TV Show Review - Game of Thrones (Season 8, Episode 3)

Season: 8
Genre: Adventure/ Fantasy/ Drama/ Action
Episode: 3
Episode title: The Long Night
Air date: April 28th 2019
Starring: Kit Harrington, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Heady Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Liam Cunningham, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Bradley, Gwendolyn Christie, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Rory McCann, Jerome Flynn, Kristofer Hivju, Joe Dempsey, Jacob Anderson, Iain Glenn, Pilou Asbæk, Gemma Whelan, Richard Dormer, Anton Lesser, Daniel Portman

Description: The Night King and his army have arrived at Winterfell and the great battle begins.

Review: A build-up of almost eight seasons, getting ready for the most epic battle. One of the greatest 80 minutes in TV history. ATTENTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
In the first few minutes of the episode, we see everyone getting ready for battle. Some people hiding in the crypt, the rest in the line of fire. The Dothraki attack first, but never return. That’s when the real battle begins. And it looks like a battle they will never win.
“The Long Night” was directed by Miguel Sapochnik. He also directed “The Battle of the Bastards”, “Winds of Winter” and “Hardhome”. So it’s obvious he knows his way around battle scenes. It’s a pretty chaotic battle, but we switch between those battle scenes and shots of our heroes.
And it is tough to keep such a long battle interesting. But somehow you are on the edge of you seat the entire runtime of the episode. And that’s because you feel the constant threat. Not only because of the darkness, but also because of all of our favorite characters. And you never know when one of them might bite the dust. You want them all to survive, but that’s simply impossible. But I did expect more of the ‘big names’ to die. Somehow I think it’s still somewhat of a miracle that Sam and Brienne got out, because they were in several life threatening situations I thought would be their end.
Edd is the first to go and it was expected. Same goes for Beric, he has served his purpose. I didn’t expect Lyanna Mormont to die. But she went out with a bang. Her being killed by that giant and then stabbing him with her last breath. Theon was also an expected death, but I didn’t think he would go out the way he did. He made the ultimate sacrifice. Theon has changed over the seasons, from being an asshole to a ‘slave’ to a hero. Great way to go. Melisandra kind of predicted her own death. She had a pretty important role in the battle and like Beric, served her purpose. The one that got me the most and made me ball my eyes out, was Jorah. He has always been one of my favorites and I hated seeing him go. I was afraid for him the entire episode, but it looked like he was going to make it. Until he didn’t!!! He died the way he wanted: protecting Daenerys. And I loved how he kept fighting, until the whights fell down. That’s were he gave up and died in her arms. Knowing she was safe.
The scene in the crypt, between Sansa and Tyrion, shed new light on the couple. They were once married and Sansa tells him that he was the best one. Not that hard, when the other two were Joffrey (almost married her) and Ramsey. When the dead come to life in the crypt, Sansa and Tyrion hide and have a great moment together. What will happen between the two next? I somehow now think Sansa might even take the throne, with Tyrion by her side. They are a truly great duo and would make great rulers. Probably a better couple than Jon and Daenerys ever were.
Arya was absolutely awesome and she confirms again why she is my favorite character. The scene in the library was filled with tension and I was on the edge of my seat constantly. You know she will probably survive, but still it’s a fantastic scene. And in the end, Arya saves the day, or actually mankind. How badass was that? I think it was predicted that either Daenerys or Jon would eventually kill the Night King, but it’s such a cool twist to make Arya the hero. Bran knew that she was the one, because in episode 2 he handed Arya the dagger. And Melisandra also knew that Arya was the one.
The scenes with the dragons were simple perfect. They looked stunning and the inevitable fight between ‘dead’ dragon Viserion and his brothers was amazing and heartbreaking at the same time.
One to mention is Ramin Djawadi, the composer. His music is fantastic, but especially for this episode. It perfectly builds up and it’s phenomenal.
People say it’s anti-climactic. I think that the Night King was killed a bit too easy, especially since we’ve been waiting for it for almost 8 seasons. But still I think that Arya killing him the way she did was brilliant.
“The Long Night” is an intense episode. I can’t remember the last time I watched an episode with my heart beating in my throat like that. I was so excited for it and it paid off. It’s an epic episode, that will ruin a lot of lives.

