Movie Review - One Battle After Another

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Genre: Thriller/ Crime/ Action/ Drama
Runtime: 161 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Chase Infinity, Regina Hall, Teyana Taylor
 
Description: When their evil enemy resurfaces after 16 years, a group of ex-revoltionaries reunite to rescue the daughter of one of their own.
 
Review: There are few director-screenwriters whose every film is a hit. Think of Denis Villeneuve and Christopher Nolan. Paul Thomas Anderson certainly belongs on that list. With the political satire “One Battle After Another”, he adds another gem to his oeuvre. The film is so compelling and layered that you hardly notice it last 160 minutes.

Left-wing revolutionary Bob Ferguson, also know as Ghetto Pat, joins the radical action group French 75 – named after the explosive cocktail – led by the wild, untamable Perfidia. He falls for her, and together they begin a passionate relationship. During a liberation action to free migrants from a detention camp, Perfidia humiliates Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw, who gets a sexual kick out of it. From that moment on, he tries to dominate her and believes he succeeds. Later, Bob and Perfidia have a daughter, Willa, but Perfidia refuses to take on the role of mother.

Sixteen years later, single father Bob takes care of teenage Willa. All this time, he was a dormant revolutionary who filled his days with alcohol, drugs and watching old classic films about revolutions such as Battle of Algiers. When Lockjaw reappears, the threat flares up again. He wants to join a club of white supremacists who worship Santa Claus. In order not to jeopardize his membership, Lockjaw must do everything he can to erase all evidence of sexual contact with a black woman. He organizes a raid and leads a militia to the place where Bob and Willa are hiding.

Paul Thomas Anderson is an intelligent filmmaker who refuses to be put into one genre, always trying something new and striving for originality and complexity. In that respect, “One Battle After Another” is no exception to his earlier masterpieces. Anderson was inspired by the book “Vineland”, the absurdist thriller by Thomas Pynchon.

Anderson’s film is set in the present and depicts recognizable situations from the current US, but visually and thematically refers to the 1970s. The whole thing feels both retro and modern at the same time: as if time has stood still and nothing has changed.

The film is so rich that you spend hours analyzing it. On one level, it’s a story about a child caught between two superegos: one radically left-wing, the other radically right-wing and extremely racist. On another lever, it is the quest of a disillusioned father who has lost his way but wants to regain his last shred of humanity – his daughter. And on yet another level, the films works as a metaphor for a weary left that must contend with stupid extreme right-wingers and racism.

Anderson provides the necessary perspective. As a satire, “One Battle After Another” is also rich in humor. Leonardo DiCaprio is the epitome of wit as Anderson’s version of the Dude (from “The Big Lebowski”) – bathrobe included. And Sean Penn deserves a medal for his portrayal of the most hideous and pathetic racist in years.

It is doubtful whether the whole of the US will embrace it. Despite the highly original car chase, this is clearly not a work that will appeal to fundamentalist, far-right viewers who have no sympathy for migrants and those who think differently. This will probably be my favorite film of the year.

Rating: 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Body of Lies

Director: Ridley Scott
Genre: Thriller/ Action/ Drama
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong, Oscar Isaac

Description: A CIA Agent (Leonardo DiCaprio) on the ground in Jordan hunts down a powerful terrorist leader while being caught between the unclear intentions of his American supervisor (Russell Crowe) and Jordan Intelligence.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 10: A FILM FROM 2008
 
Review: As Al Qaeda-like terrorists use less and less eavesdropping phones and the internet, the CIA sends spies to the Middle East to gather information using old-fashioned handiwork. Roger Ferris does do at the behest of CIA boss Hoffman in Iraq and Jordan, where he must team us with the head of Jordanian intelligence to roll up a terrorist organization.

This is your typical spy thriller; who is deceiving whom? It is an interesting thriller, full of pace and action. It could have been a little more subtle and the film is a bit too long for me. But overall, I don’t really have strong feelings about this film.

