I have been watching quite a lot of House of Cards the last couple of weeks and really like that show. Francis Underwood (Kevin Spacey) is a politician with lots of experience who knows how to use it to influence people and change the situation to his advantage. Watching it I was hoping things like in the series don’t happen in real life, but as this documentary shows a lot of shocking actions can be taken by those in power to make sure they can keep the position they are in. Continue reading
I think that Christian Bale is an awesome actor and like some other actors/actresses I will check out each movie he is in. Harsh Times is directed by David Ayer, who was also responsible to one of my favorite movies of last year, End of Watch. He also wrote Training Day and Harsh Times has some similarities with those movies. Continue reading
You might be looking at that poster and wonder if you might have missed a Disney movie. Don’t worry, you haven’t. This was the original title of the Emperor’s New Groove. It is a documentary that was only shown once publicly after which Disney decided to put it in the vault. Somehow a work copy has found its way on the internet (at the time of writing is still available on Vimeo) and I couldn’t pass the chance to watch something Disney doesn’t want people to see. Continue reading
If you watched the HBO series the Wire, which was set in Baltimore and is considered quite realistic in its depiction of the issues going on in those streets, you won’t be surprised that kids in the poor neighbourhoods have a hard time growing up. There is a big chance that you will eventually be killed or locked up. One of the reasons this happens is that boys around 12 and 13 don’t do very well in school. What would happen if you take these boys out of their environment and really focus on them and give them the guidance they need? This is what the Baraka project did. Their new environment? Kenya, Africa. Continue reading
I might be repeating myself, but as you know I love Korean movies. What I love most is how unpredictable they are. This movie seemed like a war movie, but it turned out to be much more than that. Continue reading
When you hear the names Claw, Earsnot, Jase, NM, Saber and Toomer you probably won’t have a clue who they are. They could be cartoon or videogame characters. I hadn’t heard these names either, but they are all graffiti artists that talk about their art in this documentary about the culture. Continue reading
Over the years sneakers have become a normal part of the urban streetscape. Although they were initially meant to be used when playing sport they have become fashion items with which you try to say something about yourself. There is an almost infinite choice of models and color combinations and this has resulted in a group of fanatic collectors who have closets filled with sneakers. Just for kicks is a documentary that takes a closer look at the rise of the sneaker and the subculture of the sneakerheads. Continue reading
The Devil and Daniel Johnston is a documentary about Daniel Johnston’s, an American musician and artist who became a local celebrity because of his unique sound, lyrics and art. It didn’t take long to gain (inter)national recognition after appearing on MTV. As he is a manic-depressive it has had a big impact on his career, which has had many lows. Continue reading
Gangs have been around for several decades. Especially at the beginning of the nineties, when gangster rap was listened to all around the globe everyone started to learn more about them. Various movies were made about these groups and outside America gangs were formed with the same names as the original American gangs (in The Hague, Netherlands there is a Crips gang as well, which was subject of the 2009 documentary Crips, Strapped ‘n Strong). Bastards of the Party is a documentary which investigates the history of gangs and what caused these groups to form. Continue reading
Lady Vengeance is the third film of Park Chan-Wook’s revenge trilogy (the other two are Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy). The protagonist is Lee Geum-ja (Lee Young Ae) who has just been released from prison after she was sentenced to go there for murdering a little boy. She’s innocent though and has been able to plan her revenge on the real killer (played by Choi Min-Sik). During her prison sentence she made a name for herself and after her release she can use the friends she made there to execute her plan. Continue reading