Posted : 6 months, 1 week ago on 6 August 2024 09:03
(A review of
Lift)
I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but, since there was a decent cast involved and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. In fact, I do have a weak spot for heist movies but, to be honest, I was actually surprised by how lame this movie actually turned out to be, especially since it was directed by the guy who gave us âThe Italian Jobâ. Iâm not a huge fan of this remake but I have to admit that it was a decent flick and it was, back then, a commercial success. On the other hand, he was also responsible for âBe Coolâ probably one of the least necessary and above least entertaining sequels ever made. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, right from the start, I was just so bored and one of the reasons was the fact that everything looked so fake. It reminded me of âThiefâ, one of my favorite movies in the genre. Back then, they used an actual vault and the actual tools to break in which were supplied by real-life thieves who served as technical consultants on this film. Anyway, the damned thing was so raw and so fascinating to behold but, in this case, they kept using some supposedly âhigh-techâ gadgets which all looked rather pathetic. It has also been a while since I have seen a movie with such ugly CGI. Another issue was the fact that all the characters were just terribly flat. I mean, I have nothing against Kevin Hart, the guy can be actually pretty funny, but he was just never convincing as some kind of mastermind thief. At least, Gugu Mbatha-Raw was, as usual, really lovely and she did what she could with this material but itâs a shame than such a talented actress keeps wasting her time with such underwhelming Netflix features (see also âThe Cloverfield Paradoxâ). Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was just terribly weak and I think you should probably avoid it.Â
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Posted : 6 months, 1 week ago on 4 August 2024 05:22
(A review of
Trap)
To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but, since there was literally nothing else to see at the movie theater, I thought I might as well give it a try. Well, eventually, I have to admit that I was actually positively surprised by the damned thing. Indeed, I think I enjoyed it, on one hand, because I have nowadays such low expectations from M. Night Shyamalan and, on the other hand, because it was in fact probably the least pretentious movie he has delivered so far. The most annoying thing about Shyamalan, even with 'The Sixth Sense', is the way he always ends up his movies with a big twist which is supposed to show how really smart he is. Here, the whole thing was actually an endless succession of twists which might sound even worse but this approach turned out to be much less annoying. The fact that most of these twists were not completely ridiculous also probably helped. I mean, the concept of catching a serial-killer during a huge pop-concert might sound catchy but, to be honest, it didnât make much sense though. To have also all this police force in uniform also triggered him almost right away and it seemed to be a rather stupid move from this supposedly super smart profiler. Another thing that I enjoyed with this movie was the fact that the main character was actually quite fascinating. Indeed, on one hand, he was actually a good father, probably a good husband as well, and, yet, he was also a bloodthirsty serial-killer. It was also pretty neat that Josh Harnett was a perfect choice for this role. Unfortunately, Shyamalan always had no idea how to develop the psychology of his characters and this movie was not exception, I'm afraid. Indeed, it would have been amazing if they could have displayed how dark his mind was while still being a kind and caring parent. Instead, Shyamalan went for a much lighter approach, even ending on a rather comical note which, I have to admit it, actually worked. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn't a masterpiece whatsoever, it turned out to be a solid B feature after all and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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Posted : 6 months, 1 week ago on 4 August 2024 08:51
(A review of
90 Minutes in Heaven)
To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but, since there was a decent cast involved and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, eventually, as usual with such Christian-themed movies, the damned thing was pretty weak but I actually think it did have some potential. I have to admit that I have been raised as an atheist (you could say that my folks are pretty much 'anti-'religion) but I have always been fascinated by religion as a concept. On top of that, I do believe that the way of thinking and living displayed by Jesus was actually incredibly inspiring. Anyway, coming back on our main feature, I think they completely messed-up their approach. Indeed, even if Don Piper himself might disagree, our goal should never be about reaching heaven, it should always be about who you are and what you are doing right now with your time on this Earth. That's in fact something rather off-putting about the Christian religion, this obsession about rewarding and punishment in the after life when, in fact, it was definitely not what Jesus was preaching about. I'm sorry, I'm deviating again but, eventually, most of the duration was about the main character being in bed suffering incredible pain but the end-result was rather botched because they never managed to make you feel his agony whatsoever. To make things worse, even though I never had anything against Hayden Christensen, the guy was just really weak here and I'm afraid he didn't have the skills to play such a challenging part. Coming back on the theological side, he was given the gift of life not once but twice and, instead of cherishing this gift, he was just constantly complaining. I mean, it also meant that he was actually human but his depression was just so poorly depicted, it was actually rather hard to root for him. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn't a complete disaster, this movie was rather lame and you should probably avoid it, except if you really like the genre.
