Stateside is a movie that shows glimpses of what could have been an emotional and intense drama, but which ultimately left me cold. It deals with a spoiled rich kid who causes a serious car accident, leaving his local Catholic priest paralyzed. His influential father is able to keep him out of jail, but only if he agrees to join the army. Reluctantly the kid agrees, gets the rough treatment from his drill sergeant (a pretty good role by Val Kilmer) who does not like spoiled little rich kids. Then during one of the times when he is on leave he meets with a girl who suffers from schizophrenia, falls for her with a passion and sees that same passion returned. He does not seem to realize how mentally sick his new lover is, though, which leads to much heartbreak.
It’s all not as sugary as it sounds, but it’s not really involving either.
Review: Sky High
I've always wondered why there are no superheroes in real life. They are so present in everyday popular culture, that you would expect that there would at least be one person who dons a cape like Batman and then goes on to fight crime. You know, some rich millionaire who is bored with his everyday life (murdered parents optional), who then builds a cave in his basement and starts using all sorts of high tech gadgetry to put a stop to violence. Or at least somebody in a spandex suit who climbs on top of a high building and then yells: Evildoers, beware! However, no matter how many movies, videogames and comic books are published about superheroes. nobody has shown the guts to become a superhero of their own. A shame, really, but then again, when you see a movie like Sky High you are happy that superheroes don't exist after all.
DVD-Review: Herbie Fully Loaded
[dvd, reviews] I've always liked the Herbie movies. I can remember seeing the old ones as a kid and finding them hilarious. Sure, they were a little bit predictable and a little too sweet here and there, but whenever they were shown on TV I made sure to check them out, no matter how many times I had seen them before. Of course, I mostly liked the movies with the original driver, Dean Jones, in them. Later movies with other actors just did not feel the same, so I was a little worried about this remake, even though it has a pretty cool cast of actors. Well, I shouldn't have worried: Herbie still has the moves to make me smile.
Review: Steamboy
[animation, movie reviews] Anime movies are known for their imaginative settings and original storylines. While Western animated movies often hark back to ideas used many times before, Japanese animators fill their pictures with many unique elements. Sometimes these elements can get a little bit incomprehensible and it has happened to me more than once that I lost track of what was really going on, but it has only happened rarely that I finished watching an anime and did not feel exhilerated by all the fresh ideas. Steamboy is a good example of a movie where story and setting are combined to bring something new. It is not successful for the full running time but, then again, it also definitely isn't boring!
Review: A History of Violence
[movie reviews] A History of Violence is an intriguing movie. It starts off with a bang and several people dying, and in the end the amount of severed body parts and litres of spilled blood are so high that you could be forgiven for thinking this is some sort of exploitation flick. However, A History of Violence is nothing like that, instead trying to give an insight into the life of a man whose life has always been influenced heavily by violence.
War of the Worlds review
Watching War of the Worlds was a frustrating experience. The movie starts off brilliantly, with lots of tension, great effects and plenty of "oh shit, did you see that?"-moments. However, as the running time drew longer, my interest started to fade away, completely dissapearing at the contrived ending that was met with a collective groan from everybody in the cinema. It's a shame that director Steven Spielberg let such a brilliant premise slip through his hands like this.
Batman Begins review
Director Christopher Nolan has done the impossible. He has taken the Batman-franchise, which was buried by Joel Schumacher's horrible Batman and Robin, and given it new life. Not just that, but with Batman Begings he has crafted the ultimate superhero movie. It's true to the origins and tone of the comic, but is not just for Batfans. By going back to the beginning and telling Batman's origin, Nolan has kickstarted a franchise that will hopefully have a long and successful life.
Madagascar review
Watching Madagascar was a great experience. Not only is it a really enjoyable movie, but it's also one that hits all the right notes. All the people present at the showing that I attended had a good time, some people laughing at almost anything that happened on the screen, and almost everybody waiting till after the credits to see if there would be any surprises waiting. Madagascar is Dreamworks' most enjoyable animated movie since the first Shrek, and even though it is far from perfect, it at times manages to outdo it's illustrious stablemate. Read the review here...
Classic review: The Princess Bride
The eighties were good years to be a movie loving kid. Instead of having to sit through the sort of bland family entertainment that crowds the cinemas nowadays, you had great movies like The Goonies, Gremlins and Back to the Future to go see at the theaters again and again. One of the true classics of the eighties is The Princess Bride, an adventure movie that is so perfect, that it should almost be required viewing for anybody planning on making a family movie. Read the full review here...
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