Change Your Image
tan1415
Reviews
Swagger (2021)
One of the best series this season...
Wow wow. Didn't know what to expect.
But this series has so much depth and covers so much topics and they have done it extremely well.love how they wove the every day situation into the series. Like with Westwing...
You get more than just an insight into the 14 and under basketball scene.
Binge worthy series and a great reason to give Apple TV a try.
Jack Ryan (2018)
Best up to date Clancy
Much much better than expected. I saw quite a few Clancy adaptations...they suck. Without remorse being the latest low.
But this series is really good. High end series with truly up-to-date storylines and issues.
Typical to Clancy. The humanization and respect towards the opponents.
Like reading a new Clancy novel.
Highly recommended.
Get Hard (2015)
Finally breakout movie for Kevin Hart.
Must be the funniest movie of the year. I laughed my ass off and I was not alone. Sometimes felt like I was at the standup show of Kevin Hart.
Downside....not much originality with regard to story.(Big Stan with Rob Schneider). We know who the bad guys were after 1 minute of seeing them. Politically correctness in such anything goes comedy comes off a bit awkward.
But it hits hard on the comedy and jokes. Will ferrell works great with Hart. There comedy is totally different but seems to enhance each other. Cant remember Hart or Ferrell being funnier on the Big Screen.
Must see movie.
Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
Unfair criticism...most underrated movie
Unfair criticism makes me very cautious of the movie.Quite a few people have not seen the movie yet. can't blame them after the NOAH debacle. But this is a MUST SEE move. If you are an action, a history buff or wants to see a different kind of biblical story.
I can very much assure that you will not be disappointed by this movie. Matter of fact...IMHO it's even better than The Hobbit 3 or even Gladiator. Definitely better than the original Kingdom of Heaven. If there is a directors cut of this movie like with koH...it will be even better.
Ridley Scott delivered a quite unique movie. A biblical themed action movie. I guess is more a based on movie than an actual refilming of the biblical story. Even though he is not following the biblical story 100%...all essential elements are in it. I bet in a Directors cut...more of the original stories will be fleshed out. like the breaking of the 10 commandments.
Moses is my favorite prophet from the old testament and exodus one of my favorite stories. I really like how Christian Bale seems to capture moses. Sure he is not as (melo)dramatic as Charlton Heston. But his style works. Especially his arguments with the child god speaks to me. he was not a blind follower but argued to. I liked that. Because lets face it...when the plagues are quite graphically and the impact is truly stunning. The movie conveyed how disastrous it all was.
I also love how the whole grandeur of the Egyptian culture and the battle scenes are Truly impressive. Ridley Scott has outdone Peter Jackson and even himself from KoH and Gladiator. It was so realistic.
Let me discuss some critiques of the movie.
1) To many white/Caucasian actors. That's a silly argument. As far as i know...Charlton Heston is 100% Caucasian.
2) More local actors. That's equally silly. Maybe can use them as extras. But come it's 3000 years on.if you ignore the address where they live, I bet the locals in Egypt are as different to ancients Egyptians as the Caucasians are. Everyone of the actors and actresses acted faultlessly. Even Turturro as Seti.
3)Historical inaccuracies. Well it's noticeable for history buffs. But didn't really distract to the story. Like I said above..|Ridley Scott made ancient Egypt come alive like he did with Ancient Rome in Gladiator.
4) he didn't exactly follow the Biblical story. I think a directors cut with more minutes would do the story justice. But his artistic choices doesn't bother me. To me this is a biblical action movie.
Anyway if you have not seen the movie yet. Run to the nearest cinema. This movie in all of its magnificence deserves to be enjoyed in the cinema. You will be in awe of the world building and the battle scenes.
I loved it. And I wonder how it will look if i see it more.
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
Leaves you wanting for more....
Something for Disney to learn here. This sequel is amazing. And true world-building. Not just a question of earning extra money.
