When you read the title of this movie the first thing you probably expect it to be is a monster movie comparable to Godzilla. In actuality it’s a documentary about insects in Japan. Although in most of the world insects are seen as a nuisance that must be eliminated as soon as possible, in Japan people actually love to keep crickets and beetles as pets. Continue reading
Dr. Nakamats supposedly is one of Japan’s most famous inventors. He claims to have more than 3000 patents registered. This documentary gives an impression of the daily life of this excentric man and shows some of his inventions. Continue reading
Mara Salvatrucha, better known as MS13, is one of the biggest gangs in the world with more than 70.000 members. Originating in Los Angeles (the gang was originally formed to protect immigrants from other gangs), MS13 grew very quickly and its members are considered to be extremely dangerous. Its growth in Mexico was quick as well and there are many towns in which the gang controls a lot of parts of daily life. Small enterpreneurs have to pay protection money and there are a lot of gang wars going on.
MS13 is an important part of Sin Nombre, a movie which was written and directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. Continue reading
Red Bull BC One is a yearly international b-boy competition which was first held in 2004. The highlight of the BC One competition are the knockout battles in which 16 b-boys go head to head, after which the winner goes home with the title and a big belt. Red Bull places the battles online each year and they show the skills of the best b-boys in the world. Turn It Loose covers the BC One of 2007 but besides focussing on the battles themselves, they also show where the different competitors come from and they tell something about their own background. So this documentary is more than just spectacular battles. Continue reading
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet has proved with Amélie (which currently is part of the IMBD top 250) that he’s able to create a dreamy, almost fairy tale like world with special characters. As a viewer you can’t help to be mesmerised with the way it makes you feel. It truly is a feel good movie (which I have recently watched again after watching this). Although different, Jeunet tries again to create such a world. Does he succeed? Continue reading
Nope, it’s no sequel to Tarantino’s Kill Bill, but a documentary about soul singer Bill Withers. Is this film also interesting for those that don’t know him or simply don’t like his music? Continue reading
Since the start of the internet a lot of things have changed in the way people do business. You used to have to go to a shop and listen to someone in a store to tell you everything about a product without knowing if they were making stuff up. With a bit of googling you can now find more information about a product yourself. As a result the function of a shop has changed quite drastically. The internet has also changed the music industry forever. Any song you would like to listen to can be found within seconds and as a result the record sales have dropped dramatically.
The porno industry has rode the internet wave as well, using it to spread their “product” easily. It’s no longer necessary for customers to go to a dodgy shop to buy a video or some dirty magazines. Just a couple of clicks and a credit card are needed in order to enter the world of adult entertainment. Middle Men tells the story of the first steps of this industry onto the internet. Does that make this movie the The Social Network for the internet porn industry? Continue reading
Alamar is a movie which is very similar to the movie I reviewed yesterday, Somewhere. In this film we also see a father who is divorced who takes care of his kid (in this case a son) for a while. Is Alamar the movie which Somewhere should have been or is this one you should skip as well? Continue reading
This Argentinian/Spanish film (its original title is El Secreto de Sus Ojos) won the Oscar for best foreign movie in 2010. It’s also the most viewed film of all time in Argentina (3 million viewers). After hearing some good stories about this movie I was really looking forward to seeing it.
The movie is set in Argentina, where Benjamín Espósito (Ricardo Darín) retired a couple of years ago after having worked as federal agent for several years. There is one case that he still can’t let go and he wants to write a book about it. When he was still investigating crimes, together with his partner Pablo Sandoval (Guillermo Francella), there was a case in which a woman was raped and murdered. As he sees the extreme love of her husband after her death touches him so much that he swears to find the person responsible. Continue reading
The original title of this Korean movie is Madeo, which can be translated into two meanings, both mother and murder are possible as the characters in the language are the same. Hye-ja Kim stars in this movie, in which her son Yoon Do-joon (Bin Won) is being suspected of a crime. As Yoon Do-joon has some mental issues, it’s hard for her to find out if he really has committed the crime. As a mother she’s willing to do anything to find out the truth and get her son out of jail. Continue reading