Posted : 14 years, 4 months ago on 7 September 2010 11:16
(A review of
Akira (1988))
This flick is one of my all-time favorites. The first time I saw it, I was about 15 years old and it completely blew me my mind. Indeed, I had never seen anything like this before and I thought it was just fascinating (Eventually, I also bought the comic-books which I also highly recommend). Indeed, this animated movie was just so well done and it was definitely a milestone when it was made. The whole thing looked great (and still does 20 years later) but, above all, the story was just mesmerizing. I always had a weak spot for those post-apocalyptic features and, in my opinion, even though it is now more than 20 years old, it still feels really modern and edgy. Like 'Blade Runner', this flick could be released nowadays and nobody would realize it has actually been made decades ago. Yeah, it is that good. For many years, they have been trying to make a US live action remake with not much results. On one hand, it could be interesting but on the other hand, most remakes are completely worthless so it's probably a good thing that they just dropped the whole thing (so far). Anyway, it is a great classic and a must see if you are interested in Japanese animation.
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Posted : 14 years, 4 months ago on 7 September 2010 10:44
(A review of
Arizona Dream)
To be honest, it has been ages since I have seen this movie and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. Even though we don’t hear much from Emir Kusturica nowadays (in fact, he will make a come-back in 2016 with a new movie starring Monica Bellucci but I wonder if it will be really good) but back in the 80’s and 90’s, he was definitely one of the best directors in the world. In fact, after gathering some international critical success, he got the opportunity to work in the USA. Eventually, it would be the only American movie directed by this guy and it turned out to be his best one, at least, in my opinion. Back then, Johnny Depp was maybe not the biggest movie star in the world (however, you can argue that his days as box-office king are pretty much behind him by now) but he was definitely one of the most interesting actors at work at the time and he gave here a really strong performance. I’ll have to admit it, the story was rather weird and sometimes rather difficult to follow but the mood was just great and unique. To conclude, I think it is one of the most mesmerizing movies ever made and I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if like you like the genre or if you are interested in Johnny Depp's work.
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Posted : 14 years, 4 months ago on 7 September 2010 10:32
(A review of
Dead Ringers)
This movie is basically one of those that actually really shaped my movie taste. Yeah, it is that good and, the first time I saw it, I must have been 14-15 years old and it just blew my mind. Indeed, I had never seen something similar before and I have re-watched at least once every decade ever since and its impact is still very strong. At the time, in my opinion, David Cronenberg finally found the best combination between his trademark gross horror style and some more mainstream elements and the end-result was just mesmerizing. Obviously, it is still really creepy but the whole gimmick around twins had been done before but not with such tremendous results and, in my opinion, this movie has one of the best performances ever. Indeed, Jeremy Irons portrays 2 different twins so well that he managed to create two distinct individuals which were essentially identical and yet slightly different and, at some point, you get lost in the story and you have the feeling that you are watching 2 different actors who just happened to look the same. On top of that, this messed up story about gynecology was just fascinating as well. To conclude, it is one of my favorite movies and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in David Cronenberg's work.
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Posted : 14 years, 4 months ago on 7 September 2010 10:12
(A review of
A Clockwork Orange)
It might be my favorite movie directed by Stanley Kubrick but he has made so many great flicks, it is just impossible to choose for me. Anyway, it was the first movie directed by the great master I saw and I can remember when I saw it for the first time. I was about 15 years old at the time and I was jut completely blown away by the whole thing. I mean, I had seen some good movies before but nothing like this. The thing that most impressed me, back then, is that even though it was made almost 25 years before, it felt actually really modern. This flick had basically everything : the visuals, the direction, the acting, the music, the thoughtfulness,.... Obviously, the whole thing was bleak and grim and it is rather understandable that many viewers wouldn't like it (Roger Ebert, for example, really despised it). Furthermore, he main character was really despicable (even more then Hannibal Lecter for example) and I think it is an aquired taste but you can't deny that the directing was just flawless. Later on, I have read the book and it is interesting that the book has actually one more chapter with a happy ending. Even though the book was pretty awesome, I enjoyed the movie even more because it is was darker, more pessimistic and just more compelling in my opinion. The only small critic I would have, preventing this movie from being really perfect, is that I'm not sure about the purpose of the whole thing but that's a small thing. Anyway, to conclude, it is a great classic and a must see for any movie lover.
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Posted : 14 years, 4 months 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, 4 months 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, 4 months 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, 4 months 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, 4 months 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, 4 months 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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