Reviews by johanlefourbe

To be honest, this movie was not a priority but there was not much else to see this month in the movie theaters. In fact, when I saw the trailer (which gave way too many spoilers), I knew already that this movie would be a flop at the box-office. And, yet, I seemed that the critics were fairly positive mostly because the movie did cost around 80 millions dollars but it did look 3 times more expensive so I thought I might as well check it out after all. Eventually, I have to admit that I was really impressed by the world building displayed. Indeed, I have always been a big fan of science-fiction and, in this case, it was so immersive, it was some of the best world building I have seen in many years. Furthermore, even if his character turned out to be rather poorly developed,  John David Washington is such a fine and charismatic lead actor. Finally, I also loved that the secret ultimate weapon turned out to be a small child with some super-powers which was an obvious nod to ‘Akira’. So, some elements were really neat in this movie but, unfortunately, it’s too bad that the story turned to be half-baked and only half-interesting. For example, how come Maya didn’t know that Joshua was undercover? If she didn’t, it did mean that their whole relationship was based on a lie, didn’t it? Even more problematic, how on Earth was Maya also Nirmata AKA The Creator without Joshua ever noticing it? Furthermore, the damned thing was at least 30 mins too long. Sure, I have to admit that the fact that I was exhausted when I watched it probably didn’t help but, still, with such a generic tale, it could have been easily shorter. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and I still think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Olivia Munn and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I do believe that the concept really had some potential. Sure, it was nothing really original but it definitely could have been entertaining. Unfortunately, the damned thing turned out to be so weak after all. First of al, after 20 years in the business, was it really the best cast Josh Duhamel could get for his directorial debut? Didn’t he have so more interesting famous buddies that he could call for a favor? Indeed, all the guys involved in these group of friends were some 3rd rate actors, I had even never seen some of them before and I have been watching movies for 30 years. Anyway, they were all seriously underwhelming. At least, Olivia Munn and Josh Duhamel made a nice couple but she wasn’t involved in these buddy games so, well, she was basically wasted here since she had nothing to do (the fact that the guy dumped her at the end was also quite ridiculous, as if he couldn’t have both…). Concerning the story itself, it seemed pretty simple, just let these guys loose and have them taking part in some wild games, and, yet, the end-result was just rather lame. Same thing with the jokes, I have to admit that a couple of them were funny, but I’m being really literal here. Indeed, only 2 of them were neat, the rest was just rather pathetic. Concerning the directing by Duhamel, I guess he thought it was a smart move to go for a comedy since it wouldn’t need some major directing skills but I’m afraid, even in this area, the whole thing was disappointing and looked like a very cheap and clunky R rated comedy. Anyway, to conclude, I think my rating might have been too generous here, the damned thing was really weak and you should probably avoid it. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation (it is included in the ‘The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made’ list selected by the New York Times, among other things), I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it was basically one of these typical screwball comedies they used to make back in the 30’s and, to be honest, I’m not very fond of the genre but I have to admit  that I actually enjoyed this one though. In fact, it turned out to be even more hysterical than usual but it was actually quite entertaining to see these characters constantly shouting at each other. The week before, I actually saw Carole Lombard playing a similar role in ‘Nothing Scared’ but I thought that Jean Arthur was actually better in this movie. Indeed, it was rather impressive how Arthur managed to be really lovely and, yet, she was still convincing playing an average woman. I also appreciated the fact that her character, while not being really bright, never became annoying so her performance was actually much more complex than it might seem and I understand why Arthur had such a stellar reputation at the time. It’s too bad that I didn’t care much about the romance involving her character and John Ball Jr. played by Ray Milland. Still, some of the other actors involved were also really fun to behold as well, especially Edward Arnold and Luis Alberni. Unfortunately, even though I’m well aware it is inherent to the genre, the plot was just too random, from the beginning until the end. Anyway, to conclude, even if I don’t think it was amazing, it was still a really solid vintage comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Obviously, you might wonder why I ended up watching this flick. The main reason why I actually wanted to check the damned thing was because Nick, my step-son, is a brony. The