Creating Serial Killers

Blood, intestenses and screams. The world of action movies is filled with everything your mother tried to shield you from. Many people still get their panties in a twist over them (or their tighty withies). But are they right? Are gory movies really that bad for you?

Visual vs. Storytelling

After watching 'Only God Forgives' yesterday I was left with a question in my head. This movie was visually driven, no dialogue unless it was absolutely necessary. And even though this movie didn't really work for me, it was stunning. Every shot could've been a photograph. But are visuals really so important?

Summer Movies: What to watch?

Ah summer. What better time to go in a dark confided space to look at a huge screen? To hell with getting a tan or wearing your fancy sunglasses. Summer is the time of big blockbuster movies. Every year around July the biggest movies come out. And for movie freaks like me, that's heaven!
Especially for you guys I've made a list of the summer movies you just can't miss out on.

Candlelight, Dinner & Movies

Let's be honest. We all love to watch a romantic movie every once in a while. And a cheesy rom com always works for a first date. Everyone wants to find love that is portrayed in these movies. Telling your crush you love her just before she boards a plain. Or running towards the love of your life on a beach during sunset. Yes, cliches are common within the romance genre. But do these movies disort our view of reality? Do they create an unrealistic view of a relationship?

Column: Why I'm Poor

Sometimes I wonder why I still buy dvd's. Don't tell the internet police, but I download most of the movies I watch. And that's a great way to see a movie you've been kinda hesitant about. There is no price you have to pay, so it doesn't really matter if the movie sucked. The only thing you lost is time.

Yet I still buy dvd's. I buy them because I have this desire to have a huge closet full with books, movies and tv-series. There's something special about owning your own copy of a movie. I think it's important that people buy the movies that they absolutely loved. The movie industry needs your 10 bucks! And you will end up watching those movies over and over anyways. For me personally there's one more reason why I buy dvd's. I buy them for the behind the scenes footage.

Recycled and Abused

I've always wanted to go inside the mind of the CEO of a big movie company. Maybe then I will finally learn why they do certain things. Like making the same movie over and over because the first one was mildly successful. And do they honestly think that a big explosion and some side-boob will make them more money?

YouTube Idol

Watching YouTube videos is one of those things that I do all day, every day. I love watching what I want, when I want it. And the content on YouTube is getting better. A prime example of this is my absolute favorite YouTuber (yes that's a real thing): comicbookgirl19

Short Film: Past Tension

This is my short film. I've made it for a school assignment  and it's the first time I've ever recorded or edited something like this myself. It was an absolute joy to make. I know it's not perfect but I'm still quite proud of it. Let me know what you think of it:

Kickstarter = Viewer Power

In case you don't know what Kickstarter is. It's a website that gives people the possibility to start a fundraiser. Allowing anyone to pay money to a certain project. You might think, what does that have to do with your blog and movies? Don't worry I'm not going to beg you for money (I could use it though).

Me & Movies

I'm always posting about how movies have an effect on our society. Big numbers en faceless people. But I'm going to spice things up a bit. In my 'Me & Movies' series I'm going to take a closer look on the effects movies have on people. A movie can have a very deep impact on you as a individual. And I think it's incredibly interesting to learn more about this.

The Hobbit: Trailer Inception

It's here! The new trailer from The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug Teaser Trailer has arrived. And the internet is buzzing. I'm no exception! When I watched the first Hobbit movie I was a bit underwhelmed (I expected too much). But after watching it another time I've discovered how truly amazing it is.
So I, and every other sane person in the world, can't wait for the new movie to be released.

A Look Into Our Future

Sci-fi movies are big business. From the very beginning, futuristic movies have been incredibly popular in the movie industry. Viewers love the idea of having a look into our own future, even though it's not accurate most likely. Some of those sci-fi movies and tv-series have become cultural icons. 'Star Trek' being the prime example. Everyone knows Spock and his famous line "Live long and prosper". I wonder, could these movies actually influence our future?

