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johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: Of course, a movie about Chauvet cave (la grotte de Chauvet in French) did sound really intriguing. However, I didnāt expect it to be so awe-inspiring. I mean, at first, I thought āGreatā¦ Iām getting to spend 90 minutes in some cave, Iām going to get bored so fastā¦ā but no, it never got boring. Indeed, from the very first second we entered this cave, the whole thing was quite spellbinding. Basically, those paintings are the oldest ever found (about 35000 years old) and about twice as old as the previous oldest painting. When watching these, itās basically watching the birth of Art which was quite overwhelming, at least, if you have any interest in Art. The striking thing is that even though those paintings were obviously primitive, they also had some impressive artistic qualities, like some amazing shades and contrast effects and those were just simply beautiful to look at. It was also kind of emotional to realize that those āprimitiveā cavemen actually had some artistic aspirations already 35000 years ago, something that really has defined us as human-being and one of the major differences we have with other animals. As usual with Herzog, you have this rather weird narration provided by Herzog himself and it can be annoying but I think itās an asset because its enhances the whole surreal aspect of this situation. Apparently, it was released in the theaters in 3D and, according to Roger Ebert, it worked pretty well so I really wonder how the whole thing looked in this format. 3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Of course, a movie about Chauvet cave (la grotte de Chauvet in French) did sound really intriguing. However, I didnāt expect it to be so awe-inspiring. I mean, at first, I thought āGreatā¦ Iām getting to spend 90 minutes in some cave, Iām going to get bored so fastā¦ā but no, it never got boring. Indeed, from the very first second we entered this cave, the whole thing was quite spellbinding. Basically, those paintings are the oldest ever found (about 35000 years old) and about twice as old as the previous oldest painting. When watching these, itās basically watching the birth of Art which was quite overwhelming, at least, if you have any interest in Art. The striking thing is that even though those paintings were obviously primitive, they also had some impressive artistic qualities, like some amazing shades and contrast effects and those were just simply beautiful to look at. It was also kind of emotional to realize that those āprimitiveā cavemen actually had some artistic aspirations already 35000 years ago, something that really has defined us as human-being and one of the major differences we have with other animals. As usual with Herzog, you have this rather weird narration provided by Herzog himself and it can be annoying but I think itās an asset because its enhances the whole surreal aspect of this situation. Apparently, it was released in the theaters in 3D and, according to Roger Ebert, it worked pretty well so I really wonder how the whole thing looked in this format. 3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: To be honest, by now, I have seen almost all the movies directed by Mel Brooks and, I have to admit it, I'm not a huge fan of his work. I mean, I have seen 'Blazzing Saddles', 'Young Frankenstein' and 'Spaceballs' and even though I enjoyed these classics, I can't say that they really blew me away though. However, there is one big exception and it is this movie. Indeed, this flick is by far his best one and I really loved it. First of all, it was not a parody, a genre which I am not really found of. No, this is a comedy with some completely pitch black humor and the whole thing was just hysterical. Furthermore, the main characters were no heroes whatsoever, they made fun of old ladies, of nazis and many more things. Considering how outrageous this feature is, it must have been quite a riot when it came out in the 60's. About 40 years later, they released a remake starring Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, based on a the famous musical and even though it was also produced by Mel Brooks himself, I thought it was unfortunately terribly underwhelming. 3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2000's) list
Notes: During the whole thing, I was rather flabbergasted by what was going on but I couldn't help wondering if it would happen the same way in real life (apparently, it did since it was based on an actual experiment). I wasn't completely convinced at first but it was eventually really engrossing and it will remain in my thoughts for a few more days, that's for sure. To be fair, the movie was not perfect. In my opinion, the beginning, when they introduce you to the main character was actually pretty weak. I mean, it is pretty obvious that they wanted the viewers to identify with the guy, to better understand his motivations, but it felt pretty awkward, especially his relationship with this girl he met after a rather weird one-night stand. Of course, the movie is not about this but about the experience, it was really unsettling and worked very well. Like I said before, during the whole thing, you are scratching your head, questioning the attitude of both guards and prisoners but I do believe it gives a really believable and quite convincing study on human behavior and psychology, resulting in a fascinating movie.3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: I wasnāt disappointed, thatās for sure. To be honest, I still think the structure was actually rather straightforward though. Indeed, it was pretty much following the standard road-trip formula with the traditional rules of the genre including 2 characters from different backgrounds clashing during their travel. Still, beside this rather standard structure, it was such a fascinating and rather unique look on the Amazon and the people living there. Above all, the thing I probably loved the most was this character, Karamakate. Basically, you get to see 2 versions of this guy and, both times, this man was just so complex. Indeed, instead of going for the all wise and mighty native, the makers showed a rather flawed character and that made him even more interesting to behold. Indeed, at some point, you get to see one of the explorers, Theo von Martius, telling him that he is actually crazy, living on his own like this in the jungle and even full of sh*t with his weird rules and those moments were just priceless. Anyway, it was quite a fascinating feature. 