Reviews by johanlefourbe

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.

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.

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.