Reviews by johanlefourbe

Nowadays, I have Netflix and Popcorn and not only I have since then an endless selection of movies to choose from but, as a result, I have become slightly more picky regarding the movies I watch. Before, I used to watch pretty much anything as long as it was starring one or two actors I was interested in and, as a result, I would sometimes end up watching some really obscure features. This movie was a perfect example and the only reason I watched it was because Russell Crowe was involved. Indeed, between his usual blockbusters, Russell Crowe did this small thriller. Even though it didn’t turn out to be anything really amazing, it still gave an interesting and original perspective on the serial killer genre. Unfortunately, Crowe's characters was not really well developed but since he did all his scenes in only 9 days, that was not surprising. On the other hand, the two main characters were really intriguing and well played by the two young actors. Still, I had some mixed feelings about the whole thing. Indeed, this two screwed up characters were quite fascinating to watch but, many times, I had the feeling that what they did or said was too much plot-driven. And there was also a huge plot-hole.  Indeed, during the whole movie, Russell Crowe was chasing them but, eventually, as he tried to trap them, he actually knew exactly where they were going. Seriously, it must have been one of most non-sensical twist I have seen lately. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of these flaws, it was still an intriguing thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

It is quite obvious, nowadays, that when Hollywood has found a successful franchise, they will exploit their cash cow forever even if there is nothing more to tell whatsoever. This year (2011), we have seen it with 'Transformers' and 'Pirates of the Carribean'. Here, it was basically the same issue with Shrek. In my opinion, the first installment was pretty good and the second installment was miraculous good as well, maybe even better. But, eventually, the other two installments were just average and they both didn’t have a really interesting plot at all. Before this movie was released, the makers agreed that the previous installment was rather disappointing and they promised that they would provide some improvement but I wasn't really convinced while watching the damned thing. In fact, for the first time, I even started to find Shrek annoying. Indeed, it was already the fourth movie I watched him moaning and whining about his poor life and, this time, it really started to get on my nerves. On the positive side, the animation still looked good, there were some funny jokes and I really enjoyed this new character, Rumpelstiltskin. To conclude, I have to admit it, it was not bad and fairly entertaining so it is still worth a look, but hopefully, they will leave Shrek alone and move on now with something else.

Since 'Happy Feet' was a huge success, it was rather expected that they would come up with a sequel but, to be honest, even though I was pleasantly surprised by the first installment, I was actualy rather skeptical about the potential for a sequel. And indeed, the end result was nothing great and this movie never reached the same success as its predecessor. I mean, the animation was once again pretty good but, this time, it was nothing new and it was the same thing for the whole ecological message. To make things worse, the story was rather generic and even rather underwhelming. At least, I have to admit that I Ioved these 2 krills (voiced by Brad Pitt and Matt Damon) and these new characters were totally awesome. They were really funny and the whole concept (some krills become individualist and decide they won't follow the rest of the pack) was a real masterstroke. Unfortunately, they had just a subplot which was too bad. Still, the whole thing remained a well made animated flick, the characters were still charming enough and I guess it is still worth a look, especially if you have some young kids to entertain as they will probably love the damned thing.

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from the damned thing but since I’m a big fan of Werner Herzorg, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, following 'Grizzly man', this was  the 2nd documentary directed by Werner Herzorg that I had the pleasure to watch and, once again, I was quite impressed. Herzorg actually has a very peculiar style since his narration is omnipresent and I have to admit that it must be an acquired taste. Fortunately, the guy didn't annoy me but I can imagine that it can be bothering. Furthermore, there were some really awesome shots here and, only for that, it was worth it to check out the damned thing. Indeed, the landscape was really awesome but the 'natives' gave some unexpected interesting insights and you could feel that Herzorg was really enjoying meeting some fellow adventurers. Indeed, during his whole career, the guy has been pushing the boundaries and, there, he met some rather weird and adventurous characters who decided to check the end of the world. My only critic would be that the whole thing was rather unfocused but, a part from that, I really enjoyed it and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Herzorg's work.

Wayne Wang is not really a famous director nowadays but I have a weak spot for him so when I get the opportunity, I always check his movies. Furthermore, my father is Dutch and moved to live in France and I'm French and moved to live in the Netherlands so the subject of this movie really touched me personally. Anyway, it was basically a really simple story with only 2 characters and most of the movie took place in one location. The lead character portraying the father was very good and I really enjoyed the way they displayed the issues when you mixed up different cultures and generations together. In fact, the father and the daughter in this movie didn't have a real conversation for years, they never had learned to show and talk about their feelings and, as a result, you got here some touching and even rather heartbreaking scenes. Eventually, they spent most of the time dealing with the father, as a result, we only understood what was going on with the daughter only during the last 10 minutes of the movie and it would have been interesting if they did spend more time with her. Still, even though it was nothing really amazing, it was a nice and interesting little movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.