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Posted : 6 months, 2 weeks ago on 28 July 2024 10:39
(A review of
Deadpool & Wolverine)
Nick, my step-son, was really eager to check this movie and it was pretty much our highest priority for this year. On top of that, we went to see it on his birthday which was really neat. Well, Nick, like the rest of the audience, really had a blast, that's for sure, and I have to admit that it was indeed quite entertaining. Was it great though? Not really, I'm afraid. I mean, to bring Wolverine back into the mix, even though the character had been retired after 'Logan', was a very smart marketing stunt but, unfortunately, it was pretty much the only thing that it was, a smart marketing move. Indeed, eventually, I don't think that these two characters had such great chemistry but they were not helped by the fact that they were not given much to do. Basically, for most of the duration, you get to see them wandering in some wasteland, they kept fighting and arguing with each other and that was basically it. As usual with the MCU but in fact the whole super-hero genre, they were stuck into the same plot they alway give us about saving the world from some all-mighty villain. Seriously, when will they finally come up with something new, especially now since the MCU is clearly struggling? Anyway, to bring back Wolverine, of course, they used the multiverse trope but I have to admit that it worked really well with Deadpool messed-up unhinged humor. Indeed, as a result, you get so many unexpected and left-field cameos, it was actually really neat. And, of course, even though the plot was terribly derivative and barely entertaining, even though Wolverine didn't have much added value after all, Deadpool remains such a wild and insanely fun character. Will he ever come back again? It's tricky since he doesn't fit at all in the MCU kid-friendly tone but I certainly hope so. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing really revolutionary, I have to admit that the damned was really entertaining and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 6 months, 2 weeks ago on 27 July 2024 08:41
(A review of
Under Paris)
To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Of course, the idea of a shark in Paris was completely preposterous but thatâs the reason why this movie mostly did succeed, the fact that the makers never took themselves seriously. As a result, it turned out to be a B feature dealing with sharks, no more and no less that, but I thought the end-result was actually fairly entertaining. While watching this movie, I was thinking about âJawsâ, obviously, and the fact that, because of technical issues, they barely displayed the actual shark at all but thatâs what actually made the movie so effective and entertaining at the time. Now, we are 50 years later and, because of the possibilities of CGI, a mid-budget movie like this one can show as many shots of a shark that they want but, while it might be convenient for the film makers, it is actually less effective mostly because it looks still too fake. Still, I have to admit that the bombastic and chaotic ending took me by surprise and was actually pretty neat. Indeed, they really messed up the City of Love and the tone was fairly downbeat but it didnât bother me, in the contrary. It also helped that BĂ©rĂ©nice Bejo is a solid actress and managed to play it really straightforward, even if her character was barely developed after all but it was obviously not the point here. I also did appreciate the fact that they kept the jokes to a real bare minimum. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing really amazing, it was still a decent watch though and I think it is worth a look, at least, if you really like the genre.Â
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Posted : 6 months, 3 weeks ago on 26 July 2024 12:45
(A review of
Skywalkers: A Love Story)
To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but the subject did sound pretty cool and, since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I did remind me of âMan on Wireâ, easily one of my favorite documentaries. Indeed, especially during the 3rd act, when they focused on the climbing of Merdeka 118, an insanely tall building in Kuala Lumpur, it was so similar but I didnât bother me, in the contrary, since I loved so much this incredible movie based on Philippe Petit's fascinating daredevil endeavor. I think the biggest achievement of this movie was that, even though you will probably think first that it is a really idiotic hazardous way to spend your time, at the end, you wonât be able argue against the fact that the images and videos they deliver were actually so breathtaking. Seriously, it became so artistic at some point that it really became some kind of Art. Eventually, the only thing that bothered me were all these scenes during which they were neither climbing or prepping to climb and instead there was always some kind of drama involved. Indeed, the whole point was to see them doing some crazy sh*t, not seeing them going through some personal shenanigans, but, above all, it all seemed slightly fake to me. I mean, to caught one of these scenes by chance on camera, sure, why not? But it kept occurring other and other again and I wonder if it wasnât all staged just to add some drama to the proceedings. Above all, I wish they spend more time showing them climbing some buildings and showing us some incredible and insane stunts. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I really enjoyed the damned thing though and I think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in this subject.
