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Camp X-Ray

Newbie MP soldier get stationed at Guantanamo, where she bonds with one of the detainees

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
05-03-2016
8

Honest little gem

A sober yet rewarding experience, with an awesome looking and playing Stewart and very good music backing it up. I sort of missed a beat in the transition of Lector turning into a genuine nice guy, but that's ok.
8

Oppenheimer

A biography of the father of the atomic bomb

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
11-08-2023
8

A fascinating drama disguised as an adrenline action ride

A very intense and splendidly shot, acted and directed movie. But part of me thought Nolan was cheating, by presenting what is essentially a drama as an pumping action movie, using all of his film-making prowess. There was a dissonance beween what was actually happening and how it was presented.
8

Shawshank Redemption, The

A banker is send to prison unguilty, where he slowly makes new friends and uses his skills to be going places

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
09-01-2022
8

Yes it's good (But not that good)

Finally I saw this endlessly lauded movie. I agree that it is good and very gripping. I can't remember a recent movie that I was this much 'into'. But the best movie ever made? Perhaps I am just not that into prison movies, and the idea that only super smart will make it is hardly inspiring, is it?
8

American Hustle

Con man and con woman doing a lot of conning, with Feds, politicians and mobsters involved

RockmeNow
RockmeNow
17-01-2014
8

Great acting in a movie filled with conning

Conning, trickery, treason and seduction with a thin layer of comedy showing through occasionally, in a balanced movie with great acting by the main characters
8

Beaver, The

Depressed man finds therapy by talking to himself using a beaver handpuppet

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
25-02-2013
8

Can I say 'great' about this much depression?

Even the premise of this movie gets you depressed, but it was a fine piece of work - courtesy of the actors in this.
8

Ghost in the Shell (2017)

Live action Manga remake of the android fighting crime, her past and herself

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-04-2017
8

It gets it right

So people were complaining this had no depth, but were fine with Avengers? Screw that. This is an awesome looking movie that is exciting throughout and has plenty of depth and bucketloads of atmosphere. It also strikes a good balance between a 'western take' and the core Japanese original.
8

Zootropolis

Rabbit tries to make it as a police officer in the big city inhabited by all kinds of animals

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
19-06-2016
8

A matured quality animation

A wonderful tale that is brought to live with colorful charterers, a good sense of humor and a detective crime story that has an mature quality to it.
8

Starship Troopers

Friends sign in to combat terror from space. Both their skills and friendship are put to the test.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
26-08-2015
8

A brutal space fight that requires the right mindset

It all depends on whether you can appreciate the deeper meaning of incredibly cheesy barbie people have soap opera relationship quarrels - followed by dismembering fights with aliens.
8

Alpha

Set in the stone age, a boy gets seperated form his group and must find his way home, but befriends a wolf along the way

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
16-12-2019
8

Beautiful and heartfelt

I like to think of this as perhaps the first domestication of wolfs, eventually leading to dog breeds. Extremely pretty, akin towards kitsch, but never crossing that line. The storyline is also gripping, making me care about this journey and swallowing tears near the end.
8

Arrival

Linguist is asked to crack the language of the aliens who landed and ask them: why are you here?

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
17-11-2016
8

Elegant, deep and sober scifi, just the way I like it.

My favorite movie themes combined: science fiction and deep mystery/mind benders that will have you pondering days after. Excellent and refreshing.
8

Boyhood

Movie portraying the ups and downs in the life of Mason and his family between his 5th and 18th year

RockmeNow
RockmeNow
20-01-2015
8

There are many good reasons why this movie is nominated for the Oscars

I was suprised by the excellent casting and makeup artists that convincingly managed to make the characters look older during the movie, until I realised (read somewhere) that it was filmed with the same cast over a 12 year period. Great acting and empathetic presentation of the targeted zeitgeist.
8

Captain Philips

An American cargo ship gets hijacked by Somali pirates (Arrr matey!)
average 8.0

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
09-03-2014
8

Nailbiting, sweaty and genuine experience

Maybe it is a tad too long, but for sure this is a compelling, griping and intense experience.
8

RockmeNow
RockmeNow
01-02-2014
8

Boats, pirates and a psychological battle between two captains

Highly recommended movie, at first glance simply about the hijacking of a cargo ship. But it also conveys a deeper message by implying the complex situation in many African countries, where the difference between right and wrong is not always that clear. Authentic acting by Tom Hanks.
8

Still Alice

A woman is diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease and tries to deal with it together with her family

RockmeNow
RockmeNow
02-03-2015
8

Impressive

An eye-opener for everybody, including myself, who had not been directly confronted before with the devastating consequences of Early-onset Alzheimer's Disease. There are many good reasons why Julianne Moore won an Oscar for her role in this impressive movie.
8