Dreamworks don't have the animation stars like Disney. But they are slowly building up a great collection. If Disney don't watch out...they are going to be overtaken by Dreamworks. To be honest..I don't understand why Disney is making such bad sequels. All they have to to is make a new storyline and some hard work making animation and they have a new movie. No need thinking up new characters or worlds.
Strategy is simple...world-building and great sequels. After Shrek, it didn't comes as a big surprise with Dragon 2. But what didn't surprise me was the depth of the world and all the different dragons. To be honest cant wait for the next sequel.
The Monuments Men (2014)
hmm to unbelievable...
Well it was not as expected. Thinking abit of fantasy caper like oceans 11. Instead was an almost documentary. But in such away that its not believable.
Love the story. But it was shown in such haphazard way. Seems the adventures in the book was collected and divided amongst the few actors involved. COme on.8 people did all of this? I cant believe it.
Well at least its making me buy the book.And read how it all happened. Because for sure it's a story I never realised before.
I love florence...didn't even realise it was destroyed. Surprising to see the paintings stolen that they recovered. And Now I can enjoy seeing them..never realising what they came thru.
I have a feeling that something went wont with the filming. Sad the story deserved better. A huge misser for clooney.
And people saying whats the use...this story is still relevant. Remember Al Qaeda destroying the statues in Afghanistan. Its not about the Nazis..it s about the sort of people they are. And sadly such kind of people still exists.
Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014)
He's no Jack Ryan....
Perfect as captain Kirk...but why make him Jack Ryan too. COuld they really be so simple... Almost as bad as making sourpuss HArrison Ford Jack Ryan.
Anyway like the books of clancy...going downhill. And Jack Ryan is such a great character. The idealistic technocrat all American hero. Rich,smart, beautiful independent successful wife and 2 kids. One boy and girl. Even his family is picture perfect. Not a womanizer...so no worries abut it being pg13. He should be an over the top picture perfect hero.
To be honest...a young Kevin Costner would have been perfect. He can act so earnest and idealistic. Makes it believable. Matter of fact he would have been better suited instead of Harrison Ford or he should just do a reboot with an older Jack Ryan. There is an existing story line that ends with him as US president.
Plenty of enemies to choose and make nice story. Russioan president who is KGB. China gaining power and flexing their muscles and of course always the Islamic enemies. So i say re re boot it...bring us the heroe from the original books. Than make up your own story. Like james Bond.
Frozen (2013)
What a lovely film and song...
I love Disney movies. And while watching the movie reminded me of my two little nieces. A movie about sisters.I hope they don't befell the same tragedy(knock on wood). But hope their relationship would be just as great. A must have for my Disney collection for them. I guess for now they are a bit to young for it.
Awesome comedy from the snowman. Like the lion king it has emotional value that touches young and old. Making it one of Disney best in a long time. Where Lion King is about a father and a son. This is about sisters.
And add the great song 'let it go'...without me knowing a song you hum when walking out of the cinema.
RoboCop (2014)
worth it....
It misses out on the grittiness and nastiness of the Verhoeven Original. This one is perfectly acceptable for kids. Even the batman movies were scarier. The bad guys were not so evil.Definitely compared with the original..where everyone was nasty and greedy or psychotic.
To things were quite noticeable..the hero was super thin.When he wore the suite...I understand why they chose him. Also some computer graphics were not so awesome. PC games has better animation in my opion. I didn't like when robocop was running or the action sequence with robots. Bit fake. The staccato movement of the robots was a copy from the original. But in the original I guess it was due to the SFX limitations when it was made.
But for a simple action movie it's quite satisfying. When the movie was over...i was thinking sequel.
The Lone Ranger (2013)
Doesn't deserve the hate...enjoyable summer blockbuster
Wow there was so much hate, ba dpress about this movie. Always want to keep an open mind and went to watch it.
All I can say is...if you missed out because you listened , your losy. This movie deserved to be seen in the cinema. A true blue summer blockbuster.
