Reviews by johanlefourbe

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the damned thing but since I have a weak spot for Bracha van Doesburgh, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, first of all, van Doesburgh had eventually a very small and completely half-baked character. On top of that, such Dutch romantic comedies are always seriously derivative and this one wasn’t an exception, I’m afraid. Indeed, in this case, it turned out to be some kind of mix of ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’ with ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’. And, yet, even if the concept was pretty weak, the damned thing was actually not bad at all, at least, it was much better than most similar Dutch productions. Above all, all the characters turned out to be fairly well developed which was even more impressive since, considering the short running time, there was actually very little time to spend on each of them. The other thing I enjoyed was Tjitske Reidinga (jezzz… with such a name, she can pretty much forget about a career outside the Netherlands) as she was pretty much pitch-perfect here. Sure, her character was basically a Bridget Jones knock-off but I think she was actually even better than Renée Zellweger in her star-making performance. It’s such a tricky thing to portray a completely ordinary woman and yet make her charismatic enough but Reidinga really nailed this tricky balancing act. It’s too bad that the whole concept of having her falling in love completely out of the blue with her best friend, someone she knew for decades, was just so weak. Anyway, to conclude, even though the damned thing should have been a complete failure, it turned out to be a decent watch after all and I think it is actually worth a look, at least, if you really like the genre.

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie but since there was a solid cast involved, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, my first thought while watching this movie was how polarized our world has become nowadays. Indeed, one hand, you have a whole group of people believing that we should give sexual orientation courses (including LGBTQ awareness) at all schools while there is another huge group of people who believes that homosexuality is actually an illness that can be cured. Seriously, how are we going to make this work? My second thought was that a major issue with Christianity, and other major religions, is that it’s based on a set of beliefs and rules which were established 2000 years ago and while it might have made sense back then, it really doesn’t nowadays and this reluctance to move on might explain why the concept is actually pretty much broken. To be honest, these points and reflections were not even developed in this movie but it still did get some extra points as it did give me some food for thought. Concerning the movie itself, it was still pretty solid but I think it might have worked better as a mini-series though. Indeed, while many have praised Russell Crowe for his performance, he maybe had only 3 or 4 conversations with the main character after all. For Nicole Kidman, it was pretty much the same thing, she was fine as well but only got slightly more to do. Even worse was the always wonderful Xavier Dolan who always showed up with some unexplained bruises and just sat there during the therapy and, for the rest, pretty much did nothing else during the whole movie. With a miniseries, they could have taken the time to develop all of these interesting characters. Of course, you could argue that the movie was actually about Jared so it did make sense that they focused on him and there is no denying that Lucas Hedges delivered once again another strong performance here. However, even Jared could have been better developed as well and the decision to go back-and-forth in time (probably the most overused and annoying gimmick right now) was definitely a mistake. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of flaws, it was still a very interesting drama and it is definitely worth a look. 

