00s Movie Review - Sin City

Director: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller, Quentin Tarantino
Genre: Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2005
Starring: Bruce Willis, Benicio Del Toro, Clive Owen, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, Elijah Wood, Nick Stahl, Jaime King, Josh Hartnett, Carla Cugino, Michael Madsen, Rutger Hauer, Powers Booth, Brittany Murphy, Alexis Bledel

Description: An exploration of the dark and miserable Basin City and three of its residents, all of whom are caught up in violent corruption.

Review: “Sin City” is a film noir-like movie which is very faithful to the graphic novel it’s based on. A perfect job for director Robert Rodriguez, who is accompanied by “Sin City” novel writer Frank Miller and director Quentin Tarantino. 

All these creative minds are a guarantee for an explosive and inventive film. “Sin City” looks breathtaking and is groundbreaking. The graphic novel isn’t just made into film, it looks like the novel actually came to life. De original pictures are used for the story

board and stayed intact. The actors had to film in front of a so-called ‘green screen’.
The presented world and its citizens is shown in black and white. Sometimes things as a red dress, golden blonde hair and blood are highlighted with color. The contrasts look great. 

There are lots of extravagant characters in “Sin City”. Like ‘Yellow Bastard’, a violent pedophile with rubbery skin and unhuman physical forms. And Jackie Boy, a corrupt cop. But most memorable is cannibalistic Kevin, a slick man with a sardonic grin on his face. The anti-hero is Marv, played by Mickey Rourke who you barely recognize. As a storm he rages through the city. For the women, it’s Jessica Alba that catches your eye. As a kid she was rescued by John Hartigan, played by Bruce Willis. Now she is a gorgeous, young woman turned stripper. 

Like I said before, “Sin City” is a groundbreaking film and it amazes me every single time.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

TV Show Review - Dopesick (Mini Series)

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Drama
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2021
Starring: Michael Keaton, Kaitlyn Dever, Rosario Dawson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Peter Sarsgaard, Will Poulter, John Hoogenakker, Will Chase, Mare Winningham, Ray McKinnon

Description: The series takes viewers to the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction from the boardrooms of Purdue Pharma, to a distressed Virginia mining community to the hallways of the DEA.

Review: When Purdue Pharma introduced its new painkiller OxyContin in the US, the opiate was touted as non-addictive. The result was an epidemic of drug abuse that has destroyed tens of thousand of lives since the late 1990s. “Dopesick” charts the epidemic from different perspective.

For people with chronic pain, OxyContin seemed like a panacea: an effective painkiller that gradually absorbed into the body throughout the day, all without the drawback of habitation or addiction. The pills caught on eagerly, and for patients who still felt pain came pills with the double dose. And then pills with fourfold dose, eightfold dose, and so on. Now the drug is used in the US by eleven million people who have no pain symptoms at all, but are addicted to it.

The question, of course, is how on earth doctors, pharmacists and regulators could let this happen. The eight-part series “Dopesick” tries to answer that question, which is not easy. The creators portray the history through the Sackler family (owners of Purdue Pharma) and the sales representatives who convince doctors to prescribe the pills. In addition, we see the doctors and their patients, the cops who see how addiction in turn leads to crime and the drug enforcement agency DEA doing everything in its power to take down Purdue.

What makes “Dopesick” so brilliant is on the one hand the incredible but true story, and on the other the human way it is told. We are introduced to Samuel Finnix, played excellently by Michael Keaton. He is a family doctor in a mining town who initially gets great results with OxyContin, but then sees how addiction destroys lives and families. Betsy Mallum, played convincingly by Kaitlyn Dever, is one of his patients who slips into an existence as a junkie because of the OxyContin. Both actors shine in their performances and Keaton won an Emmy for his role.

Will Poulter also plays one of the better roles, as the smooth-talking salesmen Billy Cutler, who at first picks up fantastic bonuses, but then slowly  falls into conscience. This does not bother Richard Sackler (Michal Stuhlbarg): as boss of Purdie Pharma, he sees the billions pouring in. Stuhlbarg manages to portray Sackler as an emotionless businessman only wanting more. Furthermore, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hoogenakker and Rosario Dawson, among others, play some of the driven agents who want to take the pills of the market. The good fleshing out of all these characters keeps the series from becoming a documentary.

Based on Beth Macy’s book of the same name, the creators of “Dopesick” so not tell the story neatly in chronological order but jump back and forth in time. And it actually helps to see the big picture and connections without confusion.