Rating: 3 / 5

00s Movie Review - Gangs of New York

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 147 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz, John C. Reilly, Stephen Graham, Henry Thomas, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Neeson, Jim Broadbent, Eddie Marsan

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 49: A MOVIE WITH AND ACTOR/ ACTRESS YOU DISLIKE
 
Description: In 1962, Amsterdam Vallon (Leonardo DiCaprio) returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher (Daniel Day-Lewis), his father’s killer.

Review: In “Gangs of New York”, director Martin Scorsese resents his cynical vision of the extremely bloody gang wars that plagued Manhattan in the mid-nineteenth century.

The film opens with a bloody battle in the Five Points area, where Irish immigrants clash with the American-born Nativists, led by the ruthless William cutting, knows as Bill the Butcher.
Sixteen years later, the son of the murdered Irish gang leader, returns to the neighborhood. Unfortunately, this characters, Amsterdam Vallon, doesn’t quite come into his own, but there is no doubt about his revenge against Bill the Butcher. This is one of those stories where you kind of side with the villain, because his character is way more interesting and fleshed out, not because he’s more likeable. And that is largely thanks to Daniel Day-Lewis, who portrays this ruthless gang leader as a charismatic psychopath. He created an instant classic movie villain. He steals the entire movie and makes Leonardo DiCaprio completely fade into the background. Not to speak of Cameron Diaz, who in my eyes was miscast. And I believe that they could have left her character out completely, she adds nothing to the story and you don’t care about her.

But “Gangs of New York” has more to offer than Day-Lewis’ monumental acting. Above all, the film fascinates with the almost maniacal detail with which the Manhattan of 1862 was reconstructed. The film looks stunning. We are plunged into an anarchic society. Scorsese has already showed us at length that Manhattan was nothing less than hell on earth in previous movies, but he has just mentioned that existence there in the nineteenth century was many times more miserable.

In Taxi Driver and Bringing out the dead, Scorsese had already shown us at length that Manhattan was nothing less than hell on earth. He had just never mentioned that existence there in the nineteenth century was many times more miserable.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Shutter Island

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 138 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley, Elias Koteas, Patricia Clarkson

Description: A U.S Marshal (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a murderess who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane

Review: Every Martin Scorsese project interests me somehow. “Shutter Island” is different from his other films. It’s based on a novel by Dennis Lehane.

Federal agent Teddy Daniels has to track down an escaped psychiatric patient, together with his partner Chuck Aule. The task sounds simple, but an asylum for the criminally insane isn’t the most pleasant place to investigate. With that, it’s also the most guarded asylum, set on an island. It’s almost impossible to stay unfound.

Martin Scorsese is playing Clue with his audience. A fort, morbid prisoners, no way out and hint after hint to lead us to the suspect. It’s a thriller and it gives you a creepy feeling. The patient are really messed up. The atmosphere is unpleasant, which is good for the movie experience.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo form a steady base as agents. Especially DiCaprio seems to grow in every role he plays for Scorsese. Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow are probably the stars, although they have smaller roles.

“Shutter Island” is a fantastic thriller, with great twists. It’s actually one of my favorite Scorsese film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 161 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Bradd Pitt, Margot Robbie, Emile Hirsch, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Al Pacino, Luke Perry, Kurt Russell, Scoot McNairy, Clifton Collins Jr. Rumer Willis, Zoë Bell, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern

Description: A faded television star (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Brad Pitt) strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age in 1969 Los Angeles.

