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paulclaassen
Having done a script writing course, I write scripts whenever time allows it.
My twin brother, Philip Cristian Claassen, is an accomplished actor and writer.
My film reviews are based on ENTERTAINMENT VALUE (for me) and not necessarily on how well or bad a film is made. Even badly made films can be thoroughly entertaining, while well-made films are not guaranteed to be entertaining...
I'm not a critic; I'm a film enthusiast.
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De uskyldige (2021)
Not so innocent.
9-Year old Ida seems to have a nasty streak for wanting to hurt people. Although it appears to be innocent fun for a kid, we sense something almost sinister about her. Anna, her older sister, has autism and doesn't speak. She only makes sounds, and also can't feel pain.
Ida befriends Ben, who soon shows her that he is able to move small object via telekinesis. Ben appears to have cruel intentions, with seemingly no conscience. They befriend Aisha, who is able to communicate via telepathy. Ida decides to introduce them to Anna, and together the four kids slowly discover their powers. It turns out Anna is the only one with supernatural powers.
When Ben starts getting out of control, the others must stop him, and there's enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat! The child actors are absolutely fantastic. Alva Brynsmo Ramstad was incredible in a very demanding role as Anna, while Rakel Lenora Petersen Fløttum was able to convey so much emotion with a simple glance, or stare.
'The Innocents' is a highly effective, slow burn psychological horror film. The innocents are not all that innocent after all...
The film reminded me of 2012's 'Chronicle', with four teenagers discovering powers, and one of them slowly but surely getting out of control.
When Worlds Collide (1951)
Dated, but still entertaining.
Long before Roland Emmerich brought us the modern-day disaster movies, director Rudolph Maté gave us 'When Worlds Collide'. Back in 1951 the visual effects were groundbreaking and the film won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects. Off course the visuals are no match for today's films, but teleport yourself back in time more than seven decades, and you can imagine how good the effects must have been.
Pilot David Randall (Richard Derr) is hired to deliver a black box to Dr Cole Hendron (Larry Keating). Inside the mysterious box are predictions of impending doom: a new planet and a giant star are on a collision course with Earth.
Now, the scientists must build a modern-day Noah's Ark (in the form of a space rocket) to save a handful of people and ensure the survival of humanity. They plan on landing on the new planet, named Zyra. With a deadline looming before impact, the film is a race against time to complete the mission while there is being decided who the 44 occupants of the rocket will be.
The dialogue is sub-standard by today's standards, but remember this film was made well before space travel became a reality. (The space race only achieved success over a decade after the release of 'When Worlds Collide'). With little to no knowledge of space travel, the universe and rockets, this film was ahead of its time in that regard.
Off course the film offers a romance interest as well. Hendron's daugter, Joyce (Barbara Rush) - who is engaged to be married to Dr Tony Drake - develops feelings for David, and in the process ensures his selection to board the rocket.
The final act delivers plenty of action and excitement. Yes, it is dated, but it was nevertheless still an entertaining disaster movie.
The Sting (1973)
I couldn't get into it...
I'm beginning to think there's something wrong with the way I view (older) films. 'The Sting' is yet another highly rated movie I found slow and boring. Maybe its just that older movies were generally slower moving than most of today's films; I don't know. I suppose films were more about character development back then, and that we - as the newer generation - prefer films to move along at a faster pace. So, yeah, maybe the problem does lie with me. I simply did not find this movie entertaining - or interesting enough - for my liking.
The moment the film started with that instantly recognizable theme music that put a smile on my face, I honestly believed I was going to love this movie. Turns out the best thing about the movie (for me) was just that theme music. Had the film been about 25 to 30 minutes shorter, I might even have enjoyed it more.
The film is about con artist Johnny Hooker (Robert Redford) who attaches no value to money. He spends it just as fast as he steals it. Easy come, easy go. When his partner Luther is killed by crime boss Lonnie Donnegan's men, Johnny teams up with another con artist, Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman), to take down Lonnie. Corrupt police lieutenant William Snyder (Charles Durning) is also after Lonnie, and Johnny.
Together with a handful of con artists, Johnny and Henry certainly went to quite an elaborate set-up to get to Lonnie. It seemed a bit excessive for them to go to such great lengths when they had more than enough opportunity to capture him - without all their mumbo jumbo make-believe efforts. I just didn't buy it.
Halfway into the movie I became bored and started watching the clock. This might be a high-rated, multi-award winning movie, but it is so not my kind of movie. I couldn't get into its premise or the characters. Being con artists, I didn't really root for them and never viewed them as protagonists.
'The Sting' won 7 Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Costume Design, Best Editing, Best Original Score. Interestingly, I seem to agree with these nominations, but as a whole I did not enjoy the movie.
