TV Show Review - The White Lotus (Season 3)

Season: 3
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2025
Starring: Walton Goggins, Amy Lou Wood, Leslie Bibb, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sam Nivola, Sarah Catherine Hook, Natasha Rothwell, Sam Rockwell

Description: As a new round of guests arrives at The White Lotus Thailand.
 
Review: In the third season of the satirical drama series “The White Lotus”, the once again messed-up yet fascinating hotel guests arrive at the beautiful resort, this time in Thailand.

The series starts off with the discovery of something that looks like a floating body in the water and the sound of gun shots. Then we go back in time, to a week before.

Like each season, showrunner Mike White chooses a new cast of characters and also a new theme. Season 1 was mostly about money, season 2 revolved around sex and the newest season focuses on religions and spirituality.

And with the characters, again, they are all over the place. We meet the cheerful and upbeat British Chelsea and her grumpy, older American boyfriend Rick. Then there is the Ratliff family, clearly affluent as they are dysfunctional. Father Timothy is a businessman who finds out he is in deep trouble at home. His wife Victoria is living her best life. And their three adult children argue as siblings do. Saxon is  an oversexed jerk who works for his father. Daughter Piper is eager to embrace her spirituality. And Lochlan, their youngest brother, feels like he doesn’t belong with his narcissistic, domineering relatives. Finally we meet the three girlfriends, in their forties, who know each other from school. Jaclyn is a famous actress and decided to take her friends Laurie and Kate with her on a holiday. But their friendship is filled with envy, gossip and jealousy.

The only character that we have already met before is Belinda, who was also in season 1 working at the White Lotus in Hawaii. She has arrived in Thailand to recover from burnout and broaden her knowledge. There is one other characters that we know from previous season, but I won’t spoil it for you.

I was invested in all the storylines and really felt like this season brought a lot of memorable characters. Especially Parker Posey as Victoria, with her Southern accent. Patrick Schwarzenegger as her oldest son Saxon, who probably goes through the biggest change of all the characters. And Chelsea, who won over all of our hearts probably, because of Amy Lou Wood’s great performance. Also worth mentioning is Carrie Coon, who broke us all with a perfect monologue in the final episode. Please give her an Emmy for that! And Jason Isaac, as Timothy, the father of the Ratliff family. He went though such an emotional rollercoaster, that had us all in a chokehold the entire season.

I really enjoyed the first two seasons, but I think season 3 is my favorite. That final episode was insane and was worth the wait.

Movie Review - See How They Run

Director: Tom George
Genre: Mystery/ Comedy
Runtime: 98 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Saoirse Ronan, Adrian Brody, Ruth Wilson, David Oyelowo
 
Description: In the West End of 1950s London, plans for a movie version of a smash-hit play come to an abrupt halt after a pivotal member of the crew is murdered.

Review: Thanks to a fine cast and good pace, you’ll fly right through the murder mystery comedy “See How They Run”, which both praises Agatha Christie’s work and makes fun of it.

London, 1953. We open in the West End, the place to be for anyone interested in theater. The play “The Moustrap” is being played for the hundredth time, which is a whodunit by Agatha Christie. American director Leo Kopernick complains: “It’s such a typical detective play”. He is in London preparing for the film version: “If you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all”.

Not much later, Leo is found dead in the theater, and that’s where the whodunit starts. Who could have killed Leo? That’s where Inspector Stoppard and rookie partner Constable Stalker come in.

Don’t expect any big surprises in the feature debut from director Tom George. With “See How They Run” he shows how to skillfully seduce the viewer: the setting is beautiful, the cast great and the pace fast. Especially Stoppard and Stalker are a fantastic duo to watch, bickering and clumsy putting the pieces o the puzzle together. Sam Rockwell and Saoirse Ronan, who played these characters, were my favorite thing about the film.

I love a good whodunit. And, in my opinion, “See How They Run” really succeeds. It was highly enjoyable and they actually also had many nods to Agatha Christie, probably the queen of whodunits. To actually feature her as a character is maybe a bit too much, but overall I loved this film. 

