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All reviews - Movies (7713) - TV Shows (10)

A good movie

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 17 March 2012 10:30 (A review of An Officer and a Gentleman)

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.



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An average movie

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 17 March 2012 08:19 (A review of Shaolin Soccer)

I remember when this movie came out in France, I saw the poster and thought 'Man, this movie looks so lame!' so, of course, I didn't watch it back then. But then, Stephen Chow made a few years later 'Kung Fu Hustle' which became a huge cult classic and I kept hearing that his previous movie was actually really good. As a result, I have to admit that I became definitely intrigued and I thought I should check it out after all. Well, eventually, I think it all depends if you like this kind of humor or not. I mean, there were indeed some funny jokes and some rather insane stuff (I remember something involving an egg which turned out to be rather weird) but, still, I wasn't really convinced by the whole thing though. Indeed, there were some big chunks during which I was honestly bored. It is like the acting, I think you either find it hilarious or completely obnoxious. Personally, this way of acting is funny for maybe 5 minutes but, during a whole movie, it just becomes seriously plain tiresome at some point. Still, to conclude, even if I wasn't completely sold, it was definitely not lame as I thought it would be, there were some hilarious stuff and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.


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A nice surprise

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 17 March 2012 07:42 (A review of Journey to the Center of the Earth)

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.



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An average movie

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 16 March 2012 09:35 (A review of Step Up 2: The Streets)

Honestly, before watching this flick, I had the lowest expectations ever. I thought it would be completely terrible and eventually, it wasn't that bad. I mean, it was nothing great, the acting was average, the plot was just boring but Briana Evigan was quite charming and there were honestly some bad-ass dance sequences. That's one thing I found completely amazing with the first installment is how disappointing the dances were. At least, with this sequel, they got it right and I especially enjoyed the last scene in the rain which was really awesome. Of course, I was bored by this flick and the whole thing was just tedious to watch but I'm definitely not the right audience for this (if you want to know my step-daughter, who was 13 years old back then, made me watched this) but if you are in this kind of stuff, I'm pretty sure you will enjoy it. To conclude, even though I didn't like it, at least, it was an improvement on the first movie, I definitely cannot recommend it and it is not really worth a look, but if you love this genre, you'll probably like it more than I did.


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An average movie

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 15 March 2012 09:51 (A review of Crusade in Jeans)

Since this movie won the Golden Calf of the best Dutch movie of the year, I was quite eager to watch it and I had some rather high expectations. Basically, it is an adaptation of a very popular Dutch book which I haven't read and it was a rather ambitious production, aiming for the international market, even though outside the Netherlands, it didn't perform well at all eventually. Still, it was a nice surprise to see Emily Watson who is definitely one of the most underrated actress out there but, unfortunately, she had a very small part in this flick. Basically, it was a rather decent and entertaining family feature but not much more than that I'm afraid and I was rather surprised that such a half-baked project was chosen as 'the best movie of the year'. As a matter of fact, it has actually happened before that such a family feature would win this award in the Netherlands and I'm afraid that it shows that the Dutch movie industry is rather weak compared to other European countries such as France, Germany or England. Still, it remains an entertaining family feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Dutch movies.


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A classic

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 15 March 2012 08:40 (A review of Trading Places)

After watching all those worthless flicks starring Eddie Murphy, I thought I should re-watch one of his good old classics. And I wasn't disappointed. When Murphy does get some solid material, the guy can be just hilarious. Dan Aykroyd was pretty good as well. Furthermore, I really enjoyed how they handled the stock-exchange making it all look like ruthless, worthless and also quite ridiculous. Still, even though I definitely enjoyed it, it was still not really mindblowing in my opinion. I mean, of course it was quite funny but, eventually, it still remained rather harmless and innocent. For example, when Dan Aykroyd ends up on the street, within the very first minutes, somehow, he managed to be helped by some good-hearted hooker. I mean, come on, was it really realistic? Not really. Maybe they should have pushed it even further in the cynical dark humor. Furthermore, the whole 3rd act when they finally get together to get even with the Dukes was rather disappointing. In my opinion, it was a rather sappy and uninteresting happy ending. Anyway, to conclude, it is honestly nothing really great but it is still a funny and entertaining comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you want to see something good starring Eddie Murphy.


