Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn’t really expecting much from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, it turned out to be a rather weak, generic and predictable story. As a result, I was at first quite bored and the fact that it would run for 2 long hours was rather daunting. However, what saved this movie from becoming completely lame was the 4 characters involved though. Indeed, even if none of them was really complex whatsoever, they were still fairly well developed and, above all, the cast was really solid (Regina Hall, Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tiffany Haddish). I have to admit that I’m not very familiar with her work but Haddish was very often quite funny in this movie and, for some reason, I have never noticed before that Regina Hall was actually so attractive. Anyway, in spite of the rather lame material, this group of friends was actually pretty neat, they had some nice chemistry together and it was rather obvious that the cast had a blast. Anyway, to conclude, even if the concept was actually pretty weak, the damned thing turned out to be rather harmless and I guess it might be worth a look but only if you really like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect but since I kept hearing some really good things about this flick and since it was available on Netflix, I was really eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, I wish had a better knowledge of the historical background and of all the protagonists involved before watching this movie. Indeed, during the first 15 mins, there was so much information to digest, so many names to remember, I have to admit that I did struggle to get a good grip on the damned thing. Fortunately, as soon as the trial began, it became much more straightforward. In fact, it was probably one of the most incredible but also ridiculous trials I have ever seen. In my opinion, it was another proof of how actually rigged the American judicial system was and actually still is. Indeed, I believe that, before any US trial even starts, most of the time, the accused is actually considered as guilty or innocent solely based on their economical, social, racial and, in this case, political background. Of course, you have tons of American movies showing some nail-biting trials during which you wonder what the outcome might turn out to be but the reality is much more predictable and disheartening, I’m afraid. I have noticed that Sacha Baron Cohen was praised for his performance and he was indeed really good but, in my opinion, he stood out mostly because he had the most and probably the only really multi-layered character. That’s the tricky thing when you have 7 accused (plus Bobby Seale) and 2 hours of running time, as a result, except for Abbie Hoffman and maybe Tom Hayden, all the characters were defined with 1 or 2 scenes and were reduced to one specific character stroke. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t completely blow me away, it was still a solid watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, it was only when the movie was finished that I noticed that the damned thing had been actually directed by John Krasinski. Well, eventually, it turned out to be a rather typical quirky comedy about some dysfunctional family but I have to admit that the approach chosen by Krasinski had some potential. For example, there were some nice little details like for example when you get to see the Hollars watching some lame TV show in Sally’s hospital room. Indeed, it felt really sweet and genuine. Unfortunately, since it was apparently a comedy, they kept forcing the characters to go through some hoops just to get a few laughs. In this case, the biggest victim was probably Ron Hollar. I mean, Sharlto Copley gave a solid performance but, not only the guy was divorced, had lost his job, had to live with his parents, but he kept getting humiliated through most of the duration which was hardly entertaining. Another issue was the fact that the makers did struggle to handle so many characters with each one their own half-baked subplot. In this case, the biggest victim was probably Mary Elizabeth Winstead (who was actually the main reason why I wanted to watch the damned thing). I mean, what was the point of bringing this character at all in the mix if she would never showed up again after this one single scene? Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and I think it is worth a look, at least, if you really like the genre. 

