Movie Review - The Whisper Man

Director: James Ashcroft
Genre: Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 111 minutes
Year: 2026
Starring: Adam Scott, Michelle Monaghan, Robert De Niro, Hamish Linklater, Michael Keaton,
 
Description: A grieving father (Adam Scott) and his young son relocate to the quiet town of Featherbank, which was terrorized by a serial killer known as The Whisper Man 15 years earlier, while rumors circulate that Whisper man worked with an accomplice.
 
Review: With “The Whisper Man”, director James Ashcroft and his cast aim to create a chilling psychological thriller. The film succeeds in evoking an oppressive and gloomy atmosphere from the very first moment. Unfortunately, the production fails to sustain this carefully built tension until the end. The result is an entertaining but ultimately predictable thriller that ends up falling somewhere in the middle of the pack.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom decides to move with his young son Jake to the quiet town of Featherbank. They hope to make a fresh start there. However, for decades the town has been haunted by the shadow of a notorious serial  killer known as The Whisper Man. When another boy goes missing and Jake begins to hear strange voices by his bedroom window, it becomes painfully clear that the danger is far from over. Tom must do everything in his power to protect his son from an elusive evil.

“The Whisper man” excels in cinematography and atmosphere; the somber visuals and ominous soundtrack immediately get under your skin. A definite highlights is Michael Keaton’s strong, albeit small, role. He commands attention in every scene and brings much-needed depth to the story. Michaelle Monaghan is also very solid as detective Amanda Beck.

For the seasoned thriller fan, the plot is too predictable, which allowed me to correctly predict the culprit’s identity very early on in the story. This takes the edge off the final and makes the climax rather clichéd. It’s an atmospheric, easy-to-watch film, with a great performance by Michael Keaton, but without any real surprises. I still enjoyed it and would recommend it though.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

TV Show Review - The White Lotus (Season 3)

Season: 3
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2025
Starring: Walton Goggins, Amy Lou Wood, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook, Natasha Rothwell, Sam Rockwell

Description: As a new round of guests arrives at The White Lotus Thailand.
 
Review: In the third season of the satirical drama series “The White Lotus”, the once again messed-up yet fascinating hotel guests arrive at the beautiful resort, this time in Thailand.

The series starts off with the discovery of something that looks like a floating body in the water and the sound of gun shots. Then we go back in time, to a week before.

Like each season, showrunner Mike White chooses a new cast of characters and also a new theme. Season 1 was mostly about money, season 2 revolved around sex and the newest season focuses on religions and spirituality.

And with the characters, again, they are all over the place. We meet the cheerful and upbeat British Chelsea and her grumpy, older American boyfriend Rick. Then there is the Ratliff family, clearly affluent as they are dysfunctional. Father Timothy is a businessman who finds out he is in deep trouble at home. His wife Victoria is living her best life. And their three adult children argue as siblings do. Saxon is  an oversexed jerk who works for his father. Daughter Piper is eager to embrace her spirituality. And Lochlan, their youngest brother, feels like he doesn’t belong with his narcissistic, domineering relatives. Finally we meet the three girlfriends, in their forties, who know each other from school. Jaclyn is a famous actress and decided to take her friends Laurie and Kate with her on a holiday. But their friendship is filled with envy, gossip and jealousy.

The only character that we have already met before is Belinda, who was also in season 1 working at the White Lotus in Hawaii. She has arrived in Thailand to recover from burnout and broaden her knowledge. There is one other characters that we know from previous season, but I won’t spoil it for you.

I was invested in all the storylines and really felt like this season brought a lot of memorable characters. Especially Parker Posey as Victoria, with her Southern accent. Patrick Schwarzenegger as her oldest son Saxon, who probably goes through the biggest change of all the characters. And Chelsea, who won over all of our hearts probably, because of Amy Lou Wood’s great performance. Also worth mentioning is Carrie Coon, who broke us all with a perfect monologue in the final episode. Please give her an Emmy for that! And Jason Isaac, as Timothy, the father of the Ratliff family. He went though such an emotional rollercoaster, that had us all in a chokehold the entire season.

I really enjoyed the first two seasons, but I think season 3 is my favorite. That final episode was insane and was worth the wait.

