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.

Thursday, July 14, 2016

The Basketball Diaries (1995)

Genre: Drama
Directed by: Scott Kalvert
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Lorraine Bracco, Mark Wahlberg
Running time: 104 minutes



This 1995 coming-of-age drama is the cinematic adaptation of the autobiographical memoir written by poet Jim Carroll, who was a great basketball player in high school. Unfortunately, Jim and his group of friends would more often than not get into trouble off the court and most of them ended up with a severe addiction to drugs, including heroin.

The Basketball Diaries, in film version, gives us a young Leonardo DiCaprio, still developing his chops as an actor. While he had potential, he was not there just yet. Though, he had given better performances before this movie, so it may have something to do with the director. After all, a more experienced actress such as Lorraine Bracco was also over-the-top and all over the place acting-wise. It was nice to also see a young Mark Wahlberg at work. You could also see that potential in him.

The storyline itself is compelling, but I don’t like the way it was brought to the screen. Lots of melodrama and unnecessary cheesiness; and, by the end of it, the filmmaker makes you wonder if this was truly real or just a theatrical performance.


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