The Dark Tower (2017) – Review

Recensie The Dark Tower

The history of Stephen King books that have been brought to the big (and small) screen is huge. Usually the result are films that are worth watching and the expectations for the movie based one of his most famous books, The Dark Tower, were high. This series of books has a large number of fans, which means that a screenwriter and director have a challenge on their hands. When this movie finally came out, the first reactions by those who’ve read the books were pretty negative and perhaps that is understandable, because it’s impossible to include as many details in a film as in a book. But what if, like me, you don’t know anything about the books at all? Will you be able to enjoy it more? Continue reading

Wheelman (2017) – Review

Wheelman recensie

The quality of the newer Netflix films is slowly starting to reach the level of the series they make. For a long time their own films (with a few exceptions) were often disappointing, but it turns out that more and more of their titles are movies you’ll want to see. Does that also apply to one of their latest films, Wheelman? Continue reading

American Made (2017) – Review

Recensie American Made

Thanks to Netflix and its drug series, Narcos, stories about the South American drugtrade have become popular. The history of Pablo Escobar and related documentaries were a great success for the service. So it is a good moment to use this popularity is what the people behing American Made probably thought, in which Tom Cruise plays the leading role. Continue reading

Abacus: Small Enough to Jail (2016) – Review

Abacus Small Enough to Jail recensie
Several films have already been made about the banking crisis in 2008 (eg The Big Short, Margin Call) and the conclusion is often that no one has been prosecuted for it. The main reason for this is that most of them were “Too big to fail”. If they would have to deal with a lawsuit, it would have a huge impact on the financial system. Abacus Federal Savings in New York, a very small bank focusing mainly on the Chinese community in Chinatown, was the only bank that faced a lawsuit on mortgage fraud. A case that could have a lot of impact on this small family business and its customers. Continue reading

Condorman (1981) – Review

Recensie Condorman

Batman, Superman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, all superheroes who are well-known to big audiences thanks to the many superhero movies that have been released during the last decade. In 1981 the movie landscape was very different. Fans of superheroes might be able to see them in TV shows, but hardly on the big screen. Disney released Condorman though. And although it has a link with comics there is a reason that many people have never heard of this “superhero” film. Continue reading

Table 19 (2017) – Review

Recensie Table 19

Sometimes there are movies, that when you see something about them for the first time, alarm bells start ringing. They are sometimes titles that might look good on paper, but probably won’t work once executed. That is exactly the feeling I had when I first read about Table 19. The cast looks good: Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson, Stephen Merchant, Tony Revolori and June Squibb. A combination of actors who could provide an entertaining film. But the fact that I had never heard of the film before and it was immediately available on DVD made me cautious. Of course, not all new titles can be released in the cinema, but you will still hear something about them. But because of that cast, it was one that I decided to give a chance. Was that a wise decision? Continue reading

How to Build A Time Machine (2016) – Review

Review How to Build A Time Machine

One of the most fascinating concepts for me has always been time travel. It is something that appeals to the imagination, often involving all kinds of paradoxes, but also endless possibilities. Fortunately, there are also a lot of films that play with time (see my personal top 10 here) and for some people they are so inspiring that it has greatly influenced their lives. This documentary shows how the story of H.G.Wells and the film The Time Machine from 1960 became an obsession for Ronald Mallet and Robert Niosi, who both got inspired in a different way. Continue reading

Blade Runner 2049 (2017) – Review

Review Blade Runner 2049

The influence of 1982’s Blade Runner on the look of science fiction films has been enormous. In addition, it is a film that is widely praised by film lovers who can have a lot of discussion about what is the best version to watch and whether the character played by Harrison Ford, Deckard, is a replica or not. It is a classic and the announcement of a sequel was received with mixed reactions. Understandable, since too many sequels have been made that did not meet expectations. Yet there was a lot of hope that this might be a movie that would be worthwhile. The reason? The film would be directed by Denis Villeneuve who really hasn’t made bad films (Arrival, Sicario, Prisoners, Enemy and Incendies). In addition he would work together with cinematographer Roger Deakins and maybe that cooperation could lead to something that reached the same level of the original. Is that the case? Continue reading