Reviews by johanlefourbe

To start with, I have never seen the TV-show so I can't say if it is a good adaptation. All I can say is that, when it was released, there was a pretty good buzz around this flick, it was eventually a success and I really enjoyed it back then when I was a kid. No so long ago I rewatched it with my step-son and, again, I really enjoyed it. Once again, I really enjoyed the tone, the look of the whole thing and the characters were just perfectly cast (Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci). Indeed, all the actors involved gave some pretty good performances, enjoyable for kids and adults. The only weak point would be the story since there was actually no real plot and it tends to drag along at some points. I still think it was a rather impressive directing debut for Barry Sonnenfeld who originally started as a cinematographer for the Coen brothers for their first 3 movies. It is rather surprising that he would choose such a rather big project to start with but it was a success and Sonnefeld continued pretty well with 'Get Shorty' and 'Men in Black'. However, ever since 'Wild Wild West' was a total critical disaster, it seems that his directing career never really recovered. Anyway, coming back to his directing debut, in my opinion, the whole thing is actually pretty funny and entertaining and it is definitely worth a look.

Since I really loved 'Spirited away' , I was really anxious to watch Hayao Miyazaki's next directing effort. Honestly, I wasn't really blown away like I was with 'Spirited away' but it still managed to become my second favorite movie directed by the great Japanese master. First of all, as usual, the animation was nothing short of amazing. In my opinion, it is a real proof that hand-drawn animation can still produce some impressive work of Art and it definitely shouldn't be forgotten or let down. Furthermore, the story was quite really intriguing and entertained me throughout the whole thing and I especially enjoyed how all the characters who were very well defined and 3 dimensional. To be honest, by now, I have seen most of the movies directed by Miyazaki but except for this one and ‘Spirited Away’, none of them really impressed me (yeah, even such major classics like ‘Princess Mononoke’ or ‘Nausicaa’). I don’t know, I did like those as well but I was missing something while watching them and I think the problem is that they were too lighthearted for my taste (I do have to re-watch ‘Princess Mononoke’ though since I have seen it only once when it was released and it was more than a decade ago). Anyway, to conclude, I really liked this flick, it is a gorgeous animated feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Japanese animation.

Nowadays, I have Netflix and Popcorn and not only I have since then an endless selection or 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 bad features. This movie was a perfect example and the only reason I watched it was because it was featuring Jessica Simpson. And, indeed, it turned out to be a really terrible movie... I mean, even though Jessica Simpson has a rather lame reputation, I have actually nothing her and she did look really pretty in this movie but, oh boy, she is just an awful actress. Furthermore, it didn't help that the story was stupid, boring and completely unbelievable. I mean, there was not one funny joke or one line of dialogue during the entire picture. Seriously, what was Luke Wilson thinking?!? I hoped for him that he got a big fat paycheck for this piece of turd. Anyway, to conclude, it is a pretty bad flick and it is not worth a look at all.

Basically, I went to see this movie with some rather morbid curiosity. Indeed, it has the reputation of being one terrible flick, especially since it was starring good old Nicolas Cage. When you hear that this flick is even worse than his typical recent work, you’re pretty much prepared to watch some terrible trash. To start with, I haven't seen the original version so I cannot compare both versions but, honestly, I didn't think it was as bad as everyone was saying. Of course, it was still pretty damned average and there were indeed some rather weird scenes here and there which didn’t make much sense but, honestly, I have seen much worse than this (alright, maybe I shouldn’t be too proud of it…). Anyway, I thought that the directing by Neil LaBute (one promising director who unfortunately never really fulfilled the high expectations I had for him) was not bad at all and I was, for a while, intrigued by the whole story. But, indeed, the plot and the characters kept getting weirder and weirder for no apparent reason and after a while, I didn't care much about what was going on the screen. Still, I’m sorry but I seriously don’t think it is one of the worst movies starring Nicolas Cage (that the guy is throwing away his career is pretty obvious by now though). To conclude, it is definitely a rather average movie and it is not really worth a look but don't believe the hype pretending it is the worst movie ever made.

