Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 26 December 2018 08:11
(A review of
American Made)
Following 'The Mummy' which turned out to be a huge failure, back in 2017, Tom Cruise released afterwards this movie and since it was directed by Doug Liman, I was quite eager to check it out. Eventually, it will probably not become a cult-classic like 'Edge of Tomorrow', also directed by Liman and starring Cruise, but it was still quite enjoyable. In my case, I actually just saw recently 'Narcos' so it was pretty neat to see a movie focusing on Barry Seal, a American CIA agent involved in the Medellin cartel. The first interesting thing was that, in 'Narcos', Barry Seal only showed up in 1 episode so he was apparently not considered as a major figure in this drug cartel but, if you would believe this movie, he actually had a huge impact. On the other hand, you could arhuge this cartel was huge and this movie decided to focus on this American guy while the Neflix focused on Pablo Escobar. Anyway, the damned thing was well made and quite entertaining but, to be honest, it was nothing really groundbreaking. At least, it was pretty neat that to see Tom Cruise tackling something a little more risky than his usual work but i was still too shallow for my taste. Indeed, what was Barry Seal's drive behing his actions? The taste of adventure? Greed? It was never clear to me. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Tom Cruise's or Doug Liman's work.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 24 December 2018 10:46
(A review of
The Brand New Testament)
I didn't really know what to expect from this flick but since I always had a weak spot for Jaco Van Dormael's work, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, once again, Van Dormael came up with something completely different than his previous work but, to be honest, even if it was an interesting watch, I didn't work for me, I'm afraid. Basically, it was some kind of quirky arthouse comedy but even though I guess it was supposed to be funny, this depiction of God was so dark and cynical, it was actually more depressing than anything else. Maybe they should have focused more on God played by Benoît Poelvoorde which was definitely a great idea but, then, the movie focused on this little girl playing his daughter which didn't pan out very well since her character was not developed enough. On top of that, the whole thing was just so wild and chaotic with some completely random ideas, some of them rather neat but some others were not interesting at all. Eventually, the end-result felt rather half-baked. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was just too original for me to completely dismiss it and I still think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in this director.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 23 December 2018 10:21
(A review of
Wolf Warrior 2)
I didn't really know what to expect from this flick but since it had been a huge box-office success in China and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I didn't care much for the damned thing, I'm afraid. First of all, it started with some annoying introduction which constantly went back-and-forth in time. Of course, the fact that it didn't see 'Wolf Warrior' didn't really help. Then, I was actually surprised that most of the movie was taking place in Africa which I didn't expect from a Chinese blockbuster. Unfortunately, this interesting approach was partially ruined by the fact that they didn't provide any context whatsoever so I never felt engaged in this conflict. Anyway, the whole point was obviously the action scenes which were very well done, especially the first fighting scene in the water. However, maybe half of the running time was dealing with some endless shootings which became just so repetitive and it kind of wore me down at some point. Finally, even though I knew beforehand that the whole thing was pretty much some propaganda about Chinese pride, the final scene was still pretty hard to swallow. Anyway, to conclude, sure, I have seen worse, but I still think it was rather boring and I don't think it is really worth a look.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 23 December 2018 06:11
(A review of
Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018))
Since I really enjoyed 'Wreck-It Ralph', I was quite eager to watch this sequel. Well, even though most of the recent sequels delivered by Pixar were rather disappointing, Disney managed to deliver here a really strong follow-up and this sequel was at least as good as its predecessor, if not even better. Not only they managed to keep the same tone and spirit, Disney delivered here something really new, pretty complex and fairly sophisticated. Indeed, the makers went really far to create a believable, recognizable, sometimes frantic but very often fascinating Internet world. In fact, it was so sophisticated that I don't think it was really suitable for young kids. Not that anything inapropriate did happen (the huge creepy monster at the end would probably be too much for the younger viewers though) but the whole thing was filled with some internet related pop culture references which were fun but I doubt that kids between 3 and 10 years old would have had enough experience with the internet to be really able to follow the whole thing. Furthermore, I do believe that it was slightly too long. Indeed, at some point, when it seemed that Ralph and his best buddy had completed their quest, they still kept on going but it turned out to be a rather convoluted path just to make sure that Ralph does indeed break the internet. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was maybe not a masterpiece, I still really enjoyed this sequel and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 23 December 2018 11:45
(A review of
Firestarter)
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was a Stephen King story and since I have a weak spot for Drew Barrymore, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, eventually, I was actually surprised by how underwhelming this movie turned out to be. I mean, right from the lame and poorly put together intro, I already knew that the damned thing would be really weak. Seriously, even though the concept definitely had some potential, pretty much nothing really worked in this flick. For example, back then, there was no CGI yet so everything was done with some pratical effects and even though the viewers might have been impressed at the time, nowadays, it just looks cheesy and unconvincing. I mean, on one hand, you have David Keith holding his head with using his ability and, on the other hand, you have a ventilator blowing Drew Barrymore's hair away and, in both cases, it just looked really silly. Concerning Drew Barrymore, of course, you could argue that she was only 8 years old when she played this part but, seriously, she was just so weak. In fact, the only interesting character was the one played by George C. Scott who was some kind of creepy war veteran and possibly a child molester, this guy was just so weird and I wonder if it was actual intentional. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was just really weak and I don't think it is really worth a look.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 21 December 2018 11:16