Amores perros (2000)
Depressing? Yes. Good? Yes!
'Amores Perros' tells three stories that interconnect. The first story is called 'Octavio and Susana'. Susana is married to Ramiro, who works at a supermarket. To provide for them he robs stores. Ramiro's brother, Octavio, lives with them. When Susana accidentally lets Ramiro's dog Cofi out, Cofi kills Poncho - a fighter dog owned by Jarocho. Realizing Cofi's capabilities, Octavio starts dog fighting with Cofi. (Many of these scenes will be too sensitive for dog lovers, as it was for me, even if shown merely for a few seconds). Octavio is secretly in love with Susana and - with Susana being ill-treated by Ramiro - Octavio asks Susana to run away with him. There are a few unexpected twists, though.
The second story is called 'Daniel and Valeria'. Caught in a loveless marriage, Daniel is having an affair with model Valeria. When he eventually leaves his wife and buys an apartment for him and Valeria so they can finally be together, a car accident leaves Valeria seriously injured, causing her sponsors to cancel her modelling contract. With tension rising between them - being aggravated by Valeria's dog being stuck under the floor boards! - their newfound freedom proves to be anything but the happy life they were hoping for.
The third story is 'El Chivo and Maru'. El Chivo might look like a hobo - with a love for dogs - but there is more to him than meets the eye. We discover him and his wife separated years ago, telling their daughter, Maru, he was dead, but now El Chivo is trying to make contact with Maru again. As it turns out, El Chivo is a hitman, and pursuing his next target.
All these stories and characters interlink throughout the film. Prepare yourself, though, this is no feel-good movie. On the contrary, it is quite depressing, but it is a good film. Each story takes unexpected turns, and the film captured my attention from beginning to end.
The Wretched (2019)
Creepy with good effects, but still all too familiar.
Although the film's logline mentions a witch, this antagonist has all the traits of a demon, and I will therefore view and review 'The Wretched' as a possession movie.
With so many possession movies out there, I need a movie of the genre to have a quality that sets it apart from the pack. There are so many cliched possession movies out there that it becomes a blur when I try to think of some of them.
Think 2023's 'When Evil Lurks'. This film dared to go beyond familiar ground and presented us with an utterly disturbing possession movie unlike I've seen in a while. 'The Wretched', for me, was just another possession movie in the myriad of movies in the genre. Having said that, 'The Wretched' is a well made movie and it is a good one. I just don't know if I will remember this in time, because there was nothing uniquely memorable here.
When a young woman, Abbie, hits a buck on her way home from the forest, she takes it home to slaughter and to "teach her son meat doesn't necessarily come from the grocery store shelf". That night a creature that crawled out of the buck consumes Abbie, and she becomes possessed. Well, maybe not possessed in the true sense; possibly the witch entered her body and now acted as Abbie - which is all the same as possession, anyway.
Our hero is teenager Ben, who lives with his Dad, Liam. Liam works at the marina, and offered Ben a job. Liam and Ben are Abbie's neighbours, and soon Ben becomes suspicious of the goings-on at the house next door.
There's some family drama and a few twists. There are some creepy and scary moments. But ultimately 'The Wretched' was just another possession movie for me. I also didn't find Ben a strong enough character (or actor) as the protagonist. And then there's Mallory who also works at the marina and sort of became an interest (I hesitate saying love interest) to Ben. I couldn't really place this character, who also, wasn't really a strong enough character.
The make-up and contortion effects were excellent, and definitely the film's highlight. 'The Wretched' is still worth a watch if you're into the genre, but for me this is going to be forgettable.
Lake Mungo (2008)
Paranormal Activity - The Documentary.
Presented documentary style, 'Lake Mungo' is a mockumentary - supposedly based on events that happened in 2005 in the small town of Ararat in Australia. The use of 'police footage' also gives the film a more realistic edge. The performances are so believable that one can easily be fooled into believing this to be a documentary.
The film - erm, documentary - is about Alice Palmer, a 16-year old girl who disappeared while the family were picnicking at a lake. Her body was found at the bottom of the lake just a few days later. Alice had drowned, and the family had a difficult time accepting what had happened.
Shortly thereafter the Palmer family started hearing noises coming from Alice's bedroom, and later they had sightings of her. It became clear Alice's ghost was in the Palmer home still. But this was only just the beginning of bizarre events that were to follow...
The film became more spooky and creepy as it progressed, but it also started losing its realistic feel when it edged towards the 'Paranormal Activity' genre. Still, those who believe in ghosts will definitely be freaked out by the film.
There are interesting - albeit shocking - reveals about innocent little Alice during the final act. 'Lake Mungo' was an interesting watch that had be captivated from beginning to end. I also loved the film's subtle score.
