Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it had been very well received, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I have to admit that I was at first not really interested as I expected it to be another predictable vintage flick about Blues. And, indeed, during the first scene, you get to see Ma Rainey and Levee performing on stage, the tension between them was just so obvious and the whole thing seemed to be about a talented jazz musician and his jealous band leader. Fortunately, it went just way deeper than that, and at the center, you had Chadwick Boseman who not only delivered his very last performance but, actually, the very best performance of his tragically short career. To think that the guy was in the middle of his battle against cancer will working on his movie was not only quite mind-bkowing but also did add another tragic layer to this tormented character. Indeed, at first, Levee might seem to be another cocky trumpet player but he turned out to be so much more complex. Basically, even though the guy had some skills and seemed to be confident, he had been also heavily traumatised by life in general and, if you expect this movie to end up with a glorious happy-ending with Levee becoming the next Jazz sensation, you will be quite disappointed. In fact, while all the black characters were constantly cracking jokes, you could feel that under the surface, they were actually all some damaged goods and they were actually almost constantly functioning in survival mode. Concerning Viola Davis, she gave here also another strong performance but even though this woman was just as complex as Levee was, I think she didn’t get enough running time to fully develop her character. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing turned out to be much more interesting than I expected and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you want to see Chadwick Boseman shining one last time. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Shia LaBeouf and Evan Rachel Wood, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even if it wasn’t a complete disaster, I’m afraid the damned thing never really worked for me. Basically, it was one of these quirky indie love features and, while the whole thing was still quite whimsical, it mostly stood out for how bleak the tone turned out to be. In fact, this approach didn’t bother me, in the contrary, what bother me more was how completely random the damned thing was. Indeed, right from the start, the ghost of the main character’s mother showed up to tell him to go to Bucharest for really no reason whatsoever and, from that point on, the randomness really never stopped ever. I mean, there was even Ron Weasley playing some kind of wannabe porn actor, for crying out loud. And yet, even though Shia LaBeouf is getting an increasingly lousy reputation, the guy is just so good playing such lost souls and, even if the material was constantly borderline preposterous, he was actually always convincing and entertaining to behold. Concerning Evan Rachel Wood, I had some rather mixed feelings. I mean, she was, as usual, quite charismatic and her performance was not bad but it was rather disappointing that they didn’t hire a Romanian actress to play this part. In fact, except for the guy who died in the plane after 10 mins, none of the major actors involved was actually from Romania which made the whole thing look even more fake than it already was. Anyway, to conclude, my rating might have been harsh this time around since there were some elements that I actually did enjoy, still, most of it was actually pretty weak and, eventually, I don’t think it is really worth a look. 

To be honest, I had really no idea what to expect from this flick but since there was a solid cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, like I said before, I didn’t know anything about the story before watching this movie and it has been a while since I saw a movie which made me wondering for so long, in fact, even after the damned thing was all over. Indeed, the characters were so complex, really fully fledged and it was definitely an impressive acting showcase (Kelvin Harrison Jr., Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Octavia Spencer). Eventually, Luce was the whole way an enigma and remained so, even when the movie did end. It was so interesting to see this young man with such a great potential but also with a really complex background and, to be honest, it was practically impossible to try to put yourself in his shoes. Indeed, what was going on in his mind? What was actually his endgame? The fact that the ending didn’t give any clear answer didn’t really surprise me and it might seem to be a cop-out from the makers. Indeed, eventually, by providing no closure, they could keep the cloud of mystery around their character forever which was slightly disappointing but, as a result, I keep re-thinking about what I saw which is actually quite rewarding. This movie is also the stuff of nightmare if you’re a parent yourself (I have 3 children myself). Indeed, even if you deeply love your children, even if you completely trust them to do the right thing, at some point, around 14-15 years old, they will leave your radar (except maybe if you are a major control freak) and, to be honest, you won’t really know for sure what they are actually doing with their time which can be really daunting. So, what should you do then? Always blindingly trust them or jeopardize your relationship with them when they are facing some major crisis? It was yet another fascinating topic developed in this movie. Anyway, to conclude, they probably tried to tackle too many ideas but the damned thing was still quite spellbinding and it is definitely worth a look. 

