Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 18 August 2010 08:13
(A review of
The Game)
Iâm such a huge fan of this movie and, in my opinion, it is easily the most underrated movie made by David Fincher. Indeed, he had directed this movie after âSevenâ and it wasn't so well received, at least, when you compare to how heralded was âSevenâ when it was released. It seems to be a trend in Fincherâs career that some really amazing gems such as âZodiacâ or this movie are barely noticed whereas some other lesser work, at least in my opinion, such as âThe Curious Case of Benjamin Buttonâ for example were very well received. Anyway, coming back to our main subject, I really loved this movie and, in fact, I would go even further and say that it is actually better than âSevenâ (I know, not many people share this opinion but guess what? I donât care whatsoever). Once again, you have the same great Fincher visuals but, this time, there was a real depth in this story, dealing with what people needs in their life when they have reached all their goals or how far are we ready to go to be entertained. Of course, there were some obvious plot holes but the sheer ambition behind this project managed to make me forget about those. At this point, âFight Clubâ is my favorite Fincher feature but this one is great as well, and remains just behind at the second spot. Anyway, to conclude, I think it is a great thriller, probably the best movie starring Michael Douglas and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in David Fincherâs work.
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 18 August 2010 07:44
(A review of
The New World)
I have a rather peculiar relationship with Terrence Malick. Indeed, I think the guy and his work is really fascinating but, sometimes, I actually have a really hard time with his movies. Anyway, by now, Malick has directed only 6 movies in almost 40 years and, so far, this movie is his least appreciated one (In fact, everything he made after âThe Tree of Lifeâ didnât get much love either). Anyway, even though this movie wasnât really well received, it is actually my favorite one. I donât know, the first time I watched it, I was completely overwhelmed by its beauty and grace. In my opinion, it is the movie with the best poetic feeling ever put on the silver screen. Basically, watching this movie was like watching a poem but not with words but with images and sound. I think the whole thing was really incredible and itâs too bad none of the other movies directed by Terrence Malick managed to impress me as much as this one (âThe Thin Red Lineâ was very close though). The weird thing was that the second time I watched it, I wasnât really impressed and it is as if, the first time around, I was touched by something magical but, the second time around, the magic was gone (The same thing actually occurred with âThe Thin Red Lineâ. I loved it the 1st time around but by the 2nd watch, I had a hard time to get into it). Anyway, to conclude, in my opinion, Terrence Malick is one of the most difficult director at work nowadays, his work is definitely an acquired taste, but, in my opinion, it is his best movie so far and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in this directorâs work.
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 18 August 2010 07:41
(A review of
Little Odessa)
I remember it very well, I actually saw this movie in the movie theater when it was released. The weird thing is that, even though I really loved the it, I couldnât helping dozing off a couple of times while watching this. I guess I must have been really tired of maybe just too relaxed. Anyway, it was the first movie directed by James Gray and it is actually his best one, even 20 years later. Basically, it is a great crime movie about the Russian maffia in America (I make it sound like "Eastern Promises" but the plot is completely different). It is about a hit-man coming back to his childhood neighborhood to complete a job and it is just very intense movie with some great performances provided given by Edward Furlong and Tim Roth. This movie started my fascination for James Grayâs work and, by now, I have seen all his movies (except for âThe Immigrantâ) but, I have to admit it, even though the guy was supposed to reach the same level obtained by Paul Thomas Anderson, Wes Anderson or Darren Aronofosky, Â Iâm afraid he never really managed to fulfill his great potential. Anyway, to conclude, I really loved this flick, I think it is a fascinating crime drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.Â
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 18 August 2010 07:39
(A review of
She's So Lovely)
To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this movie and I should probably re-watch it at some point. I have always been amazed by how low the ratings are for this feature because I always thought it was actually a rather strong drama. In fact, I even saw it in the movie theater when it was released and I was quite impressed at the time. I mean, you can say whatever but, on paper, the whole thing sounded pretty amazing. Indeed, it was written by John Cassavetes and directed by his son, Nick Cassavetes and the cast included such fine actors like Sean Penn, Robin Wright, John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Harry Dean Stanton and Gena Rowlands. I really had a weak spot for those really messed up characters and I thought that this rather unhealthy love story was rather fascinating to behold. To be honest, Robin Wrightâs character was rather inconsistent and probably the weakest point in this movie but I still enjoyed the damned thing. Anyway, I have seen most of Nick Cassavetesâs movies (except the really obscure âYellowââ) and this one might be his best. To conclude, I think it is a great love story about screwed up people and it is definitely worth a look.
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 18 August 2010 07:36
(A review of
Good Old Daze)
Basically, it is once again one of these really obscure French movies that almost no one has seen here on listal. Anyway, in fact, I remember it very well when I first saw it, I even saw it when it came out (for some strange reasons, it was first released on a French TV channel before it hit the movie theaters). Anyway, back in those days, I was just about 14-15 years old and I could completely identify with the characters. Indeed, basically, they were around the same age, rebellious, anxious about life, experiencing drugs and sex.... Concerning CĂŠdric Klapisch, it was only his 2nd directing effort and my first contact with him but I was really impressed and he would eventually become one of the most interesting French directors of his generation. Concerning Romain Duris, the guy had an impressive screen presence even though he was barely 20 years old with no acting experience. Apparently Klapisch discovered him in the street and, eventually, they would make 6 other movies together. To conclude, even though it is a rather obscure flick, I have a huge weak spot for this movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in French movies.
