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Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 6 May 2011 09:19
(A review of Urban Legend)Honestly, I wasnāt expecting much from this flick but, still, I thought I should give it a try. Basically, it is one of those many slashers features like āI know what you did last summerā which tried to emulate the success of āScreamā responsible of the revival of the genre. Actually, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. Indeed, it was a rather well done slasher and I liked the whole Urban legend concept, even though this concept was actually rather poorly developed. Thatās the major issue with this genre, except for āScreamā, the rest of them definitely had an obvious lack of ambition resulting in some rather disappointing features. Still, there was also a pretty cool cast (Jared Leto, Alicia Witt, Rebecca Gayheart, Joshua Jackson, Tara Reid, John Neville, Robert Englund, Brad Dourif). Unfortunately, as usual with this genre, there were the usual annoying twists at the end (if Iām not mistaken, the twist ending was especially stupid and disappointing in this case) and it kind of ruined the whole thing for me. To conclude, even though the whole thing actually had some potential, it was rather average and Iām not sure if it is really worth a look, except maybe if you are a die-hard fan of the genre.
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A bad movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 6 May 2011 09:14
(A review of Urban Legends: Final Cut)I wasnāt expecting much from this flick but, somehow, I still ended up watching it. If I recall it correctly, I actually saw it because I have a weak spot for Eva Mendes (it was actually one of her very first movies). On top of that, I thought that the first installment in this franchise was not that bad as it was a well done slasher and I liked the whole urban legend concept. Unfortunately, this sequel was actually rather lame and, in fact, it had actually not much to do with any urban legends whatsoever (in fact, they did add some urban legends like, for example, when a character warns another one that cell phones cause cancer but it was just an underwhelming way to link this sequel to the previous installment). This time, they focused on some killings occuring on a movie set but the story and the characters were not interesting or entertaining at all. A few years later, they would come up with a 3rd installment, obviously a direct-to-dvd release, but I didnāt even bother check it out. Anyway, to conclude, I think it was a really weak slasher feature and I donāt think it is worth a look whatsoever, even if you like the genre.
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A very good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 6 May 2011 09:05
(A review of The Lives of Others)Since I kept hearing some very good things about this flick, I was really eager to check it out and I some really high expectations. Eventually, it was one of those cases that I had such high expectations that it became almost impossible for the concerned picture to fulfill those expectations. For example, Carice van Houten said it was even the best movie that came out during the last 10 years so it was supposed to be really great. Eventually, to be honest, even though I did like it, even though I thought it was very good, unfortunately, I never thought it was really amazing though. Basically, the story was quite interesting and it was definitely very well done but the main issue was that I didn't care much about any characters, neither the secret police agent or the intellectual couple. As a result, even though I admired the work done, I had a rather hard time to connect with the whole thing. Anyway, to conclude, don't misunderstand me, it is still a very good picture, it is even considered as the modern classic so it is definitely worth a look, I just don't think it is actually one of the best movies ever made.
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 6 May 2011 08:55
(A review of The Hunting Party)I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I have it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. First of all, since I loved Richard Shepardās previous directing effort (the criminally underrated āThe Matadorā), I was really eager to check what he would do next. Eventually, to be honest, I had some rather mixed feelings about the whole thing. I mean, on one hand, I thought it was actually pretty good and there is no doubt that the story was quite fascinating. On top of that, it had been a while since I had seen Richard Gere pulling out such a good performance. The directing was also decent and it kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole duration. On the other hand, I still can't stop thinking that it could have been much better than this. Indeed, it is actually quite an incredible story but they didn't manage to create an incredible movie, merely a good one. Indeed, during the end-credits, they displayed some of the actual details of the actual story and you really wonder if what they added or changed was actually an improvement. Above all, it was definitely a mistake to have Simon Hunt have some personal agenda involved in this manhunt. Furthermore, to try to make us believe that these journalists would manage to catch this war criminal on their own was rather ridiculous. Anyway, to conclude, In spite of its flaws, I still enjoyed the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 5 May 2011 09:40
(A review of Money Talks)To be honest, even though Brett Ratner might not be the most director in the world, he is certainly one of the most underwhelming. Still, I have to admit it that I was curious to see how he started his directing career so I ended up watching this flick. First all, after watching all those lame Rush Hour movies, I forgot how genuinely funny Chris Tucker actually used to be. This movie was definitely a nice reminder. I mean, I have to admit it, without Tucker, the whole thing was pretty much just another typical buddy movie with the usual chases, shootings and explosions but even if it was nothing really original, I thought it was still entertaining enough. As I mentioned before, just a year later, Brett Ratner and Chris Tucker would work again together and release the first āRush Hourā film which was decent at best and actually much weaker than this movie but, somehow, it turned out to be a big box-office success. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to conclude, I thought it was actually not bad at all and I think it is worth a look, especially if you enjoy a good old buddy movie.
