Reviews by johanlefourbe

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since I have a weak spot for Lily James, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it did sound like a really weird mash-up and I remember that there was a pretty good buzz about this movie before it got released. However, I’m not surprised that it turned out to be a flop after all. Indeed, I don’t think that zombie fans were really eager to have their beloved monsters get stuck in the middle of some stuffy vintage romantic intrigues and, the other way around, I don’t think that Jane Austen fans would be happy to have some ghoulish monsters randomly popping up in the middle of some romantic encounters involving Mr Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet. As a result, you might wonder who was supposed to be the audience for this flick. At least, it seems pretty obvious that the cast (Lily James, Sam Riley, Bella Heathcote, Suki Waterhouse, Douglas Booth, Charles Dance, Jack Huston, Lena Headey, Matt Smith) had quite some fun with this material and the whole thing looked pretty good but, to be honest, I thought it was just really boring. Basically, the only way it could have worked was if they would have gone for something completely wacky, I mean, wasn't it supposed to be the whole point from the very beginning? Unfortunately, instead, they gave us a rather weak version of ‘Pride and Prejudice’ combined with a rather weak zombie flick (the worst part was probably this rather inane sub-plot about the fact that the zombies could be somehow ‘tamed’ by eating some pig brains…) and this mix was just so tedious to behold. Anyway, to conclude, I just didn’t care for the damned thing at all and I don’t think it is really worth a look. 

In fact, I actually saw first Steven Soderbergh’s version which had been a huge flop when it was released but it was ages ago and I didn’t remember much about it. Still, it was pretty neat that, after a WWII drama and a medieval epic, Tarkovsky was coming up with something completely different and again really ambitious. Anyway, as usual with this director, it turned out to be terribly challenging though but, at this point, I wouldn’t expect less from the Russian master. And, yet, even if it was pretty tough to watch, there was still something quite mesmerizing about the damned thing. In my opinion, it was some kind of reflection on the fact that we are, as a specie, terribly arrogant because we have been ruling this Earth for millenniums (we also ruined the damned thing by exploiting all its resources but that’s another story) but, in fact, we barely know ourselves after all. As a result, we would be actually rather poorly equipped if we would encounter another kind of life form in some distant future. Indeed, in the vast majority of SF films, aliens are portrayed either as some human-eating monsters or as a superior life-form who actually are very similar to us and they always fit some logical frame corresponding with how we see ourselves and how we see life in general. However, as it was displayed in this movie, we would probably encounter something completely ‘different’. In fact, the gap between what we would expect and what we would actually get would be so huge that we would probably not have the mental and psychological capabilities to handle such an encounter. At least, that’s what I got from the damned thing but maybe Tarkovsky actually meant something completely different. Concerning the rest of the movie, well, I’m sorry, but it did feel like a very long and rather ugly episode of ‘The Twilight Zone’, to be honest. Anyway, to conclude, even if I’m not sure if I really understood this flick, there was still something fascinating about it and it is definitely worth a look, at least, if you like the genre. 

