soeberdodan Reviews

Costa! (2001)

The movie you are not supposed to like, but I did!

[9/10 · 3 April 2001]

As my brother always says, "you are not allowed to like a film like this". But who says life has to be taking so damned seriously? This was 95 minutes of pure entertainment. Okay, lots of teenagers just loved it, but I sat next to a guy who only came in to the theater to watch the trailer to "Lord of the Rings", and even this guy couldn´t help liking this film. He just kept that grin on his face all through the movie. No wonder this film is breaking records in the Netherlands, where it already secured itself of a spot on the TOP 10 list of Dutch films of the last 20 years. (It even beat HANNIBAL in its second week of release.)

Enjoy the dancing and the fun Ugly Duck Becomes Beautiful Swan story. Enjoy Verbaan´s clumsiness, enjoy La Schuurman´s beautiful body displayed on a giant screen, enjoy the jokes and, if you have ever been with a bunch of young people on holiday, enjoy all those instantly recognizable moments. I did.

Zwarte maandag (1991)

Student film shows future.

[8/10 · 3 April 2001]

The guy that made this film would later produce "Good Times Bad Times" and in this film he graduated from the Amsterdam Film Academy NFTVA. It shows that he is a crowd pleaser: Some action, some fun dialogues.

The story is about a stock broker who loses all he has on Black Monday. Just when he tries to kill himself a criminal takes him hostage. Together they make it through the night and the movie turns into a Buddy Movie. (Remember that popular genre in the early 90´s?). A good eye for camera positions. The action looks cheap (it is a student film) but the attempted fall of the tall building is cut well.