Reviews by johanlefourbe

Since I really loved ‘A Separation’, I was really eager to see Asghar Farhadi’s following directing effort, especially since it was well received. Well, even though there was some really good things in this movie, to be honest, it never really blew me away though.  I mean, Farhadi displayed some really solid directing, I just love his realistic approach, and he managed once again to get some really strong performances from all the characters, even from the kids. However, even if the characters were quite interesting, to be honest, they were not exactly spellbinging. Furthemore, the fact that it was sometimes rather difficult to root for them didn’t help either. For example, Bérénice Bejo was quite amazing but you could feel that her character always had a rather destructive behaviour not only with Ahmad and Samir but with probably all her previous partners as well, she was also smoking while she was pregnant and she lashed out again her kids many times when she couldn't handle the pressure anymore. And yet, the fact that these characters were all flawed and humane made them still quite interesting to behold. Anyway, to conclude, even if the whole thing didn’t completely grab me, it was still a strong drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested in Asghar Farhadi’s work. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, eventually, it turned out to be a decent comedy but, to be honest, not much more than that in my opinion. First of all, I saw the damned thing on the BBC without subtitles so I have to admit that I didn’t get all the jokes so maybe if I rewatch it with some subtitles, I might be able to enjoy it more. Still, it was a fun flick with another strong performance by Alec Guinness. Furthermore, I always had a weak spot for the heist genre, especially when the heist is actually quite realistic like it was in this case, at least, until the 3^rd act. Indeed, at some point, the characters started to chase these little girls with their golden Eiffel towers and, in my opinion, even if it was maybe entertaining, the whole thing didn’t make much sense after that. Anyway, to conclude, even if I wasn’t completely blown away by the whole thing, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I already saw this movie but, the first time around, I saw the damned thing without subtitles so I have to admit that I did struggle with the thick Scottish accent so I was quite eager to rewatch it with some subtitles. Well, eventually, its title was definitely not ironic and it turned out to be a really dark story, some kind of mix of ‘Bad Lieutenant’ with ‘Trainspotting’ and, if you don’t mind something really pitch black, it is actually pretty neat. Indeed, the directing by Jon S. Baird was pretty solid but, above all, I was once again really impressed by James McAvoy. Indeed, the guy was so commited, so convincing in this role, in my opinion, it was hands down his best performance so far. Unfortunately, even though the main character was really interesting, I wish the other characters would have been more developed. Basically, they were all reduced to being either victims or witnesses of the chaotic and destructive behaviour of Bruce Robertson which was too bad. In fact, coming back to the main character, there was also probably too much stuff going on with this guy. As a result, the story was pretty random and I’m not sure if it was a good idea to redeem the main character by explaining his background and the twist towards the end, that he actually turned out to be a transvestite, seriously came out of nowhere. Anyway, to conclude, even though it might not be a masterpiece, I really enjoyed the damned thing though and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

To be honest, I didn’t have some really high expectations regarding this movie but since I have a weak spot for Emily Blunt, I was still eager to check it out. Well, once again, I was really impressed by Blunt who gave a really convincing performance as a major alcoholic. I also have to praise the make-up department who managed to tone down her natural gorgeousness and she really looked terribly unhealthy. Unfortunately, that was pretty much the only things that really worked in this movie and it turned out to be another rather half-baked thriller, I’m afraid. Indeed, first of all, even though the material was interesting, it was a mistake to have the main character spying someone who had a fairly close relationship with her ex-husband. In my opinion, it would have been much more interesting if Megan didn’t have any connection whatsoever with the main character. Even more problematic was the fact that they used this lame gimmick of hiding some crucial information until the last act. For example, the therapist was a huge diversion and it was kind of lame that they would show them discussing some very personal subjects but not the fact that Megan had a lover. Even worse was how Justin Theroux’s character suddenly completely changed from being a rather decent guy to a major oversexed psycho. Seriously, that was such a weak lazy gimmick. Anyway, to conclude, I still think it was worth a look only for Emily Blunt’s work but there is no denying that the whole thing was actually rather weak.  

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie but I was really curious to see Baltasar [Link removed - login to see][Link removed - login to see][Link removed - login to see]directing a movie in Island so I thought I might as well check it out. I have to admit that I actually didn’t  know anything about this flick before watching the damned thing but it turned out to be a rather incredible true story about an Icelandic fisherman who had to swim in the ice cold Atlantic ocean for about 6 hours after his ship sank. Seriously, what this guy did was just pretty insane and I have to give some credits to Ólafur Darri Ólafsson who gave here a really solid performance (seriously, it must have been hell for this guy to shoot all these scenes in the icy water). The directing by Kormákur was also solid but, in my opinion, in the 2^nd half, he did struggle to do something interesting with the material. Indeed, in the 2^nd half, after the main character managed to survive this ordeal, you get to see what happened afterwards which was in theory interesting but, unfortunately, Kormákur focused too much on the facts, on telling what exactly happened, instead of focusing more on what was going on in the mind of the main character. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was maybe nothing really groundbreaking, it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

Since I have always been a huge fan of Sean Penn, I was really eager to check this flick. Well, to be honest, as usual with Paolo Sorrentino, it was a rather tricky movie. Basically, the whole concept was about an old retired popstar who goes back to the USA to chase some Nazi and that was obviously some seriously far-out material. Sure, even though it didn't completely wander into major mindf*ck territory like a David Lynch movie, it still came close though. Maybe mindf*ck might not be the right word, maybe the whole thing just felt too random for me. Anyway, if Sorrentino's movies are often difficult to grasp, at least to me, there are still great to look at, there is always something really artistic about them  and I just love the way he sets up and shoots his scenes. Furthermore,  Sean Penn gave here another really impressive performance showing that he was, at least at the time, one of the most gifted actors around. Playing some kind of combination of Robert Smith and Ozzy Osbourne, it was a rather complex character but, thanks to Penn, he didn't feel like a caricature and he pretty much disappeared into this character. To be honest, I think I would have found the whole thing more interesting if they would have focused more on how a retired popstar goes on with their life when they don't have any work, challenges or goals to achieve instead of this really wild goose chase but there was still something quite mesmerizing about the damned thing. Anyway, to conclude, even though it didn't completely work for me, it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Paolo Sorrentino's or in Sean Penn's work. 

Since I’m a big fan of Jacques Audiard, I was quite eager to check his next directing effort. Well, I wonder how Audiard ended up making a Western as his first English-speaking feature but what was even more surprising was that it turned out to be one of the best Westerns I have seen in years.  Apparently, even though this movie had been very well received, it was still a flop at the box-office but, as far as I was concerned, I really loved the damned thing. The first thing that impressed me was that Audiard had managed to create such a convincing time and place. Then, there was such a top cast involved (John C. Reilly, Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal, Riz Ahmed)  and they all delivered some solid performances. About the plot, I don’t think it really mattered since the whole thing was mostly about the mood and the characters involved.  Above all, I just loved the interactions involving Charlie and Eli. Indeed, these characters and their relationship were fairly complex and sometimes actually quite hilarious. Concerning the other couple John Morris / Hermann Kermit Warm, to be honest, even though they were also interesting, their relationship could have been more developed as they were not as fascinating as the Sisters brothers.  Anyway, to conclude, I really liked this Western a lot and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested in Jacques Audiard’s work.