Review: It’s the end of the 60s and we meet television actor Rick Dalton and his stunt double Cliff Booth. Dalton sees his career fade and has to deal with the villain roles in cheap TV pilots.
Dalton’s next door neighbors are director Roman Polanski and his beautiful wife Sharon Tate. And when you think of Hollywood in 1969, you think of Charles Manson and his cult, who left a trail of blood in L.A. at the time.
When Tarantino’s ninth film was announced, and it became clear that the ‘Manson family’ was a part of it, people were afraid that he was going to exploit the murder of Sharon Tate. But Tarantino wouldn’t be Tarantino, if he didn’t use his revisionary spin on it and mix fiction with reality.
If you would ask anyone what “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is about, I don’t think many people could give you an exact answer. Because it’s mostly people talking and it’s more ‘a day in the life’ kind of story. We follow Cliff who is on his way to feed his dog, we see how Sharon Tate visits who visit a theater to watch her own movie. It’s a hangout-film, who can mostly be compared to Tarantino’s “Jacki Brown”. But even better.
Most of Tarantino’s movies are very violent. And overall, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” isn’t a very violent film. But when you get to the final twenty minutes, the violence gets really violent! And this scene is simply brilliant.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” is definitely Tarantino’s funniest film, it can in fact be called a comedy. Even Leonardo DiCaprio is funny here. He shows great and awkward moments, where he feels an insecurity inside thinking his hay days are over. But the best part of the film is definitely Brad Pitt, as Cliff Booth, who I will say is one of Tarantino’s best characters. At first he seems like just a stunt double to DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton, but digging deeper he is a more complex character. And Pitt is hilarious in his role. Margot Robbie, who plays Sharon Tate, doesn’t get that much to do. And I would say that some of her scene could have been cut, without it having any effect on the story.
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” definitely didn’t disappoint and it’s up there on my favorites list of best Tarantino movies. A great portrait of the golden days in Hollywood and in my eyes the most beautifully shot Tarantino movie.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Battle: Catch Me If You Can Vs. The Departed

This might seem like a random battle, but it has some thought behind it. I looked up Leonardo DiCaprio on Rotten Tomatoes and check which were his two highest rated films. These are the two. I will do this more often, so you can see if I agree with the ranking. But first, let’s fight: “Catch Me If You Can" Vs. "The Departed”

 

 

ACTORS

Catch Me If You Can: Leonardo DiCaprio is the lead, as real life conman Frank Abagnale Jr. His father is played by Christopher Walken and Abagnale Jr. is hunted down by frustrated cop Carl Hanraty, portrayed by Tom Hanks. There are also smaller roles for Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams and Martin Sheen.

The Departed: “The Departed” is a film that has an amazing ensemble cast. Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprion, Jack Nicholson, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone. And they are all fantastic in it.

STORY

Catch Me If You Can: It’s a true story and one of those stories that seem unbelievable. It’s such an interesting story that Frank Abagnale Jr. managed to pretend to be a doctor, pilot and lawyer, without any degree, earn money and then get away with it.

The Departed: A story about two cops, one is a mole and one has to find the mole. It’s such a great and interesting story that stays interesting from beginning ‘till end. I only hoped the bad guy would win, that would separate the film from other crime dramas.

EFFECTS

Catch Me If You Can: No effects needed. It’s an acting film.

The Departed: The movie did a great job portraying Boston. No real effects needed here either, also an acting film.

WINNER

Close call, I love both movies. But I will go for “Catch Me If You Can”. More because it’s a more rewatchable film and the ending is better.

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 23: The Revenant

Director: Alejandro González Iñarritu

Genre: Drama/ Adventure/ Thriller

Runtime: 156 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Paul Anderson, Lukas Haas, Javier Botet, Brendan Fletcher, Brad Carter, Kristoffer Joner, Kory Grimm

Description: A frontiersman (Leonardo DiCaprio) on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.

Review: “The Revenant” tells the remarkable true story of Hugh Glass. The viewer is sucked in immediately, when we see a fight scene between the traders and natives. Glass, and a small group of survivors, manage to escape on a boat. But that’s when the real drama starts. When they find a place to stay for a while, Glass explores the area. He is attacked by a bear and he is severely injured. It looks like he’s not going to make it. A few men, one of them being John Fitzgerald, offer to stay with him. He however leaves Glass for dead. But Glass is not willing to give up.

Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Hugh Glass, doesn’t have a lot of dialogue after his bear attack. But he manages to show us his emotions through his eyes and moans. DiCaprio and his will to live are the spindle of “The Revenant”. But Tom Hardy, as Fitzgerald, delivers an equally impressive performance. I think his portrayal of Fitzgerald is a bit underrated and underappreciated, because everyone talks about Dicaprio’s performance. The young Will Poulter, as Bridger, was also surprisingly good.

