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johanlefourbe posted a review of The Party

An average movie

“I really had no idea what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Sally Potter and since there was a really nice cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Even though Potter has a solid reputation, I have to admit that I don’t have a clear view or understanding of what ” read more

4 years, 3 months ago
Black Swan (2010)
Notes: Before this movie was released, there was a huge buzz about it and since I'm a huge fan of Darren Aronofosky's work, I was really eager to check this flick. Eventually, I really loved it and even watched it twice in the movie theater which is something I haven't done for many years. Basically, Aronofosky displayed once again his versatility and after making an amazing movie about the wrestling world, he has now made an amazing movie about the ballet world. Seriously, it was just very impressive. The directing was indeed very good, Natalie Portman gave the best performance of her career and she definitely deserved her Academy Award. Eventually, in my opinion, it was just a fascinating picture which shares my views about Art. Indeed, in my opinion, Art always goes with excess, violence, sex, it should push the boundaries and it can be highly destructive. My only complains with this movie would be that 'The Swan Lake', the actual ballet, is actually rather dull. Furthermore, since it was only 90 minutes, none of the supporting characters were really developed and I wish I had the chance to get to know them a little bit more. . Still, it is and remains a fascinating picture.
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to My Queue list
Dog Days

4 years, 3 months ago
Head-On (2004)

4 years, 3 months ago
Black Swan (2010)
Notes: Before this movie was released, there was a huge buzz about it and since I'm a huge fan of Darren Aronofosky's work, I was really eager to check this flick. Eventually, I really loved it and even watched it twice in the movie theater which is something I haven't done for many years. Basically, Aronofosky displayed once again his versatility and after making an amazing movie about the wrestling world, he has now made an amazing movie about the ballet world. Seriously, it was just very impressive. The directing was indeed very good, Natalie Portman gave the best performance of her career and she definitely deserved her Academy Award. Eventually, in my opinion, it was just a fascinating picture which shares my views about Art. Indeed, in my opinion, Art always goes with excess, violence, sex, it should push the boundaries and it can be highly destructive. My only complains with this movie would be that 'The Swan Lake', the actual ballet, is actually rather dull. Furthermore, since it was only 90 minutes, none of the supporting characters were really developed and I wish I had the chance to get to know them a little bit more. . Still, it is and remains a fascinating picture.
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 2 items to My Queue list
In a Valley of Violence
45 Years

4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
The Evolution of Paul Rudd (27 movies items)
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
4 years, 3 months ago
The Story of Qiu Ju (1992)
Notes: If I recall correctly, this is the first movie I saw with Gong Li in it. Personally, I have always been fascinated by this actress and it’s too bad that only quite late in her career, she eventually decided to play in some Western movies. Indeed, she waited for a long time before taking this decision and it was even more saddening that none of those movies ever reached the level of her Asian productions such as this flick. Here, she gave an impressive perfomance and the directing was very good too. Above, I thought that the story seemed quite realistic and it was just really captivating at the same time. One really interesting aspect in this movie is the way it displayed the massive contrasts in China. Indeed, even though it is a really modern country, even a world power with its huge population, yet, in the countryside, it is as if the time has stopped as they are still living as if it was 200 years ago.
4 years, 3 months ago
Eraserhead
Notes: This was David Lynch's full length feature directing debut and it took him about 5 years to finish it with not much of a financial backing. Personally, this movie had a massive impact on me and it has always been a major influence on my movie watching ever since. The first time I saw it, it happened to be in the movie theater, I was about 15 or 16 years old and, at the time, I was completely blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, I had never seen anything similar in my life and I thought I actually experienced a nightmare while I was actually wide awake. Back in those days, it became right away one of my favorite movies and it took me many years to finally re-watch it. Eventually, the second time around (many many years later), I was able to set aside the overwhelming power of the whole thing and I noticed that the pacing was actually rather sluggish so I did lower my rating but it is and remains an impressive piece of experimental film making, at least, if you are into this kind of things. Even though there is no plot whatsoever, it didn't bother me at all and I think it is one of the most spellbinding movie experiences ever.
4 years, 3 months ago
Grizzly Man
Monster

