The web series Between Two Ferns, in which Zach Galifianakis interviews famous people in a very special way, has always been entertaining to watch. By means of his questions he actually criticizes the other and makes them more or less embarrassed, but his guests like to play along. The short format resulted in a lot of funny moments and it now has made the transition to a full movie on Netflix. But does such a concept work if you have to fill 82 minutes? Continue reading
It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes there are those movies where, after seeing them, you get the feeling that the real world is boring and gray. And then I am not even talking about the extremes of a Speed Racer or Alice in Wonderland, but simply about the way in which a filmmaker has been able to capture “normal life” in a beautiful way, with each shot looking like a piece of art. A moment that you could frame and hang on your wall.
If a director is able to do that with his first feature film, then you know that it is one that you should keep an eye on. Director Joe Talbot does this together with cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra. He grew up in San Francisco and was good friends with Jimmie Fails. Jimmie told a lot about his youth and how he grew up. It inspired Talbot and they decided to make shorts, which eventually became a Kickstarter and got interest from Brad Pitt’s production company Plan B Enterntainment. Thanks to his help, Talbot was given access to a larger budget to film the story, which is partly based on the life of his friend, with Jimmie playing the leading role. Continue reading
When I found the music that appealed to me as a teenager, I wanted as many people as possible to hear the songs I loved as well. When you feel a connection with something, you want to share it, because you think that others will have the same connection. So I opened the window of my room and blasted my music loud, when I was in the tram I actually turned up the volume of my walkman way too high and when I had my first car I usually drove with the windows open (ok, the latter also had to do with the fact that I had no air conditioning). The influence of music on someone can be huge, especially as a teenager. I also see that with my daughters when they share a song and you see how much it means to them and they want you to experience the same thing. It is that feeling that Blinded by the Light is all about. Continue reading
At the age of 66, Liam Neeson still manages to come across as an action hero. Although he did say in the past that he would no longer do those roles, he eventually said he changed his mind. He wants to keep doing them until he is no longer there (or of course the audience watching these films). Since Taken he has starred in one or more action films each year. The quality is generally quite the same: entertaining films to satisfy the hunger for action, but often nothing more than that. Is Cold Pursuit the same? Continue reading
The nice thing about Netflix is that every week an enormous amount of content is added and you occasionally have absolutely no idea what to expect from a certain title. That may mean that you are pleasantly surprised, but also that you sometimes watch titles of which you think that they should not have been made. A while ago, Rim of the World appeared on the on-demand service. I hadn’t read or heard about it yet, but since the film was directed by McG (who also has directed, for example, 3 Days to Kill, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and Terminator Salvation), my expectations were not high, but I was curious about the concept. I always have a weakness for science fiction and a movie in which teenagers fight aliens looked interesting on paper. Continue reading
“Industry rule # 4080, record company people are shady!”, those are the words of A-Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip in “Check the Rhime”. In this YouTube Original documentary, former members of various boy/girl bands, including The Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC, talk about their experiences with businessman Lou Pearlman. After years of working in the aircraft industry, he was inspired by the success of New Kids on the Block to also enter the music industry. He set up a record label and started a talent search to put together his first band, The Backstreet Boys. He provided shelter, dance lessons and everything the boys needed and spent a lot of time with them until their breakthrough. He was seen by the members of the band as a kind of father figure, a story that other groups tell as well. Yet Pearlman turned out to be a man with two faces. That became clear when bands were already a huge success, had sold millions of records, but the first check they received turned out to be even less than the minimum wage. In addition, it appeared that their mentor had also made themselves a member of the band and as a result managed to earn even more money. Continue reading
When Sony was hacked a few years ago, one of the most interesting details was that the film company was had idea of doing a crossover film. The idea was to mix Men in Black with the 21 Jump Street franchise. Very interesting, which at the time made me think of other crossovers. Unfortunately, it did not materialize in the end, but Sony still wanted to make money from this franchise. The result is Men in Black International, in which Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth (who were previously fun together in Thor Ragnarok) put on the black suits and sunglasses. Continue reading
We live in times of abundance, even when it comes to entertainment. The choice of books, video games, films and series is overwhelming. With that “problem”, the feeling of a shared experience has largely disappeared. It occasionally happens with big releases like a Marvel movie or something like Game of Thrones, but the chance that when you’ve seen a movie others have already seen the same title is small. Especially when such a film has not appeared in the cinema. That is also the case with the Netflix romcom Always Be My Maybe. A title that may be promoted temporarily through the service, but one which you may add to the long list that you probably already have, but which you will never get back to. Yet this is one that you should actually watch immediately when you are looking for a light-hearted film with lots of humor. Continue reading
Although I have not yet written my reviews for the fifth season of Black Mirror, I did conclude that Charlie Brooker can no longer achieve the same high level of previous seasons. The dark twists I am expecting are no longer present and elements from earlier episodes were used again, such as placing a consciousness in another object. At the start of I Am Mother, I immediately realized that the concept of this Netflix movie as a basis could fit well with Black Mirror. Continue reading
During the past month it was impossible to visit any of the big movie sites without reading the new about Avengers: Endgame shattering various records about the money it has made. Most film news is about American movies, but did you know that The Wandering Earth, a Chinese movie, which is now available through Netflix also managed to set some interesting records? Its box office made it the second best Chinese movie ever, at a global level it’s third for this year and it also has a place in the top 20 of highest grossing science fiction movies ever. And still few people know about this movie, which is really weird. But for the average viewer movies aren’t about the money they make, but about its content. Is this disaster movie, which plays out on a cosmic scale, worth watching? Continue reading