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De Slag om de Schelde

On how the allies regained control of the Dutch Schelde during world war 2, a crucial supply route to Antwerpen harbour

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
01-07-2021
7

Decent for sure, but somehow didn't really land

I quite like how it is built around more personal and intimate stories of several people involved, and was impressed by the glider footage. However, it suffers a bit from the "we have just a few sets and locations" sensation of smallness, and somehow it didn't really pack a punch emotionally.
7

Das Signal

An astronaut dissappears mysteriously after returning to earth. Her husband slowly learns what she discovered in space.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
14-03-2024
7

A pleasant scif mystery

An amusing scifi thriller with a pleasant mellow atmosphere and enough question marks too keep you attached. Through it's fanatic attempts to deliver unexpected twist, it did become rather far fetched and illogical at times.
7

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Hobbits reach the mountain and Bilbo confronts the dragon

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
04-01-2014
7

Beautiful failure

You have to admire the sheer beauty and magnitude of this spectacle. But there is also a feeling of disappointment, as I cannot really get into this movie, feel for any of the characters, appreciate the campy slapstick action or take in the wash of special effects.
7

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Because he broke some rules, John is now declared outlaw and the entire underworld seems to be after him.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
16-08-2020
7

The core of the franchise

The story serves as a carrier to deliver oodles of John Wick-style fights and not much else. It can be a bit too much and absurd at times, but I must say there is also something mesmerizing and satisfying about these endless, beautifully choreographed, flowing violent dances of death.
7

Triple 9

Corrupt agents doing one more gig get caught up in a swamp of distrust

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-12-2016
7

Gloomy and effective but not very involving

It's good to see some dark, well-acted, sweaty, and straight up bad cop action again, with effective action/violence because it doesn't want to over dramatize or orchestrate anything. It would have helped though, if we knew a little bit more about these guys so we can sympathize a little better.
7

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part

Our lego friends venture into strange new worlds so there can be peace between two lego realms

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
07-08-2019
7

More of the same

I could see all the things I loved about the original, yet I felt a bit indifferent about it without knowing exactly why. I guess it really is more of the same, which - even if that means more of a good thing - means the initial excitement is not here. But hey: it's still a dazzling lego movie!
7

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045


Wittenberg
Wittenberg
19-07-2020
7

More clean and comprehensible, but at the cost of atmosphere

I enjoyed another round of the adventures of this fabulous team. There is plenty of cool stuff in there, and I could actually follow the story this time. The graphics however, while crisp and clear, are also a bit lifeless, and the major somehow lost her mojo for me - even if she is an android.
7

Grotesque (2009)

A young couple is taken hostage and submitted to grotesque torture. Yeh, that's pretty much the story.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
20-08-2023
7

Ultrapainful and hard to watch, with no payoff or clue to any of it

I was never drawn to torture movies, and by God I hope this is the most painful one in existence. I am giving this 7 points for it is not necessarily badly made, it managed to rattle me inside, made me look away and almost made me give up entirely. But that does not mean I recommend viewing it.
7

Kandahar

When his secret mission is exposed, a CIA operative and his guide must make it out of Afghanistan when all extremists groups in existence come after him

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
15-05-2024
7

Decent, but outclassed by a slightly similar movie

The developing relationship between the man and his guide reminded my of the movie 'The Covenant', but I was less moved or convinced by it. Likewise, the action and thrills are sufficient for an exciting watch, but also less slick and less nail-biting than said movie.
7

Crimes of the Future

In a painless future, a couple performs live operations as an artform and are asked to operate a very special case. He also has strange new organs growing inside of him, by the way.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
15-06-2022
7

Appealing forbidden fruit, but did not fill me up

I dig this strange word, including the body horror and filth, simply as break from the mainstream. But I did not find it really engaging. Perhaps because we are simply thrown into the weirdness without a narrative, but more importantly the characters themselves seemed apathetic about it too.
7

The Heat

Uptight FBI agent must work with streetsmart cop - both females this time.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-02-2014
7

as is

The feminine variation on the buddy-cop theme gives it a slight edge over the expected experience: funny but not hilarious, entertaining but not engrossing, good but not great.
7

Exodus Gods and Kings

The story of Moses, who sets out to free his people from egyptian oppression, with a little help from divine intervention

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
19-04-2015
7

Good yet linear and flat

Well made, acted and tightly shot, it is let by a very slow middle section, a failure to evoke deeper emotions and a rather uninspired depiction of the plagues, as if they are checking them out on a list; Yeh ok so that's the frogs, what's next? How many more?
7

Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022)

Folks buy an old town to turn it into something hip, but one house still contains the freaky villain from the seventies

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-05-2023
7

Succesful slasher

While I suspect fans of the original have plenty to complain about, in itself I found this to be a fairly solid slasher movie. It has some good gore, and the tension in some scenes is well done and certainly above average.
7

Insidious

Family moves into a home, soonafter which paranormal things happen and the boy falls into a chronic sleep (but it's not a coma!)

