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Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 3 April 2017 09:07
(A review of Mother)Not so long ago, I saw 'Salinui chueok', and since I really loved this movie, I was quite eager to check out this other thriller directed by Joon-ho Bong. Well, even though I did like the damned thing, I have to admit that it didn't completely blow me away though. What bothered me the most was probably the fact that it borrowed so many elements from 'Salinui chueok' like the obviously innocent dim-witted suspect, the incompetent police force, the ridiculous crime reproduction or the small town where everyone seems to know everybody. The main difference was the mother but even though she was interesting enough, I never thought that she was really fascinating. And, of course, you had the fact that the conclusion was in fact pretty much completely the opposite of what happened in  'Salinui chueok'. I mean, this twist didn't really bother me but it is something actually rather difficult to achieve (to have a suspect and spend the whole movie to prove his innocence when he was actually guilty all along) and it didn't really work here. Indeed, when you discover the truth, it felt as if half of the movie was actually a waste of time and it felt also seriously random (basically, the guy had no idea who this girl was and he killed her only because she called him an idiot). Still, I really have a weak spot for Joon-ho Bong who alway manages to give an unique mix of drama, thriller and humor and, therefore, the damned thing is still worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A very good movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 2 April 2017 07:47
(A review of Son of Saul )Since I kept hearing some really good things about this movie, I was quite eager to check it out and, eventually, I was definitely not disappointed by the damned thing. Indeed, it turned out to be the best movie released in 2015, no less than that. I have to admit that I was 'glad' that I saw 'Shoah' not so long ago as it greatly helped me to understand what the hell was going on and to appreciate this impressive movie. To be honest, I'm not sure if you can get into this movie if your knowledge about the holocaust doesn't go beyond 'The Schindler's List' or what they teach you in school. Anyway, basically, with this movie, right from the beginning, you are immersed in some kind of chaotic and irrational mayhem, it's so relentless  that the makers don't give you one single wide shot in order to breath, to take a few seconds to understand what just happened, to actually see and try to understand this whole situation. Instead, you stay close, very close, to some random man who also seems to act really irationally but, in such a doomed time and place, after spending your days helping to exterminate men, women and children, just so you could survive another day, was it in anyway possible to keep your sanity and act like a sensible human-being? Coming back to their choice of never really show what was exactly going on, the effect was so more powerful, effective and horrifying, as a result, you will never forget something that you actually never really saw. To conclude, it is rather amazing that this movie was actually a directing debut, it was quite flawless and it is definitely worth a look.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 1 April 2017 07:12
(A review of Life)To be honest, I had no idea what this movie was actually about and it was Nick, my step-son, who suggested that we should check it out. Well, I have to admit that the whole thing had some potential, especially with such a strong cast involved but, eventually, I thought it was still rather disappointing. Basically, they went for some kind of mix of 'Gravity' and 'Alien' but, even though it was certainly watchable, it was also completely forgettable. Indeed, I did like the realistic approach they took and I won't blame the cast, they all gave some decent performances. Unfortunately, in the contrary to 'Gravity' in which there was only one character, there was a crew of 6 members here and, while it didn't like seem like a lot of people to handle, none of them was developed at all and, as a result, it was rather difficult to really care for them. A bigger problem was that, from the moment that the alien became hostile, it became really predictable and even rather boring. I mean, seriously, Â ever since 'Alien' came out, how many science-fiction movies have we seen following pretty much the same formula? Well, this movie's biggest failure was that it didn't add anything new to the genre. To conclude, actually, it wasn't bad at all, it was even rather well made so I guess it is still worth a look, especially if you like the genre, but don't expect anything really mind-blowing before watching the damned thing.
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A good movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 30 March 2017 08:23
(A review of Lo and Behold: Reveries of the Connected World)To be honest, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this movie but since I'm a big fan of Werner Herzog, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, once again, the German master didn't disappoint me, that's for sure. Indeed, it was dealing with a fascinating subject and, while watching this movie, it reminded me of a message board I read on IMDb about 'Disconnect', another movie dealing with Internet. Basically, some guy (probably rather old) was arguing that the kids growing up 30 or 40 years ago were much happier than the kids growing up nowadays because they had to go outside and play instead of spending all their free time in front of their computer or their smartphone. Well, I didn't agree with this dude and this documentary very well displayed how the internet completely changed our world. In my opinion, the internet is basically a portal to some endless knowledge and it is up to the users to properly use this knowledge or not. Still, I have to admit that not everything completely worked in this movie. Indeed, even though all the different subjects were interesting, some of them like gaming addiction or the possibility of living on Mars didn't have much to do with the main topic so the whole thing was a little all over the place. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, I turned out to be a decent watch and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested by this subject.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 29 March 2017 08:13
(A review of Live by Night)Well, after 3 really solid directing efforts, it seems that Ben Affleck unfortunately managed to slightly ruin his impressive track-record as a director. Sure, the whole thing was watchable and it looked really good but it still never really worked, I'm afraid. The first mistake he made was to cast himself as the lead. I mean, it did work with 'The Town' and 'Argo' but, in this movie, it felt like a big egotrip to have the guy directing himself as a very clever and sometimes even almighty gangster. Anyway, even with another actor, I'm still not sure if I would have really cared about this movie though. Indeed, eventually , the biggest problem was the story was nothing really interesting or entertaining, maybe it was too long or too slow but, within the first 5 minutes, I was already losing my interest in the damned thing. Basically, Â it seems that Ben Affleck made the same mistake that George Clooney made with 'Leatherheads'. Indeed, back then, Clooney was also an upcoming director, his 2 previous movies were some critical hits but, for some reason, Â for his 3rd directing effort, he went for a period piece taking place in the mid-20's with himself playing the lead as well but it turned out to be a flop. In both cases, these 2 directors thought that the audience were interested by such tales but they were wrong. Anyway, to conclude, I hope this failure won't damage too much Affleck's directing career and I hope the guy will rebound with his next project, otherwise, I'm afraid he won't be taken seriously anymore as a director for much longer.
