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Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 2 January 2014 10:47
(A review of The Eagle)Kevin Macdonald is one of the most highly regarded documentary makers in the world and since 2006, he has been making some fiction as well. His fiction debut was the heralded āThe Last King of Scotlandā which was indeed very good but also very flawed in my opinion. Since then, he has directed āState of Playā which sounded great on paper but was eventually rather underwhelming and this flick which also sounded promising but didnāt really deliver at the end. I mean, it is not a bad movie, the whole thing looked great, they managed to create a great mood and I especially enjoyed those fearsome Scottish warriors. Still, they were some stuff that just didnāt work. For example, Channing Tatum was vastly miscast. It is pretty obvious the guy, who was still only seen as a heartthrob at the time, wanted to prove that he had some range. Well, he wasnāt there yet and he should wait at least for another decade before having his Russell Crowe moment. Then, you had the story, based on some historical events, which was quite intriguing but still rather far-fetched. Above all, in the last 15 minutes, it became quite unbelievable and the plot-holes were pretty obvious (how Esca managed to gather the rest of the legion? Did they happen to be all nearby with their gear? And the Seal warriorās son? Did they get back to their village so they could bring him and kill him on the spot?). Still, it remains a well made and entertaining flick and I guess it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A very good movie
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 2 January 2014 11:10
(A review of The Cooler (2003))A while back, Wayne Kramer made āRunning Scaredā, a movie barely seen when it was released but which eventually became a cult-classic and probably the only movie starring the recently deceased Paul Walker which actually received some decent reviews. Later on, Kramer would make the rather ambitious āCrossing Overā with an impressive cast but it was eventually rather disappointing. Before all this, Wayne Kramer started his career with āThe Coolerā, a really obscure movie that I saw in the theater with my wife. Even though I thought that āRunning Scaredā was quite enjoyable, it didnāt really blow me away, I thought it was rather overrated and I enjoyed much more his directing debut. Indeed, pretty much like āFargoā, it is a movie which dared giving the great William H. Macy a starring part and he was quite awesome in this. This part was just tailor-made for him and he was quite fascinating to behold. Of course, the fact that I have a weak spot for movies dealing with gambling helped as well. In my opinion, it was very well written story with some fully fledged characters and some solid performances also by Alec Baldwin and Maria Bello. To conclude, even though it is a pretty obscure flick, I really enjoyed it and it is definitely worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 1 January 2014 11:59
(A review of Johnny English Reborn)Honestly, I didnāt like much āJohnny Englishā but, at least, it was miles better than the dreadful āBeanā so I was rather willing to give this sequel a chance. Personally, I wonder if really anyone was asking for another installment but I guess that Rowan Atkinson still has a strong fan-base. Anyway, it was not bad and even slightly better than the previous installment but it was still nothing brilliant whatsoever. I mean, sometimes they got it right and it was a nice parody of James Bond but it never lasted long enough and then you always had some very underwhelming joke(s) ruining the whole effect. It is like the wheelchair thingy for example, it did look pretty awesome at first but it went along for just way too long and at some point, you just wish they moved towards something else. Furthermore, I thought that Rosamund Pike was just completely wasted here. I mean, she seems to be quite talented but she seems to always pick up the wrong parts and she didnāt belong in a comedy/parody like this one. Eventually, this whole thing about Rowan Atkinson portraying a loser spy agent was just too similar to Peter Sellersās Inspecteur Clouseau but Atkinson never managed to really convince me in this character. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was nothing really awful, it was still pretty damned average and I donāt think it is really worth a look.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 1 January 2014 06:10
(A review of Murder!)Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but since I'm a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock, I was really eager to check it out. Basically, it is one of his very old features but I thought it was actually very enjoyable. Indeed, back in those days, Hitchcock was really productive, often making 3 movies a year and during these period, he tried about everything from comedies to drama. With this movie, we finally get to see the great master handling the genre that would make him an household name, the mystery thriller, and it was just a really fun movie to behold. Indeed, the directing was really neat with some nice visual tricks and there were also a lot of funny bits contrasting with the mystery elements. Of course, it doesnāt the reach the greatness of his amazing classics. Indeed, the plot didnāt really hold very well in the 2nd half and this guy, John Mercier, was an intriguing character but he was a little too self-righteous for my taste. Still, among the older movies made by the master, it is one of his best and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Alfred Hitchcockās work.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 1 January 2014 11:53
(A review of Save the Last Dance)The dance movieā¦ Nowadays, this genre is still going strong and we get at least 2 of 3 of them every year and somehow, it has taken the place of the musicals, a genre which is pretty much dead. Still, the musicals were immensely popular back in the days whereas the appeal of the dance flicks has always been rather limited. Indeed, it has a specific demographic target (young girls between 9-13 years and possibly their mums) and therefore, they never make huge business. This flick is a typical example but it is actually one of the better samples. Indeed, it follows pretty much the standard formula of an odd couple, involving a boy and a girl from different backgrounds, who has to dance together and of course, they fall in love in the process. So, indeed, the whole thing is terribly pedestrian but, still, it managed to be a little bit better than the rest of the competition. Indeed, there was a little bit grittier and realistic than your average dance flick. Furthermore, Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas both gave some pretty solid performances and they had some good chemistry. To conclude, even though I donāt really care about this genre, I think this one is actually worth a look, especially if you like this kind of movies.
