Movie Review - Damsel

Director: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
Genre: Fantasy/ Action
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Millie Bobby Brown, Ray Winstone, Angela Bassett, Robin Wright, Nick Robinson
 
Description: A dutiful damsel (Millie Bobby Brown) agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt.

Review: Elodie marries a handsome Prince, so her family can have a more fortunate life. However, she discovers that the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to pay off an old debt and is thrown into a cave. She will then have to rely on her wits and willpower to survive.

The term ‘damsel’ is often used in fairytale-like stories, as the damsel in distress. A woman in need of help. The damsel in this story, could need some help, but doesn’t have anyone to lean on. And she perfectly manages on her own. Elodie is portrayed as a self-reliant young woman.

We don’t get much backstory. We are introduced to Elodie and her family and dive into the story right away. We don’t learn much about the other girls that had to endure the same fate as Elodie. The film does flow smoothly and “Damsel” is a very easy watch.

The acting is fine, Millie Bobby Brown does a good job as Elodie. The rest of the actors don’t get much to do. Her character only has a short amount of time to really develop, but I did like following her journey of survival.

The special effects look really good. The dragon is imposing and really stands out.
“Damsel” is a fine fantasy film, I really enjoyed it and it’s entertaining.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Black Widow

Director: Cate Shortland
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, Rachel Weisz, Ray Winstone, Ever Anderson, William Hurt, Olga Kurylenko
 
Description: Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises.

Review: Anyone who browses the Marvel encyclopedia is unlikely to pinpoint Natasha Romanoff/ Black Widow as their favorite character. While the heroine is slightly skilled in all forms of martial arts and acrobatics, despite this she still stands out a bit flimsy from her superhero colleagues such as Thor, Captain America, Ant-Man, Iron Man and the Hulk. Perhaps this is not entirely justified, as in previous Marvel films Black Widow always had to settle neatly into the supporting role, which meant that she never got the chance, attention or depth she actually deserved.
Finally the Russian heroine gets a solid backstory, where we get more insight into her thoughts and motivations. Given the events in “Avengers: Endgame”, it makes sense we’d have to go back in time for that; to be exact, the moment when Natasha Romanoff has only just violated the Sokovia Accord. Commander Ross and his armed men have opened the hunt for her, but around the same time, a very different specter from Romanoff’s past also presents itself: Task Master. The villain is somehow linked to Romanoff’s traumatic past and therefore feels just a bit more tragic than usual with the marvel universe.
On the other hand, the villain played by Ray Winstone is a one-dimensional figure with rather predictable, megalomaniacal motives. It almost seems like a joke to perform such a character.   
For me, the highlight of the film was Florence Pugh, who plays Yelena, Natasha’s sister. She is cynical, yet the connection between Yelena and Natasha is the heart of the movie. Most laughs are for Alexei/ Red Guardian, played by David Harbour.
“Black Widow” is the kick-off for Marvel’s Phase Four, the fourth phase in which Marvel will once again interconnect a series of upcoming superhero films and work towards a common endpoint.
I enjoyed “Black Widow”, but it was nothing special. It was overall very standard.

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - Cats

Director: Tom Hooper
Genre: Musical
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Francesca Hayward, Taylor Swift, Rebel Wilson, Robbie Fairchild, Ray Winstone

Description: A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 52: A MUSICAL

Review: Some movies are better left unseen. And I was warned, I read only bad reviews for “Cats”, but I was curious to how bad it could really be. They sure were exaggerating, right? Well, no.
In 2012, film and theater maker Tom Hooper revolutionized the musical film world with his raw adaptation of “Lés Miserables”.  His approach, in which he let the actors sing live on set and only later added the instrumentation, wasn’t to everyone’s liking, but it was daring. I liked it. It even gave Anne Hathaway an Oscar.
This time, Hooper decided to tackle another classic. In his version of “Cats” we yet again witness are teary eyed soloist during the most famous song of the musical. With Jennifer Hudson’s rendition of “Memory” you have the only highlight of this musical adaptation by Andrew Lloyd Webber. The song passes by twice and the kick-off and reprise re forged together by and endless line of music videos that take advantage of Lloyd Webber’s beautiful music.
Hooper has a different take on this musical than with “Lés Miserables”. This time no approach to reality, but a thin plot about a bunch of street cats trying to choose one of them for a new cat life during a restless London night. The chosen one of a group that calls itself the Jellicles is not so easy to identify. Especially the bad guy Macavity seems to throw a spanner in the works by kidnapping potential candidates. The timid Grizabella feels unseen and Jennyanydots is just a little too confident. Then there is newcomer Victoria who is not yet officially part of the group and can try to have a new life with the Jellicles.
Hooper has taken special digital techniques to shape his cats (and even mice and cockroaches). The first trailer already came with a lot of criticism. And I understand why. The special effect look terrible, the cats look to much like humans. They even have hands instead of paws. And their ears seem to have been given a life of their own. The constantly move. It’s more like something out of a nightmare, then an enchanting musical which it is supposed to be. And because these cats look so much like people, the oversized setpieces make no sense. They are supposed to be the size of our domestic cats, so everything in their environment is blown up. But now it’s just hairy people dancing around large furniture. And the overuse of cat references and cat puns doesn’t really help either.
And why did they torture great actors like Judi Dench, Ian McKellen and Idris Elba with this? “Cats” is one of the worst movies I have seen in the past few years. It’s pure torment. Never see it, even if you’re curious.

