Netflix Friday - Volume 107

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

Action: The Lost City of Z (2016)
British explorer Percival Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam) disappeared whilst searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s.
 

Drama: Schindler’s List (1993)
In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
 

Comedy: Senior Year (2022)
A cheerleading stunt gone wrong landed Stephanie (Rebel Wilson) in a 20-year coma. Now she’s 37, newly awake and ready to live out her high school dream: becoming prom queen.
 

Animation: Apollo 10 ½
A coming-of-age story set in the suburbs of Houston, Texas in the summer of 1969, centered around the historic Apollo 11 moon landing.
 

Romance: How Do You Know (2010)
After being cut from thd U.S.A. softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy (Paul Rudd) in crisis competes with her current, baseball playing beau (Owen Wilson).
 

Horror: Dark Shadows (2012)
An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.
 

Science Fiction: Mute (2018)
A mute bartender (Alexander Skarsgård) goes up against his city’s gangsters (Justin Theroux, Paul Rudd) to find out what happened to his missing partner
 

Crime : Papillon (2017)
Wrongfully convicted for murder, Henri Charriere (Charlie Hunnam) forms an unlikely relationship with fellow inmate and quirky convicted counterfeiter, Louis Dega (Rami Malek), in an attempt to escape from the notorious penal colony on Devil’s Island.
 

Thriller: Taken (2008)
A retired CIA agent (Liam Neeson) travel across Europe and relies on his old skills to save his estranged daughter (Maggie Grace), who has been kidnapped while on a trip to Paris.
 

Documentary: Our Father (2022)
After a woman’s at-home DNA test reveals multiple half-siblings, she discovers a shocking scheme involving donor sperm and a popular fertility doctor.
 

Family: The Karate Kid (2010)
Work causes a single mother (Taraji P. Henson) to move to China with her young son (Jaden Smith); in his new home the boy embraces kung fu, taught to him by a master (Jackie Chan).

Netflix Friday - Volume 76

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

Action: Birds of Prey (2020)
After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) joins superheroes Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett, Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) to save a young girl from an evil crime lord (Ewan McGregor)
 

Drama: Freedom Writers (2007)
A young teacher (Hilary Swank) inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves and pursue education beyond high school.
 

Comedy: Dark Shadows (2012)
An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.
 

Animation: The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Egyptian Prince Moses (Val Kilmer) learns of his identity as a Hebrew and his destiny to become the chosen deliverer of his people.
 

Romance: Love and Other Drugs (2012)
In 1990s Pittsburgh, a medicine peddler (Jake Gyllenhaal) starts a relationship with a young woman (Anne Hathaway) suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
 

Horror: Ghost Ship (2002)
A salvage crew discovers a long-lost 1962 passenger ship floating lifeless in a remote region of the Bering Sea, and soon notices that its long-dead inhabitants may still be on board.
 

Science Fiction: Jumper (2008)
A teenager (Hayden Christensen) with teleportation abilities suddenly finds himself in the middle of an ancient war between those like him and their sworn annihilators.
 

Crime: Richard Jewell (2019)
Security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) is an instant hero after foiling a bomb attack at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but his life becomes a nightmare when the FBI leaks to the media that he is a suspect in the case.
 

Thriller: The Guilty (2021)
Demoted police officer Joe (Jake Gyllenhaal) assigned to a call dispatch desk is conflicted when he receives an emergency phone call from a kidnapped woman.
 

Documentary: Britney Vs. Spears (2021)
Journalist Jenny Eliscu and filmmaker Erin Lee Carr investigate Britney Spears’ fight for freedom by way of exclusive interviews and confidential evidence.
 

Family: Marley & Me (2008)
A family learns important life lessons from their adorable, but naughty and neurotic dog Marley.
 

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 144: Dark Shadows

Director: Tim Burton

Genre: Fantasy/ Comedy

Runtime: 113 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Lee, Alice Cooper, Michael Shannon, Bella Heathcote

Description: An imprisoned vampire, Barnabas Collins (Johnny Depp), is set free and returns to his ancestral home, where his dysfunctional descendants are in need of his protection.

Review: Bringing a vampire story to life is off course perfect for director Tim Burton. His good friend Johnny Depp portrays the leading character Barnabas Collins, who has been obsessed by this character for years. Both actor and director are fans of the series created by Dan Curtis, aired during 1966 and 1971.

