15 years ago there was a group of friends who decided to start a hip hop group. They managed to turn a small basement of a bookstore into a place where they could practice and perform. They made up lyrics on the spot, based on suggestions from the audience. The group Freestyle Love Supreme would remain unknown for a long time, but a number of members have become superstars. Christopher Jackson broke through with his role of Washington in Hamilton, Thomas Kail accompanied the group and also did for Hamilton. And the best known is of course Lin-Manuel Miranda, who wrote Hamilton and now has a large number of filmroles to his name. He has also written several Disney songs for Moana and Mary Poppins Returns. This documentary shows the journey they have been on and the role the group played in their success. Continue reading
Tag Archives: score: 4
Bloodshot (2020) – Review
Ignoring a few exceptions (Boiler Room, Saving Private Ryan) Vin Diesel has mostly starred in action movies, which often can’t be taken very seriously.
Think of the XXX films (Diesel as “extreme sports” super spy), the Riddick films (in which he is an alien superhero) and the Fast and Furious franchise (in which he also plays a superhero who can survive the most impossible situations). Based on a series by Valiant Comics, Bloodshot also takes on the role of a superhero. Does that make for an entertaining movie? Continue reading
Spenser Confidential (2020) – Review
The Netflix exclusive Spenser Confidential is already the fifth film in a row that director Peter Berg has made with Mark Wahlberg. After the terrible Mile 22 and with the thought in mind that generally Netflix movies (with a few exceptions) are disappointing, I decided to give this new title a try. I shouldn’t have. Continue reading
6 Underground (2019) – Review
You can interpret the above spectacular photo of the Netflix movie 6 Underground in a number of ways. Visually your eyes are immediately drawn to it. Why is an Audi flying through the air? Are those explosions or did someone just play with fireworks? What is actually going on here? Especially the latter is a question that I regularly ask myself when I see a Michael Bay movie. A director who is able to create visually attractive images, but then pastes so many in a row that you as a viewer sometimes lose the overview. When it comes to depth storywise it’s often lacking and because of that the action often feels empty. Does Bay manage to restrain himself a bit here? Continue reading
Terminator: Dark Fate (2019) – Review
The Terminator franchise has built a strong foundation with its first two films, which are considered classics. However, it is a shame that there were no films after that which managed to reach the same level. Although I did enjoy Genisys, but not everyone had the same opinion. With Dark Fate, Linda Hamilton returns to this series and the question is to what extent that adds something. Is Dark Fate a return to form? Continue reading
Rim of the World (2019) – Review
The nice thing about Netflix is that every week an enormous amount of content is added and you occasionally have absolutely no idea what to expect from a certain title. That may mean that you are pleasantly surprised, but also that you sometimes watch titles of which you think that they should not have been made. A while ago, Rim of the World appeared on the on-demand service. I hadn’t read or heard about it yet, but since the film was directed by McG (who also has directed, for example, 3 Days to Kill, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and Terminator Salvation), my expectations were not high, but I was curious about the concept. I always have a weakness for science fiction and a movie in which teenagers fight aliens looked interesting on paper. Continue reading
Men in Black International (2019) – Review
When Sony was hacked a few years ago, one of the most interesting details was that the film company was had idea of doing a crossover film. The idea was to mix Men in Black with the 21 Jump Street franchise. Very interesting, which at the time made me think of other crossovers. Unfortunately, it did not materialize in the end, but Sony still wanted to make money from this franchise. The result is Men in Black International, in which Tessa Thompson and Chris Hemsworth (who were previously fun together in Thor Ragnarok) put on the black suits and sunglasses. Continue reading
Mile 22 (2018) – Review
Within the film industry there are certain combinations of directors and actors who seem to be almost inseparable. Martin Scorcese and Robert de Niro or Leonardo Di Caprio, Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman, Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, Billy Wilder and Jack Lemmon or Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune. These are collaborations in which the two seem to reinforce each other. Director Peter Berg has that with Mark Wahlberg. The two previously made Lone Survivor,Deepwater Horizon and Patriots Day. All films that are based on real events. However, this is not the case for Mile 22, which is entirely fictitious Continue reading
The Thing From Another World (1951) – Review
One of my favorite sci-fi/horror films is John Carpenter’s The Thing, in which the tension is high and you, like the characters, have no idea what is going on and who may not be the person you think they are. Yet The Thing was a remake and according to some, one of the best ever made. I had never seen the original version before, but I was curious about the similarities/differences. Continue reading
Glass (2019) – Review
While Unbreakable did not really leave a lasting impression on me, it was very different with (what at the end of the film turned out to be) the follow-up Split. A film that I was a huge fan of and I could not wait to see the third part in this trilogy, Glass, in which the characters from the first two films come together. Continue reading