Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (January 2015)

The first month of the challenge. I saw some new movies and some older ones. It was a pretty good month, especially because it's only the beginning. Here are my favorites of the month.

5. The Interview

So much controversy about this movie, even before it came out. “The Interview” was really funny and I enjoyed both Seth Rogen and James Franco. They are a great duo.

 

 

4. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Well, in this series it seems like the movies get better and better. “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol” is the best film in the franchise.

 

 

3. Frozen

As a Disney fan, I just loved “Frozen”. And the songs have been in my head ever since. “Frozen” is and old school Disney film, with great songs and showstoppers.

 

 

2. Birdman

This is a cinematographic masterpiece. What a fantastically made movie and Michael Keaton finally gets the role he deserves. Also Emma Stone, Naomi Watts, Edward Norton and Zack Galifiniakas did a wonderful job.

 

 

1. Whiplash

I stood up and cheered when I saw “Whiplash”. What a fantastic movie! And J.K. Simmons, his character terrified me. “Whiplash” is such a good movie, I will watch this many more times.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Skyfall, The Imitation Game, Fright Night, Mission: Impossible 3

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 17: The Interview

Director: Evan Goldberg

Genre: Comedy/ Action

Runtime: 112 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Lizzy Caplan, Randall Park, Diana Bang, Timothy Simons, Reese Alexander, James Yi, Paul Bae, Geoff Gustafson, Dominique Lalonde, Anesha Bailey, Anders Holm, Charles Rahi Chun, Don Chow

Description: Dave Skylark (James Franco) and producer Aaron Rapaport (Seth Rogen) run the celebrity tabloid show "Skylark Tonight." When they land an interview with a surprise fan, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un (Randall Park), they are recruited by the CIA to turn their trip to Pyongyang into an assassination mission.

Review: There was much ado about “The Interview”. Even before it was released it was criticized by the people representing Kim Jong-Un. But things got worse when the so called Sony hack happened. Fingers pointed towards North-Korea. It wasn’t sure if the movie was going to play in theaters. Luckily for us it did hit the cinemas, with off course some exceptions.

Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen have been playing with the idea of a satire where a journalist plans a hit on a world leader. There focus went to North-Korea when former NBA star Dennis Rodman visited Kim Jong-Un in 2013. That’s when “The Interview” got an actual script.

Presenter Dave Skylark and producer Aaron Rapaport are both responsible for the TV show “Skylark Tonight”, where celebrities are interviewed and gossiped about. After episode 1000 airs, they find out Kim Jong-Un is a big fan of the show. Aaron is determined to be taken more seriously and wants Dave to interview Kim Jong-Un. When North-Korea agrees, the CIA contacts Dave and Aaron. They need them to plan a hit on the dictator.

Humor comes in many forms and the kind of humor Goldberg and Rogen have is not for everyone. If you saw “This is the End” you know what to expect. Seth Rogen and James Franco both lose themselves in their roles and make this comedy a satire. Don’t take it too seriously, that’s not how this movie was intended. The in between jokes are the most successful.

All the attention this movie got before even premiering probably only worked in their favor, because everyone wanted to see what the fuss was about. I enjoyed it, because I appreciate Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen’s humor. If “This is the End” wasn’t your cup of tea, you better skip this one.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (143)

Here are this weeks trailers.

Dumb and Dumber To

Description: 20 years after the dimwits Lloyd and Harry (Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels) set out on their first adventure, they head out in search of one of their long lost children in the hope of gaining a new kidney.

Director: Peter and Bobby Farrelly

Starring: Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels, Kathleen Turner, Brady Bluhm, Laurie Holden, Steve Tom and Rob Riggle

Trailer: Trailer "Dumb and Dumber To"

Comment: I think the first was hilarious, excited about this as well!

The Interview

Description: Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show Skylark Tonight. When they discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the two least-qualified men imaginable, to assassinate Kim Jong-un.

Director: Evan Godlberg, Seth Rogen

Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Randall Park, Lizzy Caplan

Trailer: Trailer "The Interview"

Comment: We now when James Franco and Seth Rogen team up, we're up for something good.

Birdman

Description: The washed-up actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) who once played an iconic superhero must overcome his ego and family trouble as he mounts a Broadway play in a bid to reclaim his past glory.

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Starring: Michael Keaton, Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan, Emma Stone, Naomi Watts

Trailer: Trailer "Birdman"

Comment: Okay, Naomi Watts and Emma Stone in one movie (I just pretend "Movie 43" doesn't exists), you got my attention. And Alejandro Gonzálex Iñárritu is one of my favorite directors.

 

Home

Description: When Earth is taken over by the overly confident Boov, an alien race in search of a new place to call home, all humans are promptly relocated while all Boov get busy reorganizing the planet. But when one resourceful girl, Tip, manages to avoid capture, she finds herself the accidental accomplice of a banished Boov named Oh. The two fugitives realize there's a lot more at stake than intergalactic relations as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime.

Director: Tom Johnson

Starring: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Steve Martin

Trailer: Trailer "Home"

Comment: I love cute aliens.

Boxtrolls

Description: A young orphaned boy raised by underground cave-dwelling trash collectors tries to save his friends from an evil exterminator.

Director: Graham Annable, Anthony Stacchi

Starring: Elle Fanning, Simon Pegg, Toni Collette, Ben Kingsley, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, Isaac Hempstead Wright

Trailer: Trailer "Boxtrolls"

Comment: I love the style.