Reviews by johanlefourbe

Honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect from this flick. Indeed, I have a rather ambivalent relationship with Ozon since I either love his movies (like 'Sous le sable' for example) or hate them (like his directing début 'Sitcom'). Anyway, in spite of all this, he definitely remains a very interesting director, probably one of the best French directors at work nowadays, and I try to watch all his movies whenever I get the opportunity. I have noticed that I really prefer his dramatic features over his comedies and even though this flick might not belong to his best movies, it still remain a good effort. Indeed, Melvil Poupaud delivered a very good performance and the directing was not flashy but still very efficient. The main issue I had, and I think it has to do with the fact that François Ozon, like other directors such asSteven Soderbergh, Woody Allen or Michael Winterbottom, is pretty much a workaholic, which means that he makes at least one movie every year and while all this movies show some real potential, the main concept is usually barely scratched and this movie definitely gave me this feeling. To conclude, it is a rather dark and depressing feature but if you don't mind such things, it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in French movies.

I’m not sure where I have seen this flick maybe I saw it in the movie theater at the time but since it received some very solid reviews, I had some rather high expectations. The point is that , this movie, like all Christoher Guest's mockumentaries, enjoy a rather impressive cult following but, somehow, it didn’t really connect with it. I mean, I can see where they wanted to go with their satire but I don't think it was really hilarious. At best, it made me smile from time to time but that's it. Maybe I’m taking this too seriously but the whole thing seemed a bit mean to me. Above all, I thought it was not really interesting. Basically, you spend 90 minutes with some rather obnoxious characters and since you don’t share their hobby, you are supposed to find them really funny. I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t really in right mood when I watched this flick and mabye I should give it a 2nd shot. I have to admit it, all the actors were actually pretty good in this. Anyway, even though it didn’t really blow me away, I still think it is worth a look especially if you are a fan of this genre.

Honestly, I keep watching those mockumentaries by Christopher Guest and each time, I really want to love them but, each time, they actually fail to really impress me. Eventually, this flick was not exception. I’m afraid. I mean, it has a very solid reputation so I had some rather high expectations and, indeed, all the actors involved were pretty good and the directing was decent but never during the whole thing was I really laughing. I mean, seriously, when you watch a comedy and you're not laughing then there is definitely something wrong, at least, that’s my opinion. I mean, I can see where they wanted to go with their satire but I don't think it was really hilarious. At best, it made me smile from time to time but that's it. Above all, I thought it was not really interesting. I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t really in right mood when I watched this flick and mabye I should give it a 2nd shot. To conclude, there is in fact absolutely nothing wrong with this feature, it is a decent flick, I just don't think it is really funny, but it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick. Indeed, the title and the poster really looked cheesy so I thought it might be a rather underwhelming chick-flick. On the other hand, there was a really interesting cast so I thought it might as well give it a try. Eventually, I must admit it, it was actually not bad at all. Indeed, I especially enjoyed the cast (Viggo Mortensen, Diane Lane, Liev Schreiber, Anna Paquin) and they all delivered some solid performances. The movie was also rather well made but, unfortunately, I wasn't really convinced by the story. Basically, there was definitely some potential and you could feel that if they had pushed the material just a little bit more, it could have been something really interesting but, at the end of the day, it is just a rather typical story, full of clichés and rather predictable. I was also not sure about the time periode. I mean, I actually always had a weak spot for the end of the 70’s but I’m not sure it really provided any added value in this case. Still, in spite of it flaws, it remains a decent romantic feature and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Even though I have seen this movie at least 3 years ago, it had a huge impact on me and it is one of the few movies that I have seen in the last decade which still makes me think even until today. Yeah, it was that good, I thought it was a rather amazing feature and I will probably re-watch it at some point to make up my mind for good about the damned thing. It’s such a shame that it is not righfully appreciated (for example, only 45 listal users have rated this movie which is terribly low for such a great flick). Anyway, thanks to this movie, Aaron Eckhart became noticed and his career really took off. Basically, it is a really dark and cynical tale and it goes into the darkest corner of the human mind. In fact, there is no murder, no blood but it displays some sheer cruelty inflicted by men to one and another. I guess it is a quite an acquired taste and it is not for everyone since it is really dark and rather depressing but I think it was awesome, especially the end which must be one of the best cinematic conclusion I have ever seen. Anyway, to conclude, I think it is a very good flick and it is definitely worth a look.

