SvdW | Movies I’ve rewatched in 2023
- All the movies I've rewatched in 2023. So every movie I watch for the first time from Sunday, January. 1, 2023 till Sunday, December. 31, 2023 counts.
- I added some comments. I won't go into that much detail, but these will be short notes of what I think of a film.
Update Nº 2 | Sunday, December. 31, 2023:
Thank you for the views!
Update Nº 1 | Wednesday, December. 27, 2023:
Thank you all for the 1K views!
- My ranking system:
- ✮✮✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
- ✮✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮
- ✮✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
- ✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮
- ✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
- ✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮
- ✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
- ✮/✮✮✮✮✮
- ½/✮✮✮✮✮
- Movies I’ve watched, but unavailable on IMDb:
1. | HIDARI (Pilot Film) | Saturday, May. 13, 2023 [second time watch]
A short film directed by Masashi Kawamura.
2. | De leeuw [Prooi] (*) | Sunday, June. 4, 2023 [second(?) time watch]
3. | Scooterstunt [Prooi] (*) | Sunday, June. 4, 2023 [second(?) time watch]
4. | Stunts [Prooi] (*) | Sunday, June. 4, 2023 [second(?) time watch]
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- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsRichard DreyfussFrançois TruffautTeri GarrRoy Neary, an Indiana electric lineman, finds his quiet and ordinary daily life turned upside down after a close encounter with a UFO, spurring him to an obsessed cross-country quest for answers as a momentous event approaches.[Review]
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Date Watched: Friday, January. 6, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [third(?) time watch]
[Theatrical Cut]
✮✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮ | ♛
Favourite scene: The Abduction of Jilian's son
Best actor: Cary Guffey
This was also one of the first blu-rays I bought back in 2016 or 2017.
I had this film on my rewatch list for an eternity, but never got around to it. A large part of that is because there are three versions and I want to watch them all.
This used to be one of my favourite films, but I rewatched it and I began to see more flaws with it.
Steven Spielberg’s directing is superb. I especially like the Abduction of Jilian's son and this is my favourite sequence of the entire film. It is so atmospheric and is one of the best horror scenes in a film not classified as horror.
I began to see more flaws with the screenplay. The child aliens are friendly, but there are acting really weirdly though. They abduct people like it’s nothing, and I don’t really get the reasoning behind it. And why do some people board the main U.F.O.? The story is a bit more questionable now.
And while I wanted the "Theatrical Cut", one short scene really bugs me. There’s a scene where the camera shows one of the eyes of one alien, and it looks like there was CGI work placed over it. I might wrong here though.
I will watch the other two cuts of the film this year. - DirectorJordi WijnaldaStarsRick Paul van MulligenThomas RyckewaertSouhail AttahiriAn all-male foster family tries to enjoy one last morning together, before their unity will be broken by what was inevitable all along.Date Watched: Thursday, January. 12, 2022 | How I Watched: recorded off Nederland 3 off TV, watched on Ziggo Mediabox [second time watch]
I have rewatched all the KORT! short films from the official YouTube channel, but this was one that wasn’t on the channel.
I had recorded this from TV and I had watched it almost one year ago, but because I can only hold on to recording for one year I decided to rewatch this short film.
This is still really good, but I do see more flaws with it now.
The directing is really solid, and the framing [under the aspect ratio of 1.37:1] is really nice looking.
Rick Paul van Mulligen is not the most charismatic, but he’s still fine here. Thomas Ryckewaert did not impress me this time. He flubbed his lines quite frequently and this was really noticeable. - StarsTim HofmanMarije de RoodeJohn de MolA ''Boos (2016)'' Special for all the insults and the charges that have been applied through events that have happened during the recordings of the Dutch version of The Voice. Tim Hofman is the host of this documentary. He talks with the formal owner of the famous program, John de Mol.[Review]
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Date Watched: Friday, January. 20, 2023 | How I Watched: YouTube on TV [second time watch]
I decided to rewatch this documentary because it came out exactly one year ago [the exact date too] and I wanted to see how much of it changed the Dutch media landscape.
