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johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: I remember it very well, before and when it came out, this movie was actually rather controversial. The big question was, at the time, are you allowed to make a comedy about something terrible like the holocaust? Eventually, this movie turned out to be a huge financial success (It has been so far the highest grossing movie to be made in Italy), and a critical success (many, even me, were actually surprised that Roberto Benigni actually won the Academy Award for the Best Actor in a Leading Role, beating in the process Edward Norton who was quite impressive in ‘American History X’). For Benigini, this feature will forever remain his magnum opus, as a director and as an actor and, to be honest, before or after, he has never made anything coming close the level of this classic. Anyway, this whole controversy was, in my opinion, rather ridiculous because half of the movie was actually a drama and quite an heartbreaking one. Furthermore, the reason to use those jokes was completely justified as in, order to survive, you'd better keep a good sense of humor.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1960's) list
Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this movie and maybe I should re-watch it some point. Since this movie had a really impressive reputation, I had some rather high expectations but it is often tricky with such old classics. Indeed, they might have been groundbreaking when they were released but it is not always the case when you watch them decades later. Well, there was nothing to worry about this movie as it was pretty damned entertaining. Indeed, back then, it was quite a controversial feature but, even 50 years later, it is still very dynamic and terribly effective. The other thing I really liked with this movie is that they took a famous story but, instead of trying to as factual as possible, they gave it a very modern twist and focused instead on providing a strong tale. Furthermore, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were some great choices to play these famous characters and they had some really nice chemistry together. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of The Midnight Sky
“Even though this movie was rather poorly received, since I have a weak spot for George Clooney’s work, I was still eager to check it out. Well, unfortunately, even if it was easily Clooney’s most ambitious directing effort so far, the damned thing still turned out to be disappointing. At least, ” read more
4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 10 items to their collection
4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1990's) list
Notes: So, that's where it all started for Pixar. Of course, Pixar was working on CGI animation for more than a decade already but it was their first full length feature and the first time they reached such a broad audience. At the time, there was a pretty good buzz about this flick, I was even lucky to see it in the movie theater when it was first released but nobody expected that it would become such a phenomenon, creating a whole new trend of animated features in the process. Indeed, it was obviously a huge success and, eventually, it became a major milestone in motion picture history. Suddenly, hand-drawn animation which was mercilessly ruled by Disney was dropped and everyone, virtually every single studio, started to make CGI animated features with some various amount of success. Coming back to our game changer, like I said before, I had the pleasure to see it in the theater when it was released and it was quite mind-blowing. Back in those days, it was something completely new and even though it does look a little bit old today, it was really impressive when it was released. Above all, their masterstroke was to not only blow us away technically but also to provide an entertaining, touching and rather deep story with some great characters which would be an enduring trademark in Pixar's work.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this movie and maybe I should re-watch it some point. Since this movie had a really impressive reputation, I had some rather high expectations but it is often tricky with such old classics. Indeed, they might have been groundbreaking when they were released but it is not always the case when you watch them decades later. Well, there was nothing to worry about this movie as it was pretty damned entertaining. Indeed, back then, it was quite a controversial feature but, even 50 years later, it is still very dynamic and terribly effective. The other thing I really liked with this movie is that they took a famous story but, instead of trying to as factual as possible, they gave it a very modern twist and focused instead on providing a strong tale. Furthermore, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were some great choices to play these famous characters and they had some really nice chemistry together. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1990's) list
Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. Anyway, like anyone else, I have noticed that the critics against Nicolas Cage have been drastically increasing during the last 25 years and, for a very long time, I was actually defending the guy. However, I have to admit it, the situation concerning his career is nowadays pretty much dramatic as he keeps showing up in some really dubious projects. Still, there was a time when he was a really inspired and inspiring actor and he even managed to win an Academy award for his work in this great movie. Indeed, you can say whatever you want about the guy but, he gave here a great performance, easily one of the best in his career. Concerning Elisabeth Shue, she was praised and she also pretty much gave the best performance of her career but, to be honest, she probably looked too good to be a believable prostitute but that was a minor issue. Anyway, even though I have seen many movies dealing with drugs and junkies, I haven’t see so many movies dealing with alcoholism but this film gave a really dark and unforgettable view on this affliction.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. Anyway, like anyone else, I have noticed that the critics against Nicolas Cage have been drastically increasing during the last 25 years and, for a very long time, I was actually defending the guy. However, I have to admit it, the situation concerning his career is nowadays pretty much dramatic as he keeps showing up in some really dubious projects. Still, there was a time when he was a really inspired and inspiring actor and he even managed to win an Academy award for his work in this great movie. Indeed, you can say whatever you want about the guy but, he gave here a great performance, easily one of the best in his career. Concerning Elisabeth Shue, she was praised and she also pretty much gave the best performance of her career but, to be honest, she probably looked too good to be a believable prostitute but that was a minor issue. Anyway, even though I have seen many movies dealing with drugs and junkies, I haven’t see so many movies dealing with alcoholism but this film gave a really dark and unforgettable view on this affliction.4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: First of all, even if I suffer from vertigo or maybe because I suffer from vertigo, I have always been fascinated by professional climbers and I always had a weak spot about movies dealing with this subject. Well, this movie was easily one of the best I have seen in this genre. Indeed, it is maybe the only film I have seen during which they actually explain how technical it is to climb such a mountain. Basically, when the guy finally goes free-solo, he does it after weeks and weeks of training and to behold this process was just fascinating. Furthermore, in my opinion, you get to understand that the drive of Alex Honnold is not fame or being the best in his field. In my opinion, what drives him is the quest for perfection, and when he finally achieves to climb this rock without a rope, something most people would describe as impossible, he basically has reached perfection and this moment is just exhilarating, mostly for him but also for the viewers. The only critic I might have is that the actual climb of El Capitan was done in only 10 minutes of running time and I wish they did spend more time on this massive achievement but that was a minor issue though. