Academy Awards 2020 - Predictions

My predictions of the 2020 Academy Awards.

Best motion picture of the year: “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood”
Best performance by and actor in a leading role: Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Best performance by an actress in a leading role: Renée Zellweger, “Judy”
Best performance by and actor in a supporting role: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood”
Best performance by and actress in a supporting role: Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Best achievement in directing: Sam Mendes, “1917”
Best original screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood”
Best adapted screenplay: Greta Gerwig, “Little Women”
Best cinematography: Roger Deakins, “1917”
Best achievement in film editing: Andrew Buckland and Michael McCusker, “Ford V Ferrari”
Best achievement in production design: Barbara Ling and Nancy Haigh, “Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood”

Best achievement in costume design: Jacqueline Durran, “Little Women”
Best achievement in makeup and hairstyling: Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker, “Bombshell”
Best achievement in music written for motion pictures (original score): Hildur Duđnadóttir, “Joker”
Best achievement in music written for motion pictures (original song): Elton John and Bernie Taupin, (I’m Gonna) Love Me Again, “Rocketman”
Best achievement in sound mixing: Mark Taylor and Stuart Wilson, “1917”
Best achievement in sound editing: Oliver Tarney and Rachael Tate, “1917”

Best achievement in visual effects: Dan DeLeeuw, Russell Earl, Matt Aitken and Daniel Sudick, “Avengers: Endgame”
Best documentary feature: “American Factory”
Best documentary short subject: “Learning to Skateboard”
Best animated feature film: “Toy story”
Best animated short film: “Hair Love”
Best live action short film: “Brotherhood”
Best international feature film: “Parasite”

10s Movie Review - Good Boys

Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Keith L. Williams, Brady Noon, Lil Rey Howry, Will Forte

Description: Three 6th grade boys ditch school and embark on an epic journey while carrying accidentally stolen drugs, being hunted by teenage girls, and trying to make their way home in time for a long-awaited party.

Review: “Good Boys” opening credits take you along the walls and across the desk of a boys' room. It's one like so many, with model airplanes, picture frames and toys lying around. When the main actors and production workers are introduced to the public, the image comes to rest with an average boy, about twelve years old, playing games in bed. And as in so many films of this genre, this kid is going to experience an enormously recognizable milestone in his life. A milestone after which everything will be different, and not in the way he had in mind. Max, as he's called, is going to his first kissing party soon.
The film follows a fairly common, and generally quite successful, pattern. Max goes to the kissing party with his two best friends Lucas and Thor, but not before some increasingly unsolvable problems have been overcome. A number of unlikely and recurring friends, enemies and jokes are made, all of which coincide in an insane apotheosis, in “Good Boys” the kissing party, where everything goes slightly different than planned. Put the course of this film next to that of “Superbad” or “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”, and the similarities are obvious.
The two pillars on which such films rest are the recognizability of the situations and the quality of the jokes. Unfortunately, in “Good Boys” there is a lot to be said for both, although both aspects certainly have their strong points. For example, writers Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg constantly succeed in making children's experiences recognizable in a playful way. There is nothing in the world as important as that one kissing party. However, this youthful innocence and ignorance are also an important source of jokes. They make fun of the endearing innocence and the bubble the kids are sitting in is pierced repeatedly, usually for a cheap laugh.
At the same time, the second point of criticism: the jokes. In this genre, good humor can keep the whole thing going, regardless of the quality of the rest of the film. Usually the humor is a bit juvenile, but also sharp and on the edge, especially on the edge of good taste. However, the choice of three children as the main characters makes it difficult for the humor to get past the slapstick level. A first kiss and a sneaky sip of beer aren't as outrageous as shooting your virginity or shooting at a police car, although a twelve-year-old might think so. The running gags are good, that is, but not strong enough to keep the whole thing exciting for an hour and a half.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

Movies to Look Forward to - February 2020

January is almost over, so time to look forward to the shortest month of the year.

February 6th – The Lodge
Director: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz
Starring: Riley Keogh, Richard Armitage, Jaeden Martell, Alicia Silverstone
Description: A soon-to-be stepmom (Riley Keogh) is snowed in with her fiancé’s two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begins to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.

February 19th – The Call of the Wild
Director: Chris Sanders
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Gillan, Dan Stevens, Bradley Whitford, Omar Sy
Description: A sled dog struggles for survival in the Alaskan wild.

February 20th – The GentlemenDirector: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, Michelle Dockery, Henry Golding, Eddie Marsan
Description: A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.

