erwintimmerman Reviews

Leave the World Behind (2023)

Only for people who love to be left utterly confused

[4/10 · 18 February 2024]

It seems to be the new hype to have series and films in which inexplicable things are happening that are never explained in the end.

Some series such as Manifest lift a tip of the veil but leave some things to think about. That's fine.

This film doesn't explain anything at all. Which is very frustrating if you kept on watching just to get some answers.

It's a mix of suspense, science fiction and character drama, neither of which are very well developed.

If it's trying to be a realistic apocalyptic suspense thriller, it almost succeeds. Some disasters that happen as a result from a deliberate communications disruption are believable.

However, some things happen with animals behaving very weird (a complete deer herd comes to people while their leader tries to communicate with humans). No fancy weapon would ever cause that. Also, one person gets sick with something that looks like radiation sickness but none of the others have any symptoms at all. These things are never explained and is why you're puzzled and long for answers.

The character drama is more done as an aside, to at least give some depth but it stays pretty shallow.

The suspense itself works, for most of the film you're wondering if people are the good guys or the bad guys, and if they know more than they tell. In the end that part is mostly answered. Also some nice plot twists that show the different ways in which people react in the face of uncertainty and disaster.

But if you're wondering what actually happened that caused the inexplicable things, you will be thoroughly disappointed. Personally I found it a waste of time watching this, YMMV.

Mi ricordo Anna Frank (2009 TV Movie)

Unrealistic

[5/10 · 14 June 2013]

This is a romantic film instead of a war film. It starts with the casting of Anne, who is much more beautiful and sweet as the real one. The trains that the Jews were transported in, had enough room for the people to walk around freely, and there was plenty of daylight in them. Things that the prisoners said or did that would have certainly got them shot, didn't now. At the end of the film when Hanelli steps on the plane, she is 19. But she is played by a 13 year old girl with braids. Very unrealistic. I didn't think you could ruin a film about Anne Frank, but this film unfortunately proved me wrong.

The only memorable moment in the film is when Otto Frank receives the letter that tells him what happened to his daughters. Otherwise, waste of time.

Miffy the Movie (2013)

Perfect movie for toddlers

[7/10 · 17 February 2013]

Miffy goes to the zoo together with 2 friends, and has to fulfill a few assignments. Such as: find a yellow animal, find a striped animal, etc.

A catchy song is repeated throughout the movie, the audience is engaged by asking them questions Dora-style, and the simple and always positive animation is beautifully done.

Even a few problems are tackled, for example being afraid of the dark.

My 4-year old son had a grin on his face as we walked out of the cinema. A grin that didn't go away for at least an hour. 'Nuff said! The only reason I didn't give this an 8 is because of the length. Younger children may have problems seeing this 70-minute long movie in one go. Other than that, a sure hit among toddlers!

7/10

Eep! (2010)

Absurdity and reality too mixed up

[4/10 · 10 January 2013]

I can see how this story works very well as a children's book. But as a film I did not like it very much.

The plot has too many loose ends. For example, after the elderly couple have found the girl, they put her in a pram and take her for a walk. Many villagers look in awe at the beautiful baby. No one wonders how they have got her.

After the girl has flown away and the couple go after her, the journey starts and they encounter many absurd situations. Too absurd to take the story seriously, but too absurd to be funny as well.

Some serious and engaging story lines, such as a girl who is neglected by her hard working father, are suddenly cut off without a real resolution.

The couple acts too odd to be believable. As they go after their flown away girl, i did not even feel much sympathy for them.

On the positive side, the bird girl herself is very adorable. But not adorable enough to save the movie.

As a whole, I found the movie rather boring. More importantly, my 5 year old son found it boring as well. He did not want to watch the rest of the movie after about 30 minutes, so I watched the end by myself.

The Wild (2006)

Not very engaging

[6/10 · 10 January 2013]

Maybe I just wasn't in the mood when I was watching this. Maybe I have seen too many cartoon gags. Whatever it was, I found most of the gags not really funny. I didn't really connect with the characters either.

The animation is very beautifully done, but as another reviewer described it, "soulless". Many scenes feel as fillers, detached from the main plot.

The last half hour the mood changes from funny to serious and scary. while that part still has some very funny aspects to it, it reminded me a lot of the "be prepared" song in the Lion King, the only part of that movie that I hated.

All in all an OK movie. Not boring, not memorable.

The Monster of Nix (2011)

Boy tries to stop the vanishing of the world

[3/10 · 7 January 2013]

The story line resembles "The Neverending Story". In this case, a monster is consuming the world into a "Nix". As with a black hole, the world is sucked away bit by bit. While this is happening, a boy is wandering around looking for his vanished grandmother, and encounters lots of weird creatures along the way. They tell him about the monster, and why everything is vanishing into oblivion. Will he and the creatures be able to stop the inevitable end of the world? And if they do, will the remains be worth it?

The animation is really something else. The atmosphere reminds of a Tim Burton film. The creatures are really weird, and the story is a bit erratic at times. The songs are a bit weird as well. However, in al its weirdness, the animation is very beautifully done.

If you have seen it all and are looking for something completely different, this is your film.

If you just want a normal enjoyable animation with clear characters, simple entertainment and a more or less recognizable storyline, look further.

As I am of the second category, I did not enjoy the film very much. But I can see why it was sent as an Oscar entry: film critics will probably love it.