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
12-06-2016
7

Half great, half ok

Starts of terrifying indeed. But then the inevitable ghost expert team moves in and sort of break the tension with misguided humor, along with the cliched medium and a tacky explanation for it all, and it sort of drifts into a slightly messy Poltergeist clone.
7

The Mitchells vs. the Machines

Chaotic family faces a robot invasion as well as the struggles with each other

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
13-05-2021
7

Frantic fun

A bubbly and perky move that is good for a few laughs. It is really up to date with internet fun, memes and mobile phone lifestyle (So it will be obsolete a few years from now). Like other Sony movies, such as Hotel Transylvania, it is very fast and hysteric, sometimes tiring me down.
7

Sightseers

A rather daft couple goes on a dopey UK trip, which gradually turns into a Bonnie and Clyde rampage through the countryside

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
06-12-2015
7

Unique, uncomfortably funny

An oddball movie with a strange but ultimately successful combination of comedy, violence and utterly boring vacation trips.
7

The LEGO Batman Movie

Batman must not only face the usual enemies (all at once), but also his inner self

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
19-02-2017
7

Too fast and furious

A colorful blast of action and endless jokes. Maybe I am getting old, but I found everything too fast and insanely frantic, making it impossible to follow and keep up. The few moments of silence (mostly also intended as a joke) felt like I could breathe again.
7

Crimson Peak

Woman marries a man who brings her to his spooky mansion, where she finds out what a ghost in her childhood tried to warn her for

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
10-04-2016
7

The good bits are mostly a side dish

With almost every scene a piece of art, this is quiet a looker. The ghost scenes were great too. But the story holding it together is mostly a costume drama of love, crime and passion, which I found quite slow and pale by comparison. I really liked Jessica Chastain's performance, though
7

The Wonder

In the begining of the 19th century, a nurse is tasked with observing a girl who appearantly is able to live without eating

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-12-2022
7

A sober and intriguing tale

This movie is at times very good looking - some of the indoor shots look like paintings - which help to set the mysterious mood. The story is intriguing enough. Part of me likes the fact that they kept it simple, fitting with the lives portrayed, another part wishes it had an extra layer or twist.
7

A Banquet

A mother tries to handle a daugther who, after a visit to the woods, no longer eats and feels she now has a higher purpose

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
21-03-2022
7

A modest horror with it's own style, but a bit thin on substance

This is a nice, modest mystery with a dash of horror but nothing hysteric. The atmosphere is moody and the central theme of eating and food is lain out well. However, it is dangerously close to being rather uneventful, and can feel kind of improvised as it tries to reach the end.
7

Bad Milo

When people agitate this man, a demon comes out of his ass and eats them. No Shit.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
03-01-2014
7

Naughty and pleasantly bizarre

but the constant rectal suffering could make you nauseous.
7

Cobweb

Boy with shit parents and no friends hears a voice coming from the walls, reaching out to him...

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
20-09-2023
7

Something borrowed, something new

Although it uses some familiar ideas and scares, it also manages to have a story and atmosphere of it's own. Nothing spectaculair perhaps, but certainly a well rounded package and decent horror at that.
7

Aquaman

The story of sea-based superhero aquaman, and his quest to stop an all-out war with the dry people

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
06-08-2019
7

Sympathetic, fun and over the top

Like many superhero movies, it gets a bit too much and over the top as it moves towards the end (drum playing octopus did it for me) But I must say this has a heart at the right place, Aquaman and others were very likable, and overall it's an unpretentious fun adventure I enjoyed.
7

The Endless

Two brothers go back to a 'ufo death cult' they broke free from in the past. Strangeness awaits.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
12-04-2023
7

Decent, but left a slighly unfinished feeling

Without overreaching within a limited budget, this manages to setup quiet a modest but enticing story and mood to make you curious. It can be a bit sluggish though and, while I find the open ended nature fitting, it did feel like it was a a bit insecure about it's own plot and meaning.
7

Marebito

A lonesome filmaker descents into the catacombs of the city and finds an alienated girl whom he tries to care for

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
25-12-2023
7

Strong beginning, medium remainders

I liked the beginning the best, as it is quite creepy and unnerving. After that, it looses this and switches to mystery/drama that I found less compelling but quite interesting nonetheless. I read about all sorts of double meanings you could attribute to this movie, but for me it is what it is.
7

Afflicted

While documenting a Eurotrip, two friends also document one of them turning into a vampire

