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johanlefourbe posted a review of Consenting Adults
“To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Alan J. Pakula and since it was starring a solid cast, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, it is rather baffling that the guy who made once upon a time 'All the President's Men' could deliver someth” read more
4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: To be honest, I had some trouble to really connect with the damned thing. I don’t know, maybe, I have seen by now too many movies dealing with a degenerate gambling addict to really care. Seriously, within the first 5 minutes, it was pretty obvious how the whole thing would go. Still, I have to admit that I didn’t see the ending coming but, while it was shocking, it was after all hardly surprising, considering the highly destructive behaviour of the main character. Another thing was that, except for the main character, none of the other characters were developed as they were all reduced to being some indirect or direct victims of his gambling addiction. There was the rather weird exception of Julia who suddenly, out of nowhere, was upgraded during the ending to a mighty sidekick who had to handle the biggest bet of the movie. Of course, you could argue that the guy was at this point so desperate that he grabbed the only person available at that moment. On the other hand, it was pretty neat to see Kevin Garnett and The Weeknd playing more or more less themselves and I will definitely not blame Adam Sandler. Indeed, many critics considered that he delivered his best work in this movie and I would have to agree with them. Furthermore, the Safdie brothers delivered here a gritty and convincing underworld where Jewish jewelers in New York have to deal on a regular basis with famous athletes and hip-hop artists because they all really love their bling-bling.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Honestly, I wonder how I actually ended up watching this flick. I guess I was mostly interested because Burt Lancaster was involved. Indeed, it is a rather old movie that Burt Lancaster made just at the beginning of his career. If I’m not mistaken, it was in fact his 2nd movie and it is in fact rather rare that an actor, especially back in those days, would start right away with a lead part. On the other hand, if you are awesome like Burt Lancaster, why shouldn’t you? Anyway, coming back to our main feature, I thought it was a decent film noir (Jules Dassin made several of them during the postwar period) bu even though it was certainly entertaining, I can’t say I was really blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, it must have seemed pretty badass when it was released at the end of the 40’s but, in the last 70 years, they have made many jail dramas who has left a bigger impression on me. Anyway, I think it was not bad at all after all.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1920's) list
Notes: To be honest, it has been ages since I have seen this flick and I should probably re-watch it at some point. Anyway, it is probably the most famous surrealist movie ever made. Indeed, if the combination of Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali sounded awesome on paper, these guys didn’t disappoint and they definitely delivered one of the weirdest movies ever made. It is interesting that Buñuel’s career really flourish afterwards as he became arguably one of the greatest masters in this Art but you might wonder if Dali really cherished the experience since he wouldn’t be really involved in any other movie afterwards. In fact, they were supposed to work together again on ‘L’âge d’or’ but they had apparently a major falling out so Buñuel took care of it on his own. Anyway, even though the damned thing might not be an easy watch, it is a classic and pretty much a must-see for any decent movie buff.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1920's) list
Notes: First of all, I must admit it, after 5 minutes, I stopped the whole thing and put some of my own music. I don’t know, the prospect of watching an hour long feature without any dialogs, music, or any sound of any kind was a rather daunting prospect. Maybe it was a mistake from my side but I was rather glad with my music selection. Basically, this movie is quite unique. It is almost 100 years old, and it is not some fiction but not a documentary either. Basically, it is something quite different. It seemed to be some kind of experiment to see how far you could go with a camera and those guys invented or developed many movie techniques in the process such as double exposure, fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, split screens, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, footage played backwards, stop motion animation,… From an historical point of view, this movie is an amazing treasure. I mean, if you have any interest in movie as an Art form, it is a must see. However, I must confess, the whole thing was not really entertaining to watch. Indeed, it is basically a collection of random footage and the one scene has barely anything to do with another and even though there were some awesome shots, it was sometimes pretty tedious to watch. Still, it is a classic though.4 years ago
