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Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 10 December 2013 10:29
(A review of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)Following the success of âLet the right one inâ, Tomas Alfredson became a hot item on the international scene. For his following effort, he was set to direct his first English speaking feature and it was a really prestigious production with an all star British cast. Under such circumstances, there was huge buzz around this flick and many thought it would be one of the biggest critical hits in 2011. Eventually, even though it was indeed well received, it wasnât a huge success and I thought myself that it was indeed rather disappointing. I mean, donât misunderstand me, it was a good movie, it was very well directed, there was a great mood and feeling for the time period and the cast was great. So, everything was set to provide an amazing realistic old fashioned spy flick but it never achieved its great potential mainly to a rather murky plot. Indeed, even though the set-up was pretty simple (they look for a mole inside the MI5), the execution was overly cumbersome and Iâm not sure I really managed to follow the whole thing. Eventually, at the end, of course, you discover who was the traitor but, honestly, it could have been another one of those suspects, it wouldnât have made a difference. To conclude, even though it was slightly disappointing, it still remain a solid spy feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 10 December 2013 06:01
(A review of Arlington Road)Recently, one of my list called 'Interesting Failures' was promoted and I can't help thinking that this movie should be added to it. Indeed, it is basically a perfect candidate since I was really entertained throughout the whole thing but the ending was unfortunately rather underwhelming. Indeed, Mark Pellington, a rather obscure director who never really managed to develop the potential displayed in this movie, created a mesmerizing and tense mood. Furthermore, there was a top cast (Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis) and they all gave some really solid performances. Unfortunately, even though this movie showed some interesting ideas about psychology and paranoia, unfortunately, since we are dealing with a US thriller, they had to add a really far-fetched twist ending which pretty much ruined the whole thing. This movie was also made just before the current wave of terrorism and, nowadays, we are more paranoid than ever concerning any kind of impending terrorist attact so this flick was actually quite prescient (in the same trend, you have 'A Siege', a movie which pretty much predicted EXACTLY what would happen but it was also ruined by a sappy ending). To conclude, in spite of its flaws, it remains a very well made and entertaining thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 10 December 2013 04:16
(A review of What's Your Number?)Honestly, I wasnât sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for romantic-comedies, I thought I might as well give it a try. Personally, I think that Anna Faris is actually pretty talented, she has a very good comic timing and doesnât look at like super-model which is quite refreshing (however, they still managed to show her as much as possible in her underwear in this movie). So, there is definitely something appealing about her but I wonder if she will ever manages to recover the damages made by those âScary Movieâ flicks (âThe House Bunnyâ didnât help either). Anyway, she was pretty good in this, also Chris Evans, even though he didnât have much to do here. Eventually, they both had some good chemistry, their characters were interesting but, unfortunately, the plot was rather weak. Basically, it is one of those rom-coms with a high concept (chasing your ex hoping to find true love) and it was rather underwhelming. It would have been so nice to see those characters evolving naturally without the constraints of the genre (for example, as soon as we see Chris Evans, you know they will fall in love but the movie makes you wait an eternity before anything happens). To conclude, even though the whole thing was rather flawed, I still think it is actually a decent romantic-comedy and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 9 December 2013 10:56
(A review of Melancholia)Honestly, it had been a while since I saw a movie directed by Lars von Trier (I think at least 5 years), so I was really glad to watch one of his more recent work, especially since it was very well reviewed. By now, I have seen about half of his movies and, even though I have the highest respect for his work and I think he is truly an artist, I have to confess, Iâm not a huge fan and this movie was a perfect example explaining why. I mean, first of all, it was gorgeous to look at, probably the most beautiful movie made by von Trier. Then, it was a really intriguing take on the doomsday concept, something really different than what we got from âArmageddonâ or âDeep Impactâ. Still, I canât say I really loved the damned thing though. I mean, I did enjoy and relate to his vision of how a big wedding can be daunting and dreary, even though as usual, he pushed it even further but I didnât really get the connection with the impending apocalypse. Furthermore, even though Kirsten Dunst gave a fearless performance, probably the best of her career so far, her character slowly but surely got on my nerves. I mean, was she depressed? Psychotic? Difficult to say⌠Eventually, as usual with von Trier, the whole thing had some terribly dreariness and sorrow and I donât think I will ever have a âgoodâ time watching one of his movies. To conclude, even though I wasnât really blown away by the whole thing, there was definitely something quite mesmerizing about this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Lars von Trierâs work.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 9 December 2013 02:37
(A review of The Life of David Gale)What happened to Alan Parker? Apparently, the guy has retired and this was the last movie he made. Personally, I always had a weak spot for his work and I was really eager to check this final directing effort. There was also a pretty terrific cast (Kate Winslet, Kevin Spacey, Laura Linney) and the subject was quite spellbinding. Indeed, the whole thing is basically a really far-fetched sensationalist political thriller (for example, Roger Ebert really hated this flick and gave it a zero star which was really exaggerated in my opinion) but I thought it developed some interesting ideas, even if the way those ideas were displayed was pretty awkward. The point is that it is a movie which tries to give some food-for-thought about the subject but it does it by using the preposterous techniques used in your average thriller. Therefore, at the end, you have some massive twists which were, as usual, supposedly spectacular but, when you think about it for a few minutes, were rather unbelievable. Still, somehow, a far-fetched thriller dealing with the death penalty was actually somehow more compelling than a far-fetched thriller dealing with a serial killer. To conclude, even though the whole thing was deeply flawed, I actually liked the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested by the subject.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 9 December 2013 01:23
(A review of What A Girl Wants)Can you believe that Amanda Bynes made this movie already 10 years ago?!? Back in those days, she seemed to be pretty down-to-Earth, but unfortunately, nowadays, she is more or less competing with Lindsay Lohan to become the most messed child-star ever. Anyway, after âSheâs the manâ, this flick must have been her biggest hit and it wasnât really good, Iâm afraid. Eventually, the most surprising thing was to see Colin Firth, a future Academy Award and a major actor nowadays, in this movie, portraying her estranged father. Back then, Colin Firth just had his breakthrough a couple of years before with âBridget Jonesâs diaryâ and he wasnât yet a household name, I guess. Of course, I have to admit it, Amanda Bynes was not bad at all in this, the whole thing was tailor-made for her and she was quite charming but the whole thing was just way to fluffy for my taste. I mean, basically, it is a rather typical and predictable teen-comedy and I guess it is pretty nice for the target audience but a male grown-up like me, it was rather tedious to watch. To conclude, I didnât like it much, I thought it was quite boring but, I guess, if you are a 12 year old girl, there is a good chance that you will actually like it.
