10s Movie Review - Queen of Katwe

Director: Mira Nair
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Maldina Nalwanga, David Oyelowo, Lupitio Nyongo’o

Description: Living in the slum of Katwe, Uganda, is a constant struggle for the young Phiona (Maldina Lawanga) and her family. Her world changes when she meets Robert Katende (David Oyelowo), a missionary who teaches children how to play chess.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 39: A BIOGRAPHICAL FILM
 
Review: Phiona grew up in the slums of Uganda, she never went to school and yet she made it to chess champion in her country. ESPN-journalist Tim Crothers chronicles her impressive life story in a bestseller, which Disney, together with director Mira Nair, then turned into this colorful and cheerful feel-good film.

Phiona lives with her mother, older sister and two younger brothers in the slums of Uganda. Her father has died and mother Harriet is working hard to provide for her children. Because Phiona has to help her mother out, she never went to school. One day, she stumbles upon a group of kids that are playing chess, thought by Robert Katende. Phiona joins them and it turns out she has a talent for the game. Eventually being able to go to a tournament with her new friends.

This film has such a big heart. It’s a feel-good film, with the exception of a few sadder moments, and just warms your heart. It’s an inspirational story, which is probably a bit dramatized, but I loved “Queen of Katwe”. The cast is outstanding. Lupita Nyongo’o, who plays Phiona’s mother Harriet, has become a favorite over the years. She is so strong in this film. As is David Oyelowo, as Robert Katende. Maldina Lawanga portrays Phiona and she does a great job. She knows how to stand strong and is excellents in her role.

A hidden gem from Disney, “Queen of Katwe” is definitely the perfect film if you want a pick-me-up.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - See How They Run

Director: Tom George
Genre: Mystery/ Comedy
Runtime: 98 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrian Brody, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo
 
Description: In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered.

Review: Thanks to a fine cast and good pace, you’ll fly right through the murder mystery comedy “See How They Run”, which both praises Agatha Christie’s work and makes fun of it.

London, 1953. We open in the West End, the place to be for anyone interested in theater. The play “The Moustrap” is being played for the hundredth time, which is a whodunit by Agatha Christie. American director Leo Kopernick complains: “It’s such a typical detective play”. He is in London preparing for the film version: “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”.

Not much later, Leo is found dead in the theater, and that’s where the whodunit starts. Who could have killed Leo? That’s where Inspector Stoppard and rookie partner Constable Stalker come in.

Don’t expect any big surprises in the feature debut from director Tom George. With “See How They Run” he shows how to skillfully seduce the viewer: the setting is beautiful, the cast great and the pace fast. Especially Stoppard and Stalker are a fantastic duo to watch, bickering and clumsy putting the pieces o the puzzle together. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan, who played these characters, were my favorite thing about the film.

I love a good whodunit. And, in my opinion, “See How They Run” really succeeds. It was highly enjoyable and they actually also had many nods to Agatha Christie, probably the queen of whodunits. To actually feature her as a character is maybe a bit too much, but overall I loved this film. 

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Cloverfield Paradox

Director: Julius Onah
Genre: Adventure/ Drama/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Daniel Brühl, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Chris O’Dowd, John Ortiz, Aksel Hennie, Ziyi Zhang, Elizabeth Debicki, Donal Logue

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 22: A MOVIE WITH A.I. IN IT

Description: Orbiting a planet on the brink of war, scientists test a device to solve an energy crisis, and end up face-to-face with a dark alternate reality.

Review: Without any big marketing campaigns, Netflix all off a sudden dropped “The Cloverfield Paradox”. That makes this film the third film in the Cloverfield universe. This franchise started in 2008 with “Cloverfield”, where a group of young adults flee for a gigantic monster in New York City. It was a found footage film and a sudden success. The long-awaited sequel came eight years after that. This was a surprise that came out of nowhere. The connection between the two films was thin but “The Cloverfield Paradox” had to connect the two.
The voice-over at the start of the film tells us that Earth is dealing with an energy crisis. For reasons unknown, it wasn’t possible to get green energy from the wind or sun. All hope is set on a particle accelerator, called The Shepard, and the crew of a space station called Cloverfield is testing it. But after two years they don’t have any results and all hope is lost. And that with a war that is about to break on Earth.
When they do succeed, strange things start to happen on board of the Cloverfield Station and everyone starts doubting what’s real and what’s not. Through one of the crew member’s husbands we get to see some images from Earth, that there are monsters walking around.
I have problems with the timeline. There was a scene in “Cloverfield” where you can see a satellite falling from the sky (you have to pause the film to notice it) and it now suggests that it was the satellite from “The Cloverfield Paradox”. But when you see the monsters, you know that this isn’t right. Since the monsters in this film are way bigger and at the moment the satellite crashes in “Cloverfield”, there were no monsters yet. And in this one there are.
And everything that happens on board of the space station feels like only half the work. Some separate ideas they threw together in a story they wrote, which makes the film inconsistent and feel a bit lazy. The dialogue also feels uninspired.
Even though there is a great cast, none of them succeed to impress. But with the material they have to work with, you can’t really blame them. Overall, “The Cloverfield Paradox” left us guessing even more than after the first two films. And there is normally nothing wrong with that, I like comparing theories with other film fans after seeing a film. But “The Cloverfield Paradox” was supposed to connect “Cloverfield” and 10 Cloverfield Lane” and didn’t manage to do that.

