Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 9 June 2017 05:36
(A review of
La La Land)
I already saw this movie but since it had been a huge critical and commercial success when it was released, I was quite eager to check it out again. Well, unfortunately, pretty much as I expected, even though I did like it, again, even after a 2nd watch, I can't say it really blew me away though. Basically, it mostly had to do with the fact that I have never been a fan of musicals and even though this movie was probably one of the most interesting musicals I have seen, well, to be honest, it still didn't manage to make me fall in love with this genre, I'm afraid. On the other hand, it's interesting to note that my wife, who is actually a die-hard fan of classic musicals, liked it even less than I did though (with my step-daughter, it was even worse. After hearing so many great things about it, she went to see it in the movie theater when it was released but, eventually, she disliked it so much that she actually walked out mid through the damned thing) . In fact, when you read the comments and reviews about this movie on this website, most Listal members seem to think that it was cute at best but nothing really amazing after all. Anyway, from a technical point of view, I have to admit it, there is no doubt that it was a very well made and beautiful movie. On top of that, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone once again delivered some strong performances. However, at the end of the day, like in most musicals, the story was just too generic and rather shallow, especially with a running time above the 2 hours, and even though Gosling and Stone were fine, I can't say I really cared about their characters and what they were going through. Eventually, even if it is pretty good, I think the damned thing is actually rather overrated and I'm really glad the vastly superior 'Moonlight' managed to win the Academy Award for the Best Picture instead of this movie.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 8 June 2017 08:02
(A review of
The Big Year)
This movie seemed rather obscure but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though I didn't expect much from the damned thing, I have to admit that it was not bad at all. I mean, let's be honest, would you expect a great movie dealing with a subject like birding (apparently, to call it 'bird-watching' is considered as a grear insult for these guys)? Furthermore, the 3 main actors (Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Steve Martin) were all stuck playing their usual stereotypes which didn't help either. And yet, the damned thing was not bad though. First of all, I didn't know much about birding so it was pretty interesting to learn more about this hobby. Furthermore, if you have a hobby or, even better a passion, it is easy to identify with them and to understand what these guys were aiming at and I thought it was rather well handled. I also enjoyed the sense of community around the birders and the sense of fulfillment when they meet someone sharing the same passion. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was nothing really groundbreaking, it was a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 7 June 2017 08:37
(A review of
Men in Black)
Of course, I already watched this movie. In fact, I even saw the damned thing in the movie theater when it was released but since it was a while back and since I had it on DVD, I thought I might as well check it out again. Well, even though it is now already 20 years old, it still remains a fun movie. Sure, the concept was decent enough but , to be honest, it could have easily become a boring mess (see for example the recent 'R.I.P.D.'). Eventually, what made this movie really work was that they managed to find the right tone and, furthermore, with Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, they had a fine duo as well. Back in those days, Smith just had his first box-office hit with 'Independence Day' and this movie was exactly the right move to further promote his career. Concerning the story, to be honest, I don’t think it was anything really mind-blowing though. I mean, sure, it was entertaining enough but it was also rather generic and predictable. The weird thing is that they actually messed up the ending in my opinion. Indeed, while most blockbusters would make sure they provide an open-ending, in this movie, they actually managed to get rid-off of one of the best characters. To make things worse, they replaced him with a woman but how could they bring her back in the following sequel since the damned thing was called 'Men in Black'? Anyway, even though this movie was nothing really amazing, I really have a weak spot for the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 5 June 2017 06:38
(A review of
Arthur)
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this movie but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I didn't care much for the damned thing, I'm afraid. First of all, I have to admit that I have never seen the original version and I wonder how they could make anything really great from such material. Anyway, the tricky thing with this tale was that they introduced Arthur as a really vapid and rather unlikable character and, then, they spent the rest of the movie trying to convince the viewers that he was actually a rather nice guy after all. Wouldn't it have been more refreshing if they just had let him be an ass from the beginning until the very end? Another thing that didn't work was Hobson. When I saw that the great Helen Morden was playing this character, I was intrigued and I thought she would play her like a very strict old-fashioned British governess. However, it turned out that she actually really cared for Arthur but, even though it might have seemed sweet, this approach just didn't work. Indeed, if she did care for him so much, how could she let him become such a mess? It was in my opinion a display of gross negligence both in her job as a nanny and as a substitute mother figure. Anyway, even though I don't blame Russell Brand, it was just a rather weak comedy and I don't think it is really worth a look.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 4 June 2017 07:40
(A review of
Adventures of Arsene Lupin)
I wasn't expecting much from this movie but since it was the first (and so far only) French movie starring Eva Green, I was still eager to check it out. Well, unfortunately, it turned out to be a huge borefest. I'm not sure if Arséne Lupin is well known abroad but he is definitely very famous in France and there was definitely some potential with the gentleman thief to make something pretty neat. Unfortunately, right from the lame introduction, the whole thing was pretty much hopeless (as a rule, if someone dies but you can't see their face, you can be sure that they are still alive which is such a very old gimmick). I won't blame Romain Duris, he was actually one of the very few good things in this movie and, with Kristin Scott-Thomas, they made an interesting couple but pretty much everything else was just so tedious. To be honest, you wonder why they even brought up Eva Green to the mix as it would have been much more interesting to see Lupin getting involved with a mature woman but, instead, they gave us a rather awkward love triangle. Concerning the plot, it was just so underwhelming, I won't even waste my time explaining why. Anyway, to conclude, even though the damned thing had some potential, it was just terribly weak and it is not surprising that Eva Green never bothered to make another French movie afterwards.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 4 June 2017 09:31
(A review of
T2 Trainspotting)
Like anyone else, I had some mixed feelings when I heard that they would make a sequel for this classic. Eventually, after watching the damned thing, did we really need this sequel? Probably not but was it a bad movie? Certainly not either. Indeed, what made this movie still work was the fact that Danny Boyle was involved and the original cast as well. It was especially really neat to see Ewan McGregor finally working again with this director after 20 long years but the rest of the cast (Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, Robert Carlyle) was fine as well. I also enjoyed the fact that they didn't give all these characters some average middle-class lifes with wife, kids and a decent job. Indeed, Spud was still a heroin addict, Simon (AKA Sick boy) kicked off the habit but was still a cocain addict, Begbie spent all these years in prison and Renton who first seemed to have turned around his life eventually didn't have much to brag about either. So, the set-up was pretty good but I'm afraid the makers still struggled to give these characters something interesting to do. Indeed, the whole thing was pretty random and they were several attempts to get them involved in some various sub-plots but they were all rather half-baked. Furthermore, they kept referring constantly the past but I'm not sure if it was the best approach to make this movie stand out from its predecessor. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you enjoyed 'Trainspotting' .
