Filmrecensies van Hope Madden

Elevator Game is in want of more imagination. Recensie

And though the animation is reason enough for an adult to give The Inventor a go, the simplistic storytelling and characterization will likely leave them cold. Recensie

The collection absolutely boasts some inspired talent having a blast, and when is that ever a bad thing to witness? Recensie

Can this excellent idea for a villain be put to good use, finally, with Michael Chaves’s sequel, The Nun II? Meh. Recensie

Seligman’s tone, her image of high school and high school movies, is wildly, irreverently funny and fearless. It’s hilarious, raunchy, and so much fun. Recensie

Astrakan is an impressive, moving slice of life that understands what turns a child into something troubling. Recensie

But a cast of eclectic, sometimes weirdly melancholy characters, Pegg’s angry befuddlement and Driver’s charm are almost enough to make up for it. Recensie

Goofiness and seriousness, the eerie and the grim, the surreal and familiar all swim the same bloody hallways, practice the same open shooter drills, and speak up at the same assemblies honoring the latest missing girl. Recensie

It’s not a war movie by any stretch – there’s no action to speak of – and as a political thriller, it’s a bit too plodding to keep your attention. Frustrating is what it is. Recensie

The context is specific to Tunisia, but the themes are universal. As greed and corruption overwhelm a city, victimizing the poor and the powerless, political protest blends with cultural grief. Simultaneously pessimistic and hopeful, grim and beautiful, Ashkal is a meditation on modern times. Recensie

The plot may not break new ground, but the film itself feels revolutionary. Like Nana. Recensie

Strays is the laziest kind of “road picture” – a series of unrelated sketches. There’s a Point A and Point B, but those steps in between are random skits about red rockets and chew toys. And those moments are just not funny enough to merit a full feature. Recensie

Moss can’t quite stick the landing, but their shoestring Frankenstein fable feels closer to the truth than most of them. Recensie

The plot does nothing intriguing, the story offers nothing new nor does it do anything to deepen or enrich the Dracula legend. The inevitability of the story doesn’t help, nor does the full 2-hour run time. Recensie

Turtletaub can’t quite pull those threads together, though. While Jules is a lovely film, its big-hearted take on mental health and science fiction made me just want to watch Colin West’s somewhat similar but vastly superior Linoleum again. Recensie

A messy, anarchic animation style delivers on the promise of the outsider theme and especially impresses in 3D. Somehow simultaneously creepy, jubilant and cool, the look is like no other piece of animation to be seen on the big screen. Recensie

It’s smart humor, one that recognizes the defensiveness and fear at the heart of Ben’s disdain for anything that swings for the fences, and for anyone who puts themselves in the vulnerable position to try and fail. Recensie

I cannot figure out why it’s so hard to mine the dozens of ghosts mentioned in this ride and book for a decent haunted house story, but I’ve definitely learned to stop getting my hopes up. If Justin Simien can’t do it and the Muppets can’t do it, it’s probably time to give up. Recensie

Cavalli lenses an environment simultaneously elegant and bucolic, a kind of fairy tale where nobody’s feeling very optimistic of a happy ending but are unready to embrace reality quite yet. It leaves a little room for hope. Recensie

The character itself is the cliché stranger who can explain it all. And though the climax is powerful, the resolution feels a bit like a cynical joke. It’s not enough to ruin this clever, odd duck of a thriller, though. Recensie

Barbie is a brilliantly executed, incredibly fun, brightly colored, completely logical feminist statement that should be remembered come awards season. Recensie

Final Cut is missing the manic, raw authenticity of Ueda’s original, though. It feels too well constructed, its jokes too perfectly timed and placed. And yet it is otherwise so similar to One Cut of the Dead that it’s tough not to wonder over the point of remaking it. Recensie

Cruise and company manage to exceed expectations yet again. Recensie

Beltran’s direction, though competent, lacks inspiration. He never manages to mine tension, and his actors rarely feel truly stuck. Recensie