The vault

When a dvd has various words like ‘explicit’, ‘shocking’ or ‘uncensored’ on the cover, I can’t take it too serious. But I remember that it aroused some media attention too when it was showing in smaller film theatres a few years back. It’s indeed a rough film, made by two female directors. Two girls are […]

‘Good Bye, Lenin!’ attracted millions of Germans to the cinema. They were of course appealed by the themes taken from recent German history: the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, the demise of the German Democratic Republic, the unification of the two Germany’s. These developments went very fast, and in no time complete households […]

Today was the yearly Kristallnacht commemoration in Amsterdam. This year more people than usual came to this memorial for the 1938 nightmarish events. This may be caused by the recent Dutch media attention for increased anti-semitism, especially under Islamic school children. I did not realize that it was a memorial day when I visited ‘Rosenstrasse’ […]

A confronting portrait of present-day Brazil, told from inside a slum neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro (the City of God). The main character describes in a kind of voice-over how his friends turned from small thiefs, who were relatively symphathetic, into unscrupulous drug bosses who slaughter their competitors without mercy. The director sketches the story […]

Animation is growing up and is becoming more interesting day by day. Especially in Japan, where the highly aggressive and rather rude manga is developing into a mature form of art, with attractive animation both for adults and children. One of the better directors from Japan is Hayo Miyazaki. After ‘Princess Mononoke’ and ‘Ghost in […]

Last year I already read the book by Jeffrey Euginedes, this week I finally saw the film of Sofia Coppola. ‘The Virgin Suicides’ was the debut for the daughter of Francis Ford Coppola. I found it an enjoyable movie, as far as you can use that term for such a tragic story. Very well done […]

Around 1991 ‘The Commitments’ was one of the first movies I ever saw in the local film theatre. Now, a dozen years later, it still looked fresh when I watched it on tv. It’s one of my favourite music movies, directed by Alan Parker (Fame!). The opening scenes show vivid images of the poorer parts […]

A lovely movie about the stirring life of the artist Frida Kahlo. “Frida” is designed in a sublime manner by play director Julie Taymor. She manages to portray the spectacular and dramatic biography of Friday with exotic spheric scenery and dazzling colourful images of Mexico. Absolute a pleasure for the eye. Salma Hayek delivers an […]

The highly original first movie from Carlos Reygadas. It tells the story of a painter who is fed up with his life. He travels to a canyon in Mexico (which is filmed breathtakingly beautiful) to commit suicide. His last stop is a shed, where he stays temporarily. This shelter is supplied by an old woman […]