Change Your Image
mmunier
I always enjoyed movies, perhaps escapism. My favourite films are films with interesting characters and interesting stories which is not very descriptive since what I find interesting may not be to others. None the less I also derived a lot of pleasure with some action or comedy movies.
For a few years now my hearing has increasingly declined in quality so I'm more likely to see foreign films with subtitles.
I usually only worry about actors and am oblivious of other people who made a film.
Some of my favourite actors would be Burton,Newman, Redford, De Niro, Eastwood, Hackman, Caine, hoffman, Al pacino, o'toole, Poitier, Connery, Cruise, Crowe, Dicaprio, Douglas x2, Duval, Freeman, Guinness, Hank, E harris...I give up there are too many and I hardly started on the ladies.
I'll just end with my distaste to give rating / stars but I seem to feel this is a request now from IMDB so I'll give 5/10 indiscriminately so everyone and I first will be happy.
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Fargo (1996)
Far gone again!
Just watched this movie. I'm a great fan of FMD and here she's unbelievable to the literal sense of the world...I now understand why people like D Trumps were born on that land.
She's such a lovable character but so unique (just like another unique chap who enlighten the police about a certain situation he was asked to... This story makes you forget you're on earth, you don't know where you are and you don't care either you just go with the flow of a ...true event, I'm told, If I stuck to my feeling about it I would also have found the ending fitting, but I'm a little greedy and wanted a tinny bit more.
Spoilers...? Puritans may object to the strong language but we are now almost at the end of a terrible year that only strong language could describe accurately. So no nothing to spoil here... Yaaah.
I was a little annoyed not to be able to find any comparison with the 1952 similar tittle.... However I think I came to the conclusion this is because there is nothing to compare them. If I am right I wish the Webb make it clearer.
Fargo (1952)
Far Gone!
You may wonder why I bothered... As I have not seen this movie. Yet I was puzzled by the fact there is so little in the web to compare it with the 1996 "Remake???) Was it a remake? Reading the plot I would not think so.
The reason I'm here is because I just watch the 1996 version of Fargo and curious to see there was a 1952 version I find it... Here there was only five reviews and the one displayed with the page states that the author liked about it was the part someone got shoved into a wood chipper! This also puzzled me.... and this is basically the whole comment! There is no indication in the plot this happened.
But any comparative search I attempted did get me nowhere so I'm still non the wiser also I did get the plot which to me is quite different.
The Bookshop (2017)
Don't upset the established
Lovely film for me. slow paced but full of meaning and reflecting society's power when it wants to reject something new and not in the order of usual expectations.
It may stirs your emotions and make you wonder why some people can be so stoic but can keep their own emotion into a very reasonable check. Although you may witness some outburst but you will not see an easy surrender or long winded retaliation.
I wish those who are so critical of such work make it as a personal observation instead of making themselves authority in this art.
We don't all have the same taste, upbringing and education so we don't share the same appreciation.
R.I.P.D. (2013)
What a waste of good actors
Sure we got very different taste as individuals in a crowd and to highlight it, opening imdb I see that review saying the second part was better than the first... For me it was exactly the opposite. Seeing some of my loved actors taking a funny road was quite a treat till the whole thing went haywire. Well too much for me. I could not even understand how K Bacon became on of the other guys or did I miss the part where he was meditating sitting on a grenade with its fuse ignited? Not that it made much difference as by then any once of logic had gone through the universe's roof. To comply with the site I have to state there is a spoiler, but truly it's beyond spoiling. I definitely would recommend this movie for people I don't want to associate with ha ha !
Finally...Why those zombies want gold for?
L'école buissonnière (2017)
Little lord Pompidou!
Enchanting movie will take those of my age and older ones to revisit the past. Francois Cluzet is again wonderful. And I was so amazed to see Gladys our NSW Australia Premier on a major role in this movie....Ok I need to go to 'Specs Saver' (local spectacles industry)!
As for the guy who said to only watch the first 60 minutes I think he/she should let h/h hair down, Just a bit of fun is no a crime.
The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)
Oh Dear it's killing me!
But "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" is a hell of a tittle and about the only thing i liked about this movie. I did not realise it was a horror movie. But I always been a fan of Nicole Kidman although I did not want to watch some of her movie.
