80s Movie Review - Aliens

Director: James Cameron
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 1986
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, William Hope, Jenette Goldstein, Al Matthews, Mark Rolston, Ricco Ross, Colette Hiller, Daniel Kash, Cynthia Dale Scott, Tip Tipping

Description: The planet from "Alien" (1979) has been colonized, but contact is lost. This time, the rescue team has impressive firepower, but will it be enough?

Review: “Aliens” is the sequel to “Alien” from 1979. This time it’s not Ridley Scott but James Cameron that directs.
The movie starts slow, just like the first, but then it’s a series of explosions and action sequences. The difference between “Aliens” and other movies in the genre, is that this it’s exciting from start to finish. Again there is this claustrophobic feel to it, where the aliens are hiding in catacombs and ruins.
Although the title suggest there will be a lot of monsters, the actual aliens aren’t shown that often. This helps to make the atmosphere more threatening. The camera stays close to the characters, which makes it more intense and scary. There are many shock effects, even after rewatching it. Those so-called ‘facehuggers’ freak me out every time!
 “Aliens” manages to grab you and never let you go.  Off all the movies in the series, this one might do that the best. James Cameron obviously understood the material he was working with. A genuinely scary and bad ass science fiction movie.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Apollo 13

Director: Ron Howard
Genre: Drama/ Adventure
Runtime: 134 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan, Ray McKinnon, Clint Howard

Description: NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.

Review: Jim Lovell is working at NASA, in 1970s America. He wants only one thing and that is to set foot on the moon. He has therefore had to wait a long time, but now it’s finally  happening. Due to illness of the original flight leader, Jim and his team are deployed on Apollo 13. During the flight, which initially goes well, some major problems arise. Jim and his team now have to do everything to get back to Earth safely. Jim, and his team members Fred and Jack must survive in a hostile environment, with a dwindling supply of oxygen.
“Apollo 13” tells the true story of the failed trip to the moon on the thirteenth Apollo mission. This was to be the third time humans would walk on the moon, but during the trip, all sorts of things went wrong. Commander of the ship, Jim Lovell, wrote about his experiences in the book “Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13”. This book was the basis for the film, which was directed by Ron Howard. True-life stories van be bogged down quite often in a heavy dose of sentiment and tear-jerking. “Apollo 13” also has several moments where this applies, but overall it is a film that manages to captivate and entertain. the facts told in the story are exciting and dramatic enough in themselves. I actually thought that the whole family drama at home, took the tempo out of the movie a bit. I was more interested in the space part, not the personal lives.
The cast seems to give their all and is extremely empathetic. The roles of the three astronauts are played by Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton. Hanks is strong as ever, but Paxton and Bacon manage to hold their own alongside him. The trio manages to convey the desperation and mutual tension well. This makes the whole thing come across as authentic and realistic. Ed Harris and Gary Sinise, in smaller roles, also make  an impression.
“Apollo 13” is clearly created with a lot of love and attention to detail and it looks very realistic. It’s an entertaining movie, even on multiple viewings.

Rating: 4 / 5

10s Movie Review - The Circle

Director: James Ponsoldt
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Karen Gillan, John Boyega, Patton Oswalt, Glenne Headly

Description: Mae Holland (Emma Watson) lands a dream job at a powerful tech company called the Circle, only to uncover an agenda that will affect the lives of all of humanity.

Review: In 2013, author Dave Eggers finished “The Circle”, a dystopian novel that was compared to George Orwell’s “1984”. It was a popular book and it’s a surprise it took four years to be turned into a film. But does a praised book always need a movie adaptation? Well, for “The Circle” it’s a no.
Mae Holland’s life is about to change, when she is invited for a job interview at ‘the Circle’. You see the big difference between the dusty and old school call center Mae works at, to the ultra-modern and complex 'the Circle'. For Mae, ‘the Circle’ is the place to be. She ends up at the ‘customer experience’ department. We also meet CEO Eamon Bailey, who presents an advanced camera system. It’s clear that ‘the Circle’ is a company that sees the invasion of privacy as a device to reach political goals.
Everyone listening to Bailey believes in ‘the Circle’, Mae is one of them. And it doesn’t take her very long to become one if the icons of the company. Emma Watson is a fantastic actress, but her talent is underused. And it feels like Tom Hanks, my all-time favorite, is out of place. Both do a solid job, but if you have these fantastic performers, give them something to work with.
Bailey and his neurotic followers can’t be taken seriously. And when they present a program called SoulSearch, that’s the ultimate low. And the creators of this system, never see that it’s a dangerous tool? Not very credible.
The story criticizes society and there it’s crucial to be believable. And it never feels like that. It’s rushed and it loses the actual focus of Eggers’ novel: the danger of digital independence.
The story and concept of “The Circle” are really good, the book was great. I think it would have been better as a mini-series.

Rating: 2 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 158: Edge of Tomorrow

Director: Doug Liman

Genre: Action/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 114 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Noah Taylor, Brendan Gleeson, Jeremy Piven, Laura Pulver, Charlotte Riley, Jonas Armstrong, Madeleine Mantock, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Tony Way

Description: Military officer William Cage (Tom Cruise) is brought into an alien war against an extraterrestrial enemy who can reset the day and know the future. When Cage is enabled with the same power, he teams up with Special Forces warrior Rita (Emily Blunt) to try and end the war.

