How can you sit in a theatre and watch the most astonishing action sequences you've ever seen, then surf to the imdb to tell everyone about your major disappointment? You'd have to be blind to the beauty and the style with which the action scenes and the fights are done. They are way too damn good to feel disappointed.In my opinion also the storyline should not be as easily dismissed as some critics do. The original movie introduced the concept of the Matrix, it was a great strength of that movie since it is such a good concept and we had never seen it before quite like that. It is obviously impossible to introduce it again in the sequel. In fact that is why I initially feared that Reloaded would be a disappointment: how can a movie be interesting if no new concepts have to be developed and the main character is all but omnipotent? But in Reloaded, rather than doing the original movie all over again in a different guise, the story progresses and gives you a larger view of the world of the Matrix.It does not really matter whether or not you buy into the metaphysical dialogue: as long as the world picture presented by the movie is more or less coherent, which it is, it should be interesting for an open-minded viewer to suspend his disbelief and see where the ideas in the movie lead him. This is not to say that the movie should not be criticized; obviously Reloaded is far from perfect: sometimes the dialogue is a bit too pompous; the sex scene might have been a bit shorter, some jokes where a bit childish, Zion is slightly too reminiscent of Star Wars, the image is sometimes too visibly computer-manipulated: all true, but nevertheless such objections are certainly not sufficient to dismiss the Matrix Reloaded, it just has too many qualities.Just keep an open mind, and you'll enjoy what you see!
Reviews
11 Reviews
The Northerners
(1992)
Magic where you least expect it
22 January 2000
Alex van Warmerdam is one of the very few Dutch directors whose films I can bear to watch. He has created a number of very good absurdistic movies (Abel, de Noorderlingen, de Jurk, kleine Teun), of which I liked de Noorderlingen best; its weird scenes are evidence of a wonderfully imaginative and free mind. Van Warmerdam has something of a voyeur, a trait which influences all his movies; what better setting could he choose than a hideously Dutch, `modern' village where all the people are continually spying on each other through their large front windows. Yet if you expect that all magic would have disappeared from such surroundings, think again.... there are fairies in the woods nearby and one inhabitant turns out to be holy.
I can tell you from personal experience that there exist Dutch people with a sense of humour, but if you don't believe me be sure to go and watch this movie.
I can tell you from personal experience that there exist Dutch people with a sense of humour, but if you don't believe me be sure to go and watch this movie.
The Straight Story
(1999)
Beautiful and delightful
4 December 1999
This film has no sex or violence, no fast action, hardly a storyline to speak of, yet it has everything a good movie needs. You might say this is an overly sentimental movie, but somehow I just loved the sentiment which was well carried by the actors. It is visually stunning and clearly shows how great a director Lynch is. The music score is very good (although I would have left out just a few of the repeats). It is occasionally very funny.
In short, this movie is good for your soul. Go see it.
In short, this movie is good for your soul. Go see it.
The Matrix
(1999)
Gripping movie with interesting but imperfect plot
24 June 1999
All the images of the Matrix were very powerful, with much eye for detail, and the special effects were subtle, not overdone but masterful. Here and there, the story was somewhat cliche, I thought. The prophecy of 'The One' who would 'set humanity free' sounded a bit like Star Wars, if you see what I mean. Also, without wanting to give away too much, there were elements in the of human-machine interaction that were not very convincing... if you start to think about it. But it was only when I left the cinema that I started to think about the weak spots in the plot. Of course there is plenty of unbounded violence that accompanies this film which doesn't really appeal to me. It seems to go with American cinema somehow. I'd appreciate it if they'd stop that. Having said that, there were moments in this film that left me gasping. But... you can't be told what The Matrix is. Go and see for yourself!
The Dreamlife of Angels
(1998)
Good movie, but so sad...
5 May 1999
I found this movie very powerful, a simple story with a large impact. Isa and Marie are friends with no money and not many chances. Still they are very different in spirit. Marie seems to hate herself a lot... the consequences of which I found quite unbearable to watch. Go there only if you can handle some more misery than your own.
