Movie Review - Crime 101

Director: Bart Layton
Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Halle Berry, Barry Keoghan, Nick Nolte, Tate Donovan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Monica Barbaro
 
Description: An elusive thief (Chris Hemsworth), eyeing his final score, encounters a disillusioned insurance broker (Halle Berry) at her own crossroads. As their paths intertwine, a relentless detective (Mark Ruffalo) trails them hoping to thwart the multi-million dollar heist they are planning.
 
Review: “Crime 101” is a breath of fresh air for fans of the classic noir genre. Based on the novella by Don Winslow, the film offers an intelligent and atmospheric cat-and-mouse game reminiscent of classics like Michael Mann’s “Heat”, yet retains its own distinct identity.

Chris Hemsworth plays a thief. Moving away from his typical high-action superhero persona, Hemsworth portrays a character defined by meticulousness and social complexity. He is a very disciplined jewel thief, who swears by a strict code of honor. Opposite him is detective Lou Lubesnick, played by Mark Ruffalo, whose obsession with the case is palpable. Halle Berry, as Sharon, somehow comes on the path of both. Barry Keoghan, as the unpredictable and violent rival, brings a much-needed dose of danger and tension to the story. The chemistry between the cast is one of the film’s greatest assets.

Director Bart Layon transforms Los Angeles into a characters in its own right. The cinematography captures the city as a place of dark magic and sprawling highways, which amplifies the sultry atmosphere.

The film excels in atmosphere, rather than over-the-top CGI spectacle. It focuses on the characters, their development, over unrealistic action. It’s not even an action movie, the main character doesn’t use any violence. It’s a crime drama, with thriller elements.

“Crime 101” is tightly directed, beautifully acted and with a focus on character development over cheap action. Despite the pacing be rather slow (which I actually liked), the film might be one of the most satisfying films of the year.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Woman in the Window

Director: Joe Wright
Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Amy Adams, Gary Oldman, Julianna Moore, Wyatt Russel, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anthony Mackie, Brian Tyree Henry, Tracy Letts

Description: An agoraphobic woman (Amy Adams) living alone in New York begins spying on her new neighbors, only to witness a disturbing act of violence.

Review: Anna no longer takes a step outside her apartment. She suffers from severe agoraphobia and takes heavy medication to get through thee day, supplemented by a good sip of wine. She kills time by spying on her neighbors, and at the beginning of the film, the Russel family across the street is just moving in. Anna meets their son Ethan, a sensitive boy with a nervous streak, and moments later his mother as well. But then nefarious things happen. Our heroine sees a murder taking place on the other side. Main suspect: Mr. Russell.  
The plot of the film is very similar to “Rear Window” and director Joe Wright agrees, he even adds another adds another shot from the classic, on the of the many film cassics that Anna turns on the TV while peering into the neighborhood. And Wright has also borrowed some voyeuristic shots from the old master Hitchcock. He mixes this with a touch of films like “Shutter Island” and “The Wolf Hour” (a fairly unknown film with Naomi Watts, but also has a lot of similarities with this film).  
In the lead role we see Amy Adams. Her character comes off as a bit of a caricature at some points. In a better films that wouldn’t have been the case. Because Adams is still one of the strongest actresses of her generation. Julianne Moore technically has only one scene. Gary Oldman, as Mr. Russell, is a bit too much. And Jennifer Jason Leigh doesn’t really have anything to do. I like basically every single actor cast for this film, just not in this movie.
If there is anything positive to be said, it is that Joe Wright shows some promise here as a thriller maker. Overall, “The Woman in the Window” is just a copy of some other good movies mixed together, but not very well-executed. I was so looking forward to this film, but sadly enough it’s not that great.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

Movie Reviews - Annihilation

Director: Alex Garland
Genre: Adventure/ Drama/ Thriller/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 125 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Natalie Portman, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Wong, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez

Description: A biologist (Natalie Portman) signs up for a dangerous, secret expedition into a mysterious zone where the laws of nature don't apply.

