One of the reasons I always enjoy Top Gear (well, until all the stuff with Clarkson happened) is the fantastic way in which the cars are shot. Just when you think you’ve seen everything the team behind the show thinks up a new innovative way to film. The program itself really isn’t about cars, but about entertainment. The same thing is true for the Norwegian comedy Børning. Continue reading
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been very popular since the eighties. When growing up I watched the cartoons as well and even though I liked them I never bought the action figures. My pocket money went to the He-Man action figures and BraveStarr and after I stopped watching the cartoon I never checked out the turtles again. The characters were kept alive though in various new cartoon series and movies, but the image I have of them is still from the very first cartoons, where “Cowabunga!” was heard a lot. Continue reading
Nowadays Lindsay Lohan is better known for her appearances in the tabloids than for her acting, but before that all began she was a young, popular actrice who attracted a big (younger) audience. She appeared in various successful Disney movies as innocent girl, but girls do grow up. In Mean Girls we see her as teenager Cady Hero, who lived in Africa together with her parents and now has returned to the United States. It is the first time she has to go to school (as she was home schooled) and is unaware of life in high school. It’s a world with various subcultures in which nerds, jocks, alternative people and the popular girls all claim their own spot and have their own ways and it’s hard for her to find out the rules. One wrong conversation could mean that the dynamics within the groups changes. You could become an outcast. Continue reading
Most big animated movies you watch now are computer generated. There aren’t a lot of studios anymore who still animate by hand, simply because computer animation gives more possibilities and the market has proved that those type of movies are more successful. Fortunately there are still some studios who prove differently. Of course when it comes to animation Studio Ghibli is still showing the heights this format can rise to.
When it comes to stop animation than most people will probably first think of the studio who is responsible for Wallace & Grommit and Shaun the Sheep, Aardman Animations, who definitely make enjoyable films. But to me it is Laika studios who is the current emperor in this arena. The Boxtrolls is just their third movie, but with Coraline and ParaNorman they have already proven themselves worthy. With this movie they raise the bar again. Continue reading
With the original The Trip Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon had a very successful show, which also worked as a feature length movie. They played made up versions of themselves who travelled through the north of the UK and visited several restaurants and talked about a lot of subjects. The most popular part of the show/movie were the moments where they were impersonating well-known characters or actors, like Michael Caine or James Bond. In the Trip to Italy the rainy UK is left behind and they set course to idyllic Italy. Continue reading
Currently when most people hear the name Tim Burton they will immediately think of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and movies with a very dark tone and strange elements. He has succeeded in creating his own style and has gained a big group of fans. That he’s able to create movies with a whole other look is something he shows with Big Eyes, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. Continue reading
Despite the fact that there are a lot of movies to look forward to this year, this seventh(!) instalment to the Fast & Furious franchise was on the top of my list. I gave the previous one a perfect score and couldn’t wait to see what the next one would bring. Unfortunately the movie had to be postponed by a year after the unexpected death of one of its main stars, Paul Walker. It meant the movie had to be rewritten because he had not yet filmed everything yet. Has it hurt the film or is Furious 7 still running on all cylinders? Continue reading
Woody Allen probably is the hardest working director in the movie industry as he delivers a new movie (which he also writes) every year. With such a high number of movies however, it can mean that the quality sometimes suffers. Still he does offer movies worth seeing (like the recent Midnight in Paris and Blue Jasmine). Can Bullets over Broadway also be added to the good movies? Continue reading
Before Birdman was released over here in the Netherlands I saw nothing but positive reviews and various Oscar nominations. This was one of those movie which I had to wait for a couple of months before I would be able to form my own opinion of it. Just like the movie Paper Man this really isn’t a superhero movie, but a story which focuses on Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), once a popular actor who is suffering with mental issues. In his case he hears the voice of Birdman, a character with whom he had a lot of success in the past. He has said goodby to that role though. As an actor he is looking for something new to prove himself and stay relevant. He wants to show that he’s more than someone who stands in front of a camera. He does so by bringing a play to the stage which he has written, is directing and starring in. The movie opens during the rehearsals. Continue reading
Sometimes it can be the smallest things which can charm you as you are watching a movie. Little things which succeed in immediately grabbing your attention and pull you fully into the movie. With this movie that happened immediately during the opening of the movie, because the first thing you hear is the voice of one of my favorite directors (and voices), Werner Herzog. The cold landscape and his voice immediately made me think of his own documentary Encounters at the End of the World and the fact he agreed to do the voice work for this movie proved to me why is so fascinating, really a man full of surprises. It immediately sold the movie to me and the movie had hardly started. Continue reading