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Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 8 April 2011 12:08
(A review of Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard)Since Nick, my step-son, really wanted to see this movie, we even watched it in the movie theater when it was released. Basically, after many years without directing and instead producing a whole bunch of fairly successful but also really dumb action flicks, Luc Besson was finally back in the directing chair and he decided to direct an animation feature which was quite ambitious. To be honest, even though Luc Besson is definitely a talented director, I also think he is terribly pretentious and not only he wrote some children books but he decided to adapt them as well. The end-result was âArthur et les Minimoysâ and I have to admit that it really looked amazing and, at the time, it was probably one of the most gorgeous CGI animated features I had ever seen. However, the story, as usual with Besson, was terribly weak and pedestrian and prevented the whole thing from being really amazing. Eventually, since the story was so weak, I was really amazed that he would come up with some sequels. As a result, once again, it looked quite gorgeous but the story was really not captivating. Still, if you are interested in animated movies, you may be interested otherwise you may pass on this one.
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An interesting movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 8 April 2011 08:22
(A review of Alive)The true story behind this movie is really famous and actually rather fascinating. I remember, when I was a kid, I heard about this tale and I always wanted to check this movie, even though it really sounded gruesome. Eventually, even though Iâm usually not a big fan of such movies based on a real life event, I have to admit that this one was pretty good. First of all, the intro was just very well done, it was really spectacular and also quite horrifying. That was the best way to start this story and it put me right away in the right mood. Honestly, the actors were not great but maybe it is better for such a story than to have famous faces getting all the attention with their acting skills. Furthermore, they could have gone even further into the psychological turmoil that those guys must have been going through. Still, I think they really managed to handle this very difficult subject with a lot of tact(in fact, I think it is the only film I have seen dealing with cannibalism except for the usual horror flicks). Anyway, even though it wasnât really a masterpiece, it is still a very interesting movie and it is definitely worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 7 April 2011 05:01
(A review of The Distinguished Gentleman)By now, I have the dubious honor of having watched all the movies involving Eddie Murphy. Yes, I have watched every single one of them. It is in fact rather surprising since I have never been a huge fan of his work but, somehow, all his movie have been broadcasted at least once on one of the Dutch channels I have. Anyway, what always stroke me with his movies is the fact all most of them had some very lame concept so, right from the start, they were pretty hopeless. However, there are some expections and some of his features actually had some pretty cool ideas. Indeed, this movie for example, had so much potential! I mean, I love movies about politics and the concept behind this picture was rather interesting. But, unfortunately, instead of making a smart comedy or something sharp and cynical, the whole premise was just an excuse for some stupid lame jokes by Mr Murphy... Pretty much as usual with this supposedly talented actor. To conclude, it was just too bad because, this time, it seemed that the whole thing really had some potential but it was once again really underwhelming and I donât think it is much worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 7 April 2011 04:57
(A review of Uncle Buck)By now, I have seen most of the movies directed by John Hughes (Iâm still missing âSixteen Candlesâ and âShe's Having a Babyâ) but except for âThe Breakfast Clubâ which really deserves its stellar reputation, I canât say I was really impressed by his work and this movie was not an exception. Indeed, I didn't think it was that great. I mean, sure, it was not bad either but that's about it. I guess I'm not a big fan of neither John Hughes or John Candy so I may miss the great qualities of this feature. At the time, after pretty much ruling the 80âs with his teenage comedies, John Hughes was starting to losing his touch and he would direct only one other feature (the even more underwhelming âCurly Sueâ). Eventually, this movie would be mostly remembered as the introduction of the famous Macauley Culkin to the mainstream audience. Eventually, John Hugues must have been impressed somehow by the little fellow and he would cast him a year later for âHome Aloneâ which would turn out to be a huge box-office success. To conclude, even though I wasnât really blown away by this flick, I have to admit that it was still a decent comedy and it is definitely worth a look though, especially if you like such comedies from the 80's.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 7 April 2011 04:39
(A review of The Fighting Temptations)Obviously, I wasnât expecting much from this flick but, somehow, I still ended up watching it. Like all the major pop stars, BeyoncĂ© Knowles decided that she should have as well an acting career and after a supporting part in âAustin Powers in Goldmemberâ, she got her first starring part in this movie. Eventually, she wouldnât take many risks as an actress as she played a singer in half of her movies (also in âDreamgirlsâ and âCadillac Recordsâ). Later on, even though she was supposed to star in a new remake for âA Star is Bornâ directed by no one else than Clint Eastwoord, she dropped out and she hasnât been in another for the last 5 years. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, I didnât really like it much but, eventually, it all depends if you like those kind of movies or not. I think, for its genres, it was not bad at all but as Iâm not a huge fan of this kind of movies, I can't say I really enjoyed it. Indeed, it was basically a boring story, a predictable plot and those were some really flat tunes. To conclude, I thought it was pretty weak and I donât think it is really worth a look.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 7 April 2011 08:26
