Top 10: Worst Movies I Watched for My 2014 Challenge

After all the awesomeness of my movie challenge, here is the crap pile. I really saw some shitty movies. This is list is also a warning for you, to never watch them. EVER!

10. The Counselor

It’s not the actors, or the director. This movie just didn’t make any sense. Thinking of it now, I don’t even remember what this movie was about. I do remember Cameron Diaz making love to a windshield. I wish I didn’t.

 

 

9. Bachelorette It wanted to be like “Bridesmaids”. It did provoke, but not in a good way. I felt ashamed of those people.

 

 

8. Abduction

“Abduction” was clearly about showing Taylor Lautner’s abs as many times as possible. And a constantly out of breath Lily Collins. No, I wish they would abduct this movie so it will never bother anyone ever again.

 

 

7. The Host

Author Stephanie Meyer really didn’t do it with “The Host”. I don’t know if it’s worse than “Twilight”, because it’s pretty much the same story with some alterations here and there.

 

 

6. Empire State

An unbelievable true story, about a heist of very badly protected money. This story is perfect source material for a good crime thriller. Instead I actually fell asleep halfway through the film. I dozed off for a couple of minutes. That’s never a good sign.

 

 

5. Dark Tide

For a shark movie, there aren’t a lot of sharks in it. It’s just Halle Berry in a bikini talking about her trauma, when she saw her friend get killed by a shark. Please skip this one.

 

 

4. Paranoia

You would think that Harisson Ford, Gary Oldman and talented Liam Hemsworth would make this work. Think again. It’s not any good and it lacks originality.

 

 

3. The Big Wedding

The director of “The Big Wedding” had Robert De Niro, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton ánd Robin Williams. And this is what he did with the movie!! You might as well send us a box of poop. This sucks, even Katherine Heigl thinks it sucks, because she looks grumpy the entire runtime of the film.

 

 

2. Battleship

NO, bad man Peter Berg, for making “Battleship”! It’s so stupid, everything about is stupid. And Liam Neeson, why are you in this shitty film?

 

 

1. Scarecrow

I don’t think anyone knows this movie, which is a good thing. Please keep it that way. Oh, and for a movie about a killing scarecrow, it doesn’t even look like a scarecrow.

 

 

 

Dishonorable Mentions: The Watch, The Guilt Trip, What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Hoe Duur Was de Suiker, Gone, Devil’s Due, Something Borrowed

Top 10: Best Movies I Watched for My 2014 Challenge

I had a lot of fun with my movie challenge this year and I’m definitely going to start one in 2015. But first I’m going to share my ten favorite movies that I watched for my challenge. Please note them, because if you haven’t seen them yet, you must. Also check my honorable mentions, the movies that almost made my top 10 list.

10. Shame

I never thought I would love “Shame” as much as I do. Normally I would skip a movie about a man with a sex addiction. I’m glad I didn’t, because it’s so much more than that. Michael Fassbender was so good in this movie, seriously Oscar worthy.

 

 

 

9. Prisoners

I recently rewatched it and it left me the same as the first time I saw it: gasping for air. A totally unexpected thriller, that captivated me from beginning ‘till end. Wonderfull performances by Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, but also Paul Dano did a good job.

 

 

8. 12 Years a Slave

If this movie doesn’t touch you, you’re a robot. Every inch in my body felt the pain and the suffering of Solomon. Such an amazing movie, goose bumps.

 

 

7. Whiplash

Oh how I loved this movie! I heard so many great things about it and I totally agreed with all of those people. Seriously, J.K. Simmons in this film, if his character was real he would scare the sh** out of me.

 

 

6. The Grand Budapest Hotel

This year I discovered that Wes Anderson is one of my favorite directors. His movies are a piece of art, they look amazing. I wish I had his creative mind. I enjoyed “The Gran Budapest Hotel” and Ralph Fiennes’ performance is one of the best of the year.

 

 

5. Intouchables

I’m a bit ashamed that it took me this long to finally watch “Intouchables”. I only heard good reviews about this movie and all I can do is agree. It’s an amazingly touching, endearing movie.

 

 

4. Guardians of the Galaxy

I didn’t know anything about the heroes in this film before seeing it. Each one of them stole my heart and I’m a fan of “Guardians of the Galaxy”. It’s understatement if I say I adored this movie. I even think it’s the best Marvel movie so far!

