Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movies - Final Update

I decided to rewatch my 100 favorite movies of all-time. What those are, you can check HERE. I watch them in random order, there is no rhyme or reason there, just watching those movies I love so much. And this is my final update, because as of now, I have rewatched all 100 of them. 
 

96/ 100: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
“Raiders of the Lost Ark” is still a barely outdated ode to the adventure film. We meet archeologist Indiana Jones for the first time in this film. He has to contend with an untrustworthy rival, who has been commissioned by Hitler to search for the mythical Ark of the Covenant, a historical relic said to possess magical powers. Exciting and funny, the absolute embodiment of the adventure genre. And in my opinion still the best film of the series.  Read my full review HERE.
 

97/ 100: Die Hard (1988)
New York cop John McClane travels to L.A. to visit his estranged wife at work. Unfortunately, during the company’s Christmas party, a gang of terrorists led by Hans Gruber, has planned a hostage taking/ robberty operation. This is still Bruce Willis’ most iconic role. Where “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is the embodiment of the adventure genre, “Die Hard” is that for the action film. Also had numerous sequels. I liked all but part 5. HERE you can read my full review.
 

98/ 100: Reservoir Dogs (1992)
“Reservoir Dogs” is director Quentin Tarantino’s masterful debut film, about a jewelry heist that gets completely out of hand. The surviving robbers try to figure out what went wrong and if there may be a mole in their midst. The story is told in a non-linear way, where we get to meet certain characters before the heist, how the heist is planned, the actual day of the heist and the aftermath. A beautifully crafted screenplay with clever and funny dialogue and brilliant acting. Still my favorite Tarantino film to date. Check out my full review HERE.
 

99/ 100: Sin City (2005)
In this film noir  film, based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel, we follow three stories of violence in Basin “Sin” City. A big, tough criminal seeks revenge on the killer of his dream woman. A troubled policeman hunts a psychotic child killer. And a private detective tries tot prevent a massacre of “ladies of the night”. The film amazed me the first time and it still does. It’s like your reading the graphic novel, but the images are moving this time. It looks fantastic. I love that this film is black and white, with the occasional touch of color. HERE you can check out my full review.
 

100/ 100: Drive (2011)
Director Nicolas Winding Refn has a very distinctive style and it shows in “Drive”. We follow an unnamed stunt driver who earns extra money as a getaway driver. The camerawork and direction are fantastic, and with the 1980s vibes of the soundtrack Refn creates this stye. Ryan Gosling is amazing as ‘driver’. And an excellent supporting cast with Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks and Oscar Isaac. Check HERE my full review.

Top 5 Thursday: Ryan Gosling Movies

I’ve listed Ryan Gosling’s movies before, but there have been so many great films added to his resumé, that I need to revisit this list. Here are my five favorite Ryan Gosling films.

5. Blue Valentine
Many people think it’s a romance film when they see the title. Well, I’ll have to warn you then. It has romance in it, but it’s not a romantic movie. It’s actually quite depressing and wants you to never be in a relationship ever again. The acting by Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling is just fantastic.

4. Lars and the Real Girl
Gosling can be your movie hunk, but in “Lars and the Real Girl” he is a nerdy, lonely shy guy who dates a mannequin. It’s a weird plot, but the film is so heartfelt and honest. I loved it!

3. The Nice Guys
This is a 2016 movie that not a lot of people talk about, but the people that do all loved “The Nice Guys”. Nobody is talking about it, because not a lot of people saw it. It’s the perfect definition of a buddy cop movie, without the clichés. And Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are such a good duo.

2. Drive
This used to be my number one and “Drive” will always be one of my all-time favorite films. It’s a cinematographic masterpiece, filmed so well with one of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard.

1. La La Land
This movie stole my heart and not only mine. This is a phenomenon and shows us that musical isn’t dead. A film for the dreamers, the creative mind. So, perfect for me. I’m totally in love with “La La Land” and many with me.

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Place Beyond the Pines, Half Nelson, The Notebook, Fracture, Crazy Stupid Love

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Scenes with the Perfect Music

Some scenes are memorable, because of the great acting, dialogue, a quote. But sometimes it’s the music that makes the scene unforgettable. Here is a list of movie scenes with the perfect music.

5. “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”)
All hell breaks loose in a church. Unable to control themselves, the people engage in a battle royal and there is only one person to come out of that church alive. The power balad by Lynyrd Skynyrd elevates this action packed scene.

4. “The Murder” by Bernard Herrmann (“Psycho”)
If there is a piece of music that guarantees to give you the chills, it’s this. The violin screech from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” is probably one of the most recognizable pieces of music in film history.

