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johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: This movie turned out to be a really weird experimental movie, almost a documentary but with no dialogue or comment whatsoever. At least, the soundtrack was pretty neat but there was still something quite intriguing about the damned thing. I have to admit that I'm not familiar at all with Kenneth Anger's work but apparently he was (and still is) a cult filmmaker who specialised in such short modern experimental features. In this case, he gave a weird mix of bikers who seemed to be gay but there was also some random Nazi symbols and some religious icons and movies popping up from time to time. There was also some homo-erotic vibe through the whole thing and the combination of all these elements resulted in something quite unique but I'm glad the running time was rather short since it was rather difficult to digest. Eventually, I guess it is an acquired taste but I still think it is worth a look though. 3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Somehow, it took me many years to watch this classic and, considering its impressive reputation, I had some rather high expectations. Eventually, even though I did enjoy it, I canāt say I was really blown away by the whole thing though. I guess, it is one of those cases that you keep hearing about a classic for many years but when you finally watch it, there is no way it will fulfill all your wild dreams. I mean, it is definitely a fun flick, no doubt about it, but somehow, I never really cared about the characters. It is like John Belushi, a guy who has become a legend since then, when in fact he made only 7 movies before dying and only 2 of them (āAnimal Houseā and this movie included) were actually good. Well, I don't think that āAnimal Houseā was really that great either so I donāt really get all the fuss about this guy. Anyway, in my opinion, even though this movie tries to be wild and all, basically, it is pure and simply a musical with some pretty cool music and some rather chaotic scenes but not much more than that, Iām afraid. I donāt know, maybe I was in the wrong mood when I watched it and maybe I should give it another shot at some point. Still, even though it didnāt really blow me away, it is a classic.3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: First of all, I always had a weak spot for movies about mental institutions and this movie is probably the oldest one I have seen dealing with this subject. Well, I was surprised by how good it turned out to be. Indeed, what I enjoyed the most was the explanation they gave about how these patients ended up in this place. Indeed, the fascinating theory developed in this movie is that nobody is really born crazy. In most cases, for most people, after having a terribly stressing or even traumatizing experience, their brain apparently could handle these tremendous pressure and it just snapped. It displayed that we are basically all on the edge of insanity and this idea was also further developed by what eventually happened to the main character. To be honest, Iām not sure if I really cared about the murder investigation though. I mean, I do understand that they needed an excuse to have the main character going there but I think it would have worked better if they went instead for an investigation on how mental instutions were working at the time. Anyway, I still really liked the damned thing. 3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: This movie turned out to be a really weird experimental movie, almost a documentary but with no dialogue or comment whatsoever. At least, the soundtrack was pretty neat but there was still something quite intriguing about the damned thing. I have to admit that I'm not familiar at all with Kenneth Anger's work but apparently he was (and still is) a cult filmmaker who specialised in such short modern experimental features. In this case, he gave a weird mix of bikers who seemed to be gay but there was also some random Nazi symbols and some religious icons and movies popping up from time to time. There was also some homo-erotic vibe through the whole thing and the combination of all these elements resulted in something quite unique but I'm glad the running time was rather short since it was rather difficult to digest. Eventually, I guess it is an acquired taste but I still think it is worth a look though. 3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Grand Piano
“To be honest, I really had no idea what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Elijah Wood, I thought I might as well check it out. I watch all kinds of movies, very often really randomly, and I have to admit that, in many cases, many movies are actually a waste of time. Well, for once,” read more
3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: First of all, I always had a weak spot for movies about mental institutions and this movie is probably the oldest one I have seen dealing with this subject. Well, I was surprised by how good it turned out to be. Indeed, what I enjoyed the most was the explanation they gave about how these patients ended up in this place. Indeed, the fascinating theory developed in this movie is that nobody is really born crazy. In most cases, for most people, after having a terribly stressing or even traumatizing experience, their brain apparently could handle these tremendous pressure and it just snapped. It displayed that we are basically all on the edge of insanity and this idea was also further developed by what eventually happened to the main character. To be honest, Iām not sure if I really cared about the murder investigation though. I mean, I do understand that they needed an excuse to have the main character going there but I think it would have worked better if they went instead for an investigation on how mental instutions were working at the time. Anyway, I still really liked the damned thing. 3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: To be honest, I thought this movie was indeed pretty good but, nothing really amazing, Iām afraid. Sure, I have to admit that it did look really terrific and it is even more impressive when you think that Nicolas Winding Refn had no knowledge of Los Angeles before shooting this flick. Furthermore, the music was just great, one of the most mesmerizing soundtracks I came across lately. The actors were also pretty good and I especially enjoyed Albert Brooks who was phenomenal playing against type a ruthless gangster. So, how come I didnāt really love this movie like (apparently) everyone else? Honestly, I didnāt care much about the story. Basically, the whole thing takes place just because the guy has a thing for his neighbor, thatās it. I thought it was pretty thin and the romantic intrigue was hardly convincing. Basically, you have a guy and a girl and they fall for each over for no particular reason except that without this love affair, there wouldnāt be any story to tell. I also had a hard time to care for the main character. Gosling did deliver a solid performance but since you donāt learn much about him, he always remained a little too far away. I understand that he was a throwback to such characters like āThe Man with No Nameā immortalized by Clint Eastwood but the big difference is that āThe Man with No Nameā obviously didnāt give a sh*t about anything and that was the only thing you needed to know about him. In the case of āThe Driverā, there was obviously a lot going on in his head but since you never get to know him, it was rather frustrating. Still, they managed to create a great mood and I definitely enjoyed the whole thing. 3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1990's) list