I don’t know why exactly but I was really eager to check this flick and I really wanted to like it. Indeed, it was full of underrated actors that I usually enjoy (Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies, Olivia Williams, James Coburn, Anjelica Huston and even Mick Jagger) and the title had something mysterious. Eventually, I was above all impressed by Mick Jagger who should definitely make more movies and I wonder why he decided to pick up this project. Unfortunately, the story itself was rather unfocused and eventually disappointing. Seriously, what was it actually about eventually? Male prostitution? Fidelity? The creative process? Love? It is difficult to say and even though it was rather well done, the whole thing didn't know where to go and the final product was eventually rather average and I lost interest pretty quickly in the whole thing. To conclude, I have seen worse and even it really had some potential, it is a rather disappointing feature and I don't think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you are a die hard fan of Mick Jagger and it is not very often that you get the opportunity to see the guy in a movie.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a pretty cool cast, I still wanted to check it out. Unfortunately, I really had a hard time to care about the whole thing. I mean, I know it was supposed to be something hysterical and completely over the top but still I didn't really like it and I don’t think it was really funny. Sure, there was a nice cast (Christopher Walken, Alfred Molina, Brenda Blethyn and even Naomi Watts before she became really famous) and, to be honest, they are all delivered some solid performances but I never cared about the characters and what they were going through. I think that, thanks to the enjoyable cast, the whole thing actually had some potential but, seriously, the plot was just too idiotic, at least, for my taste. Concerning Naomi Watts, she just showed up in ‘Mulholland Dr.’ and with the up-coming ‘The Ring, she was just on the verge of becoming a A list actress and it was pretty neat to see her before that. To conclude, I think it is just a rather average comedy, no more than that and I don’t think it is worth a look, except maybe if you are a die-hard fan of the genre.

Denzel Washington is an amazing actor and it is always a treat to see him perform. With this in mind, I had some rather high expectations for this flick and I was really eager to check it out. Indeed, the idea of a neo-film noire starring Washington sounded really neat.  Unfortunately, I thought that the whole thing  was slightly disappointing. I mean, as usual, Denzel Washington gave a solid perfomance, he fit the character very well and the mood of the whole movie was very nice as well.At the end of the day, I guess I didn't enjoy the story that much though. Basically, it is a rather typical film noir intrigue and that's probably what bothered me. Indeed, it was too typical, full of clichés and predictable, at least for my taste. Eventually, the best surprise was to see Don Cheadle before he became an household name, above all thanks to Steven Soderbergh. Indeed, in this movie, every time Cheadle is involved, he basically steals the show which is quite an achievement facing a powerhouse like Denzel Washington. Still, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it remains a decent feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially  if you are interested in Denzel Washington's work.

Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much from this flick but since I always had a weak spot for Andie McDowell, I thought I might as well check this flick. Indeed, I always thought that Andie McDowell is a charming actress and it's too bad we don't see her much nowadays. Basically, it is a little harmles flick with a very similar plot to ‘The Holiday’ which would be released a little bit later. Honestly, just like ‘The Holiday’, I’m not sure I really cared about the concept. Indeed, I have moved quite often in my life and I have even lived in 3 different countries (1 year in England, 20 years in France and 10 years in the Netherlands) and it is difficult for me to swallow that some people would decide to switch their home and ‘something’ drastic might happen from this change. Sure, it sounds like a neat idea and, at least, this time, they handled the characters a little bit more seriously than in ‘The Holiday’, which on the other hand much more star power, but it was still rather predictable and not really amazing whatsoever. Still, in spite of its flaws, it remains a decent romantic feature and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this flick but Nick, my step-son, really wanted to watch it so we ended up watching it in the movie theater. Well, it was definitely not really good, I’m afraid. The point is that I did watch the cartoon as a kid back then, and of course, the whole thing was terribly cheesy but it could have worked but the makers seriously messed up the whole thing. Indeed, there were some rather spectacular action scenes, I’ll give you that but they all really look fake. Of course, the story is never really important with this kind of flicks but, come on, they could have done much better than this. Eventually, the best surprise was Sienna Miller who really looked awesome as the Baroness but that’s seriously the only thing that more or less impressed me. Somehow, they thought they could salvage this failure and they released a sequel and even though they did include Bruce Willis, one of the biggest action stars that ever lived and Dwayne Johnson who has pretty much become the franchise savior (see also ‘Fast Five’ and ‘Journey 2: The Mysterious Island’), this second installment was pretty much as much underwhelming as this one. To conclude, it was a rather disappointing feature and I don’t think it is really worth a look.