Reviews by johanlefourbe

Can you believe they will release in 2012 a 4th live action movie of Astérix and Obélix?!? I always wonder how big is Astérix abroad, what I do know is that he is pretty huge in France. Personally, I have read many comic-books, saw many animated films and enjoyed many of those, especially when I was a kid. However, I was rather skeptical about a live adaptation. Of course, financially speaking, it was a good move considering how popular he is and, indeed, it was a big box-office success in France. I was spektical because the appeal of Astérix is most of all based on its visual appeal (the way the characters look and also the visual humor is very important) and it seemed rather impossible to make it work with some 'real' people. Eventually, I thought the whole thing was rather disappointing. I mean it was fun to see all those characters come to life, Gérard Depardieu and Christian Clavier were great casting choices but I thought the whole thing was rather boring to watch. Indeed, the comics and cartoons were really fun but this adapation (and the sequels as a matter of fact) didn't work for me. To conclude, I didn't like it and I don't think it is really worth a look, expect maybe if you are a fan of the comic-books.

Michael Caine is awesome. Whereas other actors such as Sean Connery and Peter O'Toole are (understandably) retired, Caine just keeps making more movies. Usually, he only has a supporting part but, once in a while, he still gets to play the main character and that's the main reason why I wanted to check this flick. As usual, he delivered a terrific performance throughout the whole thing. However, it's too bad the marketing was rather misleading. Indeed, when you check the posters, it seems that Michael Caine is some kind of tough guy but he is actually just a very old man, no superman or Rambo, he is scared sh*tless throughout the whole thing and it made the story much more compelling to watch. Furthermore, without Michael Caine, it was just a decent vigilante flick, not much more than that. I mean, the directing was decent but it just followed the rules of this genre, that's all. Personally, especially in this case, it was  dealing with some very complex issues and the answers provided here (just kill the bad guys!) was way too simplistic for my taste. Still, it was entertaining and very well made, Michael Caine was just terrific and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Back in the 70's and 80's, Isabelle Adjani was the most highly acclaimed French actress, she was even bigger than Catherine Deneuve back then (she won a staggering 5 Césars (the French Oscars) during her career). Unfortunately, after 'La Reine Margot' released in 1994, her career went nowhere and in France, she came more often in the news concerning her private life than for her (disappointing and sporadic) new features. It's too bad because she was a terrific actress and it is always with pleasure that I watch the movies she made in her golden period. For example, this movie is a typical French thriller with a rather far-fetched story and an obligatory twist at the end. Adjani gives again an electrifying performance and carries the whole thing on her shoulders. The rest of the cast was also pretty good, it was pretty funny to see Alain Souchon (a famous singer in France) as an actor and I thought he gave a decent performance as well. Even though the story is not really amazing, I still prefer this kind of thrillers because they focus on the characters whereas American thrillers usually focus on action scenes like shootings, chases and explosions. To conclude, it is a pretty good thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like French movies.

Since I kept hearing good things about this flick, I was really curious about it. First of all, I have to admit it, I'm a sucker for romantic comedies, I have watched many of them through the years but, honestly, 90% of them end up being usually rather disappointing. Not this one though. I mean, during the first 10 minutes, it seemed to be one of those typical 80's highschool comedies, fairly decent but nothing amazing. But then, when they finally got to know each other, I got really hooked by the whole thing and, in my opinon, it is easily one of the best romantic comedies I have seen. I just loved how genuine the relationship was and also these characters. The relationship between the daughter and the father was also very interesting and complex and, in a lesser movie, he would just argue with his daughter to add up some drama but, here, they developed it to another level and it was quite impressive. Basically, it was a rather simple story, which has been told many times before and after but, this time around, they were dealing with some intriguing 3 dimensional characters and the whole thing was quite spellbinding to watch. To conclude, it is a classic, I really liked it and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Since I kept hearing some good things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out and I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, I thought it was a really good drama with some comedy but not too much and some terrific acting. Honestly, I thought the whole thing was pretty flawless with a fascinating story with some very intriguing characters. My only complain would be that there were 2 very interesting plots (the children meeting their donor father and the lesbian mothers having a rough patch in their relationship) but the way they merged both stories felt pretty random and forced. The amazing thing is that even if it was a mistake, it also had a positive effect. Indeed, before that, the donor father was way too good to be true but, then, after his disastrous actions, he finally got a human face and it made the character even more interesting. The cast (Julianne Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson) was pretty amazing and I was above all impressed by Annette Bening. Indeed, after 5 minutes, I completely forgot I was watching Bening on the screen, I only saw a fully fledged character and that's what acting is or should be about. To conclude, I thought it was a really fascinating drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I'm pretty sure I already saw this one but it was really a long time ago so it was really time for a re-watch. And, once again, it was just another great flick by Alfred Hitchcock. What I love about his thrillers is that they are smart and totally make sense. I mean, when the protagonists go further with their actions, take some crucial decisions, you understand why and it makes the whole thing much more compelling to watch. In modern thrillers, they make up the most preposterous plots with some random twists to 'surprise' you but, most of the time, I'm rather bored by those, especially after watching Hitchcock's work. I mean, the directing here is pretty much flawless and the writing is just excellent with 3 main characters who are not really bad but not really good either but all completely spellbinding to watch. The most amazing thing is that it is actually a rather simple story which takes place mostly in one building (it was a play adaptation, that's probably why). Nowadays, they try to make it all complicated but it ends up being rather preposterous and sometimes even stupid. To conclude, it is a great thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Hitchcock’s work.

