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jeroenberndsen1
I studied history, specializing in film and hope to get a masters in film history, and perhaps do some teaching on the side, writing about film being my primary goal.
When it comes to movies my taste is very broad, ranging from Melies to Nolan and from Scorsese to Buster Keaton. I like to read a lot too, especially about film and my library of filmliterature is growing steadily.
I also frequent the heavily recommended website Icheckmovies.com under the nickname of John Milton, which I also use on moviemeter.nl
In the words someone beknownst to most movielovers: I'll see you at the movies...
http://www.icheckmovies.com/profiles/john+milton/
https://letterboxd.com/JohnMilton/
http://www.moviemeter.nl/user/139385
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An error has ocurred. Please try againFor me horror is above all about mood, built up tension. A jump scare can be quite fun and very effective, but there's more to it than that. This list aims to reflect the broad variety of horror films that have been made the past 100 years or so, from german expressionism to the socalled New French Extremity subgenre, and everything in between.
Feel free to comment what you feel I absolutely should have put in there, or how I totally effed up the order of the list :)
Best regards, John.
My #1 spot is not technically a horror film, according to the IMDb genres, but I feel that's an oversight. It qualifies in my opinion.
Reviews
I Think They Call Him John (1964)
What will happen when I'll be old?
A scathing indictment of how we let our elderly get lonely. Shot in beautifully poised black and white, this short slowly shows us a day in the life of this older, lonely man, whose been alone since his wife died 9 years earlier. Hard to find online, but the BFI DVD might be totally worth it, if the rest of the films on there are as great as this one. Very moving.
The Primary Instinct (2015)
The power of storytelling
Tobolowsky really has a way with words and with telling a story. Sometimes quite funny, but at times very moving, Tobolowsky and first time director David Chen give us a peak into the character actor's thoughts about why we tell stories and into his own life. And it is quite something. Reflections on Hollywood, fame, family, getting older, loss and love are interwoven in a seamless fashion. It might no be a film like the ones most people watch on a regular basis. But in this case that's most certainly a credit.
Anyone worrying it might be boring just watching Tobolowsky doing a show, can rest assured: this is a quite a spellbinding film.
Against All Odds (1984)
rating sounds about right....
this movie came highly recommended by my tv guide. before I went to watch i checked the imdb, so maybe now I'm prejudiced, but the rating below six sounds about right to me... Not so good a movie, but watchable, jeff bridges is ok, but james woods has certainly done better. music is a bit simple, i would expect a bit more from Taylor Hackford who surprised me with Devil's advocate and blood in, blood out. Rachel Ward's character reminded me of the character of Moira she played in on the beach. The song by Phill Collins is great, although it can be a bit of a cliche when you hear it too often....
6/10
After the Storm (2001)
absolutely a slow B movie
It would be a waste of my time to talk very long about this movie and i think a waste of yours too.
barely one hundred votes to this movie and i can figure why. personally I just wanted to see what others think about this movie after a wasted evening on this pic.
Slow, stereotype actors (sorry bratt and assante), cliches, boring... I just rated it 5/10 but.... even that is too high!
4/10
Shadow of the Vampire (2000)
a vague movie with a rubberheaded fakey vampire
I think this is probably one of the worst vampire movies i have ever seen. it's slow, not exciting and max shreck is the strangest vampire I can imagine, making deals with people and so on.
and after an hour or so, the movie seems to begin all over again, bringin barely new information what so ever.
I must admit, it was kinda late and maybe I mist the entire clue of it all, but i think it suc*ed.
Baise-moi (2000)
a sexual and violent experience....but a very nice one
Maybe it's because I live in Holland and have a very open mind to sex, drugs and well, maybe not to murder but I was not that shocked.
Of course the rape scene was a bit hard and did not leave much to your imagination, but the rest.... Me and my girlfriend were just entertained by the rest of the movie.
I just read some other 20 user comments and I was in fact shocked by those. Prudish americans and british telling you that it is shocking and garbage and so on. A 5.0 average makes also clear that most of the people are still filled with tabboos.
Big erections and mindless sex.... so what? shooting people up there arse? surely I'd prefer that compared to what happens to the guy that rapes marsellus wallace in Pulp Fiction.
Indeed this was a low budget movie and the camerawork was perhaps of poor quality but it suits the pic. As a student indeed a search for reasons and meaning and I find it hihgly irritating that some people complain about things left unexplained. What are you? Can't you think and maybe even guess for yourselves? Does everything have to be explained?
