In the futuristic action-thriller Repo Men, humans have extended and improved our lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called The Union. The dark side of these medical breakthroughs is that if you don’t pay your bill, The Union sends its highly skilled repo men to take back its property… with no concern for your comfort or survival. Jude Law plays Remy, one of the best organ repo men in the business. When he suffers a cardiac failure on the job, he awakens to find himself fitted with the company’s top-of-the-line heart-replacement… as well as a hefty debt. But a side effect of the procedure is that his heart’s no longer in the job. When he can’t make the payments, The Union sends its toughest enforcer, Remy’s former partner Jake (Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker), to track him down. Now that the hunter has become the hunted, Remy joins Beth (Alice Braga), another debtor who teaches him how to vanish from the system. And as he and Jake embark on a chase across a landscape populated by maniacal friends and foes, one man will become a reluctant champion for thousands on the run. The version available for download of this 1080p movie trailer has been auto converted from 2D to Stereoscopic 3D in a side-by-side format!!!

Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Cast: Jude Law, Forest Whitaker, Liev Schreiber, RZA, Alice Braga, Carice Van Houten
In theaters: March 19, 2010

- Download Repo Men Stereoscopic 3D Full HD Trailer
- Repo Men Stereoscopic 3D Full HD Trailer (mirror 1)
- Repo Men Stereoscopic 3D Full HD Trailer (mirror 2)
- Repo Men Stereoscopic 3D Full HD Trailer (mirror 3)

Jude Law and Forrest Whitaker star in a grim, probable sci-fi thriller.

Mixing cutting edge medical research with a heaping dose of present-day corporate cynicism, April’s Repo Men posits a world in which you can buy artificial replacement organs on credit. If you can’t pay, the ruthless Union simply sends repossession agents to track you down and remove the organs by whatever means necessary, including on-the-spot surgery and organ removal.

Directed by Miguel Spaochnik (his feature debut) and based on Eric Garcia’s novel Repossession Mambo, the script by Garcia and Garrett Lerner imagines the widespread use of artiforgs: expensive, mass produced mechanical organs that outperform their natural counterparts in almost every way. Remy (Law) and Jake (Forest Whitaker) are the Union’s top enforcers, lifelong friends now under the ruthless employ of Union executive Frank (Liev Shreiber.) When a botched repossession causes Remy to need a new heart, of course his associates give him the top-of-the-line artiforg model. But the new heart brings a…. well, a change of heart, and he’s unable to summon the detachment needed to do his job. This causes him to fall behind in his payments, necessitating a flight from Frank, Jake, and the Union’s other agents.

The cast probably ought to be doing higher-brow work, but we’re not complaining. Law seems in fine leading man form in the trailer, and a solid turn here could help him further build the comeback begun with Sherlock Holmes after years of pretentious drivel like Cold Mountain and All The King’s Men. Once upon a time, in fact, he was the go-to guy for thought-provoking science fiction, with winning performances in Gattaca, A.I., and eXistenZ. For their parts Whitaker and Shreiber are always fun to watch, even when sort-of slumming in expensive B-movie fare such as this. The international cast also includes Dutch actress Carice van Houten (Black Book) as Remy’s current wife and Brazilian actress Alice Braga (Crossing Over) as his former spouse.

The concept, seemingly equal parts Philip K. Dick and Logan’s Run, feels creepily plausible, at least compared with recent sci-fi fare including Surrogates and Daybreakers. Long-delayed and the survivor of a  lengthy production and numerous cast changes, the story nevertheless bears strong resemblance to last year’s Repo! The Genetic Opera, which went nowhere upon release but has since become a minor cult favorite. Expect at least a flare of comparisons when this film hits. Finally, its early release date gives it a wide berth on the action/sci-fi schedule, making it a likely warm up for later high-tech based summer releases including Iron Man 2 and Predators.

Repo Men opens nationwide April 2.

- Michael Kabel

:: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Part I is playing the music over here.

Part II is lighting the lights up here.

Part III is putting on its make round about here.

And Part IV is dressing up right over here.

Just to clarify some potential confusion: each entry, from 30 down to Number 1, has two films listed. Only the first is on The List; the second (‘See Also’) is another fine, usually underrated film that, for me, somehow evokes the first and is worthy of at least a mention, if not an “official” placing. Plus the chance to big up the likes of Memories of Murder,  Keane, Anvil! and A Prairie Home Companion is just too good to pass up…

15)            GOSFORD PARK (2001)

Dir: Robert Altman  Scr: Julian Fellowes

Stars: Michael Gambon, Helen Mirren, Maggie Smith

Few US filmmakers seemed so defiantly American as Robert Altman. Poking holes in the hallowed fabric of jingoistic flag-wavers across wartime (M.A.S.H), myth-busting ‘Wild West’ history (McCabe & Mrs Miller), Hollywood (The Player) and contemporary urban malaise (Short Cuts), his patented creeping-vine camera, dense, overlapping audio and quirky ensembles appear not snide dissension, but rather the ultimate in onscreen democracy (though of course his style is just as ‘directed’). Transplanting this to a veddy-veddy English 1930’s country house, murder-mystery parlour game sounded a fraught yet fascinating, perhaps fatal, experiment. But we should have realised that Altman more than anyone, knows the rules of his particular game.

Gosford Park roams upstairs and downstairs, through upper-class ladies chambers and below-deck servants’ quarters, for a pitch-perfect dissection of class warfare and a witty comedy of so-called manners. Julian Fellowes’ sparkling, crystal chandelier of a script (replete with the sort of juicy one-liners that Maggie Smith and co devour for elevenses), allows Altman the refractions and reflections he savours, while an impeccable, largely British cast play backstairs intrigue to the hilt. A living, breathing, quietly seething masterpiece, it makes most ‘period’ movies look like the stuffy, fussy literary adaptations they are. Top hole, sir.