I missed out of the original TV series. Saw I don't know how close to the real characters they were. No characters were irritating. Johnny Depp is weird like Jack Sparrow. But still entertaining.
Everything looked beautiful and cinematic. And no irritating 3D involved.
All in all a really enjoyable summer blockbuster.
Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters (2013)
Not as good as the first one
Wow this movie is bad. Saw it in the cinema and regretted it immediately. Quality was bad...like a made for TV movie/series.Like Xena or Hercules.Weak dialogie and special effects. Made CGI looked real cheap.
Also the 3d effects was nearly non existent. IMO 3D is just a gimmick to safeguard copying in the cinema of the movies. I guess if you read the books, you will enjoy it. But this should just head straight to DVD next time.
To bad really, i liked the first installment.Premise is interesting and I can understand why it became so popular with the kids.
An Officer and a Gentleman (1982)
A classic that gets better with age....
Awesome title song and two of the greatest endings ever...a classic. i remember as a a young kid seeing it for the first time...hated all the lovey dovey parts of the movie. Seems it spoiled the exciting story about learning how to become a jet pilot. hated it ...esspecially the ending. But later on...rewatching it on TV....got to really appreciate the movie in its entirety.
And it's so good...has pretty much became the standard ultimate ending. Guy walking away with girl in his arms. But what made this movie so great imo...there are 2 endings. The first was with Lou Gosset. Getting his first salute.Really poignant and when he rode away hearing him shouting at new recruits. using the same antics and words. A poignant ending and perfect in it self... But than the music starts up...and there was Richard Gere walking in to the factory and ready to get her. Wow...so awesome. 1-2 punch...total knockout making this movie the one with the best ending ever.
Love it..always enjoy watching the movie..even knowing the ending.
The Hangover Part III (2013)
Trilogy?!?....just simply turning a quick buck. A con-movie.
To me it seems they borrowed a plot from another movie/script and replaced the characters with the ones from hangover 1..to get It's purely trying to milk out the characters for as much of our money as possible. Realising they have run out of ideas for a similar hangover movie. They just borrowed a script somewhere and try to cash in on its famous predecessors. A quick heists before people realize what the movie actually is. A con movie.
The funniest bit is the Giraffe sequence...but thats only at the start...not even part of the actual movie. Simply an amuse bouche.
The rest of the movie doesn't have any hangovers in it or really any comedic moments. Just a straight crime-caper trying to be funny.
Sad sad end and showing the true colors of the makers and participants of this movie.
Seven Days in Utopia (2011)
It's a religious story...
OK when the song was about born again...I know that this movie is about born again Christians...finding your faith and all that.
Till than I didn't quite realize it and actually enjoyed it for lazy Sunday afternoon movie. Like another reviewer mentioned....I was blindsided by this.
I am happy he has found his faith and others do too. Glad for it. But please don't push it in my face or when doing it at least be open about it.
To me it felt like watching the birdcage and having it described as a family film/musical drama.
Anyway i think if you are a Christian ...this must be one of the best ever Christian sports movies ever.
Olympus Has Fallen (2013)
Thrilling movie....with the usual downsides.
The start of the movie is simply incredible. The scenario and the actions scenes are great.
Downsides...bit to much americana. Fuqua puts it on so thick...almost like its a parody.
Also the story starts to unravel after the start of the movie. Something special turned out pretty ordinary.
But in the end the thrilling start of the movie sets the pace for the rest of the movie. Excellent and thoroughly enjoyable action movie.
Love the way the Secret Service (cant use the acronym lol) fought literally to the last man.
Dredd (2012)
Dredd = Batman Begins
What a great movie. It's just perfect...perfect feel like the comic. Over the top violence and gore...and the characters and people are so cold or blasé about. Like its normal. To me that's what's it about with the Judge Dredd Universe.
And i can't IMO give it a bigger compliment than comparing it to Batman Begins. The difference between Dredd 3D and Stallones Dredd is just as big or even bigger than Nolans Batman and Clooney's Batman.
