Reviews by johanlefourbe

Since I have always been a huge fan of Alfred Hitchock’s work, of course, I was really eager to check this flick . Eventually, it wasn’t one of his most famous movies and it was definitely not one of my favorite but it was still a pretty good picture. In fact, even though the plot was taking place in Great Britain, it was Hitchock’s 2nd Hollywood feature after ‘Rebecca’ and it was in fact entirely shot in the USA. Anyway, the directing, as usual with Alfred Hitchock, was really solid and the story was entertaining enough but, to be honest, I thought it was just another spy feature something he used to make in those days. I mean, sure, it was entertaining but it was nothing I hadn’t seen before. Maybe the fact that no big star was linked to this feature didn’t help either (in fact, Hitchcock wanted Gary Cooper to play the lead but Cooper turned down the offer) but I doubt it would have made a big difference. Anyway, to conclude, even though it is not really a masterpiece, it is still a pretty good old spy feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Alfred Hitchock’s work.

In my opinion, this movie had a lot of potential and I honestly think that it could have been awesome. Indeed, at the time, the great Jane Fonda was coming back from retiring (7 years later, she still hasn’t done anything really impressive though) , the story was really perfect for Lindsay Lohan but, unfortunately, they really messed up the whole thing. Basically, the characters were barely developed and the plot was just too sentimental, too predictable and not edgy enough. The most disappointing thing was probably to see Lindsay Lohan remaining in her comfort zone throughout the whole movie instead of actually becoming the character. It is actually a pity because the character must have been closed to who Lohan was at the time but, instead of embracing this experience, she just made sure she didn’t show any amount of depth and the whole thing was therefore rather underwhelming. Anyway, for her, even if she probably didn’t know it at the time, it was pretty much the beginning of the end, her career went through a downward spiral ever since and you wonder if she will ever manage to make a come-back. Anyway, to conclude, even though the whole thing could have been interesting, it was still a failure and I don’t think it is really worth a look.

A couple of years ago, Claude Chabrol passed away. Even he wasn’t really famous abroad, the guy actually had an impressive career and he was responsible for at least a dozens of French classics. If you think you love French movies but have never heard of him, I would suggest to check his work. Anyway, this movie doesn’t really belong to his best work but it was still a good watch nonetheless. Basically, it is a typical Chabrol feature dealing with his usual themes such as the middle-class, obsessive relationships and murder. Another neat thing with this flick was too see a very young Laura Smet at the very beginning of her career. Maybe you have never heard of Smet but it is actually the real name of Johnny Hallyday, an icon in France , basically the French Elvis Presley and her mother is also Nathalie Baye, one of the most famous French actresses. Anyway, I thought that Laura Smet was pretty good here and I wonder how her career turned out to be. To conclude, even though it is nothing really amazing, I thought it was still a pretty good thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in French movies.

Honestly, since it is a really obscure feature (I was only the 3rd listal user who rated it), I wasn’t really expecting much from this flick. In fact, I wanted to watch it mostly because Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis were involved but they had some very small parts so I should have probably skipped the whole thing. Anyway, it was eventually rather terrible to behold. Honestly, I really don't care that it was a children movie, it was just plain bad and I really have a hard time to believe that children would be actually entertained by this. Indeed, a familly feature doesn't have to be so boring, predictable and lame and, in my opinion, it should be entertaining for both children and adults. Obviously, it was not the case here and I thought that the plot was rather inane. Eventually, the only redeeming feature was to see Emma Roberts in her first starring part but even if you are a fan of this interesting young actress, I wonder if you should check this movie. Anyway, to conclude, I thought it was pretty bad and I don’t think it is worth a look whatsoever even if you want to watch something with your kids.

