10s Movie Review - A Bigger Splash

Director: Luca Guadagnino
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes, Matthias Schoenaerts, Dakota Johnson

Description: The vacation of a famous rock star (Tilda Swinton) and her boyfriend (Matthias Schoenaerts) in Italy is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend (Ralph Fiennes) and his daughter (Dakota Johnson)

Review: Celebrity couple Marianne and Paul seem to only need each other. Marianne is a famous rock star and Paul is a documentary film maker and they are enjoying their carefree vacation in a villa in Pantelleria, Italy. Their days are filled with sunshine, sex, good food and swimming. Their tranquility is disturbed by the unexpected arrival of an old friend, Harry, a flamboyant, screaming and unbridled music producer who immediately claims all their space and attention. He also brought his 22-year-old daughter Penelope, whom he met only a year ago.
“A Bigger Splash” is inspired by “La Piscine” by Jacques Deray, which was an erotic cult hit from the sixties. Sicilian director Luca Guadagnino follows the moods and atmosphere of this film, but turns his film into something far more interesting. “A Bigger Splash” goes deeper: with the characters, who are all layered, and the underlying psychology of these four people.
The way “A Bigger Splash” is filmed is stunning: the lighting, framing, movements, montage, locations, wardrobes. It all looks beautiful. Although it’s mostly very subtle, the film has something bold and obstinate. Along the way more (sexual) tension and drama enters their lives.
Tilda Swinton and Matthias Schoenaerts are both very good, but it’s Ralph Fiennes who stands out and steals the show. It is in fact one of his best roles to date. As Harry, he manages to be both unbearable and irresistible.
“A Bigger Splash’’ is funny, sad, melancholic and sensual. A very good and beautiful looking film.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Reviews - Red Sparrow

Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Ciarán Hinds, Joely Richardson, Bill Camp, Jeremy Irons, Thekla Reuten, Mary-Louise Parker

Description: Ballerina Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is recruited to 'Sparrow School,' a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. Her first mission, targeting a C.I.A. agent (Joel Edgerton), threatens to unravel the security of both nations.

Review: “Red Sparrow” is an old school spy story, filled with betrayal, twists and strange accents. The film is almost completely set in Russia and Eastern Europe, but all characters are portrayed by non-Russians taking on a Russian accent. It doesn’t have the nuance of a John Le Carré film, but it’s a simplistic and entertaining spy thriller.
Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova, a promising ballet dancer who is part of the Bolsjoi ballet. She has lived for dancing all her life, but due to a certain turn of events, has to end her career. Manipulated by her uncle Vanya Egorov, she starts working for him. He is an important man working for the SVR, the Russian CIA. Dominika is trained to become a Sparrow, special spies who use their bodies as a weapon.
“Red Sparrow” is an interesting spy thriller, that has more to offer than some cheesy and cliché twists or typical spy operations filled with betrayal and lies. But it doesn’t have the substance that movies like “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” have.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - The Loft

Director: Eric van Looy
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Karl Urban, James Marsden, Wentworth Miller, Eric Stonestreet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Isabel Lucas, Rhona Mitra, Rachael Taylor

Description: Five married guys conspire to secretly share a penthouse loft in the city--a place where they can carry out hidden affairs and indulge in their deepest fantasies. But the fantasy becomes a nightmare when they discover the dead body of an unknown woman in the loft, and they realize one of the group must be involved.

Review: Director Eric van Looy made “Loft” in 2008, a Belgian film. A very strong thriller. The Dutch made their own version, also good for Dutch standards. Then Van Looy decided to remake his own film in Hollywood. Sadly this is the least one of the three.
The story is the same. Five married men decide to share a penthouse loft in the city. They can use it whenever they want, for their deepest fantasies. But when a dead body is discovered there, their bubble pops. And since there were only five keys made, all five men are suspects.
How is it possible that this doesn’t succeed? The script is the same, the director is the same and it has some really strong actors. Some of the dialogue was rewritten and exchanged some of the jokes. This brings it one level down, because it’s pretty juvenile humor. But it’s also the cast that brings this film down. Eric Stonestreet, whom I love in “Modern Family”, is miscast. He’s just not good as the rude and sexist Marty. Karl Urban, who can easily play a womanizer, plays his role so flat and one-dimensional. His character completely disappears. James Marsden is solid, but Wentworth Miller and Matthias Schoenarts (the last one was also in the original) did the best job and played their roles like they were intented.
The female cast is just ridiculous, no one noteworthy and all very forgettable.
It’s also very clear that Americans aren’t as explicit, because both the Belgian and Dutch version had an erotic edge which is completely missing here.
“The Loft” is a film you can probably skip when you have seen the Belgian and Dutch version, because they are both much better. Sad, because it could have been successful in Hollywood too.

Rating: 2 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 61: Loft

Director: Erik van Looy
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Koen De Bouw, Filip Peeters, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruno Vanden Broucke, Koen De Graeve, Veerle Baetens, Tine Reymer, An Miller, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Wine Dierickx, Maaike Cafmeyer, Marie Vinck, Jan Decleir, Gene Bervoets, Sara De Roo

Description: Five close friends, all of them married, share a loft to meet their mistresses. One day they find the body of a young woman in the loft. Since there are only five keys to the loft, the five men begin to suspect each other of murder.

