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A very good movie

Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 12:57 (A review of Mystic River)

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 Eastwood’s directing career was going through a rather weak stage which started at the end of the 90’s with the underwhelming ‘Absolute Power’ 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 ‘Million Dollar Baby’ which would be released a year later but, personally, I think it easily belongs to Clint Eastwood’s best directing efforts. It’s 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 characters’ 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 didn’t 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 Eastwood’s 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 Eastwood’s work.



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A very good movie

Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 12:41 (A review of The Barbarian Invasions (2003))

Even though I have left France more than 10 years ago, I still try to watch some French(-speaking) movies once in a while. I'm particularly interested in the movies which won the César of the Best French movie (the French equivalent for the Oscars). Actually, this movie is Canadian but, somehow, it was still qualified to win this prize. Anyway, it was a very good drama, dealing with life and death, and the cast, made of actors unknown to me at that time, was really impressive. To be honest, I'm rather oblivious about Denys Arcand's work (so far, it is the only movie he has directed that I have seen) but I will definitely check his other features. As I really liked this sequel, I'm really curious about the original movie 'Le Déclin de l'empire américain' and I hope I will manage to watch it as some point. Apparently, it involves the same characters played by the same actors but 15 years before. Anyway, this movie can easily be watched as stand alone as it was quite spellbinding. To conclude, it is a rather heartbreaking story, a really solid drama and it is definitely worth it, especially if you like the genre.


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A very good movie

Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 12:33 (A review of Monster (2003))

It has been a while since I have watched this flick and I should re-watch it at some point but there is no denying that this movie really impressed me the first time around. Back then, everybody was floored by Charlize Theron who had a solid career so far but thanks to this movie, she definitely reached another level. And, indeed, Theron gave a fearless performance which went beyond getting a few pounds (she actually gained 30 pounds) and getting a prosthetic nose. What was really impressive about her performance was how deep she went in developing her character’s messed up psychological state. Basically, Theron completely disappeared behind the character which is what every actor should try to attain. Still, this movie is not just about this performance, it is also one of the best movies dealing with a serial killer. Indeed, I’m not a huge fan of the genre (too many stupid twist endings and far-fetched plots in my opinion) but, this one, by focusing on the serial killer and show her as an average (albeit messed-up) human being, was much more compelling. I mean, when you get to see Wuornos as a young teenager getting in some cars with some strangers and being dumped a while later, it was quite bleak and heartbreaking. To conclude, I think it is a really amazing flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.


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A great movie

Posted : 13 years, 11 months ago on 31 January 2011 11:49 (A review of Elephant (2003))

Ever since I have heard about this flick, I became really eager to check it out. Indeed, Gus van Sant is a very good director and I always had a weak spot for his work but, to be honest, not all his movies have been completely successful (As a matter of fact, ‘Good Will Hunting’, his biggest success at the box-office, is actually rather overrated in my opinion). Fortunately, this movie really didn’t disappoint me. Indeed, basically, it is quite a shocking story told in a very particular way and you might find this approach rather unappealing but I thought it was in fact actually quite fascinating. I'm pretty sure that many viewers would find this movie frustrating because, while watching this, you have so many questions coming up in your mind but, eventually, no real answer at all is provided by this movie. Personally, I really loved the fact that you had to think about the movie and the events themselves on your own to find yourself the answers. I have to admit it though, the whole thing is terribly cold and distant (a little bit like Michael Haneke’s work as a matter of fact) so it is an acquired taste. To conclude, I thought it was a really fascinating flick and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Gus Van Sant’s work.


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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 don’t 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 ‘classic’ in Sandler’s 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 don’t 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 didn’t get it at all
 Eventually, Drew Barrymore would work again with Sandler 6 years later in ‘50 First Dates’ 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 don’t think it is really worth a look, except if you really like the genre. 



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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 wasn’t 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 doesn’t mean that you will end up with a great movie. I  have to admit it, it wasn’t 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 it’s too bad because the whole thing actually had some potential. Concerning the director Thomas Bezucha, his next effort would be the even worse ‘Monte Carlo’ starring Selena Gomez so I don’t 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 don’t expect anything really amazing before watching the damned thing. 



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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. 



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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) )

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. Basically, just before making 'Batman begins', Christian Bale starred in this flick and thanks to both movies which were rightfully acclaimed, Bale suddenly became an actor we should all reckon with. Concerning the movie itself, even though it was maybe nothing really groundbreaking, it was still a really solid thriller. Eventually, the only thing that bothered me, especially after I rewatched it, was that , even though it was supposed to a psychological mindf*ck, it was actually rather predictable. On top of that, I have to admit that the main character turned out to be slightly annoying with his conviction that there was a plot against him. Of course, you could argue that someone so delusional, so paranoïd, would always believe that what happens in their mind is actually true but it was rather frustrating that it took the main character so long to figure what was actually going on when it took the viewers only 5 minutes. Still, there is no doubt that Christian Bale gave such a strong performance in this flick. I mean, sure, Bale truelly looked awful which was what everybody focused on when this movie was released but his performance went way beyond his physical appearance and the guy was just spellbinding to behold. Anyway, to conclude, I thought it was a really strong thriller and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 


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