Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it seemed to have a decent reputation and since it was available on YouTube, I thought I might as well check it out. The first interesting thing with this movie is that it is labeled as a documentary but, to be honest, I think it must be the least educational documentary I have ever seen. The funny thing was that there were actually so many title cards through the whole duration but they were never used to convey some actual information either on Lenin himself, on the Soviet Union or on how it was to live in this country back in the 30’s. Indeed, instead, these title cards were constantly used to hammer the fact that Lenin was apparently totally awesome and I can imagine that this approach could be frustrating, even nauseating for some viewers (which was definitely the feeling I had when I watched ‘Triumph des Willens’). At the end of the day, it is and remains a Soviet propaganda feature, the rather pathetic bombastic rhetoric goes with the territory, and, as far as I’m concerned, even though I wouldn’t go as far as saying that it was inspiring, I still think it that there was something quite lyrical and artistic about the damned thing. Sure, the Soviet Union was a big failure at the time but, beside the fact that, at the time, the Soviets embraced a completely different lifestyle, they also really subverted the movie language. Sure, it might all seem rather disturbing but I think it was actually quite intriguing and this movie was a good example, even if it was probably not the most memorable movie in this genre. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing really mind-blowing, it was still an interesting watch and I think it is worth a look but probably only if you are interested in the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was available on YouTube, I thought I might as well check it out. It’s only when the movie started that I discovered that it was actually directed by John Ford. Well, to be honest, I wasn’t really impressed by the end-result, in fact, I was almost falling asleep during the last 15 mins but it was probably due to the fact that I was more tired than I expected. Anyway, basically, it was a rather weird mix of comedy and thriller but, above all, it was based on a very generic gimmick which was never really entertaining. Concerning Jean Arthur, she was just as lovely as usual and she did what she could with this material playing some kind of wise-*ss lady but I think she was rather wasted here playing a character who was barely developed. Eventually, the main (and only?) cool thing in this movie was to see the great Edward G. Robinson playing a dual role which he both really nailed. Indeed, so far, I had seen the actor playing only 2 kinds of characters, the tough guy/gangster or the mild-mannered man, 2 extremes and, well, Robinson got the opportunity to play both types in the same movie and, very often, at the same time. To make the whole thing even more intricate, you even had some scenes during which Edward G. Robinson was playing 'Killer' Mannion pretending to be Arthur Ferguson Jones. Sure, it might look clumsy almost 90 years later from a technical point of view but, from an acting point of view, I think it was a real nice showcase of Robinson’s talent. It’s too bad that the movie didn’t have much else to offer. Anyway, to conclude, even it didn’t really impress me, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

In fact, I was planning to watch something completely different, I was supposed to watch ‘Magic Mike's Last Dance’ but I kept having some technical issues with this movie so I switched to something completely different at the last moment. Well, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise after all. Indeed, there is a fair chance that Magic Mike’s last outing would have been pretty weak and I actually really enjoyed this replacement. Sure, like many other Netflix documentaries, the damned thing did sound terribly gimmicky and, yet, the end-result was pretty neat after all. First of all, it’s so strange to think that up until last year, the whole world was still under the grip of the dreadful Corona virus. It seems so far away now and, with this movie, I was so weird to get back into this vibe during which we were all locked up in our homes for months. Another thing that probably made me enjoy this movie even more was probably the fact that I met my wonderful girlfriend through a similar dating app. However, the big difference between our couple and the couple displayed in this movie was that both of them, for different reasons, were not looking for a serious relationship at all. And, yet, through fate, they had to spend 3 months together in a foreign country completely cut off from the rest of the world and, eventually, they did fall in love with each other which was just so sweet and romantic. I mean, they barely knew each other when they went to Costa Rica and the whole thing could have been a total nightmare. Anyway, to conclude, even if the damned thing was nothing ground-breaking, it turned out to be a cute love story and I think it is actually worth a look, at least, if you like the genre. 

