William-of-Baskerville Reviews

What Is a Woman? (2022)

The Emperor's New Clothes : Gender ideology

[7/10 · 5 June 2023]

When the dust has settled, and truth once more is valued as the only way to describe reality and a precondition to thrive as a society, then people might look back at this particular period of history as ultimately disturbing and trying to understand how it came to be. Matt Walsh successfully shows how proponents of so-called gender ideology are not able to answer the most simplest of questions, which across history and culture were well understood by experience and common sense: "what is a woman?". It's not that people do not know the answer, it's that they don't want to admit to its truth, but rather cling on to a hopelessly cluttered and contradictory web of self-delusions. And they go to great lengths to terrorize everyone who does not agree with them. And people recognize that and comply, out of fear of being "cancelled". Only very few people won't bow to such terror, and value truth over personal comfort. Matt Walsh is such a person, and so are some of the people he interviews. This documentary does a good job shedding light on the madness and intolerance. What is a woman? Matt's wife knows: "an adult human female"

The Social Network (2010)

Great movie that shows Zuckerberg is an a-hole

[8/10 · 3 February 2019]

Well done movie that shows the story how The Facebook came to be, and how Zuckerberg scammed some others on the way. This movie is from 2010, and since then Zuckerberg has confirmed by his actions that he indeed is just the a-hole this movie depicts him to be. Privacy and free speech have become concepts alien to FB. Google's motto once said "don't be evil", before it was removed, but once money seriously kicks in, it only gets worse, as lust for money is the root of all evil. Looking out for the sequel!

Virgin Mountain (2015)

Iceland's feminist view on the epitome of manhood : the white knight

[3/10 · 2 February 2019]

Good gracious, based on the accolades and positive reviews I expected a warm and fuzzy movie about a simplistic man with a heart of gold, instead I got a depressing expression of Icelandic orgiastic feminist view on the ultimate ball-less icon of a man : the white knight. But unlike in chivalric tales, this one is even trodden further in the mud than I thought possible. Has no redeeming qualities, even the cinematography and music are depressing.

Silence (I) (2016)

Excellent movie on Christian perseverance and suffering, faith and doubt. Haunting.

[10/10 · 9 December 2018]

I rarely score movies a 10 out of 10, but Martin's Scorsese's Silence fully deserves it. This movie is so haunting, so impressive, has such an emotional and spiritual impact, even after viewing it multiple times, it does not fail to impress, and leave a mark on your soul.

The subject of the movie is highly unusual, as well as highly unpopular, both with Christian viewers, as with non-Christian viewers. Some of the reviews here clearly show anti-Christian sentiments who just seem to down-vote because of the clear Christian content of this movie. It's not often that in a movie Jesus actually speaks. Apparently that triggers a nerve, almost similar to how the Japanese responded when Jesuit priests came to Japan to share the gospel of salvation through the redemptive work of Christ in his vicarious death, suffering for the sins of mankind. This has been described in Shusaku Endo's novel, the base for this movie. But we also know from other historic accounts how blatantly anti-Christian the Japanese elite were, seeing it as a direct threat to their rule. The brutal persecution that followed resulted in Christianity being almost completely erased from Japan until modern times, and still modern Japan has only a marginal number of Christians.

But the movie goes deeper, touching subjects that also make many Christians feel uncomfortable. Do not expect a heroic, glorious, Hollywood, happy-clappy, superficial version of Christianity, with a feel good happy ending. It goes deep, and it goes raw. Which is not what many Christian viewers seemed to expect either. Not surprisingly, Endo's novel initially was harshly criticized by Roman Catholics, a sentiment that is reflected in some reviewers comments too.

This movie not only takes the viewers in a fascinating but gruesome bit of history, it also dares to explore some very deeply disturbing spiritual questions, without providing the answers. The movie is beautifully shot, and the sound design perfectly reflects the gruesome atmosphere. Viewers have complained this movie is too long and boring, but I strongly disagree. The slow buildup, the somewhat repetitious events, all bring the viewer into an inner state where you really connect to the issues presented deep in your soul. And the acting work of Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver is actually amazing, especially for actors of their age. In contrast I found the acting of Liam Neeson a bit underwhelming.

At the surface the movie addresses the already difficult issue of suffering and persecution. How is someone prepared to suffer under persecution for the faith that is his deepest conviction? But also, how does a Christian deal with the guilt of denouncing his faith, and can he repent of that and be restored in the faith. And at what point have you suffered enough? Should you give in -- not to save your own life, but the life of others? And if you give in, does it mean you failed as a Christian?

