Netflix Friday - Volume 14

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.

Action: The Dark Knight (2008)
When the menace known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman (Christian Bale) must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Drama: Arctic (2018)
A man (Mads Mikkelsen) stranded in the Arctic after a plane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown.

Comedy: Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
Columbus (Woody Harrelson), Tallahassee (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow zombie survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.

Animation: Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
A young witch (Kirsten Dunst), on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Romance: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Devastated Peter (Jason Segel) takes a Hawaiian vacation in order to deal with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell). Little does he know, Sarah’s traveling to the same resort as her ex, and she’s bringing along her new boyfriend (Russell Brand).

Horror: Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018)
An illustrious British boarding school becomes a bloody battleground when a mysterious sinkhole appears at a nearby fracking site unleashing unspeakable horror.

Science Fiction: Man of Steel (2013)
An alien chils is evacuated from his dying world and sent to Earth to live among humans. His (Henry Cavill) peace is threatened, when other survivors of his home planet invade Earth.

Crime: Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Follows the lives of three young men living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and future prospects.

Thriller: You Were Never Really Here (2017)
A traumatized veteran (Joaquin Phoenix), unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe’s nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

Documentary: Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.

Family: Minoes (2001)
A cat who turns into a young woman (Carice van Houten) helps a journalist (Theo Maassen) protect their own town from a factory boss with an evil plan.

10s Movie Review - When Marnie Was There

Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi

Genre: Animation/ Drama/ Family

Runtime: 103 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, John C. Reilly, Vanessa Williams, Catherine O’Hara, Kathy Bates, Ellen Burstyn, Kiernan Shipka

Description: Due to 12 year-old Anna’s (Hailee Steinfeld) asthma, she’s sent to stay with relatives of her guardian in the Japanese countryside. She likes to be alone, sketching. She befriends Marnie. Who is the mysterious, blonde Marnie?

Review: Now that grandmaster Hayao Miyazaki passed the torch after “The Wind Rises”, the question remains whether Japanese animation will be the same. With this Studio Ghibli film, Miyazaki has trained a team of very talented animation directors and draughtsmen. The studio has developed a unique style that has bridged the gap between the graphic rough Japanase anime and the sweet style of Walt Disney. Stylistically, the emphasis is on the hand-drawn animation, where the computer only serves as a support. And personally, I have always preferred the hand-drawn style. Thematically Ghibli is universally oriented with emotional stories that weave old Japanese traditions with Western values. In addition to Miyazaki’s extensive oeuvre, his colleagues have managed to enchant the world.

The newest film is the compelling and dreamy “When Marnie Was There”. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi took care of this full-length animation, based on the novel by British children’s book author Joan G. Robinson. The book was a favorite for Miyazaki, who often sought a connection with Western literature for his film adaptations. Yonebayashi succeeds in fusing traditional English elements with Japanese influences, although his characters have a western look, as the vast majority of Ghibli productions. The clever thing is that Yonebayashi doesn’t shy away from adult themes such as illness, loss, loneliness and abandonment and manages to capture this in an imaginative but for the animation studio remarkably earthy setting.

Central is twelve-year-old Anna, a talented girl who, in a poignant opening dialogue, declares that the world contains an imaginary circle in which she clearly stands outside. The girl is not noticed by her surroundings and was given up for adoption as a child. Anna also suffers from a severe form of asthma. In order to get some rest and fresh air, her adoptive mother sends Anna to family on the coast. The nosy girl loves to draw, and quickly starts to explore her surroundings. During her first exploration, she discovers an eccentric country house overlooking a swamp area. Anna thinks she recognizes the house and the blonde girl sitting at the window from her dreams and decides to investigate. Her host family maintains that it is an empty mansion, but Anna cannot let it go. Once she comes into contact with Marnie, the blonde girl at the window, a special friendship develops.

Yonebayashi constantly plays with the thin line between dream and reality. The bond between Anna and Marnie becomes so close that both threaten to lose themselves in the friendship. This never becomes threatening, but both girls want to try to hold on to what connects them for as long as possible, even if the world around them changes.

