Jiro Dreams of Sushi (2011)

85-year-old Jiri Ono runs a tiny sushi restaurant in a Tokyo subway station with only 10 seats, but he is considered the best sushi chef in the world. And that’s not some people in the movie saying so. He’s got three Michelin stars to prove that fact. Those 10 seats are in high demand, so you have to book at least a month in advance and you can expect to pay at least 30.000 yen (243 pounds/ 312 euro / 381 dollar) for the sushi you eat there. This documentary looks into the world of the best sushi and sushi chef and the perfection he strives for each and every day. Continue reading

Paradise Lost trilogy (1996 / 2000 / 2011)

On May 5, 1993 three boys (all of the age of eight) were reported missing in West Memphis, Arkansas. The boys were later found murdered and left in a muddy area in Robin Hood Hills. The police investigated the case and eventually arrested Jessie Misskelley (17), Jason Baldwin (16) and Damien Echols (18). This documentary trilogy looks into the case and makes for a very interesting watch. Continue reading

Miss Representation (2011)

Review Miss Representation

“I want to say a little something that’s long overdue
The disrespect to women has got to be through
To all the mothers and sisters and the wives and friends
I want to offer my love and respect to the end” – Sure Shot/Beastie Boys

The late MCA uttered these words in 1994 and it seems little has changed in the world of entertainment when it comes to how women are portrayed. Just look at the world of hiphop, in which women are portrayed as objects only good for their bodies (which the documentary Hip Hop: Beyond beats and rhymes touched upon). But it’s not only the world of music where this happens as this documentary makes painfully clear. Continue reading

The Raid (2011)

Months have passed since I read the first raving reviews of The Raid. My patience was being tested and couldn’t wait to finally see this movie. I was afraid that my expectations would be too high, so prepared to be disappointed. I had seen (and reviewed) Gareth Evans’ Merantau a while ago. The story of that movie wasn’t too good, but it delivered some great action and showcased the fighting skills of Iko Uwais. Although he is a part of a team here, the story does revolve around him. Continue reading

Indie Game: The Movie (2011)

Besides being a movie lover I have been a gamer as long as I can remember. My dad loved gaming as much as I did and he really spoilt me. The first game we had was a dedicated Pong machine (which I still own), but through the years we also had an Atari 2600, MSX, MSX2, Amiga, Gameboy, Mega Drive and once I lived on my own my gaming habits remained, having owned allmost all the new consoles that came out (Playstation 1 and 2, Dreamcast, Xbox 1 and 360 and the Wii). Unfortunately I don’t have the amount of time anymore to play as much as I used to, but I still occasionally enjoy my games and also try to spend time gaming with the kids. When I heard about this documentary last year I was really looking forward to seeing it as there aren’t many documentaries out on the subject. Continue reading

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

review

History has thought us that the human mind is easily manipulated. You can see it in how a dictator slowly rises by influencing the ones close around him and eventually a whole nation. It also happens on a smaller scale, for example as the documentary Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006) has shown. Martha Marcy May Marlene looks at how one person might slowly get into a cult and what it’s like to make the step to leave it and deal with the aftermath. Continue reading

Sleepless Night (2011)

Sleepless Night review

As you probably know by now, I’m a big fan of French thrillers. Have seen a couple of them lately and they all were really amazing. I heard about this movie on the Slashfilm podcast and it was described as “Die Hard in a nightclub”, so I was immediately interested. So is this movie worth watching or were my hopes too high? Continue reading

The Swell Season (2011)

The Swell Season

I’m a big fan of the movie Once. If you have not seen it and like romantic movies I suggest you check it out. It’s about a street artist who falls in love with a girl he meets and the two create music together. The songs were great (the movie won an Oscar) and it’s one of the few movies where I still listen to the soundtrack. The roles were played by Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová, who at the time were a real life couple. They formed a band (The Swell Season) and toured a lot. Continue reading

Le Havre (2011)

Movies allow you to be transported into different worlds. Even when they seem to be set in a realistic world, that world can be distorted and turned into something surreal. It’s something that can surprise the viewer or throw them off-balance. Director Aki Kaurismäki shows that he can turn the city of Le Havre into a setting for a modern fairytale. Continue reading

Into the Abyss (2011)

When it comes to documentary filmmakers there are a couple of them that stand out to me either because of their personalities or their documentaries. Those are Morgan Sperlock, Michael Moore, Errol Morris and Werner Herzog. Especially Herzog stands out to me since the subject of his documentaries varies so much, whether it is a guy that was eaten by bears, wall paintings in a cave or in this documentary a murder case. He always adds his own trademark way of telling the story and asking questions others would not. An example here is at the beginning when he interviews a priest who is present at executions who tells him how he sometimes enjoys getting away from it all and go out golfing. He tells how he enjoys seeing the grass, the birds and squirrels. Herzog asks him if he could tell a story about the squirrels (you’d probably agree it’s a bit of an odd question) and the priest tells about them and breaks down. It’s exactly that which I like so much about Herzog. Continue reading