An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 28 February 2013 09:08 (A review of Journey 2: The Mysterious Island )Beforehand, I wasn't expecting much from this flick but since Nick, my step-son, really wanted to see it, I thought I should give it a try. It is pretty funny that nowadays Dwayne Johnson is the go-to-guy concerning franchise revival. Indeed, after he starred in 'Fast Five', it was a huge hit, same thing with this movie and they hope he will do the same with the moribund G.I. Joe franchise (I really wonder if he will put it through a 3rd time around but who knows?). Anyway, coming back to our main subject, exactly like the first installment, I actually thought it would be much worse than this. Indeed, during the first 30 minutes, the intro was just really awkward and I thought the jokes were just terrible so it seemed to be heading towards a disaster but, after a while, I have to admit, it eventually got to me. I mean, the scene where The Rock sings 'What a wonderful world' on a ukulele was just hilarious. Furthermore, there were once again some rather insane action scenes just like in the first installment. I have to admit, Dwayne Johnson was really charismatic and ten times better than the dull Brendan Fraser so that was a good move from the producers. Basically, the movie is just some preposterous adventure but it remains a rather harmless feature. To conclude, even though it is nothing really amazing, I still think it is a rather fun flick and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A very good movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 27 February 2013 11:12 (A review of Lorenzo's Oil (1992))I wasn't expecting much from this movie. Indeed, it seemed to be one of those typical dreadful true lifetime stories with some annoying sentimental music. However, I must admit it, I was this time really swept away by this story and it is the proof that this genre which I usually despise can be actually quite spellbinding. The weird thing is that the story is actually rather straightforward (a young boy gets sick and his parents decide to find a cure for him) but the execution was just quite amazing. Of course, you have the standard melodramatic music, the drama, the emotional climax, but there is also a rational logic in the plot. I mean, you do believe, thanks to the great performances by Nick Nolte and Susan Sarandon, that those two people would be smart enough, determined enough and dedicated enough to eventually pull this off. Concerning George Miller, his directing was quite impressive, miles away from his other work such as the Mad Max trilogy, 'The Witches of Eastwick', 'Babe: Pig in the City' or even 'Happy Feet'. The guy seems to be a really versatile director and it is really too bad that he's not been more productive those last years. I sure would have loved to see his Justice League flick but it wasn't meant to be, I guess. Anyway, to conclude, coming back to our main subject, it is really a great drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 27 February 2013 07:57 (A review of The Runaways)I wasn't sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for such music biopics, I still wanted to check it out. Personally, I thought it was not bad at all and I was above all impressed by Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning. They were both pretty good and it is a real shame to think that they would both waste their time with a franchise like 'Twilight'. Especially concerning Kristen Stewart, it will take a long time before her career really recover from this and that people start to take her seriously again. Of course, Michael Shannon was once again pretty impressive and he is slowly becoming one of the most interesting actors at work nowadays. Still, even though the subject was really interesting, even though those 3 actors did a really good job, the whole thing was still rather underwhelming. Indeed, it was unfortunately not really well written. I mean, the way Joan Jett met Kim Folwy sounded really phony and rather unbelievable. Like Roger Ebert pointed out, the weakness of the script was very often hidden behind some (albeit awesome) loud rock music. As a result, except for Kim Fowley who was the typical evil rock manager, you never really got to know the characters and, especially for Cherry Currie, it was never cleared what was exactly her problem eventually. Thank God at the end they tell us she eventually became a chainsaw artist! It was so much clear after that... Anway, it was still a fascinating band and those 3 actors were really good so I enjoyed most of this movie. To conclude, even though it never reached its full potential, it was still a decent music biopic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 26 February 2013 10:00 (A review of The Ant Bully)There was a time when Disney was ruling the world of animation and barely had any competition. But then, Disney themselves trough Pixar released 'Toy Story' and the game completely changed. Since then, even though Pixar and Dreamworks have been dominating the market, you have seen many studios trying their hand at this business. As a result, you have this overdose of CGI animated features and most of them are not really interesting. This