Movies You Expected to Hate, but Loved

I think everyone can make a list like this. You see a trailer for a movie or read about an upcoming flick and you just roll your eyes. Because you will most definitely hate it. But when you eventually see it, you really really really love it. Here is a list of my misjudgments, the movies I expected to hate, but actually loved.

John Wick (2014)
I thought it was going to be one of those terrible revenge movies, kind of like how Steven Seagal makes them. But it eventually turned out to be such a great film with awesome fight scenes. And the sequels get better and better, I love those even more. It still is an old-fashioned revenge movie, about a former hitman who is becomes vengeful after a bunch of Russian mobsters kill his dog.

The Lego Movie (2014)
Who really needed this movie? Well, apparently I did. Nobody expected a movie about the most popular bricks would be such a huge hit. I was fascinated with how it was made and “The Lego Movie” was extremely funny. And that song.....

Avatar (2009)
I avoided this film, for as long as I could. I didn’t want to see it, thought it was just another cash-grab and found the blue creatures super weird. But I eventually caved and saw it, at home. And now I’m sad that I never saw it on the big screen. I never expected this film to have such a strong message and it looks amazing. The film still has a lot of haters, but now I don’t understand why. Because “Avatar” is such a beautiful film.

Game Night (2018)
It seemed kind of boring and goofy, and Jason Bateman starring didn’t really look inviting, since most of his comedy work is silly. Yet, I was very wrong and think this is one of the best comedies of the 2010s. I loved the starting point of this film, enjoyed Rachel McAdams and Jason Bateman together. Such a funny comedy.

Spy (2015)
A spy comedy, ugh. With Melissa McCarthy, who will probably do what she always does. But “Spy” is hilarious. And Jason Statham, whom I’m not a big fan of, is the best part of this film (never thought I would EVER say that). “Spy” is one great comedy!

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
I like spy movies, but I expected “Kingsman: The Secret Service” to be another James Bond clone. I was so surprised with how good this film was. It has humor and does mock the genre at times. Great action and that scene in the church with “Free Bird” playing is one of the best scenes I had seen that year. A fantastic action flick.

Happy Death Day (2017)
Just another teen slasher I thought. It actually turned out to be a very funny and clever horror film. Much better than I expected it to be.

Ant-Man (2015)
I really thought ”Ant-Man” was going to suck, because I wasn’t really sure if Paul Rudd could pull off the superhero vibe. And director Peyton Reed was mainly known for some comedies he made. Little did I know that “Ant-Man” would eventually become one of my favorite MCU films. Now I can’t think about anyone else playing Scott Lang. I enjoyed the comedic tone the film has and Rudd really is perfect for it. I also really loved the fact that it brought back Evangeline Lilly, I have loved her since I was introduced to her in “Lost”.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
I mainly hated the idea of it being rebooted, since I really love the original “Jumanji”, even though time hasn’t been kind to it at all. The CGI is very outdated, but still. When I did see “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” it really pleasantly surprised me. I loved the cast and how they told the same story, but adapted it to the modern world.

Stay-at-Home Netflix Must-See Movie List

Since it’s best to stay home now, I browsed through Netflix to create a list of films they stream that everyone just has to see. Because now is the perfect time to catch up on those must-sees. I chose two movies per genre, so there is something on this list for everyone.

Mission: Impossible – Fallout (Action)
Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.

Edge of Tomorrow (Action)
Cage is a soldier (Tom Cruise) fighting aliens and he gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.

Spotlight (Drama)
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

Room (Drama)
Held captive for 7 years in an enclosed space, a woman (Brie Larsson) and her young son (Jacob Tremblay) finally gain their freedom, allowing the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.

Game Night (Comedy)
A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves entangled in a real-life mystery when the shady brother of one of them is seemingly kidnapped by dangerous gangsters.

Easy A (Comedy)
Olive (Emma Stone) is a clean-cut high school student who relies on the school’s rumor mill to advance her social ad financial standing.

Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse (Animation)
Teen Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) becomes Spider-Man of his reality, crossing his path with five counterparts from other dimensions to stop threat for all realities.

Spirited Away (Animation)
During her family’s move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.

Call Me By Your Name (Romance)
In 1980s Italy, romance blossoms between the 17-year-old Elio (Timothée Chalamet) and the older Oliver (Armie hammer) hired as his father’s research assistant.

Marriage Story (Romance)
A look at the marriage between Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver), breaking up and a family staying together.

A Quiet Place (Horror)
In a post-apocalyptic worl, a family is forced to live in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing.

The Conjuring (Horror)
Paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) work to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

Annihilation (Science Fiction)
Lena (Natalie Portman) is a biologist who signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don’t apply.

Blade Runner 2049 (Science Fiction)
Young Blade Runner “K”’s (Ryan Gosling) discovery of a long-burried secret leads him to track down former Blade Runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who’s been missing for thirty years.

