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Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 5 October 2018 09:47
(A review of Self/less)Even though this movie didn't get much love when it was released, since I have always been interested in Tarsem Singh's work, I still wanted to check it out. Well, unfortunately, it turned out to be another really disappointing effort from the once so promising director. I have to admit it though, even though the concept was nothing original, it did have some potential but the biggest mistake they made was to take the most boring approach possible. Indeed, they could have developed the psychology of the main character by making him a selfish a-hole or they could have gone for a dark comedy and make this businessman with no fighting skills face some highly skills henchmen. Instead, they went for the usual generic conspiracy thriller which was just so tedious and the ending was just so damned predictable. Furthermore, after 'The Change-Up', it was another body switch movie in which Ryan Reynolds was not convincing at all. I mean, there was not one single moment that I believed that Reynolds was playing the same character as Ben Kingsley was, only with a new body. On top of that, until that point, Tarsem Singh had always made some really beautiful movies, visually speaking, but even in this area, this movie was nothing really impressive at all. Anyway, to conclude, this damned thing was a major disappointment and I don't think it is really worth a look at all.
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A good movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 4 October 2018 09:47
(A review of Venom)I already saw this movie but since I’m going to see the sequel tomorrow in the movie theater, I though I might as well watch again the previous installment first. Well, even though this movie turned to be pretty much destroyed by the critics, eventually, even if I have to admit the story was nothing really amazing, I actually enjoyed the damned thing thanks to a really solid performance from Tom Hardy and thanks to Venom himself. Indeed, once again, Hardy really nailed it and delivered one of the best performances I have seen in a super-hero flick in a very long time. Basically, in spite of the material, he managed to make the most of it and he gave us an average guy, in fact, even a loser according to Venom himself, and it was just so refreshing after years of being served over and over again the usual righteous main characters we always get in this genre. Concerning Venom, this character was also so much fun. Basically, they took pretty much the same concept used in the Hulk but they vastly improved it. I mean, imagine if the Hulk, instead of being silent, would be talking all the time and arguing with Bruce Branner. Well, that's basically what happened in this movie and the end-result was very often quite hilarious and seriously entertaining. Unfortunately, even though Eddie Brock and Venom were pretty awesome, the rest of the movie was pretty much a really generic, rather slow and boring origin tale which was too bad so I'm not sure if the whole thing will work as a franchise. Eventually, they definitely will have to take some risks with the next installment to make it really interesting. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, thanks mostly to Tom Hardy, I thought it was a fun flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 3 October 2018 08:53
(A review of S.F.W.)I wasn't really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Reese Witherspoon, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I have to admit that I had no clue what it was about before watching the damned thing so, for a while, I was wondering what the makers were getting at and that was probably the biggest issue with this movie. The best example would be with the main character. Indeed, on one hand, they were critical of the fact that anyone could become a celebrity for saying or doing the most stupid things but, on the other hand, they still wanted the viewers to think that the main character was such a really cool guy and this contrast never really worked. Eventually, even though he was supposed to be very cool, he was also depicted as a loser who wasn't really interesting after all. The fact that he was just wandering around, going from one random scene to another didn't help either. Furthermore, all these movies dealing with reality-TV before it became a huge TV phenomenon (see also 'EdTV' and 'The Truman Show') all made the same mistake. Indeed, according to these movies, if someone was on a such a TV show, they would become vastly famous. Well, eventually, it never happened and, in spite of the popularity of such TV-shows, the participants never became such influential celebrities after all. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, even if it was nothing really amazing, it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A very good movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 2 October 2018 09:46
(A review of Fences)Since I kept hearing some really good things about this movie, I was really eager to check it out. Well, eventually, I wasn't disappointed, that's for sure. Basically, it is the story of an ordinary man but it doesn't mean it was not interesting, in the contrary. However, in spite of the fact that he was ordinary or because he was in fact ordinary, he was also really complex and therefore quite fascinating to behold. It would be easy to judge him and the decisions he made but you have keep in mind his background and, at the end of the day, he tried his best like we all should do and the end-result was a mix of pain, pleasure, anger, bliss and frustration which is basically what life is all about. Of course, Denzel Washington should be praised as, even though he gave himself the lead role, he removed all the glamour around his status, he completely disappeared in this character and delivered easily one of his best performances. With Viola Davis, he had a terrific partner, she was also very strong and displayed once again that she is one of the most interesting actresses at work nowadays. To conclude, it was a simple and yet fascinating movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Denzel Washington's work.
