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johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: Even though I did like this movie and even though itās supposed to be be Jacques Tatiās best directing effort, I thought it was pretty good but still nothing really mind-blowing. I mean, sure, the whole thing was really sweet and clever but it was never really interesting or seriously entertaining. It is pretty obvious that Tati was some kind of French version of Charles Chaplin but the big difference was that Chaplin put so much poetry, drama in his stories and his characters, even if they were completely silent, were so much more developed than here. Indeed, Tati never really allows you to care about Hulot or the different characters involved and, as a result, I had a hard time to really care about what they were going through. Still, in contrary to āJour de fĆŖteā which I saw when I was a teenager, I was able to appreciate the tone delivered by Tati and the damned thing was also a great time capsule showing how it must have been to go on holiday in France back in the 50ās. Finally, it was pretty neat to see that this character was an obvious inspiration for Rowan Atkinson when he created his Mr. Bean.3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Even though I did like this movie and even though itās supposed to be be Jacques Tatiās best directing effort, I thought it was pretty good but still nothing really mind-blowing. I mean, sure, the whole thing was really sweet and clever but it was never really interesting or seriously entertaining. It is pretty obvious that Tati was some kind of French version of Charles Chaplin but the big difference was that Chaplin put so much poetry, drama in his stories and his characters, even if they were completely silent, were so much more developed than here. Indeed, Tati never really allows you to care about Hulot or the different characters involved and, as a result, I had a hard time to really care about what they were going through. Still, in contrary to āJour de fĆŖteā which I saw when I was a teenager, I was able to appreciate the tone delivered by Tati and the damned thing was also a great time capsule showing how it must have been to go on holiday in France back in the 50ās. Finally, it was pretty neat to see that this character was an obvious inspiration for Rowan Atkinson when he created his Mr. Bean.3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: Eventually, I thought it was pretty good but it is definitely an acquired taste, a taste obviously shared by Wes Anderson who was definitely inspired by this movie, especially when he made āThe Grand Budapest Hotelā. Still, you have to admit it, for a movie which was made almost 60 years, it was quite bold and, unsurprisingly, it was a flop when it was released but it has become since then a French classic. Eventually, it looked all great and there were even some funny bits but, eventually, you never really got to know Lola MontĆØs. Exactly like Wes Anderson, it seems that Ophuls didnāt care much for the character(s) and above all focused on the impressive scenes, full of colors, daft costumes and once again, it was all about the mood but not really about the substance. Anyway, even if I wasn't completely sold, it was still an intriguing flick. 3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Eventually, I thought it was pretty good but it is definitely an acquired taste, a taste obviously shared by Wes Anderson who was definitely inspired by this movie, especially when he made āThe Grand Budapest Hotelā. Still, you have to admit it, for a movie which was made almost 60 years, it was quite bold and, unsurprisingly, it was a flop when it was released but it has become since then a French classic. Eventually, it looked all great and there were even some funny bits but, eventually, you never really got to know Lola MontĆØs. Exactly like Wes Anderson, it seems that Ophuls didnāt care much for the character(s) and above all focused on the impressive scenes, full of colors, daft costumes and once again, it was all about the mood but not really about the substance. Anyway, even if I wasn't completely sold, it was still an intriguing flick. 3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
“I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but the title was promising and since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I was rather surprised by how underwhelming the damned thing actually turned out to be after all. Indeed, it is pr” read more
