Benelux Challenge (Official, February 2021)

[sol]

Benelux in Flux

1. The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009) Netherlands
2. Too Fat Too Furious (2005) Netherlands
3. Let the Corpses Tan (2017) Belgium
4. The Notorious Guys (2013) Luxembourg
5. Save Angel Hope (2007) Luxembourg
6. I, Pastafari (2019) Netherlands
7. Flodder (1986) Netherlands
8. Quiz (2012) Netherlands
9. Saint (2010) Netherlands
10. Girl (2018) Belgium
11. JCVD (2008) Belgium
12. Milo (2012) Netherlands
13. Cub (2014) Belgium
14. Boy 7 (2015) Netherlands
15. Hunted (2020) Belgium
16. Yummy (2019) Belgium
17. Kristen (2015) Netherlands
18. Ubiquity (2018) Netherlands
19. The Dress (1996) Netherlands

20. Character (1997) Netherlands



Some of the period detail is nice here and the film benefits from an atmospheric music score; but this never felt as tight and focused as it could have been to me. The tension between son and father simmers whenever together; a scene in which he wins a job by being fluent in English is pretty intense too. Same goes for a nightmare that almost eventuates in reality. The rest of the film though did pretty little for me and the pacing didn't help either.

[flavo5000]

OP updated.

Pie Chart updated, with the Netherlands absolutely smashing it after jero's giant data drop.



I also managed to find the orange option in the pie chart generating site that I use, so I have gone with it. At least this way we don't have to pretend that dark yellow is the same as orange.

Have you tried using the Pie Chart functionality in Google Sheets? That's what I used last month for the Central America challenge and it was really easy to manage and was very configurable.

[beavis]

QUESTIONS:
De komst van Joachim Stiller (1976) BE - 8.0
I saw "de komst van joachim stiller" as the integral tv mini-series (which is how it is released on DVD in Belgium) of 153 minutes. It is supposed to be 3 episodes of 50 minutes, but there are no credits in between and I couldn't say where one episode ended and another began (they made it a seamless integral cut). So I leave it up to the forum if this counts as a miniseries (so 153 minutes to be added to the time of shorts seen and then divided by 80) or just one feature...???

I don't really have much of an opinion about this; I would go with whatever your gut tells you is the best way to accurately count it. However, I haven't seen it, and somebody who has might have a different opinion.

I only want to challenge myself, so do not really care where my number tally's up to. I also liked the fact that they made it a seamless cut and it felt more like a feature (there are some cliffhangers, and the way the voice-over narration is structured might point towards series too). But since I am already doing all the cumbersome admin around the shorts, why not include this one there where officially it belongs? Since it was produced as a tv mini-series and I watched that version, not the 110 min cinema version that was released later on...

If there is nobody that protest I'm going to count the 153 minutes towards the shorts total I have standing.

And since you don't mention it further, I assume you also approved the Franco entry.

[Traveller]

09. Girl (2018) - 3/10 BE

[hurluberlu]

5. Our Struggles / Nos Batailles (Guillaume Senez, 2018) [BE] 6+

BNL ma belle

1. Doris (Albert Jan van Rees, 2018) [NL] 6+
2. Adoration (Fabrice Du Welz, 2019) [BE] 7
3. Mothers' Instinct / Duelles (Olivier Masset-Depasse, 2018) [BE] 6
4. Girl (Lukas Dhont, 2018) [BE] 8

[tazz_85]

Benelux Challenge 2021

01. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) - Netherlands
02. Yummy (2019) - Belgium
03. 22 Mei (2010) - Belgium
04. The Human Centipede II (Full sequence) (2011) - Netherlands
05. The Human Centipede III (Final sequence) (2015) - Netherlands
06. Ben X (2007) - Belgium
07. Wij (2018) - Belgium
08. Ex-Drummer (2007) - Belgium
09. Dagen Zonder Lief (2007) - Belgium
10. Torpedo: U-235 (2019) - Belgium

