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johanlefourbe added 1 item to TV Shows I would love to watch list
What is it about?
Orphaned at the tender age of nine, prodigious introvert Beth Harmon discovers and masters the game of chess in 1960s USA. But child stardom comes at a price.
My verdict:
After hearing so many good things about this mini-series, I was really eager to check it out. On top of that, even if I suck at chess, I always found this game so fascinating. Well, the damned thing didn’t disappoint me, even if I would have to agree with the critics saying that it is basically a super-hero tale. Indeed, even if it was always really entertaining, the story was not really original and even rather predictable. However, what really sold me was the amazing performance by Anya Taylor-Joy. Indeed, she is always interesting in every role she takes but, here, she gave her best work so far and basically carried the whole thing on her shoulders. She is basically one of the best actresses of her generation, no less than that.4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: I have been following Mira Nair for quite some time now and this movie must be her best one I have seen so far (it was also the very first of her directing efforts I saw, if I recall correctly). Apparently, I wasn't the only one who really enjoyed it since this flick won the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival which was probably the reason why I wanted to watch it in the first place. Anyway, it is basically a very interesting study of the middle class in India. At first, the story may sound like a soap and it did look like a soap-opera in some way but it was eventually much more than that. Indeed, even though there were many characters, they were all well developed, I thought they were all quite interesting and I really cared about those characters and what they were going through. In a certain way, this movie also shows where the Indian society stands nowadays, between tradition and modernity. 4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of The Trials of Cate McCall
“To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Kate Beckinsale, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I think the damned thing actually had some potential and I especially did appreciate the fact that, during the first trial, the accused,” read more
4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2010's) list
Notes: Since I kept hearing some great things about this flick, I had some rather high expectations. First of all, I know it might sound silly, but I was actually a little bit confused by the location. Indeed, it was only during the last 30 minutes that I understood that they were not actually living in Greece but that they were there only on vacation. Anyway, that was certainly not a deal breaker. Basically, at last, Jesse and Céline were finally together and, in fact, when the film starts, they have actually been together for almost a decade and they even have 2 cute twin girls. So, you could think that all is well but, eventually, most of the romance is now gone and they spend maybe half of the movie arguing about various subjects. I know, it might sound disappointing for everyone who just wanted to see some spotless eternal love in their movies but, if you, like me, are craving for something more down-to-earth and realistic, then you will definitely love this flick. Indeed, by now, those characters have been so well developed (after all, we have spent 2 decades following their evolution as individuals and as a couple) and they are still fascinating to behold. On top of that, most of their thoughts and feelings are so relatable, especially if you are yourself in a long-term relationship with kids, and it made the whole thing even more meaningful to me.4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (2000's) list
Notes: I was really impressed as the damned thing turned out to be even better than I expected. Indeed, it really blew me away and it turned out to be easily one of the best movies released in 2008. Not only it turned out to be a heartbreaking and fascinating picture, I was also amazed about how original the whole thing was. Indeed, it is a very original animated picture, something really unique, and it is pretty obvious that they would have probably never succeeded in telling this story with a traditional live action version or something more straightforward. Furthermore, as it was pointed out by Roger Ebert, it was also a devastating picture. Indeed, not only it was a really original feature, it was also an important movie dealing with a horrible page of history but, on top of that, they also developed this tale from a point of view dealing with the human mind and psychology. That's why using animation was not a useless gimmick in this case as it allowed the makers to deliver some surrealist imagery to display dreams, hallucinations and subconscious traumas. To be honest, it is a bit messy and the lack of narrative structure can be slightly frustating but it might have more to do with the fact that we have been so addicted to the generic basic narrative rules (introduction, development, conclusion).4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Ben Is Back
“I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Julia Roberts, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, concerning Roberts, I was definitely one of her most interesting parts and I have to admit that she was not bad at all but, to be honest, I didn’t think that” read more
4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: I was really impressed as the damned thing turned out to be even better than I expected. Indeed, it really blew me away and it turned out to be easily one of the best movies released in 2008. Not only it turned out to be a heartbreaking and fascinating picture, I was also amazed about how original the whole thing was. Indeed, it is a very original animated picture, something really unique, and it is pretty obvious that they would have probably never succeeded in telling this story with a traditional live action version or something more straightforward. Furthermore, as it was pointed out by Roger Ebert, it was also a devastating picture. Indeed, not only it was a really original feature, it was also an important movie dealing with a horrible page of history but, on top of that, they also developed this tale from a point of view dealing with the human mind and psychology. That's why using animation was not a useless gimmick in this case as it allowed the makers to deliver some surrealist imagery to display dreams, hallucinations and subconscious traumas. To be honest, it is a bit messy and the lack of narrative structure can be slightly frustating but it might have more to do with the fact that we have been so addicted to the generic basic narrative rules (introduction, development, conclusion).4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to Listal's Hall of Fame list
Kendraatje4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies ... my own version (1940's) list
Notes: I have just discovered that, after WWII, Henri-George Clouzot wasn’t allowed to make another movie following the release of ‘Le corbeau’, a movie which was very quickly criticized in France for the way it portrayed the French people very negatively. After 4 long years, following a very long fight from his defenders, Clouzot was able to get back to work coming up with this feature which was once again a massive critical and commercial success. Basically, you had most of Clouzot’s trademark here. Indeed, it is a film noir, a detective story, and most of the characters involved had some rather dubious morality. Ultimately, this movie never reached the level of his greatest movies ‘Les diaboliques’ and ‘Le salaire de la peur’ but since those are two are among the very best French movies ever made, that would be asking a lot. Eventually, after this movie, Clouzot would direct 2 rather obscure features (‘Manon’ and ‘Miquette et sa mère’) but he would make eventually a massive come-back with the really impressive ‘Le salaire de la peur’.4 years, 4 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies Chosen By Johanlefourbe list
Notes: I have just discovered that, after WWII, Henri-George Clouzot wasn’t allowed to make another movie following the release of ‘Le corbeau’, a movie which was very quickly criticized in France for the way it portrayed the French people very negatively. After 4 long years, following a very long fight from his defenders, Clouzot was able to get back to work coming up with this feature which was once again a massive critical and commercial success. Basically, you had most of Clouzot’s trademark here. Indeed, it is a film noir, a detective story, and most of the characters involved had some rather dubious morality. Ultimately, this movie never reached the level of his greatest movies ‘Les diaboliques’ and ‘Le salaire de la peur’ but since those are two are among the very best French movies ever made, that would be asking a lot. Eventually, after this movie, Clouzot would direct 2 rather obscure features (‘Manon’ and ‘Miquette et sa mère’) but he would make eventually a massive come-back with the really impressive ‘Le salaire de la peur’.4 years, 4 months ago
