00s Movie Review - Red Dragon

Director: Brett Ratner
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Edward Norton, Ralph Fiennes, Emily Watson, Harvey Keitel, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ken Leung, Anthony Heald

Description: Will Graham is a retired FBI agent (Edward Norton) with psychological gifts. He is assigned to track down “The Tooth Fairy”, a mysterious serial killer. Aiding him is imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins).

Review: FBI director Crawford wants nobody other then former FBI agent Will Graham to come out of retirement to work on the case of a serial killer called the Tooth Fairy. Will takes it and gets help from imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter.
It’s a fairly simple story. In terms of structure, the film is a lot life “Silence of the Lambs”. “Red Dragon” is a prequel to that movie. And it’s also a remake of “Manhunter” from 1986, starring William Petersen, Brian Cox and Tom Noonan. Ridley Scott’s “Hannibal” was a bit disappointing, also since Jodie Foster didn’t reappear as Clarice Starling. And choosing Brett Ratner as a director was somewhat strange, since he is mostly known for comedies.
Although “Red Dragon” never reaches the high level of “Silence of the Lambs”, this is still a really strong and impactful thriller. What especially appeals is the terrifyingly convincing role played by Ralph Fiennes, as the Tooth Fairy. His performance is chilling and creepy. Edward Norton brings an enormous amount of intelligence to the role of Will Graham. But the best thing is Anthony Hopkins, reprising his most iconic role as Dr. Hannibal Lecter.
“Red Dragon” is a really good film, the best film in the series after “Silence of the Lambs”.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - The Irishman

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 208 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Stephen Graham, Jesse Plemons, Bobby Canavale, Harvey Keitel, Anna Paquin, Ray Romano

Description: A mob hitman (Robert De Niro) recalls his possible involvement with the slaying of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino).

Review: Martin Scorsese devotes three and a half hours to explaining the life story of mafia and trade unionist Frank Sheeran, nicknamed The Irishman. Despite the somewhat episodic approach of action, counteraction and retaliation, time flies by. So don’t the runtime scare you off, because it’s worth your time!
In his beautifully photographed true story, Scorsese and his scriptwriter Steven Zaillian make use of a complex, but natural double frame story in which Sheeran has to drive the mafioso Russell Bufalino to Detroit. During the many smoke breaks of their two wives present, Scorsese looks back on Sheeran's career at Bufalino's family. The whole thing is cast in the story of a very old Sheeran who looks back at the past against an invisible interviewer in the nursing home.
Central to the story, but only inserted later in the story, is Sheeran's involvement in the death of the criminal trade union boss Hoffa, who maintained ties with the mafia. Whether Sheeran actually had something to do with it remains shrouded in mystery, but if we are to believe the book “I Heard You Paint Houses” by former policeman and justice officer Charles Brandt, this was beyond dispute. What preceded it was a detailed account of Sheeran's criminal achievements.
After the war he was a truck driver for a meat company and after a defective truck accidentally came into contact with the charismatic but criminal Bufalino. Soon the Irishman became the regular meat provider for the mafioso with whom Bufalino had dealings. What followed is the first job and that went from bad to worse. Sheeran became a confidant of the family and his hands became increasingly dirty. The viewer has to experience for himself how he finally made it to a trade union receipt, if only because it illustrates how Scorsese manages to bring the most far-reaching developments to the fore in an extremely natural way.
What The Irishman has in common with the many high quality people enjoyed (in which Scorsese himself also made a big contribution) is the extremely sophisticated way in which the criminal environment is portrayed. Close family ties prevail, but treason is punishable by death. There is an unwritten hierarchy and Sheeran slowly but surely manages to climb up through his faithful character.
The cast is amazing. Both Al Pacino and Robert De Niro have been in a lot of questionable movies over the past years, but this is the setting they belong in. Pacino has the honor to run off with the most comic one-liners. Like the slick union leader Jimmy Hoffa, Pacino is the star of the show. He provides the much-needed comic note in the brutal waves of violence. And De Niro is more solid than he has been for a long time. The fact that Joe Pesci is probably retired now and he returned for this film, is a godsend. He plays a spider in the web of a complicated and intriguing and extremely political organization, but does not put himself in the foreground. He is often the declarant for De Niro and in my opinion the best part of the film.
We see a filmmaker and a cast at work who have more than earned theirs spurs. They can an may allow themselves complete freedom to work out a story in detail. “The Irishman” is a very strong film. If you waited for this movie and have high expectations, you will not be disappointed.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Reservoir Dogs

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 1992
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Quentin Tarantino, Edward Bunker, Randy Brooks, Kirk Baltz, Michael Sotile, Steve Wright, Rich Turner, David Steen , Tony Cosmo, Stevo Polyi

Description: After a simple jewelery heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

