BernhardtFrance Reviews

The New Look: Give Your Heart and Soul to Me (2024) Season 1, Episode 5

It gets better and better

[9/10 · 28 February 2024]

The series gets better and better. It's less about the careers of all these fine fashion creators , it's more about human relationships and behavior in general, specially, in times of crisis, and it's about the direct influences on people's fate. The historical setting of the series in this very special period at the end of the war in Paris makes it very Interesting and worth watching.

Performances are great, I personally even like the slow pace. The only annoying thing is the use of these milky camera filters in order to give arge series an "old" look.

I'm very curious to see the following episodes.

The Menu (2022)

Waste of time...(chefs own words)

[4/10 · 10 February 2023]

At one point the very well acting Ralph Fiennes speaks it out loud to one of his selected guests, obviously a B-class actor (in the sense) : "You stole my precious time watching your movie the only day I had some" The director's and writers' criticism of capitalism and sophisticated gastronomy comes along in a far too obvious way and ends up in pure banality.

Cinematographer's work was brilliant, acting was mostly superbe - but the story was a senseless mess and gets worse the longer the movie runs and lead to nowhere in the end . You constantly expect and wait for an interesting twist or spectacular outcome - but credits begin to roll and you ask yourself ...what ? So disappointed after all these positive reviews !

Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)

Expected more story

[7/10 · 30 April 2022]

Ok. It's big, it's fun. It's worth a watch. Is it "the best Spider-Man Movie" ?No, it isn't. Not for Me.

It's like a nostalgic best of album at the end of a remarkable career of a popular rockstar. But of course, real Fans always love best of albums.

The story ? Spidey doesn't like to cope with his uncovered identity and asks his Avemger buddy Dr. Strange to give him his unknown private life back. What will finally be done. That's it. And from this point on, all the already known elements of his past reappear and make his life even more complicated. Some really funny dialogue between the 3 Spiders help to get over the very long running time. The visually stunning, but totally stupid "marvelous Multiverse" scenes with Strange and Spidey are - for me - unnecessary elements in the so far far less abstract world of Spider-Man. It's too much Marvel/Avemgers fan stuff for Me. Anyway, it's a Movie to conclude a long list of more or less stand-alone pictures in a clever and very well done way. But you definitely need to have seen all the other pics of you want to have fun - if not l, you have no clue what happens on the screen....

The Serpent: Episode #1.5 (2021) Season 1, Episode 5

Great Episode

[10/10 · 16 November 2021]

You have to understand that you don't watch a documentary ! So don't pay too much attention on negative critics and take it for what it is meant to be: It's a stunning fiction, just based on real events and don't care about historical facts. It's a very wellmade episode with lots of tension and very good acting, well directed.

Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021)

Fan stuff ! Skip this if you are no comic fan

[6/10 · 6 June 2021]

Ok, I never saw the theatrical cut and I'm no hardcore comic fan. But I saw a lot of Super Hero Pics and I do love Chris Nolan"s Batman movies AND even the long "ultimate edition" of Batman vs. Superman.

This one here I s a pic for fans no doubt, maybe only for fans ? Who else could stay 4h of CGI overload without being finally bored by endless fights, flying Aliens AND some totally meaningless and long Soap Opera scenes (Superman reunited with his mum and Lois at his home) ?

Cinematography is really great, the Snyder style is special and I"m well with that - it's his own recognizable brand.

But I hate the pointless 4:3 format. You can see in so many scenes that the original shot was cut on the left and right. Zack voluntarily amputated the pi the c ! What a pity for a theatrical feeling ! TVs are large nowadays, but anyway...what a bad decision!

Dialogue is mostly stupid when it comes to "scientific" explanations. But of course this is the comic world we have to accept - you have to be ready to switch your brain off and to "live" in this dreamworld. If you can't , this is not for you and you are not going to like it.

All in all the new cut can't save the weak original story which reminds everyone the Avenger's Infinity Stones storyline in far too many aspects. Is there really nothing else in the comic world as to put some pieces together to reign over the galaxy ? If this is the praised "masterpiece" for so many people then we all have to say goodbye to nearly 100years of movie culture.

Don't get me a wrong: It's a very well-made movie which looks extremely expensive and I admit that I also felt entertained in a way - but for me it's too much of everything here...

The Old Guard (2020)

Soundtrack Ruins the movie

[7/10 · 13 July 2020]

This modern Highlander plot is not very new but gripping. Charlize in top form as usual. Characters well developped. Unfortunately the horrible pop music soundtrack ruins the movie, it just doesn't fit one single scene neither the idea of the movie. What a pity.