(A review of
Roma)
Since I kept hearing some great things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out and I had some really high expectations, especially since it was considered by many as the best movie released in 2018. Well, even though I did like it, to be honest, I can't say I was really blown away by the whole thing. Sure, after 'Cold War', it was another really gorgeous black-and-white feature and, as usual with Cuaron, the directing was just really strong. Indeed, it felt like using a travelling machine going back to Mexico almost 50 years ago. Unfortunately, I was never really grabbed by this tale. The whole thing was basically some kind of love letter to Cuaron's beloved nanny and while it was sweet and while it must have meant a lot to the Mexican master, I didn't care much for it, I'm afraid. I don't know, maybe I was missing some social commentary, maybe since I'm a leftist, I had a hard time to see what was so great about this woman who spent her life taking care of the kids of some middle-class folks. The fact that, after more than 2 hours, you didn't learn much about the characters didn't help either. Anyway, even if it didn't really work for me, it was still impressive to see Alfonso Cuaron delivering once again something completely different than his previous work and I have to admit that it is definitely worth a look.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 21 December 2018 08:50
(A review of
Maggie's Plan)
To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Basically, it turned out to be another quirky indie feature slightly inspired by Woody Allen’s work but while it was a decent watch, it was still nothing really mindblowing though. First of all, the whole concept of Maggie’s plans were just rather misguided and it would have been interesting if they would have simply focused on the characters who were complex enough. Then, even though the characters were interesting and fairly entertaining, the fact that they kept changing their mind every 5 minutes made it rather difficult to really care for them and what they were going through. Finally, I know, it might be a rather small detail, but even though Julianne Moore is a fine actress and actually did a decent job, they could have actually hired a Danish or at least a Scandinavian actress to play this character. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it was still not bad and I guess it is worth a look, at least, if you like the genre.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 19 December 2018 09:29
(A review of
Call Me by Your Name)
Since I kept hearing some really good things about this flick, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, it took me a while to get into this movie. Indeed, I was at first slightly annoyed by this intellectual bourgeois family with their gorgeous house in Italy and, when Armie Hammer (basically your typical Greek god) showed up, I started to wonder if the damned would actually work for me. However, the whole thing was pretty slow and it really took its time but, eventually, it slowly won me over. Indeed, thanks to the slow pace, you really get the chance to follow Elio in his journey experiencing his first love and this journey was quite fascinating. Seriously, it is not very often that you get to see such a perfect depiction of the burgeoning of love and it has been a while since I have seen such a convincing love story. Concerning Timothée Chalamet, I kept hearing some great things about this guy and now I understand why he is considered as one of the most promising actors of his generation. Concerning Armie Hammer, ever since his breakthrough with ‘The Social Network’, the guy had been rather struggling but, with this flick, he made an impressive come-back. Anyway, to conclude, I really enjoyed this movie a lot and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 17 December 2018 11:32
(A review of
Man of Tai Chi)
To be honest, I really had no idea what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Keanu Reeves, I thought I might as well check his first (and so far only) directing effort. Well, it was rather surprising that Reeves would choose to direct such a typical Asian martial arts flick but, on the other hand, why not? Anyway, eventually, even though it turned out to be a decent watch, it was still nothing really mindblowing though. Basically, it all depends if you love this kind of martial-arts. I mean, if you do, I think 50% of the whole thing was made of fighting scenes and I have to admit that those scenes were actually really neat so you will definitely enjoy this flick. However, if you are like me with only a mild interest in this genre, you will probably be bored by the seriously generic story. Seriously, why does it always have to be about a great fighter who actually doesn’t want to fight? Couldn’t they find something else? At least, it was neat that Keanu Reeves chose himself to play the villain but he could have developed his character a little bit more. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and I guess it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 6 years, 2 months ago on 16 December 2018 06:40
(A review of
Cold War (2018))
Even though I didn't really like 'Ida', I was quite eager to give this director a 2nd chance, especially since this movie had been widely heralded and was even considered as one of the best movies released in 2018. Well, unfortunately, pretty much like with 'Ida', I really struggled to connect with this movie. I mean, once again, Pawel Pawlikowski delivered some fine directing with a gorgeous black-and-white cinematography and the music was really neat as well but this story just didn't really work for me. First of all, even though I completely understood why Wiktor would fall in love with Zula, after all, she was a beautiful and fascinating woman, I didn't really get why Zula was so infatuated with him. I mean, seriously, what was so amazing about this guy? Then, another problem I had was that I was never able to figure out the motivations of these two characters. I mean, except from the fact they were clearly mad in love, from the beginning until the very end, I still didn't much have a clue about what was going in their head so I had a rather hard time to really care about what they were going through. Maybe I'm not just smart enough but it was all too subtile and subjective for me, I guess. On the other hand, I did like the way Pawlikowski tried to argue that not all the people living in Poland during the Cold War felt miserable and that the West was not always a so-called 'beacon' of hope and freedom for all of them. Anyway, even though this movie didn't really work for me, it is still definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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