Netflix Friday - Volume 78

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

Action: Street Kings (2008)
An undercover cop (Keanu Reeves), disillusioned by the death of his wife, is implicated in the murder of an officer and must struggle to clear himself,
 

Drama: Coach Carter (2005)
Controversy surrounds high school basketball coach Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson) after he benches his entire team for breaking academic contract with him.
 

Comedy: The Lady in the Van (2015)
A man (Alex Jennings) forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman (Maggie Smith) living in her van that’s parked in his driveway.
 

Animation: Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Dracula (Adam Sandler), who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, gos into overprotective mode when a boy (Andy Samberg) discovers the resort and falls for the count’s teenaged daughter (Selena Gomez).
 

Romance: The Legend of Zorro (2005)
Despite trying to keep his swashbuckling to a minimum, a threat to California’s pending statehood causes the adventure-loving Don Alejandro de la Vega (Antonio Banderas) and his wife Elena (Catherine Zeta-Jones), to take action.
 

Horror: Final Destination 3 (2006)
Six years after students cheated death, another teen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has a premonition she and her friends will be involved in an accident. When the vision proves true, the student and survivors deal with the repercussions of cheating the Grim Reaper.
 

Science Fiction: District 9 (2009)
Violende ensues after an extraterrestrial race forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth finds a kindred spirit in a government agent (Sharlto Copely) exposed to their biotechnology.
 

Crime: John Q (2002)
John Quincy Archibald (Denzel Washington) takes a hospital emergency room hostage when his insurance won’t cover his son’s heart transplant.
 

Thriller: Hypnotic (2021)
A young woman (Kate Siegel) seeking self-improvement enlists the help of a renowned hypnotherapist (Jason O’Mara). But after a handful of intense sessions, she discovers unexpected and deadly consequences.
 

Documentary: Found (2021)
The story of three American teenage girls, each adopted from China, who discover they are blood-related cousins. Their online meeting inspires the young women to confront the burning questions they have about their lost history.
 

Family: Back to the Future (1985)
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent thirty years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, the eccentric scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd).

Netflix Friday - Volume 10

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

Action: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) become targets of the Capitol after their victory in the 74th Hunger Games sparks a rebellion in the Districts of Panem.

Drama: Da 5 Bloods (2020)
Four African American Vietnam veterans battle forces of man and nature when they return to Vietnam seeking the remains of their fallen squad leader and the gold fortune he helped them hide.

Comedy: The Big Lebowski (1998)
Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges), mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.

Animation: Hotel Transylvania (2012)
Dracula (Adam Sandler), who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy (Andy Samberg) discovers the resort and falls for the count’s teenage daughter (Selena Gomez).

Romance: The Half of It (2020)
When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu (Leah Lewis) agrees to write a love letter for a jock (Daniel Diemer), she doesn’t expect to become his friend or fall for his crush (Alexxis Lemire).

Horror: Red Dragon (2002)
A retired FBI agent (Edward Norton) with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down ‘The Tooth Fairy’, a mysterious serial killer. Aiding him is imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Hannibal ‘The Cannibal’ Lecter (Anthony Hopkins).

Science Fiction: Back to the Future (1985)
Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox), a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent thirty years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the eccentric scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd).

Crime: Scarface (1983)
In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant (Al Pacino) takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

Thriller: Donnie Brasco (1997)
An FBI undercover agent (Johnny Depp) infiltrates the mob an finds himself identifying more with the mafia life, at the expense of his regular one.

Documentary: Dancing with the Birds (2019)
From ruffling their majestic feathers to nailing im-peck-able courtship routines, birds in paradise flaunt their best moves in hopes of landing a mate.

Family: Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (2009)
A college professor (Richard Gere) bonds with an abandoned dog he takes into his home.

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 126: Hotel Transylvania

Director: Genndy Tartakovsky

Genre: Animation/ Comedy/ Family

Runtime: 91 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, Kevin James, Andy Samberg, David Spade, Fran Drescher, Jon Lovitz, Molly Shannon, Cee-Lo Green, Rob Riggle, Chris Parnell

Description: Dracula (Adan Sandler), who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy (Andy Samberg) discovers the resort and falls for the count's teen-aged daughter (Selena Gomez).

Review: Prejudices are everywhere: in our society kids are afraid of monster, but in the monster society kids are thought the be afraid of people. And not without reason, because the men armed with pitchforks and fire are a true threat to vampires, werewolves and zombies. But times change. Dracula, who is a lot nicer than you might think, build a giant castle behind a haunted forest and a creepy cemetery and turned it into Hotel Transylvania. Monsters can come over but it’s human-free.

Besides the owner of a hotel, Dracula is a single dad of Mavis, who just turned 118. This means not only a big party, but Mavis is a grown up now. And she is allowed to go outside and discover the world. Dracula pulled off some tricks so that Mavis will never go outside again. When this works, Dracula is glad that he succeeded in protecting Mavis. That is until they are visited by Jonathan, a human backpacker.

