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The Right Stuff (1983)
Notes: To be honest, for some reasons, I have never been really attracted by this movie. It probably had to do with its title. Indeed, on one hand, it was annoyingly patriotic and, on the other hand, it is simply plain lame. Still, this movie seemed to have such a decent reputation. Well, eventually, I thought it was actually a rather weird movie. The beginning, focusing on Yeager, was actually quite awesome and uplifiting thanks to a fine performance by Sam Shephard. But, for some reason, this awesome character was somehow dropped after 45 minutes and the movie focused above all on the first American astronauts. The story, at the same time, became some tribute to these American heroes but it also made fun of the whole endeavour and the whole thing pretty much looked like a circus. So, you had some action, drama and also some satirical comedy but this mix didn’t always work in my opinion. Anyway, even if I don't think it was great, I have to admit that the whole thing was sometimes quite spellbinding to behold.
3 years, 8 months ago
I
Notes: Well, as usual with Charlie Kaufman, it turned out to be an extremely challenging movie. Basically, it is the kind of movies where nothing seems to be what it might seem to be. For example, something as simple as the name of the main character was changed various times on purpose. On top of that, the whole thing started pretty much as a rather bleak and gloomy affair and there was at first not much chemistry with this couple. However, the fact that they were both extremely articulate and much smarter than me slowly made them quite appealing to me. And who was this girl Jessie Buckley?!? I had never seen her before, she pretty much came out of nowhere, but she really impressed me and I will definitely check her other movies whenever I have the opportunity. Eventually, sometimes, this movie did feel like watching a very long episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’ and to be honest, I don’t think I understood half of the damned thing. Especially during the 3rd act, when they started to dance in this school, they pretty much lost me. Eventually, what was Kaufman trying to achieve with this tale? However, even if I never fully grasped the damned thing, the fact that it made me think and wonder was well worth a few extra points.
3 years, 8 months ago
The Farewell
Notes: To be honest, I don’t think that the story was really so original. For example, back in the 90’s, Ang Lee got his breakthough with ‘Xi yan’ which was about a gay Asian guy living in New York who tries to marry some girl just to please his parents still living in Hong Kong. Still, Lulu Wang did direct a beautiful movie and I really enjoyed the sad and nostalgic approach. Indeed, what is at the centre of this tale is not really the lie to the grandmother but how the main character is torn apart between two vastly different cultures. As a result, she is in fact seriously disoriented and doesn’t belong anywhere, neither in China or in the USA. Another thing that impressed me with this movie was the pitch-perfect performance by Awkwafina. Indeed, I had seen a couple of her movies and she can be indeed really funny but it was pretty neat to see her turn down her comedic skills (and usual hysteria) and deliver such a solid dramatic performance. I wish that they did develop more her relationship with the other characters but this approach did make sense though. Indeed, the main character had spent so many years abroad that, even though she knows her relatives, she never really managed to build a bond with them, except with her grandmother. Anyway, it was a really solid drama, perfectly showing how alienating it can be to be bicultural.
3 years, 8 months ago
Renegades
Sisters
De Matchmaker

3 years, 8 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Irma la Douce

An average movie

“I’m usually not a big fan of Billy Wilder’s comedies but since this one had a solid reputation, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I really struggled to care about the damned thing, in fact, even more than I expected. Indeed, Wilder was a great director and I loved prett” read more

3 years, 8 months ago
Irma la Douce
 Irma la Douce 6/10
3 years, 8 months ago
The Wanton Countess (1954)
Notes: To be honest, it has been while since I have seen this flick but like everything directed by Luchino Visconti, it was quite fascinating to behold. Indeed, even though Visconti started his career with ‘Ossessione’, the first Italian neorealist film, later on in his career he would become famous for his luxurious dramas involving the Italian aristocracy, the most famous one being ‘Il Gattopardo’. Surprisingly, I still haven’t watched ‘Il Gattopardo’ but I did watch his one which Visconti made 10 years after his directing debut. To be honest, I’m not sure I really cared about the story. Basically, it was a rather standard doomed love story and the fact that I wasn’t really familiar with this time period didn’t help either. Eventually, what I really enjoyed about this movie was above all the mood created thanks to a gorgeous cinematography. On top of that, apparently, Visconti wanted Ingrid Bergman and Marlon Brando to play the lead roles but Alida Valli and Farley Granger were some great choices as well. Eventually, even if it might not be one of Visconti’s best movies, it was still a really solid period drama.
3 years, 8 months ago
The Farewell
Notes: To be honest, I don’t think that the story was really so original. For example, back in the 90’s, Ang Lee got his breakthough with ‘Xi yan’ which was about a gay Asian guy living in New York who tries to marry some girl just to please his parents still living in Hong Kong. Still, Lulu Wang did direct a beautiful movie and I really enjoyed the sad and nostalgic approach. Indeed, what is at the centre of this tale is not really the lie to the grandmother but how the main character is torn apart between two vastly different cultures. As a result, she is in fact seriously disoriented and doesn’t belong anywhere, neither in China or in the USA. Another thing that impressed me with this movie was the pitch-perfect performance by Awkwafina. Indeed, I had seen a couple of her movies and she can be indeed really funny but it was pretty neat to see her turn down her comedic skills (and usual hysteria) and deliver such a solid dramatic performance. I wish that they did develop more her relationship with the other characters but this approach did make sense though. Indeed, the main character had spent so many years abroad that, even though she knows her relatives, she never really managed to build a bond with them, except with her grandmother. Anyway, it was a really solid drama, perfectly showing how alienating it can be to be bicultural.
3 years, 8 months ago
Diary of a Mad Black Woman
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
They Shall Not Grow Old

