Ever since The Office Ricky Gervais has been a popular comedian who has had a lot of success through the years. Even though I’ve tried several times to look at some of his work and have never really been able to enjoy it of think it’s funny. Still every few years I try something new from him just to see if I have to change my opinion. When I found this Netflix movie in which he stars together with Eric Bana I decided to give it a chance. Should I have done that? Continue reading
It has been a while since Sacha Baron Cohen appeared in his own movie. His last one was The Dictator in 2012 and in the meantime he has appeared in various smaller roles, like in Alice Through the Looking Glass, Les Misérables and Anchorman 2. His roles in those were different, but in his own films he is known for one thing: being able to shock. Whether he does that by not conforming to social norms or embarrassing others, there’s always something you’ll remember. Grimsby is no different and he even seems to take it a step further. Does het go too far here? Continue reading
We all have things in our house which might not be valuable based on sight, but which for us personally mean a whole lot. I myself have a couple of brown drinking glasses which don’t seem to be very special, but they are important to me. The reason for that is because they were owned by my grandma and they are something I handle with care as they are the only physical things I have from her. I don’t remember her using them, but because of them I still feel a connection to her. The Spanish film El Olivo, by director Icíar Bollaín, is also about such a symbol, an olive tree. Continue reading
Is it still possible to innovate after more than 100 years of film? In all those years so many creative minds have brought their visions to the screen that you could assume that we’ve reached the top of what’s possible. But still some filmmakers succeed in making your jaw drop to the ground because they tell their stories in new ways or by effectively using certain techniques like never seen before. The Wachowski’s managed to stun by using two techniques and combining them (still cameras and computers), which brought something fresh to the table.
During the last couple of years the capabilities of digital cameras have quickly grown. Drones enable directors to make shots for which they used to hire helicopters, special setups allow for shooting 360 videos making it possible for the viewer to direct the action. High resolution cameras have become so small that you are able to stick them to your body. That last one is exactly what the makers behind Hardcore Henry have done and the end result is the first full length, first person action film. Continue reading
While the various heroes go head to head in the movies, this is also the case with the studios. Disney’s Marvel Studios has had hit after hit since they started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DC (together with Warner Bros) has tried to do the same, but when you take a look at their past five films Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, then you can see their track record has been anything but impressive. That’s also the reason that I approached this film somewhat carefully. For the last year it has been almost impossible (trust me, I’ve tried and kind of succeeded) to disregard and stay away from it and I hoped that this finally would be a DC movie I would be able to enjoy again. Has Suicide Squad managed to do that? Continue reading
Do you recognise this? That a specific element in a movie stands out so much that you can’t help but to keep focussing on it? That was the case for me with this romantic film, Me Before You. It might be best to first watch the movie yourself before reading the review, because else it might distract you too much. That specific element in this movie which stood out were Emilia Clarke’s eyebrows. It might be that her forehead works different from other people, but her eyebrows regularly made movements I haven’t seen other eyebrows make. But if you are able to ignore it (I couldn’t), is Me Before You the romantic film you’d expect? Continue reading
In general I will finish watching every movie I press play on. That sometimes mean I will have a heard time to keep watching, but also that for some movies I will watch them at slightly higher speeds. Lately I’ve been questioning myself why I force myself to finish each movie I start. I think it is because I’m able to give my opinion about a film (because a movie might become better later on), but is that the real reason? Or does it simply give my some kind of satisfaction to be able to say I’ve finished it and add it to the number of movies I watched as some sort of reward? Isn’t it better to spend my time on a good movie which I actually enjoy? Sometimes it can be fun writing a review of a horrible film, because it allows you to air your frustration. Still, Dirty Grandpa almost managed to get me to stop it before it ended. Continue reading
There are some actors or actresses of whom you’ll see their films blindly. This has long been the case for me with Nicolas Cage (but not anymore), but I am still able to enjoy movies in which Jason Statham, Schwarzenegger or Stallone star. The same is the case for Dwayne Johnson. The former wrestler has proven himself after The Scorpion King and is able to, just by his presence, to make them at least bearable (Ballers, I’m looking at you). He is an action star who is also able to do successful comedies and recently announced his own YouTube channel with a bombastic trailer. Someone who isn’t afraid to do something crazy while at the same time making sure it doesn’t feel artificial. Central Intelligence is his latest comedy in which he has worked together with comedian Kevin Hart. With its tagline “Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson” the tone is immediately set, but does that mean an enjoyable comedy? Continue reading
Ice Age, made by Blue Skies Studios is in some regards comparable to Carl Douglas. This artist scored a hit in 1974 with the song Kung Fu Fighting. After that he kept making songs with the same theme, hoping he would be able to have the same success as he had with the original. A couple of years ago I saw a documentary where he was saying he was making a new remix, still trying to make money on that one good idea he once had during pop history. When you look at Ice Age, the first movie was successful both financially as critically. And although the sequels still made enough money, the scores on Rotten Tomatoes tell another story how critics received it. The original had a score of 77%, but the sequels that followed scored 57%, 45% and 37%. Of course Blue Skies has made other movies besides Ice Age (Rio, Epic and the Peanuts movie), but would it be better that the studio faces reality and let these prehistoric animals go extinct? Continue reading
When a reboot or a remake of an old movie is announced, usually the first thing you hear is the cry of the internet. Not only the fanboys/girls, but everyone seems to have already formed their opinion about it (it’s going to suck) and with the new Ghostbusters things weren’t any different. That the initial reaction was negative is something which didn’t surprise me, but I haven’t made the effort to read what it was exactly. I’d rather spend my time on other things. And even though I more than enjoyed the original Ghostbusters the news of a remake didn’t really do much to me. Often remakes are unnecessary, but of course there are exceptions. Is the new Ghostbusters one of them? Continue reading