Kung Fu Panda 3

In order to repell a new threat to peace, Panda must resort to his Panda family to learn the power of chi

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
18-04-2016
8

A very mature and excellent episode

Some fatigue may kick in, as we can sort of predict how everything it going to turn out. But the humor, atmosphere, unique blend of 3d animation and traditional artwork, the loyalty to the characters and the depth of the story remain of a very high standard.
8

Beau is Afraid

A scarred man is literally and figuratively going on a bad trip to his mother

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-08-2023
8

A wonderfully bad trip

To think that someone made up this story, somehow decided it was finished, and concluded it was ready to make a movie out of it is even more baffling the the movie itself. But here it is, and I am glad it is. A wild ride, bizarre, disorienting but also skillfully made, intriguing and unique.
8

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners

After his mother dies, a boy has nothing left to loose, installs a bionic component and joins some some cyberpunks to get even

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
16-10-2022
8

Restored my faith in anime

Just when I thought anime was just not for me, along comes this gorgeously drawn, well acted, cool, brutal and absolutely kick ass anime. It's use of music is also quite fresh.
8

Nightingale, The

After unspeakable cruelty was done to a woman and her family, she chases down the perpetrators through the Tasmanian bush, with the aid of a native aboriginal

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
12-05-2020
8

Heavy, but very good

It covers a lot of heavy-handed subjects (racism, revenge, rape, murder, repression) and inevitably features some tough scenes. But it has all been done really well. I liked how during the revenge part she remained fragile and insecure, and didn't have sudden superskills that came out of nowhere.
8

Saint Maud

Deeply religious palliative nurse becomes dangerously fanatical when she thinks she has performed a revelation on a patient

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
01-08-2021
8

Impressive and scary, with thick layers of atmosphere

An impressive psychological thriller with some horror and supernatural elements in a very tasteful, restrained and effective way. The atmosphere oozes of the screen, performances are great, especially Maud's of course.
8

Sinister

Writer and his family move into a house where horrible attrocities have taken place, so he can research these and write a book about it. To start him of, he finds a box with old 8mm films...

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
29-02-2016
8

Eerie

Didn't crawl under the skin as I thought it would (for some reason), but a very eerie, umcomfortable and stylish horror nevertheless. 8mm graininess is used to great effect together with really unsettling music.
8

Life of Pi

After a shipwreck, boy is stuck on a lifeboat with wild animals as he sails into a trippy journey

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
24-05-2013
8

wonderful journey

Intriguing mix of hardship and fantasy storytelling. Unique, brave and utterly beautiful.
8

Joker

How Joker, you know - Batman's nemesis, came to be

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
31-10-2021
8

Exactly what Joker's origin story deserves

It's done right. You can feel the man sliding off, the transformation is plausible and understandable, it's not simplistic right and wrong, and I sympathized with him. The movie also features beautifully lit scenery and of course world class acting.
8

Babadook, The

Widow is trying to get by with her needy son when she also releases a shadowy presence in her house by reading a strange childrens book

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
02-02-2019
8

Succesful on multiple levels

Even more than the restrained and tasteful horror story, I was impressed by the suffocating and agonizing experience of watching her slide into insanity, due to sleep deprivation, desperation and social seclusion. It's sad, original, scary and intense. Bravo.
8

Resurrection

A woman has an anxiety attack when a man from her past shows up in her live. What happened here?

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-12-2022
8

Great actors, story and weirdness.

Rebecca Hall once again carries this neat little mystery/horror puzzler with strides. It's all done very tastefully, acted beautifully, and some tasty absurdity is gives you something to ponder on.
8

Raised by Wolves

Escaping a war torn earth, two androids fly to a distant planet in order to restart humanity. But they are not the only ones.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
16-04-2023
8

Even if it can't keep up the with the first eposide, it still is great

Although it looses a bit of momentum with every episode after to the majestic grand opening, this series had a lot going for it. Fantastic design that mixes medieval with ultra futuristic, a deep and interesting storyline and intense characters. And a splendid opening track to top it off!
8

I Origins

In a search for the evolutionary origins of the eye, the lovelifes of the scientists lead to an even more profound discovery

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
19-01-2015
8

A wonderfull mix science of spirituality

Appeared slighty pro-spirituality, anti-science, depicting scientist as strange, rigid, disconnected people. It's no big problem though, because it is still a very well done, nicely paced movie with an unsubstantiated premise that is nevertheless nice to see where it's going.
8

Rambo 4

Rambo and a few mercenaries confront evil troops in Burma in order to rescue a kidnapped family.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
12-12-2014
8

