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All reviews - Movies (7742) - TV Shows (10)

An average movie

Posted : 9 months ago on 20 May 2024 06:43 (A review of After the Wedding)

I wasnā€™t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a solid cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I did see the Danish version directed by Susanne Bier but it was a while back and I didn't remember it much. On the other hand, it probably allowed me to enjoy more this remake since I didn't know or remember the whole story from the start. Anyway, pretty much like the Danish version, I still think the story had some solid foundations but, eventually, it was just too far-fetched for my taste. The issue with this story is that, it starts in India with some orphanage and some kinds living in the worst conditions possible. However, this aspect gets dropped completely fairly quickly and what remains are some rich White folks struggling with their messed-up relationships. Sure, that Isabel and Grace finally gets reunited was really touching, no doubt it, but is it still such a big deal when so many people are suffering back there in India? In this case, it was even worse as this US version really struggled to not become a soap opera and I'm afraid it only barely succeeded. Another thing that bothered me was the fact that Abby Quinn was rather miscast here. Sure, her performance was not bad but she didn't look at all like Michelle Williams. I mean, couldn't they find a blond actress in her 20's to play this character? At least, the cast (Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, Billy Crudup) was pretty good, especially Michelle Williams who seemed to really disappear in her character. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was not bad though and I guess it might be worth a look, even if it is definitely another useless US remake of a perfectly fine European film.


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A good movie

Posted : 9 months ago on 18 May 2024 07:34 (A review of Metallica: Some Kind of Monster)

To be honest, I have to admit that I'm not a huge fan of Metallica (In fact, I don't even have any of their albums). However, since this documentary seemed to have a solid reputation and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. First of all, even if I have never been into Metallica, I have always respected their legacy and there is no denying that, for a whopping 60 years, they have been easily the most successful band in the heavy metal/trash metal genre. Basically, I was quite eager to learn more about them and this documentary was the perfect opportunity. Eventually, they focused on a really specific time period, around 2 years, during which they were not actually really productive but it doesn't mean that the content was not interesting, in the contrary. Indeed, even if it wasn't what the makers were aiming to do at first, they actually displayed the darkest period of the band which was something else than your usual average documentary focusing on some legendary rock band. As a result, you get something so intimate and you actually get to know them, at least, Lars Ulrich and especially James Hetfield. Concerning Hetfield, after a few months, the guy actually left for almost a year to go in rehab and work on himself and how much he changed in this time period was actually really impressive. I mean, he didn't act like a drunk or anything like this before but, after the rehab, he seemed to be much more at peace with himself and the rest of the world. It was rather sad to hear that the guy had to head back to rehab almost 20 years later. Anyway, after all this work, it actually paid out, they managed to finally finish their album, 'St Anger' which turned out to be fairly commercial successful, even if it wasn't a massive critical success. Above all, the band stick together and they all seem to be pretty happy with each other after all these years which is really cool. Anyway, to conclude, it turned out to be a decent watch and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in this legendary band.


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A classic

Posted : 9 months ago on 17 May 2024 09:24 (A review of The Jazz Singer (1927))

I wasnā€™t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was available on YouTube, I thought I might as well check it out, especially since it had quite an impact. Indeed, it is considered as the first ā€˜talkingā€™ movie so it was pretty huge when it was released at the time. Well, I was rather surprised by how little dialogue was actually involved in the damned thing after all and they still used intertitles for most of the duration. Basically, the sound was mostly used for the songs performed by Al Jolson. The songs were actually all pretty good by the way. And, yet, during these songs, Jolson did improvise some dialogues and it was basically the first time ever that you had some audible dialogue. Well, I thought that even when you watch this movie almost 100 years later, the effect was still really neat. Concerning the movie itself, well, to be honest, the story is not really strong and you might wonder why it has been remade twice already (the Neil Diamond version has especially a really lame reputation). There was also the issue that Al Jolson was in his 40ā€™s and at least 20 years too old to play this character, even if he was a great performer (it's quite incredible that they made exactly the same mistake with theĀ Neil Diamond remake). There was also the fact that he kept performing with some blackface and, even though it was apparently a common practice at the time, it is still really unsettling to watch it nowadays. The weird thing, at least to me, was that Jolson didnā€™t sound like a black guy at all when he was singing so I didnā€™t really see the point of this make-up. Anyway, to conclude, even if the whole thing didnā€™t really work out, it is still actually worth a look though, if only for its historical value.Ā 



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A classic

Posted : 9 months ago on 16 May 2024 08:56 (A review of Mon oncle)

