johanlefourbe added 1 item to Ronny's Dutch Film Club list
chosen by Henk
Notes: Well, Henk did it again, he managed to make us watch something so completely different than anything that we have seen before (which is even more exceptional since we have seen by now more than 70 movies together). Anyway, this time around, this movie seemed to be based on the vigilante genre, a typical US genre which is, 90% of the time, just completely predictable and, as far as Iām concerned, so tedious. However, in this case, they did add a massive dose of Scandinavian black humor and this mix was just so entertaining and simply irresistible. Indeed, the end-result was a fascinating combination of tones and genres such as action, thriller, comedy and drama, sometimes happening all together in one single scene. For me, the best example and the highest point in this movie was the moment when Lennart put his pants down after being chased by Mark on some field in the countryside which was at the same time hilarious but also one of the saddest things I have ever seen. Still, even if this freewheeling approach was very often fascinating, it also had its downside. Indeed, the end-result was so absurd that it did feel really random and randomness is not the same thing as actual depth. Furthermore, even though I really enjoyed this group of misfits, f*ckups and losers who were all so complex, by focusing instead on only 2 or 3 characters, it would have been more focused and probably even more effective. Anyway, I still really enjoyed this absurd black comedy which completely reinvented one of the most boring genres.
(Dec. 2021)
2 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: To be honest, Iām not a huge fan of musicals but I have to admit that this one was actually pretty good. Indeed, what I enjoyed the most was that Fred Astaire was playing a different character than usual, some kind of washed-up insecure veteran actor, and this character was much more interesting and entertaining than what I have seen him doing in his other movies. I think it was also the first movie I saw starring Cyd Charisse and not only she was quite gorgeous but she was probably the best dancer I have ever seen in such a classic musical. Especially the scene called āDancing In The Darkā during she was dancing with Fred Astaire was just downright amazing and probably one of the best musical scenes I have seen. Itās unfortunate that, even though Astaire and Charisse were some incredible dancers, in my opinion, they didnāt have much chemistry together when they were not dancing. In fact, except for Fred Astaireās character, none of the other characters involved were really interesting or entertaining. Finally, I couldnāt really make head or tail out of the musical-within-the-musical. Indeed, I wish they displayed at least a bit of Jeffrey Cordovaās version, explaining why it was such a flop. At least, the rehearsal did display that this musical was a disaster in the making. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
2 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: To be honest, Iām not a huge fan of musicals but I have to admit that this one was actually pretty good. Indeed, what I enjoyed the most was that Fred Astaire was playing a different character than usual, some kind of washed-up insecure veteran actor, and this character was much more interesting and entertaining than what I have seen him doing in his other movies. I think it was also the first movie I saw starring Cyd Charisse and not only she was quite gorgeous but she was probably the best dancer I have ever seen in such a classic musical. Especially the scene called āDancing In The Darkā during she was dancing with Fred Astaire was just downright amazing and probably one of the best musical scenes I have seen. Itās unfortunate that, even though Astaire and Charisse were some incredible dancers, in my opinion, they didnāt have much chemistry together when they were not dancing. In fact, except for Fred Astaireās character, none of the other characters involved were really interesting or entertaining. Finally, I couldnāt really make head or tail out of the musical-within-the-musical. Indeed, I wish they displayed at least a bit of Jeffrey Cordovaās version, explaining why it was such a flop. At least, the rehearsal did display that this musical was a disaster in the making. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
2 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of The Band Wagon (1953)
“I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was on the ā1001 Movies You Must See Before You DieāĀ list, I was quite eager to check it out. To be honest, Iām not a huge fan of musicals but I have to admit that this one was actually pretty good. Indeed, what I enjoyed the ” read more
2 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Robin Hood
“I wasnāt expecting much from this flick but since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, Iām not surprised that it turned out to be a box-office flop since it might have been the most useless adaptation of this classic story I have seen so far. O” read more
2 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1920's) list
Notes: From all the Buster Keaton movies I have seen so far, even it actually has a solid reputation, it was the one which impressed me the least. I mean, it was still fun but there were a couple of things that did bother me. For example, there were a few black characters involved, more than you would usually get in a Keaton feature, which wasnāt a bad thing but the way they were represented was more than questionable. Furthermore, Iām pretty sure that there was even a white dude wearing some blackface make-up which was just so downright offensive, even if it was probably rather common back in those days. Concerning the rest of the movie, it was basically a classic comedic gimmick which has been used so many times afterwards but it wasnāt really great (In fact, even Keaton himself apparently didnāt care much for it either). Furthermore, I wonder if it wouldnāt have better worked as a short feature. Indeed, with only around 25 mins of the running time, I would have started almost right away with the newspaper ad (everything happening before was only mildly amusing). From that point on, the whole thing became some kind of endless chase involving Keaton and seemingly hundreds of women running after him and even if it was maybe not the most original thing in the world, it still worked fine though. Basically, not only it was visually really neat but the damned thing finally became seriously entertaining to behold.
2 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: From all the Buster Keaton movies I have seen so far, even it actually has a solid reputation, it was the one which impressed me the least. I mean, it was still fun but there were a couple of things that did bother me. For example, there were a few black characters involved, more than you would usually get in a Keaton feature, which wasnāt a bad thing but the way they were represented was more than questionable. Furthermore, Iām pretty sure that there was even a white dude wearing some blackface make-up which was just so downright offensive, even if it was probably rather common back in those days. Concerning the rest of the movie, it was basically a classic comedic gimmick which has been used so many times afterwards but it wasnāt really great (In fact, even Keaton himself apparently didnāt care much for it either). Furthermore, I wonder if it wouldnāt have better worked as a short feature. Indeed, with only around 25 mins of the running time, I would have started almost right away with the newspaper ad (everything happening before was only mildly amusing). From that point on, the whole thing became some kind of endless chase involving Keaton and seemingly hundreds of women running after him and even if it was maybe not the most original thing in the world, it still worked fine though. Basically, not only it was visually really neat but the damned thing finally became seriously entertaining to behold.
2 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 8 items to their collection
2 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
Movies the giraffe watched in 2021: November (50 movies items)
2 years, 4 months ago