This really brought me back to when I first watched it. At that point I was in my last year of my education [financial administer] and I remembered how much of an topic this was. - DirectorBobby BoermansStarsHannah HoekstraIsis CaboletRobert de HoogA young psychology student is drawn into the dark and fearful world of a diabolic and mysterious App that starts to terrorize her, distributing compromising photographs, videos and text messages about herself and delves deeper and deeper into her personal life, flawlessly exposing all of her deepest secrets. Originally in Dutch, international version dubbed to English.[Review]
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Date Watched: Saturday, January. 21, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second(?) time watch]
✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
Favourite scene: An Electronic Radio in the Swimming Pool
Best actor: Hannah Hoekstra
Okay, confession time. I had placed this as an first time watch at first, but I have seen this film before. I watched it during an High School day [somewhere in 2015-2017 – don’t know on what medium I watched it] and I remembered most of it, so I marked it as an rewatch now.
But enfin. I really got interested in watching this because I really loved Het gouden uur and I am curious to see if Bobby Boermans directed any other great things.
This wasn’t an good film, but I had a lot of fun with it! And I had forgotten how quick watching films is without an break of some sort.
Hannah Hoekstra is very cute and I really liked her performance. And I believe this performance is what got her the job for Horizon Zero Dawn.
Because I had some memories of what happened in this film I knew what was going to happen. The story isn’t this films stronghold. Tim Maas is so obviously the villain, but I found it so strange that Dr. Carlo is involved with Maas. Is he so hungry to try something completely radical and new on Stijn Rijnders, In the Name of Science?!
And I mentioned that I loved Het gouden uur. That series uses shaky-cam like this, but some of the shaky-cam here is actually really annoying. The suicide scene of Andrey is overdirected [too chaotic and bad shaky-cam here].
I would probably never rewatch this one.
It is not really clear if the blu-ray version is 24FPS or 25FPS. This version was 75 minutes, but some websites mention this to be 82 minutes. I dunno.
And yeah, I didn’t use the "Second Screen" feature. I’m better off with just watching the film. - DirectorRian JohnsonStarsDaniel CraigChris EvansAna de ArmasA detective investigates the death of the patriarch of an eccentric, combative family.[Review]
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Date Watched: Saturday, January. 28, 2023 | How I Watched: Netflix on TV [second time watch]
✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮
Favourite scene: You've got ten minutes before dying
Best actor: Ana de Armas
I first saw this film [alongside my father] back in 2020 when I rented the blu-ray from my local library. Something was off about the picture quality [it was quite grainy, in places where it shouldn’t be?] and something made me not love the film.
I never rewatched it though.
I was at an friend’s house and we rewatched this one. But after another watch [second time watch] I finally know why I this above average for me [to the point I even lowered it ½ star].
The issue I had with the picture quality what annoyed me here again. What’s up with this film and me? It has some crazy grain usage and blooming. I love film grain, but I believe something’s off about it.
Is Daniel Craig even trying with his accent? I also found it quite annoying how the character of Jacob Thrombey is supposed to be this "Alt-Righter", when it is clear Rian Johnson just wrote this character to stick it to the critics of Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi. Johnson, just write the character like it is, and don’t mention the Left and the Right in this, it is very cringy. I had forgotten how different Ana de Armas looks in this compared to her performance in No Time to Die. It is like she’s ten years younger here. This is also a bit harder to watch Christopher Plummer because he passed away two years after this film. - DirectorRenny HarlinStarsJackie ChanJohnny KnoxvilleBingbing FanA detective from Hong Kong teams up with an American gambler to battle against a notorious Chinese criminal.Date Watched: Friday, February. 17, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
Favourite scene: Steakout on the Syndicate
Best actor: Fan Bingbing
I had some good memories of watching this back in 2018, but I hadn’t seen it ever since. And several years ago I bought the blu-ray on the cheap, but never felt like returning to it.
But I finally watched it, and I don’t like anymore. This even dropped 2 stars from my original rating.
Jackie Chan doesn’t do bad for his age, meaning he’s still great in performing the stunt work, but there’s too much CGI. And Johnny Knoxville isn’t as grading as he could’ve been, his role just isn’t that interesting.
I had forgotten some of the plot. And kudos for the film to throw me off. I was expecting for Tang to the main villain, but I wasn’t expecting Yung to be still alive (and running the criminal organisation as the "Matador").
I do like Renny Harlin as an director, but his work here isn’t that good. It looks like an DTV film at points, and there’s too much CGI too.
