Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski (2018) – Review

review Struggle- The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
From the moment we are born, we are slowly taught how to behave, what social norms are and how to think about certain things. All so that you can ultimately find your place in society. But what if that wasn’t the case? If you believe artist StanisÅ‚aw Szukalski, that would result in much more creativity. He invented his own alphabet at school and his father supported him in it, even when the school complained about it to him. He continued to use it and turned out to be very talented as a sculptor. His works were compared with those of Michelangelo and at the beginning of the last century he was well known. He received orders from world leaders, but despite all that success, he was forgotten. He moved several times and eventually ended up in Burbank, America, where he grew old.

Art collector Glenn Bray happened to come across a book by him and was fascinated. Not long after he saw a drawing in a shop that clearly came from Szukalski’s hand, he got into conversation and found that he was alive and even lived near him. He decided to make contact and visit. It would be the beginning of years of friendship and everyone who met him realized how brilliant Szukalski was. One of those people was the father of Leonardo DiCaprio, George DiCaprio and he decided to produce this documentary about Szuskalski with his son. While making it, they discovered that he was more complicated than the man they knew. Continue reading

VS. (2018) – Review

vs review
After how many films on the same subject can you say that a new subgenre has emerged? After 8 Mile, Patti Cake$, Bodied and now VS. I think it’s safe to say it’s that time. Within the “coming of age” genre a new subgenre has emerged in which white rappers have to prove themselves through rap battles, while they struggle with their relationships with others and become very personal during those battles. How VS. distinguishes itself from other films is the fact that it is not set in America, but in the UK. To what extent does this film stand out? Continue reading

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot (2018) – Review

The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot review
What’s the first thing you think about when you read the title “The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then The Bigfoot”? Is it a cheap Roger Corman exploitation film? A bizarre action movie? Or do you start yelling about spoilers? No matter what it is, the title immediately catches your interested and makes you curious. And no matter what your expectations are, chances are big that they won’t be met by what this film offers. And in this case that isn’t a bad thing. Continue reading

The Man Who Stole Banksy (2018) – Review

The Man Who Stole Banksy recensie
The number of documentaries about Banksy keeps steadily rising. After seeing Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy Does New York, How to Sell A Banksy and Saving Banksy I couldn’t help but wonder how much this new doc would be able to add to those. The last two titles in this list already were about securing and selling the work of this popular street artist. They shed a light on the art market when it comes to his work, the art world in general and the ethical side of removing works which are displayed in a public place. Continue reading

The Mule (2018) – Review

The Mule review
Clint Eastwood is an actor who is woven into the DNA of film. With his iconic characters he has immortalized himself and behind the camera he has shown what he is capable of. He is now 88, but he is still making films. In this latest film, in which he also plays the lead, he delves into the world of Mexican drug cartels. Continue reading

The Cleaners (2018) – Review

Review The Cleaners

How much better would the world be without internet? Despite the extra convenience and direct access to all kinds of information and products, it has changed the world, changed people and what’s important to us. Suddenly many try to show themselves from their best side and everything is about being seen, likes and number of followers. An artificial form of popularity that has earned many people money, but despite the fact that this is supposed to be social, it is anything but. And there are also plenty of people who try to share terrible videos, photos and texts via social media. And although large platforms try to take action against this automatically, it hasn’t gotten so good that people are no longer needed to make choices about them. Companies such as Facebook and Twitter have a true “army” of unknown editors, who are presented with horrible images every day (around 25,000) and have to make a choice whether this should be removed or seen. The documentary The Cleaners tries to get those people, who are trying to make the various platforms safe for us, to tell their story. Continue reading

The Breaker Upperers (2018) – Review

Recensie The Breaker Upperers
It’s sometimes difficult to keep track of what new content has appeared on Netflix. The streaming service itself does not have a clear overview in its interface and it is a pity that the suggestions are based more on popularity and your own taste instead of a simple list of new titles from which you make your own choice. Fortunately, I keep track of what comes out by reading other film blogs and listening to podcasts, so that way I’ll hear about titles which are worth watching. One of them is The Breaker Upperers, a comedy made in New Zealand. Continue reading

The Favourite (2018) – Review

Review The Favourite

Yorgos Lanthimos is a director who I always like to keep an eye on as a film lover. The reason for this is that he creates worlds and tells stories that are anything but standard or predictable. In The Lobster single people had to find a partner within 45 days or else they would change in animals and in The Killing of a Sacred Deer he plays with extortion and possibly supernatural powers, resulting in a number of very memorable moments. As a result, these films may be strange and not easily watched by everyone, but I really enjoy them myself. The Favourite is perhaps his most accessible film and has received a lot of Oscar nominations and Olivia Colman won the statuette for best actress (and had an amazing Oscar speech). What makes this film so special? Continue reading

The Price of Everything (2018) – Review

Review THe Price of Everything

The only thing I truly like about art in the form of paintings / statues etcetera is that I am fascinated by the world around it. Although I sometimes visit a museum, artworks that I see there do rarely really move me. But to see how the art world works, how artists make their work and the craziness of it is often fascinating. The number of documentaries/films that I have seen about the subject is enormous (my top 10), so The Price of Everything appealed to me enormously. Isn’t it strange that a work by an artist often yields more when they are dead or that some people buy art as an investment rather than something that they actually enjoy? This film not only follows collectors and artists (the highly successful Jeff Koons and Larry Poons whose work is currently not considered “hot”), but director Nathaniel Kahn also gets access behind the scenes at Sotheby’s. This results in a fascinating picture where you sometimes wonder whether money ultimately has destroyed quite a lot. Continue reading

Vice (2018) – Review

Recensie Vice
The medium of film is a true chameleon. It can be used to entertain, share information, raise awareness or provoke discussion. The film screen is a blank canvas on which a filmmaker can paint whatever he wants, and it is up to the viewer to decide whether what is shown is moving you or whether it is good / bad. Director Adam McKay, who previously made The Big Short (but also Step Brothers, Ant-Man and The Other Guys) uses that canvas here for something that is anything but standard. Continue reading