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johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1920's) list
Notes: Even though I'm a huge fan of Charlie Chaplin, I must confess, I have always been kind of oblivious about Buster Keaton. Indeed, so far I only saw 'The General' which didn't really blow me away. Anyway, this was my second movie starring Keaton and I really enjoyed it though. Basically, the plot was some kind of typical 'Romeo and Juliet' tale and it was a good excuse to get some funny jokes and spectacular stunts. And that's also probably the reason I still prefer Chaplin to Keaton. Indeed, even though Chaplin's work was also constantly hilarious, there was also this amazing poetic tone and/or some really deep thoughtfulness and I kind of missed that in Keaton's movies. I mean, it was a really funny flick and I was laughing my ass off more than once and some of the physical stunts were just amazing and became deservedly quite legendary but I think that it was basically the whole point of this production, to make us laugh and surprise the audience but it stopped there and it didn't go the extra mile like the movies of Chaplin. Still, I definitely have to watch more movies from this guy.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Nowadays, Brian de Palma is pretty much forgotten but back in the 70's and the 80's, he was a major movie director. Anyway, I always had a weak spot for this director and, in my opinion, this movie is easily one of his best. Apparently, Quentin Tarantino even said that this film is his favorite Brian De Palma movie and Tarantino cast John Travolta in âPulp Fictionâ because he liked his performance in this movie so much. Basically, it is a typical de Palma thriller, the style where he had the best results and it was obviously also an homage to 'Blowup', the great flick directed by Antonioni. However, even though the plot follows the same structure, the directing style was quite different. As a result, I thought that the mood was just great and the story was quite spellbinding. Back in those days, Travolta, before disappearing into oblivion in a few years later, delivered here a solid performance. Of course, since you are dealing with an American thriller, at the end, you had some rather preposterous twist(s) and action scenes but, for once, it didnât bother me much.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: Eventually, I have to admit that I really had a good time with this movie and I thought it was quite entertaining. Indeed, Gene Kelly is definitely an amazing dancer (I always thought he was much more interesting than Fred Astaire) and there were indeed some impressive dancing numbers, probably the best I have ever seen in fact. Back then, there was a big controversy because âAn American in Parisâ managed to sweep the Oscars while 'Singin in the rain' was snobbed when it was in fact considered a much superior movie by many. In fact, later on, I did watch 'Singin in the rain' and, in my opinion, I thought that the dancing scenes were actually much more impressive in this movie. Unfortunately, I really had a hard time to care for the story which was rather weak but I guess it is rather inherent to the genre. Anyway, even though I wasnât completely blown away by the whole thing, it is still a classic and it is definitely worth a look.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Eventually, I have to admit that I really had a good time with this movie and I thought it was quite entertaining. Indeed, Gene Kelly is definitely an amazing dancer (I always thought he was much more interesting than Fred Astaire) and there were indeed some impressive dancing numbers, probably the best I have ever seen in fact. Back then, there was a big controversy because âAn American in Parisâ managed to sweep the Oscars while 'Singin in the rain' was snobbed when it was in fact considered a much superior movie by many. In fact, later on, I did watch 'Singin in the rain' and, in my opinion, I thought that the dancing scenes were actually much more impressive in this movie. Unfortunately, I really had a hard time to care for the story which was rather weak but I guess it is rather inherent to the genre. Anyway, even though I wasnât completely blown away by the whole thing, it is still a classic and it is definitely worth a look.4 years ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of The House with a Clock in Its Walls
“I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Eli Roth and since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though the idea of having Eli Roth directing a family feature was intriguing, to be honest, I was surprised by ho” read more
4 years ago
4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: First of all, even though I never really cared for Fred Astaire, I always thought that Gene Kelly was very charismatic and he was, of course, a great dancer but, even though this movie was supposed to be his magnum opus, I have to admit that I had a rather hard time to really care about the damned thing. I mean, sure , I did like it but I can't say it really blew me away. Even though the story is usually the weakest point in most of the musicals I have seen, I actually enjoyed this plot but, to be honest, I expected more from the songs and dances. I know, it might sound surprising but most of these dance sequences didnât really impress me and, eventually, I thought that the dance scenes in âAn American in Parisâ were actually cooler than in this movie. Anyway, it probably had to do with the fact that I am not a fan of musicals and, at the end of the day, it remains a classic and it is definitely worth a look. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: First of all, even though I never really cared for Fred Astaire, I always thought that Gene Kelly was very charismatic and he was, of course, a great dancer but, even though this movie was supposed to be his magnum opus, I have to admit that I had a rather hard time to really care about the damned thing. I mean, sure , I did like it but I can't say it really blew me away. Even though the story is usually the weakest point in most of the musicals I have seen, I actually enjoyed this plot but, to be honest, I expected more from the songs and dances. I know, it might sound surprising but most of these dance sequences didnât really impress me and, eventually, I thought that the dance scenes in âAn American in Parisâ were actually cooler than in this movie. Anyway, it probably had to do with the fact that I am not a fan of musicals and, at the end of the day, it remains a classic and it is definitely worth a look. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
Movies the giraffe watched in 2021: January (42 movies items)4 years ago
Top 10 Movies of 2017johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: Even though I did like this movie and even though itâs supposed to be be Jacques Tatiâs 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 âJour de fĂȘteâ 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 50âs. Finally, it was pretty neat to see that this character was an obvious inspiration for Rowan Atkinson when he created his Mr. Bean.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Even though I did like this movie and even though itâs supposed to be be Jacques Tatiâs 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 âJour de fĂȘteâ 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 50âs. Finally, it was pretty neat to see that this character was an obvious inspiration for Rowan Atkinson when he created his Mr. Bean.4 years 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 âThe Grand Budapest Hotelâ. 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 MontĂšs. Exactly like Wes Anderson, it seems that Ophuls didnât 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. 4 years 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 âThe Grand Budapest Hotelâ. 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 MontĂšs. Exactly like Wes Anderson, it seems that Ophuls didnât 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. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot
“I wasnât 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
4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1950's) list
Notes: To be honest, Iâm 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 Iâm afraid. Many people argued that it was just a well made copy of âMy Fair Ladyâ but I didnât bother me (I might have seen âMy Fair Ladyâ after this one though so it could explain why I didnât 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.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: To be honest, Iâm 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 Iâm afraid. Many people argued that it was just a well made copy of âMy Fair Ladyâ but I didnât bother me (I might have seen âMy Fair Ladyâ after this one though so it could explain why I didnât 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.4 years 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 PodalydĂšs, 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 Polanskiâs 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 didnât add anything really interesting or surprising to this story so the whole thing still felt rather generic. It didnât 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, Iâm 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, Iâm 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 review4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Movies I can't wait to see list
4 years ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of An Officer and a Spy
“Since I am a huge fan of Roman Polanskiâs 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
4 years 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.
4 years 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 didnât 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 Kubrickâs 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. 4 years ago