Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since I’m a huge fan of Daniel Day-Lewis, I really wanted to check I out. Unfortunately, I’m afraid it wasn’t really good and it is quite infuriating considering that this guy is basically the Kubrick of the acting world, making only 20 movies in his whole career so you would hope that he would pick up a masterpiece every 5 years when he finally decides to make a movie. Fat chance… I guess, the main reason he decided to take this part in this project was because it was directed by his wife, I don’t know. Anyway, it deals with an old hippie and his daughter living alone on a small island and guess what? There were some evil developers who wanted to build up some ‘awful’ houses and he was also terribly sick… It was hardly original and not really interesting, I’m afraid. Furthermore, I thought it was rather poorly written and the whole thing felt pretty random (for example how Catherine Keener and her kids get to live there and how they get to leave this place). Just like the dialogues, they were a little bit too sophisticated and it didn’t feel really genuine to me. Still, it was not a complete failure though. Indeed, the tone was pretty good and there was something quite mesmerizing about the whole thing. Above all, there was a really good cast (Daniel Day-Lewis, Camilla Belle, Catherine Keener, Paul Dano, Jason Lee, Jena Malone, Beau Bridges), especially Daniel Day-Lewis. Indeed, even though the movie itself was nothing amazing, he managed to give a spellbinding performance, as usual. To conclude, even though it was a rather disappointing flick I still think it is worth a look, if only for the fine cast involved.

Following the huge hype around this franchise, I thought it was really time to check it out. First of all, I must admit I always had a weak spot for those found-footage features but it is still no guarantee for success though. I also thought it was quite hilarious that they started out with a fake message pretending that the movie was real. Come on… Ever since ‘The Blair Witch Project’, they still hold on to that trick?! But, it didn’t bother me and, as a matter of fact, I thought it turned out to be a pretty good flick after all. By now, I had some time to think about it and, in my opinion, the movie is solely based on anticipation. Indeed, every night, the concerned couple set the camera at the same spot and then, you wait, you anticipate what might happen or not. And there is absolutely no music cue, no visual cue, anything to give you some hint about what will happen if anything might happen at all. Eventually, while I was watching, I laughed a couple of times (Wow! The door moved!!! How terrifying…), they might have been 1 or 2 jumpy moments but, eventually, nothing really scary happened. However, since you are constantly anticipating something, it makes the whole thing quite nerve-wracking and actually really efficient. Basically, it is just based on thin air and I think that’s why many viewers hated it but that is why I though it was actually really enjoyable. In the same genre, I still prefer ‘The Blair Witch Project’ which really set the rules for this genre. This movie didn’t bring anything new to the formula and I wish the two characters got a little bit more nuts (I thought it was really mind-blowing that, in spite of all that was happening, they still managed to get some sleep in the same house and in the very same room). Furthermore, the acting was decent but nothing really amazing and maybe some better actors would have developed the psychological turmoil in which the characters were going through. Still, I thought it was a clever and efficient horror feature, I enjoyed it and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie but even though this flick is now pretty much forgotten by the mainstram audience, it has still reached a somewhat cult status. It features one of this typical Tom Hanks performance from the 80's, you know, before he became a 'serious' actor. If you have seen one of those, you have seen all of them, but you have to admit, he was pretty good at this and it would be really fun to see him in such a comedy instead of his usual fare. Back then, Joe Dante made some pretty cool flicks ('Innerspace', 'Gremlins', 'The Howling') and this movie was sure one of those, even though I'm not sure if it was really a success when it was released. Basically, it is a pretty nice dark comedy which makes fun at the average American. However, even though it was fun and I mostly had a good time while watching it, I still think it didn't really reach its full potential. Indeed, in my opinion, at the end of the day, the whole thing is rather harmless and way too gentle for my taste. In my opinion, it should have been darker or weirder, at least more daring in its way of portraying the typical American suburbs. Still, it remains an entertaining dark comedy 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 nominated for the Best Picture Academy award, I thought I should check it out anyway. Furthermore, I always thought that Russia's history was quite fascinating so I was definitely wondering how it would turn it out to be. Eventually, it was a well made historical epic with some decent performances but I can't say I was really blown away by the whole thing. Back then, they didn't have access to some crucial information so the whole thing was not really accurate but I don't think that it was really the problem here. Basically, the main issue is that I never felt the real magnitude of those events. I mean, with the French revolution and the American revolution, the Russian revolution was one of the most influential event in mankind's history but, in this movie, it didn't feel that way as Lening, in a very caricatural portrait, only got a few scenes. Instead, they spent an awful amount of time talking about their only son sickness which wasn't really interesting compared to one of the biggest Revolution that ever took place. Of course, the whole sickness thing was just a way to introduce Big Old Rapustin to this supposedly historical tale. And I'm still not sure what to make of this guy, Rasputin. I mean, he was so over the top, some kind of mystical fellow, drinking, fornicating, maybe even bisexual, with supposedly a direct line with God. Basically, it was a huge weirdo and he really clashed with the rest of the movie. Furthermore, I didn't really get where they stood concerning the Romanov, especially the Tsar. Should we feel sorry for him? Did he actually got what he deserved? Difficult to tell. Still, in spite of its flaws, it remains a decent historical drama and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Like most of us, I really enjoyed the 'Machete' trailer displayed in 'Grindhouse', and, from all the fake trailers, it was the only one which really seemed to have some potential as a full length feature. Furthermore, while I found 'Death Proof' rather disappointing, I thought 'Planet Terror' was really successful so I was really curious to see what Robert Rodriguez would do this time. Eventually, I thought it was not bad at all. I mean, there were some completely absurd but also totally awesome action scenes and the whole thing was sometimes hilarious. There was also a pretty cool cast (Danny Trejo, Robert De Niro, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeff Fahey, Cheech Marin, Don Johnson, Lindsay Lohan, Tom Savini). Still, I can't say I was really convinced by the whole thing. I mean, it was fun, that's for sure, but there were unfortunately also plenty of dull moments. Furthermore, even though Danny Trejo has an incredible face and totally looked the part, the guy can't act for sh*t... It's all right for a 2 minutes trailer but playing the lead for almost 2 hours, that was just way out of his league. The funny thing is that, afterwards, I discovered that he was 66 years old when shooting this movie and will be almost 70 when the sequel will be released! Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it remains a really fun flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