But the movie goes deeper, as you can probably guess from the title. How can God allow his faithful servants to suffer? Why does He appear to be silent? Why does He not interfere? Why does He not help these missionaries to spread the Christian faith? It is this same question not only the viewer, but the characters struggle with. Does the silence imply God does not exist? The characters are brutally tortured while facing these questions. And we follow them as they struggle with these questions. Yet, in face of all this, chilling, literally awesome appearances of the suffering Christ are shown, where He speaks to us. Is it imagination, is it real to the characters?

The movie is excellent to NOT give an answer to these questions, although it is somewhat suggestive. It offers these questions to the viewer, to think of these profound questions himself.

It's rare to encounter a movie which takes such an approach, and dares to address such deeply spiritual themes in such a way to confront the viewer and deeply disturb him.

Haunting. Highly recommended.

RollerCoaster Tycoon 2 (2002 Video Game)

Prepare for hours of fun

[9/10 · 11 March 2018]

Forget about the 3D version, THIS is THE Rollercoaster Tycoon version you want. Endless fun expanding and embellishing your parks, while cleaning puke from customers leaving your custom rides. Although building can get tricky, the isometric system is actually great to work with. Add in the economics of running a park, managing logistics, and just enjoying to see all these little guests running around in your park, makes this a great experience.

The Water Diviner (2014)

Story starts OK, but then quickly disintegrates. Historic dishonesty kills it.

[5/10 · 19 January 2018]

This movie starts with some beautiful wide shots, then quickly turns sentimental. When the father arrives in Turkey to look for his sons after the battle of Gallipoli, the story seems to hold up, but quickly starts disintegrating into non-relevant elements. Towards the end it's getting weak and very hard to watch. Think soap-opera cheesy. I was also very irritated by the attempts at whitewashing Ottoman/Turkish history. First this happens when visiting the Blue Mosque, where the father is so surprised to acknowledge that such a beautiful thing does not exist in his culture. Well, maybe not in Australia, but sitting next to it is the Hagia Sophia, until modern times the building with the largest dome, which was a Christian Church until it was captured by the same Ottomans during their conquest of the Byzantine (Roman) Empire. The Hagia Sophia is thus an expression of the same culture that led to the culture of Australia. Second, during the second half, Greeks are painted as truly evil villains against the noble Turks, whereas during the period of 1914-1922 is known by historians as the Greek genocide: the systematic genocide of the Christian Ottoman Greek population from Turkey, by the Ottoman Empire's government. Third, the movie is also completely silent about the Armenian genocide from 1915-1923 where the same (Islamic) government exterminated 1.5 million (Christian) Armenians, something acknowledged by international scholars, but denied by Turkish government to this day. That same genocide has been the inspiration for Hitler's genocide against among others the Jews during World War 2. He said of it:

"Our strength consists in our speed and in our brutality. Genghis Khan led millions of women and children to slaughter -- with premeditation and a happy heart. History sees in him solely the founder of a state. It's a matter of indifference to me what a weak western European civilization will say about me.

I have issued the command -- and I'll have anybody who utters but one word of criticism executed by a firing squad -- that our war aim does not consist in reaching certain lines, but in the physical destruction of the enemy. Accordingly, I have placed my death-head formations in readiness -- for the present only in the East -- with orders to them to send to death mercilessly and without compassion, men, women, and children of Polish derivation and language. Only thus shall we gain the living space which we need. Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?"

Hitler was well aware that denial of the Armenian genocide was a strong signal that his tyranny would not be opposed by the civilized world. It is telling that Russell Crowe sought Turkish approval, and the Turkish minister of culture told him "I believe in the script.". That's the same minister who's responsible for Article 301 in the penal code, which has been used to prosecute Turkish citizens who have brought the Armenian genocide to the attention of the people. No wonder Armenian and Greek organizations have called for a boycot of this film.

Amateurs in Space (2016)

Space tale turning into a soap opera

[5/10 · 30 August 2017]

It's always interesting to see documentaries on people trying to realize their dream, especially if it is about people wanting to build a rocket for space-travel. However, you would expect from such a space tale to work towards a glorious technical achievement and show the involved people. Not so here. This documentary more and more turns into a continuous stream of arguments revolving around the two main characters, eventually leading to them abandoning the project altogether. One of them, Peter Madsen, is portrayed as one of the big troublemakers. To see the documentary slide into a soap opera is a big disappointment, and the ending is not a closure.

