Movie Review - The Naked Gun

Director: Akiva Schaffer
Genre: Comedy/ Action
Runtime: 85 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand,
 
Description: Only one man (Liam Neeson) has the particular set of skills – to lead Police Squad and save the world.
 
Review: “The Naked Gun” is a new film, not so much a remake of the 1988 version, but more a continuation. Because Liam Neeson plays Frank Drebin Jr., the son of the late Sr. (Leslie Nielsen). Together with his partner he is investigating a seemingly innocent accident involving a self-driving car. The victim’s sister, Beth Davenport (Pamela Anderson), approaches Drebin with suspicions that this is not what it seems. She turns out to be right, and Drebin starts his investigation.

That this new version takes over the same humor from the original series is immediately clear from the opening scene, in which a little schoolgirl walks into a bank during a robbery and turns out to be Liam Neeson ins disguise. You know it’s silly, but you laugh anyway.

As it should be, this film is crammed with jokes from start to finish. Not all of them are brilliant, but because they keep coming, you can’t help but laugh. The plot, present but paper-thin, is purely a hook for adding as much nonsense as possible. There is even room for a parody of Wham’s “Last Christmas” music video, which takes a very bizarre turn.

For some reason, Liam Neeson is the perfect man for the job. Known for mainly serious roles, and in the last years action films, it’s somehow a breath of fresh air to see him in such a ridiculous role. And Neeson delivering silly lines with a straight face somehow works perfectly.  

Pamela Anderson is also surprisingly funny. Her singing the fictional jazz song “Sassafras Chicken” is super weird, but kind of funny too. She is on par with Priscilla Presley (who appears in the movie for a quick second) from the original series.

The running gag in this film is the coffee joke, where Frank is always being handed a cup of coffee, no matter what situation he is in. It works best when the joke hasn’t been used for a while and then suddenly reappears in an unexpected situation. They do miss the mark a bit when the are lowering themselves to the easy poop and sex jokes, which hardly ever works for me. But fortunately they are limited.  

If you’re a fan of the original films and you like silly humor, you will not be disappointed. When the film was first announced, I never expected it to work as well as it did.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Director: Wes Ball
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 145 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Owen Teague, Kevin Durand, Freye Allan, Peter Macon, William H. Macy, Lydia Peckmann, Travis Jeffery, Eka Darville
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 47: AN ACTION OR ADVENTURE FILM
 
Description: Many years after the reign of Caesar, a young ape (Owen Teague) goes on a journey that will lead him to question everything he’s been taught about the past and make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike.

Review: I did not even know that this film was in the works before I saw the first trailer. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted this film. But I’m glad I eventually watched it, because it’s a great film. Not as good as the others in the series, but still amazing.

We are missing Caesar in this film, time for a new hero. We meet Noa. The first half of the film is the setup of a young hero forced to accept a mission. And when you’re only a few minutes into the film, you are overwhelmed by the beautiful looks of it. Not only the surroundings, but also the emotions of all the apes.

Apes are the rulers now, and they are attacking their own kind. There’s more to this than just the film’s plot. Like humans, there are apes who show respect for each other and nature, and apes who crave power and like to place themselves above others.

Still, after many sequels, the “Planet of the Apes” franchise is standing strong. It’s one of the most solid franchises made to be honest. Go see it on Disney+ now.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 47: Devil's Knot

Director: Atom Egoyan

Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 114 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Alessandro Nivola, James Hamrick, Seth Meriwether, Kristopher Higgins, Amy Ryan, Robert Baker, Collette Wolfe, Rex Linn, Bruce Greenwood, Kristoffer Polaha, Matt Letscher, Michael Gladis, Stephen Moyer, Martin Hednerson, Ted Huckabee, Elias Koteas, Dane DeHaan, Kerry Cahill, Jet Jurgensmeyer, Paul Boardman Jr., Brandon Spink, Kevin Durand, Julie Ivey

Description: The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a satanic ritual.

Review: “Devil’s Knot” is based on the book with the same name by Mara Leveritt. The author was inspired by real life events. The trial of ‘The West Memphis Three’ was the inspiration for both book and movie. Director Atom Egoyan decided to make it into a movie.

In 1993 three children were murdered, in a town in Memphis. After a few weeks the suspects were arrested. Three teenagers, The West Memphis Three, were caught and they were accused of using satanic rituals. They were convicted for the murders. The end? Not exactly, because a lot of facts were wrong and the police wasn’t thorough enough. The question is: are the teenagers really guilty? The movie is almost two hours long and this is simply not enough time to tell the entire story. It’s a complicated case and there isn’t enough room for the characters, because there are so many people involved in the case. Director Egoyan bit off more than he could chew.

Reese Witherspoon plays the mother of one of the murdered boys. She does a good job. She manages to show desperation and despair, but her character doesn’t really add anything. Colin Firth’s character has the same problem. The three suspects don’t get enough screen time, which is a shame.

Atom Egoyan tried, that’s a plus. He didn’t want to give us a boring history lesson. But the movie simply doesn’t work that wellm when the source material is so interesting. It’s just an okay film, which could have been so much better. Shame.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 128: Fruitvale Station

Director: Ryan Coogler

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 85 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Ahna O’Reilly, Ariana Neal, Keenan Coogler, Trestin George, Joey Oglesby, Michael James, Marjorie Shears, Destiny Ekwueme, Bianca Rodriguez III, Julian Keyes

Description: The purportedly true story of Oscar Grant III (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.

Review: Every once in a while there is this movie that, sometimes unintentional, is released at the right moment. “Fruitvale Station”, that’s set around a tragic shooting where the black Oscar Grant dies, is one of those movies. When the movie was released, there was the Trayvon Martin/ George Zimmerman case in the US, another incident where a black guy was needlessly shot.

It’s the 31st of December 2008 and this will be the last day of Oscar Grant’s life. After spending some time in jail, he now lives a life with his girlfriend and their four year old daughter. Oscar is trying to change his life. He doesn’t want to sell drugs anymore and tries to get a job at the local supermarket. Without him knowing it, some of his actions lead to his final destination.

The opening scene of the film tells us that we are dealing with a true story. Shaky shots from a phone show us the arrest with deadly ending. It immediately feels realistic. The camera work and the absence of music only amplify this feeling. Leading actor Michael B. Jordan shows us what he’s made of. What a wonderful performance. And all the other actors are very natural too. And also kudos for the director Ryan Coogler. Although you already know the ending, it doesn’t take away the tension and the shock.

For a film with a budget under a million dollars “Fruitvale Station” proofs that bigger isn’t always better. This engrossing last day of Oscar Grant is something you won’t easily forget.

Rating: 4/ 5