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - Iron Man 2

Director: Jon Favreau
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sam Rockwell, Samuel L. Jackson, Mickey Rourke, Leslie bibb, Olivia Munn, Don Cheadle, Kate Mara, Paul Bettany, John Slattery, Clark Gregg, Garry Shandling

Description: With the world now aware of his identity as Iron man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) must contend with both his declining health and a vengeful mad man with ties to his father’s legacy.

Review: Two years before the sequel was released, “Iron Man” was an unsuspected hit. It was a straight-forward comic book tale that made it special due to its great lead.
Although the first film wasn’t very surprising, the last scene where Tony reveals to the public that he is Iron Man, was. This created the path for a sequel. Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, is nothing like the other superheroes out there. Heroes like Spider-Man or Batman see their task as a burden and try to keep their identity hidden. But Tony is someone living the good life and not being ashamed of it, but simply has an eccentric hobby that he uses to fight bad guys. This is no different in “Iron Man 2”.
Tony makes it seem easy to live as a superhero with his identity out in the open and you wonder why some of them want to keep their identity hidden. Well, the government pressures him to hand over his inventions. And his character reveal draws the attention of a Russian criminal that has some unfinished business with the Stark family. This Ivan Vanko gets, after his first confrontation with Iron Man, help from a guy named Justin Hammer. He is a weapons manufacturer who is always one step behind Tony. An alliance with Vanko could work for both Hammer as Vanko.
Ivan Vanko is played by Mickey Rourke, who got his Hollywood comeback due to “The Wrestler”. But in “Iron Man 2” there is not a lot for him to do. Babbling in a Russian accent, but mainly silent, he is mostly physically present in the action scenes. Another newcomer to the film is Scarlett Johansson, who is Tony’s new assistant. First it seems like a thankless role, until it’s uncovered who she really is. But the best newcomer is Don Cheadle, who takes over the role of James Rhodes from Terrence Howard, who played this role in the first film. A character being played by a different actor than the previous film is a tough job, but Cheadle nails it and we’ve already forgotten about Howard.
The intention of a series is that you see a clear development in characters, in this cast Tony Stark. But at the end of “Iron Man 2” he is just the same guy as the first film. In doesn’t dig deep enough to give Tony the development he needs.
“Iron Man 2” is a fun and very entertainment sequel, that is mainly good because of an excellent performance by Robert Downey Jr.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Jojo Rabbit

Director: Taika Waititi
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Roman Griffin Davis, Thomasin McKenzie, Scarlett Johansson, Taika Waititi, Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, Alfie Allen, Stephen Merchant, Archie Yates, Luke Brandon Field

Description: A young boy (Roman Griffin Davis) in Hitler’s (Taika Waititi) army finds out his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their home.

Review: “Jojo Rabbit” is a film about Jojo, a 10-year-old boy, at the end of WWII. A German boy. He doesn’t know better than that Hitler is ruling and joining the Hitler jugend is just as normal to him as joining the boy scouts. As many kids his age, Jojo has an imaginary friend. But this one is a little out of the ordinary: it’s Adolf Hitler himself.
The tone is set in the opening scene, where Jojo and imaginary Hitler are practicing his ‘Sieg Heil’ until he is finally convincing. At first you think it might be a dumb juvenile joke, but it’s far from that. The film has a satirical take and it’s brilliant.
Although the film is set during WWII, the tone is light hearted. It does star a 10-year-old boy. Scarlett Johansson plays his mother Rosie, a jolly woman who is focused on doing the right thing and tying Jojo’s shoes. Captain Klenzendorf is the leader of the Hitlerjugend and almost always too drunk to notice that shots are fired. And Jews, in Jojo’s imagination they are mythical creatures with horns and telepathic powers. He has an idea of what to do when he sees one, but it never came to that. Until he meets Elsa, the young woman Jojo’s mother is hiding in their house. Elsa is a smart and pretty teenage girl and she is also very friendly. Jojo doesn’t understand any of it anymore.
This extremely ingenious story, from the book by the Flemish New Zealand Christine Leunens, offers plenty of room for strong satire. Director (and portrayer of imaginary Hitler) Taika Waititi adds to this a sharp visual symbolism and subject matter. Even with the Wes Anderson-type shots and composition this movie never wants you to think that 1944’s Germany was a place without worries. Because the actual gruesome details of the war stay in the background, you still notice they are there. And even the protective world of a 10-year-old isn’t free of the monster that’s called war. We can laugh, we even have to some times, but people are still dying and you can’t deny or flee that.
This combination of playfulness and cruelty is what makes “Jojo Rabbit” so strong in the end. And if you can’t find the humor in a young kid that, while skipping around town, greets random strangers with a stretched arm, you’d better pass on this one. But I’ve never seen a jet black comedy that was so colorful. “Jojo Rabbit” will make you laugh and cry, whether it’s because of happiness or sadness. “Jojo Rabbit” is a fantastic film, a definite favorite for me.