 

 

3. The Way Way Back

I have a selection of films that I watch whenever I want to feel happy, like “Little Miss Sunshine”, “Singin’ in the Rain” and “Happy-Go-Lucky”. Now I can also add “The Way Way Back” to that selection. Ever since I watched it, I rewatched it twice already.

 

 

2. The World’s End

I knew before watching it that I was going to love it. The combo of Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost works every time and I love this movie. I sure don’t hope this trio is going to stop making movies together.

 

 

1. Jagten

This movie really took me by surprise and it was an absolute winner for me. After the movie ended, I couldn’t stop thinking of it, it really grabbed me and got under my skin. It’s always great to get into a movie not knowing anything about it and then be speechless in the end. Fun fact: this was the first movie for my challenge that I gave a 5 star rating.

 

 

Honorable Mentions: Begin Again, Rushmore, Rear Window, The Lego Movie, About Time, Captain Phillips, Nightcrawler

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (December 2014)

The last monthly list for my 100 Movie Challenge 2014. I will also make a list of all the awesome movies I watched this year for my challenge. It will be a top 10, so not a top 5 Thursday. With that I will also create a list of the worst movies I saw for my 2014 challenge. But first, my favourites of the month December. It started out as an okay month, but I ended up seeing some awesome films.

5. Locke

It’s amazing that this movie captivated me this much, because the entire film is set in a car while Tom hardy is driving it. It’s all thanks to the amazing script and Tom Hardy’s brilliant performance that “Locke” was such a great film.

 

 

4. Her

I thought this movie was going to be my favourite of the month, but I saw three other movies that I liked just a little bit more. “Her” is such a sweet film, even though it is sometimes a bit disturbing and confronting as well. The story sounds silly, but it’s so amazing!

 

 

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I’m a fan of the first movie, “Captain America: The First Avenger”, as one of the few. I didn’t really need a sequel, but now I’m glad there is one. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is even better.

 

 

2. Edge of Tomorrow

I admit, I was skeptical. I didn’t want to see another mediocre action flick with Tom Cruise running. Well, was I wrong. This is one damn good movie, a true movie experience.

 

 

1. Nightcrawler

This movie really took me by surprise. I was amazed by the wonderful performance by Jake Gyllenhaal, he really got lost in his role. “Nightcrawler” really got under my skin, it was so gripping.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Skeleton Twins, Inside Llewyn Davis, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 158: Edge of Tomorrow

Director: Doug Liman

Genre: Action/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 114 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Noah Taylor, Brendan Gleeson, Jeremy Piven, Laura Pulver, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Madeleine Mantock, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Tony Way

Description: Military officer William Cage (Tom Cruise) is brought into an alien war against an extraterrestrial enemy who can reset the day and know the future. When Cage is enabled with the same power, he teams up with Special Forces warrior Rita (Emily Blunt) to try and end the war.

Review: Tom Cruise hasn’t done anything noteworthy for a while. His last success was “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” in 2011. But Cruise didn’t give up and he decided to work together with director Doug Liman. “Edge of Tomorrow” may sound like just another action/ science fiction blockbuster, but it isn’t. It’s an amazing movie experience.

In the not so far away future, an invasion of aliens cause a lot of trouble in the world. The untrained officer William Cage ends up right in the middle of it. He’s frightened and dies within five minutes in the field. But then he wakes up and relives that exact same day. Not just once, he stays within that day and keeps dying every single time. He meets soldier Rita, who starts to train him. Cage doesn’t only get stronger, but he gets closer to the solution. Together with Rita he is trying to beat the aliens.

Movie fans will see similarities with movies like “Groundhog Day” and “Source Code”, because there the lead character relives the same day over and over again. And the look of the soldiers and aliens might remind you of “Pacific Rim”. But Doug Liman creates a complete new end product with those ingredients. Whenever Cage lands on the beach, he has to die hundreds of times to make progress. Liman avoids dullness by keeping up the pace and showing us slightly different versions of that same day. And the movie is really easy to follow despite the unconventional way of storytelling.

Tom Cruise can finally be the actor again that we want him to be. He isn’t your standard action hero, because his character starts out as a real coward. He is afraid and rather flees than fights. Along the way he finds out he can’t run anymore and he has to face his fears. Emily Blunt really proofs that she can be a kick-ass action star, Blunt was wonderful in it.