The 3d effects are great and fits the movie perfectly. It was used as a tool to engross you in the movie and enhances the whole feel of the movie. It was all worked out well and it was a long time since I enjoyed 3D so much.
When the movie ended...I just couldn't wait for the next installment and hope it will just be as good.
To be honest I don't know who is key to this movie. I don't know anyone(director,writers or producers) involved really besides Urban. So hope the team that made this stay together for the next movies.
Urban was perfect as Dredd BTW. Oscar worthy. He was so in character.Totally believable. A machine...matter of fact he was more machinelike than Robocop's Murphy. He didn't for one moment deviate from this character. Didn't try to inject feelings or emotional byplay. Think we can call him underrated as an actor and looking forward to see him in other roles. Still hope he has time to do a star-trek and dredd movies.
Savages (2012)
Don't understand the low ratings
Just saw this movie. It has such bad reviews...had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised.
The violence was quite graphic...no problems with that. Matter of fact...the violence was actually not over the top but quite realistic.
I had more a problem with how they were so positive about the soft drugs and the trade. No violence, helping the sick people. The heroes using it just before going into action. Seems to much like a left-wing propaganda film to legalize soft drugs. It was extremely funny that it was left to Elena to warn her about her drug use and how it impacts her ability to concentrate. From personal experience I know how detrimental soft drugs is and when you use it a lot also what a huge impact it will have on your body, mind and personality.
What i missed was the background stories. I really liked Salma HAyek. but that was the problem to me...she was too likable and even sympathetic. People are afraid of her and her organization...but it didn't really show with her. To me it seemed a woman who made the best of a tragic situation in a violent business. But there must be a good reason why she is so feared. Right now it seemed that her henchman are the scary bad asses...and IMO it only show how much of a bad ass she is if these guys are afraid of her. So what i wanted to see..was her evil side.
Also quite interesting how the bad guys were all family persons with kids, families etc.
And I wonder how many more movies will come in with the Mexican cartels as the bad guys. Second movie after end of watch with them as the new flavor of the month bad guys.
Anyway for the rest...the movie was quite good. i still feel it could last longer like other Stone projects. Giving the movie more depth on the background stories.
The story it self was good and quite cool with plenty of action. The high tech way of doing business of the good guys and also using ex army veterans as the muscle. After the last decade of continuous warfare its for the first time since Vietnam that there are a lot of veterans in the US community. A lot of US movies are using this as a main plot or as a tie in. Interesting to me.
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
A perfect ending to a landmark trilogy
A perfect ending to one of the great trilogies ever. Easily top 4 with Godfather, Starwars and of course LOTR.
The movie was so good....simply blew me away like with Avatar. Something i didn't expect at all. It even caused spontaneous applause after its finish...in Holland thats really not the norm.
I think Batman, the most human of the superheroes is portrayed here perfectly by Bale. Someone who has given his all and more, is required to do it all again. WOW. It was done so well...you sympathize and even pity him. Adding a layer to the Batman Saga that I won't soon forget.
All the actors were spot on and gave brilliant performances. Able to add a human touch to there acting making it all believable and quite unforgettable. After Ledger's Joker, Hardy's Bane is the perfect followup villain. Totally different and it just works. Hardy must be one of the premiere physical actors ever. Just using his voice, body and posture to create so much menace is incredible to behold. Anne Hathaway as cat-woman is the best of the 3 versions on film. Halle Berry is still the hottest one, but hath aways is the most interesting and she gave it all her own twist and i simply like her version a lot. But my favorite is somehow Joseph Gordon Levitt...he is portrayed as the truest hero without the taints unlike the others and in the end it all makes perfect sense.
Of course the movie is not perfect. Somehow even lasting nearly 3 hours it could have used more time. Somehow it seems to shortchange the story.
The time passing by while the city was held hostage or being conquered with the suffering and desperation of the city and its populace was not so evident. The weather change was the only indication of the time passing by. Maybe a montage scene would be a good idea here.:)
The Amazing Spider-Man (2012)
Reboot failure...
