Login
Home
585 Lists
7789 Reviews
Collections
johanlefourbe posted a review of L'Atalante
“Since I really enjoyed ‘Zéro de conduite’, I was seriously eager to watch Jean Vigo’s first and only full length directorial effort which had become quite legendary by now. Well, even though I really enjoyed it, it didn’t have the same impact ‘Zéro de conduite’ had on me. Basically, I ” read more
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1990's) list
Notes: If you are a Coen fan, you ought to see this movie. The attention to the details, the weird characters, the dark humor, the slow tempo, it has everything and it is a very typical Coen flick. For the Coen brothers, it is when they really started to get serious. Indeed, ‘Blood Simple’ and ‘Raising Arizona’ were both pretty good and they both became eventually cult-classics but they were rather modest when you consider the scale and, with this flick, you could see that the two siblings were getting quite ambitious. Basically, it is a gangster flick with a rather slow pace but it is a great mix combining the Coen brothers directing style with the gangster-prohibition genre. Personally, each time I watch this flick, I enjoy it even more but, with its rather slow pace, I still believe it is an acquired taste. The cast was also pretty terrific with an all-time best performance by Gabriel Byrne but the rest of the cast was really solid as well (Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Albert Finney, Steve Buscemi). Anyway, even if this feature seems to be a little bit forgotten, I think it is actually one of their best movies.4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: Well, even though I really enjoyed this movie, it didn’t have the same impact ‘Zéro de conduite’ had on me. Basically, I was immediately able to relate with his famous short as it was dealing with some rascals in a French junior school. Indeed, it felt so recognizable even if the damned thing had been shot 60 years before I went to such a school myself. Eventually, connecting with these few characters living in a barge was not so obvious, at least, to me. Furthermore, even though this movie has been pretty much universally praised as being a masterpiece, I think it was pretty obvious that it was Vigo’s directing debut as his characters were still barely developed. I mean, we do get slightly more information about Jules (apparently, the guy had been all around the world) and this character was unsurprisingly the most interesting of the bunch. The fact that Michel Simon, most likely the best French actor at the time, delivered another really strong performance probably did help as well. Still, there is no denying that Vigo had a unique directing style and the damned was quite spellbinding to behold. Indeed, it might seem a rather quaint love story but the fact that it takes place on a raggedy even rather filthy barge was quite striking and actually really poetic. 4 years, 3 months ago
Star Wars : an All-Star cast
johanlefourbe commented on a list
Golden Calf Winners - Best Dutch movie of the year (43 movies items)"@apo55a, 'De Lift' is indeed a classic Dutch movie but, even though Dick Maas did win the Golden Calf for the Best director, his movie didn't win the Golden Calf for the Best Film."
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: Even though I heard it would be a tough watch, it still ended up being a massively depressing movie to watch. Of course, the horror displayed was tremendous but, above all, I thought this movie had a terrible mirror effect. Indeed, even though I’m somewhat optimistic and believe that men are usually good, this movie reminds you that men can be evil, especially to one another. Furthermore, I’m half Dutch and if the Dutch managed to become one of the richest countries in the world, in spite of the fact that it is actually a very tiny land, it is also because they made a fortune with slavery back in those days. So, there you are, centuries later after our ancestors have been brutalizing those poor African fellows so we could live a comfortable existence, we are here in a luxury movie theater with dolby surround looking back at the story of one black man who was basically daily tortured just so they could make a fortune. So, I felt pretty bad afterwards but movies are not always about entertainment, certainly not. Sometimes, it is there to remind you about the awful things that happen or happened and, therefore, this movie was incredibly valuable. To be honest, there were a few things that did bother me a little though. Somehow, the movie makes a point that the main character shouldn’t be there because he was born a free man but the idea is ludicrous. Born free or not, nobody should endure such treatment. Anyway, aside these minor flaws, it is a terrific drama and, for once, the Academy had it right.4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
Most important philosophical concepts (70 books items)4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1980's) list
