Reviews

It's been said before....beautiful visuals but lame content. Goes for me too...this is the 4th TM movie i see with these kind of wide angle beauty-shots....Tree of life was maybe a surprise...but seeing 4 movies featuring rich folks moving around in their day to day struggle does'nt do it for me anymore. I kept on watching Song to Song for the beauty of the camera capture but deffinetly not for it's story...which was dull. Why not use the same beautiful cinematography on an opposite subject...poor folks struggling in life and the environment they are caught in. Ugly and nasty neigbourhoods instead of constantly appearing modern architecture, glass and straight lines...Show us some real people....use this style of looking in the slums of Rio, Havanna or Lagos Nigeria.

Wow! What a beautiful movie. Jolie totally succeeds in telling this story about suffering humanity in the hands of an insane doctrine. Just about everything is well thought out and directed. The characters are deep and come over as very real. Special credits for the main protagonist, the little girl who acts so convincing and absolutely succeeds in touching our hearts. Camera work is great...And the story is told in the language of the land it plays in. How different is this war story then her work in 'The land of blood & honey'..which was terrible. This film is brought to us in a warm & touching manner...while not emphasizing too much on the brutal murders and killings that where abundant in that period of Cambodian history...I'ts a great story of suffering & survival being told in an utterly convincing way! Chapeau for Angelina's work on this Film.

Now this is one boooring movie. Why is it that if one plays an historical figure..the actor needs to present itself as close as possible to the original but with the focus on the wrong details? The most terrible aspect of this film is the fact that Portman has to speak, master the same dixie, as Jackie Kennedy. If one hears Jackie Kennedy speak on old footage it sounds natural...it's her. But listening to Portman is tiresome..she sounds sooo artificial and unnatural..and that's because she isn't speaking with her own voice. All that matter's is the character portrayal isn't it? even if the voice is different. or not so articulate....i't like when in those war movies an actor playing a German has to speak English with a 'German'accent.Sounds crazy ass hell. We'll...the only thing i could enjoy a bit in watching this was the music score, but that 's about it! Portman should'v given the voice a subtler input ( a director thing) and really present Jackie through the effect of her portrayal of the character.

This film was hailed as a masterpiece here in the Netherlands. I can tell you it's far from that. The director called his work 'Koolhoven's Brimstone'...like to underline that this is his ultimate, monumental work. It's laughable. Wow..i'v heard so much about it in the press over here..like this is a must see masterpiece. Well, it's awful..barely watchable...all clichés so common in dutch filmmaking pass by... I'v heard that this is a huge movie about violence against woman and that woman prevail in the end. The story is obnoxious.. stupid scenes like a guy who gets blasted trough a window 'cause of a bullet hitting him. Over the top & silly scenes...the pace is awful it leads to nothing..the acting of the cast is merely mediocre...especially Guy Pierce's role is sooo unconvincing. I'v heard promising stories of the shocking scenes that would keep you awake at night..so horrendous. I never saw one scene that came close to such an emotion. It's a long and boring feature...that holds a very unoriginal approach and filled with (dutch) movie clichés. A film that shows why the majority of mainstream dutch movies suck! It lacks every hint to originality and never rises above the level of a high school movie project. It's a disaster

This movie starts out quite entertaining...suspense is there...you wonder how the story will develop. Well, halfway through your fear that it might be a downer starts increasing....The story becomes very corny'n all. The character of the protagonist is not very deeply explored....it's a bit of a mash-up...things that happened in the past that made him the person he's today, But...Nothing is really explored.It's a pastiche of events from which one has to draw a picture. Towards the end the movie becomes very predictable and about an half hour before the ending you already sense its finale. That finale comes in the most predictable and corny way possible. Acting is sometimes OK...the overall story lacks any depth or surprise. Just another one to throw on the pile of mediocrity. After the ending you wish you'd spend your time on something else. The acting never gets outstanding or special in anyway. Cinematography is just OK.

This movie is Fabulously awful.The acting is so bad.The storyline lacks any depth and the characters off the historical figures are utterly flat.I am always amazed how it is possible that a director does not see these things.I mean it's a historical drama but the language spoken is utterly 21th century dutch.The main character Frank Lammers's character as Michiel de Ruyter is totally superficial lacking any passion and shows us nothing as to what kind of man the protagonist was.Of course it's a dutch movie so we will be seeing a tit or two flying about for no purpose whatsoever. Do they ever learn in this country?....the slow-mo shots of f.i the sea-wars get so boring becourse they are merely gimmicks to show off what's possible with cinematography nowadays but..a movie like this is fun to watch...you''l roll of y'r couch laughing....maybe that's the power of this monster?

