Netflix Friday - Volume 14

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

Action: The Dark Knight (2008)
When the menace known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman (Christian Bale) must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Drama: Arctic (2018)
A man (Mads Mikkelsen) stranded in the Arctic after a plane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown.

Comedy: Zombieland: Double Tap (2019)
Columbus (Woody Harrelson), Tallahassee (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow zombie survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.

Animation: Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
A young witch (Kirsten Dunst), on her mandatory year of independent life, finds fitting into a new community difficult while she supports herself by running an air courier service.

Romance: Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
Devastated Peter (Jason Segel) takes a Hawaiian vacation in order to deal with the recent break-up with his TV star girlfriend Sarah (Kristen Bell). Little does he know, Sarah’s traveling to the same resort as her ex, and she’s bringing along her new boyfriend (Russell Brand).

Horror: Slaughterhouse Rulez (2018)
An illustrious British boarding school becomes a bloody battleground when a mysterious sinkhole appears at a nearby fracking site unleashing unspeakable horror.

Science Fiction: Man of Steel (2013)
An alien chils is evacuated from his dying world and sent to Earth to live among humans. His (Henry Cavill) peace is threatened, when other survivors of his home planet invade Earth.

Crime: Boyz n the Hood (1991)
Follows the lives of three young men living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and future prospects.

Thriller: You Were Never Really Here (2017)
A traumatized veteran (Joaquin Phoenix), unafraid of violence, tracks down missing girls for a living. When a job spins out of control, Joe’s nightmares overtake him as a conspiracy is uncovered leading to what may be his death trip or his awakening.

Documentary: Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret (2014)
Follow the shocking, yet humorous, journey of an aspiring environmentalist, as he daringly seeks to find the real solution to the most pressing environmental issues and true path to sustainability.

Family: Minoes (2001)
A cat who turns into a young woman (Carice van Houten) helps a journalist (Theo Maassen) protect their own town from a factory boss with an evil plan.

Movie Reviews - Arctic

Director: Joe Penna
Genre: Adventure/ Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Maria Thelma Smáradóttir

Description: A man stranded in the Arctic (Mads Mikkelsen) after a plane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown.

Review: This Icelandic drama isn’t rich when it comes to plot, but leans completely on the emotions and experiences of the lead character.
As the title says, the films is set in the Arctic, in the North Pole area, where we meet a man who is busy digging into snow. When the camera pans out, you see he is trying to carve S.O.S into the snow. The situation is clear immediately: the man is stranded and has been there for quite a while. He already made a map of the area and has developed a daily routine to make life bearable. The movie needs just a few simple shots to tells us about his situation. No voice-overs, no flashbacks, no history. The wreckage of the plane says it all.
The movie never shows the actual crash, which makes it unique. The film starts when the end of all the misery has already begun. The man is found by a helicopter, but all hope is lost when it crashes. The pilot dies, but one of the passengers is heavily injured. He starts to take care of her. Now it’s not just him who is surviving, he tries to make sure the young woman also survives. From that moment, the man decides to no longer stay in his ‘safe haven’ but to start walking and find help.
Like I stated before, it’s a simple premise: a man struggling to survive in the cold Arctic. A thin base for a survival film. But luckily for us there is Mads Mikkelsen. He is one of the best actors today. He is a reliable actor that doesn’t necessarily have to play a sympathetic character. Although his performance in “Arctic” is mostly physical, he gives away a perfect one-man-show. There is also a lot of focus on psychological moments and he shows a wide spectrum of emotions. He is just a resourceful and resolute as he is scared and selfish. Mikkelsen himself claims that filming “Arctic” as the hardest thing to do in his career.
“Arctic” has enough to keep your attention for an hour and a half, but it never goes too deep. It could have easily become a boring movie if it weren’t for Mikkelsen.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movies to Look Forward to - March 2019

March has a lot in store for us. Some of these movies, are on my must-see list, that I made at the start of 2019. Here is what you should look forward to in March.

March 6th – Captain Marvel
Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Brie Larsson, Jude Law, Samuel L. Jackson, Mckenna Grace, Lee Pace, Ben Mendelsohn, Annette Bening, Djimon Hounsou, Clark Gregg
Description: Carol Danvers (Brie Larsson) becomes one of the universe's most powerful heroes when Earth is caught in the middle of a galactic war between two alien races.

March 7th – On the Basis of Sex
Director: Mimi Leder
Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer
Description: The true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

March 7th – The Mule
Director: Clint Eastwood
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Bradley Cooper, Michael Peña, Taissa Farmiga, Andy Garcia, Laurence Fishburne, Alison Eastwood, Dianne Wiest, Clifton Collins Jr.
Description: A 90-year-old horticulturist and Korean War veteran (Clitn Eastwood) is caught transporting $3 million worth of cocaine through Illinois for a Mexican drug cartel.

March 14th – Arctic
Director: Joe Penna
Starring: Mads Mikkelsen
Description: A man (Mads Mikkelsen) stranded in the Arctic after an airplane crash must decide whether to remain in the relative safety of his makeshift camp or to embark on a deadly trek through the unknown.

March 21st – Us
Director: Jordan Peele
Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Elisbeth Moss, Winston Duke
Description: A mother and father (Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke) take their kids to their beach house, expecting to enjoy time with friends, but their serenity turns to tension and chaos when some visitors arrive uninvited.

March 27th – Dumbo
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Colin Farrell, Michael Keaton, Eva Green, Danny DeVito, Alan Arkin
Description: A young elephant, whose oversized ears enable him to fly, helps save a struggling circus, but when the circus plans a new venture, Dumbo and his friends discover dark secrets beneath its shiny veneer.

March 27th – The Aftermath
Director: James Kent
Starring: Keira Knightley, Jason Clarke, Alexander Skarsgård
Description: Post World War II, a British colonel (Jason Clarke) and his wife (Keira Knightley) are assigned to live in Hamburg during the post-war reconstruction, but tensions arise with the German (Alexander Skarsgård) who previously owned the house.