00s Movie Review - 8 Mile

Director: Curtis Hanson
Genre: Drama/ Music
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Taryn Manning, Omar Benson Miller, Anthony Mackie, Michael Shannon

Description: Follows a young rapper (Eminem) in the Detroit area, struggling with every aspect of life, wants to make it big but his friends and foes make this odyssey of rap harder than it may seem.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 18: A MOVIE ABOUT MUSIC
 
Review: “8 Mile” tells part of the life story of Marshall Mathers, made famous as Eminem, and more or less plays himself in his film debut. It is the story of a white boy in Detroit, who hangs out mostly in black circles, within a community defined by rap culture and neighborhood rivalries. B-Rabbit, the character Eminem plays, belongs to this community because he is actually just as disenfranchised as the black youth: he lives in a trailer, barely educated, poor, with an alcoholic mother and an estranged father.

The few bright spots in his life are his little sister, his loyal group of friends and his remarkable rap talent. Encouraged by his best friend Future, Rabbit ventures into the exclusively black rap battles, rap duels in which opponents must verbally beat each other up. And the audience decides who the winner is.

It’s pretty straight-forward how the story will largely unfold, no surprises here. Eminem does do a fine job and has enough conviction to keep us interested. And these rap battles are the highlight of the film. It’s a solid film with an equally solid story, but nothing spectacular.

Rating: 3/ 5

80s Movie Review - The Natural

Director: Barry Levinson
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 138 minutes
Year: 1984
Starring: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky, Richard Farnsworth, Michael Madsen

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR THE 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 13: A SPORTS MOVIE

Description: A middle-aged unknown (Robert Redford) comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.

Review: New York, 1939. Unknown baseball player Roy Hobbs arrives at The New York Knights. A professional baseball team that loses more than it wins. Sixteen years earlier, Roy was a talented pitcher on his way to a promising career. Because of an incident, Roy was long forgotten. Now he’s back, hoping to finally get the baseball career he always dreamed of.
Robert Redford is perfect for his role as Roy Hobbs. Same goes for Robert Duvall and Kim Basinger. The story is cleverly crafted. Many different genres are blended in the film. It’s not just a sports drama, but also has romance, comedy and crime in it. It also sits well with its portrayal of the American baseball culture and its depiction of pre-war America.
The movie is entertaining, but one thing bothered me. The 16-year hiatus that Roy has, is never fully explained and we are left with too many unanswered questions. And the ending was a bit too cliché and predictable. This film could be a lot better, if those two problems were solved. Overall, “The Natural” is still a sports film worth watching.

Rating: 3 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 24: Fifty Shades Darker

Director: James Foley
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eric Johnson, Bella Heathcote, Rita Ora, Bruce Altman, Kim Basinger, Marcia Gay Harden

Description: While Christian (Jamie Dornan) wrestles with his inner demons, Anastasia (Dakota Johnson) must confront the anger and envy of the women who came before her.

Review: I was warned, but I saw it anyway. If you thought “Fifty Shades of Grey” was bad, you haven’t seen the worst. Because “Fifty Shades Darker” is horrendous.
Everyone who had the need to, and many who didn’t, know the books by E.L. James. That the story is based on “Twilight” fanfiction says enough about the quality of the writing.
In “Fifty Shades Darker” we follow Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele once again. Anastasia left Christian at the end of the first film, but within the first five minutes of “Fifty Shades Darker”, the two meet again and hook up.
What director James Foley, who also directed “Glengarry Glen Ross” (great movie), was thinking, nobody knows. This film’s story is ridiculous. Wait, there is none. There is no story! The characters are stupid and dumb and very unbelievable. “Fifty Shades Darker” is just two people, that have sex. The rest that happens is unimportant. The trailer led you to believe that there was going to be tension. The girl for instance, that shows up in Anastasia’s room. That is indeed all she does. She appears a couple of times and she is gone just as fast. It does nothing for the story (that is not there). And there is a scene where Christian crashes with his helicopter. He is literally missing for five minutes and then returns asking: “What did I miss?”
The bedroom scenes aren’t sexy, just like in the first film. It’s very mild and not as controversial as people might think it will be. I at least expected to see some more of Jamie Dornan’s butt.
They added Kim Basinger (an Oscar winning actress) to the party, as Christian’s former lover. He was her submissive. But she is in three or four scenes. And Anastasia’s new boss is introduced, who transfers from just being Anastasia’s boss to full on psycho creep in no time. Talking about lack of character development.
The fact that Christian went from the “I don’t do romance” guy, to the “all I need is you” guy, is also very unbelievable. Anastasia is a pretty and kind girl, but given Christian’s personal trades, interests and ‘extraordinary hobbies’, I just don’t get why it’s her he wants so bad.
Gosh, I’m looking forward to “Fifty Shades Freed”. NOT!

Rating: 0,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 87: The Nice Guys

Director: Shane Black
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Russell Crowe, Ryan Gosling, Angouri Rice, Matt Bomer, Keith David, Kim Basinger, Ty Simpkins

Description: A mismatched pair of private eyes (Russel Crowe, Ryan Gosling) investigate the apparent suicide of a porn star in 1970s Los Angeles.

Review: Besides a director, Shane Black is also a great writer. While “The Nice Guys” is only his third directed film, he impresses. Like his previous film “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, this movie has a film noir feel and is a detective story set in Los Angeles. And again it’s fabulous!
The buildup in “The Nice Guys” is a bit more traditional, but the two private detectives in the story aren’t. Holland March, played by Ryan Gosling, is the kind of guy that hates himself. He doesn’t believe he will ever be happy again and blames himself for the death of his wife. March is cynical and funny. Gosling has a surprising talent for physical comedy. Russel Crowe plays Jackson Healy, a more straight forward detective. Probably better at his job then March, but less conventional. Crowe’s character is also very likeable. Angourice Rice, who plays Gosling’s daughter in the film, is fantastic. She is a smart twelve-year-old, who wants to work with her father even if it’s a danger for her own life.
Gosling and Crowe are a match made in heaven. They have great chemistry and good dialogues. Most ‘buddy cop’ films have two cops paired that are very different from each other. The characters in “The Nice Guys” are really not that different and that’s why this movie feels so fresh. It’s a great crime comedy for a broad audience. I love the cynicism, humor and action in this film. “The Nice Guys” is definitely a favorite of the year

Rating: 5/ 5