Reviews by johanlefourbe

Since I kept hearing some great things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out. Eventually, I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, up to that point, David Ayer's biggest credit was to have written the rather overrated 'Training Day' but there was no doubt that the guy had some talents and, here, he really made his mark. The first thing I enjoyed in this flick was that, for once, it wasn't dealing with some dirty cops or some wild cowboys but with some decent police officers who are really dedicated to their work which was quite refreshing. Concerning the documentary-style directing, obviously, it wasn't really original but it was efficient enough and it definitely gave the whole thing a really realistic look. Finally, in my opinion, the biggest asset was the great chemistry between Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña. Indeed, this movie was not just about the shootings and chases, it was also about those two men who spent most of their time in their car and how they deal with that. They both gave some really strong performances and while we have been used to greatness with Gyllenhaal (probably one of the best actors of his generation), it was really neat to see Michael Peña shining in a such a star-making performance. Anyway, to conclude, even though the material was maybe not original, it was handled in such a good way, this movie might be one of the best cop dramas ever made and it is definitely worth a look.

Nowadays, Eddie Murphy has one of the most pathetic careers and for Robert De Niro, even though the situation is not as critical as for Murphy, he is still doing his best to ruin his prestigious legacy by showing up in some really underwhelming features. Anyway, 10 years ago, the situation was not so bad for them and they showed up in this movie together. Sure, on paper, the whole thing sounded pretty lame but I thought it was not bad at all after all. Indeed, the beginning was actually quite promising as De Niro played it completely straight, Murphy was actually quite funny and the mix did work really well, at least, that’s my opinion. Unfortunately, they should kept the satirical tone but, instead, they went for something very generic and rather boring as the two guys eventually formed a typical buddy cop duo. It was kind of disappointing since they started to make fun of the genre which was pretty neat but, then, they completely switch gears and basically followed the rules of the genre. Still, in spite of its flaws, I thought it was fairly entertaining and I guess it is worth a look but don’t expect anything really amazing.

Following their massive success with their directing debut ‘Dumb & Dumber’, the Farrelly Brothers became the next big thing in R rated comedy but, lately, their movies have been rather underperforming. In fact, you could argue that this trend actually started with this movie. Indeed, there was quite some buzz before it was released but, eventually, it didn’t make many waves at the box-office after all. To be honest, I have never been a fan of the Farrelly Brothers’s work (as a matter of fact, I think that ‘Dumb & Dumber’ was quite abysmal and a really overrated movie) but I thought that this movie was not bad. I mean, like all their movies, it was terribly raunchy and even though they tried to hide themselves behind some dubious morality (beauty is not everything and it is personality that should be important), it was very often quite misguided. And yet, I thought it was a decent watch. Nowadays, after 10 years of basically playing the same character over and over again, Jack Black has become rather annoying, but back then, it was his first leading part, and he was still quite funny. To conclude, obviously, it was nothing really amazing but I thought it was still fairly entertaining and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I remember very well when this movie was released. Indeed, after 6 very long years, Quentin Tarantino was finally coming up with a new directing effort. Not only was he releasing a new story but it was a gigantic epic feature of 4 hours divided into two movies!!! So, the buzz surrounding this flick was quite huge and many fans (like me) were waiting this new movie with more than anxiety. Eventually, it was once again a massive success for QT and it became an instant cult classic. Still, what did I personally think of this movie? Honestly, even though I did enjoy it, I didn't think it was really mind-blowing though. Sure, there were some really cool action scenes, the directing was really amazing and the whole thing was definitely entertaining but I thought that the plot was also terribly generic. With Tarantino's first 3 movies, even though it could be pretty preposterous, the story was always really compelling and I really loved those characters but, this time, I really couldn't care less about The Bride, the other characters and what they were going through. Still, even though it was (at the time of its release) his weakest directing effort, it was still a fun movie and I had a good time watching it but I seriously never understood what was supposedly so great about it.

After all these years, this movie is still considered as one of the most the controversial winners of the Best Picture Academy award. Indeed, when you see that the other nominees were ‘Elizabeth’, ‘La vita è bella’, ‘Saving Private Ryan’ and ‘The Thin Red Line’, there is actually a fairly good chance that this movie was in fact the weakest of the bunch after all. Anyway, after all this buzz, I was quite eager to check it out to see if it was any good. Eventually, after watching the damned thing, to really enjoy it, I think it all depends if you are able to connect with the material or not. Indeed, it is basically a rather whimsical costume drama dealing with Shakespeare and some other historical figures and while I thought it was a decent watch, I can’t say I was really blown away by the whole thing though. I mean, sure, it was well made, there was a nice cast (Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Rupert Everett) but, to be honest, I was a little bit bored by the whole thing. To conclude, even though I don’t think it did indeed deserve to win the big prize, I don’t think that it deserved all the hatred either and I think it is definitely worth a look.