Review: Tom Cruise hasn’t done anything noteworthy for a while. His last success was “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol” in 2011. But Cruise didn’t give up and he decided to work together with director Doug Liman. “Edge of Tomorrow” may sound like just another action/ science fiction blockbuster, but it isn’t. It’s an amazing movie experience.

In the not so far away future, an invasion of aliens cause a lot of trouble in the world. The untrained officer William Cage ends up right in the middle of it. He’s frightened and dies within five minutes in the field. But then he wakes up and relives that exact same day. Not just once, he stays within that day and keeps dying every single time. He meets soldier Rita, who starts to train him. Cage doesn’t only get stronger, but he gets closer to the solution. Together with Rita he is trying to beat the aliens.

Movie fans will see similarities with movies like “Groundhog Day” and “Source Code”, because there the lead character relives the same day over and over again. And the look of the soldiers and aliens might remind you of “Pacific Rim”. But Doug Liman creates a complete new end product with those ingredients. Whenever Cage lands on the beach, he has to die hundreds of times to make progress. Liman avoids dullness by keeping up the pace and showing us slightly different versions of that same day. And the movie is really easy to follow despite the unconventional way of storytelling.

Tom Cruise can finally be the actor again that we want him to be. He isn’t your standard action hero, because his character starts out as a real coward. He is afraid and rather flees than fights. Along the way he finds out he can’t run anymore and he has to face his fears. Emily Blunt really proofs that she can be a kick-ass action star, Blunt was wonderful in it.

I have to be honest, I was skeptical before I saw this. But I’m glad I was wrong, because “Edge of Tomorrow” is the Tom Cruise movie I have been waiting for. The script feels fresh, it has great action and is also surprisingly humoristic.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Quotables: "Nightcrawler"

I recently saw this movie and it’s one of the best movies of the year. It surprised me really. Jake Gyllenhaal is phenomenal and there are some great quotes. Here are they, and almost all of them are by Gyllenhaal’s character Lou Bloom.

Lou Bloom: What if my problem wasn't that I don't understand people but that I don't like them? What if I was the kind of person who was obliged to hurt you for this? I mean physically. I think you'd have to believe afterward, if you could, that agreeing to participate and then backing out at the critical moment was a mistake. Because that's what I'm telling you, as clearly as I can.

Lou Bloom: Who am I? I'm a hard worker. I set high goals and I've been told that I'm persistent.

Lou Bloom: Do you know what fear stands for? False Evidence Appearing Real.

 

 

Lou Bloom: Why you pursue something is as important as what you pursue.

Lou Bloom: I feel like grabbing you by your ears right now and screaming, "I'm not fucking interested!". Instead, I'm going to drive home and do some accounting.

Lou Bloom: The name of my company is Video Production News, a professional news-gathering service. That's how it should be read and that's how it should be said. I also want to go to the next rung and meet your team, and the station manager, and the director, and the anchors, and start developing my own personal relationships. I'd like to start meeting them this morning. You'll take me around and you'll introduce me as the owner and president of Video Production News, and remind them of some of many other stories. I'm not done. I also want to stop our discussion over prices. This will save time. So when I say that a particular number is my lowest price, that's my lowest price and you can be assured at whatever that number is very carefully. Now, when I say I want these things, I mean that I want them and I don't want to have to ask again.

 

 

Nina Romina: You don't work with me, you're someone I sell to. And I don't wanna fuck that up.

Lou Bloom: What if by saying no you fuck it up?

Lou Bloom: Get out of your head, Rick, it's a bad neighborhood.

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 148: Nightcrawler

Director: Dan Gilroy

Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 117 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Bill Paxton, Rick Garcia

Description: When Lou Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man desperate for work, muscles into the world of L.A. crime journalism, he blurs the line between observer and participant to become the star of his own story. Aiding him in his effort is Nina, a TV-news veteran.

Review: The word “Nightcrawler” can mean many things. In this case it’s not the newest X-Men spin-off or a movie about worms. Here it means journalists who deliver newsworthy happenings that occur at night.

This tingling theme is translated to film by scenario writer Dan Gilroy, who makes his directorial debut with “Nightcrawler”. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the lead role, who lost 20 pounds to make his character come to life. Who says method acting is dead? He’s koined by Rene Russo, the directors wife, and it’s great to see her in a good film again. Bill Paxton plays a fellow nightcrawler.

Lou Bloom is trying to sell stolen construction material, but it doesn’t get him a lot of money. When Lou witnesses a traffic collision, he sees freelance journalists filming the accident. His new life goal is to become successful in that business. After some rookie mistakes, he starts getting the hang of it and he actually has talent for it. But Lou soon goes beyond boundaries and gets obsessed with the job, by losing all his morals and ethics.

Like “Collateral” and “Drive”, night time Los Angeles is the décor for “Nightcrawler”. The City of Angels is filmed beautifully and adds something to the already gripping atmosphere.

Jake Gyllenhaal can join the club of actors, with for instance Matthew McConaughey and Tom Hardy, who land one good role after another. After being in “Prisoners” and “Enemy”, his portrayal of Lou Bloom might be his best performance so far.

Knowing that the theme of “Nightcrawler” is based on reality, make it very worrying. The tension is very high at times. “Nightcrawler” might just be one of the best films of 2014, a joy for every movie fan.

Rating: 5/ 5