Netflix Friday - Volume 100

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: The Rhythm Section (2020)
A woman (Blake Lively) seeks revenge against those who orchestrated a plane crash that killed her family.
 

Drama: Welcome to Marwen (2018)
A victim (Steve Carell) of a brutal attack finds a unique and beautiful therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process.
 

Comedy: The Bubble (2022)
A group of actors and actresses stuck inside a pandemic bubble at a hotel attempts to complete a film.
 

Animation: Porco Rosso (1992)
In 1930s Italy, a veteran World War I pilot is cursed to look like an anthropomorphic pig.
 

Romance: Song One (2014)
A young woman (Anne Hathaway) strikes up a relationship with her ailing brother’s favorite musician (Johnny Flynn).
 

Horror: The Cleanse (2016)
A heartbroken man (Johnny Galecki) attends a spiritual retreat to cleanse himself and fix his broken life. There he meets a fellow lost soul (Anna Friel), and together they discover that “the cleanse” releases more than everyday toxins… a lot more.
 

Science Fiction: Dredd (2012)
In a violent, futuristic city where the police have the authority to act as judge, jury and executioner, a cop (Karl Urban) teams with a trainee to take down a gang that deals the reality-altering drug, SLO-MO.
 

Crime: Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
The drug war on the U.S. – Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).
 

Thriller: Shattered (2022)
A rich divorcee Chris (Cameron Monoghan) falls in love with a mysterious woman Sky (Lilly Krug) where Chris, ex-wife and his child eventually gets trapped and a desperate fight for survival will most likely ensue.
 

Documentary: Three Songs for Benazir (2021)
Even as Shaista’s love for Benazir is palpable, the choices he must make to build a life with her have profound consequences.
 

Family: Only Yesterday (1992)
A twenty-seven-year-old office worker travels to the countryside while reminiscing about her childhood in Tokyo.

Netflix Friday - Volume 62

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
A reluctant Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman), sets out to the Lonely Mountain with a spirited group of dwarves to reclaim their mountain home, and the gold within it from the dragon Smaug.
 

Drama: Concussion (2015)
In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.
 

Comedy: 50 First Dates (2004)
Henry Roth (Adam Sandler) is a man afraid of commitment until he meets the beautiful Lucy (Drew Barrymore). They hit it off and Henry think he's finally found the girl of his dreams until discovering she has short-term memory loss and forgets him the next day.
 

Animation: TMNT (2007)
When the world is threatened by an ancient evil, the four adolescent turtles must reunite and overcome their faults in order to stand against it.
 

Romance: Me Before You (2016)
A girl (Emilia Clarke) in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man (Sam Claflin) she's taking care of.
 

Horror: Fear Street Part 2: 1978 (2021)
Shadyside, 1978. School's out for summer and the activities at Camp Nightwing are about to begin. But when another Shadysider is possessed with the urge to kill, the fun in the sun becomes a gruesome fight for survival.
 

Science Fiction: Jurassic World (2015)
A new theme park, built on the original site of Jurassic Park, creates a genetically modified hybrid dinosaur, the Indominus Rex, which escapes containment and goes on a killing spree.
 

Crime: Sicario: Day of the Soldado (2018)
The drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).
 

Thriller: Death Wish (2018)
Dr. Paul Kersey (Bruce Willis) is an experienced trauma surgeon, a man who has spent his life saving lives. After an attack on his family, Paul embarks on his own mission for justice.
 

Documentary: Strong Island (2017)
When filmmaker Yance Ford investigates the 1992 murder of a young black man, it becomes an achingly personal journey since the victim, 24-year-old William Ford Jr., was the filmmaker's brother.
 

Family: Jumanji (1995)
When two kids find and play a magical board game, they release a man (Robin Williams) trapped in it for decades - and a host of dangers that can only be stopped by finishing the game.

Movie Reviews - Sicario: Day of the Soldado

Director: Stefano Sollima
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Catherine Keener, Jeffrey Donovan

Description: The drug war on the U.S.-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro).

Review: “Sicario” was a great success, but it’s not the type of movie you expect a sequel for. The story didn’t leave a lot left to even suggest a sequel.
But like most sequels, “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” can’t live up to the first film. The sequel has to work without genius directo Denis Villeneuve, cinematographer Roger Deakins and leading lady Emily Blunt. Those were three elements that made the first film so strong. That Blunt wasn’t asked back is actually logical, due to the storyline. Hers was done at the end of “Sicario”. But she is missed as the moral compass of the film and the person you can identity with.
Main character in “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” are Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) and Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro, this time in a leading role). Both characters are antiheroes and do things you would probably not agree with. In a moral sense that is. There is no nuance and they don’t blink while abducting a young girl.
The screenplay is really good and the dialogues too. It is never repetitive and different from the first film. It’s a really pleasant film and a solid sequel. But I think they needed Villeneuve to get it to the same level as his film.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movies to Look Forward to - July 2018

It's time for the summer movies, but there is not a lot to look forward to in July. Here is what I think will be worth your time.

July 5th – Adrift
Director: Baltasar Kormákur
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin
Description: Based on the true story of survival, a young couple's (Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin) chance encounter leads them first to love, and then on the adventure of a lifetime as they face one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history.

July 5th – Sicario: Day of the Soldado
Director: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Matthew Modine
Description: The drug war on the US-Mexico border has escalated as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the US border. To fight the war, federal agent Matt Graver re-teams with the mercurial Alejandro.

July 18th – Ant-Man and the Wasp
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Ridd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michaael Peña, Judy Greer, Walton Goggins, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne
Description: As Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.