zeikwijf Reviews

Instinct (III) (2019)

She's game

[8/10 · 18 December 2023]

Prey or predator? Is the key here. This story is unsettling on many levels. On the first level it's a therapist falling for a patient. But after seeing the end, you begin to wonder which one was the predator. Has the therapist not being up to this end from the beginning? She kept stating that this inmate was not fit for unsupervised release, but the whole team was against her. "He has behaved so well" "He had made such progress". While she saw (and described to the team) a highly manipulative man who gives exactly the right answer, the answer required to be qualified as elligible for release. She doesn't believe him for a moment. Hence plan B. Lure him to expose him. While all this time we think she falls for him, because of the old "women' attraction to bad guy's".

I think this is brilliant.

And very feministic of Halina and Esther (the writers). Beside being the actual predator, Nicoline is also a hero who sacrifices herself for the sake of potential further victims of this agressive man.

And kudos to Carice and Halina for their policy of not showing breasts. I'm all for nude (a foreigner living for decades in the Netherlands and really loving their Scandinavian guileless relation to the naked body), but then, show men nude too. As it is, it's always women that are denuded, not men. If I see boobs, I want to see penisses. When this doesn't happen, let the boobs go on strike. No penisses? No boobs.

The camera is also spot on. It's on her skin, tracking her as a prey. Superbly done Halina! I wasn't a fan of neither of you two, but I am now.

The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Japanese building skills bashing

[17 April 2023]

I am puzzled. On one hand the film is worthy of all honours it got (fine acting, scenery, plot), but on the other hand, as the owner of a degree in Far East Culture, I bolted at the bizarre depicting of Japanese architectural and building ability. How on earth was that not an issue at the time? Japanese are, and have always been, absolute masters in the art of building, and they certainly did not need the aid of a britton officer to salvage their project of building a bridge. Certainly not one made of wood, the traditional material of choice of the Japanese.

That is, I must admit, the only element that bothered me. The rest is indeed spectacular. What I found surprising is the touch of humor. I loved the story about madness, megalomania. The 3 protagonists being each of them deeply wrapped up in their egotic delirium: two of them with their bridge, the other one crazy about explosives. Also funny: how the drive of the first got over to the second. I enjoyed tremendously watching the three of them striving desperately for their particular thing, against all odds, forgetting everything else. "Madness! Madness!" indeed.

Our History (1984)

Don't give up halfway!

[8/10 · 26 March 2023]

Almost the whole film I was actually disgussed at how woman unfriendly it was ("Nouvelle-vague-ish, male gazed" I thought repeatedly). I wanted to stop watching but something in the quality (especially of the acting) held me back. Boy, am I glad I didn't unhook. The end is beautiful and sets the whole story in another perspective, one that is, even for a feminist like me, approvable. Yes there are unbearably sexist scenes, but it all makes perfect sense in the end (it doesn't pass the Bechdel test unfortunately - hence my 8 stars rating, 2 points penalty - but which film of the eighties does?). It turned the movie for me from hateful to adorable.

I actually wanted to watch it again right away, with that new insight in mind. But I had to free space for unwatched recordings so I deleted it. Now I regret. I have to watch it again.

Also: a trip down memory lane, for it is shot in my home region, the high Alps of France. I have been in a similar sports class at a similar school between similar mountains, in similar chalets, with similar ski's in the stairway. Only the people were obviously not from there (accent and demeanor), supposedly all Parisians.

Love at the Top (1974)

It's not about love

[10/10 · 4 March 2023]

I have read some reviews of The Mouton Enragé and I have to correct the overall assumption this movie is a comedy, and that it is about (all sorts of) love. It is not, both not. It is a psychological thriller, about manipulation. The main character, the one to focus on, is therefore not Nicolas Mallet (Jean-Louis Trintignant) with his numerous amourous conquests that lead him to power and wealth, but his crippled friend Claude Fabre (Jean-Pierre Cassel, "father of").