Rating: 5 / 5

Movie Review - Richard Jewell

Director: Clint Eastwood
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 131 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm, Olivia Wilde

Description: American security guard Richard Jewell (Paul Walter Hauser) saves thousands of lives from an exploding bomb at the 1996 Olympics, but is vilified by journalists and the press who falsely reported that he was a terrorist.

Review: During the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996 a bomb exploded in Centennial Olympic Park. Security guard Richard Jewell was the big hero who prevents a blood bath. At least for the first couple of days. On day four, the Atlanta Journal reports that the discoverer of the bomb is most likely to be the bomber.
Jewell went from hero to culprit in just a few days and whole America condemned him. Richard Jewell is a typical hero for a Clint Eastwood film: American, taunted and forgotten. And on the big screen he is both adjustable and distant.
Richard Jewell is an everyday man, chubby, always wants to do the right thing and living with his mother. He likes to talk and please. But above all Jewell wants to be a part of law enforcement. Preferably as a police officer, but campus officer or security guard will do too. As long as he can use his compulsive sense of justice to protect others. Nobody really takes him seriously though. As seen while working as a security guard during the Olympics at Centennial Park. First when he is trying to talk to some teens that are breaking beer bottles. But when he discovers an unmanned backpack, he alarms the cops at the scene. They think it's nothing, but it eventually turns out there is a bomb inside. Because of Jewell acting so quickly, many lives were saved after the bomb goes off.
Jewell is seen as the hero of the day, people already want to write books about him. But on day four his life completely changes, when he is all of a sudden the main suspect in the case.
When we see Jewell at the start, we can see that he is a good person at heart. Making sure his boss gets his supplies and Snickers. But him being a loner and overly-interested in everything that has to do with law enforcement makes him look suspicious.
The movie makes you believe that Richard Jewell is a hero and not the criminal the press and FBI make him out to be. But there is still this feeling of what if he did do it?
It’s first and foremost the cast that makes this film so good, touching and strong. Paul Walter Hauser, a fairly unknown actor to me, takes on the role of the titular character and makes him layered and human. Kathy Bates plays his mother and is solid and convincing as always. Olivia Wilde is also very good in her role as journalist breaking the story. But it’s Sam Rockwell that leaves the biggest impression. He is a sympathetic character, since he is the only one that has ever really listened to Jewell and took him seriously. And he does everything to help Jewell and proof his innocence. Because he simply believes it.
I think the story has been brushed up a bit, for Hollywood’s sake, but overall “Richard Jewell” is an incredibly gripping story and it has some really good performances.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - Vice

Director: Adam McKay
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Alison Pill, Eddie Marsan, Justin Kirk, Jesse Plemons, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Tyler Perry, Naomi Watts, Alfred Molina

Description: The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell), reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today.

