La Haine / Hate (France, 2005)

La Haine is a powerful movie about the suburbs of Paris. It is a movie that all is about hate among the young people that have no future. This hatred sometimes escalates between policemen and youth like it did again only a few years ago.
La Haine succeeds brilliantly in showing these chaotic suburbs. It is completely shot in black and white, which also adds extra depth to the movie because most of all it is a story about the lower and dark life of a welfaring country. And ofcourse it only can escalate in the end, the first minute you watch this movie you already figure that out.

Maybe not too many things happen in this film, but the scenery is great and in fact the pace isn't slow at all! An outstanding French movie!

"How far you fall doesn't matter, it's how you land..."

The Hotel Venus / Hoteru binasu (Japan, 2004)

The Hotel Venus is a rather interesting film! The story deals about some persons who live in a kind of hotel. The stories of their life are being told in a very special way.
In the beginning of this film everything is very unclear and you don’t have any idea what kind of film this will turn out to be. During the film you will get more clues and the different characters will be understood a bit more.

The director makes an interesting choice in making this film. He works with a very slow story, almost nothing happens and the entire is almost completely in black and white. If this wouldn’t be executed very well the film could have turned into a disaster but luckily enough this s not what happened. The film turned out to be really interesting and intriguing.

The story is very emotional in a different kind of way, it is not an easy film at all! In the end this film has a very strong and intense emotional power which is difficult to describe but you will understand it when you see this film.

A film about the ‘other’ side of people.

Heavenly Forest / Tada, kimi wo aishiteru (Japan, 2006)

While watching this movie, I continuously had the idea that there could have been made something more out of. It is a nice romantic story, which has its dramatic twist but it felt like something was missing.

The cinematography in this film is absolutely wonderful, the scenes in the forest are almost of an unknown beauty, a little glimpse into paradise it is. The true best past of the film is Aoi Miyazaki. I don’t have a clue how she does it but she always makes the film a success. She shines on film, gives the story just the spark that it needs (and don’t forget that she has such a great beauty, it is almost unimaginable) just by being there. She acts in such purity; even the childishness of her character wasn’t irritating because she just gave the right twist to it.
The end is decent, with a typical Asian (read: especially for Korean films) twist in the story.

A nice and moving film, but maybe it could have been a little better.

Hadersfild (Serbia, 2007)

Hadersfild is a story about friendship. One guy, who has left Serbia for eleven years and worked in England(Huddersfield – Hadersfild), comes back and visits his friend. We are introduced to some very special personalities, all fighting with their own mental demons. It is about the struggle with yourself.

What you should know is that it is a film about the 90’s of the past century. A decade where a complete nation (Yugoslavia) was torn apart, not by foreign people but by its own inhabitants. That is what makes this war leaving so many scars behind for people in those regions. Though the film doesn’t tell about the war, it is clear that the characters never will be the persons anymore they were before. After it started, everything changed and even 11 years later most people still are confused and mentally and physically struggling.

Decent film, but for those who don’t know much about the Yugoslavian war it can be a bit hard to understand the emotion of it. That was also the problem for me, it could not convince all the time.

Hana-Bi (Japan, 1997)

Hana-bi by Takeshi Kitano is a tale about love, pain and violence.
While quiet and violent police officer Nishi is going to see his wife in a hospital, she is seriously ill, his partner gets shot. Nishi is slowly being consumed by guilt. At the same time he has some money borrowed by the Yakuza and they seem to want the money back. Nishi decides to rob a bank and split the money between his partner, who ended up in a wheelchair, his debts at the Yakuza and he takes his wife on one last trip, to make her happy for one last time.

It’s typical Kitano-style! Few words, the beautiful stills and with amazing works of art I have to say, like those brilliant paintings with an animal with has a sunflower head! Also the tender line between the love for his wife and the hard violent scenes make it a very intriguing film to watch. Takeshi Kitano doesn’t chose a very narrative way of telling it’s story but let the scenes tell the story. Like many other times, he himself Takeshi ‘beat’ Kitano acts really intelligent. He doesn’t speak much but has a good expression on it’s face. It’s also a very emotional movie, in fact is has everything that makes a film great, it is kind of poetry!

A interesting movie with a perfect balance between love and violence. In one word: Masterpiece!

Legendary Courtesan Hwang Jin-Yi (South Korea, 2007)

The movie I just saw was Hwang Jin-Yi by director Yoon-Hyun Chang.

I had this movie for quite a while at my place but just never seen it yet. I had some feeling like, well a movie about a courtesan for more than 2 hours and 20 minutes seems a bit long. I didn't thought it could keep me interested but dear God, I was completely wrong!

