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CollectionsAn interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 05:17
(A review of Nell)I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie but since I have a weak spot for Jodie Foster (if I remember correctly, she was even nominated for an academy award), I definitely wanted to check i out. Basically, it is one of those typical movies dealing with a disabled person like for example, 'I am Sam' or 'Rain man'. What those movies are in common is that, on one hand, you have one actor who portrays an handicapped person in a heartbreaking perfomance but, on the other hand, there is this worthless plot which and goes for the cheap emotional thrills. I mean, Liam Neeson and Natasha Richardson are both fine actors and they try their best but their characters didn't have much depth and their actions were really plot-driven. Above all, they never really go in depth into the psychological side of this tale and the whole thing was way too romanticized for my taste. Still, it remains an interesting drama, above all thanks to Jodie Foster and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 05:07
(A review of Meet Joe Black)I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I thought I might as well check it out again. When this movie was released, it wasnāt really a box-office success and it received some rather poor reviews. However, even though many people thought that it was rather lousy, some others believed it was actually one of the best movies ever made and they really loved it creating some kind of cult following. This might explain why the ratings are higher than what I would have expected. Personally, Iām not a huge fan of the whole thing and some stuff just didnāt really work. Above all, the end was actually pretty bad. It's a shame because the concept definitely had some potential and the first ten minutes were awesome (like most of the viewers, I was really caught up by surprise when Brad Pitt was hit by those cars right from the start. It is not very often that you come across a movie where the lead star is killed off so fast and so brutally). Indeed, from this point, it was pretty obvious that I was watching something else. Eventually, as long as the movie focused on telling the story of this old man facing the last moments of his life with Death itself, it worked fine, especially since Anthony Hopkins gave here, in my opinion, one of his best performances. Unfortunately, there was also another plot line involving Death falling in love and while it was definitely less interesting, the biggest problem was that Brad Pitt was simply just not up to the task. Sure, Pitt was back then already one of the biggest movie stars in the world but the guy was still pretty much only a pretty face and he didnāt have at the time the acting skills to play such a complex character. Then, you had also a 3rd plot line (explaining why this movie was running 3 hrs) involving the main characterās business but it was terribly generic and predictable. Coming back to the ending, seriously, it must be one of the most non-sensical conclusion I have ever seen and it seemed to be a major step-back after making so many bold decisions before. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I still think it is an intriguing movie with some potential and it is definitely worth a look.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 04:41
(A review of The Human Stain)Honestly, beforehand, I had never heard of this movie but since there was a pretty good cast, I thought I should give it a try. First of all, I must admit it was a really intriguing premise. A black boy is born looking like a white boy and when he becomes adult he decides to lie about his origins and pretends to be white to avoid being discriminated. Sounds fascinating, right ? It was indeed spellbinding but unfortunately, the story wasn't developed really well and the end product was rather messy... However, the cast (Anthony Hopkins, Nicole Kidman, Gary Sinise, Wentworth Miller, Jacinda Barret) was pretty good and, above all, Hopkins was really impressive as usual. Still, instead of focusing on this interesting premise, they developed some sub-plots but they were not really interesting. For example, I didn't care much about the relationship between Hopkins and Kidman. Still, it remains an intriguing drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you're interested in Hopkins' work.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 04:28
(A review of Gerry)Back in 1997, Gus Van Sant scored his biggest box-office hit with āGood Will Huntingā. Not only was this movie a success for Van Sant, it meant at last a major breakthrough for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck who are pretty much Hollywood royalties nowadays (ok, the journey was pretty tortuous for Affleck but he got there eventually, didnāt he?). Anyway, 5 years later, Gus Van Sant and Matt Damon were reunited and this time, Benās little brother, Casey Affleck, joined the party. Personally, I never really cared for Van Santās more commercial outings but this flick definitely belonged to his more experimental work and that was most welcome. Indeed, in the whole movie, you just have Matt Damon and Casey Affleck wandering in a desert, talking about everyday stuff. It may sound lame but I found it rather fascinating. Indeed, both actors delivered some really strong performances and Iām a sucker for Van Santās understated directing style. Unfortunately, since there is not plot and no other characters to interact and even though the whole thing was really intriguing, it felt also rather empty and the ending was downright disappointing. Indeed, it came seriously out of nowhere and it was as if the makers tried to force some meaning on the proceedings but it didnāt work, at least, for me. To conclude, even though the whole thing was rather flawed, it still think it is a really interesting experimental feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 04:10
(A review of Frantic)Honestly,even though Iām a huge of Roman Polanskiās work,Ā I thought this movie was rather disappointing. Basically, it is probably the most mainstream feature coming from the Polish director and it is probably even more accessible than 'The Ninth gate' so it Ā was really perfect for the mainstream audience who might be intimated by his darker work. I mean, to be honest, it was actually not bad all. As a matter of fact, the intro was just brilliant. Indeed, Harrison Ford gets to Paris with his wife, check into a hotel. He goes to the bathroom or something and suddenly, when he comes back, his wife is gone! Up to that point and included the next 30 minutes, the whole thing was just spellbinding to watch and it was just awesome to see this average guy very well played by Harrison Ford losing his head because he has lost his wife without a shred of explanation. Unfortunately, at some point, they had to explain what was exactly going on and thatās when the movie really became truly disappointing. It is quite obvious that Polanski didn't care much about the plot which was rather weak, especially the second part, and cared more about the mood which was pretty cool. Honestly, I don't remember much about the whole explanation, what I do remember is that it was a really weak disposable conspiracy theory, the typical stuff you get in your average thriller. Coming out from someone as brilliant as Polanski, this was a real letdown. To conclude, even though it is one of the weakest efforts by Roman Polanski, probably his most commercial outing, it is still worth a look though, if only for the brilliant first 30 minutes.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 03:47
