20s Movie Review - Pig

Director: Michael Sarnoski
Genre: Drama/ Mystery
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 13: A FILM FROM 2021
 
Description: A truffle hunter (Nicolas Cage) who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must return to his part in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.

Review: Nicolas Cage is either very over the top or really subdued. For “Pig” it’s the latter. It’s a fairly quiet film with a meandering style. Cage plays Rob, a man who was once the best chef in town, but now lives a reclusive life in the woods of Oregon. There he lives, along with his pig, who helps him search and root for truffles. But then his quiet life gets disturbed and his pig gets stolen. Rob has to go back to the city and find her.

In core the film is about learning to care about something and not fall prey to hypocrisy. I absolutely loved this film. It’s a slow film, no action, just a man looking for his beloved pig. And Nicolas Cage is wonderful. His rage is now very contained and it works perfectly for “Pig”.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - A Quiet Place: Day One

Director: Michael Sarnoski
Genre: Horror/ Science Fiction/ Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou
 
Description: A young woman name Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) finds herself trapped in new York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing.

Review: Making a prequel to a successful film like “A Quiet Place’ is probably a curse rather than a blessing. The film not being director by John Krasinski (returned as a writer though), like the other two films, is also not working in its favor. But it worked and it pays off. 

The first two films were unique. The people dealing with the invasion had already adapted to the situation. They learned how to live in a world with these creatures in it, knew what attracts them and how to survive. It had a small town, country setting. In “A Quiet Place Part Two” we got a glimpse on that first day, with the characters we then knew, in that same setting. But in “A Quiet Place: Day One” we see how it started, switching the décor for New York, a place that is loud and alive 24/ 7. An interesting take for this universe to further explore it.

We follow Sam, a young woman dealing with a terminal illness. All she has is her cat Frodo. When she is visiting New York City, all hell breaks loose and creatures start attacking people. Quickly finding out that they can’t see and rely on super sensitive hearing, she tries to make her way through the city.

Lupita Nyong’o plays Sam and really carries this film. She is a cynical character, but manages to put down a remarkable engaging main character, for whom she is especially allowed to pull out all the stops non-verbally. She gets great counterplay from Joseph Quinn, who plays the anxious Eric.

“A Quiet Place: Day One” could easily be viewed without having seen the other two movies, but I would recommend to watch the others first. I highly enjoyed it, was spooked, on the edge of my seat. And loved Lupita Nyong’o, who proves again what a great actress she is. And can we also praise cat Schnitzel, who played Frodo. Constantly panicking where he was, when he wasn’t in frame. “A Quiet Place: Day One” is best views in theaters, just like its predecessors.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - From Up On Poppy Hill

Director: Gorô Miyazaki
Genre: Animation/ Drama/ Family
Runtime: 91 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Sarah Bolger, Anton Yelchin, Gillian Anderson, Chris Noth,
Alex Wolff, Beau Bridges, Bruce Dern, Christina Hendricks, Ron Howard, Aubrey Plaza

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 49: AN ANIME

Description: A group of Yokohama teens look to save their school’s clubhouse from the wrecking ball in preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
 
Review: “From Up On Poppy Hill” is yet another great animated film by Studio Ghibli. This time not by Hayao Miyazaki, but by his son Gorô Miyazaki.
This animated film is striking because it doesn’t contain any magical or fantasy elements like we are used from the Studio Ghibli movies. So it is a more realistic animation, similar to “Whisper of the Heart”. 

The story takes place in the harbor of Yokohama in the year 1964. 16-year-old Umi lives and works in her grandmother’s boarding house, together with her younger sister and brother. Her mother is a doctor and studies in America and het father died as a sailor during the Korean War. 
Every day Umi still raises a flag for her father, the guesthouse is located on the highest point of the harbor town. 
During a school day Umi is confronted with the boy Shun who, together with his clubmates, take action against demolition of the old and dilapidated school clubhouse. The two bond and start working together. However, pas events put their friendship to the test. 
As usual, this Studio Ghibli film contains beautiful animations and landscapes. Visually there is nothing wrong with this film. And I loved the soundtrack, which is similar to that of “Kiki’s Delivery Service”. The characters are captivating and the story is beautiful. 
“From Up On Poppy Hill” is probably one of the most overlooked films by Studio Ghibli, because it’s so simple in its premise, but it will certainly not disappoint. I even think this is one of my favorites. I loved the images, characters and the story. 

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Jumanji: The Next Level

Director: Jake Kasdan
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 123 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Awkwafina, Nick Jonas, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Rhys Darby, Colin Hanks, Rory McCann, Marin Hinkle, Alex Wolff, Morgan Turner, Madison Iseman, Ser’Darius Blain

Description: The gang is back but the game has changed. As they return to rescue one of their own, the players will have to brave parts unknown from arid deserts to snowy mountains, to escape the world’s most dangerous game.

