laurentbauwin Reviews

Violent Night (2022)

Silly Christmas Movie

[9/10 · 27 April 2023]

Sit back and relax for two hours of a great action movie.

Santa Claus is portrayed as a drunk and bitter David Harbour is a joy to watch as he is taken into a hostage situation in a posh american family.

The dialogs are quite funny and the action is well made and believable. Just a bit of magic touch for Christmas and you have an instant Holiday Classic.

The villains are silly and the reference to home alone is not a coincidence. There are plenty of ways for them to die and we enjoy every one of them.

Just don't watch it with younger children as the violence is quite present as well as some pretty foul language...

Nope (2022)

Rigged reviews ?

[1/10 · 21 October 2022]

I guess this movie was trapped in the scenario too big to fail ? A budget of 70 million dollars could not end in a bad movie ? (Waterworld anyone ?)

I honestly would rate it as a 4, just for the photography. But, with such complete high ratings out of the blue, I guess I just feel it is needed to lower the average score.

Like many others I wanted to like that movie : aliens, horror movie, nice cast. But too many subplots kill the plot, especially when they lead to nowhere. How are you not supposed to be irritated when the guy shows a whole story about a killer monkey that is completely irrelevant?

The alien is at best mysterious or else just ridiculous. A combination between jellyfish and a balloon? It's final transformation into a big white flying figure is a final fantasy ripp-off last boss evolution done by a three years old.

The part with the director and his non digital camera is, I suppose a critics of hunters combined with a critics of Hollywood traditional cinema ? The problem is that it doesn't fully commit to either point of view so it remains cryptic for the viewer.

I was not bored to hell thanks to the beautiful background settings but that's about it.

Don't be fooled into watching this like me, pass.

White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (2022)

A missed opportunity

[4/10 · 19 April 2022]

Even though it could have been a great inside story of a brand went down, it literally went down with the whites against minorities. There were black and Asian models in the adds, but the documentary did not show them, you just got a glimpse when they were in group and never focused on them. I wish they had interviewed them as well.

It was a very wrong versus good with no real insight. We did not get a chance for the CEO to explain himself. They had to put disclaimers all the time and exposing his gay life as though he never talked about it and there were never allegations of abuse of models by him made me feel uneasy.

We just had a bad buzz campaign where in a six year old tweet he advertised his products toward the "good looking people". Does that even mean a thing ? You were not banned from AandF based on your appearance if I recall. They don't sell your size ? Go to another store ? I have a non standard size myself and I won't go manifest if a brand does not fit me.

They put the good looking people at the front for sales ? That is how it is working in sales. A good looking boy or girl always sells better. Unfair but common practice even today. They just won't tell you to your face.

There was another bad buzz about Asian racism where they stepped back and burned their product. They made big deal in the video but you can tell that this was really some tempest in a glass of water.

And the last bad buzz was the girl with the Hijab.

I wish they explained how many stores they had at their highest point, how many they closed, you know facts ... but all I head were the impressions that this brand was advertised for white folks and they should feel bad about that. I feel that this brand was selling a dream and selling to rich folk mainly independently of their color. We should ramble about Chanel and Louis Vuitton as well, they sell only to the rich folks.

And the cherry on the cake is the promotional video in the last ten minutes on the "new" Abercrombie more inclusive etc.

I lost 90 minutes of my life. Thank God I was in a plane doing nothing.

RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World (2022– )

Great entertainment

[8/10 · 4 February 2022]

So good to see some queens back for more.

I was very excited to see pangina and she delivered. However this was a bit spoiled by the free pass to episode 2 to Jujubee. Love her but she was so bland, she could have easily have been in bottom week one.

Midnight Mass (2021)

I really wanted to like that

[5/10 · 21 October 2021]

It could have been a good movie but it turned out to be a show that is way too long.

And at the end ... let's burn it all and then we have no shelter. Duh... painfully slow pace with 5 episodes and a finale that seems rushed.

The balance is not really there. Still midly enjoyable.

Squid Game (2021– )

Almost perfect

[9/10 · 10 October 2021]

Battle Royale made the path so I can't give the 10 stars because that movie paved the way for this show.

