Explore
 Lists  Reviews  Images  Update feed
Categories
MoviesTV ShowsMusicBooksGamesDVDs/Blu-RayPeopleArt & DesignPlacesWeb TV & PodcastsToys & CollectiblesComic Book SeriesBeautyAnimals   View more categories »
Listal logo
All reviews - Movies (7723) - TV Shows (10)

An average movie

Posted : 4 years, 5 months ago on 13 August 2020 09:20 (A review of Blue Thunder)

To be honest, I had no idea what to expect from this flick and the only reason I actually ended up watching the damned thing was because it was available on Netflix and because another listal member advised me to check it out. I wonder if this movie had been an inspiration for the TV-show 'Airwolf' which came out one year before this movie released. I do have to admit that I did watch 'Airwolf' when I was a kid but, while the concept was maybe fun when I was 12 years old, it just looks so lame now. Indeed, even though I have a weak spot for Roy Scheider, I really struggled to care about the damned thing. Of course, I do understand that the whole point was to have some cool action scenes with some fancy helicopter but, I'm sorry, the story was just so ludicrous and barely made sense. Seriously, there was not 1 but even 2 scenes of the pilots playing Peeping toms which displayed the level of this movie. I mean, to focus on a helicopter pilot working with the LAPD was not such a bad idea but how do you engage such a character in the action as this job was by nature rather passive? Well, in this case, they turned him into some kind of detective which was just ridiculous. Even more problematic was the fact that the 'evil' plan of the bad guys was never really clear to me. Apparently, there was some kind of conspiracy with some rather obscure political agenda but it was just so poorly developed. And, of course, you had Malcolm McDowell playing his usual bad guy (when the guy actually had an intense phobia of flying...) and it was so sad that, barely 10 years after 'A Clockwork Orange', his career was already going pretty much nowhere. Anyway, to conclude, even though this movie was apparently fairly successful when it was released, it was actually terribly lame and I don't think it is really worth a look. 



0 comments, Reply to this entry

An average movie

Posted : 4 years, 5 months ago on 12 August 2020 10:05 (A review of Black Is King)

I have to admit that I’m not really a huge fan of BeyoncĂ© and I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, pretty much like ‘Homecoming’ that she released last year on Netflix, even though this movie also received some stellar reviews, to be honest, I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the end-result. I mean, it was visually really neat and BeyoncĂ© who wore so many costumes was especially quite gorgeous but, like some other similar movies like ‘The Wall’ or ‘Moonwalker’, it did feel slightly pretentious. At least, BeyoncĂ© didn’t make the mistake of adding some plot which is usually misguided in this genre but it did make the whole thing pretty random. Furthermore, I understand that this movie was supposed to be a visual companion to her album ‘The Lion King: The Gift’ which was itself linked to the remake of ‘The Lion King’ but, except for a few quotes coming from the film which would come up really randomly, the link with this movie was just too thin. Finally, pretty much like with ‘Homecoming’, even if I did respect the work done and the strong artistic vision, to be honest, there was not a single song that really blew me away. Concerning the message provided, with the current ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, it couldn’t have been more topical though. Of course, some might be offended (with such a title, she was already asking for some trouble) but, for the black folk who has been undermined, humiliated, oppressed and discriminated for centuries, they could definitely use such a powerful statement. Anyway, to conclude, I wonder why the critics praised this movie so much (right now, I has only a 5.5 rating from the IMDb viewers) but, even if I wasn’t really impressed, it was still a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in BeyoncĂ©. 



0 comments, Reply to this entry

A good movie

Posted : 4 years, 5 months ago on 11 August 2020 06:42 (A review of Loving Vincent (2017))

Since I kept hearing some interesting things about this movie, I was quite eager to check it out. To be honest, I struggled a little bit to judge this movie. I mean, on one hand, it was visually so impressive, it felt like diving in so many Van Gogh paintings which would then come to live and this concept was just so creative, artistic and spellbinding to behold. However, on the other hand, even though Van Gogh did paint only for a rather short period of time, he did eventually become one of the most famous painters and by now there has been so many movies about him, many more than about other artists. Well, in this case, unfortunately, beside its incredible visual concept, this movie didn't have such an interesting tale to tell, I'm afraid. I mean, there were a couple of interesting ideas, for example, I did like going back where Van Gogh lived and worked before he became really famous. However, who was this guy Armand Roulin? He seemed to be a really random choice to play the lead and the fact that we didn't learn anything about him and that nothing really noteworthy happened to him either didn't help at all. Then, during his journey, he kept interviewing people who did see Van Gogh from time to time but eventually they barely had a relationship with him after all so it was hardly surprising that they all contradicted each other. Finally, the idea of turning the final hours of Van Gogh into a murder mystery might have sounded promising on paper but it was rather misguided after all. I mean, it was a known fact that the guy was heavily tormented and, even if he didn't shoot himself, he probably still wanted to die anyway so this whole goose chase felt rather pointless after all. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a visually fascinating movie, something completely unique, and only therefore it is definitely worth a look.


