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Posted : 12 hours, 11 minutes ago on 23 June 2025 07:14
(A review of The Salt Path)To be honest, I had never heard of this movie or the book it was adapted from so I wasnât really sure what to expect. In fact, more than 10 years ago, Bea chose a very similar movie for the film club called âWildâ starring Reese Witherspoon. The funny thing is that she didnât remember choosing this movie and none of the other members of our film club remembered it either (good thing that we have this diary). Anyway, coming back on the movie itself, it probably featured the most beautiful couple I have seen so far with our film club. Indeed, you might wonder how they managed to never have some major argument during this sometimes really grueling path but I think it displayed how much they loved each other which was very sweet. On top of that, Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson both gave some really solid performances and they had some very nice chemistry together. Unfortunately, I didnât care much about the rest of the movie though. I mean, the landscapes were amazing and, many times, the whole idea of doing such a long walk became really attractive to me. However, it was actually a real nightmare for them which was something this movie adaptation failed to display as they romanticized too much their adventure. There was also the fact that Iâm not a huge fan of the road-trip genre. Indeed, in my opinion, it is a rather lazy way to tell a story and, in this case, some encounters were intriguing but most of them were just too whimsical but, above all, not interesting or entertaining enough. Finally, it was interesting that they didnât spend much time explaining how they ended up in this situation but they also didnât really show what they were going through mentally and emotionally while they were on this trail. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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A bad movie
Posted : 3 days, 7 hours ago on 20 June 2025 11:44
(A review of Trauma Center)I wasnât expecting much from the damned thing but, since it was starring Bruce Willis, I thought I might as well check it out anyway. To be honest, I wonder why I actually keep watching the cheap movies Willis was making at the end of this career (and I still have 25 of those to watchâŚ). I guess thatâs what happens when you are seriously obsessive about your movie watching. Anyway, even though the title was seriously derivative, for some reasons, I thought it sounded more intriguing than his usual B action flicks. Of course, I was wrong. First of all, even though all these movies look really cheap, this one probably did cost close to nothing (except, of course, Bruce Willisâs paycheck). Indeed, it seems that they found some abandoned hospital in Puerto Rico, they then added only 5 characters which was really low even for this genre, and it was basically the whole thing for slightly less than 90 mins. In fact, I do have a weak spot for minimalist features but this movie actually displayed why itâs not that easy to deliver something satisfying when you are dealing with such minimalistic proportions. To make it work, you need either some strong characters or some strong actors or some strong story (a combination of these 3 elements is of course the best option). This movie was however abysmal in all 3 departments. Concerning Bruce Willis, he actually had more screentime than usual and it was actually not a total rip-off to show him on the promotional material this time around. However, he still managed to shoot somehow all his scenes in just 2 days which shows how much invested he was in this garbage. It still difficult to judge his work here since the poor guy was probably already dealing with aphasia so he probably had higher concerns than delivering a solid performance. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was really lame and you should probably avoid it.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 4 days, 4 hours ago on 19 June 2025 03:16
(A review of Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken )To be honest, I wasnât expecting much from the damned thing but, since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though I have actually seen most of the features released by DreamWorks Animation, I have always been bothered by their lack of creativity, especially if you would compare their movies to the amazing work from Pixar, their biggest competitor. Unfortunately, this movie turned out to be a perfect example, Iâm afraid. Itâs not even that it was their worst movie (it wasnât far from it though), it was above all the fact that it was such a blatant copycat of âTurning Redâ which was released by Pixar a year before. Of course, they would argue that there were actually so many different things between the two movies but what they tried to add to stand out from its superior Pixar counterpart usually didnât work at all. For example, beside the fact that it was dealing with a teenager girl turning into a monster sometimes (basically the same plot as in âTurning Redâ), they also came up with this idea that her Kraken family was living/hiding within a human community which was just half-baked, never really convincing but, above all, barely entertaining whatsoever. Finally, it seems that the makers were all suffering from ADHD will making this movie. Seriously, the whole thing was pretty much relentless with something happening or popping up randomly every 30 seconds but I guess it was the only thing they could come up with to cover up how completely uncreative the whole endeavor actually was. Anyway, to conclude, even though I have to admit that this movie was rather harmless, I didnât care for it at all and I think you should probably avoid it and watch instead âTurning Redâ.
