00s Movie Review - Terug Naar de Kust

Director: Will Koopman
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Linda de Mol, Huub Stapel, Pierre Bokma, Daan Schuurmans, Ariane Schluter, Jaap Spijkers, Stefan de Walle, Koen de Bouw

Description: Maria (Linda de Mol) tries to escape a stalker by moving with her children to her sister’s isolated beach house.

Review: “Terug Naar de Kust” is a movie based on the novel written by the Dutch bestselling author Saskia Noort. She decided director Will Koopman would be the best choice to adapt it to the big screen, together with her husband Lex Wertwijn, who is a screenwriter and cameraman. And where the book has a lot of tension, the movie lacks it and somehow the story lost its edge too.
Maria Vos is the mother of two and has a relationship with the impetuous Geert, with whom she plays in a band. However, the relationship between the two is very tense and she ends it. When Maria discovers she is pregnant, she decides to have an abortion. Shortly afterwards she receives a number of bizarre anonymous messages, in which she is called a murderer and gets death threats. The police advise her to ‘disappear’ for a while, when they investigate the case. Maria leaves to stay with her older sister Ans, who owns a villa by the sea. There too, however, she finds no rest; she is confronted with traumatic childhood memories, and her mental health seems to deteriorate further and further.
Director Koopman has been given a considerable cast for her feature debut. Of course there is Linda de Mol, very loved in The Netherlands and a gifted actress. In addition, she managed to stand tall against Huub Stapel (with a relatively small role) who is probably one of the best actors in The Netherlands. And there is also Ariane Schluter, Pierre Bokman and Daan Schuurmans to accompany them. With such a great star cast, little can go wrong when it comes to acting. You might say. Nevertheless, Koopman hardly manages to let any of them come to full bloom. De Mol for example, acts way below her level and Stapel has little to work with to make an impact. Schuurmans does his best and is good, the relationship between his character Geert and Maria comes off as forced and is unbelievable.
The plot lacks tension, there a too long uninteresting segments and a climax that you could see coming from a mile away. The entire film is just not captivating enough. With such source material, which did have tension and was interesting and surprising, it’s really a mystery why this movie didn’t work.

Rating: 2 / 5

Ranking the Franchise - Cornetto Trilogy (Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy)

Probably my most favorite trilogy of all-time is the so-called Cornetto trilogy, containing of the three films directed by Edgar Wright and starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. They are some of the funniest, smartest, cleverest and most inventive comedies you will ever see. It’s British humor, not so much in-your-face, and that’s just my kind of comedy. Even though it’s not a trilogy with sequels, since it’s three separate stories where Pegg and Frost play different characters, it is a trilogy and I can share with you what I think about them. It’s also the hardest ranking I had to do, because I want to put them all at the number one positions (since I rated all of them 5 out of 5). But I eventually did come up with a top 3.

3. The World’s End (2013)
This final part of a loosely connected trilogy focuses on five childhood friends who, twenty years after a failed pub crawl in their hometown, make a new attempt. But in the old village not everything turns out to be okay. It’s an unconventional mix of nostalgic tragicomedy and sci-fi-spectacular, with a strong cast, infectious humor and cleverly choreographed action and fight scenes.

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Shaun suffers greatly from the breakup with his girlfriend Liz. His roommate Ed doesn’t have much, he’s too busy gaming, drinking and other shenanigans. Yet Ed turns out to be handy to have around, when residents of a suburb of London appear to suffer from a zombie virus. It’s the first film in the trilogy, with subtle hints and great visual humor.

1. Hot Fuzz
In Sanford, ominous things happen. The gardens are too neat, the facades too clean. No town can become ‘Village of the Year” three times in a row, without a bad practice behind it. Policeman Danny Butterman and his over-ambitious colleague Nicholas Angel are investigating. It’s a cheerful, humorous film with a great eye for detail, in which melancholy uncomfortable and masterly jokes alternate.

10s Movie Review - The Fundamentals of Caring

Director: Rob Burnett

Genre: Comedy/ Drama

Runtime: 97 minutes

Year: 2016

Starring: Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, Selena Gomez, Megan Ferguson, Jennifer Ehle, Bobby Cannavale, Julia Denton

Description: A man (Paul Rudd) suffering a family loss enrolls in a class about care-giving that changes his perspective on life.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE

WEEK 32: A NETFLIX ORIGINAL FILM

Review: “The Fundamentals of Caring” is a Netflix Original film about Ben and Trevor. After a terrible tragedy and a divorce, Ben decides to go to work as a care-giver for the eighteen-year-old Trevor. The cheeky teenager is in a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy and does exactly the same thing day in day out. He has breakfast at the same time every day with waffles and sausages, he watches the same TV show every day and goes to the park from one to four once a week. Ben wants to get Trevor out of his rut by going on a road trip together.

