Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for romantic-comedies, I thought I should give it a try. Furthermore, Nancy Meyers had so far a pretty impressive track record ('Something's Gotta Give', 'What Women Want', 'The Parent Trap') and there was a really impressive cast (Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Edward Burns, Rufus Sewell, Shannyn Sossamon, John Krasinski) so it seemed that it could be actually pretty good. Unfortunately, I didn't like it much. I mean, it was very well made, it was great to see all those actors together and it was slightly entertaining but, to be honest, I thought the whole thing was pretty lazy. I mean, in her previous movies, Meyers always managed to give us some full-fledged and rather interesting characters whereas here, I didn't care much for any of them. Furthermore, the plot was just way too pedestrian and predictable for my taste. I mean, I know, in this genre, there are some golden rules beloved by the fans but, in my opinion, a good romantic-comedy always manages to shake those rules a little bit or, at least, to provide some captivating characters. Well, it just didn't happen here, that's for sure. Still, like I said before, it remains a well made romantic-comedy and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but since there was an interesting cast, I thought I should check it out. Honestly, it wasn't really good, I'm afraid. Back in those days, Stephen Baldwin was still a legit actor (I mean, nowadays, he is actually still acting but have you seen any of his movies recently?) and was not bad, just like Laurence Fishburne, but, together, they didn't have enough charisma to carry this movie. Furthermore, the plot was not really strong enough and I really had a hard time to believe that Salma Hayek would fall for a fugitive just like that. I mean, there wasn't even a decent bad guy but about 3 of them and none of those were hardly interesting. Still, there were here and there a few nice scenes and it was nice to see a genuine R rated action flick instead of the PG bullsh*t they give us nowadays. I don't know, it is pretty much like the running jokes about Baldwin quoting movies all along. The first time, when he speaks about 'The Fugitive', it is really spot on and quite funny but, at some point, we got the idea and it is not funny anymore. To conclude, it wasn't really bad and it could have been pretty good but, at the end of the day, it is just a rather average action flick and it is not really worth a look, even if you like the genre.

Even though this movie was barely seen when it was released, it managed to become later on a rather impressive cult flick so I was really eager to check it out. Eventually, I thought it was indeed pretty good but nothing really amazing and, frankly quite overrated. Basically, it has the Matrix syndrome all over it. What I mean by that is that it is visually appealing, there are some pretty bad-ass action scenes, it is taking place in an impressive futuristic world and it is all wrapped up in some pseudo philosophical babble. I have to admit that, story-wise, it was actually a little more convincing than 'The Matrix' (one of the most overrated movies ever made in my opinion) but it was still nothing mind-blowing. Apparently, the makers spent a lot of time creating this martial arts called 'Gun Kata' and even if many people thought it looked awesome, I wish they actually spent more time on the script instead. Still, it was pretty cool to see Christian Bale before he became a super-star and the rest of the cast was quite nice as well (Dominic Purcell, Sean Bean, William Fichtner, Taye Diggs, Emily Watson). To conclude, even though I think it is slightly overrated, it still remain a pretty good flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

It is once again one of those really obscure French movies which I'm the only one to have seen here on Listal. Gosh, as a matter of fact, if you check Imdb, not even 60 people(!) have seen it so it might one of the most obscure movies I have ever seen. Anyway, I thought it was pretty good, albeit not really original. Basically, the main attraction was to see the lovely Emma de Caunes in one of her very first parts. You probably have never heard of her but she was in (the terribly dreadful) 'Mr. Bean's Holiday'. Anyway, she is the daughter of a very famous French TV host, Antoine de Caunes, and she is quite known in France as well. Eventually, she won the prize for the Most Promising Actress back then at the Césars (the French Oscars) and I think she definitely deserved it. Indeed, she gave a very convincing and impressive performance, especially at such a young age and when she was just starting as an actress. To be honest, the movie itself was not really amazing but it was still a decent drama. To conclude, even though it is really really obscure and completely unknown, it is actually a pretty good flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in French movies.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Drew Barrymore, I thought I should give it a try. Even if my rating might seem rather low, I actually enjoyed many things about this movie which was definitely one of the better romantic-comedies I have seen lately. Unfortunately, there were still too many elements which prevented me from giving it a really positive grade. First of all, absolutely none of the supporting characters were either interesting or really funny. Secondly and mostly the reason why they didn't really nailed it was because the dilemma in this relationship was just rather phony, at least to me. I mean, from the moment Drew Barrymore gets this great job opportunity, there was no real reason for Justin Long to actually stay in New York, except moving along the plot so they can split up and of course get back together in the end. And that's the whole point! They do get together eventually rather easily so it makes it rather difficult to take what happened before really seriously. So, they messed up a few things but they still managed to get many things right. First of all, I'm not sure if Barrymore and Long were still an item at the time but they really had some great chemistry and their scenes together were pure gold and felt really genuine. Furthermore, their relationship was actually very well built, based on reality instead on some idiotic concept and that was much appreciated. To conclude, even though the whole thing didn't work completely, I still think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I already saw this movie but, since it was ages ago and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out again. Well, to be honest, I have to admit that I didn't remember it at all so it was definitely worth it to watch the damned thing again. Anyway, you probably have never heard of it as it is once again one of those really obscure French movies which I'm apparently the only one to have seen here on Listal. As a matter of fact, if you check it on IMDb, not even 300 people have seen it. Anyway, one of the main person involved in this feature was Philippe Fragione A.K.A Akhenaton, one of the biggest hip-hop artists in France who is above all known as the leader of the band IAM. I was surprised that to discover that Akhenaton actually also co-directed this flick. Anyway, like most US rap artists, he got involved in the movie business at some point and wisely took a subject he knew from in and out, the inner life of a Marseilles neighborhood. Usually, these kind of movies take place in the underprivileged outskirts of Paris which are grey and sad. Here, in Marseilles, the sun is shining all the time, the weather is nice the whole year, so the conditions seem to be better. And, yet, these guys in Marseilles just seem to feel as miserable as these guys fron Paris, I'm afraid. Concerning the directing, it was not bad and, just like 'La haine', the whole thing was really random but it was pretty obvious that Akhenaton and his budy were no Mathieu Kassovitz. The acting was also pretty weak, I'm afraid. However, the biggest mistake they made was to have way too many characters involved. Indeed, while 'La haine' was focusing on only 3 guys from the hood, here, they had a group of 8 young men which was obviously way too much to handle for a movie running not even 90 mins. As a result, none of them was properly fleshed out and, as a result, the whole thing felt rather half-baked. Anyway, to conclude, even if it is nothing really amazing, I still think it is worth a look though, especially if you like the genre.

