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All reviews - Movies (7507) - TV Shows (9)

An average movie

Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago on 21 August 2023 07:41 (A review of The To Do List)

To be honest, I wasnā€™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. As usual, I didnā€™t know anything about this movie before watching it and, for some reason, I thought it would be a decent romantic-comedy that I could watch with my (now ex-)wife. Well, it was probably a good thing that I eventually watched this movie on my own after all since it turned out to be a really raunchy R rated comedy. Indeed, they basically took the concept of ā€˜American Pieā€™ and swapped the gender of the main character which wasnā€™t necessarily a bad idea. Unfortunately, I donā€™t care about most of these movies because the end-result is usually that such raunchy comedies focusing on women can be just as lame as the usual raunchy comedies with male characters. Well, this movie was not an exception, Iā€™m afraid. Sure, there was a pretty cool cast involved and it was above all really neat that Aubrey Plaza was playing the lead for once. Still, I thought it was rather annoying that all the characters who were playing some teenagers were 7 or 8 years too old, even if it was apparently done on purpose for this movie. However, a bigger issue was the fact that most of the jokes were hardly funny and even more problematic was that the tone felt sometimes rather misguided. The concept was basically to have this girl finally discover her sexuality which was intriguing and even supported by her best friends. However, her experiments went pretty far and it was rather weird, even borderline unsettling, that really no one told her how f*cked-up it actually was. I mean, sure, it was a good thing to show some parents being considerate about the sexual life of their kids and that they had a good talk about it but to give them some lubricant before they have sex for the 1st time? Anyway, to conclude, even if the damned thing had some potential, I didnā€™t care much about it after all and I donā€™t think it is really worth a look.Ā 



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An average movie

Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago on 20 August 2023 05:21 (A review of Forever)

Before watching this flick, I had really no idea what to expect from it as it was selected by someone from my filmclub. To be honest, it seemed to be a rather obscure Danish movie. Well, eventually, the fact that I knew nothing about it before watching this movie allowed me to appreciate more this really harmonious family during the first scenes, without dreading the tragedy heading towards them. To be honest, this set up was rather slow but, in fact, the whole movie had a rather slow pace and I can imagine that it can be bothering for some impatient viewers. Anyway, it probably will be a surprise for the other members of my filmclub who apparently all loved this movie but, the more I think about it, the less I think it really impressed me after all. It's not that there was something really wrong about it. Indeed, there was something genuine about the characters, all the cast gave some solid performances and the director went for a really realistic approach which worked pretty well. Eventually, I'm afraid I didn't feel much connection with the material after all. Maybe it had to do with some personal aversion I have with the mourning process in general. In fact, I have to admit that the way they developed and displayed some different grieving processes and how these processes could clash with one another was interesting but, as far as I was concerned, it just never became really fascinating to behold. The fact that this family was so nice and neat from the start might have been part of the issue and it was fairly predictable that they would manage their issues after all and continue again their lives in a fairly harmonious way. Anyway, to conclude, even if I was in minority, I didn't really care much about this movie after all but I have to admit that it is still worth a look though, especially if you like the genre.


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A good movie

Posted : 7 months, 1 week ago on 18 August 2023 07:44 (A review of Paris, 13th District)

To be honest, I wasnā€™t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Jacques Audiard, I was quite eager to check it out. The first thing I enjoyed with this movie was that it was so different then Audiardā€™s previous work and the fact that his work is so versatile is probably one of the main reasons why he has become one of the most interesting French directors that emerged during the last 20 years. Even the black-and-white photography which can be a fancy useless gimmick was pretty neat here. Indeed, it was quite beautiful and it gave the whole thing a classy look. On top of that, it did match my feeling about Paris which is, in spite of its romantic reputation, a rather grey place in my opinion. Concerning the content itself, well, even though it was also interesting, it never really reached the level of Audiardā€™s best work though. Eventually, I think the main issue was with the 3 main characters involved. Indeed, they were all intriguing enough but never really fascinating after all. Especially Ɖmilie Wong, she was such an annoying egocentric woman, a fact which was actually pointed out by her own sister. And, yet, I have to admit that there was something really genuine about this girl and she was a good reminder of all these frustrating years when I was living in France and I desperately tried to start a relationship which such neurotic girls. No wonder I left the country when I was 20 years old and never looked back again but thatā€™s a different story. For the rest, the movie was a combination of good ideas and some really half-baked ones. For example, the ending during which 2 really random couples were formed didnā€™t really work. Anyway, to conclude, even if it turned out to be a minor effort, it was still a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Jacques Audiardā€™s work.



