Top 5 Thursay: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (January 2014)

The start of my 100 Movie Challenge went well. Out of the 22 movies I saw this month, all films I haven’t watched before 2014, I had to pick five as favourites. Here they are.

5. People Like Us
I thought this was going to be a very unoriginal movie, that was a lot like other movies in its genres and it was going to be forgettable. It wasn’t because it made my top 5. It’s a beautiful movie, with surprisingly good acting.

4. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Not a lot of action here, but a very strong spy thriller. It kept my attention at all times and it was a real intriguing story. James Bond eat your heart out, George Smiley is in town!

3. Moonrise Kingdom
I’m becoming more and more of a Wes Anderson fan and this is yet another diamond. I love Andersons style, just beautiful.

2. Don Jon
The last movie I watched in January and I loved it. Joseph Gordon-Levitt did a great job writing and directing, but also starring in this film. A good mix a drama and comedy. And the Swiffer-discussion was hilarious!

1. Jagten
The best movie experience is when you watch a film going in blank and coming out completely amazed. That’s what happened when I watched “Jagten”. It really got under my skin and haunted my mind for a couple of days.

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Place Beyond the Pines, Star Trek Into Darkness, The Magic of Belle Isle

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 10: People Like Us

Director: Alex Kurtzman
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Michelle Pfeifer, Olivia Wild, Philip Baker Hall, Jon Favreau

Description: While settling his recently deceased father's estate, Sam (Chris Pine) discovers he has a sister (Elizabeth Banks) whom he never knew about, leading both siblings to re-examine their perceptions about family and life choices.

Review: Director Alex Kurtzman is known for his production work, this is the first movie he directed. And it’s one to be proud of.
We meet Sam, a salesman with talented and he lives a happy life with his girlfriend. When his father dies, whom he never really connected with, he has to face his mom again. While settling his father’s estate Sam finds out that he has a sister, Frankie, and he wants to get to know her. Sam’s view on life changes and he soon realizes what the important things in life are.
Chris Pine always was an actor who was just nice to look at. This movie changed that for me, because his performance is strong, convincing and heartfelt. Same goes for Elizabeth Banks, who has a fantastic connection with Pine. Michelle Pfeifer, one of my favorites, is very solid and proofs that she still belongs with the best.
The story sounds a bit mundane, but it’s very well executed. Because of the interesting characters, you can relate to them and you are with them every step of the way. The ending scene gave me goose bumps, in a good way.
“People Like Us” is an overlooked movie, I don’t think many people have seen it. It’s definitely worth watching.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (31)

This weeks trailers are about a woman stuck between two men, a creepy house, a man discovering he has a sister, a woman falling for a street artist and our holiday heroes fighting for their right.

Take This Waltz
Description: Twenty-eight-year-old Margot (Michelle Williams) is happily married to Lou (Seth Rogen), a good-natured cookbook author. But when Margot meets Daniel (Luke Kirby), a handsome artist that lives across the street, their mutual attraction is undeniable.
Director: Sarah Polley
Starring: Seth Rogen, Michelle Williams, Sarah Silverman and Luke Kirby
Trailer: Trailer "Take This Waltz"
Comment: Michelle Williams chooses good movies and Seth Rogen also always wins me over.

House at the End of the Street
Description: Seeking a fresh start, newly divorced Sarah (Elisabeth Shue) and her daughter Elissa (Jennifer Lawrence) find the house of their dreams in a small, upscale, rural town. But when startling and unexplainable events begin to happen, Sarah and Elissa learn the town is in the shadows of a chilling secret. Years earlier, in the house next door, a daughter killed her parents in their beds, and disappeared - leaving only a brother, Ryan (Max Thieriot), as the sole survivor. Against Sarah's wishes, Elissa begins a relationship with the reclusive Ryan - and the closer they get, the deeper they're all pulled into a mystery more dangerous than they ever imagined.
Director: Mark Tonderai
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Elisabeth Shue and Gil Bellows
Trailer: Trailer "The House at the End of the Street"
Comment: Jennifer Lawrence is awesome!!!

People Like Us
Description: Sam (Chris Pine) is a twenty-something, fast-talking salesman, whose latest deal collapses on the day he learns that his father has suddenly died. Against his wishes, Sam is called home, where he must put his father's estate in order and reconnect with his estranged family. In the course of fulfilling his father's last wishes, Sam uncovers a startling secret that turns his entire world upside down: He has a 30-year-old sister Frankie whom he never knew about (Elizabeth Banks). As their relationship develops, Sam is forced to rethink everything he thought he knew about this family--and re-examine his own life choices in the process.
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Starring: Elizabeth Banks, Chris Pine, Michelle Pfeiffer and Olivia Wilde
Trailer: Trailer "People Like Us"
Comment: Chris Pine is charming and I always like Elizabeth Banks. This movie really looks good.

The Giant Mechanical Man
Description: A story about a misunderstood street performer (Chris Messina) and a soft spoken zoo worker (Jenna Fisher) who falls for him.
Director: Lee Kirk
Starring: Jenna Fisher, Chris Messina, Malin Akerman and Topher Grace
Trailer: Trailer "The Giant Mechanical Man"

Rise of the Guardians
Description: It's the story of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Sandman, and Jack Frost - legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities. When an evil spirit known as Pitch lays down the gauntlet to take over the world, the immortal Guardians must join forces to protect the hopes, beliefs and imagination of children everywhere.
Director: Peter Ramsey
Starring: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher and Jude Law
Trailer: Trailer "Rise of the Guardians"