Movie Review - Nyad

Director: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans
 
Description: The remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) who, at age 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach (Jodie Foster), commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open sea swim from Cuba to Florida.

Review: Diana Nyad is a woman who at sixty-four overcame her greatest challenge: swimming from Cuba to Florida (over one hundred and sixty kilometers). She failed at this attempt when she was 28. It’s more than a two day swim, with a lot of obstacles on her way: staying awake constantly, trying to eat, sharks, jelly fish, the cold, the weather.

Annette Bening plays the role of Diana Nyad convincingly. At her side is Jodie Foster, who plays her best friend and coach Bonnie. Also wonderful Both characters are easy to empathize with, even though Diana can be unsufferable at times.

The film is nicely shot, with sometimes adding images from the actual events with the real Diana. And there is room for Diana’s early life as well, which gives her challenge some extra weight on an emotional level.

It is admirable how determined Diana is and how she never gives up. Because she tried many times before actually succeeding. Most people would have already give up. Diana truly is an inspiration.

Rating: 4/ 5

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.

Movie Review - The King's Man

Director: Matthew Vaughn
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Gemma Arterton, Rhys Ifans, Djimon Hounsou, Charles Dance, Matthew Goode, Daniel Brühl, Tom Hollander
 
Description: In the early years of the 20^th century, the Kingsman agency is formed to stand against a cabal plotting a war to wipe out millions.

Review: “The King’s Man” is a continuation of “Kingsman: The Secret Service” and “Kingsman: The Gold Circle” and is set before these films. Director Matthew Vaughn did the same with “X-Men: First Class”, where he made the series interesting again by bringing the subject matter back to its starting point. It doesn’t quite works as well with this franchise though.
The Kingsman agency’s origins is traced back to World War I. This results not so much in an interesting setting, but in a rather clumsy attempt to go through the entire war as fast as possible. Only not the war we know from the history books, but a hugely fictionalized version of it.
Vaughn rewrites World War I into a conflict completely orchestrated by a shadowy organization. As such, the war depicted has almost more in common with the Clone Wars from “Star Wars” then with the actual conflict that claimed forty million lives. It is quite daring, but the result is in the end rather stale because Vaughn is a little too eager to tick off all the familiar chapter.
For example, Russia withdraws from the war after a few years, only because of the Communists taking power, but simply as yet another move in a huge chess game. Or in other words: less interesting than real history. But then again, for a history-telling, you’re in the wrong place with “The King’s Man”. This is the type of film in which one look at a scary man with a big beard is enough to know that Hollywood has once again brought out its favorite Russian villain Rasputin.
The central figure in the story is the British aristocrat Orlando Oxford, who has the necessary experience with violence and therefore tries with all his might to keep his son safe. A fine premise and Ralph Fiennes is really good in his role (is he hardly ever not good?). It is quite refreshing to see him in a role as action hero, which he can truly embrace in the finale of the film. Which is also the highlight. It’s just a pity that the road leading up to it is rather long and muddled. Vaughn does manage to simplify the war enormously, but doesn’t get it right with the overarching plot.
That doesn’t take away from the fact that there is some creativity here and there in the messy narrative. For example, there is the very fun idea of presenting the German emperor, the Russian tsar and the British king as three quarreling nephews who, in their conceit, tear Europe apart. Only in doing so, World War I is reduced to a conflict between tree powers, conveniently leaving out France entirely.
The first movie in this series really pleasantly surprised me and I liked it way more then I expected too. And it’s a movie I would rewatch many time. “The King’s Man” is not bad, but not very good either. It’s entertaining, but aside from the wonderful finale the movie doesn’t have much to remember.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

20s Movie Review - Spider-Man: No Way Home

Director: Jon Watts
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 148 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jacob Batalon, Jon Favreau, Jamie Foxx, Willem Dafoe, Alfred Molina, Benedict Wong, Tony Revolori, Marisa Tomei, Angourie Rice, Thomas Haden Church, Rhys Ifans, J.K. Simmons

Description: With Spider-Man’s identity revealed, Peter (Tom Holland) asks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help. When a spell goes wrong, dangerous foes from other worlds start to appear, forcing Peter to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.  

Review: “Spider-Man: No Way Home” begins where the previous installment ended. The identity of the New York hero is out in the streets and his reputation is blackened by videos from The Daily Bugle. This has such a negative impact on the lives of Peter and his friends that he decides to visit his friend Dr. Strange, who morosely agrees to use magic to make everyone forget that he is Spider-Man.

*** WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS ***

This, of course, goes disastrously wrong, and the result is that a whole group of villains from other universes (the other Spider-Man movie series) enter the scene. From the Green Goblin to Otto Octavius.
Marvel and Sony flawlessly tap into the nostalgia of a generation that grew up with the Spider-Man films from the early 2000s. And it’s a delight to see some of the villains return. Dr. Otto Octavius is one of them, but seeing him wasn’t that big of a surprise, since he was in the trailer. Electro, who was in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”, is a lot more interesting here then he was in the other film. And Jamie Foxx seems to be having more fun too. We also see Lizard and Sandman, who don’t have major roles but are pleasant additions to the group of villains. The real stunner though is Willem Dafoe, who surprisingly returns as Norman Osborne aka The Green Goblin. His maniacal face expressions and laugh really make him the great villain that he portrays in “Spider-Man: No Way Home”.
The thing I most liked about the film was the return of Tobey Maguire and especially Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man from other universes. It would have been amazing if it was a complete surprise, but social media really ruined that for me with all its spoilers. But it was still a great moment when both of them entered this universe. And can we take a moment to talk about Andrew Garfield. Because, even though he is only in the movie for a short time, he was the highlight for me. I’ve always said he was the best Spider-Man of the three, even with his movies not being the best of the bunch. Garfield has the best comedic timing, he uses his intelligence to defeat his enemies and is the most confident and charismatic of the three. I like Maguire and Holland as well, don’t get me wrong, but I clearly have a favorite. And Garfield’s Spider-Man has a beautiful redeeming moment, where he managed to save MJ, reminding us of the fact that he wasn’t able to save his girlfriend Gwen.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” comes off as surprisingly dark and mature and that makes an impact. But there is still room for some comedy.
“Spider-Man: No Way Home” is the best film in this series, with Tom Holland as Spider-Man, who again does a very good job. The film has a character-driven plot, which I loved, and I enjoyed the returning characters. This movie put a smile on my face.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Official Secrets

Director: Gavin Hood
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 112 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matt Smith, Ralph Fiennes, Matthew Goode, Rhys Ifans, Conleth Hill, Jeremy Northam

Description: The true story of a British whistleblower (Keira Knightley) who leaked information to the press about an illegal NSA spy operation designed to push the UN Security Council into sanctioning the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Review: “Official Secrets” tells the true story of whistleblower Katharine Gun, who worked for the British intelligence agency GCHQ in 2003. Not as a senior officer, but simply as a office worker with the task of listening to recorded Chinese phone calls for indications of possible attacks. In this respect, her work does not seem to be very different from the practices that Edward Snowden would later warn about. But she has no problem with a government that keeps an eye on its citizens in order to pick out the rotten apples. Her moral objections arise only with appearance of an internal memo stating that the British organization should assist its American counterparts at the NSA in gathering blackmailable information about UN member states that are obstructionist in supporting a resolution for the impending Iraq war. A shadowy favor to strengthen transatlantic ties.

Katharine passes the information on to the press through some intermediaries, after which some journalists from The Observer start working on it. This Sunday paper has already come out in favor of military intervention in Iraq, but the old-fashioned editor-in-chief lets his journalistic instincts do the talking; it’s a damn good story and it’s okay for politicians to back off. One would hope that this would also be the case with less strong stories, but it has to be done. At that point “Official Secrets” briefly becomes a variation on “All the President’s Men”, resulting in a nicely self-conscious remark when a journalist meets his contact in an underground parking garage: “This is a bit Deep Throat, isn’t it?” But the reason turns out to be simple: there is no cell phone coverage here.
Perhaps even more than Katharine, the story is central. For while we get a glimpse into the world of the British press, Katharine is absent for some time. She sits in silent fear, waiting to see what will happen with the leaked information. We only see her again when she discovers that the story ends up on the front page of The Observer. But with that, it comes back to her. Because her bosses know immediately that someone leaked the information. An internal investigation is launched, but Katharine keeps the credit to herself and turns herself in. The consequences are dire: she is fired, publicly branded a spy and indicted for her actions.
The charge of espionage is an interesting one. In the traditional sense, that word denotes the passing of sensitive information to a hostile party or country. But Katharine merely rang the bell about the internal malfeasance of a government agency. Because her contract prohibits the disclosure of state-sensitive information, she is liable for punishment, but that does raise the question of how you then hold a government accountable when it does not follow the rules. After all, a government does not work for itself or for friendly nations, but for the people. Katharine is sued and thus needs legal defense. But just when that seems to be settled, it is made clear to her that discussing the information passe on with her lawyers is also a breach of her contract. By joining the government, she has given up virtually all of her right.
But in the end, every viewer knows how this ends: that war just happened. Katharine suffers that loss early on in the film, and this tragedy constantly reverberates. “Official Secrets” thus outlines a system in which the government has become so disconnected from its own riles that nor even the truth can intervene. It is therefore no coincidence that the law under which Katharine is charged was only introduced after and earlier whistleblower could not be legally prosecuted. “Official Secrets” manages to make this a highly entertaining ‘David-against-Goliath’ tale, which nicely shows that Goliath, in the form of the British government, conspicuously often uses pure bluff poker. Apparently a winning strategy, because despite all that Katharine had to endure, she was unable to stop the Iraq War (or British involvement in it). At least we got a great movie out of it.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 75: Mr. Nobody

