Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (February 2014)

February was a great month, I saw some awesome films! Some of them actually made my favorites list. Here are the best movies I saw this month for my challenge.

5. Lincoln
A great biopic by master director Steven Spielberg. The length of the film doesn’t bother me and Daniel Day-Lewis is outstanding as Abraham Lincoln.

4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
I never thought I would eventually put this on my list. It was different from any other teen movie. This film has so many layers and fabulous acting as well. I should read the book too.

3. Rush
I didn’t think I would like it this much, because I’m not a Formula 1 fan. But Ron Howard, who is also one of my favourite directors, did an awesome job. He’s at his best when he tells someone’s true story. And fantastic acting by Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl.

2. Prisoners
A movie I only heard good things about, so I was pretty sure I was going to like it as well. Well, I loved it. So surprising and such great acting. And that ending…

1. 12 Years a Slave
I was looking forward to seeing this film for such a long time and it was worth every penny. What a fantastic film! It really grabbed me and if you don’t shed a tear, you’re not human.

They Almost Made the Top 5: End of Watch, The Lincoln Lawyer

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 32: Lincoln

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 151 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairns, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Tim Blake Nelson, Bruce McGill, Lee Pace, Jared Harris

Description: In 1865, as the American Civil War winds inexorably toward conclusion, U.S. president Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) endeavors to achieve passage of the landmark constitutional amendment which will forever ban slavery from the United States. However, his task is a race against time, for peace may come at any time, and if it comes before the amendment is passed, the returning southern states will stop it before it can become law.

Review: 1865, the United States of America has been tortured with a Civil War for already four years. President Lincoln wants to end it, but first he wants his 13th amendment to be approved by the congress. When it is approved it means that slavery will end. Steven Spielberg’s task was to bring the story of this beloved man to the big screen. Lincoln’s most important deed was ending slavery and that’s what this movie focusses on. No long introduction of the president’s life, we go directly to one of the most important moments of his career.
“Lincoln” is for a huge part about political developments, which can be confusing for the average viewer. Some difficult terms are used, together with a lot of characters. What Spielberg does best is building up the tension even though you already know how the story is going to end. With that you don’t even notice the two and a half hour duration of the film.
For the role of president Lincoln, Spielberg choose one of the best actors in Hollywood: Daniel Day-Lewis. He’s known for getting lost in his roles and he does that again with “Lincoln”. His performance is so intense that you forget that you’re watching an actor. Sally Field, who had to persuade Spielberg to give her the role, plays Lincoln’s wife. Her most impressive moment is when she is in an argument with Lincoln. Tommy Lee Jones steals the show with his supporting role as Thaddeus Stevens, whom I found the most likeable character of the film.
The movie looks fantastic, it’s been perfected with a great eye for detail. Lincolns office was an exact replica, including all the books that he had.
“Lincoln” is a beautiful historical drama, that focusses on one of the most important events in history. That Daniel Day-Lewis won an Academy Award for his role is more than deserved.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

DVD Collection Update (11)

Time for another DVD update. I bought some great new movies, some TV shows and a classic.

I'm really into Wes Anderson movies lately, I love his style and colorpalet. I wanted to see "Moonrise Kingdom" for a while, but it was pretty hard to find this movie. I already watched it, you can read a review on this blog. I loved it!

This movie really surprised me. I hardly ever buy movies where I doubt the opinion of reviewers. I didn't think "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" would be this good.

I saw "This is the End" in theatres with my brother. I knew I was going to like it, but it surprised my brother. He laughed really hard, just like me. So I just had to add this to my collection.

Remember last update, where I told you I asked for a DVD of "The Walking Dead" and my mom got me season 3 of "Waking the Dead". It was a happy accident, because I love the show and decided to buy the first two season as well. The show has 9 seasons, so I still have a lot of episodes to view.

