Reviews by johanlefourbe

Obviously, since it has a really lame reputation, I had some very low expectations concerning this movie but I have to admit that I was still rather curious about the damned thing so I still wanted to check it out. Eventually, even though it was indeed a massive critical and commercial flop, in fact, it turned out to be actually much better than I expected.  I mean, sure, it was still not a good movie at all, but the concept had some potential, I actually enjoyed the mood created and I especially liked the fact that the action took place in London this time. In fact, even though some critics praised Sharon Stone for her performances, I thought she was the one dragging down the whole thing each time she was on the screen. At the end of the day, I don't think she is a very talented actress and, except for ‘Casino’, she hasn’t done anything really impressive after her breakthrough with ‘Basic Instinct’, at least, that’s my opinion. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, even though there were even a few good ideas and the movie was not as bad as I expected, it was still pretty weak and I definitely cannot recommend it.

Last year, I watched pretty much all the episodes of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ with my wife (come on… it was not so bad after all!) and, from all the actors involved, Katherine Heigl was the one who had the biggest breakthrough thanks to this show. Eventually, the first movie she made after was ‘Knocked Up‘ which was a very smart move but, unfortunately, pretty much everything else she did afterwards was seriously underwhelming and, most of the time, some big flop at the box-office. This movie is a perfect example. Indeed, even though there was something slightly risky and edgy about ‘Knocked Up‘, there was nothing really challenging or even really entertaining here. Basically, it would be the first one in a long and never-ending streak of boring and usually under-performing comedies involving this actress. To be honest, I have actually a weak spot for romantic comedies but this one was just so predictable and full of clichés. I mean, the only scene I actually liked was the one when the two leads get drunk but  it wasn’t much, I’m afraid. To conclude, there was really nothing special at all about the whole thing and I don’t think it is  worth a look, except maybe if you are a die-hard fan of the genre. 

I don’t know if you have noticed but, on a regular basis, I tend to waste my time with some really awful movies. This movie is a perfect example. Indeed, it was just terrible and probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen. I guess if you are big motocross fan you might enjoy this movie but I highly doubt it. But as I'm not a motocross fan, I thought the whole was just so boring and just plain bad. The only slightly positive elements were maybe Cameron Richardson and Sophia Bush who were so major eye-candy but I wouldn’t recommend watch this movie just for them. By the way, even though I have always had a weak spot for these 2 ladies, I haven’t seen so many movies involving them which shows that their career never really took off after all. Another weird thing about this flick was probably to see Channing Tatum in a very small part. Indeed, nowadays, Tatum has become one of the most bankable actors in the world and you won’t see him again in such a pathetic production anytime soon. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, it was pretty bad, it is definitely not worth a look and you should probably avoid it.

To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this movie and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. Back then, Tim Robbins was probably one of the most interesting actors at work (see also ‘Jacob's Ladder’, ‘The Player’, ‘Short Cuts’, ‘The Shawshank Redemption’) and it was during this prolific period that he decided to release his directing debut. Unfortunately, it seems that this movie is pretty much forgotten nowadays and I think it is a pity. Indeed, I have always been fascinated by politics and it is probably my favority movie dealing with this subject. Eventually, as a follow-up, Robbins would make ‘Dead Man Walking’ who was a critical success but I actually prefer this movie though. Unfortunately, he would direct only a 3rd movie (the real obscure ‘Cradle Will Rock’ which I still haven’t watched at this point). Right now, Donal Trump is going through one of the weirdest political campaign either and I would be pretty neat to see again this movie under such circumstances. Anyway, to conclude, I thought it was a great satire with some very neat pitch black humor and I think it is definitely worth a look, especiall if you like the genre. 

To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely watch it again at some point. Anyway, I’m not sure if this movie has a big reputation abroad but, in France, it is definitely considered as a massive cult-classic. Back in those days, there was no ‘Jean-Pierre Jeunet’ but only ‘Caro & Jeunet’, at least, that’s how they were known in France at the time. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, it seriously exceeded my expectations, something that sadly doesn’t happen very often these days, and I was just quite blown away by the whole thing. Indeed, first of all, it is just a very original movie, above all, visually, but it went beyond that. Indeed, I really liked this story which was some kind of dark fairy tale with some rather messed-up characters. Eventually, Caro & Jeunet would work again together for ‘La cité des enfants perdus’, another very interesting French cult-classic, and they had a big budget this time but it would be the last movie they would make together which is too bad. Anyway, coming back our main feature, it is basically a great cult classic and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in French movies.

I already saw this movie many times but, since it was a while back, I thought I might as well check it out again. Well, first of all, even though it might seem hard to believe but, for many many years, Quentin Tarantino was actually struggling to make his first movie. Eventually, after many failures, he came out with this feature and the rest was pretty much history. I remember very well when this movie came out, there was a huge buzz around this flick. Anyway, it had a huge impact and it is rightfully consider one of the best directorial debuts ever made. In my opinion, it is actually one of Tarantino's best movies and, even though ‘Pulp Fiction’ was even better, afterwards, I do think that he just went downhill from there. Indeed, this movie was great because Tarantino couldn't do everything he wanted at the time and he couldn't go on and on in his egotrip that has became most of his recent features. Basically, limited in space, time and money, he produced some of his best work and there was here some amazing writing, directing and acting. Harvey Keitel made with this movie a really impressive come-back here but the rest of the cast were just as amazing and they all provided some really strong performances. Indeed, for Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi and Michael Madsen, it would be the movie that gave them their breakthrough. Almost 25 years later, Tarantino would make ‘The Hateful Eight’ which was pretty much a Western remake of his directorial debut and, even though it didn’t get much love, in my opinion, it was the best movie he made in years. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, to conclude, it is a great movie, it is definitely worth a look and it is pretty much a must see for any decent movie buff.