February 27th – Underwater
Director: William Eubank
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Vincent Cassel, T.J. Miller, John Gallagher Jr.
Description: A crew of aquatic researchers work together to get to safety after an earthquake devastates their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more than the ocen seabed to fear.

10s Movie Review - Man Up

Director: Ben Palmer
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 88 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Lake Bell, Simon Pegg, Rory Kinnear, Sharon Morgan, Olivia Williams, Phoebe Waller-Bridger

Description: Single Nancy takes the place of a stranger’s blind date, which leads to finding her perfect boyfriend (Simon Pegg)

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 4: A BRITISH COMEDY

Review: A whimsical twist of fate or coincidence is always a tasty entry to a romantic comedy. If at least one of the upcoming lovebirds is deliberately cheating on the whole thing, it's actually even better. The lie is revealed early on in the story, which creates a whole new dynamic between the characters. As far as plot is concerned, the British romcom “Man Up” is not that special, it’s the leads that level it up.
Director Ben Palmer, best known for his television work, was allowed to work on a screenplay by Tess Morris for his second feature film. With “Man Up”, Morris focusses primarily on the blossoming romance between Jack and Nancy. She portrays the female protagonist as a hard to match wallflower who would rather sit in her bathrobe in her hotel room watching “The Silence of the Lambs” while enjoying lots of candy than showing herself at a wedding party with far too happy thirty-somethings.
Once on the train, sighing about the lack of direction and love in her life, she meets the bitchy Jessica who reads a self-help book and especially advises Nancy to take it up herself. She leaves the book, which serves as recognition for her blind date, to Nancy. At London's Waterloo station, Nancy comes into contact with Jessica's date Jack and she decides to break through the rut of her life by playing along with the game while bluffing. It's easy to guess that the two of them feel a huge connection and have a great afternoon and evening ahead of them. With fear and trembling it is looking forward to the moment that Nancy's big secret will come out, just because it all went so well.
The two, played by Lake Bell and Simon Pegg, have great chemistry and they are the heart of the film. Pegg has been one of my favorite comedic actors for a while and he proofs why. But even in this film some jokes just don’t work. The entrance of character Sean, an old classmate of Nancy, add a little ridiculousness to the film. Jokes revolving around him are a bit tasteless at times and a bit silly. Here it feels more like an American comedy. But overall the humor is strong and subtle and the characters are relatable.
“Man Up” is a fun British comedy with charming leads.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Blinded by the Light

Director: Gurinder Chadha
Genre: Music/ Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Viveik Kalra, Dean-Charles Chapman, Kit Reeve, David Hayman, Kulvinder Ghir, Nikita Mehta, Rob Brydon, Meera Ganatra, Hayley Atwell, Aaron Phagura

Description: In England in 1987, teenager Javed (Viveik Kalra) from an Asian family learns to live his life, understands his family and finds his own voice through the music of American rock star Bruce Springsteen.

Review: Don’t let resistance, adversity and misfortune in life stop you. Don’t give up your dreams and hope, even if they seem so far away. we all have the right to our own lives and feelings. There are just some of the messages Bruce Springsteen has put into his music over the years. It has earned him many dedicated fans worldwide. For the British-Pakistani Sarfraz Manzoor, Bruce became a lifelong inspiration and obsession. “Blinded by the Light” is based on his life, written by him and an ode to both Bruce Springsteen and how we can be connected anywhere in the world through empathy.
Safraz Manzoor, in the flm called Javed, moves to England when he is two-years old. He grows up in Luton, a town in South-East England. He doesn’t have a happy childhood and doesn’t British or Pakistani. Javed doesn’t have any connection with his birth country, but also with the countru he currently lives in. He wants to, but on the one hand there is his strict father, with whom he has a bad relationship and of whom he doesn’t like much. On the other hand there is the racism of white Britons, who call him ‘paki’, piss through the mailbox and once put a pig head on the local mosque.
But then Javed discovers the music of Bruce Springsteen, thanks to a friend. Not a Pakistani Muslim, but a Sikh of Indian descent who had the same identity struggle in the eighties. Bruce Springsteen’s music and especially his lyrics appeal to them so much that they almost feel that he wrote the songs for them. because even though Springsteen is a lot older and comes from America, he writes about universal feelings and themes from his own perspective, in such a way that Javed recognizes himself in it that he becomes an obsessed fan for life. Against the will of his family, Javed want to be a writer and journalist.
Besides a look at the cultural identity of second-generation immigrants and racism in England, “Blinded by the Light” is also mainly an ode to Springsteen and the strong points of his music and poetry. There are as relevant today as they were to Javed in the eighties, while the images of demonstration by the right-wing extremists are strongly reminiscent of similar (neo-) fascist movements today.
Nevertheless, “Blinded by the Light” is a cheerful, even sentimental feel-good film about finding an identity and daring to follow your dreams. Precisely the clichéd feel-good moments at the end of the film, and some of the early quarrels with his father, are fascinating and moving. With “Blinded by the Light” the real-life Javed gives the same hope and joy of life that Bruce Springsteen’s music once gave him.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