Honestly, I had never played the game so I had no clue if this movie was faithfull or not (I definitely want to try the game now after watching this flick). Anyway, after seeing it twice, I still keep thinking about this flick. First of all, there was this impressive introduction when, with no delay whatsoever, you get to see this mother running outside and shouting for her daugther. This scene was so striking, it put me right away into this movie. Furthermore, I was above all impressed by the directing which was pretty amazing and I was rather blown away by the scenes when you hear those sirens. Indeed, it was visually really impressive and I really had the feeling that Hell literaly brook loose. Honestly, those scenes were the best nightmarish moments I have ever seen in a movie. I have to admit it, the story didn't make much sense, especially towards the end (why do they always try in American movies to give some rational explanation when something completely preposterous is going on?!? Asian movies never have this issue and just go with the flow...) but, as a visual ride, I thought it was really satisfying. To conclude, I really enjoyed it, in my opinion, it is a really underrated flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are looking for a decent movie around a video game adaptation.

Since I'm a huge fan of 'Clerks', I have been faithfully watching every single movie directed by Kevin Smith, even though none of them have ever reached the greatness of his first directing feature. So, even though the critics were very negative, I still wanted to check this one out. Unfortunately, the end result was really underwhelming. I mean, the whole thing definitely had some potential and there were a (very) few hilarious scenes here and there but most of the movie was just routine and honestly filled with some stupid and unfunny jokes. It's too bad since I really liked the material and I really liked the idea of Kevin Smith directing a 'big' budget production starring Bruce Willis. I mean, if there was an actor who could portray a convincing cop while delivering some hilarious one-liners that was definitely Bruce Willis but, unfortunately, the guy was really underused here. Concerning Tracey Morgan, I was not really familiar with his work up to that point but he didn’t really impress me. Honestly, the whole thing was so underwhelming that I think it was probably the worst movie directed by Kevin Smith so far. To conclude, it was a really disappointing feature and I’m afraid it is not really worth a look, even for the die-hard Kevin Smith's fans like me.

Nowadays, I have Netflix and Popcorn and not only I have since then an endless selection or 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 it was featuring Harvey Keitel. Indeed, back in the 90's, Harvey Keitel gave some amazing performances in some of the best movies of the decade (‘Smoke’, ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘The Piano’, ‘Bad Lieutenant’, ‘Reservoir Dogs’) and I became fan of his work instantly. Unfortunately, in the 2000's, he mostly had some supporting parts in some really average flicks. This movie was a good example. Oh boy... it was such a bore... From the first 10 minutes, I was shaking my head in disbelief. Seriously, it was such a predictable and boring plot just full of clichés... The only redeeming feature was Harvey Keitel who gave, as usual, a decent performance but he couldn't save this dull feast. To conclude, it was a very average and boring flick and it is not really worth a look at all.

Nowadays, I have Netflix and Popcorn and not only I have since then an endless selection or 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. I have to say it was something rather unexpected from Russell Mulcahy. Indeed, the guy has been mostly known for directing such features like  ‘Resident Evil: Extinction’, ‘Tale of the Mummy’, ‘The Shadow’, ‘The Real McCoy’, ‘Highlander’ and its dreadfull sequel. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, I have to admit it, it was basically a rather standard sport biopic but I enjoyed the directing and even more the performances by Geoffrey Rush and Judy Davis. Indeed, it was above all thank to them that the whole thing became quite compelling to watch. To conclude, even though it was nothing really original or mind-blowing, but it enjoyed the damned thing and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick as it did look pretty lame but since it has actually a cult status, I was rather intrigued and I wanted to check it out. First of all, many of us may have forgot it but way before he was Neo, Keanu Reeves' career actually took off after playing the uber doofus, Ted Logan, in this 80's classic comedy. Like I said before, I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this flick but eventually I was actually positively surprised and I thought it was indeed pretty cool. Indeed, for once, you had here a movie about time travelling which didn't take itself seriously at all and it was a real breeze of fresh air. Basically, the makers and even the characters themselves were well aware of the fact that everything going on on the screen was just completely preposterous and the whole thing is simply an excuse to have some good old fun. And indeed, this flick was maybe not entirely hilarious but it was still pretty damned funny and I definitely had a good time watching this. Anyway, to conclude, even if it is not really a masterpiece, it still deserves its solid reputation and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you look for a good old cheesy comedy from the 80's.