
Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 17 October 2010 10:14
(A review of
The Mist)
I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I have it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. First of all, even though Frank Darabont has directed arguably the best movie ever made, he didn't have much success afterwards. Indeed, since then he has directed only 3 movies and only 'The Green Mile' has been successful. His 4th and final feature so far was yet another Stephen King adaptation and even though it was barely seen, it is actually one of his best movies in my opinion. Basically, it is a standard horror flick which masterfully plays with the old rule saying that invincible threats are the scariest ones. So, I thought it was really well directed and Thomas Jane gave probably his best performance so far. The best aspect in his feature was probably how it depicts the various reactions of the inhabitants in this dramatic situation. There was also a lot of talk about the ending but I'm not sure if it was really convincing. On one hand, it was indeed quite powerful and heartbreaking but, on the other hand, I thought it was way too theatrical and actually rather awkward. Indeed, just 5 minutes after everyone in the car has been shot, you get to see the tanks showing up. I mean, it would have worked better if the main character would have been walking around for hours and then see the tanks. But that was the whole point: to make him kill everyone just 5 minutes before they're saved. Sure, it was strong but unnecessarily cruel, in my opinion. To conclude, even though it is not one of Darabont's most highly regarded work, I still think it is one of his best movies and it is definitely worth a look.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 17 October 2010 10:12
(A review of
Despicable Me)
After hearing loads of good things about this movie, I became really curious about it and I went to see it in the movie theater with Nick, my step-son. Honestly, I thought it was a nice little movie with some funny moments but not much more than that, I'm afraid. Indeed, personally, I think it is overrated since there is nothing really exceptional about it but it remains a good flick though. However, the 3D was completely useless, just avoid it. Still, I have to admit it, the animation was really good, the minions were really hilarious (in my opinion, they could drop Gru, Vector and the little girls, focus on those little guys and you would have a much better movie) and it was pretty neat that they focused on a bad guy for once. Unfortunately, Gru was not really a bad guy, he was just a loser who tried to be mean. At least, he was quite funny, just as Vector, another loser trying to be a super bad guy. Eventually, the makers tried to make the whole thing a little too family friendly for my taste and it would have been much better if the tone would have been a little darker. Still, the minions were hilarious, Gru and Vector were quite funny as well and the whole thing was definitely entertaining. To conclude, even though I think it is rather overrated, it is and remains a fun animated feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are looking for something to see with your kids.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 16 October 2010 07:30
(A review of
Resident Evil: Extinction)
I had some rather low expectations concerning this flick but since I have a weak spot for Milla Jovovich, I thought I should give it a try anyway. Honestly, it is rather unbelievable that they managed to make so many movies about Resident Evil (the 5th installment was released in 2012, and they are currently working on a 6th movie!). Anyway, if you don't expect too much before watching this movie, I guess it is still watchable. Indeed, I have to admit it, the whole thing was actually rather nicely done but it was also nothing special either. Furthermore, there was barely no story and character development at all but the visuals were all right. It was also thanks to Milla Jovovich that the movie didn't fail completely. Indeed, she is and remains really badass in this role and she basically carried the whole thing on her shoulders. It's too bad that after 3 movies, we still don't get know Alice a little bit more but, of course, this kind of movies are not about characters and plot, it is only about wall-to-wall action scenes which can be entertaining but, in my case, I always find this rather tiresome. To conclude, it is not really bad but it is still pretty damned average and not really worth a look in my opinion.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 16 October 2010 07:25
(A review of
Grandma's Boy)
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. Indeed, since I had never heard about this movie before, I really didn't know what to expect before watching the damned thing but I have to admit it, it was in fact not bad at all. Obviously, the premise really sounded lame and, yet, there were some really hilarious scenes. Unfortunately, there were also a lot of weird stuff and a few very awkward situations that were actually more painful than actually entertaining to behold. On top of that, I’m not sure that Allen Covert was really the best choice to play the lead. To conclude, I guess maybe it's more enjoyable if you're completely stoned but I have to admit it, it was miles better than I expected and I actually think it is really worth a look especially if you like the genre.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 15 October 2010 11:30
(A review of
Cursed)
Even though this movie had a rather lame reputation, since I always had a weak spot for Wes Craven, I thought I should check it out. Indeed, Wes Craven was a pretty cool director and he has made some awesome movies. However, this was definitely not one of them... Apparently, I read somewhere that the production was a mess and you could see it on the screen. Indeed, Craven spent more than 2 years on this movie, shooting, re-shooting, and re-shooting again with a different script and a really different cast. Eventually, the end-result was seriously weak with a really lame story, some lame dialogues and some lame special effects. It was even supposed to be R rated but, once again, the Weinstein brothers changed their mind and went for a PG-13, ruining even more the whole thing even more. You might wonder if the original version might not have worked better but we’ll never know, I’m afraid. For Wes Craven, the blow on his career was huge and the only films he would manage to make afterwards would be the rather weak ‘Scream 4’ and the even more underwhelming ‘My Soul to Take’ which was just really sad. To conclude, the whole thing is rather disastrous and you should probably avoid it.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 14 October 2010 12:48
(A review of
The Last Airbender)
