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Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 25 May 2019 07:14
(A review of Blue Ruin)Since I kept hearing interesting things about Jeremy Saulnier, I was quite eager to watch one of his directing efforts so I thought I might check this one out. Well, for this 2nd directing effort, Saulnier took the old (and usually rather boring) revenge genre but he gave it an interesting fresh approach. First of all, the intro had such a great mood with a nice cloud of mystery. Of course, to give practically no information to the viewers is a fairly easy and rather artificial way to create some suspense but it really worked here. Then, Saulnier took the most average looking guy possible to play this avenger which was maybe not completely original but it was still again very effective. It also helped that I wasn't so familiar with Macon Blair who was completely unrecognizable when the movie started. Still, even if most of the movie worked fine, there were some parts that still bothered me though. For example, even if the main character was supposed to be an average guy with no gun knowledge, he did display some massive survival skills. Of course, you might argue that someone who lived in the streets might acquire such skills but I don't think that most homeless guys would know what to do when they are hunted down by a family of psychopaths. Furthermore, when the cloud of mystery had been removed, it turned out to be a rather generic revenge tale after all. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was maybe not a masterpiece, I really enjoyed this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Jeremy Saulnier's work.
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An average movie
Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 24 May 2019 09:00
(A review of Jobs)To be honest, since this movie doesnât really have a stellar reputation, I didnât have some really high expectations but I have to admit that I still wanted to check it out though. Well, even if it didnât reach the level of the awesome âSteve Jobsâ, I still think it was a decent watch though. Of course, Iâm still not convinced that Ashton Kutcher was the best choice to play one of the most influential figures of the 20th century, even if he did look like Steve Jobs a little bit. However, the fact that I saw Danny Boyleâs version before actually made me appreciate more this movie somehow. Indeed, I really enjoyed a lot Boyleâs movie but it made me really curious to learn more about Jobs and thatâs exactly what this movie provided. Sure, the whole thing was a really straightforward biopic but, at least, it was quite informative. Still, you might wonder if a TV mini-series or even a TV-show wouldnât work better because there was so much ground to cover and it did create some pacing issues. For example, at some point, Jobs was kicked out of Apple but, then, maybe 5 minutes later, he was back there again. Even more problematic were the scenes during which Jobs was displayed as a major douchebag. Indeed, pretty much out of nowhere, they would show his darker side but, then, it would never last long enough to make a real impression. To make things worse, they would show right away some other bit arguing that the guy was such an amazing genius. Anyway, to conclude, even it it was nothing really amazing, it was still a fairly interesting movie and I think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Steve Jobs.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 23 May 2019 08:33
(A review of The Mule)I already saw this movie but since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out again. Following the truly dreadful âThe 15:17 to Parisâ, easily his weakest directing effort so far, Clint Eastwood didnât waste time and released this movie the very same year. Since it had received some solid reviews, I was quite eager to see if the guy had managed to redeem himself somehow. Well, eventually, even though it was indeed miles better than âThe 15:17 to Parisâ, it turned out to be only a decent watch though. I mean, it was a strong story but I was missing some tension, some suspense. For example, it was refreshing that the main character would get along fine with all these cartel gangsters but this approach did have its drawback. Indeed, not only it turned the whole thing unintentionally into a pro-drug trafficking commercial (seriously, if you would believe this movie, to be a drug mule is actually a pretty easy job, with some nice colleagues and lots of easy cash) but it also created a lack of a real threat through the whole thing. Same thing with the police investigation, it felt pretty generic and didnât generate much excitement from my side. This movie eventually reminded me somehow of âA Perfect Worldâ, another flick directed by Eastwood, also dealing with a criminal being chased by the police and the damned thing was just nail-biting but it was definitely not the case here. However, it was a great character for Eastwood who really nailed it and, as usual, you might wonder if it will be his last acting job. On top of that, you might wonder if there was something autobiographical about this story as Eastwood has fathered at least 8 children with 6 different women and probably neglected most of them while becoming one of the most famous actor and director that ever lived. Anyway, to conclude, even if the whole thing was nothing really amazing, it was still fairly entertaining and it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Clint Eastwoodâs work.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 22 May 2019 10:56
