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
Wellington Paranormal – Season 1 – Review
With Thor: Ragnarok Taika Waititi has shown to a big audience the brand of humor he’s into. Movie lovers though already knew what he was capable of with movies like Boy, The Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What We Do in the Shadows. That last one, in which a “documentary crew” follows a group of vampires who are living together was both bizarre and hilarious. In that mockumentary there was a part where two police officers who weren’t the brightest ones, Officer Minogue (Mike Minogue) and Officer O’Leary (Karen O’Leary), visit the house to investigate. With Wellington Paranormal these two characters have their own spinoff show. Continue reading
Three Identical Strangers (2018) – Review
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
Life Itself (2018) – Review
Life is filled which strange momenten, which sometimes make you wonder if coincidence really exists. The simplest of decisions could decide the rest of your life, without you even realising. That is the message Life Itself want you to feel in your heart, but in order to do so it uses a butchers knife instead of a scalpel to get there. Continue reading
I Am a Killer (2018) – Review
What is the reason that we have such an interest in crime in films and series? Is it the ‘shock value’ of what people are capable of or is the fascination deeper? Do we want to see if someone is really so different from ourselves, could we also do the same if we were in the same situation? When I saw the Netflix series I Am a Killer appear on the service, it seemed to me that it was mainly to sensationalise. A documentary series where you come face to face with the monsters the media describes them as. Yet the curiosity did dominate and I decided to watch. Continue reading