When you consider the way road movies work, they seem very simple: One person or a group of people travel from point A to point B and on their way encounter things. A good road movie however is much more, characters gain new insights and learn more about themselves because they are facing situations they haven’t encountered before. You got consider these type of movies to be extremely concentrated version of life, where it isn’t about the destination, but the journey itself. Continue reading
If you look around you almost everything you see has been designed by someone. The clothes you wear, the stuff you have in your house, but also everything you see in the street you live on. We might not think about it every day, but someone has thought about each detail. Abstract: The Art of Design, a documentary series which is available through Netflix is all about this subject. Continue reading
McDonald’s was a place you’d be able to find me quite a lot when I was a teenager. There was one summer I kept going there because I had a crush on one of the girls behind the counter, but it was also the spot to meet up with friends, away from your parents and enjoying something to eat. Of course it still has that function for many, but I hardly visit it anymore. Still it is unbelievable how one small restaurant on the west coast of the US managed to grow into one of the biggest restaurant chains in the world. And as The Founder shows, that’s all because (mostly) one man, Ray Kroc (played by Michael Keaton). Continue reading
At the end of last year something stood out to me when looking at best of the year lists. Often documentaries aren’t mentioned on those lists, but American critics named this 467-minute documentary often. I wasn’t able to see it when it was shown here during a festival, but luckily it was shown on TV during several nights. After watching The People vs O.J.Simpson, that other series last year about the trial of O.J., I was curious how this would compare. Continue reading
*This review contains spoilers*
The bodies in which we live are temporary and through the influence of time, they are slowly getting worse. We might be young in spirit, but eventually we’ll succumb to the failure of the cells from which we are made. For centuries, there has been a search for a source of eternal youth, but to no avail. However, a new mindset seems to be getting more momentum, one that also has been depicted in several films, which is leaving our body behind and uploading our personality to a computer. The Matrix showed a simulated world and you could see in the last Terminator movie or Transcendence wat kind of powers such an environment could add. This episode of Black Mirror looks at how our consciousness and computers could work together.
San Junipero is initially confusing, because as a viewer you aren’t shown yet how the world works (on purpose). You see how a young woman in the eighties is feeling uncomfortable visiting a club. She starts talking with another girl and after spending the night together with her she disappears. She wants to meet her again, but can’t seem to find her. Someone else tells her that she can find her in the nineties and that’s when you start wondering what is going on. Slowly you discover what’s happening and this is one of the few expisodes of Black Mirror which doesn’t end on a low. It’s all about a possible answer what are lives could look like if we would no longer be contained by our physcial bodies and could live forever. One of the best episodes of season 3, with great roles by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Mackenzie Davis.
As a fan of animation 2016 was a pretty good year when it came to Disney movies. At the beginning of the year the excellent Zootopia was release, which introduced a new world you wanted to spend more time in and at the end of the year they released their second animated movie, Moana. Is it just as good as Zootopia? Continue reading
As a politician, you are constantly in the spotlight and every action you take is looked at under a microscope. In such a position you are seen as someone who is an example to others and if you do things in your private life which are outside the norm and these become widely known you’ve got an issue. The media will jump on it and the impact will be huge. That is exactly what Anthony Weiner, a congressman experienced. He was a politician who could be very fierce when defending his points of view. And although he was married he regularly sent explicit pictures of himself to various women. It would eventually lead to him having to leave congress.
Just when that happened directors Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg wanted to make a documentary about him. They contacted the family and received permission to follow them everywhere, just as Weiner is planning a comeback by running for mayor of New York, which results in a fascinating documentary, for different reasons they were thinking. Continue reading
Silence in a film can be very powerful. It is an important tool in the filmmaker’s toolbox . Moments where not much happens can raise tension, but are also able to express emotion. Just think of Wall E, where the most powerful and emotional part was where there wasn’t any dialog. The same was the case for Up. Both movies were made by Pixar and together with Studio Ghibli (en Disney) belong to the best in animation. They are studios which not only manage to touch the hearts of children, but also have something deeper which appeal to older viewers. Unfortunately the future of Ghibli is uncertain. Both founding members have retired (although one temporarily returns) and there is no way of telling if the studio will release something in the future. So I was happy when I heard they would be releasing The Red Turtle. The fact that this movie wasn’t made in Japan, makes it a very special one. Continue reading
Humans are always searching for ways to simplify tough and complex issues. Partly because it makes it easier to understand, but also because many won’t make the effort to take the time to actually look at all the details. Just take a look at the huge number of refugees entering Europe from various countries. It is something which has been made a “theme” or an “issue” which allows everyone to say something about it. By grouping it, it becomes just one thing, running the risks of forgetting the details. Each refugee has his or her own story and was forced to make a tough decision to leave the place they grew up in and who are about to face an uncertain future. Sometimes not only for them, but for their family as well. The documentary Stranger in Paradise takes a look at a number of individuals who have come to Sicily and take part in a class, with the teacher played by Valentijn Dhaenens. Continue reading
Getting thoughts and ideas across can happen in various ways and as humans we have a constant urge to communicate. Not only about the present, but also for people in the future. This review is an example of that, because as I’m writing this I know others will read it days, weeks or even months later.
Communication appears to be easy, but it comes as no surprise that misinterpretation can happy quickly depending on the way it is communicated and the state of the person receiving that information. It sometimes might be hard to translate a feeling into words, as much as it is impossible to really describe a scent.In Arrival, de latest movie by one of my favorite directors, Denis Villeneuve, it’s all about communication. How can you get messages across to someone who speaks a completely foreign language to yours, in this case aliens?This review contains spoilers Continue reading