Goodfellas (Crime)
The story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) and his life in the mob, covering his relationship with his wife Karen and his mob partners Jimmy Conway (Robert De Niro) and Tommy DeVito (Joe Pesci) in the Italian-American crime syndicate.

Zodiac (Crime)
In the late 1960s/ early 1970s, a San Franciso cartoonist (Jake Gyllenhaal) becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer, an unidentified individual who terrorizes Northern California with a killing spree.

Prisoners (Thriller)
When Keller Dover’s (Hugh Jackman) daughter and her friend go missing, he takes matters into his own hands as the police pursue multiple leads and the pressure mounts.

The Gift (Thriller)
A young married couple’s (Rebecca Hall, Jason Bateman) lives are thrown into a harrowing tailspin when an acquaintance from the husband’s past brings mysterious gifts and a horrifying secret to light after more than 20 years.

Fyre (Documentary)
An exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the infamous unraveling of the Fyre Music Festival.

Abducted in Plain Sight (Documentary)
The twisting, turning, stranger-than-fiction true story of the Brobergs, a naïve, church-going Idaho family that fell under the spell of a sociopathic neighbor with the designs on their twelve-year-old daughter.

Matilda (Family)
The story of the wonderful little girl Matilda (Mara Wilson), who happens to be a genius, and her wonderful teacher (Embeth Davidtz) vs. the worst parents ever (Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman) and the worst school principal imaginable.

Annie (Family)
A young orphan girl’s adventure in finding a family that will take her.







I think these will get you through those days, enjoy the watch list!

Movie Reviews - Game Night

Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Kyle Chandler, Jesse Plemmons, Michael C. Hall, Danny Huston, Chelsea Peretti

Description: A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves entangled in a real-life mystery when the shady brother of one of them is seemingly kidnapped by dangerous gangsters.

Review: Two months after “Jumanji”, we get another fulm about dangerous games. But “Game Night” is not a blockbuster that has extravagant sets and special effects, but a satire mocking over-the-top action movies.
“Game Night” opens with Max and Annie meeting. They are both very competitive and love games. And game night is a regular thing in their lives. It’s basically just innocent games of Monopoly, Life, Charades and Scrabble. When Max’ brother Brooks joins them, he insist on hosting a game night himself. He thought of a murder mystery. But this game turns into a real kidnapping situation.
“Game Night” is at its best when Max and Annie are constantly trying to over throw everyone. Jason Bateman has played the role before, but it’s Rachel McAdams that steal the show. She doesn’t do this kind of comedy often, so it’s a real breath of fresh air. She is already one of my favorite actresses and I loved her in “Game Night”.
There is an element of surprise, which at one point they take a bit too far. But the camera techniques they use are really cool. And the jokes are sharp and quick. It sometimes has a hard time finding a balance.
“Game Night” is a fun comedy, that has Rachel McAdams and Jesse Plemons as its stars. It’s probably not a comedy classic, but it’s definitely a fun night.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movies to Look Forward to - February 2018

What movies should you look out for in February? I'm just making sure you're not going to see "Fifty Shades Freed", please, it's for your own good. Here are movies I think will actually be good.

February 1st – The Post
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Sarah Paulson, Bob Odenkirk, Bradley Whitford, Bruce Greenwood, Alison Brie, Jesse Plemmons
Description: A cover-up that spanned four U.S. Presidents pushed the country's first female newspaper publisher and a hard-driving editor to join an unprecedented battle between the press and the government.

February 7th – Early Man
Director: Nick Park
Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Maisie Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Timothy Spall, Richard Ayoade
Description: Set at the dawn of time, when prehistoric creatures and woolly mammoths roamed the earth, Early Man tells the story of Dug, along with sidekick Hognob as they unite his tribe against a mighty enemy Lord Nooth and his Bronze Age City to save their home.

February 8th – Winchester
Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Starring: Helen Mirren, Sarah Snook, Jason Clarke
Description: Eccentric firearm heiress believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle.

February 14th – Black Panther
Director: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita N’yongo, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Andy Serkis, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Sterling K. Brown
Description: T'Challa, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king.

February 14th – The Glass Castle
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Starring: Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts, Max Greenfield, Sarah Snook
Description: A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family of nonconformist nomads with a mother who's an eccentric artist and an alcoholic father who would stir the children's imagination with hope as a distraction to their poverty.

February 15th – The Shape of Water
Director: Guillermo Del Toro
Starring: Sally Hawkins, Octavia Spencer, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Michael Stuhlbarg, Doug Jones
Description: At a top secret research facility in the 1950s, a lonely janitor forms a unique relationship with an amphibious creature that is being held in captivity.

February 22nd – Game Night
Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Jesse Plemmons
Description: A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves trying to solve a murder mystery.