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A bad movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 28 March 2017 08:24
(A review of Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil)Even though a cult-classic like âDreddâ or a popular franchise like âHellboyâ will probably never get another sequel, for some reasons, some other rather obscure features like âHoodwinked!â still managed to get another installment . Well, to be honest, I have to admit that the concept in âHoodwinked!â was actually pretty neat and I thought it could be a entertaining transgressive animated feature. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a really underwhelming âShrekâ copycat. Well, surprisingly, 6 years later, they came up with this new instalment which got even less love than its predecessor and went by completely unnoticed. And, indeed, the damned thing was pretty much unwatchable. First of all, even though they made this sequel came out 6 years later, they didnât improve the animation at all and the whole thing was really seriously ugly. Furthermore, even if the concept originally appealed to me with the first movie, now, it was just getting on my nerves and the fact that the plot was just tedious and moronic didnât help at all. Above all, it was just sad to get such a fine actress like Glenn Close getting involved for the 2nd time around in this really weak franchise. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was just a waste of time and you should pretty much avoid it.Â
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A very good movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 26 March 2017 02:56
(A review of Moonlight)Since I kept hearing some really good things about this movie, I was really eager to check it out. Well, eventually, I wasn't disappointed, that's for sure. Basically, it was pretty much a flawless drama that worked on all levels. Indeed, I was at first quite impressed by its visual style which was sober but also so effective and, yet, they managed to make some rather simple scenes like a character smoking beautiful to look at. Then, you had the score which was a perfect mix between classic and modern. So, the directing was really strong but the performances were just really fine as well from all the actors involved. Another thing I really appreciated in this movie was how deep and complex all the characters were displayed. Eventually, there was something really hearbreaking about this tale and it displayed how merciless such environment can be, especially if you show any kind of weakness. It raises such questions like should we always be true to ourself even if it will probably result in our own destruction or should we adapt in order to survive? Anyway, to conclude, even though it might not be my favorite movie from 2016 (it wasn't far behind though), it was still a really worthy winner of the Best Picture Academy Award and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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A good movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 25 March 2017 08:09
(A review of Gimme Danger (2016))Since I'm a big fan of Iggy Pop and a big fan of Jim Jamursch, of course, I really had to watch this documentary at some point. Well, eventually, I have to admit that it turned to be a really straightforward rock documentary and, if you are really not interested in this band, it won't be a really spectacular watch but it worked for me. Indeed, even though I thought I knew some stuff about the Stooges, I'm amazed about how much I learned thanks to this movie. Still, they made some rather odd choices. For example, at the very beginning, they told the Stooges were going through some rough times and, suddenly, they went back to Iggy Pop's childhood and they went chronologically from there. Furthermore, I was rather surprised that, since they really went into details to tell the journey of this band, they didn't explain how Iggy Pop actually got his name. Anyway, even if their music was not always amazing, there was always something quite spellbinding about their act, especially Iggy Pop, and it is still quite impressive that him and his band have reached such a legendary success when they never ever reached any real commercial success making them pretty much the Van Gogh of Rock'n Roll. To conclude, it was a really interesting watch and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in this band.
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An average movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 24 March 2017 08:34
(A review of Annie)To be honest, since I didnât care much for John Hustonâs version and since this movie turned out to be a critical flop, I didnât expect much from the damned thing but since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I always thought it was actually a rather boring story and this modern version, except for giving some Hip-Hop versions of the famous songs and casting a black kid to play the lead, didnât really improve the formula. At least, I have to admit that their version of âItâs A Hard-Knock Lifeâ was pretty cool but all the other songs were rather weak. On the other hand, I wonât blame the lovely and talented QuvenzhanĂŠ Wallis who was actually pretty good. In fact, Willow Smith, Will Smithâs daughter who was the producer on this movie, was supposed to play the lead but after the movie lingered in development, she became too old to play this part but the whole thing would have been probably worse with her. Another problem was Cameron Diaz. I mean, sure, I understand that she wanted to play the bad guy for once but she was pretty weak,I'm afraid. Anyway, to conclude, even if I have seen worse, I thought it was rather underwhelming and I donât think it is really worth a look.Â
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A good movie
Posted : 7 years, 11 months ago on 22 March 2017 09:05
(A review of The Nice Guys)Since I kept hearing some pretty good things about this movie, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, to be honest, even though it turned to be actually pretty good, I still had a hard time to really care about the dammed thing. I guess it had to with the fact that it was just so similar to 'Kiss Kiss Bang Bang'. Indeed, the tone was pretty much identical, it was also dealing with 2 messed up buddies involved in a really murky investigation. Even the 2 main characters were really similar with Ryan Gosling playing some kind of loser like Robert Downey Jr. was and Russell Crowe playing someone slightly more competent fellow like Val Kilmer was. The big difference was that, while the duo Downey-Kilmer was pretty much constantly hilarious, the duo Gosling-Crowe was entertaining but not much more than that. Furthermore, even though it was a nice touch to give Gosling's character a daughter, it was a rather poor idea to have her constantly involved in their investigation. Finally, to be honest, these movies from Shane Black are fun, I'll give you that, but I always find it rather tiresome to try to follow this really silly and over-complicated stories when you know that the makers never really actually cared about the plot as they just wanted to have some rather messed up characters getting involved in some rather messed up situations. Anyway, even though it didn't really work for me, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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