Netflix Friday - Volume 80

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

Action: Desperado (1995)
Former musician and gunslinger El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) arrives at a small Mexican border town after being away for a long time. His past quickly catches up with him and he soon gets entangled with the local drug kingpin Bucko (Joachim de Almeida) and his gang.  
 

Drama: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Two imprisoned men (Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman) bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
 

Comedy: Daddy’s Home (2015)
Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) is a radio host trying to get his stepchildren to love him and call him dad. But his plans turn upside down when their biological father, Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg), returns.
 

Animation: Sausage Party (2016)
A sausage (Seth Rogen) strives to discover the truth about his existence.
 

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

Horror: Bone Tomahawk (2015)
In the dying days of the old west, an elderly sheriff (Kurt Russell) and his posse set out to rescue their town’s doctor from cannibalistic dwellers.
 

Science Fiction: Star Trek (2009)
The brash James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) tries to live up to his father’s legacy with Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.
 

Crime: Man on Fire (2004)
In Mexico City, a former CIA operative (Denzel Washington) swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

Thriller: Gone Girl (2014)
With his wife’s (Rosamund Pike) disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man (Ben Affleck) sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent. 

 

Documentary: Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)
A behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of “Man on the Moon” (1999).
 

Family: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
The adventures of writer Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before harry Potter reads his book in school.

90s Movie Review - Clueless

Director: Amy Heckerling

Genre: Comedy/ Romance

Runtime: 97 minutes

Year: 1995

Starring: Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy, Donald Faison, Wallace Shawn, Breckin Meyer, Jeremy Sisto, Dan Hedaya

Description: Rich high school student Cher (Alicia Silverstone) tries to boost a new pupil's popularity, but reckons without affairs of the heart getting in the way.

Review: “Clueless” is a teen comedy directed by Amy Heckerling, who was also responsible for “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”. You could see “Clueless” as a satire, that is loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel “Emma”.

If there is someone that belongs in the ‘in-crowd’, it’s Cher Horowitz. She is almost sixteen, rich and very popular. Some might think she is shallow, but selfish… Anyone can go to her for advice about the more important things in life, like dating, shopping and looks. Cher and her best friend Dionne decide to give new girl Tai a make-over, because Tai is totally clueless. But that causes for a lot of unwanted change in Cher’s life.

Cher is played by Alicia Silverstone, who broke through with this role. She is perfect for the role. You could say it’s all very over the top, but that’s what suits this film.

“Clueless” is a fun film and a favorite with the girls who were teens themselves when the movie came out. The dialogues are catchy and some of the teen problems are pretty recognizable.

“Clueless” has it all: charm, intelligence, humor and romance. It’s a shallow film with layers and a healthy dose teen humor. No matter how many times you see it, “Clueless” entertains me every time.

Rating: 5/ 5

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: Female Lead Comedy Movies

Women at their finest and funniest. I listed some of my favorite comedies starring a female lead. Here is my top 5.

5. Clueless
As if I could make this list without “Clueless” on it. A movie I watched over and over again when I was a teen myself. I was never like Cher, but I really loved this movie. And still!

4. Bend It Like Beckham
“Bend It Like Beckham” is a very underseen and underrated comedy. The movie that introduced us to Keira Knightley. The film follows Jess, and Indian girl who loves to play football (soccer) but her parents don’t allow her. Jess secretly joins an all girl football team and is finally happy. Then she falls in love with her coach Joe, the man her friend Jules also likes.

3. Bridesmaids
People call it the female version of “The Hangover”, when it is in fact much better. Kristen Wiig leads the groups of bridesmaids on the way to her best friend’s wedding. And off course nothing goes as plan and there is a new BFF in her way. Super funny.

2. Juno
“Juno” is one of the most likeable and sincere comedies I’ve ever seen. It’s easy to identify with Juno and how it feels to grow up and take responsibility. “Juno” is clever, funny and honest.

1. Easy A
“Easy A” is hilarious and has a fantastic female lead. I love Emma Stone and this is far out her best performance and role so far. It shows us the drastic consequences after Olive tells a lie. This lie starts living its own life.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Sister Act, Trainwreck, Pitch Perfect, Miss Congeniality, Bring It On