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Reviews
Vox Populi (2008)
Fast-paced political statement that falls a bit short of its target
A somewhat chaotic and not too believable story of an imaginary Dutch politician who is caught in the turmoil of current (2008 - 2010) Dutch politics. Neither fully entertaining nor completely moralistic, but with everything added up still enjoyable, so I rate it 6 out of 10 stars.
The film starts in typical Eddy Terstall style with rapid switching between characters and equally rapid and witty dialog. Later it slows down and focuses on the main character, Jos Franssen, head of an imaginary left-wing Dutch political party who is heavily influenced by the family of his son-in-law and lurches to the political right, to the horror of his fellow party members. Terstall mixes politics and personal life, like a real politician would experience it, though he seems to want to try to hit as many themes as possible in the limited time that the film allows. Too much is happening and the Franssen character is too much of a wind-vane to be believable, but it is a nice kaleidoscope of current political sentiments. At the end the director tops it off with a clear (and commendable, in my view) political statement that to me is a bit forced and detached from the rest of the film, though some may say otherwise.
This film portrays Dutch politics, especially the current situation. It will mostly appeal to Dutch viewers, also because the appearances of numerous well-known Dutch journalists and entertainers, who give the film a very real feel.
The Last Samurai (2003)
This bullet, or arrow?, missed its target
The Last Samurai is a movie about the fascination of Americans for Japanese culture, more specifically Japanese heroism. But focusing on heroism alone dangerously narrows down the subject and approaching it from an American viewpoint warps and twists it into a failure. Before explaining why, here is a short summary of the plot.
American army captain Nathan Algren, played by Tom Cruise, is disillusioned after participating in gruesome slaughter of native American Indians. A friend of him convinces him to come to Japan to help strike down revolts of Japanese samurai, who oppose the new Meiji government's reforms. Soon he faces them, is beaten and captured, but samurai leader Katsumoto, played by Ken Watanabe, spares his life and patiently lets him experience the Japanese lifestyle, specifically bushido, the samurai warrior code. Algren is so gripped by them that he joins their side and helps them in their final efforts to plea and fight for their cause.
This could have have been a nice movie. All ingredients are there: A period of turmoil with great historical importance, a clash of cultures, heroic warriors and of course a solid budget. But the movie never succeeds in convincing. There are a number of reasons for that. First, the acting is mediocre. Nobody really flunks, but never do you see one of them really being their character, instead of pretending to. Secondly, the plot follows a very predictable Hollywood path, never surprising, increasingly boring. The only surprise is that Algren manages to get into a romance with a Japanese lady, which is only surprising because you would not expect the writers to insert such a standard thing into a story that does not suit it at all. Thirdly, the sparse action scenes are shot with an overload of pomp and drama, similar to Mel Gibson - Braveheart / Peter Jackson - Lord of the Rings style, with long drawn out views of heroes dying heroically, or should I say refusing to die for minutes on end? Especially the final battle is pathetically overdone and suggest that the only purpose of the samurai was to die with honor. Did anyone ever consider that samurai also lived lives? Some people have compared this Edward Zwick - Tom Cruise combo product to the works of Akira Kurosawa, who seems to be their own hero. My advice: If you want to see a good movie about Japanese samurai, go watch movies made by the Japanese themselves. For instance, the works of aforementioned Akira Kurosawa, who could have taught Zwick and Cruise some moves.
Goldfish Game (2002)
Superb drama of Belgian origin
This is not a movie to watch with a beer, a bag of chips and drifting attention. I set out that way and ended up will a full bag of chips. Instead you have to keep your senses primed to catch every little detail. If you do, you'll find yourself in a torrent of a story which continually keeps you wondering where it will turn next.
The plot is strong and unconventional plot and cannot be explained in detail here as seeing it in the movie itself is its main charm. The setting is a country house occupied by a family together with a few friends. Initially, all seems jolly and fun, with frolic and play under a warm sun. Soon though, events take an abrupt serious turn with death making its appearance, though not as serious as it seems on first sight. The movie repeatedly pulls this trick, putting the watcher on edge, to be followed by a sigh of relief. But there is a real edge in it, disturbingly sharp, and you have to see the entire movie to fully grasp it.
The twisting and turning plot line is supported by excellent directing, good acting and a gradual revealing of the background of the characters. The camera-work is cut in a deliberate jagged way that supports how the story is told. All together a beautiful composition that keeps your attention bound from the first minute to the last. If there is something a literature in movies, this is it.