Ever since I saw The Broken Circle Breakdown, directed by Felix van Groeningen I´ve been slowly working my way through his work. There still isn´t a movie by his which makes me feel as much as that film, but that doesn´t mean I think his other movies are bad because they aren´t. But The Broken Circle Breakdown simply managed to move me so much. After reading several positive reviews about his latest film, I was curious about Belgica. Continue reading
How well do you know yourself? Of course you know what you’re good and bad at and which characteristics you’d rather hide from others, but would you be willing to really look deep into yourself? And if you would dare to do so, would you be willing to do something about it and talk about the less positive sides of yourself? Would you dare to be vulnerable? Tony Robbins has managed to make a name for himself by writing self-help books and tours the world giving presentations. He looks like a professional wrestler, with big hands and a huge jaw. He constantly curses to shock the visitors to his events and wake them up. He’s so popular though that people are willing to pay $5000 to be present during his “Date with Destiny” seminars. In this documentary he is followed during the six-day seminar and as a viewer you get a look into his idea of working. Continue reading
While the various heroes go head to head in the movies, this is also the case with the studios. Disney’s Marvel Studios has had hit after hit since they started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DC (together with Warner Bros) has tried to do the same, but when you take a look at their past five films Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, then you can see their track record has been anything but impressive. That’s also the reason that I approached this film somewhat carefully. For the last year it has been almost impossible (trust me, I’ve tried and kind of succeeded) to disregard and stay away from it and I hoped that this finally would be a DC movie I would be able to enjoy again. Has Suicide Squad managed to do that? Continue reading
For some Rowan Atkinson will always be Mr.Bean. When I was watching a review copy of the film and my father in law walked by he was waiting for something funny to happen. I had to make clear to him this wasn’t going to happen. Of course Mr.Bean was an iconic role, but I’m always able to separate actors from well-known roles. What’s Atkinson like in this detective? Continue reading
When the original three Jason Bourne movies came out they had a lot of impact on how others made movies. Director Paul Greengrass became well-known for his way of shooting, quickly labeled shaky cam. Because of that action looked more dynamic and raw. But also the character of Bourne in this spy thriller has had a lot of influence. You can see that realistic approach of Bourne during fights and using the situation in the first Bond movie starring Daniel Craig. After the third Bourne movie both Paul Greengrass and Matt Damon decided they had told Bourne’s story and stepped away from the franchise. The studio decided to make The Bourne Legacy starring Jeremy Renner, but it was disappointing. Both Greengrass and Damon probably felt an itch to return as they are now here for the fourth movie starring the titular character. Continue reading
Do you recognise this? That a specific element in a movie stands out so much that you can’t help but to keep focussing on it? That was the case for me with this romantic film, Me Before You. It might be best to first watch the movie yourself before reading the review, because else it might distract you too much. That specific element in this movie which stood out were Emilia Clarke’s eyebrows. It might be that her forehead works different from other people, but her eyebrows regularly made movements I haven’t seen other eyebrows make. But if you are able to ignore it (I couldn’t), is Me Before You the romantic film you’d expect? Continue reading
Wars are as old as mankind and preservation and/or expansion of territory and ideals often forms the basis for them. Since the second world war the way they are fought has changed dramatically. It used to mean that when a country would be in a war you would lose soldiers, but this isn’t always the case anymore. The introduction of drones is a good example. The pilots are safely on the ground on the other side of the world (something Good Kill showed) and the only loss you can experience is of your equipment and possibly some damage to your public image if a mission does not go as planned. Unfortunately the news shows that it sometimes does go wrong. Although there are rules to war, it is a situation in which emotions run high, parties want to achieve their goals and that sometimes might lead to an attempt to stretch the rules. That is also the case in Eye in the Sky. Lees verder
In general I will finish watching every movie I press play on. That sometimes mean I will have a heard time to keep watching, but also that for some movies I will watch them at slightly higher speeds. Lately I’ve been questioning myself why I force myself to finish each movie I start. I think it is because I’m able to give my opinion about a film (because a movie might become better later on), but is that the real reason? Or does it simply give my some kind of satisfaction to be able to say I’ve finished it and add it to the number of movies I watched as some sort of reward? Isn’t it better to spend my time on a good movie which I actually enjoy? Sometimes it can be fun writing a review of a horrible film, because it allows you to air your frustration. Still, Dirty Grandpa almost managed to get me to stop it before it ended. Continue reading
This review contains spoilers (if that’s possible for real life events)
Neerja, with Sonam Kapoor in de starring role, tells the dramatised story about the hijacking of Pan Am flight 73 by four armed men. On september 5th 1986 they entered the plane at the airport of Karachi. Their goal was to free prisoners and with 361 passengers on the plane they have the means to get that done. Neerja Bhanot was the purser on this flight and thanks to her actions the number of victims was dramatically lowered. She didn´t survive the events, but this movie gives the viewer a good idea about what she did in this situation. She was the youngest person to receive a prestigious award for bravery posthumously. Continue reading
There are some actors or actresses of whom you’ll see their films blindly. This has long been the case for me with Nicolas Cage (but not anymore), but I am still able to enjoy movies in which Jason Statham, Schwarzenegger or Stallone star. The same is the case for Dwayne Johnson. The former wrestler has proven himself after The Scorpion King and is able to, just by his presence, to make them at least bearable (Ballers, I’m looking at you). He is an action star who is also able to do successful comedies and recently announced his own YouTube channel with a bombastic trailer. Someone who isn’t afraid to do something crazy while at the same time making sure it doesn’t feel artificial. Central Intelligence is his latest comedy in which he has worked together with comedian Kevin Hart. With its tagline “Saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson” the tone is immediately set, but does that mean an enjoyable comedy? Continue reading