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Angels & Demons (2009)
Nothing special
First of all, I didn't read the books and didn't see the first movie so I'm not able to compare this movie with those. I just rate it as a movie.
I'm very disappointed on the way this movie turned out. The flow of the action is very stop-and-go and the dialog is often very strange. A lot of the time you see two characters in a scene explaining their actions or their thoughts to each other. It doesn't feel natural at all, the characters are explaining their steps out loud as they go. It feels like they are not talking to each other but to the viewer to be sure he/she can follow the twists and turns of the movie.
As a result the acting feels forced. The action scenes are done well.
Overall this is still a book and not a movie. It could have been a good movie if they had confidence in the audience and didn't explain everything out loud.
Bride Flight (2008)
Great acting in great cinema
I saw the trailer of this movie several times and I just hated it. Bombastic overpowering music that overloaded my senses and gave the impression of an average movie. The complete movie is totally different and I loved every minute of it (all 130). The acting is subtle and strong and New Zealand provides a beautiful background for some amazing shots. The story has real power and all twists and turns feel very natural. You get a real good feel about all the characters involved and their motivations. They all evolve together to the end of the movie. Special mention for me are two of the main characters, Frank and Ada. The (erotic) tension between these actors is one of the most intense I've ever seen in cinema. If you like well told drama with great acting this is the movie for you. Forget the trailer, go to see the real thing!
The Dark Knight (2008)
Good blockbuster, but nothing more
I like the Batman movies of Tim Burton and I thought Batman Begins was a fresh new start. This new episode is a good follow-up but not the masterpiece I'm reading in the other reviews. The story is too flat for me with a lot of noise and great action scenes but no real depth, just chaos all around. The biggest problem for me was the role of Batman himself. I never felt he was really in the storyline. Everything seems to happen around him and too him and he's just following along. The Joker is the central character in this movie and the performance of Ledger is haunting. Problem is he only appears in action scenes and high drama interactions with other characters. I never got a feel of the real motivations of this character, his background etc. It's a good movie and I loved it as a blockbuster, but by no means an epic.
TBS (2008)
Great acting and good plot, fantastic movie
I love this movie! The acting is great and the plot is very good. Theo Maassen plays a strong main character which draws you in. You begin to like him, but he plays is very subtle and you feel his edges from the beginning. It's a guy you're not sure if you can trust him or not. Was he wrongfully convicted or is he the beast that others perceive him to be. It gives the movie a strong foundation and he maintains a great performance throughout. A couple of others in the theater weren't able to totally separate his movie character from his career as a comic, resulting in some laughs in the audience in some strange places in the movie. Nothing to blame on Maassen though, he did great. The girl in this movie is brilliant. It's the first role of Lisa Smit (only 13 or 14 herself) and she plays her character very well. She is a typical teenager, with all the problems and issues that girls have at that time in their lives. The plot of the movie had a nice pace and the tension is built up nicely. There is never a dull moment and almost all plot twists are believable. Only problem I had was a strange scene involving a group of journalists. The way they behaved seemed a bit contrived and purely there to help the story forward. They didn't fall in the current Hollywood trap of making a movie too long, it's perfect as it is, an hour and a half of pure entertainment.
AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007)
Don't think about it, just watch it
I haven't seen either an Alien or a Predator movie since the originals so I'm not a huge fan, but I enjoyed the ride on this one. It took me back to my teenage years, watching budget scifi and horror movies on the Betamax. I had no expectations going in, I just wanted to enjoy the experience. The story is weak, the acting is mediocre and the special-effects are OK. It doesn't pretend to be great, something I really like nowadays. For me that was a big part of the fun. It brought back memories and the movie made me smile about the way it got away with all the obvious clichés. I am a subscriber to a theater, so I don't pay for movies individualy and I'm not sure if I would have paid top dollar for this one. If you just want to have a no-nonsense, stupid, in your face, back to the old days, scifi movie, you will like it (I know I did).
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Style over substance
I haven't seen the previous Pirates and I must say I was not convinced by this one. The visuals are great and stunning, so you're in for a good ride. Sadly this ride is too long for the story to hold up and there are too many characters running around. The first hour I got completely lost in the different bad and good guys and had real trouble focussing on the main story. All these different characters have a different history with one another, which is really difficult to get a feeling for without having seen the previous pictures.In the end, I didn't care who won or lost, I just wanted this movie to be over. As a spectacle it holds up pretty well, with stunning visuals and some good jokes. As a movie it's below par.
Zwartboek (2006)
Verhoeven is back with this great WWII thriller
In Holland this film is hyped, just because it's the first of Verhoeven since returning to this country. If you judge this film by it's content, the hype is completely justified. It's an action packed, thrilling ride where the plot twists and turns where you don't expect it. Star of the movie is Carice van Houten, who blows you away in every shot. Although some scenes might seem a bit far fetched (but hey, it's a movie), the power lies in the scenario. It stays away from the easy good vs evil, resistance vs nazi's stereotypes. On both sides there are good and bad guys making good or bad decisions. Go see it if you have the chance, it's different from anything you've seen before.