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johanlefourbe posted a review of Coco
“I already saw this movie but since it was available on Disney+, I was quite eager to check it out again. Since I have been following Pixar ever since 'Toy Story' was released and since this movie was really well received, the first time around, I saw the damned thing in the movie theater when it was” read more
7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo
“Obviously, I wasn't expecting much from this flick and it turned out to be indeed really terrible. In fact, when this movie was made, there was actually quite some media coverage in the Netherlands, apparently, because most of the movie was shot in Amsterdam. On top of that, there were easily a doze” read more
7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Terry Gilliam's work list
Cast : Jonathan Pryce, Adam Driver, Olga Kurylenko, Stellan SkarsgƄrd
What was it about?
Toby, a disillusioned film director, becomes pulled into a world of time-jumping fantasy when a Spanish cobbler believes him to be Sancho Panza. He gradually becomes unable to tell dreams from reality.
My two cents:
Like many other movie buffs, I have been waiting to see this movie for almost 20 years. Well, I wish I could say it had been worth the wait but, unfortunately, I really struggled to care about the damned thing. Above all, even though there were some good ideas, the damned thing was a mess very difficult to digest. Of course, you could argue that every Gilliam movie is pretty messy but the fact that it was just way too long (about 140 mins) without really going anywhere didnāt help either. On top of that, in spite of the excessive running time, there were only a handful characters involved and, expect for the main character, nobody was developed whatsoever. Eventually, like some other cursed movie projects like āThe Other Side of the Windā (which also managed to finally be released in 2018) or āDuneā by Jodorowski (which never got made), it seems that the legends around the doomed production of this movie were more interesting than the movie itself after all. Anyway, even if this movie was rather disappointing, it is still worth a look.
My rating: 06/10
Check the full review7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Luc Besson's work list
Cast : Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy
What was it about?
Beneath Anna Poliatova's striking beauty lies a secret that will unleash her indelible strength and skill to become one of the world's most feared government assassins.
My two cents:
Following the debacle around āValerian and the City of a Thousand Planetsā (a movie which wasn't so bad in my opinion), EuropaCorp, Luc Bessonās film production, was on the verge of bankruptcy so he apparently decided to take no risk with his following directing effort. However, as a result, he did deliver something terribly derivative and, even more problematic, it turned out to be another flop at the box-office. Well, to be honest, I didnāt care much for the damned thing. First of all, following the footsteps of Anne Parillaud, Milla Jovovich, Rie Rasmussen, Louise Bourgoin, Scarlett Johansson and Cara Delevingne, Sasha Luss was the latest gorgeous lady that Besson had chosen to headline his action flick but, to be honest, even though she did look fine indeed, her performance was rather weak though. A bigger issue was that the whole thing was just so poorly written. I mean, I actually have a weak spot for the genre, the action flicks dealing with a lethal female spy, but this movie was pretty much a really weak version of āNikitaā, which is still by far my favourite movie from Besson. Furthermore, to make the whole thing look more complicated than it actually was, they went for a mixed-up chronology which was usually more annoying than really effective. Of course, the main character had to have some rather meaningless love affairs with not one but two other spies but, beyond the fact that Sasha Luss had very little chemistry with her co-stars, it all felt rather random and gratuitous.
My rating: 5/10
Check the full review7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Paul Verhoeven's work list
Cast : Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling, Lambert Wilson, Clotilde Courau
What was it about?
A 17th-century nun in Italy suffers from disturbing religious and erotic visions. She is assisted by a companion, and the relationship between the two women develops into a romantic love affair.
My two cents:
Eventually, the Dutch master didnāt disappoint, at least, not me as it turned out to be a massive Verhoeven festival. Indeed, he went pretty much all the way with some over-the-top hallucinations, violence, blood, full frontal nudity and some good old sex. Seriously, even if probably not everything did work, the whole thing was still really intense. Eventually, he gave us all the various ways anyone at the time might approach religion (as a real vocation, as a capitalist enterprise, as a powerful political weapon, as a simple way to get fed or a way to escape a toxic household). What I enjoyed the most was how ambiguous Benedetta was until the very end. Indeed, was she some kind of con artist? A complete lunatic? Another sexually frustrated nun? An actual prophet who could communicate with God, somehow? Or maybe it was a combination of all this all together. Well, you wonāt get any easy answer which was the movieās biggest strength but also its weakness. Indeed, at the end, all the other charactersās thoughts, feelings and motivations were pretty clear but Benedetta remained an impenetrable wall which was slightly frustrating and, yet, it made her rather fascinating. I also think that the whole lesbian relationship was not very well linked with her religious āawakeningā. The best thing that I can think of was that, by being touched by Bartolomeaās love, she was then more able to get in touch with God? Or maybe, after all these years of sexual abstinence, it pretty much blew up her fragile mind? Anyway, even if it wasnāt flawless, Verhoeven delivered here another intense roller coaster.