Gosford Park Clip: Murder

See also:

A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION (2006)

Dir: Robert Altman  Scr: Garrison Keillor

Stars: Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Kevin Kline

Great artists’ swansongs must be handled with care: few know that their latest work will in fact be their last, yet we mine them for clues to a final solution or summation. Still, this low-key, shaggy, sweet-natured tribute to another artist (Garrison Keillor) and medium (radio) altogether somehow feels like the perfect Altman send-off. A closing down theatre, a rag-tag company, even an angel of death serenely stalking the hallways; there’s a melancholy sense of loss that permeates the entire film, but never at the expense of self-pity. Which makes it an fitting elegy to an unsentimental, enduring, underdog spirit.

A Prairie Home Companion Trailer:

14)            MEMENTO (2000)

Dir & Scr: Christopher Nolan

Stars: Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, Joe Pantoliano

I’ve seen Memento half a dozen times at least, and every time its fractured retro-sequencing always takes me by surprise. Complex, confounding but never incoherent, Christopher Nolan’s corkscrewing mystery, based on brother Jonathan’s short story, is a formalist’s delight, told from back to front, as with Pinter’s Betrayal or Martin Amis’s Time’s Arrow. But fancy narrative tricks are mere surface pleasures. Delve further into Memento’s dank, rabbit-warren-heart and you uncover that rare beast where plot, character perspective and audience experience all meld as one.

Taking a hoary thriller cliché (a crime-solving amnesiac) Nolan spins his protagonist Leonard Shelby’s short-term memory loss handicap to constantly resituate and re-evaluate the actions and words of everyone around him – excluding, tragically, himself. The underlying notion that we all, to varying degrees, lead lives of continual, rationalized self-deception is profoundly dispiriting stuff; but Nolan’s Chinese box-structuring and sneaky black humour – a chase where Shelby doesn’t know if he’s hunter or hunted – makes the whole disorientating mind-f*ck exhilarating. A film designed for today’s ADD, piecemeal re-viewing (spot the chilling freeze frame switch during the ‘Sammy Jankis’ episode), Memento inevitably propelled Nolan to Hollywood’s A-list, where despite Batman successes, he’s yet to top this haunting modern classic.

Memento Clip: Sammy Jankis

See also:

THE BOURNE SUPREMACY (2004)

Dir: Paul Greengrass  Scr: Tony Gilroy

Stars: Matt Damon, Joan Allen, Brian Cox

No one could accuse Robert Ludlum’s lumpen airport novels of sophistication, let alone craft, which makes the resurrection of his amnesiac rogue operative Jason Bourne the decade’s most heartening revival. Doug Liman kicked things off with Identity, but when British director Paul Greengrass’s virtuoso, neo-cubist handheld shooting and breakneck editing took over, the series truly came alive. Supremacy’s raw, visceral stunts and breathless, up-close combat – here and in the later Ultimatum – raised the bar for modern movie action (even jumpstarting James Bond), all anchored by unusually thoughtful Tony Gilroy scripts and Matt Damon’s bruised (and bruising), understated star power.

The Bourne Supremacy Trailer:

13)            TALK TO HER (2002)

Dir & Scr: Pedro Almodóvar

Stars: Javier Cámara, Dario Grandinetti, Leonor Watling

I’ve tried hard to avoid tokenism on this list, but if there’s one director who had to be represented at all costs, it’s our Pedro. With the possible exception of Wes Anderson, I can’t think of another filmmaker this decade as prolific, unique, stylistically consistent and consistently excellent. Bad Education, Volver, even Broken Embraces could all grace any ‘Best Of’ round-up, but, somewhat predictably, I’ve gone for perhaps his most acclaimed and honoured achievement. Well, sometimes even the critics get it right.

The story of two ‘girlfriends’, dancer and bullfighter, in a coma and the two men, nurse and journalist, devoted to them, it’s an irresistible set up for Almodóvar to weave another of his intricate, swooning meditations on love in all its often disturbing guises. He effortlessly shuffles timeframes and relationship dynamics (and from nowhere, a masterful surreal, monochrome silent short film), successive temporal and personal layers fanning out ever more complex, contentious readings of each protagonist’s desires, fears and disabilities, physical or emotional (or both). Eschewing a trademark female ‘muse’ performance, a la Carmen Maura or Penelope Cruz, Almodóvar’s group of inspired actors show how, at his peerless best, the maestro communicates straight from, and to, the heart.

Talk to Her Trailer:

See also:

OFFSIDE (2006)

Dir: Jafar Panahi  Scr: Panahi & Shadmehr Rastin

Stars: Sima Mobarak-Shahi, Shayesteh Irani, Ayda Sadeqi

Remember Life of Brian’s sketch about disguised women illegally attending stonings? Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (Crimson Gold, The Circle) takes a break from punishing social tracts for a comedy that echoes Monty Python, deftly scoring serious points about his country’s ludicrous gender inequality. Panahi’s intrepid football-mad ladies, prohibited from attending matches, dress up as lads determined to see their national team play a crucial World Cup qualifier. As in Alan Clarke’s The Firm, football action itself is scarcely glimpsed, throwing the focus on another grossly uneven field of play in extended take, charming vignettes. A cheeky, voluble true underdog story.

Offside clip: “She’s a first timer.”

12)            SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)

Dir: Edgar Wright  Scr: Wright & Simon Pegg

Stars: Simon Pegg, Kate Ashfield, Nick Frost

[From my original capsule review] “Only genuine fans could make a respectful homage (to George A. Romero’s Living Dead series) and only genuine talents could simultaneously mark out their own big screen turf in such style. Director Edgar Wright and star Simon Pegg’s script never settles for mere parody. Instead they slice and dice genres, expertly blending gut-wrenching gore and gut-busting laughs, while still crafting a gripping, poignant redemption story. Chock-full of lovely casual touches – Pegg meeting Spaced co-star Jessica Hynes’s like-for-like team of survivors – and great comedic performances, Shaun even nails a sly portrait of sleepwalking, suburban 21^st century Britain.”