The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
Too much talk spoils it.
I've been wanting to see 'The Bridge on the River Kwai' for a while. Having seen it now, I'm a bit disappointed. Make no mistake, this is a very well made film, and yes it is a good film; it is just not what I expected.
I think the problem lies in my preconceived idea of what the movie was about. I expected a war movie. This is set during the war, but it is not entirely a war movie. In fact, the first gunshots are only fired around the 1 hour 50 minute mark. That's a long time to wait for a film running almost 3 hours long. There's no further gunshots or explosions of any kind until the finale. I suppose in that regard I was disappointed.
But if you don't have a preconceived idea of the movie and you follow it for the drama it is, you might enjoy it more. I've said this before and I'll say it again: these older films are destined to loose its appeal with newer generations. The new generation likes things faster; and films like these running for almost three hours with quite a bit of talk and little action will bear the brunt.
Prisoners of war lead by Colonel Nicholson (Alec Guinness) arrive at a Japanese camp commanded by Colonel Saito. From the onset there is friction between the two leaders. Saito wants the soldiers to build a bridge over the river Kwai, while Nicholson refuses for his soldiers to do hard labour. The Japanese are building a railway from Bangkok to Rangoon, and Saito is faced with a deadline.
Nicholson finally agrees to help on the condition they design the bridge. Meantime, the British are making plans to destroy the bridge. While an interesting enough premise, I found there to be way too much talk for my liking and eventually became bored. I even found the climax a bit bland.
Aladdin (1992)
A Magical adventure for kids.
Ah, the tale of Aladdin and the genie in the lamp. Believe it or not, I saw Disney's live action adaptation long before this animated classic. And I'm using the term "classic" here simply because it is perceived as one, although not by me.
'Aladdin' is a wonderful story and there are many life lessons disguised behind a façade of cute characters a young audience will love. They, off course, won't understand the deeper meaning of what is presented here. They will laugh, fall in love with the characters, and have a good time.
Our hero, Aladdin, is a young thief with a pet monkey, Abu. Our heroin, Jasmine, is a princess. Interestingly, Aladdin is much happier than Jasmine, even though he owns nothing and doesn't have a place to stay. He is a free spirit. Jasmine on the other hand has all the wealth she can dream of, but she feels trapped and wants to escape from it all.
When these two characters meet, it opens the door wide for character development, while the viewer starts searching his soul. There's so much to learn from this bright, colourful, and lively animated movie. The antagonist is Jafar, along with his equally evil parrot Iago. Jafar tricks Aladdin into finding a lamp, which houses a genie that can grant the owner three wishes. Needless to say, Jafar has no good intentions and wants to use the wishes for his personal and selfish gain.
The Genie is wonderfully voiced by Robin Williams and by far my favourite character. I also rather enjoyed the Genie's story of a 'man' wanting to be free. The film takes us on a magical and action-packed adventure in a fight between good and evil - told in a kid's cartoon style. Good ending.
Dragonslayer (1981)
Confusing at times but redeemed by a good third act.
I love fantasy adventure movies, but for some reason I just couldn't get into 'Dragonslayer' - not until the third act, at least. In the beginning, I somehow found it difficult to get to know and follow the characters, and wasn't until the second act that I started familiarizing myself with their motives and intentions.
I knew from the beginning the film was about a village being terrorized by a dragon, and young Valerian asking a powerful sorcerer, Ulrich, for help. Ulrich was probably the character I least understood, and some of his actions didn't make much sense to me. The film felt like it only really got direction once the film's true hero, Galen (Peter MacNicol) stepped forward - even if a bit immature at first.
Twice a year, King Casiodorus chooses young virgin girls via a lottery to be sacrificed to the dragon in order to keep the dragon happy, and their village safe. (Oh, those poor virgins! Best not to be one then and you'll live!!). And so Galen begins his quest to slay the dragon, and win the hand of the girl he falls in love with - who happens to be a virgin...of course.
The film's visual and practical effects are very good, and I thought the dragon effects were excellent. The third act was so entertaining that it redeemed the film and I ended up having a pretty good time watching 'Dragonslayer'.
Das Boot (1981)
Overlong and very slow paced, but nevertheless extremely well made.
One thing you have to know going into 'Das Boot' is that it is more of a character study drama than an action movie. The film revolves around 50 men in the confines of a submarine. Hitler is sending U-boats (submarines) hoping to blockade and starve out Britain. Despite the fact battle for control of the Atlantic is turning against Germany, more U-boats are sent.
