90s Movie Review - Random Hearts

Director: Sydney Pollack
Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Mystery
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 1999
Starring: Harrison Ford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Charles S. Dutton, Bonnie Hunt, Dennis Haysbert, Sydney Pollack, Richard Jenkins, Paul Guilfoyle, Peter Coyote, Dylan Baker, Bill Cobbs, Kate Mara

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 46: A FILM FROM YOUR TEEN YEARS
 
Description: Police Seargeant Dutch Van den Broeck (Harrison Ford) and U.S. Representative Kay Chandler (Kristin Scott Thomas) lose their spouses in a plane crash, and they soon discover that their partners were having an affair with each other.

Review: The wife of tough Internal Affairs Sergeant Dutch was killed in a plane crash, as was the husband of politician Kay. Kay and Dutch find out that their spouses were sitting next to each other on the plane, but were also having an affair. Dutch wants to find out why.

On paper, this film sounds interesting. But in practice, it doesn’t work. Mainly because it does not really know in which direction it wants to go. At first, it’s a drama. Two people losing their other half in a tragic accident. Then it turns into a mystery, when they are trying to discover why they were on that plane and why Dutch’s wife didn’t use her real name. And eventually some romance is sprinkled in as well. And it has some strange side-plot of this case that Dutch is working on, that has nothing to do with the actual plot. It just feels very messy. And it’s also very boring, especially given that this film is over two hours long.

Great cast, making the best of it. But really a dull film with little to interest me.

Rating: 2/ 5

90s Movie Review - Heat

Director: Michael Mann
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 171 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Mykelti Williamson, Ted Levine, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner, Natalie Portman

Description: A group of professional bank robbers start to feel the heat from police when they unknowingly leave a clue at their latest heist.

Review: “Heat” is directed by Michael Mann and stars Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. The film has a good mix of action, crime, tension, romance and drama.
The title “Heat” refers to the heat you feel when the cops are just around the corner. Neil McCauley’s (Robert De Niro) life motto is that you should live a life that you can leave behind in 30 seconds. The heat comes from Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), a detective who spends his days tracking down thugs.
When you see a professional at work in a movie, you easily sympathize that character. Even if it’s an unscrupulous serial killer, if he’s good at what he does and you see it through his eyes. In “Heat” they use this. McCauley and his gang and Hanna are all very good at what they do. Add the natural charisma both actors have and it’s really hard to pick a side in this cat and mouse game.
Besides the well-known elements in a gangster movie, director Mann shows us a different side of the leading characters. Workaholic Vincent Hanna is in a relationship that won’t work, because he’s never home and he has a stepdaughter with psychological problems. Neil McCauley falls in love with a woman, but can’t tell her the truth about how he makes a living. Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer)  is a gambling addict and the woman he loves (Ashley Judd) is cheating on him.  
The original story and the fabulous performances make “Heat” a breathtaking action thriller, one of the best in the genre.

Rating: 5/ 5

 

10s Movie Review - Secret Obsession

Director: Peter Sullivan
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Brenda Song, Mike Vogel, Dennis Haysbert

Description: Recuperating from trauma, Jennifer (Brenda Song) remains in danger as she returns to a life she doesn’t remember.

Review: The title of the Netflix Original film “Secret Obsession” already reveals a lot about what the thriller is all about: obsession. Jennifer gets into an accident and when she wakes up, she doesn’t remember anything. Not about what happened to her, her family or even her husband Russell. Her husband stays with her until she is well enough to come home again, but Jennifer feels uneasy since she doesn’t know anything about him. She starts her own investigation in to finding out about her past, her life and what happened to her.
A thriller should be exciting with a story full of plot twists that keep the viewers on they edge of their seats. “Secret Obsession” has none of that. All the supposed twists and turns can be predicted from the get go and are not surprising whatsoever. The tension is never really presents and the performance are all pretty bad. The concept of the film is more haunting then the movie itself.
“Secret Obsession” is a very forgettable film, nothing worth mentioning and something you should skip.

Rating: 1,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 3: Wreck-It Ralph

Director: Rich Moore

Genre: Animation/ Comedy/ Family

Runtime: 92 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, jane Lynch, Adam Carolla, Alan Tudyk, Mindy Kaling, Ed O’Neill, Dennis Haysbert, Horation Sanz, Rachael Harris, Skrillex

Description: A video game villain (John C. Reilly) wants to be a hero and sets out to fulfill his dream, but his quest brings havoc to the whole arcade where he lives.

Review: Fix-It Felix Jr. is a computer game in an arcade hall. In this game Ralph has to wreck an apartment building every single day. Felix, the hero of the game, has to fix it all. Ralph is the villain in this game. He actually wants to become a hero and he has to win a medal for that. Ralph does something he is not allowed to do: he enters a different video game. He meets many new characters and befriends another outsider: Vanellope. What Ralph doesn’t know is that because of his absence, his game is in danger.

“Wreck-It Ralph” is a party for every gamer. Lots of references from famous games and heroes. Like when Ryu and Ken from Streetfighter II decide to go out for a drink after a long day of work in the arcade classic Tapper. And Q-Bert, Pac-Man and Sonic pass by as well. There were different styles used for this film. From 8-bit figures to a more realistic style of a ‘first person shooter’. It works and is recognizable. And there is a lot of humor too.

Off course there is also an emotional aspect. The friendship between Ralph and Vanellope is just adorable, believable and touching. And the moral is something we can all relate to.

“Wreck-It Ralph” has a good combination of action, tension, humor and heart. A fun Disney film.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 77: Men, Women & Children

Director: Jason Reitman

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 119 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Rosemarie DeWitt, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Dean Norris, Judy Greer, Emma Thompson, Ansel Elgort, J.K. Simmons, Dennis Haysbert

Description: A group of high school teenagers and their parents attempt to navigate the many ways the Internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.

Review: Fifteen years after “American Beauty”, little has changed with the relational problems of seeking teens and their disillusioned parents in the suburbs. Only nowadays many of it goes through social media. At least for the characters in “Men, Women & Children”. Director Jason Reitman zooms in on a small group of American men, women and children and how they deal with the temptations of the internet.

Supported by the narration of an ironic Emma Thompson, an above average cast including a very modest Adam Sandler, the movie shows us a disturbing image of the effect of the new media. On sexuality in the modern society: boys grow up with internet porn, girls want to live up to a certain standard and parents that commit adultery. Reitman shows us how today’s teenage life integrates with the smartphone. It’s like real life doesn’t matter anymore, when the real problems happen in real life.

“Men, Women & Children” wants to tell a lot of stories in two hours’ time. For themes like gaming addiction and anorexia there is just not enough time. And because we follow multiple storylines, it’s hard to focus on all of them. Some characters are also in contrast too much. When Judy Greer’s characters publicly ‘sells’ her daughter by posting promiscuous pictures of her daughter online, so she can have a career in Hollywood, Jennifer Garner’s character is obsessed with the incoming and outgoing computer data of her daughter. The acting in the movie is good, it’s especially fun to see Adam Sandler in a more serious role again.

“Men, Women & Children” is not bad, because the concept is good. The movie is just a little to melodramatic, has too many storylines and lacks subtlety.

Rating: 2,5/ 5