I watched this documentary only to find out afterwards that the same Peter Madsen is currently under investigation for murder on a female journalist who traveled with him on his submarine, and whose dismembered body was recently found. That makes watching this documentary to see how he acted very weird...

Look Who's Back (2015)

Good performances, could have been better

[7/10 · 7 July 2017]

This movie touches an interesting topic, based on the book 'Er ist wieder da', where Hitler awakes 70 years after his death in Berlin, alive and kicking. Although this is marked a comedy, and has some funny moments, it is not really a comedy. And that also means it lacks goal; the movie does not really know what it wants to be. Comedy? Thriller? Documentary? Propaganda? The movie is carried by the good performance of the lead actor playing Hitler. As the movie progresses, it's becoming more and more a political commentary, but unfortunately of the cheap kind. One could say that as political commentary it slides into the same manipulative propaganda it condemns in Hitler ('I play people like the piano'). This movie could have been better if it had chosen for a clear direction (e.g. political commentary, or philosophical challenge to the value of democracy). Although OK, it struggles to rise above B-film status.

Mirror Mirror (I) (2012)

The brutal rape of a fairy tale

[4/10 · 2 May 2017]

I really like fairy tales, always have. They do have a deep, rich, connection to ancient culture and history, usually European. Most also have embedded moral teachings, have mythical elements that convey truths beneath a surface of fantasy embellishments. I can really enjoy movies that are based on fairy tales, even if these make adaptations to the original story. There are several splendid examples, some others are less successful. This movie however succeeds to distort the original well-known story in so many ways, that I could only watch in horror how the story was changed in its many details, such that - although the original story is somewhat recognizable - all elements that make the story 'feel' right are replaced by awful Hollywood/Bollywood (!) 'improvements'. The result: an Americanised story with replacement 'modern' themes (racial diversity, really?!) that is hardly watchable at all; I really needed to stop watching, I couldn't endure it any longer. Think guano-covered Radagast in 'The Hobbit', but then worse, times ten. Yuk! I feel violated. Keep your dirty claws of such a pure story!

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Captain Jack Sparrow strikes again!

[4/10 · 1 January 2016]

If a movie is subpar, I rate it a 5. If it is annoying me, it gets a 4. And this movie deserves a 4 just for one reason: captain Jack Sparrow is playing the role of Tonto, and he is again annoying as he ever was. Why on earth is he spoiling yet another movie? Did he not do enough harm in the other movies? And what's with the ridiculous crow on his head? Classic movies had "Indians" with feathers, and they wore them with pride. But no, a few feathers are not good enough, why not go completely over the top and wear a stuffed dead bird? Also annoying was the role of the Lone Ranger, it vaguely reminded me of the "hero" from the Green Lantern. But he was less cringeworthy than Tonto. I don't know who's behind these choices, but these are all Disney Movies. I sure hope they will stop messing about.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

With a sissy for captain, this is a travesty of pirate movies

[5/10 · 12 May 2015]

I thoroughly hate all the Pirates of Caribbean movies because they make a mockery of the complete genre, by the sole performance of 'Captain Jack Sparrow' as ultimate sissy captain. Which pirate in his right mind would ever accept him as his captain? He is the ultimate anti-pirate, and an insult to the spirit of all pirate movies. Without him the movie would at least have some merit, although it still would be mediocre.

Rather watch Cutthroat Island with Geena Davis as female captain, she has more balls than Jack. Master and Commander is in a slightly different genre, but has a real captain on the reel. Or even better, watch the Horatio Hornblower series, where we see the development of an honorable midshipman into captain, in a fantastic historic period piece.

Still five stars for the decent production values and a bit of a story.

U-571 (2000)

Better than Das Boot

[8/10 · 14 February 2014]

Yes, I know, this is history rewritten, but it's entertaining storytelling not a documentary, I mean, come on, who thinks that Abraham Lincoln was a Vampire Hunter after going to the theatre? Back to the movie itself. I've seen both Das Boot (German spoken with subtitles) and U-571. U-571 is the better entertaining film in my opinion. Das Boot has a very linear story, and apart from the same pumping music, it never becomes real exciting, more than that, it misses a compelling and gripping storyline. U-571 on the other hand has all the interesting and exciting elements you would expect from a submarine movie, including a very nice hunt sequence. If you want entertainment, go for U-571. If you want to know what's all the fuss about, watch Das Boot too. If you want authenticity, watch a documentary.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (2006)

Visually impressive - in the end a story about the illusion of manipulation

[9/10 · 22 May 2009]