3 years, 8 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Ceremony

An average movie

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the flick but since I have a weak spot for Uma Thurman, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though it didn’t turn out to be one of Thurman’s most misguided career choices, this movie was still seriously weak though. Indeed, it was basic” read more

3 years, 8 months ago
Ceremony
 Ceremony 5/10
3 years, 8 months ago
American Heist

3 years, 8 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of The Gentlemen

A good movie

“Since I have seen all the movies directed by Guy Ritchie and since this last directorial effort had been apparently fairly successful at the box-office, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, after making an unnecessary and rather misguided new version of ‘Aladdin’ and also an unnecessary and ” read more

3 years, 8 months ago
johanlefourbe added 6 items to My Queue list
Tempo
The Emoji Movie
Air Strike
Think Like a Man Too
Life of the Party

3 years, 8 months ago
Oslo, August 31st

3 years, 8 months ago
The Wanton Countess (1954)
Notes: To be honest, it has been while since I have seen this flick but like everything directed by Luchino Visconti, it was quite fascinating to behold. Indeed, even though Visconti started his career with ‘Ossessione’, the first Italian neorealist film, later on in his career he would become famous for his luxurious dramas involving the Italian aristocracy, the most famous one being ‘Il Gattopardo’. Surprisingly, I still haven’t watched ‘Il Gattopardo’ but I did watch his one which Visconti made 10 years after his directing debut. To be honest, I’m not sure I really cared about the story. Basically, it was a rather standard doomed love story and the fact that I wasn’t really familiar with this time period didn’t help either. Eventually, what I really enjoyed about this movie was above all the mood created thanks to a gorgeous cinematography. On top of that, apparently, Visconti wanted Ingrid Bergman and Marlon Brando to play the lead roles but Alida Valli and Farley Granger were some great choices as well. Eventually, even if it might not be one of Visconti’s best movies, it was still a really solid period drama.
3 years, 8 months ago
It's so funny that, almost 10 years, I think I finally understood what doudouce55 actually meant with 'The direction was terrible'. Back then, I was shocked because it was directed by Martin Scorses
3 years, 8 months ago
Oslo, August 31st

3 years, 8 months ago
Hugo
Notes: Basically, after making all those gangsters flicks, Martin Scorsese decided to make for the first time a 'family' feature but, to be honest, in contrary to what most of the critics and viewers seemed to thing, I wasn't exactly blown away by the whole thing. First of all, to be honest, I don't think it was really a appealing movie for the kids in general. I mean, it was not fun at all even rather sad and all the movie references were just way too high-brow for the young viewers (even most of the adults won't have any clue about who is George MĂ©liĂšs). Furthermore, even though the story was fairly entertaining, it was still nothing really amazing. Still, it was a really gorgeous movie and one of the very few movies I have seen where the 3D provided some actual added value. It was also a really sweet love letter to the history of motion pictures. Eventually even if I did enjoy the damned thing, in my opinion, it was still a minor effort for Martin Scorsese but, still, a minor Scorsese is always better than all the garbage you can see nowadays.
3 years, 8 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to My Queue list
Honey Boy

3 years, 8 months ago

A good movie

“Since Ruth Bader Ginsburg seemed to be a fascinating woman and since this movie was available on Netflix, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, I wonder what a better director than Mimi Leder could have done with such strong material. I mean, it’s not that she delivered a terrible movie but, to” read more