bronies is basically the fandom around the animated series ‘My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic’. I know, it sounds pretty weird that a male adult like Nick might be fascinated by a show which has been conceived for little girls but I have met some of his friends and it is a sweet, kind and actually really creative community. Seriously, as a parent, I’m actually glad he didn’t spend all his week-ends getting sh*t-faced like most of the guys of his age. Anyway, after all these years, I thought I should finally check what was so fascinating about it for my step-son. Well, to be honest, the first 15 mins were rather disorienting. Indeed, I had no idea what was ‘Equestria’ and who all these characters were so it was definitely a movie made for the fans of the TV-show. Fortunately, fairly soon, they went on a fairly generic quest and it didn’t really matter if you were a fan or not to follow what was going on but that was also an issue, I’m afraid. Indeed, this story was just too generic. Furthermore, even though Liev Schreiber had obviously some fun with The Storm King, this character turned out to be such a cheap-*ss copy of Hades from ‘Hercules’. At least, Tempest Shadow was a pretty cool pony, even though I have to admit that I didn’t recognize Emily Blunt’s voice at all. So, do I now understand why so many adults would love so much this cartoon? To be honest, not really. However, it’s no coincidence that its subtitle is ‘Friendship Is Magic’ as the main character is actually the Princess of Friendship and friendship and harmonious relationships are actually a major focus which was definitely intriguing. Anyway, to conclude, I’m not sure if I should recommend this movie but, if someone dear to you is a brony, it is definitely worth a look though. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a solid cast involved and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, for a directorial debut, the damned thing was certainly ambitious, that’s for sure. Indeed, Juel Taylor mixed up so many genres such as the Hood movies, Blaxploitation, Body Snatchers and, obviously, cloning but even some comedy. To be honest, it is actually surprising that it worked at all with such disparate genres involved. Of course, you might argue that the damned thing was really far-fetched and it was, obviously, but it was actually still pointing out how Black people are actually living in the ghettos in the USA. Indeed, it is a know fact that there is a liquor store at pretty much every corner in such neighborhoods and there is also the widespread theory that the US government actually did somehow facilitate the crack pandemic. As a result, you could say that there have been some actual attempts to keep the Black community down, maybe it was not as outrageous as it was displayed in this movie, but still. So, it was actually quite thought-provoking but, to be honest, there were also plenty of plot-holes though. For example, how Fontaine’s clone could remember being shot at when he wakes up? Furthermore, the more I think about it, the more I was bothered by Teyonah Parris’s character, Yo-Yo. Not that Parris did anything wrong, she was actually fine but it was rather annoying that a beautiful woman, at least just as smart or even smarter than Fontaine and Slick Charles, should have such a degrading profession. Sure, there might be nothing glorious about being a pimp or a drug dealer but being a prostitute is really so much more demeaning and I think it’s a pity that the only woman involved should automatically play arguably the worst job in the world just to fit some stereotype. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn’t a completely home-run, it was still a really original and even entertaining feature and I think it’s definitely worth a look. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though the screenlife genre (all the events are supposed to be shown on a computer, tablet or smartphone screen) might seem terribly gimmicky, they certainly made the most of it here though and, as a result, it is usually considered as the best movie ever made in this genre. Basically , the poor guy was going through the worst nightmare you can have if you are raising some teenagers and the way it was displayed was pretty much pitch-perfect, I’m afraid. Sure, you can blame the guy for not being more aware about his daughter’s life but I think it's unfair. Indeed, I raised 3 of those, at some point when they reach around 15 years ago, you have to start to let them go and, to be honest, most of the time, you simply don’t know what they are doing. Sure, it might sound irresponsible and/or frightening but it just how it works. Anyway, the damned thing was really well made, just chilling to behold and John Cho delivered a solid and convincing performance. Unfortunately, they got stuck at some point narratively speaking which was too bad. Indeed, after building up an intriguing mystery around this disappearance, it seemed that they couldn’t really figure out how to go from there and, as a result, they went for some really far-fetched twist involving the detective actually working on this case. On top of that, sure, it was nice that this father got reunited with his lost daughter, it was definitely an uplifting ending but, to be honest, it felt rather unlikely with everything that happened before. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn’t a complete success, it was still a really solid thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Wes Anderson and since it was available on Netflix, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, if you are a fan of Wes Anderson’s work, it will be quite a year to remember as the indie master will release no less than 5 movies (1 full-length feature and 4 shorts). To be honest, I have to admit that I have never been a fan of Roald Dahl’s books film adaptations. However, I really did love ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ which is, as far as I’m concerned, Anderson’s best movie so far and, well, the famous writer and the indie film director seemed to be once again a match made in heaven. Indeed, as usual with this director, the whole thing was a visual treat but, above all, it was such a fun tale and, combined with Anderson’s quirky directing style, it was just a marvel to behold. The fact it was a short feature was also perfect because I do believe that this way of telling a story for at least 90 mins could have been rather exhausting and/or annoying after a while. The only thing missing, at least, if you would compare it to his most recent directorial efforts, is that he didn’t get a huge cast to play each character by some famous actor but, instead, he chose to have only a handful of actors playing several characters but I thought it was rather distracting. Fortunately, it wasn't a big deal though and, now, I can’t wait to see the other 3 shorts that Anderson has cooked up for Netflix. Anyway, to conclude, I really enjoyed the damned thing and I think it’s definitely worth a look, especially a fan of Wes Anderson or a fan of Roald Dahl. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick, in fact, I was planning to watch ‘Pépé le Moko’ on Netflix but it was apparently removed maybe a week before, so I decided to watch instead this movie also released in 1937. Well, I must admit that I was actually really positively surprised by the first act. Indeed, the intro was not bad but, above all, as soon as Wally Cook got to Warsaw, this movie became actually quite hilarious. It’s too bad that it didn’t last for long though. Indeed, from the moment Carole Lombart got introduced, it became so much less interesting. I know, Lombart was apparently a major screw-ball comedy legend and, in fact, I’m not blaming her. Before she came around, I just loved the interaction between Cook and the inhabitants of this fictional little city though but it was obviously not what this movie was about and I’m afraid I just didn’t care much about this flimsy concept. Basically, the idea was that everybody was supposed to think that this woman was terminally ill but I thought it was rather odd and/or annoying that nobody would notice or mention that she actually looked fine. Sure, you could argue that screwball comedies always had some far-fetched even borderline idiotic storylines, that it is inherent to the genre, but, as far as I was concerned, it was just too paper thin in this case. The fact that Wally Cook and Hazel Flagg both started to act hysterically from the moment they met each other, again something which was supposed to be hilarious, was also hardly entertaining. It’s too bad because the first 15 mins were actually really fun. Anyway, to conclude, even though I’m not really a fan of the genre, I have to admit that it was still a decent vintage screwball comedy and it is worth a look. 

Even though this movie was a huge flop when it was released, at least with the audience, since it was directed by [Link removed - login to see] and since it was available on Disney+, I still wanted to check it out. Well, to be honest, I thought it was a rather difficult to judge the damned thing after all. Sure, it was another completely useless live-action remake from Disney, there was also the issue that I have seen already so many versions of this story and the fact they did nothing really interesting with it this time around certainly didn’t help. Basically, the first act was so faithful to the classic animated Disney feature and, while it was pretty to look at, it felt rather pointless. In the second act, they finally tried to give their own spin on this timeless tale by focusing on Peter Pan and Captain Hook’s relationship in the past which wasn’t necessarily a bad idea but it was also never really dazzling, I’m afraid. Finally, another thing that really bothered me was the fact that, even though Alexander Molony did look fine, he was by far the most underwhelming Peter Pan I have ever seen. So, indeed, the damned thing was pretty weak and even seriously tedious to be behold and, yet, I still don’t think it deserved so much hatred though. Indeed, visually, it was fine, Jude Law was pretty good as Captain Hook and it was probably the best depiction of Tiger Lily I have seen so far. A funny fact, while watching this movie, I was thinking that the girl playing Wendy really looked like a younger version of Milla Jovovich and it’s only after the movie was over that I discovered that she was actually Milla Jovovich’s own daughter. Anyway, to conclude, even if I didn’t care much about this movie, I still think it is worth a look though, especially if you are interested in David Lowery’s work.