Since I kept hearing some pretty good things about this flick, I thought I might finally check it out. Seriously, it is rather surprising that it took me so long to finally watch it. To be honest, the fact that it did sound like a really generic story was probably the main reason why I didn’t rush to see the damned thing. Anyway, after all these years, I have to admit that it certainly deserved its stellar reputation after all. Indeed, it’s actually hard to describe it, it’s basically about an average guy who meets an average girl and how they fall in love with each other, not much more. And, yet, the damned thing was one of these magical movies that you come across only once a while. To be honest, I don’t really understand why this movie is classified as a ‘musical drama’. I mean, sure, there is some music involved, even some great music, but the way this romance was handled was completely different than everything you will ever see in a musical. Anyway, it was maybe one of the most basic love stories I have ever seen but what was brilliant in this movie is that they actually displayed why this specific man and this specific woman were completely made for each other. Indeed, they both loved music, they both loved making music and, when they were making music together, they became some kind of unstoppable force which was just so awe-inspiring to behold. But, even beside the moments they were involved with music, they were something so genuine about their relationship. Sure, the guy made a mistake at first but it was understandable but, after that, none of them really dared to express their feelings for each other and, eventually, they didn’t end up together which might be frustrating for some viewers but I thought it was such a ballsy and strong way to end this movie. Anyway, to conclude, I really enjoyed the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by [Link removed - login to see] and since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I have to admit that I was actually pleasantly surprised by the damned thing. In my opinion, even if it was the least successful instalment at the box-office, it was actually the best Poirot feature directed by Branagh so far. Indeed, it was visually pretty neat and the ominous mood was quite pitch-perfect. The other thing that I enjoyed was the fact that, even though I kept reading on the internet that Hercule Poirot was this time involved in some kind of supernatural case, the supernatural aspect turned out to be much more downplayed than I expected which was a relief. Eventually, most of what was supposed to be paranormal was debunked by Poirot who displayed that with wits and common-sense, he could explained pretty much everything that did happen in this 'haunted' house which was pretty neat. Sure, some of it remained unclear and ambiguous but it was exactly the right amount and it never overshadowed Poirot’s cerebral process which should be the whole point of these movies. I have to admit that I figured out who was the murderer fairly early on and it seemed easier to spot on this time then in the previous movies (I have to admit that I have actually absolutely no recollection on who did it in ‘Death on the Nile’). It didn’t matter though because the mood was really neat and it was just nice to see Poirot debunking all these supposedly supernatural shenanigans while he was actually also hallucinating himself. Anyway, to conclude, it turned out to be a nice surprise and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was available on YouTube, I thought I might as well check it out. It is usually considered as a major milestone in motion picture history because it was the very first movie shot in Technicolor. Well, the damned thing sure looked pretty good but I’m not sure if I really cared about the story though. In fact, it’s only when the movie started that I realized that Becky Sharp was actually the main character of ‘Vanity Fair’. Eventually, it turned out that this movie was in fact an adaptation of a play adapted from this book. Well, I’m not surprised that it was based on a play since the performances of all the actors were quite theatrical and the end-result was slightly jarring. Basically, instead of talking normally, they all seemed to be shouting their dialogues which might be appropriate for a play but it was a rather dubious choice for a movie like this one. Still, I have to admit that the cast was often quite entertaining to behold though. Concerning the story, it reminded me of ‘Barry Lyndon’ which is not surprising as Stanley Kubrick thought about for a while to adapt ‘Vanity Fair’ at some point but decided to do ‘Barry Lyndon’ instead after all. Indeed, the time period was similar and both stories were dealing with some rather selfish social climbers starting very low and reaching some improbable heights without caring much about the people around them. However, even in glorious Technicolor, there is no way this movie could compete with a Kubrick production, in any area or department you could think of. Anyway, to conclude, even though it didn’t really blow me away, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was very well received and since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. I have to admit that I always had a weak spot for romantic comedies but, to be honest, it has been a while since I have seen a really good movie in this genre. Well, this movie was eventually the proof that you still can deliver something worthwhile in this genre. Indeed, even though it might seem simple, their masterstroke with this movie was not to go for a gimmick which is so often the case in this genre but, instead, to focus on the characters and what they were going through. As a result, there was something really genuine about this cute couple and I thought that they had such great chemistry from the very first moment they met each other in these toilets. Sure, during the 3^rd act, there was a break-up and, at the end, they went back with each other which was quite generic but both events still made sense and it didn’t feel like some far-fetched occurrences led by a plot on auto-pilot. Still, I have to admit that it missed something to really dazzle me though. Maybe it had to with the fact that, even though the two actors who played the leads both delivered some solid performances and even though they made such a cute couple, they were maybe not charismatic enough. I guess it’s the tricky thing, if you deliver some identifiable but also average characters, you might miss the swagger that goes with hiring some genuine movie stars. After thinking about it, I think the issue was mostly with the story though. Since the action took during mostly one single day, it did remind me of ‘Before Sunrise’ and they could have used some worse inspiration. However, even though ‘Before Sunrise’ is a classic romantic feature, it is actually the least interesting movie in the fascinating ‘Before..’ trilogy because, in my opinion, the story is really generic which was also the case here. Anyway, to conclude, I really enjoyed the damned thing though and I think it is definitely worth, especially if you like the genre.