Movies to Look Forward to - May 2019

Some great action and spectacle coming up in May.

May 8th – Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
Director: Rob Letterman
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Suki Waterhouse, Ken Watanabe, Bill Nighy
Description: In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.

May 16th – John Wick 3: Parabellum
Director: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Jerome Flynn, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick Description: Super-Assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin's guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head - he is the target of hit men and women everywhere.

May 23rd – Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Kennedy
Description: Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet.

May 23rd – Brightburn
Director: David Yarovesky
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman
Description: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?

May 30th – Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Director: Michael Dougherty
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Charles Dance, Bradley Whitford, David Strathairn, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, CCH Pounder
Description: The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.

May 30th – Ma
Director: Tate Taylor
Starring: Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Missi Pyle, Luke Evans, Allison Janney
Description: A lonely woman (Octavia Spencer) befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn't get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.

May 30th – Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taran Edgerton, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Tate Donovan, Stephen Graham
Description: A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's (Taran Edgerton) breakthrough years.

TV Show Review - Game of Thrones (Season 8, Episode 2)

Season: 8
Genre: Adventure/ Fantasy
Episode: 2
Episode title: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Air date: April 21st 2019
Starring: Kit Harrington, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Heady, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Liam Cunningham, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Bradley, Gwendolyn Christie, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Rory McCann, Jerome Flynn, Kristofer Hivju, Joe Dempsey, Jacob Anderson, Iain Glenn, Pilou Asbæk, Gemma Whelan, Richard Dormer, Anton Lesser, Daniel Portman

Description: The battle at Winterfell is approaching. Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is confronted with the consequences of the past. A tense interaction between Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) follows.

Review: The second episode of season 8 does two things: it shows beautifully what has happened so far, what journeys everyone took and how it changed them. But is also looks ahead, preparing for the inevitable battle against the white walkers. This make it the second episode in a row that is not action packed. But a lot happens. Strong dialogues and great conversations between the characters. ATTENTION: SPOILERS AHEAD!
The episode opens with Jaime, standing in front of Sansa, Daenerys and Jon. He’s not exactly the most welcomed guest at Winterfell and especially Sansa and Daenerys have doubts. It’s Lady Brienne that convinces them to let Jaime stay and fight alongside them. Because he has changed and is now an honorable man.
There is a moment between Sansa and Daenerys, the first real conversation between the two. They are at odds with each other, but also seem to agree on some level. Until Sansa brings up the fate of The North. She won’t let anyone else rule it, ever since the Starks have taken it back. So what will happen to The North, if Daenerys sits on the Iron Throne?
Bran and Jaime talk. Jaime is the one responsible for crippling Bran. But somehow Bran forgives him. Jaime is not the same man because of the push and Bran is not the same man because of the fall.
And Theon also returns to Winterfell, willing to fight. And Sansa is particularly happy with his return, after he helped her escape Ramsey.
When night falls in Winterfell, we see the characters come together. Reminiscing about the past, their journeys, the upcoming battle. My favorite part was where Lady Brienne, Jaime, Tormund, Podrick, Tyrion and Davos gather around a fire. Talking about all the battles they have won, everything they’ve been through and what to expect next. The moment where Brienne finally becomes a knight, is hands down my favorite part of the episode (and hints to the title of this episode).
There was also some romance and it was pretty surprising. Arya wanted to know what it was like to be with a man, before she dies in battle. And Gendry is that man. I think many of us still see the little Arya from the beginning, but she’s all grown up now. Arya and Gendry hooking up is something we wanted, but this scene felt a little unnecessary.
Someone we wanted to see for a long time is back and if you blinked, you could’ve missed it. It’s Ghost, Jon’s direwolf. Where did he come from and why was it just that one scene that we saw him in? Great that he’s back, but I wanted a bit more.
Jaime and Tyrion had a few moments together and it’s the first time that they can finally be brothers who are freed from Cersei. Tyrion was also questioned as the hand of the Queen, by his queen Daenerys. She admits Tyrion has made mistakes and she isn’t afraid to tell him. Tyrion knows that he might hand over this task. Maybe to Jorah, who has been Daenerys’ most trusted and loyal servant since the beginning.
Speaking of Jorah. He met up with his cousin Lyanna, who is planning on fighting in battle herself. And Sam handing over his family sword to Jorah, because Sam is not a fighter.
At the end, we see Daenerys meeting up with Jon in the crypt. Jon is standing in front of Lyanna Stark’s statue. When Daenerys asks Jon who it is, Jon tells her about Lyanna Stark. And with that Jon tells her the truth about him. Daenerys doesn’t believe it at first, but knows what it means. But there is no time to think about it, because the battle is about to start. And right when the dead arrive, the episode ends.
The episode has some sort of melancholy. Meetings we were hoping for happened and it’s a great build-up to the upcoming battle. Episode 2 is definitely the beginning of the end. I think this was a goodbye to some characters, because we are definitely going to lose a few in that battle that will happen in episode 3. I’m afraid for a few people: Jorah, Brienne, Theon and Grey Worm. For some reason I think they will not return from battle.
It’s a great episode. The perfect build-up for next episode. Which makes it even more unbearable for us to wait another week.

