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Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 15 June 2011 01:37
(A review of The Lady and the Duke)Iām not sure if Eric Rohmer (who passed away just a couple of years ago) was really well known abroad, but in France, he was always considered a major director. To be honest, I donāt think Iām really an expert in his work but I have still managed to watch a third of all his movies. Indeed, the late Eric Rhomer was one of the most important French directors of the last 50 years and I try to catch all his movies whenever I have the chance. This flick was one of his last efforts and it was definitely an intriguing feature, something different than his usual work. Indeed, this time, he went for a costume drama during the French revolution. For the first time, Rohmer used some digital effects which would explain why the budget (6 millions euro) was much bigger than his usual very small budgets. Anyway, even though I wasnĀ“t completely blown away by the whole thing, I thought it was pretty good and it a rather well made costume drama, even though, as usual with this director, the focus was put on the two main characters. To conclude, I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you're interested in French cinema.
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A very good movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 15 June 2011 01:25
(A review of Proof)Honestly, I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a pretty cool cast, I was really eager to check it out. Indeed, this is a rather underrated and/or unknown movie and I think it is a shame because it is actually a really intriguing flick. Personally, I rather watch smart people than attractive people in a movie and, when you think about it, there are not many movies which actually deals with people using their brain. Anyway, smart characters are much more interesting, at least, thatās my opinion. In this movie, you have 3 very intelligent characters very well played by Anthony Hopkins, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jake Gyllenhaal. Furthermore, it doesnāt stop there, the movie also deals with obsession and how it can drive you mad. All these are subjects I found rather fascinating and the acting was very good and so was the directing. It is interesting to note that, 7 years before, John Madden directed āShakespeare in Loveā another movie also starring Gwyneth Paltrow which was a massive financial and critical success (it was one of the most controversial winner of the Best Picture Academy Award). Well, this movie was barely noticed but it was much better in my opinion. To conclude, I think it is a very interesting feature which deserves much more credit and it is definitely worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 15 June 2011 01:18
(A review of Down to Earth)Beforehand, I had some rather low expectations about this flick but still, somehow, I thought I should check it out. First of all, I have to point out that I have nothing against Chris Rock and, as a matter of fact, sometimes, he can be pretty funny. However, in spite of his efforts, with this movie, it just didnāt really work for me. I mean, from the very beginning, the whole concept of reincarnation didn't appeal to me so I never really got involved in the whole story. To be honest, I haven't seen the original version directed by and starring Warren Beatty so I canāt compare both movies, as a matter of fact, this was also a remake of an even older flick called 'Here Comes Mr. Jordan' made in 1941. It also interesting to note that it was the 2nd directing feature for the Weitz brothers whose directing debut was the surprise success 'American Pie'. Basically, this remake is a weak comedy with a weak storyline and a very few funny jokes here and there but not much more than that, I'm afraid. To conclude, in my opinion, it is a rather average comedy and I donāt think it is really worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 15 June 2011 01:12
(A review of Hot Shots! )I remember it very well, when I was a kid, I saw the trailer for this flick and, at the time, I thought it looked quite awesome and I really wanted to see it back then. If I remember it correctly I did watch the sequel in the movie theater but I was just terribly disappointed. Anyway, concerning this first installment, even though I really wanted to see when it was released, it didn't happen and it took me about 20 years to finally watch the damned thing. Anyway, was it worth the wait ?!? Not really, IĀ“m afraid. I know, it is now more or less a classic but I thought it was rather underwhelming. Of course, if you compare it to the recent awful parodies they make nowadays (I wonĀ“t even name themā¦ Seriously, who watched those flicks ?!??) To be honest, I think IĀ“m just not a fan of this genre, as a matter of fact, I didnĀ“t care much for Ā“The Naked GunĀ“ either so that says a lot. Still, I think 'Airplane' is pretty cool but this one was just not really funny. To conclude, I didnĀ“t really like much this flick and you should watch it only if you're a huge fan of this genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 15 June 2011 09:45
(A review of Find Me Guilty)Even though I didn't expect it, there was a lot of interesting things is going on with this feature. First of all, it was one of the last pictures directed by the late Sidney Lumet. With this feature, Lumet went back to the courtroom movie, the genre with which he started his career (his directing debut, one of the best movies ever made, was '12 angry men') but this time, it was not a drama, it was a comedy. I have to say the material was actually quite fascinating. Obviously, it has been dramatized but still what a story! Furthermore, I was also quite blown away by Vin Diesel. Who thought he could play so well?!? Indeed, he really managed to make his character hilarious but also, endearing. On one hand, he seemed to be telling some bullsh*t all the time but, on the other hand, he was actually saying really what he was thinking. I know it doesn't seem to make much sense... The movie was still not flawless though. Ā For example, there was one scene at the end when Jackie votes "NO!" and then all the characters in the room stand up and say "NO!" as well... It wasn't really realistic but it was a minor issue. A bigger problem was that the movie obviously took side with the gangsters and it would have worked even better if the whole thing was more balanced. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was actually a rather fascinating tale, it is a very underrated movie and it is definitely worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 15 June 2011 08:35