The original version was one of those classics starring Michael Caine. As a matter of fact, I had seen this movie not so long before but, to be honest, I didn't really blow me away. I mean, Michael Caine was, as usual, pretty awesome but the main character was such a douche-bag and the story was hardly compelling in my opinion. At least, it was pretty controversial for its time. Anyway, since I didn't enjoy the original version, I wasn't expecting much from this remake. Eventually, it was not that bad at all but it wasn't an improvement either. Obviously, Jude Law was a good casting choice to be this quintessential playboy , even if he never managed to be as amazing as Michael Caine and there was also a pretty cool supporting cast (Jane Krakowski, Marisa Tomei, Omar Epps, Nia Long, Susan Sarandon, Sienna Miller). Still, you wonder what is the added value of making this story in our modern time, except for taking advantage of Jude Law's pretty face and sudden popularity (Back in those days, his relationship with Sienna Miller was a tabloid favorite). Still, even though the whole thing was nothing really amazing, I thought it was a decent flick and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

To be honest, this movie was not a priority but since there was not much else to watch, I thought I should give it a try. Eventually, I thought it was not bad but still nothing really amazing in my opinion. Basically, it is one of those visual extravaganzas which have been Baz Luhrmann's specialty for quite a while now. Honestly, even though it was an interesting approach, it was also rather distracting, especially the first 30-45 minutes which were basically Gatsby on acids. Later on, the whole thing settled down a little and I was more able appreciate the visual wizardry involved. For Leonardo DiCaprio, it was yet another portrayal of a neurotic individual which can be added to his ever growing list (J. Edgar Hoover, Howard Hughes, Teddy Daniels or even Cobb, Calvin Candie or Billy Costigan). Frankly, even though he did a decent job, he didn't really nail it this time and I preferred Robert Redford's version. On the other hand, Jay Gatsby is such a mythical larger-than-life character, one of the most fascinating fictional figures ever created and if he works amazingly on the paper, I'm not sure he can be put on the silver screen because since you actually see him in flesh and blood, a lot of the mystery surrounding him is gone. Another thing that disappointed me was the relationship between Gatsby and Carraway. I mean, they picked up two actors who happened to be BFF since childhood so I expected some awesome brotherly chemistry but it was just not there. Finally, if Jay Gatsby is one of my favorite literary characters, Daisy Buchanan must be one of the shallowest I have ever seen, even in the book I thought she was tedious to death and I never understood why Gatsby went through all this hustle for this broad. Well, in this movie, she was again pretty annoying. Still, the whole thing remains a nice watch, the modern music didn't bother me, and there was some very nice use of 3D (for once). To conclude, even though it is far from being a masterpiece, it is still worth a look, especially if you enjoyed Baz Luhrmann's previous work.

Ever since I watched and loved 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', I became instantly a fan of Michel Gondry and I was really eager to check what he would do next. His first follow-up was a decent documentary called 'Block Party' but I was eagerly waiting for his next fiction. To be honest, it wasn't really mind-blowing like I was hoping for but it was still a pretty solid flick. First of all, it was pretty neat that he shot the movie this time in France, his motherland, and there were a couple of familiar figures who you may have never heard of (Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat, Miou-Miou, Emma de Caunes). As usual with Gondry, the whole thing was visually really appealing. Unfortunately the story was not really amazing in my opinion. I mean, like everything made by Michel Gondry, it was pretty quirky and whimsical but it was missing something to be really spellbinding. It seemed that Gondry put too much effort to make his movie looked awesome and as a result, the script was not really strong, especially compared to 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' which had an amazing story with some really interesting characters. Still, it remains a cute tale and Bernal and Gainsbourg were both terribly charming. To conclude, even though it is not a masterpiece, it still remain a pretty cool flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Michel Gondry's work.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but since I heard some good things about it, I thought I should give it a try. Eventually, it was an interesting and pretty deep drama about one of the most thankless jobs in the world. So, I did like it but, somehow, it didn't really grab me. I'm not so sure why but maybe it had to with the fact that there was no real storyline but just some episodes randomly put together. Furthermore, I wasn't sure what to make of the two romances involving Ben Foster, especially the one involving Jena Malone. Basically, there were many little stories but none of them was really fully developed. Still, it remains a strong drama, no doubt about it, with some tremendous acting by the whole cast (Ben Foster, Woody Harrelson, Samantha Morton, Jena Malone). It was especially nice to see Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson finally in the spotlights for once. Those guys are among the most underrated actors nowadays and they gave some of their best performances here. To conclude, it is a pretty solid drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in the actors involved.