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CollectionsA very good movie
Posted : 11 years, 5 months ago on 5 January 2014 10:22
(A review of Inside Llewyn Davis)For about 15 years, I have been faithfully following the Coen brothers but, to be honest, it had been a while since they really blew me away. Indeed, even after watching âNo Country for Old Menâ twice, I still didnât think it was one of the best films ever made, or even one of their best movies. The main issue with the Coen brothers is that it all depends on my mood. Depending on when I would watch one of their movies, I would either love it or it would make me indifferent. Apparently, this time, I was in a great mood since I really loved this flick. Indeed, I thought it was quite hilarious, one of their best sardonic comedies. Llewin Davis was a great character, some guy who decided at some point to become a folk singer but was never able to breakthrough, partly because of his lack of luck and partly because of his obnoxious behavior. It was such a flawed individual, indeed quite talented with his guitar and songs but so socially awkward and stubbornly making the wrong decisions. Obviously, it is a star making performance for Oscar Isaac but the rest of the cast, especially John Goodman was really good as well. The only issue I would have is that the whole thing was maybe too episodic but it was a minor flaw. To conclude, I really enjoyed this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in the Coen brothersâs work.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 5 months ago on 3 January 2014 10:39
(A review of The Fifth Element)I remember it very well, when this movie came out, there was a huge buzz about it, at least in France, my homeland. Indeed, at last, a French production was finally competing with the great American blockbusters and Luc Besson, probably the most ambitious French directors at the time, was finally coming up with a huge SF movie starring no less than Bruce Willis, one of the biggest movie stars, and the expectations were pretty high. Eventually, it was not really great (like most of Bessonâs work) but it was still a very fun and entertaining science-fiction feature, no doubt about it. First of all, it really looked awesome. I re-watched it again 16 years after its release and it still holds up very well with some great costumes by Jean-Paul Gaultier, some great sets and designs and, to sum it up, Luc Besson created one of the most compelling futuristic world I have seen. Basically, the main issue, as usual with this director, was with the plot. Like I said before, it was quite fun but still terribly pedestrian. Furthermore, even though Bruce Willis was really good in this, giving his usual John McClane performance, I wasnât really convinced by Milla Jovovich. I mean, she looked good, thatâs for sure, but the whole autistic acting grew thin pretty quickly and, after a while, except for her great body, you wonder why Korben Dallas would actually fall for her. Still, in spite of its flaws, I really have a weak spot for this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A very good movie
Posted : 11 years, 5 months ago on 3 January 2014 11:19
(A review of The Officer's Ward)Basically, it is once again one of those really obscure French movies which almost no one has seen here on Listal. If I recall correctly, back then, I bought a very cheap dvd box with 4 movies including this flick so I thought I should give it a shot. Eventually, I really loved it and it was once again the proof that the French can really deliver some really solid war dramas. To be honest, Dupeyron is not really one of the greatest French directors I know but his directing was really efficient here. Of course, the story feels really similar to âThe English Patientâ but it was less romantic and more realistic in my opinion (I still preferred âThe English Patientâ though) so both movies are similar but not identical. It also reminded me of âJohnny got his gunâ, a movie I should seriously re-watch some day. Anyway, in my opinion, it is easily one of the best WWI features I have ever seen and there were some really interesting characters thanks to a great French cast with AndrĂ© Dussolier and Sabine AzĂ©ma. To conclude, even though it is quite obscure, it is actually a really good war drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 6 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 âThe Last King of Scotlandâ which was indeed very good but also very flawed in my opinion. Since then, he has directed âState of Playâ which sounded great on paper but was eventually rather underwhelming and this flick which also sounded promising but didnât 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 didnât 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 wasnât 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 warriorâs 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, 6 months ago on 2 January 2014 11:10
(A review of The Cooler (2003))A while back, Wayne Kramer made âRunning Scaredâ, 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 âCrossing Overâ with an impressive cast but it was eventually rather disappointing. Before all this, Wayne Kramer started his career with âThe Coolerâ, a really obscure movie that I saw in the theater with my wife. Even though I thought that âRunning Scaredâ was quite enjoyable, it didnât really blow me away, I thought it was rather overrated and I enjoyed much more his directing debut. Indeed, pretty much like âFargoâ, 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, 6 months ago on 1 January 2014 11:59
(A review of Johnny English Reborn)Honestly, I didnât like much âJohnny Englishâ but, at least, it was miles better than the dreadful âBeanâ 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 didnât 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 Sellersâs 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 donât think it is really worth a look.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 6 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 doesnât the reach the greatness of his amazing classics. Indeed, the plot didnât 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 Hitchcockâs work.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 6 months ago on 1 January 2014 11:53
(A review of Save the Last Dance)The dance movie⊠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 donât 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, 6 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.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 6 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 Hitchcockâs work.
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