I have to be honest, I was skeptical before I saw this. But I’m glad I was wrong, because “Edge of Tomorrow” is the Tom Cruise movie I have been waiting for. The script feels fresh, it has great action and is also surprisingly humoristic.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 157: Her

Director: Spike Jonze

Genre: Drama/ Comedy/ Romance/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 120 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Scarlett Johansson, Amy Adams, Chris Pratt, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde

Description: Lonely writer Theordore (Joaquin Phoenix) develops an unlikely relationship with his newly purchased operating system (Scarlett Johansson) that's designed to meet his every need.

Review: Digital love, it seems like something impossible even in the far away future. Especially because it seems impossible for a computer to develop real feelings and thoughts. Director Spike Jonze manages to make it believable and realistic in the fantastic movie “Her”. In the futuristic Los Angeles, an endearing Joaquin Phoenix and the sexy voice of Scarlet Johansson tell a confronting and distressing love story.

Theodore is a writer of love letters, that are send by him in someone else’s name. His life is structured by an operating system, that he places in his ear, that he’s only disconnected from when he’s asleep. Theodore buys a new intelligent operating system. Her name is Samantha, but she doesn’t just feel like an operating system.

Because Scarlett Johansson lend her voice to Samantha, it feels familiar. You believe the connection between her and Theodore, even though it sounds so strange and disturbing. There is not a moment you think of Samantha as just an operating system.

The complete atmosphere in “Her” feels so real. The décor, costumes and everything around them looks perfect. This in combination with the great acting performance by Joaquin Phoenix make “Her” an absolute joy to watch.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 156: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Director: Bryan Singer

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 132 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Hugh Jackman, Ian McKellen, Patrick Stewart, Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Peter Dinklage, Shawn Ashmore

Description: The X-Men send Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants.

Review: In “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, Wolverine is send back in time to stop mutants from going under. The X-Men are threatened by Sentinels, robots who have to exterminate mutants. Many mutants have lost the battle against them and all hope is set on Wolverine. His goal is to stop the inventor from going through with his plans. Wolverine gets help from a young Professor Xavier and Magneto.

Bryan Singer returns as a director, he also directed “X-Men” and “X2”. He doesn’t stay close to the original source material, which could bother fans. Yet “X-Men: Days of Future Past” was very well received by the audience and is so far the highest rated movie in the series.

Again the movie is filled with beautiful special effects, but I did miss the more emotional and personal touch that “X-Men: First Class” had. The focus is on Wolverine, but also on Charles Xavier and Magneto. The connection between Hank McCoy aka Beasy and Mystique, that was a storyline in the previous film, is never spoken of. Actors Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender do work well together and it’s a joy to watch them together.

Although I enjoyed watching “X-Men: Days of Future Past”, it didn’t live up to my expectations. It’s a good looking movie, but it lacked depth.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 155: Locke

Director: Steven Knight

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 85 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott, Ben Daniels, Tom Holland, Bill Milner, Danny Webb, Alice Lowe, Silas Carson, Lee Ross, Kirsty Dillon

Description: Ivan Locke (Tom Hardy), a dedicated family man and successful construction manager, receives a phone call on the eve of the biggest challenge of his career that sets in motion a series of events that threaten his carefully cultivated existence.

Review: One and a half hour of Tom Hardy driving a car from Birmingham to London. Doesn’t really sound exciting, but that’s the tendency of the movie. Director Steven Knight directs his second movie, with an amazing scenario.

The perfectly planned life of construction manager Ivan Locke is about to change. His loving family is waiting for him at home, while he is about to close the biggest deal of his career. The evening before, Ivan is forced to make a long trip to London. On that trip we find out that instead of building his perfect life, it’s ruined forever.

“Locke” is more a radio play then it is a traditional movie. This doesn’t mean there is nothing going on. There are more movies that had one character in only one location the entire runtime of the film. Look at “Phone Booth”, “127 Hours” and “Buried”. They were all in life threatening situations. “Locke” isn’t like that, but the great scenario keeps you on the edge of your seat anyway. The unexpected developments in the story make sure you keep your attention at all times.

Tom Hardy shows off his acting skills, he is one of the best and most wanted actors in Hollywood at the moment. Hardy is the only actor we see, the rest of the cast we only hear over the phone.