Review: Vincent Stevens is an architect and the designer of a luxury apartment building. He gives his four friends a key to a loft, the perfect place for all the (married) men to meet their mistresses. When they find a dead women in the loft one day, their perfect little plan goes wrong.
Since there are only five keys, the men are suspecting each other. Is it smooth Vincent, bad boy Filip, rude Marnix, geeky Luc or the dreamer Chris? Or is someone else behind this?
The film is build up out of flashbacks and flash forwards. This way the puzzle slowly unravels and we see who the men really are. This works well, but the story goes on a bit too long.
The acting is okay, solid. The story is interesting and thrilling. The way it’s shot is maybe not my style, very fast.
“Loft” had a Dutch remake, which was pretty good. I haven’t seen the American remake yet, but people say I shouldn’t watch it. But the Belgian version of “Loft” is a solid thriller.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 131: The Danish Girl

Director: Tom Hooper
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Alicia Vikander, Eddie Redmayne, Amber Heard, Ben Wishaw, Matthias Schoenaerts, Sebastian Koch

Description: A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe (Eddie Redmayne) and Gerda Wegener (Alicia Vikander). Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Review: “The Danish Girl” starts in 1926, where we meet Einar and Gerda Wegener. Einar is a very successful painter, Gerda’s work isn’t as popular. When Gerda asks Einar to dress up as a woman, because her model is absent, it’s the beginning of a big change in their lives. Einar feels surprisingly comfortable in woman’s clothing. When the two plan on a joke, where Einar dresses up as a woman and pretending to be Lili, the long way from man to woman starts for Einar. He isn’t Einar anymore, he is Lili.
What I find conspicious is that the radical transformation hardly gets any social resistance. The film is set in the twenties/ thirties and this is a pretty shocking and groundbreaking action. It’s not very realistic. What we see is a melodramatic story where Lili struggles with her identity an Gerda stays by her side.
The actors make this movie good. Eddie Redmayne is really strong, but it’s Alicia Vikander that steals the show. She is sublime and manages to lift the film to a higher level. The chemistry between the two is very good.
The film looks fantastic, the ydillic shots of Denmark, the costumes, paintings and décor. But the movie is simply a melodramatic story with great actors.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 118: The Drop

Director: Michaël R. Roskam

Genre: Crime/ Drama

Runtime: 106 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, James Gandolfini, Matthias Schoenaerts, John Ortiz, Elizabeth Rodgiguez, Michael Aronoy, Morgan Spector, Michael Esper, Ross Bickell, James Frencheville, Tobias Segal, Patricia Squire, Ann Dowd, Chris Sullivan

Description: Bob Saginowski (Tom Hardy) finds himself at the center of a robbery gone awry and entwined in an investigation that digs deep into the neighborhood's past where friends, families, and foes all work together to make a living - no matter the cost.

Review: Again we had to say goodbye to a good actor. “The Drop” marks the last film for the in June 2013 diseased James Gandolfini. It’s a nice goodbye, because it’s a really good film.

The Belgian director Michaël R. Roskam got fame for his Oscar nominated debut “Rundskop”. “The Drop” is his first America movie. The term ‘drop bar’ means that criminals drop money at a bar, a so called bank for criminals. The bar’ Cousin Marv’s’ in Brooklyn is an example. Bob (Tom Hardy) and his cousin Marv (James Gandolfini) run it. Everything goes fine until a somewhat amateurish robbery takes place. Bob and Marv are held responsible for the stolen money and need to get it back.

A melancholic report from one of the many possible stories from the underworld of Brooklyn, that’s how “The Drop” can be described. Tom Hardy is a great actor and again shows that as the good guy Bob. It’s great how his character develops and how strong his performance is. James Gandolfini also does a great job. It’s not a very big role, but it’s memorable. Matthias Schoenarts is convincing as the dominant Erik and Noomi Rapace shines as well. A cast to die for.

That well written story also makes this movie good. The tempo is just right, not too fast, just the right buildup. “The Drop” is an overlooked film from 2014, that’s definitely a shame. It’s worth your time, because it’s a very good film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 99: Far From the Madding Crowd

Director: Thomas Vinterberg

Genre: Drama/ Romance

Runtime: 119 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts, Michael Sheen, Tom Sturridge, Juno Temple, Jessica Barden

Description: In Victorian England, the independent and headstrong Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) attracts three very different suitors: Gabriel Oak (Matthias Shoenaerts), a sheep farmer; Frank Troy (Tom Sturridge), a reckless Sergeant; and William Boldwood (Michael Sheen), a prosperous and mature bachelor.

Review: Danish director Thomas Vinterberg has made some great movies, like “Festen” and especially “Jagten”. Three years after the lather, Vinterberg takes a trip beyond the borders with “Far From the Madding Crowd”. He manages to create a good balance between classic and contemporary storytelling.

The movie, based on a novel by Thomas Hardy, centers young Bathsheba Everdene who constantly has doubts about her different lovers and her independence. In the very beginning of the film she is asked to marry to charming sheep farmer Gabriel Oak. He offers her a comfortable life, but decides to decline. Bathsheba doesn’t want to be anyone’s wife. Gabriel eventually loses his sheep and Bathsheba inherits a farm herself. When Gabriel helps Bathsheba to save her famr from a fire, she hires him. In the meantime Bathsheba gets the attention from the aristocratic widower Boldwood and the young soldier Francis Troy.

Although the plot sounds like your average soap opera, director Vinterberg and script writer David Nicholls do manage to make a good book to move adaptation. You see the differences between classes and the feministic character of Bathsheba. It’s great to see such a strong woman again in a costume drama, who chooses independence over the security of having a husband.

Vinterberg did make some big changes though. In Hardy’s book, he often lets certain situations be decided by faith. Like a wrongly send letter or missing a wedding. In the movie that’s not as present. And the crucial role of character Fanny Robin is also underused.

Even the small criticism make this a very good movie. The cinematography is good and also the acting by Carey Mulligan, Matthias Schoenaerts and especially Michael Sheen are worth watching “Far From the Madding Crowd”.

Rating: 4/ 5