Random Movie Reviews (5 Thrillers from 2000s & 2010s)

The Forgotten (2004) Too bad!!! It was great to see Gary Sinise and Julianne Moore though, in the same movie no less. A great story… which concludes with a most laughable and pathetic explanation. A well-crafted enigma that finds its explanation in the easiest of ways. Really disappointing! This would be a movie to make again, but with a different ending.

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016) Well. I’m going to thank this other reviewers comment I saw, because it’s going to save me from wasting time: “At first, a nice cocooning post apocalyptic huis-clos feel. But are we really safe? Then you have to know exactly what kind of film you’re making. If you’re addicted to sci-fi, you might find ecstasy. If not, too bad for the others. “Basically… Yes: the film is brilliant, almost perfect… until its totally botched ending. It’s meant to be surprising and subtle, but it just ruins everything. It goes from being a good thriller to two-bit science fiction.”From Dusk till Dawn”, a night in hell, succeeded in doing just that, starting out Tarantino-style and ending up Vampire-style.But 10 Cloverfield Lane doesn’t manage it at all, and it’s a shame for the talent of its two incredible lead actors.Don’t talk to me about Cloverfield again! The other film with that name already sucked. And to think it’s a trilogy! The concept remains interesting: the guy who looks like a kidnapper, but probably isn’t really.

From Dusk till Dawn (1996) A film in two parts! It starts as a Tarantino-style cop movie before moving on to a vampire movie! The actors are good: George Clooney is surprising, Tarantino himself very good as a guy a little lost and perverse, Juliette Lewis a real laugh riot, Salma Hayek delicious and charming as desired, Harvey Keitel touching as a family man. A great time for fans of these kinds of films!

Side Effects (2013) It’s a good movie!Very interesting & excellent quartet of actors.Great roles for Catherine Zeta-Jones, always brilliant, and Jude Law, always at the top of his game. Probably Channing Tatum’s best film.As for Rooney Mara, she’s very disturbing in this strange role.A must-see at least twice in your life!Because it’s one of those films that, once you know the ending, makes you want to see things again from a different angle.

The Gift (2000) Here’s my review : “Wooow ! What a cast ! Cate Blanchett, always perfect! Excellent actress. Wonderful performance! Giovanni Ribisi, always disturbing, uncomfortable and embarrassing. But interesting! Keanu Reeves, relatively scary here. A bad guy, another bad guy role, just like in the Watcher. Katie Holmes, annoying and unbearable. Very well acted, but small role. Greg Kinnear: you think this is going to be the smoothest character, but this excellent actor knows how to surprise. Hilary Swank: quite unbearable! We want to tar her… when she’s already tarred in the film. But the psychology of battered women is often incomprehensible to those around them and to those who don’t experience it. 

Would this be the fifth film I’ve enjoyed by Sam Raimi? If you don’t count the third Evil Dead? Because that one I like every other time I watch it, that’s what I feel like. His Spider-Man trilogy has not been matched yet. His Simple Plan was also a very good film. At the same time, I haven’t seen all his films… and I wonder if I won’t. He’s a director with huge potential as far as I can see. Well… I’ll definitely avoid a movie like “Intruder”, but I’m willing to go to his works that are not just gore. J.K. Simmons seems to be one of his favorite actors. We’re used to seeing him in rather horrible or hateful roles. Here, he starts like that… but ends up much more sympathetic. A way of reconciling with this actor, especially if you were traumatised by him when you saw him elsewhere.  Ah… but I had forgotten “Oz the Great and Powerful ” (sequel to Wizards of Oz) which I had fully appreciated and “The Quick and the Dead” which I had liked a lot. By the way, it’s one of my favourite westerns along with Silverado and Bad Girls. 

Okay, let’s cut it short ! A gripping film, some scares forced on me because of the music. It’s a pity, because the images are already terrifying enough, so there was no need to overdo it. A story that goes in several directions, as we find ourselves suspecting everyone. 

The subject of mediumship is quite well exploited. Indeed, it’s not a gift that is easily explained. It’s not on demand and you can’t ask ultra precise questions to someone who has premonitions or immense intuitions. 

 Note that this film is called “The Gift” in English, but “Intuitions” in French. Not to be confused with the equally good The Gift from 2015 with Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall.Some inconsistencies, forced jumps scares… but a very good film nevertheless, because I had a good time.