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, I don’t think it was bad at all but I’m afraid it was still missing something though. Afterwards, I noticed some reviews on the internet complaining that it was too similar to ‘Death and the Maiden’ and some were even blaming this movie of plagiarizing Roman Polanski’s movie. As far as I was concerned, it didn’t bother me that both movies were so similar (after all, Polanski’s movie was also adapted from a play). Concerning the cast, I think it’s a pity that Joel Kinsman’s character was gagged through most of the duration. As a result, he couldn’t do much with his character. Towards the end, his character also suddenly completely changed his attitude towards his situation (you might argue that it was maybe his survival instinct kicking in) and it might have better worked if it came sooner. I have to say that I cared even less for Chris Messina who is in general not really charismatic and his middle-mannered character was never interesting. Of course, he wasn’t the one who experienced the war so his life might have been less dramatic but the fact that he was stuck between his wife and this man both telling two completely different stories was intriguing and could have been better exploited. Finally, you had Noomi Rapace who’s always so interesting to see and she gave here once again another solid performance. It’s such a pity that she very often ends up in such rather half-baked movies. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I still think it was a decent watch though. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie and, to be honest, I actually wonder how I actually ended up watching the damned thing. Well, it turned out to be one of these rare movies during which pretty much nothing worked. I mean, for starters, what the hell did the title had to do with the story? Then, right from the beginning, they gave us such a cheap-looking intro with some cheesy slow-motion with a supposedly intense action climax. Well, it looked just terrible and, of course, they went back to show us how these three characters did end up in this situation which is such an overused gimmick. Afterwards, it never really got better, I’m afraid. Indeed, none of the characters were interesting and I’m not sure if I should blame the actors involved (Melanie Griffith, Hugh Dancy, Rachael Leigh Cook) because they all gave us such weak performances or if I should blame the writers because the characters were so poorly developed. The only one who slightly worked better than the rest was Jenny since it was not completely ridiculous that such a lonely expat who fall in love with an attractive American. However, Sarah and Jack were both such poorly conceived characters. Indeed, how did they end up in this relationship? Why would Sarah be in charge of such precious cargo with no security involved whatsoever? Seriously, nothing worked with them and it seems that these two characters were taken from a very cheap erotic movie. Concerning the story itself, as soon as Sarah was gone for a few days, Jack apparently couldn’t handle it and, right away, seduced the very first young girl he met but that’s one of the many things that just didn’t work at all in this movie. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was a big waste of time and you should probably avoid it. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this movie but since it was starring Anne Hathaway and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, the concept of this sister reading the diary of her comatose brother and visit his favorite places had some potential. Indeed, I really liked the sad melancholic tone and the music was really neat. On top of that, the main characters, well played by Hathaway and Johnny Flynn, were intriguing. Indeed, they were both two lost souls (one grieving about her ill brother, the other stuck with writer’s block) who somehow felt a connection. And, yet, in spite of its potential, the damned thing never really grabbed me though. For starters, they did push Granny’s quest too far, a quest which was… what was it exactly in fact? By the way, since she was basically a student, how could she afford a vintage gramophone and a vintage keyboard? How buying this stuff was helping her brother anyway? Was playing some music not enough? Then, they had some trouble connecting this burgeoning romantic relationship with Henry’s tragic predicament. As a result, as soon as he woke up, James suddenly vanished without saying a word, which was narratively quite dramatic but hardly sensical. I mean, why did he suddenly feel the urge to dump Franny? Was their relationship meaningless without Henry in a coma? Franny’s reaction was even worse though. Indeed, she went all the way to Philadelphia to miss his concert and didn’t even see him but, instead, she left a two words note and a CD. Again, it might seem interesting on a dramatic level but, on a more serious level, who does that? It seemed that the makers figured out that the characters somehow needed some closure but, instead of simply saying ‘goodbye’ like normal human beings, they went for something rather dramatic instead but it actually did backfire. 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 didn’t remember much about ‘Horrible Bosses’, except that it didn’t really impress me, but since there was a really nice cast involved, I thought I might as well check this sequel. In fact, I’m pretty sure they already did botch the concept in the previous movie so I didn’t think a sequel was such a great idea but it was apparently a big box-office hit so I guess it was inevitable. Anyway, I’m afraid it turned out to be even more underwhelming though. The first thing that bothered me was the fact that, in spite of the title, the three main characters didn’t have to deal with any bosses this time around. Basically, the main idea was to have the same trio trying to kidnap some investor instead of having them killing their respective bosses but what did an investor have to do with the original concept? Shouldn’t it be called ‘Horrible Investor’ then? I don’t know, maybe I’m nitpicking but, even if you would put this aside, the damned thing was still rather boring. Indeed, none of these three idiots was really hilarious and the only characters who were actually funny were Jennifer Anniston and Kevin Spacey (I know, the guy is officially a huge creep now but he was pretty good here). Anyway, the main issue (and probably with its predecessors as well) was the fact that these three main characters were just so uncharismatic, so moronic, I never thought they were entertaining. Finally, the last thing that did bother me was that these guys organized a kidnapping involving a huge police task force, resulting in a murder (which they didn’t commit though) and yet they still get a free pass? Anyway, to conclude, I never cared about the damned thing and I don’t think it is really worth a look, except maybe if you really like the genre.