“Locke” proofs that you don’t need much to make a good film. The great performance by Tom Hardy make this car ride one you wouldn’t easily forget.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 154: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 136 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Emily VanCamp, Robert Redford, Hayley Atwell, Sebastion Stan, Toby Jones, Frank Grillo, Gary Shandling

Description: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) struggles to embrace his role in the modern world and battles a new threat from old history: the Soviet agent known as the Winter Soldier.

Review: Off course we could expect a sequel to “Captain America: The First Avenger”, a movie about the patriotic superhero that got mixed reviews in 2011. In “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, Steve Rogers tries, like his Avenger colleagues, to get his life together after the big battle in New York (in the movie “The Avengers” from 2012). He is trying to find his place in society, but working for S.H.I.E.L.D. keeps him busy. Together with Black Widow, aka Natasha Romanoff, he solves problems easily, but Steve starts doubting S.H.I.E.L.D. When he is about to discover a conspiracy, the mysterious Winter Soldier enters the playing field.

I think I was one of the few people that actually really liked “Captain America: The First Avenger”. Off all the superheroes, Captain America has the least impressive powers, but he has always been my favorite. In “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” he proofs that again. The movie does this cool superhero justice. Chris Evans shows us again that he was the perfect choice to play the role of Steve Rogers. It’s also great to see Scarlett Johansson in a bigger role as Black Widow. This movie actually made her a real character.

The action sequences are pure joy, with minimal use of CGI. Off course it sometimes feels a bit over the top.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is a great action movie, with a strongly written script, sharp humor and outstanding action scenes. It’s probably one of the best Marvel movies. If you wait until after the credits, we see a cool preview of “Avengers: Age of Ultron”. People keep saying that there is a superhero movie overkill. I don’t agree, if they are all as good as this.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 153: Inside Llewyn Davis

Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 105 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Adam Driver, Justin Timberlake, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Alex Karpovsky, Max Casella, Ricardo Cordero, Ethan Phillips, Stark Sands, Jake Ryan

Description: A week in the life of the young singer Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) as he navigates the Greenwich Village folk scene of 1961.

Review: Llewyn Davis is a homeless singer songwriter fighting for his life as a musician. In a journey from one bar to another, he meets various people that all don’t know how to deal with the desolate songwriter. The film comes to life when John Goodman, as jazz musician Roland Turner, enters the story. With his sharp observations and arrogance he manages to illustrate the clash between folk and jazz in a hilarious way.

To make this movie not a standard film about music, the Coen Brothers added some typical Coen elements. Genius dialogues, intimate songs and perfects shots. Especially an absurd studio session where Llewyn joins a satirical evocation to president Kennedy, it has a definite Coen signature on it.

Oscar Isaac us very good as Llewyn Davis and he has a surprisingly good singing voice. The movie is not perfect, but The Coen Brothers made a great film. They can make a great story with the simplest material.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 152: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Director: Peter Jackson

Genre: Adventure/ Fantasy/ Action

Runtime: 144 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett, Manu Bennett, Aidan Turner, Graham McTavish, Hugo Weaving, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Stephen Fry, Billy Connolly, Mikael Persbrandt, Dan O’Gorman, Bret McKenzie, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Ryan Gage, Sylvester McCoy, William Kircher, Peter Hambleton, Adam Brown, Jed Brophy, Stephen Hunter, Lawrence Makoare, John Bell, Mark Hadlow, John Callen

Description: Bilbo (Martin Freeman) and Company are forced to engage in a war against an array of combatants and keep the terrifying Smaug from acquiring a kingdom of treasure and obliterating all of Middle-Earth.

Review: Finally the last chapter of Peter Jackson’s take on the book “The Hobbit” has arrived. After the two previous movies, which were successes, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” has turned into an adventure spectacle. It didn’t manage to involve the audience as much, because the story isn’t as good as the other two films.

It was frustrating to see “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” end so abruptly, but understandable for Jackson to leave the confrontation with the dragon for the final movie. The story picks up exactly where we were left. We see how dragon Smaug is destroying Laketown. With that, “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” has the best opening scene of the three films. The action is spectacular and sometimes filmed from Smaug’s perspective, as if you were on his back. I wouldn’t mind for this sequence to take a bit longer.