Review: Director Adam McKay was once know for his absurd comedies with Will Ferrell, but has since made some less humorous films. In 2015 he brought us “The Big Short”, which focused on Wall Street. And with “Vice” he puts Dick Cheney in the spotlight. Is it a good career switch for McKay? I can say it is, because “Vice” is, even though very ambitious, a very strong political drama, a well-executed film with a comedic edge.
Because of the daily doses of idiotic Trump news, you would almost forget about the time that George W. Bush was president, which was also not the best political period for America. If it is completely Bush’s fault, that’s up for debate. It more luck than wisdom for Bush. And the political games he left for Dick Cheney. A man who became powerful by staying in the background. In “Vice” his political career is shown, and that career is much longer then we think. He started there when Nixon was president.
Cheney isn’t interested in politics at first. He chooses to be a Republican based on a speech Donald Rumsfeld gives. He becomes Cheney’s mentor. But student becomes teacher in this scenario.
When Cheney says his goodbyes to politics, he is tempted to work as Vice President for the unexperienced Bush. And when he becomes VP, he manages to draw all the power to himself.
Christian Bale looks nothing like Dick Cheney in real-life, but thanks to the fantastic make-up department Bale is unrecognizable and Cheney is born. He plays his role with perfection. But the satire doesn’t always work for Bale. Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell, who play Rumsfeld and Bush, are better suited for this style.
“Vice” has a few absurd scenes, that you wouldn’t expect in a political themed film. But here is where McKay separates himself from the rest. It doesn’t always work well, but it is original.
If politics don’t interest you, this movie is not for you. Even if it is brought with more wit and satire. If you do like it, it’s a nice change from all the raw and serious political dramas.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

90s Review - The Green Mile

Director: Frank Darabont
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 181 minutes
Year: 1999
Starring: Tom Hanks, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Clarke Duncan, James Cromwel, Michael Jeter, Graham greene, Doug Hutchison, Sam Rockwell, Barry Pepper, Jeffrey DeMunn, Patricia Clarkson, Harry Dean Stanton

Description: The lives of guards on Death Row are affected by one of their charges: a black man accused of child murder and rape, yet who has a mysterious gift.

Review: Director Frank Darabont is at his best when filming adaptations of Stephen King novels. His directorial debut, “The Shawshank Redemption”, hit every mark. With “The Green Mile” he’s on trusted territory, because it’s also set in a prison. It does introduce a new element: the paranormal. “The Green Mile” is set in a death row cell block, led by Paul Edgecomb, in 1935. They call it the green mile. He runs it with his best friend Brutus Howell, the young Dean Stanton, veteran Harry Terwilliger and newcomer and sadistic Percy Wetmore.
All prison guards, except for Percy, want the prisoners the end their life in the most humane way possible. The silent Native American Arlen Bitterbuck and the joyful Eduard ‘Del’ Delacroix are both waiting for their judgment day. One day, the gigantic John Coffey is brought in. He is sentenced for the rape and murder of two young girls. But he looks more dangerous then he actually is. Coffey is afraid of the dark and has a gentle character. Soon Paul discovers that something special is going on and that John Coffey has a gift.
Like “The Shawshank Redemption”, “The Green Mile” is a film that’s carried by the actors. Tom Hanks is perfect for his role as sympathetic protagonist and through his eyes we see the story. Doug Hutchison is very convincing as the exasperating Percy. Sam Rockwell goes nuts as crazy inmate Wild Bill, David Morse is likeable as the goodhearted Brutus and James Cromwell portrays his role as prison boss very well. But it’s Michael Clarke Duncan that impresses the most. He grabs viewers and it’s really hard not to like him.
“The Green Mile” is a powerful film with a good message, that will leave many people in tears. The characters get all the room to exploit. Darabont puts the focus on the characters and not on the plot.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Director: Martin McDonagh
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, Lucas Hedges, Abbie Cornish

Description: A mother (Frances McDormand) personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