Although it’s not that hard to guess what’s really going on, it’s easily forgiven since we were again treated with beautiful imagery, a timeless story and lots of heart. Studio Ghibli really needs to keep creating.

Rating: 4/ 5

What's in a Movie Year - 1975

Taking a look at the year 1975, picking my 10 favorite movies from that year in random order.
 

Jaws
A seaside resort is terrorized by a great white shark, which has already caused several victims. The mayor refuses to close the beach. Sheriff Brody then fights the shark himself. For almost an hour we don’t get to see the shark, which is the strength of the movie. Because what horror movies taught us over the years is that it’s what you don’t see that scares us the most. “Jaws” is a brilliantly filmed and powerfully acted horror film, with an excellent score by John Williams.
 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Randle is transferred from a work prison to a psychiatric facility for evaluation. Randle sees the fun in it. His ward is full of eccentrics and the rebellious Randle gets the best out of them. Cold-hearted nurse Ratched is less fortunate with all the commotion and goes against Randle, to the bitter end. It’s a strong film, based on the book of the same name by Ken Kesey.
 

Dog Day Afternoon
A year before “Network”, director Sidney Lumet came up with a like-minded film in which thirty-something Al Pacino plays Sonny, a fantastic bank robber in the midst of an infernal media circus. It is a true story that beings on a hot summer day in 1972 New York. Sonny Wortzik robs a local bank in Brookyn together with the not too bright Sal. It culminates in a hostage-taking with the arrival of the police and the case gets national attention when it turns out that the loot was intended for the sex operation of Sonny’s lover Leon. It’s a genius film, with great dialogue and a memorable performance by Al Pacino.
 

The Stepford Wives
Joanna Eberhart has come to the quaint little town of Stepford, Connecticut with her family. She soon discovers there lies a sinister truth in the all too perfect behavior od the female residents. It’s an effective film, which makes you blood curdle. Based on the best-selling novel by author Ira Levin.
 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail
In their first feature film, the Monty Python gang adapted the Arthur legend with very little respect to the source material. It has a sequence of legendary scenes, dialogues and characters. One of the funniest movies ever made.
 

Three Days of the Condor
CIA employee Joseph Turner stumbles upon a conspiracy within the CIA. He forces photographer Kathy Hale to hide him in her house. It’s a great action film by Sydney Pollack.
 

The Return of the Pink Panther
The man with the ‘rare gift of knowing everything without having to think’. This is how clumsy Inspector Clouseau describes himself, unaware of any evil or failure. Actor Peter Sellers himself chose Clouseau’s controlled slant. In this fourth film, the Pink Panther diamond is stolen again, with Clouseau as the detective. Christopher Plummer and Catherine Schell play the suspicious couple. With great locations in Nice and Morocco. It’s a great film, with masterful opening animation, music and direction. Not my favorite in the series, but definitely one you have to see.
 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show
When this cult classic is shown in the cinema, fans sing all the songs. It’s a silly musical parody on the horror genre, in which the most idiotic characters are staged. It tells the story of a young couple who end up in a haunted house, inhabited by transvestites. Tim Curry plays a provocative role and Susan Sarandon is memorable as shaky Janet, who turns out to be a self-assured vamp.
 

The Man Who Would Be King
A splendid adventuristic drama, based on a story by Rudyard Kipling. British officers Daniel Dravot and Peachy Carnehan in colonial India travel to Afghanistan to gather wealth. Dravot pretends to be the reincarnation of Alexander the Great, making it easier for him to rob treasures. However, pride comes before the fall, also in Afghanistan. It’s a classic, that many people might not have seen yet. Worth a watch.
 

Barry Lyndon
I’ve only recently seen this movie for the first time. It’s a costume drama by Stanley Kubrick, which is over 3 hours long. Set in Eighteenth century Ireland, Irish adventurer and fortune hunter Redmond Barry pretends to be a nobleman. After a conflict with the family, stubborn Barry has little choice but to take off. The war awaits. A movie that I wouldn’t rewatch, but I can definitely appreciate due to how the film was made.
 