It has been a while since I have seen this flick but, to be honest, I always had a weak spot for this movie. Indeed, if I recall it correctly, I saw it with my wife and even though I didn’t really look amazing, it turned out to be a decent romantic-comedy after all. Even though you might not expect from me, I really like romantic-comedies but, after watching so many of them through the years, it is not very often that you get to see one which is really worthwhile because they are usually based on some lame concept or they are just poorly written. This one was an exception though. Indeed, it is actually a really simple story, there is no real concept behind, but that’s maybe why I actually enjoyed it. On top of that, even though I’m not a huge fan of Ashton Kutcher, I thought he gave a decent performance and, above all, he had some great chemistry with Amanda Peet (such a shame we don’t hear much from her anymore). Of course, if you are familiar with the genre, you will notice that the plot was terribly similar to ‘When Harry Met Sally...’ so the whole thing was not really original but I didn’t bother me. To conclude, even though it is nothing really amazing, I thought it was a decent romantic feature and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I had already seen this flick but since it was really a while back, I was really eager to check it out again. Well, pretty much like anything else coming from this director, it is basically another huge classic but, to be honest, it doesn't really belong to my favorites. But even so, it is seriously entertaining, I think it is probably the most accessible movie directed by Stanley Kubrick and, once again, the directing was just amazing. On top of that, Jack Nicholson gave one of his best performances and the whole thing was indeed just spellbinding to watch. And, yet, somehow, it was still missing something to become truly amazing, at least, that’s my opinion. Eventually, the main issue was probably the fact that this movie is and remains a Stephen King story and, to be honest, I have never been a real fan of his work.  Still, I have always been amazed about how Kubrick has managed to lift up this material to such heights and among all these Stephen King books that has been adapted to the silver screen, it is easily one of the very best ones, even if King himself didn't like it at all. Anyway, to conclude, it is a classic and it is a must see for any decent movie fan, especially if you like the genre.

Honestly, I think it is rather sad that Tom Cruise is still trying to convinced himself and the rest of the world that he still has what it takes to lead the box-office. I mean, come on, man, not only the guy is already over 50 years old but, beyond that those days are simply over not only for him but for all the big movie stars and it would be great that the guy could reinvent himself like Ben Affleck or Matthew McConaughey. Anyway, after this way too long introduction, what about the movie itself? Well, I thought it was fairly enjoyable and entertaining but, honestly, like most conspiracy thrillers, the plot didn’t hold up very well and maybe half of it was pretty much nonsense. But, still, Tom Cruise remains a charismatic leading man, Rosamund Pike was quite charming and convincing enough and this character definitely has some potential. Concerning Werner Herzorg, I wasn't really sure though. I mean, it was really neat and unexpected to have the great German director playing some strange and ominous villain but, honestly, the trick got old pretty quickly and he didn’t have much to do after all. To conclude, my rating might be a little too generous here but I still think it is a decent watch but don’t expect anything remotely mind-blowing from this movie.

I already saw this movie but since it was a while ago, I was quite eager to check it out again. Well, after all these years, I still ended up with the same feeling. I’m afraid. I mean, I will admit tot have to it, it is a very good movie. Indeed, it is very well made, spectacular, really entertaining and with some career best performances from Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins but, unfortunately, the story is just too far-fetched for my taste. In fact, my wife is actually a huge fan of such thrillers involving serial-killers and I'm pretty sure this movie is her favorite one in this genre. However, in my opinion, this movie precisely displays what bothers me with this genre. Indeed, while my wife might argue that those things actually really happens in real life, I tend to roll my eyes in complete disbelief. I mean, let’s start with the fact that the FBI would never send a student still in training to interrogate one of the most notorious serial-killers. However, the worst gimmick in this genre, aside the obligatory twist ending, is the whole concept of the omnipotent serial killer who hears and sees pretty much everything, can apparently predict the future and has access to a limitless amount of cash. In fact, after rewatching it, there were still some parts that still didn’t make much sense to me. I mean, don't misunderstand me, I do like this movie but even though it might be the best movie in this genre, it still uses some of his worst tricks and therefore it makes it difficult for me to be completely blown away by the whole thing. Anyway, to conclude, even though I’m not a huge fan, it is still a classic though and it is pretty much a must-see, especially if you like the genre.

It has been a while since I have seen this flick and it would be pretty neat to re-watch it at some point. I remember it very well, back in the 90’s, I had seen ‘The Brothers McMullen’ and I was really impressed by this flick. Apparently, I wasn’t the only as it was very well received critically (it even won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival) and, at the time, it seemed that Edwards Burns had a bright future as a director. Like many other directors before like Kevin Smith for example, after directing a very cheap indie feature, he got the opportunity to direct something obviously more commercial and this movie was the result. To be honest, even though it was a decent rom-com and even though I did like it, I have to admit that it was still a step down from his really neat directing debut. Eventually, the biggest appeal was definitely to see Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Anniston when they were both young and starting their career. Unfortunately, after this more commercially oriented feature, none of Edward Burns's movies have made a big impression and they have been more and more obscure which I think is too bad. To conclude, even though it is nothing really amazing, I thought it was still a decent romantic-comedy and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.