Week 16 and 17 in film

I'm Still Here (Casey Affleck, 2010)
Not only a great actor, but Phoenix proves to be funny as well. Had the world doubting if his claimed career move (from actor to rapper) was a hoax. Everyone remembers his Letterman appearance, this film puts it in context. A great joke and a statement against reality shows, unfortunately not funny enough to fill an entire film. 6.5/10

Enter the Void (Gaspar Noe, 2009)
After watching this a couple of years ago it came back to my memory at times. Perhaps better than I remembered? Well, yes, for the first hour, at least, it's great. It is the second half that kills it a bit. Noe's very original choice in narration works against him after a while. Makes the last hour a drag, which is a shame, this film is special. 6/10

Hard Target (John Woo, 1993)
Guilty pleasure, and it's not even bad! John Woo's first Hollywood film is a fast and stylish action flick that has everything that made the 90s action movies great. Van Damme's haircut is film history in itself! 7.5/10

We Own The Night (James Gray, 2007)
Again, a good film from Gray. This is not the most original plot, but directed in a way that feels more like Scorsese than most imitations, and this might not even be an imitation. Phoenix is, as ever, great. 8/10

Cop Land (James Mangold, 1997)
What a mess. A great cast that centers the weakest actor. Fails to entertain which is quite a shame considering that it is a genre that easily amuses me, usually. 4/10

The Hunger Games: Cathing Fire (Francis Lawrence, 2013)
Jennifer Lawrence, Philip Seymour Hoffman, an exciting survival battle? Could be great. Well, forget it. Maybe this film appeals to you if you've read the book, but I couldn't feel with the characters or experience any suspense, at all. And shouldn't it have an ending? Oh wait, we have a new goose with golden eggs. 3/10



Magnificent Obsession (Douglas Sirk, 1954)
Starting to become a Sirk fan. His films are just as beautiful and easy to watch as they are melodramatic. This one is sometimes too melodramatic but contains a very powerful message, not even under the surface this time, or I am missing something... 8/10

White Dog (Samuel Fuller, 1982)
Powerful story about a dog who is trained to attack (and kill) black people. Great metaphor and one very effective horror film. A must see in American cinema. 8/10

Week 21 in film

Busy week, so just a handful of films...

Le Feu Follet (Louis Malle, 1963)
Has everything Wilder's The Lost Weekend is lacking. Intense portrait of a guy who has been in rehab for his drinking problems. Follows our protagonist on his trip where he meets a lot of people from his past. Being a French picture he meets a lot of (ex)-lovers as well. Study of a depressed loner, life can be a struggle for some people. Subtle and touching with a great lead performance.  8/10



Paycheck (John Woo, 2003)
Yeah well, here's a Philip K. Dick story that's butchered. Ben Affleck as an engineer who has his memory erased after a secret operation. And guess what, he got ripped off but gave himself clues in the future. Poorly executed, even the action scenes were boring, Woo was in bad shape I guess. Affleck doesn't help either and I am not even talking about all the causality problems, which may be present in the original story?   3.5/10

Battleship Potemkin (Sergei Eisenstein, 1925)
Like some other classics I only knew the key scenes of this film (the stairs!) but never saw the whole thing. Being able to see it on the big screen with live music I had to watch it, of course. Yes, it is good. The one scene I knew best again impressed me most. Some parts are simply hilarious nowadays.   8/10

Safe in Hell (William Wellman, 1931)
One of the cornerstones of pre-code, at least in its main theme. For my full review in dutch click here...8/10

Week 20 in film

Norwegian Wood (Anh Hung Tran, 2010)
What I remember best is the music by Jonny Greenwood and the Beatles. The rest of the film is, although on occassions beautifully shot, forgettable. The second hour is too dull in its narrative, where the first managed too grab me at times. Too bad.   6.5/10



All God's Children Can Dance (Robert Logevall, 2007)
Boy is told to be the son of God. When he is an adult he sees a guy with a weird ear, who he believes could be his father. Feels a bit like a Wim Wenders film, it certainly isn't. Ends up being an empty shell.   3/10

The Bitter Tea of General Yen (Frank Capra, 1933)
Un-Capra like story of a woman (the great Barbara Stanwyck) who is kidnapped by a Chinese dictator. Pretty racist to have a Chinaman played by an American actor.    7.5/10

Headhunters (Morten Tyldum, 2011)
This film about an art-thief is about a lot except the theft of art. Lots of improbabilities. Not everything from Scandinavia can be a success   5.5/10

The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick, 2011)
With a new film from Malick upcoming I had to re-watch his masterpiece again. It overwhelmed me even more than before this time. Goosebumps on multiple occassions, especially during the first hour. The editing is superb, pure poetry. Very hard, almost impossible for To The Wonder to live up to my expectations.   10/10



True Grit (Coen Brothers, 2010)
Good old 'the dude' Jeff Bridges delivers a good performance again. Entertaining, witty and probably better than the original, which I haven't seen. Not the best and not the worst Coen-film.   7.5/10

Izgnanie [The Banishment] (Andrei Zvyagintsev, 2007)
Russian cinema almost never disappoints me. This dense picture has a slow pace, as we know from this director and it is beautifully crafted. Clearly quotes Tarkovsky, almost even literally. Is this a bad thing? Not at all.   8.5/10

The Lost Weekend (Billy Wilder, 1945)
Disappointing 'classic' from one of my favorite directors. The acting is great, but somehow the plot isn't moving forward and keeps repeating itself. Perhaps this is the point, but how to explain the un-Wilder-like ending? No, I expected better.   6.5/10



The Killer (John Woo, 1989)
Great action from Hong Kong. Woo would never deliver this kind of quality in Hollywood. Not even with Face/Off. Chow Yun Fat is supersolid. A film with 'the usual' friendship, snipers and one-bullet-left situations.  7.5/10