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: First of all, even if I suffer from vertigo or maybe because I suffer from vertigo, I have always been fascinated by professional climbers and I always had a weak spot about movies dealing with this subject. Well, this movie was easily one of the best I have seen in this genre. Indeed, it is maybe the only film I have seen during which they actually explain how technical it is to climb such a mountain. Basically, when the guy finally goes free-solo, he does it after weeks and weeks of training and to behold this process was just fascinating. Furthermore, in my opinion, you get to understand that the drive of Alex Honnold is not fame or being the best in his field. In my opinion, what drives him is the quest for perfection, and when he finally achieves to climb this rock without a rope, something most people would describe as impossible, he basically has reached perfection and this moment is just exhilarating, mostly for him but also for the viewers. The only critic I might have is that the actual climb of El Capitan was done in only 10 minutes of running time and I wish they did spend more time on this massive achievement but that was a minor issue though. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Personal Effects
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Michelle Pfeiffer, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I think it was actually an interesting story and the damned thing definitely had some potential. On top of that, pretty much like with ‘Silver Lin” read more
4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1920's) list
Notes: Even though Charles Chaplin had been directing many movies as far back as 1914, I actually consider this movie his official directing debut since it was his first full length feature. Anyway, back then, when it was released it was obviously a tremendous critical and commercial success. Back in those days, Chaplin was already a big player thanks to the success of his marvelous short movies but with this new long format, he was clearly displaying his ambition to reach some new creative heights. In my opinion, he was still experimenting how far he could go with the Tramp so I don't think it was as good as his later work such as 'Modern Times' or 'The Great Dictator' but it doesn't change the fact that it was yet another enchanting movie with some hilarious bits but with some social consciousness as well. Jackie Coogan who played the title character was also pretty impressive and became in fact the first major child star in the movie business. Eventually, even though it might not be one of Chaplin's best movies, it is still a great classic. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Even though Charles Chaplin had been directing many movies as far back as 1914, I actually consider this movie his official directing debut since it was his first full length feature. Anyway, back then, when it was released it was obviously a tremendous critical and commercial success. Back in those days, Chaplin was already a big player thanks to the success of his marvelous short movies but with this new long format, he was clearly displaying his ambition to reach some new creative heights. In my opinion, he was still experimenting how far he could go with the Tramp so I don't think it was as good as his later work such as 'Modern Times' or 'The Great Dictator' but it doesn't change the fact that it was yet another enchanting movie with some hilarious bits but with some social consciousness as well. Jackie Coogan who played the title character was also pretty impressive and became in fact the first major child star in the movie business. Eventually, even though it might not be one of Chaplin's best movies, it is still a great classic. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2000's) list
Notes: This movie reminded me of this other great Brazilian flick, 'Cidade de Deus'. The big difference was that they didn't only focus on the Favelas but, this time, you get a glimpse on all the layers involved in the drug industry (the violent drug dealers, the population of the Favelas, the corrupted police forces, the students who buy some drugs, and of course the BOPE squad). The other big difference with 'Cidade de Deus' was the directing style. Indeed, whereas the former had a rather kynetic and fancy directing style, this movie was more realistic and some parts even felt like a documentary. Personally, I really enjoyed this movie and I thought it had actually a very strong anti-drug message. Indeed, if you are junkie, since you are addicted, of course, you need to score some drugs, that's another story. But consider all the recreative users who gets some dope for the week-end, do they realize all the suffering and misery involved in the process so they can enjoy their lign of coke? My only critic concerning this feature was that it was rather messy and confusing, especially the beginning. Still, since the situation in Brazil is a real mess, it was actually rather effective. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: This movie reminded me of this other great Brazilian flick, 'Cidade de Deus'. The big difference was that they didn't only focus on the Favelas but, this time, you get a glimpse on all the layers involved in the drug industry (the violent drug dealers, the population of the Favelas, the corrupted police forces, the students who buy some drugs, and of course the BOPE squad). The other big difference with 'Cidade de Deus' was the directing style. Indeed, whereas the former had a rather kynetic and fancy directing style, this movie was more realistic and some parts even felt like a documentary. Personally, I really enjoyed this movie and I thought it had actually a very strong anti-drug message. Indeed, if you are junkie, since you are addicted, of course, you need to score some drugs, that's another story. But consider all the recreative users who gets some dope for the week-end, do they realize all the suffering and misery involved in the process so they can enjoy their lign of coke? My only critic concerning this feature was that it was rather messy and confusing, especially the beginning. Still, since the situation in Brazil is a real mess, it was actually rather effective. 4 years ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Gringo
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I actually had no idea what this movie was about and since there was a big cannabis leaf on all the promotional material, I assumed it would be some” read more
4 years ago