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Reviews
Black Lotus (2023)
Ready, set... lots of action!
I was lucky enough to catch the world première of Black Lotus last Monday and I really enjoyed it. Though the story offers little new to the genre, the film delivers in terms of pace and action sequences. It's an entertaining popcorn spectacle without pretences, meaning you get exactly what you'd expect. Kickboxing champion Rico Verhoeven clearly took a good look at Stallone for his role as the brooding and silent Matteo. He punches and shoots his way through Amsterdam, leaving much of the dialogue to the strong and experienced supporting cast. Only time will tell if Verhoeven goes all the way in Hollywood, but I'm definitely rooting for him!
Joker (2019)
Please give that man an Oscar
I honestly wasn't looking forward to a Joker origins movie - I've always liked the idea of him having no real backstory. Having Phoenix play the part caught my interest though and I must say I was deeply impressed with his performance. He's sad and menacing at the same time and the way he slowly spirals out of control reminded me mostly of 'Requiem for a Dream' (but with clowns). This film is an absolute masterpiece and provides an alternative for you average Marvel/DC superhero movie. Now don't get me wrong, I love those as well - the difference is that in a few years time, I will still want to rewatch Joker, while having forgotten all about the Ant-mans of this world...
Noah (2014)
Much better than I expected!
It seems to me a lot of bad reviews here have been written by upset Christians. Who cares if the ancient source isn't followed to the letter? This is creative filmmaking by a director who isn't afraid to make controversial decisions. Judge the film by its visual style (not for everyone I guess), by its actors (not Crowe's best, but still good) or by its entertainment value (pretty high in my opinion). But don't judge it because it doesn't match your Bible school lesson - it's just a film, nothing more.
Komt een vrouw bij de dokter (2009)
Raw and beautiful
I went to see this film without high expectations, with the story well known throughout the country for many years. I was pleasantly surprised with the way they decided to tell the dramatic tale of Stijn, who is married to Carmen (another great role by Carice van Houten) and sees their perfect life collapsing when she is diagnosed with breast cancer. Stijn is unable to handle his new life: going in and out of a hospital, watching his wife throw up all the time, losing her hair because of chemo and finally having her breast amputated. He finds comfort in another woman, Roos and slowly but surely he falls in love with her. At first you might hate Stijn for what he is doing - cheating on his wife while she is dying of cancer. But afterwards you slowly begin to understand how he must feel: he loves Carmen, but he can't stand watching here being destroyed by cancer. For him, Roos is his 'cancerfree zone' where he can feel good again, as life was before the horrible diagnosis. Where the beginning of the film is merely okay it gets better as the story develops. It may seem like a standard Dutch film at first (a lot of nudity) but towards the end it shows its real strength, with Carmen losing her fight against the disease and Stijn deciding he wants to be there for her. The final scenes between Stijn, Carmen and their five year old daughter Luna are simply beautiful. It is in the end that the movie delivers and makes everyone understand the tag line: an ode to love. The whole film is a constant battle between love and cancer and eventually, in some way, love turns out to be the stronger of the two. Definitely a must see!
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
The return of Star Wars
Finally, the time has come to truly love the Star Wars saga once more. The Phantom Menace was without a doubt a huge disappointment (thanks to Jar-Jar) and Attack of the Clones wasn't really that great as well (thanks to the unconvincing love story), but now Episode III is here and it kicks ass! Revenge of the Sith makes up for the other two episodes and has it's moments where it gets really close to the greatness of episodes 4, 5 and 6. The dramatic story of Anakin's downfall is both believable as emotional, especially when he turns over to the dark side completely and by doing so ruins his life completely. When Anakin marches towards the Jedi temple with his army of clones it send shivers down my spine. His last conversation with Padmé did the same, as did the confrontation with Obi-Wan - you can almost feel the pain that burns inside the heartbroken Jedi Master.
Ian McDarmid is great as the evil Palpatine, both in his 'sneaky moments' when he tries to lure Anakin to the dark side, as in his 'action moments' when he fights Yoda in the Senate chamber. The duel between Palpatine and Mace Windu is also great, as is the terrible outcome of this battle and the transformation of Anakin Skywalker into Lord Darth Vader. When the Vader-mask was finally placed upon Anakins face my heart skipped a beat. It was one of those moments in Revenge of the Sith that were just breathtaking. The story is now complete and the only thing you want to do after leaving the cinema, is to go home and watch episodes 4, 5 and 6 in a row. Revenge of the Sith is dark, cruel, emotional and entertaining....Let there be no doubt about it: The force is strong with this one...very strong!