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dutchthea
Reviews
The Descendants (2011)
wonderful movie
Meet the kings...Matt a lawyer who happens to be the custodian of a large Trustfund too. Daughter Alexandra tucked away to a private school on another Hawaiian island. Daughter Scotty, who has problems with school-friends and mum Elisabeth, who just had a terrible boating accident and is left in a coma in the hospital. They were not particularly happy during the last period. Matt hopes to make it up to Elisabeth after her recovery. Or maybe he just hopes her to recover so she can care for the girls again. It has been ages since he's had to handle his daughters and he doesn't have a clue, he is facing a severe crisis and, at the same time has to deal with his wife departure and his family. He finds out the hard way that his wife had an affair and sets out to find the guy so he can say goodbye to Elisabeth who's dying as well On this quest his daughters and his eldest daughter's friend Sid join him. In the hands of a less capable director and actors this could have easily become very cheesy. It's nothing even close. It's a family-portrait and this family is not like the Ingalls or the Waltons. They swear, they hurt each other. They are not particularly nice..still during the search for his wife's lover Matt and his kids manage to get a little closer... Still at the end of the movie anything could just as easily go wrong in a second...but oddly that seems OK...The viewer is left with the strong feeling that in the end it will be alright.... It's a drama yes, but with light touches and you do not leave the cinema complex feeling depressed. You do leave completely in awe of this movie and you are going to want to see it again....I promise.
How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
lovely just lovely
Meet Hickup, a hapless young viking ( voiced by Jay Baruchel) he lives in an isolated village where the pests happen to be dragons! Hickup is not a strong and tough young viking. No he's more of a thinker albeit a fairly clumsy one! His father is the village chief and he's not particularly proud of his hapless son who is not the strong and fiery son he imagined he'd have! One day he manages to shoot down a dragon though. But there are no witnesses so nobody believes him. The next morning Hickup finds the dragon. He wants to kill him but he can't. He decides to help the dragon who cannot fly properly anymore because of Hickup. A difficult but in the end touching friendship develops. With a great story and fantastic animation, characters which are easy to relate to and a good portion of humor, this is certainly one of the most rewarding animation movies I watched in recent years. Highly recommended, though not for small kids!
Buried (2010)
buried but not dead!
Paul Conroy wakes up, unsure where he is or how he got there! He soon finds out he's been locked up in a coffin. Soon his kidnapper contacts him by cellphone. He wants 5 million dollar or else Paul will die within a few hours. Paul frantically tries to phone anyone who could be useful for securing his rescue. He finally gets into contact with a hostage negotiator. Will he be saved in time? Of course I am not going to give that away. What I can say is that it is possible to make a movie who totally plays out underground. There are no cutbacks to the outside world. We only hear voices through the telephone! Ryan Reynolds usually does lighter fare but boy does he shine in this one.He was totally credible as the unfortunate truck-driver in way over his head. There's even some humor to be found, and it does not feel forced. If you like tight thrillers and you are not too claustrophobic. than buried is the movie for you! See it in the theatre, it might lose some strenght on DVD.
Joong-cheon (2006)
wonderful mix of fantasy and a love-story
a demon hunter get's poisoned after he saved some villagers ( that's gratitude for ya) and he arrives in 'pre-heaven'. He is however not really dead and soon finds himself fighting demons once more while reuniting with the woman he once loved and lost. But since she's become an archangel she has no memories left. Will he be able to win her heart all over again? Of course I am not going to tell that! This is a very good looking movie, sets and special effects are good. But what's even better are the actors. They really make you feel this story. Especially Woo-sung Jung is convincing in his longing for his long lost love. Highly recommended
Funny Games (1997)
cruel and pointless
A well to do family is spending time at their holiday-home near a lake. One day 2 young fellows arrive to borrow some eggs. Thing is, they don't leave. They take mother, father and son hostage. Slowly things go from bad to worse. I don't mind a good thriller. But after I finished watching this one I was genuinely upset. A waste of time yes. But I also felt anger at the message of the movie. At that clever little twist when for a moment it seems the kidnappers will lose after all...and most of all the ending upset me. I can't imagine someone actually liking this movie. Me? I'd rather have all my teeth pulled without painkillers than ever watch this movie again.