In the prologue of “Dark Shadows” we see the history of the Collins family. In 1752 they move from Liverpool to Collinsport, Maine where they earn their money with fish. Son Barnabas becomes the big shot, a man who can get any woman. Everything changes when he breaks the heart of maid Angelique Bouchard, a witch who takes revenge by killing Barnabas’ love Josette and changing him into a vampire. He is buried alive and is freed two centuries later. In 1972 Barnabas sees that Collinwood Manor is a big mess.

Tim Burton made the movie look dark and it’s filled with great décor, beautiful costumes and morbid humor. Depp fits his character perfectly. And Eva Green is a strong opponent. Other character don’t get much room to exploit, but do have their moments. And the plot twist around Chloë Grace Moretz’ character doesn’t really work. “Dark Shadows” is above all the big ‘Johnny Depp show’. The execution doesn’t really meet the expectations we all had. The humor does also lose its edge.

“Dark Shadows” is a perfect movie for both Burton and Depp, with the bizarre characters and macabre setting. It’s still a fun film to watch, but not surprising at all for Tim Burton fans.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (29)

This week trailers are about a sick woman getting a second chance, vampires, a father returning for his sons wedding, a disaster trip to Chernobyl and an estranged father and son reuniting.

A Little Bit of Heaven
Description: Marley Corbett (Kate Hudson) is young, beautiful, and wildly funny, but she's afraid of opening herself up to true love and commitment. Though she uses her humor to prevent matters from getting serious, a life-changing visit to her doctor (Gael Garcia Bernal) sends both of them on an eye-opening adventure of mutual discovery, leading to revelations neither thought possible.
Director: Nicole Kassell
Starring: Kate Hudson, Gael Garcia Bernal, Peter Dinklage, Kathy Bates, Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Weber
Trailer: Trailer "A Little Bit of Heaven"
Comment: Kate Hudson always holds a weak spot and Gael Garcia Bernal is just fantastic ever since I saw him in "The Motorcycle Diaries".

Dark Shadows
Description: In the year 1752, Joshua and Naomi Collins, with young son Barnabas, set sail from Liverpool, England to start a new life in America. But even an ocean was not enough to escape the mysterious curse that has plagued their family. Two decades pass and Barnabas (Johnny Depp) has the world at his feet--or at least the town of Collinsport, Maine. The master of Collinwood Manor, Barnabas is rich, powerful and an inveterate playboy...until he makes the grave mistake of breaking the heart of Angelique Bouchard (Eva Green). A witch, in every sense of the word, Angelique dooms him to a fate worse than death: turning him into a vampire, and then burying him alive. Two centuries later, Barnabas is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin.
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Eva Green, Jackie Earle Haley, Jonny Lee Miller and Chloe Moretz
Trailer: Trailer "Dark Shadows"
Comment: Tim Burton movies are alway a visual treat and Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer andn Helen Bonham Carter are awesome!

That's My Boy
Description: While still in his teens, Donny (Adam Sandler) fathered a son, Todd (Andy Samberg), and raised him as a single parent up until Todd's 18th birthday. Now, after not seeing each other for years, Todd's world comes crashing down on the eve of his wedding when an uninvited Donny suddenly shows up. Trying desperately to reconnect with his son, Donny is now forced to deal with the repercussions of his bad parenting skills.
Director: Sean Anders
Starring: Adams Sandler, Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, James Caan, Milo Ventimiglia, Susan Sarandon, Will Forte, Vanilla Ice and Ian Ziering
Trailer: Trailer "That's My Boy"
Comment: Although this doesn't really look (or sound) like the best Sandler movie, I do enjoy a good Adam Sandler comedy.

Chernobyl Diaries
Description: We follow a group of six young tourists who, looking to go off the beaten path, hire an "extreme tour" guide. Ignoring warnings, he takes them into the city of Pripyat, the former home to the workers of the Chernobyl nuclear reactor, but a deserted town since the disaster more than 25 years ago. After a brief exploration of the abandoned city, however, the group soon finds themselves stranded, only to discover that they are not alone...
Director: Brad Parker
Starring: Jonathan Sadowski, Devin Kelley, Jesse McCartney, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Nathan Phillips, Ingrid Bolso Berdal, Dimitri Diatchenko
Trailer: Trailer "Chernobyl Diaries"

In Our Nature
Description: A scheduling mistake leads to an estranged father and son sharing a vacation home with their respective girlfriends.
Director: Brian Savelson
Starring: Zach Gilford, Jena Malone, John Slattery and Gabrielle Union
Trailer: Trailer "In Our Nature"