1001 Movies ... my own version (2000's)

Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. In fact, I even saw it the movie theater when it was released. First of all, even though I have seen all the movies directed by Lars von Trier and even though I respect what he has done, I always had some mixed feelings about his work. Indeed, I always have a hard time to connect with his movies and this feature was a perfect example. Indeed, pretty much like with ‘Breaking the Waves’, the directing was really good, the acting was fine as well but everything was just relentlessly bleak and I’m not surprised that some people called it the most depressing movie ever made. I mean, I don’t mind if a movie is dark and incredibly sad but, with von Trier, it feels sometimes like a gimmick, pretty much like David Lynch with his mind-f*ck gimmick, and, as a result, after seeing this gimmick again and again, I find it rather difficult to take it really seriously.

Notes: In fact, I did see the damned thing back then with my buddies in the movie theater when it was released. At the time, it was not yet hailed as a great classic and, to be honest, I thought it was a decent watch but nothing really amazing. Since then, I have re-watched it at least 3 times but I still don't get why everybody seems to think it is one of the best movies ever made. I mean, it did look awesome, the directing was off the chart, Russel Crowe delivered an impressive performance but what about the story? Yes, it was entertaining but it was also really nothing ground-breaking in my opinion. I know, it is a huge classic and it is definitely a solid feature but it is not much more than that, I’m afraid. In my opinion, at the end of the day, the story was in fact a rather generic peplum and it didn't add much to the formula. In this style, I'd rather watch 'Spartacus' or 'Ben Hur' anytime. At least, thanks to this movie and after struggling for many years, Ridley Scott finally managed to make a massive come-back becoming one of the most productive directors at work nowadays. Anyway, coming back to our main feature, it is in fact a decent action movie, I'll give you that, but it is definitely not a great flick.

Notes: When it was released, , it was a huge critical classic and it is still considered as the best movie directed so far by Cameron Crowe. Well, to be honest, even though I thought it was a pretty cool feature, somehow, it never really blew me away though. It’s weird because, on paper, it sounded like a great story and since I was about the same age of the main character and since I loved the music of that particular time period, it should have been a sure winner. Basically, even though most of the characters were quite interesting thanks among other things to a very strong cast involved, unfortunately, I didn’t care much for the main character. Sure, I understand that it was the whole point to have an average and ordinary guy getting in touch with some larger-than-life figures but I’m afraid this approach backfired as I never really cared for him. Anyway, even though I tend to think that this movie is slightly overrated, it is still pretty good movie though.

Notes: In fact, I did see this flick in the movie theater when it was released almost 20 years ago and, at the time, it was a massive critical success so I had some rather high expectations. I don’t know, maybe I was too young but, at the time, even though I did like it, I can't say I thought it was great like everyone seemed to think. Indeed, I thought it was a little bit frustrating and I wish this couple would just kiss each other and move on with their life instead of remaining stuck for some rather obscure reasons. And, yet, after re-watching the damned thing, I have to admit that I was really impressed this time around. To be honest, I was still not really fascinated by the story but the whole thing looked just so amazing, it is easily Wong Kar-Wai's best directing effort and I would go further and I argue that it is one of the most gorgeous movies ever made.

Notes: First of all, this movie was really gorgeous and it was something really unexpected from Ang Lee, considering he just directed a Western (‘Ride with Devil’), a 70's drama (‘The Ice Storm’) and a periode piece (‘Sense and sensibility’). The first time I saw this movie, it was my first contact with the wuxia genre and I really liked this flick, it gave also a new international exposure to this genre and many really neat movies followed like 'Hero' and 'House of Flying Daggers' both directed by Zhang Yimou. To be honest, after all these years, I was actually rather surprised by how small the scope actually was. Indeed, except for a fight scene in a restaurant, you usually get only a handful of characters involved. It doesn't mean that it was an issue and I especially enjoyed the sweet and gentle relationship between Li Mu Bai an Yu Shu Lien. Eventually, they would release a sequel 16 years later, produced by Netflix, but I have some serious doubts that it is really worth a look but maybe I will check it out at some point.

Notes: Back in those days, after directing 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' and this movie, Guy Ritchie was considered one of the most promising directors. Unfortunately, he made afterwards the terrible 'Swept away'. Since then, his career has recovered thanks first to ‘RocknRolla’ and above all to ‘Sherlock Holmes’ but you can't say he has really fulfilled all those great expectations. Still, this second directing effort was just brilliant. Indeed, I thought it was just a hilarious movie, completely entertaining and it was also very well made. Indeed, the visuals and direction were just great, the story was just so damned entertaining from the beginning until the end with some awesome one-liners. There was also a bunch of actors present who all gave some great performances ( Benicio Del Toro, Dennis Farina, Vinnie Jones, Brad Pitt, Rade Serbedzija, Jason Statham, Ewen Bremner, Jason Flemyng). Later on, Guy Ritchie tried to get the same vibe with 'RocknRolla' but even though it was enjoyable, in my opinion, it never reached the level of this classic. I hope someday Ritchie will blow me away again like this....

Notes: In fact, I actually saw the damned thing when it was released and, ever since then, Darren Aronofsky has always been one of the most intriguing directors at work. During this period, most of his movies have been critically heralded but this sophomore effort remains his best movie in my opinion. Above all, the directing was top-notch and, after rewatching this flick, I was surprised to discover that it was actually pretty much a psychological horror flick with a very ominous beginning and such a relentless and hardcore ending. For all the actors involved (Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, Marlon Wayans), it was basically the highest point of their career and they have never been better than in this flick. Hell, who would have thought that Marlon Wayans, of all people, could deliver such an impressive performance?!? Visually, it was just really impressive and, even though the video-clip esthetics might be deemed superficial, I think it was a great way to show the heightened feeling or vision of someone being under the influence of drugs.