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A good movie

Posted : 7 months, 2 weeks ago on 17 August 2023 08:43 (A review of A Visit to Peek Frean and Co.'s Biscuit Works)

Recently, I have been focusing on older movies and this one is one of the oldest I have seen so far. In fact, I think it must be the oldest documentary I have ever seen. Sure, I saw ā€˜Life of an American Firemanā€™ not long ago which was even older but so much of it was obviously staged, Iā€™m not sure if you should really consider it as a documentary. However, in this case, you really fell like you have been dropped in a factory more than hundred years ago and, as far as I was concerned, for some reason, I thought it was quite mesmerizing to watch somehow. Indeed, you get to see the industrial revolution in its full glory and I thought it was quite interesting to see, in spite of all these fancy steam machines, how much people were still needed at the time to do some repetitive (and seemingly really boring) manual labor. Of course, at the time, nobody had any issue to have some kids involved as well. The main critic about this movie was the fact that a biscuit factory was extremely dull to watch but, while I would have to agree, I actually did appreciate that they focused on such a basic and decidedly not fancy establishment as you got a good taste of what it must have been for the folks doing this kind of jobs at the time. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing really mind-blowing, I think it was actually pretty neat and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in film history.



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A classic

Posted : 7 months, 2 weeks ago on 16 August 2023 11:34 (A review of Playtime)

It has been ages since I saw a movie directed by Jacques Tati (the guy madeĀ onlyĀ 5 movies though) but since this movie has a really solid reputation, I was quite eager to check it out. I remember the first time I saw a Tati movie, I think it was ā€˜Jour de fĆŖteā€™, it must have been more than 20 years ago. Well, after hearing so many great things about his work, I have to admit that I was actually slightly disappointed. Eventually, itā€™s something that took me a while to understand, the fact that Tatiā€™s movies are actually much deeper than your usual vintage silent comedies and it was eventually even more obvious with this movie. To be honest, Iā€™m hardly surprised that this movie was a commercial and critical flop when it was released. Indeed, there was definitely something unique about this movie and, if you have any understanding of movies in general, you canā€™t deny that it was the work of a true artist. The attention to the details was quite impressive and, eventually, you have to figure out on your own what Tati was trying to achieve here. The one thing that struck me the most was when you get to see some advertisement showing London with a skyscraper and, then, a few seconds later, you basically got exactly the same landscape in Paris and itā€™s a feeling that I had so many times while I used to travel as much as possible. And, yet, even though I really admired the work done, Iā€™m afraid it was still too random for me though. Itā€™s not that I did mind the fact there was no real plot but there was also no real dialogues or even a main character. Indeed, even Mr Hulot only showed up and disappeared completely at random through the whole thing so there was not much for the audience to really hang on to. Anyway, to conclude, even if I wasnā€™t completely sold, it was still a really original and intriguing movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Jacques Tatiā€™s work.



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An average movie

Posted : 7 months, 2 weeks ago on 15 August 2023 08:35 (A review of Septembers of Shiraz)

To be honest, I wasnā€™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. I wonder what was the meaning of this beautiful title but you wonā€™t get any answer after watching this flick. Anyway, even though the end-result was definitely half-baked, I still think it was a really strong story. Of course, there was the issue of casting Adrien Brody and Salma Hayek to play some Iranian characters, even though Hayek does have some Lebanese roots. Above all, beside this dubious casting, both actors didnā€™t deliver some strong performances here but they were not helped by the approach chosen with this material. Indeed, at some point, Isaac got arrested and it was as if the whole movie stood still for way too long after that. Basically, they gave us a seemingly endless back-and-forth between Isaac getting tortured and Farnez worrying about him and not much else. In fact, the most interesting thing was not the relationship between Isaac and his wife but between Farnez and Habibeh, her servant. Indeed, instead of showing the Iran revolution being led by some religious fanatics, they gave a different point of view showing that the social inequalities in this country also played a role. As a result, I was quite surprised that, according to this movie, the main motivation behind the Iranian revolution was actually maybe not religion but financial discrepancies between rich and poor in Iran. Unfortunately, this angle was never properly handled which really felt like a wasted opportunity. Instead, they kept hammering the fact that the Western Capitalist way of life is apparently the answer to all problems which is definitely not the case. Indeed, our way of life only seems to be the least of all evils and all alternative lifestyles are simply not tolerated. 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 are interested in this subject.Ā 



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An average movie

Posted : 7 months, 2 weeks ago on 13 August 2023 07:05 (A review of Claire Darling)