3 years, 8 months ago
3 years, 8 months ago
The Phantom of the Opera
Notes: First of all, is it really a horror feature? To be honest, I thought the damned thing was actually sometimes pretty funny above all because of the mannered acting of those silent movies. I mean, with a Charles Chaplin movie, it works like a charm but with a horror flick like this one, it makes you chuckle on a regular basis. Furthermore, even though at first I was quite happy with the awesome classic music, it was actually rather distracting because, since it wasn’t especially composed for this movie, it often didn’t fit at all the action. Still, the production value was quite impressive, especially for a movie made almost 100 years ago, and there was definitely something dark and ominous about the whole thing, especially the awesome bal masquĂ© with the Phantom disguised as the Red Death. And, of course, you had Lon Chaney. Man, this guy was impressive, playing one hell of a psycho, and to think he designed himself his own make-up was even more astonishing (apparently, it is something he took care of in all his movies).
3 years, 8 months ago
Hugo
Notes: Basically, after making all those gangsters flicks, Martin Scorsese decided to make for the first time a 'family' feature but, to be honest, in contrary to what most of the critics and viewers seemed to thing, I wasn't exactly blown away by the whole thing. First of all, to be honest, I don't think it was really a appealing movie for the kids in general. I mean, it was not fun at all even rather sad and all the movie references were just way too high-brow for the young viewers (even most of the adults won't have any clue about who is George MĂ©liĂšs). Furthermore, even though the story was fairly entertaining, it was still nothing really amazing. Still, it was a really gorgeous movie and one of the very few movies I have seen where the 3D provided some actual added value. It was also a really sweet love letter to the history of motion pictures. Eventually even if I did enjoy the damned thing, in my opinion, it was still a minor effort for Martin Scorsese but, still, a minor Scorsese is always better than all the garbage you can see nowadays.
3 years, 8 months ago
Don
Notes: Even if I really liked this movie, to be honest, I have to admit that it didn’t really blow me away though. The main issue, I guess, was that there were some big chunks of time during which nothing much really happened. Still, there is no doubt that Nicolas Roeg delivered here a fascinating movie above all thanks to some stellar cinematography and editing. Indeed, the whole thing started with the most nightmarish intro you could imagine. Afterwards, Venice had never look so spooky before and the damned thing was just seriously ominous and unsettling. Of course, the fact that most of the action took place abroad also increased the sense of alienation experienced by the two main characters. On top of that, Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie also gave some of their best performances and got involved in one of the most notorious sex scenes ever made. It’s interesting that many viewers consider it as one of the best horror movies when in fact it is clearly really different than your average horror flick. Eventually, I think I should rewatch this movie at some point to make up my mind for good about the damned thing. Anyway, even if I wasn't completely sold, it was still a really strong psychological thriller though.
3 years, 8 months ago
The Phantom of the Opera
Notes: First of all, is it really a horror feature? To be honest, I thought the damned thing was actually sometimes pretty funny above all because of the mannered acting of those silent movies. I mean, with a Charles Chaplin movie, it works like a charm but with a horror flick like this one, it makes you chuckle on a regular basis. Furthermore, even though at first I was quite happy with the awesome classic music, it was actually rather distracting because, since it wasn’t especially composed for this movie, it often didn’t fit at all the action. Still, the production value was quite impressive, especially for a movie made almost 100 years ago, and there was definitely something dark and ominous about the whole thing, especially the awesome bal masquĂ© with the Phantom disguised as the Red Death. And, of course, you had Lon Chaney. Man, this guy was impressive, playing one hell of a psycho, and to think he designed himself his own make-up was even more astonishing (apparently, it is something he took care of in all his movies).
3 years, 8 months ago
johanlefourbe commented on a list
Listal's 100 Films To See Before You Die (2021) (100 movies items)

"@Agirl, I really appreciate your enthusiasm but you have already voted something like 2 months ago ;)"


3 years, 8 months ago
The Great Train Robbery
Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I saw this flick and maybe I should re-watch it at some point. Sure, it might not seem to be anything really mind-blowing if you would compare it to something coming out nowadays (after all, it is a very short movie done with a $150 budget only) but the damned thing was actually seriously groundbreaking when it was released. Indeed, even if the story was very basic, it is still considered as one of the very first movies with some kind of plot. Anyway, it must have been priceless to be in the movie theatre when this cowboy started to shoot the audience as many people went apesh*t since they had never experienced anything like this before.
3 years, 8 months ago
Don
Notes: Even if I really liked this movie, to be honest, I have to admit that it didn’t really blow me away though. The main issue, I guess, was that there were some big chunks of time during which nothing much really happened. Still, there is no doubt that Nicolas Roeg delivered here a fascinating movie above all thanks to some stellar cinematography and editing. Indeed, the whole thing started with the most nightmarish intro you could imagine. Afterwards, Venice had never look so spooky before and the damned thing was just seriously ominous and unsettling. Of course, the fact that most of the action took place abroad also increased the sense of alienation experienced by the two main characters. On top of that, Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie also gave some of their best performances and got involved in one of the most notorious sex scenes ever made. It’s interesting that many viewers consider it as one of the best horror movies when in fact it is clearly really different than your average horror flick. Eventually, I think I should rewatch this movie at some point to make up my mind for good about the damned thing. Anyway, even if I wasn't completely sold, it was still a really strong psychological thriller though.
3 years, 8 months ago
Jacob

3 years, 8 months ago