Occupation 101 (2006)
impressive if biased documentary
I've been interested in the situation in the Middle East for years. It started when I read a book by a dutch parliamentarian/writer on Gaza. I thought it was probably not true. I didn't believe the situation could be that bad. Well, I was wrong as I learned from years of reading books on the subject and following the news via newspapers and internet. So there's not much surprising for me in this documentary. It depicts life for Palestinians in the Westbank and Gaza. Which is far from a normal life because they live and have lived for decades under occupation. It's a pretty miserable life too. Land taken away, bypass roads on which Palestinians are not allowed to drive, numerous checkpoints and constant land-confiscations. This documentary shows it all from, it has to be said, a strictly Palestinian/Arab point of view. In that sense it is easy for Pro-Israeli's to dismiss this documentary because it's not balanced. Still, I think everyone even a little bit interested in the subject should watch this. It just might give you a new perspective on one of the most hotly contested areas in the world.
Valkyrie (2008)
Entertaining history-lesson
I'm not a big Tom Cruise fan. I think he has a tendency to play the same characters usually a bit too heroic. And don't get me started on Scientology. However putting all this aside, I actually enjoyed his latest movie. I am interested in history and I know most there is to know about WW II. So I knew about Von Stauffenberg and his attempt to kill Hitler. I also remember seeing a documentary some years ago about the fate of some of those accused of participating in the attempt. A pretty gruesome fate ( they were tortured and hung on meat-hooks after being humilitated by 'judge' Freisler.) This didn't happen to Von Stauffenberg, he was quickly executed along with some accomplices. So we know the attempt failed. Does that mean this is a dull movie? No! Actually you keep kinda hoping for a different ending. I didn't know that the conspirators actually tried to secure Berlin. The movie looks great and authentic. The actors are dependable and Cruise? Cruise is quite good really. He doesn't speak good German so I didn't mind that the movie was spoken English. Some questions do remain....like why had Fromm Von Stauffenberg and some accomplices so quickly executed against Hitler's orders? It cost him his own life eventually. Why did Olbricht wait to declare operation Valkyrie? Nevertheless this is an entertaining lesson in modern history.
Oorlogswinter (2008)
a boy at war
Michiel is the son of the major of a small dutch town. It's 1944, the infamous hunger-winter. Michiel is not too impressed with his father's behavior, he thinks his father is too friendly to the German occupiers. Than one evening an English plane crashes. A couple of days later Michiel finds the hideout of the surviving English pilot. This sets in motion a series of dramatic events. I really liked this movie. The atmosphere was sombre, the acting fine. All actors ( with the exception of Tygo Gernandt in a needless cameo-appearance) were completely believable. It's not as flashy as Black Book for instance, but this is a terrific dutch movie. True some of the twists in the story are predictable but still highly recommended.
Mamma Mia! (2008)
lovely, just lovely
Set on a gorgeous Greek island this is the tale of a mother Donna ( Meryl Streep ) who has raised her daughter Sophie ( Amanda Seyfried) alone. When Sophie is about to get married to Sky ( Dominic Cooper) she somehow gets hold of Donna's diary. There are 3 possible fathers, Bill ( Stellan Skarsgaard) Harry ( Colin Firth) and Sam ( Pierce Brosnan) Sophie invites the 3 possible fathers and the day before she is to be married they arrive! The ( still great ) ABBA songs are fairly natural woven into the very thin storyline. It is such a nice experience to see a great actress like Meryl Streep in such a role. And she really can sing. There is nothing this woman can't do. If you are into really deep movies and hate ABBA, this is not for you. If you are into a very light fun-filled and absolutely entertaining movie, this is the one for you! The ladies do a better job at singing than the men. My favorite songs were 'lay all your love on me' and the Winner takes it all! Oh and stay during the titles after the movie finishes for 2 more treats!
The Bone Collector (1999)
Chilling yes, brilliant no!