80s Movie Review - Kiki's Delivery Service

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Genre: Animation/ Adventure
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 1989
Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, Janeane Garofalo, Julia Fletcher, Barbara Goodson, Matthew Lawrence, Debbie Reynolds

Description: A young witch (Kirsten Dunst), on het mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Review: The word witch has always evoked a very negative image in both fairy tales and film. The wizard, on the other hand, was often a good person. If witches need an advertisement to change their images, this film might be the perfect choice. The broomstick and black cat are present, but any other stereotypical images aren’t present. “Kiki’s Delivery Service” is a studio Ghibli film and therefore contains the magical animations you expect from the company.
The opening scene already shows why Studio Ghibli animations are so amazing. Kiki, a 13 -year-old witch, lies in the grass listening to the radio. Around her, all the grass blades are individually moving through the wind. Already you can see the amazing eye for detail and craftsmanship.
In this world, when witches are 13 years old, they have to move away from their parents and live on their own to find out what they are good at and gain life experience. That moment has come for Kiki and together with her talking cat Jiji she flies off to the coast, a place she always wanted to go. When she sees a big city, Kiki decides to stay there and help people. She soon finds out that things are different in a big city. Luckily she meets just the person, Osono, a woman who runs a bakery and offers Kiki a place to sleep and her first job: helping out in the bakery and delivering parcels.
There are many reasons to love this film. The animations is one thing. I always loved Hayao Miyazaki’s style, soft colors and creation of beautiful landscapes. Second is the story, which is a beautiful tale of a girl growing up and dealing with feelings of insecurity and who she really is.

Rating: 5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret

Director: Kip Andersen, Keegan Kuhn
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Kip Andersen

Description: Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 31: A DOCUMENTARY

Review: The biggest ‘problem’ with this kind of documentary is that you often don’t know how reliable the data shown is. The makers of “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret” will have recognized that reliability problem, because on Cowspiracy.com you can research all the statements they make yourself. And the only conclusion is that we can only save this planet if we almost drastically reduce our meat consumption. But what makes this a very well-made documentary is, that it tries to find out why big environmental organizations like Greenpeace, Oceana and others don’t mention the number one cause of this environmental breakdown.
Well set up and very personal we follow Kip Anderson, one of the two directors, in his quest how he can arrange his life in such a way that he puts the least burden on the earth from an environmental point of view. Once heavily impressed by “An Inconvenient Truth” by Al Gore, Andersen started to shorten his showers, separated all his waste, travelled by bicycle, etcetera. After a while, however, he began to wonder whether it was useful at all, and after some research he soon discovered that the UN already reported in 2006 that the meat industry alone produces far more greenhouse gases than al the car, train, air and freight traffic in the world put together. Immediately he wondered why Gore didn’t mention this in his documentary, and that’s the start of a journey along a lot of large environmental organizations, in which Greenpeace in particular stands out for their unwillingness to respond to the request why they never talk about the meat industry in their fight. But fortunately Andersen and his co-director Keegan Kuhn didn’t let this stop him and he was resourceful to dig deeper. And what they discover then, will make you feel terrible, to use an understatement. Luckily the documentary isn’t a downer, since it did end with offering some hope.
The fact that over a thousand environmental activist have been murdered in Brazil in the past 20 years is a fact that you don’t really want to believe. And the fact that eating one hamburger in terms of water consumption equals about four hours of showering. Or that a Big Mac might only cost four dollars, but if you include the externalized costs (for health care, pollution), citizens should actually pay eleven dollars for it. Facts that are almost paralyzing when you start thinking about the fact that you only control your own life, while there are about seven billion other people on this planet. Not to mention the horror scenario that you can imagine when you think what will happen if those nearly three billion Chinese and Indians also eat about 90 to 100 kilograms of meat per year (as we do in the West), where they now only eat about 35 kilograms a year.
The list of interviewees for this documentary is really long. From names like Howard Lyman, who was once heavily criticized for talking a little too honestly about the meat industry on the Oprah Winfrey show. To representatives of Sea Shepherd, Oceana, Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation. Greenpeace was largely absent, but like some of the above representatives (Sea Shepherd excluded), they did not dare to talk about the meat industry. It's strange to see that Andersen manages to speak to someone from the Animal Agriculture Alliance (the life stock lobby), but Greenpeace kept declining a meeting. Has one of the largest powerful lobbies ensured that the world’s largest environmental organization does not dare to name the number one cause? By the way, the PR lady of the Animal Agriculture Alliance does keep quiet when the questions become to confronting and critical. And when Andersen started coming closer to the truth, his financiers for the documentary suddenly withdrew from the project.
I should mention that I am a vegetarian. And I’m pretty sure that meat-eaters will probably not watch this documentary, since they might find it too ‘preachy’. But if they do, I would not understand if they kept eating meat. Especially when you know that someone who eats meat needs eighteen times more land for his food than someone who eats vegan. I’m not full-on vegan, but I am very aware of what I eat and drink and replace as much animal-based products, such as dairy, for plant-based products as I possibly can. And I’m not saying that everyone should stop eating meat and dairy, but people should definitely decrease their consumption drastically. Because it’s not that hard to save the planet, it really does start with you. And it’s pretty simple. Because if we continue like this, we will probably end up in the history books as the most failed species ever.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