movie is a perfect example. Even though there was a star-studded voice over cast (Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep, Paul Giamatti, Regina King, Bruce Campbell, Lily Tomlin), the whole thing was just terribly underwhelming. Indeed, I mean, the animation was decent but nothing really amazing and, above all, the plot was just really tedious. Only a few years back, the giants Dreamworks and Pixar already made their own ants themed animated features and there was no need or demand for a third one. Even the same year Luc Besson released the similar 'Arthur et les Minimoys' which wasn't really mindblowing either but at least featured some amazingly gorgeous animation. At the end of the day, this flick suffered from the competition and wasn't really interesting or even really entertaining to start with. To conclude, even though I have seen worse animated features, this one is still pretty average and it is not really worth a look, even if you like the genre like I do.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 26 February 2013 09:26 (A review of George Harrison: Living in the Material World)To be honest, beforehand, I wasn't really sure about this movie. I mean, even though I have lots of respect for the Beatles and their legacy, I never cared about their music and I wasn't exactly thrilled by the idea of watching a 3 hour long documentary about one of those guys. On the other hand, the ratings were really good and since I'm a huge fan of Martin Scorsese, I thought I should give it a try. Eventually, I thought it was pretty good. Harrison obviously had a very rich life. The first 90 minutes were of course devoted to the Beattles during which George Harrison was often eclipsed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. But you learn also about his solo career, his experimental drug using, his spiritual journey, his passion for car racing, his passion for gardening, the fact Eric Clapton fell in love with his wife, that he was stabbed by a mad man in his own houses, his battle against cancer and many many other things. Most of it was really interesting but I can't say I was really blow away by the whole thing. Indeed, many anecdotes were barely interesting and some elements were rather rushed out which was rather surprising when you take into consideration the extended running time. It was also interesting that Scorsese didn't show up or say anything during the whole thing. Still, even though I still don't really care about the Beatles, I thought it was an interesting documentary and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are fan of this legendary band.
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A very good movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 25 February 2013 10:02 (A review of At Close Range)James Foley is not a really famous director but he has made a few notable flicks such as 'Glengarry Glen Ross'. He has also made this forgotten gem which is easily one of his best efforts. However, even though the directing was indeed rather decent, the main attraction was to see Sean Penn and Christopher Walken portraying son and father. As expected, they were quite amazing, eclipsing the rest of the cast which was actually rather decent (Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn, David Strathairn, Kiefer Sutherland, Crispin Glover). Apparently, Robert De Niro turned down the father part because he thought it was too dark but I'm glad Walken took over since he gave here one of his best performances. Even though Christopher Walken shows up sometimes it some rather dubious productions (apparently, he loves so much his work that he never says no to a part), I think he is a terrific actor and if you have any doubt, you should check this movie. Against him, you have a rather young Sean Penn and he was just as impressive. Even though you could argue that the plot is not really original, you can't deny how intense the confrontation was between those two actors. To conclude, even though it is pretty much forgotten, it is actually a pretty strong drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 25 February 2013 08:35 (A review of Definitely, Maybe)Since I kept coming across this movie, I was really intrigued by it. Furthermore, the ratings were pretty decent so I was really eager to check this it out. Eventually, it turned out to be one of the best romantic comedies I have seen in a very long time. Indeed, to start with, the story felt really touching and all the characters very well written and very well portrayed. For once, the whole thing was not based on some lame concept and some stereotypical figures but you could feel that especially the writers spent a good amount of time to make sure that their characters were 3 dimensional. I also liked the fact that it took place during a specific time period and I also enjoyed the political background, even though they didn't do much with it. Still, I was missing something and it felt short of being really remarkable. The point is that even though they hit the right note remarkably often, they still remained in the safe zone and never really pushed the boundaries of the genre. Furthermore, at the end, they really force on you this happy end as if the audience couldn't