Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched For My Challenge (March 2017)

Here are my five favorite films that I watched for my challenge in the month of March.

5. Logan
Hugh Jackman’s last time as Wolverine and also his best performance as the character. It’s a more sober and serious film, with hints of humor, but it’s a fantastic superhero/ antihero story. I love “Logan”.

4. The Addams Family
How macabre and dark this comedy is! It’s not the most cheerful family, but somehow they are happy. And that makes me happy. Because I highly enjoyed this spooky bunch. “The Addams Family” is most definitely a film I will rewatch.

3. Me Before You
“Me Before You” is a movie that wasn’t very well received, but I loved it. Most of the times I can understand the criticism, but I somehow can’t this time. It’s such a fun and beautiful film and I loved Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin in it!

2. Kubo and the Two Strings
I’m a huge fan of stop motion, it shows all the hard work the people have put into the film. The story is original and it will speak to many people. It’s beyond me how “Kubo and the Two Strings” didn’t win an Academy Award for best animated picture.

1. The Artist
“The Artist” is a silent movie made in modern day. It’s an amazing film, that I loved from beginning ‘till end. I can understand why this film won an Academy Award.

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Addams Family Values, It’s a Wonderful Life, Star Trek Beyond

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 34: Logan

Director: James Mangold
Genre: Drama/ Action/ Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Dafne Keen, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant

Description: In the near future, a weary Logan (Hugh Jackman) cares for an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) in a hide out on the Mexican border. But Logan's attempts to hide from the world and his legacy are up-ended when a young mutant arrives, being pursued by dark forces.

Review: There aren’t a lot of Hollywood stars that stayed so true to their break through roles as Hugh Jackman. For “Logan” he portrays the role of Wolverine for the ninth time. For about seventeen years he carried this role, starting with “X-Men”. “Logan” takes the super out of superhero. Jackman plays Wolverine for the last time, and he was never better.
It’s 2029 and the world is not doing well. Logan is a broken man: he drinks, curses and doesn’t care about the world. He works as a limo driver and also takes care of Charles Xavier, who is old and ill. Logan himself isn’t in the best physical shape either. He doesn’t heal as quickly as he did before. They are the only mutants left, until they find a girl named Laura.
Wolverine has always been the rougher character in the X-Men series, but in “Logan” he is rougher than ever. Jackman gives his all here, it looks like he had to hold back in all the other films he played Wolverine in. The film is rated R. It’s explicit, raw, bloody and very violent. And it all looks fantastic. The choreography of the fight scenes is amazing.
Director James Mangold clearly doesn’t like the stereotypical superhero. In the previous film “The Wolverine” he showed that he had more affinity with the human side of Logan than his powers. In “Logan” that’s also the focus.
When Laura comes into Logan’s life, you expect it to be emotional. But the connection between the two never gets too sentimental. I loved “Logan”, it’s a fantastic film. My favorite X-Men film and a worthy good bye to Hugh Jackman as this iconic character.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: 2017 Movies I’m Looking Forward to

We are two months into the new year and a lot of great movies are ahead. And it looks promising. Here are the five films I’m looking forward to the most.

5. Kong: Skull Island
I really loved Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” and I enjoyed “Godzilla”. Gareth Edwards, who directed “Godzilla”, also firected “Kong: Skull Island” and that excited me the most. The trailer looks amazing and the cast is really good.

4. Beauty and the Beast
I have never been a fan of the Disney princess films, but “Beauty and the Beast” was different for me. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with this animated film and Belle was my hero. She was so far ahead of her time, intelligent, well read and kind hearted. When I finally saw the trailer for this live action film, my heart skipped a beat. It looks so good and so similar to the animation. I swear, if this film isn’t good I’m going to eat my shoe.

3. Logan
That trailer really got me, especially with the Johnny Cash song. It looks like a gritty and sober film and I’m seriously excited to see “Logan”. It looks better than all the other Wolverine spin-off movies.

2. A Cure For Wellness
It’s all so mysterious and creepy. It got my attention immediately. I really don’t want to know any details before I see the actual film.

1. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
“Guardians of the Galaxy” was such a huge surprise and it ended up being my favorite film of that year. So clearly I’m super excited for the sequel. All of our favorite Marvel heroes return to fight the galaxy. The trailer showed us amazing spectacle, humor and again an awesome soundtrack. Oh, and baby Groot.

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Zookeeper’s Wife, Life, The Circle, War for the Planet of the Apes, Alien: Covenant

Movie Trailer Sunday (264)

Here are this week's trailers.

Priceless
Director: Ben Smallbone
Description: A widower who loses custody of his daughter finds himself unable to hold down a job. He agrees to drive a truck across the country, no questions asked. But when he discovers what he is delivering, he is faced with a life-changing choice.
Starring: Joel Smallbone, Jim Parrack
Trailer: Trailer "Priceless"
Comment: Looks like a made for TV movie.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
Director: James Gunn
Description: Set to the backdrop of Awesome Mixtape #2, 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' continues the team's adventures as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's true parentage.
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Kurt Russell, Nathan Fillion, Glenn Close, Tommy Flanagan
Trailer: Trailer "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2"
Comment: OMG, Rocket and Baby Groot. They definitely saved the best for last for this teaser.

Logan
Director: James Mangold
Description: Set in the future, Logan and Professor Charles Xavier must cope with the loss of the X-Men when a corporation lead by Nathaniel Essex is destroying the world leaving it to destruction, with Logan's healing abilities slowly fading away and Xavier's Alzheimer's forcing him to forget. Logan must defeat Nathaniel Essex with the help of a young girl named Laura Kinney, a female clone of Wolverine.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Boyd Holbrook, Stephen Merchant, Richard E. Grant
Trailer: Trailer "Logan"
Comment: Deep stuff and a perfect choice of song for this trailer!

A Cure for Wellness
Director: Gore Verbinski
Description: An ambitious young executive is sent to retrieve his company's CEO from an idyllic but mysterious "wellness center" at a remote location in the Swiss Alps but soon suspects that the spa's miraculous treatments are not what they seem.
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth, Jason Isaacs
Trailer: Trailer "A Cure for Wellness"
Comment: This trailer looks pretty creepy and interesting.

Assassin's Creed
Director: Justin Kurzel
Description: When Callum Lynch explores the memories of his ancestor Aguilar and gains the skills of a Master Assassin, he discovers he is a descendant of the secret Assassins society.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson
Trailer: Trailer "Assassin's Creed"
Comment: Although I never played this videogame, I think I will watch this film.