Reviews by johanlefourbe

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was starring Robert De Niro and since it was available on HBO Max, I was quite eager to check it out. It also sounded like a really intriguing story. Well, I did hear about Bernie Madoff’s scheme and it was quite fascinating to see how it all went down back then. Eventually, they did focus on the damage done on his family. It was interesting how Madoff claimed at first that he wanted to protect his family by explaining that they were not involved in his scheme and, at first, I thought he was actually quite convincing. However, of course, it was complete nonsense as he completely ruined the life of his wife and two sons in the process. By the way, blaming Ruth Madoff for what her husband did was rather lame because most spouses have no idea what their husband or wives are actually doing at work. For his sons, even though they claimed that they were not involved, they did work for their father in the same building their father was working so, even though it is possible that they told the truth, we will never know for sure though. Furthermore, something not mentioned in the movie was that both guys actually had more than 15 millions dollars each after their father was convicted and sent to jail and it took years before this money was given back to the victims. It was also interesting that Madoff used as an excuse the fact that the system was rigged and, even though it was rather pathetic, he wasn’t actually completely wrong through. Indeed, how would you explain otherwise that nobody did anything before that? How would you explain otherwise that it was possible that the guy was able to do this for at least 20 years? The other cool thing was to see Robert De Niro finally in something worthwhile for once and he was just really good here, just like in the good old days. Anyway, to conclude, I thought it was a really interesting movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. In fact, the main reason why I actually wanted to check the damned thing was because Kate Bosworth was involved but, eventually, I didn’t see her at all after all (she apparently had only a very small cameo). Anyway, I watch pretty much everything and anything very often without no knowledge whatsoever and, sometimes, not very often I have to admit it, I actually get rewarded and it was definitely the case here. Indeed, I can’t remember the last time I saw such a wild and unpredictable horror feature. Seriously, I think I was gasping at least 10 times thinking ‘WTF just happened here….’. The other cool thing was that this movie was actually well made. For example, the tonal shift when Justin Long came along was huge but the fact that it worked at all definitely displayed the skills of the people involved. Sure, when you think about it for a few seconds, the concept (under an Airbnb, there is some kind of secret dungeon/mine/labyrinth with some monstrous woman) was actually quite ridiculous. And, yet, the way it was handled, most of it actually made sense. Even the things that were not explained (why was the Airbnb rented twice? How come the owner didn't know it was rented at all?) worked because an actual explanation would have been probably unsatisfactory and, above all, rather boring. Concerning the cast, it was really cool how Bill Skarsgard was cast against type. Justin Long, even if he was pretty goofy as usual, probably never played such a complex character before in his career. Concerning Georgina Campbell, she was really charismatic and I guess she was fine but her character was probably too straightforward to be really remarkable (it was still neat to see her surviving time and time again though). Anyway, to conclude, even if it might not be a masterpiece, I have to admit that I really enjoyed the damned thing and you should definitely check it out, especially if you want to see one of the most surprising horror flicks ever made. 

 To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was starring Charlotte Rampling, I thought I might as well check it out. It was basically another rather obscure movie that I had like for years on my queue but, at some point, I thought I should stop postponing it like this seemingly forever. Well, I was actually surprised by how much I actually enjoyed the damned thing after all. Not so long ago, I saw a Dutch movie called ‘De Terugreis’ because some family members thought it was hilarious but I thought it was such an underwhelming way to deal with a couple who had together for so many years and even decades. This movie, however, clearly displayed how it should be done. Sure, it didn’t reach the level of ‘Amour’ which will remain the best movie ever made about this subject maybe forever but I was impressed by how well they handled such a couple. It mostly had to with the amazing performances by both Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. Indeed, both characters were so convincing, they felt so completely lived-in, which was quite remarkable since you only spent 90 mins with them after all. The concept was also so intriguing. Imagine spending half of a century with your partner and then find out that you were actually only the best 2nd option? But should have Geoff did instead? Stay alone his whole life? And what should have Kate done? Gave up the relationship because she felt threatened by a woman who didn’t exist anymore? To be fair, nothing much happened after all through the whole duration which wasn’t necessarily an issue but it did feel rather slight though. I also didn’t care much about the ending. Sure, I guess they wanted to go for something subtle but, eventually, it felt more like a cheap way to avoid a final confrontation between Kate and Geoff during which they could be finally discussing their true feelings for each other. Anyway, to conclude, even the scope was too small to become a real masterpiece, I still really enjoyed the damned thing and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

