Movie Review - Anyone But You

Director: Will Gluck
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, Hadley Robinson, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths, Gata
 
Description: After an amazing first date, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben’s (Glen Powell) fiery attraction turns ice-cold, until they find themselves unexpectedly reunited at a wedding in Australia. So they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple.

Review: Bea and Ben meet by accident, which leads to a spontaneous date. Due to an awkward misunderstanding, things end badly and they never see each other again… until Bea’s sister gets married to Ben’s friend. The wedding takes place in Australia where Ben and Bea are forced to be around each other. Their plan: pretend to be a couple to solve their problems.

It's a enemies-to-lovers and fake dating trope that has been done many times before. It has been done better, but definitely worse too. A romcom fails when the two lead have no chemistry. That’s one thing they do have: Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney are great together and sparks fly. There are genuine romantic (and sensual) moments as well as good jokes. So, with these elements “Anyone But You” wins.

But, it’s just not refreshing enough. And way too many romcom cliches. Which I don’t mind, when done well. It’s also way too predictable. And aside from Ben and Bea, no character feels like an actual person. They feel like fictional characters and have conversations that would never be real. It feels cartoonish.

It is a typical romcom, perfectly watchable with two fun leads. But also pretty forgettable.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Review - Scream VI

Director: Matt Bettenelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Genre: Horror/ Mystery/ Thriller
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courtney Cox, Hayden Panettiere, Tony Revolori, Dermot Mulroney, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Jack Champion, Liana Liberato, Josh Segarra
 
Description: In the next installment, the survivors of the Ghostface killings leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter in New York City.

Review: The survivors of the Woodsboro attack have moved to New York, but a new Ghostface is also coming to make this city unsafe.

“Scream”(2022), really just the fifth installment in the series, had a double feature. As the characters in the film state, it is a ‘requel’, a sequel and reboot merged together. It worked as a fresh start, but was just as much a continuation of all the previous parts. This way, fans, both old and new, could get something out of the film. With “Scream VI”, Woodsboro is officially in the past. This small town is traded in for New York.

With the change of scenery, the so-called formula is dressed up just a little differently again. New York is a busy city with much more going on. This makes the situations more exciting than usual. A crowded subway, a small shop or sneaking into a house in broad daylight to kill someone. It’s all possible. Ghostface hasn’t been this ruthless in ages and the murders are more bloody than before.

Right from the opening scene, you expectations are played with. You know how a Scream movie opens, but this time we go longer than usual and are presented with a fun twist. After that, “Scream VI” takes its time to provide character development for the four survivors of the previous movie. They all deal with the traumatic experience differently. The sister duo, Tara and Sam, played by Jenna Ortega and Melissa Barrera, impress the most.

The sixth installment in the series manages the balance between honoring the old and taking a new direction well. The meta and satirical tone is still present, which I always liked about all the films, such as the “rules of the game”.

“Scream VI” is a bit more serious than some of its predecessors and the film makes a statement that the old characters are no longer needed to continue this franchise. Enjoyable watch, solid enough, fun twist at the end, a bit over the top maybe. But if you liked the previous films, you will have a good time watching this too. And I think there are move Scream films to follow after this sixth installment.

Rating: 3/ 5

90s Movie Review - Copycat

Director: Jon Amiel
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Holly Hunter, Dermot Mulroney, William McNamara, Harry Connick Jr., John Rothman, J.E. Freeman, Will Patton, Shannon O’Hurley, Bob Greene, Tony Haney, Danny Kovacs, Tahmus Rounds

Description: Agoraphobic psychologist Helen Hudson (Sigourney Weaver) and female detective MJ Monahan (Holly Hunter) must work together to take down a serial killer who copies serial killers from the past.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 44: A MOVIE WITH A SERIAL KILLER

Review: There are over four hundred potential serial killers in America, criminal-psychologist Helen Hudson states during her lecture. “Maybe there’s even one in the room right now”. And this turns out to be right, since one is waiting for her in the ladies’ room.
Years later, a number of women in San Francisco are murdered within a short period of time. Each under striking circumstances, but detective MJ Monahan can’t detect a pattern. She asks Helen for help, who is now an agoraphobic who locks herself in her own home. At first, Helen doesn’t seem to keen on helping MJ. But files left at her home make for Helen to join MJ in the investigation.
Helen discovers there is a connection between the murders: they imitate the methods of America’s most illustrious serial killers. With this knowledge they can predict with a high degree of probability the killer’s next steps.
For the time this movie was made, the mid-90s, it has a refreshing take on the detective genre. Since the two leading characters are women and they lead the investigation. Both Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter offer us solid performances.
Director Jon Amiel has paid a lot of attention to character building, which is a good move. This way the viewer can empathize with them so much more. Amiel makes frequent use of the suspense. The term ‘less is more’ really goes for “Copycat”. Even in seemingly boring moments, Amiel knows how to raise tension. For example, there is a scene in the film which Helen wants to get her newspaper. The paper is in a corridor, tow meters away from her door. Because of her phobia, Helen doesn’t want to walk out the door. Desperately she grabs a broom and try the newspaper. The threatening music and the angle of the camera turn this scene into an oppressive and exciting moment.
“Copycat” is an exciting, skillfully made thriller. The film does everything it’s supposed to do and does it really well. The only thing I didn’t like, is that the identity of the serial killer is revealed earlier on in the film. It doesn’t take away from the tension though, but I always enjoy a climax with a face reveal.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - The Mountain Between Us

Director: Hany Abu-Assad
Genre: Drama/ Adventure/ Thriller/ Romance
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Beau Bridges, Dermot Mulroney, Linda Sorensen

Description: Stranded after a tragic plane crash, two strangers (Kate Winslet, Idris Elba) must forge a connection to survive the extreme elements of a remote snow-covered mountain. When they realize help is not coming, they embark on a perilous journey across the wilderness.

