Personal Velocity follows a conceptual, narrative style quite popular these days: that of the triptych. A lot of good, recent movies, including Amores Perros, Magnolia and 21 Grams inhabit a collage of characters and the interrelatedness of these characters gradually unfolds as the movie progresses. Personal Velocity tells the story of three women, all on the verge of making a big decision in their lives. Decisions which are directly linked to the men in their lives. All three women have to decide where they stand in their relationships and how to pursue their lives.

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This movie never got much attention when first it came out. I’d come across it a couple of time while surfing channels and it looked quite good to me. So when it was shown again last week took the time to finally see it from start to end.

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For almost a decade Friends has been one of the most popular American sitcoms ever. Every year the question is raised whether or not the actors have to sign up for a new season. This has been pretty questionable for the past couple of years. A few years ago the actors agreed on doing a new season, but only if they could get $1m each per episode. They decided the only way to have their demands granted was by making a stand together. I was never really that much into Friends but became a real addict after purchasing some seasons on DVD for a ridiculously small amount of money. I never really watched the show on TV. I knew the characters, I knew the main storylines, but was of the opinion it was just one of those dumb sitcoms that waste American and European screentime. Well count me in, because I am loving it now and despite the really cheesy American touch, the show is absolutely amazing. It is a good thing this is the last season though. The first couple of episodes of the final 10th season have been aired in the US but here in the Netherlands we are going to have to wait until fall before we can see it. However… the DVD is already available. And what a great beginning… to end a show.

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Already considered one of Britain’s finest comedies ever, it has reached its final culmination on this brilliant DVD box set. Here we can enjoy back-to-back some of the best that British comedy has to offer. In four eras we witness the adventures of the various incarnations of the cynical and depraved Black Adder, his revolting yet endearing sidekick Baldrick and a bevy of deranged and lunatic characters that populate this distorted universe. All the episodes are embedded in a historical context and embellished with classic, Shakespearean dialogue. The latter adds the distinct edge which elevates this comedy above most others.

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The comedy genre has always been a difficult one to tackle. There are so many shades of humor and most of the time it boils down to making fun of other people, especially the freaks. It doesn’t matter in what area you are a freak: you can have funny features, unusual habits or do stupid things. To me, the comedy arena is one I don’t like to face very often. I am the type of person who sees a joke coming from miles off. That has nothing to do with being really smart (because I am just average), but more to do with whether you like the type of pranks and jokes depicted. Generally there are two types of humor: visual and verbal. I am the kinda guy who’s in the verbal camp. Stuck on You, the latest by the Farrellys is my kinda movie. And that’ was a huge surprise’

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In a post-WWIII world, a fascist government system controls society by prohibiting all forms of human emotions. One law enforcement officer starts to question the system which he represents.

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This movie was released on Christmas Day 1973, when I was just about to turn 6 months old. It’s always fun to see a movie from your birth year. This movie is generally considered to be a good sequel to the original “Dirty Harry” movie from ’71, so with nothing better to I turned on SBS6 last night to see just how forceful a Magnum is…

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You know these little lists that sum up like the 100 best movies ever? Well every time I read one of these I wonder how reliable they are.

That exact thing occured to me when I was reading about the ’100 Greatest Movies of All Time’ in this month’s Empire magazine. This list was based on readers’ votes. I was amazed some very recent movies were part of this list and I was missing some great titles as well. And then there is the Top 250 list of the Internet Movie Database that makes up its ranking based on votes from its visitors. IMdB is claiming this is a very reliable system.

I had some spare time this afternoon (I had to wait for something) and decided to combine these two lists (read: I calculated the average of the movies ranked in these two lists) into one ultimate list. the great thing is that Empire is mainly British and IMdB predominantly American, but also worldwide. Read the results here…

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Director, Tim Burton redeems himself in his first film since the fiasco remake of Planet of the Apes (2001) with Big Fish, starring Ewan McGregor and Albert Finney, respectively as the young and old Edward Bloom; a teller of tall tales and often absent father to his son, William, played by Billy Crudup. Big Fish is a whale of a tale, (sorry, I just couldn’t resist saying it) as we follow the unusually adventurous life and death of Edward Bloom. Returning to the things he knows how to do best, Burton spins tales within stories and inspires the imagination of his audience’

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I am actually one of those people who adores Julia Roberts. I shouldn’t, especially with what fees she has credited to her bank account for what seems to be minimal efforts. Like Mona Lisa Smile, which brought Mrs. Roberts (who is currently married to the movie’s cameraman) $25,000,000. This led the remaining members of the cast to settle for less. Mona Lisa Smile is completely disposable. The story is messy (especially the first hour) and didn’t do anything for me. Though maybe that was due to the fact that I’d lost one of my contact lenses throughout the first half hour. But despite that, what could have been, wasn’t what it should be. Still get it? Bring on the booze!

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