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johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Apparently, it is a very popular story and they have made already 4 different versions with the latest one coming out in 2018 directed by Bradley Cooper and starring Lady Gaga. In fact, this latest version actually turned out to be a big critical and commercial success. Anyway, we are only talking about the official versions but they are also so many movies following the same template such as the infamous 'Showgirls'. Anyway, back to the movie itself, I know it is a beloved classic and, indeed, it was quite entertaining but I honestly didn't care much about the whole thing. I don't know, like I said before, it is a very old basic story and maybe I have seen too many similar tales before. I have to admit it though, Judy Garland was pretty good but, in fact, I was more interested in James Mason who is such a fine actor and eventually, I would rather have had the movie focusing on him. Anyway, it is and remains a classic, a very well made musical with an ageless story.3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to My favorite movies from the rest of the world list
3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe commented on a review of Andrei Rublev
By the way, I did find an interesting review on IMDd (actually of 'Stalker' but it applies to Tarkosky in general) which was finally rather spot-on:
'Andrei Tarkovsky is a rarity among filmmakers i3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Best 2nd Directorial Effort from 1923 until 2023 list
3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1990's) list
Notes: I remember when this movie came out, it was a real rage. Everybody went to see it and there were those weird stories about some people who were going to see it 20 times... So, everybody went to see it ... except me. Indeed, I thought the whole thing was so overhyped, there was no way I was going to follow this crowd of sheep. Eventually, I watched it about two years later on my own terms and, to be honest, I didn't really like it. I think by now I have seen it about 3 times (it is my wife's favorite movie so no choice here...) but, even though I don't really like it, I don't hate it and I definitely can see why so many people love it though. Basically, it is a massive crowd-pleaser with broad characters, huge spectacle, not too much thinking and there is nothing wrong with that. Concerning Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, they both gave some solid performances but they did much better later on during their respective careers. On top of that, I have to admit that the directing was definitely solid with some impressive special effects and the last 60 minutes were quite amazing to behold. Eventually, the main issue I had was with the whole love story. I mean, there was definitely some chemistry between DiCaprio and Winslet but the whole thing felt terribly generic and pedestrian to me. Above all, I thought it was rather shocking to substitute one of the greatest disasters in history by some trivial love story.3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Golden Calf Winners - Best Dutch movie of the year list
3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: Well, if Tarkovsky might be the most difficult director I know, this might be his most inscrutable directing effort. Itâs rather funny, afterwards, I checked IMDb to get some insights about this really opaque movie and, very often, you would get many fans telling you that it is the greatest Soviet epic ever made but none of them explained what was actually so great about the damned thing. At least, it was definitely a step up from âIvanâs Childhoodâ and there is no doubt that Tarkovsky became really ambitious with this following directorial effort. On the other hand, if I thought that âIvanâs Childhoodâ was not really straightforward, this movie was even more complicated and, to be honest, it was pretty much impossible to follow. Seriously, for 3 hours long, I was watching my screen, scratching my head, wondering what the hell was going on. Eventually, it was only about 12 hours after I watched this movie that I finally got some kind of revelation. Seriously, it is something I experienced only with this director. Basically, beyond giving a rather ghastly look on medieval Russia, Tarkovsky gave us the most deglamourized biopic you will ever see. Indeed, Andrey Rublev was very often not even the main character during the events that took place. In my opinion, this approach was to show that, even the greatest artists, after all, are just as human as everyone else. Like the rest of us, they are some mere spectators during all the tragic events during their lifetime, drifting into the chaos that life can be for each and everyone of us. 3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: I remember when this movie came out, it was a real rage. Everybody went to see it and there were those weird stories about some people who were going to see it 20 times... So, everybody went to see it ... except me. Indeed, I thought the whole thing was so overhyped, there was no way I was going to follow this crowd of sheep. Eventually, I watched it about two years later on my own terms and, to be honest, I didn't really like it. I think by now I have seen it about 3 times (it is my wife's favorite movie so no choice here...) but, even though