Reviews by johanlefourbe

I didn’t care much about ‘Ouija’ but since this prequel was directed by Mike Flanagan and since it seemed to have a decent reputation, I was quite eager to check it out. To be honest, I didn’t remember much about ‘Ouija’, except that it was pretty lame. I was in fact pretty sure that there was basically no connection between the two movies. It’s only afterwards that I discovered that it was actually taking place in the same house and some of the characters were even actually returning. Anyway, Flanagan did a fine job here, even if he didn’t focus too much on the Ouija board after all. Indeed, in fact, it could have been easily removed and the whole story would still have worked. Anyway, the mood was neat, the end-result was actually pretty creepy and I have to admit that, even if I wasn’t scared sh*tless, I was definitely pretty spooked though. On top of that, even if the characters were not very developed, the Zanders were charismatic enough and I actually cared about what they were going through. Flanagan also uses very often the same actors with all his movies and miniseries (Elizabeth Reaser, Lulu Wilson, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel) and they were all fine here. Even Annalise Basso, who wasn’t a Flanagan regular, did deliver a solid performance. Eventually, the only thing that didn’t really work out for me was when they tried to explain what was actually going on (which had eventually nothing to do with the Ouija board) which was rather convoluted and not really interesting. However, it was still rather impressive how much Flanagan managed to achieve with some seemingly hopeless material, especially if you would compare his work to the borderline abysmal previous instalment in this franchise. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was maybe not a homerun, it was still a solid horror feature and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I already saw this movie but since it was already available on Disney+, I thought I might as well re-watch it. Well, the first time around, with such a promising title, with such a cool director involved, I was pretty excited but, unfortunately, to be honest, the whole thing turned out to be a rather overhyped MCU feature after all. On top that, it was one of those rare blockbusters which could have been slightly longer though. As a result, even worse than the dream introduction which was rather generic, how this monster suddenly showed up a block away from a wedding Strange was attending was narratively pretty weak. Above all, after all, there was not much ‘Multiverse’ and not enough ‘Madness’ for my taste. Indeed, they basically visited only 2 other multiverses and one of them was already on the brink of obliteration. The one they spent most of their time was eventually not explored whatsoever which felt like a missed opportunity but I wish they kept on going in this journey and showed us some really wild places in the process. Eventually, you can only wonder what Scott Derrickson would have done if he would have stayed on board and it’s unfortunate that he wasn’t allowed to turn it into an actual horror film, the reason why he left this project. I thought it was also rather odd that there was basically no link whatsoever with the previous MCU movies, especially with the last Spider-Man instalment. Instead, they linked it with ‘What if…?’ and, above all, with ‘WandaVision’ which means that you basically HAVE to get Disney+, otherwise, good luck to keep track with the continuity in the MCU from now on. At least, I did appreciate that they gave us a villain who didn’t want to obliterate half of our population for once and Doctor Strange is still a pretty cool character. Furthermore, I have to admit that I did appreciate this movie more the 2^nd time around. Anyway, to conclude, even though it could have been so much better, it was still a decent watch though and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are fan of the MCU.

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Anne Fontaine, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out to be a decent portrayal of a young boy (and man) struggling with his homosexuality within an intolerant and hostile environment. In fact, the impact was so huge that the poor guy was still pretty much lost, even after finding some kindred spirits. Eventually, it was a good reminder that, even if we are supposedly living a in a ‘modern’ and ‘progressive’ society, many gay kids still fall in a total vacuum with no support whatsoever which must be so heart-breaking and terrifying. Furthermore, Finnegan Oldfield and Jules Porier both gave some solid performances of the same character at different stages of his life. Still, the whole thing did remind me of a Dutch movie I saw recently during which a young woman was reminiscing about her tragic youth and both movies had basically the same issue. Indeed, to make it all more complicated or sophisticated than it actually was, they went for a mixed-up chronology which is such a lazy and overused gimmick. To make things worse, in this case, in the scenes when Marvin was older, the guy didn’t do much, except sulking by himself in some corners. As a result, you might wonder why so many people seem to be interested in him as he did nothing really fascinating. I mean, I have to admit you could sense that there was something boiling inside him which did result in his successful play but, in my opinion, Anne Fontaine never really managed to really translate it to the screen. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was maybe not really ground-breaking, it was still a solid drama and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre or if you are interested in this subject. 

Less than 2 years ago, I saw ‘A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood’. Back then, I had never heard of Fred Rogers before but the guy turned out to be so interesting that I became quite eager to see this documentary, especially since it had been so well received when it was released. Well, even though there is no way that such a children TV program would appeal to me now or even when I was a kid, I was amazed by how Rogers managed to touch me. Eventually, it is usually slightly annoying when they keep praising someone in such documentaries but this movie is one of the very few exceptions as, in this case, it felt completely justified. Indeed, Rogers is probably one of the most inspiring guys I have ever seen and to hear him speaking is actually such a life-altering experience, at least, as far as I was concerned. Seriously, I was on the verge of tears by the end of this movie. One of the very few critics made towards him was the fact that he might have spoiled a whole generation of children with his gentle approach but it was hardly convincing. I mean, how can you ruin a child by telling he/she is a special at a very young age and by telling them that they deserve to be loved? What would be then a better alternative? Basically, it is all about the power of love and compassion, some concepts Fred Rogers managed to master very early on in his life. There was also some discussion about the fact he was actually a religious man but, even if I’m not religious myself, I still felt such a deep connection with him. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was just quite fascinating to behold and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in Fred Rogers. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Lee Daniels, I thought I might as well check it out. First of all, to be honest, I wasn’t really familiar with Billie Holiday’s life and career so it was already pretty neat to get more acquainted with this great artist. On top of that, even though I didn’t know much about Billie Holiday, I was still impressed by Andra Day who not only had a great voice but also delivered a strong performance. As a result, she was even nominated for an Academy Award for the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role, a nomination she definitely deserved. Unfortunately, even though it was an intriguing story, I’m afraid the rest of the movie was not really good. Indeed, even though the title might make you think that this movie was about the persecution of Billie Holiday by the FBI, it was also about her drug addiction, her toxic relationships with most men and how she apparently fell in love with a FBI agent tailing her. Eventually, even though there was nothing really wrong with any of these ideas (her love story with this FBI agent was still rather far-fetched though), the biggest issue was that Lee Daniels struggled to deliver something really cohesive. Garrett Hedlund was also rather weak and unconvincing but he wasn’t helped by the fact that it seemed rather dubious that Harry J. Anslinger, a FBI major figure, would get personally so involved. I mean, it didn’t seem unlikely that the FBI would persecute her but it was more likely that Anslinger would keep an eye on her from his office instead of showing up himself on a regular basis to check/harass Holiday. Eventually, sending some goons like Jimmy Fletcher would have been more than enough. Anyway, to conclude, even though it could have been much better, it was still a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you are interested in Billie Holiday.