We both liked it and surely I understand this is not a movie for everyone. I think more of it as an experimental piece of work, seek your own reasons for what they are doing, enjoy this wild ride and if you persist in having a monumentuous storyline, oscar performances and so on, and you are not specifically entertained by x rated sex, lots of blood and the socalled 'holes' in this story then....
Just don't watch this movie!!!!
The backside of the DVD or VHS gives plenty of clues that this is a controversial movie and when you have an open mind and like these kind of movies, i recommend it.
We give it a 7.0
Return to Paradise (1998)
Underrated well acted, morality tear-jerker, superb!
After reading the other reviews i surely find this movie underrated. All the reviews say something what could have been better or even think low of this movie because it's politically incorrect.
well, most of that is Bullsh*t in my book. The story was ok, the acting (especially Phoenix) was superb, and this movie simply has a good grip on you. And of course, without saying too much, my girlfriend and I cried our guts out at the end of the film....
I agree the romance could have been let out, but it does not bother me either. I think this is one of those rare pictures anyone finds enjoyable not matter what your a/s/l is.
We give it a 8/10
The Grey Zone (2001)
A horrifying camp drama which leaves you breathless...
The Grey Zone
summary (no real spoilers)
The story tells of a group of Jews in a German destruction camp (Birkenau) which is responsible for guiding their fellow-jews right into the gaschambers and the disposal of their bodies. In return the Nazis give them a socalled better treatment and they receive things like alcohol and sheets and better food. Each of them copes with his own feeling of guilt that they lead their own people into the gaschamber in return for some vodka. While one man is planning an escape, another is thinking of how to commit suicide, because he can't imagine a life after the gruesome acts he has comitted. Of the Thirteen SonderKommand groups in charge of those duties, the twelfth group is planning an uprising, not to escape, but to destry as much of the camp as possible, before they are destroyed themselves. but with the limited means they have, this turns out to be quite difficult.
My opinion:
I just finished watching this movie two minutes ago and I still feel a bit sick to my stomach. i watched it with two friends and normally when the credits begin to roll we immediately ask each other ''and?'' or ''what did you think of it?''. This time we just shut up.I didn't really know what to say. Was this a good movie? I think it was, but it is difficult to say when youre food wants to come out from the wrong direction.
Off course, this movie was meant to 'shock people', or at least show some truth, director Tim Blake Nelson first made this piece as a Broadway Play. And film gives the opportunity to bring forward different aspects of such a tragedy and it has more visual possibilities.
This film is dramatic, the acting is sufficient, but only Harvey Keitel splashes of the screen as a drinking Nazi Oberschaufuhrer. Steve Buscemi never plays a bad role, and neither does so in this movie. David Arquette, which I only saw in scream and some other movie wasn't bad at all (which I expected him to be). And the supporting roles where fine too.
Music cool have been better though and cinematography too, in my opinion the photography was a bit simple.
But all this doesn't really matter because the message this movies carries comes out anyway. perhaps with a dramatic score, they considered it to get too emotional. I don't know, but it's fine as it is.
in a nutshell, this is a very dramatic and horrifying movie which shows the troubles of a small group of the jews in the camp and especially their guilt for what they are doing. it all seems quite realistic and a small note: This is not a feel good movie.
Other titles:
NUREMBERG: even with alec baldwin this is a very dramatic picture especially in the middle where you get too see original bergen belsen shots which are really horrific.
Schindlers List: a must see, no explanation needed.
Empire of the sun: japanese camp, very different in comparison to other camp movies we're used to see, but still a good Spielberg movie with John malkovich.
La vita e bella: Academy award winning italian movie about a camp in the second world war. Don't let the italian language fool you. I don't speak italian either, but this movie is a must see. first half is almost comedy and second half (in the camp) is very dramtic. about a father who tries to save his son from the cruelties inside their camp by telling him al kinds of stories and giving him other explanations about everything that is happening.
Bridge on the river Kwai: a bit older, but still a very good movie, with alec guiness. about a group of prisoners being held by the japanese to build a bridge, which is a enormous fysical 'challenge'.
The Mothman Prophecies (2002)
A great (true?) ''supernatural'' thriller
The mothman Prophecies was a very intense film, I went to see for free after I watched ice age in the cinema I always go sneak in another room to see so more, in this case mothman prophecies.
Richard gere is on my wordt actors list too (except for primal fear and red corner) But i was completely blown away I expected a dumn blair witch rip-off but this was really scary.
