10s Movie Review - Mute

Director: Duncan Jones
Genre: Mystery/ Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 126 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Alexander Skarsgård, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux

Description: A mute bartender (Alexander Skarsgård) goes up against his city’s gangster in an effort to find out what happened to his missing partner

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 6: A FILM WITH PAUL RUDD
 
Review: Berlin, sometime in the future. Bartender Leo, mute since and accident in his youth, and waitress Naadirah make a nice couple. That ha can’t talk and had rather old-fashioned Amish ideas, she actually likes. But Naadirah has a secret, and before she can tell Leo, she disappears without a trace. Leo goes looking for her, and stumbles upon some remarkable surgeons.

This film immediately reminded me of “Blade Runner” in setting and style, but also a bit of “John Wick”. It’s an interesting blend of film noir and science fiction. The film suffers from a somewhat messy script, but does succeed in having a good final twists. A fairly unknown movie, that I feel is worth watching.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Director: Tim Burton
Genre: Comedy/ Fantasy/ Horror
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Michael Keaton, Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Monica Belucci, Willem Dafoe, Justin Theroux, Danny DeVito
 
Description: After a family tragedy, three generations of the Deetz family return home to Winter River. Still haunted by Beetlejuice (Michael Keaton), Lydia’s (Winona Ryder) life is turned upside down when her teenage daughter Astrid (Jenna Ortega), accidentally opens the portal to the Afterlife.

Review: “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is the long-awaited sequel to “Beetlejuice” from 1988. Lydia Deetz has grown from melancholy goth-teenager to mother with her own television show in which she is a spiritual medium. The she receives word of her father’s death. Together with her stepmother Delia and daughter Astrid, she returns to her haunted house where she grew up. And Beetlejuice is fully aware of it.

Most sequels, that happen so long after the original, make the same mistake. The same story told a just a bit different. When there are some things that you might recognize from the first film, “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” is completely different from its predecessor.

Some characters we already knew from the previous film. Besides Beetlejuice and his trusty assistant Bob, we see Lydia and Delia Deetz again. But new characters are being introduced as well. Astrid, Lydia’s daughter, portrayed by Jenna Ortega. Ortega fits into Tim Burton’s universe like she was always meant to be apart of it. Her character might be a bit stereotypical, grumpy, rebellious teenager. But she is a nice addition, still. Justin Theroux, as Lydia’s new boyfriend, is also a welcome new character. Kind of a disgusting new-age attention seeker, but really funny. Monica Bellucci’s character Delores doesn’t really add anything. When she is introduced, in a dark but fun scene, she seems like a very important character. But at one point, when she enters a scene again, you realize you had almost forgotten she was also apart of the story. She is supposed to be a huge treat, but she doesn’t feel that way in the end. Willem Dafoe’s character is kinda fun though, an actor/ detective called Wolf Jackson. But his role is fairly small as well. Jeffrey Jones, who played Charles Deetz in the original, doesn’t return due to a scandal, but his character does return in a different form. And I thought Burton was quite clever with this. Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara are all really good, as they were in the first film.

“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” did not disappoint. The cast, the jokes, the beautiful images and the physical special effects (including a bit of stop-motion) makes it an entertaining and fun film. But only if you have seen and loved “Beetlejuice” as well. Praise to Tim Burton to not recycling a plot, but actually giving us an original plot. With the characters we’ve came to love so long ago, giving them a new, crazy, creepy and funny adventure.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - On the Basis of Sex

Director: Mimi Leder
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston, Kathy Bates, Stephen Root, Jack Reynor, Ben Carlson, Chris Mulkey

Description: The true story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones), her struggles for equal rights, and the early cases of a historic career that lead to her nomination and confirmation as U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice.

