Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Bryan Cranston and Alice Eve, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, the beginning was pretty weak. Indeed, it wasn’t really convincing that the social services would remove her kid only because the place where they lived might not be suitable. In this case, most of the children living in some impoverished neighborhoods should be removed from their family. Then, to be honest, the character played by Bryan Cranston was slightly ridiculous. I mean, it felt as if Walter White got suddenly half-blind and started to speak with a thick Russian accent. In fact, the fact that the guy was almost blind was not necessarily a bad idea. However, the fact that he was trying to hide it from his ’co-workers’ was quite ridiculous and completely impractical. So, the basic elements of the plot didn't really work and, yet, it slowly won me over though. Indeed, the rest of the story mostly worked and I especially did like the survival instinct displayed by Alice Eve’s character. The evolution of their relationship was also not bad. Hell, even Logan Marshall-Green gave a decent performance.  To be honest, the more I think about it, the more I believe I’m giving this movie too much credit as the story was still really generic but I guess it was still fairly entertaining. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it was a decent watch but don’t expect too much from the damned thing. 

To be honest, I didn’t have some really high expectations but since I have a weak spot for Liam Neeson and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it was a nice surprise that Florence Pugh was involved with a small apart but I’m afraid it was probably the only interesting thing about this flick. Indeed, to be honest, I really had a hard time to care about the damned thing. I don’t know, maybe, by now, I have seen too many similar action flicks starring Liam Neeson (it was already the 4^th one he made with this director only…) but I think the story was actually pretty weak, at least, even weaker than usual. I mean, I didn’t mind that the action was taking place on a train. Indeed, ‘Non-Stop’, Collet-Serra’s and Neeson’s previous collaboration was taking place in a plane and, even if it was completely preposterous, at least, it was fairly entertaining. However, in this case, right from the start, the whole thing barely made sense whatsoever. I mean, if the whole point was to get rid off of some witness, was it the really the best way to reach this goal? Anyway, basically, the end-result was that you get to see Neeson endlessly walking up and down this freaking train giving some weird looks to the other passengers which was hardly entertaining. Sure, there were a few decent action scenes but they were really over-the-top and using too much some rather cheap looking CGI. Finally, even if, so far, Liam Neeson had been more than welcome in such rather weak action flicks, I wonder if he wasn’t miscast this time around. Anyway, to conclude, I thought the damned thing was really weak and it’s really time that Neeson find something else to do with his time and talent. 

About 6 months ago, I saw ‘Uncut Gems’ but even though I did like this movie, to be honest, I haven’t been really blown away though. However, since this previous directing effort had been also really well received, I was still eager to give the Safdie brothers another shot. Well, this time around, I was definitely able to enjoy the damned thing, that’s for sure. First of all, the one thing I did really enjoy in ‘Uncut Gems’ was the raw energy these guys brought and it was definitely again present in this movie. Once again, it was pretty dark and bleak but what I impressed me was how relentless and unpredictable the damned thing turned out to be. Seriously, pretty much every 5 minutes, you saw the main character making a left turn and their masterstroke was that it never felt like a gimmick. Indeed, even though most of his decisions would be considered as misguided in any normal context, it did somehow always make sense in his own dark and twisted world. And if you still have any doubts about Robert Pattinson’s acting talent, you should definitely check this movie. Indeed, he completely nailed this performance as he managed to make his character charismatic (how would he otherwise manage to get out of trouble every time again?) but he also removed any form of glamour attached to his public personality. You could argue that none of the characters was actually developed but giving more details about any of them might have ruined its mystic appeal. Furthermore, it actually fit Connie's way of thinking. For him, it didn’t really matter who he or the people around him were. The only thing that mattered was how he could achieve his next short-term goal and how the people around him could be of any use. Eventually, I enjoyed this movie so much that I might have to re-watch ‘Uncut Gems’ at some point. Anyway, to conclude, it turned out to be a really good cult-classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

