Why did we find it too stylish?
Through the story of Emilia Pérez, played by the vibrant Karla Sofía Gascón, Audiard questions identity, social justice, love… and offers sung, danced and choreographed answers. And it does. A total work and a story with several voices which proposes other ways of existing. Long live Emilia!
Our review from August 27, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ It is available for rental via Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon Prime et YouTube
♥ It is also present in the respective catalogs of Flight et Pickx
2. Civil War
Thriller by Alex Garland. With Kirsten Dunst, Cailee Spaeny and Wagner Moura. Duration: 1 hour 49 minutes
What was this thing about again?
The United States is plunged into civil war. Two states, California and Texas, have joined forces against the federal government. Despite everything, the president holds on, entrenched in Washington. Lee and Joel, photographer and reporter, drag their shoes into these battles to best report what their country is experiencing.
Why did we find it too stylish?
Because this is fiction. And because the assault on the Capitol (and the upcoming return of a tall blond to the White House) prove to us that it wouldn’t take much for it to become a reality.
Our review from April 16, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ It is available for rental via Google Play, Apple TV et Amazon Prime
3. Poor Things
Drama comedy by Yorgos Lanthimos. With Willem Dafoe, Emma Stone, Mark Ruffalo and Ramy Youssef. Duration: 2 hours 21 minutes.
What was this thing about again?
Emma Stone is a woman whose lifeless body was recovered from the Thames, and into which the brain of the baby she was carrying was implanted. From a naive child with a basic vocabulary, she gradually becomes an independent and curious woman whose thirst for freedom and sex will lead her on an initiatory journey across Europe…
Why did we find it too stylish?
Black and white, colors, music, intertitles, optical effects: Yorgos Lanthimos exploits all the possibilities of cinema and has fun with it. But this story of female emancipation would not be as tasty without its irreverent humor. A masterful combo!
Our review from January 16, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ For free on Disney +…if you are a subscriber
♥ It is available for rental via Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon Prime et YouTube
4. The Bikeriders
Drama by Jeff Nichols. Starring Austin Butler, Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy. Duration: 1 hour 56 minutes
What was this thing about again?
We are in the 60s. A young ingenue with a strong tongue, Kathy falls in love with Benny, a handsome guy with a rebellious streak, as dark as he can be. But quickly understands that she will have to share her “man” with the motorcycle club of which he is a part: the Vandals, led by the very virile Johnny.
Why did we find it too stylish?
The tone of what is ultimately as much a story of love (between Kathy and Benny) as of friendship (between Benny and Johnny) is much less “muscular” than one might suppose. And comes to depict, implicitly, a world in the process of dying out: that of old-fashioned bikers, brought together by a taste for marginality and freedom.
Our review from June 18, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ It is available for rental via Google Play, Apple TV, Amazon Prime et YouTube
♥ It is also present in the respective catalogs of Flight et Pickx
5. The Zone of Interest
Historical drama by Jonathan Glazer. With Christian Friedel, Sandra Hüller and Daniel Holzberg. Duration: 1 hour 46 minutes
What was this thing about again?
Jonathan Glazer’s film follows the daily life during the war of Nazi officer Rudolph Höss and his wife Hedwig. The family lives in a pretty, opulent house surrounded by a well-kept garden. A real little corner of paradise… right next to hell: behind the brick wall of the property stand the furnaces of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Why did we find it too “stylish”
The staging leaves a lot of room off-camera, relegating the Nazi horror, “unfilmable” but inevitable, outside or to the edge of the frame. This device creates an even more horrible contrast with the “ordinary” daily life of the Höss and the nearby horror. A relentless, powerful film, even if sometimes pompous in its effects.
Our review from January 30, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ At the cinema, Thursday 9/1 at Cineflagey (Brussels)
♥ It is available for rental via Google Play, Apple TV et Amazon Prime
♥ It is also present in the respective catalogs of Flight et Pickx
6. The Substance
Horror film by Coralie Fargeat. With Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. Duration: 2 hours 20 minutes
What was this thing about again?
Elisabeth Sparkle gets fired from her TV show fitness on his 50th birthday. Too old. So when she discovers a substance that offers her “a better version of herself”, the temptation is difficult to resist. One injection later, Sue comes to life: she is younger, and prettier. But Elisabeth and Sue do not respect the prescribed dosage…
Why did we find it too stylish?
Syringes under the skin, swollen and purulent flesh, smooth or in shreds, liters of blood, ears, mouths, teeth: The Substance is a monstrous film. With its pop colors, its outrageous close-ups, its nervous editing and its extremely mutilated bodies, the film borders on the ridiculous. And yet: the result is visually impressive.