While watching “Dopesick” you will most definitely feel many emotions and the one most presence is anger. As in how so many people could be so greedy and corrupt to allow this drama of unprecedented magnitude to happen. We never really get an answer to that, which makes it even more frustrating. But “Dopesick” is one of the most intense and realistic mini series based on true events I have seen in a long time. I loved it.

10s Movie Review - Jay and Silent Bob Reboot

Director: Kevin Smith
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, Fred Armisen, Harley Quinn Smith, Shannon Elizabeth, Rosario Dawson, Chris Hemsworth, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Joey Lauren Adams, Justin Long

 Description: Jay (Jason Mewes) and Silent Bob (Kevin Smith) inadvertently sign away their names and rights to the new Bluntman and Chronic movie. Now they head to Hollywood to stop the film from being made. Along the way Jay discovers that he is a father.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 18: A FILM STARRING YOUR CELEBRITY CRUSH
 
Review: Kevin Smith was once considered an up-and-coming talent. The American made such gems as “Clerks” and “Chasing Amy” with which he proved that coarse humor and obscene language could be combined perfectly with the pain of an unattainable love or hopeless job. These films were layered narratives about real-life problems. Smith grew increasingly famous and began to shift his field of work to include writing comic books and canning genre films.  

“Jay and Silent Bob  are character , played by Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, that kill time by smoking weed and hanging around. They first appeared in “Clerks” and later in “Mallrats”, “Chasing Amy” and “Dogma”, as side characters. In “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” they got their own movie. In “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot” they hear that the comic book based on their lives, “Bluntman and Chronic”, will be turned into a movie. They decided to go to Hollywood to stop it.

I always love a film that mocks itself and is very self-aware, making meta-jokes and be self-referral. Kevin Smith takes it a bit too far and fills his movie with these types of jokes. This makes the film annoying at times and not really all that funny. I just didn’t enjoy it all that much. Sad, because I really like Jay and Silent Bob. And Kevin Smith.

Rating: 2 / 5

TV Show Review - The Book of Boba Fett (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Science Fiction/ Adventure/ Action
Number of episodes: 7
Year: 2021
Starring: Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Pedro Pascal, Timothy Olyphant, Rosario Dawson, Sophie Thatcher, Jordan Bulger, Jennifer Beals, Amy Sedaris, Stephen Root, Danny Trejo

Description: Bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temuera Morrison) and mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) navigate the underworld when they return to Tatooine to claim Jabba the Hutt’s old turf.

Review: “The Book of Boba Fett” may seem like an interlude while we wait for the third season of “The Mandalorian”, but this series about the tough bounty hunter is a worthy successor to the Disney+ original. But you first have to get through the first four episodes. Because at the point, you might have the feeling you want to give up on the series. It feels a bit directionless. But when we get to episode 5, the series becomes more interesting and worth your time. Just sad that a number of old acquaintances are needed to bring this about.
Boba Fett is one of the most popular characters in the Star Wars universe. We get to know more about his background in this series and we get so see his face more often.
The show has a fragmented narrative style. Fett moves into the former palace of the late Jabba the Hutt to run the city of Mos Espa on the desert planet Tatooine. The moments when the fearless Fett takes things in his stride and takes on a corrupt cowardly mayor are interspersed with his backstory. We see how Fett wakes up more alive than dead and seeks refuge with a Tusken tribe, retaliates their brutal slaughter, and recruits Fennec Shand, whom we remember from “The Mandalorian”.
The many flashbacks take place s Fett recharges himself in his bactatank. It results in unfortunate and endless alternations of snippets of his memoirs from the past and macho behavior and competitions to squash the present. Where it’s all supposed to lead becomes clear only when a concrete goal and enemy loom.
Like “The Mandalorian”, “The Book of Boba Fett” comes from the min of Jon Favreau, who has apparently received approval from Disney to work on several Star Wars spin-off series. Understandably so, as “The Mandalorian” was a hit despite its completed missions that always spanned an episode.
This time around, Favreau has a longer story arc in mind, but it will take event the true fan of the Star Wars universe to hold their attention. This all changes when the fifth episodes comes along. Then we get the level we wanted to experience all along. It’s then that Favreau’s larger plan becomes clear.  
The last three of the total seven episodes are not only a feast for the eyes, but also a mix of new angles and a feast of recognition. It’s just sad for “The Book of Boba Fett” that the main character hardly had anything to do with the success of these final episodes, because he’s barely in episode 6 and not at all present in episode 5. I think Boba Fett is such a popular character because he is so mysterious and we didn’t know much about him. He is probably not interesting enough to devote an entire TV-show to.
All in all, “The Book of Boba Fett” has a slow start, but eventually redeems itself due to some familiar faces and a great build-up to “The Mandalorian” season 3.