Director: Jaco van Dormael
Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 138 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: Jared Leto, Diane Kruger, Sarah Polley, Rhys Ifans, Juno Temple

Description: A boy stands on a station platform as a train is about to leave. Should he go with his mother or stay with his father? Infinite possibilities arise from this decision. As long as he doesn't choose, anything is possible.

Review: What if you made a different decision? Your life would be different right now. With every choice you make, and alternative is lost. So if you count all the choices you have made in your life, your could have had a thousand different lives. “Mr. Nobody” uses this concept. A 120 year old man looks back at all those lives he could have lived. How different the lives are, they all end in death and all you need is love.
The result is a big mish mash of scenes, which switches constantly in timelines. It’s an intelligent film, with an original and promising concept. But it’s also a big mess and the film takes forever. I can see where the director wanted to go with this, but it’s all over the place.
It’s not the actors, the performances are good. And I do like the idea and the risk that was taken to make this film. But it’s not coherent and it never grabbed me.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 49: Little Nicky

Director: Steven Brill
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Adam Sandler, Harvey Keitel, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Rodney Dangerfield, Reese Witherspoon, Michael McKean, Rob Schneider, Henry Winkler, Peter Dante, Alan Covert, Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz

Description: After two of the devil's three sons escape Hell to wreak havoc on Earth, the devil (Harvey Keitel) must send his third son, the mild-mannered Nicky (Adam Sandler), to bring them back before it's too late.

Review: Adam Sandler doesn’t have the best reputation, but he has made some great memorable comedies like “Billy Madison”, “The Wedding Singer” and “Happy Gilmore”. “Little Nicky” unfortunately isn’t one of them.
Sandler plays one of Satan’s three sons, who has to stop his two other borhters from creating a battlefield on Earth. This character, Nicky, has a major speech impediment and is actually a more kind hearted guy.
The movie is filled with bad jokes and there is way too much going on. Sandler’s jokes are often bad, but bearable and still funny. Here in “Little Nicky” I didn’t really laugh a lot and I was a bit annoyed with the film.
“Little Nicky” is probably one of Sandler’s worst films.

Rating: 1/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 154: Serena

Director: Susanne Bier

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 109 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Toby Jones, Sean Harris, Rhys Ifans

Description: In Depression-era North Carolina, the future of George Pemberton's (Bradley Cooper) timber empire becomes complicated when he marries Serena (Jennifer Lawrence).

Review: In “Serena” we see the perfect marriage between George and Serena. Both have a similar background and because he married Serena, George now has a wife and a business partner. Not everyone is happy with Serena and their marriage is also tested.

The movie has an excellent cast and gorgeous cinematography. The images of the beautiful landscapes are great. The story sounds interesting, good cast, pretty images. But the movie doesn’t completely satisfy.

Jennifer Lawrence has proved her talent several times. In “Serena” her performance is solid, not extraordinary.

The movie is very slow and in the beginning somewhat boring. I don’t mind a slow tempo, but this movie is sometimes a bit too slow. And that’s a shame, because a good story like this doesn’t need that.

Not a bad film, but I expected more. It’s an easily forgettable film.

Rating: 2,5/ 5