00s Movie Review - Sunshine

Director: Danny Boyle
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh, Rose Byrne, Cliff Curtis, Mark Strong, Benedict Wong Hiroyouki Sanada

Description: A team of international astronauts is sent ton a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 22: A FILM FROM 2007
 
Review: It’s 2057. The sun is about to go out. A team of scientists is sent to the sun to restart it with a heavy bomb, and thus save humanity from extinction. Sounds like the lpot of a silly B-movie? Except this sci-thriller is directed by Danny Boyle and for that reason alone “Sunshine” should pique the interest of any self-respecting film love. And you will see, that it’s a great movie.

There has been a previous attempt to reignite the sun. In “Sunshine” we follow the crew of Icarus II, which means there must have been an Icarus I. However, for reasons as yet unknown, this mission never succeeded and the ship was presumed lost. When the crew of the Icarus II pick up a distress signal from their mysteriously disappeared predecessor and decides to take a look at the ship, you really know things are probably not going to end well.

The atmosphere is palpable, because of the claustrophobic setting. And the cast is great. There are so many big names in this film. What also stands out is the soundtrack, by Underworld. It adds to the dramatic effect and the tension.

The film is a bit messy at times, but it’s easy to forgive. Because I do believe “Sunshine” is an excellently, underrated sci-fi thriller.

Rating: 4 / 5 

20s Movie Review - Wicked

Director: Jon M. Chu
Genre: Musical/ Fantasy/ Adventure
Runtime: 160 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage. Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang

Description: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Galinda (Ariana Grande), a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.

Review: Anyone who has seen “The Wizard of Oz” knows how it ends with the Wicked Witch of the West. And in case you haven’t caught her fate yet, the opening scene of “Wicked” tells you. Glinda, once her friend, talks about her when she was still known as Elphaba Throbb.

Glinda, then still Galinda, and Elphaba meet each other at Shiz University, where the share a room. At first, they can’t stand each other. They are clearly very different. Elphaba is modest, kind, introverted. Glinda is vain, spoiled and loves attention. Their love-hate relationship drives a funny but also sad and sensitive adventure.

The Broadway phenomenon is turned into a delightful film. The Land of Oz is colorful, the contrast between Glinda and Elphaba (pink and green) looks amazing. My favorite décor was the library (or as Glinda calls it, the book place), but kinda crinched over all these people stepping onto and throwing around book.

“Wicked” is big on plit, acting, music and length. And this is only the first part. Time is taken for certain developments that would be rushed in other productions. The scenes are long and show varying emotions, but never get boring. The almost three hour runtime flies by.

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, and Ariana Grande as Glinda are strong, together and apart. Grande really surprised me with her comedic talent and both were really good in emotional scenes.

“Wicked” is one wild and colorful ride, and I can’t wait for part 2.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - A Haunting in Venice

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Genre: Crime/ Mystery/ Drama/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Kelly Riley, Jude Hill
 
Description: In post-World War II Venice, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a séance. But when on of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Review: Hercule Poirot is invited to attend a séance and use hi unique skill to debunk the paranormal.

Kenneth Branagh shines for the third time as detective Hercule Poirot and once again takes on the role of director as well. After “Murder on the Orient Express”(2017) and “Death on the Nile” (2022), “A Haunting in Venice” takes a different approach. Crime, mystery and horror are merged to give this case a unique twist. Based on the book “Halloween Party” by Agatha Christie, one that fans call one of her more underrated murder mysteries.

The film succeeds well in putting you down alongside Poirot as a spectator of events. Like the detective, you try to unravel the story behind the haunted house and ponder the how and why of this murder. It remains fascinating to puzzle together the answers.

For fans of the genre, the horror-inspired scenes are a welcome addition. This is what makes “A Haunting in Venice” different from the other two movies. The variety between the three films, for example, in tone, location and characters, ensure that you won’t easily become bored with Poirot and his case.

If Branagh decides to continue this franchise, I would love that. Because “A Haunting in Venice” is definitely the best one yet. “Murder on the Orient Express” was okay and “Death on the Nile” was downright disappointing. I really loved “A Haunting in Venice”. Branagh managed to deliver an atmospheric production. With beautiful sets, clever use of one location and an intriguing mystery. I does not bore you for a moment. And I’m very confused that its average rating is so low.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Everything Everytwhere All at Once

Director: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
Genre: Fantasy/ Action/ Comedy/ Adventure
Runtime: 139 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, Jamie Lee Curtis
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 36: A FANTASY MOVIE
 
Description: An aging Chinese immigrant (Michelle Yeoh) is swept up in an insane adventure, in which she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.

Review: What do you do when you are suddenly confronted with a multiverse and the fact that there are hundreds or thousand of other versions of yourself? And in one of those universes and evil person is trying to destroy everything. It happens to Evelyn Wang and while trying to fight the evil she also learns a lot about herself and her daughter Joy.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is a lot. It is a comedy, a family story, fantasy and has great action scenes that are highly choreographed and edited. It also contains a whole host of references to other films. Think of “2001: A Space Odyssey’.

It’s one of the strangest films I have seen recent years, but with that also the most original, unique and mind-blowing film from the last years. And because of it, it is a movie that will not be to everyone’s liking. I happen to love it, but the more average and mainstream moviegoer would probably not love it as much.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

20s Movie Review - Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Director: Destin Daniel Cretton
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Fantasy/ Adventure
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Tony Chiu-Wan Leung, Ben Kingsley, Michelle Yeoh, Meng’er Zhang, Benedict Wong

Description: Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), the master of weaponry-based Kung Fu, is forced to confront his past after being drawn into the Ten Rings organization.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 17: A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE
 
Review: When he was young, Shang-Chi turned his back on the evil deeds of his father Wenwu. Now in the present, Wenwu, the leader of the terrorist organization the Ten Rings, is searching for Shang-Chi to join him in finding a magical village that holds secret powers.
 