I did'nt enjoy this movie at all.The story was extremely boring to me. It took ages for something to enroll.Silly unbelievable things that suddenly happen between the main characters.I can see the Kim Ki Duk is a creative filmmaker.Although he's not a real favorite of mine, I'v seen several (much)better movies by him,However.. I DID enjoy the sparse camaratechnique's he made use of in this movie.It shows that it's perfectly possible to tell a story on 'film', that's been shot in the simplest way possible.(it looked like) only one camera,a few actors, sparse lighting and a story.The 'amateuristic'look of this movie added i.m.o to atmosphere of this story, and was a creative move... A pity that the story-told did'nt convince & captured me at all! And i do believe that a good plot or story make's these kind of movies.

I am no Serb/Croat/Bosnian... the film tells nothing about events i have encountered whatsoever so i have no interest whatsoever in choosing sides..,I am Just someone who enjoys cinema if it's good.But...this Film held almost nothing pour moi.The script seemed to lead nowhere..i seriously had the feeling a few times that the Director lost all control as to where we where heading.I mean we watch a couple dancing..suddenly there's an explosion en after that there is no reference to that explosion what so ever.When they later meet again, it's as if they never saw each other before.The character studies are awfully weak and stereotypical...why bother witch Photographical composition, well lit scenes etc.when awful things like mass-rape are taking place...I'v read in other reviews ' but it was very beautifully photographed' in this story that's a weakness IMO.In the first part we see the main character,Aijla wearing a lovely yellow coloured sweater..which gives great looking camera color & compositions and atmosphere...but...why? Why still bother which such details to make thing look good on a screen while mass rape and murder is taking place? some script changes are absolutely ridiculous and very far fetched.. another nuisance...the constant very close-up manner of filming the battle scenes..i found that disturbing and a style figure.....and yes.., many people complain about this ,..in this film about the Bosnian carnage the focus lies on the Serbian atrocities during this war..but that's no problem IMO..this film is a story about what happened to a part of the Bosnian victims.The Serbian side of the Bosnian-war story may be told by another film... My main objection is the creative shortcoming. It,to me was a boring movie.and should hold lessons in Filmmaker/vision For Jolie.Next time better !

This film to me looked like a schoolgirls naive-sentiment in viewing the horror's of war. But those horrors were not presented in a horrible way... i presume the situation in reality was hell. We see a very stylish hell..with neat framed scenes , an unbelievable and for me, totally distant sort of 'love' story.., a very weak script to act on it must have been for the actors... , nice clothing and beautiful light.

I was really in awe as to where the story took me..very far-fetched and naive. and the casting ...very much stereo-typing..not a creative choice of cast.Why have them speak American with a Balkan accent? you see this in a lot of films...to make it 'more realistic..but it easily becomes mediocre...It's far better & stronger to have them speak either Serb-Croatian or plain English... I never understand why they do that....and do not break-away from such a film-making dogma.

let this 1th directional misser be a lesson For Jolie !

This is a unbelievably super-overrated boooring piece of S&*(t. I just cannot believe that it's been put foreward as a serious Chance maker for the Oscars. the whole film we see this one guy, traped after a wandering accident...until he decides to do something drastic to change his situation.Nothing is happening to keep you keep you interested. I truly believe that the only success of this 'film 'is it's reputation...that's why folks watch it. it is to Me the most boooring(one off at least) Films i have ever seen. How interesting can you keep on watching a guy how cant move more than e few centimeter's.Despite some flashy editing and some supposedly dreamlike sequences. terrible,Yakk. But..OK to me the Oscars for years already are never something to be taken seriously... This nomination does prove my view. It's the marketing and rumours about this thing that draws the viewers.the main sequence even is not so much horrific and lacking of real guts by the director.it's..well kinda lame...

An awful product.Barely watchable...the acting and directing is well.... it makes you shiver for how low the quality is .Un-be-lie-va-ble. Here in the Lowlands from time to time we have a period inwich almost every 'important 'dutch-cinema Moloch features the same cast of leading lady's..now it's time for dutch 'darling 'Carice van Houten '..this meagerly talented 'actress appears in almost every dutch thing that hits the cinema kartel....but this film scripted after a book from 'journalist 'heleen van Rooijen gave her the change to portray the worst acting achievement in years ! only maybe surpassed by her male counterpart... summary: script: midiocre-story non-interestingly portrayed - acting the worst for years to come.Non of the characters are real & alive..only awfully and superficially constructed clichés.... How can anyone take this product seriously...luckily i don't and thus had a fun time watching it !!!

