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Reviews
The Land of the Astronauts (2010)
Great film about alienation
My high quotation has something to do with the ridiculously low quotation that was given to this film. I wanted to see it, because Carl Colpaert has made some very interesting films in the past. He's a filmmaker who single-handedly set up a production-company, Cineville, that specializes in alternative films. If a film has too much content to be considered commercial, then Cineville is likely to be interested to produce this film. Cineville makes films with small budgets and big ideas.
And 'Land of Astronauts' is one of these films, in which David Arquette gets the opportunity to do the kind of acting all actors dream about. He's a man who had some real bad luck in life. He doesn't play the man like a down-and out loser. His character is a composer who's still trying to make it in Hollywood, but while even big name-actors believe in his talent, life isn't treating him very nice.
Hollywood is a place that is really hard to people who don't have the luck of the stars. Jack MacKenzie is a composer that is played by Arquette. He wrote the excellent music for a big sci-fi film, 'Land of Astronauts', but the film flopped at the box-office, while Jack wasn't spoiled by reality before : he lost a daughter and his wife left him with his other daughter. Now he's surviving as a limo-driver, driving people around who used to be his collaborators. He remains human, and does all he can to become the man he used to be. He's on the wagon, is sober now, and regularly attends the AA-meetings. It looks like he's going to recover. The big-name actor he's driving around, Tom Bower, even seems interested in his music. Or at least, that's what he's pretending.
But one can't keep trying. Sooner or later, the truth takes revenge. Living in a world of appearances and false pretenses, he doesn't seem to believe reality anymore. He's real, that's a certainty, but whether Bijou Phillips and many others are what we see, one doesn't really know. Cause in a world where everyone tries so hard to make others believe things that aren't real, one doesn't know anymore.
Though 'Land of Astronauts' may not be a masterwork, it certainly is a movie that deserves to be watched.
In Bruges (2008)
The best Belgian film ever
It doesn't happen too often that international productions are filmed in Belgium. That's why it was big news in Belgium when Martin McDonagh came to Bruges to shoot his film over here. A film with a title like this, couldn't be filmed anywhere but in Belgium, you can argue. Right, but the film could as well have been called 'In Prague', 'In Sevilla', 'In Florence' or 'In Talinn' if you want. Only, Martin McDonagh sincerely seemed to be mesmerized by the city which we like to call the Venice of the North. Bruges is beautiful, fairytale-like and on a certain level the city really looks like an open-air-museum, though the mayor of Bruges and his band try very hard to make Bruges a modern, contemporary city and succeed to have it be more. So, it's human for foreigners in the first place to be mesmerized by Bruges. And indeed, it is possible that Martin McDonagh loved the city that much that he really wanted his film to be made over there. In that case, Bruges is very lucky. But whether Bruges did everything to get this production to their city or it was the director or the producer who decided to film in Bruges, it makes no difference, the result is great. It's a story about two hit men arriving in Bruges. As a viewer the only information we get at first is that something went wrong with their last job. So their boss gave them the order to travel to Bruges, and keep low for a while, try to be unnoticed and enjoy the great views. The oldest of the two seems to be the smarter one. He enjoys to do some sightseeing and loves the old buildings, the museums and the great paintings by Flemish masters. He is brilliantly played by Brendan Gleeson. You believe he can be a tough guy, who is capable of murdering someone, but on the other hand he's very soft, sweet and nice, gentle and a joy to be around. One likes to listen to him when he talks, and you can't dream of a better companion to find hanging around in a bar Bruges and to have a couple of beers with. His partner is the wild one, he is played by Colin Farrell, the actor who seemed to have forgotten for a couple of years that he was an actor. Hollywood wanted him to be a star instead. An image that didn't him. He is an actor indeed, and he proves it here. A brilliant one. He's a comedian even. I didn't know he was capable of giving such a performance. Really astonishing. The rest of the cast is also great. But of course everything stands or falls with Bruges and the performances of the two leading actors. As a Flemish Belgian it is a pity we don't get to see one Flemish actor in the film, while Bruges is in Flanders and the only Belgians in the film are played by Dutch, French and Walloon actors, who -- mind you are all great. I couldn't think of a negative word on this film. It's the best comedy I've seen in a long time. I laughed my head off. Not once, but also the second time I went to see the film. Bruges is so lucky that this film is made over here. Although McDonagh and his cast make fun of the city and of boring Belgium all the time, it's the greatest publicity Bruges and Belgium could dream of. The film shows how beautiful some corners of our country are, and how great it is to live over here. I was proud to be Belgian before seeing this film, I am even more so after seeing it. And I will see it again and again. It's so funny when something you love is made fun of. We know it's good, so everyone can laugh. Also great are the constant laughs at the expense of the fat American tourists. Easy laughs, I know, but funny nevertheless.
The Dark Knight (2008)
Chaotic and unlogic
What is this? I can't explain all the enthusiasm for this movie as anything else than necrophilia. Let people die and suddenly everything they do is great. And indeed, Heath Ledger is great in this film. But he's the only one. And lucky for him he's good. Because he has done his share of bad acting in the past. Though I must say he was improving quickly in recent years. I loved him in the Bob Dylan-movie. I hated him in 'Brokeback Mountain'. His performance was too much of a performance there, a number of tics and tricks. Christian Bale is awful here. He looks, acts and walks in and through this movie as if he's the same character from 'American Psycho'. His character is a sleazy bastard, who thinks his money and his own vision is enough to save the world. The arrogance of the character is highly disturbing. And what is the character of Maggie Gyllenhaal doing in this movie. She's a silly women running after the wrong men and paying her life because of her bad taste in men. And are we supposed to cheer for Harvey Dent until he shows his true face? What an asshole. Is this one of these disastermovies which want to warn us for the disastrous future we're heading to? It's so sad to see all these positive reactions. Who are you people? Don't you see the aggression? And are you that silly to accept all the lack of logic. On the one hand this film want to be realistic and dark, over the top dark yes, but still... But then on the other hand it forgets all logic and reality whenever the screenwriters feel they have no logic explanation to give. How some characters suddenly survive when everything is burning and exploding, I don't know. And the whole movie we're after the Joker, but when they finally get hold of him, we don't get to know what is happening with him. I am a huge fan of 'Memento' and I also thought 'Insomnia' was a great and clever full. But as clever as the former films of Nolan were, as stupid is this one.