Denzel Washington plays Lincoln Rhyme, a brilliant homicide detective who's paralyzed after a job gone wrong. When an influential couple gets kidnapped and the husband is found dead his former colleagues turn to Lincoln to help them make sense of the evidence. They are joined by Angelina Jolie, a street-cop who managed to stop a train in order to preserve the evidence on the tracks. Soon it turns out they are trailing a gruesome murderer who leaves pieces of evidence at the scene of the crime to dare the police to stop him. This is a dark thriller yet not a very original one! There are a couple of gruesome murder scenes. I was particularly startled by ( WARNING SPOILERS) the case of the NYU student who is tied up in a former slaughterhouse, his leg gets torn open by the killer and the blood attracts rats. Lots of rats....the scene where a bold rat attacks first got me jumping in my seat. If you are in for a halfway decent thriller with an always amazing Denzel Washington. This one's for you!
Intensive Care (1991)
from bad to worse
Koen Wouters is a flemish singer and presenter. In the early ninety's he tried his hand on movies as well. But this unbelievable piece of junk ended his acting career once and for all. It also ended the acting career of dutch actress Nada van Nie who went on being a football-wife a TV presenter and program-maker. I actually did see this in an ( almost empty) theatre because I used to be a fan of the band of Koen Wouters, Clouseau. I so regret spending money on it. It looks cheap, it is a terrible story and it is executed bad in every possible way. Some people think it's so bad it's funny. I am not one of them. I just found it an incredible waste of time and money.
Who Will Love My Children? (1983)
simply sad
I was still living with my parents when they aired this on dutch TV. Usually I was the one watching movies with the other's not caring. But somehow we all sat down and watched this movie. This kinda movie used to be aired at Wednesday-evening. It is the story of a woman who'll die soon. But before she dies she wants to make sure her ( many ) kids will have the best possible foster-parents. So we were watching this and my dad ( the most emotional of the four of us) started to cry. I followed almost immediately and before long my sister and mother were teared up too. There we were, totally moved by this simple but heartbreaking story. If you want a good cry, this is the one for you!
Let's Get Harry (1986)
not very good at all......
In Columbia two Americans get kidnapped. One is the US ambassador and the other a plumber named Harry Burck ( Mark Harmon ) from a small town in Illinois. They are kidnapped by a drug-lord who wants some of his men released from a US jail. Harry's friends go to Washington to try and get the government to do something about it. They are stone-walled. Desperate they hire a mercenary ( Robert Duvall ) and head for Columbia to Harry's rescue! Daft idea huh? Yep. But our brave American heroes are determined to save their friend! It could have been a nice action-movie, but it's pretty bad acted and executed. Most actors are sleepwalking. Only Duvall and Gary Busey give slightly inspired performances. Can't really blame the actors though for this is terribly bad written with no logic or interesting dialog at all. Waste of time I'd say.
Spoorloos (1988)
Bad things happen to ordinary people
Meet Saskia and Rex. A young couple, in love and on holiday. During the long drive they get into a bit of a fight. Than they arrive at a gas-station. Saskia goes out to buy some drinks, Rex stays behind to fill up the car! Nothing out of the ordinary you might say, quite rightfully! But than Saskia doesn't return to the car! Rex searches for her but she's gone! We have of course witnessed her helping a wounded man, getting into his car and than he drugs her! But like Rex we are left wondering what happened. The quest for Saskia becomes Rex obsession and sole reason for living. There is a man who can help him, but will Rex be willing to pay the price? Yes it's slow-moving and there's no gore, but what this movie does expertly is getting under your skin. You can't help but be fascinated by Rex'quest which brings him on the trail of the man who knows. In the end Rex will know what has happened to Saskia. And so will we and we will never forget. That's the kind of movie this is. Chilling, the end will freak you out. I know it freaked me out
The Singing Detective (2003)
Surprisingly great movie
I don't have the baggage of having seen the classic TV-series with Michael Gambon! So I watched it without prejudice! A man ( played by a terrific Robert Downey Jr ) Dan Dark is hospitalized with a debilitating skin-disease! He has vivid hallucinations in which he relives one of the cheap detectives he writes for a living! At all times persons burst out singing sweet songs from the fifties! Like "how much is that doggy in the window?" and "Mr Sandman". With the help of a psychotherapist ( Mel Gibson, almost unrecognizable) he tries to stay sane! Dan Dark is a real bastard but somehow you do feel for him. Watching him during his last session with the therapist is fantastic. All actors are great in this hidden gem! Especially Jon Polito and Adrien Brody as a couple of "hoods without a clue". Funny, touching, thrilling. This movie has it all. HIghly recommended!
