Reviews by johanlefourbe

To be honest, I wasn’t really dying to watch yet another version of the classic fairy tale but since this movie had a really strong reputation, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though I have to admit that it is indeed probably the best version I have seen, well, I still think that the story is/was rather boring though. Concerning the characters, it was pretty much the same. Sure, I have to admit that Jean Marais did manage to do a lot with the Beast but all the characters were, in my opinion, rather tedious. However, there is no denying that it was such a masterstroke to have a surrealist poet like Jean Cocteau to direct this classic fairy tale. Indeed, can you imagine if someone like David Lynch or Luis Buñuel would have been allowed to direct ‘Snow White’ or ‘Cinderella’? Well, it could have been brilliant but that’s actually what happened here. Indeed, instead of the usual sappy children story, here, Cocteau went for a completely  different vibe and the end-result was some kind of surreal gothic horror tale which was obviously really neat. Above all, the damned thing was visually quite amazing with some arms holding candelabras all over the place, some statues following you with their gaze and many other interesting visual stuff. Eventually, since everybody seemed to love the damned thing so much, I feel slightly bad that I didn’t care more about it, even if I really admired it. Maybe I should give it another try at some point, maybe I was too tired when I watched the damned thing. Anyway, to conclude, even though it didn’t completely blow me away, I still agree that it must be the most definite version of this fairy tale and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

Since there was really some buzz around this movie for quite a while, I was eager to check it out. Well, it wasn’t an easy watch, that’s for sure. Indeed, by  now, we all know that the life of Marilyn Monroe A.K.A. Norma Jeane Baker was probably not so great after all but Andrew Dominik pushed this idea even further and gave us the bleakest vision on her life that you could possibly imagine. Basically, according to this movie, everything in her life was heavily traumatic, her childhood, her career, her stardom, her pregnancies, her romantic relationships,… Seriously, the damned thing was just relentless. The end-result was basically some kind of feverish nightmare but, unfortunately, the movie didn’t have much else to offer and the fact that it did last almost 3 hours probably didn’t help. The funny thing is that, after all this time, you don’t actually learn much about Monroe, except that her life really sucked from the very beginning until the very end. And, yet, even though the approach chosen to tell the story of this legendary pop icon actually backfired, the damned thing was still fascinating somehow. Indeed, as usual with Dominik, the directing was strong as he constantly mixed up the aspect ratios and moved back and forth between black-and-white and color. And, of course, Ana de Armas gave here a really strong performance. Sure, there was a debate because de Armas is actually Cuban but I think she looked just stunning and it went beyond that as she completely disappeared in this character. Anyway, to conclude, even though I understand why this movie didn’t get much love when it was released and I have to admit that it was rather exhausting to watch, I still think it was quite intriguing but if you are a big fan of Marilyn Monroe, I would actually advise to avoid it. 

