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Belgian
Reviews
Ex Drummer (2007)
Nicely done adaptation, true to the novelist's style
For the portion of Herman Brusselmans's oeuvre I've read, the movie gave me quite the same feelings as his books. Is that a good thing? It is if you like the man's early work. It shares the very cynical humorous comments the protagonist dispenses in reaction to the other character's actions, as well as his patronizing lecturing towards the young attractive females.
None of the characters are even remotely likable. They're antisocial, immoral sometimes even homicidal ugly bastards and bitches. A normal conversation between them is simply impossible, insults and curses galore. At times it can get a bit cartoonesque.
Is it funny? Yes. Well, funny crude. Everything is quite over the top: the nudity, the violence and especially the music, which saves the film for a great deal. The soundtrack is an amalgam of Belgian and international noise rock, with some softer tracks to ease the pace.
I found it 90 minutes well spent, even if it dragged on a bit too long in the end.
De hel van Tanger (2006)
Peeters saves the day, again.
De Hel van Tanger is already the third movie of the six originally made for TV movies to get a big screen release, after Verlengd Weekend and Dennis van Rita. Taken into account that wasn't supposed to play in theaters, it delivers quite well. The story is rather cliché, as are most of the characters, mainly the "evil" ones. What makes the whole sit-in worth is Filip Peeters' excellent performance as the unfortunate bus driver Marcel Van Loock. Yes, he went through great physical lengths to depict the downfall of a lively jolly middle-aged man, hats off. But when you see the startling gaze in his eyes when he hears the conviction, like saying "Come on, guys, you got to be kidding me?", you really hope he makes it back in one piece. When he eventually does and takes his grandson on his lap, I felt actual warmth for the guy. Doesn't happen often. Nice one, Filip.
De indringer (2005)
Good writing, acting and filming, but goes on a bit too long.
Overall, I found it an OK movie, but only if you are willing to follow to the end. Cinema goers with only entertainment on their mind will find it hard to stay focused. Though the story is not that complicated, writer Ward Hulselmans performed kind of the same trick as he did with the series "Stille Waters". Pose the question (what happened to the little girl?), give some clues, turn away to a different problem that has seemingly less to do with the actual plot and bringing it all together in the end. But that's fine, De Bouw and Peeters were terrific and newcomer Neuville shows some great talent. It is a pity though that the southern part of Belgium (Wallonia) has become a foreign and hostile land in the collective Flemish mind. And this film (together with Calvaire) doesn't really improve that image.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
M.A.G.N.F.I.C.E.N.T
I almost cried when "The End" appeared on the screen. As was the case with the former two parts, this one is again a movie that has it all: story, actors, characters, emotion, action, scenery, music, effects, cinematography... Everything wonderfully done with great respect for the viewer, whether that one read LOTR or not.
You can't comment on ROTK alone, you have to see the movies as a whole. And in that light LOTR is without any doubt the future classic motion picture for the twenty-first century (and beyond).
I don't think I will enjoy cinema this much in all the years to come, unless I lower my standards. Fantastic.
Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
doesn't live up to expectations... (!some minor spoilers!)
...and my expectations weren't that high to start with. Kill Bill vol. 1 has its fine moments, though never really memorable. The fight scenes are quite gory and over the top, but not truly shocking nor are they genuinely funny in their wackiness. The characters are rather flat and most of the times recite dull lines in boring dialogue. I don't know what to make of this film, because the ambitions are unclear. If it was to show the audience what a great actress Uma Thurman is, then the least they could to was to give some more depth to her character. Now she's just a cold, vengeful killer in yellow leather with a katana blade. I remained completely neutral towards The Bride throughout the whole film. Did Tarantino want to show how well he could write a screenplay on his own? He falls short. The story never comes alive, not even with the little - rather predictable - twist at the very end of vol. 1. I definitely will go and see vol. 2, but only to watch the end of the story with my own eyes instead of having other people tell me. The fate of the Bride and Bill doesn't affect me one bit, and that's something I regret.
Parts that are very OK though: the sunglasses on the dashboard, the anime part and the bickering between Hattori Hanzo and his assistant.
De zaak Alzheimer (2003)
Quite good, worth a sequel.
I enjoyed watching this movie, despite the two annoying women behind me who seemed not able to keep up with the story and commenting loudly on everything like they were gossiping housewives in a butcher's shop. But in the end, even they liked the movie.