(A review of Le Week-End)After watching the trailer for this movie, I pretty much already knew what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Jim Broadbent, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, if Richard Linklater might make a 4th installment of his 'Before...' franchise, it might look like this movie, which was reinforced by the fact that Lindsay Duncan really looked like an older version of Julie Delpy. Still, even if it was a decent watch, to be honest, it never really reached the level of Linklater's stellar franchise. I won't blame Broadbent or Duncan though as they both delivered some solid performances but, unfortunately, their characters were not really interesting or, at least, not interesting enough. Even more problematic was the way they kept arguing about everything and nothing every 5 minutes which became fairly annoying rather quickly. I mean, in my opinion, it is fairly simple. Either they mostly love each other and it makes sense that they go to Paris but, then, they shouldn't have such pathetic arguments. Or they can't stand each other anymore, then it makes sense that they have such pathetic arguments but why on Earth would they go together to Paris? Of course, you could argue that it is what a realistic long relationship would look like and, eventually, it seems that the makers couldn't make up their mind about what they should feel for each other. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing really groundbreaking, it was still fairly entertaining and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 21 May 2019 09:11
(A review of Sarah's Key (2010))To be honest, I had no idea what to expect from this flick but since the ratings were pretty decent and since I have a weak spot for Kristin Scott Thomas, I thought I might as well check it out. Eventually, it reminded me of what one of my uncles use to say, that enough movies about WWII has been made by now and that he has lost any interest in the genre. Well, even if he might be right, there are still some exceptions and this movie was definitely one of them. Indeed, it turned out to be such a powerful and emotional story. First of all, it wasn't the first movie framing such a tale within a modern plotline and it is usually a rather useless gimmick but I can't remember the last time I saw a movie where it worked so well. On top of that, Kristin Scott Thomas was once again really strong here. Still, there were a couple of things that didn't really work though. Some of them were just some small details like her two young American colleagues who were just so annoying and who sounded so fake, especially next to Thomas who was always pitch-perfect. A bigger issue was her struggle with her late pregnancy. Indeed, it could have been easily removed. Above all, I thought it was rather hard to believe that her husband would have had such a reaction. Indeed, after trying without success for maybe a decade to get a baby, years later, his wife managed to get pregnant by accident and, yet, he still rejected it which made the guy fairly despicable. In fact, a whole movie could have been made focusing only on this storyline but it wasn't needed here. Anyway, to conclude, this movie turned out be a nice surprise and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 21 May 2019 09:17
(A review of The Final Girls)To be honest, I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was available on Netflix at some point, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, eventually, how much you will enjoy this flick will really depend on how much you will like its concept. Indeed, basically, pretty much like with âThe Cabin in the Woodsâ, they went for some kind of meta concept around your typical slasher flicks but, even though the makers probably though it was really original and clever, to be honest, I wasnât completely convinced. First of all, the beginning was rather awkward. I mean, somehow, they had to manage to get all these characters end up in this vintage slasher flick but the way to get there was rather cumbersome, Iâm afraid. Above all, it was a rather awful idea to think that, a year after her mother died in a terrible car accident, the main character had to watch a movie during which her mother would be butchered by some random psychopath. On top of that, if the characters in the slasher flick were stereotypical and fairly moronic, it did make sense, but the modern characters were not really much better which was rather disappointing. The worst one was probably Nina Dobrevâs character who completely changed maybe 3 times through the whole duration. On the other hand, I really liked the relationship between the main character and her mother (in fact, I was expecting/hoping them to survive at the end, after all, the damned thing was called âThe Final Girlsâ). Anyway, to conclude, even if I wasnât completely sold, I have admit that it was still fairly entertaining and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 19 May 2019 06:33
(A review of Sink or Swim)For once, we went to see something rather light with my film club and, apparently, everybody really loved it. However, the question remains if I was also completely sold by this movie. Well, to be honest, not really. I mean, sure, I have to admit that it was a decent feel-good flick but not much more than that. Basically, they followed the same formula used by 'The Full Monty' (which had, at the time, had been a huge box-office success) but it is a formula easy to swallow, pretty much taylor-made to please the mainstream audience. It's too bad because the beginning was just so promising. Indeed, it seemed to be a pitch-black comedy (is there anything funnier than someone going through a huge depression?) and Mathieu Amalric has always been one of my favorite French actors. Unfortunately, as soon as he meets his team, the whole thing became much too scattered, constantly jumping from one character to another. As a result, you never get to really know any of the characters (in fact, 2 guys in the team didn't have much to say at all). Of course, you might also wonder how they end up winning and there is the possibility that the movie might have been better if they would have lost. Still, there was something endearing about this group of lost souls supporting each other and, of course, it is always hilarious to see French people barking at each other. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing groundbreaking, it was still a decent comedy and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 19 May 2019 11:07
