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Posted : 11 years, 6 months ago on 13 October 2013 08:46
(A review of Ice Age: Continental Drift)10 years after âIce Ageâ was released, they came up again with another sequel and guess what? It was once again a huge success. Even though all the other releases produced by Blue Sky are slightly underperforming (with the notable exception of âRioâ), those âIce Agesâ flick make an incredible amount of money. Personally, I really liked the first installment. Indeed, it was rather simple, but still quite fun and the animation was pretty nice. Above all, there was Scrat, one of the most hilarious animated character I have ever seen. Unfortunately, I have never really cared about the sequels and this one was not an exception. One funny thing though, something I didnât really pay attention while watching the movie itself was the massive cast. Indeed, check it out : Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary , Queen Latifah, Seann William Scott, Peter Dinklage, Nick Frost, Patrick Stewart, Jennifer Lopez, Nicki Minaj, Rebel Wilson, Josh Peck and even Alain Chabat! It seems as if every single small character was voiced by some notable actor or celebrity. A part from that, Scrat was fun as usual but I didnât care much about the whole plot, Iâm afraid. To conclude, even though I think my rating might be slightly generous, I guess it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 6 months ago on 12 October 2013 10:08
(A review of Land of the Dead)20 years after making âDay of the Deadâ, George A. Romero was finally back making another zombie flick but, to be honest, I wasnât expecting much from it. Somehow, it seems that Romero never managed to make anything else really successful and I thought that making another zombie feature was just a way to make some easy money for him. Eventually, I was actually positively surprised. Indeed, even though it was not a masterpiece whatsoever, it was still a decent flick in this genre and definitely a respectable sequel. The first thing I enjoyed is that they skipped the whole introduction, they explained what was going on during the credits so when the film really started, you were right in the middle of the action, without making the usual 30 minutes before the thing is spread out. I also liked the way they tried to develop the zombies and they gave them some kind of purpose which was pretty neat. Finally, they made an interesting attempt at creating an alternative society but even though it was an intriguing concept, it didnât really hold up. I mean, any society ruled by an upper class needs a huge functionning lower class to provide their high standard of living. Because of the zombies and the way they have destroyed our society, there is no way the lower class could work and provide what the upper class needs. Also, as usual with Romero, the characters were rather stereotypical but it goes with the territory, I guess. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, I actually enjoyed the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A bad movie
Posted : 11 years, 6 months ago on 12 October 2013 07:15
(A review of Yogi Bear)Even though I already knew beforehand that this movie would stink, I was browsing at my local 2nd hand DVD shop, and since it was only for sale for 1 euro, I thought I could watch it with my daughter. Eventually, the only thing I really enjoyed with this flick is that it was really short (barely 70 minutes long). To be honest, the animation of Yogi Bear and Boo Boo was pretty impressive, I mean, those guys really have the technical means to seamlessly mix CGI animation with live action, thatâs for sure but whatâs the point actually if it doesnât enhance the storytelling? Indeed, by now, I have seen a couple of âAlvin and The Chimpunksâ flicks, the two âGarfieldâ and even âHOPâ and even though each time I was impressed by the animation, I was also astonished that the movies themselves were pretty bad and this movie was not an exception. I mean, Yogi Bear and Boo Boo were not bad but it didnât feel right to see them evolving in the same world of some real actors. Anyway, above all, the plot was just really predictable and completely tedious. To conclude, I really didnât like this flick and if you want to watch something with your kids, you should definitely pick something else.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 6 months ago on 11 October 2013 10:36