How To: Become A Pro Couchpotato

I love going to the movie theathre (this is probably the third time I've started a post with this sentence). But sometimes laying on the couch in the comfort of you own home, is just better. Me, being the proffessional lazy ass that I am, really enjoy watching some tv to forget my homework. Over the years I've perfected my couch laying skills. And I want to share that with you, my loyal readers.

English for Dummies

Movies aren't just mindless entertainment. It's so much more then that. Movies have actually taught me a lot. And not just important life lessons, they have even taught me practical things that are actually useful in real life. And there's one thing in particular that has really helped me in life.

I was born in the Netherlands, so obviously English is not my first language. So I had to learn English in order to be successful in live. Surely school might have helped me out a tiny bit, but overall I got learned English through playing video games and watching movies.

The great thing is, my English teacher actually understood this. He gave people the advice to watch any movie they loved without subtitles. Such a fun way to work on expanding your vocabulary.

By watching movies you subconsciously pick up a lot. I'm convinced that learning English by watching your favorite movie is a great and should be encouraged. So if you have an important English test tomorrow, just watch Harry Potter.

Meet the Blogger

So I've been mindlessly posting for a few weeks here. It's about time that I introduce myself. And yes I could make a list of my age/name ect. But where's the fun in that?

So I'm going to show you who I am by stating some movie related facts about me. Some of these are terrible confessions while others are just completely random things.
You can decide what they say about me.

Column: A horrible movie! What now?

I love going to the movie theatre (obviously). I even pay 20 bucks a month to go to as many of them as I want, and I don't regret that at all. It gives me the possibility to watch a truckload of movies, even movies I wouldn't normally go and see. And those movies tend to surprise me, because my expectations are pretty low. But sometimes the movies are just complete shit. So I have to enjoy myself for two hours without annoying anyone around me.

Disney Made You Pt. 2

Last time I've told you about Disney teaching children to deal with life. And especially the bad parts of life. So today I wanted to talk about something more uplifting. A lesson that Disney teaches us, a lesson that I find extremely important. Especially for children, since they are the future (sucks for them).

Some Monsters are Real

Wow I've just found the most amazing YouTube channel! StudioADI shows their viewers incredible behind the scenes footage from their work on many big blockbuster movies. A glimpse into the movie magic that is created by practical effects. 

My Evil Stepmom

Movies are mainly great and incredible. But for some people among us, they create stereotypes. Stereotypes that get inserted into our brains from an early age. Some are unrealistic, others are mean and they always hurt someone. Movies have obviously played a big part in the creation of these stereotypes. 
Today I'm going to talk about one of the most hurtful and long lasting stereotypes ever created by movies.

Remakes you should and shouldn't watch

As promised (a long time ago) I made a list of movie remakes you should and shouldn't watch.
Of course this is just my opinion and if you love any of the movies I dislike, you can still watch them. Don't worry I won't judge (maybe a little).

Six Word Story

Column: A quick rant

We all love going to the movie theater. And considering it's a pretty cheap night out, . So every time I go to see a new movie it's pretty packed inside that dark confided space.
Which is fine by me, the more the merrier right?

Teaser for the teaser

It feels like every big blockbuster movie needs at least 5 different trailers to stay relevant.
Let's take the upcoming movie 'The Wolverine' as an example. Besides having numerous different versions of the actual trailer it already has a Vine trailer for the teaser trailer followed up by the full length teaser trailer. 

Disney Made You Pt. 1

The Walt Disney company, the company that provided roughly 70% of all your favorite childhood movies. We've all seen Disney movies as children and this has partially shaped us into the people we are today.

In my 'Disney Made You' series I will talk about the undeniable influence Disney movies have had on our society. And besides that I will also show you my favorite Disney moments and find other ways to glorify everything else they did. But don't worry, I'll keep it real!

