Reviews by johanlefourbe

Since this movie is a classic, I was quite eager to check it out. To be honest, I’m not a huge fan of such Christmas flicks but I have to admit that this one was not bad at all. There has been some discussion about when the damned thing was actually taking place and I was myself struggling to figure it out but, apparently, it took place at some point in the 40’s. Well, the US audience has always been so fond about looking back on how everything was great back then in the 40’s-50’s-60’s but, to be honest, it’s not a fascination/obsession that I really share with them. Anyway, the damned thing didn’t really have a real plot, it was more a succession of small stories/anecdotes involving the main character and it was, as a result, rather episodic. Anyway, as far as I was concerned, the end-result was rather hit-and-miss. Still, I have to admit that some bits were actually quite pitch perfect. Indeed, they really captured the feverish obsession I used to have around the same age when I was thinking about my next Christmas present and the moment when this kid get to open the gift of his dreams was just pure gold. I also enjoyed the scene during which this young boy was convinced that his school essay would be rightfully judged as the next literary masterpiece, another situation that happened to me so many times when I was a kid. Concerning the cast, there is no doubt that Peter Billingsley was quite charismatic and the kid gave here a really solid performance. Anyway, to conclude, even if I didn’t really love the damned thing, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the damned thing but since there was a decent cast involved and since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, as expected, the damned thing turned out to be pretty lame, I’m afraid. Basically, they took the concept of ‘Meet The Parents’, except that, this time, it was the other way around as the parents were visiting their future son-in-law. In fact, I didn’t know anything about this flick before watching the damned thing and, because of the poster, I actually expected James Franco’s character to be some kind of a bump or a stoner like in ‘Pineapple Express’. Anyway, it didn’t really matter because his character turned out to be seriously obnoxious. Of course, you could argue that it was done on purpose but, eventually, he was more cringe-inducing than actually entertaining to behold. At least, I have to admit that Franco did manage to make his character slowly likable and, eventually, the guy turned out to be actually pretty cool and sweet simply with some really poor (even borderline non-existent) social skills. Still, he never became really entertaining though. Another issue was that you never saw him with [Link removed - login to see][Link removed - login to see]’s character really acting as a couple, at least, not long enough, so their couple was never convincing whatsoever. Concerning Bryan Cranston’s character, his character was maybe not so obnoxious but he was hardly entertaining either and they should have pushed it even further and make the guy seriously conservative. Then, you would have had a massive clash between the two characters which could have been slightly more entertaining than what they gave us. Anyway, to conclude, the damned thing was pretty lame and I don’t think it is really worth a look. 

I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a decent reputation and since it was available on Disney+, I thought I might as well check it out. Furthermore, I was curious to finally see Chris Evans outside the MCU after 10 years playing almost exclusively Captain America. Well, to be honest, I don’t really get why this movie did get such a high rating on IMDb (a whopping 7.6). I mean, sure, it was not bad at all but, eventually, it was not really much more than that though. Above all, the whole thing was so generic and completely predictable. At least, Chris Evans and Mckenna Grace, especially Grace, were not bad at all and I have to admit that they had a pretty good chemistry together. Still, the scene during which they went to a hospital to witness some random strangers following a birth was just so damned cheesy, seriously, they actually barely lost me there. In fact, there was maybe a great story buried there somewhere and, eventually, I think the biggest mistake they made was that they didn’t go for a darker tone. For example, I did appreciate the fact that, after all, even if he was great guy, it wasn’t a sure deal that Frank would win Mary’s custody and, as a result, he had to go for a compromise. However, they eventually came up with a couple of rather lame twists afterwards which completely undid the only surprising element in this predictable drama. Anyway, to conclude, even if the damned thing seemed to be rather overrated, I have to admit that it was still a decent watch though and it is worth a look, at least, if you like the genre. 