Five years on, with Wright, Pegg and Frost now best buddies with Spielberg and Tarantino, their success seems almost preordained. But what made Shaun the sole survivor among other DOA TV-to-film transfers (Mitchell & Webb’s Magicians, Lesbian Vampire Killers) is equal attention to beautifully crafted gags and that unerring portrait of modern life(lessness) and male arrested development. Put simply, it’s comic chops that scores a zombie attack (in time) to Queen; it’s far greater ambition that offers social commentary the match of Loach and Leigh. And neither of them imagined your overgrown kid mate as an undead pet. Comedy of the decade.

Shaun of the Dead clip: ‘White Lines’

See also:

HIGH FIDELITY (2000)

Dir: Stephen Frears  Scr: D.V. DeVincentis & Steve Pink & John Cusack and Scott Rosenberg

Stars: John Cusack, Iben Hjejle, Jack Black

If there’s one overworked, juvenile trope in recent comedy, it’s the overgrown man-child finally forced to grow up (Will Ferrell, Judd Apatow and co have fashioned whole careers from it). Thank goodness then for this mature, textbook adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel, switched from London to Chicago, with John Cusack confiding to camera about his lifelong, list-making love affair with rock music and rocky romantic track record. Clear-eyed and honest about male insecurities and infidelities, Cusack’s on top rain-drenched, lovelorn form. Funny, savvy and featuring a joyously eclectic All Time Top Five soundtrack (13^th Floor Elevators, Beta Band, Stevie Wonder).

High Fidelity clip: The Beta Band

11)            CITY OF GOD (2002)

Dir: Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund Scr: Bráulio Mantovani

Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues, Leandro Firmino, Douglas Silva

Hard to ignore a sensationalist media tagline like “the Brazilian Goodfellas;” but on its original international release, there were genuine fears that this panoramic, decade-spanning crime epic set in the eponymous Rio favela could easily slip through the subtitled cracks. Now, laden with awards and along with say, Amelie and Pan’s Labyrinth, one of the few official foreign-language crossover hits (on permanent DVD price reduction at your local megastore), City of God’s success has somewhat backfired. Claims abound that Fernando Meirelles’ showy camera moves, multi-track edits and hypnotically percussive soundtrack only glorify the gun-toting drug dealers and shantytown hoods; that the titular irony is simplistic.

Interesting that Scorsese’s mob rarely suffered similar accusations, but pedantry and cheap comparisons aside, quite simply this is electrifying filmmaking. Working from Paulho Lins’ mammoth novel, Meirelles and Lund’s sinuous, hot-blooded style is seductive, but also gritty enough to shine a light on the shameful reality of desperation-borne greed and dead-eyed amorality bred by relentless, state-sanctioned poverty. They also elicit knockout performances from a roster of abandoned street kids, effectively leading by socially responsible example. Such altruism is noble – and obviously necessary – but matters little without onscreen dynamism. City of God blazes from both barrels.

City of God clip: L’il Ze

See also:

BLACK BOOK (2006)

Dir: Paul Verhoeven  Scr: Verhoeven & Gerard Soeteman

Stars: Carice Van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman

You know that unwritten rule that sombre history be rendered with reverence? Paul Verhoeven doesn’t. [again, from BBC Collective] “An epic, rip-roaring, double-crossing wartime thriller, Black Book finds Dutchman Verhoeven back home after 20 years goosing America’s skirts and on top form. Accept Schindler’s List remade as an unashamed B-movie spy throwback and enjoy the outrageous exploits of Rachel (a star-making turn from luminous Carice Van Houten), betrayed Jewish fugitive-turned-resistance-fighter-turned-Nazi mole. Verhoeven’s still kinky (check out the cheeky Basic Instinct full-frontal reference) but hasn’t shown such rigour and purpose in decades, subtly needling his own Hollywood impulses and climaxing with one of cinema’s great cynical final shots. Orange pulp of the highest quality.”

Black Book trailer:

Holy Shit!

In the futuristic action-thriller Repo Men, humans have extended and improved our lives through highly sophisticated and expensive mechanical organs created by a company called The Union. The dark side of these medical breakthroughs is that if you don’t pay your bill, The Union sends its highly skilled repo men to take back its property…with no concern for your comfort or survival.

Now that the hunter has become the hunted, Remy joins Beth, another debtor who teaches him how to vanish from the system. And as he and Jake embark on a chase across a landscape populated by maniacal friends and foes, one man will become a reluctant champion for thousands on the run

Anouk (1)
Birgit Schuurman (1)
Carice van Houten (1)
Fatima Moreira de Melo (1)
Katja Schuurman (1)
Lieke van Lexmond (1)
Naomi van As (1)
Nicolette van Dam (2)
Nikki Kerkhof (1)
Nikkie Plessen (1)
Patricia Paay (1)
Pauline Wingelaar (1)
Saar Koningsberger (1)
Yolanthe Cabau van kasbergen (3)

Don't be a Deadbeat

Jude Law hits theaters soon as Dr. Watson opposite Robert Downey, Jr. in Sherlock Holmes. But on April 2, 2010, Law’s got something completely different in mind. As he Plays Remy a Repo man on the run. In this new film

” Set in the near future when artificial organs can be bought on credit, it revolves around a man who struggles to make the payments on a heart he has purchased. He must therefore go on the run before said ticker is repossessed. ”

Trailer

Two things immediately jump to mind here

• Logan’s Run
• Repo! The Genetic Opera

Remy as an enforcer for some big corporation has a partner and they chase down deadbeats who fail to pay their bills but the tables are turned when Remy is the recipient of a transplant and he now can’t pay for it so he runs and who do you think is chasing him, his former partner. Sound like a certain Sandman we all know. Second is Repo! The Genetic Opera which came out in 2008 and is apparently a cult classic in some circles. I have never seen it and the only reason I even know about it is because of Sarah Brightman’s being in it. The plot with lots of singing goes as

” In the year 2056 – the not so distant future – an epidemic of organ failures devastates the planet. Out of the tragedy, a savior emerges: GeneCo, a biotech company that offers organ transplants, for a price. Those who miss their payments are scheduled for repossession and hunted by villainous Repo Men. ”

Cult Classic?