Notes: The funny thing is that, when this movie was released, back then I was living in England, the trailer didn't really impress me. Honestly, I thought it looked like any other convoluted dark thriller with a guy with some weird tattoos. A year later, I was back in France renting a movie with my best friend and we had no idea what to watch. My friend suggested this because there was absolutely nothing else and we both had no idea what it was about. Eventually, we started the damned thing and it took us at least 15 minutes to figure out the weird structure but then, we were both hooked. The funny thing is that we were at his house and even though we started with only the two of us, every 15 minutes, someone else would show up so we would stop the movie, explain what was going on and further move on. At the end, we were like 6 people watching this flick, none of us had heard from it before but we were all mesmerized. Basically, I think this movie is really amazing. At the end, you are so confused. I'm sure a lot of people are annoyed by this but I just love this feeling. Even though you have more information than Leonard, the main character, at the end, it still remains a big blur. How long has been he on the run ? 1 year ? 2 years ? longer ? How many John D. has he killed ? Was his wife killed or did he made that up ? So many questions remain even if you watch the movies 20 times. I just think it is fascinating and even after multiple re-watch, I still remains flawless. There were even some hilarious bits, funnier than most of the lame comedies I have watched. Of course, there are some plot-holes. For example, with his disease, Leonard shouldn't be aware that he has this sickness and he shouldn't even know what is tattoos or his pictures mean. Furthermore, he always forget precisely at the right moment so that the movie could be properly edited. In my opinion, those are minor flaws though, and to me, this movie is pretty damned amazing.

Notes: I remember very well the 1st time I saw this movie. Indeed, back then, I was living in England and, I think after seeing the trailer, I thought it could be a cool movie. Eventually, it turned out to be even better that I expected and I was really blown away by the damned thing. Basicallly, it was some of the most amazing directing debut I have ever seen and, from this point and I became a huge fan of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's work, In fact, even though Inarritu became one of the most interesting directors at work nowadays and even though he kept making some great movies, this movie is still my favorite one. Indeed, the story was just spellbinding, the acting was pretty good (Gael Garcia Bernal gave here one of his first parts) and of course, the directing was really impressive. For a directing début, Inarritu displayed some amazing confidence. Concerning the 3 tales displayed, the 1st one was far the best and they could focus the whole movie on this part. The 2nd was the least effective but the final part was really neat as well. Anyway, back in those days, there was not yet this overdose of hyperlink features and, at the time, I thought it was just a spellbinding gimmick.

Notes: By now, I have seen most of the movies directed by Steven Soderbergh and this movie still remains my favorite one from this director. To be honest, I have to admit that it wasn't really flawless though. The main issue I had was with the storyline involving Erika Christensen. I mean, it was a good idea to focus on some drug addict but why did they choose some white rich girl when most of the victims of drug addiction are actually black and poor? I can imagine that, since there were already so many characters and so many subplots involved, they had to squeeze somehow a drug addict somewhere but this girl was hardly representative of your average junkie. A part from that, the rest was some really strong stuff though, especially the part involving Benicio Del Toro who finally got some recognition for his talent as he won an Academy Award for his performance. For Steven Soderbergh, even though almost all his movies have a strong concept, they sometimes end up being rather half-baked but, with this movie, he managed to keep it tight, realistic and quite fascinating until the very end.

Notes: Right now, after winning back-to-back twice the prestigious Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, Haneke is pretty much at the top of his game and he is definitely one of the most interesting directors at work nowadays. It is also interesting that he has made half of his movies in France and this feature was the second one he made there. Personally, even though I was expecting a lot from ‘Code inconnu’, I thought it was rather disappointing and too difficult to decipher for me. Eventually, this follow-up was maybe more straightforward but eventually much more enjoyable to watch. Ok, ‘enjoyable’ might not be the right word as, like in all the movies directed by Haneke, you deal with some dark and ambiguous characters, dealing with some twisted emotions. Isabelle Huppert, one of the best French actresses, delivered an impressive performance and with Benoît Magimel, they had some really nice chemistry together. Like most of Haneke's work, the whole thing had a strong mesmerizing effect but the mood was so dark, it was as a result also quite alienating. Anyway, even if it wasn’t a complete home-run, it was still a strong drama.

Notes: In fact, I remember it very well when it was released in France. Indeed, it was a huge critical and commercial success, everybody was talking about this flick to the point that it was even getting slightly annoying. Anyway, I still saw it in the movie theater back then but, to be honest, even though I really admired the work done, it never completely blew me away though. I mean, it was definitely visually really neat, the soundtrack by Yann Tiersen was just mesmerizing and it was a fun movie, no doubt about it. Eventually, it might be the quirkiest movie ever made, even the best movie in this genre but I’m afraid its quirkiness actually backfired. I mean, the whole thing was all nice and cute but, in my opinion, it is ultimately also rather shallow. Indeed, even though the whole movie tried very hard to convince the viewers that Amélie Poulain was a fascinating girl who will change our life forever, I thought she was cute but not much more than that. It was like those random anecdotes popping up every 30 secondes about the characters or life in general. Sure, it was entertaining but were these little scenes really so fascinating or life changing? Not really, at least, it wasn't for me. Anyway, even if I’m not a huge fan of this movie, it is still pretty good though.

