Reviews by johanlefourbe

Even though the new generation James Bond with Daniel Craig is becoming more and more popular, especially after the surprising monster success of ‘Skyfall’, I still prefer the good old installments featuring Sean Connery, especially the first 3 movies. Indeed, back in those days, they were still building up the foundations of this mythical character and even if Craig is a solid Bond and his movies are damned entertaining, they are still basically repeating the same formula perfected already 50 years ago by the mighty Connery who will always remain the ultimate 007. Anyway, this second installment was already an improvement on the solid ‘Dr. No’. Maybe back then they didn’t have the same special effects as today but they did have a good story, definitely one of the best used in the James Bond franchise. Since ‘Dr. No’ was a success, they doubled the budget and it was once again a critical and commercial success further establishing what would be an everlasting franchise. As you may have noticed, I’m not really a die hard fan of those James Bond flicks. At best, they are pretty fun to watch but they are always terribly shallow, rather unrealistic and quite misogynic. I find it above all rather tedious that after all these years, they keep following the exact same template. On the other hand, why should they change it since it is apparently what the mainstream audience is asking for ? At least, back then, they had a decent script and Sean Connery was just awesome, period. To conclude, after ‘Goldfinger’, it is probably my favorite James Bond feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since it was on the ‘1001 movies you must see before you die’ list, I thought I should give it a try. First of all, I must admit it, after 5 minutes, I stopped the whole thing and put some of my own music. I don’t know, the prospect of watching an hour long feature without any dialogs, music, or any sound of any kind was a rather daunting prospect. Maybe it was a mistake from my side but I was rather glad with my music selection. Basically, this movie is quite unique. It is more than 80 years old, and it is not some fiction but not a documentary either. Basically, it is something quite different. It seemed to be some kind of experiment to see how far you could go with a camera and those guys invented or developed many movie techniques in the process such as double exposure, fast motion, slow motion, freeze frames, jump cuts, split screens, extreme close-ups, tracking shots, footage played backwards, stop motion animation,… From an historical point of view, this movie is an amazing treasure. I mean, if you have any interest in movie as an Art form, it is a must see. However, I must confess, the whole thing was not really entertaining to watch. Indeed, it is basically a collection of random footage and the one scene has barely anything to do with another and even though there were some awesome shots, it was sometimes pretty tedious to watch. Still, it is a classic, a very interesting watch, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Since I'm a huge fan of 'Oldboy', it is rather surprising that it took me so long to see another movie directed by Chan-wook Park. I guess, I never really had the opportunity (I did see the first half of 'Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance' a very long time ago). Anyway, I came across this dvd and I thought it was highly time to finally make up for those lost years. Eventually, I thought it was pretty good but I didn't really blow me away like 'Oldboy'. The point is that the directing was really good, the acting as well but I thought that the plot was pretty messy and confusing. Basically, there was some constant back and forth between past and present and I really had a hard time following what was going on, especially in the first half and who was who. Furthermore, the tone was really different. Whereas 'Oldboy' was a fascinating mind-f*ck, this was more like a black comedy with some pitch-black humor. However, in the last 30 minutes, it became increasingly heartbreaking especially with the children videos. Even there, the funny bits didn't stop coming and the mix was pretty interesting but not really my cup of tea, I guess. To conclude, I don't think it is really a masterpiece like 'Oldboy', it was way too messy, but it is still pretty good and remain a very interesting flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

This flick is a perfect example of a typical movie directed by Gregory Hoblit. He is not what you could call a famous director but I always had a weak spot for his work, even if he has actually never made a real masterpiece. Basically, Hoblit is one of those directors who made some TV work for a couple of decades until he made his feature directing debut. His first movie was 'Primal Fear' starring an also debuting Edward Norton and it was very well received. This movie was thus his second directing effort and even though it was not as acclaimed as its predecessor, it was still a decent effort. It features Denzel Washington in one of his typical performances, the righteous straight guy. Even though it is highly repetitive, the guy does it so well, he is so charismatic, it never really bothers me. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the mood and Hoblit definitely knows how to direct a thriller. So, I enjoyed most of it but, still, I can't say it was really mind-blowing. I don't know, I guess, it depends how far you are willing to go to believe what they are trying to sell you in the script. Ever since 'The Exorcist', they keep making stories about people being possessed and doing some weird stuff but, personally, I never really cared about this genre. Basically, it means that no one is actually responsible for their action but some demon which undermines the impact of any story. Still, it remains a solid fantastic thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I have always been a huge fan of Al Pacino but, lately, his latest movies were at best rather average and often pure garbage, pretty much like Robert De Niro. So, it was with great pleasure to watch this flick from the good old days and, boy, back then, Al Pacino was nothing short of amazing. Even if the movie itself was pretty uneven, Pacino was really strong, giving one of his typical kinetic performances and the final monologue was just downright phenomenal. Unfortunately, like I said before, the movie itself didn't really convinced me. Indeed, even if the main character was always interesting, most of the other characters were either stereotypes (the evil judge, the nice looking girlfriend) or even clowns (his partner, the suicidal judge). As a result, they pretty much messed up the tone. Indeed, I really loved how gritty and realistically they portrayed the everyday life in the court room but every five minutes, they would throw a supposedly 'funny' scene for no particular reason than lighten up the proceedings. It seems that the makers didn't dare to go all the way into the grittiness making in the process one of the most fascinating court dramas ever made and decided to water down the whole thing to make sure they could appeal to a broader audience. Still, there was a lot of good stuff here, especially Pacino who has at the top of his game, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