Hollywood liked the idea so much they turned it into a big-budget action fleck, concluding wisely that a  musical about organ repossession with deadly consequences would not have any mass appeal. Forest Whitaker co-stars as the former partner now chasing Remy and Liev Schreiber also co-stars as Frank who is Remy’s former chief

Repo Men opens in theaters on April 2 2010

Myspace posted the new trailer for “Repo Men”. The film is pretty much about this company called The Union that created mechanical organs for the people when they needed to receive transplants. The only problem was that if you were to get one of these mechanical organs and didn’t pay for it, The Union would send \repo men to come and get back the company’s property. Pretty much they would cut you and take back the machine.

Jude Law’s character is one of the best repo men and suffers cardiac arrest and receives one of the company’s implants. He cannot make the payments so he goes on the run with another woman who is also dodging the repo men.

The concept of the movie seems interesting until I read the comments on YouTube and Comingsoon.net. Apparently, this film is a remake of the the trash-tasitc musical “Repo Man” rock opera that featured Paris Hilton. No amount of star power will make me want to see this film now. Why would a study want to remake something that Paris Hilton starred in?

Well, I post the trailer just in case someone out there wants to watch this film.

“Repo Men” opens in theaters April 2, 2010 and stars Academy Award nominee Jude Law, Academy Award winner Forest Whitaker, Liev Schreiber, RZA, Alice Braga, and Carice van Houten

On with the many many movies I stupidly missed off the Top 106 Movies list (which could well be a Top 165 by the time I get through with it). I’ve gone on about Robert Zemeckis’ Beowulf before, and so won’t waste time doing the same here, but I will confirm — much to my delight — that it still works well even when not seen in IMAX Digital 3D. Most of that is down to the thoughtful script by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary, which cleverly addresses myth and religion. The visuals still work well in 2D, much better than in Zemeckis’ The Polar Express but not as well as in A Christmas Carol, which veers further away from the not-quite-there realism of Beowulf. This is a good thing: Christmas Carol looks more like a living painting than a flawed rendition of reality, and it’s good to see that the technology has come along enough to add this kind of texture to the imagery. The quality of Zemeckis’ adaptation is one of the most pleasant surprises of this year, as was Beowulf in 2007. Perhaps I should stop assuming he’s going to make bad movies and just learn to look forward to them.

Speaking of Christmas movies, I’ve also missed off Jon Favreau’s Elf. To be honest I’m not sure it belongs on this list: the third act is really underwhelming, and some of the casting is a bit suspect. Nevertheless, it’s become a real favourite here, with our annual rewatch a Christmas tradition (we do the same with Robert Benton’s lovely Nobody’s Fool on Christmas Day). Though Elf falls flat a couple of times, Will Ferrell’s insanely committed performance is essential viewing. For those who avoid him because of his reliance on arrested development characters — and I know there are a lot who feel that way — I’d say that Elf is a lovable enough variation on that stock character to win anyone over. There are countless perfectly timed moments in it, as Ferrell races around New York in a whirl of manic energy. Maybe it doesn’t deserve to crack the Top 106, but it warrants a mention, especially at this time of year.

Actually, I’ll be honest. It should’ve got on the list just for this moment:

And now, fifteen movies that don’t feature Will Ferrell or performance-captured monstah-huntah Ray Winstone.

45. Capturing The Friedmans

Andrew Jarecki’s documentary about a family accused of involvement in child pornography would already be fascinating, but it is Jarecki’s examination of the effect of time on memory and perspective that sets this movie apart. How far are we willing to deceive ourselves and others in order to prevent awful truths from coming to light, and can we ever trust our subjective interpretations?

44. Infernal Affairs

Scorsese’s remake of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s imaginative crime thriller was terrific, and filled with entertaining performances, but the original version is the truly exciting one. Within minutes the tension is ratcheted up, and never flags. Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai have never been better.

43. Lady Vengeance

The final part of Park Chan-wook’s Vengeance trilogy is less flashy than Oldboy, but it may say more about human behavior than its hyper-stylised predecessor. After two relatively low-key acts, Chan-wook unveils the perfect capper — not just for this movie, but for the trilogy as a whole — as vengeance is visited upon a truly terrible person in a tense and intelligent denouement. Praise is also due Lee Young-ae, who is stunning as the haunted Lee Geum-ja.

42. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

In the hands of Julian Schnabel what could have been grueling and bland becomes an immersive visual masterpiece, just by applying intellectual rigour to the problem of how to make a movie from a story so resolutely uncinematic. Devoid of cynicism and dismissive of despair, Diving Bell has the power to recharge even the most empty heart. Essential viewing.

41. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Released in the same year as No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood, Andrew Dominick’s re-telling of the Western myth was initially praised then forgotten by year’s end. For giving us such a breathtakingly luminous vision of desperate man trapped by their infamy — and for showing us that Casey Affleck was capable of actual greatness — we hope time will be kind to it.

