[e-mail] Reviews

Off Screen (2005)

Great actors movie!

[8/10 · 16 August 2005]

Two of THE great actors of Dutch/Belgium cinema are opposite each other in this drama/thriller based on actual events: Jeroen Krabbe and Jan Decleir.

This movie (based upon actual events) tells the story of a man who enters a building with the intention of keeping one of the Philips directors hostage, only to find he is in the wrong building, since Philips moved to the building next door. The movie is mainly a character study and isn't so much about the hostage taking itself as about the events leading to the man's action.

SPOILERS******SPOILERS******SPOILERS*******SPOILERS**** The events leading to the main character's action are not so much what actually lead to it, but the movie's point of view is from the main character himself. We see things through his eyes/memories and we are dealing here with a man who gradually but surely starts to lose every sense of reality. All the meetings with the Philips director are more or less figures of his imagination, something I understand from other reviews, not everybody is grasping, at least not immediately.

END OF SPOILERS******END OF SPOILERS*******END OF SPOILERS***** I feel this is a very good movie indeed carried by two great actors who both make the most of their roles. Both actors deserve a chance in international big movies. Jeroen Krabbe has played in several of them in the end of the 80's, beginning of the 90's (No Mercy, License to Kill, the Fugitive) and plays a role now in the new Deuce Bigalow movie with Rob Schneider, but please please let someone give this man an interesting character role in a quality drama and the same goes for Jan Decleir who has been offered some international roles, but turned them down, cause from an actor's point of view they were not the most interesting, witch is a daring thing to do, but maybe a good thing to. These are two fine actors who can really bring a movie to a higher level as they prove with this movie!

Vet hard (2005)

fast, action packed entertainment!

[7/10 · 13 August 2005]

Well, I read in some of the reviews here that the story is not really highly original and that is indeed true. However, it is not that strange, since this movie is a Dutch re-make from the Danish movie "Old Men in New Cars", something most viewers seem to have missed. Not having seen the original I can't compare the two and maybe that is for the better, because often a re-make loses it from the original, simply for that is not the original.

Vet Hard is a good debut from new Dutch director Tim Oliehoek. It doesn't have any pretensions, other then to just simply entertain and that it certainly does. Jack Wouterse is perfectly casted as Bennie, the main character and also the rest of the cast is adequate. The movie evolves around some nice action sequences and slapstick humor and all in all this makes for an entertaining experience. Not a top 250 of all time movie, but good enough for a nice and relaxed evening.

House of Yes: Live from House of Blues (2000 Video)

the House is Yes's!!

[9/10 · 12 May 2005]

On this concert DVD you can watch and hear Yes's 9th(!!) line-up in action. Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Steve Howe and Alan White together with, at that time, newbies Billy Sherwood and Igor Koroshev were on tour promoting their 1999 album "the Ladder" and this concert was filmed in one of the excellent "House of Blues" clubs during that tour.

It was one of the last tours Yes dared to promote a new album quit heavily so 5 songs of "the ladder" are represented here. Together with classic Yes songs such as "Yours is No Disgrace", "Awaken", "And You And I, "I've Seen all Good People, "Owner of a Lonely Heart" and "Roundabout" this DVD is a feast for the eyes and especially the ears. It shows that the band had great fun doing this show and they prove yet again that they belong to the finest musicians that are and have ever been in the business.

This is pure heart & soul, pure music, pure Yes!!

Yes: Keys to Ascension (1996 Video)

THE CLASSIC LINE-UP WITH CLASSIC SONGS

[9/10 · 25 November 2004]

Back in 1996, after the so called 80's line-up split up, the so called classic 70's line-up of Yes, the greatest progressive rock band there ever was and still is, gave 3 concerts in San Luis Obiso. All ready after that things fell apart again due to keyboardist Rick Wakeman being reluctant to do any touring at that point in time.