(A review of Three to Tango)To be honest, I wasnāt expecting much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Matthew Perry and Neve Campbell, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to my surprise, this movie turned out to be much better than I expected. First of all, Neve Campbell was really charming and she was a perfect choice to play this part. Concerning Matthew Perry, he basically played the same character he played in 'Friends' but I didn't mind since Chandler was easily my favorite character in this TV-show. Above all, Perry but also Oliver Platt were just hilarious throughout the whole thing. Concerning the movie itself, basically, it was some kind of really goofy romantic comedy with tons of slapstick. Unfortunately, it wasn't a total success though. What really bothered me was that a good chunk of the story was based on what I call the 'gay misunderstanding' (the girl thinks the lead guy is gay when in fact he is in love with her and eventually they become best friends...). This was a very old and tired joke and I wish they found something else to hold up the story together. To conclude, even though it was definitely not a masterpiece,Ā it was still funny as hell and it is definitely worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 14 June 2011 07:37
(A review of Edge of Darkness)For a while , Mel Gibson had become actually more famous for his anti-social behavior than for his acting qualities. However, in my opinion, the guy was still an interesting actor so I was quite curious to see his comeback (indeed, he would give in this movie his 1st lead part in almost a decade). I mean, sure, it was a rather standard conspiracy based thriller but even though the whole thing was nothing really ground-breaking, I thought that the end result was not so bad at all. Basically, the weakest point was the story as they tried to keep it mysterious but, eventually, it was actually rather confusing in my opinion. Still, the directing was decent enough and there were a couple of nice action scenes with some rather dramatic conclusions. At the end of the day, the best aspect of the movie was actually Mel Gibson himself. Sure, he gave here a rather standard action hero performance but, in my opinion, he still managed to add some sensitivity to this performance and thatās somethine that only a few action stars are actually able to pull off. To conclude, even though it was not a masterpiece whatsoever, I thought it was still a decent action flick and I think it is still worth a look especially if you are interested in Mel Gibsonās work.Ā
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 13 June 2011 12:01
(A review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall )Back in 2008, when this movie was released, everything where Judd Apatow was involved was a huge success, and this flick was not an exception. Since it was another home run for Apatow, I was quite eager to check it out. Eventually, was it any good after all? It all depends how you will judge it. I mean, compared to all the average romantic comedies you usually get from Hollywood, it was indeed a huge improvement. It was funnier, better written and the characters were much more interesting. Still, was it great? To be honest, Iām not so sure. Above all, like almost all the Apatow productions, there is this most irritating thing, at least for me, is that that you're supposed to believe that a guy like Jason Segel will manage to hook up not only with Kristen Bell BUT also with Mila Kunis. I mean, come on! Guys, letās keep it realā¦ Still, it liked the damned thing though and they would even make a spin-off around Aldous Snow, the character played by Russell Brand, āGet Him to the Greekā, but it was something widely different and not really successful, in my opinion. So, coming back to our main feaure, it was not a masterpiece but it was still very entertaining and it is definitely worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 13 June 2011 09:48
(A review of The Calcium Kid)Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from this flick and I watched it because there was Orlando Bloom in it. The main issue with Orlando Bloom, in my opinion, is that, right from the very start of his career, he got involved in two of the biggest franchises ever made (āThe Lord of The Ringsā and āPirates of the Carribeanā) so many thought he would become the next huge super star but it actually never happened and, nowadays, he is usually involved in some smaller movies. Well, he made this flick just in the middle when he was making all these huge blockbusters and it is definitely one of the most obscure movies he has made so far. To be honest, even though the whole thing might have had some potential (Iām not so sure though), it was actually rather average and it was basically a rather predictable and underwhelming sport movie. It is a fine example that when Orlando Bloom doesnāt have some huge special effects around him and some great actors at his side, he is not really able to carry a movie on his own (at least, not at the time). To conclude, I donāt think it is really worth a look and you should watch this only if you're a die-hard fan of Orlando Bloom.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 8 months ago on 13 June 2011 09:06
(A review of Secret Window)Honestly, even though I have seen many of them, I'm not a big fan of Stephen Kingās movie adaptations. Indeed, there are indeed a few great movies adapted from his books (āThe Shawshank Redemptionā, āStand by Meā, āThe Shiningā) but most of those adaptations are actually rather worthless. This flick basically falls in between, it is neither one of the good ones but not really a bad flick either . Indeed, the directing was decent and I enjoyed the mood created. Furthermore, as usual, Johnny Depp provided a good performance and it was nice to see him trying something else. Back in those days, Depp just became the king of the box-office and started to mostly focus on commercial features. Coming back to our main feature, unfortunately, the story was not really strong. Indeed, in my opinion, it was nothing original at all and actually rather predictable. Basically, it is one of those thrillers with a nice mood but with a really obnoxious ending. Even though it is supposed to surprise you, it is actually rather underwhelming and rather weakens the impact of the whole movie. Still, in spite of its flaws, it was fun to see Johnny Depp in a Stephen King thriller and I guess it is still worth a look though, especially if you like the genre.
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