Netflix Friday - Volume 17

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

Action: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
In 1935, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) arrives in India, still part of the British Empire, and is asked to find a mystical stone. He then stumbles upon a secret cult committing enslavement and human sacrifices in the catacombs of an ancient palace.

Drama: Elizabeth (1998)
The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.

Comedy: The Blues Brothers (1980)
Jake Blues (John Belushi), just released from prison, puts together his old band to save the Catholic home where he and his brother Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) were raised.

Animation: Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)
Dracula (Adam Sandler) and his friends try to bring out the monster in his half human, half vampire grandson in order to keep Mavis (Selena Gomez) from leaving the hotel.

Romance: A Star is Romance (2018)
A musician (Bradley Cooper) helps a young singer (Lady Gaga) find fame as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Horror: Hush (2016)
A deaf and mute writer (Kate Siegel) who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.

Science Fiction: Back to the Future 2 (1989)
After visiting 2015, Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) must repeat his visit to 1955 to prevent disastrous changes in 1985… without interfering with his first trip.

Crime: Public Enemies (2009)
The Feds try to take down notorious American gangsters John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Pretty Boy Floyd (Channing Tatum) during a booming crime wave in the 1930s.

Thriller: Changeling (2008)
Grief-stricken mother Christine Collins (Angelina Jolie) takes on the L.A.P.D. to her own detriment when it tries to pass off an obvious imposter as her missing child.

Documentary: Let There Be Light (1946)
A group of mentally traumatized veteran patients is followed as they go through psychiatric treatment.

Family: Little Woman (1994)
The March sisters live and grow in post-Civil Wat America.

Academy Awards 2019 - Predictions

Tonight it's Oscar night. And here are my predictions for the 2019 Academy Awards. I'm feeling Lucky this year!!!

Best Motion Picture of the Year: "Roma"
Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role: Rami Malek, "Bohemian Rhapsody"
Best Performance by and Actress in a Leading Role: Glenn Close, "The Wife"
Best Performance by and Actor in a Supporting Role: Mahershala Ali, "Green Book"
Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role: Regina King, "If Beale Street Could Talk"
Best Achievement in Directing: Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma"
Best Original Screenplay: Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, "The Favourite"
Best Adapted Screenplay: Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowirz, Kevin Wilmott and Spike Lee, "BlacKkKlansman"
Best Achievement in Cinematography: Alfonso Cuarón, "Roma"
Best Achievement in Editing: Barry Alexander Brown, "BlacKkKlansman"

Best Achievement in Production Design: Hannah Beachler and Jay Hart, "Black Panther"
Best Achievement in Costume Design: Ruth E. Carter, "Black Panther"
best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling: Greg Cannom, Kate Biscoe and Patricia Dehaney, "Vice"
Best Achievement in Music Written for a Motion Picture (Original Score): Terence Blanchard, "BlacKkKlansman"
Best Achievement in Music Written for a Motion Picture (Original Song): Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt, "A Star is Born" (Shallow)
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing: Tom Ozanich, Dean A. Supancic, Jason Ruder and Steven Morrow, "A Star is Born"
Best Achievement in Sound Editing: Ai-Ling Lee and Mildred Iatrou, "First Man"

Best Achievement in Visual Effects: Dan DeLeeuw, Kelly Port, Russel Earl and Daniel Sudick, "Avengers: Infinity War"
Best Documentary Feature: "Free Solo"
Best Documentary Short Subject: "End Game"
Best Animated Feature Film: "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse"
Best Animated Short Film: "Bao" Best Live-Action Short Film: "Marguerite" Best Foreign Language Film of the Year: "Roma"

Movie Reviews - A Star is Born

Director: Bradley Cooper
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 136 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Greg Grunberg

Description: Musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) helps young singer Ally (Lady Gaga) find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Review: Originality is hard to find in Hollywood these days. With “A Star is Born” director and actor Bradley Cooper does the third remake of the film from 1937. And surprisingly enough he gives it his own twist. His directorial debut is beautiful, well-balanced and modern. And many of that is thanks to Lady Gaga, who really shines in her first leading role.
“A Star is Born” follows two musicians: Jackson Maine and Ally. Jackson, Jack for short, is a successful country singer struggling with an alcohol and drug addiction. After each show, all he wants is a bottle of booze. When one night he makes a stop at a bar, he sees Ally perform. Jack is impressed by her immediately and wants to meet her. Jack sees more in her and after a night together, he invites her to one of his shows. Ally says no at first, because she is working as a waitress, but eventually goes. And Jack takes advantage of the opportunity and invites her onto his stage to sing with him. With success, because Jack wants Ally to tour with him. The start of a career and a sweet romance.
Cooper and Gaga have great chemistry, that is present the entire film and it feel authentic and real. The intense bond between the two is believable from the start. And the fact that Ally supports Jack no matter what, can only be credible if the two really connect. And they do. It’s also visible when the two sing together.
Cooper has the difficult task to play a convincing drunk and it’s a role that can easily get comical or cartoonish. Cooper does a fantastic job, one of his best performances to date.
“A Star is Born” basically tells the story of the rise and fall of musicians. When Ally is rising and gets her big break as a pop star, Jack is getting worse and his career suffers. The question is if Jack really awards Ally’s success and that’s what makes this film more than just a story about a musician experiencing success. And even halfway through the film, when you think the message should be clear and your questioning the length of the film, the story hasn’t completely been told.
The music is really good and the moments between Jack and Ally are the best. Even though it’s a remake, the film stands out because of the strong performances, relevant story and great music.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movies to Look Forward to - October 2018

October 4th – A Star is Born
Director: Bradley Cooper
Starring: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliot, Dave Chappelle
Description: A musician (Bradley Cooper) helps a young singer and actress (Lady Gaga) find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

October 4th – Venom
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Starring: Tom Hardy, Michelle Williams, Woody Harrelson, Jenny Slate, Riz Ahmed
Description: When Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) acquires the powers of a symbiote, he will have to release his alter-ego "Venom" to save his life.

October 11th – Bad Times at the El Royale
Director: Drew Goddard
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Jon Hamm, Dakota Johnson, Jeff Bridges, Nick Offerman
Description: Seven strangers, each with a secret to bury, meet at Lake Tahoe's El Royale, a rundown hotel with a dark past. Over the course of one fateful night, everyone will have a last shot at redemption - before everything goes to hell.

October 18th – First Man
Director: Damien Chazelle
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Ciarán Hinds, Ethan Embry, Kyle Chandler, Corey Stoll, Patrick Fugit
Description: A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

October 18th – Hell Fest
Director: Gregory Plotkin
Starring: Amy Forsyth, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Reign Edwards
Description: A masked serial killer turns a horror themed amusement park into his own personal playground, terrorizing a group of friends while the rest of the patrons believe that it is all part of the show.

October 18th – Mowgli
Director: Andy Serkis
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Andy Serkis, Naomie Harris, Eddie Marsan, Matthew Rhys, Freida Pinto, Tom Hollander, Rohan Chand, Peter Mullan, Jack Reynor
Description: A human child raised by wolves must face off against a menacing tiger named Shere Khan (Benedict Cumberbatch), as well as his own origins.

October 25th – The Girl in the Spider’s Web
Director: Fede Alvarez
Starring: Claire Foy, Sylvia Hoeks, Sverrir Gudnason, Stephen Merchant
Description: Young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason) find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.