Tag Archives: score: 8

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Citizenfour (2014)

Review Citizenfour

The information that was made public by Edward Snowden in 2013 has had a lot of impact on the technology sector. In these documents there was information that the NSA had access to personal information (like email and phone records) of millions of people, both in and outside of the US. It is the reason many companies have added encryption options to their data or are planning to do so in the future. It’s something organisations like the NSA and FBI are not happy about as it will limit their access and the usefulness.

As a system administrator Snowden managed to gain access to a huge pile of sensitive documents and he started looking for a way to publish these that would have the most impact. He decided to contact documentarian Laura Poitras and journalist Glenn Greenwald resulting in this movie, showing how the world got to know about the information and him. Continue reading →

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The Getaway (1972)

Review The Getaway

If you watch as many movies as I do, it colors the way you experience other films. Whether you’d want to or not you make connections, start guessing how the story will unfold and you hope that you will be surprised. Especially when watching older films you notice the impact of modern films on what you’ve come to expect. The biggest difference usually is the tempo, which is much slower with longer shots. Different techniques are used as well. The Getaway has moments that are typical for the seventies. You immediately notice this at the start of the film, where the only thing you hear is the annoying sound of a machine, played against imagery which stops with a freeze frame. Blood looks different (more like red paint). These are probably things a modern audience won’t appreciate anymore, but I love the nostalgic factor of them. Continue reading →

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Mean Girls (2004)

Review Mean Girls

Nowadays Lindsay Lohan is better known for her appearances in the tabloids than for her acting, but before that all began she was a young, popular actrice who attracted a big (younger) audience. She appeared in various successful Disney movies as innocent girl, but girls do grow up. In Mean Girls we see her as teenager Cady Hero, who lived in Africa together with her parents and now has returned to the United States. It is the first time she has to go to school (as she was home schooled) and is unaware of life in high school. It’s a world with various subcultures in which nerds, jocks, alternative people and the popular girls all claim their own spot and have their own ways and it’s hard for her to find out the rules. One wrong conversation could mean that the dynamics within the groups changes. You could become an outcast. Continue reading →

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The Boxtrolls (2014)

review The Boxtrolls

Most big animated movies you watch now are computer generated. There aren’t a lot of studios anymore who still animate by hand, simply because computer animation gives more possibilities and the market has proved that those type of movies are more successful. Fortunately there are still some studios who prove differently. Of course when it comes to animation Studio Ghibli is still showing the heights this format can rise to.

When it comes to stop animation than most people will probably first think of the studio who is responsible for Wallace & Grommit and Shaun the Sheep, Aardman Animations, who definitely make enjoyable films. But to me it is Laika studios who is the current emperor in this arena. The Boxtrolls is just their third movie, but with Coraline and ParaNorman they have already proven themselves worthy. With this movie they raise the bar again. Continue reading →

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Parallels (2015)

Review Parallels

There are times when you are endlessly browsing through Netflix when you come across titles which don’t ring any bells. Parallels is one of those, where I didn’t know the actors either. What I thought was interesting though was the science fiction element of the film (or series, but more on that later) which is all part of the title: Parallel worlds. Continue reading →

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Big Eyes (2014)

Review Big Eyes

Currently when most people hear the name Tim Burton they will immediately think of Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and movies with a very dark tone and strange elements. He has succeeded in creating his own style and has gained a big group of fans. That he’s able to create movies with a whole other look is something he shows with Big Eyes, starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. Continue reading →

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The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)

Review The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

If you’d see the man above, you wouldn’t probably notice him. You might think of him as a friendly older man, but as this documentary series show, appearances can be deceiving. His name is Robert Durst and his story is incredible. He’s the son of a successful businessman who owned (and his family still does own) a lot of property in New York. In his youth he saw his mother commit suicide and it possibly is one the moments which would change the rest of his life.

The series opens with a man who was murdered, cut up and found floating in the water. The investigation eventually led to Robert Durst, who at the time was his neighbour. It is not the only murder he seems to be involved in, as his wife mysteriously disappeared (and never found) and one of his best friends was found dead in her house. Continue reading →

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A Small Section of the World (2014)

Review A Small Section of the World

How often do you drink a cup of coffee? Do you know where the beans come from or how coffee is made? A Small Section of the World takes a look at the production of coffee and more specifically to a small community of women in Costa Rica who, without any knowledge about coffee and opposition from men decided to start producing their own coffee. Continue reading →

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Kingdom of Plants (2012)

Review Kingdom of Plants

Did you know that the largest organism in the world can cover an area of 10 kilometer and is actually a plant? Or that there is a plant which stores water for decennia in order to be able to grow a stem many meters high, to flower and die? Those are just two interesting facts from Kingdom of Plants, the nature documentary by David Attenborough. Continue reading →

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La Jetée (1962)

La Jetée review

In the opening of La Jetée it’s named a photographic novel, a term which immediately raises questions. When you actually start watching it quickly becomes clear why it has been given that title. The movie consists of, if you forget one “freeing” exception, completely out of pictures, combined with a voiceover telling a story. It is like being read to as a child with a book in front of you. The story is very mature though and it is a movie experience unlike any other. Continue reading →