Notes: For years, I heard some great things about this movie and since it was apparently one of the best Dutch movies ever made, I was really dying to see the damned thing. So, I have been waiting all those years and even though I have been living in the Netherlands for almost 10 years, for some weird reasons, it was never on TV whereas the disappointing American remake had been broadcast at least 3 times already... Anyway, I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, to be honest, it might not be my favorite Dutch movie but it is definitely in the Top 3, only behind 'Turks Fruit' and 'Simon'. Basically, it is one of the best thrillers I have ever seen. I mean, if Hitchcock was still alive, he would basically make such movies. In this genre, it was so original and it pretty much ignored most of the usual annoying stereotypes that you get in your basic US thriller. Indeed, even though thrillers can be entertaining, they usually end up being rather underwhelming because they always display some unnecessary shootings, chases, explosions and stupid twists. Not here though. In this movie, they gave us a fascinating character study of two obsessed men chasing some ideals and it was just spellbinding to watch.4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
Movies the giraffe watched in 2020: November (26 movies items)4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1990's) list
Notes: It has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. I remember it quite well when this movie was released, it was critically acclaimed and even managed to win the prestigious Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Anyway, I thought it was a rather unique movie with a mesmerizing mood. Indeed, the story was just fascinating, something I had never seen before, the directing by Jane Campion was very good and Holly Hunter easily gave the best performance of her career (she eventually won the Academy Award for the Best Actress, a prize completely deserved). Furthermore, back in those days, the great Harvey Keitel was making an impressive come-back thanks to his performance in ‘Reservoir Dogs’. He was one of my favorite actors at the time and he was really good in this movie as well, continuing his winning streak, it is a shame this renaissance didn’t last long and he is involved nowadays either in some weak blockbusters or some underwhelming obscure features. Concerning Jane Campion, even though she had an interesting career afterwards, she never reached such artistic heights again. 4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: For years, I heard some great things about this movie and since it was apparently one of the best Dutch movies ever made, I was really dying to see the damned thing. So, I have been waiting all those years and even though I have been living in the Netherlands for 10 years back then, for some weird reasons, it was never on TV whereas the disappointing American remake had been broadcast at least 3 times already... Anyway, I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, to be honest, it might not be my favorite Dutch movie but it is definitely in the Top 3, only behind 'Turks Fruit'. Basically, it is one of the best thrillers I have ever seen. I mean, if Hitchcock was still alive, he would basically make such movies. In this genre, it was so original and it pretty much ignored most of the usual annoying stereotypes that you get in your basic US thriller. Indeed, even though thrillers can be entertaining, they usually end up being rather underwhelming because they always display some unnecessary shootings, chases, explosions and stupid twists. Not here though. In this movie, they gave us a fascinating character study of two obsessed men chasing some ideals and it was just spellbinding to watch.4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Cold Pursuit
“I didn’t have some really huge expectations regarding this movie but since I have a weak spot for Liam Neeson, I thought I might as well check it out anyway. Well, I have to admit that I was actually rather surprised by the damned thing. Indeed, I was pretty sure it would be another generic action” read more
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: It has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. I remember it quite well when this movie was released, it was critically acclaimed and even managed to win the prestigious Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. Anyway, I thought it was a rather unique movie with a mesmerizing mood. Indeed, the story was just fascinating, something I had never seen before, the directing by Jane Campion was very good and Holly Hunter easily gave the best performance of her career (she eventually won the Academy Award for the Best Actress, a prize completely deserved). Furthermore, back in those days, the great Harvey Keitel was making an impressive come-back thanks to his performance in ‘Reservoir Dogs’. He was one of my favorite actors at the time and he was really good in this movie as well, continuing his winning streak, it is a shame this renaissance didn’t last long and he is involved nowadays either in some weak blockbusters or some underwhelming obscure features. Concerning Jane Campion, even though she had an interesting career afterwards, she never reached such artistic heights again. 4 years, 3 months ago