First of all I love the original spiderman. Tobey Maguire is great as spidey/Peter Parker. Even though the films are quite dated now with regards to special effects...it followed the story i know about spiderman much better than this movie.
The sad part is...it uses plenty of elements from the original story but they simply jumbled up the plot and worked it out quite badly storywise. So it is quite disappointing. I mean the scene how Uncle Ben dies....is quite silly. How PP gets bitten by the spider....not as good as the original. How he confesses to being Spiderman so quickly.
I was quite shocked that this is a marvel movie and also endorsed by Stan Lee. I mean spideys beginning is a classic story, just like Batman and Superman's. You can do reboots...but YOU MUST NOT CHANGE THE BASIC PRINCIPLES. And if you change it a bit...it must do the original story justice.
To bad really because it started quite interesting and the special effects are awesome and a huge improvement over the original series. Like the suit and also that he has to reload his webs. I guess they tried to explain how Spidey learns how to go webslinging. But wasn't worked out to well. The cast are mainly quite good...only Peter Parker is not that great. PP is a nerd, who turns into a smart aleck superhero when he wears his suit. The difference now is not that great. Tobey maguire did it much better.
Also again 3d was quite disappointing. Right now i feel 3d is just a money making machine and a way to protect the movies vs piracy. The colours are truly effected by wearing the 3d glasses and thats quite a pity.
IMO if you do 3d...make it look goodm, a true asset to the movie. i wont have problems paying extra for it.
So my conclusion it's quite entertaining movie, but lower your expectations and you won't be to disappointed.
Rock of Ages (2012)
A bit to much Glee
Really looked forward to the movie. The cast are great and the songs are even better. Truly the soundtrack is a mustbuy...great collection of rock anthems.
But while watching i couldn't shake the feeling that I might as well watch Glee...just with an older cast and a bigger screen.
I have to be honest i don't really know the lyrics to well of these songs...so i don't know if like glee they are simply singing the original songs or they have adjusted the lyrics like with Mamma Mia. Using famous music and fitting a lyric that works with the movie. I mean the mashups...seen that on glee to often to really things it special.
To bad really because i was truly enjoying the movie.
Thank god it wasn't in 3d.
Prometheus (2012)
Most disappointing movie 2012
How can this movie receive such a high rating? This movie should be a sort of prequel to the whole aliens saga. Giving us extra insight to the alien universe. Instead its become the worse prequel since Star Wars 1. Matter of fact ... compared to Prometheus SW1 is a masterpiece.
The role of the heroine is a bit like a reboot of Ripley...down to how she looks, acts and what she wears. I mean couldn't Ridley Scott try to be a little more original here? Even the Plot seems eerily similar with the android with its own agenda. this plot has been used time and time again.
Anyway when the movie ended I had more questions...not because its story and plot was so great and interesting. But everything is just simply full of holes that the whole movie seems like a HUGE waste of money.
Awful movie...no logic involved in the story, plot or scenario. Serious lack of originality.
Conclusion...wait for the second movie....on Bluray, than you can watch both movies. If there is no sequel...just ignore it and you can thank me that i have saved you hours of your life that could be used for something better...like watching Star wars episode 1...using slow motion when Jar jar binks comes up.
The Hunger Games (2012)
The movie is even better after reading the book...
I saw the movie before reading the book.After I saw the movie I quickly read the trilogy. I must say the movie is even better after reading the book. that's not something I can say very often.
To be honest watching a movie first and learning the characters first of course colors the persons when you read the book. Is like you have idea how they look. So that's a plus. But the characters and atmosphere in the movie are true to the book. I truly appreciate how they are able to portray the subtleties of the book in the movie.
It's a great story and it will only get better in the following books. So go for the movie. The ranking is really to low.