10. Torpedo: U-235 (2019) - Belgium 6/10

[beavis]

Spoiler

1. To Grab the Ring (1968) NL - 6.0
2. Parfait Amour (1985) NL - 6.0
3. Bluebird (2004) NL - 7.0
4. Blue Bird (2011) BE - 7.5
5. Servais (2018) BE - 6.0
6. Requiem (1986) NL - 6.0
7. Alaska (1989) NL - 7.5
8. shorts
9. shorts
10. shorts
11. shorts
12. shorts
13. shorts
14. shorts
15. shorts
16. shorts
17. shorts
18. shorts
19. Perverse et docile (1971) BE - 7.5
20. Blindgangers (1977) NL - 7.0
21. Pervertissima (1972) BE - 5.0
22. Pruimenbloesem (1982) NL - 6.0
23. Intensive Care (1991) NL - 6.5
24. Fighting Fish (2004) NL - 6.5
25. Honeyz (2007) NL - 6.5
26. shorts
27. Magnum Begynasium Bruxellense (1978) BE - 7.5
28. La comtesse noire (1973) BE - 4.5
29. De Aardwolf (1985) BE - 6.0
30. Maniac Nurses (1990) BE - 5.0

shorts admin previous post: 12 minutes + mini-series: 153 min = total 165 min

31. shorts
32. shorts

new shorts count remaining total: 5 min

33. Lap rouge (1996) NL - 7.5
34. Medea (1982) NL - 7.5
35. Esther - voorgoed op reis (1975) NL - 6.5
36. Video & Julia (1979) NL - 8.0
37. De stille Oceaan (1984) NL+BE - 7.5

Thanks to jeroeno for pointing me towards Medea from Frans Zwartjes yesterday. Because of that I discovered the Youtube page of actress Josée Ruiter where she (herself?) made available some VERY rare Dutch movies, including the debut of one of my favorite Dutch directors, Digna Sinke, that I had never found anywhere else before. And something totally unknown to me before that feels like a major discovery: Video & Julia. I had to write a small blurb on it in order to add it to Tmdb, and I dropped the word "Ballardian" there. It has that very subtle black humor, the criticism on alienation in modern society, characters slowly getting mad... I don't know anything about the movie, but I suspect there might be a small inspiration from High Rise going on. I spend most of my day on that Youtube channel but I started the day with a fun mockumentary, just 2 minutes short for me to call it a feature, but for this challenge it counts (it has a 43 minutes runtime). Language on that one if 50/50 Dutch/French, but full fansubs have been made available today, so I immediately jumped on that. All in all a very exciting day again!

[max-scl]

My first batch:

1. De Patrick (2019) Tim Mielants - Belgium
2. Duelles (2018) Olivier Masset-Depasse - Belgium
3. Spetters (1980) Paul Verhoeven - Netherlands
4. Rosetta (1999) Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne - Belgium
5. La promesse (1996) Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne - Belgium
6. Alles is liefde (2007) Joram Lursen - Netherlands
7. Dirty God (2019) Sacha Polak - Netherlands
8. Crazy Love (1987) Dominique Deruddere - Belgium
9. Wat zien ik (1971) Paul Verhoeven - Netherlands
10. Wait Until Spring, Bandini (1989) Dominique Deruddere - Belgium
11. De stilte rond Christine M. (1982) Marleen Gorris - Netherlands
12. Keetje Tippel (1975) Paul Verhoeven- Netherlands

All liked all three Verhoven, but the Dardennes have the 2 best films in here. Other good movies were the Gorris one and Dirty God. Crazy Love was very interesting too.

[sol]

Have you tried using the Pie Chart functionality in Google Sheets? That's what I used last month for the Central America challenge and it was really easy to manage and was very configurable.

Nope. Too be honest, I prefer the look of my own pie charts, sorry. Also, the site I use provides a unique image each time (whereas the Google sheets updates every image) that I can then put in an imgur stream. This is the stream for the current challenge: https://imgur.com/a/M1dWfZ0

N.B.: It would look better if all of the locals didn't make me change colours partway in.

