
Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 18 May 2012 07:49
(A review of
Poltergeist)
Eventually, even though Tobe Hooper achieved some major success with 'The Texas Chainsaw massacre', his following features never had much critical or financial success. The only exception would be this feature but many argue that this movie actually belongs to Spielberg (He produced it, wrote the damned thing and some says that he even cast the film, directed the actors, and designed every single storyboard). But, anyway, how was this movie eventually? Well, it was not bad at all but, to be honest, I can't say I was really blown away by the whole thing. Of course, the special effects were quite impressive, even more when you think that it was made 30 years ago. However, if some scenes did work pretty well, some others didn't and the whole thing was not really well written in my opinion. I mean, I'm not an expert whatsoever but I really wonder if Spielberg did any research on poltergeists before writing this flick. Above all, even though the whole thing was fairly entertaining, it was never really scary and it was probably what I was missing the most. Still, in spite of its flaws, it remains a classic, it is one of the few horror flicks with a decent budget and it is definitely worth a look.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 17 May 2012 07:29
(A review of
You Stupid Man (2002))
I wasn't expecting much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Milla Jovovich, I thought I should check it out anyway. First of all, I must admit it was pretty cool to see her in a romantic comedy for a change. Unfortunately, the whole thing was just really uninspired, unoriginal and completely predictable. First of all, David Krumholtz is no leading material, he doesn't have the charisma and, even worse, he doesn't have the talent for. Furthermore, even though Denise Richards does have some charisma, she is not really talented either and the fact that her character was really obnoxious, didn't help much either. On the other hand, Jovovich was not bad at all actually and it would have been really nice to see her in a better comedy than this. Above all, I thought the whole thing was poorly directed and written and I was rather bored during the proceedings. To conclude, even though I give some credit to Milla Jovovich for trying something else, it remains a very average romantic comedy and it is not really worth a look, even if you like the genre.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 17 May 2012 07:00
(A review of
Johnny Dangerously)
At some point, I found a cheap dvd for this movie so I thought I might as well check it out. This movie was Amy Heckerling’s 2nd directing effort, following her successful debut with 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' so there was definitely some potential for something really neat. Well, basically, it turned out to be some kind of parody of those gangsters flicks from the 30's and 40's. Unfortunately, even though it seemed to be an interesting idea and even though there was a nice cast involved, I didn't like the damned thing much. First of all, I have never been a big fan of parodies in general and this one, except for a few nice ideas, wasn't really funny at all. There was one thing that I enjoyed though and it was Mickael Keaton's performance. I was rather surprised when I discovered that it was only his 3rd movie. Indeed, the guy was really funny and charismatic and he channeled a little bit the same energy he would eventually give for Beetlejuice, another part he would land a few years later. Anyway, to conclude, I have seen worse parodies but this one was still rather tedious, in spite of Keaton's effort, and I don’t think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you really like the genre.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 16 May 2012 07:18
(A review of
Into the Blue)
Of course, before watching this flick, I wasn't expecting much but what a worthless movie! I mean, beforehand, you know the whole thing is just about the eye candy, possibly Paul Walker for the girls and obviously Jessica Alba for the boys and there is nothing wrong with that provided that there is a more or less decent plot. But, unfortunately, except for the eye candy element, there is absolutely nothing interesting or remotely entertaining in this borefest. You have Josh Brolin before his breakthrough performance in 'No Country for Old Men' who does what he can as the bad guy but even him couldn't save this. On the positive side, Jessica Alba does look good and there are some nice shots of the undersea world but that's not really enough to make a movie, in my opinion. To conclude, even though Alba is far from being a great actress, this must be the worst movie she has made so far not because it is really bad but because it is completely shallow, empty and deadly boring. It is not worth a look whatsoever and if you are looking for some eye candy, you should pick up something else with at least a plot.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 15 May 2012 08:30
(A review of
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I have it on DVD, I thought I might as well check it out again. Well, after 2 installments directed by Leonard Nimoy, it was apparently William Shatner's turn to direct a Star Trek flick. I had been actually warned by my fellow listal members that this installment was pretty bad and, indeed, it turned out to be the weakest Star Trek flick I have seen so far. I mean, it was not completely awful as it was pretty neat to see again all those familiar characters again and there were here and there a few good ideas but, a part from that, the whole thing was just pretty weak. Indeed, the pacing was quite terrible with some scenes which were stretched for much too long, the whole thing never looked so cheesy before and, above all, it was just rather boring to watch. I have to admit that I did enjoy the first minutes taking place in the desert but then, as soon as the plot really started, I pretty much lost interest right away. Anyway, to conclude, it does deserve its rather poor reputation, it is indeed pretty average and it is worth a look only if you are a die hard fan of Star Trek.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 15 May 2012 03:41