Five to Watch - Biopics

Biopics delve into the lives of important historical or contemporary figures and a story that has already been written, is perfect to adapt to film. There are thousands and thousands of biopics and I’d like to focus on the ones you might not know, are overlooked or are underrated. Here a five biopics for you to check out.

Control (2007)
This is a profile of Ian Curtis, the enigmatic lead singer of Joy Division. His personal, professional and romantic troubles led him to commit suicide at the age of 23. This film is the directorial debut of photographer Anton Corbijn, who focuses on Curtis’ life from 1972 until his intimely death in May 1980. The rapid fame of the post-punk band (one of the most influential British bands of all time) ensured a successful European tour and an extramarital affair, but Curtis was never separated from his hometown of Macclesfield. It was to be expected that the film looks beautiful, the black and white is incredibly vital. More surprisingly Corbijn shows himself to be a meticulous storyteller and an excellent actor director.

A Beautiful Mind (2001)
The story of John Nash, a brilliant but asocial mathematician. He accepts secret work in cryptography and it turns his life into a nightmare. This is the kind of film the Academy loves: a man on a mission overcomes adversity through perseverance and love in his life. It got eight nominations and half of it was cashed. Although Nash was a brilliant mind, his career fell apart due to schizophrenia. He did eventually win a Noble Prize. I still don’t understand how Russell Crowe didn’t win an Oscar for this. Jennifer Connelly did though.

Der Undergang (Downfall) (2004)
The film is about the last days of the Führer, Adolf Hitler. It meticulously portrays how Hitler initially still had some nice trades, for example his secretary Traudl Junge, no whose memoirs this film is based. Once cornered by the Allies, he becomes more and more openly unpleasant. Histler and his intimate circle are portrayed as people who hace no peeling (anymore) for raw reality. Which the viewer regularly gets to see, so that we don’t forget which destructions Hitler caused. Hitler is brilliantly portrayed by Bruno Ganz.

I, Tonya (2017)
A biopic about the American figure skater Tonya Harding, who was world news in 1994 when her competitor Nancy Kerrigan was injured, which Harding would have known about. Director Craig Gillespie made a delightful, poignant but often hilarious film about class difference (Harding was ‘white trash’, Kerrigan a ‘princess’), fame and media attention, but the film is made by actress Margot Robbie. She is unforgettable as Harding. Robbie is one of the most beautiful actresses Hollywood has right now and she dares to be the ‘ugly duckling’ and does that convincingly. Also one to mention is Allison Janney, as Harding’s mother. Great supporting role.

Amazing Grace (2006)
Idealist William Wilberforce maneuvers his way through Parliamant, endeavoring to end the British translatlantic slave trade. It’s a great piece of history, but very unknown to the audience. As is this film. I don’t think a lot of people have seen it and more should. This is definitely an underrated and overlooked film for sure.

