6:00 p.m., August 6, 2022
Nope ***
By Jordan Peele, with Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer. 2h10.
At the head of a ranch in California, a brother and a sister, trainers of horses for the Hollywood entertainment industry, observe one night unexplained phenomena in the sky, while hikers are missing in the desert. Could these be flying saucers? They persist in bringing back images to broadcast them on television, whatever the risks involved, to finally obtain fortune and glory… His political commitment pegged to the body, the screenwriter, director and African-American native of New York revisits this time a motif that has been hackneyed many times: UFOs. Jordan Peele tackles extraterrestrials and manages the tour de force of offering something different with this Machiavellian thriller which advances masked, as clever as it is unpredictable, in an anxiety-provoking and uneasy atmosphere. The opening sequence is undoubtedly this that we will see more terrifying this year. The gifted man draws a visually sublime film which chooses the intimate angle of the family unit to retrace disturbing supernatural events, in line with signs (2002), by M. Night Shyamalan. The story, referenced but innovative, stimulating and unusual, overflows with ideas for staging without ever resorting to easy effects, balancing tension and caustic humor. SB
Sleep **
By Panos H. Koutras, with Smaragda Karydi and Akis Sakellariou. 2h12.
In the suburbs of Athens, a couple on the verge of ruin are preparing for their daughter’s wedding in their luxury villa. The future bride, who is about to marry a rich heir, has doubts. It was then that a dodo appeared in the garden, the last representative of a species that disappeared three hundred years ago! In line with Feast (1998), by Thomas Vinterberg, this choral drama tinged with magic films the implosion of the family unit in a theatrical device conducive to settling scores. If he does not avoid lengths and keeps the viewer a little at a distance, this chaotic and burlesque story hits the mark. SB
One Piece Movie – Red*
By Goro Taniguchi. 1h55.
In search of a legendary treasure, the pirate Luffy and his crew disembark to attend a music festival where the most popular singer of the moment, the mysterious Uta, will perform for the first time. The power of the voice of the one who is none other than the daughter of the famous pirate Shanks le Roux could well change the world… You must probably have put your nose in some of the 101 volumes of the odyssey one day or be parent of teenagers addicted to the exploits of the captain in the straw hat to appreciate this abundant and crazy universe on the big screen. It is indeed difficult to understand who is who and who wants what in the plethora of characters who love each other, confront each other and betray each other. From there, it’s an explosion of fights, songs and twists that follow. It screams, it grimaces, it flexes muscles in a garishly colored visual maelstrom that isn’t always pretty to look at and in which you drown if you don’t have the codes. We are even surprised that the details of the faces are not drawn in the crowd scenes… BT
The very very high class
By Frédéric Quiring with Melha Bedia, Audrey Fleurot. 1h40.
French teacher in a difficult high school, Sofia has finally obtained her transfer under the Barcelona sun. But her transfer is finally postponed, and she could well be blown away by a teacher with an exemplary career. Mehla Bedia (Ramzy’s sister) confirms her comic talent in this social fable which, by daring to take off (too) cartoonishly, wants to recall the school’s mission. We are less convinced by the gesticulations of Audrey Fleurot, as annoying as preposterous in the role of a horrible clone of Cruella. BT