Game of Thrones: The Long Night (2019) Season 8, Episode 3

Top long - no story

[7/10 · 28 May 2020]

I have to confess I was a little disappointed. The beginning of the episode was excellent: The growing tension, this long one shot showing everything, the darkness, the music. Great cinema. Once the battle started, the tension was gone. One bloody slayer scene after another. It felt like some kind of dumb zombie picture. Unfortunately no more interesting dialogues - even Tyrion had nothing to say. I like very much the whole series an intelligent political and social concept Show - not so much as a fantasy saga. So, honestly, I'm quite glad to see that the night king zombie storyline finally ends here. It doesn't matter to me how it ended, I was quite happy with the fact that Arya killed the night king. I don't understand why so many people complain about the technical dark aspect of the episode. It is perfectly watchable, see it in 4K HDR - and you'll be delighted.

The Bureau: Episode #5.10 (2020) Season 5, Episode 10

Audiard killed the spirit of a Perfect Show !

[5/10 · 17 May 2020]

As so many other fans of the series I was extremely disappointed to see the last two episodes of this season. Episode seven and eight were among the best ever done for this show - which is definitely one of the best European TV shows This season could have ended with the eighth episode (maybe with another 10 minutes to tell the content of ep07 & 08) in a glorious way. Unfortunately it did not. These last two episodes were totally pointless. No more interesting storytelling. And the totally new side-plot with Jonas didn't Fit in the picture and didn't push the story further. They'd better cut it out or it could have been integrated from the beginning of season 5 on - but not added at the end. What a pity. Audiard's (which I admire for some of his great pictures) artistic" direction really didn't match the spirit of the series. Psycho-Trauma, No suspense. But the "bureau des legendes" remain remarkable as a show.

Sting: Live in Berlin (2010 TV Special)

Breathtaking concert !

[10/10 · 20 December 2010]

This is maybe one of the best concerts ever filmed in full HD. It's really worth seeing it on a big screen and with the best possible sound equipment. You listen to fantastic arrangements which are really different from what we know so far from THE POLICE or STING as a solo artist. A great set-list with a large choice of extremely popular songs as e.g. Every Breath You Take and more unknown songs as Whenever Wherever. Branford Marsalis is a genius. The quality of this film is outstanding in every aspect. Of course don't expect a real "show" with spectacular stage, explosions, video screens or some other stuff we know from very big events like 360degree tour from U2 (which I also like). It's pure music. And that's more then enough !

The Corsican File (2004)

No None-Frenchman will understand the jokes...

[7/10 · 17 February 2006]

It's quite simple: It's almost impossible for foreigners to understand what's going on in this movie. You have to understand that this movie is based on a famous french comic-book. Therefore the jokes are exaggerated and - without any exception - all characters fit into well-known French/Corsican clichés. It's definitely not a big movie - but for Frenchmen (or people living in France, like me) it's at least very amusing. The Corsican landscape is pretty well filmed. Some of the scenes are indeed very stupid and without any logic - but please remember the comic book background. Reno and Clavier are o.k., but the real sensation is the incredibly beautiful leading lady (Ange Leoni's sister) - she is just worth looking this picture.

Pédale dure (2004)

A Disaster - a real shame for all french filmmakers !

[1/10 · 7 November 2005]

What a mess ! The picture is full of awful gay stereo-types, the jokes are not funny at all, the decoration looks like an amateur-theater scene, there's almost no script and there#s no logic at all etc. etc. The climax is Jacques Dutronc who obviously refuses to act ! Maybe he understood what's going on...

Attention: This "sequel" has NOTHING to do with PEDALE DOUCE which was quite a funny and intelligent movie.

How could these (normally) well-known and extremely popular actors (Darmon, Laroque, Dutronc etc.)accept such an offer ? They definitely never read the script. Did they just want to have some fun together while shooting the picture ? Did they sign under drug influence ? A desperate need of money ? Nobody will ever be able to explain it...

Avoid this movie ! Avoid this director in the future !

Incredible !

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

Great but battles too long

[9/10 · 23 December 2002]

The movie is more than great in terms of effects and pictures - maybe the best you've ever seen before. Forget about all other Sci-Fi or Fantasy pictures. Peter Jackson's direction is magic: He managed to combine three separate stories but the audience never get really lost. Maybe because of the quite poor story contend ?? Unfortunately you may tell the story of this 3 hour picture in only two sentences. The separated groups are following their ways and are meeting some creatures. By the way they help to win the different big (at Helm's) or small battles of the humans against the armies of Sauron. The Merry & Pippin plot is a very weak element in the film. Speaking and running trees are very hard to imagine for all of us humans and therefore the look of these scenes is artificial. Here we reach the limits of putting written words in moving images !? It reminds me of the creatures in "the neverending story" and it just doesn't fit in these great epic picture which looks so real - although the moving trees' effects are not really bad the scenes look childish and you see in every second that Merry and Pippin are filmed in the studio. The battle scenes in Rohan are far too long and maybe a little too violent. The best part of the movie is the Gollum-Frodo-Sam plot. Gollum is definitely THE star of this movie. The best animation ever realized in film history. This creature LIVES and has a torn schizo-character ! Unbelievable !

All in all - big fun and stunning pictures. You never get bored - anyway 8 out of 10 ! But the first part was better !

Mike Bernhardt