With the men bored waiting for action, so is the viewer - or me, at least. Although it wasn't entirely boring and we got to know the crew, I did find the film far too slow paced (from an entertainment perspective). The action only really starts at the 50-minute mark. Only, torpedoes are fired and we hear explosions, but nothing is shown on screen. This is going to be a major issue for the new generation audience who would definitely prefer to see the action, and not envision it. (The current generation already have a short attention span as it is, so with the film being so long and slow I doubt it will appeal to future generations).
It's a fact, 'Das Boot' is probably one of the best and most realistic submarine movies ever made. I know I'm in the minority here and crucify me if you will, but this movie does not rate among my favourites. I found this to be a fairly boring movie with a few good action and tense scenes scattered throughout. The best moments by far were the third act when the crew found themselves in a desperate situation fighting for their lives. Here, Chief Engineer Fritz Grade (Klaus Wennemann) rose to the occasion by becoming the film's hero (and not our main protagonist Capt. Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock (Jürgen Prochnow).
Interestingly, all hell broke loose during the film's final 10 minutes - when I thought it was all over - with an event I wasn't expecting. This was a really awesome scene! If the film was a bit shorter, it would have been faster paced and I would have enjoyed it more. This is nevertheless a very well made film and no doubt submarine enthusiasts will love it.
Starship Troopers (1997)
It's ALIENS for a younger demographic.
I remember seeing 'Starship Troopers' many years ago and disliking it. Watching it now as an adult, I found too much time taken up by young love issues, which felt immature and like they belonged in a daily soap opera and not a big budget movie. 'Starship Troopers' felt like an 'Aliens' movie made for the teenage and young demographic, whereas 'Aliens' is obviously much more mature.
The acting also looked more like soapie performances. Our protagonist is Johnny Rico (Casper van Dien) who joins the Federal Services together with his girlfriend Carmen (Denise Richards) and friend Carl (Neil Patrick Harris). All three quickly move their way up the ranks.
When Buenos Aires is destroyed by a bug meteorite, the Federal declares war against the Arachnids, and go to their planet to annihilate them. There's plenty of blood, guts, and alien juices flowing in the clash against Man and Arachnid.
The film's third act was by far the most exciting and entertaining - once all the petty love issues were out of the way, and it was non-stop action and fighting. The visual effects are excellent for its time, and actually still holds well by today's standards. The action sequences are well done - visually and physically. There's big character development and an amazing climax.
Imaginary (2024)
Alice in not-so-wonderland.
At first glance I assumed 'Imaginary' to be a 'Child's Play' type of movie, but 'Imaginary' is unlike any other doll movie out there, and its not trying to be one. At first I though Chauncey the teddy bear was far too passive, and I didn't like the voice either, but we soon discover there's actually a good reason for this.
Jessica and her husband Max moves into Jessica's childhood home together with Max's daughters Alice and Taylor (who is as cliched a teenager with issues as they come in these types of movies). Whilst playing hide and seek, young Alice finds a teddy bear in the basement and this becomes her new best friend.
I found Max to be a dispensable character. In fact, not even halfway through the movie he leaves town only to return much later when he is needed - or was he really? I feel the movie would have done perfectly - if not better even - without this character, who contributed nothing to the film anyway. Jessica was by far the strongest character.
During the first half, we mostly follow Alice's story with her newfound friend, but after the halfway mark there's a big twist that steers the film in an entirely different direction. The attention then shifts to Jessica, who carries the rest of the film. The film takes many unexpected - and rather weird - turns, and there's so much going on during the second half that I'm probably going to forget it in a month or so, if that long. In time, I believe, I will remember having seen the movie, but will forget how it plays out, and ends.
'Imaginary' gave me a sense of 'Insidious' meets 'Poltergeist' with a hint of 'Pan's Labyrinth' thrown in there as well. Whichever way you look at it, 'Imaginary' is already one of the big talked about movies of 2024 despite receiving mostly negative reviews from critics. To some extent I agree with some of these reviews, but fact remains 'Imaginary' is indeed a very different movie. Give it a go; it might just be your next guilty pleasure.
Ikiru (1952)
There are valuable lessons here...if you can sit through an overlong, slow and boring movie...
What would you do if you only have 6 months to live? 'Ikiru' explores this theory.
Kanji Watanabe (Takashi Shimura) is the Section Chief at Public Works who has never been absent from work in nearly 30 years. He does a monotonous job and has an equally monotonous life one can hardly call living. And then he discovers he has stomach cancer. He only has 6 months to live, but he doesn't know this.
Kanji's wife passed away 20 years ago, and he reflects on his life with his son, Mitsuo. When Kanji overhears Mitsuo talking to his wife about his money, he decides to spend his money. First, a young man shows Kanji 'how to live' by taking him for a night on the town - from gambling to a strip club.