0 comments, Reply to this entry

An average movie

Posted : 4 years, 5 months ago on 10 August 2020 06:24 (A review of Dying of the Light)

Obviously, I wasn't expecting much from this flick, in fact, all the people involved, Paul Schrader, Nicolas Cage and Anton Yelchin, even advised people to avoid it but I still ended up watching this movie. To be honest, it is rather difficult to judge the damned thing. I mean, it was apparently butchered by the producers in post-production and the end-result was indeed pretty lame. Basically, it was a really generic and boring spy tale with no pulse whatsoever. Still, there were a couple of red flags which made me wonder if it could have worked anyway. First of all, Nicolas Cage has become one of the most underwhelming actors at work nowadays and even though his character had some potential, Cage didn't really impress me at all here. Then, Anton Yelchin was even less convincing and even though I always had a weak spot for the young actor who died too soon, I'm afraid he was completely miscast here. Eventually, would the movie have been much better if Schrader would have released it the way he wanted to? To be honest, I doubt it. Apparently, a couple of years laters, he made his own cut but it hasn't been officially released, in fact, this other version is pretty much illegal, so I don't think I will ever have the opportunity to watch it. As far as I'm concerned, I think the whole thing was meant to be a B feature right from the beginning but, after the shooting was done, Schrader suddenly argued that it could be something completely different than what was the producers were expecting from the very beginning. Anyway, to conclude, with or without the drama around the making of this movie, the damned thing was pretty weak and I don't think it is really worth a look.


0 comments, Reply to this entry

A good movie

Posted : 4 years, 5 months ago on 9 August 2020 06:10 (A review of Anelka: Misunderstood)

Everyone who's slightly familiar with French football, at least, from my generation, has heard about Nicolas Anelka so I have to admit that I was quite eager to check this documentary. Indeed, pretty much from the very beginning of his career, Anelka became the black sheep of the French football, probably even more than Eric Cantona in the 90's. Obviously, with this movie, you get a pretty good summary of his 20 years career during which he played for more than 10 clubs in 7 different countries. Eventually, you might still wonder if the whole thing has not been a huge waste. I mean, on one hand, Anelka was very early on in his career on the verge of becoming the biggest player of the planet but he never fulfilled these expectations. On the other hand, following his retirement, you get to see him with his wife and kids living a quiet life in Dubai so was it all so bad after all? The point was that Anelka kept saying that he was a highly motivated professional but his behaviour of jumping ship every 2 years didn't display much motivation in my opinion. Concerning his behaviour outside the field, even if the makers tried to rehabilitate his image, he still seemed to be a guy who didn't give a f*ck about anything except for himself and, since football is a team sports, well, it's hardly surprising that it never really worked. There was still something rather shocking though. Indeed, back in 2010, during the world cup debacle, like any one else, I was convinced that the French national football team at the time was pretty much the worst team that ever existed mostly for their despicable behaviour. However, thanks to this movie, I discovered that the French newspaper pretty much made up what Anelka said and that the French coach, Raymond Domenech, actually denied it 10 years later. I mean, the damage and aftermath following this scandal was huge and to blame it mostly on Anelka because he was an easy target was seriously lousy. Anyway, even if I would have appreciate some comments from people who didn't support him, it was still a decent documentary and it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in this subject.


0 comments, Reply to this entry

An average movie

Posted : 4 years, 5 months ago on 6 August 2020 12:09 (A review of Kidnap)

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Halle Berry, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though she did win an Academy Award always 20 years ago, I’m afraid that this time is long gone and, nowadays, she usually shows up for this kind of B features. Seriously, in this case, the first 15 mins were just really tedious and pretty much cringe-inducing to behold. Sure, I understand that they needed to introduce the main character somehow but, to be honest, if it was to provide something so generic, they could have just as well skipped it as far as I’m concerned. However, I have to admit that I was actually quite surprised when this mother saw the actual kidnappers and started to follow them. Indeed, from this point on, I was actually wondering what would happen next and, above all, the whole thing became a wild chase, one of the best I have seen in a long time, and it was actually pretty damned entertaining to behold. Unfortunately, it seems that the makers got stuck and never managed to properly develop the rest of the movie. I mean, the chase was quite thrilling but it probably took too much of the running time and everything happening before and after was just pretty weak. During the 3rd act, while she was finally done chasing those kidnappers, it became the typical vigilante garbage, a genre I usually despise and the reason why so many Americans still think that they should have easy access to guns, and nothing happening there was either surprising, interesting or entertaining to behold. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of a few redeeming features, the damned thing was still pretty weak and I don’t think it is really worth a look. 



