Reviews by johanlefourbe

Since there was really some buzz around this movie for quite a while, I was eager to check it out. Well, it wasn’t an easy watch, that’s for sure. Indeed, by  now, we all know that the life of Marilyn Monroe A.K.A. Norma Jeane Baker was probably not so great after all but Andrew Dominik pushed this idea even further and gave us the bleakest vision on her life that you could possibly imagine. Basically, according to this movie, everything in her life was heavily traumatic, her childhood, her career, her stardom, her pregnancies, her romantic relationships,… Seriously, the damned thing was just relentless. The end-result was basically some kind of feverish nightmare but, unfortunately, the movie didn’t have much else to offer and the fact that it did last almost 3 hours probably didn’t help. The funny thing is that, after all this time, you don’t actually learn much about Monroe, except that her life really sucked from the very beginning until the very end. And, yet, even though the approach chosen to tell the story of this legendary pop icon actually backfired, the damned thing was still fascinating somehow. Indeed, as usual with Dominik, the directing was strong as he constantly mixed up the aspect ratios and moved back and forth between black-and-white and color. And, of course, Ana de Armas gave here a really strong performance. Sure, there was a debate because de Armas is actually Cuban but I think she looked just stunning and it went beyond that as she completely disappeared in this character. Anyway, to conclude, even though I understand why this movie didn’t get much love when it was released and I have to admit that it was rather exhausting to watch, I still think it was quite intriguing but if you are a big fan of Marilyn Monroe, I would actually advise to avoid it. 

Since this movie has a really solid reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list among other things), I was really eager to check it out. Well, from all the movies I have seen so far directed by Murnau, to be honest, it was the one that did impress me the least. It’s interesting because all the reviews I read afterwards were gushing about how this movie was above all a technical marvel. In fact, I find it rather hard to judge such an old movie on this aspect alone. Indeed, we have been so accustomed to see such  elaborate modern movies, I mean, visually speaking, and I tend to forget how difficult, even impossible, it was to come up with such striking visuals back then without the usual modern tricks and gadgets. Still, I have to admit that I was quite impressed by the superimposition of several images, it was just so clever and very well done, especially for the time period. So, sure,  it really did deserve all the praises it had received, at least, on a technical level, but, eventually, I just really struggled with the story though. At least, the beginning was intriguing. Indeed, in spite of the title, it was actually pretty bleak with this unnamed man plotting to kill his wife as suggested by his mistress. However, this plot was resolved rather quickly and, then, during the 2^nd act, you had this couple who suddenly were in love again doing some really random stuff in the city. Well, even if some of the scenes were a technical marvel, this couple was actually rather tedious to behold. On the other hand, I have to admit that the final act with this huge storm was quite spectacular but, all in all, to be honest, I just didn’t care much for this story. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t blow me away, it is another major classic van F.W. Murnau and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Virginie Efira, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I have to admit that, when I heard about this movie, I was assuming that it would be about a single woman raising a kid on her own in the 50’s and how she struggled with the social stigma involved with this situation. However, it was not at all what I expected. In fact, it is rather hard to describe this movie but it shows how intriguing the damned thing actually turned out to be. Indeed, even though the title might make you think that it is a love story, this romance was only the first half of this movie, the second half was something entirely different. On top of that, Virginie Efira delivered a solid performance and it was definitely no small feat to convincingly perform the same character through roughly 5 decades. Unfortunately, I wish that Niels Schneider's character would have been slightly more nuanced. Indeed, the guy turned out to be so awful, so evil even, you might wonder why Rachel would have been so in love for so long with him. As a result, it made her character looked like a naïve moron. Then, there was the whole incest thing who turned her life and the life of her daughter into some genuine nightmare and making this guy officially the worst dad ever. Well, I think the way they approached this topic was rather manipulative. On one hand, I could feel that something fishy was going on but, in my opinion, it was just too ambiguous. Indeed, how could you blame Rachel for trying to have her daughter spend some time with her biological father? However, as a result, it seemed that it was mostly her fault but since her kid seemed to be so thrilled to finally get acquainted with her father, it was not so easy to figure out. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t completely work, I have to admit that the damned thing was quite intense and it is actually definitely worth a look. 

Since this movie was directed by Sergei Eisenstein, I was quite eager to check it out. Indeed, I did see ‘Battleship Potemkin’, arguably his most famous movie, but it was maybe 20 years ago, it was really neat to finally see another movie from this great master, especially after all these years. I was surprised to find out that it was actually his directorial debut as the damned thing was quite complex and ambitious for a first-timer. Still, to be honest, I have to admit that I had actually a rather hard time to get into the damned thing though. The fact that such Soviet propaganda movies actually never focused on the characters individually and instead handled the working class as one single character probably didn’t help. On the other hand, I have to admit that it was just quite inspiring and exhilarating to see this crowd of working men rising up all together against their bosses but also the whole system in general. Even if you believe that Communism and Socialism were the worst possible thing in the world, there was a time when an alternative was actually possible. At least, for a short while, it was explored and this alternative did provide something else than our current endless chase after financial profits and personal gain. The final act during which the ruthless repression took place was also strong and, unfortunately, felt quite realistic. It’s interesting that, when you read other reviews, they mostly focus on the technical aspects of this movie which was, for the time, apparently quite groundbreaking, but, to be honest, I didn’t focus too much on that. Anyway, to conclude, even though if it didn’t really grab me, it was still an interesting watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Eisenstein’s work