(A review of Flightplan)Even though Jodie Foster is not anymore really one of the major leading ladies, I still have a weak spot for her so I always try to watch her more recent movies when I get the opportunity. This time, she showed up in a thriller and, at first, the whole thing was actually pretty intriguing. Indeed, in my opinion, the set-up was great. Basically, you have this woman who gets on a plane with her kid but then, she falls asleep and when she wakes up, the kid is gone. She looks for her child but when asking for help, everybody says she came on the plane alone and might be hallucinating... It was a great concept and, for a while, I got the impression I might be watching a rather smart and insightful psychological thriller. Unfortunately, the makers basically chickened out as they were not able to develop this set-up. Instead, they provided this very lame twist ending (it must be one of the most infuriating things in movie historyā¦ Those stupid twist endings at the end of every average Hollywood thrillerā¦) and they pretty much managed to destroy all the great things built before. Basically, they dropped the whole psychological aspect of the movie, the only thing that made this feature really stood out from the rest. Indeed, the explanation provided is that she was right all along! There was indeed some kind of lame conspiracyā¦ To conclude, if you remove the last awful 20 minutes, the rest of the movie is actually pretty decent and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 03:38
(A review of Femme Fatale)From the 70's until the end of the 90's, Brian de Palma was one of the most highly regarded directors, now he is pretty much forgotten and that's a pity. Anyway, this is a typical De Palma picture, a mysterious thriller drenched with intrigues, erotic and violence. It's a pity the plot was rather hard to follow and the whole thing barely made much sense. If I remember it correctly, I even saw it when it came out and I thought it was time for a re-watch. The funny thing is that, even though, I knew what would happen, I still ended up with the same feeling I had 10 years ago. Basically, it is one of the most messed up and convoluted thrillers I have ever seen. Indeed, the plot didn't make much sense and I won't even start to point out all the major plot holes. Still, there was something fascinating about this flick. Indeed, the directing was quite amazing, and pretty much like 'Snake Eyes', it started up with an impressive opening scene but then pretty much right from this great opening scene, it all went downhill afterwards. Back then, Rebecca Romijn was just starting as an actress and this movie would end up being her only really interesting role, I'm afraid. If this movie didn't end up being a failure financially and critically, her career could have been quite different. Anyway, pretty much like the movie itself, Romijn didn't even act very well but there was something about her, enhanced by De Palma's directing, which made her quite fascinating to behold. Anyway, to conclude, after re-watching it, I still can't say I really like it, it is just too messed up, but, deep there somewhere, I'm pretty sure there was a great movie hidden and I think it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in De Palma's work.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 03:34
(A review of Eye of the Beholder)Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd, I was really eager to check it out. Basically, this movie is rather unknown and it is not a surprise since it is a remake (ok, that was a cheap move but come one! 99.9 % of all remakes are worthless don't you think?) and, to be honest, it was kind of a mess. Indeed, there was a really weird mood throughout the whole thing and I couldnāt help wondering what the writer were smoking when they were working on this. Same thing concerning Ewan McGregor and Ashley Judd. I mean, they provided some pretty good performances but there was something really eerie about their characters. Eventually, even though the whole thing was just too weird for its own good, I have to admit that I was quite mesmerized by this flick. Eventually, I saw the original French version and I think I actually slightly preferred this remake. To conclude, even though it is a really obscure feature and even though the whole thing was rather half-baked, it still remain a rather fascinating thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 03:24
(A review of The Cell)Back then, Jennifer Lopez used to be a bankable actress and this flick reached the first spot at the box-office when it came out. But, honestly, who am I kidding, who cares about Jennifer Lopez? Indeed, the actraction here was the director, Tarsem Singh, who made here one of the most striking directing debuts ever. Indeed, this movie had in my opinion some of the most amazing scenes ever shot. Unfortunately, even though the story was not bad, it wasnāt really strong either, Iām afraid. Indeed, it felt like a cheap excuse so that the director could include his great visuals. Furthermore, I had also a a hard time with Jennifer Lopez. Indeed, even though I have seen this movie a couple of times by now, I'm still not sure if she was really an asset for the movie or not. Anyway, the bottom line was that the whole thing was a rather pedestrian serial killer thriller with some amazing visuals, no more no less. Ten years later, Tarsem Singh would make 'Immortals' which turned out to be also really impressive visually but it also had terribly disappointing story, even more than his directing debut. It would be nice if the guy could focus a little bit more on the plot and if he didnāt put all his energy and attention on the visual aspect (some people would argue that his second feature 'The Fall' was a real masterpiece but I was still not really convinced). Anyway, in spite of its flaws, his first movie was a very well made thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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An interesting failure
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 7 February 2011 03:02
(A review of Down in the Valley)Honestly, I had no idea what to expect from this flick but since I was a huge fan of Edward Norton, I was quite eager to check it out. Eventually, it was a rather typical movie illustrating how Nortonās career turned out to be. Indeed, basically, even though Edward Norton was, as usual, very good, it is a really obscure flick which was barely seen when it was released and even though there was definitely something mesmerizing about the characters involved, the whole thing was still deeply flawed. Basically, it is a really weird movie. I mean, I did like the directing and I was really caught in this tale but then, the plot didn't go anywhere... Somehow, it stopped abruptly and even after seeing this movie on DVD with 3 different endings(!), none of them was good or made much sense. Honestly, it is not often that I have seen such a half-baked flick. I mean, basically, Ā¾ was actually pretty good but then the last Ā¼ just seriously ruined the whole thing for me. To conclude, even though it is another disappointing flick starring Edward Norton, I still think it is worth a look though but donāt expect anything really amazing.
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