There are exactly two things I remember about the Hitman movie from 2007:
1. Timothy Olyphant played the hitman
2. That that’s the only thing I can remember about the film
And after seeing this movie, which I assume is a reboot, I am certain that I will be saying the same thing about this movie in a couple of months as I will probably have forgotten everything about it. Continue reading
Through the years I’ve seen many revenge films, from Death Wish to Oldboy and John Wick. They all have lots of violence, but as you are watching them you understand why the protagonists want to have their revenge for the injustice they’ve been through and take justice in their own hands. Because sometimes emotions can be so strong that that’s the only way to find peace. Of course it is something you can say is right, but despite that you understand why in those type of films. Eega is also a revenge film, but its story is so bizarre that you start wondering if you should take it seriously. Continue reading
Is it still possible to innovate after more than 100 years of film? In all those years so many creative minds have brought their visions to the screen that you could assume that we’ve reached the top of what’s possible. But still some filmmakers succeed in making your jaw drop to the ground because they tell their stories in new ways or by effectively using certain techniques like never seen before. The Wachowski’s managed to stun by using two techniques and combining them (still cameras and computers), which brought something fresh to the table.
During the last couple of years the capabilities of digital cameras have quickly grown. Drones enable directors to make shots for which they used to hire helicopters, special setups allow for shooting 360 videos making it possible for the viewer to direct the action. High resolution cameras have become so small that you are able to stick them to your body. That last one is exactly what the makers behind Hardcore Henry have done and the end result is the first full length, first person action film. Continue reading
Earlier this year I shared my top 10 of favourite gangster movies, which is one of my favourite genres. When I heard that Stefano Sollima, who in the past has been responsible for Romanzo Criminale and TV show Gomorra, had made a new gangster movie I was immediately interested and had high expectations of it. Continue reading
Ever since I saw The Broken Circle Breakdown, directed by Felix van Groeningen I´ve been slowly working my way through his work. There still isn´t a movie by his which makes me feel as much as that film, but that doesn´t mean I think his other movies are bad because they aren´t. But The Broken Circle Breakdown simply managed to move me so much. After reading several positive reviews about his latest film, I was curious about Belgica. Continue reading
While the various heroes go head to head in the movies, this is also the case with the studios. Disney’s Marvel Studios has had hit after hit since they started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DC (together with Warner Bros) has tried to do the same, but when you take a look at their past five films Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, then you can see their track record has been anything but impressive. That’s also the reason that I approached this film somewhat carefully. For the last year it has been almost impossible (trust me, I’ve tried and kind of succeeded) to disregard and stay away from it and I hoped that this finally would be a DC movie I would be able to enjoy again. Has Suicide Squad managed to do that? Continue reading
Do you recognise this? That a specific element in a movie stands out so much that you can’t help but to keep focussing on it? That was the case for me with this romantic film, Me Before You. It might be best to first watch the movie yourself before reading the review, because else it might distract you too much. That specific element in this movie which stood out were Emilia Clarke’s eyebrows. It might be that her forehead works different from other people, but her eyebrows regularly made movements I haven’t seen other eyebrows make. But if you are able to ignore it (I couldn’t), is Me Before You the romantic film you’d expect? Continue reading
This review contains spoilers (if that’s possible for real life events)
Neerja, with Sonam Kapoor in de starring role, tells the dramatised story about the hijacking of Pan Am flight 73 by four armed men. On september 5th 1986 they entered the plane at the airport of Karachi. Their goal was to free prisoners and with 361 passengers on the plane they have the means to get that done. Neerja Bhanot was the purser on this flight and thanks to her actions the number of victims was dramatically lowered. She didn´t survive the events, but this movie gives the viewer a good idea about what she did in this situation. She was the youngest person to receive a prestigious award for bravery posthumously. Continue reading
There are these periods in which movies about the same subject are being released. That almost automatically means that you will start comparing the two and that one of them is worse. Examples are A Bug’s Life and Antz, The Prestige and The Illusionist and when it comes to movies about cooking there was Chef and not too long after that Burnt. And as I thought Chef was fantastic I wasn’t in a hurry to watch this movie starring Bradley Cooper, because I had the feeling it wouldn’t be as good. Still I was a bit curious about it and as it has been out on DVD for a while I decided to watch it. Continue reading
“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