When he was young, Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) turned his back on the evil deeds of his father Wenwu (Tony Leung). Now in the present, Wenwu, the leader of the terrorist organization the Ten Rings, is searching for Shang-Chi to join him in finding a magical village that holds secret powers.

It’s time for marvel to introduce a new generation of heroes. Shang-Chi is a fresh face and a character I knew nothing about. “Shang-Chi” is reminiscent of the great success of “Black Panther”(2018), a film that consisted primarily of a cast of dark-skinned people and clearly showcased their African roots. “Shang-Chi” contains a similar respectful approach. The film shows that representation of different cultures is important.

The fight scenes were the ones that stood out in this film. Clearly inspired by fighting legends Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, the hand-to-hand combat are dynamically portrayed thanks to the camera work and the level of creativity. The film mixes different martial arts styles with fantasy elements.

The film does follow a pretty standard pattern and fits right in with other Marvel films. And it’s definitely not one of the best films within the MCU, but is above average and does what is needs to do and positively stands out thanks to the Asian influence.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Last Christmas

Director: Paul Feig
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Emma Thompson, Michelle Yeoh

Description: Kate (Emilia Clarke) is a a young woman subscribed to bad decisions. Her last date with disaster? That of having accepted to work as Santa’s elf for a department store. However, she meets Tom (Henry Golding) there. Her life takes a new turn. For Kate, it seems too good to be true.

Review: If there’s one genre that works perfectly with the holidays, it’s the romantic comedy. A good mix of laughs and tears, fortunate misunderstandings, delightful actors and predictable storylines. You are instantly in a better mood with a romcom. But there is a big difference between the disposable romcom that will waste your time and the romcom you will recommend to your friends.
The British film “Last Christmas”, by director Paul Feig, falls in that last category. Feig knows his way around a comedy. He directed the very successful “Bridesmaids” and was also the man behind “Spy”. This time, a little less jokes and a bit more romance. And the most funny moments come from leading character Kate, portrayed by Emilia Clarke.
At a young age, Kate fled Yugoslavia with her mother and sister. Later, she had to undergo a heart transplant and since then she has had a struggling relationship with her family. Kate lost all her ambitions, sleeps on couches of friends and works in a Christmas store in London. One day, she sees Tom and from that moment on Kate’s life takes a turn.
The film starts like any other romcom, with opposites and attraction. Kate isn’t really looking to take walks with Tom. But later she can’t wait to see him again.
At first, you feel like it’s going to be a sugar sweet film, filled with cheesy romance. But Feig keeps his characters realistic, by portraying Kate as both charming and egocentric.
There is a huge twist in the film, but somehow I saw it coming. The film has predictability and clichés, but they didn’t really bother me. Overall, “Last Christmas” is a joyful and easy watch. Due to the twist it’s different from most films in its genre.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 93: Morgan

Director: Luke Scott
Genre: Horror/ Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 88 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Kate Mara, Rose Leslie, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Michelle yeoh, Paul Giamatti, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Brian Cox

Description: A corporate risk-management consultant (Kate Mara) must decide whether or not to terminate an artificially created humanoid being.

Review: People have always been fascinated by creating artificial intelligence. And movies about this theme are popular and sometimes really successful. Morgan is the result of synthetic DNA and nanotechnology. It is a fast developing human looking being, whose intelligence and physique grow exceptionally. But this apparent perfect creation has its defects. After an incident, risk-management consultant Lee Weathers has to evaluate the specimen and whether it should be terminated or not.
It’s been done so many times, this theme. And many directors managed to give it their own twist and make it look fresh. Sadly Luke Scott (son of Ridley Scott) is not one of them. The film never reaches above mediocre and the tension is nowhere to be found. The presence of a fantastic cast doesn’t always guarantee a good movie. It really fascinated me how naïve all those academics are in this film. And the film is very predictable. And the supposed plot twist at the end, didn’t come as a surprise at all.
“Morgan” had a lot of potential, but didn’t execute it very well.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 41: Sunshine

Director: Danny Boyle

Genre: Thriller/ Science Fiction

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 2007

Starring: Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans, Rose Byrne, Michelle Yeoh, Mark Strong, Cliff Curtis, Troy Garity, Hiroyuki Sanada, Benedict Wong

Description: A team of international astronauts is sent on a dangerous mission to reignite the dying Sun with a nuclear fission bomb in 2057.

Review: With the space thriller “Sunshine”, director Danny Boyle tries out a new genre. The movie is set in 2057, when the sun doesn’t work anymore and astronauts go on a mission to ‘reanimate’ the sun. The plan is to launch an atom bomb towards the sun, which has to make sure the sun does its work again.

It’s a pretty bizarre concept and it might seem incredible. The constant claustrophobic feel and the psychological instability of the crew make this movie interesting. Maybe “Sunshine” isn’t as original, it sure is worth to give it a go.

Visually the movie is beautiful, this is like nothing I have ever seen. And that in combination with that amazing music. Because of the great visuals, it’s a movie that won’t outdate easily.

“Sunshine” is a good science fiction thriller, the acting is solid and it looks stunning.

Rating: 3,5/ 5