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I usually have a weak spot for such minimalist horror features but, to be honest, I’m rather surprised this movie received such solid reviews. I mean, it’s not that it was bad, it’s just that it never really impressed me in any way. For starters, like probably many other viewers, I was actually really annoyed by the title. Sure, when it was all finished, I get that it was probably hinting at Travis’s nightmares but, in my opinion, it was actually such a cheap way to build up the expectations of the audience as, eventually, nothing came at night after all. Concerning the movie itself, I have to admit that it was a decent post-apocalyptic horror flick but, to be honest, they didn’t do anything really interesting with the genre though. The fact that many like me have seen more than 10 seasons of ‘The Walking Dead’ probably didn’t help. Another issue was that even though there were only 5 characters, none of them was really developed, with Travis being the only exception. Indeed, it was probably the most interesting aspect of this movie, the way they displayed how traumatizing such extreme circumstances must be for children and teenagers. However, I wonder if it was really the goal of this movie though. Anyway, it was really not enough and I wish they did more with the other characters. In this case, the biggest victim was Carmen Ejogo. Indeed, she was seriously completely wasted here as her character was basically given nothing to do at all. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch though, even if it was mostly forgettable. 

Since this movie seemed to have a solid reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list among other things), I was quite eager to check it out. Well, even though it might seem to be a simple story (it is basically about a guy losing his job, not much more), I have to admit that I was really impressed by the sheer power of its visuals and of the performances, especially by Emil Jannings who played the main character. It’s only afterwards that I discovered that Jannings, arguably one of the best actors of all time, was actually a major Nazi supporter and I’m glad I didn’t know that before watching the damned thing. Anyway, it was still a powerful movie, so powerful, that they didn’t have to use a single title card for the dialogues. Seriously, it was quite impressive and there was not a single moment while what was going on was not crystal clear. Furthermore, it was such a sad movie, probably one of the saddest I have seen so far. The saddest part, at least for me, was when his neighborhood found out that he had actually lost his job and was pretending to still be a doorman. Indeed, for some reason, maybe I’m too optimistic but I was expecting them to be supportive but, eventually, they were all mocking him which was just so cruel but I guess it was actually true to human nature, I’m afraid. There was also this rather weird and ridiculous happy ending coming from nowhere. Apparently, the producers forced F.W. Murnau and Carl Mayer to end up with something else and more upbeat than the inevitable death of the poor doorman but since they really hated this idea, they went for something really far-fetched and cynical. At first, this ending really bothered me but, the more I think about it, the more I believe it was actually quite brilliant. Anyway, to conclude, it has been a while since I have seen such a strong silent feature and the damned thing is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Catherine Deneuve, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out to be about a middle-aged woman going through some kind of middle-life crisis and going on a road-trip in the process. To be honest, I always thought that the road-trip was easily the laziest genre but I have to admit that, in this case, she did leave without a plan or a specific goal which was at least refreshing. It was also interesting that she then spent hours on the desolated French countryside and, being myself from Normandy, it all looked actually quite familiar. Unfortunately, this movie never really worked for me though. Indeed, the beginning felt really rushed but, even more problematic was the fact that they kept adding some characters, some even more random than the others. Some of them seemed to be interesting but not all of them though and there were probably too many characters involved after all. Eventually, the damned thing was just really messy and not in a good way. In fact, at some point, completely out of the blue, the main character got a call from her daughter, a character never even mentioned before, and the whole thing took a completely left turn from that point. However, I have to admit that the blossoming relationship between this elderly woman and her grandchild was probably one of the best moments in this movie. Anyway, what I mostly enjoyed with this movie was how much Catherine Deneuve managed to do with this rather weak material. Indeed, eventually, even if it never really worked, thanks to Catherine Deneuve, it was still a decent watch though and, only thanks for her, it might be actually worth a look, even if the damned thing might be completely forgettable.

Since this movie seemed to have a solid reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list among other things), I was quite eager to check it out. First of all, to be honest, I’m usually not a huge fan of such classic screwball comedies. In this case, there was also the issue that they developed the idea that, for a pretty woman like Gerry Jeffers, the best prospect was not to find an actual job to support herself but finding some rich guy who would support her. Sure, you might argue that I shouldn’t take this movie too seriously but it did make the damned thing look rather dated. And, yet, I have to admit that this movie actually worked for me. For starters, the intro was just so weird, I had no idea what this movie was actually about and I thought they were showing that would actually happen afterwards. However, the story was not about how this couple fell in love and got married. Indeed, instead, it was about how she tried to escape this marriage, not because they didn’t care for each other anymore but mostly because their marriage was a failure considering their financial and social status. Well, I have to admit that this approach was actually  quite refreshing. And, then, in the same fashion, the very last scene was just as surprising as the intro was, I guess it all made sense or maybe not. Finally, I really enjoyed most of the jokes and most of the dialogues were just so fun and witty. Anyway, to conclude, even if I’m still not a huge fan of the genre, I have to admit that it was a really entertaining screwball comedy and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.