Back in 2014, this movie made some major waves because it was making fun of North Korea and especially of its leader, Kim Jong-un. In fact, the whole thing got so out of hand that there were some threats and even some hacking going on against Sony and, as a result, they even postponed releasing the movie for a while. Basically, it was a huge mess and, after all these years, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I think the concept of a moronic US TV personality interviewing the most infamous dictator in the world was pretty wild but it actually had some potential. And, indeed, the first part worked really well and was actually quite entertaining. Unfortunately, to get these guys involved in some assassination plan orchestrated by the CIA was such a misguided idea though and it pretty much completely derailed the whole thing, I’m afraid. It’s too bad because the interview itself seemed really surreal but, actually, not completely impossible. On top of that, to see Kim Jong-un completely manipulating Dave Skylark was just so intriguing and, again, actually fairly believable, and it would have been so interesting if they had continued in this direction. Unfortunately, it seems that the makers wanted to make sure that nobody could take the damned thing seriously and the best way to achieve this goal was to add this completely half-assed CIA plan. Seriously, even though it was supposed to be funny, it was just stupid and barely entertaining. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it still think it was bold to make a comedy about an actual dictactor who happens to be still alive and kicking and, only therefore, I think the damned thing is actually worth a look. 

To be honest, when I heard that they were yet coming back with another movie about Sherlock Holmes, I can’t say I was really excited or even slightly interested. However, since it had been fairly well received and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check this one out. Well, I have to admit that the damned thing was actually not bad at all after all. Above all, their winning card was definitely Millie Bobby Brown. Indeed, even though they did overuse the gimmick of having the young actress breaking the 4^th wall, she was just so charismatic and she pretty much single-handedly managed to turn this rather generic material in something actually quite entertaining. Concerning the story itself, well, I guess it was decent enough but not much more than that, I’m afraid. Three disappearances were definitely too much and even though Millie Bobby Brown had a nice chemistry with Louis Partridge, the whole political angle didn’t really work for me. I mean, a Sherlock Holmes tales will always be something rather fluffy but there was nothing fluffy about the fight for Women rights so combining the two was not exactly a great idea. Concerning Sherlock Holmes himself, Henry Cavill was actually not bad at all and I would go as far as saying that he had delivered here one of his most convincing performance so far but this movie was above all a one-man-show by Millie Bobby Brown. Indeed, first of all, it is always so refreshing when a 16-year-old character is actually played by a 16-year-old actress instead of someone in their 30’s. Above all, Brown seems to be the genuine article as she was really compelling to behold while delivering a completely different performance than the one she gave in ‘Stranger Things’. Anyway, to conclude, even if the whole thing was nothing really ground-breaking, it turned out to be a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn’t expecting much from this flick but since it had been fairly well received, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I had my doubts about the damned thing. Indeed, I really loved the Sonic video games when I was a kid, probably even more than the Super Mario video games, but it wasn’t a game that you played because of its amazing ‘story’ so any movie adaptation will always seem rather misguided to me. However, in this case, I have to admit that the makers did manage to make the most of it though. Indeed, Sonic was rather faithful to the character in the videogame, his sense of isolation was not bad and Jim Carrey was also a nice choice to play Dr. Robotnik. However, why did the action have to take place on Earth? I guess the only reason was that it was just cheaper than having the action taking place in some wild fantasy worlds like it was in the actual videogame but this choice was still rather disappointing. Anyway, in spite of this setting, the story was not bad though, even if it was still fairly generic. Concerning James Marsden, I guess it was a slight improvement for him to be involved in a movie with Sonic the Hedgehog instead of the Easter Bunny but, even if I won’t blame him, his character was still rather boring. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t care much about the damned thing, I have to admit that it was not bad and I guess it might be worth a look, at least, if you want to entertain some young children.