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johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1980's) list
Notes: Well, to be honest, even though this movie was pretty good, it was nothing really great though. The first issue I had is that the whole thing was some obvious Oscar-bait (dramas based on handicap or diseases always score well with the Academy). I was also concerned at first because it started pretty much like 'Dead Poets Society' with the excentric teacher who becomes really popular with the kids and, of course, the conventional director becomes his nemesis... Thankfully, it didn't go that road and instead we got a rather striking love story involving the two leads, one hearing, the other obviously not. There were some very strong stuff here and William Hurt and Marlee Matlin were both really good in this. Still, I was missing something. Indeed, the movie got stuck really soon because they were both stubborn (he wants her to speak, she doesn't want to...). I mean, at least half of the movie was about this conflict which was rather disappointing. For example, I heard that Hurt and Matlin became an item for a couple years but, apparently, their relationship was really stormy with some substance abuse on both sides. Now, that sounds a little bit more compelling. Finally, like Roger Ebert pointed out, you wonder why there is not one single scene during which William Hurt stopped translating what they say so you can finally experience this peculiar world of silence. Still, in spite of its flaws, it is probably the best movie ever made about this subject, the actors were excellent and it is definitely worth a look.3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Well, to be honest, even though this movie was pretty good, it was nothing really great though. The first issue I had is that the whole thing was some obvious Oscar-bait (dramas based on handicap or diseases always score well with the Academy). I was also concerned at first because it started pretty much like 'Dead Poets Society' with the excentric teacher who becomes really popular with the kids and, of course, the conventional director becomes his nemesis... Thankfully, it didn't go that road and instead we got a rather striking love story involving the two leads, one hearing, the other obviously not. There were some very strong stuff here and William Hurt and Marlee Matlin were both really good in this. Still, I was missing something. Indeed, the movie got stuck really soon because they were both stubborn (he wants her to speak, she doesn't want to...). I mean, at least half of the movie was about this conflict which was rather disappointing. For example, I heard that Hurt and Matlin became an item for a couple years but, apparently, their relationship was really stormy with some substance abuse on both sides. Now, that sounds a little bit more compelling. Finally, like Roger Ebert pointed out, you wonder why there is not one single scene during which William Hurt stopped translating what they say so you can finally experience this peculiar world of silence. Still, in spite of its flaws, it is probably the best movie ever made about this subject, the actors were excellent and it is definitely worth a look.3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Pitch Perfect 3
“To be honest, since I never really cared for this franchise, I wasnāt really expecting much from this last instalment but I still ended up watching the damned thing anyway. Indeed, even if the 1st two instalments were incredibly successful (they are both in the top 3 highest grossing music comedie” read more
3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: Eventually, even though I enjoyed this movie, I canāt say I was really blown away by the whole thing. To be honest, I have seen it only once and a re-watch might change my opinion about this flick. I donāt know, like some other classics, I didnāt really connect with it and maybe I wasnāt in the right mood. The point is that Iām pretty sure that the movie was pretty shocking back then in 1969, but nowadays, there are so many movies much more violent than this one so I have become rather numb and uninterested by the genre. It is pretty much like āStaw Dogsā (a movie I enjoyed more than this one), even though it developed some strong ideas, I still think it is rather dated. Anyway, for Peckinpah, this controversial movie would be his breakthrough and he will be forever remembered for his extremely violent features. Still, even though it didnāt really meet my expectations, it remains a really solid and entertaining Western and it is definitely worth a look.3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1980's) list