(A review of
Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde)
Since the first movie was really successful, it was pretty obvious they would make a sequel. However, it was a flop, at least, compared to its successor. Honestly, I wasn't expect much from the 1st movie but it was not bad at all. Unfortunately, this sequel was really average. I mean, Reese Witherspoon tried really hard and was, again, quite charismatic but the story was way too far-fetched this time and, worse, it wasn't much entertaining at all. I mean, it was possible somehow that Elle Woods would manage to become a lawyer but a politician ? It was utterly unbelievable, even more than the lawyer thing. The other thing which made it difficult for me to enjoy this flick is that I actually love movies dealing with politics but I hate them when they don't take the subject seriously, like so many other moronic comedies. I know, I shouldn't take this movie too seriously but it doesn't mean that the whole thing should be completely stupid... To conclude, it was not really bad but it was still pretty damned average and the whole thing is not really worth a look, even if you are a fan of Reese Witherspoon.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 15 May 2012 03:27
(A review of
Legally Blonde)
I find it really difficult to judge this flick... Beforehand, I thought it would be really terrible. I mean, look at the title, look at the poster! It doesn't look or sound really impressive. However, it wasn't bad at all. Of course, the plot is rather idiotic but Reese Witherspoon managed to make this totally obnoxious character rather compelling to watch which is, you have to admit it, quite an achievement. Furthermore, I must admit that the whole thing was rather entertaining to watch. It starts like a train wreck and you first think that the whole thing won't go anywhere but they managed to make the whole thing quite compelling. Of course, it is not Kubrick , you won't learn anything and the day after, you will probably forget the whole thing but Reese Witherspoon is just really charismatic to behold. For her, it was her big breakthrough and her ticket for the A list which she still owns 10 years later. To conclude, it is not really smart at all but it is still entertaining and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 15 May 2012 02:59
(A review of
Hollywoodland)
It has been a while since I wanted to check this flick and I was really glad when I finally had the opportunity. Unfortunately, to be honest, the whole thing turned out to actually slightly disappointing. Still, it doesn't mean the movie wasn't any good. Indeed, they gave us a pretty good cast, I really liked the directing, the set-dressing and the costumes and they managed very well to give a genuine feeling of this time period. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the flashback involving George Reeves and this movie featured one of the best performances by Ben Affleck. Unfortunately, the detective story didn't work very well and the sub-plot involving the detective’s son and ex-wife was actually even worse. It is pretty obvious that the whole thing was inspired by 'Chinatown' but, unfortunately, it never reached the level of this classic. To put it simply, the story was never really fascinating as it was only the story of an actor who got famous but didn't enjoy what he did, nothing less but nothing more than that either. Still, in spite of its flaws, it was a very well made neo-noir flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 14 May 2012 12:18
(A review of
The River)
Before breaking through in Hollywood with 'Lethal Weapon', Mel Gibson made this rather unseen and forgotten drama. Since I have weak spot for his movies, I was rather eager to check it out. In spite of his lately rather tumultuous and controversial private life, I always thought that Mel Gibson was an intriguing actor especially when he is not working on an action flick. However, he never got much more recognition and that's too bad. This movie is a good example. It is a rather generic and predictable drama but Gibson, like Sissy Spacek and Scott Glenn, was actually pretty good and delivered a decent performance. Furthermore, I did enjoy the directing and the whole thing was definitely watchable. It's just too bad they didn't add much to the subject. I mean, I have seen my share of movies dealing with poor farmers fighting against a ruthless corporation by now and the whole thing was just too predictable. Still, it is very well made drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Mel Gibson's movies.

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Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 14 May 2012 10:04
(A review of
The Darwin Awards)
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Winona Ryder, I thought I should check it out. By the way, what the hell happened to her?!? During the 90's, she was one of the most popular actresses at work but, suddenly, her career went downhill and she has been rather struggling ever since. Well, with such flicks, I can't say I'm really surprised... I mean, it was basically one of those quirky comedies with some rather excentric characters but the whole thing didn't work very well. I mean, there was an interesting cast (David Arquette, Josh Charles, Joseph Fiennes, Lukas Haas, Tom Hollander, Juliette Lewis, Julianna Margulies, Tim Blake Nelson, Alessandro Nivola, Chris Penn, Winona Ryder, Robin Tunney, Wilmer Valderrama) and the concept definitely had some potential. However, even though some scenes were quite funny, they tried too much to be quirky and the whole thing ended up being actually more annoying and stupid than anything else. It was the same thing with the main character, he was just a whining obnoxious guy and he actually got on my nerves throughout the whole thing. Anyway, to conclude, even thought the damned thing could have been a decent watch, it turned out to be a disappointing indie comedy and it is not really worth a look.

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