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“I thought I already saw this movie but, since it was ages ago and since it was available on Netflix, I was quite eager to check it out again. Well, eventually, I'm pretty sure I never saw the damned thing before and I probably confused it with another movie directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. On t” read more
Notes: It turned out to be a decent watch, even if it was definitely a minor effort from Jean Renoir. The fact that I saw again very recently 'Le jour se lĂšve' and that both movies were terribly similar probably didnât help. While watching the damned thing, I was sure Renoir tried to copycat CarnĂ©'s classic but, in fact, it was released a few years before so I was unfair and it might have been actually the other way around. The fact remains that this movie did lack an interesting lead character. In fact, I don't think there was a lead character at all but, instead many, probably too many, minor characters involved. Eventually, AmĂ©dĂ©e Lange, the title character, was maybe sweet and innocent but he was also rather spineless, at least, until the last act, and seriously gullible. The fact that RenĂ© LefĂšvre and Florelle didn't have much chemistry probably didnât help. Eventually, even though the characters individually were not really interesting, as a group, they were actually quite fascinating and Renoir did manage to create here a convincing microcosm, some kind of time capsule which captured the blue collar people in France back in the 30's. I also did appreciate the Communist vibe when Batala was gone and his employees took over the company as a cooperative organization with some much better results than while Batala was running fine. Sure, it probably seemed to be too idyllic, too good to be true, but it was a nice fantasy.
Notes: It turned out to be a decent watch, even if it was definitely a minor effort from Jean Renoir. The fact that I saw again very recently 'Le jour se lĂšve' and that both movies were terribly similar probably didnât help. While watching the damned thing, I was sure Renoir tried to copycat CarnĂ©'s classic but, in fact, it was released a few years before so I was unfair and it might have been actually the other way around. The fact remains that this movie did lack an interesting lead character. In fact, I don't think there was a lead character at all but, instead many, probably too many, minor characters involved. Eventually, AmĂ©dĂ©e Lange, the title character, was maybe sweet and innocent but he was also rather spineless, at least, until the last act, and seriously gullible. The fact that RenĂ© LefĂšvre and Florelle didn't have much chemistry probably didnât help. Eventually, even though the characters individually were not really interesting, as a group, they were actually quite fascinating and Renoir did manage to create here a convincing microcosm, some kind of time capsule which captured the blue collar people in France back in the 30's. I also did appreciate the Communist vibe when Batala was gone and his employees took over the company as a cooperative organization with some much better results than while Batala was running things. Sure, it probably seemed to be too idyllic, too good to be true, but it was a nice fantasy.
“To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out to be a decent watch, even if it was definitely a minor effort from Jean Renoir. The ” read more
“To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Aki KaurismĂ€ki, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, it had been a while since I have seen a movie from this director, probably almost 10 years, but within a few mins, I immediately recognised his w” read more
chosen by Wilma
Notes: To be honest, due to some personal issues, I have to admit that had some trouble to really focus on this movie. Eventually, it was probably a good thing that we didnât see âBeau is Afraidâ (a movie I was more eager to watch), because it was lasting a whopping 3 hrs and I was already struggling to not fall asleep with this movie which did last around only 90 mins. Anyway, even if everyone else in the film club seemed to have really enjoyed it, as far as I was concerned, the story was just too simplistic and predictable. In the same fashion, all the characters involved were all rather one-note with not much depth whatsoever. It's interesting that, from a personal experience, I actually know that, if a child went through some tough situations during their childhood, to put them within the nicest environment possible might not result in a such a seemingly perfect outcome. Still, I have to admit that this movie was well made and very often quite beautiful to look at. On top of that, Catherine Clinch who played the lead character was just so charismatic and was quite pitch-perfect for her very first performance. Eventually, the whole thing only grabbed me when this poor little girl had to leave this very nice couple to go back to her dreadful family. As I mentioned earlier, I didnât focus at all through the whole duration, as a result, I didnât get that her moving to live with this couple was something only temporary and it really broke my heart when this seemingly perfect family unit had to be broken down.
(May 2023)
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“To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Mark Wahlberg and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. I have to admit that I didnât know the details about this true story and, at first, I was slightly confused tha” read more
Notes: When it was released, it was a commercial and critical flop and, indeed, I'm afraid it turned out to be really lame. Of course, it's pretty obvious that they got their inspiration from 'The Lego Movie' but the end-result with this rather shameless ripp-off was even more disappointing than you could possibly imagine, that's for sure. I mean, where to start? At least, I have to admit it was neat that this world did combine all kinds of playmobil toys all together but it was probably the only thing that did work, I'm afraid. Indeed, they started with an intro in the real world which is such an overused and vastly ineffective gimmick but, in this case, it was even more cringe-inducing than usual. On top of that, to do like anyone else, they also had to add some songs but they were all so pathetic. The story was not much better though as the concept was just generic and tedious and the fact that none of the characters involved was actually entertaining whatsoever probably didnât help. Concerning Anya Taylor-Joy, it was a rare misstep in an otherwise rather flawless career. Eventually, you can't blame her for getting involved in an animated feature like anyone else and, on top of that, a few years later, she would redeem herself with 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' which was, at least, a huge box-office hit.
“To be honest, I wasnât expecting much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Anya Taylor-Joy, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, when it was released, it was a commercial and critical flop and, indeed, I'm afraid it turned out to be really lame. Of course, it's pretty obvious ” read more
“I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out again. Well, I have to admit that I barely remembered the damned thing so a rewatch was definitely worth it. Basically, it turned out to be a very solid French film no” read more
“I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Alain Resnais and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, after all these years, I have to admit that Iâm still not familiar with this directorâs work but, even though I ha” read more