(A review of Life as a House)Looking back at this movie, Iâm really surprised by the ratings here on Listal and even more from Imdb. I mean, at 7.4, it means that it is a really good movie and something you should definitely watch. Honestly, I have no idea what it got such good ratings. I mean, it is pretty obscure and, above all, it was not bad, Iâll give you that, but it wasnât that really that great either. Basically, it is a decent drama dealing with terminal illness, there was an interesting cast (Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, Hayden Christensen, Jena Malone, Mary Steenburgen, Ian Somerhalder, Scott Bakula) but the whole thing was fairly predictable and it follows the rules of the genre without being really challenging. Sure, it is emotional but any movie with a character dying with cancer can get to that point, the interesting part is what they will do with these emotions. Another interesting thing about this movie, at least in my opinion, was to see Hayden Christensen in his breakthrough role which obviously opened the door for him to play Anakin Skywalker a year later in âStar Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clonesâ. While watching this flick, it becomes quite understandable why they thought it would be the right choice to play this iconic and troubled character. To conclude, even though I certainly donât believe it deserves such high ratings, it still remain a decent drama and 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 11 October 2013 10:08
(A review of Gravity)After seven long years, Alfonso Cuaron finally came up with a new directing effort and, boy, it was definitely worth the wait. I got in a traffic jam (the Dutch national football team was playing the same evening at the stadium next door⌠Talking about a great timingâŚ) in the pouring rain but I still managed to get a ticket in IMAX 3D way in the back but still a decent sit. It was totally worth it though. Indeed, what a spectacle! Eventually, it was easily one of the best movie I have seen this year  and, from a visual point of view, it was really impressive. Nowadays, almost all the blockbusters are released in 3D but it is actually a worthless gimmick used just to make you purchase an even more expensive ticket. Not here though. With âAvatarâ, it must be one of the very few movies which properly used the 3D and it looked really terrific. Concerning the actors, I was rather surprised that they picked up Sandra Bullock but she did a great job, providing easily the best performance of her career. George Clooney had slightly less screen time but he gave a solid performance as usual. So, it was a thrilling story in outer space, 10 times more impressive and interesting than âApollo 13â.The only issue is that when you analyze everything that happens to the main character, it is actually pretty far-fetched. I mean, a space shuttle and two space space stations are destroyed but she still managed to get away by piloting first a Russian spacecraft and then a Chinese spacecraft when she is not even a great pilot whatsoever. They also keep putting her in some impossibly difficult situations and it became rather tiresome at some points. Still, it remains a terrific flick and it is definitely worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 7 months ago on 10 October 2013 09:06
(A review of So I Married an Axe Murderer)With âThe Love Guruâ, Mike Myers was hoping to make his great come-back with a new character which would be hopefully as popular as Wayne Campbell , Austin Powers or even Shrek but, unfortunately, the whole thing turned out to be a disaster, arguably even one of the worst movies ever made and even a small cameo in âInglourious Basterdsâ wonât manage to save the damage concerning Mike Myers' career. Anyway, way before all this, exactly 20 years ago, Myers showed up in this movie just after making âWayneâs worldâ. It is nowadays pretty much forgotten which is not really surprising since it was really good at all but, at least, it wasnât as awful as âThe Love Guruâ. To be honest, the whole thing had some potential and, actually, at some point, Woody Allen himself considered playing the main character and Sharon Stone was actually cast as his wife before she dropped out. I mean, with those two actors, it would have been much more interesting but with Mike Myers and Nancy Travis instead, the whole thing became much more bland and less edgy and, with them, you donât feel much tension and what remains are some pretty lame jokes. To conclude, even though I have seen worse, it remains a disappointing dark comedy and it is not really worth a look, Iâm afraid.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 7 months ago on 10 October 2013 08:51
(A review of Dredd)I was after first rather apprehensive concerning this flick (Yeepie, another rebootâŚ) but since it was actually rather well received, I became really eager to check it out. Eventually, it turned out to be a nice surprise and probably one of the most satisfying reboot ever conceived. Indeed, like anyone else, I didn't care much about the version starring Sylvester Stallone but there was definitely some potential with this character and, this time, they really nailed it. Indeed, even though the concept was similar, the approach was completely different and that was a real blessing. Indeed, they created a decent vision of the future, the main character was completely bad-ass and the plot was entertaining enough. Indeed, Judge Dredd didnât put off his mask and you could feel that he might show some emotions at some point but, no, thank God, it never happened and thatâs how it was supposed to be from the beginning. His sidekick was also pretty decent and managed to add a little bit of humanity in this endless mayhem but she wasnât a tiresome emotional block to his feet which was nice as well. Still, even though it was really entertaining, it was still not really amazing though since the whole thing was rather repetitive and highly predictable. Furthermore, I thought it was rather disappointing that the other judges would be so easy to corrupt. To conclude, even though it might not be really a masterpiece, it remains a solid action flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 7 months ago on 9 October 2013 07:48
