80s Movie Review - The Natural

Director: Barry Levinson
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 138 minutes
Year: 1984
Starring: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, Barbara Hershey, Robert Prosky, Richard Farnsworth, Michael Madsen

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR THE 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 13: A SPORTS MOVIE

Description: A middle-aged unknown (Robert Redford) comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.

Review: New York, 1939. Unknown baseball player Roy Hobbs arrives at The New York Knights. A professional baseball team that loses more than it wins. Sixteen years earlier, Roy was a talented pitcher on his way to a promising career. Because of an incident, Roy was long forgotten. Now he’s back, hoping to finally get the baseball career he always dreamed of.
Robert Redford is perfect for his role as Roy Hobbs. Same goes for Robert Duvall and Kim Basinger. The story is cleverly crafted. Many different genres are blended in the film. It’s not just a sports drama, but also has romance, comedy and crime in it. It also sits well with its portrayal of the American baseball culture and its depiction of pre-war America.
The movie is entertaining, but one thing bothered me. The 16-year hiatus that Roy has, is never fully explained and we are left with too many unanswered questions. And the ending was a bit too cliché and predictable. This film could be a lot better, if those two problems were solved. Overall, “The Natural” is still a sports film worth watching.

Rating: 3 / 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

90s Movie Review - Reservoir Dogs

Director: Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 1992
Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Chris Penn, Steve Buscemi, Lawrence Tierney, Quentin Tarantino, Edward Bunker, Randy Brooks, Kirk Baltz, Michael Sotile, Steve Wright, Rich Turner, David Steen , Tony Cosmo, Stevo Polyi

Description: After a simple jewelery heist goes terribly wrong, the surviving criminals begin to suspect that one of them is a police informant.

Review: When George Baker first saw “Reservoir Dogs”, he thought that he was dealing with another B-movie that used his song. After watching it a few times, the Dutch singer realized that “Little Green Bag” was used for a masterpiece.
The jury at the Sundance film festival also ignored the movie. The wrong choice off course, because “Reservoir Dogs” grew out to become a classic and Quentin Tarantino’s style has been copied many times ever since.
In “Reservoir Dogs” we’re not dealing with a very original story: a jewelry heist gone wrong. But the way it’s told is extraordinary. The movie opens with a scene where the criminals are having lunch and discuss trivial topics like Madonna songs and waitresses. It looks like a meaningless conversation that doesn’t have anything to do with the plot.
It’s scenes like this that make “Reservoir Dogs” special. They tell us two important things. First it’s clear that criminals who don’t know each other and are very different from each other, have a certain connection. Second and maybe the most important one, Tarantino shows us that crooks are also just regular people talking about everyday things.
The fact that “Reservoir Dogs” is told in a non-linear way also adds an extra dimension. Tarantino turns a fairly simple plot into a puzzle. Two years later he would do the same with “Pulp Fiction”.
Despite the flashbacks, the movie has a high tempo, but it’s not an action film. Tarantino is a director that mainly focusses on the characters, what they think, what music they like, what they talk about. And the actors execute it well. Harvey Keitel, Steve Buscemi, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, all great in their roles.
With “Reservoir Dogs” Tarantino introduces us to a new genre, that later became known as ‘nouvelle violence’. Because of this success, many directors tried to do the same. But no one managed to top Quentin Tarantino. “Reservoir Dogs” is one of my all-time favorites.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 216 - # 10: The Hateful Eight

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Genre: Drama/ Thriller

Runtime: 167 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, Bruce Dern, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Channing Tatum, Demian Bichir, Walton Goggins, Zoë Bell, James Parks

Description: In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

Review: “The Hateful Eight” is Quentin Tarantino’s eight film and his second official western. At the same time it’s a return to his first film from the nineties, with Samuel L. Jackson leading an ensemble cast and almost every scene takes place in one location.

Samuel L. Jackson and Kurt Russell are the leading men. They play two bounty hunters who are stuck in a snow storm somewhere in Wyoming. Russsel’s John Ruth delivers a life one, Daisy Domergue, who is going to be hanged, while Jackson’s Marquis Warren delivers his bounties dead. Because of the weather, they have to stop at Minnie’s Haberdashery. They are not the only guests there.

“The Hateful Eight” is one of Tarantino’s meanest films. Lots of racism and violence, which gives us both entertaining and uneasy moments. Tarantino’s dialogues are good as always and all the actors seem to enjoy being in the film.

“The Hateful Eight” is very violent and bloody, but when you’re familiar with Quentin Tarantino’s work it comes as no surprise. What makes it a bit different is that the film is not stuffed with pop songs or references to other movies. The music was composed by Ennio Morricone. This all makes it surprising.

The movie starts a bit slow, but be patient. It will get a lot better.

Tarantino used 70 mm film, something that hasn’t been used since 1996. It’s an unique, very wide format. The snowy landscapes and the interior of Minnie’s Haberdashery get an extra dimension. 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. the lighting is also warm and more subtle.

“The Hateful Eight” is a true show, with great dialogues and performances. It’s not one of his best, but still a very Tarantino like film for any Tarantino fan.

Rating: 4/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Villains

This week I picked the best movie villains. Characters that are just nasty, evil, sick and twisted. Here they are.

5. Hannibal Lecter (“The Silence of the Lambs”)
Hannibal Lecter is a charming and smart man and I think some people respect him somehow. But let's face it, he eats people, that's not very nice.

4. John Doe (“Seven”)
He kills people according to the seven deadly sins. Original and brilliant, but also pretty disturbing.

3. Hans Gruber (“Die Hard”)
Hans is a sophisticated villain with a sense of style. He is very polite for a bad guy, but maybe that’s why some people might underestimate him. You don’t want to mess with Hans Gruber.

