Movie Reviews - Downsizing

Director: Alexander Payne
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Udo Kier, Jason Sudeikis, Neil Patrick Harris, Laura Dern

Description: A social satire in which a man (Matt Damon) realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.

Review: What would you do if you had the option to shrink, which means your money is worth so much more.
In Alexander Payne’s new movie, this is the question at the start of the film. Paul and Audrey are your every day couple, with not a lot to spend. They want more space and nice things, but that’s simply not possible with their payments. Paul sees a Norwegian professor in the news, who managed to shrink people. A great invention, because you would waist less and everything you have is worth more.
A couple of years after the experiment, ‘downsizing’ is a popular procedure. More people choose to be downsized, like friends of Paul and Audrey. They tell them how amazing it is and how it changed their lives in a good way. And especially because their money is worth more. Paul and Audrey are also thinking about downsizing. If they sell everything, they can live as a king and queen. It’s the solution for all their problems.
After the downsizing process in the film, the movie goes downhill. New plots unfold, which makes to story go in so many different directions. Payne loses focus and towards the end the story goes into another direction, which makes it feel endless. “Downsizing” has such an interesting starting point, but this all gets a little lost.
“Downsizing” is a bit of a mess, but there is still a lot to enjoy. De first half is fast paced, filled with humor and has really nice scenes. Matt Damon is really good and most supporting roles are well performed. At the end, you’re left with mixed feelings. I really love Alexander Payne’s work, but “Downsizing” is not one of my favorites.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

Movies to Look Forward to - January 2018

New year, new movies. Let's see what movies will be released in January (Dutch release dates).

January 4th – The Greatest Showman
Director: Michael Gracey
Starring: Hugh Jackmann, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson
Description: Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

January 11th – All the Money in the World 
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Timothy Hutton
Description: The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

January 11th – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Director: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Caleb Landry Jones
Description: A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

January 18th – Proud Mary
Director: Babak Najafi
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Danny Glover, Neal McDonough
Description: Mary is a hitwoman working for an organized crime family in Boston. Mary's life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes awry.

January 25th – 12 Strong
Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, William Fichtner, Elsa Pataky, Taylor Sheridan, Michael Peña, Rob Riggle
Description: 12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban.

January 25th – Downsizing
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Hong Chau, Christoph Waltz
Description: A social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.

Movie Trailer Sunday (306)

Here are this week's trailers.

The Disaster artist
Director: James Franco
Description: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tommy Wiseau's The Room (2003).
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Zac Efron, Kate Upton, Zoey Deutch, Lizzy Caplan, Kristen Bell, Adam Scott, Bryan Cranston, Sharon Stone, Josh Hutcherson
Trailer: Trailer "The Disaster Artist"
Comment: One of this year's movies I'm most looking forward too.

Downsizing
Director: Alexander Payne
Description: A social satire in which a guy realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself.
Starring: Matt Damon, Cristoph Waltz, Kristen Wiig, Jason Sudeikis, Hong Chau
Trailer: Trailer "Downsizing"
Comment: This is such a great concept.

The Man Who Invented Christmas
Director: Bharat Nalluri
Description: The journey that led to the creation of Ebenezer Scrooge (Christopher Plummer) and other classic characters from "A Christmas Carol." The film shows how Charles Dickens (Dan Stevens) conjured up a timeless tale.
Starring: Dan Stevens, Christopher Plummer, Jonathan Pryce,
Trailer:
Comment: The story of how "A Christmas Carol" was born.

Mudbound
Director: Dee Rees
Description: Two men return home from World War II to work on a farm in rural Mississippi, where they struggle to deal with racism and adjusting to life after war.
Starring: Garrett Hedlund, Carey Mulligan, Jason Clarke, Jonathan Banks, Jason Mitchell, Mary J. Blige
Trailer: Trailer "Mudbound"
Comment: looks intense!

The Current War
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Description: The dramatic story of the cutthroat race between electricity titans Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse to determine whose electrical system would power the modern world.
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Katherine Waterston, Tom Holland, Nicholas Hoult, Matthew Macfadyen
Trailer: Trailer "The Current War"
Comment: Great cast!