Gross, a Virgin

Today I stumbled upon this poster for the upcoming comedy 'We're the Millers'. At first sight it looks like your average movie poster. But the labels that are created to describe the characters did seem quite odd. But that's the whole joke of this movie obviously.
It's about a drug dealers who pays some people to be his pretend family, just so he can smuggle drugs from Mexico. Since families tend to be overlooked at the border.
But I'm not here to describe the movie (even though it does seem pretty funny). The thing I want to talk about is the fact that the young guy is referred to as a 'virgin'. Which isn't a bad thing on itself but compared to the other names like 'Drug Dealer' or 'Stripper' it's weird.

It seems like the creator of this poster feels that being a virgin is just as bad as being a stripper or drug dealer. And that's just ridiculous. This poster is giving people the idea that being a virgin is a bad thing, even though it obviously isn't.

Of course it isn't the end of the world. But I do think it's pretty dumb especially considering the kid is portrayed as a dorky anti-social person (because all virgins are apparently) . I did feel that this rant would be appropriate for the internet.

So do you agree with me or do you think I'm judging too fast?

Marina & The Diamonds Quote

What makes a movie a good movie?

This is a question I've asked myself numerous times. Is it the boundaries that are pushed or the breathtaking special effects? Do high ratings in a prominent news paper make a movie good?
The first thing we need to realize is the fact that everyone has their own opinion. Some people think Scary Movie is hilarious while others can't stand it, some people cry during Disney movies while others think it's just for children.

Subliminal messages in movies

Subliminal messages in movies has been a touchy subject for years. It's a form of communication that is not accepted in our society, however many people believe we are subjected to it. And the thing is, we might be.

Dark times, Dark movies

How often do you hear movies being described as 'a darker version of' or 'a more mutare movie'? Many movies want to sell themselves as realistic, mature or dark. Let's take 'Hancock' as an example, they called it a 'realistic' super hero movie. No more flashy suits and big capes (Edna Mode would be proud) but alcoholism and swearing. Hancock doesn't save the day while flashing his bright white teeth and he simple isn't perfect. Some people stated that this is how a human with superpowers would likely end up in our world, and they make a very good point. I know a lot of people that I wouldn't trust with superpowers, we should just stick to perfect aliens like Superman.

30 Day Movie Challenge

If you're not sure what movie to watch but you do want to watch some. Here's a 30 day challenge giving you 30 different movies you could watch. Now you don't have to actually watch one every single day but it's definitely a fun way to watch movies you haven't seen in forever.

Mocking the American Dream

It's not uncommon for a movie to make fun of their current society and the many weird habits it has. Many movies somehow poke fun at certain socially accepted things that are really quite odd, if you look at it from a different perspective. This is often done by exaggerating those things to give people a different view on it. A great example of this is the movie 'Edward Scissorhands' (why do I have such a hard time with writing scissors correctly?). One of Tim Burton's greatest and most memorable movies.

Escaping to Another World

Fantasy & Sci-Fi movies are loved by many, including me, and they often have a big following. The big blockbuster fantasy movies can take a large audience to another world for 2 hours. And to make it all even better, they are full with non-existing creatures and beautiful scenery. 

Fight prejudice, Watch movies

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is probably one of my favorite movies of all time. I remember watching it in the cinema last year, it absolutely blew my mind. One of those movies that makes you think, a movie that you can't stop talking about with your friends afterwords. The cast was amazing and the acting was sublime.

How To behave in a Cinema

Considering going to the movies is relatively cheap, a lot of people go there every day. It's not quite often that you're alone in a movie theatre (unless you watch Katy Perry the movie). And just like any other social environment there are certain guidelines you will need to follow. And just in case you're not aware of those yet, I've made a post just for you.

The Great Gatsby Part 3.

Part 1 - Part 2

Part 3 of my in depth view into the communication behind the hyped up new version of 'The Great Gatsby'. Today I'm going to tell you about the surprisingly modern music and the fashion. Big artists and big fashion brands are used to attract big crowds.

