I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, back in those days, Clint Eastwoodâs directing career was going through a rather weak stage which started at the end of the 90âs with the underwhelming âAbsolute Powerâ and, after a long string of disappointing movies, Eastwood made a major come-back with this flick. Eventually, it seems that this movie was eclipsed by the success of âMillion Dollar Babyâ which would be released a year later but, personally, I think it easily belongs to Clint Eastwoodâs best directing efforts. Itâs interesting that, while I was rewatching the damned thing, I noticed, that even if the story was decent, it was in fact nothing really amazing though. Eventually, what made this movie really fascinating was the attention they gave on the characters who were are all flawed and complex. Eventually, there were so many scenes during which I thought the charactersâ actions and feelings were rather dubious and, yet, each time, I could understand why they would make such choices with sometimes some really dramatic consequences. On top of that, you had here a great director at the top of his game with a very strong cast (Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Emmy Rossum). Furthermore, it was really gritty and Eastwood definitely didnât sugar-coat the damned thing. In fact, during the opening scene, my wife was slightly pissed off because it seemed to be too hardcore for her taste (she eventually really enjoyed this movie though). Many people actually consider this movie as Eastwoodâs last great masterpiece and they might actually be right. Anyway, to conclude, it is a very strong drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Clint Eastwoodâs work.
A very good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 12:57 (A review of Mystic River)0 comments, Reply to this entry
A very good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 12:41 (A review of The Barbarian Invasions (2003))0 comments, Reply to this entry
A very good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 12:33 (A review of Monster (2003))0 comments, Reply to this entry
A great movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 11:49 (A review of Elephant (2003))0 comments, Reply to this entry
A great movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 11:38 (A review of Big Fish)In my opinion, it is probably the last great movie directed by Tim Burton, maybe his best one ever. I mean, he has made some good flicks afterwards but never as inspired and inspiring as this one. The first time I saw it, I thought it was pretty good but I don't know why, the second time around, I thought it was just amazing and I was just blown away by the whole thing. The visuals, the directing, the performances,... Everything was just great. For once, the main character was not portrayed by Johnny Depp but by Ewan McGregor and I thought it was really refreshing (Especially when you see what Burton and Depp has done together between 2005 and 2012...). Furthermore, they had a really top cast and they all gave some solid performances. Above all, I thought it was such a deep, thougthful and inspiring tale which managed to intermingle life, death, love, truth, lie, and many other things. Since then, Tim Burton has spent his time adapting 2 famous books, a broadway show, a TV show and playing around with some puppets but I would be nice if he went looking again for some really original material. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to conclude, it is a really beautiful and emotional tale and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Tim Burton's work.
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A great classic
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 11:31 (A review of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King)I already saw this movie, I even saw it in the movie theater when it was released, but since I have it on DVD and since I just bought an awesome brand new TV, I thought I might as well check it out again. I remember perfectly when I saw this flick the first time though. Indeed, back in those days, like every year, I went back from Holland to France during the Christmas holidays and I went to see this movie with my best buddy and some other friends. Personally, I really liked 'The Fellowship', I liked even more 'The Two Towers' and I thought this one was eventually the best of the bunch. Even though some complain that there were too many endings (and indeed I think that all those multiple endings took at least 30 minutes), I thought it was such a great epic conclusion though. Indeed, the action scenes were awesome but there were also many memorable bits. For example, each time I see the scene where Sam carries Frodo on top of Mount Doom, it just breaks my heart ('I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you!'). In my opinion, this whole trilogy is liked a massive built-up and this final installment is just a huge and mighty climax, ending one of the greatest tales put on the silver screen. Back in the 80's, they maybe had The Star Wars trilogy but our generation can proudly say "We saw The Lord of the Rings back then when it came out and it was freaking awesome!!!". I can't wait to brag about it with my great children. Anyway, this trilogy is amazing and this last installment is, in my opinion, the best part, I have seen it many times and I never get tired of it. Basically, it is a great classic and a must see for any decent movie lover.
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 11:04 (A review of The Wedding Singer)I donât know if you have noticed but I always had a hard time with Adam Sandler. Well, nowadays, it seems that nobody cares much about his work but there was a time when the guy was actually really popular, especially in the USA. This movie was made back in those days and it is usually considered a âclassicâ in Sandlerâs filmography so I hoped it would be better than his usual moronic comedies. Well, unfortunately, it turned out to be to just another typical Adam Sandler comedy and I really donât understand why people would think that it was really hilarious. I guess you either love his kind of humor or you don't get its appeal at all. I guess I belong to the second group. The other thing that bothered me was why on earth did the whole thing take place during the 80's ?!? Was it supposed to make the story more entertaining or funnier ?!? Seriously I just didnât get it at all⊠Eventually, Drew Barrymore would work again with Sandler 6 years later in â50 First Datesâ which turned out to be actually watchable which was something quite remarkable coming from this actor. Anyway, to conclude, even though I have seen worse, I thought it was pretty lame and I donât think it is really worth a look, except if you really like the genre.Â
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An average movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 10:20 (A review of The Family Stone)I wasnât really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a pretty good cast involved, I was quite eager to check it out. And indeed, what a cast (Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson)! Seriously, how could you go wrong with such actors involved? Well, this movie is a proof that even if you have a pretty cool cast like here, it doesnât mean that you will end up with a great movie. I have to admit it, it wasnât really awful but I was amazed about  how average the whole thing was and I wonder what they all saw in this story. I mean, sure, there were here and there a few nice and funny scenes but there was also plenty of annoying/lame/stupid stuff as well. I think itâs too bad because the whole thing actually had some potential. Concerning the director Thomas Bezucha, his next effort would be the even worse âMonte Carloâ starring Selena Gomez so I donât think I should expect much from this director in the future. To conclude, in spite of its flaws, I thought it was still a decent watch and I think it is still worth a look but donât expect anything really amazing before watching the damned thing.Â
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A very good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 30 January 2011 06:20 (A review of Garden State)I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I had it on DVD, I was really eager to check it out again. The first time I saw the damned thing, I was actually seriously blown away and I thought it was really a masterpiece but, to be honest, after a couple of a rewatches, I came to the conclusion that, even though I still really like this movie, it was not really so amazing. Basically, the main issue I had was that even though the characters were decent enough, they were not so fascinating after all. Still, even so, it remains one of my favorite romantic-comedies. Above all, what I enjoyed the most was how they managed to mix up the tone. Indeed, it was sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes romantic and I really loved this mix. Following the critical success of this directing debut, many, including myself, had some great expectations towards Zach Braff as a director but even though he made a comeback 10 years later, none of these movies have made much waves but I still need to check them out though. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to conclude, it is a very original romantic-comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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A very good movie
Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 30 January 2011 06:17 (A review of The Machinist (2004) )0 comments, Reply to this entry