The story is not about how you can indeed achieve wealth by sleeping with the right persons, it is about how easy mankind is to be manipulated. You can make people believe anything. This is rendered here by choosing a meak bleak bank employee to let him be modelled into a fierceless conqueror, just because his friend says "You can do it".

The most interesting character is Claude Fabre. He is een "pied-bot" (clubfoot), and a loser. Failed as a writer (all along the story his manuscript keeps being rejected by editing houses), he earns his living by tutoring school boys.

It's HIS story: how do you cope with failure? By proxy. He lets his friend do all the things he cannot, the one more incredible as the other. I see in it also a heartwrenching comment on how society works: succes is for those who look good. Because Claude Fabre is the one with brains - in fact he is a genius - and still he fails. While his friend Mallet has only his good looks to work for him, and he is the one who soares to enormous succes.

I would like to comment on the end, but that would give too much away. So I rest my case.

Inception (2010)

Thinking of Solaris

[10/10 · 16 June 2022]

The film has a lot of action that mask it, but in its essence, Inception made me think of Solaris, both the 1972 original version by Tarkovsky and the remake by Soderbergh. I haven't research this thoroughly so perhaps it is a broad known fact. Wonderful movie though, astonishingly made and acted. Quite a crew, all top notch celebrities, something that I have encountered to sometimes stand in the way of good acting but nothing ofthe sort here: perfect team work, just as in the story. Great.

BoJack Horseman (2014–2020)

Mister Peanutbutter = Matthijs van Nieuwkerk.

[10/10 · 1 June 2022]

I bet at least one of the writers of Bojack Horseman has to be Dutch because Mister Peanutbutter is totally Dutch TV personality Matthijs van Nieuwkerk.

Before the Frost (2018)

Another gem from the Danish cinema

[10/10 · 30 March 2022]

Widower Jens owns an extensive lay of land, the one-room cottage annex stables that goes with it, and a few cows. But a series of set backs plunges him and the little congregation of family members he has taken under his wing, into starvation. He tries to save his daughter by marrying her off to a (just a little bit less poor) neighbour, whom Signe, the daughter, loves. The fortune of Signe would not include her 2 young cousins who would probably end up in the poorhouse. Almost simultanuously a far better opportunity presents itself. Jens marries Signe off against her will to a very wealthy land owner who promises to take care of all 4 of them.

I am not in favour of the reviews that state "lost his soul for money". In fact, it is the opposite. Jens is a gentle patriarch, a rarity in those days, who puts the well being of his protégés first (he himself gets the short end of the deal, resigning all his possessions). But life is harsh, especially in 19th century agricultural Denmark. At every turn of the road the viewer is forced to think beyond the old "sold his soul" and "good vs bad" clichés. What would YOU do? Can you blame him for at least trying to include the 2 brothers in the good fortune of his daughter? Definitions of good and bad tend to blurr when you plunge into history, when not all was "neat and tidy and everybody lives in comfort". "Good vs bad" is the privilege of the well fed.

A huge bonus in the good/bad balance: Signe ends up loving her rich husband, who turns out to be kind and just. So you can say: Jens has done the right thing there. That he didn't succeed that well with the nephews I can not account him for. The case of the first was an accident (yes I know, because of shady manoeuvres, but still, an accident), of the second the result of his own thirst for revenge, fueled by grief. The latter was even given a chance of escape.

If there is someone to blame, then the beastly manager. Jens, who is left to deal with a bad conscience, has done everything he could, given his ghastly circomstances.

Like Crazy (2016)

Blue Jasmine meets Thelma and Louise

[9/10 · 5 February 2022]

Enchanting story of a wonderful friendship, where love proves again stronger than... everything else. Exquisite acting of Bruni Tedeschi and Ramazotti (and the rest). A joy, and a torment, to watch.

Place Vendôme (1998)

a gem

[9/10 · 5 February 2022]

Rare storyline, very beautifully told, at a slow pace that matches the dishearting of the main protagonist. And, as we discover later on, of the second as well. Those two happen to have a similar vibe, that makes their attachment visible and understandable. Unholliwoodian ending though, thank heavens.

