When you do something often enough, a certain routine arises and you start to do more and more without thinking about it. It happens with the work you do, but I also notice that as a blogger. However, this routine can be dangerous if you do not do enough to keep yourself sharp and set goals and to come up with challenges for yourself. Director Christopher Guest has already made several films in his career (including Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, For Your Consideration and Mascots) in which he works with an (almost) permanent group of actors, chooses a certain subculture and films mainly by means of improvisation. Last year I really enjoyed myself with Best in Show, but I found his Netflix film Mascots disappointing. Still, I wanted to see more of his work and I decided to watch A Mighty Wind, mainly because reviewer Leonard Maltin recommended it during several of his podcasts. And even though A Mighty Wind has its funny moments, I’m kind of done with the concept after having watched this. Continue reading
Tag Archives: 2003
Finding Nemo (2003)
Even though I don’t watch trailers anymore, I’m pretty sure that before this movie came out I still was doing so and can remember watching it several times. It was the fifth Pixar movie and after impressing audiences with their technology for fur used in Monster Inc, it was the first look into the world of Finding Nemo, which was jaw dropping to see. In 2003 computer graphics already had come quite some way, but it wasn’t the level yet it is now and much pioneering was done. Creating a convincing water world therefore was something special. With the release of the sequel, Finding Dory (which I will see next week), and the availability of the original on Netflix it was the right time to revisit this wonderful animated movie. Continue reading
Jeux d’Enfants (2003) – Review
Love can be a beautiful thing and the bond which is shaped between two individuals can be so special that you both feel you have something which if unique. I had heard from Jeux d’Enfants (of Love Me If You Dare) that the two main characters had a very remarkable bond and it was a movie which had been on my to watch list for way too long. That’s also the reason I chose it for my Blindspot series this year. After watching the film I can only agree that Julien (Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard) have something I’ve never seen before and that this is a movie which really impressed. Continue reading
Devoted to the Game (Bingo Documentary) (2003)
Youtube is a cool website to browse as you can easily lose track of time watching videos with different subjects. As I was browsing, I came across this small documentary about bingo called “Devoted to the Game”, which was shot in 2003. The description of the video says that it was made as a final project for a college film class. When it comes to documentaries, I’m willing to watch them on any subject. Since this one was about bingo, I decided to give it a chance even if it was just to find out if it’s only the elderly that plays this game and why people enjoy it so much. I was surprised to find out that even young professionals are fond of this game because they can easily access it through CheekyBingo.com and other bingo sites simply by logging on their laptop or iPad. Continue reading
Lost in Translation (2003)
At the beginning of the year one of my goals would be to rewatch more movies than I did last year. In general I tend to prefer watching movies I have not seen yet, but revisiting movies which you have seen is like meeting an old friend you have not spoken to in a long while. You might wonder if you still enjoy their presence as much as before and I had that feeling with Lost in Translation. Continue reading
The Station Agent (2003)
There are times when you wish that a director has more movies to his name and for me Thomas McCarthy is one of them. In his career he only directed three movies, Win Win (2011), The Visitor (2007) and this movie, The Station Agent. They are all excellent movies about relationships. All his movies have a soul to them, a realistic depiction of life and how people interact. The Station Agent had been on my “to watch” list for a while after another blogger reviewed it. Continue reading
The Five Obstructions (2003)
With the 5 Obstructions blogathon about to kick off this Saturday (June 1st) I thought it was only appropriate that I’d review the documentary that inspired me to start it.
Director Jørgen Leth made the art film The Perfect Human in 1967. It looks at a man and a woman and what makes them perfect. It shows how they dance, eat, what their ears and other body parts look like. The movie is considered an art house movie which almost feel like an anthropological study. I have never seen it myself, but this documentary/film hybrid shows parts of that original film. Director Lars von Trier had the idea to work with Jørgen Leth and asked him to remake parts of The Perfect Human, but each time with an obstruction in place. Working with restrictions can push people to come with ingenious solutions (as the movie Apollo 13 shows) and The Five Obstructions also shows the results of that. Continue reading
Touching the Void (2003)
The closer you are to death. The more you realize you are alive.
It’s a very cool tagline and one that sums up this documentary perfectly. It is about two men, Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, who wanted to climb the Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. A mountain no one had ever successfully climbed, as these men found out there was a good reason for it. Continue reading
Save the Green Planet (2003)
Being in the right mood is very important when watching a specific type of movie. Get it wrong and you can sometimes don’t like movies which you would love. After watching Save the Green Planet I wondered if it was one of those cases where it was something I should have watched with a different mindset. Continue reading
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring (2003)
Who would have thought that a movie about a monk living on a floating temple could be this mesmorising? This is the first movie I’ve seen directed by Korean director Ki-duk Kim, but I’d be interested to see more of his work. Continue reading