The big battle looks amazing and is again filled with new great looking creatures. The battle itself could feel meaningless for viewers, because it’s all for a big amount of gold. Only the people of Laketown have a relatable motive for fighting in the war, because they want to rebuild their lives. When the Orks join the battle, the stakes change.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” and “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug” had an emotional component, because the dwarves wanted to recapture their home. Because Thorin has changed and he becomes greedy, it’s hard to sympathize him when he changes his mind. You actually understand the decisions Bilbo makes. I also liked that Bard’s role was bigger, who probably is my favorite character of the series.

“The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is a good conclusion to the trilogy, which emphasizes more on the action then on the emotional journey Biblo and his dwarf friends are on. Even though Peter Jackson has done this many times before, it’s amazing to see how creative he can still be. I think Jackson’s creative mind has no limits. And the ending, that is the beginning of “The Lord of The Rings” trilogy, brings back warm memories. It’s my least favorite of the trilogy, but again entertaining as hell.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 151: Something Borrowed

Director: Luke Greenfield

Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama

Runtime: 113 minutes

Year: 2011

Starring: Ginnifer Goodwin, Kate Hudson, John Krasinski, Colin Egglesfield, Steve Howey

Description: Friendships are tested and secrets come to the surface when terminally single Rachel (Ginnifer Goodwin) falls for Dex (Colin Egglesfield), her best friend Darcy's (Kate Hudson) fiancé.

Review: Poor Dex, he earns heaps of money as a lawyer in Manhattan, can smile like Tom Cruise, can get every woman he wants and gets a mansion from his father. But Dex wants to teach, he doesn’t do it, but he wants to. And his love life also shakes up his stabile life. The ideal son in law is torn between the serious and single lawyer Rachel and the partying and outgoing Darcy.

A romantic comedy like “Something Borrowed” is about love and the problems that come with it. Viewers love it. The movie looks like a perfectly styled soda commercial, with picture perfect fashionably dressed people, sunny weather, hip clubs, New York apartments and a house in the Hamptons. Rachel is the one to mess it all up, by having a ‘fun night’ with Dex, the man who is about to marry her best friend Darcy. How the two are friends is a big mystery, they have nothing in common. There has always been something between Dex and Rachel, but right before the wedding is the perfect time to actually speak about those feelings.

A romcom is a genre where, as a viewer, you have certain expectations and you always know the outcome somehow. It’s like unwrapping a present when you can already see by its shape what’s inside it.

Kate Hudson is good in her role, but she didn’t manage to make me feel any form of sympathy. Ginnifer Goodwin is likeable as Rachel, but it’s a character she has played before and she brings nothing new to the screen. Colin Egglesfield as Dex is okay. I think he’s just another pretty face and very forgettable. John Krasinski, who was only given a supporting role, is the only character I could relate to, he was the only sensible one and I actually sympathized with him. It also has to do with Krasinski’s high likeability level. He’s the only actor that gets away with the comedy part of the movie.

“Something Borrowed” is not a very original movie, filled with romcom clichés. Thanks to John Krasinski it was a bearable film to watch and the movie did have its moments. But overall it’s a meaningless romcom that will easily be forgotten.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 150: De Poel

Director: Chris W. Mitchell

Genre: Drama/ Horror

Runtime: 80 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Carine Crutzen, Bart Klever, Chris Peters, Alex hendricks, Jamie Grant, Katje Herbers

Description: Lennaert (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) takes his wife, two sons, a friend and his daughter on a hiking trip in the woods. After a long search for a spot to set up camp, the father finds a perfect place overlooking a pool. Everybody seems to get settled quickly and when the night falls the two sons listen to a ghost story told by their father's friend at the campfire. The youngest son begins to have strange dreams and bizarre occurrences begin to develop at the camp side.

Review: For us Dutch people camping is the ultimate holiday feeling. Bare feet in the grass, barbequing and a six pack of beer within reach and the kids having fun in the pool or lake. Some people hate it, but in the Dutch horror movie “De Poel” we see how really bad a camping trip can be.

Two families go camping, but choose a place where it’s actually not allowed to set up camp. Lennaert takes his wife SIlke and their two sons Marco and Jan on this trip. Together with Lennaert’s friend Rob and his daughter Emily he wants to make it unforgettable. Lennaert is also the only one who’s excited about the trip. After a day, all their freshly bought meat has gone bad and they have to find their own food. With all that, son Jan starts having weird dreams about the lake and also Lennaert sees visions and hears voices.

