Reviews by johanlefourbe

Even though we don't hear much from him lately, Bernardo Bertolucci used to be one of the most highly regarded directors in the world and I try to watch his movies whenever I get the opportunity. Unfortunately, this movie turned out to be probably the least satisfying one he has made that I have seen so far. I mean, it was not really bad, the directing was actually pretty good and the 2 actors (Thandie Newton and David Thewlis) both delivered some decent performances. However, it was just really poorly written and, as a result, the whole thing was honestly a real mess. Basically, there was barely any dialogue during the whole movie, then suddenly, they gave us this awful scene when Thewlis tells Newton that he loves and wants to marry her but then, in the next scene, it is as if this event never actually took place. Furthermore, it wasn’t really surprising that Thewlis would be attracted to Newton, I mean, who wouldn't be? But why on Earth would she be attracted to him?!? Seriously, there was not one single shred of evidence explaining this during the whole movie. Basically, he was just some kind of creepy guy and this movie was about a white boss who wanted to f*ck his black maid. At least, the movie was well directed and the actors were pretty good so I still think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Bertolucci's work. 

Since I kept hearing some great things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out. And indeed, I wasn't disappointed, that’s for sure. When you think about it, to be honest, the story was nothing really amazing but what was awesome about this movie was actually the writing. I mean, they pretty much managed to flawlessly mix a comedy with a drama and a thriller with some great dialogues and some 3 dimensional characters. As a result, the whole thing was quite spellbinding to watch, especially the 2nd half. First of all, I have to congratulate the writer-director, Martin McDonagh, who gave here a really impressive directing début and the 3 main actors (Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes, Brendan Gleeson)  were all downright impressive. Even though Farrell got more attention, the center performance was actually provided by Brendan Gleeson who was just amazing. Like I said before, it was actually a simple story and there was no real action scene but it didn't bother me at all. Basically, it was a character-driven story and those characters were quite fascinating to watch. To conclude, it did live up to my expectations, I really loved it and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are looking for an original gangster flick.

Since this movie is such a huge 80's classic, I was really get to check it out. Well, eventually, I ended up with some mixed feelings about the damned thing. Indeed, even though there were some good things in it, there was also some stuff that really bothered me. First of all, what kind of title was that? I mean, I have to admit that it did sound catchy but it didn't represent at all the movie or the main character, at least, in my opinion. Furthermore, since this movie was made in the 80's, you had some terribly cheesy songs throughout the whole thing. Also, it didn't help that a few years later, Stanley Kubrick made 'Full Metal Jacket' about the same subject and, obviously, Kubrick’s movie was so much better. Of course, I’m completely aware that this movie was a romantic tale so maybe I shouldn't compare both movies. However, in spite of its flaws, I still liked the damned thing though. Indeed, the first scene was really good and it really stood out from the rest of the movie. It was also nice to see a young Richard Gere and he delivered a decent performance here and, of course, Louis Gosset Jr. was really good and definitely convincing. Anyway, to conclude, even though the whole thing did feel sometimes like a shameless commercial for the Navy, I did like it and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like romantic features.

Before watching this movie, to be honest, I really had some really low expectations. However, eventually, I have to admit that I was actually pleasantly surprised by the damned thing. Indeed, I thought it was a really fun and entertaining family feature. Basically, the whole thing was just a succession of thrilling actions scenes but I didn't mind. On top of that, for once, I thought that Brendan Fraser was alright, he didn't annoy me like he usually does and his performance of a scientist was actually rather believable, especially if you would compare it to some other performances like the one given by Nicolas Cage in 'National Treasure'. For once, I wish I saw this movie at the theater in 3D but, afterwards, I read that Roger Ebert thought that the 3D effect was just awful so I probably didn't miss much. Of course, the story was rather preposterous and it was rather annoying that they kept reaching to the book confirming that everything in the damned thing was accurate but, a part from that, I was actually really entertained throughout the whole thing. To conclude, of course, it was not a masterpiece whatsoever but it was still a decent and sometimes even rather thrilling adventure feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you're looking for something to watch with your kids.