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Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 02:53
(A review of Alice in Wonderland)Before watching this flick, I was torn between 2 feelings. The first one was 'Yes! Another movie directed by Tim Burton starring Johnny Depp! I can't wait, it should be awesome!' and the second feeling was more like 'No... Another movie directed by Tim Burton starring Johnny Depp... Couldn't they just move on with something else?'. Eventually, 5 years later, it is rather interesting to see that the careers of both men has been become seriously disappointing. Anyway, eventually, I thought that this movie was actually pretty good but nothing amazing though. Indeed, the main reason why I still enjoyed it was because the visuals were just great but, honestly, the story was nothing exceptional. I'm sure many people will scream about how terrible this adaptation was but it wasn't really my problem but it was definitely a rather weak story which wasn't really faithfull to the original but not different enough either so this tale felt rather half-baked. Still, the whole thing was definitely gorgeous to look at and the story was entertaining enough. To conclude, it is definitely not a masterpiece but, for blockbuster, it was not bad at all and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Tim Burton's work.
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A pretty good movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 02:47
(A review of Toy Story 3)To be honest, I did like Toy Story 3, I really did, but I also really failed to see what was so great about it. Indeed, after its release, it was hailed as a real masterpiece but, personally, I don't think it was as good as many other Pixar features such as the first 2 Toy Story, Wall-E, UP or even Ratatouille. The point is that as usual the animation was great, especially if you compare it to the very first 'Toy Story' and they developed some interesting ideas about what will happen with them when their owner grow old. Still, I didn't care much about the whole escaping thing. I mean, it was entertaining enough but nothing amazing, especially compared to the previous installments. Furthermore, they felt compelled to add even more characters and, as a result, a whole bunch of them, like Jessie for example, had barely anything to do. Still, it remains really enjoyable and I have to admit that the ending was just great. It seems they can do no wrong, even a sequel, at least, that's what I thought when this movie was released. To conclude, even though I think it is actually overrated, it still is a gorgeous and entertaining animated feature, no doubt about it, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A good movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 02:41
(A review of The Ghost Writer)I already saw this movie but since it was a while back, I was quite eager to watch it again. The funny thing about this flick is that, the first time I watched it, I wasn't really planning to see it but since there was not much else to see, I thought I might as well check it out. Eventually, it turned out to be a pretty good flick, much better than I expected. On the other hand, Roman Polanski has always been one of my favorite directors so I should have known better and he didn't disappoint me here. First of all, the directing was really neat and the cast was also very good (Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Olivia Williams, Kim Cattrall, Timothy Hutton, James Belushi, Eli Wallach). Above all, I thought the mood created by Polanski was just great and the whole thing was pretty spellbinding to watch . Unfortunately, pretty much like 'Shutter Island' which was also released in 2010, the ending was rather disappointing as it was a a little bit too far-fetched for my taste but, just like 'Shutter Island', we deal here with a movie which was more about the mood than the actual plot which was never meant to be really realistic. Eventually, this movie turned out to be another interesting addition to an already impressive career, the critics loved it, I thought it was pretty good too and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Polanski's work.
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A very good movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 02:36
(A review of Shutter Island)I already saw this movie but since I had it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. Obviously, since I'm a huge fan of Martin Scorsese's work, I was really eager to check the damned thing. To be be honest, I actually think that his movies starring Leonardo DiCaprio are actually a little bit overrated, especially if you compare them to the masterpieces Scorsese delivered earlier in his career but I have to admit that, together, they made some really good movies and this one was a perfect example. Indeed, they gave us here some awesome directing and acting, especially by Leonardo DiCaprio who seemed to have a great year considering the fact that 'Inception' was released not so long after. I also loved the mood and the plot was quite spellbinding to watch, at least, until the end. Indeed, unfortunately, like any other thriller dealing with some mystery, they had to give us an explanation but, like most of the movies in this genre, the end was actually rather weak. Indeed, while the rest of the movie completely made sense, this ending was in my opinion seriously unbeliveable and really difficult to swallow. Eventually, it’s a movie that really works only once in my opinion. Anyway, even if it wasn't flawless, it was still a very good movie, the whole thing was just really entertaining and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Martin Scorsese's work.