Iron Man (2008)
Iron man? No Robert Downey Jr the movie
We meet Tony Stark after he is on his way back from showing a newly designed weapon to the military bras in Afganistan. His armored vehicle is attacked, he is seriously wounded and taken captive by terrorists. He survives although he does now need a device to keep shrapnel out of his heart! With the help of another prisoner he eventually manages to escape and he vows that from now on he's going to protect the people he put in harm's way first! This does not sit well with his company after all they've made a fortune designing and selling weapons!So how do you make a fairly standard super-hero something special? Simple! Hire Robert Downey Jr. The man never looked better and with all his real-life antics (now in the past) it's easy to forget that he is this very, very gifted actor! He simply steals the show as playboy go do-gooder! He makes Tony human, he gives the movie lots of dry humor and some really funny slapstick moments! Oh there are other good actors too. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and a completely wasted Terrence Howard! Now try and find a really great story for the sequel and it can only get better! ( and don't even think of a sequel without RDJ )
House M.D. (2004)
highly addictive show
Why on earth would it be fun to watch a complete jerk terrorizing his poor colleagues in a US-hospital? Well beats me but it is! In fact, I think this is one of the most addictive show currently on TV! Dr House is mostly NOT what a good doctor should be! He is rude, uninterested and well a complete ass. He is also quite brilliant! You can't help but feel sorry for the people around him. In fact you would feel sorry for House too if he wasn't so obnoxious. Who would have thought that stiff-upper-lip Brit Hugh Laurie could be so believable as an American doctor? It's consistently fun to watch. The cast is great and the stories are engaging. Highly, very highly recommended!
The Kingdom (2007)
Passable but predictable
A big terror-attack in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia leaves many dead. Since the attack occurred on the compound of a US-colony the FBI wants to go to the Kingdom for an investigation of their own. Somehow they get in. At first they are virtual prisoners of a Saudi police officer who's job it is to "babysit" the FBI team. But after a while they start to trust each other and a real investigation gets underway...well sort of. It starts with a well executed attack-sequence. Than there is not a whole lot of action until the last 30 minutes. On their way to the airport the team is ambushed and one of the members gets kidnapped. What follows is a rush to save him. The actors, with the exception of Jennifer Garner who plays her character too weepy and Chris Cooper who has virtually nothing to do, are great. Especially the two sympathetic ( both Israeli) Arab characters. Jason Bateman is also good, even when the laughs are over when he's kidnapped and destined to be beheaded. Not a boring movie at all, but predictable!
Rendition (2007)
moving and thought-provoking
Imagine you have just been on a plane for 18 hours. You have been on a business trip to South Africa. You are a high-paid professional. You've lived in the US for 20 years. You are in your thirties, you have a wife a little boy and another baby on the way. One thing, even though you have a green card, you are still Egyptian. On transit you are asked to come with 2 security guards, next thing you know you are overpowered, hooded and chained and after a brief ( but still reasonably civil) interrogation you are to be rendered! This is what happens to Anwar el Ibrahimi at the beginning of the movie. His is a story of pain and ( literally )torture. It's one of several story lines. One follows his wife's attempts to get more information. One follows the (cold) bureaucrats behind the rendition. Another story deals with the family of the man who leads the interrogation of Anwar el Ibrahimi. There are some other stories too and by the end they all neatly come together. Though the more famous actors like Reese Witherspoon ( as the distraught pregnant wife ) Jake Gyllenhaal ( as the CIA rookie forced to watch the interrogation in Northern Africa) and Meryl Streep ( as CIA hotshot Corine Whitman) it is really the more unknown actors that carry the story and give it it's heart. For me the actor playing the unfortunate Mr El Ibrahimi ( Omar Metwally ) was the heart and soul of this movie. His portrayal of a man in distress was shockingly well done. It's almost as if he was being tortured for real! Also Israeli actor Yigal Naor was very impressive as the part worried family-man and part extremely cruel chief of torture. Hard to watch and not exactly fun, but still very worthwhile.