3 years, 9 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 and it must be one of the movie genres I enjoy the least but, still, I try to keep an open mind and I watch from time to time one of the classics in this genre. This time, I picked up a winner of the Best Picture Academy award directed by Vincent Minnelli, one of the masters in this genre so I thought it should be really good. Eventually, I thought it was indeed not bad but not much more Iām afraid. Many people argued that it was just a well made copy of āMy Fair Ladyā but I didnāt bother me (I might have seen āMy Fair Ladyā after this one though so it could explain why I didnāt spot the resemblance). Anyway, what really bothered me was the story itself. Indeed, you have this guy who was about 40 years old and who falls in love with this girl who must have been 16 years old and none of the characters seemed to find this rather odd whatsoever. Of course, it was something rather common back in those days but to watch it with our modern eyes and perspective makes the whole thing rather creepy while it was at the time, a rather innocent and harmless story.3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: To be honest, Iām not a huge fan of musicals and it must be one of the movie genres I enjoy the least but, still, I try to keep an open mind and I watch from time to time one of the classics in this genre. This time, I picked up a winner of the Best Picture Academy award directed by Vincent Minnelli, one of the masters in this genre so I thought it should be really good. Eventually, I thought it was indeed not bad but not much more Iām afraid. Many people argued that it was just a well made copy of āMy Fair Ladyā but I didnāt bother me (I might have seen āMy Fair Ladyā after this one though so it could explain why I didnāt spot the resemblance). Anyway, what really bothered me was the story itself. Indeed, you have this guy who was about 40 years old and who falls in love with this girl who must have been 16 years old and none of the characters seemed to find this rather odd whatsoever. Of course, it was something rather common back in those days but to watch it with our modern eyes and perspective makes the whole thing rather creepy while it was at the time, a rather innocent and harmless story.3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Roman Polanski's work list
Cast : Jean Dujardin, Emmanuelle Seigner,, Louis Garrel, Mathieu Amalric, Melvil Poupaud, Denis PodalydĆØs, Vincent Perez
What was it about?
In 1894, French Captain Alfred Dreyfus is wrongfully convicted of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment at Devil's island.
My two cents:
Eventually, it turned out to be tricky to judge the damned thing. Indeed, it was Polanskiās most accessible movie in years and, in production value, also one of his most ambitious. And, indeed, it was in general visually neat and very well directed. However, on the other hand, he didnāt add anything really interesting or surprising to this story so the whole thing still felt rather generic. It didnāt help that there was an obvious attempt from Polanski to make a comparison between his predicament with justice and what happened to Dreyfus, an attempt which felt terribly misguided. Indeed, even if they both might have been victim of a flawed justice system, Dreyfus was completely innocent and condemned only because he was Jewish whereas Polanski was after all probably guilty. Concerning the story itself, Iām not sure if it is well known abroad but it was one of the biggest scandals that ever took place in France so it was pretty neat to get a detailed account of what happened back then. Basically, it shows that 40 years before WWII, we were already plagued by some massive antisemitism and, obviously, not only in Germany. In my opinion, it also displayed the weakness of our modern justice system and I think it still applies nowadays, Iām afraid. Basically, even though some naive people might argue otherwise, if the background of the accused (social, economic, ethnic) fits the bill, most of the the time, he/she will be condemned and the evidence eventually never really actually really matter because it can be completely twisted as it was displayed in this movie.
My rating: 07/10
Check the full review3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Movies I can't wait to see list
3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of An Officer and a Spy
“Since I am a huge fan of Roman Polanskiās work, I was really eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, it turned out to be tricky to judge the damned thing. Indeed, it was his most accessible movie in years and, in production value, also one of his most ambitious. And, indeed, it was in general v” read more
3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to TV Shows I would love to watch list
What is it about?
In the second season of 'American Crime Story', the series explores the murder of designer Gianni Versace by spree killer Andrew Cunanan.
My verdict:
Since I really loved the first season dealing with O.J. Simpson, I was quite eager to check this follow-up, especially since it was dealing with another really interesting story. However, the first issue was that the title was rather misleading. Indeed, the whole thing had actually little to do with Gianni Versace but it was above all about his killer, Andrew Cunanan. Indeed, in spite what Cunanan might have said, they probably have never met before the tragic death of Versace so you just get a few glimpses on Versace's life but since it didn't have any connection whatsoever with Cunanan's killing spree, it felt rather pointless. Furthermore, even though you spent quite some time with Cunanan, we don't learn much about him after all. On top of that, the whole thing very often gets lost in showing what it meant to be gay in the US back in the 90's. Still, the story was quite fascinating and it was definitely worth a look.