The scenario is strong and the characters are well written too. This horror flick doesn’t have a lot of gore, but it’s more focused on the atmosphere. No shock effects and it actually doesn’t really feel like a horror movie. It’s not a scary film, it’s more a thriller.

The acting is good, especially Gijs Scholten van Aschat and Carice Crutzen stand out. The other actors are all above average as well.

“De Poel” is a pretty good film, but shouldn’t be titled as a horror movie.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 149: The Skeleton Twins

Director: Craig Johnson

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 93 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook

Description: Having both coincidentally cheated death on the same day, estranged twins reunite with the possibility of mending their relationship.

Review: Milo Dean is unhappy with his life and decides to step out of it. Right at the time that his estranged twin sister Maggie wants to take a pill overdose, she gets a call that Milo is in the hospital. It brings the two back together after ten years of not speaking to each other.

That Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig work well together, we have already seen on “Saturday Night Live”. They were part of the cast for many years. The two of them team up again in “The Skeleton Twins” and it works like a charm. It’s clear that the duo had a lot of fun making it and they are well attuned. Especially the scene were Milo is trying to make Maggie feel better by lip syncing to an eighties song, you can see how well Wiig and Hader function on screen as a duo.

What I found fascinating was to see all these comedic actors in more serious roles. Kristen Wiig has already proven a couple of times that she can also do light drama. Bill Hader also finds his way around the genre. Luke Wilson and Ty Burrell, who have supporting roles, are both convincing as well. When you put drama and comedy on a scale, it wouldn’t be balanced, because the drama has the upper hand. Although the movie deals with some heavy themes, the drama is kept light by the touch of comedy that sometimes has a dark edge.

“The Skeleton Twins” is a strong drama, that especially succeeds because of the great chemistry between the two lead actors. It’s their power that made us care for them and their story.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 148: Nightcrawler

Director: Dan Gilroy

Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 117 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Rick Garcia

Description: When Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.

Review: The word “Nightcrawler” can mean many things. In this case it’s not the newest X-Men spin-off or a movie about worms. Here it means journalists who deliver newsworthy happenings that occur at night.

This tingling theme is translated to film by scenario writer Dan Gilroy, who makes his directorial debut with “Nightcrawler”. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead role, who lost 20 pounds to make his character come to life. Who says method acting is dead? He’s koined by Rene Russo, the directors wife, and it’s great to see her in a good film again. Bill Paxton plays a fellow nightcrawler.

Lou Bloom is trying to sell stolen construction material, but it doesn’t get him a lot of money. When Lou witnesses a traffic collision, he sees freelance journalists filming the accident. His new life goal is to become successful in that business. After some rookie mistakes, he starts getting the hang of it and he actually has talent for it. But Lou soon goes beyond boundaries and gets obsessed with the job, by losing all his morals and ethics.

Like “Collateral” and “Drive”, night time Los Angeles is the décor for “Nightcrawler”. The City of Angels is filmed beautifully and adds something to the already gripping atmosphere.

Jake Gyllenhaal can join the club of actors, with for instance Matthew McConaughey and Tom Hardy, who land one good role after another. After being in “Prisoners” and “Enemy”, his portrayal of Lou Bloom might be his best performance so far.

Knowing that the theme of “Nightcrawler” is based on reality, make it very worrying. The tension is very high at times. “Nightcrawler” might just be one of the best films of 2014, a joy for every movie fan.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 147: Prometheus

Director: Ridley Scott

Genre: Actie/ Science Fiction/ Horror

Runtime: 126 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Patrick Wilson

Description: A team of explorers discover a clue to the origins of mankind on Earth, leading them on a journey to the darkest corners of the universe. There, they must fight a terrifying battle to save the future of the human race.

Review: Director Ridley Scott doesn’t make it easy for himself. He tried to tell a story, located in the universe of his own classic “Alien” from 1979, to answer one question: where do we come from? Man who wants to meet his maker. Scientists Elizabeth Shaw and Charlie Holloway find a series of identical cave drawings in 2089. They think they know the answer to that question and billionaire Peter Weyland sets up an expedition. On spaceship Prometheus they are on a search for the truth.

