80s Movie Review - Uncle Buck

Director: John Hughes
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 1989
Starring: John Candy, Jean Louisa Kelly, Macaulay Culkin, Gaby Hoffmann, Amy Madigan, Laurie Metcalf

Description: Laid back commitment-phobe Buck (John Candy) babysits his brother’s rebellious teenage daughter and cute younger brother and sister.

Review: “Uncle Buck” is a timeless comedy and a childhood and family favorite film. It combines John Candy’s chaotic humor and John Hughes’ warm, human direction.

When the parents of the Russell family have to leave in a hurry due to an emergency, there is only one option left for the care of their three children: Uncle Buck. Buck is a bachelor who loves gambling, drinking, and his roaring car. He is the last person you would expect to find in a neat suburb, which immediately sets the stage for many comical confrontations with rebellious teenager Tia and curious younger siblings Miles and Maizy.

I grew up with John Candy, his films always made me smile. As a kid, but also now as an adult. Candy carries this film with his enormous charisma. He manages to portray Buck as more than just a clumsy uncle; he gives the character a heart of gold and a surprisingly strong moral compass.

The interaction between Candy and young Macaulay Culkin is priceless and even served as inspiration for “Home Alone”. The conflict between Buck and his cynical teenage niece Tia provides the necessary dramatic depth.

Although some to of the jokes Buck’s tough guy approach feel typically 1980s, the film stands up thanks to its sincere emotion. It’s not just a film about a failed uncle learning to be a responsible babysitter, but above all about a family learning what unconditional support means.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Weapons

Director: Zach Cregger
Genre: Horror/ mystery
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Julia Garner, Josh Brolin, Benedict Wong, Alden Ehrenreich, Amy Madigan, Justin Long
 
Description: When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.
 
Review: “Weapons” is a horror film directed by Zach Cregger, who also made “Barbarian”. This movie really surprised me with its originality and shocking twists. “Weapons” is no different.

At the start of the movie, we learn that all but one kid from the same class have disappeared. They all vanished at the exact same time in the middle of the night.

The film has a complex, non-linear structure in which the story is told from different points of view. This makes the film unpredictable and captivating. It has a mix of horror and thriller, with elements of dark comedy. It constantly balances tension, terror and humor, avoiding conventional horror tropes.

I praise Zach Cregger for his creative and idiosyncratic storytelling style, which kept me on the edge of my set the entire time. The film is definitely not for everyone and especially towards the end it’s pretty gruesome. It has great performances by Julia Garner and Josh Brolin and I loved the bold approach to the genre.

Please go in with a blank slate, knowing as little as possible about the film. This way the experience is so much better, because it has many unexpected, surprising twists. “Weapons” is unique in its storytelling and content. Get ready to be blown away. My favorite film of 2025 (so far).

Rating: 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Gone Baby Gone

Director: Ben Affleck
Genre: Drama/ Mystery/ Crime
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Amy Ryan, Titus Welliver, Amy Madigan, Michael Kenneth Williams

Description: Two Boston area detectives (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan) investigate a little girl’s kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.

Review: Is a bad deed justifiable if the consequence is ultimately good? What are good intentions worth if the consequences are bad? And what then is good and bad, and do those words have any meaning at all? Such questions arise when watching “Gone Baby Gone”, directed by Ben Affleck and based on the book by Dennis Lehane. Affleck created an engaging, intelligent film.

Private detective couple Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are hired by Helene McCready’s sister-in-law to track down Helene’s missing four-year-old daughter Amanda. They discover that Helene has robbed a drug dealer and suspect that the drug dealer has something to do with Amanda’s abduction. An attempt to strike a bargain with the dealer and exchange the stolen money for the child goes horribly wrong.

Months later, Kenzie works another kidnapping case where he must find and free a missing boy from the hands of a pedophile. In the process, Patrick makes some decisions that are very difficult for him and also stumbles upon a secret that presents him with even more difficult decisions. The question is not so much whether he can make the right decision, but whether there are any at all in our modern society.

It was a good idea by Ben Affleck to keep the moral uncertainties that arise in a disrupted world without a clearly identifiable right or wrong. This keeps the story and a few plot twists interesting. I’ve always liked Ben Affleck more as a directed than an actor, so I’m happy he decided to cast his brother Casey Affleck for the lead role, instead of starrin in it himself. The younger Affleck is in my opinion the better actor of the two and he proves that in “Gone Baby Gone”. Helene McCready is played by Amy Ryan, who really shines in her role.

“Gone Baby Gone” is a really good crime mystery, that is engaging from start to finish. An overlooked film in my opinion, not many people seem to talk about it anymore.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

Movie Review - The Hunt

Director: Craig Zobel
Genre: Action/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz, Ethan Suplee, Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Wayne Duvall, Amy Madigan

Description: Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know were they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chose, for a specific purpose: The Hunt.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 42: A MOVIE RATED FRESH ON ROTTEN TOMATOES

Review: To start it off: “The Hunt” is not for the faint of heart, since it’s very violent and there is a lot of bloodshed. Already in the opening phase, it becomes clear that a group of rich and influential people with a private jet are on their way to an unknown location to hunt down and kill innocent people. Once on location, the potential victims are dumped in the woods and then, one by one, fall prey to the trigger-happy hunters. The massacres are colorful, explicit and body parts fly all over the place.
Although the story seems to be secondary to all that bloodshed, after a bloody opening phase attention is paid to the characters and the motives of the elite group to hunt down innocent people. In the first part of the film, you’re not really sure who the main character is, because we follow several. When it’s eventually clear who we will stick with, this character is one of the most likeable ones.
“The Hunt” is a satire. I think that’s the reason why the audience is so divided in opinion. I think many people take it too seriously and don’t even get that it’s meant to be a satire. I think the scene where the first people are hunted makes it very clear.
I think “The Hunt” is a lot better than it gets credit for. The runtime is short, never drags and there isn’t a dull moment. The character development does suffer from that short runtime, because other then our main character, we don’t really get to know any of them. Their motives are explained, but only very briefly and not enough to actually care.
“The Hunt” is a very enjoyable action/ horror movie.  

Rating: 3,5 / 5