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
18-08-2015
7

More interesting than scary

A combination of natural acting and convincing effects create some effective WTF moments. Well done, but it wasn't really scary - mostly because they seem sort of ok with the transformation.
7

Rosemary's Baby

Rosemary and her husband move into a luxury appartment where she gets pregnant. The friendly but nosy neighbours hold dark secrets

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
14-08-2023
7

Good, but may have lost the effect it once had

I'd be happy to acknowledge the impact that this slowly unfolding and psychological horror must have had back in the days, and I quite enjoyed it as well. But in the now, I found the bigger part of it very chatty and the climax barely making up for it.
7

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

After getting fired and hitting rock bottom, the anchorman is given a change for a comeback at the first 24 hour newsstation

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
29-12-2014
7

Many great laughs eventually fade away

I laughed out loud several times in the beginning, which is quite rare these these days. But as it retreats to it's story and morals, it looses much momentum and becomes a little basic yet again. I wonder if movies like these could just forget about the plot and just have fun the entire time.
7

The Hallow

A couple movies to a secluded house in Ireland for forest research, but awaken the stuff from local folklore lurking in the woods

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
13-06-2022
7

A fine horror that manages to set itself apart

Although it does not offer anything radically new - but which horror does - the intimate atmosphere, the genuine characters and a tendency towards true tension over cheap jump scares (of which there are some), make it a worthwhile little horror. But geez, go easy on the cute baby sounds.
7

Tokyo Gore Police

A special police officer is on an assigment to take care evil modified humans, which involves a lot of bloodshed

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-03-2023
7

Entertaining blood fountains

For the most part I was very entertained by the bizarre atmosphere and blood fountains. It's a nice doze of insanity that is so over the top you can enjoy without remorse. After a while though, it did get a bit pointless and clueless.
7

Paranormal Activity 2

(mostly) securitycamera footage of a family being haunted

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
10-01-2016
7

Novel en successful idea approach to a horror flick

Probably a rehash of part 1, but since I have not yet seen that, I will honor this one for the brave, effective and chilling way of telling a horror story. The actual events and pacing are a bit under powered for it to become truly terrifying, though.
7

Polar

A hitman's pension doesn't go as planned

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-11-2020
7

Original, funky and violent

A mixture of some pretty grim action and violence with 'hip' characters, music and wacky titles. For a moment I was afraid the latter was a mask to hide mediocrity, but I have the say Mikkelsen's oodles of charisma, as well as a decent plot twist at the end, make it rise above the norm.
7

Veronica

Ouija board. Trouble.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
03-08-2018
7

Familair but with it's own sauce

Story wise it is familiar material, but the scares are quite subtle and less hysteric than usual. I liked the Spanish vibe on this and especially the three kids were great. But why it's hailed as one of the scariest movies ever made, I have no idea. The music sounds outdated and isn't helping.
7

Typewriter

Family movies into a new home with a cursed, but sought after, typewriter in it

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
24-11-2019
7

mixed

It mixes a lot of themes with varying levels of success. There's horror, but also humor, mystery and sometimes it's almost a children's movie. Likewise it is mixed in quality. Sometimes creative and intense, but quite slow and a bit dorky at others. But it does have a unique vibe that sets it apart.
7

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Hydra has infiltrated the safety of SHIELD, and there's a new enemy as well

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-08-2014
7

A really mixed bag

It's more mature, confident and less hysteric than most superhero movies, due to restrained superpowers and lots of attention to the story. But, all characters are flat and unlikable, and the brawls are a bit tedious. This quality popcorn amusement feels like it could have been more than that.
7

The Fountain

While trying to find a cure for his terminally ill wive, a man gets entangled in her manuscript for a story. Also, he is flying through space in a bubble with a tree.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
05-06-2016
7

Over aware of it's uniqueness

A courageous and unique movie that dares to be different and strange. Beautiful and meaningful on the one hand, but hardly subtle as the symbolism is sort of rammed damned your throat and feels slightly too pleased with itself.
7

Unwelcome

After a home invasion, a young couple moves to the countryside. But new dangers await there, too.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
04-02-2024
7

A unique but tasty cocktail

A remarkable mix of (hard-hitting) home invasion, fairytale folklore horror and perhaps even contemplations about manhood. Even the tone varies from scene to scene. But all in all, it sort of worked. Not a masterpiece, but highly amusing and quite intense at times.
7

Spawn

Killed assassin makes a deal with the devil to lead his army with new superpowers, and in return he may see his wife again

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
25-10-2017
7

Not brilliant, but has plenty of tricks to make it work

People weren't to keen on this comic adaptation, but I am quite ok with it. There's a special kind overacting that seems just right for a movie like this, I liked the dark theme and some of the fx, the clown is just awesome and the movie simply entertains.
7