The Prometheus arrives, with a crew of seventeen, on a planet similar to the one in “Alien”. The tension is built because you don’t know why each of the crew members are on the mission. The distant Meredith Vickers has to lead the crew and her help is android David.

Scott could have chosen to play out a cat and mouse game, but instead he focuses on David. His plans are revealed little by little, but it’s clear he’s the one with the most dangerous mission. Dangerous for mankind. The questions isn’t who is going to survive, but why David does what he does. There is no emotional impact whenever one of the crew member dies. And even though some scenes are pretty gruesome, they are never as anguished as in “Alien”.

The movie is visually stunning and detailed. This movie is beautiful in 3D. But beautiful pictures alone don’t make a good movie. Scott made this movie a bit too simplistic and the characters lack intelligence and depth. “Prometheus” is still a pretty good movie.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 146: Total Recall

Director: Len Wiseman

Genre: Actie/ Science Fiction/ Thriller

Runtime: 118 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, Bill Nighy, John Cho

Description: A factory worker, Douglas Quaid (Colin Farrell), begins to suspect that he is a spy after visiting Rekall - a company that provides its clients with implanted fake memories of a life they would like to have led - goes wrong and he finds himself on the run.

Review: Remakes of big movies are really popular these days. You take a big film from the last twenty to twenty five years, modernize it a bit, throw in some famous actors and a success is guaranteed. Right? There are movies that where ready for a remake, like “Cape Fear” by Martin Scorsese or “Ocean’s 11” by Steven Soderbergh. And the Hitchcock classic “Psycho” was a film that didn’t really need that at all. Len Wiseman’s “Total Recall” falls right in the middle.

It’s 2084 and due to a chemical war the biggest part of the world is uninhabitable. Two big areas fight for the power on earth. Factory worker Douglas Quaid lives in The Colony with his wife Lori. He has a recurring dream where he and a woman are being chased. Quaid wants more from his life and he decides to visit the company Rekall. They implant memories. Quaid chooses a memory as a secret agent, but before they can implant it something goes wrong and he turns out to be a wanted man. When Quaid is chased by the police he finds out that nothing is what it seems.

With a remake it’s hard not to compare. “Total Recall” from 1990 was Paul Verhoeven’s break. The biggest difference between the two movies is that in the original the planet Mars is a big part of the film. In the new one, the movie is set on planet earth. Verhoeven’s version had some self-mockery, but Wiseman is going for a more serious approach and gives it a political touch. And the look of the film reminds you a bit of “Blade Runner” as well. Originality is hard to find here. It does look very good, the visuals and action sequences are amazing. But it’s hard to take in the environment because it all goes in warp speed.

Colin Farrell is off course a better actor then Arnold Schwarzengger and he’s a believable action hero. My biggest problem with the film is that you never really know if the events really happened or were all in Quaid’s head.

“Total Recall” is an entertaining action/ sci-fi film that takes itself a bit too seriously. Visually it’s stunning and Colin Farrell is doing a solid job as Quaid. But the movie never convinces you the way the original did.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 145: Big Miracle

Director: Ken Kwapis

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 107 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Dermot Mulroney, Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Root, Rob Riggle

Description: In small town Alaska, news reporter Adam (John Krasinski) recruits his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Drew Barrymore)- a Greenpeace volunteer - on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.

Review: ‘Everybody loves whales’. This is a message given a lot in “Big Miracle”. And people have been fascinated by these giant mammals for centuries. The movie is based on a true story, about three whales who trapped in the ice in Alaska in 1988.

Lead role is for John Krasinski, who plays reporter Adam Carlson, who happens to find the whales who are trapped. Soon the whales are worldwide news. To save the whales, a path has to be created to set them free in the ocean. Adam and his ex-girlfriend Rachel, who is a Greenpeace activist, try everything to save them. But it costs money and who is willing to help out?

The story is touching, but the scenario doesn’t really succeed in that area. The base of the film is historically correct but it’s still a movie. Maybe the movie would have been a bit better if it weren’t a film. Some storyline take your attention away from the actual happenings and you really don’t care about all that.

