Reviews by johanlefourbe

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Tom Hanks, I thought I might as well give it a try. Before becoming a ‘serious’ actor and winning two Academy awards back-to-back, Tom Hanks used to make some pretty goofy comedies and he was pretty successful at it. However, way before 'Philadelphia', Tom Hanks did appear in this unseen and rather unknown drama. Indeed, it must be the most obscure movie starring Hanks I have seen so far (I was only the 2nd person who rated it on listal and 2 years later, not even 10 persons have rated this movie) but I thought it was actually not bad at all. Indeed, Tom Hanks delivered a decent performance and the story was interesting and entertaining enough. However, I can't say I was swept away by the whole thing and actually nothing really thrilling happened. Basically, it is rather typical doomed love story with an historical background and, unfortunately, the makers din't add anything really new or intriguing to this formula. Still, in spite of these flaws and in spite of the fact that it is a really obscure feature, I still think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Tom Hanks movies.

Before becoming a ‘serious’ actor and winning two Academy awards back-to-back, Tom Hanks used to make some pretty goofy comedies and he was pretty successful at it. Basically, this movie was one of those daft comedies and, honestly, I thought it could have been quite awesome. Indeed, in my opinion, it really had some potential, the subject was quite fascinating. There were also some really interesting characters, for example, the one portrayed by Tom Hanks and the whole thing had some really hilarious scenes. So, you had all the enough ingredients to make one hell of a comedy but, unfortunately, the whole storyline about the housewife (Sally Field) who tries to become a stand-up comedian wasn't compelling or interesting whatsoever and it kind of ruined the movie for me. The tone of the movie was pretty sarcastic which was really appreciated but from the moment Sally Field was on the screen, it became all mushy and rather dull. It’s too bad because the rest of the movie was actually pretty awesome. Still, in spite of these flaws, it remains a decent comedy with one of Tom Hanks’ best characters and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wanted to see this flick for a while and, boy, I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, it must be one of the most destructive and fascinating love stories I have ever seen in a movie. The two leads were completely awesome and delivered some tremendous performances, they managed to create some truly alive and 3 dimensional characters. When the movie was released, there was actually a big fuss in Germany because Sibel Kekilli was previously in some porn movies but you really wonder how it has anything to do with her performance in this movie which was just brilliant. Birol Ünel was just as good and I would love to see more movies starring any of them. Furthermore, the directing by Fatih Akin was very impressive as well and the story was seriously spellbinding. Even though it deals with minorities living in Germany, they didn't spend their time developing some tedious stereotypes and instead you got some fascinating and pretty messed up characters trying to go through their lives struggling with the various cultures they live in and trying to find their own identity in the process. To conclude, the whole thing just blew my mind, it is a very good drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

First of all, I have to admit that I have never really been a fan of the cartoon. I mean, when I was a kid, I saw it from time to time and I thought it was alright but it never blew my mind whatsoever. So, I didn't expect much from this flick but somehow, I still end up watching it. The most amazing thing is that this movie was actually a box-office success. Apparently, many parents ended up bringing their kids to watch it and only because it was a known brand, they didn’t even bother checking beforehand if it was actually worth a look…. Big mistake! Even though the legendary cartoon was not really that great, it certainly didn't deserve such a poor adaptation. The cast was made of some of the most underwhelming actors of this generation (Freddie Prinze Jr., Sarah Michelle Gellar, Matthew Lillard, Linda Cardellini, I leave out Isla Fisher because I still have some hope for her) and they were all completely obnoxious. Furthermore, the jokes were moronic, the story was not entertaining whatsoever and this flick was just a shore to watch. Anyway, even though it was very poorly received, since it made some money, they even ended up making a sequel… To conclude, it is a bad movie and you should avoid it.