4 years, 3 months ago
BPM (Beats Per Minute)
Notes: Through the years, I have seen a few US movies dealing with the AIDS pandemic but it was pretty neat to finally see a French movie on the subject. Indeed, when I was growing up in France in the 90’s, it was constantly in the media and I think my generation has been pretty much traumatized as we will forever link sex with sickness and death. This movie focused actually more on what happened before. Indeed, it took about 10 years for the French government to finally take the necessary actions but, in the meantime, 1000’s of people actually died and that’s what the people in Act Up Paris were fighting for or fighting against. At first, you might wonder why they were so passionate or so fanatic about this cause but the last act during which Sean died made it pretty clear. Indeed, behind all their witty jokes, even though most of them were quite young, they would still die fairly soon if they didn’t get the right help so they were actually more desperate than passionate. It was also quite interesting that most of the duration actually took place during their weekly meetings. You might wonder why the makers made this choice but I think it was a way to show this group all together while they were sharing not only their ideas and thoughts but also their feelings about their situation and their individual and collective struggle.
4 years, 3 months ago
Head-On (2004)
The Story of Qiu Ju (1992)
Eraserhead
Grizzly Man
BPM (Beats Per Minute)

4 years, 3 months ago

A very good movie

“I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the damned thing but since it had won the César of the Best French movie of the year, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, I was really impressed by the damned thing, that’s for sure. Through the years, I have seen a few US movies dealing with the AI” read more

4 years, 3 months ago
Niagara

4 years, 3 months ago
Monster

4 years, 3 months ago
The Late Bloomer
Only
Midnight Sun

4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 2 items to My Queue list
Shut In (2016)
Force of Nature

4 years, 3 months ago
BPM (Beats Per Minute)
Notes: Through the years, I have seen a few US movies dealing with the AIDS pandemic but it was pretty neat to finally see a French movie on the subject. Indeed, when I was growing up in France in the 90’s, it was constantly in the media and I think my generation has been pretty much traumatized as we will forever link sex with sickness and death. This movie focused actually more on what happened before. Indeed, it took about 10 years for the French government to finally take the necessary actions but, in the meantime, 1000’s of people actually died and that’s what the people in Act Up Paris were fighting for or fighting against. At first, you might wonder why they were so passionate or so fanatic about this cause but the last act during which Sean died made it pretty clear. Indeed, behind all their witty jokes, even though most of them were quite young, they would still die fairly soon if they didn’t get the right help so they were actually more desperate than passionate. It was also quite interesting that most of the duration actually took place during their weekly meetings. You might wonder why the makers made this choice but I think it was a way to show this group all together while they were sharing not only their ideas and thoughts but also their feelings about their situation and their individual and collective struggle.
4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to My Queue list
Breaking In

4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to My Queue list
Drive Hard

4 years, 3 months ago
johanlefourbe voted for list
4 years, 3 months ago
The Kids Are All Right
Notes: It turned out to be a really good drama with some comedy but not too much and some terrific acting. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was pretty flawless with a fascinating story with some very intriguing characters. My only complain would be that there were 2 very interesting plots (the children meeting their donor father and the lesbian mothers having a rough patch in their relationship) but the way they merged both stories felt pretty random and forced. The amazing thing is that even if it was a mistake, it also had a positive effect. Indeed, before that, the donor father was way too good to be true but, then, after his disastrous actions, he finally got a human face and it made the character even more interesting. The cast (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson) was pretty amazing and I was above all impressed by Annette Bening. Indeed, after 5 minutes, I completely forgot I was watching Bening on the screen, I only saw a fully fledged character and that's what acting is or should be about.
4 years, 3 months ago
Niagara

4 years, 3 months ago
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Notes: Of course, this movie was pretty awesome. To be honest, 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' remains, hands down, my favorite Western directed by Sergio Leone but this one was very good as well. Indeed, the directing, the acting, the music, everything was quite amazing. Back in those days, it was pretty shocking to see the great Henry Fonda, who always played the righteous man, portray this time a cold heartless SOB. I mean, if I recall correctly it, he even shot a kid in his very first scene. It was also pretty neat to see Charles Bronson in a decent movie for once. Apparently, at the time, Sergio Leone actually was done making Westerns and wanted to move on towards something else but then when he was given the biggest budget he ever had and the opportunity to work with Henry Fonda so he reconsidered and created arguably one of the best Westerns ever made. Personally, even though I did like it very much, the story didn't grab me as much as 'The Good, the Bad and the Ugly' did but it was still quite spellbinding to behold.
4 years, 3 months ago
The Kids Are All Right
Notes: It turned out to be a really good drama with some comedy but not too much and some terrific acting. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was pretty flawless with a fascinating story with some very intriguing characters. My only complain would be that there were 2 very interesting plots (the children meeting their donor father and the lesbian mothers having a rough patch in their relationship) but the way they merged both stories felt pretty random and forced. The amazing thing is that even if it was a mistake, it also had a positive effect. Indeed, before that, the donor father was way too good to be true but, then, after his disastrous actions, he finally got a human face and it made the character even more interesting. The cast (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson) was pretty amazing and I was above all impressed by Annette Bening. Indeed, after 5 minutes, I completely forgot I was watching Bening on the screen, I only saw a fully fledged character and that's what acting is or should be about.
4 years, 3 months ago