Movie Review - Voicemails for Isabelle

Director: Leah McKendrick
Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Comedy
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Nick Robinson, Harry Schum Jr. Leah McKednrick, Nick Offerman, Lukas Cage, Ciara Bravo, Gil Bellows, Tanis Dolman, Toby Sandeman
 
Description: Jill (Zoey Deutch) leaves voice messages to her deceased sister telling her about her chaotic life in San Francisco. Unwittingly, a mysterious Austin TX real estate agent (Nick Robinson) begins to receive their confessions..
 
Review: “Voicemails for Isabelle” is a beautiful, bittersweet drama that leaves a deep impression from the very first minute.

To cope with the sudden loss of her younger sister, aspiring pastry chef Jill begins leaving long, hilariously candid voicemails on her late sister’s phone number. Unbeknownst to her, the number has been reassigned to Wes, a real estate agent living across the country. As Wes listens to Jill’s vulnerable, stream-of-consciousness confessions about her grief, her chaotic dating life, and her demanding boss, he slowly starts to fall in love with her voice from afar.

The film excels thanks to its intimate atmosphere and original concept, in which grief and unrequited love ar made tangible through abandoned voicemails. This emotional foundation is supported by rock-solid performances from both Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson, who deliver authentic portrayals that never feel forced or overly melodramatic.

Romance is not my go-to genre, but I can really fall in love with one if the characters are ones I can relate to and the story has emotional depth. And that is exactly what “Voicemails for Isabelle” has and why I loved it so much.

I will be recommending this movie to everyone, it makes for an absolute must-see.  

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Director: André Øvredal
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, Austin Zajur, Natalie Ganzhorn, Lorraine Toussaint, Kathleen Pollard, Deborah Pollitt, Victoria Fodor, Marie Ward, Mark Steger, Javier Botet, Troy James, Kyle Labine, David Tompa, Karen Glave, Stephanie Belding

Description: On Halloween 1968, reclusive Stella and het two friends meet a mysterious drifter, Ramón, and uncover a sinister notebook of stories.

Review: Some names in Hollywood create high expectations. Like Guillermo del Toro for instance. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” has a screenplay written by Del Toro, who also produced the film. His name is on the poster. The film is loosely based on the short stories by Alvin Schwartz and directed by the Norwegian André Øvredal. But the film is a bit disappointing.
It's not a direct adaptation of Schwartz’ stories. Instead, some of his stories were bundled into a somewhat coherent narrative about the fears of the teenagers who play the main roles. It’s 1968, in a sleepy American town, where Both Halloween and the Vietnam war are awaiting. Teenager and aspiring writer Stella, her friends Auggie and Chuck and newcomer Ramón are running from a group of bullies and end up in a mysterious, abandoned house.
One day, a girl lived her and she wrote ghost stories in an old book. When Stella finds this book and takes it home, she finds out it is a very special book. There is some sort of a curse on it and the book starts to write stories about Stella and her friends. And whenever they appear in a story, their life isn’t safe.
Many of the almost isolated horror moments are confrontations between the teenager in question and a monster. People are chased, there is some growling and flickering lights, but the variation is hard to find. The only exception is a somewhat older teenager who is confronted with a huge pimple on her cheek before a school performance.
The film had such a promising starting point, but is overall not that special. The film does have some really creepy monsters, but overall it’s a film with a few cheap jump scares. But even for a scaredy-cat like me, this wasn’t the ‘scary story’ that the title promised me. It could have been so much more.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

90s Movie Review - The Shawshank Redemption

Director: Frank Darabont
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 142 minutes
Year: 1994
Starring: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, Clancy Brown, James Whitmore, William Sadler, Gil Bellows

Description: Two imprisoned men, Andy (Tim Robbins) and Red (Morgan Freeman) bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.

Review: In Shawshank prison, the inmates are doing serious time. Through the eyes of prisoner Red, we follow the story of Andy Dufresne who comes to Shawshank in 1947 for murdering his wife and her lover. Red and Andy become friends. Based on a story by Stephen King, the life in prison is a metaphor to real society. The prisoners settle for a life at Shawshank, they stop dreaming so nothing can get worse than it already is. The big guys get their way no matter what. Off course there is always one guy that doesn’t care, in this case Andy Dufresne. He teaches his fellow inmates to read and makes them feel normal again.
Director Frank Darabont made the short Stephen King story into a fully length movie, with some differences and more detail. He captured it so well, it easily reaches the audience and it’s a film with real people instead of characters.
The acting is sublime. Never over-the-top, very timide yet convincing. The chemistry between Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman is amazing, you can feel it in every bone in your body. Their friendship is honest and heartfelt. Also Clancy Brown, as the relentless prison guard Hadley, and Bob Gunton, as warden Norton, are very strong in their roles.
This movie really took my breath away when I first saw it, and still after watching it so many times it does that exact same thing. Only a perfect movie can do that. A great story, fantastic acting, beautiful music and off course that great scene (we all know it). For me still the best movie in the books.

Rating: 5/ 5

TV Review: 11.22.63

Genre: Drama/ Mystery
Year: 2016
Number of Episodes: 8
Starring: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, George MacKay, Chris Cooper, Cherry Jones, Daniel Webber, Lucy Fry. T.R. Knight, Josh Duhamel, Gil Bellows

Description: High school teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy - but his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber), falling in love, and the past itself, which doesn't want to be changed and shouldn't be changed.

Review: In “11.22.63” James Franco plays Jake Epping. He travels back in time to prevent the murder of John F. Kennedy.
When it comes to book adaptations, most actors decide not the read the book before starring in the movie or TV show based on it. Or they say it’s ‘a dream come true’. James Franco, a big Stephen King fan, asked author King himself for the film rights of “11.22.63”.
Franco eventually got the lead role. He plays teacher Jake Epping, recently divorced and no clear future plans. His friend Al Templeton, who owns a diner, shows Jake a mysterious closet. When you walk into it, you end up in Lisbon, Maine. In the year 1960. Always the same place, always the same time. When you return, only two minutes have past. And when you step into the closet again, everything that happened before is undone. Al tried to prevent the murder on John F. Kennedy (11.22.63), but hasn’t succeeded. Because he is very sick, Al asks Jake to try and do it for him.
“11.22.63” dives into the murder. Most conspiracies are left behind and there is a more close study of Lee Harvey Oswald. But the show is mostly about the sixtees. According to Franco it was Stephen King’s chance to enhance everything he loved about that time, but also everything he hated.
Stephen King’s books have been made into movies and series so often. Some were flops and some were a success. I’m glad to say that “11.22.63” is a good one. A great metaphore for reality. And James Franco, who is a favorite of mine, did a wonderful job. Even Stephen King was enthusiastic about his performance.
“11.22.63” is a good mini-series, that stays exciting. You really get lost in the sixtees, just like King’s books always get you lost in his worlds.