It's inevitable not to think of movies like “Intouchables” and “Me Before You” when you start watching “The Fundamentals of Caring”. But it wouldn’t be fair to compare them with each other. So I will not, because this movie has a lot good things to be said about.

Despite the fact that “The Fundamentals of Caring” deals with heavy subject matter, it never becomes a heavy film. Everything is played out very light-hearted and funny. And it has a great balance between serious and funny.

Paul Rudd is one of those actors you can impossibly dislike. He is one of the most loveable actors in Hollywood and I always enjoy watching him. He fits his role perfectly and I really loved him in this. Selena Gomez, on the other hand, comes off as a bit annoying at times. But she is in the film just enough to not be bothered by it completely.

The concept might not be original, because it has been done before and it has been done better. But “The Fundamentals of Caring” is a really strong film, that I would probably rewatch at some point. A hidden gem on Netflix.

Rating: 4/ 5

90s Movie Review - Clueless

Director: Amy Heckerling

Genre: Comedy/ Romance

Runtime: 97 minutes

Year: 1995

Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Wallace Shawn, Breckin Meyer, Jeremy Sisto, Dan Hedaya

Description: Rich high school student Cher (Alicia Silverstone) tries to boost a new pupil's popularity, but reckons without affairs of the heart getting in the way.

Review: “Clueless” is a teen comedy directed by Amy Heckerling, who was also responsible for “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. You could see “Clueless” as a satire, that is loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel “Emma”.

If there is someone that belongs in the ‘in-crowd’, it’s Cher Horowitz. She is almost sixteen, rich and very popular. Some might think she is shallow, but selfish… Anyone can go to her for advice about the more important things in life, like dating, shopping and looks. Cher and her best friend Dionne decide to give new girl Tai a make-over, because Tai is totally clueless. But that causes for a lot of unwanted change in Cher’s life.

Cher is played by Alicia Silverstone, who broke through with this role. She is perfect for the role. You could say it’s all very over the top, but that’s what suits this film.

“Clueless” is a fun film and a favorite with the girls who were teens themselves when the movie came out. The dialogues are catchy and some of the teen problems are pretty recognizable.

“Clueless” has it all: charm, intelligence, humor and romance. It’s a shallow film with layers and a healthy dose teen humor. No matter how many times you see it, “Clueless” entertains me every time.

Rating: 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Howl's Moving Castle

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Animation/ Adventure/ Romance/ Fantasy

Runtime: 119 minutes

Year: 2004

Starring: Christian Bale, Jeanne Simmons, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal, Blythe Danner, Lauren Bacall, Josh Hutcherson, Jena Malone

Description: When an unconfident young woman (Emily Mortimer) is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch (Lauren Bacall), her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard (Christian Bale) and his companions in his legged, walking castle.  

Review: Within the field of Japanese animated film or anime there is an enormous variety of genres, and a dazzling difference in quality. While Foxkids daily bombards youthful viewers with yet another uninspired Pokémon clone, films from the renowned Studio Ghibli are screened at prestigious film festivals. Hayao Miyazaki is considered the master within the anime world, and rightly so. “Howl’s Moving Castle”, an adaptation of the book by British fantasy author Diana Wynne Jones, will not achieve a classis status, but is again a wonderful animation.

“Howl’s Moving Castle” is set in an imaginary Central European kingdom at the beginning of the 20^th century, a fairy tale variant of Austria or Hungary. The worlds of magic and industry are still intertwined: while people are already moving by steam train and flying machine, the enigmatic wizard Howl hides his walking castle amidst the misty mountains. That castle is a true piece of Miyazaki’s art: a giant, pulsating huddle of metal and wood, held together and propelled by a demonic force.

The timid young seamstress Sophie accidentally comes into contact with Howl himself, and is therefore transformed by his enemy, the Witch of the Waste, into an ancient female. To break the spell, she sets off in her new form on her way to the mountains: to find Howl, or another magician who can break her spell.

As an old Sophie finds out that although her body no longer cooperates, she has suddenly become a lot more balanced and is no longer surprised by a lot of things. She finds Howl’s castle and in no time at all makes herself a housekeeper. Together with the little boy Markl and the fire demon Calcifer, she forms the entourage of the charming but freaky Howl, who sets off at night to face the advancing war in the region. Little by little, Sophie finds out what magical powers are at work in the kingdom and what the alliance between Howl and Calcifer means. And as always with Miyazaki, hardly anyone is who he seems at first sight.