Notes: Honestly, I thought it was slightly disappointing. I mean, it was visually appealing and I thought that the cast (Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luena, Maribel Verdu) all gave some solid performances but I seriously failed to see what was so amazing about this story. Pretty much like ‘Children of men’, another universally heralded movie directed by Cuaron, I didn’t really connect with the story. I mean, it was not bad at all, it was even quite intriguing but I thought it never really took off. Basically, it is supposed to be a steamy affair but I really had a hard time to care about the characters. I mean, good for them, they managed to explore their sex life but I didn’t think it was really that compelling. I don’t know, maybe I wasn’t in the right mood and I might re-watch it in the future to make up my mind for good. I mean, don’t misunderstand me, I actually liked the damned thing, it’s just that I didn’t get why it was so highly regarded.

Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this flick and I should definitely re-watch it at some point. Anyway, I really loved the damned thing. Indeed, after all those American Pie clones and other weak and underwhelming high-school comedies, we might forgot how it was to be in our late teens. Those movies may be entertaining (most aren't though) but they are always completely unrealistic. In my opinion, ‘Ghost World’ was a massive wake up call and send me right back in the reality which was pretty awesome. Back then, Thora Birch, who was playing the lead here, was quite popular, especially following ‘American Beauty’, but this movie would be her last interesting movie and she has pretty much disappeared since then. On the other hand, it was one of the 1st high-profile projects for Scarlett Johansson and, even though she was there only as a supporting character, she would have eventually a much more impressive career than Birch after all. Anyway, the 2 girls gave some really solid performances and they had a great chemistry together. Later on, my sister would give me the comic-book as a gift, it also became of the my favorites and this movie was definitely really faithful.

Notes: I remember perfectly when I saw this flick the first time. Beforehand, I spent a year reading the whole trilogy so I was definitely going to watch it at some point but I wasn't sure when. Anyway, the week-end of its release, Saturday evening, I was chilling out with my buddies, rather bored and nobody knew what we should do. So, I proposed to see this new flick. And off we went to the multiplex. However, the whole thing was packed and we realized that our movie was sold out. Bummer... Suddenly, just when we thought to get the hell out of there, some guy showed up with precisely the right number of tickets! So, we managed to watch it and it was f*cking priceless, at the end, my best buddy who knew nothing about this trilogy looked at me, kind of desperate, 'is it the end? Come on! I want to see what will happen after this!!!'. Eventually, he had to wait another year... Anyway, I must admit it, the first time I watched it, I wasn't exactly blown away. I mean, it looked awesome and I was entertained during the whole thing, that's for sure, but, basically, I thought it was a very long introduction before the real thing started. After re-watching it many times, I tend to appreciate it more but I still think the other 2 installments are better. That's also the skill of Peter Jackson who managed to make each installment bigger than its predecessor. Anyway, as a stand alone movie, it is really good but as one third of a great epic tale, it is actually awesome.

Notes: During the whole thing, I was rather flabbergasted by what was going on but I couldn't help wondering if it would happen the same way in real life (apparently, it did since it was based on an actual experiment). I wasn't completely convinced at first but it was eventually really engrossing and it will remain in my thoughts for a few more days, that's for sure. To be fair, the movie was not perfect. In my opinion, the beginning, when they introduce you to the main character was actually pretty weak. I mean, it is pretty obvious that they wanted the viewers to identify with the guy, to better understand his motivations, but it felt pretty awkward, especially his relationship with this girl he met after a rather weird one-night stand. Of course, the movie is not about this but about the experience, it was really unsettling and worked very well. Like I said before, during the whole thing, you are scratching your head, questioning the attitude of both guards and prisoners but I do believe it gives a really believable and quite convincing study on human behavior and psychology, resulting in a fascinating movie.

Notes: I have been following Mira Nair for quite some time now and this movie must be her best one I have seen so far (it was also the very first of her directing efforts I saw, if I recall correctly). Apparently, I wasn't the only one who really enjoyed it since this flick won the Golden Lion at the Venice film festival which was probably the reason why I wanted to watch it in the first place. Anyway, it is basically a very interesting study of the middle class in India. At first, the story may sound like a soap and it did look like a soap-opera in some way but it was eventually much more than that. Indeed, even though there were many characters, they were all well developed, I thought they were all quite interesting and I really cared about those characters and what they were going through. In a certain way, this movie also shows where the Indian society stands nowadays, between tradition and modernity.

Notes: By now, I have seen all the movies directed by Hayao Miyazaki and, after watching his flicks, I must admit it, most of them didn’t really blow me away. I mean, they were all pretty good, the hand-drawn animation displayed was nothing short of marvelous but, to be honest, I always have a hard time to get into his stories. Still, there was one major exception though and it was this masterpiece which I just really loved. Indeed, I have all respect for the Disney animated features and they definitely made some great pictures but, in my opinion, Hayao Miyazaki displayed here so much more imagination and this feature was just so much more spellbinding. Once again, it was visually amazing but, for once, the story was just so fascinating. Indeed, not only did Miyazaki deliver a fascinating world but also he gave us a dark and thrilling tale with some quiet moments and some frenetic action. Furthermore, the pacing which be can challenging in most of Ghibli productions was just flawless here. Another major improvement was that the main character was quite complex and I really cared about what she was going through. It is interesting to note that my wife thought it would be too dark for my kids but I still made all my children watched this flick when they were very young and they were all mesmerized.