And since you don't mention it further, I assume you also approved the Franco entry.

Yeah, you made a good case for it. Not going to argue with your logic.

[sol]

OP updated.

Pie Chart updated with Belgium slowly creeping back - or at least until jero drops another load.

[Onderhond]

I'd look even better if you didn't suddenly make BE and NL switch sides

[pitchorneirda]

To mess things up, the Belgian cycling team wears an increasingly famous sky-blue jersey that inspired some away football (soccer) kits recently




You should change the colour of Luxembourg

[sol]

I'd look even better if you didn't suddenly make BE and NL switch sides

Yeah, um, unfortunately the website that I use doesn't work like that. Blue is always the first slice of the pie, then Red, then, Yellow, then Green, then Purple and so on. The only way to 'unlock' other colours is to put in a bunch of zeros for unwanted parts of the pie. This is what my coding looks like at the moment:

Enter data labels: 0 Belgium 0 0 0 Luxembourg 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Netherlands
Enter data values: 0 59.4 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 92.6

I mean, sure, I could find a website that allows me greater flexibility, but this has been pretty easy to use and download images from and has served me well for half a dozen or more challenges, so I'm not really interested in trying out anything else.

[sol]

Benelux in Flux

1. The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009) Netherlands
2. Too Fat Too Furious (2005) Netherlands
3. Let the Corpses Tan (2017) Belgium
4. The Notorious Guys (2013) Luxembourg
5. Save Angel Hope (2007) Luxembourg
6. I, Pastafari (2019) Netherlands
7. Flodder (1986) Netherlands
8. Quiz (2012) Netherlands
9. Saint (2010) Netherlands
10. Girl (2018) Belgium
11. JCVD (2008) Belgium
12. Milo (2012) Netherlands
13. Cub (2014) Belgium
14. Boy 7 (2015) Netherlands
15. Hunted (2020) Belgium
16. Yummy (2019) Belgium
17. Kristen (2015) Netherlands
18. Ubiquity (2018) Netherlands
19. The Dress (1996) Netherlands
20. Character (1997) Netherlands

21. Army Brats (1984) Netherlands



Sometimes known as Darlings!, this comedy involves a couple of rebellious teenage siblings who barricade their parents out of their family home. The most insane scene has the parents getting their army buddies to intervene; but an early homemade bomb aside, nothing else is especially over-the-top or outrageous until the final ten or so minutes. I didn't really feel like I knew the characters much either or understood why they hated each other so much.

[Traveller]

10. Bullhead (2011) - 6/10 BE

[tazz_85]

Benelux Challenge 2021

01. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) - Netherlands
02. Yummy (2019) - Belgium
03. 22 Mei (2010) - Belgium
04. The Human Centipede II (Full sequence) (2011) - Netherlands
05. The Human Centipede III (Final sequence) (2015) - Netherlands
06. Ben X (2007) - Belgium
07. Wij (2018) - Belgium
08. Ex-Drummer (2007) - Belgium
09. Dagen Zonder Lief (2007) - Belgium
10. Torpedo: U-235 (2019) - Belgium
11. Vinyan (2008) - Belgium
12. Le Huitieme Jour (1996) - Belgium

11. Vinyan (2008) - Belgium 6/10
12. Le Huitieme Jour (1996) - Belgium 7/10

[jdidaco]