If you don't like thrillers sparkled with a bit of gore, you'd better pass, otherwise you're in for a great ride.

It is very dark, the character development is well made. In 9 episodes you get attached to them.

Don't listen to the people discussing the violence, you see worse in Hollywood but without the psychological scenario.

There were plenty left for explanation but not in a frustrating way. More of I let the viewer decide. Great addition to the Netflic catalog allover.

The Circle (2020– )

Big brother without the fights

[2/10 · 21 August 2021]

How can you make a big brother show with below intelligence average people locked up and not getting into a fight after a few drinks ? Lock them separately! It solves all the issues with fights, sexual harassment, discrimination ...

Sorry, but I find more interesting when people mingle in real life than talking to a screen under an alias. It is funny 5 minutes ...

Extinction (2018)

Pizza movie

[7/10 · 21 August 2021]

Good enough for a Friday night with a Nice twist for another alien invasion movie.

It is true you may want to slap the kids but their reactions are quite believable.

Give it a chance if you like Sci-Fi. The photography is nice also.

The Legend of Tarzan (2016)

Save yourself some times

[1/10 · 20 August 2021]

Where to start ?

1st : don't watch this piece of crap.

It is an insult to the original story. It has a gross misrepresentation of African people and a complete reinterpretation of history based on the English propaganda about Congo that goes still around today.

2nd : buy the book.

Sweet Tooth (2021–2024)

Throw your logic through the window

[3/10 · 20 August 2021]

Just 3 stars because the hero is loveable.

The ambiance is between the never-ending story and the walking dead. It needs to be so pg13 it is laughable. Even with the deadly illness, there are almost no dead bodies.

There are so many plot holes I feel like I lost a few hours of my life for nothing. You can tell that they started something and they have not written an end yet. Call me old fashioned but I like to watch a show like a story with a beginning, a middle and an end.

The Valhalla Murders (2019–2020)

A solid crime show but not without flaws

[8/10 · 15 August 2021]

I enjoyed the story and the pace even if slow sometimes has enough twists to keep you entertained.

The photography is superb and I really shows the beautiful island of Iceland.

The caracters are not really likable but the have enough depth to get attached to.

The only regret for me is the ending and please don't read it if you not finished the show. How come a pedophile procuror becomes that super villain after being discovered. It seemed like you have changed from a crime noir series to a slasher. It seemed a but out of place.

Still I would recommend the show.

The Wandering Earth (2019)

A good evening movie

[9/10 · 6 June 2021]

I wanted to see some scifi with my love and we checked that movie. We watched it in Chinese with subtitles on Netflix.

Well, it is really entertaining, much better than we expected. The CGI was completely believable and the mix of cgi and decor was excellent.

The only problem with us were the Chinese names that we had problems to remember otherwise it it refreshing to see a movie where it is not only the Americans who save the world. Felt like a breath of fresh air.

Throw your physics out of the window for two hours and you will have a great time.

The Serpent (2021)

Only for the English speakers

[4/10 · 19 April 2021]

The accents will make you cringe if you are a French or Dutch speaker. The show in itself is easteticely pleasing with the 70th look but could have been cut in way less episodes.

Zoo (2015–2017)

Better when you are drunk

[2/10 · 28 January 2021]

Season 1 had some logic. You could complain about miserable location (Africa is one country?) And the complete clichés outside the US but still enjoyable. Season 2 started to loose ground. But we still had hopes.

On Season 3 we hit Mounty Pythons level and I can ensure you that for enduring this nonsense you will need to be pretty drunk. Suddenly you get a super evil vilain who is the sister of the hero and as if they did not have enough money to get more actors they suddenly all switch roles : the African guide becomes a famous doctor in a few years, the journalist becomes a spy with combat skills etc. The vilain plants beacons of monsters everywhere but still manages to personally attack heroes.

Make yourself a favor and watch season 3 only if high or drunk

Equinox (2020)

Like a relaxing time in a bath

[9/10 · 20 January 2021]

This show is not for the fast food netflix eater.