Notes: It must be one of the biggest cult-classics released since the beginning of this millennium, even if some viewers really didn’t care for the damned thing at all. I have to admit it, it is actually rather difficult to discuss this movie since the whole thing is pretty weird and rather messed-up and, in fact, even Jake Gyllenhaal himself admitted that he had no idea what the movie was about. What Richard Kelly managed to do is to mix a believable teenage reality with some really dark fantasy and, somehow, even though half of the movie was almost impossible to follow, the end-result was still quite fascinating to behold which was quite an achievement. After 5 long years, as a follow-up, Richard Kelly would come up with another major mind-f*ck feature (‘Southland Tales’) but it turned out to be a massive critical failure and his career never really recovered from the blow.

Notes: I always had a weak spot for ‘Lords of Dogtown’ but I have noticed that it didn’t get much love and the biggest argument was that the original documentary ‘Dogtown and Z-Boys’ was much better so I was really eager to check this flick. Well, I wasn’t disappointed, that’s for sure. Indeed, I thought it was a fascinating and thrilling feature showing the genuine birth of a phenomenon which is still going strong nowadays. There was also some awesome photos and footage and this flick is a must see for anyone more or less interested in skateboarding. The only issue I might have is that the whole thing was directed by Stacy Peralta, himself one of the original Z-Boys, and while on one hand, it was a pretty cool fact and the guy definitely knew what he was talking about, on the other hand, you wonder if an outsider wouldn’t have been more objective about the whole thing. Eventually, even after watching this flick, I still think ‘Lords of Dogtown’ is a decent fictionalized version and I think I will re-watch it at some point.

Notes: To be honest, even though 'Rosetta' did manage to win the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, I really had a hard time to care about the damned thing. However, afterwards, I really enjoyed all the other movies directed by the Dardenne brothers and this one must be my favorite one. Indeed, Olivier Gourmet who appeared very often in their movies, had this time the lead part and the guy gave here a really amazing performance. Like the directing, his performance was subtle and understated and it was just a marvel to watch. This time, the Dardenne brothers managed here to combine a social drama with a thriller and the end-result was just spellbinding to behold. Obviously, you shouldn't expect any shootings, chases or explosions. Instead, you get a character driven picture which went very deep to show the emotional and psychological turmoil of the characters. Eventually, you won't get any (easy) answers but a deep reflection on human nature but that's more valuable than any action scenes, at least, in my opinion.

Notes: Nowadays, we don’t hear much from Michael Moore but there was a time when the guy was the most successful documentary maker in the world. Basically, it is with this movie that he got his breakthrough and, even though I always enjoyed his work, this movie was much better than anything he has ever done before or after his career. Indeed, the whole thing was just fascinating to behold and I would go as far as saying that it is pretty much my favorite documentary. I mean, sure, I’m well aware of the fact that Michael Moore has been accused of being dishonest and of manulating his material and, obviously, the whole thing was seriously biased but it didn't matter to me. So many years later, we still hear on a regular basis such horrible stories coming from the USA and, for most of the Europeans like me, it is rather difficult to understand why they are still attached to their antic gun laws after so many lives have been lost so pointlessly. Anyway, in my opinion, this movie is at the same time entertaining, moving and educating.

Notes: Honestly, I was just completely blown away and I would go as far as saying that it is one of the best movies I have ever seen. First of all, the way it was shot was really impressive. Indeed, this movie is really stylized but also quite realistic at the same time which is something rather unique, it has some complex shots and nice visuals but it remains raw at the core. But it is not one of those movies with some nice visuals but rather tedious, no, here, the story keeps you on the edge from the beginning until the very end and it was just quite fascinating. I thought that the characters were all intriguing, even the smaller ones, and even though there were many characters, it was so well written that you could easily follow what was going on and who’s who and who was doing what. How they managed to make such an entertaining and insightful movie in one of the most dangerous places on earth is quite a marvel and a mystery to me.

Notes: Roman Polanski is one of my favorite directors and still in the 2000's he keeps making great pictures. Indeed, this story was harrowing and Adrien Brody also gave a huge performance. Still, I have to admit it, at first, when I saw that this movie was the best Polanski has made, according to the IMDb ratings, I used to scratch my head a little bit. I mean, do the people have any idea what this guy had done previously in his career? However, I have re-watched it recently and, indeed, I have to agree, it is a great movie, one of Polanski's best, and absolutely a great achievement. Apparently, for many years, he was toying with the idea about making a movie about this subject and even Spielberg asked him to direct 'Schindler's list' but, since he was himself a holocaust survivor, he felt really uncomfortable with this topic for many years which is quite understandable. Eventually, at 70 years old, when he felt that the time was right, he finally made his own movie about the holocaust, a heartbreaking true tale of another survivor, and he managed to make one of the best movies in this genre.

Notes: Back then, I thought 'Fucking Åmål' was a very solid directing debut so I was really curious to see what Lukas Moodysson would do next. In fact, it took me many years to see something else from this guy but it was definitely worth it. Indeed, I thought this follow up (his 3rd directing effort, as a matter of fact) was really impressive but, to be honest, I thought it was also a really heartbreaking story. I mean, the whole thing was completely relentless and there was absolutely no redemption in this movie. When watching this flick, I was actually wondering what does a guy feel when he goes to see such an underage prostitute. Seriously, how could they possibly enjoy themselves?!? I have seen some tough movies but this one was just really hardcore and despicable and you should definitely be aware of this before watching this flick as there is a good chance you will feel terrible afterwards (I sure did).

