Tag Archives: 2014

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Beltracchi: The Art of Forgery (2014) – Review

Review Beltracchi

Within the art world the master forgers are the most interesting people, not because they are able to make so much money with it and the fact they are able to fool various experts, but simply because they have the skill to paint just like other well-known artists and are sometimes able to produce even better paintings. Wolfgang Beltracchi is one of those forgers, a very rational man who ended up in the art world because his father loved art. He found out that he was able to make a lot of money changing existing pictures and later forging them. He made millions doing so, but he eventually got caught. Continue reading →

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99 Homes (2014) – Review

Review 99 Homes

There are times when movies are released (or you just happen to watch them) which have a lot of similarities when it comes to their subject matter. Sometimes that’s annoying because one of them is usually better, which can impact your appreciation of the other one. But there are also times when two films complement each other. Over here both The Big Short and 99 Homes are playing in cinemas, both having something to do with the financial crisis that emerged because of the housing crisis and “adjustable rate mortgages”. The Big Short shows how a group of businessmen saw the crisis coming, made some investments and eventually become rich of of it. 99 Homes shows the other side of the story, the implications for families who suddenly no longer are able to pay their mortgages and are suddenly homeless. Continue reading →

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Vie Sauvage (2014) – Review

Review Vie Sauvage

Although I love nature, I’m really a city person. So I really enjoy walking through a forest, but at the end of the day I want to sleep in a luxurious hotel and not in a tent. Of course I’ve slept in hammocks abroad a couple of times, but I was always glad to make the journey back to stay in a real house or hotel again. The protagonist in this French movie doesn’t need all the luxury and prefers to live in forests and eat what’s available. Continue reading →

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Good Kill (2014) – Review

Review Good Kill

At first glance it seem easy to describe what we experience as reality. But if you think some more about it, you may wonder whether it’s really that simple. Of course when you are outside or walking around your home everything you see is real, what you see is actually there.

But what if you’re reading a book? That book is real, but when you read the text your brains is forming images. If you immerse yourself in a book everything around you disappears. The same is true if you are watching a movie or playing a game. The moment you’re engaged by it then that’s your reality, even if you are able to distinguished it as something that is created afterwards. Yet that line is becoming less clear, with the advent of ever more realistic graphics and of course the various VR systems. I myself already notice that with some games I have issues executing specific actions because some of it looks or at least feels so real. So it isn’t a big step to be able to empathize with the job of a drone pilot, as in Good Kill. Continue reading →

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The Missing (2014) – Season 1 – Review

Review The Missing

2006, vacation time. The British Hughes family travels to France with their son Oliver to relax. Unfortunately while underway they run into car trouble and are forced to sleep in the village Chalons du Bois. To make sure they are still having fun father Tony (James Nesbitt) takes his son swimming. It is during the world championships football and therefore it is extremely busy. When Tony goes for a drink with his son, the worst thing that a parent can experience happens: In a few seconds he loses sight of Tony and can’t find him anymore. In a panic, he starts searching, but does so in vain. Continue reading →

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L’Chaim!: To Life! (2014) – Review

Recensie l'chaim to life

When you see Chaim Lubelski for the first time in this documentary your first impression probably is that he is a bum: He is unshaven, wears old clothes with holes and is constantly smoking weed. Yet underneath that appearance a world of experiences is hidden away. He once was a successful businessman in New York where he earned millions exporting jeans, he was good at chess and believes he could have played with the best if he was able to concentrate more. Despite his successes, he also had to deal with setbacks. He lost his money in the stock market years ago and lived as a homeless man on the streets. His only goal now is to take care of his elderly mother who lives in Antwerp. Continue reading →

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The Search for General Cho (2014) – Review

Review Search for General Tso

It’s a bit of a culinary week at My Filmviews. After yesterday’s documentary Spinning Plates, today I take a look at this documentary which recently appeared on Netflix. The title didn’t ring any bells with me, since I’m from The Netherlands, but in America General Cho’s chicken is a dish that is present on the menu of every Chinese restaurant. The chicken dish of fried chicken with some spring onions, peppers and a sweet sauce has made a name for itself. But who was this general? Has he invented this dish or is there another source? These questions are central to this film. Continue reading →

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Pawn Sacrifice (2014)

Review Pawn Sacrifice

Hollywood loves making movies in which a genius finds success, but at the same time is plagued by his excentric side, disability or psychological issues (just think of movies like A Beautiful Mind, Rain Man, The Imitation Game or The Theory of Everything). It makes it easier to offer the viewer a story about someone who is able to solve complex issues which are important, but at the same time is a human being with a flaw. Of course that means there is a lot of predictability in this type of film. With the good ones that isn’t an issue, so the question is what about this one? Continue reading →

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The Farewell Party (2014)

The Farewell Party review

Although I’m far from being an elderly person, I’m now 40 and am more and more realising how real death is. You notice it by people in your surroundings dying or seeing actors or artists you’ve been following your whole life pass away. We are all mortal and hope we’ll die in a peaceful way, preferably in our sleep. The possibility is there that you’ll get a disease which can’t be cured, which makes the end painful and tough. What are your options then? Do you want to wait for death to come naturally or do you decide to look at euthanasia? It is a possibility is some countries, but this isn’t the case everywhere as this movie from Israel shows. Continue reading →

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Banksy Does New York (2014)

Banksy Does New York review

If you’d be walking through the streets of New York and you would see the salesman above, even if you know the work of Banksy, would you by a painting? Chances are that you wouldn’t as such an piece of art can be quickly made with a stencil and a spray can. Is that worth 60 dollars? Still there were a couple of people who did decide to buy a couple. The price for which they can seel them? More than 30.000 dollar (per piece). With that street artist Banksy proves that art and its worth has to do something with how well you know the artist and really not much with the piece of art itself. It was one of the many stunts he managed to pull off during his month-long residency in New York. This documentary shows all of them, including the reaction of the New Yorkers. Continue reading →