Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this movie but since I have a weak spot for Neil LaBute’s work, I was still eager to check it out. Honestly, I find it really difficult to review this flick. Indeed, I have seen the original British version only a couple of months ago and both version are almost identical, except that this time, it takes place in the United States with an all-star black cast. Furthermore, I thought that the original movie was not bad, but still nothing mind-blowing and, quite frankly, rather disappointing. Unfortunately, this remake was not better, as a matter of fact, it was even less entertaining. At least, there was a rather impressive cast (Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence , Tracy Morgan, Zoe Saldana, James Marsden, Luke Wilson, Keith David, Peter Dinklage, Danny Glover, Regina Hall). I was quite surprised by how enthusiast Roger Ebert was about this movie but he has always been a fan of Neil LaBute, even more than me. Honestly, I must confess, this movie turned out to be another disappointment coming from this director. Indeed, his directing debut was the amazing ‘In the Company of Men’ and, after that, he made a couple of intriguing movies but, lately, his work has been rather underwhelming. Indeed, this movie was just another rather useless remake pretty much like ‘The Wicker Man’ which is considered as one of the worst movies ever made by many. To conclude, don’t pay too much attention to my rating, I’m being quite generous here, it is basically a decent comedy but if you are interested in this story, you should eventually skip this movie and watch the original version instead.

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I was quite eager to check it out again. First of all, I really loved ‘American Beauty’, it is one of my favorite movies of all time, and every time Sam Mendes comes up with a new movie, I hope it will be again that good but, honestly, except maybe for ‘Revolutionary Road’, they all end up being rather disappointing. This movie was a good example. I mean, it was still pretty good but it never really fulfilled my expectations. The concept was all right, the subject was really interesting, the directing was solid, there was a very good cast (Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard, Jamie Foxx), they all delivered some pretty good performances and, yet, the damned thing never really impressed me. I think the issue was with the story. I mean, it was definitely interesting but still nothing really mind-blowing though. Basically, back then, those soldiers were trained to become some emotionless and fearless killers but when they went to the first Gulf War, there wasn’t much fighting at all after all and most of them suffered from … boredom. Ok, some of those soldiers seemed to have had some psychological issues but I couldn’t help thinking that those soldiers got lucky compared to those guys who took part in the D day, the Vietnam war or any other blood bath. As a result, I'm afraid I never really cared about what they were going through. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a solid war drama though and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since I heard mostly positive things about it, I was really eager to check it out. Basically, it is a really bleak and heartbreaking drama with a rather standard plotline. What makes it stand out from the other movies from this genre is the interesting directing and the amazing acting. Like I said before, it was quite heartbreaking and it deals with a main character with the most depressing life you could imagine (she is 16 years old, black, fat, fairly unattractive, almost illiterate, mother of 2 children after being continuously raped by her father and at the end, she finds out she is HIV positive). Many people say it is an inspirational movie but I’m not so sure. In my opinion, it is much like a wake up call and a huge slap in your face. If you expect to see something supposedly inspiring like ‘Dead Poets Society’, you will be terribly disappointed. The only thing you will find are some people in total despair and a handful of other people trying to help them but the odds for any happy ending are very small but they all keep on going no matter what. So, the directing had a very interesting approach and it was much appreciated. But, above all, it is probably the acting which made this movie so strong with not one but 3 amazing female performances. Let’s start with Mariah Carey. Yeah, the same woman who seems to be a really obnoxious diva in real life, the same