3. “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds (“The Breakfast Club”)
Five teens have to spend a whole Saturday in detention. At first sight the gang couldn’t be more different. As the day progresses, they find out that they are all struggling with similar inner demons. And although they run in different social circles and at the end they will go their own separate ways, what they learned in that short time will never be forgotten. And that song makes it even better.

2. “Welcome to Jurassic Park” by John Williams (“Jurassic Park”)
During the moment where Alan, Ian and Ellie see a real life dinosaurs for the first time, the experience is enhanced by the perfect score created by John Williams.

1. “A Real Hero” by College feat. Electric Youth (“Drive”)
Music acts like a window for the main character’s soul, because the Driver has limited dialogue or facial expressions. In one of the brighter scenes of “Drive”, Driver is taking Irene and her son for a L.A. tour in his car. We can see that there is more to the man than just an empty shell. The story says everything the hero can’t.

They Almost Made the Top 5: “The End” by The Doors (“Apocalypse Now”), “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop (“Trainspotting”), “Mad World” by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules (“Donnie Darko”), “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwold (“Easy Rider”), “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel (“The Graduate”)

Movie Favorites: Drive

Synopsis: A mysterious man (Ryan Gosling) who has multiple jobs as a garage mechanic, a Hollywood stuntman and a getaway driver seems to be trying to escape his shady past as he falls for his neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan) - whose husband is in prison and who's looking after her child alone. Meanwhile, his garage mechanic boss is trying to set up a race team using gangland money, which implicates our driver as he is to be used as the race team's main driver. Our hero gets more than he bargained for when he meets the man who is married to the woman he loves.

 

 

Unique Selling Point: Magnificent montage, great camera work. An easy switch between fast action sequences and slower scenes. Sharp dialogues and on edge humor. The acting is strong, the movie is visually stunning, this is powerful cinema. Very impressive and intriguing.

Most Valuable Player: Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, it’s pure art.

Best Moment: The elevator scene. Driver and Irene are in the elevator when he sees the other passenger is carrying a gun. Driver wants to protect Irene and he pushes her back, kisses her and then he smashes up the guys face.

Top 5 Thursday: Movies from 2011

This was an incredibly good movie year, at least for me. It gave me some of my favorites, that I also own on DVD and I can watch over and over again.

5. Warrior
Only saw it once, but it left a big impression on me. Such a good film, that was overlooked if you ask me. And the music in the last scene was just perfect.

4. The Help
A total guarantee to make me cry every time. The book is great and the director captured it very well. A movie carried by women.

3. Drive
It’s really hard to explain this movie to people who haven’t seen it. It’s just such an amazing movie experience.

2. 50/ 50
The difficult theme is brought to us with such wit and heart without it ever being a sob story. Fantastic acting by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

1. Midnight in Paris
I’m in love with Paris, but also with this film. Woody Allen did such a great job and Owen Wilson was the perfect guy to play Gil Pender.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Jane Eyre, Bridesmaids, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, My Week with Marilyn, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Muppets

Top 5 Thursday: Ryan Gosling Movies

Ryan Gosling is one fine actor. Not just because he is ridiculously gorgeous, but because he is a fantastic, talented performer. He chooses his roles very carefully and that leads to some wonderful films. Here are my favorites.

5. The Notebook
I think everyone wanted to marry Noah Calhoun after seeing this movie. I know I did. This movie is so sweet it hurts your teeth, but I love it.

4. Half Nelson
He is a bit troubled, but I like his role as a teacher. He is a better teacher then person, I like the friendship between him and Drew.

3. Crazy, Stupid, Love
A movie I knew I was going to love when I saw its trailer. Gosling and Steve Carrel are great together and what about Ryan and Emma Stone!

2. Blue Valentine
Not just another lovestory. Far from that. Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling have perfect chemistry which makes it believable and realistic.

1. Drive
LOVE IT! Gosling rocks this movie. It’s brilliant, I mean really brilliant. Love the cinematography, music, acting. It blew my mind when I first saw it.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Fracture, Gangster Squad

Me & 3 Ryan Gosling Movies

Ryan Gosling is one of the most handsome men in Hollywood, but he’s not your typical pretty boy. He chooses his films very carefully, with success. He already has some big movies on his name. Here are the three movies I chose to watch starring Ryan Gosling.

