10s Movie Review - Apostle

Director: Gareth Evans
Genre: Thriller/ Horror
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Dan Stevens, Richard Elfyn, Michael Sheen, Paul Higgins, Lucy Boynton

Description: In 1905, a drifter (Dan Stevens) on a dangerous mission to rescue his kidnapped sister tangles with a sinister religious cult on an isolated island.
 
Review: Broken Thomas is sent out to retrieve his kidnapped sister from the clutches of a solitary cult. Arriving on the island where the members worship a pagan Goddess, it soon becomes clear tat worshipping other Gods can turn out to be quite wrong.

“Apostle” is a Netflix Original and is a film in the ‘folk horror’ genre. The arrival of a righteous man in a world where everything he believes in turns out to be different seems to directly copy the beginning of “The Wicker Man”, and it gives of those vibes too. But other than this similarity, “Apostle” develops and it becomes a haunting film with its own story and with a style of its own.

Dan Stevens plays the lead role of Thomas, a man who has lost his faith in very painful ways. Michael Sheen plays the prophet Malcolm. Both really good in their roles.

“Apostle” is a solid, suspenseful and at times an unexpectedly gory horror film, with excellent acting. Fairly unknown, but worth watching if you’re a horror fan.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - Midnight in Paris

Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Fantasy
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody, Michael Sheen, Kathy Bates, Carla Bruni, Tom Hiddleston, Alison Pill, Léa Seydoux, Corey Stoll, Kurt Fuller, Gad Elmaleh, Mimi Kennedy

Description: While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, nostalgic screenwriter Gil (Owen Wilson) finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.

Review: Gil Pender, from Pasadena, may be a successful scriptwriter in Hollywood, but he really wants to be an author of novels. His ambition is big and he wants to get inspiration. Together with his fiancée he travels to Paris.
Gil is a romantic. When clouds gather up above Paris, he takes the opportunity to wander the streets of Paris in the rain. While fiancée Inez and his mother in law open an umbrella. Owen Wilson is perfect for the role of Gil. There is something about that permanent nostalgic amazement of his, like he sees something we don’t see. Wilson drags us into that experience of his. He is also surrounded by an amazing cast, like Rachel McAdams as Inez and Marion Cotillard as Adriana. Two completely different women, who mess with Gil’s head. Or what about Michael Sheen as know it all Paul, who is really obnoxious. Kathy Bates does a wonderful job as Getrude Stein and Corey Stoll is fantastic as Ernest Hemmingway.
Director Woody Allen uses the power of the human desire for the past. “Midnight in Paris” shows the city of Paris at its best and it’s a magical story. I fell in love with this movie and it has become one of my all-time favorites.

Rating: 5/ 5 

Movie Reviews - Slaughterhouse Rulez

Director: Crispian Mills
Genre: Horror/ Comedy
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Michael Sheen, Margot Robbie, Finn Cole, Hermione Corfield

Description: An illustrious Britisch boarding school becomes a bloody battleground when a mysterious sinkhole appears at a nearby fracking site unleashing unspeakable horror.

Review: Slaughterhouse is an elite boarding school. Boys and girls are prepared for greatness. The old and structured school is about to be confronted with something they could ever be prepare for, when a giant sinkhole appears nearby and unspeakable evil is unleashed.
I think the main reason for most people to watch this film, is that it stars Nick Frost and Simon Pegg and it’s a horror comedy. Sadly enough the two share only one scene together and both don’t have a leading role. But, the scene with them in it, are the best. Pegg and Frost lift the film to a higher level.
The first act is an introduction to the main characters and a build-up to the disaster that is going to happen. And when it all turns to shit, that’s when this film gets funny. And gory, but that’s what I love most about horror comedies.
If the main characters were as fun and interesting as Pegg and Frost’s characters, this film would have been much better. Now it’s still real fun, but they underused their best players.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Passengers

Director: Morten Tyldum
Genre: Drama/ Science Fiction/ Romance/ Fantasy
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Andy Garcia

Description: A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers are awakened 90 years early.

Review: There are always those film projects, that take a long time to make. “Passengers” has been waiting on the shelves, when it was eventually picked up to be directed by Morten Tyldum.

The film starts with an introduction to the Avalon, a spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people in order to start a new civilization. The people are all in hibernation. As a malfunction, two of the passengers wake up 90 years early.
The first act of the film is the most impressive. It sets an intriguing atmosphere. We meet Jim and Aurora and how they are trying to deal with the fact that they woke up 90 years too early. How they explore the ship. Especially Chris Pratt gets a lot of room to develop his character. And the opening also has amazing special effects. After the first plot twist, it all fades a little bit.
There is supposed to be an emotion spectrum. Themes like loneliness and romance have a lot of potential here. But Jim and especially Aurora are a bit too superficial as characters to make this combination of drama and romance work to the fullest. And although Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence are two of the most beloved actors working today, the two don’t have the on screen chemistry we were all hoping for. Pratt’s character gets a bit more substance, because of his solo scenes at the start of the film. But Lawrence’s character misses that. They perform great, very solid, don’t get me wrong. But I expected them to be better together.
On paper, “Passengers” had everything to become a hit. The fantastic actors, the visuals and an interesting story. It all feels a bit mediocre, pretty predictable and without the chemistry we hoped for. A fun popcorn film, certainly not bad, but it could have been so much more.

