Friday, December 24, 2010

The King's Speech is a powerful story















5 second plot: King George VI of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland couldn't speak in public without stammering. This had a big influence on his self-confidence. One day he meets a speech therapist who is convinced he can help him. His methods are unconventional but seem to be working.

5 second review: There is a great storyteller at work here. If you look at the title and the summary it looks extremely boring, but the movie is completely the opposite. It's an exciting, uplifting story about persistence and friendship. And it's a great look behind the scenes of the royal family at the brink of World War II.

IMDb score: 8,1/10
Our score: 8/10


Friday, December 17, 2010

Black Swan is seriously stressful

















5 second plot: A (very good) ballet dancer is selected to be the lead in a very prestigious Swan Lake recital. She is perfect to play the white swan, but is too fragile to play the black one. She works so hard to do both parts perfectly that she loses her mind in the process.

5 second review: What an amazing performance. There is no doubt about it that Natalie Portman is perfect in this movie. The story is extremely dark and gave me stress throughout the entire thing. That's not a feeling I prefer when watching movies. But, although the entertainment value was very low for me personally, it's a movie you simply have to see if you're a film fan.

IMDb score: 8,1/10
Our score: 5/10


Friday, October 1, 2010

Ip Man has some great ass kicking













5 second plot: Ip Man is an extremely nice fellow who also happens to be an unbeatable martial arts master. Everything is well, until Japanese troops invade China. His home town is almost completely destroyed. Ip Man brings hope for not giving in to the oppression.

5 second review: For me, this movie is too poorly made to be in the IMDb top 250 list. The colors, the sound, the stages, the acting,... it's not all that good. But the fight scenes are amazing. And the message that is given is also fantastic.

IMDb score: 8,1/10
Our score: 6/10


Monday, September 20, 2010

Two and a Half Men Season 8



















5 second plot: Alan gets serious with Jake's best friend's mom. He burns down her house somewhere along the way. Charlie mainly does a lot of drinking. And an occasional prostitute. And Rose plays the married woman trick on Charlie.

5 second review: The show kind of lost it's subtle humor, didn't it? Charlie used to be fun and he used to date a lot of women. But now he's a skinny sad guy that drinks a lot. Alan can't carry the show on his own and Jake only finds his mojo towards the end of the season.

IMDb score: 7,2/10
Our score: 7/10


Friday, September 17, 2010

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 3 is fun for fans
















5 second plot: Both sides seem ready to start talking about peace but there are dark forces at work and profits to be made. Fear and anger prevail so the fighting continues. The Sith are also fighting amongst themselves. Grievous is still losing battles. Pirates and bounty hunters are taking advantage of the Jedi's busy schedules. Ahsoka is growing up and growing strong. Anakin is becoming extremely powerful.

5 second review: If you're a fan of the movies, you will like this season. A lot of familiar faces pop up. The stories are smaller this season and they're not all about Anakin and Obi-Wan. Others get a chance to shine. And there are some exiting new developments.

IMDb score: 7,9/10
Our score: 8/10


Friday, September 3, 2010

Cave of Forgotten Dreams is amazing

















5 second plot: Werner Herzog was allowed access to film in the Chauvet cave in France. This cave contains the oldest cave paintings in the world.

5 second review: The filmmakers didn't have a lot of material to work with and it wasn't easy filming in the very strictly regulated circumstances. So the quality of the film itself isn't top notch. But I'm still very happy someone decided to record this for everyone to see. Because the subject matter is fantastic.

IMDb score: 7,4/10
Our score: 8/10


Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Mary and Max is a weird little fucker

















5 second plot: Mary is a young Australian girl in search of a friend. She finds this friend in Max, her pen-pal living in New York. Max has some psychological problems, but he finds stability in Mary's letters and considers her his best friend. His only friend.

5 second review: This movie isn't for everyone. The actors are made of clay. And they are all really ugly. The main colors are black, white and brown. But if you can see past that, you will find a beautiful, warm and touching story.

IMDb score: 8,2/10
Our score: 5/10


Friday, April 16, 2010

The Secret In Their Eyes is a masterpiece















5 second plot: In the prime of his life Benjamín investigated the brutal rape and murder of a young woman. The case effected him deeply and personally. Now he's retired and wants to write a novel about it. It's not a shut case for him. He asks his boss from that time, who is also the secret love of his life, to help him with the book.

5 second review: This is an amazing picture. It's smooth but also brutal. It's funny but also shocking. The story builds up perfectly. It's complex with several story-lines intertwining. And the love story weaves right through it beautifully. Nice.

IMDb score: 8,3/10
Our score: 9,5/10


Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Lake Mungo doesn't go anywhere
















5 second plot: A girl drowns in a lake. In the weeks after her death her family starts hearing noises in the house. And then the image of their daughter/sister starts appearing in photographs and videos.

5 second review: I'm not too big to admit that this movie gave me the creeps multiple times. It's filmed in a documentary style and it feels really real. Too bad the entire story builds up slowly to a climax that isn't there. There are some good moments halfway through, but the finale is too little too late.

IMDb score: 6,1/10
Our score: 5/10


Sunday, March 21, 2010

Breaking Bad Season 3















5 second plot: Walt and Jessy are rollin' with the big boys in season 3. They are mass producing their blue ice for the Los Pollos king. Through time they learn that this guy is not the happy camper he looks like. By the end of the season they are in so much trouble that they have to take drastic measures.

5 second review: So it is true that Breaking Bad really kicks off in the third season. The first two are a walk in the park compared to this great third season.

IMDb score: 9,4/10
Our score: 9/10

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Like Stars on Earth is beautiful

















5 second plot: A young boy is sent off to boarding school after his grades drop to an all time low and after the boy seems to rebel against everything. A new art teacher at the boarding school notices the potential of the boy and knows what his real problem is.

5 second review: The movie is a bit too long and it's also overly dramatic (Aamir Kahn is a real softy for this stuff, isn't he?), but it is a beautiful story. And what an amazing performance from the young Darsheel Safary. The story digs deep in the sad helpless life of the young boy, but swings back to an amazing uplifting conclusion of hope for everyone.

IMDb score: 8,6/10
Our score: 8/10