Notes: Even though this movie seems to be overlooked nowadays, it was actually another critical success for the Coen brothers. Indeed, they even managed to win the Golden Palm at the Cannes film festival. Well, to be honest, even though I thought it was not bad, I actually always had some mixed feelings about the damned thing. In fact, I even watched it a couple of times to make up my mind for good, to make sure I didn't miss anything the first time around but I still ended up with the same feeling. Basically, in my opinion, it must be the least accessible movie made by the Coen brothers so far, even more than 'A Serious Man' which was already terribly obscure. I mean, it is definitely a good movie with an interesting mood and some typical Coen characters but I can't say I was blown away by the whole thing. It is not very often that I came across a movie like this one which seemed to be about something deep and, yet, I wasnāt able at all to grasp what those guys were trying to achieve here. Anyway, even though it didnāt really work for me, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look.3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: Eventually, it turned out to be a decent comedy but, to be honest, not much more than that in my opinion. First of all, I saw the damned thing on the BBC without subtitles so I have to admit that I didnāt get all the jokes so maybe if I rewatch it with some subtitles, I might be able to enjoy it more. Still, it was a fun flick with another strong performance by Alec Guinness. Furthermore, I always had a weak spot for the heist genre, especially when the heist is actually quite realistic like it was in this case, at least, until the 3rd act. Indeed, at some point, the characters started to chase these little girls with their golden Eiffel towers and, in my opinion, even if it was maybe entertaining, the whole thing didnāt make much sense after that. Anyway, even if I wasnāt completely blown away by the whole thing, it was still a decent watch.3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Eventually, it turned out to be a decent comedy but, to be honest, not much more than that in my opinion. First of all, I saw the damned thing on the BBC without subtitles so I have to admit that I didnāt get all the jokes so maybe if I rewatch it with some subtitles, I might be able to enjoy it more. Still, it was a fun flick with another strong performance by Alec Guinness. Furthermore, I always had a weak spot for the heist genre, especially when the heist is actually quite realistic like it was in this case, at least, until the 3rd act. Indeed, at some point, the characters started to chase these little girls with their golden Eiffel towers and, in my opinion, even if it was maybe entertaining, the whole thing didnāt make much sense after that. Anyway, even if I wasnāt completely blown away by the whole thing, it was still a decent watch.3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1940's) list
Notes: With such a title, you would get nowadays something really cheesy but more than 70 years ago, it was a really different kind of ball game. Indeed, with this movie, they gave a completely different approach to the zombie concept than the bloodsuckers we are used to get today. To be honest, the story was rather unfocused from time to time but, even so, the whole thing was usually quite mesmerizing to watch. In my opinion, it was above all thanks to the eerie directing with some great use of black and white and the shadows and lights. I have to admit it, it was also sometimes borderline discriminating (for example, the natives were either some obedient servants or some primitive savages) but it was tolerable and it was not surprising for a movie produced back in the 40's.3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of True Story
“To be honest, I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a nice cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Fist of all, I thought it was such a strong story. Ā Indeed, it was dealing with a heralded journalist who was fired in shame from the New York Times ” read more
3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: With such a title, you would get nowadays something really cheesy but more than 70 years ago, it was a really different kind of ball game. Indeed, with this movie, they gave a completely different approach to the zombie concept than the bloodsuckers we are used to get today. To be honest, the story was rather unfocused from time to time but, even so, the whole thing was usually quite mesmerizing to watch. In my opinion, it was above all thanks to the eerie directing with some great use of black and white and the shadows and lights. I have to admit it, it was also sometimes borderline discriminating (for example, the natives were either some obedient servants or some primitive savages) but it was tolerable and it was not surprising for a movie produced back in the 40's.3 years, 10 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1970's) list
Notes: Even though I have a lot of respect for this flick, eventually, it didnāt really win me over though. Thatās something that sometimes happen with old classics like this one. Indeed, at the time of its release, it must have been really groundbreaking but, during the following 50 years, they have made so many similar movies that it has lost some of its impact, at least, in my case. Still, there is no denying that it is really solid gritty thriller with a star-making performance from Gene Hackman. This movie will be also forever remembered for its amazing car chase which is still considered as one of the best ever made, even after all these years. A couple of years later, William Friedkin would come back with āThe Exorcistā which was another massive hit and definitely one of the most highly regarded horror movies ever released. Unfortunately, after making 2 classics back-to-back, the rest of his career turned out ot be rather underwhelming. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, even though Iām not exactly a huge fan, it is still a really entertaining classic.3 years, 10 months ago
