10s Movie Review - Too Big To Fail

Director: Curtis Hanson
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: William Hurt, Billy Crudup, James Woods, Bill Pullman, Tony Shalhoub, Topher Grace, Cynthia Nixon, John Heard, Edward Asner, Kathy Baker, Paul Giamatti

Description: Chronicles of the financial meltdown of 2008 and centers on Treasure Secretary Henry Paulson (William Hurt).

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 3: A FILM WITH WILLIAM HURT
 
Review: A fantastic cast who are all perfect for their roles. But the subject matter is the big draw. I’m not very good with financial topics, don’t know much about it nor does it interest me.

Because the dialogues are sharp and the acting is so strong, it did engage me for most of the runtime. But most of it went over my head, because the financial world is just not something that holds my interest for very long.

I would recommend this movie for anyone who wants to know more about this subject or for people who are interested and fascinated by the financial world.

Rating: 3/ 5

90s Movie Review - Newsies

Director: Kenny Ortega
Genre: Drama/ Musical/ Family
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 1992
Starring: Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Robert Duvall, Ann-Margret, David Moscow, Luke Edwards, Max Casella, Gabriel Damon, Marty Belafsky, Arvie Lowe Jr., Aaron Lohr, Trey Parker, Dee Caspary, Joseph Conrad

Description: A musical based on the New York Newsboy strike of 1899. When young newspaper sellers are exploited beyond reason by their bosses they set out to enact change and are met by the ruthlessness of big business.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 3: A MUSICAL
 
Review: In 1899, the people of New York got their news from a group of orphans who sold the newspapers of several famous publishers. Like many other children, Jack Kelly dreams of a better life than the hard one he leads now. But when the publishers start paying the children less, Jack has a reason to fight. He must choose between his dreams and his sense of responsibility.
I’m a huge musical fan. I love a good story with some catchy musical tunes. “Newsies” is sadly not one of those films. I think I would have preferred this true story as a non-musical. The music and songs are mediocre and the choreography is altering in quality between messy, mediocre and good. The film itself looks pretty neat on all fronts, the décor looks great and it has the right atmosphere. But the acting left much to be desired. It still is entertaining enough, but it’s not a musical I would recommend easily.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - The Equalizer 2

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo

Description: Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) serves an unflinching justice for the exploited and oppressed, but how far will he go when that is someone he loves?

Review: Four years before, “The Equalizer” made it clear to us that ex-CIA agent Robert McCall, who lives in anonymity, doesn’t stand injustice very well. This made for an exciting and strong crime thriller, that I liked more then I thought I would.
And then there was the sequel. It has a slow start and the mission stays unclear for some time. The biggest problem of the film is that it has many side stories, or smaller missions, that eventually lead to the big one. This way “The Equalizer 2” lacks focus and makes you less invested then the first film.
I do still like the character, especially during that one mission where he is teaching some cocky business men a lesson, after them sending a young female intern intoxicated home in the cab that McCall is driving.
Of course, the fact that McCall can continue doing what he is doing without any law enforcement cutting in, is a but implausible. That’s the fact for both movies. But here is started to bother me a bit, since he leaves many dead bodies or injured people behind.
I didn’t hate this movie, it was entertaining enough. But I wasn’t as invested as I was in the first movie and that’s clearly the better of the two. I don’t think we need a third film.

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Equalizer

Director: Antoine Fuqua
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Denzel Washington, Chloë Grace Moretz, Marton Csokas, David Harbour, Melissa Leo, Bill Pullman, Haley Bennett

Description: A man (Denzel Washington) who believes he has put his mysterious past behind him cannot stand idly by when he meets a young girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 49: A MOVIE THAT’S PART OF A SERIES
 
