80s Movie Review - Back to the Future

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: Action. Comedy/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 111 minutes
Year: 1985
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, Claudia Wells, Billy Zane

Description: Marty McFLy (Michael J. Fox) is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his friend, Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd), and must make sure his high-school-age parents unite in order to save his own existence.

Review: “Back to the Future” is an original film that used several elements from various movie genres, like science fiction, comedy and adventure, to create a great whole. The story is well executed and deals with something almost every person secretly wants: travel back in time to relive some moments or do things differently. “Back to the Future” also shows us the danger of time travel. Like how Marty changes the course of history, where his parents don’t fall in love the way they are always telling him. The makers of the film succeeded to avoid plot holes, which is wonderfully done because “Back to the Future” is pretty complex.
Michael J. Fox is great as Marty McFLy. As a kid I had a huge crush on Marty, he is the everyday hero. A hero that we can easily relate to, without being extremely brave or with superpowers. Marty is a somewhat insecure teenager, with dreams. Christopher Lloyd is probably one of cinema’s most beloved professors. Emmet Brown is eccentric and a bit unworldly. With his big eyes and his frizzy hair Lloyd is perfect for the role. Crispin Glover, as Marty’s dad George, and Thomas F. Wilson, as bully Biff, deliver a good performance as well.
The soundtrack is great, with songs from Chuck Berry and Huey Lewis and the News for instance. It adds to the authenticity of the film.
The special effects still look amazing, it’s not dated at all. With that, the movie isn’t filled with them either, only when it’s really needed and to support the story.
“Back to the Future” is an original film that reaches a broad audience. It still holds up and it one of my all-time favorite films.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 9: The Informant!

Director: Steven Soderbergh

Genre: Drama/ Comedy/ Crime

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 2009

Starring: Matt Damon, Melanie Lynskey, Scott Bakula, Patton Oswalt, