Happy_Evil_Dude

In 2005 I was in a massive, packed theater on opening day for "Revenge of the Sith", convinced it would be the final "Star Wars" movie. The mood was electric, the audience was buzzing with excitement and there were massive cheers and applause every time a new character appeared on screen. It was an incredible moment and one I was sure I'd never experience again.

In 2015 I was in a massive, packed theater on opening day for "The Force Awakens". There was a smattering of applause at the beginning and end of the film and when the Falcon, Han Solo and Chewbacca first appear. There were also a few laughs for a couple of scenes. Other than that, silence. Walking out of the theater, surrounded by hundreds of moviegoers, no one uttered a word. Everyone just shuffled out in a deathly quiet.

Now don't get me wrong, "The Force Awakens" is a fantastic movie and the best thing JJ Abrams has ever done. However it also underwhelmed me in a way Episodes I to III never did. There is enough good, even great in it, and I have enough good will towards the series to name it my favorite film of the year, but I also have major problems with it, which range from the outer packaging all the way to the creamy center.

Everything you feared since hearing JJ Abrams was directing has come to pass (lens flares aside). His obsession with the first three films as well as "real sets, practical effects" is taken much too far. You can see everything coming from a mile away, none of the mysteries and twists work and there is zero emotional weight to the film. The endeavor also suffers from a major case of telling rather than showing and as such we are pleadingly being asked to love our new heroes rather than liking them of our own volition.

Of the new characters, Snoke and Hux are great, Kylo Ren is the weakest villain the series has ever had, Captain Phasma is useless, Rey and Finn are fine, Poe Dameron makes no impression whatsoever and BB-8 is pretty cool but very redundant.

Again it's a great film, and I'll see it again in theaters. Just be careful to keep your hype in check.

Wild Card has been a passion project of Jason Statham's for several years, the actor having even secured Brian De Palma for the director's chair at one point. With De Palma stepping away, Statham enlisted the competent but much less exciting Simon West with whom he'd already collaborated on The Mechanic and The Expendables 2.

West was excited to work with legendary screenwriter William Goldman again after The General's Daughter and assembled an impressive supporting cast around Statham, the likes of Stanley Tucci, Anne Heche, Jason Alexander and many more. A vastly underrated actor, Statham easily holds his own among these and gives a fine performance as Nick Wild, first played in the 1986 original by Burt Reynolds.

That picture was a notoriously troubled production that left a sour taste in William Goldman's mouth, but he obviously thought highly of his screenplay, as story-wise, Wild Card plays almost exactly like the original, beat-by-beat. However, watching the on-screen proceedings it is hard to believe this is the same man responsible for such classics as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, All the President's Men, The Princess Bride and so many others.

From its top notch cast to its look and pacing, Wild Card feels like it wants to a gritty drama, a moody character piece with bursts of action in the vein of Michael Mann's Collateral, a film with which it shares quite a few characteristics. Unfortunately it never quite reaches the heights of its ambitions, the film being unable to conjure up something special, unexpected, original enough to put it over the top.

That is not to say it doesn't deliver. Without saying much, the film draws you into this world easily and convincingly. The acting is very strong and the characters pretty appealing. The writing is sharp. Cinematographer Shelly Johnson gives the film a distinctive look and the editing is excellent. The score is composed by the ultra-talented Dario Marianelli. And then there's the action.

While there are only but a few of them, the action scenes, handled by Hong Kong legend and frequent Statham collaborator Cor(e)y Yuen, are incredible, exhilarating and eminently memorable. Even more to the film's credit, each one is very different, both through their visual and musical presentations.

All this makes for a perfectly serviceable film but one unfortunately stuck between two worlds. Which makes it quite a shame that Brian De Palma backed out of the project as his style would have no doubt elevated Wild Card to something pretty fascinating.

I basically knew nothing about French pop superstar Claude François before seeing this film, apart what he looked like, a couple of his songs and how he died.

A talented filmmaker, Florent-Emilio Siri has surrounded himself with a stellar cast and captures dazzling visuals to deliver what ends up being a rather classic, well-made musical biopic that (re)introduces the singing sensation to the 21st century.

On the down side, the film sometimes plays like a highlight reel of sorts, seemingly jumping from one flagship scene to the next without taking the time to explain the significance of events unfolding to the unfamiliar viewer, while at the same time jumping over portions of François' life that look like they might have quite some importance.

However on the positive, apart from the aforementioned excellence of the actors and the incredible shots scattered throughout the picture, Cloclo also gives an insight into an aspect of the musical industry that is rarely seen on film, which is the "industrial" production of songs, creation as seen through a committee rather than a single artist. Quite fascinating.