To be honest, I didn’t expect much from this sequel but, since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, to be honest, pretty much like the previous sequel from this franchise, I have to admit that I was actually rather positively surprised by the damned thing. First of all, it was pretty neat to see again the charismatic Ed and Lorraine Warren, even if they were involved only at the beginning and at the very end.  Furthermore, unlike with the first instalment which turned out to be so underwhelming, once again, they didn’t focus so much on this evil doll which was a smart move. Instead, they explained that she was some kind of vessel or magnet for other spirits which was not a bad idea since it allowed the makers to unleash a whole bunch of ghosts, spirits and other demons in the Warrens' house. The downside was that it did make the whole thing seriously random. However, a bigger issue was that the whole setup didn’t make much sense whatsoever. Indeed, the Warrens had a room full of very evil and dangerous artifacts but what do they do when they go on a business trip? Well, they just leave this responsibility to an underaged baby-sitter… However, it actually got even worse. Indeed, Ed Warren actually LEFT the freaking keys to get to this room on his desk which was just completely unbelievable… Sure, I understand that they had to find a way to get Annabelle out of her closet but I wish they did find something slightly more convincing. It was also rather bewildering how much the Warrens completely downplayed what happened when they got back home. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, I still think it was actually a decent horror flick though and it is worth a look, at least, if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but I have to admit that I was quite eager to see Felix van Groeningen’s first English-speaking directing effort. To be honest, even if it was definitely not bad at all, I still think they struggled to bring something new to the genre. Furthermore, I wish they gave more details on how Nic actually ended up in this position. Indeed, they spent the whole duration showing that his father was a rather sweet guy with a stable lifestyle and household and that he really cared for his son. The only explanation might be that he might have felt somehow as an outcast following the divorce of his parents but it was not developed enough to really explain his craving. Anyway, the main focus of this movie was above all to show the devastating impact such drug addiction might have on the relatives, even if they are loving and have all the patience in the world. Indeed, if one of your kids become such a drug addict, it must be the stuff of nightmare for any decent parent and the hopelessness and powerlessness of the father was quite heart-breaking to behold. Another thing I did appreciate with this movie was how they displayed that the path to recovery is so slow, so difficult, it might take some years, and, in many cases, many drug victims don’t actually make it or never manager to recover. It’s really something else than what you get to see, for example, in ‘Trainspotting’, when Renton shuts himself off in his room for a couple of days and comes out clean and pretty much in control. Finally, there is no denying that Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet both delivered some solid performances, especially Chalamet who was almost unrecognizable when he was under the influence. Anyway, to conclude, even if it was maybe nothing really ground-breaking, it was still a solid drama and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a solid cast involved, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, I really liked these 2 characters who both turned out to be quite complex and fairly well developed. Of course, the fact that Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce both gave some really strong performances also helped. Eventually, I’m not surprised that Close got another nomination for an Academy Award for her brilliant work in this movie, what is more bewildering is that she still didn’t get one following such a stellar career. Unfortunately, even though it was a blast to see Pryce and Close at the top of their game, to be honest, I didn’t care much about the story though. Basically, for a good while, you wonder what’s going on with this couple. At first, you might think it had to do with the fact that Joe constantly cheated on his wife throughout their whole relationship but, as pointed out by Christian Slater’s character, there is something terribly cliché about a genius writer with an uncontrollable libido. However, instead, they went into a complete direction but this twist (she was actually the one who wrote all his books) was never really interesting and/or convincing. It probably had to do with the fact that this revelation came too late to be properly developed and the couple of flashbacks were certainly not enough. I mean, why didn’t they co-sign all the books after the 1st one became a hit? I mean, sure, with the 1st book, they were pretty desperate and that’s why they took some drastic measure but they never gave any explanation why they kept this arrangement forever. Furthermore, why did she stay with him after all these years if she resented this situation so much? Anyway, to conclude, even if the material was not great, the actors involved were quite spellbinding to behold and only therefore the damned thing is actually worth a look. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but I have to admit that I was rather curious to see what Edward Norton would do with his 2^nd directorial effort and, since it was available on Netflix, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, it turned out to be a decent neo-film noir but, to be honest, not much more than that. Still, Norton did get many things right though. Indeed, the mood was nice, the soundtrack was spot-on and it was definitely a bold move to have Bruce Willis playing the coolest character around and still get rid off him within the first 10 mins. The main issue was basically with the story. Indeed, like any film noir, it was fairly convoluted (seriously, even after 2.5 hrs, I still didn’t figure out the names of most of the characters involved) but I’m pretty sure they could have ended up with a similar result in 90 mins. Something that bothered me was also the fact that Lionel and his colleagues had no clue what was going on with their boss but I don’t think it really made much sense. Indeed, Moses Randolph (based on a guy who really did exist called Robert Moses who actually pretty much did everything depicted in this movie) was such a major figure in New York back in those days, his reputation should have preceded him, especially for such a team of seasoned private detectives. Concerning the cast, there was something slightly gimmicky about Edward Norton playing some guy with Tourette syndrome but that’s something Norton could pretty much do in his sleep and he was definitely convincing. Furthermore, discretion and subtlety are pretty much some required qualities for any half-decent gumshoe but it is also pretty much impossible for someone with this affliction and this clash was pretty neat. However, it happened too often that, during, some crucial moments, the whole Tourette thing was suddenly massively toned down or even completely disappeared, depending on the needs of the plot. Anyway, to conclude, in spite of its flaws, it was still a decent watch and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