Then, Kanji hangs out with a bubbly young girl from work, and his family believes her to be his mistress. All the while they are only concerned about his money. According to the film, we only realize how beautiful life is until we face death. I believe this to be a sad fact.
There are valuable lessons here, but to sit through an overlong, slow and boring movie is not my idea of being entertained. For most parts, Kanji was sitting hunched in a chair, hardly saying anything at all, and looking miserable. As much as the film tried, there was very little character development concerning the protagonist - or any of the characters for that matter.
The film blatantly attacks the Government and their procedures and could be seen as propaganda. The film's final 35 minutes (!) sees Kanji's colleagues sitting eating and drinking whilst talking about his life, and getting drunk. In their drunk state they vouch to change for the better, but - coming from a bunch of drunk men - this meant absolutely nothing to me. As we could clearly see thereafter, nothing changed anyway, so what was the point?
This is yet another highly acclaimed, high rated movie I found boring. When it comes to entertainment value, I enjoy a movie that's fast-paced, or - if slow paced - to at least be interesting. I didn't find 'Ikiru' interesting enough to be entertained...and...just...way...too...slow... Yawn.
The Hand (1981)
Beware the hand.
Jonathan and Anne Lansdale are having marital problems. Anne wants to move to New York to follow her dreams and suggests they live separately for a while. In a heated argument on the way to New York, Jonathan loses his hand in a freak accident.
Unable to find the hand, Jonathan now struggles to do his work as comic artist, and slowly sees his life falling apart. Him and his wife are becoming more distant and she finds solace in Bill, her yoga instructor. Meantime Jonathan's agent suggests another artist take over his comic.
Having thoughts of revenge, his hand - still in the field and busy rotting - starts having a life of its own, and kills those who gets in Jonathan's way. The hand design was pretty darn creepy and I enjoyed the way they showed the hand's point of view, as if a predator. The attack scenes were sometimes more funny than scary watching actors fighting with a prop hand, but in general the effects were very good.
'The Hand' is a psychological horror thriller drama and Michael Caine delivers an excellent performance as Jonathan.
Just Before Dawn (1981)
By the end, you'll see double.
'Just Before Dawn' is an 80's slasher featuring a machete wielding lunatic. I must be honest, I didn't really view the killer as a worthy or original antagonist. He looked more like a weak version of Jason Voorhees, and was in fact more funny than scary.
In typical 80's slasher style, we have a bunch of youngsters ready for the chop. They head up the mountains to go camping, and as they start having fun, the guessing game starts as to who will be the first victim, and who will survive. This is what we like about slashers, ain't it?
Unlike many genre films of the same era, 'Just Before Dawn' takes it's time before the first kill (after the initial killing in the beginning, off course, which sets the mood and prepare us for what's to come). I do like the 80's movies, being shot on location with natural surroundings as opposed to being shot in a studio with effects added in post-production. The acting just felt more realistic that way.
Being shot at the Silver Lakes State Park, this allows for beautiful scenery and spectacular waterfalls. From an adventure point of view, I really enjoyed this movie. When the killing starts, it's an adrenaline rush to the climax. Oh, and then that climax. There is a twist as well, which I won't reveal, but hell, the ending was a bit strange. The moment I'm referring to is that moment victim and killer fights to the death - I mean what the hell? Couldn't they have found a better way? Considering the size of the killer I didn't find this believable, which is a pity, because this is actually a really good film. Even the performances were surprisingly good, and I liked the characters.
Regardless of the strange confrontation they opted for, 'Just Before Dawn' in general was an entertaining watch, and not a bad addition to the slasher genre.
20 Days in Mariupol (2023)
The World needs to see this.
I don't usually include reviews on documentaries on this blog, but '20 Days in Mariupol' is a documentary that needs to be seen. This is current, relevant, and illustrates the horrors of war.
On February 24th, 2022 the city of Mariupol in Ukraine still looked normal. In the words of the narrator: "Wars don't start with explosions; it starts with silence." A Journalist team captures the outbreak of war, and documents how a city is reduced to ruins and rubble within just 20 days.
There are no actors here. There's no make-up, no CGI, no green/blue screen effects, no visual effects. We get to see the events unfold through the lens of a camera of men on the run fearing for their lives - raw footage. The documentary plays like a found footage sci-fi thriller, but this is real life with real people.
'20 Days in Mariupol' is harrowing to watch, and it is heartbreaking - more so because this is not fiction or fantasy. The film had me very emotional at times, so get that box of tissues before watching this. This ain't no popcorn flick; it is a hard-hitting documentary. Yes, it is depressing - as war generally is - but the world needs to see this. I'm so glad '20 Days in Mariupol' won the Oscar for Best Documentary. The film editing was also very good.
