Reviews by johanlefourbe

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure to what to expect from this flick but since it was starring [Link removed - login to see] and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out to be an intriguing movie, that’s for sure. Indeed, even though the tone was fairly well established, the whole thing was pretty dark, the genre they were going for was much more unclear. However, it was done on purpose and I think it was actually quite clever. Indeed, it made the whole thing quite unpredictable and I kept wondering where they were going with all that. Eventually, its sheer randomness also had its downside and I’m afraid the end-result didn’t completely add up. It mostly had to do with the fact that none of the characters was developed whatsoever, even the main character. Sure, this way, they could keep a cloud of mystery around all these rather weird characters but it turned out to be after all an artificial gimmick and I wish they tried to explain slightly more their behavior and actions. For example, how could you explain that Anna would put up with this nasty behavior? Why did she stick around? In a similar fashion, even though Sensei AKA Leslie’s macho misogynist approach was obviously toxic, somehow, it seems that it still allowed Casey to have more confidence after all which was a rather questionable and even bewildering narrative choice. Finally, even though it might seem neat that Casey and Anna would take over the dojo at the end, it seems rather unlikely that the dojo’s students would inherit it automatically if the owner would suddenly pass away. Anyway, to conclude, even if not everything did make sense, with this mix of various genres and its unpredictability, the damned thing was still really interesting to behold and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, when I noticed on IMDb that this movie was more than 3 hours, I was actually rather apprehensive to see a movie which seemed to be not much more than a daft comedy lasting for so long. Well, eventually, I wonder what it is listed with such a long running time since the only version(s) that you can watch are much shorter (the one I saw was around 150 mins). Anyway, on paper, there is no way that such a silly comedy with a very thin plot and lasting for way too long should interest me and, yet, I have to admit I did enjoy the damned thing after all. I mean, there is nothing much to it, it's about a group of barely developed characters finding out that there might be some kind of treasure hidden in some park and, for the rest of the movie, you get see to see them racing each other to get there first. How they managed to deliver 150 mins of running time which such a flimsy concept is quite extraordinary but it was even more impressive that the end-result was actually entertaining. Eventually, even though the die-hard fans might argue otherwise, I think that’s actually the strength of this movie, the fact that nobody involved took it seriously at all so there was nothing pretentious about the whole endeavor, just some plain old fun. Finally, one of the major points or goals with this movie was to include as many ‘famous’ American comedians as possible but, if you are not familiar with who was famous back then in the 60’s, this whole aspect will be pretty much lost on you (I think I managed to spot only 3 or 4 actors). Anyway, to conclude, even if I don’t think it was really amazing, I have to admit that it is actually an entertaining comedy and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was the last directorial effort by Sam Peckinpah, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, while watching the damned thing, I have to admit that I was constantly scratching my head though. Seriously, from the beginning until the very end, the whole thing didn’t seem to make much sense. Apparently, this movie was supposed to be Sam Peckinpah's big comeback but he actually didn’t like the novel it was based on, he didn’t like screenplay either and the editing was botched by the producers who chose not to involve Peckinpah in the process. Eventually, before writing this review, I wondered if Roger Ebert did see it and, well, apparently, he shared my feelings. In fact, he even hated the damned thing and I can’t say I blame him. For example, you might wonder what was the point of all the nudity involved. Did it really have any added value or connection at all with this spying business?  There was also an interesting cast involved (Rutger Hauer, John Hurt, Craig T. Nelson, Dennis Hopper, Chris Sarandon, Burt Lancaster), they did what they could with this material and I guess there was some kind of sadistic fun to see them swimming and trying desperately not to drown in this mess. Indeed, the damned thing was definitely a mess and, unfortunately, not on purpose. Yet, somehow, I do think that the weird editing and directing choices did enhance the whole paranoid mood which did work for such a spy conspiracy thriller. Eventually, it makes me almost want to read Robert Ludlum's book to see if it at least made more sense than this film did. Anyway, to conclude, I think my rating was probably too generous here but I guess it might still be worth a look but probably only if you are really interested in [Link removed - login to see]’s work.

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by David Cronenberg, I was quite eager to check it out. On top of that, not only it was almost a decade since Cronenberg had delivered a new directorial effort but, after more than 20 years, he was also going back to the body-horror genre, the genre that launched his career back in the 80’s. Well, I was expecting something weird and gross and I was certainly not disappointed. In my case, somehow, the most unsettling thing was probably actually this breakfast eating chair but I have to admit that the whole concept of people getting aroused while getting cut or cutting other people was definitely not my thing either. And, yet, David Cronenberg delivered once again a rather fascinating vision of the future, a vision which was quite scary and, yet, for some reasons, still strangely attractive somehow. Unfortunately, even though the damned thing was always intriguing, to be honest, I can’t say it really blew me away though. The first thing that bothered me was the lack of context. Indeed, how did we get there? How long was this organic evolution already going on? Was there anything else noteworthy going on in the world? A bigger issue was probably the fact that there were too many characters involved. Indeed, the characters, especially the one played by Léa Seydoux and Viggo Mortensen, were really interesting but, instead of developing them, they kept adding some other characters to the mix instead which was, in my opinion, a mistake. Eventually, you get a succession of characters saying and doing some weird things but I think it would have much more satisfying if, instead, they would have gone deeper in what a few of them were actually feeling and thinking. As a result, you don’t get to really know any of them and the biggest victim was probably Kristen Stewart who did end-up with a rather half-baked character. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn’t a real home-run, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in David Cronenberg’s work.

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by [Link removed - login to see] and since had received some really strong reviews, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, I had a really hard time to get into this movie, in fact, I’m afraid it never really grabbed me. For starters, this movie was just so damned obscure, I mean, it was literally visually really obscure. Seriously, the whole thing was just so dark, it was probably one of the darkest movies I have ever seen. For example, the scene in St. Winifred’s house was 99% completely black and borderline unwatchable. Then, the other issue was that, even though it was more than 2 hours long, all the characters were barely developed at all. For example, Essel had short hair and wore bells on her clothes because she was actually a prostitute but that’s something I found out afterwards when I was doing some research about this movie and it’s not something that I figured out while watching this movie. What was the deal with Gawain’s mother? Why was she doing all this witchcraft stuff? What was the deal with the King? What was actually the deal with any character involved in this story? Even with Gawain himself, Dev Patel did deliver a solid performance and the color-blind casting was pretty cool but I’m afraid this main character was always kept at arm’s length from the audience. And, yet, the whole thing was visually really neat and David Lowery did create here a mesmerizing mood for this tale. The ending was also pretty cool. I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t in the right mood and I should check it out again at some point but, the more I think about it, the more I believe that my rating was actually too generous here. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t really work for me, I still think it is an intriguing movie and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested in David Lowery’s work.