pierresempere Reviews

Prometheus (I) (2012)

Removing the science out of science fiction

[4/10 · 6 February 2024]

Ok so ... huh, the good I guess : special effects, photography and music. And that's about it.

The story is basically pseudo science serving existentialism and seeking the answers of who made us, why and I guess the fantasy of "I wanna talk to the creator". I don't know, I'm not sure it captures the essence of it since the plot has more holes than the crew has idiots (which is no small feat).

Moving on, many comments seems to have pointed out on how ridiculous the science was, the utter stupidity of the protocols (or rather ignoring protocols), as in "let's remove helmets, my 5 minutes analysis of this planet gives me enough confidence", or "let's touch that goo coming out of the mass produced vases", with my favorite being "let's treat the snake-worm creature as if it was a pet". What could go wrong ?

Huh there's more examples but I think other comments have covered those extensively and I'd rather not relive this.

So I guess the equation for this movie can be summed up as : science-fiction - science + god + stupidity + high budget visuals - answers = time wasted.

The Informer (2019)

Unexpectedly good

[8/10 · 1 February 2024]

So I read the critics before and therefore had pretty low expectations. I'm happy to say I was wrong.

Indeed as most users say it's not a high budget movie, but the trio Kinnaman/Pike/Commons works very well and sell a compelling thriller.

The plot is not overcomplicated and pretty straightforward but the execution is very clean and much attention has been given to small details (like the drawings of the snipers lines of sight near the ending).

The bad guy = good guy angle is not overexploited either and the choices the main character does are indeed necessity driven rather than idealistic, which grounds the character and makes him plausible.

The angle of going deeper and deeper hoping for relief is central to the movie and is correctly explored.

The few action scenes are not over the top and the movie chooses to center itself on the plot.

This is in the end not the movie of the year, which it wasn't pretending to be anyway, but it is an enjoyable movie which won't leave a "wow" memory but won't leave you with the feeling of wasted time at its end either. Nice one !

You Were Never Really Here (2017)

Acting and photography but not an impressive plot

[9/10 · 21 June 2022]

Joaquin Phoenix's performance is extremely good. It is what we came to expect from him since we know from his work in general that he aims for perfection.

Much is said with little to no words between the two main characters. The camera and photography in general is close to perfection, making the viewer feel the Joe's terrors, demons or resolve, the same goes for Nina.

Sadly the plot is predictable and this is explored territory, so no novelty from there. I believe that the plot is just secondary, it is , in my humble opinion, just a guideline though which the director will make you share the characters' feelings.

Ultimately the plot is not necessary and the movie delivers a chilling experience.

The Queen's Gambit (2020)

Impressive

[10/10 · 16 November 2020]

As an average chess player, I did have big expectations concerning this show. Although I don't play well I absolutely love the game and many movies have just butchered the game. Suffice to say I wasn't disappointed.

Somehow they managed to have a clear and clever character development and a great plot while clearly nailing the chess part of the show (the games played in the show are very often games that really took place, and are quite magnificent).

I think that anyone might enjoy the show, with or without any knowledge in the game of chess, and that is very impressive in my opinion.

The Queen's Gambit: Openings (2020) Season 1, Episode 1

She played the Réti opening

[10/10 · 28 October 2020]

Aside from playing my favorite opening move, I'm so bloody happy to see a tv show on chess that respects the game. Of course chess is just a part of the personality of Beth which seems incredibly complex, well thought and developed. I liked the balance chess/character focus and hope it stays that way in future episodes.

And if this series can say "I'm a girl, I wanna play chess and f you" , that's even better as the game is wrongly dominated by men

Beyond: Two Souls (2013 Video Game)

Page and Dafoe are Stellar

[9/10 · 28 June 2020]

Quantic has the tallent to create games that you can judge as movies, that's impressive enough. The story is brilliant and the characters alive (and not lifelike), which makes you immerse a lot. Music and ambiance are both top notch. I removed a star because I found it a little bit too long in the end (I went through it in one go which might explain it), but I had a fantastic time

His Dark Materials (2019–2022)

Great pilot, let's see where they are going

[12 November 2019]

Although it's too early to rate the show based on the pilot, it is crystal clear that scenarists have taken their jobs seriously and actually adapted the book unlike the movie. I look forward to it, but it's a promising start.

Close (I) (2019)

Is Netflix able to write the end of a movie ?

[4/10 · 31 January 2019]

The movie in itself is not so bad, not great but still enjoyable. But my god, is Netflix going to write an epilogue for a movie ? We don't know what happens to the girl (she has still murdered a police officier), what happens to the company, to Sam etc. like all other movies produced by Netflix it has no proper ending which closes the case once and for all.

Valhalla Rising (2009)

Not for everyone, but loved it

[8/10 · 26 January 2019]

You seek action ? Don't watch You seek clarity ? Don't watch There's not much of a plot, you don't know what happens when, and for me that's partially the beauty of it. It left me amazed by the beauty of silence when used correctly, the landscapes (moreover the colors) were magnificent and even though he does not speak a word, Mads Mikkelsen does an amazing job at keeping you focused every second of the film. Loved it, but I can understand why some didn't.

Polar (I) (2019)

Took a time to figure out wether I liked it a lot or despised it

[7/10 · 25 January 2019]

The casting is amazing (but the better actors are underused and the less talented overused imho (my god the boss plays bad)) The plot is pretty simple, but Mikkelsen plays brilliantly even though the movie falls into some clichés. After a brainstorming with myself I decided to let me seduce by this genre, kind of akward, and take the movie for what it is. Still, in the end, it's Mads Mikkelsen who gives an interest to the movie for me.