One thing I never understood how this movie is just pg 13. It shows a massacre of young children that's quite disturbing to me. I have read the trilogy and this story is just the tip of the ice berg. But why is sex unacceptable for pg13, but violence as shown is acceptable. Maybe the civilization in the books/ movie is closer to us than we would want.
The Avengers (2012)
Closest movie to the comics...
wow 8,8 is truly sky high for a an action flick. But it deserves it..
Have seen this movie twice...and it gets better the second time around because you can really enjoy the action.
The best thing of this movie is the way they are able to put such a high degree of a comic book feel to it. It's almost perfect.
A major weakness to the movie is the 3D effects and watching it in Imax is a major waste of money. The movie was turned into Imax and added 3d effects to get extra cash...but it's truly disappointing.So be warned...cant avoid 3d, but the Imax version should be avoided. Save the money.
To the characters Hawkeye doesn't come out so great. Lack of arrows...not a problem in the comics, but on screen it felt quite sad. Also the fight scenes(h2h) with a bow is kinda forced and not so greatly choreographed. (maybe an idea to get Yuen Woo Ping next time to choreograph some nice fighting moves for him)
Cant complain about black Widow and Scarlet Johansson. She is always a treat to watch...but like Hawkeye she doesn't have any superpowers. The feeling i have is...during the fight scenes...does she have any chance at all? To me it feels like toddlers fighting along with Marines in a real war. No chance at all.
I still don't like Thor. He is always a favorite in the comics...but on screen he is just not so impressive.
But most of the characters are great. Iron man and RDjr are great as usual. iron man is much much better on screen than in the comics. Always felt he was kinda boring on paper...but RDjr has build such a character around him. Incredible....truly masterful how he has able to interpret this character and build him up. And the humor he has instilled in iron-man and the other movies are i think a great influence in this movie too.
Probably the best character here is the Hulk. Sure Ruffalo doesn't disappoint as banner. But lets face it...who cares. Its about the HULK. And this time he has been portrayed perfectly. There are two hulk characters...the brilliant scientist and mindless monster version. This version has been on big and small screens most of the time and is getting really boring and we have seen all the different stories of this. Than banner is important. In avengers we see the second version...Hulk the super hero. And i love this version. matter of fact...to me Hulk had some of the best scenes of the movie.
Captain America to me has the most depth. Remember the standalone captain America movie is about the beginning of Cap's story. In this movie we see how he struggles adjusting to the new world and age. It's just a small bit...but it's so interesting. Evans does a great job. So stiff and to good to be true. But thats Cap America. Hope they will make a new movie. Frankly the Cap America story is getting better the older it gets, because the differences are getting bigger and bigger. He is part of the 1940s generation. Part of the one in a life time generation that made a country great and set the stage for US dominance. When he wakes up...it's a different USA. We might even say...a USA thats in its decline as a world power.
Anyway it's a great movie and I think deserves its high marks. Give him a 9 out of 10....3d is weak and Imax a waste of money.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Good movie....but some
Well this was one of the most anticipated movies of the year for me. I have heard so many good stories about it. But sadly the movie was a (slight)letdown and I have to blame the publicists of the movie for it. Movie is great...but when you start to compare it to Tarantino's pulp fiction. That's pushing the expectations to far.
And what follows is an inevitable letdown.
Also I wonder if the action sequences in the end was deliberately done in a way so that it would look similar to the Lethal Weapon series. The whole shootout thing on the bridge was done before. Give Downey a wig and you'd think you was watching Mel Gibson in Lethal Weapon
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
The least satisfying episode
It was a long sit, but in the end it felt so unsatisfying. Almost like a waste of time. The previous 3 episodes I have read the book and the movies didn't disappoint at all. But this time the movie was a disappointment. It felt so disjointed...seems like they tried to put in as many parts of the book in the movie. If this movie is part of the doubleheader...I must say this movie was the least satisfying movie-episode since Star wars part 1.
Even though the visuals were stunning...you weren't able to engross yourself inside the movie.
6 out of 10 because it was such a disappointment.