0 comments, Reply to this entry

A bad movie

Posted : 4 years, 5 months ago on 5 August 2020 10:03 (A review of 365 Days)

In spite of or because of its notorious reputation and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check this movie. Well, it was pretty terrible, that’s for sure, and pretty much nothing worked. Seriously, it seems that the makers watched ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and decided to deliver something even worse. At least, Anna Maria Sieklucka and Michele Morrone were both attractive and had some decent chemistry but, to be honest, they also gave some really poor performances. In fact, the whole cast was really weak but the story was even worse though. Indeed, the beginning scenes barely made sense, those were very poorly put together and, obviously, the concept was rather ludicrous. This movie was based on a book and the author was apparently inspired by ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ and it was pretty obvious. Indeed, this movie displayed another really toxic relationship and, yet, according to the makers, it was actually supposed to be romantic. In fact, I don’t think that such a misguided even abusive relationship can’t somehow turn out to be romantic, even if it is rather unlikely. However, in this case, the characters never had a single conversation during which they could at least learn about each other and the main reasons why Laura did finally fall for Massimo was apparently because he had a hot body and because he let her buy pretty much anything she wanted. Concerning the sex scenes, the main reason why this movie made some waves when it was released, sure, there were 2 blowjob scenes that were pretty explicit but the other sex scenes didn’t display anything really shocking, original or interesting. Anyway, to conclude, even though this movie was apparently a big success for Netflix, it turned out to be pretty bad and you should probably avoid it. 



0 comments, Reply to this entry

An average movie

Posted : 4 years, 5 months ago on 4 August 2020 10:40 (A review of Before I Wake)

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Mike Flanagan and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though Flanagan might be one of the most interesting up-and-coming directors in the horror genre, this movie was seriously disappointing though. I mean, there were a couple of interesting ideas but it is always difficult for me to care when they mix such interesting and real issues like trauma and insomnia with the most basic and generic fantastic tropes of the horror genre. As a result, you get such scenes during which a therapist would make the most interesting remarks of the whole movie about the nature of dreams but it was completely discarded and they focused instead on some random generic bogeyman. To make things worse, the lovely Kate Bosworth was pretty weak here. First of all, even though she was supposed to be deeply depressed and sleep deprived, she was always fresh-faced. Her performance was also far from being convincing but she wasn’t helped by the fact that the psychology of the characters was barely developed at all. I mean, through most of the duration, she was a grieving mother but, suddenly, she completely changed and became some kind of expert private investigator who conveniently figured out the whole thing during the last 10 mins. Finally, the ending was pretty weak as well. I mean, the logic/concept was not bad but the way to get there was so rushed and convoluted and I don’t think it is really necessary to explain every single piece of mystery at the end of such horror flicks. Anyway, to conclude, even if I have seen worse, it didn’t care much for this damned thing and I don’t think it is really worth a look. 



0 comments, Reply to this entry

An average movie

Posted : 4 years, 6 months ago on 31 July 2020 08:29 (A review of Second Act)

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the damned thing but since I have a weak spot for Jennifer Lopez, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, unfortunately, as usual with Lopez, it turned out to be rather half-baked, I’m afraid. The most bewildering thing about this flick was how it mixed 2 completely different storylines which was such a weird move. Indeed, at first, it seemed to be dealing with a woman in her 40’s faking her CV to get a better job which could have worked if they didn’t go for such a light and limp approach. However, at some point, pretty much out of nowhere, they switched gears as it turned out to be that one of her colleagues, the daughter of her boss on top of that, turned out to be her long lost daughter she had once given up for adoption. Eventually, maybe each story could have worked separately but to mix them was just so awkward and it basically never worked. At least, Jennifer Lopez was quite gorgeous as well and she definitely had some nice chemistry with Vanessa Hudgens. Unfortunately, because of these two conflicting storylines, the two actresses had to constantly switched between being competing colleagues and being a mother and daughter starting to get acquainted with each other which was, as mentioned before, at best rather misguided but usually seriously ineffective. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was pretty weak and I don’t think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you really like the genre. 



0 comments, Reply to this entry

An average movie

Posted : 4 years, 6 months ago on 30 July 2020 10:10 (A review of Pete's Dragon)

Almost a year ago I did see the remake by David Lowery and since I did like it, I thought I should watch this original version at some point, especially since it was available on Disney+. The interesting thing about this movie was that it was one of the few early attempts from Disney to mix live-action with some animated characters, something which has become pretty common nowadays thanks to the rise of the CGI technology. Well, apparently, it wasn't really a success when it was released but, since then, it has become more or less a cult-classic but, to be honest, I really struggled to care about the damned thing. Eventually, I don’t know what bothered me the most, the fact that the tone was just so sweet, it was borderline syrupy, or the fact that the story was actually pretty weak. I mean, it was rather odd that there was no proper introduction explaining how Pete and Elliott actually got acquainted but it wasn’t really a big deal. A bigger issue was that pretty much everything happening was just terribly random. To make things worse, I thought that Sean Marshall was rather obnoxious and I’m not surprised that the kid soon retired after playing in this movie. The fact that his character kept telling everybody that his best friend was a dragon was also just so annoying and pretty stupid. I mean, at some point, you would hope that he might figure out that it wasn’t such a smart move and just shut up about it. At least, Elliott was a cool character (in fact, it would be the last work done by Don Bluth for Disney before he left the company disillusioned) and I liked the fact that the character was completely mute but there were some long stretches during which this dragon was seriously missed. Anyway, to conclude, I think I was actually really generous with my rating here but I guess it might be worth a look, however, only if you really like the genre.



0 comments, Reply to this entry