Reviews by johanlefourbe

It’s only after watching about 10 movies directed by Jean-Luc Godard that I came to the conclusion that I’m actually not a huge fan of his work. Indeed, many years ago, I saw and really loved ‘A bout de souffle’ which is still one of my all-time favorie movies but everything else I have seen from this director didn’t really impress me after all and this movie was not different, I’m afraid. I mean, I do admire how the guy rejected most of the traditional rules involved in movie making, basically creating his own experimental style, but, in my opinion, the end-result was maybe artistic but also seriously random. At least, Anna Karina was once again so charismatic and it was rather funny that between ‘Une femme est une femme’ (the first movie she made with Godard) and this feature made 5 years later, she almost completely lost her accent when speaking French. There were also some pretty neat cameos from Marianne Faithfull, another Japanese singer called Kyôko Kosaka and, of course, the always awesome Jean-Pierre Léaud. Anyway, to conclude, even though I had a hard time to really care for the damned thing, I still think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested in Godard’s work.   

Since I kept hearing some pretty good things about this flick and since there was a really neat cast involved, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, it seems that this movie belongs to this sub-genre of the failed military mission based on some true events (the most famous one  in this genre must be ‘Black Hawk Down’).  In this case, the whole thing turned out to be some kind of mix between ‘300’ and ‘American Sniper’ and, while I did like ‘300’, I can’t say I really cared much about ‘American Sniper’  which must be one of the most overrated movies released recently but, all in all, this movie was not bad at all. To be honest, when they started the movie with some documentary footage of some actual SEALS training, I have to admit that I had some doubts. Indeed, it seemed rather disrespectful to compare some actual soldiers with some actors who would only pretend to be involved in some combat situations. However, it did make sense after all because, thanks to this introduction, you could understand that those guys have received some  of the most difficult training ever conceived in order to survive such difficult, even impossible, combat situations. Anyway, to conclude, even though it didn’t really blow me away, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

In fact, 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. First of all, I have to admit that I always had a weak spot for the first installment but, unfortunately, this sequel turned out to be slightly disappointing. I mean, it was still fairly entertaining and it was pretty neat to see Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones back in action but I really had a hard time to care about what was going on this time around. On top of that, not only the plot was just terribly generic but they spent maybe at least half of the running time trying to fix the biggest mistake made in the previous movie. Indeed, even though 'Men In Black' clearly had some franchise potential, the makers decided for some reason, at the end, to retire K. It turned out to be a huge mistake since he was not only one of the best characters in this movie but also clearly vital for this concept. As a result, they had to find a way to bring him back but it was never really convincing or really entertaining either. Anyway, even though it turned out to be the weakest installment in this franchise, I have to admit that it was still watchable and  it is worth a look though, especially if you like the genre.

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.