Change Your Image
willembaars
Reviews
Zwartboek (2006)
impressive
The first movie of Paul Verhoeven since more than 20 years could only turn out to be a disappointment. But fortunately it is not. It is a very impressive and exciting and dramatic story of a Jewish girl that gets involved in the Resistance-movement in World War 2. When she wants to escape the Germans she finds her family killed in front of her eyes. She is rescued and becomes an important member of the Dutch Resistance. She has to act like a spy at the headquarters of the SD and even has to sleep with the head of the SD, who happens to turn out to be the only good German in the movie. I won't tell you what happens, but the movie gives a very good impression of the terrors of war, what people do in these circumstances, the thin line between good and bad and betrayal. The movie was beautifully shot and Carice van Houten is incredible in this movie. Zwartboek is a typical Paul Verhoeven-movie with some nudity and heavy in your face-scenes and provocative and unexpected things that happen. Zwartboek could be the winner of the Oscars for foreign movies next year as far as I am concerned. Also a special credit for the German actor who plays general Franken. Go and see Zwartboek (Black Book): it's a movie that will keep you thinking for quite some while
Dear Wendy (2005)
boring
My expectations were very high. I liked Festen and Lars von Triers Dogville so the talents of the two directors combined should be able to lead to a very interesting movie. In stead I was treated to a very boring and very pretentious movie about nothing. In the other comments you can already read what the movie is about. Maybe I do not see the deeper layer in this movie, but I think it was very boring, very unhumorous, very nothing. All the time you expect something very original, but only the end that was supposed to be funny (probably)could be seen as a little original. But in such a unfunny way that even that could not make me enthusiastic anymore. As my colleague from the previous comment mentioned: a waste of time. And maybe it is about time that not automatically and every time something new of mr Von Trier and his Danish colleagues comes out these Danish directors are being treated in a special way. They are not so good and special after all. If movies that they make and have made in the past had been made by unknown directors they would never have received the same kind of positive criticism as they did, just because they invented something like Dogma or so.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Good, but there is a better one about this subject
I agree: Million Dollar baby is a beautiful and emotional movie. From the very beginning of the movie you already have an idea about what the movie will end like. But the good thing is that it ends differently, so quite surprising. I really liked the subtle way in which Eastwood handles the theme (especially from the moment that Hillary Swank seems to be paralyzed). I am sure the movie will win loads of Oscars. Fair enough. But the real reason why I write this is to let you know that there is a movie which is about the same kind of themes (controversial friendship, euthanasia), but done better than this done. It is called Simon and it is the Dutch nominee for the Oscars. People think the movie won't be nominated at the end because the themes are too controversial for the Oscar-jury-members. But if this appears to be the reason why Simon won't win an Oscar, than Million Dollar Baby doesn't deserve nominated either. Go watch and see Simon: very funny, very beautiful, very much about life in The Netherlands!