TV Show Review - The Mandalorian (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Science Fiction/ Adventure/ Action
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2020
Starring: Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, Gina Carano, Giancarlo Esposito, Katee Sackhoff, Temuera Morrison, Ming-Na Wen, Rosario Dawson, Bill Burr

Description: The travels of a lone bounty hunter in the outer reaches of the galaxy, far from the authority of the New Republic.

Review: Bounty Hunter Din Djarin is determined to deliver The Child to the mythical Jedi. Meanwhile, the supporters of the fallen Empire, led by Moff Gideon, are right behind him.
“Star Wars” is one of those franchises whose name has long been synonymous with major theatrical releases, but since 2019 it has also taken a step towards streaming services, with the first live-action series: “The Mandalorian”. And it is the crown jewel of Disney +.
There have been many animated series, but “The Mandalorian” is an original concept. Led by showrunner Jon Favreau. The first season turned out to be a hit with “Star Wars” fans all over the world, including myself. And it was one of the best, if not the best, series of that year. And with season 2 having its finale, it probably also is of 2020.
At the start of this season, we follow Mando and each episode contains a separate plot. But as the season continues, it becomes a more connected story that works towards a goal. The fate of The Child turns out to be more important to the “Star Wars” universe than expected.
In the first season, Mando was mostly the protector of The Child. He simply did his job. He is still the protector, but the two have formed a bond. This gives the bounty hunter even more character development. Despite the fact that we only seen him in a handful of scenes without a helmet, Pedro Pascal provides him with a lot of personality by making good use of his voice and body language. Pascal is yet again a strong asset in the series.
Season 2 contains a lot of references to the original trilogy, but also the prequels, the sequels and the animated series. This is not just for fan service, although most of it feels like it. But I don’t care, because it’s been done so well and it makes a lot of purists happy.
I think, season 2 of “The Mandalorian” gave us what we were hoping for with the last “Star Wars” movie. This movie was a big disappointment for a lot of people, including myself. And the second season of “The Mandalorian” is anything but a disappointment.
Once again, Jon Favreau and his directors take u to the crucibles of the “Star Wars” universe. “The Mandalorian” remains a series that will only appeal to “Star Wars” fans. The second season is bigger, better and more exciting. And I didn’t believe that was possible.

Movie Review - Kiss the Ground

Director: Joshua Tickell, Rebecca Harrell Tickell  
Genre: Documentary
Runtime: 84 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Ray Archuleta, Gisele Bündchen, Tom Brady, Patricia Arquette, David Arquette, Jason Mraz, Rosario Dawson, Ian Somerhalder

Description: A revolutionary group of activist, scientist, farmers, and politicians band together in a global movement of “Regenerative Agriculture” that could balance our climate, replenish our vast water supplies and feed the world.

Review: “This is the story of a simple solution, a way to heal our planet”, says actor Woody Harrelson, narrator in the Netflix documentary “Kiss the Ground”. That sounds hopeful and it is, although the first 25 minutes are far from uplifting. Because before we get to the solution, we get an explanation in detail how we ended up here and where things went wrong. In short: pesticides, monoculture and industrialized agriculture.
Because we started ploughing and spraying with chemicals, we killed the microbes in the soil. No healthy soul without microbes. And without healthy soil the CO2, which is normally stored in the soil in large quantities, goes back into the atmosphere. Desertification occurs, driving 40 million people from their land every year. If we continue like this, y 2050 there will be about a billion people on the run as a result of desertification. So much for a brief summary of the first 25 minutes of misery.
No crisis is so great or there are always people out there who won’t give up says Woody Harrelson. For example, we see a regenerative farmer from North Dakota, who saw his harvest fail year after year to due extreme weather conditions. Until one day he ran out of money to buy fertilizer and pesticides and was forced to seek refuge in regenerative agriculture. Not only has he been doing well financially since then, but you can also see a clear difference between his lusg green land and the parched land of his neighbor.  
There is also the story of Loess Plateau in China. Once the most dehydrated and neglected piece of land on earth, until scientist started restoring the land. The images before and after show how a dusty void can turn into a true green paradise.
Besides Woody Harrelson narrating the documentary, lots of famous stars join him in the fight for a better planet. Supermodel Gisele Bündchen and her husband, American footbale player Tom Brady, singer Jason Mraz and actors Ian Somerhalder, Patricia Arquette, David Arquette and Rosario Dawson. All of them know how important our soil is and found a way to help our planet. As Patricia Arquette is committed to compost toilets.
Overall, “Kiss the Ground” is a very interesting documentary and an eye-opener.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - Unforgettable

Director: Denise Di Nivo
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Rosario Dawson, Katherine Heigl, Geoff Stults, Cheryl Ladd, Isabella Kai, Whitney Cummings, Darah Burns

Description: Tessa (Katherine Heigl) sets out to make life a living hell for her ex-husbands new fiancée Julia (Rosario Dawson).