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Posted : 6 months, 3 weeks ago on 25 July 2024 10:54
(A review of
Unfrosted)
I have noticed that this movie was pretty much a critical flop when it was released but, since Iâm a huge fan of Jerry Seinfeld and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out anyway. Well, Iâm afraid I would have to agree with the critics on this one. Indeed, even though it was pretty neat to finally see Seinfeld in a movie, even directing one for the very first time, Iâm afraid that the damned thing was just not good though. Sure, from the very beginning, you might wonder if making a movie about the creation of the Pop-Tarts was such a great idea but, on the other hand, David Fincher did manage to deliver a modern classic about Facebook. Eventually, I can imagine that Seinfeld could deliver a pretty good joke about Pop-Tarts during his stand-ups but there is a big difference between having fun about it for maybe 5 mins and delivering an actual full-length feature about this subject. Iâm not saying that it was impossible but the fact that Seinfeld never directed another movie before probably didn't help. Anyway, there is no doubt that he didnât pull it off, thatâs for sure. Indeed, as mentioned before, the story was hardly interesting from the start but, to make things worse, the characters were not much better in spite the solid cast involved (Jerry Seinfeld, Christian Slater, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Max Greenfield, Cedric The Entertainer, Melissa McCarthy, James Marsden, Maria Bakalova, Dean Norris, Peter Dinklage, Bill Burr, Jon Hamm, John Slattery). Concerning the cast, the best of the bunch was probably Hugh Grant but even his character was not exactly hilarious though. However, the worst thing was probably the fact that most of the jokes were barely amusing at all. Anyway, to conclude, even if the damned thing was rather harmless, it was still pretty lame and you should probably avoid it, expect maybe if you are die-hard fan of Jerry Seinfeld.Â
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Posted : 6 months, 3 weeks ago on 24 July 2024 08:19
(A review of
Irish Wish)
I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Lindsay Lohan and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, it was not really good, in fact, it was even pretty weak. First of all, I have to admit that I do have actually a weak spot for romantic-comedies. Unfortunately, like most movies in this genre, they went for some kind of moronic gimmick so Iâm afraid the damned thing was pretty much doomed to fail from the start. Furthermore, sure, Ireland did look quite gorgeous in this movie but there was also something rather fake about this postcard look though. And, yet, I thought it was pretty cool to see Lohan making a come-back after almost 20 years. Furthermore, even though the story was rather lame and her character was barely interesting, I thought she was quite charismatic though. Itâs too bad that the supporting characters were not entertaining whatsoever and I guess it was a strategy to make sure that none of them could upstage Lohan in any way. Sure, this come-back (which actually started a few years before with âFalling for Christmasâ but I didnât see it yet) never came near the level of âIron Manâ for Robert Downey Jr. or âThe Wrestlerâ for Mickey Rourke. However, at least, it was nice to see her finally in a good shape after all these years and I hope she will keep this up and maybe even tackle some more challenging work in the future (she probably wonât though). Anyway, to conclude, even if it was a decent effort from Lohan, the damned thing was still pretty weak though and I donât think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you are a huge fan of the genre.Â
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Posted : 6 months, 3 weeks ago on 23 July 2024 12:22
(A review of
Page Eight)
To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a nice cast involved and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. I found out afterwards it was actually a TV feature, it was apparently a big success when it was broadcasted and, well, Iâm not surprised. Indeed, it has been a while since I have seen such a smart movie and it was most of the time quite fascinating to behold (itâs too bad I was rather exhausted when I watched the damned thing though). Indeed, it was quite refreshing to see a spy feature actually dealing with âintelligenceâ and not with the usual bombastic action scenes. Eventually, you can imagine that what happened in this movie could probably happen in real life. Another thing that I loved as well were the dialogues which were so articulate, once again, it was a breath of fresh air after the idiotic movies I have been watching lately. Concerning the cast (Bill Nighy, Rachel Weisz, Michael Gambon, Judy Davis, Ewen Bremner, Felicity Jones, Ralph Fiennes), there were some really nice actors involved but I was above all impressed by Bill Nighy who probably gave here the best performance of his career. One cool thing about his character was the fact that, even though he was a womanizer like James Bond, he wasnât a playboy at all. Sure, I have to admit that it was rather a stretch that a gorgeous woman like Rachel Weisz would fall for him but I think the women orbiting around him were attracted by his intellect and because of the fact that, in spite of his line of work, he was actually never telling them some bullsh*t. Anyway, to conclude, I really enjoyed it and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you want to see a realistic spy feature.
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Posted : 6 months, 3 weeks ago on 22 July 2024 10:36
(A review of
Twisters)
Since Nick, my step-son, is a huge fan of the such disaster flicks, we went to see this one in the movie theater when it was released. Nick also chose to see the damned thing in 4DX which turned out to be really a master move. Indeed, I already saw a couple of movies in this format and it was fine but, for this movie, it was actually pretty much perfect. By the way, for those who donât know what 4DX is, well, it means that, during the action scenes, the seats are moving (a lot), there is some wind blowing in your face, even some water, and, with such a disaster flick, it was actually pretty damned awesome. Concerning the movie itself, it was basically an old fashioned blockbuster, the ones you used to get back in the 90âs, and it was definitely some harmless brainless entertainment. Concerning the characters, sure, they were all rather stereotypical but it really helped that they had some solid actors at their disposal, especially Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell who had some nice chemistry together. I also did appreciate the fact that, even though they all felt that it was really cool to see some awesome tornados, their priority was always the safety of the people living in these areas and who were afflicted by them which was a nice touch. There were also some devil real-estate guy buying for cheap the destroyed properties but, even though it might not be far from the truth, it was probably the only thing in this movie which felt rather half-baked. I mean, if you already have to face some tornados, who needs some extra bad guy? Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing really ground-breaking, I have to admit that it was quite fun though and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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