements, they will be successful and write their own hit ... Carried by Kristin Scott-Thomas, who perfectly interprets a woman who is a little rigid but loves singing who will have the idea of ​​this choir, "The Singing Club ”, directed by the man who signed another social comedy related to music,“ The Full Monty ”, is a film that is doing good for the end of the year.

Impossible not to be carried away by this astonishing troop of anguished but determined women who push us to sing at the top of our lungs with them.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4, 5/5

"Frozen 2"

We had left, in "The Snow Queen", the two heroines, Anna and her sister Elsa, queen of the Nordic kingdom of Arendelle, happy.

This sequel begins in an equally cheerful way: Elsa and Anne recall memories of their happy childhood in the company of their late parents ... But Elsa does not have peace of mind: a distant voice, which only she can hear, l 'attracts outside the kingdom.

When her powers threaten Arendelle once again, she sets out on a journey to a magical forest that is believed to be the source of her surprising abilities, to find out what that voice wants from her.

Anna, Christoph, his reindeer Sven and Olaf accompany him… Very rich, this sequel deals with rather dark themes: the ghosts that have arisen from the past, the errors of choice which can change the fate of several generations… The great success of the film lies in the fact that these serious psychoanalytic concerns are permanently counterbalanced by hyper-humorous sequences.

On the graphic side, the film has some breathtaking scenes of beauty.

And the songs are up to those of the first part.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"Judy"

London, 1968. The city is in turmoil with the arrival of Judy Garland who comes to perform in a large hall.

The star, then aged 46, lives on her legend: this child of the ball has been singing on stage since she was 3 years old and owes her fame to the “Wizard of Oz” (1939).

But when she arrives in the UK with her two children, she has been rejected by Hollywood, ruined, ill, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and has a suicide attempt behind her.

Her return to the stage will temporarily transcend her… Little was known about the end of Judy Garland's career, and this film, by following the star in the last year of her life - with flashbacks - paints the portrait of a woman lost, laminated by money problems and her addictions, who suffers from a need for recognition and love that no one manages to fill - she will die shortly after.

Renée Zellweger, unrecognizable, delivers an incredible performance, which this year won her the Oscar for best actress.

EDITOR'S RATING: 5/5

"Selfie"

They are decent people, but they will all go wrong.

The Perez have been filming every moment of their daily lives since their youngest child, Lucas, was diagnosed with an orphan disease: they live to the rhythm of "likes" and millions of views when suddenly, they are told that their son is healed.

French teacher, Bettina begins a digital correspondence with a YouTuber ... Through five parallel stories, "Selfie" very caustically stages characters addicted to social networks.

Hilarious and ultra-insightful.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

OCS

"5 is the perfect number"

In Naples in the 1970s, Peppino, ex-hired killer of the Camorra, seeks to propel his son in his footsteps ... When the latter is assassinated, he launches into a bloodthirsty revenge which will send back all the Mafia clans back to back of the city, but also threatening the life of his daughter, Rita… Adaptation by the Italian author and designer Igort Tuveri of his best-selling comic book published in 2002, this nugget with a dark and violent atmosphere plunges the viewer into a Naples mafia of the great era.

Remarkable, very graphic and full of references to comics, the film multiplies the sumptuous scenes, staged and lit in a stunning way.

And he offers a new golden role to the immense actor Toni Servillo (“Gomorra”, “La Grande Bellezza”…), which brings grandiloquence and theatricality to this die-hard Peppino, while Valeria Golino plays a Rita d 'great accuracy.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"Leto"

Rock, pop, glam… “Leto” tells a true story, that of young musicians and singers in Leningrad in the early 1980s, before Perestroika.

Mike and his wife Natasha, at the head of a merry band of misfits, in love with Anglo-Saxon artists like the Stooges, the Velvet Underground or David Bowie, then do everything to electrify the local music scene.

Their meeting with a young rocker poet will change the face of Russian rock… Shot in sumptuous black and white, “Leto” tells of the difficulty in making things happen, or even simply playing in public in the Russia of the time, while emphasizing the lightness and the aptitude for a certain form of dolce vita of this tribe of musicians who lived on rock, cigarettes, love and fresh vodka.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"The Daughters of Dr March"

During the Civil War, sisters, daughters of a chaplain who went to the front, try to cope, with their mother, with a daily life made difficult by the conflict.

This new adaptation of the successful novel "The four Daughters of Doctor March", published in 1868 by Louisa May Alcott, if it is not unpleasant, mixes the times with flashbacks.

So much so that the viewer quickly finds himself lost in this confused temporality.

But the film deserves to be seen for the performances of two actors: Saoirse Ronan, who plays a fiery and determined Jo, and especially Timothée Chalamet, formidable in love with two of the sisters.