To be honest, I wasnā€™t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Catherine Deneuve, I thought I might as well check it out. While watching this movie, for some reason, I was thinking that, back then, they still had various actors to play the same character but this practice might disappear altogether in the future because, at least in the US, they are already experimenting with de-aging for quite some time, although this method might remain way too expensive for such French movies with a small budget. Coming back on the movie itself, even though the story had some potential and even though they had arguably the best French actress ever at their disposal, I'm afraid the end-result still turned out to be really half-baked. Above all, the directing was just rather weak. I mean, the most artistical touch was probably to have the characters visioning their own flashback which had very little added value after all. Furthermore, even though the characters were intriguing, they were all rather poorly developed, even the main character played by Catherine Deneuve. I won't blame Deneuve though because she gave here once again a solid performance in spite of the rather weak material she was provided with. It was also a nice touch that Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve's own daughter, played her daughter in this movie but she was just not given enough to do. I shouldn't forget to mention that they gave one of the most bewildering conclusions I have seen in a very long time. Seriously, it was just so random and so poorly put together. Anyway, to conclude, I think that I was probably too generous with my rating here but Catherine Deneuve is such a fine actress so I think it is still worth a look only to see her shining on the screen once again but, to be honest, pretty much everything else in this movie was really weak though.


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An average movie

Posted : 7 months, 2 weeks ago on 12 August 2023 05:42 (A review of Meg 2: The Trench (2023))

I wasnā€™t expecting much from this flick but, since my step-son Nick is a big fan of shark films, we still went to see the damned thing in the movie theater when it released. To be honest, even though we did see also together 'The Meg', I have to admit that I barely remembered it. Anyway, how was this sequel? Well, unfortunately, the first half turned out to be such a drag and, at some point, I was worried that this movie would turn out to be really lame after all. Basically, it started out as some kind of cheap 'Jurassic Park' ripp-off but, when they started to go deep in the sea, it was probably even worse. Indeed, it was just so dark so you barely could see anything but, above all, the whole survival thing was just so generic and tedious. However, at some point, when they finally got out of the water and started to make some damages to this Fun Island, they suddenly completely changed the tone and, somehow, it actually started to work. Even though Jason Statham was apparently not pleased with this lighter tone, I thought it was more than welcome though. Indeed, from this point on, it became really silly and over-the-top and, in my opinion, it was a much better approach for a B monster feature like this one instead of what they tried to do in the self-serious first part. As a result, you get some huge monsters fighting each other and also Jason Statham killing not one but several megalodons in the most ridiculous ways you could possibly imagine. It's too bad that they didn't handle the whole movie this way and this change of tone was bewildering and rather jarring. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of a fun second half, I'm afraid that the damned thing didn't really work and I don't think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you are a huge fan of the genre.Ā 


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A good movie

Posted : 7 months, 2 weeks ago on 11 August 2023 12:44 (A review of The Goat)

I have finally started to dig into Buster Keatonā€™s work only recently but, since then, I have seen my share of movies starring the classic comedian and, by now, I think I have a good understanding of his work. In this case, I think it is the oldest movie I have seen starring the legendary actor and, at first, I was wondering why it was called ā€˜The Goatā€™ but I think it was probably some kind of abbreviation of ā€˜scapegoatā€™. Anyway, this short apparently does have a solid reputation but, even though I have to admit that it was pretty good, I donā€™t think it was one of his best shorts though. I donā€™t know, it felt really random but I have to admit that it is inherent to the genre. The concept was also rather preposterous, the fact that nobody checked who was actually on this picture before printing it out all over the place. Still, Keaton was just a great comedian and, obviously, one of the greatest stuntmen that ever lived so, in spite of its flaws, the damned thing was seriously entertaining. Anyway, to conclude, even though the material was maybe too slight, it was still a really solid silent comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.



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A very good movie

Posted : 7 months, 3 weeks ago on 10 August 2023 10:13 (A review of Alice in Wonderland)

Recently, I have been focusing on older movies and this one is one of the oldest I have seen so far. In fact, the day before, I actually watched ā€˜Rescued by Roverā€™ which was also directed by Cecil M. Hepworth and while ā€˜Rescued by Roverā€™ surprised me by its simplicity, I was amazed by how complex this movie turned out to be, at least, for a vintage feature made 120 years ago. It is mostly famous for being the very first adaptation of this iconic tale and I was wondering how they could tell this story in less than 10 mins (in fact, there is only one copy left of this movie and it is apparently missing some parts). Well, the end-result turned out to be some kind of supercut, jumping from one famous scene to another. To be honest, the damned thing was actually borderline incomprehensible, especially if you are not familiar with this story, and yet, I thought it was quite fascinating somehow. Indeed, the sheer ambition, especially considering the technical limitations back then, was just so inspiring and most of it was actually visually pretty neat. Anyway, to conclude, I do believe that this movie was quite a milestone and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in film history.



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