Review: Robert McCall is a good citizen who works in a hardware store. He has an obsessive-compulsive disorder, in which he does and arranges everything in perfection. He doesn’t sleep much, if at all. At night he goes to a café to read, bringing his own tea bag. During one night he meets a young prostitute Teri. She is ordered by her Russian boss Slavi to go with several rich and nasty men. After Teri is beaten into the hospital by Slavi, and old feeling comes to McCall’s mind and he tries to buy her off. Unfortunately, Slavi doesn’t take up the offer and that’s when Robert McCall’s true nature comes out. He decides to retaliate against Slavi and his accomplices on his own, much against the wishes of the head of the Russian mafia, who sends assassin Teddy to McCall. During the cat and mouse game that is going on between them, McCall has to pull out all the stops to stay out of the hands of this unapproachable killer.
The premise of the film is not all that original, but the execution is. Robert McCall is a character you can easily sympathize with, also thanks to Denzel Washington who plays him. The man can do no wrong.
The movie is action packed ad has a lot of tension, but also makes room for character development. Especially for McCall, who, like I stated before, is a very likeable character and you can’t help but root for him. I don’t think this movie would have been as good if McCall was played by someone else.
The final confrontation is amazing, I loved that part of the film. Bloody and violent, but very cool.
“The Equalizer” is a really good film that liked much more then I expected too.  

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Dark Waters

Director: Todd Haynes
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 126 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Anne Hathaway, Mare Winningham, Bill Pullman, Victor Garber

Description: Corporate defense attorney Rob Bilott (Mark Ruffalo) takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.

Review: Wilbur Tennant is a farmer from Parkersburg, West Virginia, who has been trying to find out for years what keeps killing his cows. It has to do something with the chemical factory nearby, he thinks, but nobody wants to help him in his search for the truth. The factory is part of chemical company DuPont. They’re not only an important employer in the region, but also a generous giver for places like playgrounds and libraries. The company has the people in its power and there is no independent chemist or environmental specialist in the area.
Ultimately Tennant gets help from an unexpected source: Robert Bilott, an attorney at a big company in Cincinnati, Ohio. At first out of common courtesy, because his grandmother is from Parkensburg. Bilott is a corporate defense attorney who normally defends companies like DuPont. He thinks he can do this job quickly, but then he sees Tennant’s cows. Convulsing, agressive and with abnormalities in their teeth and eyes. It becomes clear that he is in a minefield.
And a big one. The DuPont case started in 1999 and is still, to the date, not finalized. And the story is astounding. The billion dollar company had been using a chemical called PFOA since the 50s, to produce Teflon, while their own research showed that the substance was extremely dangerous. The American environmental department didn’t do anything, they started checking since 1976 and only to companies that reported chemicals with a high risk factor.
Actor Mark Ruffalo read about the case in 2016 and initiated filming. As a co-producer he managed to get director Todd Haynes to join him and Ruffalo himself plays the role of Rob Bilott. He has played the role of hero before, as Hulk. But this hero role is a more modest, contained and reluctant version. Without any trace of vanity, Ruffalo depicts Bilott as un inconspicuous, introspective man with a worried look, whose work obsession almost cost him his marriage and health.
Anne Hathaway, at first, seems to have a very thankless role, as the wife of Bilott. But as the story develops her role becomes more important and Hathaways performance has more substance. Bill Camp, as Wilbur Tennant, is also a performance to mention. Very solid and convincing and a man you can really empathize with. And I liked seeing Tim Robbins again, since you don’t see him in many movies these days.
Haynes’ direction is also anything but exuberant. Carefully and without fuss, “Dark Waters” follows the fact. The lack of outward display is probably the reason why this fantastic film has been overlooked by the Academy.
Haynes doesn’t need any fuss to impress. This whistleblower drama is very strong and this chilling thriller is also a very important film. Everyone should see this film, because its conclusion is very disturbing and scary.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

TV Show Review - The Sinner (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2017
Starring: Jessica Biel, Bill Pullman, Christopher Abbott, Dohn Norwood

Description: While are the beach with her husband and son, Cora Tannetti (Jessica Biel), for reasons unknown, stabs a beachgoer to death, sparking a police investigation.