The story is not too complicated, but has its twists from time to time. The filming of the action is very good, outstanding even by Belgian standards.
But the actors are the real strongholders in the movie. All main characters have an actual emotional depth and are not afraid to show it. It makes them human and gives the movie a lot more credibility.
I hope enough people will come and watch so they can make a second Vincke & Verstuyft movie. I definitely would go see it.
The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
Not as bad as the critics want you to think
Sure, it has its flaws, but overall it's good fun. The philosophical BS is a bit irritating maybe, but I liked the plot twists, and the French cursing. I have to admit I wasn't that impressed by the first one, so I don't feel any disappointment with number two. Reloaded is just the next chapter in the story, made with more money, more effects and taking up more time. I don't mind, I wanted to see the story progress, and it did. I wanted to see cool fight scenes, whether or not they are functional (maybe Revolutions ties the loose ends?). I wanted to see spectacular effects, and I got them. Hey, it's not a masterpiece, but it sure is a lot better then any other action flick I've seen in the last few years. Ride along, and don't mind what the critics or the merchandise people say. Think for yourself.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
Dump all the cynical critics, this movie's just great!
Here in Belgium, lots of movie critics were not satisfied with this film. I don't know what they expected instead, maybe they're just prejudiced. Anyway, it's a must see. It's how the story had to continue to stay true to the book and at the same time be a compelling movie in itself. It's no longer a simple straightforward tale from North to south anymore, the plot thickens, the evil manifests itself more openly and despair grows. The careless Shire is long behind us, it's for real this time. The Aragorn-Arwen thing might be boring to some, but they're forgetting that their story formed a whole appendix in Tolkien's work, so it belongs in the major story. Besides, it explains the tough choice Arwen must make, just like any other character in the movie, they all have to realize the good old times will never return. But for me the best part in the whole movie was Gollum. Sweet, deceitful, tragic Gollum. You can't help feeling sorry for him. His voice, his expression, his dialogues with Smeagol, it all makes him one of the most complex and interesting characters of them all. It's just great how they created him, and developed his character so thoroughly in this piece of cinema with an over 30 man strong cast. And for anyone who dislikes it, I'd like to see YOU get those millions of dollars from the studios and make something better. This what you got, and it's worth every damn penny. Counting down from now till December 2003, with hopefully an excellent extended dvd version to keep us sweet in between.
The Office (2001)
So brilliant it hurts you eyes (and more)
I started watching The Office at the start of the second season three weeks ago, but already I'm scraping all my money together to buy the DVD of season one. It is magnificent, you want to stop watching out of embarrassment, yet you cannot avert your eyes.
In Belgium, we had a comedy clip show called In De Gloria, where all the clips where short fake documentaries about everyday people doing or experiencing something more or less special. I felt the same with IDG as I will with The Office, I think. The first time I watched it (IDG) I rolled over the floor, but I run away every time my brother puts on a tape with recorded episodes of it. It's just too real, the pain the characters feel, their recognition that their choices were bad, but at the same time denying it to the bone, unwilling to cry to the lens and call for help.
When you watch The Office, you feel the will to live shrinking fast inside you. There's no hope for humanity, we will evolve no further.
I'm still a student without any real office experience, but this experience is real enough for me.
Watching is still strongly recommended.
Gummo (1997)
why not?
If a movie can be seen as stream of scenes and images, Gummo delivers beyond. It's brilliant scene after even more brilliant scene. Sure, it has no real plot, but life doesn't either, to quote Korine himself. One should watch this movie only to realize that film making isn't just limited to mere storytelling. Gummo is what a movie is supposed to be: scenes, sad, cruel, funny, heart-warming, disturbing, but, as in Gummo's case, always grabbing.
Seinfeld (1989)
at last, a consistently funny American show
Next to Cheers, I find Seinfeld the best American comedy series ever. In Belgium we got the chance to watch all the episodes in a period of 9 to 10 months, four days a week. I think I missed only 5 to 10%. The jokes were hilarious, the actors awesome, and the hug/cry factor zero, probably the main reason I absolutely love it. Sure the characters were self-centered, asocial and neurotic pricks , but so am I, and self recognition is what a good comedy show needs. I can only hope our Belgian channels re-run it on a more suitable hour (it used to be on weekdays at midnight) so more of us can roll over the floor and suffocate of inane laughter.