I remember walking out of The Exorcist because these movies are really not my thing. I do enjoy certain thrillers but some just trigger rejection in me. This definitely is the genre and yet I watched the whole thing, hoping it would redeem itself to something more clever... As far as I am concern it did not happen.
Still I must recognise "Martin" handled himself pretty well. When I first saw him I quickly drew some parallels with Edward Norton. I enjoyed Colin Farell a lot more in In Bruge.
So this is it; or is it? My hearing is terrible and this fast robotic dialogue did not help at all. The scenes running into each other through different time zones did confuse me a little further. But I put the pieces together reading a detailled plot of it at the end.
Taste and feelings are not for debate, I'm sure it will please some, but I'm not one of them.
Operasjon Arktis (2014)
Unbearable with cute bear
Sorry about the corny title... I really enjoyed this adventure from Sweden. Indeed it's a family movie and it's great as there aren't many this days that are not animated cartoon. I would not worry too much about the believable side of it. If we can go with Harry Potter and the likes, this should present no problem. But the dynamic with the kids is very good, so is the scenery. Perhaps a little brady bunchy and why not. we can do with a little of mild family drama, instead of 'modern stuff' and reality ugliness we're ditched ad nauseum. Those bears are magnificent...But a passing thought came to me watching 'and listening to' them; do they have bad breath?
I seldom or rather never rate movies, so my review won't count either; but I can see only two reviews before mine so why bother about rating anyway . I'm sure most kids will enjoy this beautiful movie and so will their parents
Down by Law (1986)
Another "dolce vita"
Once in a while, not too often, this is the type of movie I really enjoy. Just go with the flow without great expectation and yet get rewarded.
I'm not a movie buff but enjoy most of them most of the time. Don't know much about producer etc. , just happy with good actors and often well known actors. Yes not the Dolce Vita or Beautiful Life (I thought our Italian friend was that guy. Don't raise your eyebrow but yes I thought it was...) The whole thing is quite 'zanny' Shot in black and white is unusual I imagin in colour would have work too. If you simply take it as it is, you too may enjoy the experience
What We Did on Our Holiday (2014)
A Children story for adults!
I trully enjoyed this beautiful story. I would not class myself as a Bill Connelly's fan but always enjoyed his humour, though to a degree. This was him again, but in such a natural role that was so pleasing. It was easy to relate to 'the' 'his' situation.
The involvment of the children to me was so appropriate, and the familly dynamics reflected much of reality.
It's up to the audience to decide whether to take it lightly or give it more thoughts as it can be thought provoking at time, to me a bonus and which makes this movie not forgetable as a spoonfull of honney would be. Sorry, once more no rating for me, I feel my words are the rating.
Die Welle (2008)
Of course it can happen again
I was very curious to watch this movie as its "story line" reminded me very much of something I heard but having taken place in the USA.
This one is in German (great for me as I usually need to read subtitles due to impaired hearing)
I enjoyed it reasonably well although it followed the lines I expected from what I remembered of the "true event". It did not follow exactly as I thought but just the same I had little surprises as it went on. I guess the impact would be greater if unheard of.
I read a few comments here and as usual I found extreme positions about it. However for me it was clear enough and I accepted that version as well.
When it was over I searched for more info about this experience and found a very enlighting article about its origin. It was at Palo Alto California where this experience was conducted but kept quiet for 10 years until the teacher involved met again with a 'student' who gave him the secret salut. And so he decided to write an article about it... It went then 'snowball'! I unerstand books and movies were inspired by it.
V.C. Andrews' Heaven: Web of Dreams (2019)
So sad I nearly cried!
So sad indeed. I don't care about the book, I don't care about the series, but I cared about being entertained decently.
This sounded promising but it goes from bad to worse. Do yourself a favour go and have a round of golf instead. (For me would be my next bad choice!)
Everyone is no good in this. The mother awful, the would be caring father 'can't care' and miss Angel can't see how bad people are around her... I really should have got drunk instead... I'm not sure about the ending but it was so brief and it seems the Angel dies in child birth. Spoiler +++ Who cares anyway.
Jappeloup (2013)
They love horses, don't they!