Yak! This is the awful product of a talentless guy who is very successful here in the Netherlands..successful as in:'making millions of money with utterly talentless and silly crappy productions that are so well received by the Dutch , very receivable to manipulation, Dutch audiences.... Time after time i am wondering how is it possible that actors who are considered serious here in the lowlands lend themselves to appear in the crappy nonsense that is being made here and presented as blockbusters. This film holds nothing!!! no good acting ,not a bearable script , no moving story , no (real) drama...and before everything else no originality...but that's something that állas , hardly any Dutch mainstream movie can be accused of. (why in Godsname draw Gijs Scholten van Achgat and Pierre Bokma out of the cupboard to appear as doctors, and Why in Gods name do they accept this meager contributions to this nausea-creating work of utterly non interesting bad in every-way 'film '? shame on them !

This 'film'was horror ! made by an utterly talentless 'film'maker.

ps.why waste a crappy load of money in some vague scenes at the most cliché-Holiday paradise on earth, Borra Borra? shame on you Reinout Oerlemans , for y'r terrible useless waste of money !!!

please keep yourself far away the world of movies as a director anyway!!! (just stick to y'r money business....please...)

am i glad i did'nt buy a theatre ticket for this...

This film is utter crap ! If it would be possible to give negative stars this one would rate about - 8.It's a DUTCH movie.Consisering you'r warned , I now start with my review. Linda de Mol who 'plays 'the main part is 'acting' like a Robot.There is no sense of any Real emotion in her character whatsoever.She is a very popular TV personality here in the Low-Lands,The perfect daughter-in-law so to say...She is a guarantee for a Full-house...but my goldfish does it better !The script is horrifiying poor and predictable...the photography make one shiver...f.i there is the constantly play with dept-of-field..which dulls the total camera work. Even great actors,as we Dutch like to call them , like Pierre Bokma put their career at stake by appearing in this 'monster '...Pierre's part adds nothing what-so-ever to the story... which is soooo baaad.

BTW, the make-up artist who toughed Linda's face should apply for a house painting job !

anyway these kind of movies still give you a great time...because you die laughing the whole piece through.

it's a shame to realize people actually payed money to go to the cinema to see this thing....

Tuya's marriage is a truly remarkable film showing the family changes and humanity of a Mongolian herds-family, The main actress plays the role of an incredible strong woman named Tuya. The liberal way of thinking of these Mongolian people can be a lesson to folks here in the west. Tuya's disabled husband even encourages her to separate from him because it's best for the family.Tuya however only wants to remarry if her ex husband will be accepted as a family member by her new husband. we follow Tuya on her way towards a new life with several would be-new husbands.a film full of love and caring of a people who live in two worlds , ancient way's of living and modernity. fascinating film and story.

Xiao Wu is to me an incredible lively film.It's like the viewer is totally a part of the scenes he is seeing.the director is a genius in giving you the real-life sense.The raw way of the photography gives you an honest picture of a certain time in China's history... we follow a petty thief Xiau Wu in his 'struggle 'to survive.... everyone around him , his mates from the scenes have all sworn off their criminal pasts and are on the road to be normal citizens...not Xia Wu however.He seems not to be able to break with his 'old'life. What this film shows us in an incredible way to is a piece of Recent Chinese history...the emerging of private enterprise...filmed in the mid 90-ies we as viewers are made very much part of these developments. an excellent and very capturing film in every way ! great job done by the all amateur actors cast.Zhang Ke Jia did an unique job here !

YBA , makes wonderful and bestrangening photographs of our Earth.. these framed images give you a sense of awe. However.. filmed and moving above these images don't work at all.and especially when they are overdone with all kinds of digital techniques to emphasize their abstractness.the constant camera move over these landscapes becomes extremely boring.Accompanied by an awful uninspiring and unsurprising new-age-like-music score , digitally compressed , mastered and whatsoever..the whole form of the film is veeeery predictable.the montage of the film is sooo un-inspiring it sometimes made me 'puke '...how can it be that creativity works in one field , but absolutely fails in another? Well i guess creativity needs skills to work.That creative skill was not here when this film was made. the constant flow of helicopter images bored the hell out of me... the digitally pumped-up landscape images did nothing to me. I don't have to say much about the message embedded in this ' Film '... totally in accordance with the climate-change lobby crusade , where it probably will be engaged with laud applause.... How many tons of oil did Yann Bertrand Arthus and his crew spoil on capturing these images while filming at different locations all over the world flying hundreds of ours in airplanes , helicopters and hot air balloons capturing landscapes in order to bring they'r message of a spill-sick humanity across?

This film is exactly what it pretended to set out against.a massive (maybe even toxic ) waste !

This film caught me from the moment it started at my screen. we see a young girl encountering her first experiences with love and sex.set at the decor of the huge changes China is undergoing in the mid-eighties.She is excepted at university and meets a handsome guy she's so overpowering in love with , it's scary...wow , the acting , directing ,editing, photography...is breathtaking..the story sometimes heartbreaking..trough sidesteps we are witnessing the student uproar at tianamen square etc.the 2 main characters loose sight of each other and we follow moments of their separate lives.. A breathtaking lovestory about love so strong , it hurts. definitely worth watching.