I had no idea what to expect from this flick but I was in the mood in watching something completely different and since this movie was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. The main reason I wanted to watch the damned thing was because the animation seemed to be really neat and, indeed, we have come a long way since ‘Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within’, the first CGI animated motion picture with photo-realistic characters, was released already 20 years ago. Indeed, in this area, this movie was quite impressive, even if it was maybe slightly overwhelming during the action scenes because it was going so fast with so many details and so much stuff happening at every corner of the screen. Concerning the story, well, it wasn’t so successful, I’m afraid. I mean, it was not bad but the whole thing was basically based on some rather convoluted Chinese mythology and, to be honest, I’m not sure I followed half of the story. And, yet, the more I think about it, the more I believed that the damned thing had some potential. Indeed, there was an intriguing dark undercurrent because Nezha was actually some kind of violent and egocentric god responsible for many innocent deaths through his various reincarnations. Unfortunately, the whole thing was just so damned messy and unfocused, they never went deeper in this interesting direction. Concerning the characters, some of them were actually pretty cool and/or entertaining (especially this monkey with 6 ears who might have been some Monkey King after all) but they were probably too many of them and, eventually, none of them was actually really developed whatsoever. Anyway, to conclude, even though the damned thing never really convinced me, it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you want to watch something really different. 

Since I kept hearing some pretty good things about this flick, I was quite eager to check it out. I remember it quite well, there was quite an outcry from the critics  because it turned out to be a box-office flop  when the critics thought it was actually a great movie. Well, to be honest, I’m not surprised that the damned thing didn’t make much waves when it was released. I mean, sure, it was a solid directorial debut from Olivia Wilde and it was fairly entertaining but it was also terribly generic. The fact that the movie was really similar to ‘Superbad’ and that Beanie Feldstein is actually Jonah Hill’s sister didn’t help to make this movie less derivative. Fortunately, the whole thing did start to take off when these two girls finally got to this party (that it took them so long to get there was also a rather poor narrative choice). Indeed, from this point on, not only the two main characters but also all the other characters started to get more complex and more interesting and, suddenly, nobody was completely mean or stupid and, suddenly, Amy and Molly were also not necessarily the 2 smartest persons in the room. Indeed, at this point, it became pretty obvious that they were not involved in social activities outside school not because they were ostracized but mostly because they thought they were better than the rest of their peers. This approach was definitely more complex and interesting than what you usually get to see in the other movies in this genre and it's too bad they went in this direction really late. Anyway, even though the movie itself not always really worked, I really had a weak spot for these 2 girls. Indeed, they were fully developed as characters, they felt really genuine and it was probably one of the greatest friendships I have ever seen displayed in a movie. Finally, there is no denying that Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein both delivered some really good performances. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a solid comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

To be honest, since I never really cared for this franchise, I wasn’t really expecting much from this last instalment but I still ended up watching the damned thing anyway. Indeed, even if the 1^st two instalments were incredibly successful (they are both in the top 3 highest grossing music comedies of all-time), I always thought that the concept was actually rather weak, even pretty lame. The thing that always disappointed me was that, each time this group is singing, it is obvious that they are actually not singing live and not only it looks terribly fake but it always felt like a missed opportunity since the damned thing was actually dealing with an a capella group. Anyway, in this case, even though by now the Bellas were all out of college, for some reasons, they were still eager to sing together in some lame a capella group which was even more pathetic than before. To make things worse, the whole thing was just seriously random. I mean, there was even a subplot dealing with Fat Amy’s long lost father who turned out to be some kind of James Bond villain. Concerning the cast, I have to admit that they had gathered a great number of interesting actresses (Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks, Brittany Snow, Ruby Rose) but, unfortunately, they were all rather wasted here each with their own really half-baked subplot. Anyway, to conclude, even if the damned thing was rather harmless, I think you should better avoid it, except if you are really a die-hard fan. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it had been very well received, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, it didn’t turn out to be an easy watch but since it was from the same guy who gave us ‘Tangerine’, it was hardly surprising. Indeed, Sean Baker gave us once again a movie without an actual plot and, in fact, during the whole thing, pretty much nothing really happened. And, yet, the damned thing still worked though. Once again, Baker continued his deconstruction of the America Dream by displaying some seemingly colourful but in fact decrepit hotels filled up with people living, or surviving would be more accurate, in the margins of society when a few miles away, 1000’s of tourists spends fortunes to go to Disneyworld. As I mentioned before, nothing much really happened through the whole thing, you mostly see the main characters either wandering aimlessly or running some scams and, on top of that, they were all rather unlikable making the whole thing ever harder to watch. Except of course for Willem Dafoe’s character. Dafoe would be eventually praised for his work here but, to be honest, I thought it was a distraction to see such a well-established actor among all these amateurs or first timers. The fact that he played basically the only decent guy around didn’t help either. Eventually, I was above all impressed by Brooklynn Prince who gave one of the most incredible child performances I have ever seen. Of course, she seemed to be so annoying and she was for sure, but behind the obnoxious behaviour, you had also a survivor with some major streetwise knowledge and a kid able to create the greatest adventures out of thin air. Concerning Halley played by Bria Vinaite, well, it was even more difficult to root for her for some obvious reasons. Indeed, she kept making some terrible decisions and her behaviour was probably even more obnoxious than her daughter so your first reaction would be to think that she might be the worst mother in the world. And, yet, if you would dig a little deeper, she actually gave her daughter a roof, food and, above all, love and it would have been easier for her to ditch the kid (like her father did apparently) but it was never an option for her. Anyway, to conclude, even though the damned thing was seriously bleak and even heart-breaking, it was still a solid watch and it is definitely worth a look. 