2. Michael Myers (“Halloween”)
Always very coolly, slow walk, dark eyes and silent. He never says a word and that silent act makes him very scary.

1. Mr. Blonde (“Reservoir Dogs”)
The scene where he cuts that guys ear of and that poors it with gasoline. That's sick! Mr. Blonde, aka Vic Vega, wants to see his victims suffer before they actually die.

They almost made the top 5: Darth Vader (“Star Wars”), Freddy Krueger (“A Nightmare on Elmstreet”), Anton Chigurg (“No Country for Old Men”), Alex Forrest (“Fatal Attraction”), Tommy De Vito (“Goodfellas”), Jack Torrance (“The Shining”) and Elle Driver (“Kill Bill”)

In the Picture: The Characters from "Reservoir Dogs"

One of Quentin Tarantino's best movies and also one of my all-time favorites. And the characters are not the nicest people in the world, but thy are kinda awesome! Here they are.

Larry Dimmick aka Mr. White
Played by: Harvey Keittel
White is seen as the leader of the group, the most adult one. Sort of a father figure, especially when it comes to Mr.Orange. He’s a nice guy, though very tough and professional. His temper and stubborness could get in the way.

Freddy Newandyke aka Mr. Orange
Played by: Tim Roth
Orange is the rat. He infiltrates the group of criminals, so he can get to the truth and will eventually get the other dogs to jail. Orange developes a strong bond with White, who sees Orange as his son. The longer Orange is in the group, the harder it is for him to bring out the truth and to keep his identity hidden.

Vic Vega aka Mr. Blonde
Played by: Michael Madsen
Blonde is a cool stud-like guy. He has a dark and sarcastic sense of humor and can be very sadisitic. He acts cool on the outside but is a brutal and violent man on the inside. Blonde prefers to make his ‘victims’ suffer and die a terrible death, instead of just killing them. And he actually enjoys tormenting people, such as the cop Marvin Nash.

Mr. Pink
Played by: Steve Buscemi
Pink is street smart and maybe he’s even the smartest one of the dogs, eventhough he doesn’t look like it. He’s very strong with words and he’s always looking out for his best interest. Pink knows how to survive and he doesn’t think about others. Which could make him the person with the last laugh.

Joe Cabot
Played by: Lawrence Tierney
Joe is the boss and the mind behind the heist. He is all about business, nothing more and nothing less. He has known Mr. White, Mr.Blonde and Mr. Pink for quite some time. Joe trusts on his instinct, which is right most of the time.

Nice Guy Eddie
Played by: Chris Penn
Nice Guy Eddie is Joe’s son. He helped his father while setting up the heist, but he doesn’t get his hands dirty. He’s close to his father and to Mr. Blonde and is seen as the messenger between Joe and the dogs. It’s best to get on Eddie’s good side, because when it comes to instincts he’s much like his dad.

Mr. Brown
Played by: Quentin Tarantino
Brown can be seen as the most annoying dog in the group. He is very opinionated and has something to say about everything. But the one with the biggest mouth doesn't always have to be your strongest link.

Mr. Blue
Played by Eddie Bunker
Blue is the only dog we know literally nothing about. He is a quiet man and that’s also the way he leaves the story.



Favorite Character: Vic Vega aka Mr. Blonde

In the Picture: The Characters from "Kill Bill: Vol. 1+2"

Out of the two movies, the second one is actually in my top 10 of all-time favorites. The first one didn't make it, but is still very good. There are a lot of interesting characters in those movies, so I decided to take a look at them a little bit better,

Beatrix Kiddo aka Black Mamba aka The Bride
Played by: Uma Thurman
The Bride abandons her life as a hired assassin after finding out she's pregnant. She knows Bill is the father, but she doesn't want him to be a part of her baby's life. After the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad tried to kill her and murdered all the people at her wedding, she's determined to get revenge. She doesn't rest untill her final goal is reached, to kill all the squad members, especially Bill.

Bill aka Snake Charmer
Played by: David Carradine
He's the founder an leader of the squad. Bill is a man most people bow for and listen to, he has a natural sort of power over them. He is a cold killer, but he doesn't want to just murder people. Bill has class and he wants his opponents to die with class.

O-Ren Ishii aka Cottonmouth
Played by: Lucy Liu
O-Ren saw her parents brutally murdered when she was a little girl. That experience made her to the woman she is now. She's an excellent sniper and sword fighting is her expertise. O-Ren is very proud of her heritage and doesn't like it when people mess with it.

Vernita Green aka Copperhead
Played by: Vivica A. Fox
Vernita is specialized in hand-to-hand fighting and excellent with a knife. After taking part at the 'Two Pines Wedding Chapel Massacre' she is living a normal live under the alias of Jeanie Bell and has a daughter. Although she hates the Bride, and vice versa, the two have mutual respect for each others qualities.

Elle Driver aka California Mountain Snake
Played by: Daryl Hannah
Elle is also an excellent swordswoman. She's Bill's mistress and the only person she listens to. Elle and The Bride have always despized each other, even before the events at the Two Pines Wedding Chapel. Elle isn't always fair in her fights. The only thing that matters to her is winning it and making Bill a happy man.

Bud aka Sidewinder
Played by: Michael Madsen
He's Bill's degenerated brother and the only man other man in the squad. He lives in a mobile home, is an alcoholic and works as a bouncer in a strip club nobody visits. He is the only one to have single handedly defeated the bride and eventually he burried her alive. She got out of her grave and wasn't dead, but Bud didn't end up alive. It was Elle who killed Bud.

Favorite Character: The Bride