June 30, 2020 by Nostra - 0 comments

Da 5 Bloods (2020) – Review

The number of films (and with that, of course, the number of reviews) that I have watched in recent months continues to decrease. And that’s not because there is nothing to watch, on the contrary. My Netflix list is still huge and I keep adding titles and my IMDb list of movies I want to see consists of 379 titles. Still, I find my escape from reality a lot less in films the last couple of months. Partly because films don’t wow me as much anymore and I’d rather prefer to walk outside for one and a half to two hours in quiet areas, than to sit at home for an even bigger part of the day. Still, I was curious about the latest film by director Spike Lee. You can have different opinions about his films, but no matter what you think, you’ll have to agree that they are always unique. Da 5 Bloods is his latest and is available on Netflix. Continue reading →

May 26, 2020 by Nostra - 0 comments

Bloodshot (2020) – Review

Ignoring a few exceptions (Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan) Vin Diesel has mostly starred in action movies, which often can’t be taken very seriously.
Think of the XXX films (Diesel as “extreme sports” super spy), the Riddick films (in which he is an alien superhero) and the Fast and Furious franchise (in which he also plays a superhero who can survive the most impossible situations). Based on a series by Valiant Comics, Bloodshot also takes on the role of a superhero. Does that make for an entertaining movie? Continue reading →

May 15, 2020 by Nostra - 0 comments

Netflix vs. the World (2019) – Review

Netflix is a service that most of us can no longer imagine we didn’t have. With its wide range of films and a lot of original series, this VOD service has become a regular destination in the daily lives of many. The company was founded in 1997. This documentary looks at this video on demand giant and in particular how it has succeeded in becoming so successful. Continue reading →

May 6, 2020 by Nostra - 0 comments

Les Misérables (2019) – Review

During the opening moments of the French film Les Misérables, in which you see large crowds of people during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, you get a strange feeling looking at it with the reality of today. In a society where you ensure that you keep enough distance from each other, it makes you feel uncomfortable. Obviously this was not the vision for the makers of the film, but it is almost alienating to see. The title might suggest that this is a new version of the famous book by Victor Hugo. There is no direct link however, but the events do take place in Montfermeil. It is the place where Hugo wrote his book and director Ladj Ly tells his own story. Continue reading →

April 30, 2020 by Nostra - 1 Comment

Onward (2020) – Review

The current corona crisis has not only changed daily life, the impact on the film industry is also enormous. Film companies can no longer make new films and titles that are about to be released are postponed, sometimes even by a year. Other titles, the films that are not blockbusters, will appear on VOD platforms without ever seeing the cinema (or only very shortly before the closure of cinemas). One of those titles was Pixar’s Onward, which was recently available for rent in America and is now available on Disney. Continue reading →

April 30, 2020 by Nostra - 0 comments

Inside look at ‘All or Nothing’ All Blacks club

“rugby world cup 2011 NEW ZEALAND ARGENTI” (CC BY 2.0) by Jean Francois Fournier Photographe

The New Zealand All Blacks are one of sport’s greatest tales, period. There’s an enigma to this team that few others can lay claims to. In soccer, the great Brazil teams of the past had it. The US basketball team in the golden era of Michael Jordan and the ‘dream team’ had it. Finding other teams with this magical essence isn’t easy in modern sport, but the All Blacks are the standout exception. The Amazon film series ‘All or Nothing – New Zealand All Blacks’ is a fascinating look behind the scenes of this sporting dynasty. Continue reading →

April 26, 2020 by Nostra - 0 comments

Beastie Boys Story (2020) – Review

It is a huge challenge to remain relevant as a music artist. You only have to look at the number of one hit wonders (Big Shaq, PSY etc) who enjoyed very short and extreme success, but did not manage to turn that into a lasting career. Even big artists are only as good as their last album and have to keep trying to stay relevant. If you look at hip hop, the number of real stars is very small. Well-known groups and artists from the 80s and 90s have disappeared or have been mostly forgotten. One of the exceptions to this were the Beastie Boys. A group that started as a punk group in the 80s, made the switch to hip hop and evolved into proper musicians who made what they wanted, even if they were all instrumental songs. After Adam Yauch (MCA) died of cancer in 2012, the other members decided to stop making music. They previously released a book and now there is this documentary, directed by Spike Jonze. Continue reading →

April 22, 2020 by Nostra - 2 Comments

Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness – Review

Subcultures are sometimes able to surprise you. I can remember watching an episode of Louis Theroux dealing with exotic animals and it was unbelievable to me that some people would like to keep a tiger. Yet this is extremely popular in America. In fact, it is so popular that only in North America more tigers live in captivity than the number in the wild. Mike Tyson had a Bengal tiger for 16 years, but as the Netflix documentary Tiger King shows, there are always people who are even more extreme. Continue reading →

April 22, 2020 by Nostra - 0 comments

The tension is palpable with these five blackjack movie scenes

Gambling scenes often make for the best movie moments. That added tension and drama as well as the glamour involved with some of the world’s most impressive casinos can create memories that last a lifetime. With blackjack comes intense concentration and with it being the most widely-played casino game in the world, it has often been showcased in the cinema. Here are five of the best thrilling blackjack scenes in movies. Continue reading →

April 20, 2020 by Nostra - 0 comments

LA Originals (2020) – Review

The music world has a lot of artists who are famous for their music and personality. Artists who managed to create something special in their genres and thereby left their mark. Think of Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Eminem, 50 Cent, Cypress Hill and House of Pain. However, what all these artists have in common is that they all have tattoos from Mister Cartoon. This Los Angeles artist was involved in drawing and graffiti from an early age. He designed T-shirts for the owners of low-riders. It was only years later that he also put his drawings on the skin of others. And since these people were world famous, he quickly made a name for himself. He partly owed that success to Estevan Oriol, a tour manager for Cypress Hill, House of Pain and Funkdoobiest, who was the only one to start recording gigs on video and taking photos. The two became close friends and together they managed to conquer the world. Oriol wants to show what this journey looked like with this documentary. Continue reading →