Five to Watch: Movies Under 2 Hours

These days, it seems like every movie is two hours or even longer. Some go up to 3 hours and over. And I can understand that you want to watch a film, but don’t have the time or energy to watch a long movie. There are in fact a lot of movies that are under two hours and I decided to select a few. Here are five picks for movies that are under 2 hours and might not be on your radar.

The Edge of Seventeen (2016)
Seventeen-year-old Nadine is a moody outsider. Only her history teacher and best friend Krista can get her approval. Nadine’s world collapses when Krista starts dating her brother Darian. The formula of “The Edge of Seventeen” is well-know, it’s a high school film, but it’s so well-executed. It’s an honest teen dramady with vile dialogue, great pace and a lot of heart.

It Follows (2014)
With a simple yet original idea, director David Robert Mitchell delivers a layered and intelligent horror film. Jay’s brand-new boyfriend gives her a curse after they had sex for the first time. From that moment on she will always be haunted by an entity, that changes shape, and wants to kill her. “It Follows” has dreamy images of Detroit’s suburbs in decay, a Carpenter-like synthesizer soundtrack, nerve-wrecking slow chases and some well-planned scare moments make for a haunting feeling that will haunt you for a long time to come.

All is Lost (2013)
Only one actor, a few lines of text and a boat as the backdrop. Does that captivate you for an hour and a half? Absolutely. Director/ screenwriter J.C. Chandor proves that he can create a blood-curdling thriller without dialogue and an ensemble cast. Robert Redford, 75 during the shooting of it, delivers one of the greatest performances of his career and an unnamed sailor who ends up in a storm and has to survive. “All is Lost” convinces as an adventure film ans as a study in minimalism.

Sing Street (2016)
Dublin in the 1980s. Colin tries to escape his forced family by starting a band. He wants to impress the mysterious girl of his dream. It’s a comic music drama, with an awesome soundtrack and the cool 80s as a backdrop.

Short Term 12 (2012)
“Short Term 12” is your typical American indie film. Twenty-something Grace and Mason work in a shelter for underprivileged youth and in the meantime try to maintain a somewhat difficult relationship with each other. If you take the well-know elements for granted, you will discover a gem of a film, full of warm hearted characters, compelling drama and an authentic-looking insight into the youth care sector.

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched For My Challenge (September 2017)

This was a good month, because I saw a bunch of fantastic films. Here are my five favorites.

5. The Hitman’s Bodyguard
A super funny and harsh action comedy. I loved Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, apart and together. They make a great duo. And that scene with the nuns alone is reason enought to see it again.

4. Hidden Figures
A very inspiring story, about three black women making a change while working at Nasa. Based on a true story, rooting for women!!

3. It
Since I hate clowns, this was a big deal for me. The old "It" movie doesn't scare me anymore, but this is one of the scariest films I've seen. And also one of the best horror movies of the past years.

2. Brimstone
I'm a little proud to be Dutch now, because it was made by a Dutch director and has Dutch roots. It took him about 8 years to finish it and it was worth the wait.

1. Sing Street
I loved, loved, loved "Sing Street". The 80s time period, the 80s music, the characters, the story. It's so good. And I didn't even know about this film. One of the best films of 2016.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Life

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 101: Sing Street

Director: John Carney
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Kelly Thornton, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jack Reynor, Aidan Gillen, Ian Kenny, Ben Carolan, Percy Chamburuka, Mark McKenna, Don Wycherley, Des Keogh, Kian Murphy, Dolores Mullally, Lucy Boynton, Marcella Plunkett, Vera Nwabuwe, Conor Hamilton, Karl Rice

Description: A boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s escapes his strained family life by starting a band to impress the mysterious girl he likes.

Review: “Sing Street” is a film that flew under the radar in 2016. I even missed it. Which is a shame, because it’s definitely one of the best films of that year. I loved “Sing Street”.
Director John Carney previously made “Begin Again”, which is also a favorite of mine. In “Sing Street” we meet Conor. His life is tough. His parents are constantly fighting, because of money problems he is send to a strict boarding school and his role model (his brother) is about to walk away from home. Set in Ireland in the eighties, we get a great coming of age story which starts out really sad.
After meeting Raphina and falling head over heels in love with her, he decides to start a band. And she has to star in their videos. And Conor is really good at it.
The songs in “Sing Street” are fantastic. You feel that the band is influenced by other artists and the songs that follow have a good eighties feel.
The cast, mostly unknown for the big audience, is amazing. It’s really hard to dislike any of the characters. And they all look like they were supposed to be in this film. The film feels authentic and it’s clearly Carney’s love letter to eighties music. It’s beyond me why this movie was so overlooked. So overlooked that even I missed it. It’s a fantastic film.

Rating: 5/ 5