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An average movie
Posted : 5 days, 12 hours ago on 18 June 2025 07:06
(A review of Noelle)To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was starring Anna Kendrick and since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I have to admit I have never been a huge fan of Christmas movies but, seriously, this one was really dreadful. This time, their gimmick was to focus on Santasâs daughter which sounded so boring even before the movie actually started. And, indeed, all the characters turned out to be, at best, boring and, at worst, rather annoying. To make things worse, none of the jokes worked and they even gave us a CGI animated reindeer who looked just ghastly. Eventually, the only redeeming feature in this movie was Anna Kendrick. I can imagine that leading a Christmas movie like this one was on her bucket list but I wish for her that she didnât end up in one of the least inspiring movies ever made in this genre. And, yet, with her usual cheerful energy, she was actually a perfect fit for this character and she even managed to deliver a solid performance which was quite remarkable considering this abysmal material. Without her, Iâm afraid the damned thing would have been pretty unwatchable. Concerning the rest of the cast, they were all seriously wasted here and, in contrary to Kendrick, they completely drowned here in this garbage. It was especially sad for Shirley MacLaine and I wonder what compelled her to play one of the most pathetic elves I have seen at more than 80 years old. Iâm not saying that she should necessarily retire but does she still need to take such obvious paycheck gigs like this one? Anyway, to conclude, even if I have to admit that the damned thing was rather harmless, it was still a big waste of time for myself and all the people involved and you should probably avoid it.   Â
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An average movie
Posted : 6 days, 11 hours ago on 17 June 2025 07:34
(A review of In the Land of Saints and Sinners)I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was starring Liam Neeson and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I didnât know anything about this movie when I started to watch it and, when I saw that it was taking place in the 70âs, in Northern Ireland, I was pleasantly surprised as I thought it would be finally something else than the usual tedious B action flicks that Neeson has been making during the last 15 years. Unfortunately, my hopes were dashed fairly quickly. Indeed, I was fooled by the interesting historical setting but, after all, it still turned out to be another of his forgettable action features after all. Sure, it wasnât the worst of the bunch but, all in all, it was still rather derivative and forgettable. For starters, Neeson was actually barely acting at all. Seriously, it felt like watching a âTakenâ installment in vintage Ireland as it was pretty much exactly the same character. Sure, Neeson is still seriously charismatic and therefore always watchable but, with such movies, he seems that he basically only shows up to cash his check. Even more annoying was how they handled his character. Indeed, in contrary to Bryan Mills or the other boring action characters he has played through the years, he was this time a hitman who killed possibly 100âs of men through the years. So, there was definitely something dark here which could have been explored but, no, instead, they displayed him as some harmless mild-mannered old man who should be left alone to enjoy his tight-knit community. Seriously?!? The plot was also poorly developed. Indeed, what was exactly the deal between Curtis June and this little girl? How come Finbar noticed that there was something wrong with her and not her mother? Seriously, it was just so half-baked and an excuse to get Finbar back in the game to fight these IRA members. At least, it was pretty cool to see again Jack Gleeson after all these years, especially since he said he would quit acting after his stint on âGame of Thronesâ. On top of that, his character was by far the most (and only?) interesting character and he did deliver a solid performance. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that it was one of the better B action flicks starring Liam Neeson but, with this material, it could have been much better though.Â
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A good movie
Posted : 1 week ago on 16 June 2025 08:52