Rating: 2 / 5

10s Movie Review - A United Kingdom

Director: Amma Asante
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 111 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Rosamund Pike, David Oyelowo, Tom Felton, Jack Davenport

Description: The story of King Seretse Khama of Botswana (David Oyelowo) and how his loving but controversial marriage to a British white woman, Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike), put his kingdom into political and diplomatic turmoil.

Review: Whenever a film starts with the words ‘based on a true story’, the film makers have two choices: tell the actual facts or exaggerate a bit a make it more Hollywood like. The last is often the more popular choice, but director Amme Asante choose the first option. “A United Kingdom” tells a strong tale of forbidden love, discrimination and political distress, without any.
We end up in London in the late 40s, where Seretse Khama and Ruth Williams meat each other in a stylish jazz bar and have a undeniable click. They seem like an impossible couple, because Seretse is supposed to follow his uncle as the king of Bechuanaland (later Botswana). A marriage between him an a British typist would not be appreciated back in Africa. But Seretse and Ruth take the risk, marry and travel to Bechuanaland to start their life together.
Seretse and Ruth have to overcome many obstacles. The British government want to kick Seretse off the throne, while the citizens of Bechuanaland slowly come to peace with Ruth’s presence. But she still has to stand strong in the place she now calls home.
The script is factual, but it also feels refreshing. It often feels more like a documentary then a melodramatic love story. “A United Kingdom” is a really strong film, also thanks to David Oyelowo and Rosamund Pike. They fill in their characters really well. The start of the film, which is also the start of their romance, feels a bit rushed. But the rest of the film takes its time to tell a beautiful story.
“A United Kingdom” tells a real life struggle and has a strong message.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 102: The Paperboy

Director: Lee Daniels
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Zac Efron, Matthew McConaughey, Kohn Cusack, Nicole Kidman, David Oyelowo, Scott Glenn, Ned Bellamy, Macy Gray

Description: A reporter (Matthew McConaughey) returns to his Florida home-town to investigate a case involving a death row inmate (John Cusack).

Review: In 2009 director Lee Daniels gave us the strong drama “Precious”. And looking at the quality of that film, we know Daniels is an excellent director. That “The Paperboy” looks like a bad B-movie from the 70s is probably an artistic choice. Weird zooming, covering shots, strange flows. Especially the first half of the film looks a bit ugly. And there is a lot of shamelessness as well (that first prison visit was just too weird for me).
Bringing an ode to cinema can work well, just look at Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse”. But for “The Paperboy” it doesn’t work as well. It’s not just an ode, Daniels adds some social themes to it. And because of that, you don’t know whether you have to go along with the pulp or focus on the deeper layers. The combo doesn’t work.
The atmosphere in the film is good, you feel that hot swampy summer. But Daniels didn’t manage to bring the characters to life. Because of the charged exploitation scenes, the characters stay a bit shallow. Most of them feel fake and you just don’t believe them, even though John Cusack and Matthew McConaughey deliver pretty good performances.
The mix of raw filth and psychological thriller and drama elements is interesting, but they stand in each other’s way. “The Paperboy” is a brave attempt, but not a very good film.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 19: Selma

Director: Ava DuVernay
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: David Oyelowo, Oprah Winfrey, Common, Tom Wilkinson, Giovanni Ribisi, Dylan Baker, Tim Roth, Alessandro Nivola, Cuba Gooding Jr.

Description: A chronicle of Martin Luther King's campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965.

Review: Racism is an issue that will always be a part of our society, even in a civilized world. And that’s why the Martin Luther King biopic “Selma” is still relevant, to this day. There will always be a certain inequality between people of a different race or religion. In “Selma” we meet Martin Luther King two years after his “I had a dream” speech.
“Selma” centers around the Alabama town Selma. Together the people wanted to fight for equal rights and the right to vote, for everyone. Formally the black people were allowed to vote. But in reality it was a lot more complex. We see this in one of the first scenes of the movie. Where a woman has to get through an impossible test to proof she has the right to vote.
Director Ava DuVernays shows with her script many situations with injustice. This is something you just can’t ignore. But the most interesting part is how she portrayed her leading character. King is a loyal idealist. But along the way we see his imperfections. Very well done and King is well portrayed by David Oyelowo.
“Selma” is a great picture based on one of the most inspiring men in American history.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 24: A Most Violent Year

Director: J.C. Chandor

Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Action/ Thriller

Runtime: 125 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola, Albert Brooks, Elyes Gabel, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Peter Gerety, Christopher Abbott, Ashley Williams, John Procaccino, Glenn Fleshler, Jerry Adler, Annie Funke, Maathew Maher, David Margulies, Pico Alexander

Description: In New York City 1981, ambitious immigrant Abel (Oscar Isaac) fights to protect his business and family during the most dangerous year in the city's history.

Review: The worldwide oil crisis in 1979 left its footprints years later. Higher prices, big competition and growing organized crime. This tough time forms the background of “A Most Violent Year”. Where these films normally show the point of view of the criminal, this time we see it through the eyes of an innocent oil dealer. But if he’s really that innocent…

“A Most Violent Year” slowly reveals itself. This works. It takes some time for it all to be revealed. The question of who’s good and bad slumbers subtle.

The oil dealer is Abel Morales, a very strong Oscar Isaac. Viewers don’t get to know that much about him at first. His business has brought him fortune, but still there are complications in 1981, which is known as a very violent year. His company is the victim of robbery, where they brutally steal oil trucks. And what game is his wife Anna playing? This is a wonderful performance by Jessica Chastain, she really shines.

“A Most Violent Year” does have some clichés, but don’t bother you that much. The calm way the story is told is strong. It’s a very good movie.

Rating: 4/ 5