TV Show Reviews - Don't F**k with Cats (Limited Docu Series)

Season: Limited Series
Genre: Documentary/ Crime
Number of episodes: 3
Year: 2019
Starring: Deanna Thompson, John Green, Claudette Hamlin, Antonio Paradiso, Anna Yourkin, Benjamin Xu

Description: A group of justice seekers track down a guy who posted a video of him killing kittens.

Review: The three-part true-crime series “Don’t F**c with Cats” has the most effect on people who watch the series without any prior knowledge. Maybe that’s why Netflix launched the series the day before Christmas, relatively low-profile; yet the documentary spread like a social media hype in just a few days.
The title refers to the first rule of the internet, tells casino employee and internet nerd Deanna Thompson, aka Baudi Moovan. Anyone who dares to hurt kittens a hair will be hunted by a driven community that will not rest until the culprit is found.
“Don’t F**k with Cats” director and Emmy-winner Mark Lewis doesn’t show the three gruesome movies in which a perverted young man tortures and kills young kittens. But the suggestion is enough: the viewer immediately understands why the Facebook group that Deanna and her internet friend ‘John Green’ create is doing everything they can to find and punish the perpetrator.
As fully-fledged detectives, they study all the clues offered by the videos: where is that bedspread for sale? Can that vacuum cleaner only be ordered in the US? Is that Russian music we hear in the background? However, the actually insane undertaking degenerates into a real-life manhunt when the deranged animal torturer seems to shift his field of activity by torturing and killing people.
“Don’t F**k with Cats” is, partly due to the avalanche of astonishing archive and news images and the energetic editing, so much more that a three hours of ‘talking heads’ reconstructing an already bizarre enough story itself. Above all, it is a bizarre and bloodcurdling thriller, the outcome of which cannot be guessed until the last moment and which no writer could have invented.
But in the meantime, director Lewis also paints an accurate picture of the pros and cons of the role that the digital world has come to play in our modern lives in a short space of time. Lonely people can, if they join forces behind their computers, actually be able to track down hyperintelligent killers. But at the same time, the world wide web also offers a stage to disturbed people who enjoy all the attention they get. “Don’t F**k with Cats” is one of the best crime docu series I have seen in a long time.

TV Show Review - The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann (Limited Docu Series)

Season: Limited Documentary Series
Genre: Documentary/ Crime/ Drama
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2019
Starring: Anthony Summer, Gonçalo Amaral, Robbyn Swan, Jim Gamble, Ernie Allen, Robert Murat, Susan Hubbard

Description: “The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann” takes a detailed look at the disappearance of the three-year-old Madeleine McCann, who vanished from he seaside resort of Praia de Luz in Portugal, while on holiday with her family.

Review: May 2007. The then three-year-old girl Madeleine McCann disappeared from an apartment in Praia de Luz. Nobody knows what happened and nobody has an answer to where she is right now. It is the most famous missing persons case ever and every year it is revisited. So in 2019 Netflix came up with the new documentary series: “The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann”. In the series of eight episodes Netflix tries to show all sides of the huge case.
The documentary series consists of eight episode. Each episode tells part of the story. Dozens of people are given the floor: police officers who were investigating at the time, investigators, journalists, eyewitnesses, friends of the family. “The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann” gives a very broad spectrum of varying opinions and discusses possible theories in eac episode. Also, the series is made in chronological order, from the day of her disappearance to where the investigation is now. Each time, the days of how long she has been missing are added up.
It's a true story and everything is shown is based on investigations and statements of witnesses. But because know one knows what really happened to Madeleine McCann, it’s build on speculations, acquisitions and conspiracies. There is no answer to the question of where Madeleine is. But someone knows, as the title of the last episode implies. And that title gave me the chills, because someone on this planet knows what happened to her and where Madeleine is.
It’s a fascinating story, which does drag a bit ever once in a while. It only consists of speculation on what might have happened and who was involved. But it’s especially the feeling of unease that gets you in the end.

