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CollectionsA bad movie
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 16 August 2011 07:27
(A review of Curly Sue)I have noticed that John Huguesâ movies are really popular but, honestly, except for âThe Breakfast Clubâ, none of them have really impressed me and this movie was not an exception, in the contrary. Indeed, it was the last movie directed by the late John Hughes and I thought it was, by far, his worst one. I mean, I mentioned earlier that I wasnât a huge fan of his work but, at least, they were at least fun and entertaining whereas this flick was just seriously tedious to watch. Seriously, not only the plot was obviously impossible but, above all, it was just terribly sentimental and cheesy. On top of that, James Belushi is not among my favorite actors and he didn't blew my mind once again here. Like I said earlier, the whole thing was just so sentimental and, above all, just plain boring. As a result, I didn't care at all about the story or the characters involved. Surprisingly, Roger Ebert actually did like this flick, even more than âHome Aloneâ which is also overrated in my book though. To conclude, it is a shame that John Hugues ended his directing career with such an underwhelming flick and it is definitely not worth a look in my opinion.
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A classic
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 16 August 2011 07:22
(A review of Fast Times at Ridgemont High)Since it is a huge classic, I was really eager to check this flick and I had some really high expectations before watching it. Eventually, even though I did enjoy it, it was not good as I expected it to be. I mean, it is a decent flick, entertaining and funny but I didn't see anything great about it and I was definitely not blown away by the whole thing. Still, it was quite awesome to see Sean Penn at the beginning of his career playing a stoner but, thank god, he managed to escape typecasting. It was also fun to see a whole bunch of actors at the beginning of their career (Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Phoebe Cates, Vincent Schiavelli, Forest Whitaker, Eric Stoltz, James Russo, Nicolas Cage, Anthony Edwards). I guess, it is basically a matter of taste, and if you are into this kind of comedies, you will probably love it but otherwise, you won't see what was so awesome about it (for example, Roger Ebert really despised it). Anyway, to conclude, I don't think it is a masterpiece but it is still a good movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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A disappointing movie
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 16 August 2011 07:17
(A review of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out again. First of all, before watching the first transformers flick, I had some rather low expectations but I have to admit that I was eventually actually pleasantly surprised. I mean, sure, it was definitely not a masterpiece but it was a very well made and entertaining blockbuster (at least, the first time around, Iâm afraid this first installment didnât grow old well either). Unfortunately, this sequel turned out to be a big disappointment. Above all, the story was just really lame. Not only it was again way too long but the plot was just too similar to what happened in the previous movie (indeed, instead of looking for some weird MacGuffin called the Allspark, now they were looking for another weird MacGuffin called the Matrix). Above all, I never understood why these movies had to be so self-serious, joyless and pretty much humorless. I mean, we are talking about some freaking cars transforming into some giant robots, not some heavy WWII drama dealing with the holocaust⌠At least, there were still some awesome action scenes but I didn't care much about what was going on the screen and the end was just way too preposterous. In my opinion, the biggest mistake they made was to bring back Michael Bay as director. I mean, he actually did a decent job on the first installment but he seriously lacked any ambition to make something else out of this material the second time around. 'Let's bring more giant robots and blew even more stuff!! And when we are it, why not blow up the pyramids?!?'... Another director could have brought another vision, a fresh look, and it could have been more interesting than this tedious stuff. Anyway, to conclude, I didn't really like it much and I don't think it is really worth a look, except if you want to watch a really dumb-ass blockbuster.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 16 August 2011 07:11
(A review of Trapped in Paradise)I know, it is rather common nowadays to trash Nicolas Cage but I still believe he is actually a very good actor and therefore, I keep watching his movies whenever I get the opportunity but I have to admit it, it has become a rather ungrateful task lately. The main issue with him is that he makes about 4 very average movies and then a good one, then 4 very average movies and then a good one,.... Unfortunately, this flick doesn't belong to his good movies, thatâs for sure. Indeed, the story was just lame and the jokes were not funny whatsoever. When you read interviews with Nicolas Cage, he makes a good case that all his choices, even the weirdest ones, are made conciously in order to remain as versatile as possible. In this case, this time, he wanted to show up in a broad and unsubtle comedy but, on the other hand, this whole theory seems to be a good excuse to cover up his numerous mistakes. Anyway, to conclude, even though I have seen much worse (even from Nicolas Cage), it is still pretty damned average and it is not really worth a look, except maybe if you are a die-hard fan of Nicolas Cageâs work.
