Posted : 14 years ago on 7 September 2010 09:32
(A review of
Catch Me if You Can)
Beforehand, I was expecting a fun flick but I wasn't expecting to be blown away like that. Fist of all, the true story on which the movie is based is just really amazing. Of course, I'm well aware that they must have made up a few things but it still is an amazing story. Personally, I thought it would be a typical Spielberg effort, you know, very well made and entertaining but rather shallow and no really deep. So, I was really amazed when I realised that they devoted a lot of time and energy in developping the psychological torment lived by the main character. It was just fascinating to behold. Furthermore, there was actually a darker mood than what you usually get in your typical Spielberg production and this approach was more than welcome. Finally, there was a great cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hanks, Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, James Brolin, Jennifer Garner), above all, Christopher Walken was, as usual, completely stealing the show every single time he was on the screen. Surprisingly, it has actually become my favorite Spielberg film. Yeah, it is that good, in my opinion. It is so fun and so sad at the same time. To conclude, I think it is a great entertaining movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Spielberg's movies.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 7 September 2010 09:07
(A review of
The Prestige)
I just loved this movie so much. I don't know if you follow my reviews or my ratings but I actually never give a perfect 10 at least not since 2000. This movie though was so closed to reach this mythic threshold. I remember as if it was yesterday, the first time I watched it, my head was bouncing through the whole thing and afterwards, I must have had a huge headache. I know, I make it sound as if it was a rather unpleasant experience but the point is that I was completely overwhelmed by its awesomeness from the beginning until the very end. Beforehand, I had some really high expectations but this movie was indeed almost perfect. In my opinion, it is actually better even than 'The Dark Knight' or 'Inception' and it is one of my all-time favorites. The story, the acting and the direction were just so great, it was just really a fascinating movie. I also loved that none of the two magicians were really good or bad, they were just completely driven by their obsession and they both lost their mind at some point. Unfortunately, there was one little disappointment for me and it was how it all ended. Indeed, I thought it was very anti-climatic. At first, the whole thing was based on illusions and not actual magic but, at the end, it is explained that Robert Angier was magically cloning himself and transporting himself. In my opinion, it really clashed with the rest of the movie which was constantly anchored in reality. Furthermore, they explain to you during the whole thing that any illusion is awesome as long as you don't know the trick so a magician should never reveal the Prestige. And yet, at the end, they tell you in details how Alfred Borden's magic trick was done and, exactly like they explained earlier in the movie, it was just really anti-climatic. In my opinion, they should have kept the viewer in the dark, like David Lynch would have done, make us wonder for many years what the hell happened back then. If the ending wouldn't have let me down, it would have been a perfect 10 but still, it remains a fascinating movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Christopher Nolan's work.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 7 September 2010 08:37
(A review of
Cemetery Man)
I remember very well the first time I saw this flick. Somehow, I actually saw it in the movie theater when it was released. Indeed, this movie had just been released for a couple of weeks but since it wasn’t exactly a box-office success, they were already going to pull it off. At this point, my sister told me we should definitely check it out and we ended up watching it during the very last show before it was gone forever. Obviously, I had absolutely no idea what to expect from the damned thing but, eventually, I was seriously blown away and, after all these years, it remains one of the most unforgettable movie experiences I ever had. Indeed, it is a really weird movie and definitely an acquired taste but I thought it was just so spellbinding to behold. By now, I have seen quite a few movies with Rupert Everett (by now, more than 20) and, even though I have always had a weak spot for this actor ever since I saw him in this movie, it is the only great one he ever did in my opinion. Anyway, the weird thing is that the story or the directing were not really amazing but the combination of humor, horror, romance was just completely flawless in my opinion and the tone was just pitch-perfect. I don't know, for some reason, even though it is considered as something terribly cheesy by many, in my case, there was actually something rather poetic about the damned thing and I always felt a really strong connection with this character and what he was going through. Anyway, I think it is an amazing cult-classic, one of my all-time favorite movies and it is definitely and absolutely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 7 September 2010 08:18
(A review of
Dead Man (1995))
After all these years, this movie is still one of my all-time favorites. In fact, I remember very well when it came out. Indeed, I even saw the damned thing when it was released and I was just completely blown away by this movie. I mean, basically, I was very young back then, I had never seen anything similar before and, in my opinion, it was nearly pitch-perfect. Basically, the whole thing was just so poetic, I know that many people think it is really slow paced but I thought it was just a really mesmerizing picture. Obviously, the acting and the direction were pretty impressive and it might even be my favorite Johnny Depp movie. Since then, I have kept following Jim Jarmusch’s work, I have seen all his movies (except for ‘The Limits of Control’ which I still need to see) and, even though some of them were really good, no one of them ever managed to reach again this level of awesomeness. Eventually, i have to admit that this movie is a rather acquired taste but it is definitely worth a look, especially if you want to see what Johnny Depp was doing in the 90's when he used to be one of the most inspiring actors in the world.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 7 September 2010 08:13
(A review of
Cube)
I already saw this movie but since it was ages ago and since it was available on Netflix, I was really eager to check it out again. As a matter of fact, the first time I saw the damned thing was when it was released and, at the time, I have to admit that I was completely blown away by this flick and, for a very long time, it was even one of my favorite movies, no less than that. However, as the years passed by, I started to wonder if it was so amazing after all and a part of me actually didn't want to re-watch it fearing that it wouldn't live up to what I remembered. Well, eventually, after all these years, I still think it is a really entertaining and challenging story. The best thing is still that, at the end, you don't get any simple answers and you can think about it and try to sort it out as long as you want. However, I have to admit it was dealing with a rather limited concept after all. Indeed, it was neat that they didn't give any explanation but, then, there was not much else to do then watching the characters endlessly going from one cube to the another. On top of that, the characters were just too generic. I mean, the actors were not bad and it was neat that none of them was famous but they were not memorable either. Finally, even if the makers keep you in the dark until the very end, it was all rather predictable or maybe it is a movie that really works only the first time around. Anyway, to conclude, even if I won't consider it as one of my favorite movies anymore, it is still a really good SF thriller though and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 7 September 2010 07:58