00s Movie Review - Gone Baby Gone

Director: Ben Affleck
Genre: Drama/ Mystery/ Crime
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Amy Ryan, Titus Welliver, Amy Madigan, Michael Kenneth Williams

Description: Two Boston area detectives (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan) investigate a little girl’s kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.

Review: Is a bad deed justifiable if the consequence is ultimately good? What are good intentions worth if the consequences are bad? And what then is good and bad, and do those words have any meaning at all? Such questions arise when watching “Gone Baby Gone”, directed by Ben Affleck and based on the book by Dennis Lehane. Affleck created an engaging, intelligent film.

Private detective couple Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro are hired by Helene McCready’s sister-in-law to track down Helene’s missing four-year-old daughter Amanda. They discover that Helene has robbed a drug dealer and suspect that the drug dealer has something to do with Amanda’s abduction. An attempt to strike a bargain with the dealer and exchange the stolen money for the child goes horribly wrong.

Months later, Kenzie works another kidnapping case where he must find and free a missing boy from the hands of a pedophile. In the process, Patrick makes some decisions that are very difficult for him and also stumbles upon a secret that presents him with even more difficult decisions. The question is not so much whether he can make the right decision, but whether there are any at all in our modern society.

It was a good idea by Ben Affleck to keep the moral uncertainties that arise in a disrupted world without a clearly identifiable right or wrong. This keeps the story and a few plot twists interesting. I’ve always liked Ben Affleck more as a directed than an actor, so I’m happy he decided to cast his brother Casey Affleck for the lead role, instead of starrin in it himself. The younger Affleck is in my opinion the better actor of the two and he proves that in “Gone Baby Gone”. Helene McCready is played by Amy Ryan, who really shines in her role.

“Gone Baby Gone” is a really good crime mystery, that is engaging from start to finish. An overlooked film in my opinion, not many people seem to talk about it anymore.

Rating: 4,5 / 5

00s Movie Review - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Director: Shane Black
Genre: Crime/ Comedy/ Mystery
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2005
Starring: Robert Downey Jr. Val Kilmer, Michelle Monaghan, Corbin Bensen, Larry Miller, Rockmund Dunbar, Dash Mihok, Shannyn Sossamon

Description: After being mistaken for an actor, a New York thief (Robert Downey Jr.) is sent to Hollywood to train under a private eye (Val Kilmer) for a potential movie role, but the duo are thrown together with a struggling actress (Michelle Monaghan) into a murder mystery.

Review: Director Shane Black was inspired by the film noir genre and old detective novels that he read as a kid. This you can see in “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”. Before he started directing, he wrote scripts for movies like the “Lethal Weapon” series. 

Completely in the ‘40s and ‘50s style. Very early in the movie there are some unexplained deaths, the plot gets more complex and the climax is nothing you would ever think of. Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer are great, separate and together. Both combine their charisma and flair with energy and perfect comedic timing. 

Downey Jr. plays Harry Lockhart, a small time crook who accidentally gets a job as an actor. Because he has to play a detective, he spends time with private detective Perry von Shrike, also known as Gay Perry. The clumsy optimist Harry and cynical and experienced Perry are not the best duo, but this is a guarantee for great scenes and dialogues. The two get involved in two very complicated cases. Perry is constantly annoyed by Harry’s way of dealing with it all. 

The chapters are narrated by Downey Jr. and this fits the movie perfectly. This narrator has more control over the film however. Sometimes he will freeze a scene or rewind it and he is directly talking to us, the viewers. 

“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” is one of the best crime comedies ever made and especially the chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer is genius. A very promising and impressive directorial debut from Shane Black.

Rating: 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Unfaithful

Director: Adrian Lyne
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Romance
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Olivier Martinez, Michelle Monaghan, Chad Lowe

Description: A New York suburban couple’s (Richard Gere, Diane Lane) goes dangerously awry when the wife indulges in an adulterous fling.

