fegorleo-1 Reviews

The Happening (2008)

gross

[2/10 · 9 July 2008]

What a disgusting thing having to film such boring action ! It is the first movie I see from this director, and I must say I used to enjoy Mark Wahlberg's acting much more in the past... He should have worked on his part through the studying of Indiana Jones' 4 pictures. I couldn't believe what I was witnessing : terrible plot (just watch "Children of the Corn", don't bother seeing its awful ersatz 'The Happening'. Actors are bad, the plot is boring, the action ridiculous, and actually, even the set isn't great. There is such a lack of suspense that one loses interest after two minutes (i.e. 2 out 10). I personally would have liked to see a dubbed version -in french, of course- because then it would have given an excuse for the awfully boring hours I spent at the theatre.

Semi-Pro (2008)

no thanks, no more Ferrell !

[3/10 · 13 June 2008]

I was pretty hilarious when they started shooting all around with that loaded gun. But that was it. I absolutely disliked the whole cheap and not so funky - thing. It is a big disappointment because I like Will so much -especially older Night at the Roxbury and Blades of Glory. And there... well, it wasn't so much fun after all. Tarantino would have made it look more gloomy, Ben Stiller dirtier, Sean Penn more moralistic for sure, but there... oh my ! Will Ferrell really didn't work on this one, I can't believe this ! Is there even a script ? I mean, it looks like a bad joke : a movie about losers hiring a former champ who's not even one, is actually a movie with losers in it -no actor can really play basketball except that black dude, right?- casting a 'real'actor -the same Harrelson- who must have felt pretty bored the whole time. What a shame, Will ! Never again !

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

Disappointing

[5/10 · 13 June 2008]

It took them a long time to show us some REAL Indiana Jones... at least the first hour ! I was so disappointed at first I thought it was because of the weak french version I was seeing. But no, no doubt, it was the lack of a real scenario that made me feel this way. She's a queen... as soon as she appears, it seems to me that the actress saves the whole picture ! Of course, Harrison Ford's awesome, his so-called son too, but please ! Come on ! That terrible first hour... 6 phases: the fake war-movie, the fake 50ies sci-fi -movie, then the fake-but always well-imitated, don't take me wrong- rockabilly part at the diner, come on ! I forgot about the 3 others, but believe me it was almost laughable. I couldn't help myself but talking out loud to my boyfriend who's also a fan, big time. We sighed at their jokes, hated their pursuits, liked the coming back -love and hate, teasing and fighting- but in the end I disliked the whole thing very much. Finished for me, no more Indie !

The Grass Is Greener (1960)

Excellent !

[9/10 · 5 February 2008]

Personnaly, I had a lot of fun watching this. Event though I have a hard time understanding British accent, it was well enough performed so that I could get into it. I found the characters very believable, and I loved the 60ies quality of the whole thing. 'En vrac", it all reminded me of: Breakfast at Tiffany's, the De Funès movies, some Cassavetes (I'm not kidding), something like the libertine atmosphere of these times. Of course, the theatrical dimension of the directing is overwhelming at first, you think it's going to end up in a car chase in a zoo or something, but no, in the end there is a beautiful reflexion on man's generosity in love, and about a faithful woman's charm. I'm all for it!

Death Proof (2007)

Excellent !

[9/10 · 5 February 2008]

Frankly, I don't understand why most people do consider Death Proof's boring dialogs as en error. To me, it is essential that they should be boring, indeed, they allow us, spectators, to feel mixed emotions about the silly girls who are involved in the plot: do we want to save/desire them or kill them? Are they that interesting that they should live? But is this Kurt Russell asshole not a total jerk, too? I loved the way scenes disturbed me, like in a Hitchcok movie they do, no moral left at all, ethical feelings disappeared and a troubled dual between good and evil... Not to mention the french version of the movie, that is excellent in the way that it allows the stupidity of the language and/or conversations to develop in a nonsense poem.

Lust, Caution (2007)

overwhelming !

