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Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 15 December 2014 11:13
(A review of Straw Dogs)It has been a while since I have seen this movie and I will definitely check it out again when I have the opportunity. To be honest, I was actually slightly disappointed by âWild Bunchâ. I mean, sure, I thought it was pretty good but I failed to see what was so impressive and, in fact, I was more able to connect with this other classic directed by Sam Peckinpah. In my opinion, it is actually one of his more subtle directing efforts. Of course, in fact, as usual with this rather brutal director, it wasnât actually not subtle at all, quite violent, especially back in those days and borderline misogynist but, for a Peckinpah feature, it had actually quite some depth. I also enjoyed to see Dustin Hoffman who has at the top of his game at the time. Indeed, Hoffman was an unexpected but great choice to play the lead and I thought it was more intriguing to have him go beserk instead of one of the usual tough guys that you might have in such violent setting. To conclude, it is an unsettling but still very interesting thriller and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Sam Peckinpahâs work.
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An average movie
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 14 December 2014 12:09
(A review of The Patriot)I had already seen this movie but since it was a while ago, I thought I might as well check it out again. This feature clearly stands out in Roland Emmerich's filmography since he had made so far some big SF features like 'Stargate' or 'Independence Day' but the end-result was not bad at all. Indeed, what he basically did was to take his usual massive actions scenes and moved them in a different time period and, within this interesting context, it was actually quite rewarding and entertaining. On top of that, with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger, the first who was still a major a draw at the box-office and the second who was just breaking through at the time, he had some really talented actors and it gave this epic tale some extra  weight. To be honest, I don't really think that the story was really amazing and it was a typical plot with a predictable arc. Basically, it was the whole gimmick of the lethal warrior who doesn't want to fight anymore but, of course, he goes to war anyway because, otherwise, there wouldnât be any story to tell. Sure, it was entertaining but it wasn't really deep whatsoever. Still, all in all, it remains a decent blockbuster and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 12 December 2014 09:57
(A review of The Crow)I actually already saw this movie, in fact, I even watched it in the movie theater when it was released, but it was a while back so I thought it was really time for a re-watch. Back in those dayss, there was a lot of talk because Brando Lee was killed while making this movie and considering the already ominous nature of the story and if you add the fact that Bruce Lee, Brandon Lee's father, also died under such mysterious circumstances, this movie became in the process an instant cult-classic. 20 years later, it is still pretty good, a dark and unsettling feature with a striking Gothic look, thanks to some really solid directing by Alex Proyas who was just starting as a director with this movie. To be honest, I'm not so sure that the story was really amazing though. I mean, sure, it was quite entertaining but I always find it difficult to care for a character who seems to be invincible. On top of that, the bad guys were poorly developed and they were just some obnoxious over-the-top cartoonish figures. Still, it remains a strange and morbidly fascinating movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 12 December 2014 08:43
(A review of Stardust Memories)I already saw this movie but since it was such a long time ago, I thought I might as well check it out again. To be honest, the first time around, I didn't care much for the damned thing but since it has a solid reputation, I was quite eager to give it a 2nd chance. For some reasons, I always thought it was one of the very few dramas directed by Woody Allen but it turned out to be actually some kind of comedic version of '8 1/2' from Fellini. Anyway, I'm glad I rewatched it because it was actually pretty good, even if it is still not one of my favorites from this director. The only thing that bothered me was not how really random the whole thing was but the fact that Allen played such an irresistible womaniser. There was even a really awkward scene during which Allen's character was criticised by one of his many girlfriends for flirting with her 14 year old cousin which was pretty creepy since, in real life, Allen would eventually get married with one of his girlfriend's daughters. Anyway, I think it would have worked better if he would have focused on the relationship with Dorie. Indeed, she was such an interesting character played so well by the gorgeous Charlotte Ramping. To conclude, even though I wasnât still not completely blown by this movie, it was an interesting watch after all and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Woody Allenâs work.
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Storytelling (2001) review
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 11 December 2014 09:40
(A review of Storytelling (2001))I remember it very well, back then, I really enjoyed âHappinessâ a lot. Indeed, it was one of the darkest and quite frankly one of the most messed up movies I had ever seen so I was really eager to check Todd Solondzâs following directing effort. Eventually, I wasnât disappointed and I thought that this new feature was quite spellbinding to watch as well. This time, Solondz went for something slightly more ambitious with too unrelated stories called âFictionâ and âNon-Fictionâ and, honestly, Iâm not really sure I understood where the director was actually getting at but, once again, he gave us some rather dark tales with some vastly flawed characters. Indeed, instead of the sanatized glamorized and therefore rather boring characters provided in your usual Hollywood feature, Solondz gave us something much more true to life and it was once again quite fascinating to behold. I think I still preferred âHappinessâ because I had a better grasp on the whole thing but this movie was definitely not far behind and itâs a pity that his following projects didnât turn out to be as satisfying as those two amazing movies. To conclude, even though it is definitely an acquired taste, I really liked it a lot and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 10 December 2014 02:40
(A review of State and Main (2000))I have noticed that David Mamet is a rather highly regarded director, and he is even more highly regarded as a writer (he even won the Pulitzer prize as a matter of fact) but, to be honest, I always had a hard time to connect with his work. I donât know, his movies are always intriguing but there is somehow always something missing to make them really remarkable and this flick is a perfect example. Indeed, when it was released, it was very well received and it has more or less become a cult-classic since then but I canât say I was really blown away by the whole thing. I mean, sure, it was fairly entertaining and there was definitely an impressive cast (Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, Julia Stiles, Alec Baldwin, Sarah Jessica Parker) but I thought it was just amusing but not much more than that, Iâm afraid. There is one thing really neat with this movie though is that it was actually the very first time that the great Philip Seymour Hoffman was finally playing the lead character. To conclude, even though I donât think it is really anything great, it is still a decent comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in David Mametâs work.