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 17 August 2010 04:01
(A review of
In This World)
Event though his track record is rather uneven (the guy is pretty much a workaholic, making very often 2 movies a year), I think Michael Winterbottom is quite a fascinating director and, in my opinion, He should get much more credit. Anyway, after his brilliant debut, âButterfly Kissâ, this movie is easily his best feature and it deservedly won the Golben Bear at the 2003 Berlin film festival. Basically, the plot is rather simple, it follows a young boy (14-15 years old, I think) who goes from Pakistan to England, illegally. Even though you pretty much know from the start that this journey will be pretty hazardous, it was seriously dangerous, harrowing and just plain horrible to behold. Honestly, after seeing this movie, I'll bet you will have some doubts about the anti-immigration laws. Indeed, do they have any purpose, considering that if people live in despair, they will risk anything, even their life to find a better place to live with hope of a brighter future? Since then, Winterbottom has directed many interesting movies but none of them have been so good. To conclude, I thought it was a great flick, it is a difficult watch but I think it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested by this subject.
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 17 August 2010 03:51
(A review of
Baadasssss!)
In my opinion, it is one of those movies that came and disappeared pretty quickly without being noticed but I think it is a shame because it really deserved more love. Indeed, I thought it was a fascinating movie about how Mario van Peebles's father directed his most famous movie (âSweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Songâ). Indeed, when you think about, it works on some many levels. On one hand, the making of the movie which was rather chaotic but also quite impressive, showing the determination of Melvin van Peebles to finish his movie. On the other hand, it displayed also the struggle of Mario van Peebles who, at the same time, had a deep respect for his father achievement but you can feel his resentment for his father because he went so far to finish his movie (for example, back then, Mario van Peebles was 13 years and had to play in a sex scene in this legendary picture which must have been rather traumatizing). Eventually, even though Mario van Peebles had quite a productive career as a director, this is by far his best movie. Anyway, in spite the fact that it is actually quite obscure, I thought it was an impressive movie and it is definitely worth a look.
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 17 August 2010 03:51
(A review of
Career Girls)
I wasnât sure what to expect from this flick since it was directed by Mike Leigh, I thought I might as well give it a try. Even though it seems to be one of his less known movies, it was actually really good and I think it is actually criminally underrated. I never noticed this before but Mike Leigh has made quite his share of movie dealing with women (âHappy-Go-Luckyâ, âVera Drakeâ and âSecret & Liesâ) and I think he makes some interesting portrayals of female characters. To be honest, I didnât care much for âHappy-Go-Luckyâ, even though I enjoyed it, I never understood why everybody was so raving about and I thought it was vastly overatted. On the other hand, this movie which doesnât deal with one woman but two, was also a typical Leigh movie about common people in a realistic social and economic world but the big difference is that I thought that they were captivating. Indeed, those two actresses, Katrin Cartlidge who already passed away more than a decade ago and Lynda Steadman who I havenât seen ever again, were quite brilliant and with the sober directing by Leigh, they had all the space to properly develop their characters. Anyway, to conclude, I really liked this flick a lot and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 17 August 2010 03:50
(A review of
Butterfly Kiss)
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To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this movie but I still remember it so well. Indeed, somehow, I saw the damned thing in the movie theater when it came out and I was just seriously blown away. Basically, I had absolutely never seen something similar before. It was the 1st movie directed by Michael Winterbottom that I saw and I have been following his career ever since. As a matter of fact, he has became one of the most prolific directors making at least one movie every year. Anyway, it is one of my favorite movies and it is definitely one of the most disturbing I have ever seen (and I have seen some weird sh*t...). I have to admit it, it is actually really difficult to describe the plot but the main character played by Amanda Plummer, in her best performance ever, was just electrifying to watch. So, the plot was not really important as the main focus was on those women who wandered through life like two lost souls. Even though it is an acquired taste as it is a very dark and grim picture, I thought the whole thing was just fascinating to behold and it is definitely worth a look.
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Posted : 14 years, 3 months ago on 17 August 2010 03:50
(A review of
The King and the Mockingbird)
It has been a while since I have seen this movie and I would really like to watch it again at some point. In fact, I do have a DVD of this movie but itâs only dubbed in Dutch and I would rather re-watch it in the original French language. Anyway, itâs a movie I watched so many times as a kid and, back then, I thought it was just spellbinding to behold but itâs a movie that I can be appreciated by children and grown-ups alike. It was made when there was still no computer animation and I do believe itâs a shame that the hand-drawn animation has been dropped by most studios because such movies were also quite gorgeous to look at. On top of that, in this case, there was also some humour and adventure and it was probably the most poetic animated feature I have seen so far. Itâs such a pity that Paul Grimault  never managed to release another full length feature afterwards because I do believe that the guy was probably one of the best animation directors that ever lived. Anyway, I really loved the damned thing, it is one of my childhood favourites and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in animated features.
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