woman who allegedly gave one of the worst performances in ‘Glitter’ (I haven’t seen it though), was just terrific in this. I mean, the way she looked, she was just almost unrecognizable and her performance was really convincing. Then, you had Mo’Nique who completely deserved her Oscar. She portrays a woman who spent a terrible life, basically despises herself and she makes a daughter pay for all the mistakes she has made. It is a performance full of fury, anger, frustration and despair, it was just quite mind-blowing to behold. Then, finally, you had Gabourey Sidibe who really carried the whole thing. I made a rather unappealing portrait of the main character but this young woman still managed to make her charismatic without making her suddenly wiser than she was supposed to be. It was just spellbinding to watch her and when you think that it was her acting debut, it is even more impressive. I could mention Paula Patton who a did a decent job but she didn’t make a huge splash like these other 3 women. To conclude, even though we have seen this story many times before, I thought it was this time brilliantly told with some tremendous acting and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I already saw this movie, I even saw it in the movie theater when it was released, but since I have it on DVD and since I just bought an awesome brand new TV, I thought I might as well check it out again. I remember perfectly when I saw this flick the first time though. Indeed, beforehand, I spent a year reading the whole trilogy so I was definitely going to watch it at some point but I wasn't sure when. Anyway, the week-end of its release, Saturday evening, I was chilling out with my buddies, rather bored and nobody knew what we should do. So, I proposed to see this new flick. And off we went to the multiplex. However, the whole thing was packed and we realized that our movie was sold out. Bummer... Suddenly, just when we thought to get the hell out of there, some guy showed up with precisely the right number of tickets! So, we managed to watch it and it was f*cking priceless, at the end, my best buddy who knew nothing about this trilogy looked at me, kind of desperate, 'is it the end? Come on! I want to see what will happen after this!!!'. Eventually, he had to wait another year... Anyway, I must admit it, the first time I watched it, I wasn't exactly blown away. I mean, it looked awesome and I was entertained during the whole thing, that's for sure, but, basically, I thought it was a very long introduction before the real thing started. However, even though I have seen it so many times by now, it seems that I enjoy it more each time I rewatch the damned thing and, now, I'm convinced it is major classic. Indeed, Peter Jackson did deliver here the ultimate epic fantasy with some complex and fascinating mythology and a mesmerizing world filled up with so many charismatic characters. Anyway, as a stand alone movie, it is really amazing but, as one third of a great epic tale, it is even more awesome and the damned thing is pretty much a must-see for any decent movie buff.

Even though I had some low expectations concerning this movie since I have a weak spot for the actors involved, I thought I should give it a try anyway. When ‘Le Diner de Cons’, the original version, was released, I was still living in France and it was a huge success there. However, since it sounded like a really stupid movie and since there was a big annoying hype around this flick, I avoided it for a couple of years. Still, at some point, I finally saw it and, I must admit it, it was actually pretty good. Anyway, it is quite common that Hollywood remakes those successful French comedies but, usually, the end result is pretty disappointing and this movie was not an exception, I’m afraid. The weird thing is that, while watching this remake, you wonder how they could mess it up with such a stellar cast (Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis)?!? First of all, the tone was just wrong. Indeed, during the whole thing they try to convince you that the 2 main characters are actually not that bad but that’s not the point here. We don’t give a damn that they are actually nice, one should be a really stupid moron and the other one should be a really mean douche bag, that’s the whole point of this story. Above all, I thought the whole thing was just terribly unfunny. I don’t know, there was maybe one or two funny jokes, seriously. To conclude, it could have been awesome but it ended up being a terrible waste of talent and, eventually, it is not worth a look whatsoever.