10s Movie Review - Secret Obsession

Director: Peter Sullivan
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Brenda Song, Mike Vogel, Dennis Haysbert

Description: Recuperating from trauma, Jennifer (Brenda Song) remains in danger as she returns to a life she doesn’t remember.

Review: The title of the Netflix Original film “Secret Obsession” already reveals a lot about what the thriller is all about: obsession. Jennifer gets into an accident and when she wakes up, she doesn’t remember anything. Not about what happened to her, her family or even her husband Russell. Her husband stays with her until she is well enough to come home again, but Jennifer feels uneasy since she doesn’t know anything about him. She starts her own investigation in to finding out about her past, her life and what happened to her.
A thriller should be exciting with a story full of plot twists that keep the viewers on they edge of their seats. “Secret Obsession” has none of that. All the supposed twists and turns can be predicted from the get go and are not surprising whatsoever. The tension is never really presents and the performance are all pretty bad. The concept of the film is more haunting then the movie itself.
“Secret Obsession” is a very forgettable film, nothing worth mentioning and something you should skip.

Rating: 1,5 / 5

TV Show Review - How to Get Away with Murder (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Number of episodes: 15
Year: 2016
Starring: Viola Davis, Billy Brown, Charlie Weber, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Liza Weil, Karla Souza, Alfred Enoch, Matt McGorry, Conrad Ricamora, Famke Janssen

Description: A group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor become involved in a twisted murder plot that promises to change the course of their lives.

Review: Now that the murder of Lila Stangard has been solved you would think that everything is fine with the 'Keating Five'. Nothing could be further from the truth because with the disappearance of Rebecca Sutter, Wes' girlfriend and prime suspect of Lila's murder, everyone has to deal with a new problem. Annalise Keating has the difficult task of solving this problem again before the situation gets out of hand.
Just like during the first season there is again a mystery of which we get to see pieces of the puzzle via flashforwards. The first nine episodes are mainly about the Hapstall case that revolves around the murder of the adoptive parents of Caleb and Catherine Hapstall. A case that is complicated in itself, were it not for the fact that a flashforward shows that eventually Annalise herself will also be involved in this case. While the team is busy with the Hapstall family, Connor tries to revive his relationship by moving in with Oliver. A decision that will eventually cause Oliver to become more and more involved in shady cases, with all its consequences. The second part of this season focuses on Wes and the death of his mother ten years ago, with flashbacks we as viewers soon realize that there is much more behind it than was known so far.
This season, there are again a number of important guest roles that reinforce the story. We see Dutch actress Famke Janssen as lawyer Eve Rothlo, an old acquaintance of Annalise. Cicely Tyson is also present again as Annalise's mother Ophelia. These admittedly small roles add value to the story and show how much the makers value the quality of the show.
This second season we learn more about the past of Asher and Bonnie. The home situation of policeman Nate Lahey will also be discussed. Mysteries are plentiful, sometimes even to such an extent that it is difficult as a viewer to remember exactly what whoever has done. Whether this is the strength or the weakness of the series is something I haven't figured out yet. “How To Get Away With Murder” tells a story you really have to keep your head and regularly creates unexpected events and scenes. At a certain point, however, it's all a bit far-fetched. When is enough, enough? A lot of bizarre coincidence and it becoming less credible.
When it comes to the characters, I only like Laurel. She seems to be the only one that has a conscience or any sense of justice. It’s really hard for me to watch a series that has no characters that I really sympathize with. All of them commit crimes, doing everything to cover it up, get away with it (as the title says), have sex with each other (because that solves EVERYTHING) and move. And everyone is crazy loyal to Annalise, no matter what she does to them. And there are a lot of shows where criminals have a major role, like Walter White and Jesse Pinkman in “Breaking Bad” of the entire crew of “Sons of Anarchy”. But because of their strong character build-up, you can relate or even sympathize with them, even if they are criminals.
You can't tell much about “How To Get Away With Murder” without giving away spoilers. It’s still an okay series to watch, but as I stated before, it’s difficult to watch if you have no one to really relate to. I will probably not going to continue to watch “How to Get Away with Murder”.

Oldies Movie Review - 2001: A Space Odyssey

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Genre: Science Fiction
Runtime: 143 minutes
Year: 1968
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester, Daniel Richter, Leonard Rossiter, Margaret Tyzack, Robert Beatty, Sean Sullivan, Douglas Rain, Frank Miller, Bill Weston, Ed Bishop, Glenn Beck, Alan Gifford, Ann Gillis, Edwina Carroll, Penny Brahms, Heather Downham

Description: After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, mankind sets off on a quest to find its origins with help from intelligent supercomputer H.A.L. 9000.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 3: A SCI-FI MOVIE.

