About me
My mother is French and my father is Dutch. I have spent all my life in France but now I have been living in Holland for quite a while.
I have 3 children (two of them,
Nick and
ZoƩ, are also Listal users) and I spent all my time off watching movies....
Occupation: Helpdesk Engineer
About my collections
- MY MOVIE LISTS -
- MY TV LISTS -
- MY MUSIC LISTS -
- MY POSTERS LISTS -
- ALL-STAR CASTS -
- FAVORITE LISTS -
- Before I ONLY watched movies... -
Most popular lists :
1. The evolution of... (396 votes)
2. Listal's Hall of Fame (308 votes)
3. Most Valuable Listal Players, sorted by country (259 votes)
4. Around the world with Listal's members (251 votes)
5. Weird, weirder and weirdest documentaries (214 votes)
6. Worst movie posters ever (197 votes)
7. Listal's 100 Films To See Before You Die (2012) (179 votes)
8. The evolution of Leonardo Di Caprio (164 votes)
9. Failed movie franchises (146 votes)
10. Best movie posters ever (138 votes)
~Lists
72 votes
My Queue
(425 items)
Movie list by johanlefourbe
|
Recent reviews

Posted : 12 hours, 19 minutes ago on 20 May 2025 08:26
(A review of
Silent Night)
To be honest, I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was directed by John Woo and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. In fact, it was actually a come-back for Woo since it was his first US production in 20 years. As far as I was concerned, it was also at least a decade since I saw one of his movies. Anyway, even though it didnāt make much waves when it was released, I thought it was not bad though. To be honest, I usually donāt like much vigilante features (I still donāt understand why the āJohn Wickā franchise can be so popular) but, in this case, I did like how they tackled this material. Indeed, the intro was neat, I have a weak spot for movies which starts with the main character running towards some unknown goal or destination so it was definitely a good start. Sure, the whole thing about the main character unable to speak was a gimmick and not a great one but it worked fine though. In fact, it was surprising that even the other characters didnāt speak at all either and, as a result, it was almost like watching a silent movie which was intriguing. Eventually, the dialogues in such action flicks are usually abysmal (You just need to watch any instalment of āThe Fast and The Furiousā franchise) so why not getting rid off them altogether? Concerning Joel Kinnaman, I always had a weak spot for this actor and he was a perfect choice to play the main character. Indeed, I donāt know many action stars who could pull off an action flick like this one without uttering a single word but Kinnaman, only with his face and body language, managed to tell so much. On the other hand, I was surprised to see Kid Cudi suddenly popping up and, since his character had no added value whatsoever, you might wonder why he showed up at all. Same thing with the lovely Catalina Sandino Moreno, it had been years since I saw her in anything but she had a really thankless role here. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was nothing really amazing, it turned out to be a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in John Wooās work or if you like the genre.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 1 day, 13 hours ago on 19 May 2025 07:19
(A review of
The Surfer)
Even though I have seen so many movies with Nicolas Cage, I canāt remember the last time I saw one of his movies in the movie theater. This one turned out to be quite strange. Indeed, I canāt say I was expecting the US movie star to show up in a thriller like this one taking place in Australia with no surfing whatsoever, in spite its title. Eventually, the end-result was an intriguing mind-f*ck but, to be honest, it never really became fascinating though. In my opinion, the main issue was that the material was just too slight. At least, there is no denying that the director, Lorcan Finnegan, did make the most of it though. Indeed, the mood was pretty neat and there was something rather dreamy not only about the location but also about the way it was visually presented. Concerning Nicolas Cage, he was not bad even though you might wonder if he was not completely out of place in an Australian thriller like this one (it was even pointed out by one of the other characters the fact that he didnāt sound at all like someone born there). Coming back on the story itself, the main asset was the cloud of mystery around, well, pretty much everything. Indeed, who was really this man? Was he dreaming all this? Who were all these local surfers (eventually, you get the name of only their leader, thatās how far they went to describe this group)? Who was the hobo? What was actually going on this damned beach? However, even though withholding information is an efficient way to create an ominous atmosphere, it is also a rather cheap artificial gimmick and, at the end of the day, Iām pretty sure I didnāt care one way or another. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and it is worth a look.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 2 days, 13 hours ago on 18 May 2025 07:22
(A review of
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts)