(Screenshot from 'Herman Teirlinck'),

9. Pour vos beaux yeux (For Your Beautiful Eyes, Henri Storck, 1929) 7.5/10 (RV) (7 min), Idylle à la plage (Romance on the Beach, Henri Storck, 1931) 9/10 (23 min), L'île de Pâques (Easter Island, Henri Storck & John Fernhout, 1934) 7.5/10 (23 min), La fenêtre ouverte (The Open Window, Henri Storck, 1952) 7.5/10 (18 min), Les Dieux du feu (Henri Storck, 1961) 8/10 (10 min) (Total: 81 min) (5xBelgium)
10. Rubens (Henri Storck & Paul Haesaerts, 1948) 8/10 (Belgium)
11. Herman Teirlinck (Henri Storck, 1953) 7.5/10 (Belgium)
12. Un joli petit coin (Not a Bad Little Place, Patrick Van Antwerpen, 1980) 8/10 (Belgium)

Spoiler

1. Dagboek (Diary, Johan van der Keuken, 1972) 9/10 (Netherlands)
2. De nieuwe ijstijd (The New Ice Age, Johan van der Keuken, 1974-79) 9/10 (Netherlands)
3. Magnum Begynasium Bruxellense (Boris Lehman, 1978) 8.5/10 (Belgium)
4. Couple, regards, positions (Boris Lehman & Nadine Wandel, 1983) 8/10 (Belgium)
5. De tijd (Time, Johan van der Keuken, 1983) 8/10 (Netherlands)
6. À la recherche du lieu de ma naissance (Looking for My Birthplace, Boris Lehman, 1990) 8/10 (Belgium)
7. Medea (Frans Zwartjes, 1982) 9/10 (Netherlands)
8. Steekspel (Tricked, Paul Verhoeven, 2012) 6.5/10 (Netherlands)

[Lu-Chin]

Spoiler

1. Hôtel Monterey (1973) 5/10 Belgium
2. News from Home (1977) 6/10 Belgium
3. D'Est (1993) (1993) 6/10 Belgium
4. De vierde man (1983) 6/10 Netherlands
5. Turks fruit (1973) 8/10 Netherlands
6. Zwartboek (2006) 8/10 Netherlands
7. The Promise (1996) 8/10 Belgium
8. The Kid with a Bike (2011) 8/10 Belgium
9. Young Ahmed (2019) 8/10 Belgium

10. Je tu il elle (1974) 6/10 Belgium
11. Toute une nuit (1982) 6/10 Belgium
12. Le fils (2002) 7/10 Belgium
13. Rosetta (1999) 7/10 Belgium
14. La fille inconnue (2016) 6/10 Belgium

[jeroeno]

26. De Fabeltjeskrant & De Grote Dierenbos-spelen (2018) NL

Shameless cashgrab. Obviously just three episodes stitched together and Armin van Buuren showing up as a DJ might be the saddest moment for me in 2021 so far.

[sol]

OP and pie chart updated with big gains for Belgium. Currently jero is the only participant with points in the undeclared column.

[jeroeno]

OP and pie chart updated with big gains for Belgium. Currently jero is the only participant with points in the undeclared column.

fixed

[sol]

Yeah, I know I'm not helping fight the Belgian pie chart resurgence with this viewing, but at least jero has given NL an extra point.

Greater apologies, in any case, are owed Onderhond though since he actually recommended this one to me.

Benelux in Flux

1. The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009) Netherlands
2. Too Fat Too Furious (2005) Netherlands
3. Let the Corpses Tan (2017) Belgium
4. The Notorious Guys (2013) Luxembourg
5. Save Angel Hope (2007) Luxembourg
6. I, Pastafari (2019) Netherlands
7. Flodder (1986) Netherlands
8. Quiz (2012) Netherlands
9. Saint (2010) Netherlands
10. Girl (2018) Belgium
11. JCVD (2008) Belgium
12. Milo (2012) Netherlands
13. Cub (2014) Belgium
14. Boy 7 (2015) Netherlands
15. Hunted (2020) Belgium
16. Yummy (2019) Belgium
17. Kristen (2015) Netherlands
18. Ubiquity (2018) Netherlands
19. The Dress (1996) Netherlands
20. Character (1997) Netherlands
21. Army Brats (1984) Netherlands

22. Small Gods (2007) Belgium



This is intriguing at first with questions arising as to who a mysterious man is, who an odd third companion is, why the protagonist ended up in hospital and why she needs a lawyer. I gradually found the mysteries less fascinating though as an oddball road movie structure comes into place, full of weird side events (randomly stopping to box). The project is certainly visually striking though, with moody skies, glowing pizza ovens, black and white fires etc.