40. In Bruges

Martin McDonagh’s wonderful debut feature is profane, scatalogical, and surprisingly moving. A superb cast — including a shockingly funny and lovable Colin Farrell — attacks his superbly constructed screenplay with palpable relish, and McDonagh handles the gradual tonal shift like a seasoned pro. The first two acts may have made me laugh, but the final one made my pulse race.

39. Morvern Callar

Lynne Ramsay’s gorgeous adaptation of Alan Warner’s novel showed youthful disaffection and alienation against a backdrop of blistering, unforgettable images, with a never-better Samantha Morton creating a mysterious protagonist whose motives defy easy explanation. Ramsay’s next project (an adaptation of We Need To Talk About Kevin starring Tilda Swinton) cannot come soon enough.

38. Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter… and Spring

Kim Ki-duk tells a deceptively simple tale of a man whose journey through life takes him from Buddhist training to tragedy to atonement and peace, but every frame vibrates with emotion. The reflective pace and cinematography are hypnotic, the ambitious scope and depiction of spiritual awakening are profoundly moving.

37. Princess Mononoke

Spirited Away might be Hayao Miyazaki’s most celebrated movie, but this was my introduction into the world of Studio Ghibli. Its unfamiliar structure, dismissal of Manichean conflict, and air of infinite possibility were even more appealing at first sight, even considering the terrifying, discordant atmosphere of imminent disaster.

36. Team America: World Police

Trey Parker and Matt Stone may not have hit every target they aimed at (such as celebrity culture, repulsive jingoism, and clueless liberalism), but they hit many of them hard enough to justify a declaration of victory. They also included yet more great songs (“America, Fuck Yeah” might have been obnoxious if it wasn’t so much fun to sing), and filmed the funniest third act character turnaround ever:

35. Black Book

Only Paul Verhoeven could have made a movie as trashy — and classy — as this. Leaving behind the dimishing returns of his Hollywood period, the master of provocation conjured up a morally complicated tale of Nazism, collaboration, and resistance that thrilled and appalled in equal measure. He also introduced us to the magnificent Carice Van Houten, who should be a superstar by now. I’m waiting, Hollywood.

34. Brokeback Mountain

A cultural touchstone, a political statement, a punchline to a million bad jokes. Ang Lee’s love story is also, quite simply, a heartbreaking tale of a man who realises too late that he has wasted his life because of crippling fear. Heath Ledger’s final, devastating scene is burned into my heart, his last promise the best final line of the decade.

33. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

The romcom Philip K. Dick would have written were he still alive. Charlie Kaufman supplies the delirious concept, Michel Gondry brings the lo-fi visual wizardry, and Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet bring the soul. A thrilling combination of narrative trickery, philosophical curiosity, and flighty romanticism, and another fascinating exploration of the connection between memory and identity.

32. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tim Burton’s best film since Ed Wood is also the best screen musical of the decade. His thoughtful tweaks to orchestration and plot transform Stephen Sondheim’s original into a Gothic masterpiece. It helps that his cast — not known for their singing voices — give such committed performances and belt out those beautiful songs with such gusto. This might be Johnny Depp’s best performance to date, playing Todd as a force of nature, almost completely irredeemable but still a tragic figure in the devastating final scene.

31. The Descent

The best British movie of the decade was not a period drama or kitchen-sink wallow from lauded, overrated establishment-approved fakes. It was a balls-to-the-wall, technically perfect rollercoaster. It was also the scariest horror movie since Blatty’s Exorcist III, and that’s even before the monsters appear. Director Neil Marshall remembered that for the horror to work, we had to see humanity at its worst, and it is the final act of protagonist Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) that pushes this movie into classic status.

By now, with the end of the list approaching, I’m beginning to second-guess my choices even more. Should Eternal Sunshine have been higher? I’ve only seen it once and loved it, but from this point on I’ve seen most of the movies numerous times, and so they have had a bigger impact on me. Of course, second-guessing means I’ll never get this done. Best to just finish it as soon as I can. Tomorrow, hopefully. Until then…

Je moet wel knap blind zijn om niet opgemerkt te hebben dat er met Komt een vrouw bij de dokter weer een Nederlandse film met pretenties uit is. Reinout Oerlemans, die van Goede tijden, Danielle Overgaag en Eyeworks, ja die Reinout Oerlemans, heeft de verfilming van het gelijknamige boek van Raymond van de Klundert, alias Kluun, verfilmd. Carice van Houten deed mee, net als Barry Atsma en Anna Drijver. Bovendien had Reinout zijn baard laten staan, dus het moest goedkomen.

De Volkskrant vond echter het resultaat bijzonder matig, getuige de twee zielige sterren die de recensent de film toebedeelde. Dit zou een kwestie van l’histoire se répète kunnen zijn. Het boek werd door de serieuze pers immers ook afgedaan als plat en smakeloos, voordat heel Nederland het tot tranen toe geroerd doorspitte. Het ís ook een pittig verhaal, waarin borstkanker het liefdesleven van een feestvierende reclameyup, zijn hippe vrouw en hun schattige dochter overhoop gooit. Plat en smakeloos of niet, ook de Beschermheer, hoewel een slecht referentiepunt want een emotioneel mens, had een steen in zijn maag bij het doorlezen van de laatste hoofdstukken.

Toch maar een kaartje reserveren dus? in ieder geval eerst maar even de trailer bekijken!

Ik ken niemand die het boek niet heeft gelezen en iedereen zit ook met smacht te wachten op de verfilming.

Voor ons gaat hij morgen in premiere, maar de sterren van Nederland mochten de film

vorige week al aanschouwen. Lovende reacties waren het toen ze er weer uit kwamen. Ik hoop het.