Movie Reviews - Holmes & Watson

Director: Etan Cohen
Genre: Comedy/ Adventure
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Rebecca Ferguson, Kelly Macdonald, Ralph Fiennes, Pam Ferris

Description: A humorous take on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.

Review: “Holmes & Watson” has a golden duo: stars from the movies “Step Brothers” and “Talladega Nights”, John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell. Together again in a comedy, so it must be fun. Well, no! It’s one of the worst comedies I’ve seen the past years.
Sherlock Holmes is known as one of the best detectives in the literary world. His intelligent friend Dr. John Watson assists him. “Holmes & Watson” is a humoristic and more absurd take on this duo and they are definitely not the master detectives they are in the novels.
Such funny actors in a non-funny comedy. How is it possible? Because it’s a giant shit-show. It’s painful to watch and you just want it to end. And it’s kind of insulting to the fantastic characters that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once created. They didn’t deserve to be portrayed like this or to be ridiculed.
If you haven’t seen “Holmes & Watson”, please keep it that way.

Rating: 1/ 5

Movie Reviews - Pet Sematary

Director: Kevin Kölsch, Dennis Widmyer
Genre: Thriller/ Horror
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, John Lithgow

Description: Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) and his wife, Rachel (Amy Seimetz), relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home.

Review: Louise Creed, his wife Rachel and their two kids decide to move to a small town in Maine. When their cat Church dies, neighbor Judd Crandall tells Louise about a secret burial place. When Church returns, Louise and his family can’t explain it. But a tragedy turns the life of the Creed family upside down and the Pet Sematary is a scary place.
“Pet Sematary” is one of the darkest stories written by Stephen King, the master of horror. Some elements where so gruesome, the author doubted if he could publish the book. It’s perfect material for a horror film and the first attempt was in 1989. It was a good film, but it never captured tat dark atmosphere from the book.
The new adaptation from directors Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer is much better than it’s predecessor. The tension is build and we spend enough time with the character to relate to them and their traumatic experiences.
Jason Clarke was a good choice for the leas and John Lithgow is perfectly cast. It was actually the, for me, unknown Amy Seimetz who stole the show. Her performance is fantastic and I felt her fear.
The film is not terrifying, but it has some great shock and scare moments. It’s an effective horror film. The deeper thoughts and the existential fear is something that doesn’t completely manage to convince.
The ending gets mixed feeling. Some people hate it, some people love it. I’m in the last group. It’s a pretty abrupt ending, but I like the unhappy ending. It’s the type of ending this story needed.

Rating: 4/ 5

TV Show Review - Game of Thrones (Season 8, Episode 1)

Season: 8
Genre: Adventure/ Fantasy/ Drama
Episode: 1
Episode title: Winterfell
Air date: April 15th 2019
Starring: Kit Harrington, Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage, Lena Heady Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, Liam Cunningham, Nathalie Emmanuel, John Bradley, Gwendolyn Christie, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Rory McCann, Jerome Flynn, Kristofer Hivju, Joe Dempsey, Jacob Anderson, Iain Glenn, Pilou Asbæk, Gemma Whelan, Richard Dormer, Anton Lesser, Daniel Portman

Description: Jon and Daenerys (Kit Harrington, Emilia Clarke) arrive in Winterfell and are met with skepticism. Sam (Jon Bradley) learns about the fate of his family. Cersei (Lena Heady) gives Euron (Pilou Asbæk) the reward he aims for. Theon (Alfie Allen) follows his heart.

