Netflix Friday - Volume 6

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

Action: Deepwater Horizon (2016)
A dramatization of the disaster in April 2010, when the offshore drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon exploded, resulting in the worst oil spill in American history.

Drama: Moonlight (2016)
A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence and burgeoning adulthood.

Comedy: Easy A (2010)
Clean-cut high school student Olive (Emma Stone) relies on the school’s rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

Animation: How to Train Your Dragon (2010)
A hapless young Viking (Jay Baruchel) who aspires to hunt dragons becomes the unlikely friend of a young dragon himself, and learns there may be more to the creatures than he assumed.

Romance: Clueless (1995)
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school’s pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.

Horror: Krampus (2015)
A boy who has a bad Christmas accidentally summons a festive demon to his family home.

Science Fiction: Pacific Rim (2013)
As a war between humankind and monstrous sea creatures wages on, a former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and trainee are paired up to drive a seemingly obsolete special weapon in a desperate effort to save the world from the apocalypse.

Crime: Wind River (2017)
A veteran hunter (Jeremy Renner) helps an FBI-agent (Elizabeth Olsen) investigate the murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation.

Thriller: Captain Phillips
The true story of Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

Documentary: Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich (2020)
Survivors worldwide reveal the manipulation and emotional scars suffered at the hands of wealthy convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Their stories expose a sex trafficking ring of powerful enablers leading up to his 2019 arrest.

Family: The BFG
An orphan little girl befriends a benevolent giant (Mark Rylance) who takes her to Giant Country, where they attempt to stop the man-eating giants that are invading the human world.

Top 5 Thursday: Movies from 2013

It was a pretty good year for movies, 2013. I saw many of them for my 2014 movie challenge, so now I decided to make a top 5 of my favorites from that year. Here it comes.

5. Captain Phillips

Tom Hanks showed us again why he is the best actor in the world. What a fantastic performance, especially that final scene. The movie captivated me from beginning till end.

 

 

4. Rush

Not a fan of Formula 1, but a fan of this movie I am. Great performances by both Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth. And Ron Howard is one of my favorite directors.

 

 

3. Prisoners

A very good movie, not overhyped at all. Because so many people were so positive, I’m always cautious. They didn’t lie, because “Prisoners” is amazing!

 

 

2. The Way Way Back

It’s a movie that probably not a lot of people saw, but I love it. I already saw it many times and I will rewatch this film many times in the future. It’s the kind of movie I love, Indies with a good combo of comedy and drama.

 

 

1. The World’s End

The conclusion in the so-called ‘Cornetto-trilogy’. I still hope that Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost will continue making movies together. “The World’s End” never played in our theatres, because they thought it wouldn’t get enough audience. Well, that proofs that the Netherlands is a weird country. It’s one of the funniest movies ever and the best of the year 2013.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Warm Bodies, Don Jon, Fruitvale Station, Star Trek Into Darkness, Inside Llewyn Davis, Nebraska, This is the End, Dallas Buyers Club, Enemy, Her, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Top 5 Thursday: Tom Hanks Performaces

You might already know that Tom Hanks is my favourite actor. He can practically do anything. He amazes me every time and many of his films belong in my all-time favourites list. And sometimes it’s Tom Hanks we have to thank, because his performance was so awesome. Here are the five best performances by Tom Hanks, according to me.

5. Captain Miller in “Saving Private Ryan”

Tom Hanks is fantastic here as a normal man who has found himself in an abnormal situation. Whatever I did, I just couldn’t ignore this performance for this list.

 

4. Josh in “Big”

This movie changed everything for Tom Hanks. Robert De Niro and Harisson Ford turned down the role, but it was Hanks’ escape plan from the silly comedies. He found the human heart to make it work, when he became a thirteen year old boy in an adult man’s body.

 

3. Chuck Noland in “Cast Away”

Only Tom Hanks can make us care about a volleyball. It’s technically just him and a volleyball that keep our attention the entire runtime. You have to be a master to achieve that.

 

2. Captain Richard Phillips in “Captain Phillips”

I don’t think I would have bought this DVD if Tom Hanks wasn’t in it. It’s as a minute study in physical and emotional collapse that the performance is so compelling. Hanks was never this defenceless on screen and that stunning final scene really hit every nerve in my body. Some of the best minutes of his movie career.

 

1. Forrest Gump in “Forrest Gump”

This still hasn’t been topped by Hanks. It earned him his second Academy Award and it was well deserved. Hanks had the difficult task of playing a man with what can best be described as significantly mentally impaired without turning him into a negative stereotype.

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Jim Lovell in “Apollo 13”, Jimmy Dugan in “A League of Their Own”, Andrew Beckett in “Philadelphia”

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (March 2014)

I didn’t have as many choices as the previous two months, because the amount of movies I watched that I haven’t seen before was minimal. I rewatched a lot of films this month. Here are my favourites of the month march for my challenge.

5. Hesher
A little weird, but a good kind of weird. I really loved both Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Natalie Portman in this film and was surprised by Rainn Wilson. “Hesher” was surprisingly good.

4. Chimpanzee
Such a heart-warming documentary. Oscar is such an adorable chimpanzee. My brother actually interviewed the maker of the film when “Chimpanzee” came out.

3. Cloud Atlas
It’s really wonderful to see how amazing this book was made into a movie, because that wasn’t easy. Sure, the movie had its flaws, but still it was executed very well and I enjoyed it.