This is not your average movie. Scent is the running motive through this film. The main character's extraordinary talented smell also is his biggest trap; when he lets his sense of smell overpower his conscience, or any sense of compassion, he is set for a course in which he in the really discovers where that leads to. The culmination of this film is in the last 15 minutes, where he is able to manipulate and seduce a town square full of people by a perfume he has skillfully created from the scents of murdered virgins. This scent is not a scent of love, but a scent of lust, a lust which overpowers the senses of the people in the town square in such a way that they are almost (I say almost) forced to follow their senses and give into a purely sensual experience. As soon as the scent wears off, their eyes to their shameful behaviour are opened and they leave in shame. At the same time the main character discovers the emptiness of this event, and with that also the emptiness of his chasing after a uniquely powerful sensual experience. He now understands that manipulating people can indeed be accomplished by the skilled manipulator, but it will never make people really love you, or will allow you to really love people. Once he discovers this, he is apparently not able to live with this insight, realising he has murdered a girl which who he could have had a meaningful loving relationship. He commits suicide by hand of his own perfume.

Powerful movie, visual impressive, very good music. Contains explicit nudity, but nothing distasteful.

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003)

Good movie - a bit boring at times

[7/10 · 3 April 2009]

I enjoyed this watching this movie. You can clearly see they put a lot of effort into recreating authentic ships to create the background against which the story is set. The cinematography is dark and gloomy, and fits the story. Russel Crow in his role of captain does a good job. The interaction between 'the doctor' and 'the captain' forms the core of this movie, but unfortunately goes not very deeply. I really enjoyed to two playing music together at several times in the movie. The movie has one long major theme, right from the start, which I will not tell to prevent any spoilers. In the beginning this is quite entertaining, but towards the end it becomes more boring. Before I saw this movie, I saw the series of Hornblower movies. Although those are lesser known, and did not receive as much media attention, in my opinion those movies -- in exactly the same genre -- are much more interesting, much better done, have a much better story, and are much more exciting. So, if you enjoyed Master and Commander, you must certainly see the Hornblower series!

King Kong (2005)

At times spectacular - but story gets thinner and thinner

[6/10 · 26 March 2009]

I REALLY enjoyed Peter Jackson's work with Lord of the Rings. I recently saw this movie on TV, and therefore had high expectations. Although the movie is packed with action, and builds up your expectation, you gradually start seeing larger and larger holes in the plot. At first the action is satisfying, but as the story gets thinner and thinner the annoyance starts to creep in. The movie is long, but that was LOTR too. However it will start to feel longer and longer and longer and longer, until you really hope it will end. What is most disappointing is the growingly unrealistic relationship between the girl and the ape. I couldn't stand it anymore near the end of the movie. All in all, from the action point of view a barely OK movie, from the story point of view, quite unsatisfying. I was really disappointed by Peter Jackson's performance with this movie.

The Name of the Rose (1986)

Fantastic movie - read the book too!

[9/10 · 26 March 2009]

I've read the book by Umberto Eco and saw the movie with Sean Connery. They are obvious different in character. The movie does a very good job in depicting the atmosphere of the book however.

The movie is set in medieval times, and almost everything happens within a monastery; a micro-cosmos so to speak.

This movie is interesting on a lot of levels. I really like the cinematography, the whole scenery adds to the threatening atmosphere that is constantly present, while at the same time it is at times really beautiful. A lot of story lines are running in parallel.

This movie is still interesting after seeing it many times. Highly recommended!

Behind Enemy Lines II: Axis of Evil (2006 Video)

Don't bother to view this - you WILL be disappointed

[2/10 · 26 March 2009]

Not many movies are so bad, I stop watching them. This is one. I saw the first Behind Enemy Lines, and it was an OK action movie. Not too special, but quite enjoyable to watch. I expected something similar with this part II. Boy, was I wrong! For an action movie, first of all this film is s - l - o - o - o - w - w: only after about an hour the action starts. Second, if you are a bit sensitive, you will get motion sick by the totally unnecessary jerky camera movements. If it weren't that annoying, it would be laughable that the director tried to hide the lack of real tension or action by heavy shaking of the camera. Third, the reaction of the North Koreans is totally unbelievable. I mean, a prisoner who is liberated will commit suicide?? And a North Korean army officer will allow an American seal to blow up a rocket?? Already a shallow introduction to North Korean society will reveal how it functions and what role the army plays.

I couldn't take it any longer, I tried, but finally I HAD to stop watching. Don't bother watching this movie, it's a waste of time.