Review: Edward Sumner and his wife Connie lead an exemplary life consisting of a good marriage, a beautiful house in one of the suburbs of New York and son Charlie.
When Connie bumps into a handsome Frenchman during a major windstorm while attempting to find a cab, her life changes abruptly. The man, Paul Martel, invites her to his apartment to treat her scraped knees after a fall. She becomes completely intrigued by Paul. At first she tries to resist the feelings but eventually she falls for the stranger. She invents all kinds of excuses to meet him. The inevitable happens: together they end up in a passionate affair. Eventually the deception takes its toll when Edward discovers what is going on, based on his feelings and little lies from Connie.
Director Adrian Lyne previously made high-profile films as “Fatal Attraction”, Indecent Proposal” and “9 ½ Weeks”. Despire the fact that these films may not the artistic masterpieces, they still managed to achieve reasonable commercial success. Partly due to the lack of innovation, this movie is not nearly as good as the aforementioned movies. The theme of the adulterous man or woman and the consequences for the environment does much less nowadays. The film never really wants to take on serious thriller-like forms and “Unfaithful” cannot be called excitingly erotic either. Therefore, the film, especially the first part of the film, ripples along a bit. The of the film eventually makes up for some of this.  
Richard Gere gives a reasonable performance as Edward, but Diane Lane is particularly convincing.  
“Unfaithful” is not a movie that I would rewatch, but it’s also not a terrible film. The length of the film doesn’t help here, it drags on a bit, especially at the start. But when the thriller elements enter the stage, the movie is a bit better and gets more exciting.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Reviews - Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 147 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, Alec Baldwin, Michelle Monaghan, Wes Bentley

Description: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.

Review: Seldom do movies in a series get better by each release. But for the Mission: Impossible franchise that is definitely the case. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is the sixth film in the franchise and the best so far!
“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” was directed by Christopher McQuarrie and he also directed the sixth installment. The stunts and action sequences are bigger, more dangerous and more spectacular. And in this case, bigger is better. Tom Cruise still does all of his own stunts and that fascinates me. It helps the authenticity of the action sequences and makes it look amazing.
And the fight scenes are also fantastic. Perfectly choreographed. The same goes for the chase scenes. It doesn’t matter if it’s with cars, motorcycles or helicopters, they are all memorable. And then that bombastic music in the background.
But “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is more than just an action packed spectacle. The story is strong and so are the characters. Twists, turns and surprises, all present like any spy themed film should have.
If you are a fan of the franchise, you shouldn’t miss this one. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is the best film in the series.

Rating: 5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 47: Pixels

Director: Chris Columbus
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Science Fictions
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad, Brian Cox, Sean Bean, Jane Krakowski, Dan Aykroyd, Ashley Benson

Description: When aliens misinterpret video feeds of classic arcade games as a declaration of war, they attack the Earth in the form of the video games.

Review: The promising future that Will Cooper predicted for his video game champion friend Sam Brenner didn’t really come true. The roles are actually reversed when they grow up. Sam has to wear an emberrasing orange outfit and installs audio and video equipement, while Will is the president of the United States (played by Kevin James, are you following me?). Being the president isn’t completely going smoothly either and you wonder how he ever got to be president. Their friendship started when they were still playing arcadegames like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Galaga. One day this love for video games comes in handy, when aliens attack earth with classic arcade games.
The first part of the film isn’t all that interesting. An introduction to the characters, that you never really care about. The fact that nerds are actually supercool isn’t that believable here, like for instance in “The Big Bang Theory”.
The second act of “Pixels” is a lot more entertaining. This is where all the videogames come to life and a group of videogame nerds fight them. The idea behind “Pixels” is as bizarre as it is interesting. That makes it extra sad that this film isn’t that great. “Pixels” is only fun the second half

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 7: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

Director: Brad Bird

Genre: Action

Runtime: 133 minutes

Year: 2011

Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton, Simon Pegg, Josh Holloway, Léa Seydoux, Michael Nyqvist, Tom Wilkinson, Ving Rhames, Michelle Monaghan

Description: The IMF is shut down when it's implicated in the bombing of the Kremlin, causing Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his new team to go rogue to clear their organization's name.

Review: A lot has changed. In the nineties Tom Cruise was a big star, but that star was not that bright anymore. Not a lot of great movies came on his path, but “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” should change all that. And it did.

The movies in the “Mission: Impossible” series were always successful and a hit at the box office. Brad Bird, known from his work at Pixar, decided to direct the fourth installment and with that “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” is his first non-animation.

