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True, Asterix at the Olympic Games adapts the classic 1968 comic album of the same name only very loosely, but it's still worth a watch. This theme hasn’t yet been among animated films, so this is new to Asterix films in general. The replacement for Christian Clavier may not be great, but after all, we have Delon, Schumacher, or Vanessa Hessler, so there is no shortage of pop culture references. A problem may only arise if you absolutely don't like Benoît Poelvoorde's humor. But nothing can be done about it because his character Brutus draws all the attention to himself.

Asterix & Obelix: Mission Cleopatra usually divides the audience into two disparate groups. I'm one of those who enjoy a live-action version of Cleopatra now and then. The 1968 animated version was already absolutely excellent and there are so many wonderful ideas here. Sun-drenched Egypt is a feast for the eyes, and Monica Bellucci has never been more beautiful. The humor may not be universal, but where the original comics "Asterix and Cleopatra" (1965) worked, this will work too.

The first live-action Asterix or Asterix and Obelix vs. Caesar. It was a big deal in its day. All countries influenced by Francophone comics were waiting to see if Goscinny's characters and Uderzo's humor could be translated into a new medium. Animated films were very popular, although by then the newest installment, Asterix Conquers America, already heralded the end of an era. Personally, I'm happy with the big European co-production that brought Benigni and Gottfried John to Gaul in 55 BC alongside Depardieu, Clavier, and Galabru. Laetitia Casta played Halabala, and while the other Asterix franchise is very uneven, there's no reason to condemn her. For the first director of such a monster project, they chose a very suitable Claude Zidi, a classic of such series as Rookies Run Amok or My New Partner, who had worked with Pierre Richard, Louis de Funès, and Belmondo. Through this lens, Asterix can be seen as the next generation of the classic French comedy school.

The Cable Guy was one of Carrey's flops. Today, thankfully, it's a classic lesson from 90s media. So many references to the trends of the time can easily serve as an open textbook. Just add articles from the early days of HBO here and the introduction of Cable Plus and that’s that.

Jim Carrey and Michel Gondry can still do great things. It has never been so emotionally challenging to visit the backstage of a children's show. In terms of the acting, it's all on Jim, who still has it. He is well supported by Frank Langella (the great Dracula 50 years ago) or Catherine Keener. Even the hostesses show interesting faces here and there. An intense experience.

I'm not a typical Tarantino viewer, and in fact, I only like Sin City from his portfolio. I'm not keen on amplified entertaining violence, and I'm also not keen on endless dialogue with fictional pop culture references. Yet Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is a perfect fairy tale. It’s also ideal precisely because of how different it is from previous poser films. There's no unnecessary talking, and the entertaining violence lasts only a moment and even makes sense, which is almost unbelievable. The relationship between the depicted era and its depiction is ideal. This is not an empty parody of American television in the 1950s and the end of a Hollywood era (the departure to Europe is typical of the long post-war years). It magically mixes reality with new touches, all based on a conscious homage to a phenomenon that perhaps does not deserve such a serious interpretation. Everything is in its place, and even Walt Disney is mentioned. Leonardo and Brad play it safe and every gesture and every smile works. It's a pleasure to spend time with them. Various guest stars, such as the late Luke Perry and stunt veteran Zoë Bell, are used as the cherry on top. Finally, of course, the big theme is Margot Robbie as Sharon Tate Polanski (who just finished reading Hardy's "Tess of the d'Urbervilles"), one of the many forgettable starlets made memorable by the stupidity of Manson's band of idiots. Her cause is something quite different now and has inspired many other films and books due to the fact that the shock of her martyrdom has really resonated throughout these last 50 years. Recently, the whole issue was addressed, among others, in Season 7 of American Horror Story: Cult. Tarantino's handling of the subject is touchingly beautiful. I would usually never say something like that about him.

The story of Gia Carangi is truly alarming and however artistically rendered, a film inspired by her downfall is important. It's nice to see in retrospect how great Angelina did as a Gia back then, helped many future lesbians by coming out, and also showed other kinds of love to other people. However, in this form, the romance with Sandy Linter, unfortunately, served only as a cover for a much more important message about the devastating environment of modeling, about the overindulgence that led to drugs and later to contracting AIDS. A full decade before Freddie Mercury, Gia became one of the first celebrities to die from an invisible gamble with life. Gia lived too fast, and it took her two years of shooting covers for Vogue and Cosmo to wade through the mud for the next six years. And that's the main downside of this film. Angelina is not very believable as a naive 18-year-old and we only see a fraction of the worst moments of Gia's life. Still, it's good enough for an HBO television blockbuster.

The 31st Disney Feature Film A combination of the tales of the One Thousand and One Nights in Disney styling? Finally. As an idea, it's perfectly fine. The glorious Disney Renaissance era is defined primarily by Alan Menken's ear-pleasing music, and Aladdin came just in time for audiences to remember Hollywood's traditional love of the Orient. Think of the beautiful styling of The Thief of Baghdad with Douglas Fairbanks or Kismet with Marlene Dietrich. However, as with The Lion King, I have to say that as a child I only knew the related films, the series and the play, and today I perceive Aladdin as too much of a rehashed Disney film. And never-mind the live-action version. The original cartoon isn't perfect. The animation of the princess' palace and the entrance to the cave is outdated even nowadays, the classic formula "princess, hero, and cute animals against the villain" works, but I never thought the blue genie was a good idea. So many pop culture references from him could choke one to death.

My relationship with Anne Rice's work shows a certain ambivalence. Outside of "The Vampire Chronicles," she chooses themes that are varied but always puts her entire heart into each text. Her work has something for everyone, but probably few readers will find all of it appealing. She wrote "Interview with the Vampire" as therapy after experiencing the pain of her daughter's untimely death from leukemia. "The Young Messiah," for a change, is the result of the crisis of faith she underwent decades later. As if nothing could be further away. Yet these novels are among her most successful and have spawned some of her best adaptations to date. The Young Messiah is a beautiful film for inner meditation and dialogue. It's worthy of attention.

I was looking forward to Jessica's ending. It takes a while for the viewer to get back in tune with the specific atmosphere, but by the turn of the second and third episodes, you’re in it again. One of the great storylines has Trish trying to find a balance between the classic superhero vs. his or her civilian life problem. Will Hellcat defeat Trish? In contrast, Jessica is going through the bottom again and Malcolm is climbing up. And Jeri? He's having a beautiful old-school romance. Thanks for the gifts. Then at the end, I couldn't help thinking of Dexter, and I thoroughly enjoyed the behind-the-scenes flashback of Patsy. I also especially appreciated how it all fit together. I rate the whole Defenders era on Netflix very highly.