Review: Neurosurgeon Ben is on his way to perform a very complex surgery on a young patient. Photographer Alex is about to get married. Both are stranded on an airport, when their flights are cancelled due to the weather.
Alex manages to rent a private plane and overhears Ben, who is in a similar situation having to be at his location the next day. They board the plane together, but their pilot suffers from a stroke and they crash. They end up in a snowy landscape, with no people or towns nearby. Ben and Alex don’t know each other, but are forced to survive together.
The pilot didn’t survive, but his dog did, so Alex and Ben have a companion. With minimal supplies and a couple of chocolade bars they two have to decide if they wait for help or look for help by foot.
Director Hany Aby-Asad used the book “The Mountain Between Us” by Charles Martin, as its inspiration. It’s an ambitious project, while the screentime is filled with only two characters and a dog. And he got lucky with Kate Winslet and Idris Elba as his stars. “The Mountain Between Us” is beautifully shot. And the first half of the film I really liked. Ben is the stronger of the two, so he has to make sure Alex makes it through. But as soon as the two are on an equal playing feel, so to say, you realize hos old fashioned this story actually is. Alex becomes this ‘damsel in distress’, when she is in fact a very strong woman on her own. And Ben is ‘the knight in shining armor’, who will make sure that he will get her of that mountain.
And what bothered me the most: this is supposed to be a survival movie, right?. I really loved this part. Why does there have to be a love story? From being a good and solid survival tale, it turns into a mediocre romantic drama. With a very cheesy ending I might say.
I was so disappointed in this film. Not because of Elba and Winslet, they are great. But the direction the story takes is just so lame.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 89: The D Train

Director: Andrew Mogel, Jarrad Paul
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Dermot Mulroney, Mike White

Description: The head of a high school reunion committee (Jack Black) travels to Los Angeles to track down the most popular guy from his graduating class (James Marsden) and convince him to go to the reunion.

Review: Jack Black has his ups and downs. Well, “The D Train” is a movie that not a lot of people might have heard of, and it’s better that it stays that way. It’s not one of his best film. I don’t really know what it is, really.
Dan Landsman is the head of the high school reunion committee. He wasn’t very popular back then and he still isn’t. He still wants to be accepted by others. He decides to track down Oliver Lawless, the most popular guy in school when they were young.
The film takes some surprising turns, but they are somewhat hard to believe and understand. And the film also got on my nerves for some reason. There is a reason why this film played a limited time in theaters.
No, “The D Train” is a movie you can better skip.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 25: Stoker

Director: Chan-wook Park
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Jacki Weaver, Dermot Mulroney

Description: After India's (Mia Wasikowska) father (Dermot Mulroney) dies, her Uncle Charlie (Matthew Goode), who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother (Nicole Kidman). She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

Review: Director Chan-wook Park created a cult hit with “Oldboy”. A movie that was later remade and made his way to the US. Park made a debut with “Stoker”, where it is his first English language film, based on a screenplay by Wentworth Miller. Miller you might know as Michael Schofield from “Prison Break”, but he has been working on the script for “Stoker” for eight years.
When her father unexpectedly dies on her 18th birthday, India Stokes and her mother Evelyn have to adapt to life without father and husband Richard. But then uncle Charlie appears, Richard’s brother that they never met. He moves in with India and Evelyn. But there is a mystery circling around Charlie.
With a plot like this, you expect a thriller or maybe even a horror film. “Stoker” is in fact more of an interesting character study of an unusual family. Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman and Matthew Goode all deliver great performances. Their characters are intriguing. Even though India distrusts her uncle Charlie, there is also a certain attraction between the two. Matthew Goode plays the role of Charlie wonderfully. Creepy yet irresistible. Kidman shines as the fragile mother, but is also the most ‘human’ person in the film.
Acting is of a high level, but it’s Park who deserves the most credit. The images are mind blowing. His eye for detail really made me happy. He has a feeling for it, the camera work is beautiful. Almost every shot is a little work of art.
Although the thriller and horror element are more in the background, there is constantly this tension and dark atmosphere. “Stoker” is a great film, that is probably not for everyone. It’s a movie that is hard to categorize. Maybe it’s a darker version of a coming of age story. It makes for a hypnotizing viewing experience.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 145: Big Miracle

Director: Ken Kwapis

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 107 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Drew Barrymore, John Krasinski, Kristen Bell, Ted Danson, Dermot Mulroney, Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Root, Rob Riggle

Description: In small town Alaska, news reporter Adam (John Krasinski) recruits his ex-girlfriend Rachel (Drew Barrymore)- a Greenpeace volunteer - on a campaign to save a family of gray whales trapped by rapidly forming ice in the Arctic Circle.

Review: ‘Everybody loves whales’. This is a message given a lot in “Big Miracle”. And people have been fascinated by these giant mammals for centuries. The movie is based on a true story, about three whales who trapped in the ice in Alaska in 1988.

Lead role is for John Krasinski, who plays reporter Adam Carlson, who happens to find the whales who are trapped. Soon the whales are worldwide news. To save the whales, a path has to be created to set them free in the ocean. Adam and his ex-girlfriend Rachel, who is a Greenpeace activist, try everything to save them. But it costs money and who is willing to help out?

The story is touching, but the scenario doesn’t really succeed in that area. The base of the film is historically correct but it’s still a movie. Maybe the movie would have been a bit better if it weren’t a film. Some storyline take your attention away from the actual happenings and you really don’t care about all that.

“Big Miracle” does have enough to offer in the end. It will keep the attention of young and old and it was an enjoyable film. It would have been better to keep the focus on the whales, because everybody loves whales.

Rating: 3/ 5