Star Trek: Insurrection
(1998)
Loved this movie
13 February 1999
I won't tell you about the plot of this picture, firstly because there's not much of it, and secondly because I feel it's a bit beside the point of this film.
Also, please understand that I think the whole star trek idea, is for hundreds of reasons, not only physically impossible (matter-antimatter converters! Sound in space!) but also, if you ignore all of this, which I do, very, very improbable (as if responsible people would send out away teams to the surface of a hostile planet without checking for dangerous viruses!)
So, you can criticize all you want about these aspects of the film, and I'd probably agree with you.
What I loved about Insurrection: for one, the whole film was so thoroughly made. The acting was good, it was well-paced, the images were very beautifully conceived, none of the dialogues were rusty, there was a lot of sentiment but it was convincing. Second, it was (I felt) more personal than the usual TNG stuff; I felt as if the characters in the movie stood a fair chance of actually changing. Riker and Picard get to have very pleasing love affairs, which for once, I found beautiful instead of plastic. And for once, their women don't die by the end of the movie. Data actually gets crazy. Worf restarts his puberty... I loved the humour of the film as well.
Comparing 'Insurrection' to the other TNG movies: I thought 'Generations' was really bad. I found this film matched the quality of First Contact, but it was different in that there was not as much violence, which I enjoyed because I hate violence, but some of you will probably miss that.
Apparently, Jonathan Frakes knows how to direct. It also seems the actors enjoyed doing this movie. I rated this movie 8, which means: it's not art, but apart from that it has everything.
Also, please understand that I think the whole star trek idea, is for hundreds of reasons, not only physically impossible (matter-antimatter converters! Sound in space!) but also, if you ignore all of this, which I do, very, very improbable (as if responsible people would send out away teams to the surface of a hostile planet without checking for dangerous viruses!)
So, you can criticize all you want about these aspects of the film, and I'd probably agree with you.
What I loved about Insurrection: for one, the whole film was so thoroughly made. The acting was good, it was well-paced, the images were very beautifully conceived, none of the dialogues were rusty, there was a lot of sentiment but it was convincing. Second, it was (I felt) more personal than the usual TNG stuff; I felt as if the characters in the movie stood a fair chance of actually changing. Riker and Picard get to have very pleasing love affairs, which for once, I found beautiful instead of plastic. And for once, their women don't die by the end of the movie. Data actually gets crazy. Worf restarts his puberty... I loved the humour of the film as well.
Comparing 'Insurrection' to the other TNG movies: I thought 'Generations' was really bad. I found this film matched the quality of First Contact, but it was different in that there was not as much violence, which I enjoyed because I hate violence, but some of you will probably miss that.
Apparently, Jonathan Frakes knows how to direct. It also seems the actors enjoyed doing this movie. I rated this movie 8, which means: it's not art, but apart from that it has everything.
The English Patient
(1996)
Warning! Stressful kitsch! Avoid this movie!
13 February 1999
Don't read this if you love this movie, or sentimental movies in general, as it would only make you angry. No offense intended, I just hate this movie. And it's not because I'm any prototype macho American male or something.
The point is, you don't get to know any of the characters in this film. Yet you have to watch the many tragedies they suffer for a very, very long time.
Why do we see so many suffering people without any message, without any point to their suffering, any reason for it? I already know the world is a hard place to be in, I don't go to a cinema and pay to see someone else make a statement to that effect.
And why do these two characters suddenly start to sleep together? They don't even know each other and we have to believe their love is so strong and deep. It seemed perverse to me. Not that I have anything against sudden bouts of sex or against innocent perversion, but please if you're making a pretentious movie make sure that you don't depict it as True Love.
Conclusion: The images are professional but the film is emotionally very twisted, and the music was disgusting. Vote: a 1. This is the worst kind: pretentious yet unhealthy and manipulative.
The point is, you don't get to know any of the characters in this film. Yet you have to watch the many tragedies they suffer for a very, very long time.
Why do we see so many suffering people without any message, without any point to their suffering, any reason for it? I already know the world is a hard place to be in, I don't go to a cinema and pay to see someone else make a statement to that effect.