From the beginning till the end i was completely absorbed by the constant tension and the way the mothman legend came to be. There were questions, yes, but they didnt specifically needed answers.
when the film was over I walked completely stunned out of the theater. When it was released on VHS i immediately bought it and watched it again on the wide screen at home. And i have to admit, this second time it didn't grap as much as the first. maybe beacause i knew most of the things which were gonnan happen or maybe because it just aint the same when youre not in a theater....
Anyway, in my opinion this a very good movie for fans of the genre. and good for everyone who has an open mind to things out of the ordinary.
Gere acting didn't bother me for a second in fact it was good. and mark pellington's directing capacities kept the story going at a good pace, never too slow. The sometimes loud and scary music/sound effect contribute too for that part.
White Squall (1996)
Dramatic come of age story by Ridley Scott
White Squall
A group of boys joins a sailing vessel to finish their last year of High school on board of the Albatross. They have to learn to work together and act as a team, which at first, is not as easy as it may seem. As time goes by they really become one group and get very close.
This plot may not be to original, and could be stereotyped as cliche. However, as the story unfolds, it still stays fun too watch and jeff bridges as the bold sailor, hard but fair, trying to make men out of different kind of boys, each one coping with his own problems, keeps you interested.
Though (for some people too) dramatic, me and my girlfriend really enjoyed this movie. I can imagine some people having difficulties with the dosis of emotion in this pic. It didn't bother me, i like it when it's well proportioned and not too cliche, except for maybe the final scene, in my eyes White Squall lives up to this.
I think this is an enjoyable movie, when you're just lying back on the couch relaxing and let it flow over you. No difficult story, but it has great shots and pretty good acting and most of the characters are reasonably developed.
7,5 (for making us cry)
Remember the Titans (2000)
A very emotional film with great performances
along with trevor rabins dramatic score and great acting performances by denzel and will patton (the young actors too) remember the titans is a great film with heavy emotional moments and not too much cliches. of course, it is a bruckheimer production so it may well be over-dramatized, being based on a true story and all. but on the dvd you meet the real persons who worked with the crew on this pic and it all seems very realistic, which, of course, favours this picture.
I think it is a must see!!! (even if you dislike sports like this)
The Devil's Own (1997)
A great movie with great acting
At the time i wrote this, The devil's own stood a 5.7 average. which totally baffled me. Brad Pitt delivers a great perfomance as frankie MgGuire (I love his accent and Ford does not get behind. Some great scenes with the irish folk music and the overall score is good.
Their may be some over sentimental moments, but they did not bother me for a second. then why such a low average? I'm clueless...
I would say this is a movie almost anyone will enjoy! I give it an 8.
Night and the City (1992)
Even legends like Deniro have their flaws...
It does not happen very often that I watch a deniro pic and feel almost careless about it afterwards.
What was this movie about? beats me... Robert 'stars' as a not too respectable character trying to get a grip on his life and to make some money.
The story, if their is one, did not grab my attention for a second. a real dissappointment for every deniro fan
Backdraft (1991)
Very entertaining all star casted movie
off course, the story isn't too great. but the characters are strong enough and the effects are great. with a very dramatic score by hans zimmer i still get absorbed in the scenes with fire and drama.
stunning supporting roles for donald sutherland and robert de niro. I think this i a movie almost anyone could enjoy, even if it is not one of the socalled 'great movies'.
My recommendations!
Hearts in Atlantis (2001)
superb acting, very persuasive scenes
I don't quite understand the average of a 6.8.... In my opinion this film is a high standard, dramatic production with an astonishing magical performance of Hopkins and the youngster, Anton velchin if I remembered correctly. Upcoming star I tell you, and if he won't, it's not because of his potential.
With some tearjerking scenes, which are not over dramatized, this is a great movie to watch with your lover, close to each other, desperately trying to hide your occasional tears.
Both the score and the cinematography play a good part in swallowing you up in the situations at hand.
I give it an 8.6.
The Devil's Advocate (1997)
Al pacino's greatest role since the godfather
This is one of my favourite films
everything is good, music, cinematography, story, characters, but one thing is just out of the ordinary:
AL PACINO!!!
his tirade against god and humanity and the expressions on his face just make the tiny little hairs all over your body raise.
Besides that, I think this movie has one of the most breathtaking scenes ever, involving Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves, but you'll have to see that for yourself...
This movie is a must!