2. Captain Phillips
AS you might now, Tom Hanks can hardly do anything wrong in my eyes. His performance is phenomenal and it’s one of his best. “Captain Phillips” is an amazing film that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time.

1. The World’s End
I’ve already told you a couple of times, on my blog, how great this film is. I was really happy that “The World’s End” met my expectations and that it was as funny as I hoped. My brother and I really enjoyed every minute of it.

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Last Stand

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 46: Captain Phillips

Director: Paul Greengrass
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Catherine Keener

Description: The true story of Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years.

Review: In this anguished thriller by Paul Greengrass we see how a cargo ship gets hijacked by Somali pirates. It’s based on true events.
Captain Richard Phillips watches over a calm ocean when he suddenly sees two little dots on the radar coming closer at warp speed. Phillips doesn’t trust it and takes action. This doesn’t help, because Somali pirates board the ship. From that moment on you’re on the edge of your seat.
Director Paul Greengrass uses a ‘shaky cam’, which is very popular at the moment. It works, because it feels like you’re really there and it sucks you in.
They choose the right actor for the role. Tom Hanks, whom I absolutely love, creates a complete new character and doesn’t remind you of any of his previous roles. Especially in the climax of the film his performance is phenomenal. I simply can’t fault Hanks. Barkhad Abdi, who plays Somali leader Muse, is also impressive. He really put a lot of energy in the character and portrays the villain role very convincingly.
“Captain Phillips” is a fantastic film, it met my expectations. Every minute is worth watching and Tom Hanks can put another great film on his résumé.

Rating: 5/ 5

DVD Collection Update (13)

I got some great films recently. Four new movies and one classic that everyone just has to have. I could've bought more DVD's, but I restrained myself, haha! But you can expect more newer films soon, because I have a big wishlist!

First I got "Jagten", which I saw earlier this year. I was so surprised and this film took my breath away. It left my speechless. I had to have it and I bumped in to it by accident. And it was really cheap. The people selling it didn't realize how amazing this film was I think.

I was so excited when this DVD finally came out. "The World's End" never played in our theatre, only in the big cities like Amsterdam. So me and my brother just had to be patient for it to come out in March. And it was worth the wait. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost didn't disappoint! It was fantastic!

"The Butler" didn't turn out to be as good as I expected. I always buy movies that I know I will like (if I haven't seen them before), but this movie didn't quite make that brief. I didn't dislike "The Butler" but I expected more. Forest Whitaker is great though!

This is a classic every movie buff just needs in his collection. "Jaws" still scares the shit out of me after watching it over 20 times. Still one of the best movies Spielberg ever directed.

This movie I haven't watched yet, but I just know I'm going to love this. I read so many great thing about "Captain Phillips" and Tom Hanks hardly ever disappoints me. I love that guy!

Movie Trailer Sunday (87)

Here are this weeks trailers.

The Butler
Description: We follow the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades.
Director: Lee Daniels
Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, Mariah Carey, John Cusack, Jane Fonda, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Terrence Howard, Minka Kelly, Lenny Kravitz, Melissa Leo, James Marsden, David Oyelowo, Alex Pettyfer, Vanessa Redgrave, Alan Rickman, Liev Schreiber, Robin Williams
Trailer: Trailer "The Butler"
Comment: This movie reminded me of "The Help". The trailer already made me tear up a bit and the cast is amazing. Looking forward to seeing this.

Ender's Game
Description: In the near future, a hostile alien race called the Formics have attacked Earth. If not for the legendary heroics of International Fleet Commander Mazer Rackham (Ben Kingsley), all would have been lost. In preparation for the next attack, the highly esteemed Colonel Hyrum Graff (Harrison Ford) and the International Military are training only the best young minds to find the future Mazer. Ender Wiggin (Asa Butterfield), a shy but strategically brilliant boy, is recruited to join the elite. Arriving at Battle School, Ender quickly and easily masters increasingly difficult challenges and simulations, distinguishing himself and winning respect amongst his peers. Ender is soon ordained by Graff as the military�s next great hope, resulting in his promotion to Command School. Once there, he�s trained by Mazer Rackham himself to lead his fellow soldiers into an epic battle that will determine the future of Earth and save the human race.
Director: Gavin Hood
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford, Hailee Steinfeld, Abigail Breslin, Viola Davis
Trailer: Trailer "Ender's Game"

The World's End
Description: Five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub: The World's End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind's. Reaching The World's End is the least of their worries.
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike, Paddy Considine
Trailer: Trailer "The World's End"
Comment: I loved "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" so I'm super excited about this movie. Can't wait.

Captain Phillips
Description: This is the true story of Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) and the 2009 hijacking by Somali pirates of the US-flagged MV Maersk Alabama, the first American cargo ship to be hijacked in two hundred years
Director: Paul Greengras
Starring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Max Martini, Yul Vazquez, Michael Chernus, Chris Mulkey, Corey Johnson, David Warshofsky, John Magaro, Angus MacInnes
Trailer: Trailer "Captain Phillips"
Comment: Finally another Tom Hanks movie. He's my man and this looks like something he's never done before.

Gravity
Description: Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone, tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth... and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Starring: sandra Bullock, George Clooney
Trailer: Trailer "Gravity"
Comment: I've always been fascinated by space somehow. This movie looks good and it has a good couple of leading actors in it.