Rating: 3 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 168: Nocturnal Animals

Director: Tom Ford
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon, Isla Fisher, Laura Linney, Armie Hammer, Michael Sheen, Andrea Riseborough

Description: An art gallery owner (Amy Adams) is haunted by her ex-husband's (Jake Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a veiled threat and a symbolic revenge tale.

Review: Fashion designer Tom Ford proved with his film debut, “A Single Man”, that he isn’t only good with a needle and a sketchbook. The film was a masterpiece, not only from esthetic perspective. But also the themes and the characters were delicate and had depth. Ford took his time to direct his second film. “Nocturnal Animals” also focusses on relationships, regret and nostalgia to old romance. But it’s completely different movie.
At first sight it looks like art gallery owner Susan Morrow has it all. A good job, a beautiful house and a loving and handsome husband. But nothing is as it seems. Financially she isn’t doing well and she is estranged from her husband Hutton, who cheats on her while on a business trip. When Susan gets a message from her ex-husband Edward and he sends her a manuscript of his novel, she starts looking back on the life she once had. Susan left Edward for Hutton and hasn’t seen him in nineteen years. In Edwards’book, he tells the story of Tony Hastings and his family who are harassed by a group of criminials, while on the road. While Susan reads this story, she remember the life she had with Edward.
The story lines couldn’t be any different, but also have an emotional connection. Susan’s is more introvert and has a lot of thought in it. While Tony’s is extravert and explicit. Surprisingly enough, there is a perfect balance between those storylines. Tony is on a mission and has to find peace, while Susan has urges and desire but doesn’t show it.
Again Tom Ford manages to tell an esthetic story, but also enters the soul of the characters and the audience. Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal (the last has a double role) are both very strong in “Nocturnal Animals”. Michael Shannon is also worth mentioning. Aaron Taylory-Johnson plays one of the worst characters I’ve seen in a long time, what a terrible person. Great performance as well.
“Nocturnal Animals” is a film that gets under your skin.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Favorites: Midnight in Paris

Synopsis: Gil (Owen Wilson) and Inez (Rachel McAdams) travel to Paris as a tag-along vacation on her parents' business trip. Gil is a successful Hollywood writer but is struggling on his first novel. He falls in love with the city and thinks they should move there after they get married, but Inez does not share his romantic notions of the city or the idea that the 1920s was the golden age. When Inez goes off dancing with her friends, Gil takes a walk at midnight and discovers what could be the ultimate source of inspiration for writing. Gil's daily walks at midnight in Paris could take him closer to the heart of the city but further from the woman he's about to marry.

Unique Selling Point: The movie is magical, I fell in love with it right away. It manages to show Paris in the most beautiful way possible. And the perfect leading man was chosen for the role of Gil Pender: Owen Wilson.

Most Valuable Player: Director Woody Allen. His unique way of telling a story, and showing the beauty of a beloved city, worked really well.

Best Moment: At the end, when Gil sees Gabrielle again. He tells her that he’s going to stay in Paris and Gil invites her for a cup of coffee. It starts to rain. Gabrielle tells Gil she doesn’t mind getting wet and that Paris is at its best when it’s raining.

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

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 52: Admission

Director: Paul Weitz
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Tina Fey, Paul Rudd, Lily Tomlin, Michael Sheen, Wallace Shawn

Description: Portia Nathan (Tina Fey) is a Princeton admissions officer who is up for a major promotion. She takes a professional risk after she meets a college-bound alternative school kid who just might be the son she gave up years ago in a secret adoption.

Review: Two of Hollywoods favorite comedy stars are joined together in “Admission”. Fey plays Portia Nathan, an admissions officer at Princeton, who is an absolute control freak. Rudd is teacher John Halsey, who’s school is visited by Portia.
Tina Fey is known for her amazing humoristic timing and her great comedic ideas. And Paul Rudd is someone very often seen in Judd Apatow movies and he knows how to win over a crowd. Both actors are holding back in this movie, it could have been a lot better. The story isn’t the flaw, because that’s just fine. There aren’t a lot of jokes, the romantic storyline is very bland and the melodramatic touch is just minimal.
“Admission” isn’t a movie that I will remember for a very long time, it’s very average. Maybe they should give Fey and Rudd another chance, because they both have the potential to make a great comedy together.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Quotables: "Midnight in Paris"

I stated my love for this movie many times already. I’m actually in love with this movie, as much as I’m in love with Paris. It’s just a brilliant concept, with a loveable leading man played by Owen Wilson. And full of memorable quotes, that I am going to share with you today in this item.