Brutally effective

The atrocities committed by the badguys make sure you don't care for a moment when they are blown to pieces by Rambo. An unusual mixture of the trademark Rambo one-man-army action combined with a dead serious and horrifying look of what that would actually look like. It hits you like a hammer.
8

Eyes of my Mother, The

When her mother is killed during a home invasion, the daughter grows up isolated to develop increasingly strange and sadastic ways

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
02-01-2023
8

Not for everyone perhaps, a delicacy

It has a unique atmosphere that is dark, sad and macabre, even of the blood won't show red in the black and white execution.
8

Open Water

Scuba diving couple emerges to find the boat not there

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
06-08-2023
8

A nailbiter that kept reeling me in

I wanted to do something else but I could not resist this movie. My complements for making the simple plot and scenery not a limitation but a strength. The natural, almost amateuristic camerawork and non-sensationalist footage of sharks is also a masterstroke making everything up close and personal.
8

Memoria

Woman occasionally hears a sound that noone else does, and sort of wanders about trying to figure it out

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
22-08-2022
8

Not suitable for jitterbugs, quite magical for the rest of us

This will put you to the test, as it consist entirely of static shots that take an eternity and in which very little appears to happen. It may be a bit arrogant and pretentious (and boring?) at times, but the setup also constitutes a serene, mysterious and hypnotic atmosphere that is very special.
8

Martian, The

Left for dead astronaut on mars tries to survive
average 8.0

RockmeNow
RockmeNow
15-01-2016
8

Mars revisited

Great visuals and rather convincing approach to the Mars hype (except for the last 30 minutes or so).
8

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
23-10-2015
8

It's 'gravity' in mars. Or 'Cast Away' on mars.

A splendid, sharp looking and wholefully exciting space survival adventure. It's fantasy of course, but with just enough ties to science to make you buy it. I thought maybe the high count of jokes and wisecracks sort of distracted from the gravity of the situation.
8

Big Hero 6

Talented young inventor must befriend (and upgrade) a clumpsy medical robot in order to save the world from his own invention

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
26-12-2016
8

Excellent

A fantastic animation that is spot on with exiting action, great visuals, humor and it is not afraid to reach some deeper emotions as well.
8

Contagion

A viral oubreak

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
24-02-2013
8

Succesfully dark

Has a realtime, stressed feeling throughout which makes it upsetting and eerie.
8

You Won't be Alone

In the nineteeth century, a young girl is turning into a witch, inhabiting different bodies as she goes

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
02-07-2023
8

A poetic, beautiful and unique witch movie

With numerous voice-overs pondering her faith, the dreamy cinematography and absence of viewer pampering, this felt more than a poetic essay, depicting witches more as misunderstood outcasts than malicious beings. I found it beautiful and a highly refreshing.
8

Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre

Collection of short horror manga

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
05-02-2023
8

Worthwhile collection of weird but effective horror stories

As usual, I needed time to adjust to some of the intricacies of Manga that always annoy me. But eventually I did, thanks to high tempo and the wonderfully weird, intense and sometimes quite scary stories. Most of them are open-ended or just end plain unhappy. Refreshing.
8

Bird Box

Woman tries to bring two kids to a save haven in a world overrun by a suicide pandamonium

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
02-01-2019
8

Original and exhilarating

My goodness: a highly original (not withstanding the similar 'The Happening'), strongly acted and nail-biting movie that is very well put together. Those are not easy to come by these days. It once again shows the strength of NOT showing or explaining everything and anything.
8

Lux Æterna

Actors and crew are trying to shoot a moviescene featuring the burning of witches

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
24-09-2023
8

Utterly strange, uncomfortable and intense

Even if this movie is mostly people cursing and shouting in chaos, and it remains unclear what the real problem is, there is something very intense about it. The anxious feeling of wanting to leave the place is deep. The finale will blast your senses, leaving you shellshocked on the couch. Awesome.
8

House that Jack Built, The

A serial killer collecting the bodies in a freezer, and also trying to build a house

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
11-11-2022
8

A shocker with depth

Jack's methods are not slick, but somewhat insecure and clumsy, which only adds to a the morbid sensation of watching going about his work and dragging around corpses. His constant dialogues with his conscience (?) and the peculiar use of stock footage elevates this movie from just being a shocker.
8

Hateful Eight, The

Bounty hunter, his prisoner, and a bunch of cowboys get stranded in an inn, in a Agatha Christie kind of setting

RockmeNow
RockmeNow
15-01-2016
8

Who can be trusted? Damn those cowboys, just shoot them all...

