Tag Archives: score: 8

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Hardcore Henry (2015) – Review

Review Hardcore Henry

Is it still possible to innovate after more than 100 years of film? In all those years so many creative minds have brought their visions to the screen that you could assume that we’ve reached the top of what’s possible. But still some filmmakers succeed in making your jaw drop to the ground because they tell their stories in new ways or by effectively using certain techniques like never seen before. The Wachowski’s managed to stun by using two techniques and combining them (still cameras and computers), which brought something fresh to the table.

During the last couple of years the capabilities of digital cameras have quickly grown. Drones enable directors to make shots for which they used to hire helicopters, special setups allow for shooting 360 videos making it possible for the viewer to direct the action. High resolution cameras have become so small that you are able to stick them to your body. That last one is exactly what the makers behind Hardcore Henry have done and the end result is the first full length, first person action film. Continue reading →

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Suicide Squad (2016) – Review

Review Suicide Squad

While the various heroes go head to head in the movies, this is also the case with the studios. Disney’s Marvel Studios has had hit after hit since they started the Marvel Cinematic Universe. DC (together with Warner Bros) has tried to do the same, but when you take a look at their past five films Jonah Hex, Green Lantern, The Dark Knight Rises, Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, then you can see their track record has been anything but impressive. That’s also the reason that I approached this film somewhat carefully. For the last year it has been almost impossible (trust me, I’ve tried and kind of succeeded) to disregard and stay away from it and I hoped that this finally would be a DC movie I would be able to enjoy again. Has Suicide Squad managed to do that? Continue reading →

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Louder than Bombs (2015) – Review

Recensie Louder than bombs

Efficiently using the time you have always is a balancing act. You’ve got your personal interests, ideas you would be able to work on forever, but you also have got family and friends you want to give enough attention as well. Besides that your job also takes a large part of your week, forcing you to eventually make choices which result in not everyone getting the time they deserve. The risk of that is that you slowly start to grow apart and that it becomes difficult to restore those relationships. That’s also the case in Louder than Bombs, directed by Joachim Trier. Continue reading →

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Neerja (2016) – Review

Review Neerja

This review contains spoilers (if that’s possible for real life events)
Neerja, with Sonam Kapoor in de starring role, tells the dramatised story about the hijacking of Pan Am flight 73 by four armed men. On september 5th 1986 they entered the plane at the airport of Karachi. Their goal was to free prisoners and with 361 passengers on the plane they have the means to get that done. Neerja Bhanot was the purser on this flight and thanks to her actions the number of victims was dramatically lowered. She didn´t survive the events, but this movie gives the viewer a good idea about what she did in this situation. She was the youngest person to receive a prestigious award for bravery posthumously. Continue reading →

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Goosebumps (2015) – Review

Review Goosebumps

“The book is better than the movie” is something I often read. And yes, of course it usually is, but that isn’t surprising. When you are reading a book it is you who makes the imagery to go along with it. Besides that a book can also provide a lot more information than a movie can. A writer can spend a whole paragraph describing the scent in the air or the temperature of a meal. A movie can only show the information through imagery and dialog. So comparing the two forms of media is really something you shouldn’t be doing. They are separate forms of entertainment with their own strengths and weaknesses. Goosebumps has been a long running series of horror books for a young audience written by R.L. Stine. What Goosebumps does however is not take one of them and turn it into a film, but simply decides to use them all. Does that idea work? Continue reading →

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Eddie the Eagle (2016) – Review

Review Eddie the Eagle

How big were you willing to dream when growing up? And what were you willing to give up in order to realise those dreams? Michael “Eddie” Edwards (Taron Egerton (Kingsmen)) has dreamt of competing during the Olympics since he was a kid. Although his parents are there for him, they don’t support him in chasing his dream, he keeps trying to do everything in order to compete. He doesn’t seem to have much talent, but by being motivated he hopes to make it. When he finds out that it’s fairly easy to compete as a ski jumper (as England hasn’t competed in the event for decades), he sees an opportunity. He decides to travel to Germany to practise and qualify. There he meets Bronson Peary (Hugh Jackman), who once was a champion, but who has left the past behind him and doesn’t want to stand out. Eddie manages to convince him to give some tips. Continue reading →

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Finding Dory (2016) – Review

Review Finding Dory

When I heard that Finding Nemo would be getting a sequel, I wasn’t immediately enthusiastic. The original movie is one of the best Pixar movies and the story of a father clownfish searching for his son, was very original.. The underwater world was interestingly realized, the movie had strong emotional impact on its viewers and lots of memorable characters. Reading that the sequel was called Finding Dory I was afraid that the storyline would be similar and this would result in a weak copy. With the Toy Story sequels Pixar did prove that they are able to keep quality at the same (high) level. Have they managed to do the same with Finding Dory?

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Racing Extinction (2015) – Review

Review Racing Extinction

Few people still doubt that mankind has had a huge impact on nature and cliamte. The polar ice caps are melting and because the world’s population keeps growing it means that there is less and less room for animals to live and that the demand for meat and fish increases. The consequences are obvious: More animals species go extinct or are about to. Often the cause of it is economic and this documentary tries to show the reality of it all. Continue reading →

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The Night Before (2015) – Review

Review The Night Before

Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt already worked together a couple of years ago in the cancer comedy 50/50. They showed that the two work well together and they teamed up again with the same director on this movie. Its tone is a lot lighter and is set during Christmas. Together with Anthony Mackie they form a group of friends who have had the tradition since the parents of Ethan (Gordon-Levitt) died to meet up at Christmas and do some specific activities. The movie was released over here last month, so it is a strange experience to watch a Chritmas movie in May, but I was curious if this was a comedy worth watching. Continue reading →

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Son of a Gun (2014) – Review

Review Son of a Gun

I always liked Ewan McGregor as actor from the moment I saw him in Trainspotting. He’s an actor who doesn’t always play the same type of roles. Because of that he has a varied list of movies to his name. He’s not only in funny comedies, but had a role in Star Wars and has a lot of convincing dramatic roles, for example in The Impossible. When I saw a picture of him with a large beard in this movie set in this Australia I was very curious to see it. Continue reading →