To be honest, I wasn’t exactly dying to see a documentary about Putin’s main (and seemingly only) opponent but since the reviews were pretty good, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, the damned thing turned out to be so much more interesting than I expected. Obviously, there is the fact that there is a war in Ukraine right now, a war seemingly completely insane for anyone living outside Russia, which makes this movie even more topical. However this movie turned out to be above all a spellbinding thriller about the failed attempt to kill Navalny and how the guy discovered himself most of the conspiracy behind this murder attempt. I’m actually surprised that this incredible story didn’t get more media coverage at the time. I mean, I remember that they mentioned that Navalny probably got poisoned by the Russian secret services but the details provided in this movie were just flabbergasting and, at times, you wonder if Putin and his goons didn’t watch too many average spy thrillers. Concerning Navalny, I did appreciate that they didn’t display him as someone perfect but his dedication to this cause was really impressive and inspirational. I mean, most people after surviving such a murder attempt would definitely never go back to Russia (after all, there is always the possibility to fight the regime from abroad) but Navalny, instead, decided to go back there as soon as it was physically possible for him. Of course, he got arrested the minute he arrived there and you might wonder if we will ever see him ever again. If you combine these dramatic events with the current war in Ukraine, you get such a grim image of Russia and, especially, of Vladimir Putin. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing turned out to be much stronger than I expected and it is definitely worth a look.

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the damned thing but since it was starring Christina Milian and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though I have a weak spot for the genre, I’m afraid it must be the weakest romantic comedy I have seen so far on Netflix. It’s not that it was really awful, it’s just that the concept was really weak (starting with the title). I mean, couldn’t they find another way for her to end up with the Inn? Like simply buying it for cheap, for example, instead of joining some completely unbelievable contest? Then, there was the renovation issue. Indeed, I’m definitely not an expert, but such vast renovations should take at least 6 months, maybe even a year. Ok, if they did hire a whole team of construction workers working around the clock, maybe in 3 months, but she was doing everything with one guy. Then, finally, there was also the price tag. Apparently, since they replaced virtually ALL the furniture, without mentioning all the modern high tech stuff, I can’t imagine how much it did cost but I assume it was just way too expensive for her. To make things worse, the rest of the story was just so generic and predictable. Indeed, the fist person she met was of course the guy she would eventually fall in love with. At least, they usually start arguing at first but they didn’t even bother here. And, then, through the whole duration, she kept saying that she was going back to the US but it was so obvious that she wasn’t going anywhere. On the positive side, Christina Milian was charming and charismatic and this community in New-Zealand was really sweet but everything else was just so disposable and really tedious to behold. Anyway, to conclude, even if I have seen worse, the damned thing was still seriously weak and I don’t think it is really worth a look.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Alexandre Aja and since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. It’s interesting that, after even watching it twice, I still thought that ‘Piranha 3D’ was actually pretty lame and disappointing. Well, with a concept which wasn’t much less preposterous than the one they used in his previous movie (not only the main characters have to survive through a huge hurricane but they also have to face dozens of hungry alligators), it was fairly impressive how much Aja managed to get from it this time around. Indeed, with most average horror movie directors, it would have been probably so lame but I was surprising how realistic the whole setup seemed to be. Of course, it was less convincing that pretty much every character got killed within seconds by this monsters (which did make sense) while the main character and her father kept being bitten over and over and still survived (which was rather far-fetched) but it is understandable that the makers still needed stuff to happen to them, otherwise, there wouldn’t be a story to tell. Furthermore, even though I do like minimalistic movies with only a few characters and only one location, in this case, nothing much happened for a good chunk of time and it turned out to be fairly repetitive. However, the fairly realistic approach really worked and Kaya Scodelario and Barry Pepper were not bad at all, in spite of the limitations of the material they were provided with. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was nothing really amazing, it turned out to be a solid B horror feature after all and it is actually worth a look, especially if you like the genre.