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Something very is odd is up with that 5.5 score on IMDb. We see it with a lot of non-American movies - there are people randomly giving 1 point to movies in order to influence voting for whatever reason.

In reality, this is one of the best Dutch family movies. It has all the traditional Sinterklaas ingredients and gives it a very funny twist with the naughty kids hung in bags in the ship.

I assume the movie will not really appeal to a non-Dutch audience since all major ingredients are vital to one of the main Dutch holidays but unknown abroad: the steamship from Spain, Sinterklaas and his Pieten, the pepernoten (gingerbread cookies), etcetera... it's all just as plausible as Santa and his flying reindeer, and just as real to our children.

The movie also provides an explanation as to why Sinterklaas stopped shipping naughty children to Spain.

For any Dutch family, this movie is a must-see. People without kids, or who aren't Dutch, may still appreciate the scenic settings, the winter atmosphere and the good acting.

This is a delightful family movie. The subject is quite surprising for a children's movie: it is about ghosts who are haunting a ship and a ghostbuster who does not actually chase ghosts, but tries to accompany them into the afterlife where they belong.

The acting is brilliant. All characters - certainly all the ghost - slightly overact but remain convincing enough. In the beginning they look like Addams family copies, but in the course of the movie they all become actual persons with feelings of their own.

The movie is sometimes a bit scary and is not suitable for children under six (it actually has a "6" rating in Holland) but since the ghosts belong to the 'good guys' (the antagonist a second ghostbuster who uses less friendly methods) the movie never gets really scary.

During part of the movie the audience can see the ghosts, but the other characters in the movie cannot. This was done most convincingly. The special effects are also surprisingly good, because there is some walking-through-walls of course.

The movie is mainly a comedy with some suspense, but it also touches ons some more serious subjects such as life and death, accepting your situation and interpersonal relationships.

All in all a great movie to bring your kids to, because it is very enjoyable for a mature audience as well.

A Dutch feature series that's science fiction and political satire at the same time. That sounds quite unlikely but there is one such series: Quidam Quidam!

If only we could get this on DVD, watch it online, download it... but unfortunately the series got almost no attention and was forgotten quickly. For me, it still counts among the best TV productions ever made in Holland, and I would love to see it again.

The future as portrayed in this series is not very bright at all. But we are 10 years down the road and the general mood in our country has not improved. Xenophobe parties have government influence, social security is being privatized if not abolished - the things this TV series show are somewhat over the top, but not even that much.