Review: In a sea of dark suites with ties, a blue flared dress suddenly appears, stocking-with-seams underneath. It is 1956 and Ruth Bader Ginsburg is rather out of place at Harvard University where she is starting her law studies. The new batch is welcomed by the dean who consistently refers to them as the ‘Harvard man’. He wants to know from the handful of female students why they are taking the place of the man.
That much has changed in male-female relationships since then is partly due to people like Ruth Bader Ginsburg. “On the Basis of Sex” looks back at the career of the lawyer who has devoted her working life to straightening out what is legally skewed between women and men.
Felicity Jones is fantastic as the earnest student who, married young and becoming a mother, struggles to find her way in a professional world where men are the ones who get pats on the back. Extraordinary that her husband and professional colleague Martin Ginsberg wo naturally shares her outrage at an unequal society. And becomes the main homemaker.
The film mainly underlines the historical importance of that career and the film is worth watching. I loved seeing her grow. Ruth Bader Ginsberg is one of the most inspirational women in history. She became an icon. The film shows beautifully how the little Jewish New Yorker who grew up debating stuck to the letter of the law while the world around her was rapidly changing.

Rating: 4/ 5

10's Movie Review - Bumblebee

Director: Travis Knight
Genre: Action
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lendenborg Jr., Pamela Adlon, John Ortiz, Angela Bassett, Peter Cullen, Justin Theroux

Description: On the run in the year of 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small Californian beach town. Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld), on the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.

Review: It was 2007 when the first Transformers film came out in theaters. The film was a success, but for the real fans a disappointment. Many sequels followed, but somehow it looked spectacular but there was no depth or any layers. One of the stars from the franchise, Bumblee, gets his own film. And it’s a more authentic Transformers film. The best of them all actually.
We meet Bumblebee, probably one of the most recognizable Transformers aside from Optimus Prime. This story is a prequel, that is set before the first movie. It’s the year 1987 and the movie opens with a battle on Cybertron: Autobots versus the Decepticons. The massive CGI spectacle is limited, luckily. From this moment on, there is an actual story and it does have depth.
The Autobots lose and flee from Cubertron. Bumblebee gets one task from Optimus Prime: hide on planet Earth and wait for back-up. Here we meet Charlie. After her father’s death, she never found her way back and can’t move on. She loves working on cars, because that’s something she did with her dad. When Charlie finds an old yellow Beetle, she tries to hide in her garage. And then she meets Bumblebee.
The story is not spectacular, but there at least is one. It’s mostly focused on Charlie’s connection with Bumblebee. Hailee Steinfeld, who playd Charlie, really does a fantastic job. All the Transformers spectacle is taken back a notch and it gets more personal. It even makes you care about the Transformer.
It’s not a very surprising movie, but that’s not really what a Transformer movie needs. The power is in the little, more human moments of the film. Charlie is a strong leading character and her bond with Bumblebee will really touch you.
“Bumblebee” is the best film in the Transformer universe and I really enjoyed this film. It’s still popcorn entertainment, but with a little bit more depth to it.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 140: The Girl on the Train

Director: Tate Taylor
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Emily Blunt, Haley Bennett, Justin Theroux, Rebecca Ferguson, Luke Evans, Laura Prepon, Allison Janney, Edgar Ramirez, Lisa Kudrow

Description: A divorcee (Emily Blunt) becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.

Review: “The Girl on the Train” has been compared to David Fincher’s “Gone Girl”. Both movie are adapted from books and are psychological thrillers, where the disappearance of a young woman is the focus. A comparison like this is dangerous, because you go in with very high expectations. For this reason alone, the movie will disappoint.
Rachel Watson is a divorcee that drinks away her tears. A happy couple that she passes every day on the train, is the only comfort in Rachel’s life. She fantasizes about their life. One day, Rachel wakes up coverend in scratches, bruises and blood. She has no idea what happened. And then the police show up, telling Rachel that Megan Hipweel went missing. The woman she has been watching on the train.
“The Girl on the Train” is a thriller that works best when you have no clue what’s it about. I read the book, so I knew what was going to happen. And director Tate Taylor stayed very close to the novel. The only difference is the location, he changed out London for New York. The movie is told from different perspectives, chapters and jumps in time. Thre is really no other way to tell this story, without giving away the twists the story has. So for the people who read the book, there are no surprises.
“The Girl on the Train” is more a plot drive film than a character drive film. The characters sometimes feel like pieces in a chess game, that are moving from one place to another until we get to the climax. The credibility of those characters is a bit lost sometimes.
Luke Evans, Edgar Ramirez and Rebecca Ferguson have strong supporting roles, but it’s without a doubt Emily Blunt that steals the show.
I read and saw so many bad reviews of “The Girl on the Train”. I liked the movie a lot, I just didn’t love it. Like I said before, it’s always dangerous to have such high expectations of a film.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 9: Wanderlust