The animation by Sony doesn’t only look good, the humor is outstanding and well dosed and it’s enjoyable for the entire family. Some jokes are a bit easy, but the overall humor is great. The story might be predictable, but who cares. “Hotel Transylvania” is a very entertaining amination, perfect for some quality time with the family. Or just for fun off course.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (35)

This weeks trailers are about a spooky hotel, the Bondurants brothers, a couple going to therapy, a woman returning to her hippie mother and a couple struggling to be 40.

Hotel Transylvania
Description: Welcome to the Hotel Transylvania, Dracula's (Adam Sandler) lavish five-stake resort, where monsters and their families can live it up, free from meddling from the human world. But here's a little known fact about Dracula: he is not only the Prince of Darkness; he is also a dad. Over-protective of his teenage daughter, Mavis (Selena Gomez), Dracula fabricates tales of elaborate dangers to dissuade her adventurous spirit. As a haven for Mavis, he opens the Hotel Transylvania, where his daughter and some of the world's most famous monsters - Frankenstein and his bride, the Mummy, the Invisible Man, a family of werewolves, and more - can kick back in safety and peace. For Drac, catering to all of these legendary monsters is no problem, but his world could come crashing down when one ordinary guy stumbles on the hotel and takes a shine to Mavis.
Director: Genndy Tartakovsky
Starring: Adams Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg, Kvin James, Fran Drescher, Cee-Lo Green, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Koechner
Trailer: Trailer "Hotel Transylvania"

Lawless
Description: We follow the freewheelin' Bondurants brothers, bootlegging siblings taking the law into their own hands. This is the story of the rural hard-men that created the big city gangsters. Brazen and fearless, these young rebel brothers helped build the American Dream in this exuberant tale of what was to become crime's first major gold rush. The youngest brother, Jack (Shia LaBeouf), fancies himself the next Al Capone; he dreams of sharp suits, guns, girls and fast cars, no matter the cost. Ambitious and impulsive, he takes the family's small-scale moonshining operation to the big leagues, to impress the gorgeous but off-limits Amish girl, Bertha (Mia Wazikowska). The middle brother, Howard (Jason Clarke), is the brawling muscle - loyal but reckless - never one to turn down a taste of white lightning. And eldest brother, Forrest (Tom Hardy), reluctantly accepts the changing times with grace and grit, leading the family with strength of character and silent determination against the beginnings of corporate greed. An enigmatic and stunning Maggie (Jessica Chastain) comes to town with a hidden past, igniting his passion and almost saving him in the process. As the Bondurants' legend grows, so too does the danger, and it's not long before the brothers must face the consequences of their transgressions, or rewrite the myth and the law themselves.
Director: John Hillcoat
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Mia Wazikowska, Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman, Guy Pearce, Jason Clarke
Trailer: Trailer "Lawless"
Comment: It's been a while since we saw Shia LaBeouf in a movie (not counting the sucky "Tranformers" franchise). And To Hardy and Jessica Chastain are our new rising stars.

Hope Springs
Description: Kay (Meryl Streep) and Arnold (Tommy Lee Jones) are a devoted couple, but decades of marriage have left Kay wanting to spice things up and reconnect with her husband. When she hears of a renowned couple's specialist (Steve Carell) in the small town of Great Hope Springs, she attempts to persuade her skeptical husband, a steadfast man of routine, to get on a plane for a week of marriage therapy. Just convincing the stubborn Arnold to go on the retreat is hard enough, the real challenge for both of them comes as they shed their bedroom hang-ups and try to re-ignite the spark that caused them to fall for each other in the first place.
Director: David Frankel
Starring: Meryl Streep, Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carell
Trailer: Trailer "Hope Springs"
Comment: I always liked Meryl Streep for her viariety of roles.

Peace, Love and Misunderstanding
Description: Diane (Catherine Keener) is a conservative New York City lawyer who is in desperate need of an escape after her husband asks for a divorce. Along with her two children (Elizabeth Olsen and Nat Wolff), she takes refuge at her estranged hippie mother Grace's (Jane Fonda) farmhouse, where she is exposed to a motley crew of free thinkers. What was meant to be a stress-free getaway quickly turns into a reminder of why Diane escaped her mother's hippie lifestyle in the first place, but the reunion forcers her, her children, and Grace to search for peace with each other and with themselves.
Director: Bruce Beresford
Starring: Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chace Crawford, Elizabeth Olsen, Nat Wolff
Trailer: Trailer "Peace, Love and Misunderstanding"

This is 40
Description: We follow Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann) (from the movie "Knocked Up") as we see first-hand how they are dealing with their current state of life.
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Megan Fox, John Lithgow, Jason Segel, Iris Apatow, Maude Apatow, Melissa McCarthy, Albert Brooks
Trailer: Trailer "This is 40"