We all know that the amount of news and information available to us is extremely high. So chances are that you might miss some stories. That was the case for me with this case around the American Amanda Knox. According to this documentary searching for her name on Google gives you 7 million results back, but I had missed all of it. Luckily you don’t need any knowledge before watching this documentary, which is available through Netflix. Lees verder
On first sight Julieta, who probably is in her fifties, seems to be happy. She’s about to move from Spain to Portugal with her boyfriend. Everything has been packed, but when she meets someone from her past something changes in her. Emotions she had ignored for years come flooding back and take control of her. She decides to stop with her plans and write a letter. A letter for her daughter she hasn’t seen in years. Continue reading
If you’d ask me to name some movies which star sharks I wouldn’t be able to name many titles. Of course there is the biggest classic in the genre: Jaws. I can still remember Open Water, in which two divers are left alone in the middle of the ocean and of course Sharknado (which I’d rather forget). From this list it is easy to conclude that there aren’t that many memorable movies with sharks in them. The Shallows tries though by comparing itself to Jaws, but should it? Continue reading
History is a rich vault of forgotten stories which often are well worth telling. That’s also the case for Monsieur Chocolat (Omar Sy), who was the first successful black circus artist who made a name for himself at the end of the 19th century, but also had to struggle with preconceptions people had. Continue reading
During the first few shots after starting this movie I already got a sense that I was about to watch something special. The high contrast black/white imagery of the Amazonian jungle makes it look different. Not the humid, pressuring green which normally stands out, but a neutral environment the main character moves through. An area of the world which hasn’t been colored in yet, still has lots of things hidden, waiting to be discovered. It is 1900 and the German explorer Theo (Jan Bijvoet) is crossing the jungle together with his guide Manduca. He has fallen ill and only shaman Karamakate is the single person who can save him. Karamakate doesn’t trust Theo though as he is the shaman is the last of his people. The rest was murdered by white discoverers like Theo. Nevertheless, a fragile bond forms between them and they travel down the river, trying to find a rare plant. Continue reading
Linor Abargil was one of the many young women who entered the Miss World championship in 1998. It went well for her and she managed to win the title. But despite winning it, she wasn’t able to really enjoy it. She was keeping a secret with which she really struggled and she was afraid to talk about. Seven weeks before the Miss World competition she was taken to a deserted place, threatened with a knife and raped. With all the attention the Miss World title brought though she decided to be strong and not only tell her story and try to get the man responsible convicted, but also act as an example and inspiration for other women. Her goal was to give others the courage to speak out and talk about their own experiences. She opened a website and decided to make this documentary. The end result is a film which shows how often rape occurs and what it does to the victims. Continue reading
One of the movies I had in my top 100 favorite movies was Frequency. The concept, in which two people living in different time periods have a connection and use that to communicate is fascinating. It’s not the only movie which does this, just think of the South Korean film Il Mare (or the American remake The Lake House), but also the romantic Somewhere in Time. Time Renegades (also from South Korea) is the latest addition to the genre and I loved it. The fact that this has also been directed by Kwak Jae-yong, who was also responsible for My Sassy Girl which also was in my top 100. Continue reading
With such a title I was immediately interested. Because what kind of movie can you expect? A man of that age probably won’t be able to walk very well so how can he disappear? I came across this movie on Netflix and decided to give it a chance. Is it a film worth watching?| Continue reading
Sometimes it can be very interesting to fantasize about how some movies would have turned out if other decisions had been made. What if specific actors would have said yes to roles which are now considered iconic? Would that movie still have been a success? You could do the same for big historical events. the Final Countdown does so in a very original way. Continue reading
We all have things in our house which might not be valuable based on sight, but which for us personally mean a whole lot. I myself have a couple of brown drinking glasses which don’t seem to be very special, but they are important to me. The reason for that is because they were owned by my grandma and they are something I handle with care as they are the only physical things I have from her. I don’t remember her using them, but because of them I still feel a connection to her. The Spanish film El Olivo, by director Icíar Bollaín, is also about such a symbol, an olive tree. Continue reading