[Onderhond]

Fighting the good fight for Belgium, even when it's only from the sidelines. I simply don't watch enough local films anymore it seems.

The director(s) of Small Gods are cinematographers by the way, so it's no surprise the film looks good. They raised money all on their own just to make this film, which baffles me as Belgium is usually quite good at funding film projects (all over Europe).

[sol]

And then you get BE films that try their best not to look Belgian despite BE funding and being almost entirely shot there...

Benelux in Flux

1. The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009) Netherlands
2. Too Fat Too Furious (2005) Netherlands
3. Let the Corpses Tan (2017) Belgium
4. The Notorious Guys (2013) Luxembourg
5. Save Angel Hope (2007) Luxembourg
6. I, Pastafari (2019) Netherlands
7. Flodder (1986) Netherlands
8. Quiz (2012) Netherlands
9. Saint (2010) Netherlands
10. Girl (2018) Belgium
11. JCVD (2008) Belgium
12. Milo (2012) Netherlands
13. Cub (2014) Belgium
14. Boy 7 (2015) Netherlands
15. Hunted (2020) Belgium
16. Yummy (2019) Belgium
17. Kristen (2015) Netherlands
18. Ubiquity (2018) Netherlands
19. The Dress (1996) Netherlands
20. Character (1997) Netherlands
21. Army Brats (1984) Netherlands
22. Small Gods (2007) Belgium

23. I Kill Giants (2017) Belgium



Madison Wolfe is excellent in the lead role here, playing a definite social outcast but an extrovert too, confident and unafraid to stand up to bullies and condescending adults. The film also has a bit of a Donnie Darko vibe with the eerily whispering giants we see and the fact that she keeps talking about the end of the world. Alas, the film ultimately goes for a more sentimental and less mysterious route than that, greatly playing down all ambiguity re: giants.

[Onderhond]

And then you get BE films that try their best not to look Belgian despite BE funding and being almost entirely shot there...

Didn't even know parts of it were shot here, less that it was funded by BE money. Just looked at the trailer and a lot of the outside scenes look like Ireland to me (the other country where it was shot). But yeah, we like to spread our money around. Though often it goes to interesting projects (like this one), so I don't mind that much.

[Traveller]

11. Amsterdamned (1988) - 6/10 NL
Perhaps a bit too long, but overall an okayish slasher.

[sol]

Benelux in Flux

1. The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009) Netherlands
2. Too Fat Too Furious (2005) Netherlands
3. Let the Corpses Tan (2017) Belgium
4. The Notorious Guys (2013) Luxembourg
5. Save Angel Hope (2007) Luxembourg
6. I, Pastafari (2019) Netherlands
7. Flodder (1986) Netherlands
8. Quiz (2012) Netherlands
9. Saint (2010) Netherlands
10. Girl (2018) Belgium
11. JCVD (2008) Belgium
12. Milo (2012) Netherlands
13. Cub (2014) Belgium
14. Boy 7 (2015) Netherlands
15. Hunted (2020) Belgium
16. Yummy (2019) Belgium
17. Kristen (2015) Netherlands
18. Ubiquity (2018) Netherlands
19. The Dress (1996) Netherlands
20. Character (1997) Netherlands
21. Army Brats (1984) Netherlands
22. Small Gods (2007) Belgium
23. I Kill Giants (2017) Belgium

24. Miss Minoes (2001) Netherlands



If a bit silly, this family comedy really works thanks to the performances of several well-trained cats and Carice van Houten's magnificent turn as a cat in human form. Her every mannerism right down to the way she walks feels feline while also running a whole gamut of human emotions, and she lights up the film whenever on screen. Sarah Bannier is also excellent as the reporter's young neighbour who gets in on the action too. Really just delightful to watch.

