Films about how elderly people conceive love and romance are usually ones with potential. This one, however, isn't. The main problem with this film is the poor character development, making all characters extremely unsympathetic and impossible to sense empathy for as a viewer. Especially Werner, the stereotypical old grump in this show, is extremely selfish and only makes the viewer feel hatred towards him, instead of sympathy. In a final act of selfishness, he takes his own life, taking his unsympatheticness to a whole new level. One of the worst films to come out of Germany recently: you can get a lot more value for your buck at your local movie theater than this.
Reviews
5 Reviews
Cloud 9
(2008)
Lots of potential, systematically ruined by poor character development.
27 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Hot Fuzz
(2007)
When comedy masterminds reunite...
21 December 2007
Wow. Just wow. That was my reaction the first time I had finished watching "Shaun of the Dead", the masterpiece that had put British comedy on the map again in a large scale. Perfect casting, extremely original storytelling resulted in the making of a one-of-a-kind "rom zom com", as it was affectionately called by its cast and crew.
When I first heard the cast and crew were going to reunite to make another film, my expectations were soring to previously unexplored heights. The thing that appeals to me most in Wright's work is that he doesn't make stale parodies, but actual homages to the genre he's focusing on at that particular time. "Shaun" was a great visual representation of how a five-star zombie movie scenario might take place in a London suburb, and in "Hot Fuzz" they try and figure out how a huge Hollywood action movie might look in the small countryside village of Stanford.
The movie starts off a bit slow for the first twenty-or-so minutes, but the same could very well be said for "Shaun". Wright takes his time to unfold the storyline and get all pieces set up for the actual events that shake the very foundations of the rustic little village. After the first half hour, the movie starts flying past your eyes at an incredible rate. The movie is just about two hours long, but it feels like half an hour, and in my book that's a very good sign, because time always flies when you're having fun.
The comic duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost once again do a great job, Bill Nighy (stepfather Philip in "Shaun" and of course Davy Jones in the latest installments of "Pirates") has a rather minor part as the Met Chief Inspector Kenneth, but pulls it off wonderfully. The characters in the movie are all very "British", by which I mean they are very extreme. Every character in "Hot Fuzz" is a stereotype of what these people look like in other movies. The pious vicar, the nervous gossip, the scary old landlady, and so on. This interesting mix of characters makes "Hot Fuzz" all the more fun to watch.
On top of all that, the film makers don't take themselves very seriously, and have added plenty of blatant references to "Shaun of the Dead" and other movies they admire.
I might not say this very often, but if these people are able to come up with a quality Britcom like this every three years or so, they can keep doing it as far as I'm concerned, there are plenty of different genres I'd like to see a homage of. Mafia movies perhaps? Or maybe even fantasy? 9/10 well earned, and the only reason I am not giving this a 10 is because I do not believe in perfection...
When I first heard the cast and crew were going to reunite to make another film, my expectations were soring to previously unexplored heights. The thing that appeals to me most in Wright's work is that he doesn't make stale parodies, but actual homages to the genre he's focusing on at that particular time. "Shaun" was a great visual representation of how a five-star zombie movie scenario might take place in a London suburb, and in "Hot Fuzz" they try and figure out how a huge Hollywood action movie might look in the small countryside village of Stanford.
The movie starts off a bit slow for the first twenty-or-so minutes, but the same could very well be said for "Shaun". Wright takes his time to unfold the storyline and get all pieces set up for the actual events that shake the very foundations of the rustic little village. After the first half hour, the movie starts flying past your eyes at an incredible rate. The movie is just about two hours long, but it feels like half an hour, and in my book that's a very good sign, because time always flies when you're having fun.
The comic duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost once again do a great job, Bill Nighy (stepfather Philip in "Shaun" and of course Davy Jones in the latest installments of "Pirates") has a rather minor part as the Met Chief Inspector Kenneth, but pulls it off wonderfully. The characters in the movie are all very "British", by which I mean they are very extreme. Every character in "Hot Fuzz" is a stereotype of what these people look like in other movies. The pious vicar, the nervous gossip, the scary old landlady, and so on. This interesting mix of characters makes "Hot Fuzz" all the more fun to watch.
On top of all that, the film makers don't take themselves very seriously, and have added plenty of blatant references to "Shaun of the Dead" and other movies they admire.
I might not say this very often, but if these people are able to come up with a quality Britcom like this every three years or so, they can keep doing it as far as I'm concerned, there are plenty of different genres I'd like to see a homage of. Mafia movies perhaps? Or maybe even fantasy? 9/10 well earned, and the only reason I am not giving this a 10 is because I do not believe in perfection...
Stardust
(2007)
Exceeds expectations on every level
12 December 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Ever since the last installment of "The Lord of the Rings" came out in December 2003, it seems like there hasn't been one single fantasy movie that has been able to pleasantly surprise me, maybe because the bar was set so incredibly high. The one exception to this rule was "Pan's Labyrinth", without discussion a work of genius by Guillermo Del Toro. "Eragon", "King Kong", "The Chronicles of Narnia" and many other LOTR-wannabes were all but sheer garbage, and it seemed the fantasy genre would never get back up to speed, until "Stardust" caught my over-critical attention.
First, the story doesn't seem to have anything remotely connected to Tolkien's mythology, which goes to show it is possible to write fantasy without ripping of "The Lord of the Rings". All is kept light, witty and easy to follow for big or small children alike. The casting is also one that is "worth repeating", as the starting reels on the classics from the '30s and '40s would say.
