When a film opens with the text “Based on a true story”, the question is always how closely the real events have been followed and what has been dramatized. American Animals also opens with a similar text, but that text is soon adapted to “This is a true story”. As a viewer you immediately wonder what kind of film this will be, what can you expect when a filmmaker claims to tell the story as it is? Continue reading
After how many films on the same subject can you say that a new subgenre has emerged? After 8 Mile, Patti Cake$, Bodied and now VS. I think it’s safe to say it’s that time. Within the “coming of age” genre a new subgenre has emerged in which white rappers have to prove themselves through rap battles, while they struggle with their relationships with others and become very personal during those battles. How VS. distinguishes itself from other films is the fact that it is not set in America, but in the UK. To what extent does this film stand out? 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
After my wedding last week and short honeymoon, Avengers: Endgame was the next big event on the calendar (I have to admit that I, only for a moment, thought about heading to the press screening a day after the wedding, but decided that would probably be a bad idea). A film that isn’t only the sequel to Avengers: Infinity War, but also a title that Marvel has been working towards for the past eleven years. A sort of end to an era, just as film lovers felt about Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and other franchises. Although it is not the last Marvel film, it does largely feel like the last chapter in a series. After more than twenty films in this series, the fans have come to know and love these characters and Endgame takes them almost literally through the entire MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). Is it one of the best superhero films? Continue reading
Bonnie and Clyde from 1967 is seen by many as a classic film. The film with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway is seen as a revolutionary film that changed the direction of Hollywood. I saw the film a few years ago for the first time and I have to admit that I didn’t think it was that special. Maybe I should give it a second chance, but I didn’t connect with it and gave it a 6. Criminal Clyde Barrow and former waitress Bonnie Parker commit bank robberies together, were seen as celebrities at the time and over the years various films have been made about them. The story about a man and a woman who go into crime together apparently appeals. But every story has multiple sides and the new Netflix movie The Highwaymen shows how two police officers are chasing the duo with the aim of eliminating them. Continue reading
Clint Eastwood is an actor who is woven into the DNA of film. With his iconic characters he has immortalized himself and behind the camera he has shown what he is capable of. He is now 88, but he is still making films. In this latest film, in which he also plays the lead, he delves into the world of Mexican drug cartels. Continue reading
The talent attached to Triple Frontier, was enough reason for me to check out this Netflix movie, which is directed by J.C. Chandor (A Most Violent Year, All is Lost and Margin Call). It stars Oscar Isaac, Ben Affleck and Pedro Pascal and I was very interested in finding out if this would be a title that was worth watching. Continue reading
Although a load of new content appears on Netflix every week, I generally take the time to watch what interests me. I add it to my viewing list when it is announced and I often see it a few weeks after it has been released. However, last week was a week in which I could not wait until the releases of Triple Frontier (review will follow), season 2 of The OA and this series, Love, Death & Robots. With Tim Miller (director of Deadpool) and David Fincher as executive producers and a science fiction approach, I was very curious. I had not seen the trailer and I was totally unprepared for what I would experience, but when I started watching, I couldn’t get enough of it. Continue reading
Within the film industry there are certain combinations of directors and actors who seem to be almost inseparable. Martin Scorcese and Robert de Niro or Leonardo Di Caprio, Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon or Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. These are collaborations in which the two seem to reinforce each other. Director Peter Berg has that with Mark Wahlberg. The two previously made Lone Survivor,Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day. All films that are based on real events. However, this is not the case for Mile 22, which is entirely fictitious Continue reading
As we get older, the chance that our body starts to show defects is increasing. If you injure yourself, you will recover less quickly, you may need a new hip and a cold can have more serious consequences. Yet slowly losing your brain, your thoughts and who you are may be the most frightening thing that can happen. That you can no longer rely on the thing which makes you who you are and could no longer recognize the world around you. Forgetting what you did yesterday. If you are a serial killer who has decided years ago to no longer murder and suddenly find out that bodies are found, how do you know if you did not when you can’t remember? Continue reading