Well, hello there, kind folks. If you’re visiting this blog of mine, I presume that you have a certain interest in the cinema. As for me, even since my early childhood, I have had a deep love of everything related to movies and television. As far as I can remember, I have been more at ease in front of a screen than in the yard, outside, playing. It is a great way to travel, though other people’s stories, without having to foot any kind of steep bill. Over the years, I feel that movie-watching has even fuelled my own creativity.

All that being said, I welcome you in my Cinephile’s Nest. I hope you enjoy it here, feel free to come back at any time. Here you will find reviews of current movies and older ones. TV shows also. Some classics that have remained some of my favourites, some that have disappointed me. I will use a very basic star (*) system to grade them from 1 to 5 (5 being sliced bread level). Remember, these are just my tastes. I will try to explain in each review what I liked about these particular movies, without giving spoilers.

Il y aura aussi des critiques en français pour les films francophones, car j'aime également le cinéma dans ma langue maternelle. Avant d'apprendre l'anglais, plus jeune, je louais des tonnes de films traduits en français, surtout ceux de Bud Spencer et Terrence Hill. Ma mère a eu le choc de sa vie lorsqu'un jour, dans la boîte d'un de ces films, Deep Throat avait malencontreusement inséré. Une expérience formatrice pour le jeune cinéphile que je suis.

Bienvenue à tous, amusez-vous bien.

I welcome you all here, enjoy yourself.

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

Dead Man Down (2013)

Genre: Thriller
Directed by: Niels Arden Oplev
Starring: Colin Farrell, Noomi Rapace, Dominic Cooper, Terrence Howard
Running time: 117 minutes



After the murder of his wife and daughter, Victor decides to infiltrate the criminal organization of kingpin Alphonse Hoyt, the man responsible for the crime. As he works towards his ultimate goal to bring that criminal empire down, his French neighbor Beatrice gets in his way. She witnesses him killing a man, and she threatens to tell the cops if he does not help her seek revenge on the man who caused her car accident, which left her severely disfigured and ruined her life.

The storyline of Dead Man Down is interesting enough and most of the international cast delivering the lines is doing it efficiently, but something is amiss. The storytelling is so very much uninspired. There are too many illogical plot twists and the film drags on and on for much too long. I found myself looking over and over again to see how much time was left; that is never a good sign. Then, the denouement comes and it is not as satisfying as it should be.

Dead Man Down is the first movie directed by Niels Arden Oplev after The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo. With such an international ensemble cast and a good story, he should have made a much better movie. There were some good elements, but many faults make this film a non essential on any cinephile’s list.   
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