Notes: When this movie came out, I was just a kid and, I remember it very well, it was just huge. Back then, it was a real event and it was just everywhere. I mean, you had the hit song, the awesome logo, all the merchandise, there was even two different cartoon shows if I recall it correctly. Basically, it was inevitable, except maybe if you lived in a dark cave, and I really loved the whole phenomenon. Back then, I thought it was just awesome, to see those funny guys with their weird gadgets and those ghosts were still kind of spooky (give me a breakā¦ I was maybe 5 years back in those days). Anyway, after all these years, I thought it was time to re-watch the damned thing. Filled up with all these childhood memories, I had some rather huge expectations but I was actually rather disappointed. Indeed, to be honest, I had a rather hard time to care about the damned thing. I mean, I still could see that the whole thing was quite original and I was fairly entertained throughout the beginning until the end but I also thought that it was actually pretty cheesy. When I was a kid, I thought the whole thing was just awesome and fascinating but, as a grown-up, I thought it was at best amusing but I never thought it was really hilarious whatsoever. Anyway, even if it is still a classic, Iām afraid I have outgrown this flick.3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Top 10 best movies 2017 list
Notes: To be honest, it didnāt turn out to be an easy watch but since it was from the same guy who gave us āTangerineā, it was hardly surprising. Indeed, Sean Baker gave us once again a movie without an actual plot and, in fact, during the whole thing, pretty much nothing really happened. And, yet, the damned thing still worked though. Once again, Baker continued his deconstruction of the America Dream by displaying some seemingly colourful but in fact decrepit hotels filled up with people living, or surviving would be more accurate, in the margins of society when a few miles away, 1000ās of tourists spends fortunes to go to Disneyworld. As I mentioned before, nothing much really happened through the whole thing, you mostly see the main characters either wandering aimlessly or running some scams and, on top of that, they were all rather unlikable making the whole thing ever harder to watch. Except of course for Willem Dafoeās character. Dafoe would be eventually praised for his work here but, to be honest, I thought it was a distraction to see such a well-established actor among all these amateurs or first timers. The fact that he played basically the only decent guy around didnāt help either. Eventually, I was above all impressed by Brooklynn Prince who gave one of the most incredible child performances I have ever seen. Of course, she seemed to be so annoying and she was for sure, but behind the obnoxious behaviour, you had also a survivor with some major streetwise knowledge and a kid able to create the greatest adventures out of thin air. Concerning Halley played by Bria Vinaite, well, it was even more difficult to root for her for some obvious reasons. Indeed, she kept making some terrible decisions and her behaviour was probably even more obnoxious than her daughter so your first reaction would be to think that she might be the worst mother in the world. And, yet, if you would dig a little deeper, she actually gave her daughter a roof, food and, above all, love and it would have been easier for her to ditch the kid (like her father did apparently) but it was never an option for her. 3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1910's) list
Notes: To be honest, I kept pushing this movie away because, letās face it, to watch a 3 hours silent feature is a rather daunting prospect, at least to me. Eventually, I have to admit that it was quite impressive. Indeed, it was a very ambitious production, no doubt it, and the production value was really amazing. Apparently, D.W. Griffith spent $2 million to make this flick which was a huge amount of money at the time and, apparently, even so, the audience were not really attracted by such a long movie so it wasnāt really a financial success after all. I must admit it, myself, I was quite intrigued during the 1rst hour but then, I had a hard time to focus until the end. Griffith basically mixed 4 stories, 3 around some historical events (the fall of Babylon, the crucifixion, the massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day) and a contemporary fiction and the fact that he kept switching between all these tales made it even more difficult to hold on the whole thing. Still, it was very well directed, especially when you think that it is more than 100 years old. Eventually, even if Iām not a huge fan of those very long silent features, this one is a classic though. 3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of The Florida Project
“I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but since it had been very well received, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, it didnāt turn out to be an easy watch but since it was from the same guy who gave us āTangerineā, it was hardly surprising. Indeed, Sean Baker” read more
3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to TV Shows I would love to watch list
What is it about?