Review: After their adventure in the world of Jumanji, the students Spencer, Martha, Bethany and Fridge try to pick up their lives again. However, Spencer is struggling with his life as a student in new York and longs for a new adventure in which he can take on the form of the tough professor Bravestone. When Spencer goes missing, his friends soon know what happened. Especially when they discover that Spencer has never thrown away the videogame Jumanji. All they can do to save their friend is venture into the world of Jumanji again. But this time, not only the students get sucked in, also Spencer’s grandfather and his elderly friend join the adventure, and Bethany is left behind. Once again, they have to join forces as their old avatars in order to return from the world of Jumanji.
“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” was one of the biggest surprises. A movie I thought I would hate, but actually came to love. So to repeat that success, Sony Pictures (of course) created a sequel. And although it’s much of the same, “Jumanji: The Next Level” still offers a lot of fun-filled and action packed scenes.
With the same game, the same avatars and the same students its more of the same. But the creators made a few adjustments to make it a bit fresher. Danny DeVito and Danny Glover are added and they end up in the avatars that Dwayne Johnson and Kevin hart embody. I’m not the world’s biggest Kevin Hart fan and he was my least favorite in the first film. Because he was being his loud an annoying self, instead of another character. Here his character is taken over by an elderly, slow-talking man that over-explains things. And I loved that! He actually outshines Dwayne Johnson for once.
“Jumanji: The Next Level” is not a necessary sequel, but a welcome one. Because I had tons of fun watching it. Even though it was much of the same, I enjoyed this film.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Movie Reviews - Bad Education

Director: Cory Finley
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Comedy
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Allison Janney, Ray Romano, Geraldine Viswanathan, Alex Wolff

Description: The beloved superintendent (Hugh Jackman) of New York’s Roslyn school district and his staff, friends and relatives become the prime suspects in the unfolding of the single largest public school embezzlement scandal in American history.

Review: Charisma is a sly fox. A quality that we praise but also underestimate. Some people are champions in keeping up appearances. And that’s what we see in “Bad Education”, which is based on true events.
Dr. Frank Tassone is the superintendent of a New York high school. He oversees this school district of Roslyn, New York together with his colleague Pam Gluckin. And everything is going perfect. A large group of their students will go to Ivy League universities, which makes Rosylin the fourth most successful school district in the US. And with that Frank is a very well-loved man among his colleagues, students and parents.
But that bubble bursts, when it is revealed that Pam has used the school budget for personal purchases, like her house. The community is broken about it and so is Frank, who was close friends with Pam as well. He confronts her, she gets fired and even loses her license. But something is not right. One of Roslyn’s own students goes on an investigation of her own, while writing an article for the school paper. Here she finds out the dark truth about both Pam and Frank.
This is of course not all, but I’m not going to spoil the fun. This event became one of the biggest school scandals in American history. And the deceit went much further than just school budget fraude. There was a lot more going on.
“Bad Education” has hints of comedy, personal drama, crime and journalistic drama. Because it’s Roslyn students Rachel that eventually blows the whistle and uncovers the truth.
The film has enough pace and never bores. And their biggest trump is the cast. Allison Janney and Ray Romano are very strong in their supporting roles, with enough irony and never going over the top. I was impressed by Geraldine Viswanathan, who played Rachel. She is really good in this film. But Hugh Jackman is the scene stealer and plays one of his most versatile characters ever. He shows he is more than just Wolverine. Frank sees himself as the personification of the ‘American Dream’, but also hides parts of himself to keep up the appearances. He looks for scapegoats to cover up his own misdeeds.
“Bad Education” is a really good movie, with a strong cast and a interesting true story.

Rating: 4 / 5

10s Movie Review - Hereditary

Director: Ari Aster
Genre: Horror/ Drama
Runtime: 126 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Toni Collette, Gabriel Byrne, Milly Shapiro, Alex Wolff, Ann Dowd

Description: A grieving family is a hunted by tragic and disturbing occurrences.

Review: The horror films that get under your skin are the once that provide you with a story where the drama is just as important as the shock effects, scares and gore. Look at “The Exorcist” or more recent “The Conjuring” “Get Out” or “It Follows’. The drama surrounding these stories make the characters more vulnerable and the story eventually more disturbing and scary.
“Hereditary” is the directorial debut by Ari Aster and is carried by the unprecedented Toni Collette. The film has the so-called slow burn, where Aster takes his time to build the story and its characters. And with that you can conclude that the first hour goes by, being gripping and filled with tension, without even one jump scare. Then you’re a great horror director.
You know something is wrong. Aster plays with the empathy and sentiment of the viewer and he also plays with their expectations of the horror genre. A dead grandmother, a big old house, an eccentric child. Lots of clichés, but Aster has other plans with them than you would expect. Mother of the family, Annie, decides to join a support group to deal with her dead mother. Or actually the fact that she feels relieved and she feels guilty about it. Because her mother wasn’t really someone she bonded with. Annie also has a daughter, Charlie, who seems to have autistic tendencies and had a special connection with her grandmother. Charlie starts seeing things after her death.
Aster changes paths when Charlie is taken to a party alongside her older brother Peter. That’s when you realize that every plot element and each character trade has been chosen carefully. Not only visually does Ari Aster proof he is one to watch, but his screenplay is extraordinary. Everything works, everything is right. Annie’s husband Steve is hard to communicate with, so she does it through her self-made miniatures. And this vague relationship Annie has with her husband, makes for her to go deeper into isolation. And her connection with son Peter is also not healthy. However, the most important trump of “Hereditary” is the ominous atmosphere. The film isn’t about effects or jump scares, but nestles in the human mind and gets under your skin.
Toni Collette is extremely good in “Hereditary”. It’s the best performance I have seen in a horror movie for quite some time. Her portrayal of a woman who is going through several stages of grief and eventually becomes entangles in a web of fear, disbelief and misunderstanding. The last twenty minutes of the film might not please everyone, but I think this film is perfect. “Hereditary” does what a good horror movie has to do: it scares, gets under your skin and will haunt you for a while. I think it’s an instant classic.

Rating: 5 / 5