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 3 June 2017 07:49
(A review of
Hannibal)
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. I remember very well when it was released though. Indeed, after 10 long years, the long-awaited sequel of 'The Silence of the Lambs' was finally coming up and, even though Jonathan Demme was not anymore involved, Ridley Scott, who just made a huge come-back with 'Gladiator', took over the job so I had some huge expectactions. I even saw the damned thing in the movie theater with a group of friends at the time. Well, unfortunately, it turned out to be a massive disappointment, probably one of the most disappointing movies I have ever seen. Seriously, the whole thing was just a huge mess. First of all, besides Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling, there were just too many characters involved : an older victim of Lecter, an orderly that used to take care of Lecter, a crooked Deputy Assistant Attorney General, an Italian cop, the wife of the Italian cop,... Furthemore, what was the point of going all the way to Florence? First of all, it was disappointing that all the Italian characters would never speak Italian. A bigger issue was that they first brought the action to Italy which wasn't a bad idea but then, really suddenly, this location was completely dropped (Starling actually never set foot there) and they went back to the States. Anyway, even though the whole thing was still somehow watchable, what really ruined the whole thing for me was this awful ending during which Kendler ends up eating his own brain. Seriously, it was probably one of the most ridiculous scenes I have ever seen. Anyway, to conclude, even though this movie was really successful at the box-office when it was released, I think it is actually one of the most disappointing sequels ever made and, without the great Anthony Hopkins, it wouldn't be worth a look at all.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 1 June 2017 07:21
(A review of
Days of Being Wild (1990))
Since it was one of the last movies directed by Wong Kar Wai that I still hadn't watch so far, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, as usual with this director, I still ended up with some mixed feelings. I mean, there is no doubt that he always delivered his best work when focusing on such doomed love stories and, once again, the cinematography from Christopher Doyle (who was working with Wong Kar Wai for the first time around) was quite mesmerising. On top of that, Leslie Cheung delivered a really strong performance playing one of the most fascinating tortured womaniser I have ever seen. And yet, I was never swept away by the whole thing. I mean, even though Cheung was really good, his character was borderline despicable but even though some of the other characters seemed to be more righteous, I still didn't care much for them either. It was also pretty weird to see Tony Leung showing up completely randomly during the very last scene but his character was apparently supposed to be the lead in a second part which was never produced. Anyway, to conclude, even though it didn't really blow me away, it was still pretty good and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested in this director.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 31 May 2017 07:56
(A review of
Detachment)
Back in 1998, Tony Kaye made 'American History X' which turned out to be one of the most acclaimed directing debuts ever made. Well, even though it could have been the start of a promising career, at the time, Kaye made a big fuss about how much he actually hated his own movie and, as a result, he pretty much blacklisted himself. Eventually, it took him some time to get his act back together and, almost 20 years later after the release of its masterpiece, I finally watched another directing effort from this guy. Well, even though it was maybe nothing really groundbreaking, I thought it was a solid drama and probably the most depressing depiction of the life of an average teacher I have ever seen. It was also terribly realistic, I'm afraid. It's too bad that everything happening outside the school didn't work so well. Especially the sub-plot about the main character giving shelter to a young prostitute was rather misguided. Indeed, not only the guy was an amazing substitute but he apparently also had a heart of gold but I think it would have been more interesting if they only focused on his school work like they did in 'Entre les murs' which remains by far the best movie about this subject. This movie was also a good reminder that Adrien Brody was once one of the most promising actors of his generation. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, I thought it was pretty good and it is definitely worth a look.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Posted : 7 years, 9 months ago on 31 May 2017 07:37
(A review of
RED 2)
First of all, even though ‘RED’ had a nice concept, I thought this idea was actually rather poorly developed and the damned thing turned out to be only a decent watch at best. Well, with this in mind, I didn’t expect much from this sequel and, indeed, it turned out to be a flop at the box-office which was hardly surprising. Seriously, the damned thing was just so boring and even though they had once again a stellar cast involved (Bruce Willis, John Malkovich, Mary-Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-Jones, David Thewlis, Brian Cox), it seemed that they all showed up just to get a nice pay-check. Eventually, one of the most tedious things about this movie was the fact that Frank’s girlfriend always wanted to get involved in some dangerous situations while Frank himself actually wanted her to be careful. It was just such a lame running joke and there was not one single moment during which it was believable that Frank would bring along his girlfriend for such a dangerous mission. The other thing that bothered me was the fact that, while such spies would kill and be much more violent, in this movie, most of the conflicts were resolved after a nice little chat which was just lame. Anyway, to conclude, even though I have seen worse, I really had a hard time to care about the damned thing and I don’t think it is really worth a look.
0 comments,
Reply to this entry
Login
Home
585 Lists
7768 Reviews
Collections