The number of Korean films released annually in the cinema over here is minimal. Of course it is a matter of supply and demand, but it is unfortunate to see because so many good titles are made that can not be viewed here and are often not even released on DVD. Fortunately, Netflix is offering more and more Korean films, including this Netflix original. Continue reading
How good are your dance skills? Whatever the answer, after seeing this documentary you might start to doubt them. This documentary is about the world of swing dancing. A way of dancing that is extremely energetic, fun to watch and sometimes acrobatic. A dance that seemed to have died a silent death and wasn’t performed for many decades, but which suddenly became enormously popular again in the late 80s and early 90s. The reason? The fact that a large film studio decided to release old films with the dance on video. People who saw the Lindy Hop being performed in old films wanted to know more about it and the popular dancers of that time were suddenly asked to teach again, even though they were already elderly. Swing dancing made a huge comeback and never disappeared. Alive and Kicking tries to make it clear why. Continue reading
When Straight Outta Compton came out in 2015, it was a huge success. And as things go with successful films, others see a “formula” that can be repeated in order to achieve the same result. It meant at the time that various hip-hop related films were announced that would also thought of becoming “unexpected hits”. One of them is All Eyez on Me, which looks at the life of rapper Tupac Shakur, who was shot in Las Vegas at the age of 25, at a time when there was a lot of tension between artists on the west and east coast Continue reading
Although director Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovic, the Ocean’s Eleven films, Che, The Informant) announced in 2013 that he would stop making films that sad news. Yet saying something and sticking to it turned out to be difficult for him. He directed the The Knick series for HBO, helped Spike Jonze to edit Her and made his own “cuts” of well-known films available online. He had never really been away and now he “officially” is back with Logan Lucky, which to quote the film itself is an Ocean’s 7-11. In other words, a “heist” film, but in a setting that is a lot less glamorous. Continue reading
Although the end of Game of Thrones is slowly approaching, I had never seen the show until recently. That also means that I do not immediately associate Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (who plays Jaime Lannister in GoT) with that series. The film I mainly know about is the Scandinavian film Headhunters, in which he is the bad guy. A great actor whom I wanted to see in a different role and Shot Caller appealed to me. I love prison movies (see my top 10 for this genre) and since this title is partly set there and Coster-Waldau looks like a gangster on the poster, I was very curious. Continue reading
While older women generally have a harder time getting hold of roles in Hollywood, this is very different for men. Action stars from the eighties and nineties can still do the same now that they have almost reached their seventies and in most films there is room for men of age, also in the field of comedy. That occasionally produces terrible titles such as Dirty Grandpa, but also more entertaining titles such as Grumpy Old Men. Within the comedy genre there is another sub-genre, namely that of films in which old men do things they would not normally do. Think of The Bucket List, but also a Tough Guys from 1986, in which two old men who are out of prison and decide to rob a train. Going in Style is also a title that is similar in a sense. Continue reading
“Film is life without the boring bits” is one of the lines from Their Finest and an important reason why we love movies so much. If they are good, they offer a world for one and a half to three hours in which something is constantly happening, whether it is a lot of action or small personal moments. It is a period in which you do not have to do anything yourself and yet experience a great deal. Really good films are able to move you or give you a different view of something that you normally do not think about. And that all starts with someone who has a good idea and knows how to turn that into a fascinating script. That is partly what this film is all about. Continue reading
The Wayans brothers made their career with comedy and although some films were too bland for words, there were occasional entertaining films (White Chicks, Scary Movie, Mo’Money). Whatever your opinion of them, at least you know what kind of humor you can expect from their films and occasionally that works. Naked is the latest film in which Marlon Wayans plays the leading role (he also co-wrote the script) and it can best be summarized as Groundhog Day where one hour is repeated and in which Rob Anderson (Wayans) always wake up naked in an elevator. Continue reading
During the nineties you could not ignore Puff Daddy and his music label Bad Boy Records. The label scored hit after hit and the videos were mini movies with budgets that many directors would kill for. With artists like Total, 112, Craig Mack, Ma$e, Faith Evans and The Notorious B.I.G. Puffy had an impressive lineup and he was at the top of his game. When in the second half of the nineties a rivalry arose between 2Pac and Biggie, Bad Boy Records and Death Row (where 2Pac had a contract) were also pulled into it, which eventually resulted in the death of both rappers. It also meant a huge setback for Puff Daddy, not just because B.I.G. a good friend, but also one of his most successful artists who, due to his appearance on singles by other artists, ensured that sales were higher.
And although he scored a big hit with “I’ll Be Missing You” after that, the best days of the label were over. Diddy, however, had turned himself into a businessman who looked beyond music and built an empire worth $820 million. This documentary shows how Puffy brings everyone back together for two Bad Boy Reunion concerts in 2016 and how the preparations go. It tries to dive into history and show how P.Diddy made his label so successful. Continue reading
Fans of director Neil Blomkamp have been in for a treat this year. With his new Oats Studio he has released various shorts this year (most around the 20-minute mark), which visually are on the same level as the big blockbusters. The first one was Rakka and the second he released was this one, Firebase. A story which is set in 1970, during the Vietnam war. The army has to face something supernatural. Continue reading