The Devils (1971)

The Devils (1971)

A roller-coaster ride in France's medieval corruption (8*)

"What am I watching?" Is a question you might ask frequently in this film. The story seems simple: in an attempt to centralise power in France, a cardinal orders the walls of a city to be brought down. To do this, a priest defending the city should be convicted of witchcraft.

If one would only see the written dialogues, the film could still be 'normal'. However, it isn't.

First of all, it's intense. Heavy-worded dialogues follow up on each other and are brought in an almost vicious way. Action happens quickly. The shots are cut at a very quick pace.

Second, the amount of nudity, sexual behaviour and profanity might shock many viewers. Their purpose is to show the corruptness of religion.

Third, the music is just... disturbing. It adds to the disorientation in the movie as well as the whole photography.

Now, the question is: was it all worth it? My opinion: yes. Although this film is not to be viewed by persons who are easily upset or have an aversion for 'weird' films.

The pace and profanity were even a little too much for me. But it fits the purpose: to show the hypocrisy and corruption in the heart of the church, leaving you wondering if it really was like that in that period in time.

Another thing that left me wondering: why are Cardinal Richelieu and one of his priests wearing John Lennon glasses that could only have been made in the 20th century?

Easy Rider (1969)

Easy Rider (1969)

Cinematic road movie (8*)

Two bikers set on a road trip in the USA. What starts as an adventure becomes a discovery of American culture at the end of the sixties.

Beautifully set in the southern states, the film invites viewers on to the main actors' road trip. It is definitely worth seeing the movie in HD: views on landscapes are carefully mixed with the story.

With many scenes shot close to the actors, it's easy to 'feel' within the story. Overall, the length of the scenes suited the movie well. Some camera cuts were inventive but maybe a little annoying.

The actors' performance was great, portraying open-minded Peter Fonda and hesitating Dennis Hopper. They give the film a peaceful progress. The different persons and communities they meet were very credibly put together, resulting in authentic 'clashes' and 'mixes' of cultures.

The music fit the film. 'Born to be wild' is an obligatory participant.

It's a great movie to get a cultural trip into the '60s USA.

Bridge of Spies (2015)

Bridge of Spies (2015)

Enjoyable cold war drama (7*)

(Spoiler in the last paragraph) Inspired by true events, the film turns the events in a nice story. An insurance lawyer first defends a caught Soviet spy, and then helps to arrange an exchange with an US spy in the middle of the cold war.

The main achievement of the movie is that it turned the events into a credible, substantial and enjoyable story. It's easy to feel involved into the different players. The subplots all have a decent ending. Screenplay is good, light and sound convincing. Tension is always playing in the background, until the very end.

Another strong point is the depiction of the beginning of the cold war. For example, the scenes at the wall dividing Berlin show well a part of history that is easily forgotten. Also, how society was organised in the early 1960s. In certain scenes, you wonder: was it really like that? The research team made a really good effort there.

The actors act at different levels: Mark Rylance plays the soviet spy, with an outstanding performance rewarded with an Oscar. Tom Hanks has his strong moments, but the CIA agent was a little disappointing, just like some other supporting actors.

The good, easy-to-understand story sometimes reveals its weaknesses: a lack of depth, a focus on story instead of history, and occasional corniness.

However, it's still a good movie to watch and to be entertained with. 

Spoiler alert: One questions still remains. At the end, when they're waiting for the signal that the economics student is released, the CIA agent on the phone might have faked that the student was released. So the lawyer would agree to swap only the Soviet spy for the American, since the student wasn't important for the CIA.

Don't Breathe (2016)

Don't Breathe (2016)

Nail-biting thriller (8*)

Few horror movies can keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end. This one does.

Thanks to the well-written story, the never-stopping pace and the very credible acting, the thriller will take you within the house of a blind man, defending himself against three ordinary burglars.

The characters have excellent depth. Stephen Lang (Avatar) does a terrific job as the blind ex-military, his lesser-known fellow actors are very authentic and have stories going of their own.

Clichés are avoided. Expect to be surprised many times. The typical silence before the surprise or action is very misleading, adding up to the tension as well as the creative story development.

If there's one remark to be made, it's the color in the movie. In some parts appropriate, in some parts a bit annoying.

Every few years, there's a really good thriller/horror movie made. Don't Breathe is one of them, even good for non-fans of the genre.

Badlands (1973)

Badlands (1973)

Intriguing thriller 8*

The movie invites the viewer on a road trip by following a serial killer and the impressionable girl accompanying him.

Main actor Martin Sheen delivers an excellent performance. His portrayal of a typical psychopath leaves viewers with many questions, and adds intrigue to the sometimes surrealistic movie.

The music, going from classic music to jazz, helps to turn the movie into a thriller. With Sheen's female counterpart Sissy Spacek's voice-overs, the movie mixes different genres and points of view.

An additional reason to watch the film is the beautiful scenery, from which the film's title is derived. Filming occurred in Colorado, and nature lovers might enjoy the movie.

An interesting watch with thoughtful character developments.

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.