“Big Miracle” does have enough to offer in the end. It will keep the attention of young and old and it was an enjoyable film. It would have been better to keep the focus on the whales, because everybody loves whales.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 144: Dark Shadows

Director: Tim Burton

Genre: Fantasy/ Comedy

Runtime: 113 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee, Alice Cooper, Michael Shannon, Bella Heathcote

Description: An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.

Review: Bringing a vampire story to life is off course perfect for director Tim Burton. His good friend Johnny Depp portrays the leading character Barnabas Collins, who has been obsessed by this character for years. Both actor and director are fans of the series created by Dan Curtis, aired during 1966 and 1971.

In the prologue of “Dark Shadows” we see the history of the Collins family. In 1752 they move from Liverpool to Collinsport, Maine where they earn their money with fish. Son Barnabas becomes the big shot, a man who can get any woman. Everything changes when he breaks the heart of maid Angelique Bouchard, a witch who takes revenge by killing Barnabas’ love Josette and changing him into a vampire. He is buried alive and is freed two centuries later. In 1972 Barnabas sees that Collinwood Manor is a big mess.

Tim Burton made the movie look dark and it’s filled with great décor, beautiful costumes and morbid humor. Depp fits his character perfectly. And Eva Green is a strong opponent. Other character don’t get much room to exploit, but do have their moments. And the plot twist around Chloë Grace Moretz’ character doesn’t really work. “Dark Shadows” is above all the big ‘Johnny Depp show’. The execution doesn’t really meet the expectations we all had. The humor does also lose its edge.

“Dark Shadows” is a perfect movie for both Burton and Depp, with the bizarre characters and macabre setting. It’s still a fun film to watch, but not surprising at all for Tim Burton fans.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 143: Devil's Due

Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin

Genre: Horror

Runtime: 89 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Allison Miller, Zach Gilford, Sam Anderson, Roger Payano, Vanessa Ray, Bill Martin Williams, Geraldine Singer, Julia Denton, Colin Walker, Madison Wolfe, Joshue Shane Brooks, Aimee Carrero, Robert Belushi, Donna Duplantier, DeMaris Gordon, Robert Aberdeen, Catherine Kresge, Kurt Krause

Description: After a mysterious, lost night on their honeymoon, a newlywed couple finds themselves dealing with an earlier-than-planned pregnancy.

Review: “Devil’s Due” deals with a newlywed couple that are having a baby earlier than they expected. They are happy, but along the pregnancy strange things start happening to the expecting mother. When reading the synopsis of this film, you think of “Rosemary’s Baby”. With that “Devil’s Due” lacks originality.

The film doesn’t have a constant suspense feel to it, it’s more relying on the element of surprise. The actual jump scares are very rare though. Those moments are very predictable, you know something is going to happen. The sound effects do help to make it a little bit scarier.

The movie is shot with a handheld camera for the most part. This is to give it a more realistic touch, but it doesn’t really work here. And it shows many similarities with “Paranormal Activity”, a movie that did a much better job at scaring the audience. Although the two leading actors do a good job, the movie isn’t scary and original. “Devil’s Due” is a horror film that you should probably ignore.

Rating: 2/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (November 2014)

Damn, this month I saw some good movies. There was only one movie I gave less than 3 stars, so it was really difficult for me to make this month’s top 5. But here are the best movies I saw this month for my challenge.

5. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

I’m a huge fan of the books and I was really looking forward to seeing this. If you read the books, you like this movie too. But for the people who didn’t read the novels, it might be a disappointment. There isn’t as much action in it. It’s also my least favourite so far, but it was still an amazing cinema experience.

 

 

4. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

I loved this movie. I really liked Walter and his vivid imagination. Ben Stiller really did a wonderful job both with directing it and playing the lead role.

 

 

3. The Guest

This came as a surprise. I never expected it to be this good. And that soundtrack, so awesome. I can recommend this movie to anyone.

 

 

2. Rushmore

Wes Anderson has become one of my favourite directors and I especially love the way he tells his stories. This was one of his first films and I loved every minute of it.

 

 

1. Begin Again

This movie is about music, the love for music and the passion of sharing music with other people. After seeing it, I starting listening to the soundtrack and I actually still have some of the songs in my head. This movie was better than I initially thought it would be. It’s on my favourites list now.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Fruitvale Station, Dallas Buyers Club, The Expendables 2, Pitch Perfect, Napoleon Dynamite, Snowpiercer