The FBI and ATF seize religious leader David Koresh's Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas in the spring of 1993.3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: It was the 3rd movie directed by Fred Zinnemann that I had the pleasure to watch (following 'The Day of the Jackalā and āThe Nun's Storyā) and I became more and more impressed every time by his work. I mean, those 3 movies were completely different but they all displayed some fascinating stories, some very solid acting and some expert directing. This time around, I was above all impressed by the dialogues. Indeed, it was basically a play adaptation and even though it was about 2 hours long, nothing much actually really happened but there was a lot of talking, thatās for sure. Eventually, itās a pity that I saw this movie on the BBC without subtitles and Iām afraid I honestly missed 50% of it which prevented me to enjoy the whole thing even more. Still, it was all very good. I mean, nowadays Iām always surprised about how dumbed down the movies are and after watching Zinnemannās feature, it was even more obvious. Indeed, in this movie, all the characters were so articulate, everything they said made complete sense and instead of getting some loud explosions, or some fancy CGI robots, you get instead an amazing battle of wits. Not only the dialogues were impressive but the acting was also quite amazing. As a matter of fact, it took me several minutes to actually recognize the great Orson Welles. Too bad his character died fairly quickly but I was equally impressed by Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw and (a very young) John Hurt.3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: To be honest, I kept pushing this movie away because, letās face it, to watch a 3 hours silent feature is a rather daunting prospect, at least to me. Eventually, I have to admit that it was quite impressive. Indeed, it was a very ambitious production, no doubt it, and the production value was really amazing. Apparently, D.W. Griffith spent $2 million to make this flick which was a huge amount of money at the time and, apparently, even so, the audience were not really attracted by such a long movie so it wasnāt really a financial success after all. I must admit it, myself, I was quite intrigued during the 1rst hour but then, I had a hard time to focus until the end. Griffith basically mixed 4 stories, 3 around some historical events (the fall of Babylon, the crucifixion, the massacre of the St. Bartholomew's Day) and a contemporary fiction and the fact that he kept switching between all these tales made it even more difficult to hold on the whole thing. Still, it was very well directed, especially when you think that it is more than 100 years old. Eventually, even if Iām not a huge fan of those very long silent features, this one is a classic though. 3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
Movies the giraffe watched in 2020: August (30 movies items)3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: It was the 3rd movie directed by Fred Zinnemann that I had the pleasure to watch (following 'The Day of the Jackalā and āThe Nun's Storyā) and I became more and more impressed every time by his work. I mean, those 3 movies were completely different but they all displayed some fascinating stories, some very solid acting and some expert directing. This time around, I was above all impressed by the dialogues. Indeed, it was basically a play adaptation and even though it was about 2 hours long, nothing much actually really happened but there was a lot of talking, thatās for sure. Eventually, itās a pity that I saw this movie on the BBC without subtitles and Iām afraid I honestly missed 50% of it which prevented me to enjoy the whole thing even more. Still, it was all very good. I mean, nowadays Iām always surprised about how dumbed down the movies are and after watching Zinnemannās feature, it was even more obvious. Indeed, in this movie, all the characters were so articulate, everything they said made complete sense and instead of getting some loud explosions, or some fancy CGI robots, you get instead an amazing battle of wits. Not only the dialogues were impressive but the acting was also quite amazing. As a matter of fact, it took me several minutes to actually recognize the great Orson Welles. Too bad his character died fairly quickly but I was equally impressed by Paul Scofield, Robert Shaw and (a very young) John Hurt.3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1970's) list
Notes: Well, to be honest, pretty much like with 'Night of the Living Dead', even though I did like the damned thing, I can't say I thought it was really great though. Sure, I did like how it was sharp with a nice combination of horror, humor and satirical critic on our consumerist society. The main issue was that the acting was rather weak and the directing, with all respect to Romero, was nothing really amazing either. In my opinion, both were actually better in the recent remake. As a matter of fact, I can't actually say which one was better between this original version directed by George A. Romero and the remake directed by Zack Snyder. Indeed, the remake did look better but it still turned out to be a rather standard action flick, lacking the wit and originality of this first version. I guess, pretty much like when 'Night of the Living Dead', came out, it must have been quite a shock for the audience because they never had seen anything like this before. However, Iām afraid it has actually lost most of its impact nowadays. Anyway, even if I donāt think it is really such a masterpiece, it still a classic though. 3 years, 7 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Orlando
“Since this movie has a solid reputation, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, I have to admit that I always had a hard time to connect with Sally Potter's workĀ (and, by now, I have already seen half of the movies she has directed) and I'm afraid even her most heralded movie turned out to be qui” read more
3 years, 7 months ago