3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: I wasnāt disappointed, thatās for sure. To be honest, I still think the structure was actually rather straightforward though. Indeed, it was pretty much following the standard road-trip formula with the traditional rules of the genre including 2 characters from different backgrounds clashing during their travel. Still, beside this rather standard structure, it was such a fascinating and rather unique look on the Amazon and the people living there. Above all, the thing I probably loved the most was this character, Karamakate. Basically, you get to see 2 versions of this guy and, both times, this man was just so complex. Indeed, instead of going for the all wise and mighty native, the makers showed a rather flawed character and that made him even more interesting to behold. Indeed, at some point, you get to see one of the explorers, Theo von Martius, telling him that he is actually crazy, living on his own like this in the jungle and even full of sh*t with his weird rules and those moments were just priceless. Anyway, it was quite a fascinating feature. 3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Dick Johnson Is Dead
“I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but since I kept hearing some really good things about this movie, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, even though I did like it, I have to admit that I was actually expecting more from the damned thing. I mean, Dick Johns” read more
3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Top 10 best movies 2020 list
Notes: To be honest, even though I did like it, I have to admit that I was actually expecting more from the damned thing. I mean, Dick Johnson seemed to be a great guy and Iām glad for Kirsten Johnson that she seemed to have such a great relationship with both her parents but Iām afraid I was never really grabbed by her movie. I was also not sure about the final act. Itās not that I thought it was shocking, itās more that it all felt rather misleading to me. I mean, Kirsten Johnson might argue that she made this movie to help her father to prepare for the end of his life but I think it was pretty obvious that he did it more as a favour to her then actually for himself. In my opinion, in fact, this project was made partially out of a sense of guilt from Kirsten Johnson who mentioned that she didnāt have any footage of her mother when she was still Alzheimer free. As a compensation, she then decided to make a full-length feature focusing on her father before he became seriously demented. Still, there is no denying that the damned thing was really original, in fact, it was a unique picture, and only therefore, it gets some extra points from me.3 years, 11 months ago
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3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Back in the 90's, the Dardenne brothers already won the Golden Palm with 'Rosetta' but, to be honest, I thought this movie rather underwhelming, probably the least appealing movie they made so far as a matter of fact. On the other hand, it saw this movie years ago in the movie theatre when it was released and I should probably check it out again at some point. Anyway, the Belgian siblings are one of the few directors who managed to win twice the Golden Palm and I was really curious to see if the second time around, they did actually deserve this prestigious award. And indeed, this time, I thought it was pretty amazing. The story was really heartbreaking and offered no redemption whatsoever. The Dardennes brothers have a very natural directing style and the whole thing almost looked like a documentary. Furthermore, the actors were no well-known stars (at least, back then) but they all gave some very convincing performances. I think I enjoyed more 'Le Fils' but this flick is still one of the best directed by these guys.3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of The Circle
“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. Well, to be honest, I was surprised by how weak it actually turned out to be. Itās too bad because it definitely had some potential as it was dealing with such a ” read more
3 years, 11 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: To be honest, the whole thing was at first misleading. Indeed, I thought the movie was above all about this couple who were divorcing and I thought, somehow, that the movie would deal above all with the woman because she was the one who wanted this separation. In fact, the separation wasnāt the most dramatic event that took place, but an accident involving a pregnant woman who worked for the husband who might have been responsible for her miscarriage. This turn of event was actually quite compelling to watch. Indeed, it was quite a masterstroke from the director that even though I, and many viewers I guess, have very little knowledge of the Iranian culture and, still, I could really identify with most of the characters and I was able to understand most of the struggles they were facing. And thatās the other amazing thing about this flick is that you donāt only identify with the main character, you are able to understand all the other characters involved in the story and their motivations which was something quite unique and remarkable. After watching this flick, I was thinking about āNot without my daughterā, an American feature taking place in Iran which gave a terrible view on this people who seemed to be able only to shout at each other like some animals. Here, you can see that they are just like us, flawed, complex and facing some struggles everyday like everyone else.3 years, 11 months ago