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A classic
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 16 August 2011 06:42
(A review of Top Hat (1935))To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of musicals but since this one was such a classic, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, even if it turned out to be a decent watch, I have to admit that I had a rather hard time to really care about the damned thing. I mean, sure, with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers involved, there were obviously some very good dancing scenes (I still prefer Gene Kelly though), the songs were not bad and there were even some funny dialogues here and there. Unfortunately, even though I am well aware that it is inherent to the genre, I thought that the story was really fluffy. On top of that, I always get rather bored when a romantic comedy is solely based on a misunderstanding as it is must be one of the most tedious and overused gimmicks in this genre. Anyway, to conclude, it is pretty obvious that this movie didnât really work for me but I have to admit that it was actually a very well made feature , it is a classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are a fan of the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 15 August 2011 10:51
(A review of The Specialist )Honestly, I wasnât sure what to expect from this flick and I don't know why exactly but I actually thought that a movie combining Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone could be an interesting watch. Well, eventually it wasnât really good, Iâm afraid. I mean, at the time, it was one of the very few box-office hits for Sylvester Stallone during the 90âs. Sharon Stone became famous just 2 years earlier with âBasic Instinctâ and, at the time, she was still a bankable name but after a series of flop (Honestly, except for âCasinoâ, has she done anything really interesting after âBasic Instinctâ ?), her career is pretty much hopeless nowadays. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, it is actually not completely worthless but the whole thing was just pure routine and didn't give anything really exciting or interesting to chew on. I still believe that it had some potential though but the fact that both Sylvester Stallone and Sharon Stone have some rather limited acting skills didnât help either and there was not much chemistry between them. Anyway, to conclude, even though I have seen worse, it is and remains an average action flick and I donât think it is really worth a look.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 15 August 2011 10:46
(A review of Blown Away)Honestly, I wasnât sure what to expect from this flick but, in my opinion, Jeff Bridges and Tommy Lee Jones are both some tremendous actors and a movie starring both of them was a must see in my book. So, with this in mind, I ended up watching this flick but, unfortunately, I thought it was pretty disappointing. Basically, it was released the same year as âSpeedâ which had many of the same elements and while âSpeedâ was a box-office hit, this flick was pretty much a flop which wasnât really surprising. I mean, it was actually watchable and both Bridges and Jones did their best with the material but, at the end of the day, it is and remains a rather unoriginal and forgettable action flick involving some terrorist. Instead of a bus and some amazing actions scenes, they gave us some shabby political message to add some credibility to the whole thing but it was not really convincing. Iâm afraid. Furthermore, the way they connected the two main characters was also pretty lame and unnecessary. To conclude, honestly, it is not completely worthless but it still remain an average action flick and I donât think it is really worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 15 August 2011 10:41
(A review of Hanging Up)Back in the 90âs, I saw âUnstrung Heroesâ which was Diane Keatonâs directing debut and even though it was barely seen when it was released, I thought it was a decent drama so I was quite eager to see her following directing effort. It was written by Nora Ephron and her sister and it didnât become a success like other movies she wrote like âWhen Harry Met Sally...â or âSleepless in Seattleâ. To be honest, since I kept hearing only bad things about this flick, I really had some low expectations about it but, eventually, I was actually pleasantly surprised. I mean, obviously, it was nothing really amazing but I thought it was still a rather well made romantic comedy. Furthermore, I really enjoyed the way the relationships between the sisters and the mother were set and I thought that the 3 actresses involved (Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton and Lisa Kudrow) gave some good performances. On a side note (not really important but stillâŚ), it was probably one of the last movies in which Meg Ryan still looked quite charming. To conclude, even though it is a rather predictable and unoriginal rom-com, it was still not bad at all and I think it is actually worth a look, especially if you like this genre.
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A very good movie
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 15 August 2011 10:36
(A review of Michael Clayton)I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I have it on DVD, I was quite eager to to check it out again. Well, first of all, even though this movie was quite heralded when it was released (it was even nominated for 7 Academy awards at the time), it seems to be rather forgotten nowadays. I think it is a real shame since it is actually a very good flick and, even though it was Tony Gilroyâs directing debut, the directing was very solid resulting in a very stylish thriller with a strong story. George Clooney who seemed to be really on top form back in those days probably making up for all the time lost during which he was completely unknown gave here one of his best perfomances and the supporting cast was really neat as well. It is not really surprising that all three of them (George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton) were nonimated at the Oscars. To be be honest, after re-watching the damned thing, I believe that it was actually a rather simple story told in a very complicated way but it doesnât meant that it wasnât entertaining, in the contrary. Anyway, to conclude, I thought it was a really solid thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 10 months ago on 15 August 2011 10:32
(A review of The 40-Year-Old Virgin)After hearing so many good things about this movie and since it became a cult classic pretty much overnight, I was really eager to check it out. Eventually, I must admit it, I was a little bit disappointed. The point is that, even though it was rather well made and quite funny, I didn't think it was really revolutionary whatsoever. Still, it was quite entertaining, no doubt about it, and I especially liked the combination of rudeness and sweetness. Furthermore, I also enjoyed the fact that all the guys looked and sounded real which was definitely the best part of this flick. I thought it was really refreshing and it is definitely the biggest asset of most of the movies produced/written/directed by Judd Apatow. On the other hand, and that it is the major flaw coming from Apatowâs work, the women didn't really convince me. Indeed, while the guys were really realistic, the chicks were usually some nerd wet dreams fantasy. For example, do you really believe that these women would end up with those guys?! I don't think so... Still, to conclude, I don't think it is a great flick but it is still pretty good and entertaining and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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