The Ides of March
Genre: Drama
Year: 2011
Director: George Clooney
Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood
Description: Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is a young idealist who's brilliant at communications, is second in command of Governor Mike Morris's (George Clooney) presidential campaign, and is a true believer. In the middle of the Ohio primary, the campaign manager of Morris's opponent asks Meyers to meet; he offers him a job. At the same time, Morris's negotiations for the endorsement of the man in third place, a North Carolina Senator, hit a snag. A young campaign intern, Molly Stearns (Rachel Evan Wood), gets Stephen's romantic attention. Republicans have a trick up their sleeve; Stephen may be too trusting, and Molly has a secret. What's most important, career, victory, or virtue?
Opinion: George Clooney has proven a couple of times before that he’s a good director. This is not my favorite. I never really got into the film, maybe because of the politics. That never held me back before, but I just couldn’t keep my attention at all times and it has both Clooney and Gosling in it. I should give this movie another chance, when I am more in the mood for this kind of film.
Favorite character: Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling)
Most memorable quote: “You can lie, you can cheat, you can start a war, you can bankrupt the country, but you can't fuck the interns. They get you for that.” –Stephen Meyers-
Best scene: The final scene, where Stephen is getting ready for his TV interview.

Gangster Squad
Genre: Drama/ Action
Year: 2013
Director: Ruben Fleischer
Cast: Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling, Sean Penn, Emma Stone, Anthony Macki, Giovanni Ribisi, Robert Patrick, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña
Description: It's 1949 Los Angeles, and gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) has moved in, with the intention of controlling all criminal activity in the city. He has bought local judges and police, and no one is willing to cross him or testify against him. Everyone except Seargant John O'Mara (Josh Brolin), a former World War II soldier, whose goal is to settle with his family in a peaceful Los Angeles. Police Chief William Parker (Nick Nolte) decides to form a special unit whose mission is to take down Cohen, and chooses O'Mara to lead the unit. O'Mara chooses 4 cops and asks another cop and vet, Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling) to join him but Wooters is not interested. But when he witnesses the murder of a young boy by Cohen's people, he joins them, and they decide to take apart Cohen's organization. Cohen wonders if a rival is going after him, but eventually he realizes it's the cops. Opinion: I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a while, but it was different then I expected. I thought Gosling was the leading man, but it was Brolin, and surprisingly enough I felt a bigger attraction to him. The movie didn’t disappoint me, especially not Sean Penn who portrays a very believable mobster.
Favorite character: John O’Mara (Josh Brolin)
Most memorable quote: “Where have you been all my miserable life?” –Grace Faraday-
Best scene: John gets help from his wife Connie to assemble the perfect team.

Drive
Genre: Drama
Year: 2011
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks, Albert Brooks, Ron Perlman
Description: A mysterious Hollywood stuntman, mechanic and getaway driver lands himself in trouble when he helps out his neighbor.
Opinion: The best movie experiences are the once you go and see with no expectations and you end up being blown away. That’s what “Drive” did to me when I first saw it, what an awesome film. Ryan Gosling says so much by not saying anything at all, an Oscar worthy performance.
Favorite character: Driver (Ryan Gosling)
Most memorable quote: “From now on every word out of you mouth is the truth or I will hurt you”-Driver-
Best scene: The scene in the elevator where Driver is trying to protect Irene by pushing her to the corner, kissing her and banging the other passengers head in.

Favorite of the 3: Drive

Movie Moments: "Drive"

The best movie experiences are the one where you expect nothing much and you’re eventually blown away. That’s what happened when I saw “Drive” for the first time. What an amazing movie! Here are my favorite scenes.

Moment # 1: The getaway
Driver is waiting in his getaway car, for two robbers. They have a five minute window and they make it right before the sirens come closer. Driver tries to escape an them, he stays calm and collected at all times.

Moment # 2: “You wanna see something?”
Driver takes Irene and Benicio home, but first he wants to show them something. He takes them for a drive, they have a great time.

Moment # 3: Hands
Driver takes Irene out. In the car Irene looks at him, smiles and takes his hand.

Moment # 4: The chase
Driver is helping Standard with his final job, so he can pays his depths. Something goes horribly wrong, which leaves Standard dead and Driver speeding up.

Moment # 5: The hammer
Driver looks up Cook and brings a hammer to the party. First he smashes Cooks hand and the threatens to hit a nail right in his eye.

Moment # 6: The elevator
Driver and Irene are in the elevator when he sees the other passenger is carrying a gun. Driver wants to protect Irene and he pushes her back, kisses her and than he smashes up the guys face.

Moment # 7: Driver kills Nino
Driver just found his friend Shannon who was killed. He wants payback and the person he needs to start with is Nino.

