Netflix Friday - Volume 15

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

Action: Bumblebee (2018)
On the run in the year 1987, Bublee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. On the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, Charlie (Hailee Steinfeld) discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.

Drama: The Squid and the Whale (2005)
We follow two young boys (Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline) dealing with their parents divorce (Laura Linney, Jeff Daniels) in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Comedy: The Naked Gun (1988)
Incompetent polive Detective Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) must foil an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.

Animation: When Marnie Was There (2014)
Due to 12-year-old Anna’s (Hailee Steinfeld) asthma, she’s sent to stay with relatives of her guardian in the Japanese countryside. She likes to be along, sketching. She befriends Marnie, but who is this mysterious girl?

Romance: Stardust (2007)
In a countryside town bordering on a magical land, a young man (Charlie Cox) makes a promise to his beloved (Claire Danes) that he’ll retrieve a fallen star by venturing into the magical realm.

Horror: Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Ichabod Crane (Johnny Depp) is sent to Sleepy Hollow to investigate the decapitations of three people, with the culprit being the legendary apparition, The Headless Horseman.

Science Fiction: Interstellar (2014)
A team of explorers travel through a wormhole in space in an attempt to ensure humanity’s survival.

Crime: American History X (1998)
A former neo-nazi skinhead (Edward Norton) tries to prevent his younger brother (Edward Furlong) from going the same wrong path that he did.

Thriller: Basic Instinct (1992)
A violent police detective (Michael Douglas) investigates a brutal murder that might involve a manipulative and seductive novelist (Sharon Stone).

Documentary: Down to Earth with Zac Efron (2020)
Actor Zac Efron journeys around the world with wellness expert Darin Olien in search of healthy, sustainable ways to live.

Family: The Lego Movie (2014)
An ordinary LEGO construction worker (Chris Pratt), thought to be the prophesied as ‘special’, is recruited to join a quest to stop an evil tyrant from gluing the LEGO universe into eternal stasis.

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (June 2016)

This month I did watch some really bad films or just mediocre somewhat forgettable movies. But luckily I also watched some really good ones. Here are my favorites for the month of June, film I watched for my challenge.

5. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit
Claymation always fascinates me. The dedication, love and work that is put into a project. “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were Rabbit” looks fantastic and the film is super funny. I love the movie references.

4. The Squid and the Whale
I always love films about dysfunctional families. And this is a dysfunctional family with the capital D. And this is probably Jeff Daniels at his best, he is such an underrated and underappreciated actor.

3. Finding Dory
How can I not love this movie? I was so looking forward to seeing this and it gave us so much. Humor, action, old loveable characters and new memorable characters. I loved Hank! “Finding Dory” is a fun Pixar adventure for the while family!

2. Ant-Man
I didn’t expect “Ant-Man” to be this good, It even made it to my top 5 MCU films. Paul Rudd, who I didn’t think could take on a superhero role, did an excellent job as Scott Lang. I loved this movie.

1. The Nice Guys
This was just the perfect crime comedy. Director Shane Black, who also directed “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang”, knows his strength. And Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling are a match made in heaven. The film is hilarious and I enjoyed every minute of it.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Everest, Carol, Demolition

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 85: The Squid and the Whale

Director: Noah Baumbach
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 81 minutes
Year: 2005
Starring: Jeff Daniels, Laura Linney, Jesse Eisenberg, Owen Kline, William Baldwin, Anna Paquin

Description: Follows two young boys dealing with their parents' divorce in Brooklyn in the 1980s.

Review: An estranged mother and father tell their two sons they are getting a divorce. But what effect will it have on them?
It’s 1986, New York. Professor Bernard Berkman and his wife Joan have grown apart. Bernard is a brilliant man, fascinated by himself and no longer interested in his wife. That’s why Joan has had her share of affairs. The two decide to separate. Their two sons, the sixteen-year-old Walt and the four year younger Frank, are the victims. Bernard has to move into a small apartment in a bad neighborhood. Frank wants to stay with his mom, while Walt adores his dad. Walt blames his mother for everything. Everything gets more complicated when one of Bernard’s students, Lili, moves in with them and gets the interest of both Bernard and Walt. And Joan starts seeing Frank’s tennis coach.
Noah Baumback is a very intelligent film maker. Together with Wes Anderson he wrote “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” and you see the influence of Anderson in “The Squid and the Whale”.
I somehow always enjoy films with dysfunctional families, because this way I realize how great my family is. The kids, Walt and Frank, are played very natural by Jesse Eisenberg and Owen Kline. Both are unsure about everything that is about to happen and deal with the situation in their own way. Jeff Daniels, who plays Bernard, I have always found a very underrated actor. He is really good in this film. And Laura Linney is also very strong as Joan.
Because of the great acting, the realistic happenings, the good script and the characters, this movie works well. “The Squid and the Whale” is a must-see for people who love tragic comedic family films. Fantastic film!

Rating: 4,5/ 5