Notes: I do remember quite well when it came out. Indeed, back then, ‘Being John Malkovich’ had become a big cult-classic but, to be honest, even though I did like how wild and original it was, it didn’t completely convince me. However, with this follow-up, Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman really managed to blow me away. Indeed, it was once again a really wild and surrealist tale but, in contrary to ‘Being John Malkovich’, it managed to keep my attention until the very end. Seriously, I don’t think I haver seen a movie managing so well to mix fiction and reality. You could say that the makers already tried something similar with ‘Being John Malkovich’ but it worked much better here and the end-result was just spellbinding. For example, I just loved how Charlie Kaufman created a fictitious twin brother who also got credited for writing this movie. I know a lot of people trash Nicolas Cage and it is true that most of his recent movies were completely worthless but, back in those days, he gave a hell of a double performance for this movie.

Notes: This flick is probably one of the last Asian flicks that I have seen that truly blew me away. Recently, I have re-watched it with my step-son. Honestly, I don't know why but I thought it could be a fun movie to watch with him. Eventually, I'm afraid he wished there were more fighting scenes and I think the poor fellow was rather bored by the whole thing. Anyway, just like the previous times I watched it, I really loved it. To be honest, I'm not big fan of Jet Li and this movie is probably the only one he made that I really enjoyed. Basically, the story was really entertaining but, most of all, it has to be one of the most gorgeous movies I have ever seen. Indeed, every single scene was basically a beautiful canvas and the whole movie was an impressive combination of sword fighting, music, calligraphy, conspiracies and love intrigues. It also reminded me of another great Asian movie, 'Rashomon', in the way that the same events was displayed from 3 different perspectives.

Notes: I remember perfectly when I saw this flick the first time. Back then, I just started to live in the Netherlands and I came back to France for the Christmas holidays. For the 1st installment, my best buddy had no idea what to expect but, this time, he was just dying to watch this follow-up. Therefore, we planned to watch this one and we went once again with a group of friends. Anyway, it was definitely pretty awesome, I was really starting to feel the epicness of the whole thing and, in my opinion, it was actually better than 'The Fellowship'. Indeed, this time, there was no need to introduce the characters and most of the movie was filled with some amazing battle scenes. On top of that, there was still one major character who was finally properly introduced and it was Gollum. Basically, it was the first time that such a 3 dimensional and compelling character was created through CGI and motion capture and it was just truly mind-blowing. It was totally revolutionary and we should give credit to both Jackson and Serkis for this amazing work. So, it was better than the previous installment but, of course, those 3 movies should be seen as one huge epic story.

Notes: To be honest, it has been a while since I have seen this movie and I should probably re-watch it at some point. Still, I remember it very well, I even saw it in the movie theater when it was released. First of all, even though, by now, I have managed to watch most of the movies directed by Mike Leigh, I have to admit that, even though I admire his work, I have actually never been a huge fan. As a matter of fact, I would go as far as saying that 'Secrets & Lies' and 'Topsy-Turvy' were actually fairly disappointing. Still, there is one exception though and, with this movie, Mike Leigh finally managed to really blow me away. The funny thing is that, the damned thing pretty much looked like a typical Mike Leigh feature as it was taking place in a very grim ands realistic social environment in England. The big difference was that the whole thing was rather quite heartbreaking but also spellbinding to watch and I was really fascinated by those characters. I thought that Timothy Spall was also really strong in this movie.

Notes: To be honest, I was slightly worried to watch a movie which had a whopping running time of 6 hours. Well, eventually, I was surprised by how easy it was to watch the whole thing and, if you are interested in watching this flick, I would advise to watch both parts back to back or, at least, during one day. I have to admit that the beginning was rather awkward but, fairly quickly, the damned thing became a massive epic during which you follow 2 brothers through 3 decades. Obviously, Marco Tullio Giordana had plenty of time to deliver some completely fully formed characters and I also believe that this movie is one of the greatest humanist pictures I have ever seen. Indeed, among many incredible scenes, there was this one when some students start to beat up a policeman and then Matteo himself starts to beat up one of the students as well showing that, in real life, nothing is completely black or white. And, even more impressive, is to see how much love Matteo and Nicola always have for each other, even when they both chose some completely different paths in their respective lives. Of course, you also get to learn more about Italy but they made sure it didn’t become some kind of commercial as you get to see Italy in its full glory but also its darker sides. Anyway, even if watching this movie might seem like doing some kind of movie marathon, to follow these characters was just such a fascinating journey.

Notes: This movie is considered as Sofia Coppola's masterpiece and, with this mind, the first time around, I had some high expectations but, to be honest, it didn't really blow me away then. Well, even after rewatching the damned thing, I still ended up with some mixed feelings. Eventually, even though I was able to see that it was indeed something quite special, I had a rather hard time to connect with the whole thing. I don’t think it was because it was too slow or too boring or that not enough was happening, I think it was more because I didn’t care much about the characters and what they were going through. I don’t think Bill Murray or Scarlett Johansson should be blamed though as they both gave some very good performances and the directing was really solid as well. Eventually, I think that this movie gives a rather depressing view on travelling and I think it provides a good explanation on why I don't miss travelling that much. Indeed, I always dreamed about going to Japan, especially Tokyo, but after watching this movie, you can come to the conclusion that there is nothing really special about this city since huge cities like this one all look alike. Anyway, even if it didn’t really love this flick, it wasn't bad at all, far from it.