I loves them too . Twas great to see so many great actors _ not sure why the dark scenes look like negatives on my big tv. But a very predictable movie as such could have been much shorter
The Ice Storm (1997)
Storm in the cold teacup
Don't mind my tittle I just wanted to have some fun... I just finished to watch Ice Storm and recorded it because of the string and the strength of known actors... I was going to say that I watched it on my 'little box' but actually not, as i have a decent 65" screen, close to a cinema experience. I was quite pleased with it, yet at its conclusion I felt a little empty, this for several reasons. Perhaps the first one being I felt it was unfinished. But also it made me feel that I had never had a life, yet if life had to be like this I'm not too sure I want to have one at all. In all my freedom I have to confess I rather had a "sheltered life" in youth and later.
However reading the reviews and ratings that seem to be divided in two groups 85% and 1% of approval. I may not be alone, be it for other reasons, to feel that way. It's definitely an adult theme, but maybe, you may find, also a pre-adult theme - My rating is in the text.
Where Hands Touch (2018)
OMG!!!
Reading the review left on the opening page about "where hands touch" the first line is
"I'm not sure why so many people are giving this movie a bad wrap"
I can't believe someone could be so blind and deaf. We are following the horror of the war in a German environment all in English with a would be German accent, pretty settings, smile and love all around and we supposed to be happy about it for a well delivered educational work about the reality of Nazi achievement. And why not hey? Black smoke from the chimneys with white snowflakes a few expedient murders and Romeo and Juliet with their own tragedy....
I had to be polite to watch it to the end as I was at friends place. But I have seen a few movies of the genre and this one certainly is not in the league. The Counterfeiter, The life of others, The black book to only mention a few held my attention and seriously addressed the topic and the horror in a realistic manner.
I understand it is somehow inspired by true events...I'm shuddering at the thought of what the real people who lived this horror would feel if they were to watch this movie.
I'd love to be wrong about it because I think it is so offending for them.
Surely it's ok to differ but I hurt when I see so many praising this work...The story of colour prejudice from the Nazis must be told! Hello didn't you know? No it was not only the Jews. Coloured skin, Cripples, mentally challenged and others too were all part of the cleansing.
Do yourself a favour - skip it. I usually do not rate but in this instance I'll make an exception just to lower the rating and hope other will join in too.
Fences (2016)
Who says "Plays aren't for cinema"!
Fences - I do come here humbly after ready so many good and to my thinking well deserved reviews. However I just struggled to watch this movie taped on my TV and enjoyed it thoroughly. Struggled yes, because the dialogue in this movie is vital and my hearing despite my newly acquired hearing aids I did missed a lot and especially when Troy reveals the unthinkable to his wife. Had to heavily google to be able to continue the viewing with some understanding at this point. I do like drama very much and always enjoyed Denzel's acting. His counterpart Viola as so praised and rewarded for her acting was even more than a match. I won't go on nit picking about some aspect of this movie that some would dislike. Nothing is ever perfect or at least pleasing everyone. We are individuals with different taste and idea so to each its own.
Going back to the dialogue I did not even have subtitle on that particular channel. Perhaps technology one day will permit hearing challenged people to be able to follow such dialogues. And with more technical miracles the same will apply to blind people. (Would I ever have thought of this when I had no problem!) I also wished that technology would extend to what I found with language learning program on the web...you can slow down the speech speed for better understanding, Marvellous, wouldn't you say... Sorry I'm getting carried away! FENCES is a wonderful experience for those who enjoy such intelligent drama. I have not read the play but I feel that the author would be proud of how it's been transferred to the big screen. I expected another racial injustice drama but if found it was so much more than this if it was ever much about race. I feel it was about human complexity to deal with its lot in an ever changing tempo. I'll go back to it with subtitle available!
Sorry I never rate!
Connasse, princesse des coeurs (2015)
They shoot horses don't they...But deja vu!
The first thing that come to mind with this is Sasha Baron... Well this did not go too well with me either yet I chose to laugh...Perhaps to "belong" shame on me. But this time it's even worse although I genuinely did laugh a couple of times. I understand and have to accept tastes are different with each one. So it's no point to tell others you don't like something for them to agree with you. But what I can say it's gross. Personally I do like very much "Candid" camera but I like it a little refined. I think here there was no attempt for refine....Down with the snobs hey! So be it .