Rating: 0,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - Edge of Darkness

Director: Martin Campbell
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Mel Gibson, Ray Winstone, Danny Huston, Frank Grillo

Description: As homicide detective Thomas Craven (Mel Gibson) invstigates the murder of his activist daughter, he uncovers a corporate cover-up and government conspiracy that attracts an agent tasked with cleaning up the evidence.

Review: Mel Gibson hasn’t been in too many films in the 2010s. “Edge of Darkness” was one of them. The plot isn’t all that original. Gibson plays detective Thomas Craven. He is spending time with his daughter Emma. When she is feeling sick and Thomas is trying to get her to a doctor, someone shoots and kills Emma. Thomas does everything do find the person responsible for this.
Surprisingly enough director Martin Campbell wasn’t surprising and fresh for this thriller, when you come to think that he also directed “Casino Royale”, where he blew new life into the James Bond franchise. It’s a straight-forward thriller which follows the standard path.
They did try hard, because when a story is so standard you have to work harder to keep your audience’s attention. It does have some good fight scenes and car chases, but not enough to save the entire film. And the ending was not all that surprising.
“Edge of Darkness” is by no means a terrible movie, it’s just not original and it’s all been done before. With a bit more guts, this thriller could rise above average.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 98: Sexy Beast

Director: Jonathan Glazer
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 89 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane, Amanda Redman, James Fox, Cavan Kendall, Julianne White, Álvaro Monje, Robert Atiko, Nives del Amo Oruet, Enrique Alemán Fabrega, Gérard Barray, José Maria Cano Ramos, Desirée Erasmus, Santiago Frias Munoz

Description: Brutal gangster Don Logan (Ben Kingsley) recruits "retired" safecracker Gal (Ray Winstone) for one last job, but it goes badly for both of them.

Review: Some movies have a villain you will remember fort he rest of your life. “Star Wars” had Darth Vader, “Batman” had the Joker and “The Silence of the Lambs” had Hannibal Lecter. Well, “Sexy Beast" also has a villain like that: Don Logan, brilliantly portrayed by Ben Kingsley. Don is from England and travels to Spain to visit Gal. Gal is a retired gangster, who is now enjoying the sun, his wife and Spanish food. In the first scene we see Gal baking in the sun, at the edge of his pool. When he gets up a giant boulder roles down a hill and nearly hits him. This boulder is a metaphore for Don coming into his life. Don tries to convince Gal to do one more job back in England. Well, convince, Don tells him he has to do it. The fact that Gal is retired and doesn’t want to, doesn’t matter to Don. And Don is not the kind of man you say no to.
What makes “Sexy Beast” so great is the threat of violence, instead of the vilence itself. Without even touching a gun, Don is capable of terrorizing a room filled with people. Simply with a cold look and unpredictable attitude. At one point Don seems rational and has it all under control, but in an instant he explodes in anger. Don is a ticking timebomb. Ben Kingsley does a fantastic job. But also Ray Winstone, who is actually the leading man in “Sexy Beast”. He is more timid, but forms a great contrast with Don’s character.
The script is strong and has some dark humor here and there. But it’s mostly the great acting by Ben Kingsley that stays with you.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 22: Point Break (remake)

Director: Ericson Core

Genre: Action

Runtime: 114 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Luke Bracey, Édgar Ramirez, Teresa Palmer, Matias Varela, Clemens Schick, Ray Winstone

Description: A young FBI agent (Luke Bracey) infiltrates an extraordinary team of extreme sports athletes he suspects of masterminding a string of unprecedented, sophisticated corporate heists.

Review: Hollywood has an urge to remake or reboot movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s. Nothing is sacred anymore. “Point Break” is also the victim. The action film from 1991, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, is seen as a cult classic from the 1990s. The 2015 version has, besides characters with the same names, a similar plot as the original. It adds some new camera and computer techniques, idealism and a soggy love story. This “Point Break” is nothing more than a chain of tough overconfident hipsters doing one impossible stunt after another. A big shell with not a lot in it.

As an excuse for all those daredevils and extreme sports, there is a story. A young traumatized FBI agent infiltrates into a group of ‘Robin Hoods’ who rob banks in the most spectacular ways. In the opening scene we see how Johnny Utah loses his best friend during a motorcycle stunt. When he joins the FBI, they don’t see potential in him. This changes when he sees a pattern in the daring actions led by Bodhi. Utah will have to infiltrate and win Bodhi’s trust.

Okay, the camera work and the stunts are cool. But that’s it. There is really nothing more to this film. The more we get into the film, the more unbelievable it gets. And then there is this unnecessary side plot, a love story. I don’t care about that! Keanu Reeves may not be the best actor in Hollywood, but he has more charisma and talent than Luke Bracey. His performance is bland. The only one that actually does give it his best shot is Ray Winstone, but he is just a supporting character.

“Point Break” is a hopeless remake. Hollywood, please don’t be lazy!

Rating: 1,5/ 5