To be honest, I gave up on this franchise a long time ago but, since this last instalment was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out anyway. Like most guys from my generation, I grew up in the 90ās with these toys and cartoons so there was definitely some potential. However, even though these movies were commercially really successful, they turned out to be increasingly boring to watch though. Their main mistake was to keep directing them by Michael Bay for a whopping decade. So, since Bay finally stepped down from the directing chair, maybe there was some hope left for this franchise? I mean, the spin-off āBumblebeeā directed by Travis Knight was still not really amazing but, at least, it was actually a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, this new sequel/reboot/spin-off/whatever turned out to be so underwhelming though. Basically, even if Michael Bay didnāt direct the damned thing, it still felt like one of his movies though. I also felt bad for Anthony Ramos as the guy had to follow up Shia LaBeouf and Mark Wahlberg as the new lead. Sure, he seems to be a nice guy and it must have been awesome to helm such a big blockbuster but Iām afraid he was not charismatic enough. He wasnāt helped by the fact that his character was just so poorly written. I mean, the guy was an ex-military, expert in electronics (an aspect the movie did absolutely nothing with), struggling to find a job and who took care of his sick little brother. Nothing wrong with that but all this grim dramatic stuff didnāt matter much since he out-of-the-blue had to drop everything to save the world. But then, if it didnāt matter at all, why on Earth did they lose some time, energy and attention on this? What was the point? At least, it worked better with Dominique Fishback. Indeed, we learned nothing about her (possibly grim) home situation, she was basically some kind of student archeologist which was just perfect for this kind of story. To be honest, like āBumblebeeā whose main character was played by Hailee Steinfeld, I wish that Fishback, such a charismatic actress, would have played the lead as well here. Concerning the transformers, well, it was the same thing as usual. They were looking for some mysterious gizmo and were involved in some rather underwhelming loud battles every 10 mins which was just as lame as it might sound. Anyway, to conclude, they should really do something different with this material, the damned thing was rather weak and I donāt think it is really worth a look.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 4 days, 11 hours ago on 16 May 2025 09:00
(A review of
Godmothered)
I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but, since I have a weak spot for Isla Fisher and since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I wasnāt really convinced by the concept which did sound terribly gimmicky. And, yet, to my surprise, I have to admit that the damned thing was not so bad after all. Eventually, it mostly (and probably only) had to do with Jillian Bell. I had seen her in the past, she was always playing the loud obnoxious rather dim-witted chubby friend, some kind of slightly less funnyĀ and less successful version of Rebel Wilson, but I never thought she was really entertaining. However, in this movie, she was just pitch-perfect though. Sure, her character was not the sharpest of the bunch, it was the whole point, but there was something quite pure and kind about her, she definitely nailed the right tone and seriously elevated this material which was actually rather hopeless. June Squibb was also quite fun but she had such little impact on the whole thing. Unfortunately, pretty much everything else barely worked though. For example, the whole idea that the Motherland was threatened for some reason was so misguided and, above all, so completely boring. Another issue was that Isla Fisher was, in my opinion, rather miscast. I mean, she was lovely as usual and it was commendable that she tried to be cast against type for once. However, I think a more serious dramatic actress would have been more suitable for this character and not the bubbliest actress in the business. Seriously, you could easily picture Fisher playing the Godmother herself. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, thanks to Jillian Bell delivering a career-best performance, it was actually a decent watch and I think it is worth a look.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 5 days, 13 hours ago on 15 May 2025 07:32
(A review of
Almost Christmas)
I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but, since I have a weak spot for Gabrielle Union and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, Iām not a huge fan of Christmas movies so I was probably not the target audience for this material. And, indeed, this one turned out to be rather underwhelming but itās too bad because I think it actually had some potential. Sure, the intro was such a blatant rip-off of āUpā but it was effective and, in a few mins, I actually did feel a connection with this family, especially with Danny Gloverās character. Unfortunately, for each solid scenes like when the one when they all danced together, you had to endure so much garbage though. For example, even though Mo'Niqueās character was supposed to be loud and obnoxious, her schtick was actually barely entertaining. However, Iām afraid J.B. Smoove was even worse though. Seriously, his character was just rather pathetic with no redeeming features. Eventually, you might wonder how a bright and attractive woman like Cheryl could ever marry him and to have another gorgeous woman like Keri Hilson supposedly falling for his ācharmsā was borderline insulting. But he wasnāt the only one to blame though. Basically, the whole thing was pretty random which wasnāt necessarily an issue but, as I mentioned before, even though some moments were actually solid, most of it was either boring, idiotic or even rather cringe-inducing. Itās too bad because I actually liked these characters, there was something genuine about them and I think it could have been much better than that. Anyway, to conclude, even though I have to admit that the damned thing was rather harmless, it was still too weak and I donāt think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you are a die-hard fan of such Christmas movies.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 6 days, 11 hours ago on 14 May 2025 09:37
(A review of
Sugar)