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A very good movie

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 14 March 2012 01:39 (A review of The Jacket)

Adrien Brody is a fine actor but ever since he deservedly won the Academy Award for his performance in 'The pianist', he hasn't done anything really amazing to be honest. Eventually, this flick is probably the only one starring Adrien Brody which really impressed me lately. Still, I have to warn you beforehand, this movie is really an acquired taste. Indeed, it is one of those movies dealing with time-travel and there were some huge plot holes during the whole thing. I mean, if you try too much to rationalize it than you probably won't enjoy it much. Personally, I thought it was rather fascinating to behold. There was here another top performance by Adrien Brody but also by Keira Knightley, Jennifer Jason Leigh and also an awesome small part by Daniel Craig. Craig didn't reach fame yet back then and he was barely recognizable here. Even though he is pretty good as James Bond, he is actually a terrific dramatic actor which is something that many viewers tend to forget. Anyway, I thought that the directing was pretty good and they managed to put you in one of those paranoid atmosphere. At the end of the day, the story didn't make much sense but it didn't really bother me and I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. To conclude, I thought it was a very good thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.


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An average movie

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 14 March 2012 01:21 (A review of Superman Returns)

Before it came out, there was a huge buzz surrounding this flick. After almost 20 years, Superman was finally back on the big screen and it was (and still is ) one of the most expensive movies ever made. Unfortunately, it was nothing great and the movie really tanked at the box-office and it was a huge blow for all the careers of the people involved (Bryan Singer, Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth, Kevin Spacey). Honestly, I don't think it was that bad and I find it actually rather difficult to point what went wrong here. Maybe they shouldn't have been so faithfull to the original movies, I don't know. I thought the action scenes were pretty awesome for a start, and Brandon Routh was very well cast just like Kevin Spacey, even though another villain than Lex Luthor would have been welcome. On the other hand, Kate Bosworth was one of the obvious weaknesses here. She was maybe charming enough but she didn't deliver a convincing performance as Lois Lane. Still, I thought it was not bad at all, and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. Anyway, in 2013, Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan will come out with a new reboot and we will see if they have more luck.


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An average movie

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 14 March 2012 12:50 (A review of Happy Gilmore)

It seems that Adam Sandler has lost his touch nowadays as all his recent movies have been some flop at the box-office. As far as I’m concerned, I have never cared for his movies but since this one was supposed to be one of his 'classics', I thought I should check it out. To be honest, I still didn’t like it, that's for sure, but I have to admit it was actually better than 'Billy Madison' and many other movies starring Sandler. Once again, he was portraying an aggressive foul-mouthed moron who actually had a golden heart, at least, that's what the viewers were supposed to think. Anyway, I enjoyed the way they made a parody about sport movies in general and golf in particular, pointing out a few ridiculous things concerning this sport. Still, even though it was funny from time to time, most of it was still really boring and Gilmore was eventually more obnoxious than funny. Anyway, this flick was a success, even more than 'Billy Madison' so there was no way to stop Adam Sandler from making similar flicks for the next 20 years. To conclude, even though I didn't hate the damned thing, I still think it was average and I don’t think it is really worth a look, except if you are a huge fan of the genre. 



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A good movie

Posted : 12 years, 10 months ago on 14 March 2012 10:18 (A review of Coco Before Chanel)

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Audrey Tautou, I thought I might check it out. First of all, even after she got some major exposure thanks to 'Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain', Tautou actually never really broke through on the international scene. However, in France, she has remained one of the most sought-after actresses. This time, she had the opportunity to portray a French icon and she delivered a totally different performance than in 'Amélie' but I thought she was quite convincing. The directing by Anne Fontaine was also pretty good and she managed to give an idea about how she must have felt and also about the mood during this paticuliar time period. So, I enjoyed this biopic but I can't say I was really blown away by the whole thing though. Indeed, the story was definitely intriguing but I didn't care much about her love life. I mean, her relationship with Balsan (portrayed by Benoit Poelvoorde) was rather interesting but her other relationship with Boy Capel (portrayed by Alessandro Nivola) was honestly rather boring and predictable. Anyway, even though it was not a masterpiece,  it was still a well made and rather fascinating biopic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in this subject.



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