10s Movie Review - The Hate U Give

Director: George Tillman Jr.
Genre: Drama/ Drama
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie, Common, Issa Rae, Algee Smith, Sabrina Carpenter, K.J. Apa, Dominique Fishback, Megan Lawless, Lamar Johnson, TJ Wright

Description: Starr (Amandla Stenberg) witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 31: A FILM WITH A COMING-OF-AGE STORY
 
Review: The Hate U Give forms the first half of the acronym “Thug Life, which was tattooed on rapper Tupac Shakur’s belly in the 1990s. In full, the acronym stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody. In short, all the woes in society that underprivileged youths face at an early age will later pay off in only more hate. With the late rapper’s thoughts as the main motif, it should be clear that author Angie Thomas’ wildly successful debut novel is a lote more deeply politically engaged than the average teen novel. The film adaptation, let by and outstanging Amandla Stenberg, also manages to do that.

In the opening scene we see Starr and her family sitting at the table. Father Maverick gives them the talk about serious matter. How should they act when they come into contact with the police as black Americans? Overly protective perhaps, but the long list of incidents in which unarmed African-American men were killed by a police bullet in recent years alone shows that Maverick’s concern are by no means unfounded.

When Starr is 16, she has to use these lessons in practice, when she and her childhood friend Khalil are being pulled over by a cop. When Khalil is killed by this cop, Starr has to try and deal with this traumatic and it presents her with a diabolical dilemma. Will she fight for justice by acting as a key witness? Or is she better off staying far away from all the media hysteria and the inevitable hate reactions that come with it? And how will it affect her own reputation at her largely white school when she is suddenly associated in the news with a boy portrayed in the media as a dangerous drug dealer?

Amandla Stenberg, who plays Starr, is absolutely amazing. The young actress shows she has a lot of emotion and she can easily carry this story. I loved the supporting roles by Regina Hall and Russell Hornsby as well. The creators could have done a bit more with Issa Rae and Anthony Mackie’s characters though.

The film has a strong message, is emotional, powerful. I absolutely loved this movie, a different kind of coming-of-age story, but one that I will remember for a very long time.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - 8 Mile

Director: Curtis Hanson
Genre: Drama/ Music
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Taryn Manning, Omar Benson Miller, Anthony Mackie, Michael Shannon

Description: Follows a young rapper (Eminem) in the Detroit area, struggling with every aspect of life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 18: A MOVIE ABOUT MUSIC
 
Review: “8 Mile” tells part of the life story of Marshall Mathers, made famous as Eminem, and more or less plays himself in his film debut. It is the story of a white boy in Detroit, who hangs out mostly in black circles, within a community defined by rap culture and neighborhood rivalries. B-Rabbit, the character Eminem plays, belongs to this community because he is actually just as disenfranchised as the black youth: he lives in a trailer, barely educated, poor, with an alcoholic mother and an estranged father.

The few bright spots in his life are his little sister, his loyal group of friends and his remarkable rap talent. Encouraged by his best friend Future, Rabbit ventures into the exclusively black rap battles, rap duels in which opponents must verbally beat each other up. And the audience decides who the winner is.

It’s pretty straight-forward how the story will largely unfold, no surprises here. Eminem does do a fine job and has enough conviction to keep us interested. And these rap battles are the highlight of the film. It’s a solid film with an equally solid story, but nothing spectacular.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - We Have a Ghost

Director: Christopher Landon
Genre: Comedy/ Adventure/ Family
Runtime: 126 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: David Harbour, Anthony Mackie, Jahi Di’allo Winston, Erica Ash, Niles Fitch, Jennifer Coolidge, Isabella Russo, Tig Notaro
 
Description: Finding a ghost named Ernest (David Harbour) haunting their new home turns Kevin’s (Jahi Di’allo Winston) family into overnight social media sensations. But when Kevin and Ernest investigate the mystery  of Ernest’s past, they become a target of the CIA.

