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All reviews - Movies (7833) - TV Shows (10)

A very good movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 26 January 2012 01:05 (A review of The Son (2002))

To be honest, even though 'Rosetta' did manage to win the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, I really had a hard time to care about the damned thing. However, afterwards, I really enjoyed all the other movies directed by the Dardenne brothers and this one must be my favorite one ('L'enfant' was also pretty amazing though). Indeed, Olivier Gourmet who appeared very often in their movies, had this time the lead part and the guy gave here a really amazing performance. Like the directing, his performance was subtle and understated and it was just a marvel to watch. This time, , the Dardenne brothers pretty much managed here to combine a social drama with a thriller and the end-result was just spellbinding. Obviously, you shouldn't expect any shootings, chases or explosions. Instead, you get a character driven picture which went very deep to show the emotional and psychological turmoil of the characters. Eventually, you won't get any (easy) answers but a deep reflection on human nature and that's more valuable than any action scenes, at least, in my opinion. To conclude, it is definitely an acquired taste but I really loved the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in the Dardenne brothers work.



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A good movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 26 January 2012 12:09 (A review of Running Scared)

Since I kept hearing some good things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out. First of all, in the contrary to many viewers, I had seen Wayne Kramer’s previous movie which was also his directing debut, 'The Cooler'. I really loved this flick so I was genuinely excited by this 2nd movie. Well, to be honest, I actually ended up with some mixed feelings about the whole thing though. Sure, on one hand, it was refreshing to see a 'good' movie starring Paul Walker, after all his forgettable flicks and, honestly, I thought he managed to give a convincing performance. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the kinetic directing by Kramer (a completely different style than for 'The Cooler') and, all in all, it was a really entertaining flick. However, on the other hand, I still think it is rather overrated. Basically, the story was nothing mind-blowing, when you think about it for a minute, and the twist at the end was nothing original and rather annoying if you ask me. Still, it remains a well made and entertaining néo-noir feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you want to see Paul Walker in something actually worth watching.


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An average movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 26 January 2012 11:18 (A review of Wolf Creek)

Since I was reall positively surprised by 'Rogue', I was really eager to see Greg Mclean's directing début. However, even though this movie seems to have a decent reputation, I thought the whole thing turned out to be rather disappointing. Basically, since there were only 3 characters, I knew pretty much from the beginning that it would take a while before anyone got killed but it didnt really bother me. In fact, I did like the beginning with some naturalistic directing and acting, including some improvisations by the actors. Indeed, it was an interesting and refreshing approach. However, the second half, when the sh*t really hits the fan, was nothing really mind-blowing.  I mean, sure, it was technically rather well done but it wasnt really scary and it was nothing I haven't seen 100 times before. Another detail that bothered me was that they made a big deal about the fact that it was a true story but, in fact, the only thing that really happened was that, on a regular basis, some people is disappearing in the outback. Indeed, the characters, the circumstances, even what they tell you at the end, everything was entirely fictional. Anyway, to conclude, even though it was nothing original or mind-blowing,  I have to admit that it was still a rather well made horror flick and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.



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An average movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 26 January 2012 10:42 (A review of Confessions of a Shopaholic)

First of all, Jerry has always been famous for producing some huge blockbusters like 'Pirates of the Carribean', 'Prince of Persia' or 'Bad Boys'. However, from time to time, the guy does try something really different and this comedy was a very good example. This time around, he was working with P.J. Hogan who had some success in the past with 'My Best Friend's Wedding'. Anyway, the whole thing turned out to be seriously average. I mean, there was an interesting cast involved (Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas) but the whole thing wasn't never actually funny and I was eventually rather bored during the whole duration. Eventually,  I felt really bad about Isla Fisher. Indeed, she always seemed to be a very funny and talented actress but I keep seeing her only in boring and average flicks like this one. Eventually, I do think that this premise actually really had some potential but the end-result was just way too generic and predictable for my taste. Anyway, to conclude, I have to admit that I have seen worse movies but the whole thing was still pretty damned average stuff and it is not really worth a look whatsoever.



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A good movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 25 January 2012 07:58 (A review of 3:10 to Yuma)

I remember when this movie came out, there was a big buzz about it so I was rather curious about it. First of all, I haven't seen the original version so I have no idea if this remake is an improvement or not. Obviously, the main attraction here was the confrontation between big power actors, Russell Crowe and Christian Bale. The funny thing is that, even though they were both pretty good, Ben Foster was the one actually stealing the show. He is easily one of the most underrated and talented supporting actors at work nowadays. Even if the movie he is in, like 'Hostage' for example, is nothing mind-blowing, he always delivers a terrific performance and here, he was rather electrifying. However, to be honest, I thought that, even though the story was entertaining enough, it was nothing really amazing, at least, in my opinion. Also, I thought it was too bad that the Russell Crowe character got soft at the end. I mean, if Crowe finally portrays a bad guy, it would have been pretty cool if he would have beeen really badass until the very end. Still, even though it is nothing really amazing, it remains a very enjoyable Western, a rather forgotten genre nowadays, and it is definitely worth a look.