However the DVD itself is a great capture of those 3 nights. In all honesty there has been some work done in the studio, for example singer Anderson did not remember all the words to epic "Revealing Science of God" and if you look carefully you see his lips singing something else, then what you hear coming from your boxes. But as said, it is still a great capture of classic Yes and all that it stands/stood for: long, well written and structured complex songs played by a highly talented bunch of musicians, who are the best in their fields.

Only minor point is that all though released in 2001, it isn't in DTS sound, "just" Dolby 5.1 (I'm a whiner, am I not..LOL).

But musicians and kids nowadays could learn a whole lot from this DVD about what "real" music is and what "real" musicians are.

All in all, a highly enjoyable DVD!!!

Garfield: The Movie (2004)

MOVIE KILLED THE GARFIELD STAR!

[5/10 · 11 November 2004]

*SPOILERS*SPOILERS*

As a long time fan of the Garfield comic, I was looking forward to this movie, but watching it was a downright disappointing experience.

The big mistake made with this movie is that they have made it an "all family" movie and the humor of Garfield the comic was never mend for 6 year old kids. In order to make it an "all family" movie they killed the original characters. All right Garfield still has a bit of sarcasm in him left, but not nearly as much as in the comics. Garfield in the comics is the laziest cat in the world. In the movie we see Garfield all ready in the first scene jumping on all kind of things so he can finally take a big leap on to Jon's bed. And he does a dancing routine like he's some kind of musical star. The Garfield in the comics would all ready have been tired just watching this.

Jon in the movie is a nice, normally clothed, polite young man, who gains the immediate affection of pet doctor Liz. Jon in the comic is THE biggest loser in the world, totally world strange, wearing striped shirts with spotted ties and most importantly: JON NEVER EVER GETS THE GIRL!!!

Two positive things: the animated Garfield looks very good and casting Bill Murray as the voice of Garfield was a good move! But why if they animated Garfield, did they use a real dog to portrait Odie, and one that doesn't look remotely like the Odie from the comic?

No, sorry, bringing Garfield to live on celluloid is a failed experiment!

My Fellow Americans (1996)

Great Comedy!

[8/10 · 22 September 2004]

I have to say that I totally disagree with the last comment I read on this movie. I think it's a very funny, well acted comedy. I think I watched it about six times in the last four years and it never fails to crack me up, I've enjoyed it as much the last time as the first time. Jack Lemmon is a great comedy actor and so is James Garner. It splashes of the screen that they had fun playing their parts. They play very well of each other. The script may not be the best written script ever, but it certainly contains a whole bunch of very funny one-liners, as well as a good deal of visual comedy. The casting is good also the supporting roles from Jon Heard, Dan Aykroyd, Wilford Brimley and Lauren Baccal.

All in all it is a very entertaining film, witch I recommend to anyone who is seeking for an evening of letting all tensions gliding of you and having many good laughs.

On a scale 1-10, I give it an 8.

The Gunman (2004)

Predictable!

[6/10 · 7 April 2004]

Let me start of, by saying that this was not a bad movie. There's is enough going on to make you want to sit through it to the end. The movie also builds up quit nicely. Also the actors are adequate, not the best actors I've seen on screen, but certainly not the worst either. Mimi Rogers shows she can still act, especially in the final scene. Big emotions here, but played in a very genuine way. The one big flaw however is the movie's predictability. Already from about 1/4 in the movie on you can pretty much tell, what every character's role is in the plot. The movie would have worked much better as a thriller, when this would have been avoided.

Die Another Day (2002)

Brosnan's got Bond in his fingers now!

[8/10 · 10 April 2003]

First thing that came to mind thinking about this film is that Brosnan really has made the character of Bond his own with this picture.

For the real James Bond fan this movie is full of subtle directions to former Bond movies. Halle Berry rising out of the sea like Ursula Andress did in "Dr. No" for example, Berry being the most beautiful Bond girl by the way probably since Andress.

When watching a Bond movie there is one thing very important, don't try to look for a realistic, very dramatic story. Bond=Bond, which means loads of action, stunts, one-liners, overall just simple, but excellent entertainment, and Die Another Day is again a perfect example of that.