Review: When an extraterrestrial object is discovered on the moon, a fantastic search for the origin and future of mankind begins. Even after half a century, this science fiction epic by director Stanley Kubrick and writer Arthur C. Clark continues to captivate and amaze film viewers.
The film tells about our evolution from apes to space travelers. During this journey we are treated to inventive special effects, a classic soundtrack, a confrontation with a self-confident on-board computer and an ending whose meaning still evokes lively discussions among fans.
Fans of smooth action better avoid “2001: A Space Odyssey”. The film is known for its calm tempo and the absence of spectacle. Instead, Kubrick spends a lot of time on long shots of ships floating through space and of lone astronauts during their daily activities.
All this has an almost hypnotic effect on the viewer. It also gives you time to think about the great influence the film has had on the science fiction genre and the many fascinating concepts Kubrick fires at you. So, for anyone who has never experienced “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Grab your chance!

Rating: 4 / 5

10s Movie Review - Regression

Director: Alejandro Amenábar
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis, Aaron Ashmore, Dale Dickey

Description: A detective (Ethan Hawke) and a psychoanalyst (David Thewlis) uncover evidence of a satanic cult while investigating a young woman’s (Emma Watson) terrifying past.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 2: A THRILLER MOVIE

Review: Detective Bruce kenner investigates a vice case involving young Angela. When they decide to use a psychoanalyst to take her back to the moment of the deed, a lot of extra information is released.
“Regression” opens with this case, no introduction, no explanation. Along the way everything becomes clear. The film revolves around regression therapy, trying to retrieve repressed memories. This way Bruce comes closer to the solution. This case is also about satanic rituals.
The film has its moments and it has a creepy atmosphere. And the acting is solid. But the rather disappointing revelation at the end drags the film down. An ending that makes you forget about the rest of the film.
“Regression” is an okay thriller, but it’s super forgettable.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

TV Show Review - How to Get Away With Murder (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Number of episodes: 15
Year: 2015
Starring: Viola Davis, Billy Brown, Charlie Weber, Jack Falahee, Aja Naomi King, Liza Weil, Karla Souza, Alfred Enoch, Matt McGorry, Conrad Ricamora, Tom Verica

Description: A group of ambitious law students and their brilliant criminal defense professor become involved in a twisted murder plit that promises to change the course of their lives.

Review: The series is divided in two parts. The first part is the new cases criminal defense lawyer Annalise Keating and her two assistants Frank and Bonnie work on. Her office is set in het house, where she lives with her husband Sam. Annalise also teaches at a law school, with a class she calls ‘how to get away with murder’. Five students are privileged to work with her: Connor Walsh, Michaela Pratt, Asher Millstone, Laurel Castillo and Wes Gibbons.
The second part is the flashforwards that return in each episode, were we see these students who supposedly committed a crime and are trying to cover it up. In this season there is also one red thread, which is the case of the murdered student Lila Stangard.
In the 9th episode we find out what the crime is and after that, the rest of the season focuses on the aftermath and all the consequences this crime has for each of the individuals involved. And instead of flashforwards, we get flashbacks to tie all the loose ends together.
Each episode is captivating, even after episode 9. Viola Davis plays Annalise Keating and she is the strongest asset in this show. She carries it and is the star of the show. Her students, so far, I only sympathize with Laurel. She is the only one I actually like and who I feel has a conscience.
I will start season 2, just to see where the series is headed.

Movies to Look Forward in 2020

I did an ultimate look back on several genre movies of the decade and made a list of my favorite films of 2019. But it’s 2020 now and time to look ahead. Creating a list of all those movies we can look forward to. Of course I will keep doing the monthly ones, but here is an overall look of films coming out in 2020 (based on Dutch release dates).

January 2nd 2020 – Jojo Rabbit
Director: Taika Waititi
Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Taika Waititi, Scarlett Johansson, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant, Archie Yates Description: A young boy (Roman Griffin Davis) in Hitler’s (Taika Waititi) army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.

January 9th 2019 – 1917
Director: Sam Mendes
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Colin Firth, Dean-Charles Chapman, Mark Strong
Description: Two young British soldiers during the First World War are given an impossible mission: deliver a message deep in enemy territory that will stop 1,600 men, and one of the soldier’s brothers, from walking straight into a deadly trap.

