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Reviews
Rick and Morty: Unmortricken (2023)
The best episode of the entire series
This could be the series finale.
Everything comes to an end. The laughs, the comedy, the relationships, the love, the revenge plots, the ultimatums, the delusional partnerships... It all lead up to this.
I feel like Rick and Morty, as a show, was truly set free in this episode. All the episodic, over-serialized drivel we've seen last few seasons, well, it was meant for this very moment.
Was it worth it? No. Because nothing is. It's all meaningless, isn't it? That is the entire point of the show. Everybody has a grudge. Everybody dies. And it's never satisfying. It never feels like a conclusion. It's all pixie dust. Narrative pixie dust to make you click "play next". The writers' cynicism is at full play here and I love it.
Well, this could be the actual ending, but I choose to keep going. Because the new creative team shows actual vision, promise and an uncompromising voice. I'm excited for the future and I hope this isn't the last of the overarching storylines, as meaningless as they may seem at first glance. This episode was truly cathartic, and I enjoyed every second of it.
The best episode of the entire show, narratively speaking. A masterpiece. Can't wait for the next one.
The Mandalorian: Chapter 16: The Rescue (2020)
A monumental piece of Star Wars lore
Wow. As modern Star Wars goes, nothing can beat it. I find the directing a bit stiff, and the special effects (de-aging) weren't always convincing, hence why it's not a perfect 10. But, that being said, I just can't stop watching this episode. It's going to go down in history as one of the best moments in Star Wars history. Truly breathtaking. The score is also wonderful, bringing new ideas to the table that are, at least to me, welcomed in Star Wars. And, well, I'll just say this... Wait until after the credits.
La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes (2017)
A bleak masterpiece
Unlike anything you've seen before, this film is not meant to be a fun ride, yet it is a rewarding one.
From a visual standpoint, this films succeeds unlike any other Quebec film from recent years. The use of wide angle lenses and black and white reminds us of an unlikely cross between Terrence Malick and David Lynch. It is without a doubt one of the best shot films in recent Quebec cinema.
As for the acting, it is stellar. The standout is obviously Marine Johnson, who has to play an incredibly difficult role and is simply unforgettable as the main character. How she appropriates herself the character, all the small details she puts into her performance to make this character believable makes this performance nothing short of heartbreaking. Antoine L'Écuyer is great as usual, giving here a dry, brutal yet nuanced portrayal of a despicable character. The father, played by Jean-François Casabonne, is... disturbing. I'll leave it at that.
If you can handle the harsh subject matter and like being challenged a bit, maybe even provoked, while watching a film, then this is for you.
Although I would be hard-pressed to find a film I can say is actually similar to this one, I would recommend it to fans of Yorgos Lanthimos' work, Kubrick's "The Shining" and Lars Von Trier's "Antichrist".
In case you didn't catch my drift, faint of heart stay away! Everyone else, enjoy the show.