Review: It’s a new development for Netflix. It doesn’t only create its own films and TV shows, but also buys international distribution rights from the US. “The Cloverfield Paradox” was one that many viewers questioned. But “Annihilation” is different; Netflix bought a quality film.
“Annihilation” is the second film for director Alex Garland, who also made “Ex Machina” in 2014. This movie took a look at artificial intelligence and the place of humans on the evolutionary ladder. This second film also does that. “Annihilation” is based on the book with the same title, by Jeff Vandermeer. But Garland was mostly inspired by it and didn’t create an adaptation.
The film follows a strange phenomenon. Nearby a lighthouse, a meteor has hit the earth and it causes a bizarre happening, called the Shimmer. The area expands and knows a lot of mysteries. No answers, just questions. Expeditions send into the shimmer never return.
Lena is one of the people risking her life going into the shimmer, together with four other women. As soon as they reach the zone, everything goes wrong. Not only have they forgotten entering it and setting up camp, but they also start questioning each other. And what about the mutated creatures inside the Shimmer? “Annihilation” doesn’t give us a lot of answers, but raises mainly questions.
“Annihilation” feels uneasy. Just like the characters, you realize something is wrong inside the Shimmer. And any moment could be your last.
Visually it’s a beautiful film. And the cast is strong, especially Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason Leigh. But it’s also an intelligent film, which makes it a film not suitable for a broad audience. But hopefully the Netflix platform will reach a more mainstream audience, because it’s worth watching. Because quality deserves a big audience.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

90s Movie Review - Dolores Claiborne

Director: Taylor Hackford
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Kathy Bates, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Christopher Plummer, David Strathairn, Bob Gunton, John C. Reilly

Description: A big-city reporter (Jennifer Jason Leigh) travels to the small town where her mother (Kathy Bates) has been arrested for the murder of an elderly woman that she works for as a maid.

Review: On stage she won prize after prize, but Hollywood found her too fat. But there was help. Master of horror Stephen King offered Kathy Bates the role of a lifetime in “Misery”. An Oscar for that role and several memorable roles later, Bates gives away another great performance in yet another Stephen King adapted film.
Dolores Claiborne worked for a demanding rich lady for years. When this woman, Vera, is found dead at the bottom of the stairs, Dolores is the main suspect. This accusation brings home her estranged daughter Selena, who works as a journalist now. And the past they usually won’t speak off, comes out.
It’s a strong mystery thriller, with a good focus on the bond between Dolores and her daughter Selena. Kathy Bates is again very solid in her performance. She overshadows all the other actors. Jennifer Jason Leigh is also very strong.
“Dolores Claiborne” is one of King’s better adaptations.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 93: Morgan

Director: Luke Scott
Genre: Horror/ Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 88 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Kate Mara, Rose Leslie, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Michelle yeoh, Paul Giamatti, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Brian Cox

Description: A corporate risk-management consultant (Kate Mara) must decide whether or not to terminate an artificially created humanoid being.

Review: People have always been fascinated by creating artificial intelligence. And movies about this theme are popular and sometimes really successful. Morgan is the result of synthetic DNA and nanotechnology. It is a fast developing human looking being, whose intelligence and physique grow exceptionally. But this apparent perfect creation has its defects. After an incident, risk-management consultant Lee Weathers has to evaluate the specimen and whether it should be terminated or not.
It’s been done so many times, this theme. And many directors managed to give it their own twist and make it look fresh. Sadly Luke Scott (son of Ridley Scott) is not one of them. The film never reaches above mediocre and the tension is nowhere to be found. The presence of a fantastic cast doesn’t always guarantee a good movie. It really fascinated me how naïve all those academics are in this film. And the film is very predictable. And the supposed plot twist at the end, didn’t come as a surprise at all.
“Morgan” had a lot of potential, but didn’t execute it very well.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 71: Short Cuts

Director: Robert Altman
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 187 minutes
Year: 1993
Starring: Andie MacDowell, Bruce Davison, Jack Lemon, Julianne Moore, Matthew Modine, Fred Ward, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chris Penn, Tim Robbins, Lili Taylor, Robert Downey Jr., Madeleine Stowe, Lily Tomlin, Frances McDormand, Tom Waits, Lyle Lovett, Lori Singer, Anne Archer

Description: The day-to-day lives of a number of suburban Los Angeles residents.

