TV Show Review - House of the Dragon (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Drama/ Fantasy
Number of episodes: 10
Year: 2022
Starring: Milly Alcock, Emma D’Arcy, Emily Carey, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel

Description: An internal succession war withing House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.

Review: “Game of Thrones” was a huge success for HBO. Perhaps the last show that almost everyone seemed to watch. The spin-ff “House of the Dragon” is supposed to be its successor. But despite it’s set in the same fantasy world as “Game of Thrones”, the series has become a different kind of series.

It’s a prequel series and set about 170 years before Daenerys Targaryen was even born. It’s based on George R.R. Martin’s book “Fire & Blood”. There are no familiar characters, but we do meet many characters with similar names, because it’s not uncommon in royal families to name your child after another family member.

The series contains fewer characters than “Game of Thrones” and also takes place in fewer different locations. The drama revolves around the Targaryens and related families Velaryon and Hightower.
The game for the throne begins with the death of the queen, after which King Viserys is left with only one child: Princess Rhaenyra. He appoints her as his heir and makes everyone swear allegiance to her, despite the fact that he himself came to power only because most of the lords of Westeros did not want his niece Rhaenys on the throne: would rather have a distant cousin on the throne who does not seem suitable, than a woman.

Viserys is expected to remarry very quickly after his wife’s death. He choses Alicent Hightower, his daughter’s childhood friend and daughter of his hand Otto Hightower. Alicent and Viserys soon have their first child together: a son, which makes him the first male heir to the throne. We get many time-jumps after that and follow these characters over a twenty year period. Rhaenyra and Alicent become increasingly enemies, despite attempts at rapprochement. The men around them want power and do not shun violence, murder or war to do so.

Structurally, “House of the Dragon” is set apart to cover those many years. Sometimes several years pass between episodes, which is mostly explained in dialogue. There is even ten years between episode five and six, after which all the younger characters are played by different actors, including Rhaenyra and Alicent, who have suddenly become adult mothers of multiple children (sometimes hard to keep up which child is which).

Daring as we had just gotten used to the young actresses Milly Alcock and Emily Carey. But Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke take over with dignity. To get to know the characters, the structure is slow at first, but then sometimes suddenly jumps quickly from dramatic climax to climax.

So far, “House of the Dragon” is definitely better than the last season of “Game of Thrones”, but not even close to when the successful series was at its best. It has more dragons though, which is a huge plus.

10s Movie Review - Sound of Metal

Director: Darius Marder
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, Mathieu Alalric, Domenico Toledo, Chelsea Lee, Shaheem Sanchez, Chris Perfetti, Bill Thorpe, Michael Tow, William Xifaras, Rena Maliszewski, Tom Kemp

Description: A heavy-metal drummer’s (Riz Ahmed) life is thrown into freefall when he begins to lose his hearing.

Review: Losing one of your senses must be a frightening and terrible experience. There are all kinds od ways in which you, as the possessor of all still working senses, can get an idea of what is must be like to be blind or deaf. For example, you can eat in the dark in certain restaurants and there is a museum in Nijmegen especially for people who want to experience what it is like to be blind. But what is it like to be deaf or even worse, what is is like for a musician to go deaf?
For Ruben, the drummer of the heavy metal band he forms with his girlfriend Lou, the problem suddenly presented itself. The musician struggled with a heroin addiction for years and has been clean for four years when he suddenly has a problem with his hearing. Before a show he and his crew are unpacking merchandise  when he suddenly starts hearing a loud beep and all the sound around him becomes dull. With difficulty the drummer manages to finish his performance and has to accept that he has a serious problem. Ruben must raise an immense amount of money for surgery and even if he succeeds, his hearing will never be what it was.
“Sound of Metal” is a gripping drama that stands out from many similar stories because of its unusual approach. Director Darius Marder, who we know from “The Place Beyond the Pines”, tries to convey what it must be like to lose your hearing.at times we literally hear what Ruben hears (or rather does not hear). It is impossible for the man to hold a normal conversation and even the aids he is offered sound extremely strange. Blinkered, distant and alienating. Meanwhile, he joins a Christian-based group that teaches Ruben how to cope with his deafness and teaches him sign language.
Actor and rapper Riz Ahmed learned not only drumming but also sign language for his leading role. His efforts to identify with his character have paid off. Rubern’s hearing problems take a toll on his relationship with Lou. His girlfriend tries to help him as much as possible, but also has to deal with his immense mood swings and tantrums. The completion of their tour could help raise the money needed for the operation.
“Sound of Metal” is extraordinarily intriguing; precisely because it does more than just appeal to the viewer’s imagination. You are immersed in Ruben’s world of experience. The tricks Marder pulls out for this are functional and not a forced attempt to be interesting. Lead actor Ahmed and counterpart Olivia Cooke have an interesting dynamic that is often driven by despair and helplessness.
“Sound of Metal” is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time. I was really invested in the story and I could totally empathize with Ruben and felt every emotion he was going through. This is a definite must-see.

Rating: 5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Thoroughbreds

Director: Cory Finley
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/Crime/ Comedy
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Olivia Cooke, Anya Taylor-Joy, Anton Yelchin

Description: Two upper-class teenage girls (Anya Taylor-Joy), Olivia Cooke) in suburban Connecticut rekindle their unlikely friendship after years of growing apart. Together, they hatch a plan to solve both of their problems-no matter what the cost.

Review: “You’ve got a creepy friend”. “I know”. It’s one of the dialogues from “Thoroughbreds” and forms a simplistic overview of the film, where two teenage girls plan on killing one’s stepfather. “Thoroughbreds” is a film that won’t be liked by everyone, but one things is clear: it has a very talented cast and director.
Lily and Amanda are two friends, that lost touch. Amanda’s mother got the two back together, so that Lily can tutor Amanda. Lily is living with her mom and stepfather and a huge house and attends an upper-class boarding school.
Amanda on the other hand is an outsider, who physically isn’t capable of having any emotions or feelings. She thought herself to cry on commando. Her extraordinary behavior drives the people around her mad, so Amanda’s mother seeks contact with Lily again. But the two girls form a deadly combination.
After the opening scene, you already know “Thoroughbreds” is a special film. We see Amanda staring at a horse. In a later shot, we see a knife. Later we find out what happened and why. Next, we see Amanda getting out of a car and entering Lily’s giant house.
The two girls seem complete opposites at first, but on a deeper and darker level they are more alike. And the performances by the two girls are fantastic. Olivia Cooke and Anya Taylor-Joy are both excellent and cast perfectly. I also has a role by Anton Yelchin. This marks his last film, since he died in 2017.
Director Cory Finley is also very talented. It’s his directorial debut and he leaves a great impression with “Thoroughbreds”. It’s a stylish film with dark humor and depth.
Even if it’s not your cup of tea, just watch if for the talent involved in this film. That will make it worthwhile.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Reviews - Ready Player One

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Lena Waithe

Description: When the creator of a virtual reality world called the OASIS dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all OASIS users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune.

Review: Author Ernest Cline, who wrote “Ready Player One”, images a grim 2045: the world is a big garbage pile, stacked campers are used as homes and all the worldly problems are ignored. Mankind rather gets lost in ‘The Oasis’, an amazing computer simulation designed by James Halliday. With X-Wings, King Kond, T-Rex and Deloreans, this film is filled with nostalgia. And the book seemed unfilmable. Until Steven Spielberg reported for duty.
In its core, “Ready Player One” feels a bit like the story of Willy Wonka. When James Halliday dies, he scatters three keys through the Oasis. De first player to find all three, becomes the owner of the Oasis. Like Roald Dahl’s classis, the protagonist Wade Watts is a poor kid that has to fight ambitious competition.
The charm of “Ready Player One” isn’t in the fairytale-like tale or even the nostalgia bomb that’s being dropped. It’s the way people communicate through movie quotes and pop-culture. And everyone lives in the past.
I never read the book, so I can’t compare. But friends told me, that the essence of the book and the characters stay intact. Wade is a bit awkward and Samantha is charming. You might even say that the characters have a bit more depth in the film.
“Ready Player One” is an awesome film adventure. Although very busy, Spielberg manages to find a balance. The film has some moments that are a bit too sweet and it’s not one of Spielberg’s new masterpieces. But it’s a joy for every genre fan and people that love nostalgia and pop culture.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 65: The Signal

Director: William Eubank
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Brenton Thwaites, Olivia Cooke, Beau Knapp, Lin Shaye, Laurence Fishburne

Description: On a road trip, Nic (Brenton Thwaites) Haley (Olivia Cooke) and Jonah (Beau Knapp) are drawn to an isolated area by a computer genius. When everything suddenly goes dark, Nic regains consciousness - only to find himself in a waking nightmare.

Review: When looking at the poster, you see it’s a Sci-fi film. But other then that, I had no idea what to expect. That it turned out to be such a fantastic film, I never would have hoped. With a small budget (4 million dollars) they did a lot more than many big blockbuster science fiction films.
With “The Signal” you have no idea what is going on for a long time. You share the feeling with Nic: in the dark, looking for the truth, desperation. Nic was on a roadtrip with his girlfriend Haley and friend Jonah. On their way they come in contact with a hacker, Nomad, who got them in trouble before. The decide to trace the signal. Later Nic wakes up in a research centre and people walking around in white suites.
It’s better not to tell you more about the film. You should go into this film with minimal information. Because the budget is low, the film isn’t depending on CGI or special effects. It’s the story. And the film is perfectly balanced. It’s mysterious, visually good looking, surprising.
A great sci-fi film that will keep your attention even with its simplicity and sober feel.

Rating: 4,5/ 5