Reviews by johanlefourbe

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Laurent Cantet, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it was the first movie I saw dealing with female sex tourism and, only therefore, it made this movie so intriguing. The first thing I learned is that, even though I thought it was something fairly recent, it actually exists since much longer than I thought, as it was depicted in this movie. Coming back on the movie itself, I have to admit that the first scene was rather disorienting but it turned out to be a very efficient way to show how desperate the people living in such countries are. Eventually, nobody there (man and women) decides to go into the prostitution for fun or because they are some kind of moral deviants, 99% of the time they choose this path because it might be the only option they have. So, it definitely had some some potential but I’m afraid Cantet never had a good grip on the subject. Eventually, you might wonder if a middle-aged white guy was really the best choice to tell the stories of various rich middle-aged white women looking for sex and affection with some much younger black dudes. As a result, neither group was properly developed, especially the native folks living in Haïti. At some point, you did get to hear Albert’s thoughts but, to be honest, they barely had anything to do with the problematic displayed and, afterwards, well, it’s anyone’s guess what the folk out there might have felt or think about all this. Obviously, they did spend more time on these women but the end-result was still hardly satisfying though. It’s a combination between the facts that Cantet apparently didn’t know how to handle these characters and the fact that, beside Charlotte Rampling who was fine as usual, the actresses involved were rather weak. It was also a mistake to have them involved in some love triangle. Anyway, to conclude, even though it seemed to be a failed opportunity, since it’s the only movie I know dealing with this subject, it was still an interesting watch and I think it is worth a look. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Bela Lugosi, I thought I might as well check it out. I remember it very well, I actually saw ‘Ed Wood’ in the movie theater when it was released (and it is still one of the best movies ever delivered by Tim Burton). Well, it’s funny that I took me 30 years to finally see an actual vintage horror feature starring Lugosi. After ‘Dracula’ (which I unfortunately still haven’t seen yet), it must be one of his most famous movies but, to be honest, it wasn’t really good though. Indeed, it was narratively very clunky. For example, at least a 3rd of the story is literally told to us by the characters and not actually displayed on the screen (probably to reduce the costs). Furthermore, all the characters were so poorly developed and underwhelming. Fortunately, Bela Lugosi was pretty good though. Sure, his performance was rather over-the-top but it perfectly fit the material. A nice touch was that Lugosi did pronounce ‘Monsieur’ in a really perfect French accent (I’m French myself). Sure, it’s a small detail but it shows that, even though the guy was typecast in such cheesy horror features, I do believe that he was actually a solid actor. And, yet, I have to admit that the damned thing still worked though. I mean, it did help that it was short and, to be honest, if I would have watched it when I was younger, I probably would have seriously dislike it. Eventually, it all depends if you feel a connection with the mood which was fairly creepy and terribly cheesy at the same time. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you like in the genre or if you are interested in Bela Lugosi’s work.

To be honest, I didn’t have such huge expectations with this movie but since it was starring Liam Neeson and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it was probably the least exciting title I have seen in a while. Seriously, they could have also called it ‘Bland romance involving average people’. Okay, I might be a little but harsh because the damned thing was actually not bad at all. Above all, it was so refreshing to see Liam Neeson finally starring in a drama instead of another average action flicks which has been unfortunately his main focus ever since he made ‘Taken’ already more than 15 years ago. It was also pretty neat to see Lesley Manville, such an underrated actress, playing the lead for once. Anyway, the two actors delivered some solid performances and they were quite convincing as a couple. Unfortunately, in spite of their effort, there was nothing really groundbreaking about the damned thing. Still, it was an interesting touch that they didn’t go too deep into the death of their only child. Of course, as a viewer, you are intrigued by what might have happened at the time but it wasn’t obviously not the point of this movie. Furthermore, it didn’t really matter for the characters, for them, she was taken from them way too soon and it was enough information for the viewers regarding this matter. On the other hand, I thought they were both rather unfazed by Peter’s tragic prospects. I mean, it was to be expected that, during her treatment, Joan would become acquainted with someone in such a predicament but I thought that both her and her husband were rather untouched by meeting a man who would fairly soon die of the same (or a similar version of the same) disease that Joan was dealing with. 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.