[sol]

OP updated with slight gains for NL in the latest pie chart:

[Traveller]

12. Simon (2004) - 4/10 NL

[maksler]

Spoiler

1. On Top of the Whale (NL 1982, Raoul Ruiz) 5
2. A Tale of the Wind (NL, 1988, Joris Ivens) 6.5
3a. De Brug (NL, 1928, Joris Ivens) 15 min
3b. Regen (NL, 1929, Joris Ivens) 14 min
3c. Philips-Radio (NL, 1931, Joris Ivens) 36 min
3d. Father and Daughter (NL, 2000, Michael Dudok de Wit) 8 min
3e. Harpya (BE, 1979, Raoul Servais) 9 min
4. Man Bites Dog (BE, 1992, Rémy Belvaux) 8+
5. The Promise (BE, 1996, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne) 8

6. Rosetta (BE, 1999, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne) 7.5

[maxwelldeux]

It's all about the Benelux, baby

1. Minoes (2001, Netherlands)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009, Belgium)
3. Man Bites Dog (1992, Belgium)
4. From the East (1993, Belgium)

5. 22 Mei (2010, Belgium) 5/10

There were two things working against this film for me. The minor point is that the copy I watched wasn't HD, so some of the scenes ended up getting REALLY pixelated and annoying. The bigger issue was that I just didn't like the fantasy elements. Fantasy is always a tough sell for me, and this just didn't work for what I want. I appreciated the end well enough, it just wasn't the film for me.

[beavis]

Spoiler

1. To Grab the Ring (1968) NL - 6.0
2. Parfait Amour (1985) NL - 6.0
3. Bluebird (2004) NL - 7.0
4. Blue Bird (2011) BE - 7.5
5. Servais (2018) BE - 6.0
6. Requiem (1986) NL - 6.0
7. Alaska (1989) NL - 7.5
8. shorts
9. shorts
10. shorts
11. shorts
12. shorts
13. shorts
14. shorts
15. shorts
16. shorts
17. shorts
18. shorts
19. Perverse et docile (1971) BE - 7.5
20. Blindgangers (1977) NL - 7.0
21. Pervertissima (1972) BE - 5.0
22. Pruimenbloesem (1982) NL - 6.0
23. Intensive Care (1991) NL - 6.5
24. Fighting Fish (2004) NL - 6.5
25. Honeyz (2007) NL - 6.5
26. shorts
27. Magnum Begynasium Bruxellense (1978) BE - 7.5
28. La comtesse noire (1973) BE - 4.5
29. De Aardwolf (1985) BE - 6.0
30. Maniac Nurses (1990) BE - 5.0
31. shorts
32. shorts
33. Lap rouge (1996) NL - 7.5
34. Medea (1982) NL - 7.5
35. Esther - voorgoed op reis (1975) NL - 6.5
36. Video & Julia (1979) NL - 8.0
37. De stille Oceaan (1984) NL+BE - 7.5

shorts admin: 5 min

38. Bloedverwanten (1977) NL - 4.0
39. Lyrisch nitraat (1991) NL - 6.0
40. The Forbidden Quest (1993) NL - 7.5
41. Babel - lettre à mes amis restés en Belgique (1991) BE - 7.0
42. À la recherche du lieu de ma naissance (1990) BE - 7.5
43. Face Value (1991) NL - 7.0
44. Leçon de vie (1995) BE - 7.5

I saw mostly experimental docs the last few days. I had high hopes for them, but felt disappointed with a lot of choices the directors made... I guess they are not my thing. Although I do appreciate the visual beauty of a lot of shots, or the potential of some of the ideas...