When I first saw the trailer I wanted to see this in theatres no matter what. Well, I didn't... but now I own the DVD. Brad Pitt hunting zombies in "World War Z" sounds pretty amazing!

I was just talking to my brother the other day and I told him I hadn't seen "Ghostbusters" in a while. So when I saw the DVD in the store there was no doubt in my mind. I had to take it home with me.

I finally want to see why Daniel Day Lewis won an Oscar. "Lincoln" is going to be amazing, eventhough I haven't seen it before I know it beforehand.

And last I got season 8 of of "Supernatural". I really need my dose of Dean Winchester, because it feels like forever since I watched him in action.

Movie Trailer Sunday (52)

This weeks trailers are about three old buddies teaming up again, a couple taking care of two troubled children, Abraham Lincoln, a man taking the identity of his twin brother and a musical quartet.

Stand Up Guys
Description: Val (Al Pacino) is released from prison after serving twenty-eight years for refusing to give up one of his close criminal associates. His best friend Doc (Christopher Walken) is there to pick him up, and the two soon re-team with another old pal, Hirsch (Alan Arkin). Their bond is as strong as ever, and the three reflect on freedom lost and gained, loyalties ebbed and flowed, and days of glory gone by. And despite their age, their capacity for mayhem is still very much alive and well - bullets fly as they make a hilariously valiant effort to compensate for the decades of crime, drugs and sex they've missed. But one of the friends is keeping a dangerous secret- he's been put in an impossible quandary by a former mob boss, and his time to find an acceptable alternative is running out. As the sun rises on the guys' legendary reunion, their position becomes more and more desperate and they finally confront their past once and for all.
Director: Jon Amiel
Starring: Al Pacino, Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin
Trailer: Trailer "Stand Up Guys"

Mama
Description: Five years ago, sisters Victoria and Lilly vanished from their suburban neighborhood without a trace. Since then, their Uncle Lucas (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and his girlfriend, Annabel (Jessica Chastain), have been madly searching for them. But when, incredibly, the kids are found alive in a decrepit cabin, the couple wonders if the girls are the only guests they have welcomed into their home. As Annabel tries to introduce the children to a normal life, she grows convinced of an evil presence in their house. Are the sisters experiencing traumatic stress, or is a ghost coming to visit them? How did the broken girls survive those years all alone? As she answers these disturbing questions, the new mother will find that the whispers she hears at bedtime are coming from the lips of a deadly presence.
Director: Andres Muschietti
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Megan Charpentier, Isabelle Nellsse
Trailer: Trailer "Mama"
Comment: This looks freaky and scary.

Lincoln
Description: In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones
Trailer: Trailer "Lincoln"
Comment: Very excited about this film. The trailer gave me the chills, in a good way I mean.

Everybody Has a Plan
Description: Agustin (Mortensen) is, a man desperate to abandon what for him has become, after years of living in Buenos Aires, a very frustrating existence. After the death of his twin brother, Pedro, Agustin decides to start a new life, adopting the identity of his brother and returning to the mysterious region of the Delta, in the Tigre, where they lived when they were boys. However, shortly after his return, Agust�n will find himself unwillingly involved in the dangerous criminal world that was a part of his brother's life.
Director: Ana Piterbarg
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Soledad Villamil, Daniel Fanego, Javier Godino, Sofia Gala Castaglione
Trailer: Trailer "Everybody Has a Plan"
Comment: Looks fascinating

A Late Quartet
Description: We follow a beloved cellist (Christopher Walken) of a world-renowned string quartet who receives a life changing diagnosis, the group's future suddenly hangs in the balance: suppressed emotions, competing egos, and uncontrollable passions threaten to derail years of friendship and collaboration. As they are about to play their 25th anniversary concert, quite possibly their last, only their intimate bond and the power of music can preserve their legacy
Director: Yaron Zilberman
Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Jeremy Northam, Christopher Walken, Imogen Poots
Trailer: Trailer "A Late Quartet"
Comment: A good cast.