Since this movie has a really strong reputation, I was quite eager to check it out. By now, I have seen almost all the movies directed by Jacques Tati (Iā€™m only missing ā€˜Traficā€™) but, to be honest, even though I can say Iā€™m quite familiar with his work, Iā€™m afraid I never became a huge fan. Basically, with Tati, I actually understand more or less what he tried to achieve and I truly think the guy was an artist, itā€™s just that his art never really appealed to me. Well, this movie was not an exception but it doesnā€™t mean that I think that it was not enjoyable though. The most intriguing thing was probably the juxtaposition of a vintage version of the French way of life (I mean, it does feel ā€˜vintageā€™ now but, when it was released, it might have been actually quite contemporary) with a ultra-modern house. Of course, you might think that Tati hated this cold ugly house but I actually think he was actually fascinated by the future and what it would be like for the rest of us. Concerning the rest of the movie, I have to admit that I do like Tatiā€™s vibe, the way that there is no real conflicts in his movies, no real bad guys, just some average people going on with their everyday life. So, there is something really harmonious in this movie and his work in general which is quite refreshing. Still, even though monsieur Hulot is a cute whimsical character, after all these years, I still donā€™t think he is fascinating or really entertaining though. The fact that the other characters were even less interesting probably didnā€™t help either. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didnā€™t really blow me way, it is still a classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Ā 



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A good movie

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 15 May 2024 10:20 (A review of Thelma)

To be honest, I wasnā€™t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was directed by Joachim Trier, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out to be a really enigmatic thriller and the fact that most of what was going on was a mystery through most of the duration made the whole thing equally fascinating and frustrating to behold. Eventually, did it all really make sense? Probably not but it was obviously not the point of this movie. Still, the fact that the main character forgot from her past exactly what was needed for the plot to work was narratively rather weak. Furthermore, I wasnā€™t so sure either about the anti-religious undertones. Maybe itā€™s because Iā€™m getting more and more tolerant towards religious people as I grow older but I wonder how the movie would have been if this aspect would have been removed. Concerning Eili Harboe, she delivered here a really solid performance and she gave a perfect vibe for this character though. To be honest, I did wish that they did tone down the paranormal shenanigans so that they could focus more on her burgeoning relationship with Anja but, again, it was obviously not the point of this movie. Eventually, pretty much out of nowhere, this movie turned out to beĀ somehowĀ some kind of hyper realistic super-hero origin story which was definitely interesting. As a result, it basically displayed what could be the end-result with the super-hero genre if you would remove the spandex costumes, the carboard villains and this obsession of saving the world from some random impending doom which was definitely an intriguing approach. Anyway, to conclude, even if it not everything really worked, it was still another intriguing directorial effort from Joachim Trier it is definitely worth a look.



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An average movie

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 14 May 2024 09:12 (A review of Julia)

I wasnā€™t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was directed by Erick Zonca and starring Tilda Swinton, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out to be one of the weirdest and wildest kidnappings I have ever seen, thatā€™s for sure. To be honest, nothing everything did work in this movie but the damned thing was so unpredictable, at some point, I kept wondering what the hell would happen next which was definitely the strongest aspect of this movie. Of course, you also get around 150 mins of a non-stop one-woman-show from Tilda Swinton which was obviously pretty awesome as well. Concerning Erick Zonca, I wish I would rewatch ā€˜La vie rĆŖvĆ©e des angesā€™ which had been a huge critical success when it was released in France. Anyway, almost 10 years later, he made his come-back with this movie which was something so completely different, so ambitious, in fact, Iā€™m afraid it might have been too ambitious though. First of all, even though the Mexico scenes felt convincing enough, it was however never the case with the scenes taking place in the US. Seriously, I think it took me about 30 mins before I understood that the action was taking place in the USA and not in some other English speaking country. Furthermore, the appeal of this movie was the fact that the story was totally bonkers but, to be honest, some chunks barely made sense whatsoever. The biggest issue I had was that, while Elena was definitely an intriguing character, she was obviously mentally deranged but the fact that most of what she said turned out be true was rather ludicrous. The fact that Julia, even if she was a massive alcoholic, would believe anything she said was narratively really shaky as well. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and I think it is worth a look, especially if you want to see something really different.Ā 



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A good movie

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 13 May 2024 07:55 (A review of Queen of Hearts)

Usually, when I watch a movie, I try to know as little as possible about it but, in this case, I actually knew beforehand what it would be about and it was actually the main reason why I wanted to check it out. Well, even if it was to be expected, the damned thing still turned out to be seriously dark and I guess what made this movie hard to swallow was the fact that its protagonist was also its antagonist played wonderfully by Trine Dyrholm. I mean, at first, she seemed to be some rather basic middle-aged woman slightly arrogant and self-righteous but it was nothing really shocking and it was to be expected from someone like her. At some point, it seemed that she was going through some middle-life crisis which was again fairly believable. However, her behavior became more and more erratic but I think the movie failed to really explained where it actually all came from. I mean, was she really so bored with her fancy house, her impressive job, her successful loving husband, her cute kids? Or was it something else than boredom? Eventually, it did feel that her actions were actually more plot-driven than anything else. Anyway, when her unsettling gamble seemed to finally explode into her face, the whole thing became even uglier than it already was. Indeed, instead of taking her responsibilities for her revolting behavior, she basically threw her step-son under the bus and the way she basically bullied her (coward) husband was really something. Indeed, it really felt so calculated, so calibrated, it was really powerful and one of the strongest scenes I have seen lately. Eventually, the impact on the poor boy was just so heartbreaking and you could see that his step-mom was not completely unmoved by his tragic demise but she still kept covering up her misdeeds anyway which was obviously rather nauseating to behold. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasnā€™t flawless, it was still a strong drama though and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Ā 