[Traveller]

13. The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012) - 5/10 BE

[maxwelldeux]

It's all about the Benelux, baby

1. Minoes (2001, Netherlands)
2. Mr. Nobody (2009, Belgium)
3. Man Bites Dog (1992, Belgium)
4. From the East (1993, Belgium)
5. 22 Mei (2010, Belgium)

6. Thorium, the Far Side of Nuclear Power (2016, Luxembourg)

This is a partially animated doc about thorium-based molten salt reactors. These are very different from traditional water-cooled nuclear reactors, and offer a tremendous number of advantages over the traditional reactors, namely in terms of safety and waste. This was a pretty cool explication of the history of how molten salt reactors fit in with the rest of nuclear history and how they may be viable nowadays. Another interesting bit was that the "narrator" was a molten reactor scientist who had died about 10 years earlier (hence, the animation). Lots of cool info in this. Recommended for anyone interested in nuclear power or clean energy production.

[tazz_85]

Benelux Challenge 2021

01. The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2009) - Netherlands
02. Yummy (2019) - Belgium
03. 22 Mei (2010) - Belgium
04. The Human Centipede II (Full sequence) (2011) - Netherlands
05. The Human Centipede III (Final sequence) (2015) - Netherlands
06. Ben X (2007) - Belgium
07. Wij (2018) - Belgium
08. Ex-Drummer (2007) - Belgium
09. Dagen Zonder Lief (2007) - Belgium
10. Torpedo: U-235 (2019) - Belgium
11. Vinyan (2008) - Belgium
12. Le Huitieme Jour (1996) - Belgium
13. Pauline & Paulette (2001) - Belgium
14. De Premier (2016) - Belgium

13. Pauline & Paulette (2001) - Belgium 7/10
14. De Premier (2016) - Belgium 6/10

[sol]

Benelux in Flux

1. The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009) Netherlands
2. Too Fat Too Furious (2005) Netherlands
3. Let the Corpses Tan (2017) Belgium
4. The Notorious Guys (2013) Luxembourg
5. Save Angel Hope (2007) Luxembourg
6. I, Pastafari (2019) Netherlands
7. Flodder (1986) Netherlands
8. Quiz (2012) Netherlands
9. Saint (2010) Netherlands
10. Girl (2018) Belgium
11. JCVD (2008) Belgium
12. Milo (2012) Netherlands
13. Cub (2014) Belgium
14. Boy 7 (2015) Netherlands
15. Hunted (2020) Belgium
16. Yummy (2019) Belgium
17. Kristen (2015) Netherlands
18. Ubiquity (2018) Netherlands
19. The Dress (1996) Netherlands
20. Character (1997) Netherlands
21. Army Brats (1984) Netherlands
22. Small Gods (2007) Belgium
23. I Kill Giants (2017) Belgium
24. Miss Minoes (2001) Netherlands

25. Kursk / Command (2018) Belgium



The disaster scenes are very well crafted here with much immediacy and a real sense of panic in the air. I found the rest of the film is a lot less engaging though. The big problem is that the drama is diluted by exploring the fates of the sinking men and their wives back home and those trying to organise a rescue mission. Having such a large canvas leads to minimal characterisation and much of what occurs feels melodramatic rather than down-to-earth.

[Lu-Chin]

Spoiler

1. Hôtel Monterey (1973) 5/10 Belgium
2. News from Home (1977) 6/10 Belgium
3. D'Est (1993) (1993) 6/10 Belgium
4. De vierde man (1983) 6/10 Netherlands
5. Turks fruit (1973) 8/10 Netherlands
6. Zwartboek (2006) 8/10 Netherlands
7. The Promise (1996) 8/10 Belgium
8. The Kid with a Bike (2011) 8/10 Belgium
9. Young Ahmed (2019) 8/10 Belgium
10. Je tu il elle (1974) 6/10 Belgium
11. Toute une nuit (1982) 6/10 Belgium
12. Le fils (2002) 7/10 Belgium
13. Rosetta (1999) 7/10 Belgium
14. La fille inconnue (2016) 6/10 Belgium