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, it’s only when the movie started that I discovered that it was actually directed by Tate Taylor which might explained why so many interesting actors did eventually get involved in such a weak feature. Indeed, even if the damned thing didn’t turn out to bet a total disaster, it wasn’t far from it though. Eventually, it seems that Taylor watched too many movies directed by the Coen brothers and thought he could somehow emulate their style. The biggest giveaway was probably Regina Hall’s character. Indeed, with her 80’s haircut and anything but flattering wardrobe, your first reaction is to dismiss her like all the other weirdo’s showing up in this movie. However, fairly quickly, it was actually pretty obvious that she was actually the smartest of the bunch which was basically exactly the same approach the Coen brothers took to handle Frances McDormand’s character in ‘Fargo’. Anyway, beside being apparently a hopeless copycat, this movie was also the perfect example that black humor is not such an easy genre to handle after all. In fact, it is actually hard to pinpoint what was the biggest issue here. Indeed, right from the start, the story was just too convoluted and terribly underwhelming. There were also too many characters involved for a movie barely running 90 mins and, to make things worse, most of these characters were unlikeable, pathetic but, above all, really tedious. Concerning Tate Taylor, ever since the success of ‘The Help’ (a movie with a really tainted legacy), his track-record has been rather patchy but I’m afraid this movie is probably his all-time low so far. Anyway, to conclude, I think I was rather generous with my rating here, the damned thing was just really weak and you should probably avoid it. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it did win the César of the Best movie of the year, I thought I might as well check it out. I remember it very well, when I was growing up in France in the 90’s, ‘Bernie’, Albert Dupontel’s directorial debut, became at the time a huge cult-classic among my peers in my home country.  Well, almost 30 years later, I still haven’t watched the damned thing but it was pretty neat to see this other directorial effort. Anyway, the damned thing turned out to be quite intriguing, even if I strongly wonder if it was the best movie released at the time. I mean, the title was awesome (literally, it actually means ‘Farewell cunts’) and the tone was definitely original. Indeed, Dupontel is apparently famous for his black humor and there was plenty of it here, that’s for sure. However, not everything did work though. For example, even if I could completely identify with the way Adrien was completely unable to express his love to the girl he had a crush on, the way he was stalking her was however just so f*cking creepy though. However, what really won me over was once again Virginie Efira. I discovered her only quite recently but, with each new movie, she keeps impressing me (it does help that I did watch only her recent movies because the rom-coms she made at the beginning of her career do seem to be rather lame). This movie was no exception. Sure, Efira was as usual quite charismatic but it went really beyond that. Indeed, the balance she managed to find for her character, between the tragic and the comic, was just really neat and no one else in the cast did nail it so perfectly as she did. And I shouldn’t forget to mention the ‘Thelma & Louise’ ending which was rather surprising but also quite powerful, and quite frankly, even unforgettable. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.  

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it did win the Best Picture Academy award, I thought I might as well check it out. It’s usually considered as the most obscure Best Picture winner ever but, in fact, it was actually a big box-office success when it was released. Indeed, it was apparently adapted from a very popular Noël Coward’s play which was so intricate, so technically complex, that it was pretty much impossible to show it around the world so the audience at the time were apparently thrilled with this adaptation. Well, I have to admit that the concept was intriguing. Indeed, you get to see 30 years of British history through the eyes of this family which was pretty cool. It was especially interesting how much wars these folks had to face and, by the time this movie was released, only 6 years later, they would have to face yet another war, probably the biggest world conflict ever. I think we tend to forget, in Western Europe, how lucky we are that we never had to face the hardships of war for already 80 years. So, there was definitely some potential but, to be honest, I still struggled to really care about the damned thing though. I think the main issue was the fact that all the characters involved were rather underwhelming. On top of that, at the ending, I thought it was rather bewildering that the Marryots seemed to be rather content on how their lives turned out to be when, in fact, both their children died before them in some really tragic circumstances. I mean, eventually, they did end up with no children, no grand-children either and most people who ever did start a family would be seriously crushed by this. 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. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since I have a weak spot for Kaya Scodelario, I thought I might as well check it out. I actually already saw the vintage version of this classic story with Laurence Olivier playing Heathcliff but, to be honest, I have to admit that I didn’t remember much about it. Well, it must be the gloomiest love story ever written and I do believe it is an acquired taste. At least, Andrea Arnold really went for it, it was visually neat and the mood was pretty much pitch-perfect. In fact, even though you might think that it was a passion project for Arnold, it was hardly the case as many directors were actually attached to this movie before she finally got involved. Eventually, what made her adaptation probably most unique was her choice to cast black actors to play Heathcliff which was an intriguing approach but, to be honest, I’m not so sure if adding a racial angle to this love story was such a great idea. However, something that bothered me even more was the fact that the actors playing the younger versions of Heathcliff and Catherine Earnshaw and the actors playing the older versions of these characters didn’t look alike at all. For example, Kaya Scodelario is famous for her deep blue eyes while Shannon Beer had clearly some dark brown eyes. I mean, none of the actors involved were bad at all but it felt almost like I was watching 2 unrelated movies. The weird thing was that Shannon Beer was/is only 5 years younger than Scodelario so you might wonder if one actress couldn’t have played the character at both ages  after all. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I had no idea what to expect from this flick, in fact, I wanted to check it out because I really liked the title and because Daisy Edgar-Jones seemed to be an intriguing new actress. It’s only afterwards that I discovered that it was actually adapted from a bestseller but I did expect it. Anyway, to be honest, I did end up with some mixed feelings which was apparently the case also for most of the critics. I mean, there is always something intriguing about people who manages to live in the wilderness like this and Daisy Edgar-Jones definitely delivered a solid performance. However, even though the little Kya looked dirty which was understandable considering how she lived and seemed to be starving most of the time, the older Kya looked way too clean and her whole situation looked just too idyllic. To make things worse, from the moment she met Tate as a grown-up, the whole thing did start to feel like a Nicholas Sparks’s novel which was, I hope, not the intended effect. Concerning the twist ending, it was actually fairly easy to figure out. Indeed, with such courtroom thrillers, from the point that the main character is going to walk away fairly easily after all, then, you can be pretty sure that they have actually done it. However, in this case, it gave the whole thing a rather shady morality. Since Chase was a violent douchebag, was she then allowed to kill him without retribution? Was it supposed to be the solution for her mother? To kill her father and dump his body somewhere in the marsh? By the way, you might wonder, since she had apparently whole masterplan, how on Earth living the body lying around was the only option she could choose from? Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch though and Edgar-Jones will definitely be an actress to follow in the future. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it sounded intriguing, I thought I might as well check it out. I wonder if I did read ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ at some point but, in my opinion, this movie was pretty much the ultimate adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's work I have ever seen so far. It’s funny because, in fact, Luis Buñuel was Assistant Director on this movie and did quit after arguing with Epstein over his decision to basically ignore the story written by Poe. Well, as far as I was concerned, it didn’t really matter since the end-result was just mad, so dark and ominous. The only minor critic I might have was that the miniature they used to show the actual house from a far was rather pathetic and unconvincing but everything else did look so spooky and strange. I have to admit that the damned thing was rather relentless though and I don’t think that there was a single scene which did seem to be ‘normal’. And, yet, I still worked so well and I was quite fascinated from the very first seconds until the end. To be honest, I’m not sure if this movie made much sense and the fact that I was tired when I watched it probably didn’t help. Still, I was really impressed and I wonder why this movie has not been more praised through the years. Sure, it is very old but some other older horror flicks did manage to become some major classics in the mean time. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing turned out to be quite mesmerizing to behold and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested in Edgar Allan Poe's work. 

Ever since I saw ‘Paris Texas’ almost 30 years ago, I became instantly a huge fan of Wim Wenders but, to be honest, it had been a while since I saw one of his movies so it was really cool to see his last directorial effort with my film club. Well, it turned out to be at the same time such a simple but also such a complex movie after all. Indeed, at the end of the day, most of the running time is about some average guy cleaning some toilets in Tokyo (by the way, the public toilets there are actually quite impressive), listening to some vintage cassettes and reading some cheap books and that’s pretty much it. You don’t get to know him that much. How did he end up living like this? Who was he actually? Above all, the question I kept repeating myself was, was he actually happy? Indeed, he had created his own bubble and I have to admit that he seems to be quite content but setting such strict constraints to yourself and cutting all bridges with any people who knew you, is it really the answer? But then, and that’s probably the genius of this movie, are we much happier in our more conventional way of life, full of consumerism, meaningless chats and technological noise? I probably had a hard time to accept his choice because a part of myself is really inclined to follow a similar path but I wouldn’t last for long because another part of myself forces me to stay in touch with other people. Eventually, I strongly believed that the main character was the happiest not when he managed to strictly follow his Zen lifestyle but when some outsider did manage to actually disrupt it. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was definitely pretty good though and it is worth a look, especially if you are interested to see Win Wenders making a nice come-back.