Is it even possible? A movie drought? In the games industry it’s quite common. Development cycles of 2 years are normal. So during the holidays there’s a flush of good games and in the new year there can be a drought for a couple of months.
After Mary decides to ask Ted to the prom as her date, Ted starts to develop a major crush on Mary. Unfortunately he gets into a really awkward accident, that involves a painful zipper experience, and therefore isn’t able to take Mary to the prom. Thirteen years later he realizes he still has a crush on Mary and decides to hire a detective to locate her. He wants to know if he still has a chance with her, before he can move on with his life. But it turns out there really is something about Mary. Basiccaly every guy she meets falls for her.
For those of you who haven’t given this movie a chance, hopefully this post will change your mind. The story about a man chasing his high school sweetheart may not be the most original, but the movie itself definitely is. The movie has so many comedic situations which are in fact really humorous. You could actually watch it several times and still laugh at the funny situations. What I liked so much about it, is the fact that it’s not just a sweet comedy. The humour used in this movie makes you laugh at things you would normally perhaps not laugh at. It is not sparing anyone, and for once in a while that is a welcome alternative.
It was one of those exiting days. At that time, I was one of those nerdy collectors (now I’m just nerdy). From Japan, one of the crowns on my DVD gift set collection would come in. The Spirited Away Limited Collector’s Edition. Numbered and everything! Little did I know, I would sell it the following year. But that’s a whole nother story.
As Spirited Away was one of the best rated movies last month, this is a small update on the movie. Not only was Spirited Away a box office success, it was also a big commercial success after the movie left the theater. Particularly in Japan, merchandise was all over the place.
Here's a promo/featurette, with some quite enthusiastic people:
(the audio got a little screwed on this one, sorry for that)
And this is a video of Miyazaki drawing, followed by a great music trailer:
At this point, if you haven't seen this movie yet, the time to at least rent it has come. Read our impression or click "see the results". Only Japanohaters don't like this movie. Are you a Japanohater?
As common as telesales is today, door-to-door sales was in the sixties. We follow four men trying to make a buck selling a very expensive bible. Most of the people are polite and take them in for a coffee. And that’s when the salesmen use all of their tricks and tiring techniques to sell these bibles. But most of these people are themselves, struggling to make a decent living.
It's quite an accomplishment when you can say such an old movie doesn't feel aged. In one way Salesman is a look into the morals and life of the sixties. But on the other side, it's an psychological display of what these men had to go through every day. Being on the road day after day, talking for hours and selling next to nothing. After that, you have to go into a meeting with some kind of supervisor, who tells you to put even more effort into it.
All this feels like really living in the sixties. But it's not like you're watching something that's dated. It could be an experimental movie like Steven Soderbergh's 'The Good German'. Filmed now, but like it was done back then. And if people are still talking about a documentary you made 40 years ago, you must have done a pretty good job.
Salomon lives a life of wealth making fake bills and billets. But when the Nazis take over Germany, he gets send to a concentration camp and is left with nothing but a striped suit. He understands that his only skill to survive is making counterfeit bills. And when he gets the chance to produce them for the Nazis, he’s taking this opportunity of coming out alive. But not everyone is planning on helping the Nazis to win this war. And Salomon himself is not very big on helping them either.
Didn't we see every possible World War II story yet? Well, I don't think so. There are a million war movies out there. But we have to remember it's just a setting. A setting in which unusual things happen. And that's why we watch movies, right? Not to see a bunch of people do ordinary things like making coffee. When we ourselves, could be making some delicious coffee. Yum!
But I'm drifting. Let's get back to this movie that's worth the coffee. If you prefer coffee over popcorn. I don't, but some might say they go well together. I don't either. The trick for me now, is to create a nice bridge between coffee and this movie. And as you might expect, it's quite difficult. I suggest we just hop to the next paragraph and forget about the last two, ok?
What drives this movie is the moral of helping the Nazis. Salomon isn't planning to give his live and takes every order the Nazis give him. But Adolf Burger does everything to sabotage the creation of the dollar. He lost his wife and children and is ready to give his own life. Slowly you see Salomon understand they have something powerful and they in fact could influence the war.
When watching this movie, you get the feeling this must be some of the best people in German cinema. A well written story, great actors and put on the screen so well, it just has to be the best they have to offer. A fascinating exploration about what one would do if they were put to the test. I'm not sure yet.
"Man you forgot two major releases for this year! Wall-E and Batman: The Dark Knight! Anyways, I agree with all of your sentiments. We pay more each [....]"