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A very good movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 02:32
(A review of Kick-Ass)Kick-Ass is so much fun. Just the title cracks me up! Still, even so, I don't think it is a masterpiece. Indeed, Hit-Girl didn't really work for me. Not that I was shocked or anything but what I loved in this movie is that the main character was a loser without super power. Indeed, I really loved this concept but then came Hit-Girl fighting just like a super hero... Anyway, when it was released, this movie rapidly reached a cult status. However, since then, viewers have been criticizing it and even the late Roger Ebert actually despised it. Personally, the more I thought about it, the more I started to think that it might not be that good actually so it was definitely time for a re-match. Fortunately, it was still pretty awesome. Indeed, the first half is just great. When they focused on this average teenager who tries to be a super-hero, the whole thing was just hilarious and the realistic approach was great. The directing was also awesome and the cast was just great (Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Nicolas Cage, Mark Strong, Christopher Mintz-Plasse). Still, its flaws were even though more obvious the 2nd time around. Again, I really hard a hard time with Hit Girl. Not to blame Moretz who gave a tremendous performance at such a young age but I failed to see how it was 'cool' to see a 12 year old girl shooting a whole bunch of guys. Eventually, she even gets beat up which was quite inevitable and also pretty discomforting. Furthermore, like I said before, the way she completely whacks everyone makes her look totally unbelievable and completely contradicted the realistic approach they chose. Still, even though it might not be as 'awesome' as many seem to think, it still remain a very well made, original and intriguing super-hero flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A great movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 02:23
(A review of Inception)I already saw this movie but since I just bought an awesome brand new TV and since I have this movie on Blu-ray, I thought I might as well check it out again. I actually remember very well the first time I watched this flick. Indeed, after watching so many impressive movies directed by Christopher Nolan, I had some huge expectations concerning this movie and, surprisingly, this movie totally succeeded in meeting those huge expectations. This movie was basically the proof that a movie can be a huge blockbuster, entertaining and thoughtful at the same time. It's a real pity that it has lost some of its reputation after its release because it was actually huge when it came out. Anyway, in spite of what the lovers and haters have to say, I still think it is a great movie though. Indeed, it was visually impressive, there was a great cast, the whole thing was damned entertaining and I just loved the concept behind it. The haters should keep in mind that it is and remains a blockbuster with its creative limitations. As a result, it is supposed to be enjoyed by a broad audience so you can't really expect too much artsy and philosophical shenanigans. I have to admit that this movie becomes less impressive each time I rewatch it thought. Indeed, the first time around, I was just blown away by the spectacle delivered by Nolan and his team and I was also constantly wondering what would happen next (it's also a movie which works better when you watch it in the movie theater). However, when you rewatch it, you actually realise that all the characters are actually constantly explaining what's going on to the audience which is, after all, not really strong narratively speaking. After all these years and watching this movie several times, I actually believe it is one of these movies that work above all the first time around. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of all the controversies, I still really love this flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you want to see a blockbuster with some brains.
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A bizarre movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 10:46
(A review of The Informant!)Honestly, I really wonder how I thought it would be a cool movie to watch with my wife at the movie theater. I guess the whole thing was actually poorly advertised since I first thought it would be more a straightforward thriller. On the other hand, it is such a weird picture, so how can you sell it to any audience? Anyway, even though it was something really different than I expected, I still liked it but it is definitely not for everyone (my wife eventually fell asleep for example...). Basically, it was another rather experimental feature directed by Soderbergh and there was this weird combination of styles which I found actualy rather bewildering but also really intriguing. On top of that, Matt Damon was just amazing and I do believe that he gave here one of his most underrated performances. If you like weird movies, maybe this is for you or maybe you won't dig it all. To be honest, aftewards, you seriously wonder what Soderbergh tried to achieve here but it's a feeling you get very often when watching his work. Anyway, to conclude, even though it wasn’t really great whatsoever, I think it is still worth a look, if only for Matt Damon's impressive performance.