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A classic
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 9 December 2013 12:25
(A review of On the Town)Honestly, Iâm not a huge fan of musicals but since this movie is a classic, I thought I might as well give it a try. As a matter of fact, a couple of weeks ago, I finally managed to read (most of) a book about movies my wife bought for me and, in this book, they developed some interesting views about musicals. Indeed, according to the writer, back in those days, there was a really rigid production code in the USA and the musicals with their mix of reality and fantasy were a way to show things that were not really allowed. With this in mind, I might give musicals some extra credit in the future but, unfortunately, I wasnât really blown away by this one. I mean, I couldnât help thinking that the whole thing was mostly a marketing stunt presenting Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra (who was at the peak of his popularity) together. Also, even though the dance scenes were not bad, I thought they were actually rather underwhelming. And, of course, the story and the characters were terribly fluffy and, even though Iâm fully aware it is a trademark of this genre, I always find difficult to care about whatâs going on. To conclude, even though I thought it was slightly disappointing, it remains a classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A bad movie
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 7 December 2013 12:19
(A review of Snow Dogs)Honestly, I didnât expect much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for James Coburn, I thought I might as well give it a shot. Unfortunately, the whole thing turned out to be pretty lame⌠I mean, as soon as you have Cuba Gooding Jr. playing the lead, you already pretty much know that the whole thing will stink. I mean, the guy was so promising, first in âBoy n the Hoodâ and he later on won an Acamedy award for his performance in âJerry Maguirreâ. Well, since then, most of his movies have been pretty abysmal and 2002 was especially a bad year for him since he also showed up in âBoat Tripâ, arguably one of the worst movies ever made. Concerning James Coburn, it was just sad that this movie would be one of this last one (he died the year it was released). Basically, it is one of those terribly tedious Disney features, I mean, sometimes their animated features are hard to swallow but their live-action stuff are often even worse. At least, 4 years later, they would make âEight Belowâ, about the same subject, even starring some of the very same dogs, and even though it was nothing great, it was 10 times better than this. To conclude, the whole thing was pretty bad and it is not worth a look whatsoever.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 6 December 2013 08:14
(A review of Vertical Limit)Even though I wasnât expecting much from this flick, somehow, I was still eager to check it out. Basically, I think there is something fascinating about climbing, especially those guys who try to go for those amazingly high mountains like Mount Everest or K2. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I have a pretty nasty fear of heights so there is no way they get me out there. Furthermore, whatâs the point of risking your life just to be able to get to the top of a mountain?!? It is a concept I find difficult to grasp, therefore, watching an action flick about climbing is enough thrills, as far as Iâm concerned. Coming back to our main feature, well, it wasnât really good, Iâm afraid. I mean, Martin Campbell is a decent director and there were definitely some pretty cool action scenes but thatâs about it. Indeed, even though the beginning was alright, pretty quickly, we were back into the world of those preposterous Hollywood thrillers with their annoying twists. The characters were not really interesting either so I lost interest pretty quickly while watching this. To conclude, even though the whole thing had some potential, it remains a rather weak action flick and I donât think it is really worth a look.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 3 months ago on 5 December 2013 08:26
(A review of The Black Cauldron)Well, first of all, back in the 80's, Disney had a really hard time with their animated features. Indeed, they were all pretty much some critical flops, including this movie. Personally, even though I have to admit that it is not one of Disney's greatest movies, I always had a weak spot for the damned thing though. Indeed, I saw it when I was very young (even possibly in the theater when it was first released) and I really enjoyed it back then. Eventually, 20 years later, I bought it again on DVD and, even as a grown-up, I still thought it was actually pretty good. Above all, I give this movie some extra points because it was one of the very few times that Disney actually took some risks with one of their animated productions. Indeed, the whole thing was basically some pretty dark fantasy and it clearly stands out from their other classics. I especially loved the Horned King who must be the most sinister villain ever delivered by Disney. Anyway, this darkness was probably why it never could find an audience and it definitely doesn't belong to their most beloved features. I mean, I have to admit it, the whole thing was not entirely successful though. For example, the level of the animation was never really consistent. Indeed, they gave us some sections beautifully created and some others that were awkwardly mixing drawing with some live footage resulting in something rather ugly. However, the worst thing was probably this psychic magical pig who was at first the whole starting point of this tale and, yet, this character was completely dropped halfway through. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, I think it is still an intriguing animated feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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