I’m good on never seeing it again. - DirectorPierre MorelStarsSean PennIdris ElbaJasmine TrincaA sniper on a mercenary assassination team kills the minister of mines of the Congo. Terrier's successful kill shot forces him into hiding. Returning to the Congo years later, he becomes the target of a hit squad himself.[Review]
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Date Watched: Saturday, February. 18, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
✮✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
Favourite scene: Designated Sniper
Best actor: Sean Penn
I read Jean-Patrick Manchette’s The Prone Gunman [the version I read was the film tie-in version shortened to The Gunman] one year ago.
To watch this film was a bit of an hassle though. I could rent the DVD for free from my local library, but I had to pay €3 to get it on blu-ray. So I rented that blu-ray.
This film is actually a bit better now. Oh, I had seen this back in 2018 [when I rented the DVD from my local library] and thought it was okay at best. Something just clicked this time around, and that it why I bumped it up ½ star.
I am mixed on the action sequences. It features a lot of shaky cam and quick cut editing, but it wasn’t as bad as some films [cough, cough, the Bourne trilogy, cough]. It is a shame too because Pierre Morel has shot/directed better action sequences too [some scenes I’ve seen of Banlieue 13, The Transporter and Unleashed].
Sean Penn is an idiot in real life, but his performance isn’t an problem here. He is jacked up to eleven and gives an great performance too. Jasmine Trinca isn’t half bad, but she hasn’t got much to work with. And Idris Elba is severely underused.
I remember on my first viewing that I wished Javier Bardem was the main villain, but I don’t mind Mark Rylance’s villainous turn now. And he’s an definitive improvement over Cox's portrayal in the book!
Even though I like it more now, I probably will not watch it another time, or not for a few years. - DirectorTomas VergaraStarsTomás VerdejoLuis GneccoWaking up after a car crash, a man is faced with a vicious threat he has to escape from.Date Watched: Thursday, March. 2, 2023 | How I Watched: YouTube on TV [second time watch]
I only rewatched this because I am watching the DUST short films in YouTube release order.
This still isn’t good by any stretch of the imagination.
The CGI animation feels very weightless and a bit ragdoll as well. There’s some decent framing and directing on Tomas Vergara’s side, but it is not enough.
I also thought more about the plot issues this go around. The lead character was bitten some hours ago and hasn’t turned? Sorry, I don’t buy it.
DUST really must step their game up, ALTER did that at the very least! - DirectorAdil El ArbiBilall FallahStarsDimitri 'Vegas' ThivaiosPaloma Aguilera ValdebenitoEduardo AlmeidaThe lives of four dealer friends spin out of control when they steal a shipment of cocaine. They trigger a full out war between them, an Amsterdam drug lord and the Colombian cartels.Date Watched: Sunday, March. 12, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [third time watch]
✮✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮ | ♛
Favourite scene: The Amsterdam Massacre
Best actor: Matteo Simoni
After listening to the soundtrack for this film, I felt the need to rewatch this one.
I still really like it this third time around. It was also good to see it on an bigger TV screen now.
Ali B. is a real piece of work, and it is hard to watch him now. But he’s hamming it up so much, his performance really seconds that.
After watching it, I felt like rewatching it again. It is such an fun film! - DirectorCharles BarroisStarsJacques TatiHélène PépéeRhumAn amateur actor, hen-packed loser, signs unwittingly a contract to fight against professional wrestler.Date Watched: Saturday, March. 18, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
I decided to finally go through Jacques Tati’s filmography [at least everything on the 4-disc Lumière Classics blu-ray boxset - Jacques Tati: de complete collectie].
I will watch them by release order. I had seen this one [and two of his short films and one feature length one] before (two years ago), but I quit for a very specific reason, because I wanted an better screen to watch films/series. I had an small monitor where I watched most of the films/series on, but I was in dire need to go big.
But enfin, this one is still rather enjoyable. Jacques Tati delivers the comedic moments very well, and most of the jokes still land. I do wonder how he won by other people helping out though? - DirectorJacques BerrStarsRhumJacques TatiTwo friends try to raise money by tricking people into an improvised leisure tour.Date Watched: Sunday, March. 19, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
I am slowly going through Jacques Tati’s filmography, and this another solid one.
There’s some great humour here. I still laugh pretty hard when I see that little girl with that horn (like giving a call to action).