But the best and most beautiful thing about “The Revenant” is that the great acting goes hand in hand with gorgeous images of nature. It looks breathtaking. Everything was filmed with natural lighting. The camera work is fantastic, there are some shots in the film I still don’t know how they did it. This all makes “The Revenant” a cinematographic masterpiece.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Battle: Django Unchained Vs. The Hateful Eight

Quentin Tarantino is, as frequent readers might know, my favorite director. He has made eight films now (counting both “Kill Bill” movies as one) and there is not one terrible film (“Deathproof” is not that good, but I’ve seen worse). In that line of great films, there are two westerns. And what if I let them go head to head. Let’s see who wins the battle: “Django Unchained” Vs. “The Hateful Eight”

 

 

ACTORS

Django Unchained: Jamie Foxx stars and does a good job in portraying the lead character Django. He is very well supported by Christoph Waltz, who played Dr. King Schultz and won an Academy Award for his performance. Samuel L. Jackson plays the very unlikeable Stephen, who is probably the most racist bastard in the entire film. And Leonardo DiCaprio as villain Calvin Candy, who shows us he can play a bad guy like no one else.

The Hateful Eight: Samuel L. Jackson is the star of the film as Marquis Warren, he carries “The Hateful Eight”. Kurt Russell is good as John Ruth, but it’s Jennifer Jason Leigh who really surprised me as Daisy Domergue. She probably had the best part. We also see Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins and Channing Tatum.

STORY

Django Unchained: It’s a revenge movie, which is not new in the Tarantino repertoire. Look at “Kill Bill” and “Inglourious Basterds”. But it’s not a crime when it’s done right. The story gets more depth because of the interesting characters and the sharp dialogues.

The Hateful Eight: The story is fairly simple: eight strangers end up in a cabin during a snow storm and nothing is as it seems. But it’s the way it was executed. Almost the entire film is set in one location, just like “Reservoir Dogs” and the film is interesting from beginning to end. Again due to great dialogues and fascinating characters.

EFFECTS

Django Unchained: It looks very good, Tarantino did a great job and it looks like we are in the wild west. It has some great spectacle here and there.

The Hateful Eight: Hardly any effects needed. The greatest part is its simplicity and also the wide screen Tarantino used. You’re sometimes so close to the characters, that you can experience how small the room is they are in. This wide screen really does make a different.

WINNER

Both are not my Tarantino favorites, but they are very close to each other. I prefer “Django Unchained though.

Oscar Prediction 2016

I'm going to give it a shot again. The nominees for the 88th annual Academy Awards were announced and I've been predicting the winners for a couple of years now. So this year is no different. Some really great nominees this year, but as usual I don't agree with every all the winners. So, here are my prediction on who will win and who I think should win the awards.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Should Win: "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Would Win: "Spotlight"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Should Win: Leonardo DiCaprio for "The Revenant"

Would Win: Leonardo DiCaprio for "The Revenant"

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Should Win: Brie Larson for "Room"

Would Win: Brie Larson for "Room"

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Should Win: Sylvester Stallone for “Creed”

Would Win: Mark Rylance for “Bridge of Spies”

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Should Win: Rachel McAdams for “Spotlight”

Would Win: Kate Winslet for “Steve Jobs”

Best Achievement in Directing

Should Win: Alejandro González Iñárritu for “The Revenant”

Would Win: Alejandro González Iñárritu for “The Revenant”

Marry, Kiss, Cliff - Round 10

Round 10: Mark Zuckerberg (“The Social Network”), Luke Skywalker (“Star Wars”) and Dom Cobb (“Inception”)

Marry: I don’t really want to marry any of them. One is a douche, one has daddy issues and one has wife issues. I would have to go with Luke Skywalker, he at least has the force. And he knows Yoda, who is super awesome!

Kiss: Dom Cobb has a strange job and he never got over the death of his wife. Just a quick kiss and then run away even faster.

Cliff: I know Mark Zuckerberg is probably the most normal person of the three, but he’s kind of a douchebag. I know he’s loaded, but I don’t want to be with a rich douche.

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 129: The Wolf of Wall Street

Director: Martin Scorsese

Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 179 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Joanna Lumely, Ethan Suplee, Shea Wigham

Description: Based on the true story of Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), from his rise to a wealthy stock-broker living the high life to his fall involving crime, corruption and the federal government.