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A classic
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 1 January 2014 11:09
(A review of The Searchers)I already saw this movie but since it was such a long time ago, I was really eager to check it out again. To be honest, the first time around, I have to admit that it didn't care much for the damned thing and, at the time, I thought it was just a rather tedious Western starring John Wayne, possibly one of the most boring actors that ever lived. Still, since this movie is considered as one of the best ever made, I was always eager to give it another shot and I'm glad I finally did. Indeed, this time around, I was finally able to see what was so good about this flick. First of all, it gives an interesting look on the settlers, these pioneers, who were finally starting to have a fairly ordinarily life but, at the same time, there was always the possibility of some swift burst of violence which could wipe them out within minutes. Then, you had this fascinating and complex main character, Ethan Edwards, who, maybe subconsciously, might never ever be able to settle with a farm and work on his land, and instead would rather spend 5 years roaming all the West to find his lost niece which seemed like an impossible mission. There was also the fact that the guy was more or less a psychopath who had such a hatred of the Indians that he might kill his beloved niece if she had the misfortune to choose to become an Indian. Still, to be honest, I have to admit that not everything really worked for me. For example, you never actual have the feeling that they have been so long on the road or that they have covered so much territory. Furthermore, another problem I had was that, towards the end, Debbie seemed to change her mind way too easily which was very convenient to neatly wrap everything up for their happy-ending. Anyway, even if I'm still not a huge fan, it was still definitely a really solid Western and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Ā
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 31 December 2013 06:20
(A review of The Farmer's Wife)Honestly, I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but since I'm a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock, I was really eager to check it out. Basically, it is one of his very old silent features and, honestly, I took me a while to figure out what the whole thing was gettting at. Eventually, it turned out to be an antic romantic comedy and not a bad one at all. Indeed, even if Hitchcock was a master of thriller, comedy was definitely not his cup of tea, that's pretty obvious, but this one was actually quite decent and by far his best one. Of course, the plot was pretty thin and the whole thing was really predictable but it is something inherent to the genre and it didn't bother me much. Futhermore, there were enough funny bits and the acting was really good, easily the best comedic acting displayed in one of his old silent features. It's too bad the music added didn't fit at all the what was going on the screen and it was eventually pretty annoying and distractive. Still, in spite of these flaws, I still think it is the best silent comedy directed by the great master and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Alfred Hitchcockās work.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 31 December 2013 09:56
(A review of My Voyage to Italy (1999))Even though Martin Scorsese is mostly known for his fictional work, he has also directed many documentaries and this one is one of the most intriguing. Indeed, Scorsese is also a massive movie buff with an incredible knowledge about movie history and, this time, he had decided to share his love of classic Italian movies. To be honest, even though it was absolutely an interesting watch, I actually had some rather mixed feelings concerning this flick. Like I said before, it was indeed very interesting to learn some trivia about those great classics but, on the other hand, I found it also rather frustrating to watch. I mean, Scorsese goes so much into details when talking about theses flicks that as a result, when it was dealing with movies that I saw, I found it completely fascinating but when it was dealing with movies I haven't seen, I found it actually rather annoying and I really wanted to turn the damned thing off and watch the real thing instead. Eventually, to really appreciate this documentary, you should first watch all or most of the movies involved. Still, in spite of this flaw, if you are interested in Italian movies, it is absolutely worth a look.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 30 December 2013 10:52
(A review of Orange County)Nowadays, this flick is pretty much forgotten but it is actually a pretty good comedy. The first striking thing about this movie is that it is dominated by some famous offsprings. Indeed, the director Jake Kasdan is the son of Lawrence Kasdan who, among other things, wrote āThe Empire Strikes Backā, Colin Hanks is Tom Hanksā son and Schuyler Fisk is Sissy Spacekās daughter. Concerning Colin Hanks, it is actually the only movie he made in which he really displayed some potential but 10 years later, he is still standing in the shadow of his father. Anyway, I really liked this flick. I mean, of course, the story was nothing really original but the dialogs were really funny and most of the characters were quite hilarious. Indeed, Jack Black has never become a really amazing lead actor because his acting range is just too limited but with such supporting characters, he is the perfect guy and I thought he was really funny in this. To conclude, even though it is nothing really amazing, I thought it was a really fun comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 2 months ago on 30 December 2013 10:21
(A review of GĆ©nial, mes parents divorcent!)This movie is nowadays pretty much forgotten and, apparently, it is very difficult to get your hands on it (Supposedly, it is not even available on dvd and it canāt be downloaded either). Basically, for most of the people who like this flick, there is a great deal of nostalgia involved. Even myself, I did like it but I saw it when I was very young and if I re-watched it nowadays, I might think it is actually pretty lame. Anyway, the title is pretty awesome (āGreat! My parents are divorcing!ā) and, back in those days, there was this wave of divorces, so the movie was actually quite topical. Somehow, since I was of the same age as the protagonists, I was able to identify with what they were going through and back then, I thought it was pretty neat and Iām pretty sure that for most of the French kids who watched it back then, this movie had quite an impact. Obviously, divorces are nowadays rather common (it is actually the other way around, the nuclear family has become the norm) and, of course, since it is a family feature, the whole thing remains rather harmless and quite forgettable. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, as a time capsule, I think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in French movies.
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