It scored pretty low with people, and I do wonder why. I like this short film a lot, and Jacques Tati is pretty well regarded for classic (French) comedies, so what gives? - DirectorRené ClémentStarsJacques TatiMax MartelLouis RoburA boxer is out in the country with his entourage, training for his next fight. Meanwhile, on the farm nearby, Roger is neglecting his chores. As he watches the boxer and his sparring partners at work, Roger starts to fantasize about being a boxer himself. Then, when none of the boxer's sparring partners can continue, he is asked to fill in, although he doesn't know anything about how to box.Date Watched: Monday, March. 20, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
I have a history with this short film. Back in 2021 I watched it, but watching this in the living room was hard because of my parents and my sister being around.
So, I wanted to rewatch this one.
Out of On demande une brute, Gai dimanche! and this (short) film, this is my least favourite out of the bunch, but the ending made me click with it.
I had some lolz when the postman gets punched (by accent) and rallies against the puncher for the wrong reasons. This is when the humour really worked for me. - DirectorSam RaimiStarsTobey MaguireKirsten DunstWillem DafoeAfter being bitten by a genetically-modified spider, a shy teenager gains spider-like abilities that he uses to fight injustice as a masked superhero and face a vengeful enemy.Date Watched: Monday, March. 20, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
✮✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
Favourite scene: The Birth of Green Goblin
Best actor: Willem Dafoe
Okay, confession time. I had only seen this film once before, back in 2016 [or 2017?], when I bought the DVD from my internship.
I began to grow out of superhero flicks at the end of 2017, and since then I’ve only seen a handful of them.
I did buy the blu-ray [along with Spider-Man 2] back in 2017[?], but they collected dust [although the ex of my sister first used the blu-ray last year], but I finally rewatched the film and… It is pretty good!
Sam Raimi’s directing is excellent. He gives it a very comic book-y feel, and his horror background is clearly visible in some sequences.
The CGI isn’t the greatest. Some of the CGI Spider-Man look very weak, but there’s still a lot of practical effect work done here. I also like how most of the final fight between Spider-Man and Green Goblin is done with mostly practical effects.
I remember not being impressed by Tobey Maguire, and I am still not. His Peter Parker is just a bit too much for my liking, but he isn’t that bad as Spider-Man. Willem Dafoe is one of my favourite actors and he’s perfectly cast as Green Goblin / Norman Osborn. And J.K. Simmons idem dito. And Kirsten Dunst was something, I guess? That rain scene was amazingly sexy.
I got goosebumps with the opening titles, Danny Elfman’s musical score really helps with that. - DirectorAram SarkisianStarsMatt KellyThrough the series of letters written to his younger brother Marcus, we get inside the mind of a man (Winston), who slowly falls into his own hell, by his own means.Date Watched: Tuesday, March. 21, 2023 | How I Watched: YouTube on TV [second time watch]
This was my first rewatch out of the ALTER short films, because I had seen this one back in 2019. I wrote a "little review" on Letterboxd where I called it and I quote: "Solid enough short. Beautiful animation intercut with some bad moments of editing." I however do think I was completely in the wrong then.
What was I thinking!?! Bad editing? The editing is great, constantly making you wonder if Winston lost it or not. Matt Kelly’s voice work also works wonders.
The animation is also gorgeous. I love the art style and colour usage. The directing also is very dynamic. There’s a sort of tracking shot and this looks amazing!
I don’t think I really get the ending, but I believe Winston was picked up by an bird, as shown by the blood trail stopping halfway.
My second favourite of the ALTER short films so far. Abe [or ABE] is still my favourite one, but by an small margin. - DirectorSam RaimiStarsTobey MaguireKirsten DunstAlfred MolinaPeter Parker is beset with troubles in his failing personal life as he battles a former brilliant scientist named Otto Octavius.Date Watched: Tuesday, March. 21, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [third time watch]
[Theatrical Cut]
✮✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮ | ♛
Favourite scene: At the Hospital
Best actor: Alfred Molina
I finally decided to rewatch this one! Like the first film, I bought the DVD back in 2016(?) from my internship and I’ve seen it twice [once on my own and one time during an Birthday party in 2016 or 2017?].
I liked this film a lot, and I finally understand the superhero hype again, but I still have some issues.
And before starting my full "short thoughts", I have to mention I watched the "Theatrical Cut". I will watch the "Extended Cut" later this year.
Sam Raimi’s directing is definitely improved over the first one [but I’m not saying the first one is badly directed]. There’s some nice moments where Raimi in fully in his horror roots again, but there’s a bit too much CGI in the third act.