(A review of
Funny Games)
To be honest, I'm usually not really a fan of psychopath/serial killer movies. I mean, some of them are sometimes quite entertaining but they are never really great, at least, that’s my opinion but this movie is the exception. Indeed, I thought was so thoughtful , complex and really spellbinding to watch. I saw it again not so long ago and once again, it completely blew my mind. One thing I found really striking is that they stripped down most of the tricks used in most of your typical horror/thriller flicks. For example, there is no background music during the whole thing and, usually, in any basic thriller coming from Hollywood, there is some really obvious music cue basically telling you when something scary is going to happen. Not here, here you have to make up your own mind about what it is scary or not. There is actually not much actual violence but it must be one of the most violent movie on a psychological level I have ever seen. So, I must say it is a rather heavy and depressing movie to watch and many people won't enjoy it for a bit. Personally, I think it is an amazing picture, one of my favorites, and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Michael Haneke's work.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 7 September 2010 07:50
(A review of
The Celebration (1998))
I remember it so well, I actually saw this movie when it was released in the movie theater and I was just blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, in my opinion, the first movie following the Dogme rules was just great. Basically, there were no special effects, no big stars just a simple and pure movie, at least, that’s my opinion. To be honest, when I first watched it, I was about 18 years old and it was the first time I actually felt nauseous after watching a movie. I know, it doesn’t sound really appealing but it wasn’t because it was bad , it was because it was so powerful and emotional. Like I said before, there was no chases, explosions, shooting and stuff like that, it was all about the characters and what they were going through and the whole thing was just spellbinding to watch. I watched it again, 14 years later, and I was once again amazed by how strong the whole thing was. Honestly, there was seriously not a single shot which I didn't find perfect. Yeah, it is that good. Basically, it is one of the saddest movies ever made but there were still some funny moments. Anyway, I think it is a great movie, one of the best movies ever made in my opinion, and it is definitely worth a look.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 7 September 2010 06:52
(A review of
Fight Club)
In my opinion, this movie has everything. There is some great acting, some great directing and a great story. It entertains you but also makes you think at the same time, at least, in my case. In my opinion, it is hands down David Fincher's best movie and I think it is a great achievement. Yesterday, I watched it again after so many years and I enjoyed it even more. Indeed, back then, when it was released, it was actually a flop, above all thanks to the terrible marketing campaign which focused on the fighting. Of course, this movie is not about fighting, it is filled with many more ideas and I especially enjoyed how they focused on insanity. 10 years later, it remains David Fincher's most ambitious project, it is sometimes thrilling, funny but very very dark. All those elements are mixed together in an incredible visual style, something we have been used to get again and again from this director. Not everybody, like Roger Ebert for example, did like this movie actually. Some people thought it was too violent, some others thought it had a dubious message. I think that, in order to enjoy this movie, you have to understand that the main character is insane, so all the people following his orders are not really wise and his relationship with Helena Bonham-Carter is bound to be messed up as well. My point is that it is a messed up and chaotic movie but brilliantly directed and I really loved it. To conclude, in my opinion, it is one of the best movies ever made and it is a must see for any decent movie lover.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 6 September 2010 07:26
(A review of
In Tranzit)
Basically, there was a time when I would go to a video game shop (which is now closed) and I would buy there on a regular basis 5 DVDs for 5 euros and, sometimes, since I would be missing 1 DVD, I would pick up pretty much anything at random just to reach 5 movies. Anyway, following this amazing process, I ended up watching some rather obscure movies and this one was definitely one of them. In this case, the main reason I wanted to check it out was because John Malkovich was involved but the rest of the cast was also pretty neat (Vera Farmiga, Thomas Kretschmann, Daniel Brühl, Thekla Reuten). Eventually, I must admit that it was dealing with a very interesting piece of history. Indeed, while watching this flick, I came to realize that I have barely seen any movies dealing with the Soviet Union during WWII and only therefore I thought it was quite neat to see this. Unfortunately, the story was still rather weak though. At least, all the actors involved did provide some solid performances but I wish the story had been more compelling. Anyway, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in this subject.
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Posted : 14 years ago on 6 September 2010 11:45
(A review of
The Color of Freedom (2007))
To be honest, since it is a rather obscure feature, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Bille August’s work, I thought I might as well give it a try. Indeed, Bille August is one of the very few directors who managed to win 2 Golden Palms at the Cannes Film festival (‘Pelle erobreren’ and ‘Den goda viljan’, in fact, I’m amazed I have still not managed to watch any of them after all these years). Unfortunately, I must say that even though all his following movies (at least, the ones I have seen so far) were usually quite interesting, none of them managed to actually reach that level again. This movie, for example, is a perfect example and it had such a potential to be great as it was dealing with a very interesting subject. Unfortunately, even though Nelson Mandela was one of the most fascinating historical figures that ever lived, this was not a great movie, I’m afraid. Above all, I thought that the story was rather weak and not really fascinating whatsoever. Still, there was a very good performance given by Dennis Haysbert though and the whole thing is still worth a look.
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