Category Archives: Fantasy

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Goosebumps (2015) – Review

Review Goosebumps

“The book is better than the movie” is something I often read. And yes, of course it usually is, but that isn’t surprising. When you are reading a book it is you who makes the imagery to go along with it. Besides that a book can also provide a lot more information than a movie can. A writer can spend a whole paragraph describing the scent in the air or the temperature of a meal. A movie can only show the information through imagery and dialog. So comparing the two forms of media is really something you shouldn’t be doing. They are separate forms of entertainment with their own strengths and weaknesses. Goosebumps has been a long running series of horror books for a young audience written by R.L. Stine. What Goosebumps does however is not take one of them and turn it into a film, but simply decides to use them all. Does that idea work? Continue reading →

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Warcraft (2016) – Review

Review Warcraft

My expectations going into Warcraft weren’t very high. The couple of photo’s I saw of the movie in advance didn’t resonate with me and as the movie is based on a game it meant chances were high that this was going to be bad. The genre of video game movies hasn’t really delivered on movies which manage to wow audiences. But despite that I still had a bit of hope because of its director, Duncan Jones. He was previously responsible fort he impressive Moon. Would he be able to deliver a quality film?

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Warcraft (2016) – Review

Review Warcraft

Before watching Warcraft my expectations of this film weren’t very high. The couple of pictures I saw of it didn’t really make it look appealing and as it is also based on a game chances were big that it wasn’t good. Gamemovies in general aren´t known for quality and the genre hasn´t delivered a film which managed to surprise (in a positive way). Still, looking at the director, I had some hope. Duncan Jones has been responsible for the impressive Moon, so he might be able to deliver a quality film. Continue reading →

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The Jungle Book (2016) – Review

Review the Jungle Book

If there is one thing which is usually worse than the original, it’s the remake. I often steer clear of them (My Sassy Girl, Old Boy, The Thing), but there are times when my curiosity wins (or loses depending how you look at it) from my instinct (Point Break). During the last couple of years Disney has started remaking their animated classics in the form of live action movies and many are already planned for the coming years (including Dumbo, Pinocchiio, Beauty and the Beast and Mulan). Movies like Alice in Wonderland and Cinderella proved that these movies can be pretty good and now there is The Jungle Book. I can still remember seeing the original cartoon and the songs of that movie I never forgot. Does director Jon Favreau (Chef, Iron Man) succeed in bringing the story to an environment which isn’t drawn? Continue reading →

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Theodore Rex (1995)

Review Theodore Rex

Earlier this year, the hilarious Kung Fury already showed that police officers don’t like to work with dinosaurs. It was, like the rest of the film, a bizarre moment. However, there is a feature-length film which has used that concept fully. I recently read about the existence of this film and the incredible story behind it. This is actually the most expensive “straight to video” movie ever made, with a price tag of $ 33.5 million. The film was planned to be released in cinemas, but because of various production problems (read this article ) the distributor didn’t want to do that anymore. It is a film that everyone involved, including lead actress Whoopie Goldberg, would rather forget. I would also like to add myself itself to that list. Continue reading →

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When Marnie Was There (2014)

Review When Marnie Was There

These are sad times if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli. Recently both Isao Takahata and Hayao Miyazaki made their final films and it currently seems that When Marnie Was There will be the last movie released by the legendary studio. The demand for animated movies has changed and financing them has become a lot harder. The studio won’t close its doors yet, so there still is hope for a new film, but chances seem slim. Is When Marnie Was There an adequate farewell? Continue reading →

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Jurassic World (2015)

Jurassic World Recensie

Does every kid go through a dinosaur phase? It was something I was thinking about when watching the new movie in the Jurassic Park franchise. Initially I could not remember ever having a collection of plastic dinosaurs, but after further reflection, I remembered that I did make a report about it in elementary school. This was in the eighties, so it was still a time when you had to go to the library for information, write everything by hand and go to the supermarket to make copies of pictures to paste in your report. The reason that I still remember it wasn’t so much the report itself, but the way it was checked. Because I went to a Christian school (even though I’m not religious) the teacher held tightly to the story of the bible and its timeline. That meant he had put question marks when it said that the dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. That did not fit into his conviction.

So there was a brief period in which I was interested in them, but it did not last long. The first Jurassic Park I do remember though, especially because (just like today) there was a lot of marketing for the film. There were TV specials (which showed how they made the water vibrate in the glass when the Tyrannosaurus Rex arrives), and the effects in the film were breathtaking then. Those effects might not wow us anymore and a movie really needed to do something special in order to excite us. Does Jurassic Wold manage to do that? Continue reading →

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The Last Starfighter (1984)

Review The Last Starfighter2015 small blindspot

During one of my blogathons I read on Rodney’s Fernby Films, that this movie had a lot of impact on him, which made me curious about it. For him growing up it was a movie (besides The Neverending Story) which gave him the idea he could be more than he was. It was the main reason for me to add this movie to my Blindspot series this year. Of course it also helped that this is a science fiction movie from the eighties, which also comes with a lot of nostalgia. Continue reading →

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Jupiter Ascending (2015)

Review Jupiter Ascending

The Wachowskis don’t seem to want to make “safe” movies. The want to think big, bring different concepts and spectacle to the screen. That sometimes leads to movies which are widely loved like The Matrix (where reality wasn’t what it seemed to be), but also movies which divide audiences, like Cloud Atlas (a story told across centuries).

With Jupiter Ascending they show that daring attitude again. By taking a story which would also work as a costume drama, spectacular action as you’d expect from them, costumes which wouldn’t look bad in a Tarsem Singh movie and a sauce of science fiction, they have created a movie which is meant to be seen on the big screen. Continue reading →

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Labyrinthus (2014)

Review Labyrinthus

When it comes to children’s tv and movies there is one company which pretty much dominates that market, which is the Belgian Studio 54 which has a wide range of successful franchises. You’d almost forget that other companies make movies as well, but Labyrinthus is a great example of one checking out. An exciting movie for the older kids. Continue reading →