(A review of How to Train Your Dragon)To be honest, I wasnât really eager to watch this flick. Indeed, I always thought that the classic animated version was one of the most overrated movies ever so I couldnât care less for a live-action version. Furthermore, Disneyâs trend to adapt their classic animated features, even if they have been usually really successful, has been mostly irritating and frustrating and I guess it was only a matter of time before other studios would do the same thing. However, Nick, my step-son, was really eager to see it so he convinced me to give it a try. So, with this in mind, I have some rather low expectations but, eventually, I have to admit that I actually did enjoy the damned thing after all, in fact, I even enjoyed it more than the animated version. I finally understood what it was so popular. Basically, it is actually a really solid story and Hiccup was/is such an inspiring character. Sure, I understand that it was already the case with the original version but I guess what bothered me at the time was that, because it was animated, it all felt too cute and goofy for my taste. By keeping the design of all the dragons, they still kept this childish vibe which will certainly allow them to score high at the box-office but this vibe definitely tone down the epic aspect of this actually solid material. And, indeed, beside the cute dragons, because it was not animated anymore, there was something darker, more visceral, about this Viking world. It finally felt quite epic and, when Hiccup finally started to fly with Toothless, I was pretty much sold. Mason Thames was also a perfect choice to play the lead and he was really solid. It was also pretty cool that Gerard Butler played the same character as he was basically born to play such characters. Nico Parker was also quite charismatic but, to be honest, she didnât really nail it. Indeed, she should have been blown away by this kid flying on the most mysterious dragon that ever lived but I didnât feel that. The ending also still didnât really work. Sure, on one hand, it was pretty cool to see Hiccup defeating the biggest dragon that they all had ever saw during some epic battle making his legend even more awesome than it already was. However, on the other hand, the whole point of this character was that, instead of killing dragons, his thing was to become friends with his worst enemy which was just so inspiring, so, having him killing a dragon after all was actually rather disappointing. Finally, to see pretty much all the characters being able to ride some dragon with no training whatsoever was rather lame, again some other annoying cute touch, and it actually vastly contradicted the title. Anyway, to conclude, I have to admit that it turned out to be better than I expected and it is actually worth a look.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 1 week, 3 days ago on 13 June 2025 07:05
(A review of Brown Sugar)To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but, since I have a weak spot for Sanaa Lathan and since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, the intro was really promising. Indeed, I really liked the concept of a black romantic-comedy with a hip-hop background and the whole thing started with an interesting genuine vibe. Unfortunately, it fell apart fairly quickly, Iâm afraid. Basically, they followed the same concept used in âWhen Harry Met Sally...â , in my opinion, easily one of the very best movies in this genre. However, there is something rather annoying and frustrating to see two people who are obviously in love, who obviously should be together, spending almost 2 hrs to figure it out while the viewers knew it from the first 5 mins. In the case of âWhen Harry Met Sally...â, it still worked amazingly because Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal were amazing and because the dialogues were so hilarious. Unfortunately, Iâm afraid, with this movie, as soon as Sanaa Lathanâs and Taye Diggsâs characters started to interact, the whole thing felt phony or, at least, like any average romantic-comedy. Iâm not sure if it was Lathaan and Diggs who were weak or if it was because they were given some poor dialogues but the end-result was certainly not impressive. I mean, I have to admit it , they were both charismatic but it wasnât enough and, like I said before, this concept is rather frustrating unless you have some really awesome characters to make it work. At least, it started to work better from the moment they added some supporting characters like Queen Latifah (who was underused here) and Mos Def AKA Yasiin Bey. Especially Mos Def, he turned out to be the wild card here and everything involving him was gold. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 1 week, 4 days ago on 12 June 2025 08:15