Superb acting of Deneuve. And of the others too.

Mary Queen of Scots (2018)

Waiting for Zadok

[9/10 · 6 January 2022]

Very beautifully made with an astonishing performance of a young Saoirce Ronan and also Margot Robbie was not bad at all, though the non-britishlike facial features of the latter bothered me somehow.

Also the music score kept repeating the first measures of Handel's coronation anthem, making me scream for the choir liberatingly breaking in with "ZADOK THE PRIEST AND NATHAN THE PROPHET ANOINTED SOLOMON THE KING!" but to no avail.

Gone with the Wind (1939)

best PR ever against racism

[2 January 2022]

For an European the film is astonishingly racist. Unbelievable belittling of Afro-Americans coupled with shameless nostalgy of the Souhern oppressive system, thriving on the misuse of unpaid labor. It seems like a parody.

Unbelievingly acclaimed on top of it.

But to cancel it would mean ignoring the contra racism effect it can have in our time of awakening to these faults of the past. For many, it will be a wake up call: how could men have treated fellow humans like this? Furthermore: how can men feel nostalgia for it?

Nevertheless great, original, love story, and bad ass, layered female roles. Also historically interesting.

Bicycling with Molière (2013)

Surprisingly good!

[8/10 · 27 December 2021]

Not a fan of Luchini myself, I must admit he is sublime as The Misanthrope, and Wilson as Philinte, two characters of the play the embark to stage.

Their rehearsal is litterally a lesson in acting for whose interested in the metier.

The story is refreshing, the movie well made. My only remonstrance refers to the female love interest, who, of course, had to be 20 years younger.

Gosford Park (2001)

cold

[5/10 · 24 November 2021]

A huge devourer of costume drama myself, it was a sure fact that I would adore this movie. On the contrary. While decor, costumes, cast and story are magnificent, every element stays on itself, they refuse to merge, making the film cold and purely technical. So many outstanding actors: you expect a marvel of a performance. But there again, individually breathtaking... but no chemistry between them. What a waste. Unbelievable to me why it was so highly acclaimed and honoured with Oscar and the likes.

Bill (I) (2015)

Mel Brooks meets Monthy Python meets Kenneth Branagh

[8/10 · 17 November 2021]

A delicious comedy, very well acted. A fantasy about the Bard, larded with historical hints and figures. I loved it. The cast used to having their own TV show, are thoroughly in sync with each other. A joy to watch.

Fort Saganne (1984)

the French Lawrence of Arabia

[10/10 · 27 October 2021]

Breathtaking images. The vanity of French presence in the Sahara at the beginning of te 20th century well depicted. Sublime crew of actors, every one of them. I was amazed not to have known of this masterpiece long ago.

Based on a real person, grandfather of writer Louis Gardel.

Superb music from the London Symphonic Orchestra.

Discount (2014)

Real France

[9/10 · 2 April 2021]

Not exactly what Americans think about when they hear "France", not the superficial glamour of Paris nor the cosy picturesque of the Riviera, but the real France. The people of France in their day to day struggles in badly paid jobs and incertainty facing modernisation and robotisation. Everyone who is about to visit France should watch this first. Then one would understand the French better. (Except Parisians, who are overall shallow and spoiled).

This being said, the film is a jewel. Out of the initial marasm unfolds itself a surprisingly entertaining plot. Acting is supreme. Every one of them actors, every second of the movie: truer than true. I loved it.

The Miniaturist (2017)

loved it

[10/10 · 28 November 2020]

I give it a 10, because this series has brought me everything I want in a movie. It has enthralled me, bewitched me, given me hours of pleasure. When the last shot expired, I immediately wanted to see it again, that's how much I loved it. After I gave the 10, I started to read the reviews and I felt really stupid. There they were: the flaws, the faults, the incongruencies, the anachronisms, the everything you name in order not to like a movie. I wanted to change my score, but then I thought: yes it has flaws - I would say: OF COURSE it has flaws. But must a movie be technically perfect in order to get a 10? No. It just has to bewitch you, just as this one did to me.

