maandag 30 maart 2009

Evan Almighty

Evan Almighty is the sequel to Bruce Almighty, and in some early versions it was simply called "Bruce Almighty 2". Unfortunately it is nowhere as funny as the orginal movie which starred Jim Carrey. The only actor from the old movie that shows up (albeit very briefly) is Morgan Freeman. No Jennifer Aniston or Philippe Baker Hall, just Steve Carell as a modern-day Noah.

The plot is lifeless and not very funny, Steve Carell and Lauren Graham have no chemistry and Morgan Freeman obviously only showed up for the money. A missed opportunity, as I quite liked the orignal Bruce Almighty.


Favourite Quote from Evan Almighty:

God: Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?

Short Summary : Buffalo newsman Evan Baxter is elected to Congress with the slogan, "Change the world." He lucks into a huge house in a new Virginia suburb. His Capitol office is also fantastic, but there's a catch: he's tapped by the powerful Congressman Long to co-sponsor a bill to allow development in national parks. In steps God, who appears to a disbelieving Evan and gently commands him to build an ark. Tools and wood arrive in Evan's yard, animal pairs follow, his beard and hair grow wildly, nomad's clothes and a staff appear. Long grows impatient, Evan starts building, his family leaves him, reporters gather, and drought grips D.C. Still, Evan believes. But will he change the world?

donderdag 19 maart 2009

And the Winner of our Oscar Competition is...

Some time ago we organized an Oscar Competition. All you had to do was guess who would win some of the different categories.

Here are the winners of the Academy Awards, and at the end the winner of our competion.


1. Best Picture

Slumdog Millionaire

2. Best Director

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire

3. Best Actor

Sean Penn - Milk

4. Best Actress

Kate Winslet - The Reader

5. Best Supporting Actor

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight

6. Best Supporting Actress

Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona


7. Subsidiary question: How many participants will guess the CORRECT answer to the first question (Best Picture). 81

And the winner is : Matthieu Goddin, from Namur.

woensdag 18 maart 2009

3:10 to Yuma - a Review

Thorgal
I love a good Western. Some of my favourite movies are stories about tough cowboys, red indians and fast gunslingers. Among them are "Unforgiven", "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", and "The Magnificent Seven". And if there is a new movie starring Christian Bale and Russel Crowe, then I want to see them.

I can tell you I was not disappointed. Maybe it is not the masterpiece that some are making it out to be (there is a bit too much of what i would like to call "unbelievable action") but it is an excellent film with good actors, an exciting story and a fair number of fights. Don't go to the movie to watch beautiful women, because this is an all-male testosteron thing.

Who Will Win the Oscars 2009?

The list of nominees for Best Picture at the 2009 Academy Awards have been released and it is a great list.

- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
- Frost/Nixon
- Milk
- The Reader
- Slumdog Millionaire

Who do you think will win? I created a poll at Doodle. Just click and have a go at guessing.
http://www.doodle.com/z4cfyndkav7unhd4

Win Oscar Animation Movies

On February 22nd the 81st Annual Academy Awards will be distributed in Los Angeles. To mark this event, we are holding at BeCultural.org a big competition where you can win a copy of the Oscar Animation Collection, containing 15 award-winning animation movies and 26 nominated ones. These include the adventures of Bugs Bunny, Droopy, Superman, Popeye, Tom & Jerry and many many more. Famous cartoonists like Tex Avery and Chuck Jones deliver their best work for this DVD.

How can you win a copy? Just answer the questions here below and send them to our mail address : becultural@yahoo.co.uk before February 21st.

The winner is the person who gets most answers right AND is closest to the subsidiary question. Only one entry per person please.

The questions :

Who will win the Oscars in the following categories:

1. Best Picture

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire


2. Best Director

Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant - Milk
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Stephen Daldry - The Reader

3. Best Actor

Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

4. Best Actress

Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader

5. Best Supporting Actor

Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

6. Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Taraji Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

7. Subsidiary question: How many participants will guess the CORRECT answer to the first question (Best Picture).

donderdag 12 maart 2009

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Before we went to this movie, we had heard feedback from other sources that this film was bad. That it was supposed to be boring, unimaginative and above all highly moralistic. Well, the 3 members of CS, the 2 of BeWelcome and the one poor soul who was labeled "miscelleanous" all agreed that these negative reviews are not true. Sure, the movie is long and a bit too slow. But if you want to tell the life-story of a man who sees his life going backwards, it's normal that you take your time.

The amazing thing about the movie is that in the end, you are not amazed! The way the transition of Benjamin is showing, from an "old" baby to a "young" OAP is so believable done that you start thinking about the way we all deal with age. The acting is outstanding, the pace is slow but determined and the direction of David Fincher is to the point. Yes yes, I realize it's not Se7en or Fight Club, and the special effects are non-existent. But do you really need a movie like this, about true love, about dealing with age and pain and loss to benefit from exploding cars or difficult crane shots?

I don't think so, I think there is beauty in the simple things of life. And this movie demonstrates it.


Quote from Benjamin Button:

Benjamin Button: Along the way you bump into people who make a dent on your life. Some people get struck by lightning. Some are born to sit by a river. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim the English Channel. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people can dance.


On the day that Hurricane Katrina hits New Orleans, elderly Daisy Williams nee Fuller is on her deathbed in a New Orleans hospital. At her side is her adult daughter, Caroline. Daisy asks Caroline to read to her aloud the diary of Daisy's lifelong friend, Benjamin Button. Benjamin's diary recounts his entire extraordinary life, the primary unusual aspect of which was his aging backwards, being born an old man who was diagnosed with several aged diseases at birth and thus given little chance of survival, but who does survive and gets younger with time.

woensdag 11 maart 2009

My Star Rating System

I realize that the way I rate my movies might not be exactly the way other people would do it. So here it is. I'm curious to hear from you. What rating system do you use to rate the movies you see?

  • 00000Worst movie ever. I run out of the cinema before the end, ask my money back and even file for damages because of physical and psychological agression.

  • 0000Incrediblly bad movie, almost impossible to make it worse. A movie that makes you consider leaving the cinema, running away, switching off the TV etc... A movie without any glimpse of hope.

  • 0000Very bad movie, with maybe one or two nice touches, like a pretty actrice.

  • 000Bad movie, but has some good points, or an interesting storyline.

  • 000Average movie. Some good points, but not enough to call it good.

  • 00Reasonably good movie. Above average. Not something you would want to see in the cinema, but you might consider picking it up at the local video store or watch it on TV.

  • 00Good movie, not(yet) worth a second viewing, but you leave the cinema feeling good..

  • 0A good movie that just misses that extra stuff to make it a classic. This is however a movie that you won't forget quickly, and has lots of good things.

  • 0Good, fun movie that you watched with great pleasure. Something is lacking, but not enough to make you notice.

  • A brilliant movie, just inches away from being a masterpiece. This is a movie that you will watch again soon

  • A masterpiece, there is no other word for it. A movie that makes you forget the time, that gives you everything you hoped for and maybe even more. Of course you will watch this movie over and over again, and it will never annoy you. In a lifetime you will not come accross such good movies often!