Notes: Gus van Sant is a very good director and I always had a weak spot for his work but, to be honest, not all his movies have been completely successful (As a matter of fact, ‘Good Will Hunting’, his biggest success at the box-office, is actually rather overrated in my opinion). Fortunately, this movie really didn’t disappoint me. Indeed, basically, it is quite a shocking story told in a very particular way and you might find this approach rather unappealing but I thought it was in fact actually quite fascinating. I'm pretty sure that many viewers would find this movie frustrating because, while watching this, you have so many questions coming up in your mind but, eventually, no real answer at all is provided by this movie. Personally, I really loved the fact that you had to think about the movie and the events themselves on your own to find yourself the answers. I have to admit it though, the whole thing is terribly cold and distant (a little bit like Michael Haneke’s work as a matter of fact) so it is an acquired taste.

Notes: Right from the start, I recognized the unique style of Joon-ho Bong which was in this case to mix a very dark and realistic serial-killer thriller with some unexpected humor. He already did something similar with 'Gwoemul' in which he mixed a typical monster feature also with some humor but even though I liked this movie as well, it didn't completely convince me and I thought this previous directing effort worked better. Indeed, I really enjoyed the fact that there were just so many layers. Not only it gave a great look on how rural South Korea must have been in the 80's, there was also this clash between the modern methods used by a cop from Seoul and the (usually brutal) methods used by the local cops who seemed to be just terribly incompetent. It is also one of these few very brave thrillers which dare not to finish everything with some preposterous and annoying twist suddenly solving the case and it made the whole thing even more fascinating to behold.

Notes: Even though I have left France almost 20 years ago, I still try to watch some French (speaking) movies once in a while. I'm particularly interested in the movies which won the César of the Best French movie (the French equivalent for the Oscars). Actually, this movie is Canadian but, somehow, it was still qualified to win this prize. Anyway, it was a very good drama, dealing with life and death, and the cast, made of actors unknown to me at that time, was really impressive. To be honest, I'm rather oblivious about Denys Arcand's work (so far, it is the only movie he has directed that I have seen) but I will definitely check his other features. As I really liked this sequel, I'm really curious about the original movie 'Le Déclin de l'empire américain' and I hope I will manage to watch it as some point. Apparently, it involves the same characters played by the same actors but 15 years before. Anyway, this movie can easily be watched as stand alone as it was quite spellbinding and heartbreaking to behold.

Notes: Eventually, I was really impressed by the damned thing. To be honest, I have no actual interest in mountain climbing whatsoever and I believe it is one of those hazardous hobbies which seem rather pointless to me. On top of that, since both men were there to tell this story 20 years later, then you pretty much knew beforehand how it would all end. And, yet, in spite all this, it was just fascinating and sometimes even rather excruciating to see. I mean, at first, when they went up there, it seemed really hard but still doable but, as there was still more than one hour of running time, I was pretty sure that something pretty nasty would happen at some point. And, indeed, when those climbers went down, it turned to be a real nightmare. I won’t go into details but what happened up there was just incredible and one of the greatest tales of human survival I have ever seen.

Notes: I remember it very well, when this movie was released, it was a critical success so I had some pretty big expectations the first time around. Well, I’m glad I watched it again because I enjoyed it even more. Indeed, the concept might seem silly and you can imagine that an American movie would have gone for the cheap laughs but I was surprised by how subtle the damned thing turned out to be. Sure, to see the fall of the Berlin wall and of Eastern Germany in general from this perspective was quite interesting and the clash between the Eastern and Western world as well and it was all quite funny and entertaining but, actually, they went really deeper than that. Basically, it might be one of the very few comedies (maybe even the only one?) which was based on a lie and it still actually worked. Indeed, it is most of the time a useless gimmick because the reason a lie is used are almost always worthless but, in this case, it actually did make sense. Of course, it was completely impractical and fairly ridiculous but the reason why was actually sound and, above all, the main character did it for love and completely regardless of his self-interest. Furthermore, I also loved the tone and it might be one of the most melancholic comedies I have ever seen. Seriously, this mixing of drama and comedy was pretty much flawless.

Notes: First of all, I think it is important to point that, in my opinion, most movies involving kids or teenagers are usually rather uninspired and/or sugar-coated. In fact, there are honestly usually a waste of time, even for the children who happened to be their target audience. However, there are a few exceptions though and this movie is definitely one of them. Indeed, to start with the story was riveting but the performances (above all by Keisha Castle-Hughes) were all impressive. Basically, it was a very interesting movie about the clash between tradition and evolution. The best thing about this movie was that it was never condescending and the makers always managed to avoid taking up the easy way avoiding blandness and stereotypes. As a result, they delivered one of the most striking study of teenage anxiety intermingled with a fascinating view of where the Maori culture stands in our modern world.

Notes: At some point, I had finally seen the other movies in Chan-wook Park’s ‘Revenge Trilogy’ and, to be honest, I was slightly disappointed by ‘Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’ and even more by ‘Lady Vengeance’. Indeed, I was expecting a lot from these flicks because I was so blown away by ‘Oldboy’ which was the 2nd instalment in this trilogy. I remember it very well, when it was released, it was critically heralded, especially at the Cannes Film Festival and after hearing so many good things about it, I was really eager to check it out. Eventually, I thought it was quite amazing and definitely one of the best thrillers I have ever seen. Personally, I usually don't like twists but the one developed in this movie didn't bother me at all, in the contrary. The reason why was that the story, the directing, the acting, everything was just spot on and the damned thing was just fascinating to behold. From that point, Chan-Wook Park had quite a successful international career and I especially enjoyed 'Ah-ga-ssi'.