There’s a lot of CGI in the third act, and it becomes a bit much. Where the first film has a lot of practical stuff in the third act, this one overdoes it. When Kirsten Dunst’s Mary Jane Watson is grabbed by Doc Ock, there are some wonky effects.
Tobey Maguire still doesn’t impress me as Peter Parker, but like the first film, he’s a fine Spider-Man. And am I the only one who thinks Kirsten Dunst looks younger here than she did in the first one? Alfred Molina delivered such an great performance.
I wasn’t too fuzzed about Harry Osborn’s hereditary trip to become the "new Green Goblin". I don’t really get how and why he has Green Goblin / Norman Osborn’s voice in his head.
The comedic tone is definitely a bit much. There’s the "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" sequence, the many posters of one Mary Jane Watson, the Violinist playing and singing the 60s Spider-Man theme, etc. The plotline of Peter Parker losing his powers as Spider-Man, didn’t make much sense either. He loses his powers due to social pressure weighing him down, but he regains his powers by going after Mary Jane Watson to save her. The film sets up that Spider-Man / Peter Parker needs to learn to not always get what he wants himself, but to live the life of an superhero, but he regains his powers by going after what he wants, which is against his own point [although I get he has to save her from Doc Ock].
Even with the qualms I have with the script, I still love the film. - DirectorIan KirbyStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittLukas HaasThis Inception prequel unfolds courtesy of a beautiful Motion Comic, and explains how Cobb, Arthur and Nash were enlisted by Cobol Engineering. Diehard fans of the film will be especially interested in this one.Date Watched: Saturday, March. 25, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
I can't use Microsoft Word anymore, so this is the reason why I am so late with these "short thoughts" [and my laziness also kicked in - which was an byproduct of having so much time to watch whatever I wanted].
But enfin, I was watching Inception, and I stopped watching that one to watch this prequel first.
My issues with this short film still remain. The animation [this is an Motion Comic] isn't my cup of tea.
It does set up things nicefully before the events of Inception. - DirectorChristopher NolanStarsLeonardo DiCaprioJoseph Gordon-LevittElliot PageA thief who steals corporate secrets through the use of dream-sharing technology is given the inverse task of planting an idea into the mind of a C.E.O., but his tragic past may doom the project and his team to disaster.Date Watched: Saturday, March. 25, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [third time watch]
✮✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮ | ♛
Favourite scene: The Hallway Fight
Best actor: Leonardo DiCaprio
I felt in the mood to rewatch this one (again).
Last year I finally rewatched Inception and I did really like it, but I had some issues with it. I was curious if the film would grow even more on me with this third watch.
I was alone at home, so I could just crack up the sound to eleven now.
I still have the same issues with the film, but it is still an great film.
When Robert Fischer sees Maurice Fischer on his deathbed, this should be an really emotional moment, but alas it ain't. Pete Postlethwaite and Cillian Murphy are both excellent actors, but the emotions are not there. I still don't care for Cobb and how he made his wife go insane. I am not fond of that part of the story. - DirectorLourens BlokStarsManuel BroekmanTim MurckHanna VerboomFreshmen, seniors and alumni clash with each other, themselves, and the police during an Amsterdam fraternity's epic opening party.[My April Fools Review]
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Date Watched: Saturday, April. 1, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [third time watch]
✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
Favourite scene: Motto of Life
Best actor: Marcel Musters
I only rewatched this with the purpose of making an Letterboxd joke review [because it was April Fools] and I wanted to experiment with linking.
But I am actually kinda glad I rewatched it. On my first viewing I liked this film, the second watch made me hate the film, but with this third viewing I am split on the film now.
Season three of Feuten was a great way to end the series. Bram Wagtmans' bond with Olivier de Ruyter and Marie-Claire de Ruyter is stronger than ever, but this film destroys that entire ending.
Bram Wagtmans is now married to Marie-Claire de Ruyter and their relationship is going terrible. Not to mention that the new characters of Elias de Leeuw and Lieve are terrible additions to the franchise.
Some of the comedic moments actually made me laugh a bit too. It is such low hanging fruit to call the Police Nazis, but in context of Olivier de Ruyter saying it, it makes perfect sense. I also good a good laugh at seeing Noordzij (without an shirt on) kicking an police officer more equipped than he is. Or when Elias de Leeuw slaps Remco like an girl.