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An average movie
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 10 December 2014 09:02
(A review of Someone to Watch Over Me)Honestly, it is quite an obscure feature and I wouldnât be otherwise really interested in a movie like this one but since I always had a weak spot for Ridley Scottâs work, I was quite eager to check it out. Indeed, it is probably the most unknown and forgotten movie directed by Scott and I'm afraid it actually does deserve its status. I mean, after many ambitious productions dealing with Fantasy, SF and even a periode piece (âThe Duellistsâ, âAlienâ, âBlade Runnerâ and âLegendâ), Ridley Scott was making for the first time a contemporary feature and the result was rather underwhelming. I mean, the title was rather lame and the story was just too pedestrian. Still, as usual with Ridley Scott, in spite of a rather weak story, he managed thanks to his always stylish directing to make the whole thing watchable thanks to a nice mood and the flick was after all mostly entertaining, even if it was completely forgettable. To conclude, even though it was nothing really amazing and probably one of the weakest directing effort from Ridley Scott, but for what itâs worth, I still think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre of if you are interested in this director.
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An average movie
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 9 December 2014 10:39
(A review of Get the Gringo)After taking a long break of 8 years as a lead actor, Mel Gibson was finally back in 2010 with 'Edge of Darkness' but since then, he has been struggling to recovery his A list status. Of course, you could argue that the current box-office is ruled by the super-heros, YA book adaptations and the animated features and no movie star can't secure a box-office success on his own but, to be honest, none of his latest projects have been really amazing enough to deserve a better reception and this movie was a perfect example. I mean, it was not bad at all, I really enjoyed how gritty the whole thing was and it is always a pleasure to see Mel Gibson playing such a shaddy figure. So, the tone was pretty dark but, unfortunately, as soon as Gibson got acquainted with the little Mexican fellow, the whole thing pretty much lost its edge. Indeed, the main character was not such a bad guy after all and that was rather disappointing. On top of that, the 3rd act was quite preposterous as well which was too bad. Still, they managed to create a really interesting underworld, Mel Gibson was really entertaining throughout the whole thing so I think it is actually worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 9 December 2014 12:03
(A review of The Cabbage Soup)When I was a kid, I used to watch a lot the movies starring Louis de Funès. Indeed, back in the 60âs and 70âs, de Funès was probably the most popular comic actor in France and after his death, he was still massively popular when I was growing up in the 80âs. His movies were very often on French TV, I watched many of them and I thought they were really hilarious. To be honest, not all his movies were so great though and this one which he made towards the end of his career was actually rather lame. I mean, somehow, it still managed to become a cult-classic in France but, at the end of the day, the whole concept was actually rather abysmal. I mean, basically, you have 2 farmers, some cabbage soup, an alien and many, many farting jokes. Sure, when I was a kid, I thought it was rather funny and Louis de Funès was always entertaining but I think the whole thing is nowadays terribly dated. To conclude, in my opinion, it might be the weakest comedy starring de Funès and I donât think it is really worth a look, expect maybe if you are a huge fan of those old French comedies.
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An average movie
Posted : 10 years, 3 months ago on 8 December 2014 09:59
(A review of The Grey)Back in 2010, Joe Carnahan released his version of 'The A-team' and even though it didnât get much love, I thought it was actually not bad at all. Well, a year later, Carnahan came again with another flick starring again Liam Neeson and if you would have expected another brainless action flick, you couldn't have been more wrong. Indeed, it is a bleak and relentless survival feature and nothing was glamorized whatsoever this time around. Indeed, ever since the surprise success of 'Taken', Liam Neeson has somehow become a new action star and it works mostly because he was, way before this new trend, a very fine actor so if you combine him with such a gripping tale, the result is rather spellbinding to behold. To be honest, I don't think the premise was actually really realistic though. I mean, what are the odds that anyone would survive with such harsh conditions, without any food or weapons, with a pack of wolf chasing them? Â On top of that, I think I have seen too many movies dealing about some impossible survival but there is no denying that this one was very well made and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end.
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