90s Movie Review - The Usual Suspects

Director: Bryan Singer
Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 1995
Starring: Gabriel Byrne, Stephen Baldwin, Kevin Spacey, Benicio Del Toro, Kevin Pollak, Chazz Palminteri, Pete Postlethwaite, Dan Hedaya, Giancarlo Esposito

Description: A sole survivor tells of the twisty events leading up to a horrific gun battle on a boat, which begin when five criminals meet at a seemingly random police lineup.

Review: There is one scene in “The Usual Suspects” that was considered failed by director Brian Singer. The actors couldn’t concentrate and constantly laughed. Eventually Singer decided to use the footage, the scene could be more interesting because of it. And he was right: one of the most characteristic scenes from the movie was born.

Off course we’re talking about that famous line-up. This ‘failed’ scene managed to give us an impression of the five different criminals. We see their frigid, defiant and anarchistic attitude.
Any form of identification is important in a movie like this, where the characters are criminals and their activities and social environment are so different from ours. All the characters have their quirks.
Kevin Spacey is the one that catches our eye, this was the movie that put him on the map. His insecure portrayal of Verbal Kint is completely credible and he is the one that connects the audience with the story.     

The cunning script by Christopher McQuarrie is the main reason you keep watching. We want to know what’s going on and who Keyser Söze is. This villain is so on point, like a devil, who is mainly in the background but a constant threat.

“The Usual Suspects” needs your attention at all times, but it’s inevitable that you eventually get on the wrong track. It’s a great crime story, with beautiful music, good acting and film noir like camerawork. And that amazing twist at the end makes it to the classic it is.

Rating: 5/ 5

90s Movie Review - The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 1997
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard Attenborough, Peter Stormare

Description: A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Review: After the enormous hit “Jurassic Park” in 1993, Steven Spielberg decided to make a sequel the audience was waiting for. Although the character dies in the first book by Michael Crichton, in “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” it’s Ian Malcolm who saves the day.
Off course the sequel isn’t as original, because the first was so groundbreaking and it amazed everyone. But it’s not just a copy either. John Hammond is concerned about the dinosaurs and tells Ian there is a second island. Malcolm’s girlfriend Sarah is already there to study the behavior of the dinosaurs, so Ian has to go back himself. He is accompanied by documentary maker Nick van Owen and gadget guy Eddie Carr. And Ian’s daughter Kelly also joins them, when she sneaks on the boat. What they don’t know is that the company InGen Is trying to capture the dinosaurs to bring them to San Diego.
To make “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” a little bit more surprising the makers decided to add two adult Tyrannosauruses and a baby. And there are more bad guys in the form of people working for InGen. There are also more deaths en they are bigger than ever.
Jeff Goldblum is, like the first, the best element of the film. The other characters aren’t as interesting as the first. Off course the special effects are again great. Fantastic visuals, that will blow your mind.
“The Lost World: Jurassic Park” builds up the tension, has strong action sequences, great visual effects. Although it never lives up to its prequel, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” is a joy to watch.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 109: The Town

Director: Ben Affleck

Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 125 minutes

Year: 2010

Starring: Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Hall, John Hamm, Blake Lively, Pete Postlethwaite, Chris Cooper

Description: As he plans his next job, a longtime thief (Ben Affleck) tries to balance his feelings for a bank manager (Rebecca Hall) connected to one of his earlier heists, as well as the FBI agent (John Hamm) looking to bring him and his crew down.

Review: Since his directorial debut “Gone Baby Gone” everyone agrees that Ben Affleck is a better director than actor. The crime thriller, based on a book by Dennis Lehane, showed us he had a sense of timing and he knew what he wanted his actors to do. Wisely he let other actors do the work on camera. For his second film “The Town” he decided to give himself the lead role. Again the movie is based on a crime thriller, this time written by Chuck Hogan. “The Town” is definitely a good story and film, but sadly there isn’t the depth that “Gone Baby Gone” did have.

The story is set in Charlestown, a neighborhood in Boston. It’s a criminal town. Doug MacRay leads a gang of masked robbers, who often strike in the better parts of the neighborhood. During a bank heist, Doug’s aggressive partner Jem decides to take the bank manager hostage. They find out that the woman, Claire, lives in their neighborhood and to make sure she doesn’t tell on them, Doug accidentally meets her in a laundromat. Claire obviously doesn’t know Doug and the two go out. Doug also starts doubting his life as a criminal.

With “The Town”, Ben Affleck proofs again he is an excellent director. It’s a good crime thriller and it’s definitely worth watching. But a deeper layer is missing. There are scenes with more depth, like when Doug visits his father in jail, the introduction of the drug lord, played by Pete Postlethwaite and the FBI agent played by Jon Hamm. Off course, people love seeing car chases and flying bullets, but the lack of depth makes this movie not as good as it could have been.

The acting is great. Pete Postlethwaite and Chris Cooper only have small roles, but manage to impress in the few scenes they have. Jeremy Renner is the one to watch, because his character is very interesting and his performance strong. Rebecca Hall and Blake Lively are good as well. Jon Hamm’s character hardly has an interesting thing to do, he was underused. And Ben Affleck is overshadowed by most of the actors. His character is interesting, his acting mediocre.

“The Town” is a solid thriller, but don’t expect too much depth. Ben Affleck should keep on directing, but maybe with someone else in the lead. (In “Argo” it didn’t work that great either)

Rating: 3/ 5