Like the previous movies, it’s filled with exotic places, flashy gadgets and action. Simon Pegg Is given a bigger role, as the comic relief, which is very pleasant. Jeremy Renner is introduced in the series and also a great addition to the franchise. Michael Nyqvist is the villain, which he does well. But not as well as Philip Seymour Hoffman did in “M:I-3”. Paula Patton does a good job as agent Jane Carter. Off course I don’t have to tell you that Tom Cruise did good work as Ethan Hunt, because of him I’m more of a Hunt then a Bond fan. Cruise hasn’t lost it and this is the kind of movie and role you want to see him in.

The action is the highlight of the movie. Sometimes over the top, but such a pleasure to watch. The scene with Hunt climbing the tallest building of the worlds, was my favorite.

“Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” is a fantastic, thrilling action flick, even better than number three in the series.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 4: Mission: Impossible 3

Director: J.J. Abrams

Genre: Action/ Thriller

Runtime: 125 minutes

Year: 2006

Starring: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Keri Russell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Laurence Fishburne, Billy Crudup, Simon Pegg, Michelle Monaghan, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Maggie Q, Eddie Marsan

Description: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) comes face to face with a dangerous and sadistic arms dealer while trying to keep his identity secret in order to protect his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan).

Review: Ethan Hunt is sent on another mission. The task sounds simple: save one of their own after being held captive. But it’s a lot more complicated and it leads Hunt and his team to Germany, the Vatican, Virginia and Shanghai.

The raw but perfectly calculated action is probably the best thing about “Mission: Impossible 3”. The intrigues and the bond between Hunt and his team members Luther, Declan and Zhen are also very strong. I love the way how the team manages to outsmart everyone, by dodging cameras, blowing up Ferraris and disguising as their enemy. Hunt’s personal life is a little less interesting though.

Like the first two films, the cast is strong. Off course Tom Cruise and Ving Rhames do great. But Philip Seymour is very convincing as the bad guy. And Simon Pegg, who always manages to add cynicism and dry humor to his scenes.

“Mission: Impossible 3” is a great action thriller, a wonderful addition to the series.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Favorites: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Synopsis: Petty thief Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) poses as an actor and is brought to Los Angeles for an unlikely audition and finds himself in the middle of a murder investigation along with his high school dream girl (Michelle Monghan) and a detective (Val Kilmer) who's been training him for his upcoming role.

 

Unique Selling Point: The movie has a film noir feel to it, but with loads of dark humor. It’s sly and witty.

Most Valuable Player: Robert Downey Jr. was cast perfectly as Harry Lockhart and he nails every spike one-liner he gets.

Best Moment: While trying to get information from a suspect, Harry tries to scare him with his gun. He only puts one bullet in it. After not cooperating, Harry shoots but the first shot already contains the bullet, leaving Harry speachless and Perry mad because he just shot the only source of information. Harry trying to do the math on the odds makes it even more hilarious.

Movie Moments: "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"

As you know, I love Robert Downey Jr. He's just.... irresistible. "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" is one of his best (maybe even my favorite) and I decided to share with you my favorite moments of the film.

Moment # 1: The audition
Harry is running from the cops, because he was just caught stealing from a toystore. He flees into a room, where an audition finds place. Harry starts reading for the part and because he just lost his partner he gets really emotional. The casting directors are really impressed with him and next thing he knows, Harry is at a Hollywood party.

Moment # 2: Harry and Harmony meet
Harry goes to a bar, where he followed Harmony. They start talking and than Harmony asks him if Harry really didn't recognize her. They've known each other since they were kids. They start catching up on old times and telling each other what they've been doing.

Moment # 3: Stake out
To prepare for his role, Harry goes on a stake out with cop Perry von Shrike (Gay Perry). They see a car in the water and find a body of an unknown woman in it. Harry asks Perry if she's dead and Perry tells him with sarcasm that she's just taking a nap. In the mean time, Harry tosses Perry's gun in the lake, which was a present from his mom and now when the cops dredge the lake they will find Perry's gun and they will know that he was there. They start arguing and Perry tells Harry he's an idiot.

Moment # 4: Spider
Harmony just told Harry about her sister, how she was found dead in a hotelroom. When she goes to bed, Harry sees a spider slip into her bra and he's trying to grab it. Harmony wakes up and realizes that Harry tried to grab her brest. She doesn't believe Harry's spider-story, because he's affraid of spiders. When she sees one of the legs on her brest, she believes him.