Review: When George Baker first saw “Reservoir Dogs”, he thought that he was dealing with another B-movie that used his song. After watching it a few times, the Dutch singer realized that “Little Green Bag” was used for a masterpiece.
The jury at the Sundance film festival also ignored the movie. The wrong choice off course, because “Reservoir Dogs” grew out to become a classic and Quentin Tarantino’s style has been copied many times ever since.
In “Reservoir Dogs” we’re not dealing with a very original story: a jewelry heist gone wrong. But the way it’s told is extraordinary. The movie opens with a scene where the criminals are having lunch and discuss trivial topics like Madonna songs and waitresses. It looks like a meaningless conversation that doesn’t have anything to do with the plot.
It’s scenes like this that make “Reservoir Dogs” special. They tell us two important things. First it’s clear that criminals who don’t know each other and are very different from each other, have a certain connection. Second and maybe the most important one, Tarantino shows us that crooks are also just regular people talking about everyday things.
The fact that “Reservoir Dogs” is told in a non-linear way also adds an extra dimension. Tarantino turns a fairly simple plot into a puzzle. Two years later he would do the same with “Pulp Fiction”.
Despite the flashbacks, the movie has a high tempo, but it’s not an action film. Tarantino is a director that mainly focusses on the characters, what they think, what music they like, what they talk about. And the actors execute it well. Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, all great in their roles.
With “Reservoir Dogs” Tarantino introduces us to a new genre, that later became known as ‘nouvelle violence’. Because of this success, many directors tried to do the same. But no one managed to top Quentin Tarantino. “Reservoir Dogs” is one of my all-time favorites.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Animation/ Adventure
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Yoko Ono, Ken Watanabe, Fisher Stevens, Liev Shreiber, Courtney B. Vance, Angelica Huston

Description: Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.

Review: Wes Anderson is a unique filmmaker. One we can’t compare to any other filmmaker in Hollywood. He shines with his humor, mix of arthouse and commercial cinema. That last is because of all the great actors and actresses he always manages to get. Anderson already proofed with “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, that stop-motion is right up his alley. And “Isle of Dogs” is another one of his masterpieces.
All Japanese vocals are translated by a translator, computer or exchange student. This is what we see at the start of “Isle of Dogs”. The barking of the dogs is indeed English. And it’s true. A lot of Japanese. And not all is translated, but that’s not necessary. The most important tale is told by the animals.
Dogs had to fight for their position in Japan for ages. But in the fictional metropole Megasaki, the four legged friends are no longer welcome. A dog virus broke out and mayor Kobayasho orders to send all the dogs to a trash island. The dogs try to make it their own place. But their peace is disturbed when Atari, the mayor’s nephew, crashes onto the island while looking for his dog Spots.
It’s clear Wes Anderson is not a big fan of 3D. All the dogs are almost always seen in a frontal position, from the side or from above. I love his style, it has charm and it’s never too much. You are amazed by everything without losing your focus of the story.
“Isle of Dogs” is a modern fable about (literally) and underdog that tries to better the situation with unity, wit and humor. Wes Anderson has done it again!

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 49: Little Nicky

Director: Steven Brill
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Adam Sandler, Harvey Keitel, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Rodney Dangerfield, Reese Witherspoon, Michael McKean, Rob Schneider, Henry Winkler, Peter Dante, Alan Covert, Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz

Description: After two of the devil's three sons escape Hell to wreak havoc on Earth, the devil (Harvey Keitel) must send his third son, the mild-mannered Nicky (Adam Sandler), to bring them back before it's too late.

Review: Adam Sandler doesn’t have the best reputation, but he has made some great memorable comedies like “Billy Madison”, “The Wedding Singer” and “Happy Gilmore”. “Little Nicky” unfortunately isn’t one of them.
Sandler plays one of Satan’s three sons, who has to stop his two other borhters from creating a battlefield on Earth. This character, Nicky, has a major speech impediment and is actually a more kind hearted guy.
The movie is filled with bad jokes and there is way too much going on. Sandler’s jokes are often bad, but bearable and still funny. Here in “Little Nicky” I didn’t really laugh a lot and I was a bit annoyed with the film.
“Little Nicky” is probably one of Sandler’s worst films.

Rating: 1/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 17: Moonrise Kingdom

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward

Description: Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, as a young boy and girl fall in love they are moved to run away together. Various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down.

Review: Problematic families, impossible loves, existential voids; those are known themes for director Wes Anderson. The obstinate Anderson makes movies you either love or hate. “Moonrise Kingdom” is a distinctive film, especially the wonderful world he has created and he takes the viewers on a magical journey.
The leading roles are for the very young Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, who decide to run away together after exchanging mail. Their roles are very mature and the performances are very solid. But that’s the key ingredients: kids who act like adults and adult who simply don’t want to grow up. The film has quirky characters, a bit of dry humor but also a touch of emotion. “Moonrise Kingdom” is the ‘sweetest’ film Anderson has made so far. That all has to do with the young lovers, but there’s more. Like Bruce Willis’ character, who has something touching because he’s not a too smart sheriff with good intensions. And Edward Norton, who’s constantly a bit nervous.
For me Wes Anderson movies are always a joy to watch. Just the detailed décor and the witty, sweet and quirky characters and humor alone makes it a great movie experience. It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but fans have enough to look forward to.

Rating: 4,5/ 5