Review: After over 500 days, “Game of Thrones” is back with its final season. We have been part of these character’s lives for so many years and the last season promises to become the highlight of the previous seasons. SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
The first episode can be summed up in three words: reunions, revelations and politics. The last two have been a red thread throughout the entire show. During this first episode, a lot of the characters either meet for the first time or they reunite. Two reunions were especially great to see: Arya and Jon, they hadn’t seen each other since season 1. This was my favorite reunion of the episode. And Jaime and Bran, which is a different kind of reunion, since Jaime pushed Bran out of a tower and crippled him for life in the very first episode of the show. Both Jaime and Bran are different people now, so its interesting to find out what will happen next.
The revelations in this episode will have a certain impact on the following episodes. Bran, although his constant staring is a bit creepy, has an important role. He knows about the true fate of Jon Snow and who he really is: the rightful heir to the throne. It’s Sam though who gets to tell him that. With this out in the open, it’s up to Jon what to do with it. Will he be faithful to Daenerys, after he gave up the crown for her? Or will he fight for the throne himself? It was a surprise to see this happen in the first episode.
“Winterfell” is a big throwback to the very first episode. In that episode, we saw Robert Baretheon and his army enter Winterfell. Sansa now takes over the roll from her father Ned Stark and it’s Daenerys instead of King Robert. It’s clearly the beginning of the end. It’s a build-up for what’s to come. The fight they are planning against the white walkers and the battle for the throne.
Euron arrived at King’s Landing, with the Golden Company. Cersei isn’t all that impressed yet, because she was expecting elephants and they didn’t arrive. I loved that scene, where she shows her disappointment. But Cersei showed a little weakness here, giving in to Euron’s needs.
Yara and Theon reunited. He found that it was the right thing to do to save his sister, after he abandoned her the first time. This moment was a bit rushed.
There was one scene with Bronn, who was visited by Cyburn. Cyburn proposed something to him: kill Jaime and Tyrion. A nice little detail was the crossbow he handed to Bronn. This was Joffrey’s crossbow and the same weapon Tyrion used to kill his father Tywin. Bronn hasn’t always been the most loyal soldier, so it’s possible he will take the offer.
Daenerys and Jon are clearly very into each other and there was a very important moment between the two. Or with the dragons actually. Jon did something we’ve been waiting for since we found out his true identity. He rode Rhaegal, the dragon named after Daenarys’ brother and is now known as Jon’s real father Rhaegar Targaryen. The moment wasn’t as epic as I hoped, but still satisfying enough.
“Game of Thrones” wouldn’t be “Game of Thrones” if it didn’t shock us. When Tormund and Beric visit The Last Hearth, they find young Lord Umber pinned to the wall with severed arms surrounding him. He comes back as a white walker, which was a pretty scary and shocking scene.
It was a great first episode, a nice build-up for what’s next.

TV Show Review - The Walking Dead (Season 9)

Season: 9
Genre: Horror/ Drama/ Adventure
Number of episodes: 16
Year: 2018/ 2019
Starring: Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Lauren Cohen, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Alanna Masterson, Josh McDermitt, Christian Serratos, Seth Gilliam, Ross Marquad, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Tom Payne

Description: Eighteen months after the defeat of Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) under an alliance of communities spearheaded by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), the season focuses on the united communities as they face obstacles and dangers both outside and inside their alliance, with the threat of the mysterious Whisperers looming.

Review: After season 8, “The Walking Dead” had lost my interest a bit. The pacing was slow and the unexpected deaths of some character didn’t help either. Rick decision about Negan’s fate in the season 8 finale was very lame and I thought it was the end for the show. But then there was season 9, which brought the show back to life.
Andrew Lincoln was announced to leave the show. I was never a huge fan of Rick Grimes, so I wasn’t disappointed. But I was afraid that “The Walking Dead” would suffer from this. Because Rick was the main character of the show.
From the start of the season, “The Walking Dead” felt fresh. It had a new opening sequence, it made a time jump and the pacing was much faster. The walkers are more present and the way they wrote Rick out of the show has been handled well. Maggie’s departure not so much, because she was just gone all of a sudden. And within the season another time jump was added.
With The Hilltop, The Kingdom and Alexandria still working together, you can see that, after Rick’s death, a lot has happened between the three places and their leaders.
The most interesting and exciting part of season 9 is the new hostile group: the Whisperers. They skin walkers and used their faces as a mask, so they can blend in with the actual walkers. Negan was a great villain at the start, but eventually became softer. The Whisperers are a real threat, they are scary an merciless.
I also liked the connection between Rick’s daughter Judith and Negan. Unlikely to see them get along, but it’s very endearing to see them bond.
Since a long time, “The Walking Dead” has been interesting again and it managed to shock us towards the end of the season. Something that the show was lacking in season 8.

