Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn't really expecting much from this flick but since Nick, my step-son, was really eager to see it, we ended up watching it in the movie theater. In fact, I actually saw 'Jumanji' in the movie theater when it was released at the time so it was actually pretty cool to see this new installment with my step-son. On top of that, I have to admit that the damned thing turned out to be surprisingly satisfying. I mean, with such sequels, they usually recycle the  same storyline with some rather underwhelming end-result but, in this case, they only kept the original concept but changed pretty much everything else and it really worked. Even though you might wonder if it was really necessarily to switch from a board game to a video-game, it was actually a good idea since it allowed the makers to try some new ideas. This time around, they also mostly focused on the humor and it was also a good move to have more characters involved in the game and the cast involved  (Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black) was actually pretty solid. To conclude, even if this movie was not a masterpiece, it still turned out to be quite entertaining and probably the most surprising movie released in 2017. 

To be honest, I didn't really expect much from this flick but since the previous installments involving Robert Langdon were actually watchable, I thought I might as well give it a try. Well, even though it was not awful, I still had a hard time to care about the damned thing, I'm afraid. First of all, the twist concerning one of the main characters was actually fairly easy to figure out. At least, it was fun to follow once again Robert Langdon trying to solve one of his elaborate puzzles and I always had a weak spot about movies dealing with amnesia. Unfortunately, the whole trick about giving Robert Langdon some hallucinogenic drug was just rather ridiculous. I mean, sure, it will mess around his mind and his memory but how can you predict what he will eventually remember and when he will get back his memories? And, of course, as usual with these kind of movies clouded with mystery, at some point, they had to uncover what was actually going on and, to be honest, the end-result was so far-fetched and rather ridiculous. Seriously, I don't think much of it actually made sense. Maybe I should read the book at some point to see if it works better (they apparently did make some modifications for the movie) but, with Dan Brown, I highly doubt it. Anyway,  to conclude, if you don't analyse it too much, it is not so bad but I will certainly forget the whole thing fairly quickly which is never really a good sign.

I already saw this movie but, since it was a while back and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well give it a second chance. To be honest, I didn't remember much about it which is usually not a good sign. Well, even though the penguins in Madagascar were indeed probably the best characters in this franchise, I'm not sure that to make a spin-off around these guys was such a good idea though and, eventually, I'm afraid didn't care much for the damned thing. First of all, it was really plagued by some severe ADHD and I sometimes struggled to really followed what the hell was going on but what annoyed me the most, was the fact that the whole thing was just so full of non-sense. I mean, 'Madagascar' was always taking place in a fairly realistic world, even if they started to really stretch it in the 3rd installment, but here, it didn't make sense whatsoever with an evil octopus disguised as a mad scientist and, even worse, a elite spy team coming from the North fully equiped with some high-tech gadgets. I mean, seriously?!? The second time around, I was slightly more able to follow what was going on but I was still amazed by how random the whole thing was. At least, the penguins were still pretty awesome though and the intro with Wernez Herzorg was pure gold. In fact, maybe they should have done something similar to what they did in 'Minions' and told an origin story of these daft penguins. I mean, sure, to develop some kind of spy adventure around these characters did seem to make sense but they should have kept it more grounded. Anyway, to conclude, even though the damned thing was rather harmless, I didn't really like it and I don't think it is really worth a look. 

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I had it on DVD, I thought I might as well check it out again. To be honest, it is a rather obscure feature and the only reason I watched it the first time around was because it was Baz Luhrmann’s directing debut. In fact, if I recall it correctly, I actually bumped into this DVD when I was at the supermarket. Anyway, I thought it was a decent watch. To be honest, ballroom dancing wasn’t really my thing (my wife was however rather glad that the movie was dealing with this topic) but you have to give Baz Luhrmann some credit for making a fairly entertaining feature about a rather tedious topic (at least, as far, as I’m concerned). For this directing debut, Luhrmann didn’t have some big stars at his disposal but it was maybe a good thing as it made the characters more believable. Furthermore, I have to admit that some of the dance scenes, especially the ones involving the paso doble, were actually quite amazing. Eventually, it was a rather simple story but since it didn't pretend to be anything groundbreaking, it actually worked. Anyway, even though it might not be a huge masterpiece, I thought it was pretty neat nonetheless and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Before this movie was released, the buzz was really positive. Indeed, it was starring two of the most popular actors in the world and it was directed by an upcoming European director so it sounded really great on paper. Eventually, when it came out, it was poorly received by the critics and it didn't get much love at the box-office. Well, in spite of all this, I still wanted to check it out but, I have to admit it, it wasn't really good indeed. I mean, it was visually pretty neat and it was watchable but that's pretty much what you get when a Hollywood production is trying to deliver a minimalist science-fiction story. Basically, the material was pretty grim and bleak but, unfortunately, they tried really hard to tone down the dakness of its concept and, as a result, the whole thing never really worked. I mean, sure, what Chris Pratt's character did was pretty creepy but that's why it was really interesting and, to be honest, I'm pretty sure that a lot of people would end up doing the same thing. The issue was that they never really tried to develop the psychology of the main characters when it was obviously the whole point here. Furthermore, from the moment Laurence Fishburne's character showed up and they went on this mission to save this ship, it became even more underwhelming. Not mentioning that it was rather unbelievable that these 2 characters would be able to fix such heavy damages. Anyway, to conclude, even if the damned thing felt like a missed opportunity, I guess it is still worth a look though, at least, if you like the genre.

