Movie Review - Godzilla Vs. Kong

Director: Adam Wingard
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Bryan Tyree Henry, Julian Denison, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir, Lance Reddick

Description: The two most powerful titans are opposite of each other: the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong.

Review: When the giant ape Kong is deployed to find a mysterious energy source, his presence attracts the attention of Godzilla. It’s only a matter of time before these two titans go into battle with each other.
“Godzilla Vs Kong” is a movie I’ve been looking forward to ever since I heard it was in the making. And what a treat it is to see it in theaters, after them being closed for so long.
After “Godzilla” (2014), “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019), we have now arrived at “Godzilla Vs Kong. It is not the first time the two iconic monsters meet but today the level is higher. And the result is breathtaking. As in the previous Monsterverse films, the makers have a good eye for detail, scale and action, keeping the way these gigantic creatures move not only believable, but spectacular.
Like its predecessors, this film has little time for the human characters. They aren’t provided with a lot of depth. But the majority of them do serve a purpose in the movie. Especially the little deaf girl Jia, who has a special bond with Kong. This is the heart of the story and the scenes between them are heartwarming. And they are in the film just the right amount, because when you go to see “Godzilla Vs King” you want to see some monster action, epic fights and spectacular battles. And that’s exactly what you get. Depth of characters isn’t needed at all, because you hardly care about the people in the film. But, as I stated before, they have a purpose in the story.  
I wouldn’t have mind if the film was a bit longer. But “Godzilla Vs Kong” did end perfectly in my eyes. Without spoiling anything, they gave both monsters a good ending of this story with it being believable if they were real.
I was so glad that I got the chance to see it on the big screen, because this is a movie you should see in theaters. The movie didn’t disappoint and it was pure entertainment with fantastic visuals.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - If Beale Street Could Talk

Director: Barry Jenkins
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Kiki Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Michael Beach, Bryan Tyree Henry, Pedro Pascal, Diego Luna, Ed Skrein

Description: A young woman (Kiki Layne) embraces her pregnancy while she and her family set out to prove her childhood friend and lover innocent of a crime he didn’t commit.

Review: The moment at the 2017 Oscar ceremony when “Moonlight” managed to walk away with the top prize after all is still vividly remembered by many film fans. The win means a dream start for the career of then still debutant director Barry Jenkins. It raised expectations for his next project, but with a breathtaking adaptation of James Baldwin’s novel “Is Beale Street Could Talks”,  Jenkins more than lived up to them.  
Baldwin’s novel describes the tragic romance of two young African-America lovers from Harlem. Nineteen-year-old Tish and twenty-four-year-old Fonny are head over heels in love with each other and ready to build a future together, but are suddenly brutally separated when the latter is unjustly detained on suspicion of a brutal rape. And as if that fact wasn’t wry enough, Tish also turns out to be pregnant. Whether the father will ever be able to see his child grow up outside prison, however, remains to be seen
Baldwin has a past as an activist. “If Beale Street Could Talk” contains the necessary social criticism of the unjust treatment of black citizens in the American legal system, which despite its setting in the 1970s still feels painfully relevant. On the other hand, a rock-hard indictment is not Jenkins’ film. Rather than a grueling legal drama, his film is primarily a tragic yet hopeful love story. Although the run-up to and repeated postponement of the trial may be the red line of the story on paper, the film regularly flutters back and forth between loving memories from the past and present.
This non-chronological structure immediately forms a nice stylistic break with Jenkin’s debut film “Moonlight”, which was neatly divided into three separate acts. The nice thins is that in some respects “If Beale Street Could Talk” is almost a direct counterpart to Jenkins’ predecessor, but in other respect it manages to further perfect his recognizable stamp as a director.
Starting with the chose color palette. Where “Moonlight” was characterized by many cool, blue tones, symbolic of the state of mind of its main character, “If Beale Street Could Talk” is full of warm autumn colors, with many shades of yellow, red and brown. The musical accompaniment by Nicholas Britell also fits in seamlessly.
What hasn’t changed is Jenkins’ tender and empathetic directorial style. This guarantees once again a number of eye-catching camera performances by his cinematographer James Laxtn. For example, the impressice overhead show with which the film opens. But it’s mainly the close-ups that make the biggest impression. Using a number of clever tricks, such as slowing down time or zooming in on small details of someone’s face. Here he created intimacy. By of the having his characters look straight into the camera without saying anything, Jenkins regularly treat you to a kind of lifelike mini-portrait. It feels almost as if the person on the screen is sitting right across from you.
Extra clever is that Jenkins also succeeds effortlessly, without dialogue, in allowing the viewer to empathize with the emotional world of his characters. Jenkins is able to translate the story on paper into visual language in an extraordinary way without having to lose any of its power.
Just as effortlessly, “If Beale Street Could Talk” captures viewers with the sincere love of Tish and Fonny. So much so, that at times you would almost forget what a desperate premise the film opens with. The injustice stings, but at the same time Jenkins’ portrait remains as hopeful as it is heartbreaking, showing that love can survive even the most difficult obstacles.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Director: Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman
Genre: Animation, Action
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Shameik Moore, Jake Johnson, Hailee Steinfeld, Magershala Ali, Bryan Tyree Henry, Lily Tomlin, Zoë Kravitz, Nicolas Cage, Katheryn Hahn, Liev Schreiber, Chris Pine, Oscar Isaac, Stan Lee, Lake Bell, John Mulaney

Description: Teen Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) becomes Spider-Man of his reality, crossing his path with five counterparts from other dimensions to stop a threat for all realities.

Review: It’s pretty shocking that the movies “Venom” and “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” come from the same studio. Even though Tom Hardy plays a fun double role in a pretty standard superhero film, is “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” a perfect love letter to Spider-Man, his comics, his fans and everything that has to do with the character. No useless action sequences, predictable plot points or forced humor, but stunning animation, incredible style and an authentic comic book feel that you will find nowhere else. Ever Spider-Man fan, Marvel geek or animation enthusiast can expect a fantastic film adventure.
Where to begin? “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” tells a story, the way Edgar Wright did it with movies like “Hot Fuzz”. Constantly there are creative switched, comic book styles, great effects and characters that narrate the movie in their own way. It’s intense, stylish and a joy to watch.
It’s quite a challenge and a great accomplishment, because the stories of many iconic characters cross. We are talking about several ‘spider heroes’ in one animation. And each has a unique personality, animation style and life story. Without having to receive a load of information at the start of the film. Different universes clash and that’s how they meet. With this, the story is pretty surprising.
You think you know what’s will happen with Spider-Man. Phil Lord and Rodney Rothman managed to create a fantastic screenplay to write this original film. The clashing dimensions lack structure and give the well-known story some dramatic moments, nice surprises and smart plot twists.
Outside the fact that you have to be a fan to love this film, there is no critical note from my side. Film, comics and the superhero genre melt together to this unique story. It’s the best Spider-Man film ever made. Sadly enough I never saw it in theaters.

Rating: 5 / 5