Ik hoop dat de film net zo mooi is als het boek en dat is een hele moeilijke taak, omdat je in boeken

veel meer gevoel kan leggen. Daarom wou ook geen enkele regisseur de taak op zich nemen. Petje af voor Reinout

dat hij het wel durfde, maar dat vind ik geen reden dat hij ook zowat de ster van de film is.

Als een andere regisseur de taak op zich had genomen, een iets minder bekend persoon, dat werd er ook

niet zo heisa over gemaakt. Maar misschien heeft hij wel fantastich werk afgeleverd en hoor je mij naar

de film niet meer klagen. In ieder geval was heel Nederland zowat uitgelopen om de film te komen bekijken!

I have read the book a couple years back and I thought it was amazing! It only would’ve taken time for a movie to come out. And so it did! Although, you have to wait until the 26th of November to see it.

This is a story about Stijn, who’s living the good life in Amsterdam. He has a good job, his own company which he shares with his best friend Frenk, he has a beautiful wife, Carmen, and his daughter, Luna, who are everything to him. Partying, going on trips, but he also has sex with other women. Carmen knows his flaw, but doesn’t really make a big deal out of it. She knows he loves her. And only her.
Until Stijn comes back from his annual trip to Miami with his colleagues.
Carmen has breast cancer. The rollercoaster ride starts.

Chemotherapy and radiation, vomitting, pain and a lot of tears. He takes care of her. Every time. But Stijn gets more distant. He finally talks to Roos, who he has seen every year at the Brabantse carnaval, but always got rejected by, because she doesn’t want to have an affair with a married man.
He wants her and he gets obsessed with her. Roos is his medicine, like chemo and radiation is for Carmen. Only Roos gets to live and Carmen gets to die.

After all the commotion and the discussions, I have my own opinion. I do not find Stijn an asshole. His world fell apart and the way he handled the situation is different for everyone. And that he cheated on Carmen, before she got cancer, was something they both ‘agreed’ with.
The movie was beautiful, well-made and very good! I’ve shed a few, actually a lot of, tears. You should, and I mean I’m ordering you to, watch this movie. Reinout Oerlemans did a great job for his debut as a director.

Cast: Carice van Houten (Carmen van Diepen), Barry Atsma (Stijn van Diepen), Anna Drijver (Roos), Yfke Wegman (Luna van Diepen), Jeroen Willems (Frenk), Pierre Bokma (Docter).
Image source: BDF Film

Hier ziet u, onder het mom ‘het oog wil ook wat’ de mooiste vrouw en mooiste man van Nederland. U kent ze niet? Wel: het zijn dan ook geen bekende Nederlanders. Alhoewel, de gezichten zijn – en ik moet toegeven dat dat best mooi is gedaan – samengesteld uit kenmerken van de gezichten van een aantal BN’ers.

De samenstelling is tot stand gekomen naar onderzoek van Psychologie Magazine. De mooiste man van Nederland is een combinatie van Michiel Huisman, Arie Boomsma, Daniel Boissevain, Alain Clark, Ruben Nicolai en Chris Zegers. En de mooiste combineert de uiterlijke kenmerken van Doutzen Kroes, Carice van Houten, Touriya Haoud, Daphne Bunskoek, Hanna Verboom en Tara Elders.

Allemaal mooi en aardig natuurlijk, maar ik blijf er bij dat het nietszeggende plaatjes zijn. En waarom zouden de mooiste Nederlanders automatisch zijn opgebouwd uit alleen Bekende Nederlanders? Net of wij gewone stervelingen niet mooi kunnen zijn.

Al is schoonheid blijkbaar belangrijk, blijkt. Anders heb je weinig kans te overleven.

Het AD vertelt het zo:

Neem de klassieke uitstraling van Touriya Haoud en Carice van Houten, gooi er het lieve maar lekkere snoetje van Hanna Verboom bij, plak er de look van Doutzen Kroes op, met wat sensuele lippen van Tara Elders en maak het af met een vleugje boerennuchterheid van ‘girl next door’ Daphne Bunskoek.

Hussel ze in een Schots computerprogramma, en zie daar de allermooiste vrouw van Nederland.

Rachel Stein 戰前是犹太藉荷蘭歌星, 二次大戰開始就四周躲避納粹黨的追捕, 被一個自稱為地下抗爭組織的人出賣, 父母兄弟均死於納粹黨的槍下,Rachel被地下抗爭組織的人救起改名Ellis 和Hans 假扮情侶偷禁藥和發报機,在一次火車途中Ellis 為逃避納粹的搜查借德國軍官Ludwig Munze之便而脫險. 地下組織領袖的兒子被納粹捉拿, 派Ellis色誘Munze,而得情報迎救他們. 因戰爭而家破人亡的Munze和Ellis同病相憐, 兩人發生真情, Ellis發現當年殺死自己全家的軍官正為Munze工作和當年自稱為地下抗爭組織的人串通騙有錢的犹太人, 殺人之後掠奪他們的財產, Ellis誓報此仇, Munze愿瞞著上司幫Ellis殺了自稱為地下抗爭組織的人.

Ludwig Munze開始懷疑Ellis的身份, Ellis道出了其手下私殺犹太人謀財之惡行, Munze欲追究卻被其反咬一口上告其和地下抗爭組織的人談判的事而入獄被判死刑.在整救行動中遭德軍埋伏,只有Hans逃脫. Ellis被陷害是出賣者. 更被德軍捉進牢獄, Munze手下舊將和Ellis在德軍工作的朋友合作救出了Ellis和Munze, Ellis和Munze均認為律師是奸細,出賣地下抗爭組織,不料律師被殺, 死前交給Ellis一本黑色記事本. Munze被捉,被德軍處死. Hans在女牢裡救出Ellis, 告知Munze已死, Ellis傷心欲絕,全身顫抖, Hans為Ellis打針,Ellis發現是胰島素,Ellis逃脫,查看黑色記事本才發現Hans才是提供有錢的犹太人名單并出賣他們的人. Ellis告知地下抗爭組織首長還其清白,并合力殺死Hans.