Inez: You're in love with a fantasy.
Gil: I'm in love with you.

Inez: You always take the side of the help. That's why Daddy says you're a communist.

Ernest Hemingway: No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest, and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure.

Gil: They are your friends and I have to admit I'm not quite as taken with them as you are.

Gil: I would like you to read my novel and get your opinion.
Ernest Hemingway: I hate it.
Gil: You haven't even read it yet.
Ernest Hemingway: If it's bad, I'll hate it. If it's good, then I'll be envious and hate it even more. You don't want the opinion of another writer.

Ernest Hemingway: Picasso only thinks that women are to sleep with, or to paint.

Gil: You know how I think better in the shower, get all those positive ions flowing.

Gil: That's what the present is. It's a little unsatisfying because life is unsatisfying.

Gertrude Stein: The artist's job is not to succumb to despair but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.

Ernest Hemingway: I believe that love that is true and real, creates a respite from death. All cowardice comes from not loving or not loving well, which is the same thing. And then the man who is brave and true looks death squarely in the face, like some rhino-hunters I know or Belmonte, who is truly brave... It is because they make love with sufficient passion, to push death out of their minds... until it returns, as it does, to all men... and then you must make really good love again.

Helen: We saw a wonderfully funny American film last night.
Inez: Who was in it?
Helen: Oh, I don't know. I forget the name.
Gil: Wonderful but forgettable. It sounds like a film I've seen. I probably wrote it.

Movie Moments: "Midnight in Paris"

I love the city of Paris and I'm madly in love with this Woody Allen movie. Love everything about it. Here are my favorite moments from "Midnight in Paris".

Moment # 1: Opening
We see all the beautiful places in Paris, by day and by night, with sunshine and rain.

Moment # 2: In love with a fantasy
Gil tells Inez how much he loves Paris, how he would want to live here someday. He loves Paris especially in the twenties and when it’s raining. Inez doesn’t understand why Gil loves Paris so much and tells him he’s in love with a fantasy. Gil tells Inez he’s in love with her.

Moment # 3: Arguing with the guide
Gil, Inez, Paul and Carol are listening to a guide who’s telling a story about Rodin.’Inez is fascinated about how much Paul knows. Paul thinks he knows more about Rodin, but the guide correct him. Paul doesn’t agree with the guide and starts arguing with her. Gil backs the guide up and tells Paul she’s right. When he does, Inez isn’t paying attention anymore.

Moment # 4: Gill gets lost
Gil decides to stroll Paris by night, all by himself, but gets lost. All of a sudden a car passes by and the passengers want him to come with them.

Moment # 5: The Fitzgeralds
Gil meets Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. The actual Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald. Gil realizes that he's now in 1920’s Paris.

Momemt # 6: Ernest Hemmingway
Gil meets writer Ernest Hemmingway, one of his idols. He asks Hemmingway if he wants to read his novel, but he won’t. He does want Gil to meet Gertrude Stein.

Moment # 7: Adriana
Gil meets Adriana, Picasso’s mistress. He’s speechless when he first sees her and Adriana loves Gil’s writing. They immediately hit it of and start a conversation.

Moment # 8: Gil’s view on Picasso
Inez and Gil are attending an art exhibit with Paul and Carol. Again Paul is showing of his knowledge and starts talking about a Picasso painting. Gil saw that exact painting the night before, when he met Picasso and tells them the real story behind it. It shuts them all up.

Moment # 9: Salvador Dali
Gil meets painter Salvador Dali. He starts talking about a rhinoceros and how he could paint Gil with a melting lip. Gil starts telling him about Inez, that he’s not sure if he loves her or not. And about Adriana, how fantastic she is.

Moment # 10: Gil kisses Adriana
While taking a walk at night, Gil kisses Adriana. He gives her earrings, which she loves and then they take a carriage ride.

Moment # 11: Inez cheated on Gil
Hemmingway read Gil’s novel and he doesn’t understand why the leading character doesn’t see that his fiancées is cheating on him. This makes Gil think about Inez and Paul. He ask Inez and she denies it. Later she admits to have spend a couple of nights with Paul, but Gil just has to get over it. Gil doesn’t want to go back to America with her and decides to stay in Paris.

Moment # 12: Paris in the rain
Gil encounters the girl he met before, when he was listening to a Cole Porter record. He tells the girl, who is named Gabrielle, that he has decided to stay in Paris. When he wants to take her out for a cup of coffee, it starts raining. Gabrielle tells Gil she doesn’t mind getting wet and that Paris is at its best when it’s raining.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 12: Paris in the rain