Notes: Like every year, I went back from Holland to France on Christmas holiday and I went to see this movie with my best buddy and some other friends. Personally, I really liked 'The Fellowship', I liked even more 'The Two Towers' and I thought this one was the best of them. Even though some complain that there were too many endings (and indeed I think that all those multiple endings took at least 30 minutes), I thought it was such a great conclusion. I mean, the action scenes were awesome but there were also many memorable bits. For example, each time I see the scene where Sam carries Frodo on top of Mount Doom, it just breaks my heart completely ('I can't carry it for you... but I can carry you!'). In my opinion, this whole trilogy is based on a huge built-up and this final installment is just a huge and mighty climax, ending one of the greatest tales put on the silver screen. Maybe in the 80's, they had The Star Wars trilogy but our generation can proudly say "We saw The Lord of the Rings back then when it came out and it was freaking awesome!!!". I can't wait to brag about it with my great children. Anyway, this trilogy is amazing and this last installment is, in my opinion, the best part, I have seen it many times and I never get tired of it.

Notes: In my opinion, it is probably the last great movie directed by Tim Burton, even maybe his best one ever. I mean, he has made some good flicks afterwards but never as inspired and inspiring as this one. The first time I saw it, I thought it was pretty good but I don't know why, the second time around, I thought it was just amazing and I was just blown away by the whole thing. The visuals, the directing, the performances,... Everything was pretty impressive. For once, the main character was not portrayed by Johnny Depp but by Ewan McGregor and I thought it was really refreshing (Especially when you see what Burton and Depp has done together between 2005 and 2012...). Furthermore, they had a really top cast and they all gave some solid performances. Above all, I thought it was such a deep, thougthful and inspiring tale which managed to intermingle life, death, love, truth, lie, and many other things. Since then, Tim Burton has spent his time adapting 2 famous books, a broadway show, a TV show and playing around with some puppets but I would be nice if he went looking again for some really original material.

Notes: As usual, the hype ruined this movie a little bit for me. Indeed, the first time I saw it was a couple of years after its release, it had managed to reach an impressive cult status and I had some huge expectations. Eventually, I thought it was indeed pretty good but it didn’t really blow me away at the time (As a matter of fact, ‘Hot Fuzz’ which was also pretty decent was even more disappointing in my opinion). I don’t know, I thought it was a great idea to combine a romantic-comedy with a zombie flick but, to be honest, there wasn’t a single moment when I thought it was really hilarious. However, I have to admit it, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost were definitely quite amazing in their breakthrough performances. Eventully, I have finally gave it a second chance and I really enjoyed it more the 2nd time around. Indeed, sometimes, you have to double-check a movie before making up your mind for good and I’m positive now, it is a really fun flick. Anyway, even if it might not be a real masterpiece, it is still a really entertaining horror comedy.

Notes: Even though it is nowadays pretty much forgotten, when it was released, this movie received some huge praise, it became overnight an indie success and launched instantly the career of Catalina Sandino Moreno. Well, I think it completely deserved its solid reputation. Indeed, it is a really raw, almost documentary-like with no mercy depiction of those infamous drug mules. On a current basis, especially here in the Netherlands, you hear about this people smuggling drugs and the first typical reaction that we have is how can you be so stupid to jeopardize your life and future with such dangerous activities? Well, this movie gives you the answer. Because some people are really desperate and the drug organizations just take advantage of them. In this case, the mule was played by a young and cute girl, perfectly portrayed by Catalina Sandino Moreno in her very first role. Eventually, when she should be enjoying life like any other girl of her age, she instead makes some terrible decisions simply because she didn't have much choices. Basically, the whole thing seemed really realistic, completely grim from the beginning until the end.

Notes: First of all, as usual with Hayao Miyazaki's work, the animation was nothing short of amazing. In my opinion, it is a real proof that hand-drawn animation can still produce some impressive work of Art and it definitely shouldn't be forgotten or let down. Furthermore, the story was quite really intriguing and entertained me throughout the whole thing and I especially enjoyed how all the characters who were very well defined and 3 dimensional. To be honest, by now, I have seen all the movies directed by Miyazaki but except for this one and ‘Spirited Away’, none of them really impressed me (yeah, even such major classics like ‘Princess Mononoke’ or ‘Nausicaa’). I don’t know, I did like those as well but I was missing something while watching them and I think the problem is that they were too lighthearted for my taste. Anyway, I really liked this flick and it is a gorgeous animated feature.

Notes: This movie is an exception. Indeed, there is a rule saying that a sequel should never be better than its predecessor but, fortunately, there are a few exceptions and this movie is one of them. Indeed, if I recall it correctly, ‘Before Sunrise’ was the first movie directed by Richard Linklater which I had the pleasure to watch and it was definitely a solid romantic feature. However, you could feel that Linklater was still inexperienced with the material (It was only his 4th directing effort and his first romantic outing). It was the same thing concerning Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. Their performances were pretty good and I believed in their characters but I thought that the whole thing was a little too self-conscious and pretentious. So, 10 years later, they came back with the same characters and they went back where they left it and the end-result was just quite impressive. Indeed, the director and both actors had grown older just like the characters and wrote together this impressive piece of work. Basically, just like the previous installment, there was not much action during the whole thing, just 2 characters talking to each other. It might sound dull but it was just the opposite, it was really spellbinding to watch. And this time, there were so many layers, the joy to see each other again, the bitterness about the missed opportunities, the frustration concerning their life, the love still lingering there somewhere and many more. In the first movie, it all ended in a rather melodramatic way but it fitted perfectly those characters at that moment in their life. This time, the ending was more ambiguous and, once again, an improvement.