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A good movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 24 January 2012 12:52 (A review of Rocky Balboa)

After at least a decade of worthless action movies, it is basically thanks to this flick that Sylvester Stallone made a surprising come-back. Since the last Rocky installment was so disappointing (the 4rth one was really average too), my expectations were pretty low but since the critics and ratings were pretty good, it made me really curious. Eventually, I thought it was pretty good. Of course, the story was not really original and predictable but I thought was damned entertaining. This time, the whole thing made more sense and Rocky as a character was this time not set as some kind of super-hero but like the same struggling guy from the very first movie. Eventually, I thought it was a worthy conclusion for this legendary character and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you love the rest of the franchise.


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A bad movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 24 January 2012 11:12 (A review of Freddy vs. Jason (2003))

The original 'Friday the 13th' and 'Nightmare on Elm Street' were both some really enjoyable horror flicks so even though I didn’t expect much from the damned thing, I had to watch this flick at some point just out of sheer curiosity. Unfortunately, even with such low expectations, the end-result still turned out to be terrible... Basically, they tried to combine more or less two storylines together but I didn’t work and I thought the whole thing was just a boring mess. Furthermore, the acting was just abysmal throughout the whole thing. I guess, for the fans of the two franchises, it must have been a blast to see those two legendary villains fighting against each other, at least, I hope so but, honestly, I thought it was rather underwhelming since there was nothing really at stake (since none of them was actually alive, how could they possibly kill each other?!?). I know, I shouldn't take the damned thing too seriously but it was never scary or funny whatsoever. Still, even though it was a box-office hit when it was released, the fact that they didn’t come up with another sequel with this concept shows that nobody really cared about the damned thing. Anyway, to conclude, I thought the whole thing was pretty bad and not really entertaining and I don‘t think it is really worth a look.



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A good movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 24 January 2012 09:44 (A review of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus)

Since it was the last movie directed by Terry Gilliam and, of course, the last movie starring the late Heath Ledger, I was really eager to watch this flick. Well, it was basically one of those typical Gilliam features, it is definitely an acquired taste and you either love them or you don't. To be honest, the story was rather messy and confusing but it was visually  definitely one of the most ambitious movie directed by Gilliam so far. Indeed, this time, he went all CGI on us and, I must say, the end-result turned out to be quite impressive. Furthermore, you had a nice cast (Andrew Garfield, Christopher Plummer, Lily Cole, Tom Waits, Heath Ledger, Johnny Depp, Jude Law, Colin Farrell) and they all delivered some solid performances. So, the plot was a little bit shabby but, considering they lost their main actor in the middle of the production, they did a pretty good job recovering the whole thing and it was, at least, not as depressing as 'Tideland', Gilliam's previous directing effort. To conclude, it is fortunate that we had the chance to see Heath Ledger's last feature film and it is really unfortunate that we won't see him again, it is a typical Gilliam feature, really gorgeous and imaginative to look at and it is definitely worth a look.



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An average movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 23 January 2012 09:54 (A review of Who's That Girl? )

Honestly, I have nothing against Madonna as an actress but this was pretty boring to watch... I mean, I'm not even sure you can say she was acting since her character in this movie was really close to her public image (or maybe it is an act as well?!? whatever...). I guess, it all depends where you stand concerning Madonna. If you are fan of her, you will love this flick but it you are not (like me), it will probably bore you to death. Basically, the plot is really pedestrian and completely predictable in order to show how quirky Madonna was back then. James Foley is a decent director and does his best with this material and I don't really blame him for the end-result. To conclude, I don't think it is really bad but it is still rather a tedious watch and it is not really worth a look, except, of course, if you are die-hard fan of Madonna.


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An average movie

Posted : 13 years, 4 months ago on 23 January 2012 09:08 (A review of Cousins)

After all these year, it seems that Joel Schumacher's reputation never really recovered from the disastreous 'Batman and Robin' but I always had a weak spot for his movies so I thought I might as well check this one out. This time around, Schumacher came up with a sweet and sad romantic movie which was some kind of a mix between '4 Weddings and a Funeral' and 'In the Mood for Love'. To be honest, the plot was rather pedestrian and the whole thing was rather unfocused but I have to admit that I was really charmed by the characters who were very well written. Furthermore, Isabella Rossellini and Ted Danson both gave some subtle and very nice performances which was something I really didn't expect from Danson who I usually find boring and obnoxious to death. It's too bad that some scenes, like when William Petersen broke up with his numerous mistresses and some characters like the son played by Keith Coogan didn't work at all so I still ended up with some mixed feelings about the whole thing. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it was still a charming romantic movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 


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