Reviews by johanlefourbe

Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect from this flick but even though it was pretty obscure, the idea of a thriller starring Richard Gere and Kim Basinger was rather interesting. Indeed, back in those days, in the mid 80´s, Richard Gere and Kim Basinger were really popular and to make a movie starring both them was definitely a sensible choice. And indeed, they both had a tremendous charisma and, against them, you had the always dependable Jeroen Krabbé playing the bad guy. So, it all sounded promising, right? Unfortunately, the whole thing was really underwhelming. Indeed, the actors involved all tried their best and they were not even half bad but I thought the story was so generic and, honestly, pretty boring. Eventually, I didn´t feel any excitement during the whole thing and I couldn´t care less about the story and the characters involved. To conclude, it is a rather average flick and it is not really worth a look, except maybe if you are a die hard fan of Richard Gere and/of Kim Basinger.

Nowadays, Liam Neeson has made an interesting and surprising come-back as an action star thanks to 'Taken'. Anyway, I always thought he was a great actor able to do any genre of movies and I was rather curious to see him in a comedy. I must say that the concept (a DEA agent goes to a therapist after getting almost killed) was really awesome and Neeson had some good comic timing. To support him, there was the always funny, Oliver Plaat, and the always charming, Sandra Bullock so there was definitely some potential here. Unfortunately, the whole thing was rather disappointing. I mean, eventually, even though it indeed had some potential, the story was rather messy and, actually, not really funny and, as a result, I was actually rather bored by the whole thing. To conclude, I have seen worse movies but it was still pretty average and it is eventually not not really worth a look whatsoever, expect maybe if you are dying to see Liam Neeson in a comedy for a change.

Way before ‘Pirates of the Carribean’, back in the 90's, Renny Harlin directed this big budget pirate movie. Eventually, it turned out to be a huge a flop, it was even listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the biggest box office flop of all time. The production company, Carolco Pictures, even went bankrupt after this disaster. Eventually, was it that bad? Not really actually. I mean, the costumes, the mood, the action scenes were all rather decent. The main issue is that the whole thing was unfortunately rather boring to watch. Indeed, it was too generic and predictable and the lack of exciting characters was really obvious. I mean, I have nothing against Geena Davis and Matthew Modine but they never managed to really excite me. It was actually a pretty neat idea to have a pirate movie with a female main character but the whole thing suffered from a terrible lack of inspiration. Eventually, almost 10 years later, with 'Pirates of the Carribean', they eventually got it right by hiring an awesome actor who was able to create a genuinely entertaining character, the legendary Captain Jack Sparrow. To conclude, this flick was not really bad but it was still pretty average and I don’t think it is really worth a look I’m afraid.

Ever since I have been living in the Netherlands, I have been interested in Dutch movies but, to be honest, most of them are actually rather disappointing. This movie was a fine example. Indeed, the storm of 1953 was the biggest natural disaster taking place in the Netherlands during the last century so it was not really a surprise that they finally decided to make a movie about this event. Unfortunately, even though there was definitely some potential to deliver something interesting, it turned out to be rather disappointing. Indeed, the first issue was that the acting and directing were pretty shabby. Furthermore, during the actual storm, the whole thing was also rather underwhelming. Then, slowly, the acting and directing got better but the main issue with this flick is that they didn't really manage to find a compelling story to tell around this disaster. I thought that, like many other disaster movies, they would focus on different characters and storylines but, actually, it was mostly about a mother looking for a baby. It was actually not a bad idea but the whole thing became then a rather unbelievable thriller with some really annoying twists. Anyway, to conclude, the end-result was half-baked but, still, if only for its historical value, it is actually worth a look, especially if you are interested in Dutch movies.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since there was an interesting cast, I thought I should give it a try. Furthermore, there was a an interesting director on board. Indeed, back in the 70's, Bob Rafelson directed the instant classic 'Five Easy Pieces' starring Jack Nicholson and was promised a bright future. Unfortunately, 40 years later, his recent movies are not so impressive anymore. This flick is a good example. Indeed, you had a very nice cast (Samuel L. Jackson, Milla Jovovich, Stellan Skarsgård) and a good mood so the whole thing had some potential. However, there were some big issues with the story itself. I mean, they keep you in the dark as long as they can and, for a while, I must admit, it was rather intriguing, but, at some point, they eventually had to explain what was going on and, honestly, I wasn't impressed (understatement of the year...). As usual, they just threw a couple of annoying twists and then I really lost any interest in the whole endeavor. To conclude, I have seen worse movies but it was still a really half-baked thriller and it is not really worth a look, even if you love the genre.