Review: Sometimes man’s psyche is underestimated. In a number of unstable people, one wrong moment or wrong event can turn into drama. Unfortunately, this is often pointed out to us often enough. However, it turns out more often that such a person had already had something more on his mind and had done something terrible before. The things that get under your skin the most are often only the people who didn’t even have a criminal record for their attempt at destruction. These cases grab you extra hard, because you are so curious what drove those people to their deed. “The Sinner” tells exactly such a story.
The story follows Cora Tannetti. A happily married woman and mother of son Laine. Her life doesn’t feel perfect, but it does it for her. A day at the beach with the family only turns out to be a complete reversal. This seemingly normal mother stabs a young man to death in broad daylight, in the presence of many beach visitors. Of course, Cora is arrested by the police and the case seems to be closed. Nevertheless, detective Harry Ambrose want to know more about Cora’s motive. As it turns out, this doesn’t seem to be there at all. Cora did not know the man. She doesn’t know why she did what she did. This obvious murder case turns out to be much more complex than initially thought. The killer is known, but what’s the motive?
“The Sinner” triggered me when I saw the trailer, as this felt like a crime series with a completely different twist. As a viewer, you witness the murder. So it’s not a whodunit, where they are looking for the killer. It’s more of a search for why it happened. And the first episode really sets the tone for the series. The murder is depicted very graphically and if you’re not used to blood and violence on TV, it will hit you extra hard.
Jessica Biel deserves a lot of credit for her role as Cora. It’s not an easy role to play and she really brings the character to life.
After this shocking first episode, which was very strong, it could only go downhill. I was afraid they couldn’t keep that same high level of intensity. And although you think you get the answers to why Cora did what she did pretty early on in the series, nothing is exactly what it seems. A lot of plot twists and character shifts occur along the way. The eventual climax isn’t very surprising, I had a prediction earlier on in the series. But the way they handled the story and they worked towards that end, was creative enough to keep me interested.
“The Sinner” is a good crime thriller, which I watched in one sitting. I was invested the entire time, even though the eventual climax wasn’t the biggest surprise of the series.

90s Movie Review - Lost Highway

Director: David Lynch
Genre: Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 1997
Starring: Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake, Richard Pryor, Henry Rollins, Giovanni Ribisi, Gary Busey, Robert Loggia

Description: After a bizarre encounter at a party, a jazz saxophonist (Bill Pullman) is framed for the murder of his wife (Patricia Arquette) and sent to prison, where he inexplicably morphs into a young mechanic and begins leading a new life.

Review: Fred Madison is leading a happy life with his wife Renee. One day they find a videotape on their doorstep, with shots of their house on it. A day later, they find another tape, but this time with shots from inside the house and even with Fred and David sleeping. They call the police, but they can’t do anything since there is no proof of a break-in. the tapes keep coming. On the last tape, Fred sees how his wife is being killed and later he is arrested for the murder of his wife. When he is rotting away in his cell, Fred turns into Peter Dayton. Since he isn’t the man who killed Renee, he is released.
“Lost Highway” is a post-modern film noir. And it’s a film with so much imagination, bizarre imagery, it’s vague cinema. And David Lynch is the man for it. It’s a little easier to follow then “Mulholland Dr.”, but I still wonder what goes on inside Lynch’s head.
There a people that call his work pretentious crap, but I do not agree at all. It’s cinematographic art. the atmosphere is dark and absurd and very violent. The acting is strong and the soundtrack is chilling.
“Lost Highway” is one of those films that gets you thinking and it starts conversations, like almost all of David Lynch’s movies. Everyone has a different theory and you never know what is really going on.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 117: American Ultra

Director: Nima Nourizadeh

Genre: Action/ Comedy

Runtime: 99 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Topher Grace, Connie Britton, Walton Goggins, John Leguizamo, Bill Pullman

Description: A stoner (Jesse Eisenberg) - who is in fact a government agent - is marked as a liability and targeted for extermination. But he's too well-trained and too high for them to handle.

Review: Films, where the leads are stoners, can nowadays be put into its own genre. Think of movies like “Pineapple Express” and “Dude, Where’s My Car?”. “American Ultra” is also one of those films.

Mike is a nobody, who spends his days smoking weed and hang out with his girlfriend Phoebe, while working at the local supermarket. His anxiety to leave town doesn’t really help him any further either. A woman visits him at work and starts talking to him in words he doesn’t understand. Mike sends her away and not long after that two armed men try to kill him. Surprising himself, he overpowers them. How is it possible that he can do that?

The movie is meant to be a comedic action movie, but you’re never sure if this is supposed to be taken seriously or that it’s a parody on the genre of spy thrillers. The cast is good though. Jesse Eisenberg was made for a role like this and has great chemistry with Kristen Stewart. Topher Grace was funny and Connie Britton did a good job too.

Besides a few cool action scenes, the story develops slowly and the ending isn’t surprising at all. The movie is not as spectacular as the trailer let us believe.

The movie is somewhat entertaining, but I had higher expectations. The concept is great, the execution sadly isn’t.

Rating: 2,5/ 5