The other day, I noticed something funny. Indeed, even though I always considered Roger Moore the weakest James Bond, or at least, the least interesting one, I came to realize that I actually didn't really dislike any James Bond installments involving this guy (on the other hand, none of them are among my favorites either). Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to be honest, it was probably the weakest installment starring Roger Moore. Indeed, back then, Moore was almost 60 years old and even himself confessed that he was way too old to play the famous spy. Somehow, the whole thing was still a decent watch and, this time, the main attraction for me was Christopher Walken who, as usal, stole the show everytime he showed up on the scree. I also thought that Grace Jones, who Roger Moore greatly disliked, was actually pretty fun and she was an interesting choice. A part from that, it is a pretty much an average James Bond picture with the usual tricks. To conclude, even though I have never been a fan of this franchise, I think this one is still worth a look, if only to see a really old Bond at work.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Ryan Reynolds, I thought I might as well give it a try. First of all, I haven't seen the original version so I can’t compare both movies but I thought that this remake was pretty average. At least, I want to give some credit to Ryan Reynolds. Nowadays, you wonder where his career will go since he keeps making some terrible flops but the guy keeps trying some different genres and that's a good thing but it is a such shame that the movies in question are far from being impressive. I mean, this one wasn't really that bad but it was just a really pedestrian and generic haunted house flick. Ryan Reynolds did give a decent perfomance but the story was not really fascinating at all, or scary whatsoever. On a positive note, it was rather funny to see a very young Chloe Grace Moretz in her second part, but , aside from this, it was a rather boring horror flick. To conclude, it is not really bad but still pretty average and it is not really worth a look, even if you are a fan of this genre.

I remember it very well, when this movie was released, it was a big box-office success in the Netherlands. Indeed, like many other movies in the Netherlands, it was an adaptation of a popular book. In fact, for once, I have read the book before watching the movie and I have to say, even though I enjoyed this movie, I still think the book was actually much better. The main reason why was actually pretty simple. Indeed, on one hand, you have Kluun who is a celebrated writer with a terrific writing style and, on the other hand, you have Reinout Oerlemans who had never before in his life directed a motion picture. As a result, this directing debut was pretty good but not really great, that's all. In my opinion, it could have been really edgier, more energetic and dynamic. I mean, we shouldn’t blame she actors since they were all very good, especially Carice van Houten who has been for many years already the best Dutch actress. Still, to be honest, towards the end of the movie, I thought she looked too well for someone who was actually dying. Anyway, all in all, I still enjoyed this movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Dutch movies.

Honestly, I wasn't expecting much from this flick but since I always had a weak spot for Michelle Pfeiffer, I thought I might as well give it a try. I remember it quite well when it was released but I didn't see at the time and I remember also this damned song by Coolio (what happened to the guy by the way?!? Again another one hit wonder, I guess) which was all the time on the radio. Anyway, I thought this movie was not so bad after all. Indeed, Michelle Pfeiffer is a very nice and competent actress and, as expected, she did a good job on this picture but I'm afraid it wasn't enough though. Basically, it is one of those typical school dramas and even though it was rather well done and entertaining, it was not original at all and completely predictable. For this kind of the movie, to really stand out, they have to take some risks, like in 'Half Nelson' for example, to become truly compelling, otherwise, they just follow the formula which is always disappointing and that was definitely the case here. To conclude, even though it wasn't anything amazing whatsoever, I thought it was a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this flick but since I always had a weak spot for Chiwetel Ejiofor, I was quite eager to check it out. In fact, it is rather amazing that even after '12 Years A Slave' managed to win the Best Picture Academy Award, the guy still seems to be completely underrated when he is easily one of the best actors of his generation. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to be honest, I don't think the story was really original or great whatsoever. I mean, sure, it was entertaining but it was basically the old gimmick of the fish-out-of-water context, something we have seen so many times before. Still, I enjoyed this feature for what it was and it is probably thanks to Chiwetel Ejiofor who gave, as usual, an amazing perfomance. Indeed, everything he does is never a disappointment, this movie is no expection and from the moment he is on the screen, you really think that you are watching something special and without him, I'm afraid the whole thing would have been just another average British comedy with a realistic social background. To conclude, even though it is nothing amazing whatsoever, it is actually a pretty good comedy and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.