I think Jesse Eisenberg is an actor who generally has little variation in the type of roles he plays. They are often of uncertain or clumsy types. If you have seen an actor do something a lot, a kind of tiredness can develop. You simply don’t feel like seeing the same thing again. If you look at the trailer of The Art of Self-Defense, that would be enough reason to skip the film. Still, I didn’t and I have to conclude that this is one of my favorite films of the year. Continue reading
Occasionally there are new developments within film that may have far-reaching consequences for the medium. Consider, for example, the introduction of sound, color and CGI. Still, filmmakers continue to look for new technical improvements to push the experience even further. As a film viewer, I am always curious whether something could possibly mean a next step. James Cameron previously announced that the following Avatar films would use a higher frame rate. Current films are shown in 24 images per second (24fps) and many consider this the look of film.
That speed dates back to the time that a cameraman had to crank the film through the camera by hand and that was a speed that was manageable. The result is a moving image that is actually jerky and does not feel like what your eyes see in real life. A higher frame rate approximates reality more, but what is the impact of this on the film experience? Cinema visitors could experience that a few years ago with The Hobbit trilogy. The films were shown in 48fps and it divided viewers. Some thought it felt like you were watching a soap opera, where costumes didn’t really look real. Others (including myself) saw the benefits. You are able to follow action much better because it is fluid.
Director Ang Lee previously made Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and shot it in 3D and 120fps. That film was not shown in the cinema over where I am. His latest film Gemini Man is however, if you do proper research to see it close to the way Ang Lee intended. Although the IMAX cinemas show the film in a higher frame rate, they are only limited in 60fps. If you want to see it in 120fps, the Dolby Cinema rooms are the only option (they show it in 2K instead of 4K though). Yesterday morning I visited the film in a Dolby Cinema to experience this new format with my own eyes. Continue reading
After Wonder Woman and Aquaman, DC slowly starts to move away from the extremely dark settings that Zack Snyder, among others, created. A positive development and this movie continues that line with perhaps the most colorful film (at least in terms of marketing), Shazam!. The character was once more popular than Superman (and was originally called Captain Marvel). DC started a lawsuit against the publisher in the 1940s (because Captain Marvel looked too much like Superman) and eventually bought the rights. Despite that eventful history, it is the first time that Shazam! appears on the large screen. Does director David F. Sandberg succeed in making it memorable? Continue reading
At the age of 66, Liam Neeson still manages to come across as an action hero. Although he did say in the past that he would no longer do those roles, he eventually said he changed his mind. He wants to keep doing them until he is no longer there (or of course the audience watching these films). Since Taken he has starred in one or more action films each year. The quality is generally quite the same: entertaining films to satisfy the hunger for action, but often nothing more than that. Is Cold Pursuit the same? Continue reading
The nice thing about Netflix is that every week an enormous amount of content is added and you occasionally have absolutely no idea what to expect from a certain title. That may mean that you are pleasantly surprised, but also that you sometimes watch titles of which you think that they should not have been made. A while ago, Rim of the World appeared on the on-demand service. I hadn’t read or heard about it yet, but since the film was directed by McG (who also has directed, for example, 3 Days to Kill, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and Terminator Salvation), my expectations were not high, but I was curious about the concept. I always have a weakness for science fiction and a movie in which teenagers fight aliens looked interesting on paper. Continue reading
When Sony was hacked a few years ago, one of the most interesting details was that the film company was had idea of doing a crossover film. The idea was to mix Men in Black with the 21 Jump Street franchise. Very interesting, which at the time made me think of other crossovers. Unfortunately, it did not materialize in the end, but Sony still wanted to make money from this franchise. The result is Men in Black International, in which Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth (who were previously fun together in Thor Ragnarok) put on the black suits and sunglasses. Continue reading
Although I have not yet written my reviews for the fifth season of Black Mirror, I did conclude that Charlie Brooker can no longer achieve the same high level of previous seasons. The dark twists I am expecting are no longer present and elements from earlier episodes were used again, such as placing a consciousness in another object. At the start of I Am Mother, I immediately realized that the concept of this Netflix movie as a basis could fit well with Black Mirror. Continue reading
In recent years, the John Wick franchise has become one of the best action franchises. A series that many action fans look forward to, mainly because of the excellent way in which battles are portrayed, but also how a hidden world of assassins which is expanded with new concepts and characters in each movie. I also looked forward to this third installment, because what would happen after the events in part 2? Continue reading
During the past month it was impossible to visit any of the big movie sites without reading the new about Avengers: Endgame shattering various records about the money it has made. Most film news is about American movies, but did you know that The Wandering Earth, a Chinese movie, which is now available through Netflix also managed to set some interesting records? Its box office made it the second best Chinese movie ever, at a global level it’s third for this year and it also has a place in the top 20 of highest grossing science fiction movies ever. And still few people know about this movie, which is really weird. But for the average viewer movies aren’t about the money they make, but about its content. Is this disaster movie, which plays out on a cosmic scale, worth watching? Continue reading
What’s the first thing you think about when you read the title “The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot”? Is it a cheap Roger Corman exploitation film? A bizarre action movie? Or do you start yelling about spoilers? No matter what it is, the title immediately catches your interested and makes you curious. And no matter what your expectations are, chances are big that they won’t be met by what this film offers. And in this case that isn’t a bad thing. Continue reading