00s Movie Review - Love Actually

Director: Richard Curtis
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Laura Linney, Keira Knightley, Colin Firth, Rowan Atkinson, Martine McCutheon, Martin Freeman, Joanna Page, Andrew Lincoln, Chiwetel, Ejiofor, Thomas Sangster, Rodrigo Santoro

Description: Follows the lives of several different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.

Review: With “Love Actually”, the directorial debut by Richard Curtis shows that life is full of small moments of love and affection. Me not being a romance girlie, this is one of the few exceptions in the genre that I’m absolutely in love with.

Richard Curtis is mostly know for his screenwriting, having been apart of “Blackadder”, “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “Notting Hill”, among others. “Love Actually” is as smoothly put together as the romcoms for which he alone wrote the screenplay.

The fact that Curtis managed to have the best of the best actors at his disposal also work in his favor. It’s not hard to take them to heart. We follow several storylines in this film, some of them intertwine at some. We meet David, as he arrives on his first day as the Prime Minister, falling in love with Nathalie who is in his staff. Karen is painfully confronted with her husband’s potential adultery. Daniel has just lost his wife and has to deal with his young stepson’s first time being in love. Jamie leaves for France after he finds out his girlfriend is cheating on him with his brother. Here he meets Aurelia, but there is a language barrier. Sarah has been in love Karl for over two years, but because of her sick brother she never lets herself act on it. Jack and Judy meet each other while being movie stand-ins for nude scenes. Old rocker Billy Mack is trying to reach the number one spot with his Christmas song. Mark’s best friend Peter marries Juliet. Juliet feels like Mark doesn’t really like her, finding out that that’s not the reason he never talks to her. And finally Colin, who is sick of British girls and travels to America to find a woman.

Even though not all storylines are equally successful or enjoyable, the complete package is so lovely. This film has high rewatchability and I simply can’t get enough of it. I want to watch it every Christmas. And the ending is very satisfactory as well. Sugar sweet and overly romantic, but for some reason I am totally fine with it here.  

Rating: 5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Primal Fear

Director: Gregory Hoblit
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime/ Mystery
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Richard Gere, Edward Norton, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Maura Tierney, Andre Braugher, Terry O’Quinn, Steven Bauer

Description: An alter boy (Edward Norton) is accused of murdering a priest, and the truth is buried several layers deep.

Review: In Chicago, when an archbishop is murdered in cold blood, alter Boy Aaron Stampler is seen fleeing from the scene covered in blood. It’s as clear is day, but lawyer Martin Vail is eager to take on the defense. He likes cases that will generate a lot of media attention. His charming ex Janet is the prosecutor on the case. But it’s a tough job: the stuttering defendant is a wimpy kid, but was covered in blood.

“Primal Fear” is an exciting thriller, not just set in the courtroom. It’s one of Richard Gere’s best roles and Edward Norton’s first. And especially Norton impresses and he gives away an unforgettable performance. Norton deservedly received an Oscar nomination for his supporting role and knowing that Cuba Gooding Jr. won for “Jerry Maguire” that year, I believe Norton should have won it. He has not won an Academy Award to date, Norton is one of the finest actors out there, and already proved that in his first film.

The film has tension and is investing from start to finish. It has some surprising plot twist, midway and at the end, that blew my mind when I first saw it. But it still impacts after a rewatch. A very good thriller.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Mystic River

Director: Clint Eastwood
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laurence Fishburne, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Linney, Emmy Rossum

Description: With a childhood tragedy that overshadowed their lives, three men (Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon) are reunited by circumstance when one has a family tragedy.