10s Movie Review - The Cabin in the Woods

Director: Drew Goddard
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Kristen Connolly, Richard Jenkins, Bradley Whitford, Jesse Williams, Fran Kranz, Anna Hutchison, Brian White, Amy Acker, Jodelle Ferland, Chelah Horsdal, Tom Lenk, Monique Ganderton, Richard Cetrone, Dan Payne

Description: Five friends go for a break at a remote cabin in the woods, where they get more than they bargained for. Together, they must discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods.

Review: I’m always sceptic when the makers of a movie tell us it’s an unique or innovative film, because they are more often a lie than the truth. I also had that feeling when the makers of “Cabin in the Woods’, Drew Goddard and Joss Whedon, told us that. The slogan ‘you think you know the story, you think you know the place, think again’ sounds like any other horror movie. But “Cabin in the Woods” is different, because it is not like any other horror movie. It’s probably one of the better ones of the past years.
At first sight, nothing special happens in “Cabin in the Woods”. Five friends go to a cabin to relax and party. It’s nothing that has never been done before. And then there are the characters. Curt ad Jules are the louder characters, Holden and Dana are more serious and the fifth one, Marty, is stoned all the time. Marty has his own view on the world, which makes him the odd one out and a great addition to the otherwise stereotypical characters in horror flicks.
But something more is going on, because as soon as the group arrives at the cabin they are like rats in a trap. When they enter the basement, they bring some evil spirits back to life without even knowing it. From that moment on the movie takes a different turn. When we think the five friends are going into a long and predictable survival for life, it’s something completely unexpected. And it gets very bloody. Although gallons of blood flows, it’s never disgusting. It’s sometimes funny instead of gory.
If you’re a fan of horror movies, and you want something different for a change, “Cabin in the Woods” is definitely that movie for you. Surprisingly good, with humor and twists. I enjoy it every time.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - Fright Night

Director: Craig Gillespie
Genre: Horror/ Comedy
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Dave Franco

Description: Teenager Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin( suspects that his new neighbor Jerry (Colin Farrell) is a vampire.

Review: The horror movie “Fright Night” from 1985 isn’t one of the most well known movies from the 80’s. On the contrary, it’s a typical, very underrated genre film that got a cult status from a limited group of fans. Building of the tension, the atmosphere and the traditional vampire mythology make the original “Fright Night” an enjoyable film.
So there was a lot of skepticism when they decided to remake this horror classic and give it a modern twist. Thankfully the makers of “Fright Night” don’t make the same mistakes as predecessors that decided to make a modern version of a classic horror flick. The original source material has been handled well. Off course the setting and characters are spiced up a bit and are translated to the 21st century. The neighborhood this movie is set on, is well chosen. A place where many people work nights, a perfect place for a modern vampire. Director Craig Gillespie also succeeds in combining horror and humor together.
The star of the film is Colin Farrell. The flamboyant Irishman easily creates a memorable movie vampire, that can’t be compared to any other vampire. Jerry is a seemingly charming guy, but also a very self-assured killing machine. Fun fact is that Chris Sarandon, who played the role in the original, has a cameo. The British David Tenant also has a remarkable role, as horror magician Peter Vincent. Sometimes mocking, but has enough charm to not overdo it. Only the transformation from cynic to vampire slayer is a bit unbelievable. The movie also loses its tension towards the end.
Aside from some small negatives, “Fright Night” is an above average horror film. It’s not a movie you’re constantly comparing its predecessor, it has enough power to stand on its own. Finally a remake that manages to succeed and has the perfect balance between horror and comedy.

Rating: 4/ 5