Review: Teenager Kevin and his family move into a suspiciously cheap house. Kevin discovers a ghost in the attic, but is unimpressed with this ghost’s, Ernest, scare tactics ans strikes up a friendship. Soon the rest of the family knows about Ernest as well, including the always chasing easy money dad Frank, who creates a hype on the internet. Meanwhile, Kevin, together with his neighbor Joy, tries to solve the mystery surrounding Ernest, who has no memory of anything.

Director Christopher Landon abandons standard haunted house moments to create a feel-good movie. David Harbour plays ghost Ernest engagingly as he shyly opens up to contact with the living. It’s easy to feel sympathy for him, which makes the ending very touching.

The whole CIA plotline was a bit too much and felt unnecessary to me. And the film is not that surprising, even though it’s not following the standard haunted house storyline. The friendship between Kevin and Ernest is the heart of the film, I really loved that.

An entertaining and enjoyable family film, definitely worth a go.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Woman in the Window

Director: Joe Wright
Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Julianna Moore, Wyatt Russel, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry, Tracy Letts

Description: An agoraphobic woman (Amy Adams) living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors, only to witness a disturbing act of violence.

Review: Anna no longer takes a step outside her apartment. She suffers from severe agoraphobia and takes heavy medication to get through thee day, supplemented by a good sip of wine. She kills time by spying on her neighbors, and at the beginning of the film, the Russel family across the street is just moving in. Anna meets their son Ethan, a sensitive boy with a nervous streak, and moments later his mother as well. But then nefarious things happen. Our heroine sees a murder taking place on the other side. Main suspect: Mr. Russell.  
The plot of the film is very similar to “Rear Window” and director Joe Wright agrees, he even adds another adds another shot from the classic, on the of the many film cassics that Anna turns on the TV while peering into the neighborhood. And Wright has also borrowed some voyeuristic shots from the old master Hitchcock. He mixes this with a touch of films like “Shutter Island” and “The Wolf Hour” (a fairly unknown film with Naomi Watts, but also has a lot of similarities with this film).  
In the lead role we see Amy Adams. Her character comes off as a bit of a caricature at some points. In a better films that wouldn’t have been the case. Because Adams is still one of the strongest actresses of her generation. Julianne Moore technically has only one scene. Gary Oldman, as Mr. Russell, is a bit too much. And Jennifer Jason Leigh doesn’t really have anything to do. I like basically every single actor cast for this film, just not in this movie.
If there is anything positive to be said, it is that Joe Wright shows some promise here as a thriller maker. Overall, “The Woman in the Window” is just a copy of some other good movies mixed together, but not very well-executed. I was so looking forward to this film, but sadly enough it’s not that great.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

TV-Show Review - The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Mini-Series)

Season: Mini-Series
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Number of episodes: 6
Year: 2021
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Wyatt Russell, Daniel Brühl, Emily VanCamp, Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Description: Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame”, Sam Wilson/ Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/ Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) team up in a global adventure that tests their abilities. And their patience.

Review: Following the events of “Avengers: Endgame”, Sam Wilson/ Falcon holds the famous shield, but struggles to take over the role of Captain America. He donates the shield to the museum. When the government comes up with a new Captain America, John Walker, he is assigned to take out the terrorist organization ‘Flag Smashers’. Coincidentally, Sam and Bucky Barnes/ The Winter Soldier are now also going after this group.
Now that Marvel has successfully launched its first miniseries, “WandaVision”,  on Disney+, it’s time for the next one. Cinema releases are still a while away, so Marvel has been wise to make the switch to weekly TV episodes. This time, the focus is on Captain America’s legacy and all that he and his famous shield stood for. The six-part miniseries, “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”, mainly highlights the burden that Captain America’s role carries.
What stands out is that the series is very politically driven and because of this feels like a strong addition to previous Captain America films. Plot elements that were set up in these movies return here, such as the sneaky Zemo and the fugitive Agent Sharon Carter. It is abundantly clear that the film and series are so intertwined you really shouldn’t miss them for the greater story.
Because of the political aspect, one question is central: Will Sam take over the role from Steve Rogers, to be Captain America? The government has other plans, as they appoint Privat John Walker as the new Cap. We see Walker struggle with the responsibility of being a good Captain America and he’s failing. And he also turns out to be a huge asshole. He is everything Steve Rogers wasn’t. We also see Sam’s guilt and conflict over whether he has done the right thing or if he really is the man for the job Steve has left him to do. This makes the series an interesting watch. But what I loved most is the comradery between Sam and Bucky. The work well together and make each other’s characters stronger.
The series looks really good, is interesting and very entertaining. The last three episodes, especially episode five, are the best of the bunch. It’s a definite must-watch for every Marvel fan.