Review: How do you recognize a good movie? A tough question if you ask me. But the people who watched “Mystic River” know that this is an example of a very good movie. The film, directed by Clint Eastwood, managed to win several Academy Awards. It might surprise you, because the story isn’t new and the cast isn’t filled with the biggest Hollywood names. “Mystic River” is a very strong movie that deserves every credit it gets.
The movie starts with three kids, Jimmy, Dave and Sean. They are inseparable and like to hang out together on the streets of Boston. Their bond changes when Dave is taken by a strange man, who pretends he’s a cop. When Dave returns he is traumatized. Years later the three friends reunite, when Jimmy’s daughter is found dead. Jimmy wants revenge and wants to find the person responsible.
Like I stated before, the story doesn’t sound that special. And the main characters don’t seem impressive at first either. Kevin Bacon, as Sean, is a cop trying to have a neutral view on the murder case. And Sean Penn, as Jimmy, plays a man with a temper and a criminal past who has bettered his life. Tim Robbins plays the mysterious looking Dave, who is still trying to deal with his childhood trauma. The way it was all executed is true craftsmanship. Clint Eastwood made this movie with lots of precision, love, intensity and integrity, which center the characters and not the story. The plot is done well, but aren’t the center of our attention. Eastwood focuses especially on the  irreparable friendship and what it once was. And with a cast of talented actors it gives us an anguishing movie experience. 
Eastwood gives his actor room to exploit and bring their characters to life. Sean Penn proofs why he is one of the best, what a great performance. Tim Robbins plays a remarkable role as well. His body language and facial expression sometimes tell us more than the actual words that come out of his mouth. His performance is very believable and even thinking about it gives me goose bumps.  Laura Linney and especially Marcia Gay Harden show us that they can stand tall in a movie filled with strong male actors.
“Mystic River” is a beautiful, sensitive character profile about friendship, pain and human shortcomings. Clint Eastwood deliverd one of his best movies and one of my all-time favorites.

Rating: 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Life of David Gale

Director: Alan Parker
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, Laura Linney, Gabriel Mann, Matt Craven, Rhona Mitra, Jim Beaver, Melissa McCarthy

Description: A man (Kevin Spacey) against capital punishment is accused of murdering a fellow activist and is sent to death row.

Review: David Gale is an ardent opponent of the death penalty. From his position as a renowned professor, he reaches quite a few people with his message. To this end, he is also a member of the non-profit organization Death Watch. One day, however, circumstances throw a spanner in the works. Gale is accused of raping and murdering his fellow activist Constance Harraway and ends up on death row himself. Three days before his execution, Gale agrees to an exclusive interview with reporter Elizabeth “Bitsey” Bloom. Bitsey soon learns that there is more to the assignment than she had imagined and that this man’s life is in her hands. Risking her life, she makes frantic efforts to piece together the shocking events surrounding the murder before it’s too late.
The death penalty has been a hot topic of political and social debate for decades, particularly in the United States. This is one of the few countries where the death penalty is still actively practiced. “The Life of David Gale” unmistakably has a political message and its position is against. However, this is not thrown in your face. The film is not a political pamphlet. The message is cleverly integrated into the overall narrative.
Kevin Spacey plays the titular David Gale and was third choice after George Clooney and Nicolas Cage. In retrospect, this is a stroke of luck, as Spacey is convincing and intense as ever. He puts down a layered character, keeping you in the dark for a very long time about his morals, motives and what exactly happened. Kate Winslet must meet a high bar to reach this level, but this experienced actress certainly holds her own. She is a bit more one-dimensional and less colorful than Spacey, but Spacey character simply gets more room to explore. After all, in the end, everything revolves around David Gale and the other characters are the extras needed to shape the whole thing. For a thriller, it is important that it is exciting. “The Life of David Gale” surely succeeds at that. The journey is just as important as the destination, but that twist is really good. As a thriller, the film doesn’t really excel cinematically. But because of the strong cast and overall story, the film is one to remember.

Rating: 3/ 5

90s Movie Review - The Truman Show

Director: Peter Weir
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 1998
Starring: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Ed Harris, Holland Taylor, Paul Giamatti, Philip Baker Hall

Description: Insurance salesman Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) discovers his whole life is actually a reality TV show.

Review: Jim Carrey has always been a comedic actor, especially in the early 90s. with movies like “Ave Venture: Pet Detective”, “The Mask” and “Dumb & Dumber” he dominated 90s comedies. Even in “Batman Forever” he was the comedic relief. And then there was “The Truman Show”, a tragicomedy director by Peter Weir, where Carrey wasn’t supposed to be the funny guy. At the time, people were really wondering if he could be comfortable in a role like that. Well he did and it’s one of Carrey’s best performances to date.
In the story, written by Andrew Niccol, there is enough room for humor, but the focus is on Truman’s search for a world outside his hometown Seahaven. But his fear of the open water keeps him on the island all his life, when his biggest dream is to leave it and travel to Fiji.
What Truman doesn’t know is that his life has been followed by cameras since he was born and millions of people around the world watch him every day. The unsuspecting insurance agent is living in a reality TV show created by Christof. He lives on the largest TV set ever created and everyone in the town is an actor. The only thing that is real is Truman.
Jim Carrey plays the role of the ignorant and somewhat melancholic Truman excellently and as a viewer you easily sympathize with him. You just hope he finds out the truth and that he can leave the ‘prison’ he has been living in all his life. His search for a life outside Seahaven and the discovery of him being in a TV show is just as gripping as comedic, while the sneaky Christof does everything to keep his star captured. Ed Harris, who plays Christof, is only seen in a few scenes, but he does a lot in the little screen time he has.
Peter Weir succeeded in creating a film that both grabs you and humors you. It’s a tragic comedy and Jim Carrey fits this genre perfectly. Refreshing to see him do this.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 15: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Director: Dave Green
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Comedy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Laura Linney, Stephen Amell, Tyler Perry, Tony Shalhoub, Brad Garrett