Review: Let’s just start with telling you that this is a really bad movie.
We meet Julia. She is driving towards a bright future. Julia is a partially retired blog editor (yes, really) and about to move in with her fiancée David. However, she has a past in which violence dominated her life. Moving on from a violent relationship, she now has a life with David and his young daughter Lily. And with taking on the new role of stepmother, Julia also has to deal with David’s ex-wife Tessa. And as soon as Tessa and Julia meet, we know bad things will happen.
After seeing this film, I was wondering how the hell Rosario Dawson ended up in a film like this. Her performance is way better then this movie deserves. And with that, Dawson is the only redeeming feature of “Unforgettable”.
The story is predictable and this film looks like a Lifetime Movie that would normally go straight to DVD and never even have a theatrical release. Well, it did end up in cinemas and some people actually paid money to see it. The film is full of terrible dialogues and a really bad fight scene towards the end. It’s boring and filled with bullshit. And that ending… it even makes you believe there will be a sequel. And the universe really doesn’t need that. Or want it for that matter.  
I don’t know what happened to Katherine Heigl, I used to love her in “Grey’s Anatomy”. But she is really bad in this movie. And she stares in mirrors a lot. And I don’t even know why this movie is called “Unforgettable”.
Nope, if you have the chance to see this film, don’t!

Rating: 1/ 5

10s Movie Review - The Lego Batman Movie

Director: Chris McKay
Genre: Animation/ Action/ Adventure/ Comedy/ Family
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Will Arnett, Michael Cera, Rosario Dawson, Ralph Fiennes, Zach Galifianakis, Jenny Slate, Conan O’Brien, Billy Dee Williams, Zoë Kravitz, Eddie Izzard, Seth Green, Ellie Kemper, Channing Tatum, Adam Devine, Hector Elizondo, Jonah Hill

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 25: A SUPERHERO MOVIE

Description: A cooler-than-ever Bruce Wayne (Will Arnett) must deal with the usual suspects as they plan to rule Gotham City, while discovering that he has accidentally adopted a teenage orphan (Michael Cera) who wishes to become his sidekick.

Review: The fun we can have with these little plastic bricks and puppets. And not only kids. “The Lego Movie” already showed us how much fun and how creative you can be with Legos. And one of their characters, Batman, has his own Lego movie now.
Be sure you are ready from the opening titles, since that’s where the first jokes start. Batman’s deep tones narrate everything. What comes next is a fast paces animation, filled with sharp and clever jokes and a lot of nods to pop-culture.
The opening scene is a funny spoof of an attack by the Joker, only to end in a crazy rock song where Batman beats everyone. For the Joker everything gets worse when Batman tells him he’s not his special enemy. Because Batman needs no one, he thinks. Next we see him, sitting all alone in his Batcave.
While Joker and all the super villains from movie history are creating their masterplan, Batman finds a boy in his cave. An orphan, whom he accidentally adopted. This boy, Dick, wants nothing more then to be Batman’s sidekick.
The film has a moral, that together is better then alone, but it’s not one of the morals that they force on you. “The Lego Movie” was an ode to creativity, “The Lego Batman Movie” does it too but with a less creative story. But it’s one fun party for the whole family. The comedy is original and it looks stunning.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Zombieland: Double Tap

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Genre: Comedy/ Action/ Horror
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Zoey Deutch, Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, Bill Murray, Thomas Middleditch

Description: Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.

Review: The subgenre, horror comedy, is one of my personal favorites. Especially when it has to do with zombies. When “Zombieland” came out in 2009, it was a surprising, fresh and hilarious film that really impressed. It mocks itself and is creative. Ten years later, director Ruben Fleisher comes with the sequel. Maybe a little late, but better late than never. Because, did we need it? Not really. Did I enjoy it? Hell yeah!
In 2009, besides Woody Harrelson, all actors were fairly new to Hollywood. Now, it stars Oscar nominees and even one winner, being Emma Stone. Besides this difference, the cast hasn’t changed a bit and the chemistry is still a strong element in the film. The bickering between Columbus and Tallahassee, the creative ways to kill a zombie, sharp dialogue. Off course it doesn’t reach the same level as “Zombieland”, but “Zombieland: Double Tap” comes awfully close.
“Zombieland: Double Tap” is more of the same, but we loved the first so why change the formula? It’s not as original as the first, but it’s a great sequel. And if you’re a fan of the original film, you will enjoy this one as well.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 105: Sin City: A Dame to Kill For