00s Movie Review - Shaun of the Dead

Director: Edgar Wright
Genre: Horror/ Action/ Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2004
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Bill Nighy, Kate Ashfield, Lucy Davis, Dylan Moran, Nicola Cummingham, Peter Serafinowicz, Penelope Wilton

Description: Shaun (Simon Pegg) decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend (Kate Ashfield), reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.

Review: Leading man and co-writer Simon Pegg didn’t give himself the most heroic role. Shaun is maybe one of the biggest losers on the big screen. But that is what makes him so common and recognizable.
It takes some time for Shaun and his friend Ed to realize that London is filling up with zombies. When they finally find out, their responds is just as ‘realistic’: throwing everything as long as it didn’t cost anything. The two think of a plan of rescuing Shaun’s mom and girlfriend and then taking shelter in their pub the Winchester.
“Shaun of the Dead” is first and foremost a romantic comedy, with a splash of horror elements. You wouldn’t expect that of a zombie movie, but that’s exactly the power of the film. The humor is typical British en when you’re a fan, like I am, this is just your movie. It’s subtle and very clever.
For fans of black comedies, “Shaun of the Dead” is the perfect movie. And this is the start of a great series of films, that made me fall in love with Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. What a threesome!

Rating: 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Hot Fuzz

Director: Edgar Wright
Genre: Action/ Comedy
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Rafe Spall, Paddy Considine, Olivia Colman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Martin Freeman

Description: Exceptional London cop Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is involuntarily transferred to a quaint English village and paired with a witless new partner. While on the beat, Nicholas suspects a sinister conspiracy is afoot with the residents.

Review: Supercop Nicholas Angel is transferred from the hard crimes in London, to a sleepy town called Sanford, because Nicholas makes all the other cops ‘look bad’. He is just simply too good. Sanford is in the running for the title ‘Village of the Year’, which they have won multiple times before. When Nicholas arrives, he soon discovers that the citizens and local cops don’t really take crime very seriously. Even when several people are murdered, they all think it’s just all an accident.
You can say a lot about “Hot Fuzz”, but not that it’s boring. There is a lot of action, violence and a load of great jokes. And there isn’t one joke that doesn’t make you laugh or is predictable or cliché. That makes this film fresh and original.
Of course the on screen duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost work like a charm. Pegg is an adrenaline rushed cop and Frost is the very naïve and looking-for-action partner. Like a tradition of buddy cop movies, who are complete opposites of each other, but yet again it’s never cliché.
“Hot Fuzz” is fast paced, action packed and fresh. An original film with lots of laughs, even after rewatching it many times, with a dark undertone. “Hot Fuzz” is a winner!

Rating: 5/ 5

Oldies Review - Escape from Alcatraz

Director: Don Siegel
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 1979
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Patrick McGoohan, Roberts Blossom, Jack Thibeau, Fred Ward, Paul Benjamin, Larry Hankin, Bruce M. Fischer, Frank Ronzio, Fred Struthman, David Cryer, Madison Arnold

Description: Alcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men make a possible successful attempt at escaping from on of the most infamous prisons in the world.

Review: Frank Morris tries to make the impossible possible in this true story, by escaping from Alcatraz, one of the most highly secures prisons, just off the coast of San Francisco, California.
Clint Eastwood excels as the stoic but intelligent Morris. To his superiors he is obstinate and among the prisoners he is loyal to anyone who approaches him kindly. Gradually he becomes somewhat of a leader.
Eastwood forms a group of confidants around him. People who see him as someone they can trust. It is great to see how Morris doesn’t seem to fear the warden, but also no fear for anything else in Alcatraz. A guy named Wolf, who is supposed the be a threat, doesn’t really scare or impress Morris.
Director Don Siegel, who also made “Dirty Harry” with Eastwood, managed to create film that you will be invested by, without any frills or fuss. Less is more for this film, which could have easily turned out the be a bombastic, epic and spectacular Hollywood film. But that doesn’t fit for this film or for Eastwood. It’s modest, but extremely effective.
“Escape from Alcatraz” is an excellent film, which has excitement without any fuss.