If they would announce today a new movie directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Daniel Craig, it would be highly expected and probably a hit. However, this movie was released 8 years ago and actually barely noticed but how could you blame the mainstream audience? Up to that point, Vaughn was mostly known as Guy Ritchie's BFF and as the producer on Ritchie's early flicks and Daniel Craig was so far a rather obscure character actor. Still, even though it was not a real success upon release, it did manage to reach cult status pretty quickly and I became rather curious about this flick. The main critic is usually that it looks too much like Ritchie's early work but even if it was indeed similar in tone, it didn't bother me whatsoever. As a matter of fact, I think it was actually a pretty smart move from Matthew Vaughn. Indeed, if you are going to make your directing debut, it is maybe better to focus on a genre that you are already familiar with instead of making something completely alien to you and making an ass of yourself in the process. The other fun thing about this movie is that it was basically some kind of warm up for Daniel Craig before the James Bond gig. Indeed, his character already displays the charisma, the coolness and the lethality needed to portray the most famous spy that ever existed. Concerning the plot, it is basically your average British crime story, not very original but still pretty funny with some colorful characters and damned entertaining. To conclude, I really liked this movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

We tend to forget it but the first Resident Evil was actually not bad at all. Ten years later, surprisingly, they still making some installments and, even more surprising, those sequels are more and more successful at the box-office. On the other hand, with those expensive 3D tickets, they have found a nice trick to increase their revenue, that's for sure. Anyway, I'm officially fed up with this franchise... Yesterday, Nick, my step-son, came home, announcing that he just bought a movie that I really wanted to see but even though I indeed wanted to watch this flick at some point, I could have easily waited a couple of years... Anyway, this flick was pretty awful. They start with showing the same action scene TWICE, first, in backward slow-motion and then in forward regular speed. Obviously, they thought it would look really cool but it was just the opposite, it felt really redundant. What followed was an abysmal story, with some tedious characters, even the action scenes were not really impressive. Even though I didn't like the other sequels, I always reminded open-minded and could find one or two redeeming features. Not this time though. The only fun thing was to see again Michelle Rodriguez after all those years but she was completely wasted in a terrible under-written double part. One more thing, the whole cloning thing was also completely stupid. Basically, it is a trick device which they can use to bring back any deceased character whenever they feel like it. To conclude, it was just pretty bad, they should stop dry milking this franchise and you probably shouldn't watch this flick. And guess what? They are already working on a 6th installment...

I don't think Claude Chabrol is really famous abroad, at least, not here in Listal. The guy actually had an impressive careers with a dozen of French classics with a career stretching from the New Wave until his death in 2010. He was a very prolific director and this was his 50th movie (!). To be honest, I haven't seen so many of his flicks, only 7 or something, but I enjoyed all of them. Anyway, if you think you love French movies but have never heard of this guy, I would suggest to check his work. Coming back to our main subject, this movie was definitely not one of his best works but it was still a good watch. It was basically a typical Chabrol feature dealing with his usual themes such as the middle-class, obsessive relationships, murder. One of the main characters was played by Nathalie Baye, a major actress in France but not really famous abroad, you might remember her playing in 'Catch me if you can' though. Anyway, even though it was actually nothing really mind-blowing, I thought it was a pretty good flick an it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in French movies.

Last year, I have watched all the Star Trek movies and, this year, I have decided to do the same thing with the Planet of the Apes franchise. I’m pretty sure I saw this flick when I was a kid but it was definitely a very long time ago and I had forgotten most of it. What a grand Science-Fiction tale! I actually had a hard time convincing Nick, my step-son, to watch it with me but within 5 minutes, he was completely hooked which is always a good sign. Indeed, I thought it was much better than I remembered. First of all, I really enjoyed how they took their time at the beginning for the viewers and the characters to get acquainted with this strange world. Eventually, after waiting for 30 minutes, you finally see those apes and it was basically a huge slap in my face. In my memories, I thought they looked really cheesy but I was wrong, they looked just awesome. The way they managed to allow the simian characters to have some specific facial characteristics and being able to show their emotions was just mind-blowing. Especially considering that the make-up is now already 45 years old! Furthermore, when the apes show up, it was like a nightmare (‘Where did I land?!? Is it real?’). They further developped some very interesting idea about the future, science-fiction in general, parallel realities and many other things. The only major flaw in my opinion was how clueless Taylor actually is. I mean, how many clues does he actually need ? I mean, the vegetation, the horses, the language, the alphabet and many other things in this planet are exactly the same as on Earth but, still, he doesn’t get it. Anyway, with the ending, it then completely made sense. And what an ending! Definitely one of the famous ever put on the silver screen and it was indeed downright awesome and shattering. To conclude, it is a indeed a classic, a very good SF flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

There was a time when Joe Carnahan was hailed as the next best thing in Hollywood. Indeed, many people were impressed by this flick, his 2nd directing effort, especially Tom Cruise who took on the role of executive producer, and made sure the movie got a wider release than originally planned. He also convinced Carnahan to take the director's chair for Cruise's then upcoming ‘Mission: Impossible III’. Of course, as you probably already know, eventually he didn’t direct ‘Mission: Impossible III’ and, as a matter of fact, we are still waiting to see something great coming from him as none of his following feature was really amazing (‘Smokin’ Aces’ , ‘The A-Team’, ‘The Grey’). Anyway, I really loved his 2nd feature film which became eventually his breakthrough. Indeed, it might not be really original but the gritty look was quite awesome. Ray Liotta and above all Jason Patric gave also some of their best performances in this flick. Above all, the introduction was just mind-blowing. Indeed, without any delay, you are totally immersed in this bleak world with this undercover cop and it was just spellbinding with one hell of chase if I remember correctly. I have to admit, later on, the plot becomes rather pedestrian but the actors were great and the directing was just top-notch. To conclude, in my opinion, it is a very good cop thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.