The weakest part of the film is the fact it opens itself up to more seasons/films of Feuten, which to this day has not yet happened. Elias de Leeuw now is an part of the group, but his change of heart feels unearned.
I am rewatching season two of Penoza, so I was fun to see Marcel Musters and Tom Jansen appear in both in this and that series. - DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiPaul DemangeSchool for Postmen" is a 1947 short film directed and starring Jacques Tati, playing a French postman adamant to prove he can be just as fast as American postmen at delivering mail.Date Watched: Monday, April. 10, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
I knew I had to rewatch this before rewatching Jour de fête, so I did.
Jacques Tati is too good at playing these goofy characters, it is insane. Not to mention he also directed and wrote the thing.
This one is really charming. - DirectorJacques TatiStarsJacques TatiGuy DecomblePaul FrankeurA village postman with no sense of humour delivers his mail via bicycle on the day the travelling fair comes to town. He is disrupted by a short film about US speed and efficiency and the playful teasing of the village folk.Date Watched: Monday, April. 10, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
[Original Cut]
✮✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮ | ♛
Favourite scene: The "American Way"
Best actor: Jacques Tati
I decided to finally rewatch this one and I'm glad I did, but I saw more flaws with it.
But let's start at the beginning. Jacques Tati delivers a good performance, and so does the rest of the cast.
While I like most of the characters, most of the side characters are not that important to the overall story. And they introduced one to many for my liking. The character of La commère could be cut out and it wouldn't make much of an difference.
I don't mind the changes they made from L'école des facteurs. This is more of an critique on American culture (in this case the American postal service) and the main character caving to the pressure of expectations and letdowns.
The blu-ray I watched has the excellent picture quality for an film from the 1940s. There are three versions of this film, and I watched the original cut (which is 86 minutes long - 87 minutes if rounded out). The B&W looks fantastic. - DirectorDana NechushtanStarsAnoukAnneke BlokIgone de JonghInspired by the melancholy tracks on Anouks album: "Sad Singalong Songs" Dana Nechushtan developed four shorts films, all connected by a single theme, yet each telling it's own dramatic story. 'Sad Singalongs' is a visual unity of four titles, each echoing the strong emotions and dramatic expressions of Anouks compositions. In 'Pretending' we discover how a soon-to-be groom travels back in time, exposing his affairs. 'The Good Life' tells the story of a young man making a gruesome discovery about himself. In 'Kill' a wife and mother is making a painful sacrifice by hiding the truth, while 'Birds' is a primaballerina's dark fairy-tail.Note: Originally I had some issues putting my thoughts in a readable form, so this is why they're up so late. My work/social life has massively busy too, so my "short thoughts" will be up a bit later.
I felt in the mood to rewatch these four short films. Back in 2020 I watched them for the first time after wanting to see more of Dana Nechushtan's filmography [which was more of an half-baked attempt, but I digress].
I had some issues with finding the right viewing order, which isn't that clear to begin with. So I decided to watch them in this exact order: 'Birds', 'Kill', 'The Good Life' and 'Pretending As Always'. All the four short films/segments connect to one another in some way or form.
So I will make an review for every short film/segment below here.
Segment: 'Birds'
Date Watched: Friday, April. 14, 2023 | How I Watched: YouTube on TV [second time watch]
I do still remember this short film/segment like it is yesterday. It is a solid one.
My issue solely lies with its premise. I'm not into the ballet scene, so it is a bit harder to get invested in the life and death of one ballet dancer. I get that the themes of acceptance and life are explored here, but I didn't care much about the story here.
Some of the CGI effects are a bit iffy. The CGI birds look way off, but I like that they didn't show the suicide dive of that ballerina, only the aftermath [which isn't (that) bloody though].
Monic Hendrickx has a small supporting role here as the piano player. I thought her acting was fine, but I didn't buy the other ballerinas and the piano player not being utterly shocked by the suicide one of them commited.
Segment: 'Kill'
Date Watched: Friday, April. 14, 2023 | How I Watched: YouTube on TV [second time watch]
This is another solid one.
We have the connections of Monic Hendrickx appearing again (although a different character?), birds soaring in the sky, and connections to the forthcoming short films like the men in bunny suits, and the police officers.
I like the morality here. A woman choses not to kill her cheating husband and decides to go on living with him.