Description: After facing Shredder, who has joined forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry) and henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady to take over the world, the Turtles must confront an even greater nemesis: the notorious Krang (Brad Garrett).

Review: Dave Green takes over on directing this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sequel, from Jonathan Liebesman. Green imitates the camera movements and explosive action that Michael Bay loves so much. The movie looks visually great, but there is one thing I don’t understand. Why do they need to pimp this so much? Why do the turtles call each other Donnie or Mikey, when they clearly have perfect names and they never did this in the cartoon? And their party van is way too high tech, too over the top. Why couldn’t they just keep it retro? Bigger isn’t always better you know.
“Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows” is entertainment, I give them that. And they somehow please the fans by adding Bebop, Rocksteady, Krang and Casey Jones into the film. But it’s all so superficial and the story is very random. Shredder does look better now and the film has some nostalgia here and there. But everything is pimped way too much.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 168: Nocturnal Animals

Director: Tom Ford
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Isla Fisher, Laura Linney, Armie Hammer, Michael Sheen, Andrea Riseborough

Description: An art gallery owner (Amy Adams) is haunted by her ex-husband's (Jake Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale.

Review: Fashion designer Tom Ford proved with his film debut, “A Single Man”, that he isn’t only good with a needle and a sketchbook. The film was a masterpiece, not only from esthetic perspective. But also the themes and the characters were delicate and had depth. Ford took his time to direct his second film. “Nocturnal Animals” also focusses on relationships, regret and nostalgia to old romance. But it’s completely different movie.
At first sight it looks like art gallery owner Susan Morrow has it all. A good job, a beautiful house and a loving and handsome husband. But nothing is as it seems. Financially she isn’t doing well and she is estranged from her husband Hutton, who cheats on her while on a business trip. When Susan gets a message from her ex-husband Edward and he sends her a manuscript of his novel, she starts looking back on the life she once had. Susan left Edward for Hutton and hasn’t seen him in nineteen years. In Edwards’book, he tells the story of Tony Hastings and his family who are harassed by a group of criminials, while on the road. While Susan reads this story, she remember the life she had with Edward.
The story lines couldn’t be any different, but also have an emotional connection. Susan’s is more introvert and has a lot of thought in it. While Tony’s is extravert and explicit. Surprisingly enough, there is a perfect balance between those storylines. Tony is on a mission and has to find peace, while Susan has urges and desire but doesn’t show it.
Again Tom Ford manages to tell an esthetic story, but also enters the soul of the characters and the audience. Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal (the last has a double role) are both very strong in “Nocturnal Animals”. Michael Shannon is also worth mentioning. Aaron Taylory-Johnson plays one of the worst characters I’ve seen in a long time, what a terrible person. Great performance as well.
“Nocturnal Animals” is a film that gets under your skin.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 138: Sully

Director: Clint Eastwood
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 96 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laure Linney, Jerry Ferrara, Ann Cusack

Description: The story of Chesley Sullenberger (Tom Hanks), an American pilot who became a hero after landing his damaged plane on the Hudson River in order to save the flight's passengers and crew.

Review: On January 15th 2009, pilot Chesley ‘Sully’ Sullenberger landed an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River, in order to save his passengers and crew. Because of this act, he saved 155 people and Sully became famous instantly. The fact that the airplane was only in the air for three and a half minutes before the engines stopped working, you ask yourself how a ninety minute movie will captivate you. But the movie does it.
After “J. Edgar” and “American Sniper”, that weren’t that inpressive, director Clint Eastwood decided to turn the autobiographical book “Highest Duty” into a movie. With Tom Hanks as the leading man, who portrayed excisting characters before, it just had to work. And it did, because Hanks carries this movie like no other actor could.
The biggest moment in this movie is the landing itself and Eastwood knows that. It’s and exciting moment and we actually get to see it a couple of times. You really feel with Sully and care for him. But not so much for the passengers on the crew. Eastwood tried to, but the focus is on Sully and not the passengers. That way you don’t really care about any of the other passengers on the airplane, except for Sully and his co-pilot.
The entire film screams hero, how heroic Sully is. Normally it bothers me in movies, but in “Sully” it didn’t. Tom Hanks is probably the main reason for that, because as always his performance is fantastic.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 85: The Squid and the Whale