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A good movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 10:32
(A review of Public Enemies)I already saw this movie, in fact, I even saw it in the movie theatre when it was released, but since it was a while back, I was quite eager to check it out. To be honest, I was expecting more from this flick. Indeed, nowadays, Johnny Depp keeps releasing some flops but, at the time, he was at the height of his popularity, making one hit after the other and many of his movies were very well received. So, when I heard that he was making a movie with Michael Mann, I thought it would be really amazing. At the time, when I first saw it, since I was a big fan of Michael Mann and of Johnny Depp, I think I had a very ‘groupie’ reaction and did end up overestimate the actual end-result in the process. So, it was a good thing to watch it again with slightly less worshipping of Mann and Depp going on and, indeed, it wasn’t so great after all. On the other hand, even if it didn’t turn to be such a masterpiece, I have to admit that it was still a good flick though. Indeed, the directing was solid and I didn’t really mind the fact that it was shot digitally but you wonder if the movie wouldn’t have looked better with some good old 35mm film. Furthermore, there was an impressive cast involved but the story was somehow a little bit underwhelming. In my opinion, they never really managed to make Dillinger really fascinating and even though you spend more than 2 hours with the guy, you still don’t learn much about him after all. Anyway, to conclude, my rating was actually a little bit too generous the first time around but it was still a very enjoyable and entertaining picture and anything directed by Michael Mann is always worth a look.
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A very good movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 10:13
(A review of District 9 (2009))Actually, I wasn't really interested by this flick but when I saw that it was on the IMDB top 250, I was intrigued and I thought I should give it a shot. Eventually, I thought it was a very interesting and entertaining movie. I especially enjoyed the 1st half which was just great. Then, the 2nd half was little too much action-oriented for my taste but still it was a very good and original picture. The other day I watched it again with Nick, my step-son, who really loved it and it still holds up pretty good. One of the best thing about this flick was also the main character, Wikus Van De Merwe. I mean, the guy is a total moron and I thought it was really refreshing, in contrast with all the stereopycal heroes you get in your usual commercial productions. It's too bad Wikus wasn't so interesting in the second half when, suddenly, he got himself a conscience. In my opinion, it is still rather exagerated to put this movie in the top 250 best movies ever made. I mean, it is definitely an interesting flick and it may belong to the best movies coming out in 2009 but it is definitely not a masterpiece, at least, not in my opinion. To conclude, for a directing debut, in spite its flaws, it was still pretty impressive and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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A very good movie
Posted : 14 years, 1 month ago on 21 December 2010 10:02
(A review of Up in the Air)I had already seen this movie, in fact, I even saw it in the movie theater when it was released, but since it was almost 10 years ago, I was really eager to check it out again. First of all, I have noticed that the last 3 movies directed by Jason Reitman (‘Men, Women & Children’, ‘Labor Day’ and ‘Young Adult’) were rather poorly received and this flick was the last one he made which was actually really successful. Well, to be honest, I thought it was not as good as 'Thank you for smoking' which should get much more credit but, in my opinion, it was still much better than 'Juno'. Indeed, even though 'Juno' was a huge critical success, as far as I was concerned, it was actually rather overrated. Anyway, at the time, Jason Reitman was definitely continuing his winning streak, that's for sure. Indeed, I thought it was just a great and compelling story and George Clooney was at the top of his game back in those days. What more do you need ? The greatest thing about this flick is that even though they showed a guy with one of the most worthless jobs ever, I couldn’t help feeling sorry for this man anyway. Contrary to ‘Juno’ which felt rather artificial and even slightly pretentious, this tale was much more convincing and really timely, especially in this time of economic crisis. To be honest, I have to admit that it was not so impressed the 2nd time around but, even so, I still think it is easily one of the best movies delivered by Jason Reitman so far. Anyway, to conclude, I enjoyed this movie a lot, it was one of the best movies released in 2009 and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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