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An average movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 30 September 2018 07:22
(A review of The Frozen Ground)Since Nicolas Cage and John Cusack have both became some VOD specialists for already a couple of years, I wasn't really expecting much from this flick but since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I must admit that I was actually rather surprised by the damned thing. Indeed, eventually, it turned out to be a really good story. Still, in spite of this strong material, they didn't manage to turn it into a great movie, I'm afraid. First of all, it felt as if they tried to cover too much ground, especially during the first 20 minutes, and I had a hard time to follow what was exactly going on. I mean, in who's appartment was Cindy at the beginning? How did she manage to escape? Where was Bob Hansen ? Why did he leave her alone? Why didn't the cops arrest him at the time? It was a rather shaky beginning and it is pretty obvious that this story would have better worked as s TV-show or a miniserie like 'True Detective'. Concerning the acting, Nicolas Cage and John Cusack were not bad but there was also nothing really remarkable about their performances. On the other hand, I was actually rather impressed by Vanessa Hudgens. Indeed, each time she was left her on her own in the streets, the movie pretty much forgot the main plot about the serial killer and became an harrowing tale of a young prositute trying to survive. Seriously, they could have made the movie only focusing on her and it would have quite spellbinding. Anyway, to conclude, even though the whole thing was rather half-baked, it was still a really good story and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 29 September 2018 08:05
(A review of Johnny Suede)Well, it is another movie I wanted to see for many years. Not only because it was Tom DiCillo's directing debut but also because it was starring a young Brad Pitt just around the same time he would finally get his breakthrough with 'Thelma & Louise'. Unfortunately, I wish I could say it was worth chasing this movie for so many years. Indeed, the damned thing turned out to be pretty weak, I'm afraid. Apparently, DiCillo did blame Brad Pitt for his rather poor performance but, even though Pitt indeed was not exactly strong, I think the whole thing was above all rather poorly written. Indeed, it was apparently supposed to be some kind of quirky and whimsical indie feature, definitely DiCillo's speciality but it was never really entertaining. Basically, there was no plot but a succession of rather random scenes involving the main character but since the guy was not interesting at all, it became quickly rather tedious. Concerning Pitt, you could sense his potential as he was already quite charismatic but it was also pretty obvious that he had no clue what to do with this character. Anyway, to conclude, even though I have seen worse, I still think it was pretty weak and I don't think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you want to see Brad Pitt before he became one of the most famous actors in the world.
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A good movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 28 September 2018 08:56
(A review of A Shot in the Dark)Since this movie had a really solid reputation, I was quite eager to check it out. Following the success of Inspecteur Clouseau thanks to a great performance by Peter Sellers in 'The Pink Panther', it made sense that they would quickly release a sequel focusing on this character and it turned out to be a great success. Well, even though it turned out to be a decent watch, to be honest, I didn't really blow me away and I was actually expecting more from it. I mean, sure, Peter Sellers delivered a solid performance but I never thought he was actually really hilarious. At least, I did like the fact that, even though Clouseau was really over-the-top clueless and incompetent, all the other actors played their characters very straight , except for Commissaire Charles Dreyfus who was rather hysterical. This contrast was pretty neat but, still, most of the jokes were rather silly. For some reasons, Peter Sellers didn't show up for the following installment which was a huge flop but he would make a come-back 10 years later to play Jacques Clouseau. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to conclude, I guess I will never be a really huge fan of this franchise but it was still quite entertaining and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A bad movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 27 September 2018 09:03
(A review of Glitter)Of course, since this movie has such a lame reputation, I wasn't expecting much but, after all these years, I still wanted to check if it was really so bad. And, indeed, I have to agree, it was just really weak. However, to be honest, I don't think that Mariah Carey was so bad though. I mean, sure, by playing a singer, she didn't take any risk but, even though I have never been a fan, she does have an impressive voice and, at the time, she looked seriously sexy. Unfortunately, pretty much everything else in this movie was just so tedious and borderline pathetic. Indeed, first of all, they used pretty much all the clichés involved in such stories about a rising singer and, to make things worse, there was absolutely no edge whatsoever. I mean, for half of the duration, there was no conflict at all and the best thing they could come up with was to have her breaking up with her boyfriend who was becoming a jealous douchebag. Anyway, to conclude, I actually don't think that it is one of the worst movies ever made but there is no doubt that it is still seriously weak and you shouldn't waste your time like I did watching the damned thing.
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A good movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 26 September 2018 08:29
(A review of Juice)I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie but since it has a decent reputation, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though it was nothing really groundbreaking, it still turned out to be a decent watch. To be honest, I wasn’t not sure about the beginning. I mean, it did feel realistic but it was also rather whimsical, probably too much. Then, the plot was rather thin as it was about 4 guys messing up with a gun but not much else. Eventually, what made this movie really stand out was the character Roland Bishop. Indeed, it was such a dark and complex character thanks to a strong performance by Tupac Shakur. Thanks to this character, the apparent frivoulousness displayed at the beginning disappeared and was replaced slowly by a violent and grim reality. Of course, you might criticize this character as being just nother average psychopath, which wouldn’t be completely false, but he might have been the only one correctly assessing their bleak future. Concerning Tupac Shakur, not only the guy was regarded as one of the best rappers ever but he was also terribly charismatic and actually a pretty good actor. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to conclude, even though it was not a masterpiece, it was still an interesting watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 6 years, 1 month ago on 24 September 2018 08:38
(A review of War Dogs)I already saw this movie but I thought I might as well watch it again. The first time around, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was the last movie directed by Todd Phillips that I haven’t seen so far, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I have to admit that I really have a weak spot for this kind of stories and, while the whole thing was nothing really groundbreaking, this tale was pretty wild, awesome and entertaining to behold. In fact, as far as I was concerned, I thought it was much more fun than ‘The Hangover’. Obviously, a lot of it was made up (for example, these guys never went to Irak to deliver some weapons) but it didn’t really bother me. Something more disappointing was the relationship between Miles Teller’s character with his girlfriend played by Ana de Armas though. Indeed, it is such an old trick to have the girlfriend complaining about the fact that the main character didn’t tell her the truth. Not only it has been done to death before but, above all, it is such a drag. Another issue was the character played by Jonah Hill. Indeed, Efraim, was such an unreliable loose canon but this was also just so predictable. I mean, even though it was supposed to be funny, it was rather annoying that they got busted apparently because Efraim didn’t pay a simple bill. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was nothing really original, I thought it was actually quite entertaining and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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