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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.4 years, 2 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.4 years, 2 months ago
JAMAICAjohanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1970's) list
Notes: Unfortunately, pretty much like āBadlandsā, this movie never did really fulfill my expectations. I mean, I did like it, thatās for sure, but I canāt say I was really blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, I didnāt really care about the plot (Iām pretty sure Malick didnāt care for the plot either, if there was any) and I also didnāt care much about the characters either. It is probably a results of the choice made by Terrence Malick to have the story told by a young child. Even though it had some interesting aspects (it must be one of the most daunting voice-over I have ever heard), it was also terribly alienating as you never get to know the three main characters. It is actually something quite inherent in Malickās work, the fact that you are never explicitly told what the characters are thinking or feeling, a more realistic approach than your standard Hollywood feature where everything is explained and dumbed down so I understand and usually appreciate this approach but it was rather frustrating this time. Still, it remains a fascinating picture. Indeed, the directing was just flawless and it is definitely one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Basically, most of the movie is shot outdoors at dusk or dawn, something technically terribly difficult to achieve (how long can you manage to have the right light for example?) but so awe-inspiring to watch. Most of the shots were just so perfectly composed, it was just jaw dropping and, even if you donāt like his movies, you have to admit that the guy is a true artist. 4 years, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Unfortunately, pretty much like āBadlandsā, this movie never did really fulfill my expectations. I mean, I did like it, thatās for sure, but I canāt say I was really blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, I didnāt really care about the plot (Iām pretty sure Malick didnāt care for the plot either, if there was any) and I also didnāt care much about the characters either. It is probably a results of the choice made by Terrence Malick to have the story told by a young child. Even though it had some interesting aspects (it must be one of the most daunting voice-over I have ever heard), it was also terribly alienating as you never get to know the three main characters. It is actually something quite inherent in Malickās work, the fact that you are never explicitly told what the characters are thinking or feeling, a more realistic approach than your standard Hollywood feature where everything is explained and dumbed down so I understand and usually appreciate this approach but it was rather frustrating this time. Still, it remains a fascinating picture. Indeed, the directing was just flawless and it is definitely one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen. Basically, most of the movie is shot outdoors at dusk or dawn, something technically terribly difficult to achieve (how long can you manage to have the right light for example?) but so awe-inspiring to watch. Most of the shots were just so perfectly composed, it was just jaw dropping and, even if you donāt like his movies, you have to admit that the guy is a true artist. 4 years, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: The tricky thing is that it is in fact a really predictable story and, yet, it was still quite fascinating to behold and easily one of the best love stories I have seen in a very long time. To be honest, eventually, we donāt learn much about these two young women after all but, from the very first moment they met each other, there was such a massive chemistry between them. Obviously, NoĆ©mie Merlant and AdĆØle Haenel should be praised as they both delivered such strong performances, especially since their characters usually didnāt say what they thought but used mostly only their eyes. The fact that I have always been fascinated by Art, especially painting, made me enjoy this movie even more, even if the portrait was basically only an excuse for these 2 girls to spend as much time together as possible. The interesting thing about this doomed love story was that, even though it might seem tragic, somehow, because it did last only a few days, the memory of these few passionate days will always remain perfect, pretty much like the story of Orpheus and Eurydice which was read by the characters during this movie. Finally, it was also a tale about freedom, or at least, the yearning for freedom. Indeed, from the moment HĆ©loĆÆseās mother left them, for the very first and maybe also the last time in their lives, they could enjoy the freedom of being themselves without any social boundaries, even Sophie the servant. I also wonder what to make of the fact that all the male characters have been removed or erased and maybe it was also linked to this feminist idea of freedom as men are mostly responsible for most of the literal and figurative shackles in every womenās lives.4 years, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: The tricky thing is that it is in fact a really predictable story and, yet, it was still quite fascinating to behold and easily one of the best love stories I have seen in a very long time. To be honest, eventually, we donāt learn much about these two young women after all but, from the very first moment they met each other, there was such a massive chemistry between them. Obviously, NoĆ©mie Merlant and AdĆØle Haenel should be praised as they both delivered such strong performances, especially since their characters usually didnāt say what they thought but used mostly only their eyes. The fact that I have always been fascinated by Art, especially painting, made me enjoy this movie even more, even if the portrait was basically only an excuse for these 2 girls to spend as much time together as possible. The interesting thing about this doomed love story was that, even though it might seem tragic, somehow, because it did last only a few days, the memory of these few passionate days will always remain perfect, pretty much like the story of Orpheus and Eurydice which was read by the characters during this movie. Finally, it was also a tale about freedom, or at least, the yearning for freedom. Indeed, from the moment HĆ©loĆÆseās mother left them, for the very first and maybe also the last time in their lives, they could enjoy the freedom of being themselves without any social boundaries, even Sophie the servant. I also wonder what to make of the fact that all the male characters have been removed or erased and maybe it was also linked to this feminist idea of freedom as men are mostly responsible for most of the literal and figurative shackles in every womenās lives.4 years, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Portrait of a Lady on Fire