Very overcast for me so no star...Anyway I never give stars I quit now and go and get myself some anti emetics
Werk ohne Autor (2018)
Arty farty don't mention the war
Forget about this silly title but I wrote it... For the length of it and my car in a time restricted area, I'll simply say that I enjoyed Verk ohne Autor very much. Not that I understand what "Work without Author" relates to here. As I am just an ordinary and pretty much unsophisticated person. I do read a few other comments / reviews before adding mine. So I do admit the content was often beyond my understanding. As such all the notions of art may not have created the impact I guessed it intended to ; along with some 'deep' statements or observations given along this 'epic' journey. Nevertheless I found Never look away quite engrossing. I have not yet been disappointed with S Kosh acting (The life of others, The Black book) I much appreciated him here too. I'm not to analyse and compare everything as I often read in other reviews but although it was very long movie I feel we, the audience, had a bonus at the result of it. However I do understand those who'd prefer a shorter version. For me, near the end, Francoise Hardy "the temps de l'amour" was another bonus too! I won't bother about the plot as I'm sure anyone who may read this would already know about it.
La dernière folie de Claire Darling (2018)
Bitter Sweet display of aging
I really enjoyed this movie without any sophistication. I have come to know 'oldies' who have lost their marbles or perhaps only some of them. Anyway many of us would come to agree that we have lost some sharpness with the passage of years. Here Clair Darling (Catherine Deneuve) portrait such condition, with the difference that she's 'filthy' rich yet very much in control of her affair even if she should not be! The plot wandered between actuality and past as so we may understand the event that unfold. And the ride is not always obvious as we'd like it to be . So it would be a good thing if one is, unlike her, holding his/ her mental faculties to the utmost to follow the trail appropriately! Still I think there will be questions to be answered when it's all over.
I enjoyed, along with 3 others in the group, all the participating actors. And if you're a fan of antiquity you'll get plenty to love as well.
I would not miss a a film with C Deneuve in it...I'm convinced my father did renovate period furniture for her .
I'm surprised to be the first to review here and would advise to read elsewhere more concise and professional reviews if you want to know a little more about it.
Beoning (2018)
I did feel the heat!
This is a rather daunting task to add my review and I feel a little like if I was trying to play a chess master, after reading so many intelligent and well articulated reviews for this work.
I simply went to see a Korean film that had a good writing but was a little sceptic about it having followed such recommendations in the past for films that did little for me...
I had to wait a little, watching that guy, not much inspiring, getting into the action. Then it happened. I became totally absorbed. Also I found the music score that was so different from anything I had heard before in a movie was haunting but very pleasing too. Only sparse details here and there seemed to give you a clue about reality and phantasy as the plot got thicker.
On the way we are treated with very entertaining and artistic 'distractions' and at the conclusion of this epic and ''phantasystic' journey. I started my own journey to digest it and continued to enjoy it for much longer, yes also with the help of these wonderful reviews here
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
4 Me a waste of time
Only taped it on my TV 'cause of the string of actors I enjoyed in the past. After yawning a few times through it and pretending I was not hearing the inappropriate language, (Yes it was there just like people will put ketchup on any kind of food). The end came with some kind of relief. I did not entirely dislike it though and realised we don't have all the same taste. I have never seen Kick Ass which was mentioned by many reviewers and since I've almost stop drinking probably will never see any of them. Like someone mentioned there is black humour, violence, bad language (oh hardly any sex, beside oral sex yes f---k as if it came out of a drum kit to mark the tempo) But as already hinted ...it's not for me, again to each its own! I hope I did not let anything out I should not after saying "no" to the question about spoilers.
Oscar Pistorius: Blade Runner Killer (2017)
Hi profile convicted of murder.
I had no particular interest but curiosity to watch this movie on TV. In retrospective if anything I probably would have prefered it to have been a fictional work. But it's not and I feel it is a case of "he says, they say". Being a film with some entertainment value being of some priority, one can not criticise too much how dramatised it was. I prefer straight stories with limited flash back. I regret the actor had a very different look than Oscar. And not sure about the South African accent, I thought it should have been a little stronger but, yes, I'm unsure. It was reasonably acted though and as a fiction would have been also reasonably entertaining. I guess I was too busy to analyse the pros and cons of the account about it. But I find it difficult to believe he could have been innocent. I just felt some people who are used to get what they want may stop at nothing to achieve such a goal. He proved this in his sport.
I understand his family is suing the film company, obviously in disagreement with it's representation of the facts...