I remember exactly when I watched this flick. I was on holiday in Paris at my sister’s and when we went to rent a movie. I saw this one and I told her we definitely should watch it. Back then, I was a huge fan of Edward Norton who was the best actor of his generation and I only heard very good things about the movie. Eventually, I think nobody really enjoyed it except myself… Personally, I thought it was pretty good but still, I can’t say it was really mind-blowing though. The point is that it was absolutely a very well made movie, the directing was solid, the costumes and sets looked really good and the cast did a very good job as well (Edward Norton ... Eisenheim, Paul Giamatti, Jessica Biel, Rufus Sewell). So, what was wrong with this movie then? In my opinion, I thought that the story was terribly bland and generic. It was entertaining but there wasn’t really a single moment when I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next. A few years later, I would watch ‘The Prestige’ directed by Christopher Nolan and even though it was based on the subject, I thought Nolan’s outing was 100 times more entertaining than this movie. Eventually, it was unfortunately one of the many movies starring Edward Norton which ended up being either overrated or disappointing (‘The Bourne Legacy’, ‘Stone’, ‘Pride and Glory’, ‘The Incredible Hulk’, ‘The Painted Veil’, ‘Down in the Valley’, ‘The Italian Job’, ‘Red Dragon’, ‘Death to Smoochy’, ‘The Score’, …). Still, to conclude, even though I think it tends to be overrated, it remains a very well made and entertaining flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I thought I might as well check it out again. Well, sure, I will admit that this movie is actually nothing really amazing but, to be honest, I still think it is actually pretty damned entertaining though. Above all, I think it was quite a milestone for many of the actors involved. Indeed, for Meryl Streep, it was a giant step to show that even though she wasn't the youngest anymore, she could be more than a (the most) talented actress around but also a really bankable one. As usual, she was so good in this movie but I wouldn't expect less from her. For Emily Blunt, it was of course her breakthrough performance. Seriously, she was indeed pretty much pitch-perfect and it’s too bad her character was not used more and kept disappearing as she was definitely the highlight of this flick. Nowadays, she is a really sought after actress but I still wait for something mind-blowing coming from her and I have seen almost all her other movies by now. For Anne Hathaway, even though she was definitely overshadowed by the rest of the cast (even by Stanley Tucci), it was still a nice addition into her resume and she would slowly become one of the most interesting actresses of her generation after all. Not too shabby for someone who started with some Disney feature. Of course, the plot was actually really predictable but the cast was just so good so I had a good time watching this, even the 2nd time around. Anyway, to conclude, I think it is a solid comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie but since it was starring Ralph Fiennes and Cate Blanchett, two of the best actors around, I was definitely eager to check it out. I had already seen 'Charlotte Gray', also directed by Gillian Amstrong and starring Cate Blanchett, but I thought it was really disappointing since it was really simplistic and stereotypical. This movie was quite the opposite though. Indeed, frankly, I thought it was actually rather messy this time. Indeed, during the first 30 minutes, you get two rather confusing stories introducing the main characters. And then, suddenly, the whole thing turned out to be about gambling but that was just for a while. Then, you had a love story, a crazy project, an Aguirre-like jungle expedition, a random sex scene with a woman we barely saw and one of the most unbelievable death scene you'll ever witness. I know, that's a lot and a bit too much. Still, I thought that the directing was pretty good, better than in 'Charlotte Gray' and I must admit that those 2 characters were quite fascinating, thanks to the impressive performances by Fiennes and Blanchett who would have her breakthrough a year later with 'Elizabeth'. To conclude, honestly, it was almost a good movie, it is a pity that it wasn't better written but I still think it is worth a look though especially for the actors involved.

Even though I had some rather low expectations concerning this flick, since I have a weak spot for Kim Basinger, I thought I should check it out anyway. Beforehand, I didn't know what it was about and, at first, I was really wondering where the story was going but it wasn't a good sign, I'm afraid. First of all, you had this very lame scene of domestic violence with a completely unconvincing performance by the guy portraying the husband. Then, you had this endless bit when Basinger goes to the shopping mall. Honestly, I think it took about 30 minutes before she finally witnessed this murder by some thugs... Maybe it was shorter but it really felt it was lasting forever. Anyway, after that she kills Rambo-style all those thugs one by one which was quite predictable. It was rather lame that each of those dudes represented a racial type : the black guy (killed first of course), the Latino, the Asian guy and the white guy who of course was the leader... What a bunch of terrible stereotypes! So, the whole thing was really lame and boring and the conclusion (Thanks to this tragedy, she finally gets the balls to face her abusive husband or she got crazy. Your call...) was just as lame. To conclude, I really didn't like this flick, I'm actually being really generous with my rating and I don't think it is worth a look whatsoever.