In fact, I wanted to see the original version first but since this remake was directly available thanks to my TV provider, I thought I might as well check it out anyway. Well, if you thought that ‘Black Swan’ gave a creepy look on the dance world, I think that Luca Guadagnino managed to deliver here the creepiest dance movie ever. Seriously, this movie was pretty much the stuff of nightmares and it was often quite spellbinding to behold. Still, even though I enjoyed most of it, the whole thing didn’t completely work though. First of all, I think it was a mistake to let the audience know almost right from the start that the teachers at this dance company were some kind of witches. Indeed, it would have been much spookier, much stronger if they had kept it more ambiguous. The fact that the running time was quite long made this even worse (it was apparently almost 1 hour longer than Argento’s version). Then, in spite the previously mentioned running time, we didn’t really get to know any of the characters and, probably even more problematic, they didn’t evolve whatsoever between the beginning and the end. I mean, even if Dakota Johnson did a deliver a very strong performance, probably her best so far, she still felt like an empty vessel. Still, from a visual point of view, Guadagnino delivered here another gorgeous movie and some images and scenes were quite haunting. It was also a movie during which there was so much stuff going on going such as history, war, politics, gender, witchcraft, horror, psychology, … It was probably too much to handle but this mix was still intriguing to behold. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn't a complete homerun, it was still a nice watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I’m well aware that this franchise has a rather lousy reputation but, to be honest, I have to admit that ‘London Has Fallen’ was slightly better than its predecessor so I thought I might as well check this 3^rd instalment.  Well, unfortunately, this sequel turned out to be a huge step back, I’m afraid. Indeed, above all, the plot was just so generic and seriously tedious. I mean, by now, I can’t remember how many flicks I have seen dealing with the main character being setup for some complot. Obviously, Mike Banning then spent most of the duration trying to prove his innocence while the good guys and bad guys were hunting him down. On top of that, he had also some major health issues which was also not terribly original. I mean, all this was not necessarily a bad idea but the biggest issue was that the makers didn't add anything new, surprising or entertaining with these tired old concepts and, as a result, I was seriously bored through the whole thing. It was also pretty obvious that they had slashed in the budget (it was apparently almost half cheaper than ‘Olympus Has Fallen’) as, this time around, they didn’t have a huge cast of over-qualified actors involved. They still managed to add Danny Huston, Nick Nolte and Jada Pinkett Smith to this franchise though. Huston was actually not bad, Nolte was obviously completely wasted but I felt above all bad for Pinkett Smith. Is it really the only gig she could find to show to the world that she still has a career beside being Miss Will Smith? Anyway, to conclude, even if this movie was rather harmless, I seriously struggled not to fall asleep while watching the damned thing so I don’t think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you really like the genre. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Andrew Garfield, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though the beginning was extremely strong and promising, unfortunately, the whole thing slowly fell apart though. I mean, it was an interesting turn of event that Dennis Nash would work for Rick Carver. Of course, you could blame the guy but since no one else would hire him, what else could he do to feed his family? However, I don’t think it really made sense that Rick would hire him though. Sure, it made for a nice plot twist but a guy like him could hire pretty much anyone else instead of someone he just evicted. However, it became even more far-fetched when he decided to make Dennis evict other people. I mean, would you ask a plumber or a carpenter to do this kind of job? Eventually, I think it was the biggest issue with this movie, the fact that, in spite of another really solid performance by Michael Shannon, Rick Carver’s motives regarding his relationship with Dennis Nash remained really obscure through the whole duration. Concerning Dennis, I wish they didn’t turn him into such a wimp who got sucked into Carver’s messed up schemes. I mean, there is nothing wrong about getting a f*cked-up job especially if there is really nothing else available but I think it would have been more interesting if they would have chosen to have him keep both feet on the ground instead of getting filthy rich and buying a ridiculous mansion in the process. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, the material was still terribly topical and interesting and it is definitely worth a look. 

It is rather doubtful that we needed a new ‘Bad Boys’ instalment (isn’t it the case with most sequels though?) but since this movie had been fairly well received and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though it was probably nothing really amazing, at least, it was miles better than the rather abysmal ‘Bad Boys II’. Indeed, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence had once again a pretty good chemistry and they were quite funny to watch together. However, even if the story was decent enough, the running time was 2 hours and it was just way too long though. Seriously, there is no good reason whatsoever that an action flick with such a generic plot should last for so long. Still, there were a couple of nice ideas though. Indeed, I liked the fact that Mike Lowrey’s reckless behaviour might be finally catching up with him after 25 years, resulting in him getting shot, and it would have been interesting if they further developed this. In the same way, it was pretty neat that Lowrey actually fell in love with a major drug dealer when he was young but, unfortunately, this franchise will always stick to its mantra ‘Bay Boys Forever’ (which could be the title of their next instalment) so everything deviating from this was unfortunately swiftly discarded though. It was also not necessarily a bad idea to give them some new partners but, next to the charismatic team of Smith and Lawrence, they didn’t stand a chance, I’m afraid, and they were all baredy developed at all. Anyway, to conclude, even it might seem that I wasn’t really enthusiastic, it was actually a decent action flick and I think it is actually worth a look, at least, if you really like the genre. 

Since I always had a weak spot for Sam Mendes’s work and since I kept hearing some really good things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out. Well, like many other heralded movies released in 2019, even if I really liked the damned thing, it didn’t really blow me away though. The point was that, sure,  it was indeed visually and technically impressive. However, even though the story was decent enough, to be honest, it was nothing really original or amazing. At least, the plot wasn’t as ridiculous as it was in ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (a movie with an amazing intro but otherwise seriously overrated). Indeed, everything happening was fairly realistic but, again, there was nothing really ground-breaking about these 2 soldiers involved in some seemingly impossible mission to bring some crucial message. Furthermore, pretty much like Christopher Nolan with ‘Dunkirk’, Sam Mendes chose a realistic approach regarding his characters but, while this approach definitely has its merits, it also has its downside. I mean, on one hand, you really feel that you are dealing with some average soldiers, that they could be anyone, the boy-next-door, yourself, your brother,… However, on the other hand, you do end up with some ‘average’ characters who were barely charismatic and who didn’t have any real distinctive features or personalities. Still, there is no doubt that the visuals by Roger Deakins (easily one of the best cinematographers at work nowadays) were just so impressive and it is possible that I would have enjoyed this movie more if I had seen it on the silver screen and not at home. Anyway, to conclude, all in all, it was still another strong directing effort from Sam Mendes and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.