When Netflix released the first interactive show on Netflix last year, Puss in Book: Trapped in Epic Tale, I was very curious about the concept. But when I played this short film, I did not get any interactive options. I did not investigate it any further, but the concept (which incidentally has also been used for some movies in the cinema) of leaving making choices about what happens to the viewer, is fascinating. Is it still a movie? Or is it more a game? Last Friday, Netflix released the first Black Mirror film, Bandersnatch, which also uses this concept. Again I did not get it working. Since Black Mirror is one of my favorite series and I had to see it, I decided to find out how you can watch it. My phone did not work (probably because it does not have a standard Android version), a Samsung tablet did not offer the option either. Apple TV, Chromecast and a Samsung smart TV were all the same story and the Netflix site does not offer an extensive list of supported devices. Eventually it worked on another smart TV from Samsung and after a lot of frustration I finally managed to enter the world of real interactive TV. Continue reading
Category Archives: Movies
My Filmyear: 2018
2018 is behind us, which of course means the moment to look back at it. A year which was a bit different for me as a blogger since I decided to take a break from it, which ended up lasting for a couple of months. It gave me the time to do other things, like gaming and reading, but I decided to continue after a while. It got me in a new groove just writing whenever I feel like it. But time to get to the good stuff. What were my favourite movies this past year, what were the worst ones I saw? Continue reading
Rounders (1998) – Review
Listen, here’s the thing. If you can’t spot the sucker in your first half hour at the table, then you ARE the sucker.
Sometimes there are those movies that you forget about almost immediately after seeing them because they are so bad, but there are also good movies that you would love to forget so that you can experience them again for the first time. That is certainly the case for, for example, the films from my personal top 100, but there are also films that fall outside of it and where I wish for the same. Rounders is an example of this and since it is a film that I have not seen for at least 15 years. The only things I remembered about it was that Matt Damon is in it and that John Malkovich has a bizarre Russian accent. A nice moment to revisit this poker film again to find out if I still are able to enjoy it as as when it was just released. Continue reading
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
The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man (2018) – Review
Bill Murray is an actor who, thanks to various iconic roles (eg. Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day or Lost in Translation) has succeeded in conquering a place in the hearts of many film fans. But even outside his filmography he has managed to create kind of a legend around him. How? By simply appearing suddenly at everyday moments and being himself. Thanks to the internet this is shared with the world and you can read how he suddenly appeared on the wedding photos of a wedding couple, did the dishes at a party or sang Happy Birthday for a grandmother. But why do we like to read about it? That is the question that director Tommy Avallone tries to answer. 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