Strong women, strong examples

I absolutely love a strong and fearless female character in movies. And I'm not just talking about women like Angelina Jolie in 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider', but strong women like Viola Davis in 'The Help' or Cate Blanchett in 'Elizabeth'. Strong women like Nani in 'Lilo & Stitch' and Natalie Portman in 'V for Vendetta'.

The Great Gatsby Part 2.

Part 1 - Part 3 

Welcome to Part 2 of my in depth view into the communication behind 'The Great Gatsby'. Today I will talk about the different trailers, tv-spots and the way Social Media is used throughout all of this. I'll try not to be bore you to death while doing that.

The Great Gatsby Part 1.

Part 2 - Part 3

It's 2013, we live in a world where the internet and social media are becoming more and more important. We live in an image society, seeing thousands and thousands of ads each day. Only processing those we want. 

Ode to the Movie Theater

Movie theaters are found in every big city and many towns, small or big. They are a part of it just like they are a part of our life. They come in different shapes and sizes but I love them all. Just to give you all a little break from my long rants, I've compiled a slideshow of amazing/interesting/famous movie theaters around the world.

Tears in the dark

Up (2009)

The biggest strength that movies have is their ability to get people involved. And in particular emotionally involved, movies are incredibly strong in achieving that involvement. We've all cried while watching a movie (yes even you) and we are no stranger to feeling scared in the movie theater either. Somehow we can feel so connected to a movie and their characters, that we feel actual grief when one of them dies. It's amazing to think a few images and some sound can make us feel such strong emotions. Some movies can take you on an emotional roller coaster that will leave you drained at the end. And strangely enough we like that. It's a way for us to express our emotions for a while without feeling embarrassed. Maybe it's pent up emotion, or maybe we just really like to have a good cry once in a while.

The Bling Ring (2013)

The Bling Ring, Sofia Coppola's upcoming movie, is promising to be a interesting one.
The Bling Ring, great name for a movie by the way, is about fame hungry teenagers who use the internet to find and rob celebrities' houses. So far a teaser trailer, a full length trailer, posters and some on set pictures have been released. And they all look pretty promising. 

Why movie remakes work

Remakes. Every movie that was remotely successful in the past will most likely have a remake by now.
Some of these are basically the same movie with some flashier scenes. A great way for the movie industry to get a big pay check without really having to be creative or anything (I mean why would you try to come up with new stuff right?). But the thing is that the audience seems to love these remakes. Just check box office to see how much those movies make (a lot).

Audrey Hepburn knows what's up

Wise words from a wise woman.
Even though Audrey is probably talking about the things she learned on the set of all her movies she does make a good point here. We all learn things from movies, we learn how to behave in certain social situations and we learn what to do during a zombie attack. This shapes us into the people we are today. 

Movies have influenced you so much during your childhood and even today. Wether this is a good or bad thing is obviously hard to say. I'm a positive person and I definitely think movies teach us lots of great values. Just think about the Disney movies you watched as a kid, they always had a great message. 

While you think about that, just enjoy the stunning Audrey and a baby deer. How cute is that?

Short review: Warm Bodies (2013)

Starring: John Malkovich, Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer 

Director: Jonathan Levine 

Runtime: 98 min 

Genre(s): Comedy, Horror, Romance

Baggy eyes, (un)intentional hilarity and growling. 
That's how I'd sum up the new zombie romance movie called Warm bodies. Following the 'I think I love that dead guy' trend that Twilight started and bringing it to an whole other level. Warm bodies is a unique take on zombies that was really enjoyable. It also seems to jokingly reference to tween love stories without being condescending. 

History 2.0: Watching movies

Elle s'appelait Sarah (2010)

The 5th of May is an important day in the Netherlands. The day we celebrate our freedom, the day we remember the liberation in 1945 and the day we remember that the Germans still owe us a lot of bikes. So obviously every channel on tv is showing a movie somehow connected to WWII (War of the worlds was a bit of a stretch but okay). And I think that's great!