Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)

Thought-provoking war movie (8*)

At the end of the second world war, the Japanese armed forces make a stand on the strategic island Iwo Jima. With an imminent American invasion, a Japanese commander with an American affiliation takes the leadership of the island.

Although one could expect a 'traditional' war movie similar to Saving Private Ryan, it's none of that. The central theme of the movie is the clash between Japanese tradition and 'modern' values.

Through the use of personal stories, the film carries a strong message against the atrocities of war. But it also shows that individuals can make a positive difference in war. The many dilemmas the characters face show an interesting side of war.

Thanks to the smaller and bigger decisions the main actors have to take, this drama takes viewers within the Japanese's heads while fighting for their countries and families staying at home. Should they follow their values, their convictions, their leaders or their thoughts? 

Courageous choice to produce the movie in Japanese, dialogues are authentic, and emotions are real.

A thought-provoking movie, not a b-film to just fill an empty evening.

Land of the Dead (2005)

Land of the Dead (2005)

Decent zombie film (6*)

Looking for an average zombie movie? You'll be pleasantly surprised. The movie has a few interesting aspects. Acting is reasonably good - thanks to the talented cast. The scenery is authentic and realistic. The film is well-written, resulting in a decent number of story lines. Many scenes are inventive and nice to look at.

Because the film takes place a long time after the zombie outbreak, the most annoying zombie movie mistake is avoided: people acting in the movie have never seen a zombie movie. Usually it takes half a film for the characters to realise there is an outbreak. Not of all that in this one.

The story in two sentences: a businessman built a safe city after a zombie apocalypse. However, zombies become intelligent and this starts to threaten the city.

One big minus: the uncountable number of inconsistencies. Why do you put loud headphones on when you're waiting for someone in Zombieland? Why do zombies play tuba? Why do people shoot in the air with limited bullets? Why don't you cut someone's leg/arm when it's infected? And I still don't get the walkie-talkie system where you don't have to choose who you're calling.

On top of it all, a soldier going to the ground infested with zombies, when he could have stayed safely in his tower. That's where it got painfully hilarious.

An above-average zombie movie - if you're not too much bothered by inconsistencies.

Billy Elliot (2000)

Billy Elliot (2000)

Feel-good yet intelligent film (7*)

Set against the backdrop of the strikes at the UK's mines, young boy Billy Elliot discovers his love for dance. He finds opposition within his dysfunctional family but the love isn't set to die out.

The most remarkable of this entertaining movie is the young protagonist's (Jamie Bell) performance. It stands out to the others' more hesitant portrayals of struggling individuals.

The emotional evolutions the characters undergo sometimes lack credibility. However, it is compensated by the creative depiction of the raw reality of the UK's 1980s.

Another strong point is that the film takes the children's point of view. Often insecure, they try to cope with the big and small things in life. At the same time, the adults around them display emotional struggle as they haven't managed to cope.

This is no movie for children, despite the character's young age. Interesting themes as family, hopes, unprocessed emotions are mixed together in this enjoyable feel-good movie.

The Flowers of War - Jin ling shi san chai (2011)

The Flowers of War - Jin ling shi san chai (2011)

Good setting, less good movie (6*)

Producing a movie about sensitive historic conflicts is always difficult, since views on the events are usually written from the point of view of the winners of the war or conflict. In this case, the Chinese victims of the horrible massacre at Nanking of 1937. 

On the other hand, the losing party (the Japanese in this case) might have difficulties admitting the brutalities and bestialities that happened. Coming to terms with the past is something rarely achieved by movies. Compare this with movies on the Holocaust: there are many, but very few of them capture the real horror. La Vita è Bella is just one example. Same for this movie.

In this view, it is already an achievement to bring a "Hollywood-style" movie in cinemas about this topic. The horrors that happened are largely unknown to the greater public.

However, the movie in itself was a bit of a disappointment. The dialogues were not well worked out. The multiple languages used in the movie (English, Japanese and Chinese) did not interact well, making the chemistry between the actors difficult. 

The actors did make an effort, although Christian Bale could have done a little more. The Japanese soldiers seemed like caricatures with little character development. 

The lack of chemistry affected the connection with the viewer. Many clues and scenes were just too obvious and overly predictable, and you never really feel like you're standing in Nanking.

However, one good point is the use of light throughout the movie. Also, some scenes were surprisingly good, the battle scene in the beginning is just one example. 

So this movie is a nice one to watch if you like historical movies, but don't expect to be amazed.

Predestination (2014)

Film review: Predestination (2014)

Thought-provoking, creative science-fiction (8*)

15 September 2016

Predestination is a film that proves science-fiction can be entertaining without special effects. The number of main actors involved and the absence of modern CGI techniques made this movie a challenge to the film's crew and producers to achieve a thrilling experience. And they won the challenge.

With a minimum of music and good acting, the story intrigues and unravels in a timely manner. A good portion of surprising plot twists make the story complete and interesting. Ethan Hawke gives a decent performance, but it's Sarah Snook that fascinates and brings the movie on a higher level.

The film also raises some philosophical questions and can make you think. The main actor's dilemma's, the good dialogues and the consequences of the actor's choices add up to a movie to talk about after seeing it. 

If you need to see an interesting thriller, and you're not in need of too many special effects, this is a perfect movie.

Celda 211 - Cell 211 (2009)

Film review: Celda 211 - Cell 211 (2009)

Excellent thriller (8*)

This gripping story of a prison officer hiding as an inmate during a revolt will keep you at the edge of your seat. The pace of events regularly accelerates and will keep you from breathing.

The film mixes the genres personal drama, thriller and action in an excellent way. Spanish actor Luis Tosar gives a terrific performance as the prison's kingpin. The protagonist, Alberto Ammann, makes it easier for viewers to feel involved in the prison's claustrophobic setting.

The movie stands out of the pack of other prison dramas, also by adding the Spanish political situation as an external factor to the mix. 

The music fuels the tension and is definitely one of the movie's strong points. 

Knowing Spanish at a native level will certainly help you to enjoy this movie. For example, the prison's kingpin uses 'agua' to dismiss an official. It's the key word for illegal street vendors to warn each other that policemen are arriving.

An excellent thriller, especially for those who like the genre.