My rating: 07/10
Check the full review7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Gus Van Sant's work list
Cast : Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black
What was it about?
About John Callahan who became a paralyzed after a car accident at age 21, and turned to drawing as a form of therapy.
My two cents:
After the huge critical failure of 'The Sea of Trees' (It is even considered by many as his worst movie so far), Gus Van Sant here made a nice come-back with and this flick was easily his best movie since 'Milk' released already 10 years ago. Still, even though it was indeed an entertaining biopic, it was nothing really amazing, to be honest. I mean, even though Van Sant went for a chaotic and random structure, the whole thing was actually fairly generic and predictable after all. Still, I had never heard of John Callahan before watching this movie, the guy was really interesting and I really appreciate the fact that they kept displaying his work through the whole duration. Eventually, I think I enjoyed mostly the cast involved. Indeed, once again, Joaquin Phoenix completely nailed it and displayed again that he is easily one of the best actors of his generation. On top of that, the rest of the cast was also strong even if their characters were unfortunately barely developed. I was above all impressed by Jonah Hill who I didn't recognize at all and it was only by the sound of his voice that I was able to spot him. Anyway, even though it was nothing ground-breaking, it was still a decent biopic and it is definitely worth a look.
My rating: 07/10
Check the full review7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Robert Rodriguez's work list
Cast : Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Jackie Earle Haley
What was it about?
A deactivated female cyborg is revived, but cannot remember anything of her past life and goes on a quest to find out who she is.
My two cents:
For how long have I been waiting to see this movie? 10 years? 15 years? Indeed, when I was kid, I bought the comic-books with my brother, I really loved them, and when I heard that James Cameron would adapt them, it sounded really awesome. However, somehow, the guy got completely obsessed with 'Avatar' and it seemed that this project would be stuck in production hell forever. Fortunately, Robert Rodriguez came on board and even if he wouldn't have been my first choice as a director, I still wanted to check the damned thing, in spite of the negative hype it received even before it was released. Well, eventually, I have to admit it, it didn't turn out to be a masterpiece, but it was far from being a failure either and I enjoyed most of it. Indeed, even though it felt rather derivative by now, the world created was interesting enough and visually quite impressive but I wouldn't expect less from Cameron. Above all, they completely nailed the main character. Indeed, Alita was just as fascinating as she was in the comic-book. Not only the way she looked worked very well (the controversy about her big eyes turned out to be completely unjustified after all) but, above all, she was just so charismatic, complex, and completely faithfull to the comic-book. Concerning the story itself, it's a shame that they tried to adapt the first 4 comic-books as it turned out to be just too much material for 2 hours of running time. Still, in spite of it flaws, I think it was a rather faithtfull adaptation and it is definitely worth a look.
My rating: 07/10
Check the full review
7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Ridley Scott's work list
Cast : Mark Wahlberg, Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams, Timothy Hutton, Romain Duris
What was it about?
story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather John Paul Getty to pay the ransom.
My two cents:
With this movie, Ridley Scott pulled off the marketing stunt of the year. Indeed, just about a month before this movie was released, he decided to reshoot all the scenes involving Kevin Spacey and replace him with Christopher Plummer. And, indeed, the whole thing looked great and it felt like Plummer had been involved from the very beginning. And, yet, if you put this stunt aside, was it really a great movie? Not really, I'm afraid. Basically, it was a typical effort from this director. I mean, it looked great, the material had a lot of potential but it still felt either rushed or lazy. For example, during the introduction, you get to meet John Paul Getty II and his happy family but, then, within a few minutes, he became a drug-addict living in Morocco. This character was just so poorly handled, without mentioning the fact that the guy was apparently actually much more involved in the negotiations with the kidnappers. Then, they made the mistake of focusing on one of the kidnappers. It was obviously made up but, above all, completely uninteresting. Another mystery was Mark Wahlberg's character. Seriously, what was the point of this character? At what point was he actually really helpful? I mean, to make us believe that he was the one who gave a heartfelt speech to John Paul Getty who would finally change his mind was just really ludicrous. Anyway, I think I'm being rather generous with my rating here but it was an interesting story and Ridley Scott knows how to direct a good looking picture but there is no doubt that it could have been so much better.