To be honest, I have never been a huge fan of this franchise but, since this installment was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though this last sequel did receive some rather abysmal reviews, I thought it was actually surprisingly satisfying. One issue with this franchise was that I kept completely forgetting what happened previously and, in this case, the fact that I saw ‘Insidious: The Last Key’ only a month ago didn’t help since it was a prequel. Well, for once, I wasn’t so disoriented like I was while watching the other sequels and I was quite able to follow what was going on this time around. However, the main reason why this movie was not bad at all, was the fact that there was actually a decent balance between the mental issues, the traumas and the paranormal stuff which is something actually pretty rare to find in a horror movie like this one. Indeed, basically, Josh and Dalton were heavily f*cked-up by what happened before and the fact that they were forced to forget these events didn’t help them much. Eventually, even after it seemed that they finally managed to close this damned red door, it was pretty obvious that they will forever struggle with what they have been through which was such a refreshing approach. Indeed, with your average horror flick, at the end, everything is solved and all the characters just move on with their lives as if nothing happened, when they just had been through some of the most messed up things you could possibly imagine. Obviously, the damned thing was still not a masterpiece though and they did struggle to give both characters something really compelling to do during the mid-section. Anyway, to conclude, even though this movie has a rather lame reputation, I thought it was a decent watch and, in my opinion, it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since there was a decent cast involved and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out be a typical quirky indie comedy and, of course, they went for the road-trip genre which is one of the laziest gimmick ever. So, it did seem that this movie was rather hopeless from the start but some of it was actually pretty good and I think the damned thing actually had some potential. First of all, even though she give a really solid performance, I do think that Vera Farmiga was actually miscast here.  Indeed, she is just way too gorgeous and charismatic to play a loser who couldn’t get a decent guy. She was still pretty good though, just as Christopher Plummer was, the guy was basically born to play such characters. Eventually, what really prevented this movie from really working was this damned quirky tone. Indeed, these 3 characters might seem to be generic but I thought they were all actually interesting and quite entertaining. Basically, they were all pretty f*cked-up and if they would have really played with the darker edges that each of them had in themselves instead of going quirky every 5 mins, I’m convinced that the damned thing could have been actually pretty neat. By the way, I thought the ending was pretty sh*tty concerning Jojo, the sister of the main character. I mean, basically, her father dropped her in the middle of the night and drove through the whole country because he basically didn’t want to live with her. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch though and I think it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.  

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but, since it seemed to have a decent reputation and since it was available on YouTube, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out to be such a weird but also quite fascinating movie. Indeed, narratively speaking, it took such wild turns, most of it was actually quite unpredictable. For example, if you would look at the poster, you wouldn’t expect it to start with an inventor who was double-crossed by his benefactor. When people get a sh*tty deal, they start to drink heavily or take drugs but this guy, for some reason, decided to become a clown which seemed and was just so random and, yet, the end-result was quite spellbinding to behold. Indeed, they gave us some rather surreal circus scenes and, in my opinion, it was the saddest clown act I have ever seen. On the other hand, without the context, how would I have reacted if I saw this clown getting slapped and slapped again? Maybe I would have thought that it was actually hilarious? It still did feel like some crude and mean sense of humor though. One of the main reasons why the damned thing actually worked was obviously Lon Cheaney. Indeed, Cheaney was arguably one of the best actors that ever lived and, even though it might not be one of his most famous movies, his performance here was quite incredible. It must have been one of the most complex characters I have ever seen and I don’t think I understood some of his actions. I mean, come on, what a strange way to handle a traumatic experience and, yet, with Lon Cheaney playing the guy, it actually all made sense somehow. At some point, they did deviate completely from this main character and focused instead on a romantic couple involving John Gilbert and Norma Shearer but even though they were sweet, they were also rather boring. Above all, like the rest of this movie, the whole romance did feel pretty random. Anyway, to conclude, even if it wasn’t flawless, there was something so unique about the damned thing and I thought it was quite unforgettable to behold.

As usual with my film club, I didn’t know anything about it before watching this movie. However, I have to admit that I was actually already familiar with Andrea Arnold’s work and there was a similar vibe to her previous movies ‘American Honey’ and, above all, ‘Fish Tank’. As far I was concerned, I was actually slightly bothered by the lack of context though. I mean, sure, it was taking place nowadays in England but I couldn’t pinpoint where (it was apparently taking place in Kent in the south of England). Anyway, if you ever wondered what was the current state of affairs in England, well, I’m afraid it is pretty bad, that’s for sure. Indeed, apparently, nobody works, nobody goes to school, and all teens are destined to become parents even before they become 15 years old so the present (and the future) is pretty bleak. In spite of the barren environment, it was still a beautiful movie though but, even though you might expect something hyper-realistic, Andrea Arnold did add some fantastic elements but it is really an acquired taste though. Concerning the acting, Barry Keoghan gave here another really solid performance showing that he is slowly becoming one of the most interesting actors at work nowadays. In almost all her movies, Andrea Arnold went for people without any acting experience to play the lead, it is quite incredible what she managed to get from them and this movie was no exception. Indeed, Nykiya Adams (who was really 12 years old when the movie was made) was the one who really had to carry the whole thing and she was quite spellbinding to behold. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t really blow me away, it was still a solid drama and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but, since it was directed by Cecil B. DeMille and since it was available in on YouTube, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, the first nice surprise was that it was actually starring Gloria Swanson. Indeed, I’m a huge fan of ‘Sunset Boulevard’ so it was really cool to finally see this legend in a silent feature, even if it was a rather obscure one like this movie. She was actually really good here and it was quite impressive how much she managed to do with a part which was rather thankless after all as she was basically waiting for her husband to get his act together. Concerning the movie itself, it was actually fairly entertaining, even if it did feel rather silly though and you might wonder how they managed to get 2 hrs of running time from this material. Basically, it was all rather disjointed and you get in fact 3 stories involving the main character supposedly helping 3 women in distress. The really fun part was that the guy was actually married with Gloria Swanson’s character from the start and the fact they were married only for a couple of months probably didn’t help their situation either. Except for Gloria Swanson, the other thing I did enjoy with this movie was the tone. Indeed, I thought it was pretty cynical but it was a nice approach and it made the whole thing more enjoyable this way. Indeed, basically, none of the women, except for his own wife actually, was really trustworthy but the main male character was not much better though, he even called himself a ‘boob’ which was actually pretty accurate. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and I think it is worth a look, at least, if you really like such vintage silent features.