January 16th 2020 – Bombshell
Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow, Allison Janney, Malcolm McDowell, Connie Britton, Mark Duplass, Kate McKinnon, Stephen Root
Description: A group of women take on Fox News head Roger Ailes (John Lithgow) and the toxic atmosphere he presides over the network.

January 23rd 2020 – Dark Waters
Director: Todd Haynes
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Bill Pullman, Anne Hathaway, Victor Garber, Bill Camp, Mae Winningham
Description: A corporate defense attorney (Mark Ruffalo) takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.

February 6th 2020 – Birds of Prey
Director: Cathy Yan
Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Ewan McGregor, Rosie Perez, Chris Messina, Jurnee Smollett-Bell
Description: After splitter with the Joker, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) joins superheroes Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.

February 20th 2020 – The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Colin Farrell, Charlie Hunnam, Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, Henry Golding, Michelle Dockery
Description: A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires.

February 27th 2020 – Underwater
Director: William Eubank
Starring: Kristen Stewart, T.J. Miller, Vincent Cassel John Gallagher Jr
Description: A crew of aquatic researchers work to get to safety after an earthquake devastated their subterranean laboratory. But the crew has more that the ocean seabed to fear.

March 4th 2020 – Onward
Director: Dan Scanlon
Starring: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Octavia Spencer, John Ratzenberger
Description: Set in a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers embark on a quest to discover of there is still magic out there.

March 5th 2020 – The Invisible Man
Director: Leigh Whannell
Starring: Elisabeth Moss
Description: When Cecilia’s (Elisabeth Moss) abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.

March 19th 2020 – A Quiet Place II
Director: John Krasinski
Starring: Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou, Millicent Simmonds, Noah Jupe
Description: Following the events at home, the Abbott family now faces the terrors of the outside world. Forced to venture into the unknown, they realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path.

March 26th 2020 – A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Director: Marielle Heller
Starring: Tom Hanks, Matthew Rhys, Chris Cooper
Description: Baed on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) and journalist Tom Junod, in the movie called Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys).

April 2nd 2020 – No Time to Die
Director: Cara Joji Fukunaga
Starring: Daniel Craig, Ana de Armas, Rami Malek, Ralph Fiennes, Léa Seydoux, Ben Wishaw, Naomie Harris, Billy Magnussen, Christoph Waltz, Jeffrey Wright
Description: Bnd (Daniel Craig) has left active service. His peace is short-lived when his old friend Felix Leiter (Jeffrey Wright) from the CIA turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology.

May 14th 2020 – The Woman in the Window
Director: Joe Wright
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry, Wyatt Russell
Description: Anna Fox (Amy Adams) is an agoraphobic woman living alone in New York. She begins spying on her new neighbors, only to witness a disturbing act of violence.

April 29th 2020 – Black Widow
Director: Cate Shortland
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, David Harbour, Florence Pugh, Rachel Weisz, William Hurt, Ray Winstone
Description: A film about Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) in her quest between films “Civil War” and “Infinity War”.

June 4th 2020 – Wonder Woman 1984
Director: Patty Jenkins
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Pedro Pascal, Kristen Wiig, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen
Description: Plot unknown.

July 9th 2020 – Ghostbusters: Afterlife
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Finn Wolfhardt, Bill Murray, Mckenna Grace, Carrie Coon, Annie Potts, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, Sigourney Weaver
Description: When a single mom and her two kids arrive in a small town, they begin to discover their connection to the original Ghostbusters and the secret legacy their grandfather left behind.

July 16th 2020 – Top Gun: Maverick
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Val Kilmer, Miles Teller, Jon Hamm
Description: After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.

September 17th 2020 – The King’s Man
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Matthew Goode, Stanley Tucci, Charles Dance, Rhys Ifans, Daniel Brühl, Djimon Hounsou, Tom Hollander
Description: As a collection of history’s worst tyrants and criminal masterminds gather to plot a war to wipe out millions, one man must race against time to stop them.

November 4th 2020 – The Eternals
Director: Chloé Zao
Starring: Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Kit Harington, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Bryan Tyree Henry
Description: The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.

November 19th 2020 – Dune
Director: denis Villeneuve
Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Stellan Skarsgård, Jason Momoa, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, Javier Bardem, Charlotte Rampling
Description:Feature adaptation of Frank Herbert’s science fiction novel, about the son of a noble family entrusted with the protection of the most valuable asset and most vital element in the galaxy.