Review: “The Wolf of Wall Street” is based on true events, about the rise and fall of Jordan Belfort. He is an acrid, clever stockbroker who came from nothing to eventually own over thirty million dollars. Not long after Belfort had his first taste of Wall Street, the company he works for collapses. He is forced to search for something new and he finds this little, amateurish business. Because he is convincing and the extreme high commission, he gathers a loyal yet eccentric team and starts his own business. Belfort manages to sell worthless shares for a lot of money and his company, Stratton Oakmont grows and grows.

A film about capitalism, directed by Martin Scorsese and blessed with a strong cast. All the ingredients for a sharp film. “The Wolf of Wall Street” starts strong and sucks you in with some strong dialogues. Especially the lunch conversation between Belfort and his mentr Mark Hanna is masterfully acted. Matthew McConaughey is very intense and it’s hard to look away. Sadly for us, McConaughey is only seen for 10 minutes. Also great is the scene were Belfort meets FBI agent Patrick Denham, very subtly played by Kyle Chandler. It’s fascinating to see how the two man go from having a civilized and friendly conversation to a heated dialogue.

As the main protagonist, Leonardo DiCaprio delivers a very impressive performance. Navigating between the calculated coldness, the manic urge to self-manifestation and the insatiable greed for money, drugs and alcohol all of which are typical for the character Jordan Belfort. DiCaprio really loses himself in the role. But Belfort never gets as interesting as movie archetypes like Gordon Gekko (“Wall Street”) or Daniel Plainview (“There Will Be Blood”). That’s because the character is very one dimensional and doesn’t have a lot of depth. Especially during those speeches he gives for his team, it’s hard to make that credible.

“The Wolf of Wall Street” isn’t all that original for Scorsese either. If you replace the mob for drugs, sex and greed, “The Wolf of Wall Street” is a lot like “Goodfellas”. Not only is the story told by the main character in the form of a voice-over, the accent and the way he talks also sounds a lot like Henry Hill in “Goodfellas”.

In the beginning the confronting scenes, sex orgies and drug escapades are shocking. Especially because of its satire. But after a couple of those hedonistic outbursts, you’re done with it. The movie looks like it’s on repeat. With that, the movie is way too long. A movie with hardly any likeable characters, is hard to watch for me. I can only sympathize Jordan’s foulmouthed father and FBI agent Patrick Denham. And especially Belfort’s spineless, white teethed business partner Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) is one of the most annoying and terrible characters I’ve ever seen. “The Wolf of Wall Street” also constantly shifts between admiration and social criticism. “The Wolf of Wall Street” is definitely a good movie, but it gets way more credit then I think it

deserves. There were many Scorsese movies that I loved more.

Rating: 3/ 5

Marry, Kiss, Cliff - Round 1

I saw various people do this item on youtube. You pick three book characters and then you have to decide which of them you marry, kiss or push and a cliff. I want to do this item as well, but I’m going to do this with movie characters. All male off course. I already made a shit load of notes with various characters on it, but I’m excited about the three going head to head with each other every time. You can also suggest characters to me, maybe I can add them to my ‘bucket’ of notes.

Round 1: Frank Abagnale Jr. (“Catch Me If You Can”), Alex (“Good Bye Lenin”) and Hesher (“Hesher”)

Marry: I would most definitely marry Alex. He’s such a sweet guy, he takes good care of his mother. Alex does everything to make sure his mom stays healthy.

Kiss: Altough Frank Abagnale Jr. is a con artist, I would probably kiss him. I would never start a relationship with him, he would leave you anyway because he’s always on the run.

Cliff: Hesher is a weird guy. Good taste in music though, but he’s strange. I don’t think he is boyfriend or husband material.

Best & Worst: Leonardo DiCaprio

When he first started he was the boyish actor all girls loved. Now he has made a name and he is one of the most loved actors in Hollywood, by men and women. His movies became better over the years. Here is my choice for best & worst Leonardo DiCaprio movie.