Typical Tarantino twists, blood, gore, and humour in a successfull blend of western and detective elements. The story slowly unfolds in this somewhat lenghty movie, but manages to grasp your attention until the last second....
8

World War Z

Zombies

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
27-07-2013
8

Triple A mediocrity

For a movie about zombies investing the world, people seeking shelter in save havens with high walls, and a hero finding a cure just in time, this one is very good.
8

Get Out

Black boyfriend gets to meet his white inlaws for the first time, in a mansion where something weird is going on with the black personel

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
18-11-2018
8

What's going on?

The sense that something's not right but you can't quite grasp what it is has been done extremely well and carries this movie till the end. Together with the fine actors, this was a highly entertaining movie with a dash of horror.
8

Radius

A man looses his memory after car accident, and acquires a deadly trait for people getting too close him

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
26-08-2023
8

An exciting orginal

What a nice surprise this was. An movie with some fresh ideas, tightly brought to the screen and intriguing from the very beginning until the end. It's never sensationalist, but let's the script and actors deliver the thrills.
8

Kubo and the Two Strings

Stop motion animation about a young boy who enters a ghostly realm to flee from dark enemies and prepare for a confrontation with his grandpa, who is after the boys eye.

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
07-08-2019
8

Wonderfully diverse, different and pleasant

The story may sound bizarre, but it is told in a very interesting, confident and pleasantly mysterious way. It is beautiful to look at, has some really exciting scenes and is a welcome change in style from the big-name animations coming from the big studios.
8

Die Brucke - Bernhard Wicki (1959)

There can't be enough anti-war movies
average 8.0

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
06-03-2023
7

a sad warstory, told well

After all these years, this is still a worthwhile movie, effectively painting contrast between the boys in their daily life and the pointless and violent war they end up in. Some remarkable cinematography for it's age, too.
7

hente
hente
10-10-2013
9

Armed conflict can infect us all

I saw this movie half a century ago and it is still impressive even without the usual mass scenes and shoot-outs. Make sure you watch the original version by director Wicki and not the later re-make with the same title.
9

Irreversible

Told in reverse order, a guy is out for revenge when his girlfriend is brutally raped

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
15-03-2022
8

Very distrubing and very well done

Why do people make movies like this? Why do I watch it? Why do I rate it favorably? It's hard to understand, but somehow it made sense. The audacious cinematography, the sickening feeling it evokes, and the acting in very long (albeit unbearable) shots are just unique and a a class apart.
8

Solo: A Star Wars Story

Young Han is seperated from his girl, and goes through great lengths and cosmic adventures to get back and save her

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
03-06-2018
8

A welcome change

Contains just the right amount of Star Wars icons to make it connect to the universe, but never lazily riding it. By focusing on a small group of people, I felt a much more intimate connection than the main movies. The portayal of the younger Han actually worked for me. Funny and exciting, too.
8

Inside Out

5 separate emotions in a girls' head are trying to keep it together when she and her parents move to a new city

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
31-07-2015
8

Unique, emotional, courageous and wonderful

One of the most unique, brave and original movies ever to come out of a major animation studio. A collage of symbolism en abstractions that is still child-friendly and a great experience. It made me cry as well, which I needed to hide from popcorn munching kiddies all around me in the theater.
8

Avatar: The Way of Water

When the evil skypeople return to Pandora, JakeSully and his family seek shelter amongst the water tribe

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
30-12-2022
8

Too much of a good thing is still a good thing?

My predominant emotion was that it was too much. Too many magical animals, too much action, too much family values, too much Pandora, too much awe. Make no mistake though; This is still a huge achievement and a unrivaled spectacle that is a feast for the eyes and ears.
8

Quiet Place Part Two, A

Apart from a flashback, a seamless continuation of part one, in which the family is trying to find a safe place

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
28-07-2021
8

Just as good as part one

A worthy sequel in that it really offers the same level of acting, nailbiting tension and heartfelt performances. Clearly one of the better horrors of the last few years.
8

Zero Dark Thirty

The hunt for UBL

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
19-05-2013
8

ladies and gentlemen, she got him

Stylish and engrossing hunt for Usama.. which is quite an achievement since it apparently involved so much waiting and utter lack of progress. The movie ends with a nail biting assault on the man.
8

Mad God

stop-animation about a figure descending deeper and deeper into a bizarre, dark world

Wittenberg
Wittenberg
16-08-2022
8

A bad trip that comes highly recommended

Would this be better if I understood what was going on? Probably not - better to be engulfed by the mesmerizing, dark, beautiful, sinister and imaginative trip that this is. It can be hard though to keep focus with no story to focus on, and I thought better music would have lifted it more.
8

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