90s Movie Review - Apollo 13

Director: Ron Howard
Genre: Drama/ Adventure
Runtime: 134 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Ed Harris, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan, Ray McKinnon, Clint Howard

Description: NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.

Review: Jim Lovell is working at NASA, in 1970s America. He wants only one thing and that is to set foot on the moon. He has therefore had to wait a long time, but now it’s finally  happening. Due to illness of the original flight leader, Jim and his team are deployed on Apollo 13. During the flight, which initially goes well, some major problems arise. Jim and his team now have to do everything to get back to Earth safely. Jim, and his team members Fred and Jack must survive in a hostile environment, with a dwindling supply of oxygen.
“Apollo 13” tells the true story of the failed trip to the moon on the thirteenth Apollo mission. This was to be the third time humans would walk on the moon, but during the trip, all sorts of things went wrong. Commander of the ship, Jim Lovell, wrote about his experiences in the book “Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13”. This book was the basis for the film, which was directed by Ron Howard. True-life stories van be bogged down quite often in a heavy dose of sentiment and tear-jerking. “Apollo 13” also has several moments where this applies, but overall it is a film that manages to captivate and entertain. the facts told in the story are exciting and dramatic enough in themselves. I actually thought that the whole family drama at home, took the tempo out of the movie a bit. I was more interested in the space part, not the personal lives.
The cast seems to give their all and is extremely empathetic. The roles of the three astronauts are played by Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton. Hanks is strong as ever, but Paxton and Bacon manage to hold their own alongside him. The trio manages to convey the desperation and mutual tension well. This makes the whole thing come across as authentic and realistic. Ed Harris and Gary Sinise, in smaller roles, also make  an impression.
“Apollo 13” is clearly created with a lot of love and attention to detail and it looks very realistic. It’s an entertaining movie, even on multiple viewings.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 73: Horns

Director: Alexander Aja
Genre: Thriller/ Horror/ Fantasy/ Drama
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Max Minghella, Juno Temple, Kelli Garner, James Remar, Kathleen Quinlan, Heather Graham, David Morse

Description: In the aftermath of his girlfriend's (Juno Temple) mysterious death, a young man (Daniel Radcliffe) awakens to find strange horns sprouting from his temples.

Review: He’s come a long way since Harry Potter. Daniel Radcliffe has done some more controversial stuff after his iconic role. He appeard naked on West End, portrayed a homosexual poet and now this devilish film called “Horns”.
After his girlfriend Merrin is murdered, Iggy’s life turns into a nightmare. He is suspect number one, but there are also two horns growing on his forehead. Not only is it very unpractical, but it brings something else. People decide to share their deepest and darkest secrest with him. This gives some dark humoristic moments. But also secrets from his family he didn’t want to know about. But Iggy’s new ‘gift’ is also the perfect tool to find Merrin’s killer.
The film is very original and offers lots of opportunities to be interesting. And it is. But director Alexander Aja didn’t choose, whether “Horns” is a dark comedy or a drama. There are many examples where both genres worked perfectly together, but for “Horns” it’s an obvious two way street. It’s hard to define it.
“Horns” is still interesting enough to finish and very original. And it’s great to see Radcliffe in a role like this too.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 161: Twilight Zone: The Movie

Director: John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, George Miller
Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Comedy/ Fantasy
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 1983
Starring: Dan Aykroyd, Albert Brooks, Vic Morrow, Doug McGrath, Charles Hallahan, Rainer Peets, Kai Wulff, Sue Dugan, Debby Porter, Steven Williams, Annette Claudier, Joseph Hieu, Al Leong, Stephen Bishop, Thomas Byrd, Scatman Crothers, Bill Quinn, Martin Garner, Selma Diamond, Helen Shaw, Murray Matheson, Peter Brocco, Priscilla Pointer, Scott Nemes, Tanya Fenmore, Evan Richards, Laura Mooney, Christopher Eisenmann, Richard Swingler, Alan Haufrect, Cheryl Sochler, Elsa Raven, Kathleen Quinlan, Jeremy Licht, Kevin McCarthy, Patricia Barry, William Schallert, Nancy Cartwright, Dick Miller, Cherie Currie, Bill Mumy, Jeffrey Bannister, John Lithgow, Abbe Lane, Donna Dixon, John Dennis Johnston, Larry Cedar, Charles Knapp, Byron McFarland, Christina Nigra, Lana Schwabb

Description: Four horror/sci-fi segments directed by four famous directors, each of them being a new version of a classic story from Rod Serling's landmark television series The Twilight Zone (1959).