November 20th – 2020 – Godzilla Vs. Kong
Director: Adam Wingard
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Kyle Chandler, Alexander Skarsgård, Bryan Tyree Henry, Rebecca Hall, Danai Gurira, Lance Reddick, Ziyi Zhang
Description: As the gigantic Kong meets the unstoppable Godzilla, the world watches to see which one of them will become King of the Monsters.

Expected in 2020 – The French Dispatch
Director: Wes Anderson
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Timothée Chalamet, Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe, Léa Seydoux, Bill Murray, Benicio Del Toro, Kate Winslet, Elisabeth Moss, Tilda Swinton, Christoph Waltz, Adrien Brody, Jeffrey Wright, Frances McDormand, Henry Winkler
Description: A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories in “The French Dispatch” magazine.

Expected in 2020 – On the Rocks
Director: Sofie Coppola
Starring: Rashida Jones, Bill Murray, Jenny Slate
Description: A young mother who reconnects with her larger-than-life playboy father on an adventure through New York.

Expected in 2020 – Bios
Director: Miguel Sapochnik
Starring: Tom Hanks, Caleb Landry Jones, Skeet Ulrich
Description: On a post-apocalyptic earth, a robot, built to protect the life of his dying creator’s beloved dog, learns about life, love, friendship and what it means to be human.

10s Movie Review - The Kid That Would Be King

Director: Joe Cornish
Genre: Family/ Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Louis Ashbourne Serkis, Denise Gough, Dean Chaumoo, Tom Taylor, Rhianna Doris, Patrick Stewart, Rebecca Ferguson, Angus Imrie

Description: A group of kids embark on an epic quest to thwart a medieval menace.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 1: A FANTASY MOVIE

Review: “The Kid Who Would Be King” is a family fantasy film filled with adventure, written and directed by Joe Cornish.
The film is set in the modern world and a young Merlin has to find king Arthur in this world, to remind him who he really is. Arthur is trapped in the body of the young student Alex, without him knowing that this is his destiny. When Alex accidentally finds the magical sword Excalibur, he is vaguely reminded of it. Alex has to convince his friends and foes who they really are. And this all before evil sorceress Morgana attacks and jeopardizes the future.
The story of King Arthur has been told so many times, but this version is very different and targeted at a young audience. Young kids can relate to this film, because most actors are also young kids.
To find a strong young cast is really hard to do, but for the most part this film succeeds. Especially Louis Ashbourne Serkis (the son of Andy Serkis) is very strong, who stars in his first movie. Also Angus Imrie, who plays the young Merlin, is noteworthy. Patrick Stewart takes on the role of the older Merlin and is only in a few scenes. The villains in the films are a bit one-dimensional and don’t really get a lot of attention. Rebecca Ferguson is such a fantastic actress, so the role of the villain could have given her so much more. But the film doesn’t pay enough attention this and make the villains a bit bland.
Targeted at children, make it a fun family film. But overall it’s a pretty forgettable film.

Rating: 3 / 5

TV Show Review - You (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Number of episodes: 10
Year: 2019
Starring: Pen Badgley, Victoria Pedretti, Amby Childers, Jenna Ortega, James Scully, Carmela Zumbado

Description: A dangerously charming, intenstly obsessive young man (Penn Badgley) goes to extreme measures to insert himself into lives of those he is transfixed by.

Review: After a year of absence, we can again enjoy the creepy and well-thought out plans of stalker Joe. And this second season doesn’t disappoint when it comes to bloodcurdling tension and unexpected twists.
After the exciting cliffhanger of season one, where Joe’s ex Candace suddenly appears in front of him in the bookstore, it’s waiting for our friend’s new plan. Candace only wants one thing: revenge, but Joe is not going to let that happen. Joe, now Will Bettleheim, moves to Los Angeles. Who is going to be his next victim? Beck is dead and he doesn’t want to have anything to do with Candace. Nobody thinks he will change, although he lets us believe he wants to. But from the start of this season it’s cleat he never will, when he meets Love (I know, ridiculous name).
Penn Badgley, who plays Joe/ Will, does it again. You don’t want to, but somehow you can sympathize with him. Especially when you find out how his parents used to treat him and how he wants to protect the young Ellie, who lives next door. But at the same time those moments alternate well with the events when you look at him again with suspicion. You never know with Joe/ Will around. This makes this season, like its first, very binge-worthy. Even with the sickening scenes where he is dismembering a body or loses his own finger.
Some episode might be a little too long to stay interesting, but the great thins about “You” is that you look forward to each new episode. Every single episode has a little twist. And I’m not even talking about that big twist at the end, that even I didn’t see coming.
I didn’t think it was possible, but “You” managed to be just as captivating as its first season. Although not every episode is equally as strong, there is enough good material. Pen Badgley manages to convince again as Joe/ Will. It’s a season filled with tension and a creepy atmosphere and one hell of a twist at the end. Badgley already confirmed there is going to be a third season and the last scene sort of hints to it too. So I’m in!