Notes: To be honest, so far, I had some rather mixed feelings about Alejandro Amenabar's work. Indeed, I thought that 'Abre los Ojos' was pretty good but nothing really amazing and, in my opinion, 'The Others' was well made but eventually rather overrated. Anyway, this time, Amenabar didn't disappoint me, in the contrary, in fact, he really blew me away. It might seem morbid but I always thought that euthanasia was a really interesting subject. Indeed, if we are allowed to chose what we want to do with our life, why shouldn't we have the right to choose what we want to do with our own death? So, it is an interesting subject and this movie is definitely the best one about it. Indeed, the directing was really solid but I was above all blown away by Javier Bardem. A few years later, he eventually won a Oscar for 'No country for Old men' but I think this movie and his performance in this movie was actually much better.Anyway, it was a riveting story and Bardem gave his best performance.

Notes: Eventually, I wasn't disappointed. Indeed, I thought it was really an amazing movie and I would go even further by saying that it is probably the last great war movie in my opinion.I remember, after watching it, I discussed it with my wife and she argued that the makers could have never known how the whole thing exactly happened. Personally, I think it is totally irrelevant though but it still seemed pretty convincing in my opinion. Basically, it is a fascinating study giving us the magnitude of the sheer madness of those guys. 70 years later, it remains difficult to comprehend that literally millions of people followed this guy and his ideology. That's also the other great thing about this flick, the impressive performance given by Bruno Ganz. Indeed, up to that point, the general perception I had of Adolf Hilter was one of a barking man during his distressing speeches. Here, Ganz managed to give him another dimension. I mean, the madness, the megalomania, it is all there but, and that's the most controversial aspect of this movie, they gave him some human features because, after all, he was also a human being with actual feelings which is a concept hard to believe and/or accept... Anyway, Bruno Ganz was brilliant and he must have been one of the most underrated actors ever.

Notes: If you think that Jim Carrey is a bad actor, you should really watch this movie. Kate Winslet gave also a great performance and for a romantic story, I thought it was miles better than 'Titanic'. At least, you can't argue that it was a really innovative love story whereas 'Titanic' wasn't , even as classic as it can be. Above all, I thought that the directing and the story were amazing too and I think it is even one of the best movies ever made. Basically, it is one of a kind movie, a really far-out and surrealist romantic story and it was completely successful on every level. Ever since I watched this flick, I have been following Michel Gondry's career pretty closely and, unfortunately, even though he has made since then some interesting features, none of them ever reached that level of awesomeness. So far, in my opinion, with this movie, it is the only time that Gondry really managed to blend his amazing visual style with a great story. His other efforts were always visually impressive but the plot and/or the characters were always lacking something resulting in some decent movies but not much more than that, I'm afraid. Anyway, this one is a great flick though.

Notes: Basically, Basically, pretty much like he would also do with ‘Changeling’, Clint Eastwood used here a very well-known template (a rag to riches tale of a boxer) but gave it an unexpected twist and the end-result was truly remarkable. Eventually, the movie was still about boxing and the rising of the main character was pretty entertaining. However, whereas boxing or other sport features just stop there and never become really compelling, Eastwood made a master move. Indeed, he further developed the story and it became something entirely different and really spellbinding to watch. So, the story was really fascinating and the acting was really good as well, resulting in a 2nd Academy award for Hilary Swank (it is rather striking that except for this movie and ‘Boys don’t cry’, Swank never did anything really amazing). To be honest, the whole thing was in fact a major Oscar bait, like many other movies directed by Eastwood back then but, this time, I thought it did work very well though.

Notes: First of all, following his great performance in 'American Splendor', you can say that with this flick, Paul Giamatti really sealed the deal. From now on, he would be a major actor to reckon with (on the other hand, since then, he hasn’t played many lead parts in fact but he is definitely a highly respected actor). I also thought that Thomas Haden Church was quite amazing (thanks to this movie, he finally also had his breakthrough) and together they were just a great duo. To be honest, I don’t think the story was anything really mind-blowing though but the whole thing was just very well written and acted. Indeed, Alexander Payne, one of the most intriguing American directors at work nowadays, has once again created some fascinating 3 dimensional characters. If you expect some shoot-outs, explosions and chases, you should probably avoid this one but if you are looking for a character driven movie with some great acting, you won’t be disappointed.

Notes: This movie is really heartbreaking but, in my opinion, like for example 'The Schindler's list', it should be compulsory viewing for all teenagers only in respect of its historical value. I mean, how many teenagers are actually aware of what happened? You could always argue that, right now, there is something similar happening somewhere else in the world... Anyway, I thought it was a spellbinding tragic story, there was a pretty good cast with, above all, an amazing perfomance by Don Cheadle. Until then Cheadle was one of the most underrated actors but thanks to his tremendous work on this movie, he finally got some recognition. Still, there were a couple of things that slightly bothered me when I was rewatching this flick. Indeed, if the directing by Terry George was usually quite effective, it was also sometimes rather heavy-handed. For example, you get to see a local explaining to a journalist the difference between a Hutu and Tutsi just to make sure the mainstream audience got a better grip on this tragedy but do you ever get to hear why Nazis hated the Jews in a WWII drama? Anyway, what took place in Rwanda was a real tragedy and this movie will remind you that we all let those people down and if you don't mind being horrified and depressed while watching a movie, you should definitely check this one.