I have seen this movie many times, I almost always watch it when it’s on TV and it never seems to bore me. It’s an incredible true story and DiCaprio’s performance is great.
Honorable mentions: “The Departed”, “Inception”, “Django Unchained”, “Shutter Island”, “Blood Diamond”

I’m sorry people, but I think this is one of the most overrated movies ever. I just can’t stand this movie. Because DiCaprio has made so many great movies after this, I forgive him for “Titanic”. I can’t believe it has won 11 Academy awards, it’s too long and it has the worst promise ever in it. “I’ll never let go” and then seconds later she lets Jack go and he sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
Dishonorable Mentions: “The Beach”

In the Picture: The Characters from "Django Unchained"

With "Django Unchained" director Quentin Tarantino delivered another masterpiece and created again some memorable and unique characters. Here they are.

Django Freeman
Played by: Jamie Foxx
Django has been soled as a slave and is seperated from his beloved wife Broomhilda. When he meets King Schulz he gets the oppertunity to find her and to get his life back. Django is a strongwilled man and does everything to get his wife back.

Dr. King Schultz
Played by: Christoph Waltz
Schultz is the one that frees Django and offers him a better life by helping Schultz as a bountyhunter. In return he will help Django find his wife. Schultz is a loyal man, with a strange sence of humor and he can outsmart anyone.

Calvin Candie
Played by: Leonardo DiCaprio
Calvin Candie is the owner of Candyland and he's the one that has Broomhilda in his possession. Although he is a very charming man, Candie is very brutal and relentless. He's a fan of Mandigo fighting, which forces two men two fight each other to the death.

Broomhilda Von Shaft
Played by: Kerry Washington
Broomhilda is Django's wife and she lives with Candie and works for him. She is obedient, because she has no choice. She wants to survive so she can reunite with her husband someday.

Stephen
Played by: Samuel L. Jackson
Stephen works for Candie and is the worst of them all. He's a snitch en extremely cruel. Although he's black himself, he can act like a racist toward fellow black people.

Favorite Character: Dr. King Schultz

The Many Faces of... Leonardo DiCaprio

Leonardo DiCaprio is an actor that started out as a kid, did a sucky movie like "Titanic" and then only choose the good movies. He did some fantastic films and here are some of he different looks he had in those films.

Face # 1: What's Eating Gilbert Grape
Role: Arnie Grape
Comment: He is mentally challenged, so looking good wasn't part of the role.
Rating: 2/ 5

Face # 2: The Quick and the Dead
Role: Kid
Comment: The boyish looks already!
Rating: 3/ 5

Face # 3: Romeo + Juliet
Role: Romeo
Comment: Leonardo wasn't a real dude when he was younger, but so many girls (indeed girls) where in love with this 'boy'.
Rating: 2/ 5

Face # 4: Titanic
Role: Jack Dawson
Comment: I don't get it. Why did every love this look so much?
Rating: 2/ 5

Face # 5: The Beach
Role: Richard
Comment: Still not completely the Leonardo I like.
Rating: 3/ 5

Face # 6: Gangs of New York
Role; Amsterdam Vallon
Comment: This is where his movies, roles and looks got better.
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Face # 7: Catch Me If You Can
Role: Frank Abagnale Jr.
Comment: "Fly me to the moon..."
Rating: 4/ 5

Face # 8: The Aviator
Role: Howard Hughes
Comment: A bit slick, but mighty mighty fine.
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Face # 9: The Departed
Role: Billy
Comment: This is the Leo I like.
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 11: Blood Diamond
Role: Danny Archer
Comment: My favorite look.
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 11: Body of Lies
Role: Roger Ferris
Comment: Cool!
Rating: 3, 5/ 5

Face # 12: Revolutionary Road
Role: Frank Wheeler
Comment: Is it because he's working with Kate Winslet again that he looks like he's twelve years old? Too boyish again.
Rating: 2,5/ 5

Face # 13: Shutter Island
Role: Teddy Daniels
Comment: Why so serious?
Rating: 4,5 /5

Face # 14: Inception
Role: Cobb
Comment: I'm just wondering... does this guy ever smile?
Rating: 5/ 5

Face # 15: J. Edgar
Role: J. Edgar Hoover
Comment: He looks like J. Edgar Hoover... oh that's right... ;)
Rating: 3/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Actors in Their 30's

I did a top 5 with actresses under 30. There aren't a lot of actors under 30 that I like, so I decided to make a list of actors who are already in their 30's. Here they are.

