Posted : 13 years, 2 months ago on 9 February 2012 09:26
(A review of
Tristan & Isolde)
It is probably one of the oldest stories ever conceived by humankind, it was even one of the inspirations for 'Romeo and Juliet' if I'm not mistaken, so it was just a matter of time before they made a modern adaptation (Hollywood is rather unfortunatelly infamous for its lack of confidence in new material...). Eventually, I thought it was pretty good. Indeed, the whole thing (costums, sets,...) looked really good, Kevin Reynolds provided some decent directing and managed to find the right tone for this material. Furthermore, James Franco and Sophia Myles (what happened to her?!? I'm afraid she never managed to breakthrough after this...) were both very well cast and had together some believable chemistry. Of course, the story is not really original but you shouldn't forget that this tale started ALL the romantic tales that came afterwards so I think it was a good move to keep the essence of this everlasting dramactic love tragedy. To conclude, I think it is a decent romantic tragedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 13 years, 2 months ago on 9 February 2012 08:41
(A review of
Rec (2007))
Since 'The Blair Witch Project' turned out to be a surprising success, the found-footage genre has become really popular for movie makers but it is not surprising since it is a very cheap way to make movies. I have to admit that I have actually a weak spot for this genre and, not like many other viewers, I don't really mind the shaky-cam. Anyway, since this feature is pretty much a classic in this genre, I was really eager to check it out. Well, basically, the whole thing started like a very boring TV-show but then, thanks to the filming style and the total lack of music, the whole thing became spellbinding to watch. On top of that, you get some seriously surprising and shocking scenes along the road. To be honest, most of the movie was not really scary but those few scenes I mentionned before were rather unsettling. Eventually, when you think about it, it was a just a rather basic zombie story which didn't add much to the genre but I have to admit that it was still quite entertaining. Furthermore, like 'Fragiles', one of the previous movies directed by Jaume Balaguero, the ending was also really awesome and quite impressive. Anyway, to conclude, if you don't mind the shaky-cam, it is a very well made and entertaining movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 13 years, 3 months ago on 8 February 2012 10:25
(A review of
The Merchant of Venice)
Even though Al Pacino is mostly famous for playing gangsters and such characters, he is actually a great fan of Shakespeare and it clearly shows here. I mean, you have a rather interesting cast (Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, Lynn Collins), some decent directing by Michael Radford, some gorgeous sets and costums but, obviously, the main attraction here is the terrific performance by Al Pacino. He gives such a power to those great dialogs, it is just spellbinding to watch. A part from that, it is honestly not a really fascinating story, I'm afraid. Interesting, yes, fascinating, no. Sorry, William... Considering all the average flicks Al Pacino is showing up those days, we should be thankfull for this underrated and unknown gem. To conclude, it is a pretty good Shakespeare adaptation and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 13 years, 3 months ago on 8 February 2012 09:30
(A review of
The Outlaw Josey Wales)
First of all, it is important to note that, in fact, this movie was actually probably the first one Eastwood has directed which was really heralded by the critics and it is nowadays considered as a classic. As far as I’m concerned, it is not actually the best Western he has directed and 'Unforgiven' remains easily his best in my opinion. In fact, to be honest, I frankly failed to see what so great about the damned thing but I have to admit that it was still quite enjoyable. Basically, you had all the standard ingredients : the farmer whose family has been raped and murdered and who becomes a ruthless killer, the Civil war, some Indians, some bounty hunters,... Obviously, Clint Eastwood gave here his usual bad-ass performance and I thought he was once again pretty awesome and the old Indian guy was pretty cool too. The funny thing was that Eastwood was not even supposed to be directing this flick but Philip Kauffman, the screenwriter, left at the beginning of the shooting and eventually it became one of the most highly regarded movies directed by the legendary director. Anyway, to conclude, even though I don't think it was anything really original, it was still a very well made and entertaining Western and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 13 years, 3 months ago on 7 February 2012 12:51
(A review of
Red Eye)
Ever since 'Scream' came out, Wes Craven was popular again and, therefore, I was really curious to check this flick. The fact that Cillian Murphy and Rachel McAdams were playing the leads made it even more attractive. They are two actors who both seemed really talented but still didn't manage to breakthrough in a really a big way, especially McAdams who keeps showing up in supporting parts in some rather average flicks. Anyway, they worked this time with Wes Craven in the last good movie he directed. Indeed, I thought it was pretty good. McAdams delivered a decent performance but I was above all impressed by Cillian Murphy who was obviously born to play such parts. Of course, the story is rather preposterous and you can look for the plot holes as long you want but, for once, it didn't bother me. Indeed, thanks to Murphy and above all the expert directing by Wes Craven, I thought it was a gripping thriller and I remained entertained throughout the whole thing. Of course, at the end, you have the usual annoying twists but I'm afraid it is inherent to the genre. To conclude, I thought it was a very well made and entertaining thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Wes Craven's work.
