When the previous movie rebooted the Spiderman universe I actually was not too interested in seeing the film. I felt it was unnecessary to start it all again, this time with a different actor playing the title role. It was probably a year later that I finally checked out the movie and to my surprise I thought it was very good. I preferred Andrew Garfield over Tobey Maguire as he felt less awkward and more in control of the situation. The story was interesting as well (even though I already knew the story through the first three movies), so I was ready for the sequel. The webslinger is back, so this time I had to see the movie on the big screen. Continue reading
Tag Archives: score: 6
Outpost: Rise of the Spetsnaz (2013)
As you probably know the horror genre is not something I watch a lot. I therefore have not seen many horror classics and to be honest I never had the feeling I was missing out on much. Of course there are exceptions, but in general I simply do not enjoy to be frightened. When I received a review copy of Outpost: Rise of the Spetsnaz I was not jumping for joy to watch it. A horror movie with a nazi monster on the cover did not seem that appealing and my expectations for this movie were extremely low. The DVD therefore stayed on the shelf for a while, but there came a moment when the words “Duty calls” came to mind. I reluctantly placed the DVD in the player and feared the worst. That fear seemed invalid though. Continue reading
Echoes from the Dead (2013)
After many years Julia (Lena Endra) returns to her town of birth. She has to go there to sell the house of her parents as her father is now in a nursing home. She reluctantly goes there because of events which happened in the past. Her little son Jens suddenly disappeared on a grey day in September of 1973. A lot was done to find him, without any result. It is something she is struggling with that huge loss. It is not only hard for her as her father is struggling too because the boy was staying with him at the moment. Together with a friend they never stopped searching for him. When suddenly a clue is received which could shed a light on his disappearance Julia decides to stay in the town. Together with her father she decides to investigate. Continue reading
Soundtracker (2010)
Music, sounds and sound effects are very important tools for a filmmaker. They are a big part in shaping the emotions of a viewer. Foley artists create the sounds with whatever props they can, but that is something which is not always possible or wanted. Gordon Hempton is a man who lives for sounds and has specialized in sounds of nature. It is a job which has earned him an Emmy, but which also has meant that other aspects in his life weren’t as succesfull. In this documentary director Nick Sherman follows him during one of his long trips, where Hempton searches for the perfect sounds. Continue reading
Need for Speed (2014)
Besides being a huge fan of movies, I have been playing games ever since the original Pong home machines. One of my favorite genres has always been racing games. Ever since the Indy game on the Atari 2600 I have been playing them and it is a genre which has developed a lot through the various hardware generations. The first Gran Turismo game took it to a place which was new, where you could race a normal every day car. Besides the very realistic racing games there are the so-called arcade racers. These games are less about realism and more about thrills. I played a lot of these games (Burnout and Split Second come to mind).
The Need for Speed games have been fixed part of arcade racing games, with new installments released yearly. I must admit that I never was a fan of the games. Reason for that is that they are games where you hardly use the brakes and where corners only seem to exist that you can take at high-speed. I never felt they were very challenging or exciting and therefore rarely bought them. The Need for Speed Shift games changed as they moved away from arcade racing and were more simulation based games, more realistic. I did play those games quite a bit.
Movies based on games usually aren’t very good and when I heard this franchise was making the step to film I was not really looking forward to it. Still, there was a chance that it would be interesting. The Fast and Furious movies have proven in the past that movies with a focus on cars can be very enjoyable. Continue reading
Turbo (2013)
Snails are probably some of the least exciting animals around. They move slowly, are not that interesting to look at and leave a slimy trail behind them. This Dreamworks picture tries to change that image by literally injecting one with nitro, which apparently changes a normal snail into a car like one, radio, alarms and all. If Peter Parker can turn into Spiderman because of a spider bite then this probably makes as much sense. With his new found superpower of speed the snail in question, called Turbo, wants to prove himself and race. And this isn’t a race against other snails, it is against racecars at the Indy 500. Of course this is a ridiculous idea for a movie, but can Dreamworks make it into a fun and interesting movie? Continue reading
Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
The brothers Coen have made some very good movies in their long career. Looking at their filmography there are some movies I have seen many times and which are easily some of my favorites. Despite that though I am not someone who will blindly love their movies because they have directed it. For every Fargo there is a The Ladykillers or A Serious Man. Maybe not bad movies, but ones I really was not able to enjoy or could not get into. Inside Llewyn Davis has been getting a lot of buzz the past couple of months. Although I was hoping I would also be enjoying it I somehow had a feeling this would not be a movie for me. Unfortunately it turned out I was right. Continue reading
The Fifth Estate (2013)
History has shown that information is powerful and if you can control and limit it, an organisation (whether that is an organisation or government) can use that to its advantage. It makes it possible to hide the truth or distort it. In the opening of the movie we see how information slowly started becoming more widely available. The invention of the printing press is just one example. It allowed for books and newspapers to be printed.
Technology progressed and with a computer you can now access a lot of information with just a few keystrokes and a click of a button. Companies have had to adjust because a dissatisfied customer can do a lot of damage to your image if he start blogging or tweeting about it. Transparancy is the key and hiding something has become more difficult. Wikileaks has had quite an impact on the world with its publication of highly sensitive information, which gave the world a look into the world of politics, diplomacy and the horrors of war. The Fifth Estate tries to weave the story of the site and the people behind it into a compelling movie. Continue reading
Frances Ha (2012)
When Quentin Tarantino publishes his favorite movies of the year I always take note. I know my tastes aren’t exactly the same as his but there are always movies in the list that are unexpected (like this year’s The Lone Ranger) or some I have not heard much about. Frances Ha falls into the last category. It is a black and white movie and is mostly set in New York. With an open mind I decided to check it out. Continue reading
100 Yen: The Japanese Arcade Experience (2012)
The arcade once was part of growing up. I remember a time when the shops were not open on Sundays and as a teenager I would head to the couple of arcades that were around regularly. I always enjoyed pinball games and I can’t even imagine how much money I spent on playing Sega Rally. It was a time when home consoles were popular, but as they became more powerful and the differences with the experience you could get in the arcade became smaller, the need to go to them decreased. It was inevitable for the arcade cabinets to disappear, only to be replaced by slotmachines. Although I might not have visited them anymore I always enjoyed the bombardment of sound and color, a place where you would forget about the outside world (just like in a cinema). Currently I only know of one arcade in The Netherlands so they have gone the way of the rental store.
There is a place where the arcade still is part of the culture and that is Japan. I remember visiting the country some years ago and with a huge jetlag visiting some. They overwhelmed me and it was almost too much to process, but I enjoyed experiencing such a place again. This documentary takes a look at the Japanese arcade culture from its humble beginnings where whole arcades would be filled with only one game up to the current arcade landscape. Continue reading