“Since I kept hearing some really good things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out. The tricky thing is that it is in fact a really predictable story and, yet, it was still quite fascinating to behold and easily one of the best love stories I have seen in a very long time. To be hones” read more
4 years, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Top 10 best movies 2019 list
Notes: The tricky thing is that it is in fact a really predictable story and, yet, it was still quite fascinating to behold and easily one of the best love stories I have seen in a very long time. To be honest, eventually, we donāt learn much about these two young women after all but, from the very first moment they met each other, there was such a massive chemistry between them. Obviously, NoĆ©mie Merlant and AdĆØle Haenel should be praised as they both delivered such strong performances, especially since their characters usually didnāt say what they thought but used mostly only their eyes. The fact that I have always been fascinated by Art, especially painting, made me enjoy this movie even more, even if the portrait was basically only an excuse for these 2 girls to spend as much time together as possible. The interesting thing about this doomed love story was that, even though it might seem tragic, somehow, because it did last only a few days, the memory of these few passionate days will always remain perfect, pretty much like the story of Orpheus and Eurydice which was read by the characters during this movie. Finally, it was also a tale about freedom, or at least, the yearning for freedom. Indeed, from the moment HĆ©loĆÆseās mother left them, for the very first and maybe also the last time in their lives, they could enjoy the freedom of being themselves without any social boundaries, even Sophie the servant. I also wonder what to make of the fact that all the male characters have been removed or erased and maybe it was also linked to this feminist idea of freedom as men are mostly responsible for most of the literal and figurative shackles in every womenās lives.4 years, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe 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, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: Thomas Vinterberg has delivered one of his strongest movies so far. Indeed, personally, I have always been intrigued about our current obsession about pedophilia and this movie gave me some really interesting insights about our current approach about such issues. I mean, it is something absolutely dreadful but it has always been around and, in the past, it was a rather taboo subject but, nowadays, we are not supposed to trust anyone with our children, even people close to us, resulting in the massive hysteria displayed in this movie. But that's the whole problem here. Wouldn't it be really awful to not believe a child who was really a victim? But, on the other hand, to make an innocent man such a monster might be just as terrible. I was actually amazed that the adults would keep repeating that kids always tell the truth which is something I don't believe at all. The reality is actually much more subtle. Basically, depending on the circumstances, a child might tell you anything, it could be the truth, a lie, but usually, they will try to tell the adults exactly what they want to hear, which was exactly what happened in this movie. I must admit that I was really amazed that the guy would still live there after everything he has been through. In his case, I would have just taken off and try to start over somewhere else, instead of staying with this people who never believed or trusted him. And, the very last scene which I found tricky to analyse tells me that it would have been indeed a wiser choice. 4 years, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of The Dig
“I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though the story had some potential, to be honest, I didnāt care much about the damned thing. At least, Basil B” read more
4 years, 2 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Thomas Vinterberg has delivered one of his strongest movies so far. Indeed, personally, I have always been intrigued about our current obsession about pedophilia and this movie gave me some really interesting insights about our current approach about such issues. I mean, it is something absolutely dreadful but it has always been around and, in the past, it was a rather taboo subject but, nowadays, we are not supposed to trust anyone with our children, even people close to us, resulting in the massive hysteria displayed in this movie. But that's the whole problem here. Wouldn't it be really awful to not believe a child who was really a victim? But, on the other hand, to make an innocent man such a monster might be just as terrible. I was actually amazed that the adults would keep repeating that kids always tell the truth which is something I don't believe at all. The reality is actually much more subtle. Basically, depending on the circumstances, a child might tell you anything, it could be the truth, a lie, but usually, they will try to tell the adults exactly what they want to hear, which was exactly what happened in this movie. I must admit that I was really amazed that the guy would still live there after everything he has been through. In his case, I would have just taken off and try to start over somewhere else, instead of staying with this people who never believed or trusted him. And, the very last scene which I found tricky to analyse tells me that it would have been indeed a wiser choice. 4 years, 2 months ago
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