I don't really like it, I don't hate it and I definitely can see why so many people love it though. Basically, it is a massive crowd-pleaser with broad characters, huge spectacle, not too much thinking and there is nothing wrong with that. Concerning Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, they both gave some solid performances but they did much better later on during their respective careers. On top of that, I have to admit that the directing was definitely solid with some impressive special effects and the last 60 minutes were quite amazing to behold. Eventually, the main issue I had was with the whole love story. I mean, there was definitely some chemistry between DiCaprio and Winslet but the whole thing felt terribly generic and pedestrian to me. Above all, I thought it was rather shocking to substitute one of the greatest disasters in history by some trivial love story.3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Andrei Rublev
“After watching âIvanâs Childhoodâ, I was quite eager to further discover Andrei Tarkovsky and this movie was the obvious next step in this journey. Well, if Tarkovsky might be the most difficult director I know, this might be his most inscrutable directing effort so far (on the other hand, I ” read more
3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to My favorite movies from the rest of the world list
3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1990's) list
Notes: Sure, this movie has some qualities and, obviously, Edward Norton and Edward Furlong gave some really strong performances. But, unfortunately, the story didn't work so much for me. For example, I didn't buy that idea that a neo-nazi who really hates black people would suddenly completely switch of ideoloy while in prison (in fact, it usually the opposite, they become even worse when they go to jail) and it was the same thing with the little brother, they both kept changing their minds way too easily just for the convenience of the script. Furthermore, there was some very poor symbolism for example with the Black against the White people basketball game or with the end. If you check this movie on the internet, you will see that the production was actually a real mess and the director completely rejected the movie. Most of the time, it is not a really good sign. I have to admit it, there was definitely some powerful stuff in here, absolutely, but it seems that it has blinded somehow the audience concerning its obvious flaws. Anyway, it is not a bad movie at all, there was some really strong acting involved but it is definitely not great at all.3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Well, if Tarkovsky might be the most difficult director I know, this might be his most inscrutable directing effort. Itâs rather funny, afterwards, I checked IMDb to get some insights about this really opaque movie and, very often, you would get many fans telling you that it is the greatest Soviet epic ever made but none of them explained what was actually so great about the damned thing. At least, it was definitely a step up from âIvanâs Childhoodâ and there is no doubt that Tarkovsky became really ambitious with this following directorial effort. On the other hand, if I thought that âIvanâs Childhoodâ was not really straightforward, this movie was even more complicated and, to be honest, it was pretty much impossible to follow. Seriously, for 3 hours long, I was watching my screen, scratching my head, wondering what the hell was going on. Eventually, it was only about 12 hours after I watched this movie that I finally got some kind of revelation. Seriously, it is something I experienced only with this director. Basically, beyond giving a rather ghastly look on medieval Russia, Tarkovsky gave us the most deglamourized biopic you will ever see. Indeed, Andrey Rublev was very often not even the main character during the events that took place. In my opinion, this approach was to show that, even the greatest artists, after all, are just as human as everyone else. Like the rest of us, they are some mere spectators during all the tragic events during their lifetime, drifting into the chaos that life can be for each and everyone of us. 3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: Even though I'm not a big fan of Barbra Streisand, since she won the Oscar for the Best actress for this movie, I thought I might as well check it out. In fact, when you think about it, could you imagine Christina Aguilera winning an Oscar for 'Burlesque', Britney Spears for 'Crossroads' or Mariah Carey with 'Glitter'? It seems that, nowadays, we shouldn't have huge expectations towards such movies. even though, Jennifer Hudson did manage to win the Oscar for 'Dreamgirls'. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, I thought it was not bad. Indeed, the songs were pretty good and I have to admit that Barbra Streisand did deliver a solid performance. Unfortunately, like most musicals, the story turned out to be nothing mind-blowing. Furthermore, it was also rather long (around 140 minutes) and the whole thing was rather slow so I got rather bored at some point. Of course, since I'm not a fan of Barbra Streisand and since I'm not a fan of musicals either, I was not really the targeted audience and that could explain why I didn't like it very much.3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Sure, this movie has some qualities and, obviously, Edward Norton and Edward Furlong gave some really strong performances. But, unfortunately, the story didn't work so much for me. For example, I didn't buy that idea that a neo-nazi who really hates black people would suddenly completely switch of ideoloy while in prison (in fact, it usually the opposite, they become even worse when they go to jail) and it was the same thing with the little brother, they both kept changing their minds way too easily just for the convenience of the script. Furthermore, there was some very poor symbolism for example with the Black against the White people basketball game or with the end. If you check this movie on the internet, you will see that the production was actually a real mess and the director completely rejected the movie. Most of the time, it is not a really good sign. I have to admit it, there was definitely some powerful stuff in here, absolutely, but it seems that it has blinded somehow the audience concerning its obvious flaws. Anyway, it is not a bad movie at all, there was some really strong acting involved but it is definitely not great at all.3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Even though I'm not a big fan of Barbra Streisand, since she won the Oscar for the Best actress for this movie, I thought I might as well check it out. In fact, when you think about it, could you imagine Christina Aguilera winning an Oscar for 'Burlesque', Britney Spears for 'Crossroads' or Mariah Carey with 'Glitter'? It seems that, nowadays, we shouldn't have huge expectations towards such movies. even though, Jennifer Hudson did manage to win the Oscar for 'Dreamgirls'. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, I thought it was not bad. Indeed, the songs were pretty good and I have to admit that Barbra Streisand did deliver a solid performance. Unfortunately, like most musicals, the story turned out to be nothing mind-blowing. Furthermore, it was also rather long (around 140 minutes) and the whole thing was rather slow so I got rather bored at some point. Of course, since I'm not a fan of Barbra Streisand and since I'm not a fan of musicals either, I was not really the targeted audience and that could explain why I didn't like it very much.3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1940's) list
Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should probably re-watch the damned thing at some point. Basically, in France, in 1995, there was a big celebration about the fact that cinema was existing already for 100 years and, through the whole year, they displayed some old classics in my city which was pretty neat. Well, thatâs when I saw this movie and since it had a rather stellar reputation, I was really eager to check it out and I had some rather high expectations. Well, eventually, even though it was indeed a decent watch, to be honest, it didnât really blow me away and I thought it was actually fairly disappointing. I donât know, at a very young age, I started to watch Charles Chaplinâs work, I basically grew up with his movies, ever since I have been a huge fan and even though Tati was not bad and fairly amusing, he never came near the genius displayed by Chaplin, at least, thatâs my opinion. However, even if the damned thing turned out to be slightly disappointing, it is still pretty much a classic.3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Annabelle: Creation
“To be honest, since I didnât care much about âAnnabelleâ, I didnât have some huge expectations regarding this prequel but I thought I might as well check it out anyway. Well, even if it was maybe nothing really mind-blowing, at least, it was definitely an improvement on its predecessor. Firs” read more
3 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Top 10 best movies 2021 list
Notes: Eventually, the Dutch master didnât disappoint, at least, not me as it turned out to be a massive Verhoeven festival. Indeed, he went pretty much all the way with some over-the-top hallucinations, violence, blood, full frontal nudity and some good old sex. Seriously, even if probably not everything did work, the whole thing was still seriously intense. Eventually, he gave us all the various ways anyone at the time might approach religion (as a real vocation, as a capitalist enterprise, as a powerful political weapon, as a simple way to get fed or a way to escape a toxic household). What I enjoyed the most was how ambiguous Benedetta was until the very end. Indeed, was she some kind of con artist? A complete lunatic? Another sexually frustrated nun? An actual prophet who could communicate with God, somehow? Or maybe it was a combination of all this all together. Well, you wonât get any easy answer which was the movieâs biggest strength but also its weakness. Indeed, at the end, all the other charactersâs thoughts, feelings and motivations were pretty clear but Benedetta remained an impenetrable wall which was slightly frustrating and, yet, it made her rather fascinating. I also think that the whole lesbian relationship was not very well linked with her religious âawakeningâ. The best thing that I can think of was that, by being touched by Bartolomeaâs love, she was then more able to get in touch with God? Or maybe, after all these years of sexual abstinence, it pretty much blew up her fragile mind? Anyway, even if it wasnât flawless, Verhoeven delivered here another intense roller coaster.3 years, 4 months ago