In recent months, a number of new “true crime” documentaries have appeared on Netflix. A genre which I find very fascinating. With a length of just 39 minutes Long Shot was an interesting snack with a bizarre story. Continue reading
Tag Archives: 2017
Out of Thin Air (2017) – Review
The fact that our memory is not always reliable has often been proven by various studies. Seeing photos or hearing stories from others, can influence us so we can recall certain events that were different in reality or did not happen at all. In Iceland in 1974, two men disappeared without trace just month from each other. It kept the country, with a relatively small population, busy for months. Who was responsible for this and why had no one been arrested? The police were under pressure and eventually arrested six people. They were held for a long time, interrogate under a lot of pressure, until they finally broke and made incriminating statements. They did so while they had no clear memory that they might have committed a murder. Yet they were all convicted. Continue reading
Stronger (2017) – Review
Unfortunately, terrorist attacks are something which have become more common and are therefore also part of movies. They are usually based on real events and give the viewer a sense of hope and patriotism, in which certain individuals are always named heroes. After Patriots Day, Stronger is the second film about the attack on the Boston marathon. Yet this film approaches this terrible event from a different point of view. Continue reading
Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017) – Review
Contemporary, violent and exciting were the three qualities that I attributed to the original Kingsman film. A title that surprised me in a positive way and I looked forward to the sequel. Of course you know in advance that the initial surprise will not be there anymore (the same was the case for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for example), but that does not have to be bad if that sequel knows how to entertain. Does Kingsman: The Golden Circle succeed in that? Continue reading
Coco (2017) – Review
For a long time Pixar was the animation studio that was the best in the field of computer animation and was known for its originality. The only film that initially got (two very good) sequels was Toy Story, but after the release of the very disappointing Cars it was no longer a given that every Pixar film was a must see. Although Inside Out reminded me of the “old” Pixar, other sequels like Monsters University, Finding Dory and Cars 3 did entertain, but didn’t manage to wow as much. The Good Dinosaur was a bit disappointing. In comparison, Disney has been able to score hit after hit in recent years with Big Hero 6, Frozen, Moana and Zootopia. So Pixar has something to prove and show that they still got it. Do they prove that with their latest film, Coco? Continue reading
Good Time (2017) – Review
Although Robert Pattinson became known to the general public as Edward Cullan in the Twilight Saga films, he also played very different roles in films such as Cosmopolis, Life and The Lost City of Z. In Good Time he collaborates with the Safdie brothers, who have been making low budget films in New York for ten years. This film meant a major breakthrough for them, but Pattinson also is amazing here. Since I read as little as possible about a movie beforehand, it took about fifteen minutes before I recognized him. Continue reading
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (2017) – Review
Although Ryan Reynolds was never an actor to me who stood out or whose movies I watched much, he managed to become very relavant thanks to his appearance in Deadpool. The film, which he helped to realize, was an unexpectedly successful. One of the first posters for this film, which parodied the poster of The Bodyguard, made this also seem like a film that was worth watching. Especially when you consider that Reynolds would share the screen together with Samuel L. Jackson. Does that make for a fun movie? Continue reading
Baby Driver (2017) – Review
Edgar Wright, who was previously responsible for the Cornetto trilogy and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, walked around for years with the idea of making a film where everything revolved around music as much as possible. He has previously done something like that in Shaun of the Dead, in which all actions were performed to the rhythm of a Queen song, but did not yet do so on a larger scale.
The idea of a getaway driver who did everything to music is something he had for ages, which he already realized as a video for “Blue Song” by Mint Royale. When you compare the opening of Baby Driver (which is also in this review) to that video, the similarities are clear. Continue reading
Kidnap (2017) – Review
Halle Berry seems to have emerged as an action star during recent years (just like Liam Neeson for example, who has since indicated that he does not want to make actionfilms anymore because he’ss already 65). In The Call she was a 911
telephone operator who tried to rescue a kidnapped teenager. In Kidnap she plays a mother who wants to get her kidnapped 6-year-old son back. Continue reading
Whitney: Can I Be Me (2017) – Review
Although most celebrities die of natural causes, it remains shocking to see how many big artists and actors meet their and in part to drinking, drugs and medication. Michael Jackson, Prince, Amy Winehouse, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger all had problems with them and Whitney Houston unfortunately also belongs to that list. She drowned in the bathtub of her hotel room in 2012 and cocaine was found in her body. The documentary Can I Be Me, which has been availble through Netflix, looks at the career and private life of Houston and tries to form a picture of the problems that ultimately resulted in her death. Continue reading