[8/10 · 20 January 2008]

It certainly lacks a certain rhythm, that I was tempted to compare to Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for... but it still is an undeniably good movie ! I loved the costumes, the settings. Everything seems so accurate, it is always a pleasure with movies depicting the thirties... The actress wears these awesome dresses that I would love to have for myself, and Tony Leung is such a great actor ! I know it's a real pain, but I still have to write 4 lines of this comment for it to be submittable. I could add that the music, composed by a french composer is beautiful. It reminded me a lot of Michael Nyman's and Philipp Glass' for other movies, very voluptuous. But still I think there was something not very 'palpitant' about the movie: a certain slowness, a lack of suspense -I think- that I missed.

Love on the Run (1979)

Cool

[7/10 · 20 January 2008]

I always find it hard to watch a french movie from the eighties -I am french though, and a real patriot, be sure of that- because it feels like I'm trapped in my childhood or something and I will have to go to school or..whatever. It is always painful. For instance, the girl playing 'SAbine' in L'Amour en fuite is 'Dorothée', a T.V. figure from when I was seven or so. She was awful, supposedly very mean to children -but her show was devoted to them, weird, uh?- and a lesbian. But let's go back to Truffaut's movie: I am a big fan of Jean-Pierre Léaud, and in this movie his character Antoine Doisnel is still the same selfish, ridiculously precious little dandy. But I still love him ! It is very funny that in the end he goes back to something that looked a lot -to me- like a sub- La Maman et la Putain (from Eustache). Torn apart between several lost loves and one that is young and not tragic... What will Antoine do? Flee, as usual? You will have to see the movie I guess ! At least for Souchon's cool interpretation of the song he composed for the movie. What a smart guy ! Now he can sell tons of records.

Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928)

hilarious!

[10/10 · 16 January 2008]

As usual, Buster Keaton did his best to use his physical abilities to serve his movie's plot. Seeing him arriving from Boston in the first place is so funny, even though there always is a strong tragic feeling about his stories (father & son bounds, puritanism...) but he manages to get out of it easily with a 'pirouette'. So romantic, so much fun ! I can never decide myself between C. Chaplin & Buster, but the least is pretty hot and seems more subtle than the other who is still acting, at the same period (late twenties) like a mime. Anyway, the acting is great and the settings & special effects especially succeed in getting us into the action!

Bitter Moon (1992)

"lune de fiel"

[8/10 · 16 January 2008]

It is a bit old-fashioned, too 80's strangely, but however, the movie is GREAT! IT is so true. Having just decided to break up with my boyfriend of three years, because I think we felt the way Oscar (Peter Coyote) felt: bored with his past passion, Emmanuelle Seigner, beautiful and as voluptuous as Isabella Rossellini in Blue Velvet (the movie reminded me that David Lynch is a big Polanski's fan, for many reasons, included this line "You will never have me" that we could hear in Lost Highway...) it made me reflect on this hot subject: when love dies, don't force things. Emmanuelle Seigner forces them with harassing her ex-lover in a way that Misery's nurse could have done in Stephen King's movie...

Chinatown (1974)

Génial !

[10/10 · 8 January 2008]

I haven't seen the reflection in the glass behind Gittes when he signs contract with Mrs. Mullwray, therefore I'm still deeply marked with that movie. It is amazing, very fine and funny, &, like most Polanski's movies, overwhelming. It is a matter of balance: humor and mockery, say, often catch up with seriousness, even tragedy. That is what I love about his work. I loved the settings and costumes too. The whole plot reminded me of Tennessee Williams' literature and also Fitzgerald's, probably because of the sleazy atmosphere the two of them install (incestuous dad, family secrets, business corruption, etc). Really intense.

Hercules in New York (1970)

Obscenely bad

[1/10 · 15 January 2007]

It has to be the worst movie ever made, indeed. At first, I thought the nicknames - "Pretzy", for instance- of some of the characters, plus Zeus' fake lightnings would make me laugh, but no. Not even. It's so bad you can not laugh. Oh yes, sorry ! there is the scene where our hero -Arnold himself- beats a wild bear in Central Park. It's night, but no, actually, it's day most of the time, they just forgot to shoot some parts of it, so it's day, and Hercules has to save a precious young lady from a wild bear that escaped from the zoo...the only problem is that the thing never looks like a real bear. It is just so bad, it's no funny at all. A clumsy man -probably forgot to dig the holes for the eyes in the material- wearing brown pajamas and pretending to be a bear is attacking Mr. World...Great. I can't wait to see the sequel. Thanks again, Mr. Arthur Seidelman, for this wonderful piece of s###. I almost cried at the end.