It's a film about legendary Courtesan Hwang Jin-Yi in 16th century Korea. She grows up as a member of an aristocrat family but after some hidden secrets were revealed she lives her life like a courtesan (a Gisaeng, Korean version of a Geisha). It's a love story and a drama which setting is in ancient Korea.

The scenes and art direction are brilliant, all praise to the director and camera team. The colours and clothing are great as well... together with a really interesting story it easily becomes one of the best movies I saw in a while. To be clear about it: it's sad and really heartbraking, not the joyful Hollywood production. A beautiful but sad phrase:

"If I die, bury me in the streets so that people may tample all over me"

And then the actress Hye-kyo Song , wow, she was not only too beautiful but she acted so great, I was almost blown away by her beauty and skills. It wouldn't suprise me when she becomes famous really quickly.

It seems like I watched an unknown masterpiece today!

And just one more time the actress:

The Host - Gwoemul (South Korea, 2006)

Yes!! It is really possible, there can be a great monster movie. A movie that is exciting, thrilling, emotional, intense and funny. Everything is in it and in what kind of a way! I'm talking about 'the host' directed by Joon-ho Bong.

It's a story about a a mutant that grows in the poisoned Han river in Seoul.

He suddenly appears eating people and spreading a virus, so the infected have to go into quarantine, and yes, also our heroes of this movie.

The monster is appropriate unrealistic in appearence. This movie is maybe a bit too unconventional to the American audience but damn, this a wonderful movie! The characters (a perfect strange family with an weird father, his daughter who wants a new phone, an educated but alcoholic uncle who has this brilliant line realted to problems in Korean society: "I gave my youth for the democratism of this country and now I can't even get a job" and an aunt who is always too slow, al hold together by the grandfather) are in a brilliant way introduced and the storyline follows these people. The story is great already, but for a monster movie it's almost beyond good. Every feeling there is in this world can be experienced in this movie. Ofcourse it's funny, but it really gets serious and emotional. It's the story of the characters that lift this movie into great heights!

And yes, some strange American doctors and politicians are really evil and arrogant! It is the cherry on the pie.

The acting is superb. Kang Ho-Song impresses very much and with Ah-Sung Ko a new star could have been born.

Please do yourself a favour and watch this unique, brilliant and refreshing monster movie!

Hana and Alice / Hana to Arisu (Japan, 2004)

I believe it now! I believe that there are movies that will get a smile on your face, and will stay there for more than two hours. Even when life is a mess and awful things ruin your existence, you will just feel good after seeing this movie!

Hans and Alice, directed by, shunji Iwai (which makes it his third film I watched of him this weekend after: 'Swallowtail buterfly' and 'all about Lily Chou Chou. I guess he can be added to one of my favourite filmmakers), is a film that deals about groing up and the friendship and drama between two girls. When one of them falls in love the friendship seems to be over.

The story is really great. Hana, which is secretly in love with a guy sees a guy hit is hit. What an opportunity it is!! She tells him he has got amnesia and that he forgot they were lovers. And yes, he believes it but the story becomes even more wonderful. This story has to be a bit more believable so Alice agrees to act like his ex-girlfriend which makes this boy even more insecure and confused. Why did he ever broke up with Alice?



Together with beautiful sidelines dealing about storytelling and ballet the story is just perfect. the music seems to be written for every scene, it just does match perfectly and together with the stunning acting it makes it a memorable film! It will put a smile on even your face!

And the final phrase: Oh no, a mosquito.......

Howl's moving castle review (Hauru no Ugoku Shiro)

Last night I watched 3 films; Flightplan, Jarhead and Howl's moving castle. All three of them were very very nice to watch but I wanna talk about Miyazaki's Howl's moving castle today.

After the brilliant Spirited away many people were looking forward to Hayao Miyazaki's next picture. Did he create this world again, where you would be lost in while watching it? Yeah he did it again!


The story starts with 18 year old Sophie who is turned into a 90 year old woman by the Wicked Witch of Waste. She has to leave home and enters the moving castle of the wizard Howl. She meets a fire demon 'Calcifer' over there who is also under a spell. Together they have to find a way to transform to their original state.



The stort takes place in 19th century Europe during war. Howl tries to stop the warships but he is getting tired and turning into a monster. Can Sophie help him?

The drawing of this film is brilliant, look at the detail in the background!! The voice casting is very well done too with voices of Chieko Baisho, Akihiro Miwa and Takuya Kimura'(yeahh....2046!! hehe). Not all critics loved this movie and Spirited away may be a bit better but don't miss this movie! There is no cartoon movie like Hayao Miyazaki's!

House of flying daggers

This movie, made by famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou, left a great impression on me. It was an impression of beauty, beauty of clothing, beauty of music and beauty of camera work. The story of this moment is not really important, just let the beauty guide you through this movie.