(A review of Shark Night)Every now and then, they come up with some major âJawsâ rip-off and this flick is basically the last one of those. I remember, when me and my step-son Nick saw the trailer in the theater, I knew right away that Nick would really want to watch it pretty badly. Wisely, I managed to spare the price of the movie tickets and patiently waited until it was broadcasted on TV, for free this time. Even though Nick did enjoy the whole thing, I thought it was pretty lame. I mean, to be honest, I didnât really like much âPiranha 3Dâ either but the makers were not some hypocrites and it was at a gory R rated flick from the beginning until the end. Here, they keep showing you some (covered) ass but there is no nudity or sex whatsoever and the goriness was terribly toned down. I mean, if you plan to make a movie in this genre, at least, donât chicken out. The biggest difference with âJawsâ is that they nowadays can use CGI to create some believable monsters but instead of using it wisely, they created the most preposterous and underwhelming action scenes you can think of. Eventually, I think that my rating is actually pretty generous, I thought it was pretty weak and I donât think it is worth a look, except maybe if you are die-hard fan of the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 7 months ago on 9 October 2013 07:31
(A review of Rumble Fish (1983))I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I have it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. First of all, Francis Ford Coppola completely ruled the 70's. Indeed, he had made 4 movies, 'Apocalypse Now', 'The Godfather: Part II', 'The Conversation', 'The Godfather, they were all critically acclaimed and at least 3 of them are arguably some of the finest movies ever made. So, he ruled the 70's but it was as much a blessing as it was a curse. I mean, basically, for each movie he made afterwards, the audience was expecting another 'Godfather' or another 'Apocalypse now'. Well, it never happened and with each new release directed by him, his reputation continued to diminish and, nowadays, he is pretty much considered a has-been. Personally, I think it's a shame because he has actually made some decent flicks which are terribly overlooked and this movie is a perfect example. Indeed, the cinematography was really neat, there was a pretty good cast involved and they all delivered some solid performances. To be honest, even though the characters were not bad, they were basically some average guys which made them quite realistic but, as a result, they were not always really spellbinding to behold. It was the same thing with the story, on one hand, it made sense that these characters didn't do much except wandering the whole day and sometimes the whole night as well, but, on the other hand, it wasn't exactly thrilling to see them doing nothing. Anyway, I still have a weak spot for the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Coppolaâs work.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 7 months ago on 9 October 2013 07:17
(A review of Babe)Nowadays, this movie is pretty much forgotten but when it was released, it was a smash hit and it is still one of the most successful movies coming from Australia, if Iâm not mistaken. Anyway, even though the whole thing was directed by Chris Noonan, apparently, this movie was a ten-year labor of love for George Miller who wrote and produced this flick. That was rather unexpected. I mean, who would have thought that the guy behind Mad Max would come up with a family feature with a talking pig as a main character? Anyway, like I said before, it was back then a box-office success and I think it really deserved all this praise. I mean, 10 years later, the Americans came up with a similar movie called âCharlotteâs webâ which was also an adaptation of a very popular book but guess what? It was terribly underwhelming. Not this one though. Indeed, I thought it was really cute, sweet and worked like a charm. Of course, at the end, it remains a kid feature with some talking animals but I still enjoyed it. To conclude, even though I donât think it was really that amazing, for a family feature, it was pretty solid and definitely entertaining, especially if you want to see a quality picture with your kids.
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