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Posted : 13 years, 3 months ago on 7 February 2012 12:19
(A review of
The Book of Eli)
Back in the 90's, the Hughes Brothers impressed with their amazing directing début, 'Menace II society', which is, in my opinion, the best movie in this genre, even better than the acclaimed 'Boyz'n the Hood'. Unfortunately, in the next 20 years following this promising flick, they never really lived up to those expectations. However, after all these years, they finally managed to direct a big budget production starring no less than Denzel Washington. First of all, I must say it was, visually speaking, easily their most impressive movie so far. It was not really black and white but there were barely any color and it was a perfect fit for this futuristic world and they were some very nice shots throughout the whole movie. Furthermore, Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman were both delivered some decent performances. Unfortunately, the whole thing still turned out to be rather disappointing. I mean, I do have a weak spot for such post-apocalyptic movies but I have seen so many of them and if they really want to impress me, they should really bring something new to the formula. And that was the main issue here, the plot was nothing I haven't seen before so even if I wasn't really bored, I can’t say that I was seriously entertained either. They did try to add some religious angle but it was never really convincing. I mean, that Carnegie wanted to manipulate people with religion sounded like a good plan but did he really need a bible? Indeed, you can find enough gurus who founded their own cult, with their own rules and their own 'books'. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was nothing original whatsoever, it was still a well made post-apocalyptic flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 13 years, 3 months ago on 6 February 2012 11:04
(A review of
Playing by Heart)
Even though it is a rather forgotten flick, I was rather eager to watch it. I mean, check this cast ! Angelina Jolie, Sean Connery, Gena Rowlands, Gillian Anderson, Madeleine Stowe, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Anthony Edwards, Ellen Burstyn, Jay Mohr , Jon Stewart, Patricia Clarkson, Amanda Peet, Hilary Duff, Nastassja Kinski, Jeremy Sisto.... I mean, it was enough for me to just have a look and eventually, I thought it was pretty good. Basically, it is one of those romantic movies with multiple storylines. It is nothing really original but I thought the whole thing was rather well done and they managed to create some genuine and believable relationships. Personally, my favorite couples would be Sean Connery-Gena Rowlands and Angelina Jolie-Ryan Phillippe. It is actually one of the best performances by Jolie and if you think she is a worthless actress, you should definitely check this movie. To conclude, I think it is a pretty good and entertaining romantic flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like this genre.
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Posted : 13 years, 3 months ago on 6 February 2012 10:13
(A review of
Open Hearts)
Even though the Dogme 95 is now rather out of fashion, I always had a weak spot for this genre and it had been a while since I saw a Dogme 95 feature. What I love about this filming style was that it set the focus on the actors and the story, instead of the special effects, the music, the sets, the stunts, the costumes,... Especially here, the acting was really strong and all the 4 actors (Mads Mikkelsen, Sonja Richter, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Paprika Steen) gave some solid performances. Eventually, the only issue was probably the fact that they were too many storylines (Paprika Steen's guilt for causing the accident, Nikolaj Lie Kaas's anger about his condition, Sonja Richter's sorrow about Kaas and, of course, her love affair with Mikkelsen). I understand that the love affair was actually the main storyline but I didn't think that it was actually the most interesting subject. Furthermore, I can understand that Sonja Richter would start a new relationship since her whole life was just shattered but the main reason why Mads Mikkelsen would do such a thing was, in my opinion, only to provide some extra drama. Still, I really liked this emotional and heavy movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Scandinavian movies.
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Posted : 13 years, 3 months ago on 5 February 2012 09:18
(A review of
The Big Bounce)
Elmore Leonard is behind some pretty cool stories ('Jackie Brown', 'Get shorty',...) so I thought I should check this one out. Plus, there is a very nice cast (Owen Wilson, Morgan Freeman, Gary Sinise, Charlie Sheen, Vinnie Jones, Harry Dean Stanton). Unfortunately, the end result was rather disappointing. I mean, Owen Wilson was born to play this kind of part and the rest of the cast was pretty good as well but the story was not really original, not really funny and above all, not really entertaining. You can feel there was some potential here but the plot was just too weak. The fact that it is a remake of an already weak movie doesn't help much either, I guess. To conclude, it is not really bad but I have seen much better heist movies and this one is not really worth a look.
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Posted : 13 years, 3 months ago on 4 February 2012 10:32
(A review of
Carnage)
Since I'm a huge fan of Roman Polanski, I was really eager to watch this flick and when I heard about the cast, I became even more excited. Eventually, I wasn't disappointed and I’m so amazed that this movie doesn’t get more credit. Indeed, the whole thing was just so funny and it has been a while since I laughed so much at the movie theater. Seriously, Roman Polanski always impressed me in the past but I didn't expect him to make such a hilarious dark comedy. Of course, the casting was pretty much perfect and they all gave some strong performances. I have to admit that I had my doubts when Kate Winslet was drunk as I thought that she wasn't really convincing but it wasn’t a big issue. I'm usually really critical about comedies because most of them go for the easy stupid jokes but, here, it was dealing with some recognizable human beings with a wide range of emotions. There was no trick, just 4 actors stuck in a a room with their dialogues. Fortunately, those dialogues were terrific and after 15 minutes, I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. All these characters were imperfect and rather annoying, self-righteous and arrogant but that's what made them so damned interesting. To conclude, I really loved this movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Polanski's work.
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