Just like the real one, the Marvel universe also continues to expand. And although Thanos movie caused a lot to change in this universe in the last Avengers movie, the ending was the first mention of a new superhero, Captain Marvel. This film tells the origin story of this character and how Nick Fury (Samuel L.Jackson) met her. Is this film a worthy addition to this universe? Continue reading
Category Archives: Violence
Mile 22 (2018) – Review
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
The Favourite (2018) – Review
Yorgos Lanthimos is a director who I always like to keep an eye on as a film lover. The reason for this is that he creates worlds and tells stories that are anything but standard or predictable. In The Lobster single people had to find a partner within 45 days or else they would change in animals and in The Killing of a Sacred Deer he plays with extortion and possibly supernatural powers, resulting in a number of very memorable moments. As a result, these films may be strange and not easily watched by everyone, but I really enjoy them myself. The Favourite is perhaps his most accessible film and has received a lot of Oscar nominations and Olivia Colman won the statuette for best actress (and had an amazing Oscar speech). What makes this film so special? Continue reading
Memoir of a Murderer (2017) – Review
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
Alita: Battle Angel (2019) – Review
When I think of director Robert Rodriguez, I do not immediately feel that I should see every project he does. His first film El Mariachi was good, I have been able to enjoy the Spy Kids films for what they are and Sin City is perhaps his best, but the feeling of Grindhouse-like films that he has done a lot (eg. the Machete titles) prevails. I did not really have any expectations about Alita: Battle Angel, but the fact that this is a project that James Cameron wanted to make for nearly twenty years, besides Avatar, and he was also involved in developing this Rodriguez version, could result in something interesting. I decided to watch the film the best way possible, in a Dolby Cinema. Is Alita: Battle Angel worth it? Continue reading
Glass (2019) – Review
While Unbreakable did not really leave a lasting impression on me, it was very different with (what at the end of the film turned out to be) the follow-up Split. A film that I was a huge fan of and I could not wait to see the third part in this trilogy, Glass, in which the characters from the first two films come together. Continue reading
Black Mirror: Bandersnatch (2018) – Review
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
Blast of Silence (1961) – Review
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
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