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 4 May 2011 02:58
(A review of Azumi)Honestly, before watching this flick, I have never heard of it before but one of my colleagues at the time gave me the DVD so I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of those Samurai action movies but I have to admit that this one was actually pretty good and it was definitely a really entertaining feature. Indeed, the whole thing looked quite gorgeous and the action scenes were very nicely done. To be honest, I still don't think it is actually a great picture as the story didnāt provide anything really original or groundbreaking and the whole thing was fairly predictable. The characters were also barely developed. But of course, such movies are not about the plot, it is all about the ass-kicking and the ass-kicking was definitely impressive and, as a result, it was definitely a cool flick to behold. Apparently, they came up with a sequel later on and I havenāt seen it but, to be honest, Iām not sure I would really need to spend much more time with these characters. Anyway, to conclude, I thought it was pretty good and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 4 May 2011 02:43
(A review of Snow Cake)Since it is a rather obscure feature, I wasnāt really sure what to expect from this flick but since I always had a weak spot for Sigourney Weaver, I thought I might as well give it a try. Eventually, I was pleasantly surprised by this movie and, in my opinion, it is definitely one of the best movies I have seen dealing with autism. Indeed, it is a dear subject to me, as my step-son is autist and most of the movies about the subject don't deal correctly with this handicap (for example, I barely can stand āRain manā as it is a fairly entertaining feature but it really focuses on the usual stereotypes about the subject which really annoyed me). Anyway, this movie really succeeded in portraying correctly an autist person and I was really impressed by Sigourney Weaver who pulls out an amazing performance. Unfortunately, the other sub-plots in the story were not very well developped (in fact, they could have been pretty much removed if you ask me), but in spite of its flaws, I still found the whole movie very interesting. To conclude, even though it wasnāt really a masterpiece, I really liked this movie a lot and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested by this subject.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 4 May 2011 02:35
(A review of Saving Silverman)I wasnāt expecting much from this flick and, honestly, I thought it would be rather lame but, surprisingly, I thought it was actually not bad at all after all. Back in those days, following the success of āAmerican Pieā, they were still trying to sell us Jason Biggs as a lead actor which obviously didnāt work after all but, eventually, this movie was maybe the only one starring this rather underwhelming actor which turn out to be actually watchable. Of course, the plot was nothing really remarkable but, still, I thought it was actually quite entertaining and there were definitely some really funny bits here and there. Above all, I thought that Jack Black was just hilarious thoughout the whole thing. Indeed, as usual, he basically stole the show everytime he was on the screen and I actually miss the days when the guy was not so famous and when he was playing those wacky supporting characters. Even Steve Zahn who I found rather rather annoying did a pretty good work here and, with Jack Black, they made for a nice duo. To conclude, even though it was nothing amazing whatsoever, I though it was a decent comedy and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 4 May 2011 02:32
(A review of The Fourth Protocol (1987))Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Michael Caine, I thought I might as well give it a try. To be honest, it is basically one of his many obscure flicks (the guy has made about 120 movies over 7 decades already) but I was actually positively surprised by this feature. Indeed, Michael Caine is definitely an amazing and usually underrated actor and this movie was basically a good old spy flick and Caine gave a really solid performance. On top of that, the directing was decent and the story was really entertaining. In fact, I discovered later on that it was an adaptation of a book written by Frederick Forsyth and the guy also wrote āThe Day of the Jackalā which turned out to be one of the best thrillers I have ever seen. To be honest, this movie never reaches the level of awesomness displayed by āThe Day of the Jackalā but it was still a fairly realistic thriller and it was definitely entertaining. To conclude, even though it is not really a masterpiece, it is still a really solid thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 4 May 2011 02:27
(A review of Never Say Never Again)For me, Sean Connery will always remain the ultimate and best James Bond ever. I mean, sure, Daniel Craig is a very good actor (actually better than Connery) but his version of Mr Bond would never beat the original one, at least, that's my opinion. Anyway, all in all, thanks to this movie, it was definitely quite awesome to see Sean Connery back in his iconic role. Obviously, the story, which has always been a weak point in this franchise, was not really impressive. Indeed, even though there were plenty of entertaining scenes, it was also a little bit too long and tended to drag sometimes. Above all, it was a real pity that it had to be a remake, especially of 'Thunderball' which was absolutely not one of the best James Bond installments. Apparently, Kevin McClory, the producer of this movie, was also producer and co-writer of 'Thunderball'. Later, he would win a legal battle against Ian Fleming to make his own Bond movie and the settlement stipulated that it had to be a remake of 'Thunderball'. Still, above all thanks to Sean Connery, I enjoyed most of it and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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