Rating: 4 / 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 13

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.

Action: Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
A meek Hobbit from the Shire (Elijah Wood) and eight companions set out on a journey to destroy the powerful One Ring and save Middle-Earth from the Dark Lord Sauron.

Drama: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
A chronicle of the decade-long hunt for al-Qaeda terrorist leader Osama Bin Laden after the September 11th attacks, and his death at the hangs of the Navy S.E.A.L.s team 6 in May 2011.

Comedy: Knocked Up (2007)
For fun-loving party animal Ben Stone (Seth Rogen), the last thing he ever expected was for his one-night stand (Katherine Heigl) to show up on his doorstep eight weeks later to tell him she’s pregnant with his child.

Animation: Happy Feet (2006)
Into the world of the Emperor Penguins, who find their soul mates through song, a penguin is born who cannot sing. But he can tap dance something fierce!

Romance: Closer (2004)
The relationships of two couples (Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman, Jude Law) become complicated and deceitful when the man from one couple meets the woman of the other.

Horror: Insidious (2010)
A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

Science Fiction: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, mankind sets off a quest to find its origin with help from intelligent supercomputer H.A.L. 9000.

Crime: The Town (2010)
A longtime thief (Ben Affleck), planning his next job, tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager (Rebecca Hall) connected to an earlier heist, and a hell-bent F.B.I. Agent (John Hamm) looking to bring him and his crew down.

Thriller: Gone Girl (2014)
With his wife’s (Rosamund Pike) disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent.

Documentary: For the Love of Spock (2016)
An examination of the enduring appeal of Leonard Nimoy and his portrayal of Spock in “Star Trek”.

Family: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) partners with his mom’s husband (Dwayne Johnson) on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.

Movie Reviews - The Lighthouse

Director: Robert Eggers
Genre: Drama/ Horror/ Fantasy
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe, Valeriia Karaman, Logan Hawkes, Shaun Clarke, Kyla Nicolle, Pierre Richard, Preston Hudson, Jeffrey Cruts

Description: Two lighthouse keepers (Robert Pattinson, Willem Dafoe) try to maintain their sanity whilst living on a remote and mysterious New England island in the 1890s.

Review: “The Lighthouse” is the newest film by director Robert Eggers and written by his brother Max Eggers. Here we follow two lighthouse keepers who get stuck on a mysterious island in the 1890s.
Eggers shot “The Lighthouse” completely in black and white. Besides helping to give it a mysterious touch, it also serves to place the story in the late 19th century. Long shots of one camera were also chosen. Strangely enough, this gives both a kind of calm and uncomfortable feeling.
Another striking point is that the film was shot in an almost square format. This not only gives an enormous retro feeling, it works extra to keep the film small and intimate. Small island, small spaces and the protagonists are close together. The latter is not always pleasant, you are also close to them and feel the mutual tension.
The peculiar sound is also used to create an atmosphere that you could best describe as eerie and spooky. Add to this Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson who, thanks to the strong dialogues and monologues, create two beautiful characters in a dance that alternates between power and brotherhood. It is perhaps Pattinson’s best acting to date and also one of Dafoe’s best performances.
There is a clear hierarchy between the two characters. Dafoe’s character is the only one who controls the light, the newcomer is very by the book. So he doesn’t drink alcohol and wants to share as many tasks as possible and gain experience in these four weeks. This clashes.
In the four weeks they spend together, both character go through major development. Why do both men want to be there, what past has forced them to do so? In the four weeks they get closer to each other, but it remains mysterious.
“The Lighthouse” is a film about fear and madness, a combination that creates a strange horror drama which is a feast for the senses. A beautiful psychological nightmare that you should not skip. But be warned: this is not for everyone, it’s the good kind of weird.