It is very funny to see Raymond Thiry getting it on with Anouk. She is the singer of these short films, so that's funny. And the police officers have the Decepticon [Transformers] logo on their outfits, which is so strange!
Segment: 'The Good Life'
Date Watched: Friday, April. 14, 2023 | How I Watched: YouTube on TV [second time watch]
This is one that's a bit more different on my second viewing.
Because I've seen it before, I knew Martijn Lakemeier's character was a goner and I started paying more attention to how the filmmakers made subtle hints towards that.
The main connecting thing were the police officers (played by Raymond Thiry and Anouk - both play the same role as they did in 'Kill'). It was weird to see Anneke Blok again play the mother of Martijn Lakemeier [years after one of my favourite films in Oorlogswinter].
Segment: 'Pretending As Always'
Date Watched: Friday, April. 14, 2023 | How I Watched: YouTube on TV [second time watch]
And I'm rounding things out with this one.
What I really like is how the footage is played backwards, slowly revealing that several men in bunny suits terrorize the streets of Amsterdam. One of them cheats on a pregnant young woman (who is played by the amazingly cute Hannah Hoekstra) and sleeps with a prostitute. - DirectorJesse V. JohnsonStarsScott AdkinsRay StevensonDavid PaymerMike is a tough hitman, who makes his hits look like accidents or suicide. He's in a gang of hitmen, each with his own style. When his loved ex is killed, Mike looks for those responsible.Date Watched: Sunday, April. 16, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [third time watch]
✮✮✮✮/✮✮✮✮✮ | ♛
Favourite scene: A Scene of Crime
Best actor: Ray Stevenson
This was a last minute watch. Originally I was watching Defiance, but the disc skipped after the first two and a half minutes!
So I decided to watch this blu-ray from my collection [which was sealed for years] as a replacement for this year's ACTIONx52 watches.
Back in 2018 I rented the DVD from my library and highly enjoyed it [even saw it twice] and bought the blu-ray on the cheap some time later [in 2019?], but only now rewatched it.
This is still a great time, but I lowered it half a star from my original rating.
The action sequences are superb and this film feels like an British Guy Ritchie crime film, mixed with John Wick.
There's some issues I have with the cinematography. Digital cinematography has not yet fancied me [safe for some films] and some of the shots here look a bit cheap because of it.
I had such a good laugh throughout this entire running time. Milton shouldn't work as an character, but he does here. And I know for a fact a character like Jane The Ripper would never fly in Modern Hollywood.
Mike Fallon arguably is too much of an unlikeable character in his deeds and actions, but part of the humour also stems from that too. There's a scene that really confused me. Poison Pete tries to poison Mike Fallon, but it doesn't work? What happened?
I can definitely see myself rewatching it (again) and I'm up for watching Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday. - DirectorMichaël R. RoskamStarsMatthias SchoenaertsJeroen PercevalJeanne DandoySint-Truiden, Belgium. Jacky, a young cattle farmer who is constantly pumped on steroids and hormones, is approached by a veterinarian to make a deal with a notorious beef trader.[Review]
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Date Watched: Sunday, April. 30, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
✮✮✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮ | ♛
Favourite scene: Institution
Best actor: Matthias Schoenaerts
For some reason I had some interest to rewatch this film after watching it for the first time back in 2021 [when I rented the blu-ray from my local library - I did the same thing time]. At first the film disappointed me severely and I wanted to see if I would like it now this go-around.
Man, my opinion has definitely changed [upped it 1½ stars]. I have still some flaws with it, but the issues were less noticeable.
My main problem is one that I had with both viewings. It isn't totally clear why Jacky Vanmarsenille follows Lucia Schepers. I believe it is to tell her about what Bruno Schepers did to him [to clear his name and his deeds, and for her to disown his brother]. If this reasoning was more clear I maybe would've maybe gotten more out of these sequences.