Review: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is a strong film, with an original screenplay and lots of unpredictability. Frances McDormand plays, as a broken and fighting mother, the role of her life.
I’m glad we finally got another monumental film, that is not mainly leaning on pretty pictures to decorate the story and a soundtrack to keep the pace. If this film doesn’t win any awards for best screenplay, leading lady and supporting actor, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with Hollywood.
When it looks like you’re dealing with a simple story, but it turns out to be a realistic drama with dark humor. Director and writer Martin McDonagh, who already brought us two very brilliant films “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths”, shows us how this is done.
We follow mother Mildred Hayes, who lost her daughter who was raped and murdered. Because she believes the local authorities are failing her, she rents three billboards. On those billboards she puts the following messages: ‘Raped while dying’, ‘And still no arrests?’, ‘How come Chief Willoughby?’.
This provocative message becomes the talk of the town. Chief Willoughby, played by Woody Harrelson, is personally attacked. But he also has his own problems, because he is facing terminal cancer. Beside him there is Jason Dixon, portrayed by Sam Rockwell, the racist, alcoholic ‘bad cop’ with a dominant mother.
Frances McDormand plays the best role to date. And she has her fair share of memorable performances. But my favorite was Sam Rockwell. What a performance!
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” will definitely end up on my favorites list at the end of 2018. Fantastic film!

Rating: 5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 19: Galaxy Quest

Director: Dean Parisot

Genre: Adventure/ Science Fiction/ Comedy

Runtime: 102 minutes

Year: 1999

Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Missi Pyle, Justin Long, Rainn Wilson

Description: The alumni cast of a space opera television series have to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help.

Review: Sigourney Weaver is no stranger to the science fiction genre. In “Galaxy Quest” this genre is mocked. Together with Tim Allen and Alan Rickman, they play actors from an old science fiction TV show called “Galaxy Quest”.

The movie starts with a segment from that show, that stopped running after 1982. Eighteen years later the actors are still going to conventions in the costumes of their characters. The relationship between all the actors isn’t as good as it used to be. Jason Nesmith, who played Commander Taggert on the show, is the only one who’s still happy with his fame. The others are annoyed by his arrogance.

The next day, Jason wakes up with a hangover and a group of strange people is waiting for him at the door. They ask Jason to join them on their spaceship, not knowing that they are actual aliens, to fight the evil General Sarris. Jason manages to get the rest of the cast to go with him. The aliens think that the TV show is a documentary and see the actors as their role models. Their spaceship is an exact copy of the one in the TV show.

If you know “Star Trek”, you can see many resemblances. This is what the creators wanted, because the film mocks the genre. “Galaxy Quest” is really funny, both when it comes to the characters and the situations they get themselves into. Tim Allen is perfect for a movie like this and Sigourney Weaver fits in as well. Alan Rickman not so much, so you would think, but this is one of his best roles. He is surprisingly hilarious and steals every scene he is in. I also loved Sam Rockwell, who plays a character who had a guest role on the show once and his character died. Now he is afraid he will die in real life.

“Galaxy Quest” is a movie that many people probably won’t like, because it’s sometimes a bit ridiculous. But I loved this movie!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 157: Moon

Director: Duncan Jones

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 97 minutes

Year: 2009

Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey

Description: Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) has a quintessentially personal encounter toward the end of his three-year stint on the Moon, where he, working alongside his computer, GERTY (Kevin Spacey), sends back to Earth parcels of a resource that has helped diminish our planet's power problems.

Review: Writer and director Duncan Jones only has a limited budget and decides to get a minimal selection of actors and only a small room to film it in. Sam Rockwell is the lead actor. That you’re completely fascinated the entire runtime is simply extraordinary.

Astronaut Sam Bell has a three year contract with Lunar Industries. His job: get Helium 3, the fuel that Earth is relying on. He does this alone, on the moon. His only companion is the computer GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Direct communication with Earth isn’t possible. He can only send and receive messages. When Sam’s contract almost ends, problems start coming. He gets headaches, lack of focus, which eventually leads to an accident with the buggy.

The plot doesn’t seem that original and not very complex at all. But the film is very solid, has a lonely and isolated feel and is melancholic. The setting is beautiful as well.

A film with only one main character can easily fail, that depends on the actor. Sam Rockwell can easily carry this film, his performance is phenomenal. His character shows a big range of emotion and Rockwell makes it look so easy. Rockwell is one of my favorite actors of the moment.

Where Sam lives a relaxed live in the beginning, that relaxed atmosphere disappears after the accident. There is a good buildup. And the second part of the film is also very solid.