(A review of Unlocked)I wasn't really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Noomi Rapace and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, eventually, to be honest, even though Michael Apted is always a competent director and even though Rapace as usual nailed a solid performance, I really struggled to care about the damned thing. Indeed, by now, I have seen my share of thrillers dealing with spies who have been compromised and who spent the entire duration not only saving the world but also salvaging their reputation (wasn't it basically the plot for ALL the 'Mission Impossible' installments?). Sure, in this genre, it was probably not the worst flick I have seen but, eventually, it was still another cheap Euro thriller (For example, unsurprisingly, even though the plot takes place in London, most of it was shot in Prague). Above all, the ending was just so far-fetched and still terribly generic and it is just sad to see such a fine actress like Noomi Rapace giving it all time and time again for such unworthy flicks. So far, ever since she got her breakthrough with 'Millenium', she has been playing only in such underwhelming action flicks and/or thrillers of the same level, with the notable exception of 'Prometheus' which wasn't exactly amazing either. Maybe she should get the lead in a (really good) TV-show instead? Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was not really bad but I still don't think it is really worth a look though.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 5 years, 9 months ago on 18 May 2019 01:23
(A review of The Brothers Grimsby)I didn't expect much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Sacha Baron Cohen, I was still eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, I'm not surprised that it turned out to be a flop at the box-office. First of all, I really loved 'Borat', in my opinion, it is the best comedy from the last 20 years but, unfortunately, everything Baron Cohen has delivered afterwards has been increasingly disappointing and this flick turned out to be his weakest so far, I'm afraid. I mean, the concept definitely had some potential, Mark Strong was also a great choice to play Baron Cohen's brother and he definitely did what he could with this material. I have to admit that there were a couple of really funny scenes but, eventually, the damned thing never really worked. Of course, I always had a hard time to have fun with a terribly moronic character but that wasn't even the biggest issue with this flick. Indeed, what they really messed up was the action part and I would blame Louis Leterrier. Sure, Leterrier has a decent track record as an action director ('The Transporter' franchise, 'The Incredible Hulk' , 'Clash of the Titans'), it is understandable that the producers chose him but, eventually, he never managed to make it entertaining enough, and, at times, it felt like watching a video games to be honest. Another director like Doug Liman or Paul Greengrass could have delivered some gritty realism which would have provided an interesting contrast with Baron Cohen irreverent sense of humor. Anyway, to conclude, even if I have seen worse, the damned thing was still pretty weak and I don't think it is really worth a look.Â
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A good movie
Posted : 5 years, 10 months ago on 12 May 2019 03:11
(A review of Brawl in Cell Block 99)To be honest, I really had no idea what to expect from this flick but I kept hearing some interesting things about it and since the title sounded pretty catchy, I thought I might as well check it out. First of all, it was only afterwards that I discovered that S. Craig Zahler was the same guy who had also delivered 'Bone Tomahawk' and, after only 2 directing efforts, he has already become a director to follow. However, even though I did enjoy the damned thing, there were still some stuff that bothered me though. First of all, even though I don't mind a (good) long movie, this one could have been shorter though. I mean, the whole intro showing Bradley having a regular job and struggling with his relationship with his wife was rather pointless and it could have been easily removed. Then, to be honest, some parts or scenes didn't make much sense. For example, when the drug deal went south, why did Bradley come back to shoot his gangsters partners? I thought at first that he might have been a undercover agent but it wasn't the case so what he did didn't make much sense. Then, Eleazar had some kind of elaborate plan to get Bradley in the cell block 99 but why? I mean, it is fairly ordinary that a drug kingpin would have someone executed in jail but it could have been done just as well where Bradley was in the first place. Then, the guy kidnapped his wife to have Bradley kill someone else who apparently didn't exist at all?!? And, yet, in spite of a fairly non-sensical plot, the mood was really neat, the action scenes were badass but still fairly realistic and it is pretty obvious that Vince Vaughn should focus on making such movies instead of his usual lame comedies. Anyway, to conclude, even if I wasn't completely sold, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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