The Notebook (2004)
simply beautiful
An old man comes to visit an old woman in a nursery home. She suffers from Alzheimer disease. He sits her down and begins to read a story to her. It's a love-story. It's the story of a dirt-poor but highly strung young man and a rich girl who has the perfect life until she meets Noah Calhoun. They fall in love but of course they cannot be together right away. It takes years before they will actually be together. Well only a stone-hearted person will not be moved by this great little movie. There's no action, there's no special effects. There is just a wonderfully acted heartwarming story about a love that conquers ( almost ) all. All actors are great especially Ryan Gosling though who is totally convincing as the lovestruck young man. Very, very highly recommended. Keep some tissues at hand though.
Kruistocht in spijkerbroek (2006)
great adaption of classic dutch book
Ever since I first read the book Crusade in Jeans I was hoping they would turn it into a movie. And now they finally did. Dolf Vega is a rather selfish teenager. Because of him a crucial soccer-match is lost. His mum is a scientist and she's working on a time machine. Dolf is seeking revenge for his shame and wants to use the machine to get a chance to get even. But things go wrong and he's stranded in the year 1202! The moment he arrives he's almost killed and saved by some children and a young lady. They take him to the children's crusade on its way to Jerusalem. Soon Dolf uses his modern day wit and knowledge for the good of the poor hungry and sick children. Will he ever get back to his own modern life? This is a great adaption of the book. Not completely faithful but very satisfying. The young leads, in fact, everybody is cast really well. The production looks great although some scenery is obviously computer enhanced. The story is captivating and the running time is just right. The only thing that did not satisfy me personally was the ending which was not like in the book and a bit vague. Highly recommended for children and their ( thirty-something ) parents.
De trein van zes uur tien (1999)
smooth thriller
This made for TV movie was one of the first movies in the Dutch 'telemovie' project and whilst it was made back in 1999, I still think it is one of the best. A job is available at the prestigious Dutch Rijksmuseum. Two man are up for the last rounds of talks to get the job. Totally by chance they meet at a party, Onno, in his thirties and unemployed for quite a while now and ýour typical arrogant y(oung) u(rban) p(rofessional) Alex. Onno develops a terrifying scheme to sidetrack Alex. Right before the job-interviews Onno kidnaps Alex. He subdues him with ( too much ) pepperspray and locks him up in the cellar of an old cottage in the middle of nowhere. Alex is led to believe that he is kidnapped because of his father's job at a ministry. When Onno's gotten the job he releases Alex. A couple of years later the fortunes have changed. Alex has been ridiculed after his ordeal and has not managed to get a job. Onno is very successful by now. They meet again when a desperate Alex applies for the job of Onno's assistant. Onno thinks this is his chance to right past wrongs and hires Alex. After all....there is no way Alex could ever find out what happened right? The story is a bit far fetched but it works. The actors do a good job and are very well cast. The script takes a few surprising turns. On and on a very worthwhile watch.
War of the Worlds (2005)
not that great
This is a big budget movie with terrific special fx. No doubt about that. But the first mistake Spielberg made was hiring Tom Cruise. I am sorry, but he's not a very good actor and he turns every movie he is in an Tom Cruise show. But this movie also suffers from too many improbable and illogical events. SPOILERS*** SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***SPOILERS***
OK so the Aliens come and they block electricity and cars. Why is it that mr Cruise is the only one who manages to get a car that is still functioning? When they spent the night at his ex-wife's home a plane comes down. But despite the neighborhood looking savaged it miraculously missed the car. Tom Cruise being able to kill a bigger and more dangerous looking Tim Robbins? I don't think so. The dialog was corny and there was virtually no such thing as a decent and coherent screenplay. And the ending was just corny. I refuse to believe how dumb the aliens turned out to be. Having said that, Dakota Fanning and Tim Robbins were great. And it all looked pretty amazing. If you are going to see it, see it on the big screen which is where it belongs. But don't say you haven't been warned.