Netflix Friday - Volume 52

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
In 1938, after his father Professor Henry Jones Sr. (Sean Connery) goes missing while pursuing the Holy Grail, Professor Henry “Indiana” Jones Jr. (Harrison Ford) finds himself up against Adolf Hitler’s Nazis again to stop them from obtaining its powers.
 

Drama: Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
World War II American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss (Andrew Garfield), who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people, and becomes the first man in American history to receive the Medal of Honor without firing a shot.
 

Comedy: Just Go with It (2011)
On a weekend trip to Hawaii, a plastic surgeon (Adam Sandler) convinces his loyal assistant (Jennifer Aniston) to pose as his soon-to-be-divorced wife in order to cover up a careless lie he told to his much-younger girlfriend (Brooklyn Decker).
 

Animation: How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)
When Hiccup (Jay Baruchel_ and his dragon Toothless discover an ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace.
 

Romance: Blinded by the Light (2019)
In England in 1987, a teenager (Viveik Kalra) from an Asian family learns to live his life, understand his family and find his own voice through the music of American rock star Bruce Springsteen.
 

Horror: The Witch (2015)
A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic, and possession.
 

Science Fiction: Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)
The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.
 

Crime: American History X (1998)
A former neo-nazi skinhead (Edward Norton) tries to prevent his younger brother (Edward Furlong) from going down the same wrong path that he did.
 

Thriller: Hush (2016)
A deaf and mute writer (Kate Siegel) who retreated into the woods to live a solitary life must fight for her life in silence when a masked killer appears at her window.
 

Documentary: The Sons of Sam (2021)
The Son of Sam case grew into a lifelong obsession for journalist Maura Terry, who became convinced that the murders were linked to a satanic cult.
 

Family: Love and Monsters (2020)
Seven years after he survived the monster apocalypse, lovably hapless Joel (Dylan O’Brien) leaves his cozy underground bunker behind on a quest to reunite with his ex.

Movie Night - Monster Movies

I was in the mood for a movie night. I already knew one movie I wanted to watch, so I had to think of a theme. I went with monster movies, which I’m a sucker for. I chose three completely different types of monster movies. I won’t review them here, but will give you links to the reviews of the movies we viewed.
 
I watched all three movies on my own.
 

The first film I watched was the one that gave me this theme idea: “Love and Monsters”,  starring Dylan O’Brien. It’s a new release and it just came out on Netflix. It’s a super fun film, a movie I enjoyed even more than I thought I would. It’s a film I would most definitely rewatch someday. Check out my review HERE
 

Number two is a rewatch. A movie best viewed on the big screen, which I did the first time around. “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” recently dropped on Netflix and I immediately knew I was going to watch it again. Everything you wish for in a Godzilla movie. And the perfect preparation for the upcoming “Godzilla Vs. Kong”,  which I’m super excited for and hope to see as soon as cinemas reopen. Check out my review HERE
 

Save the best for last they say. Well, not in this case. I picked “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid” after scrolling through Netflix for quite some time. This movie is terrible. It’s a sequel to “Anaconda” from 1997, starring Jennifer Lopez, which was already not a very great movie. And this is just a piece of shit. Check out my review HERE
 
So, I loved two out of three. Not bad. What are some of your favorite monster movies, let me know!

Movie Reviews - Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Director: Michael Dougherty
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Charles Dance, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Thomas Middleditch, Aisha Hinds, David Strathairn, O’Shea Jackson Jr.

Description: The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.

Review: In 2014 Mark and Emma’s son was killed in the disastrous fight between Godzilla and two MUTO’s. in flashbacks we see how their daughter Madison did survive and how Mark left the family to try and cope with the death of his son. Emma on the other hand, works for the Monarch, a zoological agency that shows high interest in Titans. A groups a creatures that Godzilla is a part of. When she is in the middle of awakening Mothra, eco-terrorist Jonah Allen enters the room.
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is one giant spectacle. There is hardly any room to breathe, because it’s constant action. And it all looks amazing. It’s a visual treat.
Even though this film is mostly about the monsters, there is a moral to the story: restoring the natural balance. And although Emma and Jonah are portrayed to be the ‘bad guys’ of some sort, I really think they have a point. Emma’s drive and motivation for what she is doing makes sense strangely enough.
The audience’s biggest complaint about “Godzilla: King of the Monsters”, is the characters. They have no depth and are disposable. Well people, they are not what’s important in this film. The focus is supposed to be on Godzilla and the monsters. Off course the people should be somewhat interesting as well. And I find Emma and Jonah both a very interesting characters. The rest is indeed not that special. But if you’re a Godzilla fan, you don’t care about the characters and you get exactly what you want: Godzilla!!!
The cast is very talented. Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler, Millie Bobby Brown, Ken Watanabe and Charles Dance. All very solid. Nothing really noteworthy.
“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is a good sequel to 2014s “Godzilla”.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movies to Look Forward to - May 2019

Some great action and spectacle coming up in May.

May 8th – Pokémon: Detective Pikachu
Director: Rob Letterman
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Suki Waterhouse, Ken Watanabe, Bill Nighy
Description: In a world where people collect Pokémon to do battle, a boy comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu who seeks to be a detective.

May 16th – John Wick 3: Parabellum
Director: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Jerome Flynn, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Anjelica Huston, Lance Reddick Description: Super-Assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin's guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head - he is the target of hit men and women everywhere.

May 23rd – Ad Astra
Director: James Gray
Starring: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Donald Sutherland, Jamie Kennedy
Description: Astronaut Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) travels to the outer edges of the solar system to find his missing father and unravel a mystery that threatens the survival of our planet.

May 23rd – Brightburn
Director: David Yarovesky
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, David Denman
Description: What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister?

May 30th – Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Director: Michael Dougherty
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown, Charles Dance, Bradley Whitford, David Strathairn, Sally Hawkins, Kyle Chandler, Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, CCH Pounder
Description: The crypto-zoological agency Monarch faces off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah.

May 30th – Ma
Director: Tate Taylor
Starring: Octavia Spencer, Juliette Lewis, Missi Pyle, Luke Evans, Allison Janney
Description: A lonely woman (Octavia Spencer) befriends a group of teenagers and decides to let them party at her house. Just when the kids think their luck couldn't get any better, things start happening that make them question the intention of their host.

May 30th – Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Starring: Taran Edgerton, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Tate Donovan, Stephen Graham
Description: A musical fantasy about the fantastical human story of Elton John's (Taran Edgerton) breakthrough years.