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An average movie

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 11 May 2024 01:01 (A review of Wild Oats)

To be honest, I wasnā€™t really sure what to expect from this movie but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Unfortunately, the whole thing was actually based on a rather lame concept which was never really entertaining. Of course, the fact that the jokes were all pretty lame of course probably didnā€™t help either. Eventually, the only thing that worked was the relationship between Shirley MacLaineā€™s and Jessica Langeā€™s characters. Indeed, they had some really nice chemistry together, I really believed that these two women could have been best friends for decades and the movie almost worked as long as it was focusing only on them. Unfortunately, pretty much everything else was either boring or uninteresting or far-fetched or a combination of all three. The ending was also really pathetic as they made Eva (played by Shirley MacLaine) getting in a relationship with the insurance guy who was chasing her. I mean, seriously? It was even more ridiculous than the fact that her daughter would tag along with him to chase her mother all the way to the Canary Islands. I have to admit that I always had a weak spot for Demi Moore but Iā€™m afraid she delivered here another half-baked performance and, to be honest, I canā€™t remember the last time she actually impressed me in anything. And what was the deal with Billy Connollyā€™s character? Was he really dement or was it just part of his scheme? They didnā€™t even take the time to clear that out at the end. Anyway, to conclude, even if I have to admit that the damned thing was rather harmless, the end-result was still rather pathetic and I would advise to avoid it, except maybe if you really like the genre.Ā 



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An average movie

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 10 May 2024 10:44 (A review of True Heart Susie)

To be honest, I wasnā€™t sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed byĀ D.W. Griffith and since itĀ is included in the ā€˜They Shoot Pictures, Donā€™t They?ā€™ list, I thought I might as well check it out. First of all, after watching so many vintage features on YouTube of dubious qualities which were barely watchable, it was pretty neat to see a movie which was made more than 100 years ago and, yet, it was still in pristine quality. The soundtrack was also pretty good. Unfortunately, itā€™s too bad I didnā€™t care much for the movie itself though. Indeed, the tagline for this movie was ā€˜The Story of a Plain Girlā€™ and, even if it was indeed a fair description, Iā€™m afraid it didnā€™t make this movie sound really exciting. Even though D.W. Griffith became famous at the time with his ambitious epic features in the 1910ā€™s, this movie turned out to be a much more minimalistic affair focusing on a love affair involving Susie, who wasnā€™t the brightest of the bunch (it was even confirmed by this tagline) and William who was wasnā€™t much smarter either, Iā€™m afraid. Concerning Lillian Gish, she made many movies with Griffith and was one of the most famous actresses at the time but,Ā  even though she did look lovely, she didnā€™t really impress me here. At least, Robert Harron was slightly better as he was pretty convincing playing the same character when he was a teenager and when he was a young adult. Still, it was rather difficult to care about these characters and what they were going through since they were both hardly interesting. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn't really work for me, I still think it is worth a look, at least, if you really like the genre or if you are interested in D.W. Griffithā€™s work.



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A good movie

Posted : 9 months, 1 week ago on 9 May 2024 07:18 (A review of Carlos)

Since it had a solid reputation (among other things, Roger Ebert apparently really loved the damned thing), I was quite eager to check it out. Well, of course, I had heard of Carlos, he was especially notorious in France and was eventually arrested by the French, so it was pretty neat to see a movie focusing on, after Osama Bin Laden, probably the most famous terrorist that ever lived. Above all, I was really impressed by Edgar Ramirez who delivered here easily the best performance of his career. Indeed, I think he spoke at least 4 languages and I was mostly amazed when he spoke French as his accent was just so perfect during some scenes. There was also the fact that he played the same through 20 years at various physical stage and he was always so convincing. Unfortunately, there are very different versions of this movie/series out there and I saw one of the shorter versions with a running time of slightly less than 3 hours and it was pretty obvious that I didn't get the best version of this fascinating story. I mean, up until the end of the raid on the OPEC, the damned thing was quite thrilling and fascinating to behold. However, after this famous terrorist operation, it all became seriously disjointed though. Indeed, you get some seriously random scenes of Carlos's previous collaborators with basically no link with what happened before or after. Another issue was that even though Carlos was supposedly active for at least another decade, we never see him doing anything really concrete, except meeting some guys involved in the terrorism business. Anyway, to conclude, even though I probably saw the weakest version of this story, it was still pretty good though and it is definitely worth a look but make sure you watch the longest version possible (around 5 hrs) as it is probably the best one.


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