The Zone of Interest (2023)
The True horrors of war.
At first glance the Höss family looks like an ordinary family. They have a nice, cozy home with a beautiful garden, a few kids, and a dog. They have family conversations and they crack jokes. Even when they distribute clothes (belonging to Jews) among them, it seems like a natural thing to do given the time period and realizing the film is set during war.
We soon realize there is something far more disturbing than meets the eye. We hear gun shots and screams close by and see smoke coming from nearby chimneys. We notice a watch tower next to the house, and then realize their quint little home is right next to Auschwitz, the Nazi concentration camp. Yet, the Höss family talk about trivial things, and Mrs Höss boasts about how beautiful her garden is.
'The Zone of Interest' somehow reminded me of 'The Boy in the striped Pajamas'. The young boy with his naïve nature believed the prisoners to be farmers. Here, the Höss family appear to be oblivious to their surroundings, but by choice. They know only too well of the horrors next to them, but choose to carry on their privileged existence. (I think the film's poster illustrates this so well. The blackness indicates - to them - there is nothing on the other side of the wall.)
It was disturbing how the Nazis were discussing building a new crematorium and referring to people as "the load". They were planning mass execution of up to 500 people at a time as if they were doing business deals, with no emotion or remorse.
'The Zone of Interest' is a thought-provoking film, and an interesting character study. There are no twists here and no complex story. It is a simple, easy to follow film depicting the true horrors of war: human morality.
Relatos salvajes (2014)
Highly entertaining black comedy anthology film!
Seldom do I watch an anthology film where I enjoy every segment. Such was the case with 'Wild Tales'. Although some segments have thriller or horror elements, the black comedy ensures they never quite cross that threshold, allowing you to crack a smile and be thoroughly entertained.
The first and shortest segment takes place on a plane. When chatting to a fellow passenger, a model is surprised to find he knows her ex-boyfriend Gabriel Paternak. Another passenger was his music teacher, and also doesn't have anything positive to say about him. In fact, it turns out everybody on the plane knows Gabriel, and everyone had a bad experience with him...
The second story is about a waitress. On a dark and stormy night, a man that caused her family grief comes into the restaurant. Telling the cook her story, the cook then insists on poisoning the man. But things get much worse...
The third story sees a bit of an arrogant guy, Diego, in a fancy new car overtaking a guy, Mario, in a crappy car after Mario spitefully tried to prevent him from overtaking. Diego insults Mario, but when he later gets stuck with a flat tire and and Mario arrives, the two men get in more than just a heated argument over what happened.
The fourth segment is the story of a man who loses everything just because he parked in a non-parking bay to buy a cake for his daughters birthday. Trying not to pay the fine and get an apology, he gets into a hell of a lot of trouble! This is actually the only story that ends on a happy note.
The fifth story is about Santiago, accused of hit and run after he struck a pregnant woman. When the woman and her unborn baby dies on the way to hospital, Santiago's dad pays a family friend, José, a large sum of money to take the blame, assuring him he'd be out of jail after a year and a half. But then the dad's lawyer and a prosecutor also come up with plans, and now it clearly becomes a matter of greed...
The final story is the wedding of Romina and Ariel, but this ain't no fairytale wedding. When Romina finds out Ariel slept with another woman, things get wild between bride and groom, and this is putting it mildly! I actually so enjoyed the ending to this one!
In fact, I enjoyed every segment very much, making this a highly entertaining black comedy thriller!
American Fiction (2023)
Do you still judge a book by its cover?
I hate racism. I hate anything racist. I hate racist remarks. I don't judge people according to the colour of their skin; I judge them on their actions, personality and behaviour and honestly wish this was the norm.
So then, why did I decide to watch 'American Fiction' if this is a racist movie - to a certain extent, anyway? I suppose I was curious because of the hype. Although this was pleasantly much better than expected, it still does throw around way too many racist remarks for my liking, and a bit too much 'white people this, black people that'. At least most of these racist remarks were funny and not annoying or offensive, making this a watchable movie.
The film also deals with a serious matter I wasn't expecting - that of a mother in the early stages of Alzheimers. It was a touching and sad look at reality; also with another character suddenly passing away. It proved life is not guaranteed, no matter your age or who you are.
Jeffrey Wright delivers a fantastic performance as Monk Ellison, a writer who is struggling to write another book. When he is given mandatory leave from work, he visits his family, and this is where he discovers his mom suffering from Alzheimers. With his sister Lisa and brother Cliff both having gone through a divorce, and him not publishing a book in a few years, the family must find a way to provide medical care for their mother.