Rating: 4, 5 / 5

10s Movie Review - Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile

Director: Joe Berlinger
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Zac Efron, Lily Collins, Kaya Scodelaria, Haley Joel Osment, John Malkovich, James Hetfield, Jim Parsons, Jeffrey Donovan, Dylan Baker

Description: A chronicle of the crimes of Ted Bundy (Zac Efron) from the perspective of Liz (Lily Collins), his longtime girlfriend, who refused to believe the truth about him for years.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 30: A BIOPIC

Review: Ted Bundy has gone down in history as one of the most charming serial killers ever. He easily managed to wrap the ladies around his fingers, before he kidnapped, raped and killed them. His trial was broadcast live on TV and earned him many female admirers. When news got out that Zac Efron would play Bundy, there was a lot of protest. But Efron proves that he can handle it.
Efron finally gets a role he can really embrace. He draws attention to himself in all the scenes by underlining Bundy’s skill with his charm. In doing so, he makes exactly as much use of his strengths as the real serial killer did to control the media circus around his trials. Is Efron the perfect actor to play this role? No, I can think of a hand full of actors that go do it as well. But Efron is really good as Ted Bundy and especially at the beginning of the film, he even looks very much like Bundy.
It seems like Joe Berlinger had no idea what he exactly wanted to tell in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile”. Berlinger is experienced as a documentary filmmaker and made the docu-series “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes”. So he can very well create a story from historical facts, but his fiction debut is a more enumeration of events than a conclusive story with a tension curve and a climax.
At the start of the film , Bundy’s girlfriend (well portrayed by Lily Collins) seems to be central. The question seems to be: what is it like to find out you’ve fallen for a monster? However, he characters disappears completely into the background in the second half of the film, when the authorities try to bring Bundy to justice. Bundy is looking for loopholes, both legal and literal. But the most remarkable thing is that it’s hard to determine whether he’s guilty or not. We never see anything about the actual murders.
What Berlinger does show talent for in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is directing actors and building stand-alone scenes.
“Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” is a bit of a disappointment, but does have some strong performances. I expected something different from a Ted Bundy biopic.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

Best Moments in the MCU

With the conclusion of the Infinity saga and Phase 4 in the future, us Marvel fans have a wide variety of films and characters and lots of moments to think and look back to too. So I decided to dig into all those amazing, epic and unforgettable moments from all of these movies from the MCU.

WARNING: SPOILERS!

22. Doctor Strange’s psychedelic trip – “Doctor Strange” (2016)
Doctor Strange’s trip into Stephen’s mind felt like it opened up a whole new, and much weirder, visual style for the MCU.

21. Vulture is Liz’s father – “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (2017)
The reveal that Peter Parker’s prom date is the daughter of the black market arms dealer he’s been fighting all year was a shocking and masterfully executed twist.

20. For Wakanda, without question – “Black Panther” (2018)
Not only does this moment have a rhino in battle armor, it turns Okoye from a badass to an extremely awesome badass. Who said lawful good characters can’t be fun and interesting.

19. I am Iron Man – “Iron man” (2008)
At the end of “Iron Man”, Tony Stark has one surprise for us. He states to the press that he is Iron Man. It was this moment he fully embraced his alter-ego.

18. Eye-popping space gate jump – “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2” (2017)
Also a pretty weird scene with wild visuals, where Yondu, Rocket and Baby Groot have to jump through space. Not once, 700 times, and it makes their eyes almost pop out of their sockets. And Baby Groot throws up.

17. Thor awakening his powers – “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017)
The “Thor” films aren’t the best, but this third film in the series really revived the character. The film is colorful both visually and comically. The moment on the Rainbow Bridge where he fights his enemies, with the lightning and Led Zepplin playing, this scene sums up everything that’s new and hot about “Thor”.

16. Black Widow’s hallway fight – “Iron Man 2” (2010)
“Iron Man 2” introduced us to Black Widow. At first she seems like an ordinary character that’s not very special. But when Natasha embraces her alter ego Black Widow and has to fight off a bunch of guards in a hallway, we know she’s a perfect addition to the Avengers.

15. Ant-man and Yellowjacket’s final fight – “Ant-Man”(2015)
Many MCU film shine brightest during their massive action scenes. However, “Ant-Man” takes that concept and imbues it with a sense of humor that pervades the entire film. What if there were a massive action scene to cap off the film, but instead of the encounter taking place in a city, it took place on a toy train set to perfectly utilize Ant-Man’s shrinking powers and the king of visual gags only possible in his film.