15. Soldier of Orange (1977) 8/10 Netherlands
16. Flesh+Blood (1985) 6/10 Netherlands
17. Tricked (2012) 6/10 Netherlands
18. The Forbidden Quest (1993) 7/10 Netherlands
19. Lyrisch nitraat (1991) 5/10 Netherlands
20. Diva Dolorosa (1999) 4/10 Netherlands

[sol]

Benelux in Flux

1. The Last Days of Emma Blank (2009) Netherlands
2. Too Fat Too Furious (2005) Netherlands
3. Let the Corpses Tan (2017) Belgium
4. The Notorious Guys (2013) Luxembourg
5. Save Angel Hope (2007) Luxembourg
6. I, Pastafari (2019) Netherlands
7. Flodder (1986) Netherlands
8. Quiz (2012) Netherlands
9. Saint (2010) Netherlands
10. Girl (2018) Belgium
11. JCVD (2008) Belgium
12. Milo (2012) Netherlands
13. Cub (2014) Belgium
14. Boy 7 (2015) Netherlands
15. Hunted (2020) Belgium
16. Yummy (2019) Belgium
17. Kristen (2015) Netherlands
18. Ubiquity (2018) Netherlands
19. The Dress (1996) Netherlands
20. Character (1997) Netherlands
21. Army Brats (1984) Netherlands
22. Small Gods (2007) Belgium
23. I Kill Giants (2017) Belgium
24. Miss Minoes (2001) Netherlands
25. Command (2018) Belgium

26. Blind Spot (2012) Luxembourg



While there is novelty value in watching an attempted thriller from the small European nation, filmed in the Luxembourgish language no less, much of this movie feels decided average with its slew of red herrings, corrupt men and dark secrets. Jules Werner is certainly solid as the determined protagonist and there are some neat shots in the rain. The overall film though is much heavier on the dialogue than the action with failed marriage melodrama in the mix.

[jdidaco]

13. Twee (Two, Gert de Graaff, 1986) 9/10 (Netherlands)
14. De zee die denkt (The Sea That Thinks, Gert de Graaff, 2000) 8/10 (Netherlands)

Spoiler

1. Dagboek (Diary, Johan van der Keuken, 1972) 9/10 (Netherlands)
2. De nieuwe ijstijd (The New Ice Age, Johan van der Keuken, 1974-79) 9/10 (Netherlands)
3. Magnum Begynasium Bruxellense (Boris Lehman, 1978) 8.5/10 (Belgium)
4. Couple, regards, positions (Boris Lehman & Nadine Wandel, 1983) 8/10 (Belgium)
5. De tijd (Time, Johan van der Keuken, 1983) 8/10 (Netherlands)
6. À la recherche du lieu de ma naissance (Looking for My Birthplace, Boris Lehman, 1990) 8/10 (Belgium)
7. Medea (Frans Zwartjes, 1982) 9/10 (Netherlands)
8. Steekspel (Tricked, Paul Verhoeven, 2012) 6.5/10 (Netherlands)
9. Pour vos beaux yeux (For Your Beautiful Eyes, Henri Storck, 1929) 7.5/10 (RV) (7 min), Idylle à la plage (Romance on the Beach, Henri Storck, 1931) 9/10 (23 min), L'île de Pâques (Easter Island, Henri Storck & John Fernhout, 1934) 7.5/10 (23 min), La fenêtre ouverte (The Open Window, Henri Storck, 1952) 7.5/10 (18 min), Les Dieux du feu (Henri Storck, 1961) 8/10 (10 min) (Total: 81 min) (5xBelgium)
10. Rubens (Henri Storck & Paul Haesaerts, 1948) 8/10 (Belgium)
11. Herman Teirlinck (Henri Storck, 1953) 7.5/10 (Belgium)
12. Un joli petit coin (Not a Bad Little Place, Patrick Van Antwerpen, 1980) 8/10 (Belgium)

[sol]

OP updated. Not much movement in the latest pie chart, but the light blue part of the chart is getting bigger...