Emotionally this viewing also got more out of me. I got tear-y eyed when (young) Bruno Schepers crushed (young) Jacky Vanmarsenille's testicles and during the last few seconds. Despite my issues [which I mentioned a few sentences ago] the ending really worked for me. To see the young Jacky Vanmarsenille and the white background becoming more and more prominent got to me. - DirectorJoram LürsenStarsJacob DerwigBarry AtsmaFockeline OuwerkerkIn Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, banker brothers Walraven and Gijs van Hall face their greatest challenge yet when they decide to help fund the Dutch resistance.Date Watched: Saturday, May. 6, 2023 | How I Wathed: blu-ray on PlayStation 3 [second time watch]
✮✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮
Favourite scene: A "Late" Visit
Best actor: Barry Atsma
I hadn't seen this film since in first came out in theaters [back in 2018!], but I wasn't an fan of it on first viewing. It felt too sanitized. And knowing that the EO (the Evangelische Omroep - which is an Christian public broadcaster part of the NPO [the Dutch public TV network) was one of the main producers behind this film made me think they were behind most these decisions.
But five years after my first watch I wanted to see if this film was really that bad as I made it up all these years ago.
I rented the blu-ray from my local library and I had plans to watch it on Liberation Day, but decided to watch it the day after Liberation Day for two reasons. The first being that I had to work on Liberation Day. I don't watch feature length films on working days because I cannot focus on them very well. And secondly, the noises of the "Bevrijdingsfestival" were too much to even watch something.
Furthermore, I wanted to watch this film with my parents, but they wanted to watch it on the (smaller) TV downstairs, which I wasn't an fan of.
So I watched the film on my own and... this is actually an solid film.
After watching many Dutch films that look duller than your average day at work, Joram Lürsen did an great job behind the director's chair.
My biggest issue is one that was an part of both viewings. The screenwriters think they're so clever for not (over)explaining stuff, but some parts of this film are never made clear why they happen the way they do. Things like the nearly drowning boy [is that supposed to be Walraven van Hall, and what is the consequences of him nearly drowning?]. It is never made clear who betrayed Walraven van Hall, but the deleted scene on the blu-ray disc explains who did it. The story is full of these plot points that aren't made clear and this really annoyed me.
I mentioned a few paragraphs ago that I thought the film felt very sanitized. I actually like to take that back. There's some (CGI) blood in several sequences, but it isn't as bloody/gory as it could've been still. I also appreciate that there are only two [I believe?] curse words throughout the entirety of the running time. We Dutchies curse a lot and it felt a bit refreshing to see an Dutch film not being this reliant on that. - DirectorJonathan DaytonValerie FarisStarsSteve CarellToni ColletteGreg KinnearA family determined to get their young daughter into the finals of a beauty pageant take a cross-country trip in their VW bus.Date Watched: Saturday, May. 13, 2023 | How I Watched: blu-ray on blu-ray player [second time watch]
✮✮✮✮½/✮✮✮✮✮ | ♛
Favourite scene: Colourblind
Best actor: Man, this is hard, but I'm going with Steve Carell
My mind was a bit fuzzy on this film. In 2017 I bought this film on DVD on the cheap and saw it on a portable DVD player when driving to Denmark for our family holiday.
I never rewatched it though.
Last month I bought this blu-ray at the "Rommelmarkt" on "Koningsdag" for €3,-.
A friend asked if I could come over and watch this film together and so we did [and it was neigh impossible to watch something at my home because of an neighbour making a lot of noise, and such].
Man, this film is such a excellent piece of filmmaking!
The cast is definitely a draw for this. I had completely forgotten that Abigail Breslin was the one how played Olive [ Zombieland is one of my personal favourite films], Greg Kinnear, Paul Dano, Alan Arkin, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, etc. You even get cameos from Bryan Cranston and Dean Norris, two years before Breaking Bad [a friend and I were joking about this taking place in Albuquerque and how funny it would be if Bryan Cranston was in this, how surprised we were]!
I had forgotten how engrossing this film actually was. The themes of reputation, childhood, addiction, life goals and such all come together perfectly. I had some issues with the "Marcel Proust" joke until the third act where it becomes clear who he is and what the connection is to the character of Frank.
I felt sorry for the character of Dwayne. The scene where we find out he's colourblind is heartbreaking and how good of an actor Paul Dano really is. A friend had a issue with how annoying Richard Hoover was in the first act, but he grew more sympathetic to him later on.
There are several small issues I had with the film that kept it from being an 5/5 star film for me. One small issue first. While I love the scene where Dwayne finds out he's colourblind, the sound mixing abruptly cuts out the car honking. I would've preferred them fading the sound out. And I don't believe the family is left alone with Edwin Hoover's corpse. This is really close to being 5/5 stars, and maybe a third viewing will chance this.
I really miss Fox Searchlight Pictures.