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 114: Runner Runner

Director: Brad Furman
Genre: Thriller/ Crime/ Drama
Runtime: 88 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Justin Timberlake, Gemma Arterton, Ben Affleck, Anthony Mackie, John Heard, Bob Gunton

Description: When a poor college student (Justin Timberlake) who cracks an online poker game goes bust, he arranges a face-to-face with the man (Ben Affleck) he thinks cheated him, a sly offshore entrepreneur.

Review: In 2011 director Brad Furman scored unexpectedly with “The Lincoln Lawyer”, a strong thriller that boosted Matthew McConaughey’s career. The follow up movie “Runner Runner” is ambitious, but misses inspiration and feels mediocre.
Richie Furst is an ambitious young student and is introduced to quick money, beautiful women and luxury. But off course he is not made for a world like that and it gets him into trouble. Richie is played by Justin Timberlake and the boss he has to face is Ben Affleck. To pay for his college Richie gets his money by gambling online. But one day, he gambles it all away and he feels like he was cheated. Richie decides to find the man behind the website, Ivan Block, who lives in Costa Rica.
The way the story goes is very farfetched and feels illogical. The movie does have a good pace at the beginning. But the movie collapses pretty quickly. The movie is filled with clichés. And the acting isn’t all that great either. Justin Timberlake is not a good actor, especially not for a leading role like this.Ben Affleck I was never a fan of and in “Runner Runner” he didn’t win me over. Gemma Arterton has the thankless job to play the woman between the two men, when she has so much more to offer as an actress. And Anthony Mackie is also underused.
With all that, “Runner Runner” is extremely predictable. You just know what’s going to happen and you don’t really care either. “Runner Runner” is a mediocre thriller, that I will forget in an instant. Forgotten!

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challene 2016 - 78: Triple 9

Director: John Hillcoat
Genre: Action/ Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Casey Affleck, Woody Harrelson, Kate Winslet, Aaron Paul, Anthony Mackie, Norman Reedus, Gal Gadot, Teresa Palmet, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Clifton Collins Jr.

Description: A gang of criminals and corrupt cops plan the murder of a police officer in order to pull off their biggest heist yet across town.

Review: Just like in other big American cities, the police in Atlanta works with codes. The 999 code means that a cop has been shot. A group of bankrobbers is about to cause a triple 9.
Michael Atwood has to return a favour to some Russian mobsters. In his group there are the two Welch brothers and two corrupt cops. Irina Vlaslov, leader of that Russian mob, calls the shot. On the other side of town detective Jeffrey Allen is dealing with this gang and tries to get his cousin Chris to get ready for it.
“Triple 9” doesn’t have many surprises. Not in the plot, motives or backgrounds. And there are too many characters to actually make them interesting or deep enough. The atmosphere is perfect, but the screenplay is the problem. The movie doesn’t interest you from beginning till end.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 77: Ant-Man

Director: Peyton Reed
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll, Bobby Cannavale, Anthony Mackie, Judy Greer, Michael Peña, John Slattery, Hayley Atwell