Review: I always like films with multiple storylines. So I was excited to finally see ‘Short Cuts”, where we follow a bunch of Los Angeles suburban residents.
Suburban life in “Short Cuts” is anything but ordinary and perfect: adultery, suicide, loveless marriages, alcoholism. Long live the nineties.
The storylines are all basically about relationships stuck in their day to day life. The storylines wouldn’t be interesting on their own, together they work a bit better. But still not so much to keep me interested for the entire runtime. Because that for me is the biggest problem. The film is 187 minutes long, way too long for a film like this.
I get why people might like this film, but I’m not a big fan of the film. I found it pretty mediocre, not compelling, it just didn’t interest me. Later movies with themes like this, like “American Beauty” and “Magnolia” are much better.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 116: The Hitcher

Director: Robert Harmon
Genre: Action/ Thriller
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 1986
Starring: C. Thomas Howell, Rutger Hauer, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jeffrey DeMunn

Description: A young man (C. Thomas Howell) who escaped the clutches of a murderous hitchhike (Rutger Hauer)r is subsequently stalked, framed for the hitcher's crimes, and has his life made into hell by the same man he escaped.

Review: He should have listened to his mother. Jim says it: “My mother told me never to do this”, when he picks up a hitchhiker. The hitcher acts weird and eventually Jim gets him out of his car. But the nightmare is just about to start for him.
The action and tension in the film are its strongest features. The pace is high and you’re constantly on the edge of your seat. Kills, collisions, shoot outs, explosions. But the constant threat is there as well and you feel it.
The identity of the hitcher stays mysterious and you don’t now his motive either. This adds to the tension and suspense of the film. My fellow Dutchman Rutger Hauer plays one of his best roles in “The Hitcher”.
Although the film is so action packed and thrilling, the believability of the film is questionable. And some developments raise questions as well. But this doesn’t bother you that much, because it’s a very strong thriller.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Battle: Django Unchained Vs. The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino is, as frequent readers might know, my favorite director. He has made eight films now (counting both “Kill Bill” movies as one) and there is not one terrible film (“Deathproof” is not that good, but I’ve seen worse). In that line of great films, there are two westerns. And what if I let them go head to head. Let’s see who wins the battle: “Django Unchained” Vs. “The Hateful Eight”

 

 

ACTORS

Django Unchained: Jamie Foxx stars and does a good job in portraying the lead character Django. He is very well supported by Christoph Waltz, who played Dr. King Schultz and won an Academy Award for his performance. Samuel L. Jackson plays the very unlikeable Stephen, who is probably the most racist bastard in the entire film. And Leonardo DiCaprio as villain Calvin Candy, who shows us he can play a bad guy like no one else.

The Hateful Eight: Samuel L. Jackson is the star of the film as Marquis Warren, he carries “The Hateful Eight”. Kurt Russell is good as John Ruth, but it’s Jennifer Jason Leigh who really surprised me as Daisy Domergue. She probably had the best part. We also see Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins and Channing Tatum.

STORY

Django Unchained: It’s a revenge movie, which is not new in the Tarantino repertoire. Look at “Kill Bill” and “Inglourious Basterds”. But it’s not a crime when it’s done right. The story gets more depth because of the interesting characters and the sharp dialogues.

The Hateful Eight: The story is fairly simple: eight strangers end up in a cabin during a snow storm and nothing is as it seems. But it’s the way it was executed. Almost the entire film is set in one location, just like “Reservoir Dogs” and the film is interesting from beginning to end. Again due to great dialogues and fascinating characters.

EFFECTS

Django Unchained: It looks very good, Tarantino did a great job and it looks like we are in the wild west. It has some great spectacle here and there.

The Hateful Eight: Hardly any effects needed. The greatest part is its simplicity and also the wide screen Tarantino used. You’re sometimes so close to the characters, that you can experience how small the room is they are in. This wide screen really does make a different.

WINNER

Both are not my Tarantino favorites, but they are very close to each other. I prefer “Django Unchained though.

100 Movie Challenge 216 - # 10: The Hateful Eight

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Genre: Drama/ Thriller

Runtime: 167 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Channing Tatum, Demian Bichir, Walton Goggins, Zoë Bell, James Parks

Description: In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

Review: “The Hateful Eight” is Quentin Tarantino’s eight film and his second official western. At the same time it’s a return to his first film from the nineties, with Samuel L. Jackson leading an ensemble cast and almost every scene takes place in one location.

Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell are the leading men. They play two bounty hunters who are stuck in a snow storm somewhere in Wyoming. Russsel’s John Ruth delivers a life one, Daisy Domergue, who is going to be hanged, while Jackson’s Marquis Warren delivers his bounties dead. Because of the weather, they have to stop at Minnie’s Haberdashery. They are not the only guests there.