Dark Asylum (2001)

A scary, scary moment of enjoyment

[7/10 · 8 January 2007]

It was, indeed, a nice little movie...except the fact that I couldn't find anything, absolutely nothing gore about it. Sorry but, when you call a movie "Maniac Trasher" (french title) you are expecting a lot more blood (was there even any in this movie?) and a lot of disgusting, disgusting scenes. But... no. Nothing ever happens. They think he's dead ? Well he's not. And it goes on and on forever. The ? oh, yes, by the way, let me introduce the winners : the czech former mannequin and the Breakfast Club former star... trying to escape the Trasher's terrible starve for death, and steam... see mythic scene when, hidden in the ceiling, the 2 heroes almost die of hot, steamy air blown by the maniac who let off some steam -hum- from the showers downstairs. Mean, mean trasher, you awful swine, you almost got them...But how the hell did you find a way to flee through the sewers, ending up EXACTLY under our model's mom's house ? where her little adorable, fatherless child is sleeping, waiting to be kidnapped by your infamous hands ? How, indeed... Nobody knows, but I do know that in the end, you might -or not- die because of electricity, or is it... fire ? Who knows, maybe you are...not...dead, terrible Trasher.

Slugs (1988)

que bueno !!!

[9/10 · 8 January 2007]

Yes, almost 10/10... because the actors weren't -except for Foley, the British junior high researcher- exceptionally good. The slugs were great, though. But the music...sucked. Wrong CD, I thought. Except for these few regrets, I loved Slugs -'Mutations' in french- and enjoyed watching most of it, even the scenes where people have such lines as : "I told you to go to your mother's for Christ's sake!" or "Ha ha, littering, it could cost you 500 dollars, sheriff"...BUT : it was super gore, just enough for me, and incredibly violent compared to most recent movies : including one rape scene, different goresque bloody zooms on skulls, eyes popping out of the head, pushed out by parasite worms, slashed sluggy-lettuce, and so on.. Bravo ! y gracias !

Granny (1999 Video)

Telefilm ? Ach, ja !

[1/10 · 8 January 2007]

NO WAY ! I hated Granny. First, she is way too tall -of course she is, it is Tom, whoever's brother, who's playing her- and I hate that thing she does when she brushes her fake silver hair back, but : there are funny parts in this movie. For instance, the fact that every single actor looks V.G. (very German), and also that they think that, even when left alone, they should pretend that that guy (Tom) is their actual "granny" or something. I specially liked -not- that moment where Charlotte leaves and starts walking to the nearest gas station to ask for some help. She suddenly finds herself in the middle of some woods (where were these before? nobody dares explaining) and turns, turns, turns a-r-oun-d like a ballerina, looking at the stars...and...ignoring the fact that GRANNY'S BEHIND HER, READY TO STRIKE !!! But, anyway, the music wasn't so bad, the haircuts were okay and the ending terribly provocative... Mmmmm... wish I had the German version.

Foreign Correspondent (1940)

excellent ! very entertaining.

[8/10 · 5 January 2007]

It is a very good movie. At some point -to be accurate, at the point where Jones, the hero, meets Ffolliott around the mills and in the middle of a car chase- I was even wondering : "Is this sense of humor really allowed here ?" It was all going totally absurd, and I couldn't help but thinking "Wow, Hitchcok was indeed a master!" The casting was o.k., the crash scene was fine -ever seen 'Castaway' ?- and the dialogue, oh my ! excellent ! though most of it was mistranslated in french subtitles (old copy I guess) you could still taste the undefinable English humor. I'd agree that the final propaganda about "America, land of light" is a bit out-of-date, it still is an excellent Hitchcock.