Since I kept hearing some pretty good things about this movie, I was really eager to check it out. Well, I always had a weak spot for the heist genre but the most common mistake they make in these movies is that the actual heists are very often just way too convoluted  and, as a result, it is rather difficult to take them seriously. Fortunately, it wasn't the case here as everything made sense and seemed doable which made the whole thing so much more interesting to watch. Of course, it wasn't only about showing a realistic heist, it was also about showing some interesting characters and also their environment. Indeed, the makers delivered a bleak and fascinating view of West Texas showing how life has been hard on the folks down there and, eventually, the bad guys didn't seem to be the bank robbers but the banks pushing some average people to take such drastic measures. The only thing that slightly bothered me was the fact Jeff Bridges figured the whole thing out rather easily but, eventually, this movie was not about his investigation so it wasn't a big issue. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn't really groundbreaking, it was a really made and seriously entertaining flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie but since it was featuring Reese Witherspoon's acting debut, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, eventually, I was actually rather impressed. It wasn't really the story itself though. I mean, it was not bad but it was nothing really amazing either. In fact, they even had to bring not one but two freak accidents, of course one being lethal, to spice up the whole thing. Unfortunately, it is such an old artificial trick to add some drama and it is usually rather annoying. Eventually, what really made this movie work was the amazing performance delivered by Reese Witherspoon who was acting for the first time at only 14 years old. Indeed, while the rest of the cast was only decent at best, Witherspoon was just so pitch-perfect, so charismatic, she was just mind-blowing. She went so deep, showing the transition of a child becoming a young woman and experiencing for the first time the joy and sadness of falling in love. I wonder if it would have worked better with a younger actor than Jason London who was actually a few years older than his character but it was a minor issue. Anyway, to conclude, even if this movie was not a masterpiece, it is still definitely worth a look, just to see Reese Witherspoon already stealing  the show with her very first performance. 

After hearing so many positive things about this movie, I was so eager to check it out and I had some rather high expectations. Well, even though I did enjoy it, I thought it was actually a step down from 'The Force Awakens' which already wasn't much more than a remake of 'A New Hope'. I mean, I still had a good time. Indeed, during the Christmas holidays, I went to see it with my step-son in glorious IMAX 3D and it was just pretty awesome when you think that I used to watch the first trilogy with my dad more than 30 years ago. Still, even though it was definitely a fun blockbuster, I still struggled with the story they gave us. First of all, it had actually nothing to do with all the critics from the die-hard fans, in fact, I'm glad that Rian Johnson actually played around with this legacy. No, what actually bothered me was the fact that there was no real story but just a succession of scenes to keep the trio of main characters busy. Let's start with Rey. She was supposed to get some training from the legendary Luke Skywalker but this training was actually pretty much a joke. Eventually, he gave her maybe only one lesson but, at least, it was great to see Mark Hamill playing this iconic character and he did a fine job. Concerning Poe and Finn, they were both involved in some pointless missions and I felt especially bad for Finn. Indeed, he was such an interesting character, well played by John Boyega, but, seriously, his character could have been easily removed and it wouldn't have had any impact on this story. Seriously, what was the point of sending him to some casino planet and then on a ship of the First Order? In 'The Force Awakens', they had to introduce these new characters, it was inevitable, but, with this new installment, since the introduction was out of the way, I was hoping to see them involved in something more interesting than some boring missions leading to nowhere. Eventually, the only character who had something interesting to do, the only one who displayed some evolution and development, was Kylo Ren who was already interesting but has now become easily the most fascinating character in this new trilogy. Anyway, to conclude, even though the damned thing was actually rather disappointing, it was still entertaining though and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Since I really loved 'A Single Man', I was really glad that Tom Ford was finally coming up with a follow-up after 8 long years and I was really eager to check the damned thing. Well, I wasn't disappointed, that's for sure. I think the thing I enjoyed the most about this movie was how completely different it was from its predecessor. I mean, both films were visually really neat but that was pretty much the only thing they had in common. The next thing I really enjoyed was the way he managed to perfectly mix the different timelines and storylines. Indeed, it is something really tricky to do, in fact, it can be a useless and annoying gimmick but it worked here so well and I'm pretty sure that these different tales wouldn't have worked so much if they would have been told separately. The only thing that I was slightly confused about was the age of the characters in the present time. As a result, I did miss the fact that the main character received the book maybe 20 years after divorcing her first husband but it was probably because I didn't pay enough attention. Anyway, to conclude, once again, Tom Ford came up with another fascinating tale and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

In fact, with my film club, we were supposed to watch 'Happy End' from Michael Haneke but, because of some huge snow storm, it was cancelled at the last minute. Our meeting was eventually rescheduled a couple of weeks later and we went to see this movie instead. Well, even though the majority of my film club really enjoyed this movie, to be honest, I really struggled to care about the damned thing. I mean, the Argentinian landscapes were gorgeous, I really liked these characters thanks to solid performances from the cast but, eventually, this story didn't really work for me. Seriously, I felt bad for this poor woman who seemed to be already so sad and, suddenly, she also lost her bag with all her belongings and the only reason why was that, otherwise, she wouldn't meet this guy and there wouldn't be any story to tell which was rather mean. Then, to make things worse, this bag remained a main issue through the whole thing just to provide an excuse for the characters to spend more time together. Well, I thought it was some rather poor story telling and I wish they would have found some other way for us to spend some time with these otherwise interesting characters. Anyway, even if I didn't care much for this movie, it was still an interesting watch and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.