Description: Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Review: In “Ant-Man” we follow Scott Lang. Scott is a burglar who was just released from prison and is trying to straighten his life. He wants to do good for his daughter. Scott realizes that this isn’t easy: he is fired and his ex only lets him see his daughter when he has a steady income. Scott decides to do one last burglar job: break into a safe of a rich man. In that safe isn’t any money though, but a suit. This suit belongs to Hank Pym, a genius inventor. Pym set up the burglary and wanted Scott to steal the suit. The suit gives you the ability to shrink to ant size. Scott has been chosen to wear it and becomes Ant-Man, to stop Prym’s protégé Darren Cross.
Originally Edgar Wright was going to direct “Ant-Man”. Peyton Reed took over that job and he did it well. This time the hero isn’t a millionaire, God or scientist. He is an average man, even with a criminial past. And it’s not the end of the world that’s at stake, or the universe. It’s a lot smaller, but still important. This makes it all fresh and new.
It takes some time for something to really happen, but once we are there “Ant-Man” is great. There is a lot to enjoy: great action sequences, interesting characters, humor. The scenes where Ant-Man shrinks and enhances himself again are fantastic.
A lot of questions were raised when Paul Rudd was cast as Scott Lang, but I think he showed everyone he is capable of carrying a big movie like this. He did a great job, he is charismatic, funny and really perfect for the role.
“Ant-Man” is a highly enjoyable Marvel film. I loved it!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 69: Captain America: Civil War

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 147 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, Emily VanCamp, Daniel Brühl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Martin Freeman, Marisa Tomei, John Slattery, Alfre Woodard

Description: Political interference in the Avengers' activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.).

Review: The brothers Joe and Anthony Russo did a great job on “Captain America: Winter Soldier” and I was really excited when I found out they were also directing the third installment of this franchise. They really understand the Marvel universe.
The film opens with a scene in Lagos, Nigeria. There the memers of the Avengers are chasing down bad guy Crossbones. The mission ends in a blood bath. And after their actions in New York, Washington and Sokovia, the United Nations wants to close the Sokovia Accords. This means the Avengers can only work on request by the UN.
Tony Stark signs the documents. Steve Rogers thinks it’s a bad plan. Together with Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye and Falcon, he doesn’t sign. During the ceremony, where all the others do sign, the king of Wakanda is killed in an attack. The main suspect is the Winter Soldier. The hunt for Steve’s friend tears the Avengers even further apart.
This Marvel film is mostly about loyalty, family and friendship. Steve Rogers is the one we focus on, of course. He stands for loyalty and friendship and would never abandon his friend Bucky. Steve never doubts Bucky’s story and wants to defend him no matter what. A great thing about “Captain America: Civil War” is that both teams, team Captain America and team Iron Man, have good points and bad points. You would expect that as a viewer you have to lean towards Steve Rogers, but Tony Stark also has some good points. The most awesome part of the film is the showdown between both teams, on a airfield in Leipzig. Well shot, great action, perfectly choreographed fight scenes and humor. And it’s fun to see new heroes Spider-Man, Black Panther and Ant-Man here too.
There is a lot going on in “Captain America: Civil War”, which sometimes makes it feel a bit messy. Lots of characters, old an new ones. But the movies shines when it has to shine: the action and fight scenes and the comedy.

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 - # 30: Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Fantasy
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, Anthony Mackie

Description: Abraham Lincoln (Benjamin Walker), the 16th President of the United States, discovers vampires are planning to take over the United States. He makes it his mission to eliminate them.

Review: The title says it all, former president of the USA Abraham Lincoln is going to slay vampires. This completely insane concept is based on the bestseller written by Seth Grahame-Smith. Director Timur Bekmambetov knows how to make it into a good movie. The movie starts with a scene where a young Abe sees his mother get killed by a vampire. When he grows up he meets Henry Sturgess, who teaches him how to become a vampire hunter.
The filmmakers take the strange story very seriously and that works surprisingly well. Although it’s sometimes over-the-top, the scenes are very authentic and the film is very surprising and gives you some big scares. Especially the scene where Abe is fighting vampires on top of a train is fantastic. Eighty percent of its runtime this movie manages to burst of energy, but the visuals are always 100%.
The cast is also a strong point, because there is not one black sheep. It’s a solid line-up, without any ‘big’ names. “Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter” is a joy to watch and it succeeds in turning the bestselling book into a movie.

Rating: 3,5/ 5