Lilian-van-Ooijen Reviews

David Lynch: The Art Life (2016)

An inspiring documentary about Lynch his artistic talent

[26 November 2017]

David LYNCH: THE ART LIFE: INSPIRING

I know David Lynch mainly from the Twin Peaks series I love. The fact that Lynch is not only a great film director but also an artist - and an inspiring one – comes as a pleasant surprise.

ARTISTIC

During the film Lynch is busy with extraordinary figures, shapes and materials. I did not understand what he was doing and at the same time it was very inspiring to watch. His artistic talent becomes clear from purely looking at him. I also saw many impressive paintings from him.

CINEMORE

The documentary about Lynch was shown during a monthly evening in Cinecenter, Amsterdam: Cinemore, an in-depth program for special films. Prior to the film a lecture was held, which was brought with humor. A nice introduction to this documentary.

TWIN PEAKS

One of the reasons I wanted to see David Lynch: The Art Life was to learn more about Twin Peaks and how he developed it. Unfortunately, this is not discussed in the film. Only a small part is about how he entered the film world.

PERSONAL LIFE

For the most part, and of course the name says it all, this documentary is about his artist's existence. In addition, his family ties and his personal life are discussed. Funnily enough, he himself is often the narrator of the story. That sometimes makes the film chaotic and difficult to follow.

CONCLUSION

The biggest conclusion I can draw after watching is that David Lynch is an intriguing man. David Lynch: The Art Life is an inspiring documentary, with the only two drawbacks that Twin Peaks gets no attention and that the voice-over by himself is not always the most informative choice. Nonetheless: recommended.

www.ongevraagdfilmadvies.com

Ex Libris (2017)

An entertaining long documentary with many insights in the NY Public Library

[26 November 2017]

EX LIBRIS: NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY: ENTERTAINING

Whether I would last three and a half hours to watch a documentary about New York's public library was a question I asked myself when I landed in Eye Cinema (Amsterdam). So without a break.

IMAGE

It went excellent. Frederick Wiseman tells you a story in such a 'zen' way that it's easy to keep looking. The beauty is: there are no voice-overs. He lets the image speak for himself.

INSIGHTS

You get different insights into what happens within the walls of the central building at Bryant Park and the other locations of the library in the city New York. And that's a lot. The library organizes activities for a wide variety of audiences. The film also let you listen in on the board's conversations.

NOT FOR EVERYONE

For people who love learning, books and archives, your interest is always stimulated with this film. Still, I do not think everyone will entertain themselves with Ex Libris: New York Public Library. Basically, the idea of a documentary about the public library in New York should already appeal to you, otherwise I think this film will get you bored.

CONCLUDING

An entertaining, three and a half hour documentary, for those who want to know more about the New York Public Library. Recommended.

www.ongevraagdfilmadvies.com

Comfort (III) (2016)

A polite romance

[7/10 · 2 June 2017]

For everyone who is done with watching nightly escapades and immoral, provocative love, this tender movie is a tip. See the true romance, close by. Completed with a little humor and a bit of immersion.

Courier Cameron (Chris Dinh) has to pick up one of his clients daughter of the airport: Jasmine (Julie Zhan). He is immediately charmed by her. And what does a crushing man do in a tender film? He does not actively open the hunt, no he buys a purple cuddle pony of one hundred dollars. Dating 2.0.

To see, or not to see? Comfort is a bit different than you are used to from the average romantic movie. Two adults who interact with each other in an extremely correct way. No lust and wild behavior, but politeness and sincerity. I found it a nice movie, but there are some clichés in it and sometimes it's all too unrealistic and predictable. The bravery can sometimes be boring.

Particularly see this movie if you are in the mood for something sweet and do not mind that the film is mainly about dialogue. The quality is good, so I still recommended it.

The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)

Smooth 90s movie

[7/10 · 2 June 2017]

I'm a sucker for Pierce Brosnan. Hence I could not let this movie be unseen. In addition, it would be about a rich playboy who steals art, which provoked my interest. A 6.8 on IMDb, I just dared it.

In retrospect a good choice. You'll be back in the 90s with this smooth movie. Simple tension, sincere love, cuddly humor and more of those concepts that have totally disappeared from the contemporary film industry. Nowadays everything is complex and complicated. In the nineties you could still enjoy the genius of a wealthy businessman.

I was not really attracted to the screen every moment of the movie so I cannot call the story extremely good. Yet, the quasi-nonchalant act of Pierce Brosnan - Thomas Crown in this story - combined with a fascinating image, forms the quality of this film. Think of tropical holiday homes, luxurious dinners and exciting nightly scenes.

Should you see this movie or not? Watch this movie if you like to watch nineties movies. If you do not feel the urge to see The Thomas Crown Affair based on this description, I have to confess that you probably do not miss anything. This is not a must-see, but a want-to-see.