My rating: 07/10
Check the full review7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Steven Spielberg's work list
Cast : Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Simon Pegg, Mark Rylance, Hannah John-Kamen, Letitia Wright
What was it about?
When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune.
My two cents:
Well, to be honest, I have to admit that I was actually quite positively surprised and, as far as Iām concerned, it was Spielbergās most enjoyable movie in years. Indeed, first of all, the damned thing was visually really impressive and I wish I actually saw it in the movie theater when it was released (at least, I did see it on Blu-ray). I was also surprised that most of the movie was actually CGI animated but, in this genre, it is easily one of the most satisfying movies I have seen so far. Indeed, the story was quite entertaining and while watching the damned thing, I was thinking that āValerian and the City of a Thousand Planetsā could have been also a box-office hit if Luc Besson didnāt write such a half-baked plot. On the downside, itās too bad the whole thing was too long though. I mean, with 140 mins, it wasnāt exactly a very long movie but they could or should have removed 30 mins as the whole thing especially lost some steam during the 3rd act. Furthermore, even though the potential was pretty much limitless with this concept, they didnāt take much risks after all and, like pretty much everything else directed by Spielberg, it was too light-hearted and sentimental for my taste. Anyway, even though it was maybe not a masterpiece, it was still a really fun and gorgeous blockbuster.
My rating: 7/10
Check the full review7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Martin Scorsese's work list
Cast : Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Anna Paquin, Jesse Plemons, Harvey Keitel
What was it about?
A mob hitman recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa.
My two cents:
Of course, this combo Scorsese-De Niro-Pacino sounded like movie heaven and when the critics turned out to be wild enthusiast, my expectations went sky high. Well, I find it rather difficult to judge this movie after all and, to be honest, I wasnāt really blown like I was expecting to be. First of all, even though the CGI deaging of the main cast had pretty much doubled the costs of the production and had been widely praised, I didnāt feel it was really convincing. Seriously, I was constantly wondering what age their characters were supposed to be and it was pretty obvious through the whole duration that all the actors (Robert de Niro (75), Al Pacino (78) and Joe Pesci (75)) were so much older than their respective characters. Even if āGemini Manā was a major flop and a rather average action flick, at least, the 20 year old version of Will Smith was just mindblowing to behold. Concerning the character themselves, I thought that Russell Bufalino was actually the most interesting one. Indeed, if Al Pacino delivered a solid performance, to be honest, Jimmy Hoffa felt rather clueless or at least really reckless considering the way he handled the threats from the mob. Concerning Frank Sheeran, De Niro was fine as well but I was missing some kind of drive behind his actions. Still, even if this story might seem to be pretty basic, it was not a simple movie, especially due to the fact that it was Scorseseās longest movie so far and I think I would need to rewatch it at some point to make up my mind for good about the damned thing.
My rating: 07/10
Check the full review7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to A Complete Review of Clint Eastwood's work list
Cast : Judy Greer, Jenna Fischer
What was it about?
American soldiers discover a terrorist plot on a Paris-bound train.
My two cents:
After 'American Sniper' and 'Sully', Eastwood decided for the 3rd time in a row to tell another true tale about some other American heroes but, unfortunately, it turned out to be so terribly weak and not much better than the garbage you can see on the Lifetime channel. Then, the actual guys who were involved during these events actually played themselves which wasn't a bad idea and I don't think they did such a terribly bad job but the whole thing started to become rather abysmal at this point. Basically, they gave us a whole bunch of meaningless scenes with no entertaining or informative value and it seems, since the tragic event in the train would last only 15 mins, that they had to fill in the running time with something. The worst part was definitely when these guys went backpacking in Europe. Seriously, it felt like watching 'The Real World' from MTV or some other crappy reality TV program. At least, the scenes in the train did work but everything else was just so tedious and rather poorly put together.
My rating: 5/10
Check the full review7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 1 item to 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (2023) list
Notes: I haven't seen this one yet...7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe posted a review of Cool World
“I already saw this movie but since it was a few years ago, i thought I might as well give it a 2nd chance. The first time around, even though this movie had a rather lame reputation, I always wanted to see it ever since it was released (itĀ basicallyĀ took me 25 years to finally see this movie). Wel” read more
7 years, 6 months ago
johanlefourbe added 9 items to their collection
7 years, 6 months ago