Ever since ‘The Sixth Sense’ turned out to be one of the most overrated movies ever made, I had my doubts about M. Night Shyamalan’s qualities as a director. However, even if I had some doubts, I have to admit that the guy had some skills and I would have never expected his career to become such a disaster. Indeed, not so long ago, a movie directed by this guy was patiently awaited by movie fans around the world. I mean, up to ‘The Village’ or, at least, ‘Signs’, his movies were quite successful at the box-office. But it all changed with the dreadful ‘Lady in the Water’ (which is still his worst movie so far). Indeed, nowadays, all his movies are awaited with dread and they all crash and burned at the box-office and they are always destroyed by the critics. With this movie, it seemed that Shyamalan was going towards a complete new direction and, even though I was maybe in the minority, I thought that the whole thing actually had some potential. Indeed, even though I never really followed this TV show, I did watch it a couple of times with my kids and, if done properly, it could be turned into an awesome franchise. Unfortunately, the end-result was just terribly weak and underwhelming, frustrating all the fans of this beloved TV-show. The outcry at the time was so huge that, even though it was quite successful internationally, any planned sequels was just cancelled. Visually, it was not bad but the plot and characters were just really poorly developed. This could be linked to the bizarre decision to adapt a 20-episode TV season into only 90 minutes. Anyway, it was another mess coming from this director and it is considered by many as one of the worst movies ever made. To conclude, in my opinion, honestly, it was not as bad as 'Lady in the water' but it was still a very average flick.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 14 October 2010 10:56
(A review of
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask)
To be honest, it has been years since I have seen this movie and maybe I should check it out again at some point. Anyway, even though this movie has a rather poor reputation, especially if you compare it to Woody Allen’s more prestigious work, I always had a weak spot for the damned thing. Indeed, even though I'm not sure if it is the most hilarious movie I have ever seen, it is definitely the most hilarious title ever and it did have some hilarious moments. Indeed, for this movie, Woody Allen went pretty wild and the whole thing was quite hysterical. Obviously, I have to admit it, like any other anthology film, not all segments were really amazing but I thought that all of them were actually fairly enjoyable. My favorite segment was probably the last one, when you get to see some sperm just before they are ‘launched’ into the great unknown. It was just pitch-perfect and I also enjoyed the previous segment about some weird sexual experimental going wrong as it was completely absurd but really entertaining as well. Anyway, to conclude, even though it is probably not a masterpiece, I really liked the damned thing and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Woody Allen's work.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 14 October 2010 10:54
(A review of
The Bourne Identity)
I know I am probably in the minority but I actually think this movie is better than part 2 and 3. The reason why is actually pretty simple. In this movie, Jason Bourne is a vulnerable and insecure hero and it is something which I found rather refreshing and original but in the part 2 and 3, he just becomes another invicible and omnipotent action-hero, something I have seen already 1000 times. I mean, those sequels are pretty good, definitely, but I think they are popular mostly because of the badass action scenes (which are indeed pretty awesome) but the story is nothing really original or mind-blowing in my opinion. With this first movie, I thought that the action scenes were pretty cool AND that the story was really spellbinding to watch and I missed this great combination in the sequels. I have to admit that the way Matt Damon and Franka Potente hook together was rather unlikely but since both actors played so well, it didn't bother me that much. Back then, Potente was one of those rising European actors and it is just quite unfortunate that she never broke through stateside. On the contrary, it was a star-making performance for Matt Damon who suddenly became overnight a major action actor, even though he never made many movies in this genre. Eventually, Paul Greengrass got a lot of praise for what he did with this franchise and it is deserved but I think Doug Liman did a great job and should be credited as well. Anyway, to conclude, I think it is a very good action flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 14 October 2010 10:48
(A review of
Lucky Luke: Ballad of the Daltons)
There is a fair chance that you might be wondering why I gave this movie such a high rating but the reason is actually pretty simple. Indeed, when I was a kid, I used to watch it very often (at the time, we didn’t have a VHS device but my aunt and uncle had one and every single time we would visit them, I would watch this flick). The amazing thing is that, even when I re-watch it today, I still believe it is one of the best animated movies ever made. Indeed, even though it is already 40 years, the animation is still pretty good but above all, the story is just so damned entertaining and there are many many hilarious moments through this amazing adventure. In my opinion, it stands far above most (all?) of the childish stuff produced by Disney through the years and I'm amazed it doesn’t get more credit than that. I don’t know, maybe it has to do with the fact that every kids in France as grown up with Lucky Luke and, therefore, it might be difficult to connect with this flick if you don’t have this culture baggage. Anyway, to conclude, I think it is an amazing flick and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in animated features.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry

Posted : 14 years, 6 months ago on 14 October 2010 10:48
(A review of
Deep Impact)
I already saw this movie but since it was a while back and since I had it on DVD, I was quite eager to check it out again. First of all, I have to point out that I'm usually not a big fan of disaster movies but, somehow, I have to admit it that I definitely have a weak spot for this one. Indeed, before watching this flick, I didn't expect much from it but I was eventually positively surprised. The special effects were quite impressive but it was expected but the real surprise was that the story was actually rather engaging and entertaining. As usual with this kind of flicks, there was an impressive cast (Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, Vanessa Redgrave, James Cromwell, Ron Eldard, Jon Favreau, Laura Innes, Leelee Sobieski, Blair Underwood, Dougray Scott,...) and they all delivered some decent performances. Back in those days, at the end of the 90's, there was a whole bunch of movies surfing on the fear of an improbable doomsday but while 'Armageddon' turned out to be a big box-office success, I easily preferred this movie. Anyway, to conclude, even though this movie is obviously not a masterpiece, it is probably my favorite disaster movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

0 comments,
Reply to this entry