Director: Noah Baumbach
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 81 minutes
Year: 2005
Starring: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, William Baldwin, Anna Paquin

Description: Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Review: An estranged mother and father tell their two sons they are getting a divorce. But what effect will it have on them?
It’s 1986, New York. Professor Bernard Berkman and his wife Joan have grown apart. Bernard is a brilliant man, fascinated by himself and no longer interested in his wife. That’s why Joan has had her share of affairs. The two decide to separate. Their two sons, the sixteen-year-old Walt and the four year younger Frank, are the victims. Bernard has to move into a small apartment in a bad neighborhood. Frank wants to stay with his mom, while Walt adores his dad. Walt blames his mother for everything. Everything gets more complicated when one of Bernard’s students, Lili, moves in with them and gets the interest of both Bernard and Walt. And Joan starts seeing Frank’s tennis coach.
Noah Baumback is a very intelligent film maker. Together with Wes Anderson he wrote “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and you see the influence of Anderson in “The Squid and the Whale”.
I somehow always enjoy films with dysfunctional families, because this way I realize how great my family is. The kids, Walt and Frank, are played very natural by Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline. Both are unsure about everything that is about to happen and deal with the situation in their own way. Jeff Daniels, who plays Bernard, I have always found a very underrated actor. He is really good in this film. And Laura Linney is also very strong as Joan.
Because of the great acting, the realistic happenings, the good script and the characters, this movie works well. “The Squid and the Whale” is a must-see for people who love tragic comedic family films. Fantastic film!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Battle: The Truman Show Vs. Edtv

Two movies where the lead characters are being watched by… well everyone, 24/7. When the movies were released, reality television just started and became extremely popular. Today, they make shows about everything. To battle it out, here is “The Truman Show” Vs. “Edtv”.

 

CAST

The Truman Show: Mostly known for his comedic roles, rubber face Jim Carrey takes the lead. And very well indeed. I think this is Carrey’s best performance so far. Laura Linney, Ed Harris and Natascha McElhone also take part.

Edtv: The relatively unknown Matthew McConaughey plays Ed and is accompanied by Woody Harrelson, Jenna Elfman, Ellen Degeneres and Elizabeth Hurley. The cast looks less impressive, but do a solid job.

STORY

The Truman Show: Truman is unaware that his life has been followed ever since his birth. His whole life has been planned out, but he starts to be suspicious. Trying to follow his own path, the TV people try to stop him. It’s a drama, mixed with subtle comedy.

Edtv: Unlike Truman, Ed volunteers to be followed. He is supposed to make the rates go up, but at first his life doesn’t look all that interesting. That soon changes and Ed is loved by many. It’s more of a comedy.

EFFECTS

The Truman Show: Truman lives in a picture perfect town, with picture perfect citizens. It all looks stunning.

Edtv: Nothing special here.

WINNER

It’s kind of a no brainer, “The Truman Show” is without a doubt the better movie of the two.

In the Picture: The Characters from "Love Actually"

"Love Actually" is the perfect film for the holidays. Christmas is coming near so it's time to take a look at this film again. There are so many characters, that I had to cut a little bit. Here are the characters from "Love Actually".

Harry
Played by: Alan Rickman
Harry is a manager at a designer agency. He recently got a new, young assistant. Harry feels attracted to her, but he’s also very happily married and the father of two. He buys his assistant an expensive necklace for Christmas. He later admits his foolishness.

Karen
Played by: Emma Thompson
Karen is Harry’s wife and she’s busy dealing with her children Daisy and Bernard. She finds the necklace in Harry’s pocket, assuming that it’s for her. When she’s opening presents, she realizes that the necklace wasn’t for her, but she doesn’t want anyone to know that she has been crying over it. Karen does confront him.

David
Played by: Hugh Grant
David is Karen’s sister and is the recently elected Prime Minister. He’s a young and single man. He meets his household staff and has an instant click with Natalie. Because of his position, he thinks it’s inappropriate to have feelings for her.

Jamie
Played by: Colin Firth
Jamie walks in on his brother, while he’s sleeping with his girlfriend. Crushed by this, Jamie retires to his French cottage where he meets Portugese housekeeper Aurélia who speaks only her native tongue. There’s an instant attraction between them and when he returns to England he realizes how much he loves her. For her, Jamie learns Portugese and visits her to ask her to marry him.