The second thing that is captivating about this movie is the level of fun it seems to radiate out towards the audience. It's clear to see that the actors had lots of fun making this movie, and it shows both in their acting and the rate of the movie, which seems to be rolling in front of your eyes at the speed of sound. Time indeed flies when you are having fun.
This movie goes to show you once again that with the right cast, you can pull off just about anything. Robert de Niro for example is fantastic as the queer pirate captain, making fun of himself and his reputation as an actor that supposedly only plays mob bosses or other tough guys. Claire Danes is radiant (no pun intended), and Michelle Pfeiffer makes for a good witch.
The only points of criticism on this movie is that the humor is sometimes just a little too much (I guess this was done to keep this movie suitable for all members of the average family), and the movie suffers from the blatant overacting during about half of it. But hey, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing, right? Seven star(dust)s!
First, the story doesn't seem to have anything remotely connected to Tolkien's mythology, which goes to show it is possible to write fantasy without ripping of "The Lord of the Rings". All is kept light, witty and easy to follow for big or small children alike. The casting is also one that is "worth repeating", as the starting reels on the classics from the '30s and '40s would say.
The second thing that is captivating about this movie is the level of fun it seems to radiate out towards the audience. It's clear to see that the actors had lots of fun making this movie, and it shows both in their acting and the rate of the movie, which seems to be rolling in front of your eyes at the speed of sound. Time indeed flies when you are having fun.
This movie goes to show you once again that with the right cast, you can pull off just about anything. Robert de Niro for example is fantastic as the queer pirate captain, making fun of himself and his reputation as an actor that supposedly only plays mob bosses or other tough guys. Claire Danes is radiant (no pun intended), and Michelle Pfeiffer makes for a good witch.
The only points of criticism on this movie is that the humor is sometimes just a little too much (I guess this was done to keep this movie suitable for all members of the average family), and the movie suffers from the blatant overacting during about half of it. But hey, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing, right? Seven star(dust)s!
Eragon
(2006)
Legendary fantasy novel turns into run-of-the-mill snore-fest
27 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I have just finished watching this movie, and a few things mustn't remain unsaid about it. Firstly, I have not read the book and was not in any way familiar with the mythology before I watched the film, so I think I can be quite objective about the film storyline as a whole. The character building was simply terrible. None of the characters as they are portrayed in the film look in the least bit interesting, which made the story all the less compelling (for one, I basically would not think twice about it if everyone was killed in a flash and the final credits began to roll). The entire way in which the story is told makes everything look way too easy and except for maybe a few moments in the final battle, there's hardly any real feeling of 'threat' in the storyline, because you know full well that no matter how many Raz'Aks lay siege to our heroes, there could always be a huge dragon that casually flies in and burns or freezes everyone to a crisp. Casting was terrible as well (Joss Stone as a fortune teller that didn't even bother taking out her modern-day nose ring?!), and this movie practically reminded me of "Dungeons & Dragons" all the time, which is definitely NOT a good thing. Only noteworthy character is Brom, who they of course had to kill off soon enough to turn this movie into a total bloody (pardon my French) disaster. 3/10 for the nice CGI and Jeremy Irons as Brom, and obviously not waiting for the sequel that is suggested at the end...
In de Gloria
(2000–2002)
Best Flemish television ever, of international class.
18 November 2007
Directed by Jan Eelen, this sketch program is disguised as a human interest show. The characters are portrayed by the same cast of actors in every skit and sometimes guest actors are invited to expand the program's variety. Let me keep my opinion on this program very short: sublime, fantastic, excellent! What makes the show so fantastic? First of all, it's extremely recognizable, especially for the Flemish people, because it's about everyday people in everyday situations that become not so everyday when there's a camera in their face. The realistic quality of the program makes it so that the viewer can imagine it actually happening, which makes it all the more amusing. Second and foremost, it plays perfectly to the modern-day viewer's desire for things to go horribly wrong, and gives him exactly what they want.
It is mostly the realistic set-up and sublime acting of the cast members that makes this program to what it is: the best program ever produced by Woestijnvis, by the VRT and probably in the entire history of Belgian television, since the mid 1950s.
Americans, although they might not have realised it themselves, have most likely seen a skit from this program on the internet, where a talk show host finds himself having a laughing fit when a guest on his show - that had undergone a failed tonsil operation - speaks to him in a girlish, high-pitched voice. Many people think this happened on live television, but there you go, the secret's revealed! Besides this sketch, there are tons of other sketches, such as the worker that gets drunk after a squash game with his supervisor and calls him a 'faggot', an elderly actor that has gone dangerously senile, and the woman that can't sing along in church because she's unable to sing in tune. All of these elements combined make 'In de Gloria' what it is.
Real people, real situations, real comedy.
A big, fat 10 well earned.
It is mostly the realistic set-up and sublime acting of the cast members that makes this program to what it is: the best program ever produced by Woestijnvis, by the VRT and probably in the entire history of Belgian television, since the mid 1950s.
Americans, although they might not have realised it themselves, have most likely seen a skit from this program on the internet, where a talk show host finds himself having a laughing fit when a guest on his show - that had undergone a failed tonsil operation - speaks to him in a girlish, high-pitched voice. Many people think this happened on live television, but there you go, the secret's revealed! Besides this sketch, there are tons of other sketches, such as the worker that gets drunk after a squash game with his supervisor and calls him a 'faggot', an elderly actor that has gone dangerously senile, and the woman that can't sing along in church because she's unable to sing in tune. All of these elements combined make 'In de Gloria' what it is.
Real people, real situations, real comedy.
A big, fat 10 well earned.
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