14. You should’ve aimed for the head – “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)
When Thor manages to throw his hammer into Thanos’ chest and seemingly defeats him, Thanos states that Thor should’ve aimed for the head. With all of the infinity stones now in his possession, Thanos snaps his fingers and half of all humanity disappears.

13. Shawarma – “Avengers” (2012)
Okay, this is an after-credits scene that was added after the theatrical release. But I’m still adding it. Tony Stark loves shawarma and he proposes to get some after The Avengers manage to win. When we see the heroes sitting at a table together, eating shawarma, they don’t really seem to enjoy it as much as they expected. It’s a really funny moment.

12. Iron Man exits the cave –“Iron Man” (2008)
Tony Stark managed to create his first Iron Man suit when being captured in an Afghan cave. But it’s the moment where he first puts it on and exits the cave that really got our adrenaline pumping.

11. Puny God – “Avengers” (2012)
While fighting the Avengers, Loki drops and crashes into Stark Tower. There he meets Hulk, whom he tries to talk to. But Hulk picks him up and smashes him all around, calling Loki a puny God after words.

10. Peter’s dance-off – “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)
“Guardians of the Galaxy” was probably the biggest surprise in the MCU and is still my favorite film of the bunch. This scene, during the climax of the film, we see Peter stealing the show challenging Ronan the Accuser to a dance-off, in order to distract him so he can steal the Power Stone. When he does, all the Guardians join forces to take on the power.

9. We are Groot – “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014)
Up until this scene, we only heard Groot say “I am Groot”. The Guardian with the biggest heart is the one without any organs. But when he sacrifices himself to keep his friends save he says: “We are Groot”. And admit, we were all weeping.

8. Is Cap worthy? – “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)
It’s not the best Avengers movie, but this scene where the Avengers try to lift Mjolnir is a favorite of mine. We know Thor is the only one strong enough and worthy of lifting Mjolnir, but it’s Steve Rogers that manages to move the hammer just a little bit. The look on Thor’s face is just unforgettable and it’s a really funny scene.

7. Team Cap Vs. Team Tony - “Captain America: Civil War” (2016)
A cool fight in which every hero has his moment to shine. We see Tom Holland’s Spider-Man for the first time, Ant-Man becomes Giant-Man and Black Panther is still very angry with Bucky.

6. Thor Vs. Hulk – “Thor Ragnarok” (2017)
Bruce Banner was without a trace after “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and only in “Thor: Ragnarok” we find out what exactly happened to him. Banner seems to have completely embraced the Hulk inside him on the planet Sakaar, where he is used as a gladiator by The Grandmaster. When Thor lands on the colorful planet, he has to compete against his old buddy and this results in an awesome and hilarious fight.

5. Captain America fights Bucky – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2011)
The Russo Brothers made their directorial debut in the MCU with “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”. The film is known for its amazing hand-to-hand combat scenes and the fight scene between Bucky Barnes and Captain America is a great example of that. It excels in its choreography, sound design and is an amazing scene to watch every single time.

4. Baby Groot dancing – “Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2” (2017)
In the opening scene, the guardians are fighting a giant monster. While little Baby Groot plays “Mr. Blue Sky” and dances to it, his friends are fighting for their lives in the background.

3. Elevator fight - “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2011)
Nothing is what is seems in “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, because HYDRA appears to have taken over S.H.I.E.L.D. All of Cap’s friends turn against him and in this scene, taking place in an elevator, the super soldier is attacked by the Strike-team he always went on a mission with. The fact that it takes place in such a confined space makes it extra intense.

2. Avengers assemble – “Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
This is, without a doubt, the most epic battle in the entirety of the MCU. All the superheroes join forces to fight Thanos and that moment where Cap says ‘Avengers assemble’, you will get goosebumps all over your body. Every time!

1. 360 Degree shot – “Avengers” (2012)
The at that time entire six-member Avengers team, assembled in a neat circle for the first time. A great shot, where the camera circles around them. A true money shot!