Juliet
Played by: Keira Knightley
Juliet is a happy newlywed woman and got married in a lovely ceremony to Peter. Juliet doesn’t get along with Mark, but she has no idea why he doesn’t like her. She tries to bond with him, but he never talks to her. When Juliet visits him, she find out that Mark has actually been madly in love with her all that time.

Daniel
Played by: Liam Neeson
Daniel is Karen’s best friend. He just lost his wife and is left behind with his stepson Sam. Daniel wants to help Sam with his mission to win over the girl he’s in love with. With that he also tries to deal with losing his love and tries to move on.

Sam
Played by: Thomas Sangster
Sam has fallen in love with his classmate Joanna. He found out that there’s only one way to win her over: become a musician. He starts to play drums to impress her at the school Christmas party. When she’s leaving for America, Sam follows her at the airport to tell her about his feelings.

Billy Mack
Played by: Bill Nighy
Billy Mack is a worn off rockstar with only one more goal: He wants to score the number one Christmas single. His longtime manager Joe is the only one who always stood by him and he realizes that he’s been ‘the love of his life’.

Natalie
Played by: Martine McCutcheon
Natalie is one of the members in David’s household staff. She appears to be very nervous while meeting him for the first time, because she starts rambling and swears a couple of times. David finds it endeering. Natalie is pushed into a corner by the American president, who’s tried to seduce her.

Mark
Played by: Andrew Lincoln
Mark is Peter’s best friend and is secretly in love with Juliet. He never talks to her because of self-preservation and out of respect to his friend Peter. Mark does take a moment to truly confess his feelings for Juliet, which she acknowledges with a kiss.

Sarah
Played by: Laura Linney
Sarah works for Harry and she has been in love with her co-worker Karl for years. At a Christmas party, the two dance and eventually Karl drives her home. Sarah invites him in, where they start kissing. They are interrupted by Sarah’s mentally ill brother, which effectivly ends things between Sarah and Karl.

Rufus
Played by: Rowan Atkinson
Rufus is a minor but significant character. He is a jewelry salesman and is obsessed with gift wrapping things. With that obsession, Harry almost gets caught while buying the necklace. Rufus is also the distraction at the airport, so that Sam can run to Joanna.

Favorite Character: Mark

In the Picture: The Characters from "Mystic River"

Clint Eastwood is a fine actor, but in my opinion he's an even better director. "Mystic River" is such a great piece of work and an actual character study of the people involved in the story. Here are the most important characters in the film.

Jimmy Markum
Played by: Sean Penn
Jimmy is the beloved father of three daughters. Two of them he had with current wife Annabeth and he had his oldest daughter with his now deceased wife Marita. Jimmy does have a criminal history. He spend two years of his life in prison for a robbery. After they found Jimmy's daughter Katie dead, that old Jimmy turns up again. For him it doesn't matter how, but he's going to find the man who did this to her. And he will pay.

Dave Boyle
Played by: Tim Robbins
Dave is a loving father and a loyal husband to his wife Celeste. As a kid he experienced something horrible and now, twenty years later, he's still traumatized. Dave is very troubled and the image of that incident so many years ago is still haunting him every day. This is also a burden in his relationship with Celeste, his son Michael and his friend Jimmy.

Sean Devine
Played by: Kevin Bacon
Sean used to be friends with both Jimmy and Dave. Nowadays he doesn't have contact with them, although they run into each other from time to time. He is a cop and the one who has to solve the murder of Katie Markum. He tries to handle it as professional as possible. Sean's wife left him six months ago, while she was pregnant. She calls him, but never says anything when he picks up the phone. It looks like it doesn't affect him, but his future with her isn't secure and he just wants her back in his life.

Celeste Boyle
Played by: Marcia Gay Harden
Celeste is Dave's wife. She loves him more then anything, but she doesn't know what to do with her troubled husband. Celeste doesn't know about Dave's traumatic experience as a child. When Dave comes home covered in blood, she doesn't believe his story. After she finds out about Katie Markum's death, Celeste starts doubting her husband and feels really insecure about her life with him.

Annabeth Markum
Played by: Laura Linney
Annabeth is Jimmy's second wife. She accepted Jimmy's oldest daughter, but it's clear that they don't always get along. Unlike Celeste, Annabeth will always stand by her husband and she would never doubt his actions. Even if it's not the right thing to do, according to the law.

Favorite Character: Dave Boyle