However I'm surprised to see so little reviews here and apologise for not really being an objective reviewer and neither being much talented to review at all, yet I love to do it!
En liberté! (2018)
C'est pas si marrant :(
The critic review here says "This movie is a very mixed bag. There are a good number of quite funny bits, and thanks to Audrey Tautou in a supporting role, a couple of genuinely touching moments. But the actions and reactions of the two main characters make absolutely no psychological sense at all, ever. If that doesn't put you off, then by all means see this movie for the many funny gags."
I couldn't agree more. My wife would have given it a minus so would my friend. His wife had a good time with it and I ,(the French man), was rather perplex about it. The gags were few and far from each others (yes I would not say either 'good number). I differ with the critic thinking that A Tautou was under used, so much for the support! But even if it did not much for me I found it quite original and thought it would be up some people's alley. My memory is not the best by now as such don't ask me about 'en liberte' tomorrow I won't remember it... if you know what I mean!
PS Again you could not spoil it, it did a good job at it itself
2 Guns (2013)
Lots of high class crap.
Decided to watch this on the strength of two actors I'm quite fond of. But the title was not inspiring. And, i found, neither was the movie. I could copy and paste the review from IMDB front page on this movie who is exactly my thoughts on it.
So I'll kind of say the same thing in my own words (although little different) . If you like these two actors and want to enjoy them working together, you'll have a good time and I too say make sure you got some popcorn and would add, some 'inspiring' drinks with it. As for the spoilers...It spoils itself with no help.
Churchill (2017)
Cock and bull stories with a cigar
When this came on our TV I thought I'd already seen it in a plane trip. But I was thinking about the "the darkest hour"
I felt rather uncomfortable watching "Churchill" As despite my abhorrence to history I always held Churchill at a great man... So the film when on. It was not all bad, l was shocked to see Brian Cox looking so different from his look in the 'The Bourne Identity', but got used to it and found he had some good moments. It also took me a while to see 'his' wife as the Madame Giry from the Phantom of the Opera. (Sorry about that, one of our hobby is to try to recapitulate where we've seen actors before..., I guess it's like crosswords it supposes to sharpen your mind. Or at least preserve it)
But when it was all over I went to my trusty imdb to see what people had to say about it.
And thank you for those who put mind at ease regarding the facts about Winston.
Yes they said he was nothing like this film depicts him...
As such I'll go to bed not thinking anymore about it, hopefully for the rest of my life.
Green Book (2018)
Anyone would take a leaf out of Green book
Green book...Nominated and winning this that and the other...'must be something I should see. So on this very Monday, midday, we went to Hoyts Sydney having a gift card for Hoyts and Green Book not showing near our place in these particular cinemas. Then I read it was a comedy? This did not sound as good as I thought it may be, feeling more interested in a racial conflict I understood it was... We got our tickets and in due time entered a little cinema. Little but so well furnished with spacious and reclining chairs! Our ticket also mentioned 'coarse language'; something not rating high on my wife's taste, how would she cope with this? After some 20 minutes of the 'usual' (allowing for some shut-eye on my part) the movie finally started.
I really hadn't read much about it at all, so did not expect to see a mismatched pair embarking in an unforgettable journey. I was so glad not to have any real idea about it. Yes racial difference it had, but it had also indifference of race and it was so wonderful. Why oh why were they only a handful of people watching with us? Yes it was a Monday and day time; still I would have expected more people.
Both main characters were so likeable in their own make up. You grew with them through the story and fell for them. Although they underwent some changes they remained themselves till the end. I have never heard or seen these actors before, so it was another bonus for me. It was not "Guess who's coming to dinner" or "Intouchable", but a charming yet thought provoking epic. If you were a little more curious than I am you would have to know it is about a white Italian American Bouncer in need of a job that is channelled to drive for a black 'gentleman' concert pianist who despite his talent and reputation is not immune to racism as we found about it during his epic tour about various "united states".
Both actors are so pleasing and I would not want you to fear about the coarse language, I did not resent or even remember hearing it. There were a couple of appropriate violent moments but quite obliterated by the good nature and familial portraying.
As for the comedy...There were a few very funny episodes.
This shows that it is still possible to deal efficiently with gritty topics without indulging in over used vulgarity and profane language.
And it was nice to leave the theatre rewarded with a contented feeling, again from me no rating since I don't believe in rating.