The Red Turtle

Adult animation about a man stranded on an island, and his attempts to escape appearantly being blocked by a large turtle.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
26-04-2020
7

Beautiful and intriguing animation

Drawn in a beautiful minimalist but expressive style, tastefully flavored with some supernatural elements and manages to make you curious even if nothing is being said. That's quite something, even if the open ended nature felt a little easy to me.
7

Greenland

With comets heading for earth, a family tries to make their way to a shelter

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-07-2021
7

Decent, restrained disaster

While it doesn't set out new frontiers in disaster movies, I thought it was a pretty good one. It kept us hooked, it doesn't have overly complicated stunts and escapes, and it conveys a message that is such situations, the comets are hardly the biggest problem.
7

Pi

A man obsessed with numbers looses his mind where he tries to find patterns in both the stock exchange and the Tora

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
08-04-2024
7

A pleasant fix of gloomy weirdness

I wonder if it's just because of the black and white that it reminded me of Eraserhead? Or was it also the sweaty claustrophobic cinematography, the insanity and otherworldlyness of it all? Who knows. It's a cult niche thing, but a worthy one for sure.
7

Hunter Killer

American submarine is sent to rescue the Russian president... without starting a world war

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
31-03-2019
7

Decent macho stuff

It tries a little too hard to be macho and has everyone talking in super tough guy one liners... all at the expense of realism and true tension. But what's left is still an entertaining, action-packed submarine movie for us to jerk off to the glorious American military.
7

Non Stop

Air marshall tries to deal with a terrorist threatening to kill the passages on his flight, getting himself framed in the process
average 7.0

RockmeNow
RockmeNow
17-09-2015
7

Over the top in a nice way

I don't buy many aspects of the story, but I enjoyed it anyway!
7

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
24-02-2015
7

Good old fashioned suspense

An reasonably intense thriller with a constantly high adrenaline level, and a pleasant 'old fashioned' simplicity of execution. Near the end they go a little overboard with the whodunnit game, and the far fetched motives and plans of the terrorist are yeh-right.
7

Malignant

After the brutal death of her husband, a woman starts to experience equally brutal murders in other people's homes

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
02-01-2022
7

Uninspired horror saved by a pretty cool twist

For the first half I was just sad, fearing that James Wan has nothing more to offer than formulaic cliches and boring movie characters. And while this IS a big problem of this movie, I have to say the reveal/plot twist was great, put things on it's head and managed to redeem some of the movie.
7

Upside Down

Two lovers, each on different but nearly touching planets with opposed gravities

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-10-2013
7

West Side Story turned on it's head

It's a wonderful movie with a big heart, but the lovestory in it just doesn't quite reach the same level as the visuals and original ideas.
7

Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities

A bunch of horror stories

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
29-01-2023
7

Fun, not terrifying, dark tales for adults

While some of these stories can get quite gruesome - there's a lot of full frontal decaying corpses - the overall atmosphere is more akin towards mystery and dark fairy tales for adults, in terms of style and music. Two I found rather weak, but rest of them quite enjoyable.
7

Olympus has Fallen

Terrorists take over whitehouse, fallen security agent comes to the rescue

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
02-01-2014
7

The same old mistakes

A dark atmosphere and some hefty gung-ho warfare could have made this intense, were it not for the inevitable patriotism and flag waving, annoying Hollywood plot conveniences and stereotype terrorists (oh come on - nuclear launch codes, again?).
7

The Dive

Two sister go on a dive at a remote site. One of them gets stuck.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
17-09-2023
7

Pretty and suspenseful

For a while I was skeptical whether I would care enough about these girls, or seeing them struggle around the single plotpoint for an entire movie. Turns out I did. It looks great and becomes quite a nail biter indeed. It's also quite savvy about diving equipment and procedures, adding to realism.
7

Nekromantik

Couple has a fascination for collecting bodyparts, but when he brings an entire corps to have sex with, it puts their relationship to the test

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
29-07-2022
7

Unpleasant but enticing curiosity

It is made poorly and looks amateuristic, but the sight of someone licking the eye-socket of a decayed corpse still makes this have an impact way bigger than it's budget would have you believe. Vile and uncomfortable, but also unique, brave and an interesting niche product to have experienced. Once.
7

Lifeforce

Space mission takes samples from inside a mysterious space derelict, but brings home terror doing so. Space vampires, no less!

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
06-08-2019
7

Entertaining mix of nonsense

Back from when actors were ugly and sweaty, and people were interrogated by slapping them in the face, comes this remarkable mix of scifi, horror, zombie-outbreak and soft erotica. And it's remarkably entertaining at that.
7

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