Monk then decides to write a satirical 'trash' book about black people - for a white audience. He writes under a pseudonym and adopts the persona of a wanted fugitive. This sets in motion a series of often funny events, all the while why he is trying to help his mother. Comedy and drama blend seamlessly.
I rather enjoyed Cliff being a gay character, well portrayed by Sterling K. Brown with his great body. His character also allowed for many humorous moments. In general, I enjoyed 'American Fiction' more than I believed I would.
Kimitachi wa dô ikiru ka (2023)
Complex, confusing and difficult to follow.
Let me start off by saying this animated film is not for kids. With its complex and confusing story involving different worlds and time periods, it is very difficult to follow. I believe kids will be completely lost here.
Mahito lost his mother in a hospital fire during the war. Four years later him and his Dad moves to Tokyo to his dad's new girlfriend, Natsuko, who is pregnant with their child. The moment Mahito arrives at the house, a grey heron shows interest in him.
After a fight at school, Mahito deliberately hits himself against the head with a rock on the way home, causing an injury greater than he anticipated. This results in him being out of school for the next few days. During this time, Natsuko's morning sickness intensifies, and Mahito notices her wandering into the forest one day. When she doesn't return, Mahito goes in search of her. The heron then also tells Mahito his mother is still alive. This sets in motion many interesting events as Mahito journeys to different worlds.
Mahito still misses his mother and constantly has visions of her in the fire. Filled with surreal imagery, the film has a magical feel to it. It is very imaginative, although at times maybe a bit too much. There's also so much happening in this movie that I probably won't remember half of the events. Some of the characters were very similar in appearance to characters from 'Spirited Away' and 'Howl's Moving Castle' - also films from Studio Ghibli.
The animation is beautiful and the film has a hauntingly beautiful score. Unfortunately, 'The Boy and the Heron' is not a movie I would easily recommend. You have to pay very close attention to understand what is going on. If you don't like reading subtitles, even less so. (Luckily, as for me, watching movies with subtitles is almost second nature.)
Balle perdue (2020)
High octane actioner.
Having made an impression on me in his latest film 'The Wages of Fear', I'm fast becoming a big fan of Alban Lenoir and his work as an action star. The more I see of him, the more I want to see (erm, his films, I mean...).
Alban Lenoir stars as Lino, a thief who is jailed after a daring but failed robbery attempt. Lino's passion is making cars faster and stronger. Because of this talent, he becomes the only man for a job, and police detective Charas gets him released from jail to engineer police vehicles. Just when things are looking up for Lino, rogue cops Areski and Marco kill Charas.
Having witnessed the killing, Lino is now being pursued by Areski and Marco. Desperate to prove his innocence and bring the rogue cops to justice, Lino reaches out to officer Julia, Areski's ex-girlfriend. Julia finds herself caught in the middle between the rogue cops and Lino and is not sure who to believe.
The film features excellent fight choreography and Alban Lenoir is once again fantastic! There's more than enough action to please action junkies and some incredible crash scenes. I actually didn't expect the film to also have such emotional depth. I rooted for Lino all the way. 'Lost Bullet' is a thoroughly entertaining, high octane action film!
AKA (2023)
Alban Lenoir kicking butt!!
Early in the film, warlord Moktar Al Tayeb's wife and child is gunned down. Moktar is believed to be responsible for a terrorist attack on a hotel. Adam Franco (Alban Lenoir) is a special ops agent who is assigned to infiltrate Victor Pastore's clan, and to gain his trust. Victor is a friend of Moktar's and getting close to him will get Adam closer to Moktar.
Impressed by his physical strength, Victor appoints Adam bodyguard to his step-son Jonathan. With Jonathan getting very little attention from his family, he instantly bonds with Adam. There's just something special about a tough guy showing compassion for a child that stirs the senses.
As tension rises between Victor's clan and a rival gang lead by Amet, the action intensifies. The action choreography is very good and Alban Lenoire is excellent as Adam (and he is so darn sexy too!!). The fight scenes are fast and brutal. There's an interesting twist regarding Moktar during the finale.
'AKA' is a fast-paced action film that is sure to satisfy action buffs.
Le salaire de la peur (2024)
An Exciting film in its own right.
1953 saw the release of the French film 'The Wages of Fear'. It was a good, suspenseful film - best viewed by skipping the first boring and confusing 40 minutes. The film was remade by America in 1977, titled 'Sorcerer'. This film was good and suspenseful - best viewed by skipping the first boring and confusing 40 minutes (again!).
'The Wages of Fear' has been remade again - once again in French. This film has been adapted for the new generation and is faster paced with more action (we all know the new generation does not have a good attention span, so enhancing the action is crucial).