Carice van Houten

¿Cuántas pelis de nazis hemos visto? Supongo que al igual que yo, han visto muchas. Pero probablemente seamos diferentes en un pequeño aspecto, yo no me canso de verlas. Si veo una esvástica en un cartel me emociono, me encanta el tema relacionado a la alemania nazi.

El director de The Black Book es el señor Paul Verhoeven, a quien muchos ya conocen por tres super famosas producciones que él mismo ha dirigido, me refiero a Basic Instinct, Hollow Man y Robocop, de las cuales sólo me basta decir que detesté la segunda.

La historia comienza con una chica judía que huye de los alemanes y debe esconderse varias veces para no ser apresada y por supuesto asesinada. Sin ánimos de contar la peli, debo decir que a raíz de su desesperación por huir, entra en contacto con un grupo de la resistencia holandesa que está en contra de los nazis. Ella luego pasa a formar parte de este grupo y debe infiltrarse entre los nazis para realizar algunas tareas de espionaje.

El papel de la hermosa chica es interpretado por una holandesa de nombre Carice van Houten. El repertorio cuenta con la super actuación de Sebastian Koch, a quien ya he tenido el honor de verlo actuar el Der Tunnel, Das Leben der Anderen (La vida de los otros) y la super pelicula llamada Stauffenberg.

Como dato curioso debo señalar que en la pelicula Stauffenberg, Sebastian Koch desempeñaba el papel del propio general Stauffenberg que estuvo encargado de perpretar el atentado contra Hitler, operación que se conoció como Valkiria. En The Black Book éste actua con Carive van Houten, juntos por primera vez. Todo el que vio Valkyrie notó la actuación de Carice van Houten como Sra. Stauffenberg.

Vínculo iMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0389557/

Carice van Houten and Michel Huisman get bombed.

(Sony Classics) Carice van Houten, Sebastian Koch, Thom Hoffman, Halina Reijn, Waldemar Kobus, Derek de Lint, Christian Berkel, Dolf de Vries. Directed by Paul Verhoeven.

While war itself is an absolute evil, often life in wartime is characterized by varying shades of grey. Those caught up in it must often differentiate between these shades, trying to find the one that is least black. In the process, they often have to become something terrible in order to avoid becoming a corpse.

Rachel Stein (van Houten) is a Dutch Jew hiding in the countryside during the waning days of World War II, hoping to survive until the Germans are defeated. When her hiding place is obliterated, she is taken to see a sympathetic notary (de Vries) who helps reunite her with her family with the purpose of getting them across the border to Allied territory. During the river crossing, the boat full of Jewish refugees is ambushed by the Nazis and gunned down. Rachel is the only survivor.

She is rescued by Gerben Kuipers (de Lint), a Dutch resistance leader who offers her shelter. Instead, the vengeful Rachel joins the resistance as a spy and changes her name to the less ethnic Ellis de Vries. During a mission with Hans Akkerman (Hoffman), she meets Ludwig Muntze (Koch), the head of the Dutch SD. She makes an impression on him, but thinks nothing further of it.

After Kuipers’ son is captured she is enlisted to seduce Muntze and obtain the release of the captives. She is hired as his assistant and soon befriends Ronnie (Reijn), a Dutch woman who is using whatever means necessary to survive, including sleeping with Frankel (Kobus), a ruthless sub commander who was responsible for the death of her parents. Ellis/Rachel manages to bug Frankel’s office, giving the resistance much useful information. She also finds that Muntze’s duties are being suborned by his conscience, and that he is an incredibly decent man. She begins to fall in love with him.

After several missions go horribly wrong it soon becomes clear that the resistance has an informant in its midst. Suspicion falls on Ellis/Rachel after Frankel frames her. Now, she finds that post-war Holland is in many respects more dangerous for her than the Nazi occupation was as she tries to discover who the true traitor is before she is captured by those she worked so hard to assist.

Verhoeven, whose career was established based on his Dutch war masterpiece Soldier of Orange has been making Hollywood blockbusters such as Total Recall, RoboCop, Starship Troopers and Basic Instinct. This is his first Dutch film since 1983’s The 4^th Man. Black Book holds the distinction of being the most expensive film ever made in Holland at the time it was released, and also the most commercially successful film to come from the Netherlands ever.

The movie has a very slick look to it, and cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub does a fine job of making it look good. Verhoeven has done an excellent job of bringing wartime Holland to life. He has also co-written a script that has ample twists and turns as Ellis/Rachel navigates – often painfully – through the politics not only of the Nazi occupation but of the Dutch resistance as well. It works pretty nicely as a thriller.

The big problem with the writing, if it has any, is that there are too many twists and turns. As Ellis/Rachel wails near the end of the film, “When will it all stop!” and we, the audience agree – the movie is about 20 minutes too long. However, that really is where the bellyaching from this critic begins and ends.

Van Houten is a spectacular-looking woman, and not a bad actress to boot. She has to carry the movie nearly entirely on her shoulders and she does a good job of it. She gets support from Koch, who reminds me of the Dutch actor Jeroen Krabbe, and from Hoffman, who reminds me a bit of Andrew McCarthy.

Overall, this is very well-made and does keep you on the edge of your seat. Although this is a work of fiction, many of the events depicted here actually happened. Verhoeven, when at the top of his game, is a world class director, and he’s at the top of his game here. With just a bit of tweaking, this might have been his best work ever. Instead, it’s a very enjoyable, entertaining two hours well worth spending.