handle a sad romance which ends badly. Still, there are many things to enjoy here, I thought it was pretty good and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 24 February 2013 02:22 (A review of Courage Under Fire)Since I have a weak spot for Denzel Washington, I was definitely eager to check this flick. You may have forgot it but Denzel Washington had to thank his breakthrough to Edward Zwick when he was cast in 'Glory' resulting in his 1st Academy Award. So, this was the 2nd time they worked together but this time, he was the lead. Eventually, it was a solid military thriller. One of the most intriguing aspect in this movie was the cast. Indeed, another prominent star in this prodution was Meg Ryan who was trying to be seen as a serious actress and she could have developped a more various career like other actresses like Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock or Reese Witherspoon. Eventually, even though it was a decent attempt, she would always remain the queen of the romantic comedies and when don't hear much from her anymore. Actually, the best performance was eventually provided by no one less than Matt Damon who was totally unknown at the time. Damon gave a rather heartbreaking performance as a soldier drug addict losing 40 pounds which seems rather excessive since he was on screen for less than 15 minutes. However, it seemed that it was worth it since that, thanks to this performance, he was eventually noticed by Francis Ford Coppola who offered him the leading role in 'The Rainmaker' and by Steven Spielberg who hired to play the title character in 'Saving Private Ryan'. Coming back to the movie itself, like I said before, it is a rather entertaining military thriller but like any Hollywood thriller, it had to end up with some rather convoluted twist which is something that always disappoints me. Still, it is and remains a decent flick and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A classic
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 24 February 2013 12:09 (A review of Gone with the Wind)I already saw this movie but since it was ages ago, I thought I might as well check it out again. Well, to be honest, while rewatching it, I was surprised by how little I actually remembered the damned thing. For example, I didn't remember that it was so long (around 4 hours) but I have to admit that the time passed by fairly quickly which is always a good sign. Anyway, it is definitely an epic love story which has been the highest grossing movie ever made (adjusted for inflation) forever and, even if it didn't really blow me away, I still could see why it was so loved and was such a success. Eventually, what still bothered me was mostly the portrayal of the black people in this picture. Indeed, the whole point of the Civil war was actually to dictate the fate of the black community, something the Confederate states obviously didn't care at all, and yet, this movie never seemed to really care about its black characters either as they were all poorly developed or even sometimes reduced to some really insensitive caricatures. As a result, during the whole thing, I couldn't shake the idea that the plot was about the poor love life of some rich slave owners and not much more than that. Still, the rest of the movie was quite impressive though. Above all, Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable produced here one of the most memorable and fascinating couples ever put on the screen. To be honest, I didn't expect Rhett Butler to dump Scarlett O'Hara at the end but it was quite powerful and it became eventually one of the most famous scenes ever put on the silver screen. Anyway, to conclude, in spite its flaws, it is still an impressive epic drama, a classic, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 11 years, 10 months ago on 24 February 2013 10:04 (A review of Sextet)Since I really loved 'Simon' which is one of my favorite Dutch movies, I was really eager to check Eddy Terstall's following directing feature. Well, whereas 'Simon' was a masterful but rather standard drama, this time, Terstall came jup with a rather experimental feature around sex. Unfortunately, this experminent was a failure. Indeed, Terstall mixes various stories in a mozaic style and using various movie techniques. Even though the subject and approach were really interesting, the end result was still rather disappointing, I'm afraid. Indeed, the acting was never really convincing, it wasย sometimesย decent but it was often rather weak (Katja Schuurman was the worst example) but they were not really helped by the pretentious dialogues. There was also an obvious wish to shock the audience, above all with the weird and almost offensive animated sections. The point is that ever since 'Turks Fruit' became a huge success, there has always been a lot of nudity and sex in the Dutch movies but the makers never make really clear if they want to study sexuality in the Dutch society, sexuality in the Dutch movies or just to be rather exploitative about the whole thing. Anyway, to conclude, it was a rather disappointing experiment but I still think it is worth a look though, especially if you are interested in Dutch movies.
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