And why do these two characters suddenly start to sleep together? They don't even know each other and we have to believe their love is so strong and deep. It seemed perverse to me. Not that I have anything against sudden bouts of sex or against innocent perversion, but please if you're making a pretentious movie make sure that you don't depict it as True Love.
Conclusion: The images are professional but the film is emotionally very twisted, and the music was disgusting. Vote: a 1. This is the worst kind: pretentious yet unhealthy and manipulative.
12 Monkeys
(1995)
A moving tragedy - very good craftsmanship
3 February 1999
This beautifully constructed movie is one of the saddest I have seen for a long time.
James Cole (Bruce Willis) lives in a prison cell in a world where there is only 1% left of the current population. People live underground then to hide from the virus that killed the others; the earth belongs to the animals once more. Cole is used by a bunch of pretty weird scientists to gather more information about the virus for which they are trying to create an innoculation. One way of doing this is by sending him back through time to get more information.
There is one mistake I think in the time travel element of the movie: when Kathryn makes her phone call to the future, the content of that call is already known to Cole, who has had it played back to him. But a second call, that he himself makes later on in the movie, hasn't been received in the future until he makes the actual call. This seemed inconsistent in an otherwise very solid plot. The acting was reasonable but not amazing, I thought Brad Pitt wasn't that convincing, but the performance of Bruce Willis and most of all one particular red-haired man really impressed me.
Oh but forget about this chatter and go see the movie - it's a masterpiece.
James Cole (Bruce Willis) lives in a prison cell in a world where there is only 1% left of the current population. People live underground then to hide from the virus that killed the others; the earth belongs to the animals once more. Cole is used by a bunch of pretty weird scientists to gather more information about the virus for which they are trying to create an innoculation. One way of doing this is by sending him back through time to get more information.
There is one mistake I think in the time travel element of the movie: when Kathryn makes her phone call to the future, the content of that call is already known to Cole, who has had it played back to him. But a second call, that he himself makes later on in the movie, hasn't been received in the future until he makes the actual call. This seemed inconsistent in an otherwise very solid plot. The acting was reasonable but not amazing, I thought Brad Pitt wasn't that convincing, but the performance of Bruce Willis and most of all one particular red-haired man really impressed me.
Oh but forget about this chatter and go see the movie - it's a masterpiece.
Dark Star
(1974)
The other side of space travel - best SF I know
3 February 1999
A bunch of the most bored men you've ever seen are on the scoutship Dark Star completely against their will. Why is unknown. Their task is seemingly to either "search for intelligent life", or to destroy "unstable planets" so that their solar systems become "ready for colonisation".
Well, the crew did find some intelligent life in the past. That's one of the reasons why, when the crew is deciding upon a new course, the ships commander hisses "Don't give me that intelligent life crap! Give me something I can blow up!"
To make things worse, the men find that they age much slower than they did back on Earth. They look forward to being trapped on their spaceship for more than a lifetime. They are very homesick and dream of Earth when they play their country tape.
Trouble starts when a meteor storm disturbs some of the ship's equipment and one of those wiseass bombs can't be released, and refuses to be disarmed...
The plot is terrific, both very subtle and very funny. I love the coy voice of the ship's computer who is like a mother to Pinback. "Attention... Attention... Ship's computer to lieutenant Pinback... it is now time for lieutenant Pinback to feed the alien." This is not a pleasant job for Pinback, because the alien, a being that somewhat resembles a beach ball, gives him a very hard time indeed....
The small budgeting only contributes to the run-down atmosphere of the ship. It wouldn't have been such a good movie if it had been made with more money.
If you happen to like this kind of humour, like I do: it's perfect.
Well, the crew did find some intelligent life in the past. That's one of the reasons why, when the crew is deciding upon a new course, the ships commander hisses "Don't give me that intelligent life crap! Give me something I can blow up!"
To make things worse, the men find that they age much slower than they did back on Earth. They look forward to being trapped on their spaceship for more than a lifetime. They are very homesick and dream of Earth when they play their country tape.