3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (1960's) list
Notes: I always think it is rather amusing when people tell me that 'Gladiator' is totally awesome. Do they know that the Peplum is actually one of the oldest genres in cinema and that 'Gladiator' is merely a reboot? Anyway, this movie was probably the least personal project for Stanley Kubrick as he was hired at the last minute by Kirk Douglas. Indeed, the whole thing was supposed to be directed by Anthony Mann but he was fired by Douglas who then hired Stanley Kubrick but they didnāt get along either and Douglas swore he would never work again with Kubrick. This movie was also the first and last time Kubrick made what you could call a 'standard' big budget studio feature without full control. Even so, I thought it was a really awesome flick with some spectacular scenes and it is definitely my favorite peplum. It is obviously the movie which stands out the most from Kubrickās filmography as his touch is not so omnipresent and I think it is his most accessible flick but it is not necessarily a bad thing. 3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 2 items to Wat gaan we in de bioscoop zien? (movies to watch) list
3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: Since this movie is such a huge classic, I was really eager to check the damned thing. Well, I donāt know, since it had such an impressive reputation, I had some really high expectations but, to be honest, I can't say I was really blown away. I mean, sure , I thought it was pretty good, I guess, but I donāt think the whole thing grew old very well. For example, when you get to see Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper on their bikes with āBorn To Be Wildā on the soundtrack, it might have been awesome back in the days but, 50 years later, it does looks slightly cheesy. Above all, the main issue was probably the fact that there was actually not much going on during this story. Basically, it was a typical road-movie and there was no real plot but it wasn't not really necessary. The most important value of this movie remains that it perfectly captured this period of time, the flower power, and those days are long gone, Iām afraid. And of course, thanks to this flick, Jack Nicholson finally became a star. 3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Since this movie is such a huge classic, I was really eager to check the damned thing. Well, I donāt know, since it had such an impressive reputation, I had some really high expectations but, to be honest, I can't say I was really blown away. I mean, sure , I thought it was pretty good, I guess, but I donāt think the whole thing grew old very well. For example, when you get to see Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper on their bikes with āBorn To Be Wildā on the soundtrack, it might have seen awesome back in the days but, 50 years later, it does looks slightly cheesy. Above all, the main issue was probably the fact that there was actually not much going on during this story. Basically, it was a typical road-movie and there was no real plot but it wasn't not really necessary. The most important value of this movie remains that it perfectly captured this period of time, the flower power, and those days are long gone, Iām afraid. And of course, thanks to this flick, Jack Nicholson finally became a star. 3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Jojo Rabbit
“Since I kept hearing some really good things about this flick, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, even though I did appreciate the original approach chosen by Taika Waititi, Iām afraid it was still too whimsical for my taste though. Still, there is no denying that Waititi was quite hilarious” read more
3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1970's) list
Notes: Nowadays, I have some kind of love-hate relationship with Woody Allen but, when I started to discover his movies, I was a huge fan of his work. Looking back at this movie, Iām not surprised that I used to love his movies. Indeed, at the beginning of this career, the guy was so much sharper, especially in this movie which is usually considered as his Magnum Opus and rightly so . First of all, Allen has always been famous for his writing skills (as a result, he has been nominated 16 times for the Academy Awards for the Best Writing and won this prize 3 times) and the dialogues and characters in this movie were just so interesting and entertaining. Above all, the whole thing was just downright hilarious and much more funny than most of the comedies I have seen which were made afterwards. Even though I tend to think that the most recent critical successes directed by Woody Allen (āMidnight in Parisā for example) were rather overrated, this movie definitely deserves its reputation and it is indeed a great classic.3 years, 9 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Nowadays, I have some kind of love-hate relationship with Woody Allen but, when I started to discover his movies, I was a huge fan of his work. Looking back at this movie, Iām not surprised that I used to love his movies. Indeed, at the beginning of this career, the guy was so much sharper, especially in this movie which is usually considered as his Magnum Opus and rightly so . First of all, Allen has always been famous for his writing skills (as a result, he has been nominated 16 times for the Academy Awards for the Best Writing and won this prize 3 times) and the dialogues and characters in this movie were just so interesting and entertaining. Above all, the whole thing was just downright hilarious and much more funny than most of the comedies I have seen which were made afterwards. Even though I tend to think that the most recent critical successes directed by Woody Allen (āMidnight in Parisā for example) were rather overrated, this movie definitely deserves its reputation and it is indeed a great classic.3 years, 9 months ago