5. Leonardo DiCaprio
I didn’t get the hype around him when he starred in “Titanic” because I absolutely dispise that movie. I’m glad he decided to make more movies, because they got better. “Blood Diamond”, “The Departed”, “Catch Me If You Can”, “Gangs of New York”, “The Aviator”, “Shutter Island” and of course “Inception”. All fantastic movies!

4. Ryan Gosling
Ryan Gosling stole my heart in “The Notebook” and continued on starring in great movies. Ryan is an actor who choses his projects very carefully, never the blockbusters. He was subleme in “Half Nelson” and “Lars and the Real Girl” and Anthony Hopkins didn’t overshadow him in “Fracture”.

3. James Franco
I think I stated my love for James Franco more than once and that wasn’t only for his looks. I think James is extremely talented and not an actor who gets typecasted. He challenges himself by not taking on the standard roles. His performance in “127 Hours” was one of the best I’ve ever seen and I was so mad that the Academy gave the award to Colin Firth. I also loved him in “Milk” and “James Dean”.

2. Heath Ledger
It is so sad he isn’t with us anymore, but Heath Ledger was one fine actor. My favorite role was when he played Ennis Del Mar in “Brokeback Mountain”. Oh how I love that film. And off course he is brilliant as the Joker in “The Dark Knight”. And he was honored for that with an Oscar.

1. Christian Bale
Christian Bale started as a childstar, but luckily for us that was just the beginning of a fantastic career. I was so impressed with him already when I saw “Empire of the Sun”, but boy did he shine in “American Psycho”, “The Prestige”, “Rescue Dawn” and “The Machinist”. In 2011 he finally got credit for his work and won an Academy Award for his role in “The Fighter”.

They almost made the top 5: Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal

In the Picture: The Characters from "Inception"

"Inception" blew my mind when I first saw it. Such a visual treat! That and its story are the most interesting parts of the film, but their characters are also worth looking in to. Here they are.

Dom Cobb
Played by: Leonardo DiCaprio
Cobb is “The Extractor” and is a master in the art of extraction. That means he infiltrates dreams and steals valuable information from them. He is a wanted man, because they think he killed his wife. Cobb doesn’t design dreams anymore, because his late wife appears in those dreams.

Arthur
Played by: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Arthur is Cobb’s right-hand and is also called “The Point Man”. He takes care of the details, does the research and makes sure everything goes according to plan. Arthur finds his job fascinating and he is very organized, but can also be very skeptical. Cobb can always rely on him.

Ariadne
Played by: Ellen Page
Ariadne is a college graduate student and hired by Cobb as “The Architect”. She manufactures the world of the dreams. Although Ariadne sees the danger of the job, her curiousity won. She was unable to pull away from an unique opportunity like this. Ariadne is extremely creative and a fast learner.

Eames
Played by: Tom Hardy
Eames is “The Forger”. He can project the image of anyone. Eames is a smooth talker and somewhat of a prankster. There is a friendly rivalry between him and Arthur. Eames is interested in finding out what people keep locked in their minds.

Saito
Played by: Ken Watanabe
Saito is known as “The Tourist”. He is a powerfull and wealthy business man. He offers Cobb the job with a valuable reward. Saito accompanies Cobb and his team on the job he hired them to do and he comes in handy.

Yusuf
Played by: Dileep Rao
Yusuf is “The Chemist” and helps the team to find the perfect sedative that gets them to the dreamworld. He maintains a cool and collected attitude when within his own comfort zone, but he has the least experience in shared dreaming.

Robert Fisher
Played by: Cillian Murphy
Robert Fisher is known as “The Mark” and the main target of Cobb and his team. His father is on his death bed and he never had a close relationship with him. Robert is very rich and he can be very calm in stressed situations.

Mal
Played by: Marion Cotillard
Mal is Cobb’s late wife and she’s know as “The Shade”. Mal killed herself after believing her dreamworld was reality. She is frequently seen in Cobb's dreams as a projection of his subconscious.

Favorite Character: Arthur