Another ingredient in every Miyazaki movie are the wonderful and often funny characters, and in “Howl’s Moving Castle” too. An absolute favorite is Calcifer, the mighty demon that sees itself reduced to a cozy fire. He is hilarious and endearing at the same time. But the contrast withing the main characters is great. Especially Howl remains a sketchy figure who does not really come to life, even though he is provided with a complex background story. Why he cares so much about the war and what all this has to do with his monstrous side, remains in the dark. There are many elements and characters in the film that are not really well-executed. This makes the story more obscure. The film loses a bit of logic towards the end.  

All this does not alter the fact that “Howl’s Moving Castle” is still worth watching. It’s not a masterpiece, like many of Miyazaki’s films are, but it can still easily enchant an audience with its beautiful animation and images.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Tale of the Princess Kaguya

Director: Isao Takahata

Genre: Animation/ Drama/ Fantasy/ Adventure

Runtime: 137 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Chlöe Grace Moretz, James Caan, Mary Steenburgen, James Marsden, John Cho, Beau Bridges, Dean Cain, Darren Criss, Lucy Liu, Oliver Platt

Description: Found inside a shining stalk of bamboo by an old bamboo cutter (James Caan) and his wife (Mary Steenburgen), a tiny girl (Chlöe Grace Moretz) grows rapid fast into an exquisite young lady. The mysterious young princess enthralls all who encounter her, but ultimately must confront her fate, the punishment for her crime.  

 Review: A farmer finds a tiny princess in a bamboo plant, takes her home and soon she’s turned into a human baby. It all happened without any commotion in the first few minutes. Where Disney would accompany it with sparkling star rains and magical music, in “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” is brought as something familiar and logical. It’s a true fairytale from Studio Ghibli.

The young Kaguya grows up as a normal child on the farmland, but her adoptive parents understand that they are dealing with royalty and only want the very best for her. Father and mother address their child with greatness and take her to the big city to make her a full-fledged princess. In the meantime, the child herself has nothing to contribute. She does not want to get married at all, but in order not to disappoint her proud father, she agrees to choose from a number of selected noblemen.

That this search for love is actually a little too long and predictable can be taken for granted, because the rest of this fairy tale is beautiful. When more is known about Kaguya’s background, the film gains strength to end in a deeply movie scene.

Director Isao Takahata, best known for “Grave of the Fireflies”, gives the message to be merciful and supportive towards each other in the last act, but puts a lot more in his film through symbolism. References to the story of Jesus Christ and other religions for example.

Apart from symbolism and fantasy elements, “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya” is above all a drama in which human emotions such as mercy and melancholy are central. This is recognizable for everyone. in addition, the animations department provides a number of beautiful scenes. Not everyone might like the style, since it’s more outlined art or sketch-like, with a more limited color palette. But I think it looks beautiful.

If you’re a fan of Studio Ghibli movies, you should not miss this one.

Rating: 4/ 5

80s Movie Review - The Terminator

Director: James Cameron

Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Thriller

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 1984

Starring: Arnold Schwarzengger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Winfield, Bess Motta, Earl Boen, Rick Rossovish, Dick Miller, Shawn Schepps, Bruce M. Kerner, Franco Columbu, Bill Paxton, Brad Rearden, Brian Thompson

Description: A human soldier (Michael Biehn) is sent from 2029 to 1984 to stop an almost indestructible cyborg killing machine (Arnold Schwarzenegger), sent from the same year, which has been programmed to execute a young woman (Linda Hamilton) whose unborn son is the key to humanity’s future salvation.

Review: Who would have dared to think that “The Terminator” would be a successful classic that still has a huge fan base to this day. The film directed by James Cameron was launched in the 80s as a B-movie, but the success was unprecedented. I am also a huge fan of the film, partly thanks to the special effects that were amazing at the time. And of course the way Arnold Schwarzenegger portrays the murderous cyborg, what eventually became his most iconic role.

Young Sarah Connor becomes the target of a maniacal cyborg who was sent to the past to murder the mother of the future resistance leader John Connor. In the future mankind will fight against murderous machines that seized power after a nuclear war. The resistance sends soldier Kyle Reese to the past to protect the unsuspecting Sarah and eliminate the ruthless cybernetic organism.

It was Schwarzenegger’s breakthrough role and since then it’s hard to picture anyone else in the role. Because he wasn’t director James Cameron’s first choice. Not, everyone knows Schwarzenegger and his most memorable role, even if they never saw any of the Terminator films.

The film is over 30 years old and the action film still impresses. Especially the scene in the dance club is very iconic and well-crafted. “The Terminator” is a dark and exciting film that contains a depressing atmosphere and bombastic action. It’s a great film that entertains from start to finish. I still think the sequel from 1991 is better, but “The Terminator” is, without a doubt, one of the best sci-fi action films out there.

Rating: 4,5 / 5