It needs to be appreciated on a slow mode and the atmosphere sets it well. Located mostly in Denmark, except depressing landscape and grey water. The perfect setting for a story of the disappearance of 21 teenagers.

21 years after her sister disappearance along with 20 classmates, Astrid set on a quest to find more about her past and her sister.

I won't say much because I don't like to spoil, but except cult, family secrets and eerie atmosphere.

What I appreciated is that the show gives us a real end. Not a cliffhanger to set the watcher up and oblige Netflix to give us a second season or just frustrate us. Just for that I gave two stars more.

#Alive (2020)

Don't take is seriously

[8/10 · 18 January 2021]

Got a free evening ? Don't want to think too much ? You like zombies ?

Sure it has its flaws : the blond haircut with no black roots, the actions of the zombies. Still it was enjoyable because of the fresh acting of the young actors, the pace was good and that is quite a challenge when all the action takes place in one building.

Alice in Borderland (2020– )

When Lost meets Battle Royale

[9/10 · 18 January 2021]

Let's make it clear, it won't appeal to everyone. This is not an easy watching show, first because of the violence of the theme and second because of the culture of the Japanese culture.

For those would stand the first and like the second your are up for a hell of a good time. This is pure madness of a alternative dimension where some inhabitants of Tokyo are send to play deadly games where the only reward is just the possibility to live a few days more. Expect lots of gruesome deaths and plot twists that will keep you want for more. The caracter development is excellent and you may even fell sad when some people die (mention to episode 3)

It is true that the show does not give many answers but you get a cliffhanger that will you want for more.

A must for binge watching during a weekend

Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer (2021)

A story about detectives not solving a murder

[3/10 · 14 January 2021]

It looked promising. Great esthetic, story of a serial killer. The first three episodes the LA detective gather evidences and you think, great, they are going somewhere, they will solve the crimes, great police job. Then you see the pattern that they complain about exposed evidence, bad cooperation with other service.

It all go down with a splash : San Francisco Police get more intel in a few days that they had in months, they spilled information to the press and it is an angry mob that catches the killer.

In short, the documentary was a pointless demonstration of police work with not much insight on the killer. There are much better documentaries on Netflix.

To the Lake (I) (2019–2022)

A good change from the politically correct Hollywood clichés

[10/10 · 17 October 2020]

First of all if you expect a full action show with zombie theme don't go for this one.

However if you want a cast with real caracter development and real adult themes this is the one. They show adultery, alcoholism, violence, sex scenes, handicap, nudity and I must say this is refreshing because it is part of life.

The photography is superb and the theme of the plague is very well plausible. The actions of the actors seem logic (so different from the rain where you want to slap the kids) and the cast is brilliant.

I really wish that there will be a season 2. Go for it and watch it with subtitles to get the full experience.

Olympus Has Fallen (2013)

So bad and cliché it is funny

[3/10 · 29 August 2020]

Switch your brain off and enjoy the ride. So cheesy you might find it fun. Better be drunk to completely believe that story. And God bless America.

High Score (2020)

Mehhhh

[5/10 · 27 August 2020]

As an avid video game player, I was curious to see what Netflix was gonna propose. Well there is some good, a lot of average and some plain bad. For the good, I fancied the presentation, the interviews with the developers. It was enjoyable to see the animations they included. For the average, well for a series that would speak about video games there was so much focus on games tournaments, discrimination about black and gays and polemics about violence that I found that pretty boring. As if they found that video games were not that interesting themselves and they wanted to add some drama where there wasn't. As Rebecca said in the show, video games disconnect you from reality so it doesn't matter if your are straight LGBT back white, you can enjoy games. So not really a point for me to inject controversy of that kind in the show. And for the bad, it was very business oriented and they did not check the facts. If you interview people who worked in marketing or sales, you will be sure that the facts will be altered. There are several errors. It also looks like video games ended with the genesis/megadrive (except for a very short part of the show on esport). Nothing on European computers and video games. Forget the psx Amiga supernes atari st etc. In the short I enjoyed the presentation but if you want content and real facts, check on YouTube