This movie is very moving.the photography is brilliantly done.... the whole digital treatment the film underwent is top-notch.the decoration , set building...just great.it tells the story witch starts in 1938 about a certain ancient Indian practice whereby woman , who become widows , it is forbidden to ever remarry.they are diploid to 'widow houses' by there family's because a widow is a burden on their shoulders.some times these woman where 7 years old when married...so when F.I their husband dies after one year , they are obliged to stay the rest of their lives in these jail-like widow-sanctuaries.in this movie it is a corrupt6ed place run by a perverted 'leader'.... A subtle element in ' Water' is the arrival of Mahatma Ghandi on the scene..during the last days of the British Rule of the Indian Subcontinent.He represents the hope for a better future for everyone who is victim of these barbaric practices.in the end of this great movie this hope becomes reality for one of the main characters of the film. a must see movie , class A acting , lighting script and everything.wow !

Great film! Touching screenplay and very convincingly brought by the director and his actors who all are excellent. Great roll by the actor who portrays the Nazi-Judge , a ruthless and macabre character who's job it was to put everybody away who had the slightest critical ideas about the Nazi party. This film is a really happened story about normal people who still have their hearts on the right spot during brutal times.People who are courageous and who in the end get mangled by the evil machinery they are fighting against. Shocking that so many people , so young are put to death for such innocent but apparently successful resistance... Touching , haunting & very well made film !

Stellet Licht too me is a truly original film.camera work is fabulous.the angles used , the coloring...great frames. Reygades's story uses a Menonites(i presume) community situated in the south of the US.I did'nt know these German descendants still speak their old German accents...amazing to listen to their language.Reygades tell us a story of adultery and beauty & love...in an original way.Here there is no sneaky fooling around but totally honesty between husband and wife. The actors are soo natural in the persons they play...the two main actresses are beautiful in a very unconventional way.the plot is very surprising. a spiritual film worth seeing that stays with you.The 'death song ' in the end is chillingly beautiful and reminiscent of primitive tribal-sounds... a magic film !

This film was terrible....i could'nt believe how badly constructed it was. the 'most ' unforgivable fault was to cast Leonardo di Caprio for his role. He was soooo unconvincing in depicting his character.the relationship between Blanchet en Leonardo looked like that of a schoolteacher (Blachet) putting in on with her favorite student somewhat later in the movie it looked like Mother/son.....di Caprio was totally miscast-ed. then the story...unbelievable weak in execution....I mean fi. here is an urban family with two daughters which are hardly ever to be seen..... the couple's verbal, loud fights are never interrupted by crying children who wanted to know what's going on... the Drama...it was not Drama enough and the director never convinces in telling us the 'tragedy'.... the clue was meager and predictable..... a film which will be forgotten quickly.... the hardest to swallow part: a mediocre role by a wrongly casted Di Caprio.(like boy scout captain?)who should only play roles fitting his age or search a better make-up artist.

I had a good time seeing'Rachel getting married'. one of the most intriguing aspects in this movie for me , was the use of music.Almost all the time you could here somewhere out of the scene, some form of live music was being performed....I liked the sounds that came to ya as watcher.the story well , kinda predictable , but still intriguing..seeing the preparations of an upper class family for the wedding of their oldest daughter.The film reminded me a lot of the work by Robert Altman f.i... everyone is extremely nice towards each other... the sister of the bride who just got out of rehab, is the 'only thing' that might spoil the party..during the ongoing wedding frame , a tragic story is unfolded... as said before...very Altman-esk.good film !

Milk is a Fabulous film.in every way. trough it's photography and coloring...it takes us right back to the optimistic era in the 70-ies in which we find ourselves in San Fransisco in the gay-rights-activists scene off-which Harvey Milk was the Motor. Wow the acting of Sean Penn is beyond believe ! He really becomes Harvey Milk and his every breath say's so in this movie.Gus van Sandt brings us this important film in the right time...just now f.i in m my country , Gay right are very much in decline of acceptance due to various morals , laid upon us by so called religious tendencies. a dangerous development.more and more the gay's are getting back in the closet in fear of being beaten up or whatever.., f.i.in the city of Amsterdam what used to be ' the gay Capital of the world'.a shame. so lets watch MILK and realize the struggle these people had to go trough...and realize the difference in our humanity...and realize that God (if there is one)created everyone of us Gay's heterosexuals alike. Milk is a touching and inspiring hopeful film with a very sad ending. It gives us a totally believable account of what had happened.