10s Movie Review - The Hero

Director: Brett Haley
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 96 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Sam Elliott, Nick Offerman, Laura Prepon, Krysten Ritter, Katherine Ross

Description: An ailing movie star (Sam Elliott) comes to terms with his past and mortality.

Review: Lee Hayden has put his best years behind him after his one and only good movie, The Hero. Now he makes his living doing voice-overs and commercials. When he is told he is suffering from terminal pancreatic cancer, he can’t bring himself to tell his estranged family. When he meets comedian Charlotte Dylan, his life suddenly gets a boost. Lee is faced with the emotional conflict that his career can make a comeback, while his death stares him in the eye.
“The Hero” could have been a fairly mediocre film if it wasn’t for Sam Elliott, who is a true force of nature in this film. He carries the film, with some support from especially Nick Offerman, who I loved in his role. Elliott really knows how to create a character you can empathize with, even with him having a lot of faults and imperfections.
Seriously, without Sam Elliott, this movie would be forgettable and disposable.

Rating: 3,5/ 5 

Movie Reviews - A Star is Born

Director: Bradley Cooper
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 136 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Dave Chappelle, Greg Grunberg

Description: Musician Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) helps young singer Ally (Lady Gaga) find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Review: Originality is hard to find in Hollywood these days. With “A Star is Born” director and actor Bradley Cooper does the third remake of the film from 1937. And surprisingly enough he gives it his own twist. His directorial debut is beautiful, well-balanced and modern. And many of that is thanks to Lady Gaga, who really shines in her first leading role.
“A Star is Born” follows two musicians: Jackson Maine and Ally. Jackson, Jack for short, is a successful country singer struggling with an alcohol and drug addiction. After each show, all he wants is a bottle of booze. When one night he makes a stop at a bar, he sees Ally perform. Jack is impressed by her immediately and wants to meet her. Jack sees more in her and after a night together, he invites her to one of his shows. Ally says no at first, because she is working as a waitress, but eventually goes. And Jack takes advantage of the opportunity and invites her onto his stage to sing with him. With success, because Jack wants Ally to tour with him. The start of a career and a sweet romance.
Cooper and Gaga have great chemistry, that is present the entire film and it feel authentic and real. The intense bond between the two is believable from the start. And the fact that Ally supports Jack no matter what, can only be credible if the two really connect. And they do. It’s also visible when the two sing together.
Cooper has the difficult task to play a convincing drunk and it’s a role that can easily get comical or cartoonish. Cooper does a fantastic job, one of his best performances to date.
“A Star is Born” basically tells the story of the rise and fall of musicians. When Ally is rising and gets her big break as a pop star, Jack is getting worse and his career suffers. The question is if Jack really awards Ally’s success and that’s what makes this film more than just a story about a musician experiencing success. And even halfway through the film, when you think the message should be clear and your questioning the length of the film, the story hasn’t completely been told.
The music is really good and the moments between Jack and Ally are the best. Even though it’s a remake, the film stands out because of the strong performances, relevant story and great music.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 57: The Good Dinosaur

Director: Peter Sohn
Genre: Animation/ Adventure/ Comedy/ Fantasy
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Raymond Ochoa, Jeffrey Wright, Steve Zahn, A.J. Buckley, Anna Paquin, Sam Elliott, Jack Bright, Frances McDormand, Maleah Nipay-Padilla, Ryan Teeple, Jack McGraw, Marcus Scribner, Peter Sohn, Mandy Freund, Steven Clay Hunter, David Boat, Carrie Paff, Calum Grant, John Ratzenberger

Description: In a world where dinosaurs and humans live side-by-side, an Apatosaurus named Arlo (Raymond Ochoa) makes an unlikely human friend.

Review: After “Inside Out”, “The Good Dinosaur” was the second Disney Pixar film that came out in 2015. In this animation shows us the “what-if” scenario, what would have happened if the dinosaurs lived together with humans.
We meet Apatosaurus Arlo, the third child of a farminf dinosaur family. Arlo is a small, scared dinosaur. His big brother is fearless and tough and his sister is self assured and confident. Everything Arlo isn’t. When Arlo’s father wants to teach him a wise life lesson, he dad dies. When later Arlo gets lost and is far away from his family, he has to survive by himself and overcome his fears. He finds an unlikely friend in a young human boy, who he names Spot.
Director Peter Sohn and his team decided to make the dinosaurs in this animation not as realistic. It works. The surroundings on the ither hand look stunning and very life like. The story isn’t as original as we are used to from Pixar, but it’s an enjoyable film takes gives us a lot of entertainment when we travel from point A to B. The film is touching ad funny.

Rating: 4,5/ 5