To be honest, I can't remember why I wanted to watch this movie... I wasn't expecting much from this flick and indeed the whole thing was rather lame. The first issue was that the character portrayed by Paula Patton was just so shallow and obnoxious, this woman was just terribly annoying and the fact that Scott McKnight, a seemingly smart man, didn't notice she was just a gold digger made it even worse. Above all, the main issue was that it was just way too predictable and unoriginal. It just boringly followed the formula without any inspiration whatsoever. The worst thing is that there were actually some good ideas. For example, they could have made a dark satire about a woman who desperately wants to marry a rich sport-man or they could have made a heavy drama about a top sport-man who gets an accident, loses his career and learn how to deal with it but it wasn't meant to be, I'm afraid. Eventually, Queen Latifah with her natural warmth and charisma managed to make this watchable but without her, it would have been a really terrible flick. To conclude, it is a really average romantic comedy and it is not really worth look.

Basically, it is one of those obscure movies you end up watching because there are a couple of nice actors in it, even though you have no clue if it is worth it or not. And indeed, there was a nice cast (Jeanne Moreau, Claire Danes, Jude Law, James Van Der Beek, Julia Stiles, Robert Sean Leonard) and they all delivered some solid performances. It is a rather sensitive drama with some interesting characters but it never really reaches its potential. There are some interesting ideas about how teenagers must deal with their feelings and how someone should deal with their family's past and legacy but, like I said before, the whole thing remains too gentle and/or too shallow to really create some fascination. The same year, Claire Danes would show up in 'Romeo + Juliet' and fall into the eye of the mainstream audience and for Jude Law, it would come a year later with 'Gattaca'. It was also a great pleasure to see Jeanne Moreau, such a great actress for already 6 decades, displaying her skills and, obviously, at the different level than the rest of the cast. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, it still remains a decent drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Honestly, I have a hard time remembering how I ended up watching this flick. I think I found a very cheap DVD but it is not really important. Anyway, I must admit I don’t get often the opportunity to watch a Spanish movie so it was a nice watch. Eventually, the story was not bad at all, even though it tries to be too much clever for its own good. I above all enjoyed the cast. Indeed, even though I never been a fan of her work, I thought that Penélope Cruz was pretty good. It was also funny to see Victoria Abril because she is (or was) pretty famous in France and she showed up in many French movies so it is always kind of weird for me to see her in a Spanish productions. Together, Cruze and Abril had some good chemistry and they made a good catfight. Above all, I thought that Gael Garcia Bernal was, as usual, pretty awesome and just hilarious as Jack Davenport, Hell’s manager (yeah, seriously). Unfortunately, like I said before, even though the story was pretty original, dealing with angels, heaven and hell, it was still too weak and convoluted for my taste. Still, personally, I enjoyed most of it and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Spanish movies.

I have always been interested in Jane Campion’s work so I was really eager to check her last movie. Well, to be honest, even though I enjoyed this flick, I can’t say it was really amazing though. Indeed, the plot was pretty much standard for a costume drama (a young man and woman are passionately in love but he doesn’t have any money to marry her and, on top of that, he gets pretty sick…). It was really cliché and I can’t tell you how many times I have seen movies with a similar plot. Furthermore, I wasn’t really convinced by Abbie Cornish. I mean, she looked really pretty and her performance was not bad at all but there was not a single moment during which I really believed she was this character, living in that place during that particular time period. For me, she was still a modern girl from our time, not this character. Still, in spite of these flaws, I really liked this movie anyway. Above all, I thought the directing was really exquisite and pretty much flawless. Indeed, the way it was shot, the composition of those shots, the pacing, it was just amazing and quite mesmerizing to watch. From this perspective, it is probably one of the best costume dramas I have seen. Furthermore, even if I mentioned before that the story was not really original, it was still a fascinating love story full of passion and I really believed in this romantic relationship. Finally, even though I wasn’t so sure about Abbie Cornish, the rest of the cast was really spot on and gave some very solid performances. To conclude, even though it is not a masterpiece, it remains a very well made costume drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but I thought the title was pretty badass so I was rather curious about it. Eventually, I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. For a directing debut, I must admit that Mario Van Peebles did a pretty good job. It was also a financial success and became the highest grossing independent feature of 1991 and it also launched the acting career of Ice T (ok, maybe that wasn’t such a good thing but whatever...). Anyway, I thought it was a really solid gangster feature. It might not be really original but I liked how relentless, dark and violent the whole thing was. Of course, I have no idea if it was realistic or not but it felt pretty genuine. There was also a very solid cast (Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Chris Rock, Mario Van Peebles, Michael Michele, Judd Nelson, Vanessa Williams) with a badass Wesley Snipes. It was also impressive to see Chris Rock giving a very convincing performance as a crack addict. It is actually too bad that he nowadays only shows up in comedies when he is actually quite talented. To conclude, I thought it was a good gangster flick, one of the best in its genre actually , and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like this kind of movies.