This is a movie that managed to be great while being minimalistic. “Moon” is a fantastic film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Battle: Adventureland Vs. The Way Way Back

Both movies I really loved the first time I watched them. They are both coming of age movies, centering around a guy who just tries to feel normal and start a job at a park. “Adventureland” Vs. “The Way Way Back”

 

 

CAST

Adventureland: The leading part is for the easy likeable Jesse Eisenberg. His love interest is played by Kristen Stewart and the really funny roles are for Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. Ryan Reynolds also has a role.

The Way Way Back: Relatively unknown Liam Jones plays the leading role. His mother is portrayed by Toni Collette and his douche of a stepdad is played by Steve Carell. A great role by the way. Sam Rockwell plays my favourite character in the movie, it’s impossible to not like this guy. Also a fun roles for Allison Janney and Maya Rudolph, and AnnaSophie Robb plays the love interest.

STORY

Adventureland: It’s set in 1987. Eisenberg plays college graduate James Brennan who takes a ‘nowhere’ job at his local amusement park. He thinks it’s the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.

The Way Way Back: Duncan is a shy guy, who goes on vacation with his mom, mom’s new boyfriend and the boyfriend’s daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds just the place. He starts working at the local Water Park, where he finds an unexpected friend in manager Owen.

EFFECTS

Adventureland: The movie has a cool 80’s vibe, due to the clothes, music and surroundings.

The Way Way Back: It’s mostly about the characters and the story here. You do get a summer feeling while watching the movie.

WINNER

“The Way Way Back”. It’s such a good film, I can’t fault it. It’s a guarantee to make you feel better and gives you an instant smile.

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 118: Seven Psychopaths

Director: Martin McDonagh

Genre: Crime/ Comedy

Runtime: 110 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken, Woody Harrelson, Tom Waits, Abbie Cornish, Olga Kurylenko, Gabourey Sidibe, Michael Pitt, Harry Dean Stanton

Description: Struggling screenwriter Marty (Colin Farrell) inadvertently becomes entangled in the Los Angeles criminal underworld after his oddball friends (Sam Rockwell, Christopher Walken) kidnap a gangster's (Woody Harrelson) beloved Shih Tzu.

Review: Marty is an Irish scriptwriter who works in Hollywood. For his next script he only has a title: “Seven Psychopaths”. Trying to fight his writer’s block, he’s constantly drinking alcohol. His friends Billy and Hans have another occupation: they kidnap dogs and then return them to their owners in order to collect the reward. Everything goes wrong when Billy kidnaps the Shi’Tzu of criminal Charlie and Marty gets involved.

“Seven Psychopaths” is best described as a dark crime comedy. Filled with good actors who get away with all the horrible violence because of their funny dialogues and the bizarre scenario. Director Martin McDonagh broke through with “In Bruges”, which is a favorite of mine. Colin Farrell also had the lead role in that movie. Here, as Marty, he is more neutral and the people around him steal the show. Sam Rockwell does what he does best. He’s totally crazy, but wins over your sympathy somehow. Christopher Walken has the most emotional role, but his humor is great.

McDonagh filled “Seven Psychopaths” with fun moments. It’s sometimes on the edge of overdoing it, but thanks to the humor of the actors it’s a highly enjoyable movie. Definitely worth your time.

Rating: 4/ 5

Quotables: "The Way Way Back"

I fell in love with this movie when I first saw it. I just love coming of age stories. Especially when it has great, memorable characters (Sam Rockwell!!!) and some cool quotes. I really love this movie and here I am sharing the best quotes from “The Way Way Back”.

Owen: You disappoint me, kid. You're late. You planning on making a habit of this?

Duncan: What?

Owen: You're fired!

Duncan: But I just...

Owen: [sticks out his hand] You make a valid point. Welcome back. With benefits.

 

Duncan: How long have you been working there?

Owen: Oh, the park? Um, I've always been there. Ever since I was a small Cambodian child. Of course, that was after 'Nam. I was in the shit. Then I joined the circus to become a clown fighter. I know about 46 ways to kill a clown. I hate clowns. I'm kidding except for the part where I really do hate them.

Owen: Seriously, when's the last time you bought jeans?

Duncan: My mom buys my jeans.