2020 Movie Challenge

I wanted to challenge myself this year. I want to see (at least) one (to me) new movie every week, it doesn't matter in which year the film was released. To make it a little more specific, I set a task for each week. There is only one rule: It has to be a movie I have never seen before.

Here is the list and you can share it with others or even start it yourself:

I will keep you updated and of course share reviews for each movie I watched for the challenge.

10s Movie Review - Annabelle Comes Home

Director: Gary Dauberman
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino

Description: While babysitting the daughter (Mckenna Grace) of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), a teenager (Madison Iseman) and her friend (Kate Sarife) unknowingly awaken an evil spirit trapped in a doll.

Review: The universe around “The Conjuring” has formed well. “Annabelle Comes Home” is the seventh horror film within the franchise and the third film where the scary doll Annabelle has a role. The previous films were set before “The Conjuring”, but the by Gary Dauberman directed film is set right after these events. Demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren retrieve the doll from its traumatized owners. They take the doll home and put it away in a display case, which is secured by a priest so it cannot get out. But the case must never ever be opened, therefore they put a warning sign on the door.
A year later, when Lorraine and Ed leave their home for a day, they leave their daughter Judy with babysitter Mary Ellen, whom they’ve known for a while and loves Judy. Mary Ellen’s best friend Daniela also pays a visit, but she is there for a different reason. Her curiosity gets the better of her and Daniela manages to enter the ‘secret room’ that the Warren’s store their cursed and haunted artifacts in. When she opens the display case with Annabelle in it, all hell breaks loose and the girls have to fight the demonic entities.
That the creepy doll gets a third film has a reason. Even though the other films got mediocre reviews, “Annabelle Comes Home” is a pleasant and entertaining horror movie. There is a pretty good build-up in tension and has some effective scares.
Although there is little innovation, they still manage to create an entertaining film. "Annabelle Comes Home" is made in the same way as "The Conjuring" and, unlike the previous parts, really feels like part of the now popular franchise. The fact that protagonists Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga only play a supporting role is not a negative, because the acting of the young protagonists is convincing.
The film is a bit messy though, because it has way to many ‘ghosts’ and ‘spirits’ that the characters have to deal with. It eventually becomes a bit too much and they try to add to many of it into one film.
Overall “Annabelle Comes Home” is not as bad as you might expect, and it will be a fun film for an entertaining horror movie night.

Rating: 3 / 5

10s Movie Review - The Last Five Years

Director: Richard LaGravenese
Genre: Musical/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Jeremy Jordan

Description: Struggling actress Cathy (Anna Kendrick) and her novelist lover Jamie (Jeremy Jordan) each illustrate the struggle and deconstruction of their love affair.

Review: He is a young novelist, she dreams of an acting career. When they first meet, Jamie and Cathy immediately hit it off. But soon cracks appear in their dream marriage. For when the great success comes for Jamie, while Cathy has to make peace with supporting roles, things like temptation, jealousy and mutual misunderstanding start haunting their relationship.
“The Last Five Years” is a musical, where almost every spoken word is sung by the leading characters. As musicals being my guilty pleasure, I was kind of excited about this film. But in the end I was somewhat disappointed.
I didn’t feel for the characters, or at least not for Jamie. I disliked him from the start and didn’t understand why Cathy stayed with him for so long. Because she was clearly the better half of the couple and did more for him than he did for her. And with that, Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan didn’t really have chemistry.
Anna Kendrick is a very good singer and she is definitely the strongest element in this film. As well as het performance, I can’t say anything negative about it. And even while singing, she has a wide spectrum of emotions that she can show. And then there is Jeremy Jordan. A good singer, but not a very good actor. And he is constantly overshadowed by Kendrick.
Although the songs are beautiful and they tell the tale well, they never seem to stick with you. Maybe the opening song, “Still Hurting”, is the best one of the bunch. It immediately sets the tone for the film and warns you that you don’t have to expect a happy ending.
I don’t think it’s a bad movie or musical, but it’s simple the fact that Anna Kendrick is really great and her opponent just isn’t. And the two just don’t have any chemistry, which is extremely important for a movie like this.

Rating: 3 / 5