Movie Review - The Mandalorian and Grogu

Director: Jon Favreau
Genre: Science Fiction/ Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Jeremy Allan White, Sigourney Weaver, Martin Scorcese, Steve Blum
 
Description: Once a lone bounty hunter, Mandalorian Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) and his apprentice Grogu embark on an exciting new Star Wars adventure.
 
Review: It’s always a dangerous thing to say, but when you have a most anticipated film of the year, it often doesn’t meet your expectations. Luckily “The Mandalorian and Grogu” did not disappoint and was the epic space adventure I was hoping for.
The film’s atmosphere is spot-on from the very first minute. Director Jon Favreau knows exactly what the fans want to see. You get stunning planets, epic battles, lots of action and many cute Grogu moments that will make you go “aaaw” constantly. The film is pure fun and entertainment for all ages. You don’t even need to have seen the series to follow the story.

The bond between Din Djarin and little Grogu is still the beating heart of the story. Grogu is cuter than ever. Thankfully, he still feels like a real character. His funny moments and his bond with Mando constantly put a smile on your face.

The action really pops off the big screen. The film really comes into its own, especially in an IMAX theater. Ludwig Göransson’s soundtrack is an absolute banger (not me immediately ordering the vinyl).  The music really amps up the energy during every action scene.

The film is great and everything I could have hoped for, but as a story, it sometimes feels more like a series of separate side missions than a cohesive story.

For fans of the “Star Wars” franchise and specifically the show “The Mandalorian”, this movie is a feast for the eyes. And I will definitely be rewatching this many times. Loved it!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Cape Fear

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 1991
Starring: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck

Description: A convicted rapist (Robert De Niro), released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer (Nick Nolte) who originally defended him.  
 
Review: This remake of the 1962 film of the same name was directed by none other than Martin Scorsese, who demonstrated for the first time that he could create an atmospheric thriller.

Max Cady is a convicted rapist, who is released after fourteen years. He starts stalking Sam Bowden and his family, because Bowden was his lawyer.

What makes this film so compelling is Robert De Niro’s extremely unsettling portrayal of Max Cady. He rightly deserved and Oscar nomination for his role as this psychopathic stalker, and this role is still considered one of his best to this day.

Scorsese himself was a big fan of the original and wanted to give it his own twist so that it wouldn’t resemble the original too closely. The result was certainly successful, as it contains many typical Scorsese aspects and he definitely gave it his own twist. The acting is great, the atmosphere is dark and grim, the story is well constructed and the final scene on the boat is really good.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Killers of the Flower Moon

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Crime/ Drama
Runtime: 206 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Leonaro DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemmons, John Lithgow, Brendan Fraser
 
Description: When oil is discovered in 1920s Oklahoma under Osage Nation land, the Osage people are murdered one by one, until the FBI steps in to unravel the mystery.

Review: As if it were not enough that white immigrants drove out to Native American population, another tragedy occurred during the Interbellum/ Inter War. Oil was found in the state of Oklahoma. Bad luck for the white ‘new’ Americans that this mostly took place on Osage Nation lang, the reservations of the native population. A cruel solutions was found for that, by murdering them for their wealth and oil rights.

Veteran director Martin Scorsese uses nearly three and a half hours to tell this story, based on a book by David Grann. I don’t think many people know of this story and it’s good that Scorsese shines a light on this tragic story. The discovery of oil increased prosperity among Osage tribe. Thus the roles reversed and the white people have to serve them for a change. But the white Americans are not all acceptant of this fact.

One of these people is war veteran Ernest Burkhart. He is flat broke and handicapped by a major abdominal injury, so he can’t do heavy physical work. He knocks on the door of his uncle William Hale, who prefers to be addressed by the nickname King. Hale helps Ernest get a job as a cab driver. One of his regular customers is mollie, from the Osage and she has oil money.. Hale convinces Ernest to marry Mollie. Meanwhile, he sets in motion a plan to eliminate Mollie’s relatives.

Scorsese takes considerable time and invests primarily in the relationship between Ernest and Mollie. She and her sisters also understand what Ernest is about. But their relationship with each other is difficult to put into a sentence. There is indeed mutual love, despite the strong unspoken distrust between the two. Ernest, a rock-solid role by Leonardo DiCaprio, allows himself to be hugely influenced by his uncle, but feigns complete control.

Robert De Niro plays William Hale, who is known in the small town of Fairfax as a benefactor. He gets schools and hospitals built, but in reality turns out to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. When stealing money and valuables no longer suffices, he does not shy away from more rigorous measures. In fact, Hale is a classic movie villain, but De Nito manages to put a lot of nuance and shades of gray into his character. Hale is a character that really existed.

Lily Galdstone, who plays Ernest’s wife Mollie, left a deep impression on me. She is a new to me actress and she stands tall between big names like DiCaprio and De Niro.

“Killers of the Flower moon” paints a period picture in an unparalleled way that also shines a different light on many other westerns. It combines drama and crime with historical evens such as the rise of the Ku Klux Klan and the creation of the FBI. Moreover, Scorsese’s camera team captures it beautifully. Over two hundred minutes seems very like, but time flies by. That’s when you know Scorsese did it again, he made yet another movie to proud of.

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

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

Top 5 Thursday: Movie-Making Cliques

There are lots of directors and actors that love working together so much, they often collaborate. And we don’t get sick and tired of it, because we know it works every time! Here are my favorites.

5. The Tim Burton Gang

Tim Burton always creates the most amazing sets and worlds in movies. When you are a bit crazy as a director, you need crazy actors, like Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter. They can easily adapt to Burton’s ideas.

 

4. The Apatow Gang

Judd Apatow is one of the better American comedy directors/ writers/ producers. His comedies are often raunchy, but not tasteless and almost every time memorable. He loves working with Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Jason Segel, Leslie Mann (off course), Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, James Franco, Jay Baruchel and Kristen Wiig.

 

3. The Scorsese Gang

Martin Scorsese worked with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci a lot in the past. Some of movie history’s best were made with these guys. Think of “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull”, “Goodfellas” and “Casino”. Later De Niro was exchanged for Leonardo DiCaprio. “The Departed”, “Gangs of New York”, “Shutter Island” and “The Aviator” were all great movies!

 

2. The Wes Anderson Gang

Wes Anderson’s movies are just a work of art, every single time. And you only want your best actors in there. Like Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Anjelica Huston, Willen Dafoe, Tilda Swinton and Edward Norton. And the list doesn’t even end here.

 

1. The Cornetto Gang

Do you think Edgar Wright knew he had found gold when he teamed up with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost for “Shaun of the Dead”? One of the best comedies ever. And then he made “Hot Fuzz” and “The World’s End”, which are also great, and one even better! It was meant to be a trilogy, but I just hope this isn’t the end of their collaboration. Other people often in these films are Bill Nighy, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall.

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Ben Stiller Gang, The Tarantino Gang, The Coen Brothers Gang