(A review of The Takedown)I wasnât expecting much from this flick but, since it was directed by Louis Leterrier and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as check it out. First of all, I only discovered afterwards that this movie was actually a sequel to âDe l'autre cĂ´tĂŠ du pĂŠriphâ, a rather obscure French comedy obviously starring these 2 actors, but I should definitely check it out whenever I have the opportunity. Well, the opening scene for this sequel with its kinetic and nauseating editing was fairly abysmal and, to be honest, I was rather convinced from the start that the damned thing would be pretty lame. However, even though it was completely unexpected, I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I actually enjoyed it after all. Sure, there were plenty things that still didnât work though. First of all, like many (all?) Netflix productions, the whole thing looked so cheap, even the action scenes, except for maybe 2 of them, were just underwhelming. And, yet, I actually had a pretty good time but it was probably only thanks to Omar Sy and Laurent Lafitte. Indeed, even though the plot was terribly generic and tedious, their characters were actually surprisingly well written. Above all, Sy and Lafitte were just hilarious, their timing and dialogues were very often pretty much pitch-perfect. Coming back on the plot, it was actually not a bad idea to deal with the far-right ideas going strong in such villages in France, a huge threat there but also in all Western Europe nowadays. Unfortunately, it was completely undone by this seriously tedious far-fetched conspiracy. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it still turned out to be a decent watch though and I think it is worth a look, at least, if you like the genre.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 1 week, 5 days ago on 11 June 2025 07:22
(A review of Security)To be honest, I wasnât expecting much from this flick but, since it was starring Antonio Banderas and Ben Kingsley, I thought I might as well check it out anyway. Well, from all the cheap action flicks that Banderas has been making recently, I have to admit that it wasnât the worst of the bunch. Indeed, the concept (a security guard with no weapon has to defend himself inside a shopping mall against an army of heavily-armed thugs) actually had some potential. However, donât be fooled, the damned thing was still pretty weak though but, with such a generic title, it was rather expected. First of all, I have nothing against Antonio Banderas, he has some acting skills, but I thought he was rather miscast here as some kind of Jason Bourne-like lethal killing machine. At least, with Stallone, Schwarzenegger or even Van Damme, even if they were definitely not the best actors in the world, they were really badass which was never the case with Banderas, in this movie but also through his whole career. To compensate this, they gave him here a whole bunch of unknown actors who were even less charismatic than he was. The most hilarious one was probably Liam McIntyre who was some kind of cheap version of John Cena except that they would have replaced his muscles with some hilarious sideburns. I was also rather surprised that his character was not appalled when they started to loot and seriously destroy his precious mall but, I guess, right from the start, the guy maybe understood that his life was actually more precious. Concerning the rest of the movie, well, it looked really cheap and none of the action scenes were memorable whatsoever. Anyway, to conclude, even if the damned thing was rather harmless, it was still a waste of time, for myself and all the people involved, and you should probably avoid it.Â
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A good movie
Posted : 1 week, 6 days ago on 10 June 2025 08:47
(A review of 7500)To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even if it was maybe nothing really groundbreaking, I thought it was still a really solid hijacking thriller. Indeed, I always had a weak spot for minimalist features and the idea of having 99% of the action taking place in the cockpit with this pilot worked really well. The whole thing also had a really raw and realistic feeling, even if I know absolutely nothing about piloting a plane. Finally, it had been a while since I saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing the lead and he delivered here another really solid performance. You might argue that they pushed it too far by having him being in a relationship with one of the stewardess but I donât think it was so unlikely. In this line of work, I donât think itâs uncommon that a pilot would be with a stewardess and that they might end up in the same plane. It was also a nice touch to develop a little bit Vedat, the youngest of the terrorists. Sure, his behavior was seriously erratic but I think it made sense considering the circumstances. You also got a good feeling of how completely lost he was and I actually felt sorry for him which was well done from the makers. Basically, he was a sad kid who tried to find some purpose in his life and unfortunately he chose the most messed-up path you could think of. In my opinion, with our privileged background, it is really difficult, almost even impossible, to comprehend how you could end up in such a situation. Eventually, the only mistake they made, in my opinion, was to have this young terrorist helping land this jet airliner. Sure, it was spectacular but it was the only moment when it became too far-fetched for my taste. Anyway, to conclude, it turned out to be a decent thriller and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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