(A review of The Ugly Truth)More than 10 years ago, thanks to âGreyâs Anatomyâ, Katherine Heigl finally got her major break-through and she got pretty lucky that the first movie she made afterwards, âKnocked Upâ, was a box-office hit. Unfortunately, all the movies she made afterwards were increasingly disappointing and, nowadays, her once promising career seems pretty much ruined. This movie is a perfect example. Indeed, even though it was a box-office success, it received some really poor reviews. In fact, even though I had some really low expectations towards the damned thing, I have to admit that it actually had some potential. Of course, it was an average romantic comedy with the usual clichĂ©s, lame jokes and it was rather predictable but when Gerard Butler gave his speeches on TV, it was actually working and I couldn't help laughing. Eventually, if they would have gone all the way in this direction, with a very cynical, slizzy bastard guy, it could have been pretty neat. Of course, they didn't, instead, they chickened out and gave us this rather boring flick. To conclude, even though the damned thing actually had some potential, it was a rather weak romantic comedy and I donât think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you are a fan of the genre.Â
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 6 April 2011 05:48
(A review of A Serious Man)Since I have seen every movies directed by the Coen brothers and since I kept hearing here and there that it was awesome, I really had to watch this flick pretty bad. Eventually, I actually ended up with some mixed feelings about the damned thing. I mean, sure, it was still a decent watch but I was never able to see what was supposedly so  mindblowing about the damned thing. Sure, it is very well done, which was expected with the Coen brothers, all the (rather unknown) actors gave some pretty good performances but I canât say I ever really cared about this story. On one hand, there was some funny moments and it was sometimes mesmerizing but, on the other hand, was it ever really captivating? To be honest, not really. Maybe I just didn't get the point. For example, what was the whole point of the introduction? In fact, the brothers went on record saying that the opening scene was only made up to get the audience in the proper mood and that there was actually no meaning behind it). Anyway, to conclude, even though it didnât really work for me, it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in the Coen brothersâs work.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 5 April 2011 08:19
(A review of Murder at 1600)To be honest, I wasnât really expecting much from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Wesley Snipes and Diane Lane, I thought I might as well give it a try. Basically, it is one of those typical action movies that Wesley Snipes used to make in the 90âs so it was nothing really amazing, but, at least, it was miles better than all the direct-to-dvd garbage he has been making during the last decade. To be honest, I thought it actually had some potential. Indeed, there were some pretty good actions scenes and the story was captivating enough and, basically, it started up as a thriller with an decent concept, but, then at some point, they switch to some generic action stuff and towards the end, it was just completely over the top and it didn't make much sense anymore. Obviously, the always charming Diane Lane was pretty much wasted here but with an action flick like this one, it was pretty much expected. To conclude, even though the whole thing really had some potential, it was still rather underwhelming and I donât think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you really like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 5 April 2011 07:01
(A review of Sleuth)I wasnât really sure what to expect from this movie but since I always had a weak spot for Kenneth Branaghâs work, I thought I might as well check it out. First of all, I have to admit it, even though I have an extensive knowledge about movies (by now, I have seen more than 5500 movies) , I still havenât watch the great classic directed Joseph L. Mankiewicz so I canât compare both versions. On the other hand, the fact I hadnât see the original version probably allowed me to appreciate more than this remake. Anyway, it was definitely a strong story and I thought that both actors did a really good job here. Above all, I was once again quite impressed by Michael Caine and his performance was seriously quite mesmerizing to behold. As usual with Kenneth Branagh, the directing was really solid but this movie was really about the actors involved. And, yet, even though the whole thing was rather fascinating, I guess it was still missing something to completely win me over. To conclude, even though it was probably another unnecessary remake, I thought it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Kenneth Branaghâs work.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 9 months ago on 4 April 2011 02:08
(A review of The Damned (1962))Honestly, this is a really obscure flick (I was only the 2nd listal who actually rated this movie) and I really wonder how I actually ended up watching the damned thing in the first place. I guess I watched it above all because I had heard a lot of good things about Joseph Losey but since I never had the opportunity to watch one of his movies, I thought I might as well check this one out. Eventually, I thought it was an interesting watch, the directing was decent and the story was not bad but, to be honest, I was kind of bored during some parts. I guess I was unlucky since the very same year, Losey did release âThe Servantâ which would be one of his best movies so I guess I didnât really pick up his best work (in fact, this week, there is âThe Go-Betweenâ on the BBC so maybe I will check this one). It was also a Hammer production, famous for their gothic horror features but they also produced such cheap science-fiction features like this one. Anyway, to conclude, even though it wasnât really great, it was still an interesting introduction to this director and I will definitely check his other movies when I have the opportunity.
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