WHY RENT THIS: This is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that is as well-made as any coming out of Hollywood. Van Houten is an absolutely spectacular looking woman. World War II-set movies are big these days.

WHY RENT SOMETHING ELSE: Movie goes on a bit too long with one two many twists. Dialogue is mostly in Dutch and German, so those who abhor subtitles will be annoyed.

FAMILY VALUES: Many Nazi atrocities are depicted in unflinching detail. There is also a fair amount of female nudity, as well as extremely sexual situations.

TRIVIAL PURSUITS: The genesis of the film came when director Verhoeven was researching true stories from the Second World War in the Netherlands back in 1977 when he was making Soldier of Orange.

NOTABLE DVD EXTRAS: None listed.

FINAL RATING: 7/10

TOMORROW: Capitalism: A Love Story

Niet Oorlogswinter, Bride Flight, De Storm of Wit Licht was gisteren de grote winnaar tijdens de uitreiking van de Gouden Kalveren. De vooral op arthouse films gerichte jury riep namelijk het relatief onbekende Nothing Personal van regisseur Urszula Antoniak tot de verassende winnaar uit. De film won daarnaast ook nog het op één na belangrijkste kalf, dat voor beste regie.

De grote verliezer van deze maand is na de uitreiking van gisteravond overduidelijk Martin Koolhovens Oorlogswinter. Het oorlogsdrama greep als grote favoriet naast de hoofprijs bij de gouden kalveren en leed daarnaast vorige maand een gevoelige nederlaag toen de film niet werd genomineerd als Nederlandse inzending voor de Oscars. Gelukkig voor Koolhoven kon Oorlogswinter nog wel een klein succesje bijschrijven gisteravond. De regisseur bleek zijn oog voor talent namelijk nog niet verloren. Want nadat hij eerst Carice van Houten ontdekte was het nu Martijn Lakemeier die met zijn zestien jaar de jongste winnaar ooit van het Gouden Kalf voor beste acteur werd.

Auf der Produktionsseite von Egoli Tossell Film sind einige neue Produktionsfotos von BLACK DEATH zu sehen, u.a. jenes links abgebildete von Carice van Houten. Der Film befindet sich momentan in der post production. Neben Carice van Houten agieren Sean Bean und Eddie Redmayne in den Hauptrollen um ein mysteriöses Dorf, welches im europäischen 14. Jahrhundert von einer Pestepidemie auf wundersame Weise verschont bleibt. Wirkt doch auf den Bildern alles nach solider Standardkost, wenn es um mittelalterliche Fantasy geht. Ich weiß allerdings noch nicht, was ich von Carice van Houtens Look halten soll…

Bildquelle

Dorothy Mills. El exorcismo

Dorothy Mills. El exorcismo. Dorothy Mills. Irlanda, Francia ( 2008)

• Dir: Agnès Merlet
• Reparto: Carice van Houten, Jenn Murray, David Wilmot, Gary Lewis

Calificación: 2 estrellas

Lo primero que hay que decir, es que la promoción de esta película comete el grave error de venderla como una cosa que no es. Ni es terrorífica, no es lo nunca visto o contado y lo peor de todo: ¡No hay en toda la película una sola escena de algo, ni remotamente lejano a un exorcismo!

Me acusarán de hacer spoilers, pero es importante denunciar la publicidad engañosa. Dicho la cual, la premisa de la cual parte la película puede parecer interesante: Una pequeña niñera adolescente es acusada de maltratar al bebé que estaba cuidando. El caso sucede en la provincia de Donegal, en Irlanda, en una isla remota de la Costa Atlántica.

Para evaluar la salud mental de la niña, el caso se asigna a una sicóloga experta en adolescentes. Para hacer su trabajo, se traslada a la comunidad donde desde su llegada empiezan a pasar cosas extrañas.

La hisotria trata de conjuntar el elemento sobrenatural con el siquiátrico alrededor de una sola figura: la de Dorothy, una perturbada niña que sufre personalidad múltiple y además es una especie de medium que se comunica con los muertos. Este asunto es quizás lo que hace que la historia se vuelva compleja, díficil de entender. Intrigante tal vez, pero nunca atemorizante.Y es que pensándolo por un segundo, una elección a tiempo hubiera salvado la cinta. Es decir, si todo queda en que la chamaca es medium y habla con los muertos hubiera funcionado bien, al estilo de El Sexto Sentido. Si sufre personalidad múltiple, igual hubiera resultado al estilo Demente. Pero al combinar las dos, se confunden ambas condiciones y el resultado es terriblemente flojo.

Si acaso, lo más interesante es que el pequeño pueblo se ve confrontado con sus propias faltas. Y es que por más que un secreto se guarde, la verdad siempre, de algún modo busca salir y ver la luz.

Para acabar pronto: una película disque de terror que no te asusta para nada… simplemente, no sirve. Véala bajo su propio riesgo.

Lo mejor:

• La niña, Jenn Murray hace un gran esfuerzo para transformarse de una personalidad a otra. Un gran actriz en potencia, sin duda.
• Todo el ambiente es oscuro y ácido. Ayuda bastante a crear un atmósfera siniestra.
• Al final lo que vemos es la confrontación con las culpas y las atormentadas almas de los vivos y los muertos. Y eso, de verdad que es el infierno mismo aquí en la tierra.

Lo peor:

• Lo voy a repetir… ( es que no me repongo, ustedes disculpen) ¡No hay en toda la película una sola escena de algo, ni remotamente lejano a un exorcismo!
• El ritmo es lento. Y uno está esperando que de verdad lo asusten. La expectativa baja y ya nada más volteas a ver el reloj para saber a qué hora se acaba ésto.
• No entendí si la niña deveras se transforma, si la vemos como quiere la veamos o qué…
• El final… no entendí. ¿O será que perdí el interés por ahí de la mitad?