Throughout his career Kevin Costner has made 3 baseball movies and, in my opinion, this one was easily the best of them and, actually, pretty much the only one I actually really enjoyed. Indeed, ‘For Love of the Game’ was universally panned and was pretty lame but ‘Field of Dreams’, usually considered the best of the bunch, was actually rather underwhelming. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, I thought that Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon were both pretty good and Costner has never been better than when playing such melancholic characters. Furthermore, there was an interesting grittiness and I liked how realistic the movie looked and sounded. Indeed, the characters were really three dimensional and I enjoyed the fact that the story was down to earth and entertaining at the same time. Unfortunately, I wasn't so thrilled by Tim Robbins whose performance was too over of the top and it didn't really fit the tone of the movie. Still, even though it was nothing really amazing, I thought it was a pretty good sport feature, probably one of the best I have seen as a matter of fact and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Honestly, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a pretty cool cast, I thought I should check it out. In my opinion, this movie really had some potential. Indeed, the story was quite intriguing and I thought that Jared Leto and Salma Hayek were both impressive and delivered some very good performances. I always had a weak spot for Salma Hayek but, to be honest, it is not very often that she get something really substantial to chew on but it was definitely the case here. Unfortunately, the whole thing didn’t completely convince me and the main issue was that they never really knew where it should actually focus. What was it really about ? Was it about the killers? Was it about the cops? As a result, the whole thing was a little bit messy. In my opinion, the plot should have focused on the killers since they were the most interesting characters. Still, in spite of its flaws and the fact that it is a pretty obscure feature, I think it remains a rather well made and intriguing crime thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Jane Fonda used to be one of the best actresses around and I still have to see most of her classics (so many movies, so little time…) so when I heard she would come back from retirement after 15 long years, I was rather thrilled. But why on earth did she choose this flick?!? Couldn't she get anything better than this?!? I mean, to make a romantic comedy with her and Jennifer Lopez was actually a pretty good idea but the plot was just really moronic and actually rather annoying. Basically, it is one of those romantic-comedies with some phony and pointless conflict which is of course solved fairly easily at the end. After watching this movie, I had a terrible feeling of waste… Maybe she had the De Niro syndrome. Indeed, Robert De Niro has made quite clear that, at his age, he is not looking for challenging parts anymore and basically take the jobs without going all method acting on us, making some fairly mediocre features and cashing his paycheck at the end. To be honest, I have seen worse romantic comedies but it remains a very average flick and it is not really worth a look. Hopefully, the great Jane Fonda will get some better parts in the future (unfortunately, it has not happened yet…)

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from this flick but since Amy Heckerling has a rather decent track record, I thought I might as well give it a try. Eventually, to enjoy this movie, it all depends if you can stand Jason Biggs or not. Back in those days, he was still surfing on his new fame (which is pretty much gone by now) and, for this movie, he basically does about the same thing he did in all those 'American Pie' flicks. In my opinion, the whole thing was not really funny and not really bad either but pretty much right there in middle. I always had a weak spot for Greg Kinnear and he can't do anything bad in my opinion and thanks to him, the movie was not a total pain to watch but it would be great if he could pick some slightly more interesting projects. There was still one scene that which seriously didn’t work for me. Indeed, what most bothered me was when a couple of characters plans to drug some girls to take advantage of her. I mean, it seems that the makers tried to make us believe that it was funny but I thought it was actually cringe-inducing. Anyway, to conclude, it is a rather average romantic comedy and it is not really worth a look, even if you really like the genre.

By now, I have seen this movie already twice. First, on my own and then a 2nd time, with Nick, my step-son, because he loves dragons. Anyway, in my opinion, this flick really had a lot of potential. First of all, the cast was quite awesome (Christian Bale, Gerard Butler and even Matthew McConaughey who never looked so badass with his baldhead and tattoos) and if they would make another movie together nowadays, it would be quite an event. Anyway, I really enjoyed the concept about those dragons ruling the world. Furthermore, the special effects were pretty cool and the dragons looked great. So, they had all the ingredients to make one hell of a flick about dragons but somehow, it didn’t really work out. Indeed, they unfortunately rather messed up the story, they tried to make it look and sound serious and edgy but it just wasn’t really convincing. Basically, it was a rather weak story with some major plot holes. Eventually, the end result was underwhelming and even though it could have been a pretty cool flick, it is not really good and I don’t think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you are a die-hard fan of the genre.

There was a time when Madonna tried to be an actress but those attempts have been mostly laughed at and, at some point, she pretty much stopped acting altogether (apparently, she is nowadays directing but those movies were barely seen and not very well received). Personally, I always thought that the hatred about her acting was rather exaggerated. I mean, ok, she never really blew me away as an actress but, quite often, she delivered some decent performances and this movie was a perfect example. Indeed, honestly, I thought it was not bad at all, at least, not as bad as I thought it would be. First of all, Rupert Everett is a pretty good and underrated actor and, as usual, he did a good job here and, in my opinion, Madonna was honestly not bad either in this movie. Basically, the biggest issue was that they tried to mix comedy with drama and the end result was just a big mess. Honestly, it really had some potential and it is definitely not one of the worst movies ever made as some people seem to be think. Still, I have to admit it, it is still pretty average and not really worth a look.