Trouble starts when a meteor storm disturbs some of the ship's equipment and one of those wiseass bombs can't be released, and refuses to be disarmed...
The plot is terrific, both very subtle and very funny. I love the coy voice of the ship's computer who is like a mother to Pinback. "Attention... Attention... Ship's computer to lieutenant Pinback... it is now time for lieutenant Pinback to feed the alien." This is not a pleasant job for Pinback, because the alien, a being that somewhat resembles a beach ball, gives him a very hard time indeed....
The small budgeting only contributes to the run-down atmosphere of the ship. It wouldn't have been such a good movie if it had been made with more money.
If you happen to like this kind of humour, like I do: it's perfect.
Event Horizon
(1997)
this movie is in very bad taste
2 February 1999
The movie reminded me of Hellraiser a bit. I once had the misfortune to see Hellraiser II (or III - can't remember). If you are into that kind of thing: go see Hellraiser, not this movie.
Story: you've got this spaceship that goes through a wormhole and comes back taking a bit of Hell with it. Lots of shock-effects. Eeek! A corpse. Aarg! Blood everywhere. Whooo: people on fire. And why not include a mad scientist.
I like science fiction movies if they feature original ideas. I hoped this one would but it doesn't. I recommend you watch John Carpenter's Dark Star.
Story: you've got this spaceship that goes through a wormhole and comes back taking a bit of Hell with it. Lots of shock-effects. Eeek! A corpse. Aarg! Blood everywhere. Whooo: people on fire. And why not include a mad scientist.
I like science fiction movies if they feature original ideas. I hoped this one would but it doesn't. I recommend you watch John Carpenter's Dark Star.
Ponette
(1996)
brilliant movie in everything but the ending
2 February 1999
Warning: Spoilers
Four year old Ponette loses her mother in a car crash and has to cope with the loss. Her pain is great, and she finds little support from the other adults around her. Her father seems very confused and drives off to some undefined place very soon after the accident. His conversations with her make him seem pushy and scared, he is generally unable to take care of her. Every adult seems to have a different opinion about what happens to people when they die, and so do the children she meets at school.
Ponette obviously doesn't understand what has happened and tries to conjure her mother back into life. The other children tell her horrible stories or are completely insensitive at some times, but at other moments some make good friends. I was amazed by this movie: I much admired the brilliant acting and the very understandable psychology at work in everything that transpired.
But then suddenly, in the last ten minutes of the movie, something happens that just doesn't ring true. I won't give away the details for those who are prepared to be disappointed and want to see the film to the end; but I can tell you it will be a happy end (albeit not for me), for Ponette suddenly undergoes a transformation after which she has found back her joy in life. The movie doesn't provide a clue as to why Ponette would suddenly be able to let go of her pain. It is not as if she has something terribly good to live for, nor has she learned to give her pain a place in her life. None of the religious questions that are touched in the story are answered, it is as if someone has pushed a switch to make her happy. I found the sudden abundance of morality and philosophy in the last few minutes very annoying as well. I was caring for this child! I didn't need to be told fancy phrases, just what really happened to poor Ponette...
Ponette obviously doesn't understand what has happened and tries to conjure her mother back into life. The other children tell her horrible stories or are completely insensitive at some times, but at other moments some make good friends. I was amazed by this movie: I much admired the brilliant acting and the very understandable psychology at work in everything that transpired.
But then suddenly, in the last ten minutes of the movie, something happens that just doesn't ring true. I won't give away the details for those who are prepared to be disappointed and want to see the film to the end; but I can tell you it will be a happy end (albeit not for me), for Ponette suddenly undergoes a transformation after which she has found back her joy in life. The movie doesn't provide a clue as to why Ponette would suddenly be able to let go of her pain. It is not as if she has something terribly good to live for, nor has she learned to give her pain a place in her life. None of the religious questions that are touched in the story are answered, it is as if someone has pushed a switch to make her happy. I found the sudden abundance of morality and philosophy in the last few minutes very annoying as well. I was caring for this child! I didn't need to be told fancy phrases, just what really happened to poor Ponette...
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