Since I really loved āHalf Nelsonā, I was quite eager to see what Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck did afterwards. The first interesting thing is how this movie completely stood out with the rest of their filmography and I wonder how they ended up directing this. Anyway, what I enjoyed the most about it was the raw and realistic approach. It reminded me of many things, for example, when I spent a week of holiday in the Dominican Republic in an all inclusive holiday resort. Already at the time, even though I saw nothing of if, I could sense that, behind the walls of this resort, the life of the average people living in the Dominican Republic was probably not so great. While this trip in the Dominican Republic was more than 20 years ago, it also reminded me of another trip I did only a few months ago to Cameroon. Indeed, how everything looked and how the people lived here was such a contrast with what we see in Europe or other Western countries and it was very similar to what was displayed in this movie. Finally, it reminded me of my girlfriend who fled Eritrea to live in the Netherlands about 10 years ago. With this movie, I got a pretty good sense of how alienating it must have been for her when she ended up in a rich country like the Netherlands. Indeed,Ā she obviously didnāt speak the language, she knew pretty much nothing about this country and she had no connection or contact there whatsoever. So, all of this was very well handled in this movie and the end-result was quite intriguing but, to be honest, it was still missing something to become really remarkable though. I wonāt blame Algenis Perez Soto who gave here a really solid performance. It was also really commendable how they kept his trajectory so down-to-earth instead of making him the next baseball wonder which might have been more uplifting but definitely so much less believable and realistic. I think it might have to do with how the main character developed (or failed to develop) connections while he was living in the US, especially with the people who didnāt speak Spanish. I mean, it was realistic, thatās for sure, but I was missing some growth there. The best and worst example was his rather deplorable and pathetic attempt to hook up with some American girl. To be honest, it felt rather half-baked and also like it belonged to a completely different movie. I thought it might derail the whole thing but it had very little impact after all so you might wonder what was then the added value. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was maybe not a masterpiece, I still really enjoyed the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 1 week ago on 13 May 2025 09:21
(A review of
The D Train)
I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was starring Jack Black and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, the concept did seem to be so lame, Jack Blackās character seemed to be so pathetic and annoying, I was pretty sure that it would be another really stupid and tedious comedy. Well, to my surprise, I was amazed that the damned thing turned out to be actually good after all. Basically, it was not really about an insufferable guy organizing a 20 year high-school reunion, which was just such a boring idea, it was actually about 2 complete losers who somehow felt a connection even though they had basically nothing in common, except for going to the same high-school 20 years before, and I still canāt believe how compelling it was. To be honest, Jack Blackās character was still quite a train wreck, even if Black was pretty good as he was basically born to play such hopeless dudes. However, the real wild card in this movie turned out to be James Marsden and his character though. Indeed, I canāt remember the last time I saw such a complex and fully developed character in a low-brow comedy like this one, I wouldnāt be surprised if it would be actually the very first time. Indeed, like Dan, Oliver was also a loser but, contrary to Dan, he was completely aware of this. You might also expect him to be a huge douchebag, thatās what you always get in this genre, but the guy was actually honest and straightforward most of the time. However, he wasnāt perfect either which made him so interesting to behold. It was hands-down the most intriguing character James Marsden ever played and, in my opinion, he delivered here the best performance of his career. Anyway, to conclude, sure, the damned thing didnāt completely work, no wonder with such a concept, but it was still one of the most intriguing comedies I have seen in years and I think it is definitely worth a look.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 1 week, 1 day ago on 12 May 2025 07:36
(A review of
Black Bag)
To be honest, I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was directed by Steven Soderbergh and since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. First of all, I want to discuss something which has nothing to do with this movie. Indeed, nowadays, many directors are praising what they called the ācinematic experienceā but, even though I still love movies, I sometimes doubt if itās really necessary to watch them in the movie theater though. Indeed, I saw this flick yesterday in the movie theater, it was really late, it was the very last screening of the day and there was not even a third of room filled up. And, yet, behind me, there was a row of guys who kept talking and laughing through most of the duration and, as a result, it was pretty much impossible for me to follow the damned thing. It was especially annoying in this case as it was a rather smart and complex feature. Indeed, if you were expecting some action scenes with care chases, explosions or gun fights, you will be seriously disappointed. I especially enjoyed the diner scene at the beginning. The interesting thing about this movie was how they tried to show how difficult, some say even impossible, for spies like them to sustain a long lasting