EDITOR'S RATING: 3/5

"Minuscule 2: Mandibles at the end of the world"

As the first snow falls in the valley, the ladybugs prepare their food reserves for the winter.

But as a result of unexpected events, a small ladybug finds itself trapped in a cardboard box, which leaves by plane to Guadeloupe.

Her mother and her faithful friends, the ant and the spider, will join her to save her ... Without a single word, but with some malicious sound effects and magnificent orchestral music, "Minuscule 2" keeps us going for more than a year. 'an hour and a half.

Very funny and moving, the film tells a story full of twists and turns: threats by predators, emancipation and even love affair.

The graphics are splendid and some paintings are breathtaking ...

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

DISNEY +

"Mulan"

We waited a long time.

After being announced in the cinema, pushed back, offered to Disney + subscribers in certain countries for an additional cost, "Mulan" finally arrives on Disney + in France, at no additional cost.

This live-action adaptation of the 1998 animated film tells the story of Mulan, the eldest daughter of an exceptionally talented warrior, who decides to take her father's place when the Emperor of China forcibly enlists. one man per family to fight invaders.

Breathtaking landscapes, magnificent palaces, martial arts fights worthy of “Tiger and Dragon”… This “Mulan” is visually dazzling.

And this heroine carries a nice message of courage and emancipation.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"Cars 3"

The red Lightning McQueen car, star of the American circuits, sees the arrival of a new generation of competitors more stylish, faster and arrogant than him.

Overwhelmed, overwhelmed, Flash calls on a coach, then an old adviser.

But at the end of a training as dangerous as it is exhausting to become the king of racing again, McQueen will be faced with a revelation about his future ... Finally available on the platform, this third part is a real slap in all areas: scenario clever, endearing characters, revolutionary graphics and animation that amaze you.

The races go at 500 per hour, some scenes are animated from impossible angles, as in real images: unheard of.

EDITOR'S RATING: 4/5

"Safety"

Young Ray McElrathbey has just joined Clemson University (South Carolina) as a beginner American football player.

He will have to face rigorous training, difficult exams, while having to take care, in the greatest secrecy, of his young brother abandoned by their drug addict mother ... The difficulties do not take long to accumulate, but Ray, Helped by a student, Kaycee, with whom he is falling in love, does everything to hang on… Inspired by a true story, this new original Disney + production is split between sequences dissecting the technique of American football and scenes highlighting the difficulties in reaching the highest when you are a young black from an underprivileged suburb of Atlanta.

NOT SEEN

"Star Wars VIII - The Last Jedi"

The Resistance fights an attack from the Empire.

Young rebel Rey (Daisy Ridley, stunning again) rubs shoulders with legendary Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill, grand old Jedi) on a remote island.

Finn, the stormtrooper soldier who has passed over to the good guys, heads for a doomed planet.

The wicked Kylo Ren undergoes an internal struggle between good and evil ... This eighth episode of the "Star Wars" saga, accessible on the 18th on the platform, multiplies the fight scenes a little too much and sometimes gets lost in the logic of his story.

But there is the atmosphere, like Greek tragedy, with new family ties.

Others that we suspected ultimately turn out to be false.

The most vibrant remains the one that unites Luke Skywalker, Rey, Kylo Ren and Princess Leia, played by Carrie Fisher, who has since died ...

EDITOR'S RATING: 3.5 / 5

"Drunk"

Joe, a piano teacher jazzman, who has just made his dream come true by being hired in a band, is sent to the afterlife where he finds himself in a kind of buffer zone.

He will have to train “22”, a soul that has never succeeded in incarnating in an earthly body because it is not interested in anything.

Which will lead Joe to think about his own destiny… Signed by the director of “Vice Versa”, “Soul” should have been released in theaters in early December, but the Disney studio decided to broadcast on its platform on the 25th. a sacred Christmas present: exceptional, the film, between very fine humor and metaphysical reflection, touches the sublime in its graphic variation, with a mixture of styles - 3D, 2D, black and white, bright colors… - never seen before, true both technical and artistic prowess that dazzles the eyes.

A masterpiece of animation.

EDITOR'S RATING: 5/5

"Ferdinand"

Ferdinand, a young Andalusian bull, does not like to fight.

He only dreams of fleeing to live in the middle of nature, rather than appearing in the arena facing the greatest matador in Spain.

Signed by the Brazilian director of the “Ice Age” and “Rio” sagas, Carlos Saldanha, this “Ferdinand” turns out to be spirited, intelligent and funny.

And the film deals in particular with the problem of slaughterhouses, their brutality and the question of vegan food.

An ultra-realistic cartoon, of which we first remember the gags.

EDITOR'S RATING: 5/5