Since I really loved ‘Saul fia’ (it is easily one of the best movies I have seen during the last 10 years), I was really eager to check László Nemes’s next directorial effort. Well, within a few mins, I immediately recognized his unique directing style. Seriously, where did this guy learn to shoot movies like this?  Apparently, at some point, he did enrol in a NY film school but dropped out fairly quickly. Anyway, pretty much like in ‘Saul fia’, everything was filmed so closed to the main character, either in big close-ups or from behind just above her shoulders. This way, you get the feeling that you are following this girl every step of the way and it did create an immediate sense of urgency. Still, after a while, it did get rather suffocating and, to be honest, even exhausting. Furthermore, a huge difference between this movie and its predecessor was that, with ‘Saul fia’, I was actually much more aware about the historical background around this story which wasn’t the case here at all and, as a result, I had a rather hard time to get a good grip on this tale. The fact that it was dealing with one of the most confused and confusing characters I have seen probably didn’t help either. I mean, I won’t blame Juli Jakab, she delivered a very strong performance but her character was equally mesmerizing and frustrating. Seriously, how many times did she simply walk away and completely ignored what everyone around was telling her? At least, the damned thing was certainly unpredictable and its chaotic nature made the whole thing look like a feverish dream which was quite fascinating but also rather frustrating to behold. Anyway, to conclude, even if this movie didn’t completely win me over, there is no doubt that Nemes has delivered here another intriguing movie and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you are interested in this director. 

I have noticed that this movie didn’t get much love when it was released, both from the critics and the audience, so I was eager to check what was actually the fuss about it. Well, first of all, I want to point out that, even though I did enjoy the 1^st installment, I didn’t think it was so amazing like apparently everyone else. As a result, I can't say I was really disappointed by this sequel. Still, I would have to admit that it was indeed a step-down for this promising franchise. Indeed, there were many issues but, above all, it was too long, too clunky and just too cheesy. For example, the end-credit scenes with a cameo by Lynda Carter was maybe cute and harmless but it was also terribly cheesy. Considering the story itself, the whole concept of the Dreamstone granting you any wish was such a lazy and lame narrative gimmick. Seriously, was it the best thing they could come up with? And how convenient was that the damned thing was actually brought up to Diana’s office? Eventually, they should have focused more on the fact that, because Diana is immortal, she is therefore terribly lonely, a fact which was barely brushed by this movie. In fact, even if Steve Trevor didn’t die during the first movie, by 1984, he would still have been long dead which was a fact never acknowledged during this movie. I thought it was also rather disappointing that they didn’t do anything interesting with the 80’s setting. Basically, the story took place during this time period only because it was convenient for the makers so they didn’t need to bother with the other members of the Justice League. Furthermore, the action scenes which were pretty awesome in ‘Wonder Woman’ were here rather awkward and never really convincing. Finally, this flick with a running time of 150 mins was just too damned long and there is absolutely no good reason why such a rather brainless blockbuster should last for so long. At least, Gal Gadot who was basically born to play this character was once again really good but she definitely deserved a better story. Anyway, to conclude, I might have been too generous with my rating here but, if only to see Gadot shining again, I still think the damned thing is worth a look. 

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since there was a solid cast involved, I was really eager to check the damned thing. I was also rather curious to see what Paul Dano would do with his directorial debut. Well, at least, he definitely provided an impressive acting showcase as Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan both delivered some strong performances. The young Ed Oxenbould was also pretty good but his task was actually much more difficult since he was basically a passive victim. To make it even more tricky for him, he had to show what his character was going through without much dialogue. And yet, in spite of the fine work of the cast involved, I still struggled to connect with the damned thing though. I guess the main issue I had was that the two main characters were just so downright unpleasant. Indeed, it has been a while since I have seen 2 parents who were so selfish and so full of self-pity. Of course, your first reflex would be to blame the father for leaving his wife and kid because he basically didn’t know what to do with himself. However, as soon as he was gone, the mother started to show such a bewildering behavior. Seriously, it got so bad that, after a while, I can’t say I was really rooting for her either. What was left was such a poor sweet boy who was basically witnessing his family imploding from the inside out which was rather depressing to be behold and, sometimes, even borderline infuriating. Anyway, to conclude, even if I had a hard time to connect with the material, the damned thing was very well made and the cast was involved was really strong so I still think it is worth a look.