Moment # 8: Driver calls Irene
Driver gives Irene a call to tell her he’s going away and that the time he spend with her and Benicio is the best he ever had.

Moment # 9: The last showdown
Driver meets up with Bernie Rose and he is about to giver Rose the money. Rose stabs him, but Driver fights back and stabs him too. Driver is sitting in the car and when he blinks we see he’s still alive and Rose is lying dead on the ground. Driver drives off, but leaves the money.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 6: The elevator

Movie Tip # 53: Drive

Director:Nicolas Winding Refn

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Ron Perlman, Christina Hendricks, Oscar Isaacs

Description: A lone-wolf Hollywood stunt driver (Ryan Gosling) moonlights as a freelance getaway wheelman, and he finds his solitary existence taking on new meaning after befriending Irene (Carey Mulligan), the lonely wife of convicted felon Standard (Oscar Isaac), and her young son.

Review: "Drive" is a powerful and intriguing film that can not be placed in a box. Its cinematography is sublime and gives it a bit of an arthouse look. Because of the mix of suspense, action and mob violence it will be loved by a bigger audience. In the great opening sequence, the movie grabs you in and from that moment on you get sucked in and it doesn't let you go. 'Driver', played by Ryan Gosling, works for Shannon, a role by Bryan Cranston. He isn't only his agent when he works as a stuntman for Hollywood movies, Shannon is also the one that gets him the nighttime getaway jobs. Driver is a cool, maybe icecold man. He can act without any emotion under every situation. His encounter with neighbour Irene, portrayed by Carey Mulligan, and her son Benicio give him that feeling of being human. After meeting her husband Standard gets out of jail, things go really fast. Driver witnesses when Standard gets in trouble an is forced to help him. He wants to keep Irene and Benicio safe and knows that the next battle is a matter of life and death.
Ryan Gosling's portrayel of Driver is perfect. Especially when you just look at his face, it's very powerful. It's just phenomenal. Carey Mulligan fits her role perfectly and has great chemistry with her co-star. The rest of the cast is also very good. The scenes between Driver and Irene are very tender, but the movie has a lot of extreme moments as well. Very violent confrontations. When that happens the adrenaline rushes through your body. With all these elements it makes "Drive" a well balanced movie.
Fantastic acting, powerful visual cinema. "Drive" is an impressive piece of work.

"The Hunger Games", "Drive" and Rachel McAdams

I made four new wallpapers. The first two are inspired by the movie and cast of "The Hunger Games". I saw it recently and I absolutely loves it.

This wallpapers features pictures of the movie "Drive". Fantastic film, a great performance by Ryab Gosling.

The last one I dedicaded to Rachel McAdams. From the press conference she did for the movie "The Vow".

Movie Trailer Sunday (3)

This weeks trailers are about a zoo, bike messengers, hockey, a stunt driver and a haunted boarding school.

We Bought a Zoo
Description: Set in Southern California, a father (Matt Damon) moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
Director: Cameron Crowe
Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Patrick Fugit and Elle Fanning
Trailer: "We Bought a Zoo" Trailer
Comment: This looks fantastic. Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson look like a great on screen duo and the story sounds fantastic. Can't wait.

Premium Rush
Description: Wilee is a New York bike messenger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who picks up an envelope at Columbia University, only to be chased throughout the city by a dirty cop desperate to get his hands on it.
Director:David Koepp
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Dania Ramirez, Jamie Chung and Michael Shannon
Trailer: ?Premium Rush" Trailer
Comment: Looks exciting and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in it. He did so many great things the past years.

Goon
Description: Doug Glatt (Seann William Scott) is a dumb but loveable bar bouncer plucked from obscurity to be the enforcer for a minor league hockey team.
Director: Michael Dowse
Starring: Seann William Scott, Jay Baruchel, Liev Schreiber, Kim Coates, Alison Pill
Trailer: "Goon" Trailer

Drive
Description: Hollywood stunt driver by day (Ryan Gosling) is a loner by nature, who moonlights as a top-notch getaway driver-for-hire in the criminal underworld. He finds himself a target for some of LA's most dangerous men after agreeing to aid the husband of his beautiful neighbor, Irene (Carey Mulligan).
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman and Albert Brooks
Trailer: "Drive" Trailer

The Awakening
Description: 1921 England is overwhelmed by the loss and grief of World War I. Hoax exposer Florence Cathcart (Rebecca Hall) visits a boarding school to explain sightings of a child ghost. Everything she knew in unravels as the 'missing' begin to show themselves.
Director: Nick Murphy
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Dominic West and Imelda Staunton
Trailer: "The Awakening" Trailer