Moment # 5: Harry pees on a dead body
After Harmony left, Harry goes to the toilet. While he's peeing, he finds the dead body from the lake in his bathroom. Because he's freaked out, he turns around and accidentaly pees on her.

Moment # 6: "Is that the body?"
After finding the body, Harry called Perry. When he arrives at Harry's hotelroom, he asks him if that's the body. Harry very seriously tells him: "No that's the other one".

Moment # 7: The kiss
While trying to get rid of the dead body, a police car drives by. Perry tells Harry to kiss him, so that the cops don't think they are doing anything criminal. When they finish, Harmony asks them what they were doing.

Moment # 8: The Finger
Harry visits Harmony, who is mad at him. She slams the door and when she opens it again she sees that Harry's finger was cut of.

Moment # 9: A dog eats Harry's finger
Harry's car was stolen why he was sleeping in the back seat. When he wakes up, he enters the house and puts his finger on ice. When he turns his back, a dog grabs the finger. Harry tries to get it back, but the dog eats the finger.

Moment # 10: "You slept with Chook Chutney"
Harry and Harmony get intimate and crawl into bed together. They start kissing, but first Harmony wants to tell him something. She slept with Harry's best friend Chook Chutney, something Harmony always promised she would never do. Harry kicks her out.

Moment # 11: Russian roulette
While trying to get information from a suspect, Harry tries to scare him with his gun. He only puts one bullet in it. After not coorperating, he shoots but the first shot already contains the bullet, leaving Harry speachless and Perry mad because he just shot the only source of information.

Moment # 12: Perry's faggot gun
Harry and Perry are taken captive and Harry's being electrocuted. Perry tries a different approach by telling the hostage taker that he's gay. He makes him extra mad and when he's trying to strike him, Perry shoots him with his so-called faggot gun. He shoots from his crotch and Harry is relieved that it's a gun, because he tought it was a gay thing.

Moment # 13: "Only when I dressed up like a beer bottle"
Perry asks Harry if his father loved him. Harry tells him "only when I dressed up like a beer bottle". Than they turn around because Perry sees a male nurse he likes.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 11: Russian roulette

Best of... Michelle Monaghan

For some reason, I like her. Michelle Monaghan. And she has been in a few very good movie and I actually own a couple of them. So here's a list of Michelle's best work.

"The Bourne Supremacy"
I love this whole series, but Michelle is only in the second installment. It's just a film that never gets boring and there's a nice blend between drama and action.

"Constantine"
She had an uncredited role, but she was in it so I can put it on this list. OK, it's not the best movie out there, but I like the darkness of it. This is one of those films you have to watch at night.

"Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"
I love this movie for so many reasons. Off course the cast, with Robert Downey Jr. leading it. He does something to me everytime he appears on screen. Val Kilmer as Gay Perry, who I think deserves his own movie. An Michelle with the beautiful name Harmony Faith Lane, who has fantastic chemistry with Downey Jr. It's sort of a comic film-noir and I can watch it over and over again.

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith"
Just a fun film, with again great chemistry. But here that is between Pitt and Jolie.

"North Country"
This is one of the most beautiful stories ever told. The men in this movie (most of them anyway) sicken me. How horrible they treat the women they work with. Charlize Theron is the big star and the real scenestealer, but Michelle holds up just right and has a solid role.

"Gone Baby Gone"
Again a great story. Great acting by Casey Affleck, Morgan Freeman, Amy Ryan and Michelle Monaghan. The ending is really good and I understand their dilemma. I seriously wouldn't know what would be the best thing to do. Probably the choice they made, wasn't the right one, although that's according to the rules. Great, great film.

"Eagle Eye"
A very exciting film, really entertaining. I don't think it's the most original movie, but I enjoyed watching it and it has a lot of tension in it. A good popcorn flick.

"Due Date"
I saw this in the cinema and I laughed so hard. Robert Downey Jr. together with Zach Galifianakis makes a great duo, and the dog Sonny. Some nice laughs, good humor and funny characters. I love the scene with the coffee.

I haven't seen "Source Code", they say it's really good. And I didn't like "Made of Honor", talkign about a predictable and cliché rom-com.