Movie Review - Nosferatu

Genre: Fantasy/ Horror/ Mystery
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin, Ralph Ineson, Simon McBurney
 
Description: A gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman (Lily-Rose Depp) and the terrifying vampire (Bill Skarsgård) infatuated with her, causing untold horror in it awake.
 
Review: The 1922 “Nosferatu” by F.W. Murnau is an illicit adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”. It’s a chilling masterpiece that overambitious directors had better stay away from when thinking of a remake. Especially after all the countless Dracula films adaptations that add little to nothing to the original story. But director Robert Eggers has proven with movies such as “The Witch”, “The Lighthouse” and “The Northman” that he can do something and has a unique vision. “Nosferatu” is a story that was made for him and the result is worth watching.

The 1922 “Nosferatu” is a silent film that terrified audience at the time. Eggers stays away from the theatrical and operatic style that many vampire movies often use. He does not hide away his admiration for Murnau’s original. But he uses his own style and made a unique and personal work with an original approach.

The story broadly follow that of the classic. In 1838, Thomas Hutter must leave his young bride Ellen behind in Wisborg, Germany, and travel to Transylvania. He must personally hand over the purchase papers of an old property to the buyer, the mysterious Count Orlok. Too late, Thomas realizes that his host is a vampire who harbors an all-consuming love for Ellen. Orlok sails a doomed ship to Wisborg to claim his bride.

Probably the biggest change that Eggers made, is Orlok’s look. Max Schreck was a bald-headed vampire with sharp rabbit-like teeth. What stands out most about Bill Skarsgård as Orlok, is the thick moustache. In the first half of the film, Eggers leaves him mostly in the shadows, but in the second half you see him in more detail.

Eggers uses a monochromatic look, with sometimes scenes fully in black an white. This fits the atmosphere and also Egger’s style. The camera work is excellent. It’s panning, where is doesn’t feel like it’s spinning nor is it stationary.

“Nosferatu” is not a nail-biter, but it is very scary. But the terror is more in the portrayal of the characters, the atmosphere and the way it’s filmed. The shadow especially impressed me and was very creepy. Performances by Bill Skarsgård, Willem Dafoe and Nicholas Hoult are really strong, but it’s Lily-Rose Depp who really delivers a stellar performance.

If you are familiar with Robert Eggers’ previous work and those were not your cup of tea, “Nosferatu” will probably not be for you. If you’re a fan of his style and type of storytelling, you will love this too. Just beware of the gore that is coming.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Magic in the Moonlight

Director: Woody Allen
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Simon McBurney, Hamish Linklater

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 40: A MOVIE WITH YOUR FAVORITE ACTRESS/ ACTOR
 
Description: A romantic comedy about an Englishman (Colin Firth) brought in to help unmask a possible swindle. Personal and professional complications ensue.

Review: Woody Allen is most often either a hit or miss for me. “Magic in the Moonlight” falls somewhere in between.

This movie follows Stanley, a British illusionist, who is given the task to unmask the medium Sophie. Stanley himself is a master of deceit, since in his act he performs as an Asian man. He seems the perfect man to pierce through Sophie’s scheme. Sophie knows from the start Stanely is skeptic about her job, but he can also not resist her charm.  

Nothing really happens in this movie. It is for Emma Stone and Colin Firth that it works. Although they don’t always seem to be believable as love interests. It’s a tale of opposites attract that has been done some many times and so much better.

“Magic in the Moonlight” is not a movie I would remember for long.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Review - The Pale Blue Eye

Director: Scott Cooper
Genre: Crime/ Thriller/ Horror
Runtime: 192 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Christian Bale, Harry Melling, Simon McBurney, Timothy Spall, Toby Jones, Gillian Anderson, Lucy Boynton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Robert Duvall,
 
Description: A world-weary detective (Christian Bale) is hired to investigate the murder of a West Point cadet. Stymied by the cadets’ code of silence, he enlists one of their own to help unravel the case – a young man the world would come to know as Edgar Allen Poe (Harry Melling).

Review: Augustus Landor arrives anno 1830 at West Point, a remote military academy on the frozen Hudson River. It’s an atmospheric landscape, except that outside the gates a corpse is dangling from a tree. The mystery of “The Pale Blue Eye” loses momentum with each subsequent victim, and the icy setting is especially convincing.

Landor meets Edgar Allen Poe, who in his young adult years spent the winter at West Point. Landor and Poe work together in solving this crime.

Not surprisingly, after the first victim, many follow. During his search for the truth, Landor is tormented by his own demons: he is a widower, and sees before his mind’s eye his disappeared daughter.

The partnership between the elder Landor and the young Poe is by no means trouble-free, especially when Poe becomes obsessed with Lea, a stylish young lady plagued by a rare disease. Seeing Landor and Poe together is and remains somewhat uncomfortable, mainly because the film’s persistently serious tone suites Christian Bale better than his counterpart Harry Melling (best known as cousin Dudley in the Harry Potter-series). His interpretation of Poe’s character feels increasingly forced.

Through its blend of personal drama and occult mystery, “The Pale Blue Eye” ultimately tells two stories. In theory, these stories should complement each other seamlessly, but it eventually breaks up the story and make it overly explanatory. Still the well-kept picture direction and the atmospheric view of a wintry snowy landscape keep the first major film of 2023 engaging for more than two hours.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Favorites: Jane Eyre

Synopsis: After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender). Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?

 

 

Unique Selling Point: Although the story has been told many times, it does the classic novel justice. It’s filmed beautifully and the actors have plenty of room to show their skills. It’s great to see how efficiently the hundreds of pages of the book are made into a film.

Most Valuable Player: Michael Fassbender as Rochester, the handsome and charismatic man with a dark edge.

Best Moment: Every hopeless romantic would go for the part where Rochester asks for Jane’s hand in marriage.

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 103: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation

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Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Thriller

Runtime: 131 minutes

Year: 2015

Starring: Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, Simon McBurney, Tom Hollander

Description: Ethan (Tom Cruise) and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate - an International rogue organization as highly skilled as they are, committed to destroying the IMF.

Review: How many actors over 50 do their own stunts? And how many of them will climb tall buildings and hang on an airplane during takeoff? Well, nobody but Tom Cruise. That alone is reason enough for us to see “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”, already the fifth installment in the franchise.

In this film Ethan Hunt is trying to track down the Syndicate, an international terrorist organization lead by former spies. The movie starts with spectacle, where Ethan Hunt is hanging from an airplane that’s taking off. We all know that he actually did that, which makes this scene even more awesome! This is only a warm up, because the film is filled with many more spectacular stunts, scenes and actions. The fact that the stunts have been actually performed, instead of created by computers, gives this movie extra tension and excitement. All the action is fast, intense yet not chaotic.

Tom Cruise is, like in the other films, the star. He is amazing as Ethan Hunt. Simon Pegg again has a bigger role and I love him as Benji Dunn. He takes care of the humor in the movie. And in combination with Cruise he is also good. Ving Rhames is also back and Jeremy Renner is solid as well. Newcomer to the franchise, Rebecca Ferguson, was very good. She was like a female Ethan Hunt, she totally kicked ass.

It seems like the “Mission: Impossble” films keep on getting better and better. I was expecting a lot and “Mission: Impossible – Rogie Nation’ met my expectations.

Rating: 4,5/ 5