Elementary, Asteroid City, Il Boemo… Movies to see or avoid this week

Historical film by Petr Vaclav, 2h10

A bit of lack of culture is not discouraged. Apart from a few sharp music lovers, who knew Josef Myslivecek? The composer (1737-1781) had sunk into oblivion. It must be said that he has an unpronounceable name and that must not have helped him to be remembered. Petr Vaclav redresses this injustice with an ample, rich and classic biopic. Il Boemo is a success. It will delight amateurs, will delight moviegoers. The actor (Vojtech Dyk) is a tall, soft blond, lookalike of Ryan O'Neal in Barry Lyndon (Kubrick is asked to leave these lines as soon as possible). Of course, critics, always lazy, compared it to Amadeus, a drumming model of the genre. At least there's not the insufferable Tom Hulce in there. The real star here is the music. IN.

Comedy drama by Wes Anderson, 1h46

Jones Hall, in the costume of Augie Steenbeck, war photographer with beard and pipe, arrives in Asteroid City, an archetypal town with a "dinner", gas station, telephone booth and motel. Augie is the father of three children to whom he has not yet admitted that their mother died – his ashes are from the trip in a Tupperware. He is on his way to visit his stepfather (Tom Hanks, pensioner with a mustache) and try to reconcile with him. Asteroid Day is an opportunity for his son to participate in a competition for Young Astronomers and Space Cadets. The argument allows Wes Anderson to enshrine microfiction and scroll through Hollywood stars (Scarlett Johansson, Matt Dillon, Steve Carell, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody…). More than political satire, Asteroid City appeals to the unbridled fantasy of Wes Anderson. The film is teeming with ideas and gags, a profusion to which the score by Alexandre Desplat, superbly melancholic, gives a coherence and a "slow burn" rhythm, close to the comedies of Blake Edwards. E.S.

À lire aussiNotre critique d'Asteroid City: désert de famille

Animated film by Peter Sohn, 1h42

It is usually good to live in Element City, this staggering metropolis where beings of fire, the Flamboyants, cohabit with the Aquatics made of water, as well as two other tribes, those made of earth and air. It is here that resides Flam (voiced by Adèle Exarchopoulos), an intrepid and lively young woman, with a strong character, who must take over the shop from her parents, who have sacrificed everything for her. A water leak in the basement of the store will cause Flam to meet Flack (voiced by Vincent Lacoste), a sentimental and amusing boy, rather a follower. The attraction these two feel will challenge Flam's deep beliefs about the world they live in. On this solid canvas, which happily mixes the conceptual aspect of Inside Out with the more urban one of Zootopia, director Peter Sohn knits a thrilling romantic comedy. This is a very good Pixar, entertaining and deep. O.D.

Drame de Soudade Kaadan, 1h43

What is going on an exodus (one of the meanings of Nezouh)? First, going around in circles in an apartment that is too cramped. Motaz, the father, repairs the generator, the coffee machine and then the walls, when they start to crack. Friendly macho, well-established paternal, he widens his eyes when he hears his wife tell him that they have to leave. Their daughter falls in love during this time with the neighbours' son. She is mischievous. The first part of this film shows with great accuracy and humor, without trying to draw tears, this family from Damascus faced with a complex dilemma: to stay in a dangerous city or to leave as refugees without luggage. The characters escape through the imagination during very symbolic sequences. Before taking the dusty road to exile. There, Nezouh gets bogged down. This beautifully crafted feature film could have been more ambitious. B.P.

Action film by Jalmari Helander, 1h31

In 1944, as World War II draws to a close, a wandering gold digger flanked by an adorable dog seeks to make his fortune in the wild foothills of Lapland. From the outset, the Finnish filmmaker Jalmari Helander installs a spaghetti western atmosphere à la Sergio Leone thanks to a few Ennio Morricone-style guitar riffs. With Sisu - De l'or et du sang, a devilishly effective tarantine western, the director rubs shoulders with the mixture of genres. It stages a war movie with Nazis, all mixed with accents of twilight Italian westerns. By his own admission, he draws inspiration for his film from the first Rambo. This assumed homage to Sylvester Stallone's film provides it with a solid and linear narrative. As a mute gold digger, possessed by the spirit of revenge, actor Jorma Tommila works wonders. O.D.

À lire aussiNotre critique de Sisu. De l'or et du sang: un Rambo en Laponie

Drama by Virginie Sauveur, 1h37

It all starts with the revelation of an imposture. Within the Diocese of Paris, the Chancellor is awakened in the middle of the night by an untimely phone call. He was informed of the death of Father Pascal, an esteemed priest in the parish of Saint-Laurent. But something is wrong. The doctor absolutely wants to deliver the death certificate in person. Charlotte (tremendously embodied by Karin Viard) goes there, incredulous and annoyed. Before archiving it, she takes a distracted look at the certificate and notices an error. The practitioner replies, "No, you can check. It's a woman. The drama begins. Sober on the visual level, limpid and engaged in substance, Magnificat asserts itself as an uncompromising film that plunges into the dark mysteries of the Church. Above all, the film makes viewers reflect on the denial of the church, which still does not wish to confront a sensitive societal subject and more topical than ever, the ordination of women to the priesthood. As Charlotte's character in the film fatalistically says, "The Church must evolve or it will die. Magnificat has the merit of raising the debate by skilfully combining suspense and spiritual questions. O.D.