After watching ‘Ivan’s Childhood’, I was quite eager to further discover Andrei Tarkovsky and this movie was the obvious next step in this journey. Well, if Tarkovsky might be the most difficult director I know, this might be his most inscrutable directing effort so far (on the other hand, I have seen only 3 of his movies and I’m slightly worried about what will happen with the rest of his work). It’s rather funny, afterwards, I checked IMDb to get some insights about this really opaque movie and, very often, you would get many fans telling you that it is the greatest Soviet epic ever made but none of them explained what was actually so great about the damned thing. At least, it was definitely a step up from ‘Ivan’s Childhood’ and there is no doubt that Tarkovsky became really ambitious with this following directorial effort. On the other hand, if I thought that ‘Ivan’s Childhood’ was not really straightforward, this movie was even more complicated and, to be honest, it was pretty much impossible to follow. Seriously, for 3 hours long, I was watching my screen, scratching my head, wondering what the hell was going on. Eventually, it was only about 12 hours after I watched this movie that I finally got some kind of revelation. Seriously, it is something I experienced only with this director. Basically, beyond giving a rather ghastly look on medieval Russia, Tarkovsky gave us the most deglamourized biopic you will ever see. Indeed, Andrey Rublev was very often not even the main character during the events that took place. In my opinion, this approach was to show that, even the greatest artists, after all, are just as human as everyone else. Like the rest of us, they are some mere spectators during all the tragic events during their lifetime, drifting into the chaos that life can be for each and everyone of us. Concerning the (completely random) episode with the guy with this hot balloon during the prologue or the impressive sub-plot about this kid building up a bell while having no actual knowledge about it, I think it was to display that, even though we are all humans, we should still strive to reach the impossible, which is basically what all Art is, because it is during such moments that we are the closest to actual divinity. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was extremely tough on me but even if it was rather frustrating, it is still definitely worth a look, you really have to dig this genre though. 

To be honest, since I didn’t care much about ‘Annabelle’, I didn’t have some huge expectations regarding this prequel but I thought I might as well check it out anyway. Well, even if it was maybe nothing really mind-blowing, at least, it was definitely an improvement on its predecessor. First of all, I think it was a sound decision to not rely too much on the doll this time around. Then, it was also a good idea to involve a whole bunch of young kids as well. As a result, most of the duration was about watching these young girls wandering at night in some creepy old house which wasn’t really original at all but, at least, it was effective. By the way, I discovered that the girl who played Janice, Talitha Bateman, was actually 16 years old when she shot this movie which was just really surprising since she seemed to be so much younger. Anyway, of course, the whole point of this movie was to show where the hell the Annabelle doll was coming from but, in this area, it turned out to be only hardly satisfying though. Basically, the explanation they came up with was that the Mullins kept praying to whoever or whatever was listening so they could get in touch with their deceased daughter but, instead, they ended up with some demon haunting their house. The problem with this explanation was that it was just too random and, on top of that, what was the actual connection with the freaking doll?!? Seriously, they could have removed it and it wouldn’t have had any impact on the whole tale. Anyway, to conclude, even though the damned thing was rather generic, they still managed to make most of a seriously limited concept and I think it is actually worth a look, at least, if you really like the genre.