Our review from November 5, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ At the cinema: it is still screened in Louvain-la-Neuve, in Brussels (Flagey, at the Galeries, at the Palace, at the UGC De Brouckère, and at the UGC Toison d’or), in Mons, and in Liège .
7. La salle des profs (The teacher’s room)
Drama by İlker Çatak. With Leonie Benesch, Michael Klammer and Rafael Stachowiak. Duration: 1 hour 39 minutes
What was this thing about again?
The students in the class of Carla, an idealistic teacher recently transferred to the school, are pushed by the other teachers to identify the student who could be behind a series of thefts in the staff room. Carla will conduct her own investigation…
Why did we find it too stylish?
A gripping school drama. Who chooses to never take sides in this investigation. A relevant way of playing with preconceived ideas, without ever pointing fingers, and an intelligent story that will shake up – and surprise – more than one person.
Our review from March 5, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ It is available for rental via YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV et Amazon Prime
♥ It is also present in the respective catalogs of Flight et Pickx
8. Love Lies Bleeding
Thriller by Rose Glass. Starring Kristen Stewart, Katy O’Brian, Ed Harris, Dave Franco and Jena Malone. Duration: 1 hour 44 minutes
What was this thing about again?
1989. Manager of a sports club in a remote town, Lou has only one desire: to get out. She stays out of love for her sister Beth, stuck under the thumb of a violent husband. When Jackie opens the door to the club, love at first sight is immediate. But male violence threatens to explode on our heroines…
Why did we find it too stylish?
Bodybuilding and its aesthetic are an important part of the plot, infusing the story with a kitsch and fantastical dimension. Ultimately, Love Lies Bleeding subverts the genre film, to take us to new imaginations, where desire liberates. Well done girls!
Our review from June 25, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ Free on Amazon Prime… if you are a subscriber
9. Challengers
Drama by Luca Guadagnino. With Zendaya, Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor. Duration: 2 hours 11 minutes
What was this thing about again?
Art is a famous tennis player who begins to tire and lose. Tashi (Zendaya), his wife and coach, registers him in a small tournament so that he can regain his former enthusiasm. But during the final, Art is forced to face Patrick, a nonchalant tennis player and, incidentally, his former best friend.
Why did we find it too stylish?
Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino concocts an explosive mix in which sport and sexual tension coexist. And although there is never a sex scene, everything is played out in the looks, the naked bodies and other slowed movements which suggest the opposite. Frenetic, exhilarating moments that shine through the screen
Our review from April 30, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ It is available for rental via Google Play, Apple TV et Amazon Prime
10. A fanfare
Comedy by Emmanuel Courcol. With Pierre Lottin, Benjamin Lavernhe and Sarah Suco. Duration: 1 hour 43 minutes
What was this thing about again?
Thibaut is a world-famous conductor. . But when he falls ill and sets out to find a marrow donor, he learns, to his great amazement, that he has been adopted. And that the only compatible parent is a brother from whom he was separated from early childhood, and who lives in the North of France.
Why did we find it too stylish?
Emmanuel Courcol, who also wrote the screenplay, plays a score that draws as much on tenderness as on humor, which arises from the comical situations that inevitably give rise to the gulf that life has dug between these two protagonists linked by blood. A funny and intelligent film, what more could you ask for?
Our review from December 3, 2024
Where you can see it
♥ In all (good) cinemas: it has just been released, of course!
Bonus DVD
Élise Lenaerts’ top 10
1. Emilia Perez
2. Civil War
3. The zone of interest
4. Poor things
5. Anora
6. The Bikeriders
7. The substance
8. Vice-versa 2
9. Memory
10. Hit Man
Constant Carbonnelle’s top 10
1. Challengers
2. The Substance
3. Poor Things
4. Emilia Perez
5. The Zone of Interest
6. La Salle des Profs (The Teacher’s Room)
7. L’innocence (Monster)
8. Blue Giant
9. Alien : Romulus
10. Crossing Istanbul
Elli Mastorou’s top 10
1. Love Lies Bleeding
2. Bye Bye Tiberiade
3. Julie Keeps Quiet
4. Summer With Carmen
5. The Ghosts
6. No Other Land
7. Mine
8. All of Us Strangers
9. Souleymane’s story
10. The Rapture
Michaël Degré’s top 10
1. Civil War
2. A fanfare
3. The Bikeriders
4. Emilia Perez
5. La salle des profs (The teacher’s room)
6. The most precious of goods
7. The Iron Claw
8. The night drags on
9. The stolen painting
10. The kingdom