“The Hateful Eight” is one of Tarantino’s meanest films. Lots of racism and violence, which gives us both entertaining and uneasy moments. Tarantino’s dialogues are good as always and all the actors seem to enjoy being in the film.

“The Hateful Eight” is very violent and bloody, but when you’re familiar with Quentin Tarantino’s work it comes as no surprise. What makes it a bit different is that the film is not stuffed with pop songs or references to other movies. The music was composed by Ennio Morricone. This all makes it surprising.

The movie starts a bit slow, but be patient. It will get a lot better.

Tarantino used 70 mm film, something that hasn’t been used since 1996. It’s an unique, very wide format. The snowy landscapes and the interior of Minnie’s Haberdashery get an extra dimension. You’re sometimes so close to the characters, that you can experience how small the room is they are in. This wide screen really does make a different. the lighting is also warm and more subtle.

“The Hateful Eight” is a true show, with great dialogues and performances. It’s not one of his best, but still a very Tarantino like film for any Tarantino fan.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 85: Single White Female

Director: Barbet Schroeder

Genre: Thriller

Runtime: 109 minutes

Year: 1992

Starring: Bridget Fonda, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Steven Weber, Peter Friedman, Stephen Tobolowsky

Description: When a 'Single White Female' (Bridget Fonda) places an ad in the press for a similar woman to rent a room (to replace the boyfriend she's just left), all the applicants seem weird. Then along comes a level headed woman (Jennifer Jason Leigh) who seems to be just right. The new lodger has a secret past which haunts her

Review: “Single White Female” follows Allie, who just ended her relationship with Sam. She isn’t good at being alone, so she decides to find a roommate. When she meets Hedy, Allie thinks she would be the perfect roommate. They get along and really have a connection. But the more Allie gets to know Hedy, the stranger Hedy’s behavior gets.

“Single White Female” is a mediocre thriller, with a few good moments. The buildup of the tension is not that great. The character of Allie is very naïve, sometimes in a way that it’s not believable anymore. It takes her some time to realize that Hedy is crazy. Which doesn’t mean Bridget Fonda didn’t perform well, it’s just a badly written character. Jennifer Jason Leigh is strong as psychotic Hedy.

It is a thriller, but there are only a few really thrilling moments in the movie. It’s overall a very predictable movie, you know exactly what’s going to happen. “Single White Female” is a movie you will easily forget.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 76: The Spectacular Now

Director: James Ponsoldt

Genre: Drama/ Romance

Runtime: 95 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larsson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Kyle Chandler

Description: Sutter Keely (Miles Teller) lives in the now. A high school senior, charming and self-possessed, he's the life of the party, loves his job at a men's clothing store, and has no plans for the future. But after being dumped by his girlfriend, Sutter gets drunk and wakes up on a lawn with Aimee Finecky (Shailene Woodley) hovering over him. She's different: the "nice girl" who reads science fiction and doesn't have a boyfriend. While Aimee has dreams of a future, Sutter lives in the impressive delusion of a spectacular now, yet somehow, they're drawn together.

Review: A first love, senior year in high school, a future with never ending prospects. “The Spectacular Now” shows us this exciting yet scary period of someone’s life. Main character Sutter is in this phase, he enjoys life and doesn’t look further then the next second. After his break up with girlfriend Cassidy, he meets Aimee. This boy-meets-girl setup starts a love story that reminds many of us of 80’s movies by John Hughes. But the authenticity makes “The Spectacular Now” excellent and superior.

The scenario by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, is based on the young adult novel by Tim Tharp. It focusses on the characters, that all have a certain depth and is filled with details. Supporting characters like Sutters strict mom and his ex-girlfriend don’t become stereotypical or annoying. It’s a sharp observation. We see the positive influences that Aimee and Sutter have on each other, but we also see their weaknesses. Director James Ponsoldt did a wonderful job, with a great style, beautiful long takes and the nuance and complexity of the characters. But we should also give credit to leading actors Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley. Teller carries the film easily and Woodley steals the show without any frills, but with a lot of warmth, intelligence and fragility.

“The Spectacular Now” can’t avoid all the clichés, but takes a sharp yet tender look at love at the end of our teenage years. A great director, fantastic acting and wonderful visuals make this movie to an authentic and memorable picture.

Rating: 4/ 5