Director: Robert Rodriguez, Frank Miller

Genre: Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 103 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Josh Brolin, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rosario Dawson, Bruce Willis, Eva Green, Powers Boothe, Dennis Haysbert, Ray Liotta, Christopher Meloni, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Lloyd, Jamie King, Juno Temple, Stacy Keach, Marton Csokas, Jamie Chung

Description: Some of Sin City's most hard-boiled citizens cross paths with a few of its more reviled inhabitants.

Review: “Sin City”(2005), the original adaptation of Frank Miller’s successful graphic novel, was a dark telling of the underworld of the society in the fictive town Basin City. Especially the style of the film caught everyone’s eye. The sequel adds the 3D effect and makes it an experience again.

Like the first movie “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For” is a beautifully made movie. The film noir style is clearly present, the contrast of the black and white and sometimes the color of green eyes, golden blond hair and red lips looks amazing again. The violence is grotesque and the narration feels gloomy and raw, filled with memorable one-liners. Animation and live-action are combined. The 3D effect gives more depth and it really adds something extra to the movie experience. Everything together makes this movie a joy to watch.

Some might feel that the story is much of the same, but to me there was never a moment of boredom. I never expected it to top “Sin City” but it came damn close. Exactly what I expected from “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For”.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

In the Picture: The Characters from "Sin City"

"Sin City" is one of the best movies of its decade. I was blown away by it when I saw it for the first time and there are so many interesting characters in the film. So that's why I decided to take a closer look at them. Here are the characters from "Sin City".

Marv
Played by: Mickey Rourke
Marv is a 7 foot tall, scarfaced man with an incredible level of strenght. He suffers from an unnamed mental condition which causes him to get confused. Marv doesn’t think he has a particular high intellect, but he shows some suprising amount of intellegence when needed.

Dwight McCarthy
Played by: Clive Owen
Dwight has a history of violence, bad tempers, drinking and wild romances. He is known for his chivalry and treats all the woman with the utmost respect and he offers the prostitutes of Old Town his protection. Dwight is a man who simply wants to do the right thing and find his place in this world.

John Hartigan
Played by: Bruce Willis
John is a veteran police detective in Basin City. He is brutal, stoic, cynical and completely selfless. It doesn’t care about his own well-being in order to take care of his fellow citizens. John is willing to risk his own life to save someone elses.

Nancy Callahan
Played by: Jessica Alba
At age 11 Nancy was kidnapped by Roark Jr. and then saved by John Hartigan. He’s Nancy’s hero. She keeps writing him letters when John’s in jail. Now, Nancy is a stripper and in love with John. Because of the age difference, John doesn’t want to give in to his feelings for her, but she is in fact the only person who ever cared for him.

Gail
Played by: Rosario Dawson
Rosario is a prostitute and one of the autorithy figures of Old Town. She has a love-hate relationship with Dwight McCarthy. You don’t want to mess with Gail, because she can handle a machine gun very well.

Jack Rafferty aka Jackie Boy
Played by: Benicio del Toro
Jack is a cop, but ended up being corrupted and worn down from the job. While cops are forbidden to enter Old Town when on duty, Jack is often found there but he’s not loved by the girls. He’s a threat to Dwight McCarthy.

Goldie/ Wendy
Played by: Jaime King
They are the twin prostitutes who are currently in charge of Old Town. Little is revealed about Goldie, but she physically is an exact copy of her sister Wendy. Goldie was murdered after spending the night with Marv, who fell in love with her and is destined to find her killer. Even he is fooled when he mistakens Wendy for the late Goldie.

Kevin
Played by: Elijah Wood
Kevin is a sadist. He sneaks up to people and kills them in all sorts of cruel ways. He likes to torture people, sometimes eats them and he keeps their heads as a souvenir. He was the one who killed Goldie.

Roark Junior aka Yellow Bastard
Played by: Nick Stahl
Roark has the physical appearance of a handsome young playboy but he is in fact a sadistic pedophile and a rapist of young girls. After kidnapping young Nancy Callahan, John Hartigan shoots of his hand, ear and genitals. Due to the surgeries, Roark is left horribly disfigured with yellow skin and a penetrating stench.

The Man
Played by: Josh Hartnett
The Man seems very charming and plain, but he’s a ruthless hitman. He does his job without feeling any remorse.


Favorite Character: John Hartigan