Owen: Good. Always take things literally. How's that working out for you? Does that get you laid?

Susanna: So. You're a big fan of REO Speedwagon?

Duncan: What?

Susanna: Can't Fight This Feeling?

Duncan: Oh, no. My mom must have put that on there.

Susanna: Oh. And you just got to it and thought "what the hell?" I'm going to sing the shit out of it anyway.

 

Betty: So how was your winter? Because our year was a challenge. My niece was raped in October.

Pam: Oh, my God!

Betty: I know. Not even food courts are safe.

In the Picture: The Characters from "Th Way Way Back"

“The Way Way Back” is a movie I only saw recently, but fell in love with immediately. And it has some great characters, interesting ones with actual depth and emotions. One of them actually made it to my list of favourite movie characters.

Duncan

Played by: Liam James

Duncan is a very quiet 14-year old, who goes on a vacation with his mom and her new boyfriend. He doesn’t really want to go, but has no other options. To try to make the best of it, Duncan decides to check out the town and he discovers a water park. This changes his vacation.

Owen

Played by: Sam Rockwell

Owen is the manager of ‘Water Wiz’, a local water park. He takes Duncan under his wing. Although Owen might look like a tough guy, he has a heart of gold and he is the only one that sees the true Duncan.

Pam

Played by: Toni Collette

Pam is Duncan’s mother. Duncan feels abandoned by her, and Pam doesn’t get him. She is constantly trying to reach out to him, but then falls back in the arms of boyfriend Trent. Drinking, late night partying and smoking marijuana.

Trent

Played by: Steve Carell

Trent is Pam’s new boyfriend. To her, he is a perfect guy. Trent is constantly verbally and emotionally abusing Duncan, often making comments and gestures that are belittling and rude at him. And he’s also not very faithful to Pam. Trent is simply a big ass douche.

Betty Thompson

Played by: Allison Janney

Betty is the cocktail loving vacationing neighbor of Trent and Pam. She likes her parties, drinks and guys and lives her life like she is catching up on her own teen years. Betty isn’t always very subtle and she seems nosy, but she only means well.

Susanna Thompson

Played by: AnnaSophia Robb

Susanna belongs to a popular groups of girls, but she actually doesn’t want to. She is intrigued by Duncan, because he’s an outcast, much to the liking of her friends. Susanna also takes part in Duncan’s growing happiness.

Caitlyn

Played by: Maya Rudolph

Caitlyn works at ‘Water Wiz’. She is a kind woman, loved by Owen, although she doesn’t want to give in to those feelings herself. She also appreciates Duncan’s help and presence at the water park.

 

 

Favorite Character: Owen

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 78: The Way Way Back

Director: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 103 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Liam James, Steve Carell, Toni Colette, AnnaSophia Robb, Alisson Janney, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, Amanda Peet, Rob Corddry

Description: Shy 14-year-old Duncan (Liam James) goes on summer vacation with his mother (Toni Colette), her overbearing boyfriend (Steve Carell), and her boyfriend's daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds an unexpected friend in Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz water park.

Review: Duncan is a 14 year old boy, who is on his way to a beach house for the summer, with his mom, her new boyfriend Trent and the boyfriend’s daughter. Duncan and Trent don’t get along, he’s not happy with his mother’s choice. It’s going to be a long summer. But when Duncan meets Owen, who works at the local waterpark, there is a silver lining.

There are many characters in “The Way Way Back” that give the film a lot of color. Liam James, as Duncan, does a great job and so does AnnaSophie Robb. But it’s the adults that steal the show. It’s fun to see Steve Carell as the douchebag Trent. This ws the first time I wanted to slap him in the face, well performed by Carell. Allison Janney and Toni Colette are solid but my favorite character is portrayed by Sam Rockwell. He is the silly Owen, but he has a heart of gold. And he’s actually Duncan’s savior, the one who appreciates him for who he is. Rockwell really stole my heart in this movie.

“The Way Way Back” is a special film, an honest film, like “Juno and “Little Miss Sunshine”, that leave a smile on your face afterwards.

Rating: 5/ 5