When I did a “Ten best Christmas movies relay race” last year on the Dutch version of my site, there was one blogger who added this movie, which was a movie no one heard about and it remained in the list. It was a good reason for me to add this film noir from the sixties in my blindspot list for 2018 and watch it around Christmas time to make up my mind about it. Is Blast of Silence a Christmas movie and should you have seen it? Continue reading
Category Archives: Drama
Roma (2018) – Review
Thanks to Gravity, one of my favorite movies, director Alfonso Cuarón is someone whose work I always look forward to. Of course he made great movies before this film, like Children of Men and he’s someone who is able to realize his vision in an almost magical way. Just think of the long shots in Children of Men and where you wonder how they have been madeor the system that was developed to project the light of the CGI environment onto the helmets and faces of the actors in Gravity. He’s a director who is able to make the most technically difficult shot seem effortless and make you wonder how he does it. When watching Roma, you might think that he keeps things simple here, but if you look closer you realise this isn’t the case. Continue reading
Venom (2018) – Review
The chance that during one year two movies are released, which are both about a man whose relationship comes to an end, where his body is taken over by an intelligent entity and the main characters both look like Tom Hardy (and one actually is Tom Hardy), is extremely small. But it happened this year. After the fantastic Upgrade was released earlier this year, Venom is the one after. The big enemy of Spider-Man, who now has his own standalone movie where there’s no sight of Peter Parker. Continue reading
Aquaman (2018) – Review
You only have one time to make a first impression and when DC, inspired by the success of Marvel and their “shared universe” of films, tried the same thing, it was not really successful. Batman vs. Superman disappointed and the same was true for Justice League. Where the Marvel films were mainly light-hearted and entertaining, that was not the case in the DC universe. That does not have to be a problem, as the Batman films of Christopher Nolan have proven that a realistic, dark atmosphere can work, but the general public doesn’t seem to look forward to the films of the studio as much. Wonder Woman might have been the exception, but that also succeeded because it had a different tone. Aquaman was introduced in the In Justice League film and Jason Mamoa gave the character both a serious as a lighthearted feel by for example joking about Batman. Now the character gets his own movie. Is this another disappointing DC movie or has the company finally found the right balance? Continue reading
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) – Review
The number of reboots the Spider-Man movies have had during the last 16 years is 3. The amazing thing is that even being so close together, the makers still thought it was necessary to tell the story again about how Peter Parker became Spider-Man. Any superhero or moviefan knows the story, so you could ask why they’d do it. You might be surprised that Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse also tells the origin story (several times actually), but now from the perspective of different characters and a lot of humor, diverting expectations and making sure you won’t be annoyed. And that original approach is a property the whole movie possesses, which makes this not only different from you average superhero movie, but also a superhero film which you should have watched before making your list of favorite 2018 movies. Continue reading
Hearts Beat Loud (2018) – Review
Music is emotion and the best artists often use their own experiences to make memorable songs. When you base your movie on the process of creation, it can add something to a movie that you connect to more strongly. Director John Carney seems to be specialized when it comes to creating music, just think of Once, Begin Again and Sing Street. They all deal with music and love. His movies probably are the best in this subgenre. Hearts Beat Loud isn’t directed by him, but also revolves about creating music, relationships and which things inspire you. Continue reading
Final Score (2018) – Review
It’s really easy to imagine the elevator pitch for Final Score: “It’s just like Die Hard…but in a soccer stadium!”. The man listening to the pitch takes a moment to think and asks “Great idea, but how are we going to sell this?”. He hears that it’s easy, because you just need to have a well known action hero actor in the main role. Unfortunately Dwayne Johnson isn’t available, Schwarzenegger and Stallone are too old to do what is necessary. Then they think of Dave Bautista, “he’s just like Dwayne Johnson, a former wrestler who started acting. Plus he has been really popular since his role in Guardians of the Galaxy”. The idea is finalized and Final Score is the result. But was this really a good idea? Continue reading
The Kindergarten Teacher (2018) – Review
When you are young and you still have a whole life ahead of you, there are many goals you want to reach. Get a degree, find a partner, a place to call your own, start a family etc. But as you grow older and realize these goals, it can be difficult to decide what will be the next step. There is a reason that a midlife crisis exists. Even though the protagonist in The Kindergarten Teacher might not be aware, she’s also suffering from one. Continue reading
Mandy (2018) – Review
Loro (2018) – Review
Twice a year one of the biggest cinema chains in the Netherlands organizes the PAC-festival (Pathé Alternative Cinema). A day during which five (usually) arthouse movies are shown. It’s something I always look forward to. Not only because they are movies that still have to be released, but also because in general the quality is high and the atmosphere in the cinema is great (you meet people from previous vistis and you share this room from 10 in the morning to almost midnight). This year the festival started with Loro, directed by Paolo Sorrentino (The Great Beauty, Youth). Was it a good start? Continue reading