Now the peculiarities: What I found most frappant, is the appearance of the characters. I have lived for 37 years in Amsterdam and I can testify: especially Petronella has an absolute Dutch face! And I see every day lots of Marins in the streets. I was so puzzled by this that I stopped watching to check on the web if the actrices were Dutch! Which they aren't.

Yes, some of the reviews were correct, there are flaws. The scenery is not Amsterdam, it's Leiden (this is not a flaw by the way, it's perfectly normal to divert from the books actual place when it has become too modern to use for filming). The inside of the houses are not even Dutch. The houses at the Herengracht all have a specific Dutch position of the rooms. I didn't recognize this in the picture. But the wooden panels, the colours (grachtengroen!), the garments, all is absolutely recognisable as old Dutch (some of this still exist). A Dutch friend of mine pointed out that in real life, doll houses are modelled after (possibly) real existing buildings while as in the film, it is the other way round: the house is modelled after the doll house. And doll houses have to be broad. That would explain why the house in the film doesn't have the shape of a 'grachtenhuis' in Amsterdam.

Also true that the Dutch don't use "Señor" but perhaps they did back then in the XVIIth century in some cases? Because of the Spanish hegemony?

Lots of the critics appear to me as funded. But I got the feeling lots of them were outed by Americans, not Europeans. They say things like: "it's woke! There were no homosexuals in the XVIIth century" "Masters would never talk that way to servants" "A woman would never say "I can do this"" etc I think they are shocked by the modernity of the characters. It didn't bother me. Every film, even historical, is a product of its time: in hindsight you recognize the epoch it is made immediately. So its never truly historical, isn't it? It is, as best, historical as historically seen in the year of the making. So this series is a product of our time. Is it so bad? And furthermore: is it impossible for such characters to have truly lived at that time? There were homosexuals, there were intelligent girls like Petronella, there were slaves granted their freedom, and perhaps they didn't use the exact words The Miniaturist proposes, but perhaps a pair of them had those idea's, and ways? History doesn't recall all of the beings and all what they do, does it?

As for the servants and their straight forward ways, yes it's a bit modern, but near the end it becomes clear why they act like they do. It's a very special household.

Whatever. I started by saying I loved it, and love it I did. All of the above didn't manage a bit to refrain me from doing so. Thanks to writer and makers for their hard work.

Black Tide (2018)

Outstanding Neo Noir

[10/10 · 7 October 2020]

I had recorded this movie without much expectation (not really my kind of stuff) and it stayed half a year "on the plank" before I eventually watched it. It blew my mind. I loved everything about it. The actors - every one of them: outstanding performances. Yann the creepy neighbour: wowowow. Sandrine Kinberlain: absolutely great. Vincent Cassel: breathtaking. So far I actually disliked him as an actor (preferred his father very much), but in Fleuve Noir, he is astonishingly perfect. I give it a 10, because there is nothing in the film that I would like done otherwise. In my eyes, it is just right. Every bit of it. The acting is right, the filming is right, the story telling is right, the dialogues are right, the sound recording is right. About the latter: you hear Cassel's heavy breathing, it's as if you were him. It helps appearance and motion to make you intimatedly feel his constant state of inebriation. Almost unbearable.

BlacKkKlansman (2018)

Finely some humour in the revolution

[10/10 · 5 October 2020]

Brilliant in all possible ways. The acting is outstanding (J.D. Washington!!). I absolutely loved how the dark topic of racism is treated with humor and earnest at the same time. For me, this is the way. In Holland in 1966 we had this revolution called Provo. They were funny and subversive, they definitely changed society completely. When they stopped, Holland never was the same again, for the best. Through the years I deplored that revolutions all around the globe have to be so bloody, without any humor in it, not like Provo at all. In decades, the first time I see something coming close to it, is this movie BlacKkKlansman. Way to go.