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Ewan McGregor, I was still eager to check it out. Well, I wonder if the book written by John le Carré was any better because this story terribly lacked some pulse and, to be honest, I didn’t feel much excitement through the whole thing. Basically, even though the damned thing did have some potential, to be honest, it wasn’t really good, I’m afraid. The main issue, in my opinion, was that the premise was just pretty shaky and it actually never really worked. I mean, did it really make sense that this average couple would tag along around the world with the MI6? On the other hand, you could argue that Alfred Hitchcock had been quite successful directing some thrillers involving some average guy played by James Stewart or Cary Grant getting involved in some obscure conspiracy. However, in this case, they tried to go for a fairly realistic approach but it really clashed with the fact that the premise was rather far-fetched. Another issue was that the relationships between the different characters was barely developed. For example, the movie started with Perry and Gail having some trouble in their couple but what was their problem exactly? And, even more problematic, this conflict completely disappeared fairly quickly without an actual resolution. Anyway, in general, we never get to learn any of them as individual or as a couple. In a similar way, the connection between Perry and Dima was rather poorly developed as well. Towards the end, Dima makes a joke about the fact that he chose Perry because there was actually no one else in this restaurant but it actually displayed the completely lack of depth in their relationship. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I guess it might still be worth a look but only if you really like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Jessica Chastain, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, the damned thing turned out to be seriously weak. Seriously, it wasn’t much better than all the forgettable countless action flicks released direct-to-DVD or on VOD nowadays. The only difference was that there was a nice cast involved (Jessica Chastain, John Malkovich, Colin Farrell) but everything else was from the same calibre, I’m afraid. To be honest, the whole thing felt like another bucket list move from Chastain. However, even if I think that this actress is becoming more and more arrogant with each movie she makes, I have to admit that she actually delivered another solid performance here. Could she really take all these guys during some one-to-one fight as depicted in this movie? I’m not sure but she was still convincing enough. Furthermore, I did appreciate the fact that she played her character as being slightly psychologically messed-up. Still, even if Chastain was not bad, the whole thing was however just so generic and, to be honest, seriously tedious. Basically, the story was divided in 2 parts. One was about Ava going back to her home-place following another botched operation. Not exactly a bad idea but it was still really poorly put together. The other part was even worse though as it was dealing with Ava’s organisation trying to get rid of her. Seriously, it is basically the most basic story that you could tell about a deadly assassin. At least, I did like the few scenes were Joan Chen showed up, even if it was another misguided idea to add the gambling issues of some supporting character into the mix, but those were some very rare highlights in an otherwise really boring affair. Anyway, to conclude, even if I have seen worse, the damned thing was still seriously weak and I think you can skip it, except maybe if you are a die-hard fan of Jessica Chastain.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Marion Cotillard and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, it wasn’t really good, I’m afraid. I mean, the beginning was at least promising as Canet tried to deliver a meta-comedy where he was playing a version of himself with Cotillard, his actual girlfriend. However, the whole mid-life crisis thingy made the main character terribly unlikeable and even rather pathetic. Furthermore, it was actually rather difficult to root for a guy whose fantasy was to sleep with a young actress when his girlfriend happened to be Marion Freaking Cotillard. However, at some point, the whole thing became much bleaker as Canet, with his increasingly chaotic behaviour, did start to jeopardize not only the movie he was working on but also his whole career. Seriously, it felt like watching some kind of comic version of ‘Opening Night’ and, to be honest, it became even harder to care about the poor guy. As pointed out by Johnny Hallyday himself, there was actually nothing wrong about Canet’s life so it was hardly entertaining to see the guy constantly whining and complaining all the time. However, during the 3^rd act, it seems that Canet thought his movie might be too straightforward and the whole thing suddenly took a left turn and became completely weird in the process. I guess he thought it would be neat that the trajectory of his movie would become pretty much impossible to follow but the end-result was in fact more bewildering than really interesting or entertaining. Anyway, to conclude, I think I was actually rather generous with my rating here, I guess it might still be worth a look though but I would advise to lower your expectations before watching the damned thing.