Director: David Wain
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Paul Rudd, Justin Theroux, Malin Akerman, Alan Alda, Kathryn Hahn, Michaela Watkins, Linda Lavin

Description: After George (Paul Rudd) is downsized from his financial firm and Linda's (Jennifer Aniston) depressing documentary is cancelled, they can no longer afford their overpriced 'micro-loft' in New York. They find themselves with just one option - to pack up their lives and head south to move in with George's brother and his wife. George and Linda stumble upon Elysium, an idyllic community where the only rule is to be yourself.

Review: The last years producer Judd Apatow made some funny comedies. I wasn’t sure if “Wanderlust” would be as loved as “Bridesmaids” and “Knocked Up”. Some of the actors you know from his previous films and they make this movie very entertaining.
The plot doesn’t have many layers, but I don’t think that will bother anyone: Two yuppies from New York end up in a hippie community. Although they had a ton of chemistry in “The Object of My Affection”, they don’t seem to find it here. At least not as much. And they don’t shine either, because Alan Alda and Justin Theroux steal the show. I did like Jennifer Aniston going nuts. Although there are a lot of hippie clichés ( a nudist, free love), they know how to make it funny.
“Wanderlust” is a comedy that made me laugh, but it’s not very special.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

In the Picture: The Characters from "Your Highness"

This movie got a lot of critics, but I think most people take the movie too seriously. Just don't. It's a fun film and its characters are even more fun.

Thadeous
Played by: Danny McBride
Thadeous is the king’s youngest son. He is lazy and ineffectual with both an inferiority complex and poor track record in quest taking. He hates the fact that everyone loves his older brother Fabious so much, but Thadeous doesn’t do anything to make the people love him too. When he meets Isabel, the true hero in him unravels.

Fabious
Played by: James Franco
Fabious is the handsome prince and next in line to be king. He is dashing and skilled and seen as a real hero by the people of his kingdom. Fabious is determined to save his love Belladonna and secretly looks up to his Thadeous’ lifestyle.

Isabel
Played by: Natalie Portman
Isabel is also on a quest when she meets Thadeous and Fabious. First she doesn’t want to have anything to do with them and she uses their information for her own good. When Thadeous tells her he’s looking for his brother, they join forces. Isabel is a very strong woman who’s fearless.

Belladonna
Played by: Zooey Deschanel
Belladonna was captured most of her life and was saved by Fabious. They fall in love and get married, but is then captured again. Belladonna is a pure woman, kind at heart but doesn’t know much of the outside world yet.

Leezar
Played by: Justin Theroux
Leezar is the evil sorcerer in the kingdom and holds Belladonna hostage. He has to mate with her, so he can fulfill a prophecy. Leezar is an evil man, but has his insecurities and Belladonna doesn’t always take him very serious.

Julie
Played by: Toby Jones
Julie is Fabious’ trustee and he can’t stand Thadeous. While on the quest together with the brothers, we find out that Julie secretly works for Leezar and gives him information of the quest.

Boremont
Played by: Damian Lewis
Before Thadeous went on quests with Fabious, Boremont was that guy. After not asking him to be his best man at the wedding, Boremont decides to turn against Fabious and together with Julie he now works for Leezar.

Favorite Character: Isabel