Whereas the original 'The Wages of Fear' had a simple premise, there's more back stories and intrigue in this new version. The beginning introduces us to Fred and Carla being pursued by gunmen. The film then goes back 9 months and tells us more about Fred. When one of Fred's wealthy clients was executed in a deal gone wrong, Fred approached his brother Alex - who is an explosives expert - to help in stealing money from the safe. However, things did not go according to plan and Alex was captured and imprisoned.
Fred now works on the oil fields. When a gas pocket at a well was hit causing an explosion, the only way to extinguish the fire, is with 100 kilos of nitroglycerin. Fred is made an offer he can't refuse to drive the truck load 500 miles from a power plant to the well. Oil executive Anne Marchand arranges for Alex to be released from prison, as they require his services. They only have 24 hours before a second gas pocket explodes, which risks destroying the entire village.
And so the nail-biting adventure begins as Fred, Alex, Carla and a few of their friends start the journey of transporting the dangerous cargo - all the while being pursued by gangs. With tension between the two brothers - with Alex blaming Fred for his fate - and time running out, this made for a thrilling viewing experience.
Many viewers will compare this film to the original and rate accordingly. Yes, I did think the original film was better in a way (considering when it was made), as long as you skip the first 40 minutes, as mentioned. This remake, however, is faster paced with more action. It's not quite as suspenseful, but this was actually a fantastic film in its own right.
'The Wages of Fear' also has a good score and excellent aerial photography and cinematography. What I also like about cheaper, non-Hollywood films is the fact they use less CGI and shoot on location, resulting in films that look more realistic. I really enjoyed this film.
To Be or Not to Be (1942)
So funny!!
'To be or not to be' is a comedy about stage actors set during World War 2 (interestingly, the film was also released during the war).
Maria Tura (Carole Lombard) is a famous stage actress. She has a secret admirer who sends her flowers every day. His name is Stanislav (Robert Stack) and he is a lieutenant who flies a bomber. Intrigued, Maria agrees for him to meet her in her dressing room when her husband Joseph Tura (Jack Benny) is on stage. The cue for him is the moment Joseph speaks the line "To be or not to be". Stanislav declares his love for Maria, hoping she will leave Joseph for him.
When the news of war breaks, the show is cancelled, and shortly after Warsaw is bombed. Professor Siletsky, leader of the Polish Resistance, is on his way to Warsaw and must be stopped before he reaches the Gestapo. Now, the stage actors must perform the roles of their lives to fool the opposition, and stop Siletsky.
There are many hilarious moments, but the war elements are also treated with respect. The film's first moments were the funniest with hilarious dialogue. I loved Tom Dugan in the role of Bronski, who portrayed Hitler in the stage play. The satire to the 'Heil Hitler' salute was also hilarious. I thoroughly enjoyed this comedy drama!
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024)
Please end the franchise!!
1984's 'Ghostbusters' is an excellent example of proper film making. Made 40 years ago, the original 'Ghostbusters' still looks amazing today. Considering how far CGI developed, and made on a budget of $100 million (!!!!), I'm sorry to say 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' looks awful!! I guess most of the budget went towards paying the actors. What happened to Hollywood?
Speaking of actors, there are way too many characters in this movie! I mean hell, there were so many that I found it hard keeping track of all of them. There simply was not enough room in one movie for all of these characters. There's plenty of nostalgia here with the return of Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Bill Murray, Annie Potts all reprising their original roles. And even Slimer is back! Unfortunately all of them looked out of place in this movie and in my opinion was added simply to pay homage to the original film.
'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' is a prime example of lazy film making. Some movies look amazing with CGI, but this film truly looks horrible. There are also hardly any practical effects here; everything is CGI. It looks as if the film was shot in a studio with everything being added in post-production. The acting didn't look convincing, the characters were bland and so annoying cracking their silly one-liners, and the premise was...what was it about again...? Enough said!
The film is about an orb containing an ancient evil that lands in the possession of the ghostbusters. The orb belonged to Nadeem Razmaadi, whose family owns various artifacts. This character was so obviously based on the Louis Tully character from the original 'Ghostbusters', portrayed by Rick Moranis. Unfortunately, the Nadeem character was not as effective and this shameless copy/paste character was another example of lazy film making/lazy script writing.
And then there's 15-year old Phoebe who is banished from being a ghostbuster because she is a minor. She befriends a ghost and this was were they attempted emotional depth, but alas, there was no room for emotion in an often slapstick-filled fantasy comedy.
The lion statues coming to life are back, the library ghost is back, oh and look, they're trying to make minions out of mini marshmallow men! Ugh, enough already! By now you've probably already gathered I did not like this movie. In fact, the ONLY film in the 'Ghostbusters' franchise I enjoyed was the original. I also found 'Frozen Empire' utterly forgettable.