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4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: Honestly, I thought that the whole thing was slightly disappointing. I mean, I did like it but I was expecting more from it. Indeed, the concept really sounded pretty cool but, unfortunately, the story turned out to be rather dull after all. Apparently, Hitchcock didn’t focus too much on the plot which was rather light and frivolous. Instead, he focused more on the relationship between Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and, fortunately, they had a great chemistry together. Indeed, Cary Grant played here his usual suave charming fellow but he did it so well, he was once again quite irresistible. Even more impressive than Grant, Grace Kelly must have been one of the most ravishing creatures I have ever seen. Seriously, it was actually quite distracting and I’m not sure she was acting well or not. The other thing that I enjoyed was the great landscape and cities of South France. Even though I’m French, I have never been there and it looked quite awesome. Eventually, I think it is rather sad that this movie was obviously a minor effort for Alfred Hitchcock but it was still a huge box-office success when it was released when some more thoughtful movies of his would really tank. Anyway, even if it is nothing mind-blowing, it is still a classic.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: First of all, I must admit it, after 5 minutes, I stopped the whole thing and put some of my own music. I don’t know, the prospect of watching an hour long feature without any dialogs, music, or any sound of any kind was a rather daunting prospect. Maybe it was a mistake from my side but I was rather glad with my music selection. Basically, this movie is quite unique. It is almost 100 years old, and it is not some fiction but not a documentary either. Basically, it is something quite different. It seemed to be some kind of experiment to see how far you could go with a camera and those guys invented or developed many movie techniques in the process such as double exposure, fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, split screens, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, footage played backwards, stop motion animation,… From an historical point of view, this movie is an amazing treasure. I mean, if you have any interest in movie as an Art form, it is a must see. However, I must confess, the whole thing was not really entertaining to watch. Indeed, it is basically a collection of random footage and the one scene has barely anything to do with another and even though there were some awesome shots, it was sometimes pretty tedious to watch. Still, it is a classic though.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Honestly, I thought that the whole thing was slightly disappointing. I mean, I did like it but I was expecting more from it. Indeed, the concept really sounded pretty cool but, unfortunately, the story turned out to be rather dull after all. Apparently, Hitchcock didn’t focus too much on the plot which was rather light and frivolous. Instead, he focused more on the relationship between Cary Grant and Grace Kelly and, fortunately, they had a great chemistry together. Indeed, Cary Grant played here his usual suave charming fellow but he did it so well, he was once again quite irresistible. Even more impressive than Grant, Grace Kelly must have been one of the most ravishing creatures I have ever seen. Seriously, it was actually quite distracting and I’m not sure she was acting well or not. The other thing that I enjoyed was the great landscape and cities of South France. Even though I’m French, I have never been there and it looked quite awesome. Eventually, I think it is rather sad that this movie was obviously a minor effort for Alfred Hitchcock but it was still a huge box-office success when it was released when some more thoughtful movies of his would really tank. Anyway, even if it is nothing mind-blowing, it is still a classic.4 years ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Greta
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was the last movie from Neil Jordan that I haven’t seen yet, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, it wasn’t really good and, in fact, it turned out to be a really generic and seriously tedious stalker thriller” read more
4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1990's) list
Notes: To be honest, as usual with Wong Kar Wai, I still ended up with some mixed feelings. I mean, there is no doubt that he always delivered his best work when focusing on such doomed love stories and, once again, the cinematography from Christopher Doyle (who was working with Wong Kar Wai for the first time around) was quite mesmerising. On top of that, Leslie Cheung delivered a really strong performance playing one of the most fascinating tortured womaniser I have ever seen. And yet, I was never swept away by the whole thing. I mean, even though Cheung was really good, his character was borderline despicable but even though some of the other characters seemed to be more righteous, I still didn't care much for them either. It was also pretty weird to see Tony Leung showing up completely randomly during the very last scene but his character was apparently supposed to be the lead in a second part which was never produced. Anyway, even if it didn't really blow me away, it was still pretty good and it is definitely worth a look.4 years ago