Since this movie has a solid reputation, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, I have to admit that I always had a hard time to connect with Sally Potter's work (and, by now, I have already seen half of the movies she has directed) and I'm afraid even her most heralded movie turned out to be quite challenging. At least, there is no doubt that Orlando was quite a fascinating character. Still, even if Tilda Swinton certainly delivered a strong performance here, I wonder if she was really the right choice to play this character. Indeed, in my opinion, an even more androgenous actor/actress might have worked better. Concerning the rest of the movie, well, beside the fact that the main character was apparently immortal and changed gender half-way through, the damned thing was pretty weird which wasn't a problem but it was also terribly random. Seriously, one of the segments involving some (random) Russian characters took place almost completely on ice but why?!? Another issue was that, even you spent the whole duration only focusing on this character, you actually never get to learn Orlando at all. Basically, he/she was treated as some kind of dreamlike being which was intriguing but he/she always remained at arm's length which turned out to be rather frustrating. For example, Orlando was first a man and then a woman but, while the character argued that it didn't make any difference, it actually did and, from the moment Orlando became a woman, she started t experience the same discrimination that most women have to face during their life. Unfortunately, that's something that wasn't developed at all, in fact, they kept moving from one random scene to another random scene instead of going deeper into any theme or idea displayed in this movie. Anyway, to conclude, even if the whole thing didn't completely work for me, it was still a really intriguing tale and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

Following the ‘Fantastic Four’ debacle, Josh Trank still managed to come up with a new directing effort but, even though it turned out to be another critical bomb, I was still eager to check the end-result. Well, to be honest, I wonder why this movie had received such harsh reviews since it was far from being such a terrible disaster. Indeed, the movie was visually well made and Tom Hardy, probably one of the most interesting actors at work nowadays, delivered here another strong performance. However, I have to admit that the damned thing still didn’t really work though. It did remind me of another movie I saw a couple of years ago called ‘The Happy Prince’ which was dealing with the last year(s) of Oscar Wilde. Indeed, even if this approach might seem intriguing, in both cases, the makers made the same mistake to assume that, if someone is famous, their last years will always be fascinating to behold but it is actually rarely the case and definitely not with this movie. Indeed, basically, from the very beginning, Al Capone A.K.A. Fonse was in terrible shape and most of the movie was about watching him going from one mental meltdown to another or some other form of psychotic episode. So, even if it was rather well made and Hardy was solid, it felt rather repetitive fairly quickly and, like I said before, not as interesting as the makers were obviously hoping for. There were also a few sub-plots but they were all rather half-baked and even less interesting than the degeneration of the notorious gangster. Eventually, the most pathetic plot line was probably the one involving the FBI trying to catch him one last time. I mean, sure, the guy did some terrible things but, at this point, he was most of the time pretty much batsh*t crazy and already going through a slow and painful death so going after him was not only rather pointless but also really stupid. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I don’t think this movie deserves such a bad reception though and it is actually worth a look. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved and since it was suggested by a fellow Listal member, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I really loved the intro and the whole Sergio Leone vibe so the damned thing certainly displayed some potential at first. Unfortunately, the plot turned out to be so generic and it was rather disappointing that nothing really interesting or noteworthy really happened through the whole duration after all. Seriously, it was pretty much ‘John Wick’ in the Wild West. Concerning the cast, Ethan Hawke was solid as usual but I wouldn’t expect less from such a dependable actor. However, I was above all impressed by John Travolta who was just pitch-perfect playing some some villainous Marshal who turned out to be more subtle than the typical bad guys that you usually get in your average Western. Seriously, even if Travolta’s career always had some major ups and downs, the guy can be actually seriously entertaining, especially when he plays such juicy characters. For the ladies, Taissa Farmiga was not really bad but I didn’t care much for her character and, to be honest, I was really surprised by how weak Karen Gillan was in this flick. Of course, you could argue that her character was supposed to be some annoying gold-digging b*tch but she was never convincing whatsoever and her whole performance felt completely tone-deaf. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch though and I guess it is worth a look if you really like the genre.