romantic relationship but, to be honest, I donāt necessarily agree. Indeed, as far as Iām concerned, even if you have the tools at your disposal to convincingly lie or hide things to your partner like the people in this line of work, you are still the one making the choice to use these tools, nobody forces you to do such things, as perfectly displayed by George and Kathryn. Concerning the plot, to be honest, Iām not sure if it all made sense though. I mean, the starting point was basically that James Stokes was too drunk at some point and spoke too much but it seemed rather unconvincing. Finally, like pretty much everything delivered by Soderbergh the last 25 years, even though the concept was definitely interesting, the end-result still felt rather half-baked though and I wonder if an extra 30 mins to better fleshed out all the characters might not have done some wonders here. Anyway, to conclude, even though the viewing conditions were just terrible, it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Steven Soderberghās work.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 1 week, 2 days ago on 11 May 2025 07:44
(A review of
Fast X)
To be honest, I have never been a fan of this franchise so I wasnāt expecting much from this flick but, since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out anyway. Well, it turned out to be even more boring than usual, Iām afraid. It probably had to do with the fact that, like most of the movies in this franchise, with a running time above 2hrs, it was just too long. In this case, it was even worse because it was only half of the damned story so there wasnāt even a conclusion. At least, the intro which brought us back to the 5th installment (as a matter of fact, āFast Fiveā was the only installment which I found enjoyable) was not bad and I thought it was a decent way to introduce Jason Momoa as Dante Reyes. On top of that, Momoa was the only one who was actually pretty good here (and you are talking about a huge cast including 20+ actors and even some Academy Award winners). Indeed, he managed to find the right tone as Dante was some kind of daft cartoon character. Okay, I have to admit that John Cena in cute uncle mode was also pretty good as well. Unfortunately, pretty much everything else was a huge hot mess though. Indeed, at this point, with half of the characters dead and brought back at some point and the impossible ludicrous plots, I really struggled to follow what the hell was going on. The weirdest and most hilarious example was with Brie Larsonās character. Indeed, I was convinced that she was already involved in this franchise, I assumed from āF9ā, but no, it was actually her first movie so, now, Iām scratching my head wondering if she was introduced at all in this movie. On one hand, Iām wondering if I should watch this movie again just to check how she was introduced but, on the other hand, I have certainly more interesting things to do with my time. Seriously, at this point, does anyone care about this franchise anymore? Anyway, to conclude, I thought it was pretty weak and you should probably avoid it, except if you are a die-hard fan.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 1 week, 4 days ago on 9 May 2025 07:58
(A review of
Escape Room)
To be honest, I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was starring Deborah Ann Woll and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Last year, I finally did some kind of Escape Room but it wasnāt really a classic one, it was with some touch screens on all the walls and it was involving some videos telling you the story and the puzzles to solve. So, I still havenāt really done an Escape Room but, to be honest, Iām pretty sure I would really suck since Iām really bad at solving riddles and such puzzles. Anyway, even though I didnāt expect much from this movie, I have to admit that I was actually surprised by the damned thing. Eventually, I guess itās like watching movies like āVertical Limitā or āEverestā, since Iām terrified of heights, there is something just thrilling about watching some experts risking their lives climbing some mountains. Here, it was a similar experience as it was quite spellbinding to see some actually pretty smart and resourceful characters cracking these really intricate and complex puzzles, something I would be completely incompetent to do. Sure, the puzzles were seriously convoluted and I wish they didnāt started right away with something so lethal (the 2nd puzzle was for example much more low-key, even the 3rd one was also seemingly less threatening). I also think it was a mistake to start with Ben alone dealing with one of the last puzzles as it basically spoiled what happened to the other players pretty much from the very beginning. Finally, it would have been nice if they managed to find some other way to wrap this whole up but it wasnāt a big deal though. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing really amazing, it turned out to be quite entertaining and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Ā

0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Movies
TV
Games
Music
Books
DVDs
And Merry Christmas!
I'm making this list - www.listal.com/list/tomorrow-never-comes - with movies with a plot of reliving the same day over and over again. Could you please help me fill it if a movie comes in mind?
I'm voting the 10 movies of your list now,
would you like to join my new poll
www.listal.com/list/poll-greatest-vote-your
Whenever I'm looking at a filmography, your opinion is always there haha. Thank you for contributing so much to Listal.com since 2010.
Hoping 2021 is a better year for all of us :)
I just read my comment section, I'm sometimes not that much online, I just noticed you did ask for my ten favourite films.
I'm sorry I didn't react sooner. I don't know if my vote still counts. My apologies. It's an awesome list, btw!