Since this movie has a really solid reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list among other things), I was really eager to check it out. Well, from all the movies I have seen so far directed by Murnau, to be honest, it was the one that did impress me the least. It’s interesting because all the reviews I read afterwards were gushing about how this movie was above all a technical marvel. In fact, I find it rather hard to judge such an old movie on this aspect alone. Indeed, we have been so accustomed to see such  elaborate modern movies, I mean, visually speaking, and I tend to forget how difficult, even impossible, it was to come up with such striking visuals back then without the usual modern tricks and gadgets. Still, I have to admit that I was quite impressed by the superimposition of several images, it was just so clever and very well done, especially for the time period. So, sure,  it really did deserve all the praises it had received, at least, on a technical level, but, eventually, I just really struggled with the story though. At least, the beginning was intriguing. Indeed, in spite of the title, it was actually pretty bleak with this unnamed man plotting to kill his wife as suggested by his mistress. However, this plot was resolved rather quickly and, then, during the 2^nd act, you had this couple who suddenly were in love again doing some really random stuff in the city. Well, even if some of the scenes were a technical marvel, this couple was actually rather tedious to behold. On the other hand, I have to admit that the final act with this huge storm was quite spectacular but, all in all, to be honest, I just didn’t care much for this story. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t blow me away, it is another major classic van F.W. Murnau and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Virginie Efira, I thought I might as well check it out. To be honest, I have to admit that, when I heard about this movie, I was assuming that it would be about a single woman raising a kid on her own in the 50’s and how she struggled with the social stigma involved with this situation. However, it was not at all what I expected. In fact, it is rather hard to describe this movie but it shows how intriguing the damned thing actually turned out to be. Indeed, even though the title might make you think that it is a love story, this romance was only the first half of this movie, the second half was something entirely different. On top of that, Virginie Efira delivered a solid performance and it was definitely no small feat to convincingly perform the same character through roughly 5 decades. Unfortunately, I wish that Niels Schneider's character would have been slightly more nuanced. Indeed, the guy turned out to be so awful, so evil even, you might wonder why Rachel would have been so in love for so long with him. As a result, it made her character looked like a naïve moron. Then, there was the whole incest thing who turned her life and the life of her daughter into some genuine nightmare and making this guy officially the worst dad ever. Well, I think the way they approached this topic was rather manipulative. On one hand, I could feel that something fishy was going on but, in my opinion, it was just too ambiguous. Indeed, how could you blame Rachel for trying to have her daughter spend some time with her biological father? However, as a result, it seemed that it was mostly her fault but since her kid seemed to be so thrilled to finally get acquainted with her father, it was not so easy to figure out. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t completely work, I have to admit that the damned thing was quite intense and it is actually definitely worth a look. 

Since this movie was directed by Sergei Eisenstein, I was quite eager to check it out. Indeed, I did see ‘Battleship Potemkin’, arguably his most famous movie, but it was maybe 20 years ago, it was really neat to finally see another movie from this great master, especially after all these years. I was surprised to find out that it was actually his directorial debut as the damned thing was quite complex and ambitious for a first-timer. Still, to be honest, I have to admit that I had actually a rather hard time to get into the damned thing though. The fact that such Soviet propaganda movies actually never focused on the characters individually and instead handled the working class as one single character probably didn’t help. On the other hand, I have to admit that it was just quite inspiring and exhilarating to see this crowd of working men rising up all together against their bosses but also the whole system in general. Even if you believe that Communism and Socialism were the worst possible thing in the world, there was a time when an alternative was actually possible. At least, for a short while, it was explored and this alternative did provide something else than our current endless chase after financial profits and personal gain. The final act during which the ruthless repression took place was also strong and, unfortunately, felt quite realistic. It’s interesting that, when you read other reviews, they mostly focus on the technical aspects of this movie which was, for the time, apparently quite groundbreaking, but, to be honest, I didn’t focus too much on that. Anyway, to conclude, even though if it didn’t really grab me, it was still an interesting watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Eisenstein’s work

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a decent cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I usually have a weak spot for such minimalist horror features but, to be honest, I’m rather surprised this movie received such solid reviews. I mean, it’s not that it was bad, it’s just that it never really impressed me in any way. For starters, like probably many other viewers, I was actually really annoyed by the title. Sure, when it was all finished, I get that it was probably hinting at Travis’s nightmares but, in my opinion, it was actually such a cheap way to build up the expectations of the audience as, eventually, nothing came at night after all. Concerning the movie itself, I have to admit that it was a decent post-apocalyptic horror flick but, to be honest, they didn’t do anything really interesting with the genre though. The fact that many like me have seen more than 10 seasons of ‘The Walking Dead’ probably didn’t help. Another issue was that even though there were only 5 characters, none of them was really developed, with Travis being the only exception. Indeed, it was probably the most interesting aspect of this movie, the way they displayed how traumatizing such extreme circumstances must be for children and teenagers. However, I wonder if it was really the goal of this movie though. Anyway, it was really not enough and I wish they did more with the other characters. In this case, the biggest victim was Carmen Ejogo. Indeed, she was seriously completely wasted here as her character was basically given nothing to do at all. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch though, even if it was mostly forgettable.