Review: “Twilight Zone: The Movie” is based on the television series “The Twilight Zone”. It starts of with a prologue and then tells us four different stories, directed by four different directors. Two men are driving a card in the night and start reminiscing about old TV shows, like “The Twilight Zone”. It’s the set up for the film.

Segment # 1:
Bill Connor missed out on a promotion and spills his guts while having a drink in a bar with some friends. His words don’t come easy and bothers some other customers, because he is pretty racist. When Bill leaves the bar, he himself is the victim of racism and hatred. John Landis directs this part and it has a dark atmosphere. It’s somber and intense, but doesn’t really develop.

Segment # 2:
Mister Bloom arrives at the Sunnyvale Rest Home, as a new citizen. Bloom befriends many of the people living there and convinces them that you are as old as you feel. Steven Spielberg directed this second segment. The idea is good and it does have some good moments, but the story gets a bit too sentimental.

Segment # 3:
Teacher Helen Foley accidentaly hits the young Anthony with her car. She brings him home and meets his family. Anthony’s family acts strange, but so does Anthony. And this all happens because they are afraid of Anthony. Joe Dante directs and adds more humor to his story. It has a light horror undertone. Dante was definitely influences by cartoons and it is sometimes funny, especially because of the overacting of the actors. But the ending is again a bit too sweet.

Segment # 4:
John Valentine is afraid of flying, but he has to go by plane. He has to do everything to keep his fear under controle. But when he thinks he is calm, he sees a strange creature on one of the wings of the plane. He sees its trying to break one of the engines and off course no one believes John. The director for this story is George Miller and this is the only story that I liked completely. It gives you a claustrophobic feel and it has some scary moments. John Lithgow plays his role as Valentine very well. It’s the best story in this film.

I expected a bit more quality from those four amazing directors. It’s and entertaining flick, but only the last story really nailed it.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 42: Event Horizon

Director: Paul W.S. Anderson

Genre: Thriller/ Science Fiction/ Horror

Runtime: 96 minutes

Year: 1997

Starring: Sam Neill, Laurence Fishburne, Kathleen Quinlan, Joely Richardson, Richard T. Jones, Jake Noseworthy, Jason Isaacs, Sean Pertwee, Peter Marinker, Holley Chant, Barclay Wright, Noah Huntley Robert Jezek

Description: A rescue crew investigates a spaceship that disappeared into a black hole and has now returned...with someone or something new on-board.

Review: “Event Horizon” is a movie that might surprise the naive viewer. Because the story isn’t complicated and looks like a space movie without any inspiration, that we already have a dozen of. A research team is send into space to find a spaceship that has disappeared. They succeed, but soon they discover an evil force.

“Event Horizon” wasn’t received well by critics. They said it was a cheap mix of “Alien” and “Hellraiser”. And off course there are similarities. The empty, sinister hallways of the spaceship and the constant threat. And also the bloody images. But still it’s not a just a copy of those films.

Fact that director Andersons made a good movie with “Event Horizon” is the dark way of telling the story from beginning till end. It grabs you and compels you. The build-up of the tension is very strong. It takes some time for it to become exciting. The climax is pretty gory and not for the weak stomach.

Laurence Fishburne and Sam Neill are the big names in the movie. Both gentlemen manage to give away a solid performance. The other actors don’t really impress, but are good enough to make the movie believable.

“Event Horizon” is a lurid and sometimes eerie movie, that surprises. Surely a movie for every science fiction fan.

Rating: 3,5/ 5