I’m a big fan of stand up comedians and regularly visit comedy nights in the local theaters. I also like to watch the big American comedians and there are quite a lot i still remember lines from (for example Chris Rock, Dave Chappelle and Eddie Murphy). Why we laugh gives an insight into this branch of entertainment. Continue reading
George Clooney, Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga star in this comedy/drama. Clooney is Ryan Bingham, whose job it is to fire people. Because of this he constantly has to travel around the US. He’s living in his own perfect little world. Because of a change in company policy he has to allow Natalie to enter his world. Continue reading
Robert Redford, Paul Newman (who already worked together in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)) and Robert Shaw star in this (IMDB top 250) movie about a couple of conmen who want to do a very big con. It’s a great heist movie which reminded me of the exact opposite of Ocean’s Eleven, as in this case the money will come to them. Continue reading
Some like it hot is movie which you will see in many “best/greatest movie” lists. It was a movie which i wanted to see for a long time. Ever since the Odd Couple and Grumpy Old Men i’ve been a big fan of Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon. Because Jack Lemmon is starring in this movie, together with Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe it was a movie i had to see and which i enjoyed a lot! Continue reading
Tonari no Totoro, better known as My Neighbour Totoro is a magical movie. I’ve been a big fan of the Studio Ghibli cartoons for some years. Examples are Spirited Away, Howl’s moving castle and Ponyo. If i would need to choose between a Disney movie or a studio Ghibli film, i will pick the last one without thinking about it. Hayao Miyazaki surely know how to create magical world every time in which you will lose yourself. My neighbour Totoro is no exception. Continue reading
When you were around in the eighties and you read these sentences: “I ain’t afraid of no ghost” or “Who you gonna call?” then chances are you will now be singing the theme music to Ghost Busters. The movie was very popular and even spawned a sequel and a cartoon, which i also watched when i was little. Continue reading
This French movie tells the story about a criminal called Malik. He has to go to jail where he experiences the tensions between the various groups (Corsicans/Muslims). Very soon he gets mixed up in the politics of it all.
The movie reminded me a lot of Scarface. Not that there are many similarities with it (although this movie also contains it’s fair share of crime and violence), but this story is also about a nobody who slowly grows in the environment he ends up in. In this movie you feel like you are under the skin of Malik. You feel the effects of prison life on him (pay attention on the airport scene, where it’s clear how much the prison system has had an effect on him). You are there when he has to struggle with some dilemmas. The length of the movie is 2 and half hours, but doesn’t feel too long at all. It’s a movie which I could immediately watch a second time. The last scene of the movie seems to be a tribute to a scene from the Godfather. You’ll have to watch it to see if you recognise it.
Score: 9
Besides new films i can also really enjoy the old ones. Judgement at Nuremberg is a good example. As the title already suggests, this is about the trials in Nuremberg against a couple of judges that ruled during the Nazi period. The question that is asked is if they were merely doing their job based on rightful laws or if they could be punished for sentencing hundreds of people (to concentration camps and having other things happen to them) based on laws that were against humanity.
The movie shows an interesting image of the trial and the arguments used by both lawyers. It also uses real images of the concentration camps, with chilling effect. The final judgement must have been very hard. Maximilian Schell is excellent in his role as the defense (he reminded me of Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds) of the judges and really is the point of focus in every scene he appears in. He won an Oscar for this role. Recommended for people who like courtroom dramas or want to know more about this piece of history.
Score: 9
Michael Caine is a fantastic actor that always impresses with the roles he’s playing. His role in Harry Brown is no exception. The film has similarities with Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino. An older man is harassed by people in the neighbourhood and decides to do something about it. Michael Caine might be 77, but when you see him in this movie you would not think so. He knows his way with guns and runs a couple of times. Harry Brown is a wonderful revenge movie.
Score: 9
The poster gives a good summary of the movie. John Travolta plays an extreme undercover agent that can only handle things one way: with guns. From Paris with love is a rollercoaster ride from beginning till end, with quick turns from one action scene to the next. The movie has a nice reference to Pulp Fiction which made me smile. Don’t expect a very complicated story, but just an hour and a half of pure, mindless fun. Within the action genre it’s a very well made movie.
Score: 9