10s Movie Review - The Girl in the Spider's Web

Director: Fede Alvarez
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Claire Foy, Sverrir Gudnason, Lakeith Stanfield, Sylvia Hoeks, Stephen Merchant

Description: Young computer hacket Lisbeth Salander (Claire Foy) and journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Sverrir Gudnason) find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials.

Review: A new introduction to Lisbeth Salander, it takes some time to get used to. The main character from the popular “Millennium” book series by Stieg Larsson and David Lagercrantz is blown up to almost mythical proportions in “The Girl in the Spider’s Web”. Standing in front of a big screen she seems like an avenging angel. Her face covered up partially by her hoodie, nonchalant lighting a cigarette. Her mission: punish men who (sexually) abuse women. She even added some white makeup around her eyes, like some sort of superhero mask.
The title seems to refer to the network of predators (pedophiles, rapist, abusers), but “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” hardly deals with this theme. The film is based on the fourth book in the series, which wasn’t written by author Stieg Larsson, but by journalist David Lagercrantz. And to be honest, it’s noticeable that the material has gone from Larsson to another writer. Especially when we’re looking at Lisbeth Salander, she is further from the character’s origin.
The ‘spiders’ appear to be leaders of a crime syndicate. The do everything to get codes from an online nuclear weapons program, byt masterfull hacker Lisbeth is trying to stop them. In this film she sometimes even feels like a female James Bond.
This cyberthriller has lots of bizarre twists, but has a high tempo and is well shot. And director Fede Alvarez manages to create some stylish scenes. Most attention goes to Lisbeth, and not to Mikael Blomkvist. His character is not very prominent in this film and sometimes even feels like he didn’t need to be there. When Stieg Larsson wrote the first books, they centered around Lisbeth and Blomkvist and their relationship. Claire Foy had big shoes to fill. Noomi Rapace portrayed Lisbeth Salander in the Swedish trilogy and Rooney Mara played her in the American version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. Foy does a good job, but not as good as her predecessors. We can see Foy is a very versatile actress, since she also plays the role of Queen Elizabeth in series “The Crown”.
It's a given that the original series from Sweden is the best and I don’t think that will even change. “The Girl in the Spider’s Web” is a good effort, but since the books have been written by someone other then Stieg Larsson and it already feels different, the movie suffers from that too.

Rating: 3 / 5

10s Movie Review - Blade Runner 2049

Director: Denis Villeneuve
Genre: Science Fiction/ Thriller
Runtime: 163 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Sylvia Hoeks, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Mackenzie Davis, Dave Bautista

Description: A young blade runner's (Ryan Gosling) discovery of a long-buried secret leads him to track down former blade runner Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who's been missing for thirty years.

Review: In 1982 director Ridley Scott brought us “Blade Runner”, a film loosely based on “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” by Philip K. Dick. After “Alien” he took another big step in the sci-fi genre. The film was, because of the combination of film noir and a philosophical take, not for everyone. Even critics weren’t agreeing at the time.
In 2017, the opinions about the sequel, are extremely positive. Some even call it an instant classic and a masterpiece. “Blade Runner 2049” will still not be everybody’s cup of tea, but I do agree with the positive responses. And I even think it’s better then the film from 1982.
Ridley Scott passed the directorial position over to Denis Villeneuve, a talented director that yet has to make his first mistake (let’s hope not off course). After “Arrival”, from 2016, Villeneuve showed the audience he knows his way around science fiction. But “Blade Runner 2049” is so very different.
Villeneuve asked all the journalists not to talk about the plot to much in their reviews. He wanted all the moviegoers to experience this film to the fullest and give them the same experience as he critics.
“Blade Runner 2049” is a film filled with emotion, beautiful shots, deeper layers and fascinating characters. So I will not share any plot details with you either, you really have to see for yourself. I do think it’s a shame that I didn’t get to see it in theaters at the time. Literally no one around was talking about this film and I simply missed it. And now, I don’t understand why and how.
Villeneuve often manages to make your jaw drop. And that’s also happening here. The images of misty cities filled with big in-your-face billboard commercials, immense garbage piles and abandoned factories. But also the ochre colored field with giant statues of women.
The role of K, was written for Ryan Gosling. He gives his role depth and he proofs again that he chooses his projects wisely. Harrison Ford’s role isn’t as big, but noteworthy, just like in the first film.
Like I stated before, “Blade Runner 2049” is not for everyone, just like the first film. The slow sci-fi by Denis Villeneuve is not to everybody’s taste. The film is hard to grab and its unpredictability could trouble the average moviegoer. All those things are just why I love “Blade Runner 2049”. Besides the gorgeous images and great performances, it’s very pleasant to see a sequel this good and this surprising. Better then “Blade Runner”, mission accomplished!

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 114: Bro's Before Ho's

Director: Steffen Haars, Flip van der Kuil

Genre: Comedy/ Romance

Runtime: 88 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Tim Haars, Daniël Arends, Sylvia Hoeks, Henry van Loon, Jennifer Hoffman, Theo Maassen

Description: Because of a bad marriage of their parents, two brothers Jules (Daniel Arends) en Max (Tim Haars) made a pact never to get into a relationship with a woman. Therefore, they live a party-life in which they sleep with a different girl every day. However this changes when Jules starts to date Anna (Sylvia Hoeks) and Max falls in love with her. Can their bromance overcome this love triangle.

Review: When they could play Duckhunt for hours, life wasn’t that difficult for brothers Jules and Max. Their father tells them never to get into a relationship with a woman. The brothers decide to live by that life lesson.

Max wakes up ten minutes before work, gets into his outfit without showering and slowly shuffles to the video store next door. His diet: coffee, candy and chocolate. He hardly has any clients, but Max likes the life. His adopted brother Jules isn’t doing any better. He is an assistant manager at a local supermarket, but instead of managing the place, he bangs every female co-worker. Jules and Max live together with their roommate Rene. Rene acts like a ‘bad ass gangsta’, but is in a relationship with his stuck up girlfriend and he’s whipped. A life that Max and Jules despise. At night the brothers go out and take home girls. Max always settles for the ‘less pretty friend’, because Max always gets the hot chicks. But then the beautiful Anna walk into hi video store. Their brotherly bond is tested when he falls in love with Anna, but she starts dating Jules.

Directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil brought us “New Kids Turbo” and “New Kids Nitro”. The decision to make a romcom is a pleasant surprise, but I can understand the male fans weren’t jumping of joy. With “Bro’s Before Ho’s” they made a romcom that is also watchable for guys. It’s filled with crude jokes, bad language and sex.

Tim Haars plays the likeable Max, not spectacular but he wins over your sympathy easily. Comedian Daniël Arends, as brother Jules, is more solid with his arrogant attitude and dry humor. Henry van Loon play roommate Rene. Sadly it’s only a supporting role, because he is hilarious. It sometimes feels awkward and uncomfortable, but he’s a guarantee for laughs. Sylvia Hoeks, as Anna, adds some feminine spice to the film. Which is needed, because the movie has a high testosterone level and is very juvenile. The biggest problem of the film is the lack of originality and a cliché overkill.

For a Dutch comedy “Bro’s Before Ho’s” was better than expected, but it’s nothing new.

Rating: 2,5/ 5