Since I have weak spot for Frank Oz work as a director, I was really eager to check this movie, especially since the ratings were actually pretty good. Eventually, even though I really really wanted to like it, I still think that something was missing. I mean, I really loved the concept, the cast (mostly made of unknowns) was really good and there were definitely some funny bits here and there but it just didn't really worked for me. Indeed, during the whole thing, I was waiting for something really hilarious to happen but I didn't happen at all and I thought they were streching the jokes for way too long (for example, when Alan Tudyk takes some drugs by accident, of course, it is funny for the first 5-10 minutes but it goes on and on until the very end of the movie). As a result, since they spend so much time on those jokes, you barely learn anything about the characters and that was too bad. Still, it remains a great concept, to have the whole thing taking place during one funeral which becomes a total disaster and there were many funny scenes (like the first scene with the wrong coffin was just awesome). To conclude, it didn't really blow my mind but it remains a well made and solid comedy with some good old British humor and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Even if the critics were really bad and it was a huge flop, I was still rather curious to check if it was as bad as everyone seems to think. First of all, we have to consider the fact that Hollywood is suffering from a terible lack of inspiration. Indeed, 80-90% of the production these days consists of remakes, reboots and book or TV show adapations. In this case, we are dealing with a TV show adaptation and the end result is terribly disappointing. It is too bad actually and I have to admit that the whole thing actually had some potential. Indeed, I thought it was a good idea to move the whole thing in the present day and there was a great cast (Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, Jason Schwartzman, Kristin Chenoweth, Steve Carell) and I thought that Nicole Kidman was a perfect choice for the main part and with Will Ferrell, it could have been a great mix. However, they came up with some rather convoluted story about a TV show and an actress portraying a witch, when in fact she is actually a real witch... When you read it like this, it sounds pretty bad and it was indeed pretty bad... They tried to make it clever but it just didn't work. I used to watch the TV show when I was a kid and honestly I never really liked it but it was way better than this adaptation. To conclude, it was a flop and it was deserved, it is not really worth a look, even if you are a fan of the show it is based on.

Even though I didn't have some high expectations concerning this flick, I didn't expect it to be so disappointing... Indeed, it is easily one of the weakest romantic comedies I have seen for a while. First of all, I have nothing against Amy Adams. She is really charming but she always plays the most annoying female characters and this movie was not exception. Matthew Goode was a little bit better but the whole thing was still far from being impressive. In fact, Goode himself later on went on record saying he reckoned that the film was one of the year's worst. And I would have to agree with him... The whole thing just follows the rules of the formulas without adding anything new or interesting to it so I was rather bored. I was honestly wondering why they were actually attracted together and from the moment they loose the car, there is actually no reason for Declan to go futher along with Anna on her journey. Finally, the whole thing is just filled with terrible clichés and stereotypes about Ireland and I really wonder what the Irish people would make of this. To conclude, it is not really bad but it is just terribly weak and it is not really worth a look, even if you like the genre.

I didn't know what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Neil Jordan and Jodie Foster, I thought I should check it out. Eventally, I thought it was an interesting flick. Indeed, it takes a very old formula (the vigilante) but they gave their own flavor to the whole thing which was rather intriguing. Indeed, most of the movies in this genre focus on the violence and the actions scenes whereas here, they focused more on the characters. Jodie Foster was at some point one of the best actresses and managed to win 2 academy awards during her prestigious career and I still think she is a terrific actress but it has a been a while since she really impressed me. Anyway, she gave here a solid performance, I eventually cared about the character she had created and I believed that she would be capable of her actions in this movie. It was a three dimensional character and it made this flick stand out from the rest of its kind. Unfortunaly for Foster and Neil Jordan who both did a good job here, the story was pretty standard and predictable. It still follows the basic rules of the vigilante genre and I thought it was rather disappointing. Still, it remains a very well made flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.