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Posted : 11 years, 8 months ago on 14 October 2013 09:01
(A review of Reindeer Games)Even though this movie had a pretty bad reputation, since it was directed by John Frankenheimer and since there was a pretty cool cast, I thought I might as well give it a try. Indeed, the cast was nice with a young Ben Affleck and Charlize Theron but that was about the only interesting thing this movie had to offer (there was also a very small part by an even younger Ashton Kutcher). Eventually, Charlize Theron herself admitted that the movie was pretty bad and she did it just for the opportunity to be working with Frankenheimer. For Ben Affleck, it was the beginning of his downward spiral, a bad break in his career which would last actually only 4 years but would damage incredibly his career. The way he made a come-back recently was just downright impressive though. Coming back to our main feature, basically, it is a rather misguided and boring crime feature taking place during Christmas (why all those movies, even âDie Hardâ, take place during Christmas is just beyond meâŚ). For Frankenheimer, it would be his last directing effort and it is rather sad that such an interesting director would end up his career on such a low note. To conclude, I have seen worse, but it is still pretty damned average and it is not really worth a look, Iâm afraid.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 8 months ago on 14 October 2013 08:48
(A review of World Trade Center)Following his reputation, many hoped/expected that Oliver Stone would make one of his controversial political dramas Ă la âJFKâ but unfortunately, the whole thing turned out to be surprisingly tame. Indeed, it was criticized as being too cautious and easily playing on the emotions. On the other hand, he made âJFKâ a couple of decades after the murder actually took place so it might have been untactful to mess around so soon with this tragic event. For once, Nicolas Cage toned down his usual hysteria and played it pretty straightforward which was something rather expected if you consider the material. Personally, I donât think the whole thing was completely worthless though. Indeed, the first part when they get there and got involved in all the disaster was actually terrific. However, as soon as they got stuck under the rubble (which is actually most of the running time when I think about it), it all became really mushy and not really interesting. It seems that, for once, Oliver Stone wanted to make an emotional and respectable drama which wouldnât hurt anyoneâs feelings but, in the process, he made a rather underwhelming feature. Still, even though the whole thing was rather disappointing, I still think it is actually worth a look, if only for the first 30 minutes and especially if you are interested in Oliver Stoneâs work.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 8 months ago on 14 October 2013 08:38
(A review of The Ring)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. So far, it is his oldest movie I have seen. To be honest, with most silent dramas, I rather have a hard time to get into the whole thing. I mean, basically, you spent the whole duration trying to read the lips of the characters to figure what the hell they are actually talking about. Without dialogs, movies actually radically changes, in my opinion, with a greater focus on body language and weird faces. Still, with a guy like Hitchcock in the directing chair, you are bound to have some pretty nice shots and I wasn't disappointed. Recently, I saw âEasy Virtueâ, another very old silent feature directed by Alfred Hitchcock and I preferred this one. Indeed, the plot was a little bit more intriguing and even though it deals with boxing, Hitchcock was obviously more interested by what was happening outside the ring. I especially enjoyed all those lugubrious characters involved in the boxing business (did you notice that most of characters had some pretty rotten teeth? Iâm not sure if it was done on purpose but it was a nice touch). To conclude, even though it is not a masterpiece whatsoever, it is actually pretty good and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Alfred Hitchcockâs work.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 8 months ago on 13 October 2013 09:38
(A review of The Expendables 2)It is not something that happens very often, a sequel better than its predecessor, but this movie is definitely one of the (very) few examples. Indeed, even though the concept of âThe Expendablesâ sounded pretty awesome on paper, the end-result was just decent even at times actually rather boring. With this sequel, they kept the same concept but improved all the weaknesses of the first installment. Indeed, at first, you have one of the most bad-ass impressive introduction I have ever seen in an action flick so, right from the start, they were on the right track. Then, the dialogues which were terribly disappointing with the first installment, were this time really fun and full of nice one-liners. All in all, even though the story was still pretty pedestrian, I thought the whole thing was much better written this time around. Take Dolph Lungren, they wrote a nice joke about the fact that the guy seems to be an idiot but he has actually a master in chemistry which also happens to be the case with Lungren in real life. Thatâs some smart writing there. And it was the same thing with Chuck Norris. I mean, the guy pops up seemingly from nowhere but makes a great entrance and throws in a âChuck Norris factâ on top of that. Simply awesome! At last, but not least, Jean Claude Van Damme who hasnât done anything remotely good for a couple of decades (with the notable exception of âJCVDâ) was just a hell of a bad guy, completely believable and a worthy opponent for our expendables. To conclude, even though it might not be a masterpiece, it is still one hell of an action flick, it is definitely worth a look and, right now, I really wonder how the 3rd installment will turn out to be.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 8 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, 8 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, 8 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, 8 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, 8 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, 8 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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