10s Movie Review - Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

Director: Luc Besson
Genre: Science Fiction/ Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Dane DeHaan, Cara Delevigne, Clive Own, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Sam Spruell, Kris Wu, Herbie Hancock, Rutger Hauer

Description: A dark force threathens, Aplha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operative Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevigne)  must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 48: A MOVIE SET IN SPACE

Review: “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets”: a spectacular yet chaotic film, with ugly computer-generated aliens and a wooden love plot.
The stories about the intergalactic secret agent Valerian find their origin in a series of French comic strips released in the mid-1960s. Director Luc Besson must have been a big fan of the books, he tried to bring the phenomenon to the screen. Hoping for the new “Star Wars”. Well, that didn’t happen…
When it comes to visuals of the world of Valerian, it’s really good. It’s just such a shame that it has to have a screenplay attached to it. Because almost everything that can go wrong, goes wrong.
There is hardly a story. An artifact of an extinct civilization pops up and several parties want their share of it. The survivors of the race want to rebuilt their cultire, one group of people wants to investigate it and yet another group has nefarious plans to do so. Main characters Valerian and Laureline are of course the second group, that wants to make sure that the best possible solution is chosen.
So simple, but that’s not a problem when then background is a bit interesting and you are invested in the characters. But none of that is present. The two actors, Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevigne, miss every spark of charisma. DeHaan doesn’t come across as the rough space adventurer he has to portray. Instead, he feels more like a Keanu Reeves impersonator that completely misses the point. Delevigne is not much better. The love story is wooden and the dialogues are sometimes cringeworthy.
The list of error the film has is endless. Because despite the visual beauty, the context is missing. It’s messy, chaotic and it lacks interesting characters. “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets” doesn’t even come close to being the new “Star Wars”.

Rating: 1, 5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Ocean's Eight

Director: Gary Ross
Genre: Crime/ Comedy
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Awkwafina, James Corden, Richard Armitage, Elliott Gould

Description: Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City’s yearly Met Gala.

Review: For those who didn’t know it yet: master criminal Danny Ocean has an equally clever sister: Debbie Ocean. And besides the cast being all-female this time, “Ocean’s Eight” has the same set-up as the other films. This is both a reboot and a sequel to the Steven Sodenbergh trilogy.
Director Steven Sodenbergh acts as a producer this time and Gary Ross takes over as a director. The formula has changed very little. The build-up is practically the same as “Ocean’s Eleven”. The opening scene is exactly the same, only it’s not George Clooney, but Sandra Bullock leaving prison.
Debbie Ocean swears that she leaves the criminal life behind her and she wants to live a simple, good life. As soon as she leaves prison, she  finds her friend and partner Lou. Together they plan a jewel heist and they form an all-female team of a hacker, pickpocket, fashion designer, desperate housewife and diamond entrepreneur. The yearly Met Gala is where it will all happen.  
I think that the cast helps to this film’s success. Sandra Bullock is amazing, she is charming as ever and I love her. She is surrounded by a great group of women, that form a powerful team. And I was amazed by the fantastic costume design, which is hardly ever something I pay attention too. But in this film that really stood out.
It never lives up to “Ocean’s Eleven”, but I enjoyed it more then “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen”. I found there was no dull moment in this film and it was highly entertaining. I’m just not a fan of the other Ocean’s sequels and I did like this one. I think that’s mainly because I like almost everyone in the cast. Okay, it’s not the most original. Because it is very similar to “Ocean’s Eleven”, aside from the all-female cast and that this time it’s a jewel heist instead of robbing casinos. But overall, “Ocean’s Eight” was a good time.

Rating: 3 / 5