Movie Review - Death on the Nile

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller/ Mystery
Runtime: 127 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Gal Gadot, Tom Bateman, Annette Bening, Russel Brand, Emma Mackey, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Letitia Wright, Sophie Okonedo
 
    
Description: While on vacation on the Nile, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh_ must investigate the murder of a young heiress (Gal Gadot).

Review: Detective Hercule Poirot attends a cruise of a newlywed coupe on the Nile River. During this cruise, someone is mysteriously murdered. Who is the culprit?
“Murder on the Orient Express”(2017) was an enjoyable detective-thriller. Based on the book of the same name, director Kenneth Branagh managed to keep the story engaging. It was a solid whodunnit. This stand-alone sequel, “Death on the Nile”, once again features Poirot as a detective (also portrayed by director Branagh) who must solve a new case. This time on the river Nile.
We know what to expect thanks to “Murder on the Orient Express”, so the wait until something actual happens now feels longer. It takes over an hour for the first murder to occur. Before this, the films makes an attempt at character development, but because of the many characters, they all remain superficial. Added to this is the fact that the cast of its predecessor was many times stronger. Unfortunately, the cast of “Death on the Nile” cannot match this.
The film gets off to a slows tart and the final murder mystery is not as strong. One wise choice was to focus on detective Poirot. We see a glimpse of his backstory and tries to highlight the sympathetic side of the man. Kenneth Branagh is also the highlight of the film, because he shines as Poirot. And he also very well directed this film.
“Death on the Nile” is a bit long, the build-up is a slow and the final murder mystery is not as strong as in its predecessor. As a viewer you are also puzzling for answers and these are fairly predictable and obvious. Fun to watch once, but that’s all it is.
Death on the Nile is a bit long, the build-up is slow and the final murder mystery is not as strong as in its predecessor. As a viewer you are also puzzling for answers and these are fairly predictable and obvious, if I say so myself. This is a typical case of a film that is fun to watch once, but that's all it is.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Isn't It Romantic

Director: Todd Strauss-Schulson
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 89 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Rebel Wilson, Liam Hemsworth, Adam Devine, Priyanka Chopra, Jennifer Saunders, Betty Gilpin, Brandon Scott Jones

Description: Natalie (Rebel Wilson) is disenchanted with love and mysteriously finds herself trapped inside a romantic comedy.

Review: The New York architect Natalie does everything to stand out at work, but sadly people just see her as the girl who gets them coffee and sandwiches. And instead of designing the next beautiful building, she only gets to design the parking garages of those buildings. Natalie is cynical about love: she hates romcoms and things the only reason men would marry her are for a green card. Her life isn’t a success and she gets even more unlucky, when she is mugged and ends up in the hospital. But when she wakes up, the nightmare is about to start: she is stuck in a romantic comedy and Natalie herself is the leading lady.
Rebel Wilson plays Natalie and she is one of those actresses you either like or not. I do enjoy watching her, even when she can be a little too much at times. But for a comedy like this, she is the perfect choice.
“Isn’t it Romantic” is a romcom that is self-aware and mocks other films in the genre. It makes fun of the typical clichés we all know from these films, like stopping a wedding and dress-up montages.
Wilson makes turns this film into a fun time and it will make you laugh out loud sometimes. It’s definitely not one of the best in its genre, but it is a super enjoyable film when you’re in the mood for something funny and light-hearted.

Rating: 3 / 5

TV Show Review - The Stranger (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2020
Starring: Richard Armitage, Shaun Dooley, Siobhan Finneran, Jennifer Saunders, Jacob Dudman, Misha Handley, Brandon Fellow, Anthony Head, Paul Kaye, Stephen Rea, Hannah John-Kamen

Description: Follows the lives of suburban families whose secrets and lies are made public by the appearance of a stranger.

Review: The story revolves around Adam Price, a loving father of two boys and married to Corrine. Is wife is a teacher and treasurer of their son’s football club. When Adam is approached by a stranger, who tells him his wife faked a pregnancy, his life falls apart.
A good novel doesn’t make for a good TV series. “The Stranger, bases on the book by author Harlan Coben, proves that. The series is filled with tension and unexpected plot twists, but “The Stranger” feels a bit schizophrenic.
It starts with the theme song, which clearly doesn’t fit the overall series. And although it looks like a quality show, it’s more like a soap opera. The screenplay is fine and works, that’s not the problem, it’s they way it is executed. It has its moments, but overall the show misses logic and several important questions stay unanswered (and will probably always stay that way, because it’s not hinting a second season).
The series is just long enough to stay interesting, but overall it’s not the best Netflix has brought us when it comes to crime/ thriller series. You don’t miss out if you skip it.

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 35: Minions

Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin

Genre: Animation/ Comedy/ Family

Runtime: 91 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Allison Janney, Steve Coogan, Jennifer Saunders, Geoffrey Rush, Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin

Description: Minions Stuart, Kevin and Bob are recruited by Scarlet Overkill (Sandra Bullock), a super-villain who, alongside her inventor husband Herb (Jon Hamm), hatches a plot to take over the world.

Review: After the successful animation “Despicable Me” it was expected that there was going to be a spin-off/ origin story about the cute little yellow helpers: the minions. And they are capable of carrying their own movie.

In ”Minions” we see that the yellow men have been around for millions of years and they don’t grow older or reproduce. The minions always want to serve the biggest and most evil villain. After a war, they decide to build their own life in a cave. But after many years, they think it’s time to find a new master.

Three of the minions are send out for this mission. The relatively serious Kevin, the stubborn Stuart and the childish Bob. To focus on only three of them it’s easier to follow for kids and because of the three different characters there is a certain group dynamic. The fact that the minions speak an unknown language could be the films handicap, but interesting enough it isn’t. Their tone and body language often say enough for us to understand them. The comedy of the film is of the slapstick kind, for young viewers it’s a hilarious film.

I read several bad reviews for “Minions”, but I think it’s a perfect film for the targeted audience and I enjoyed the animation.

Rating: 3,5/ 5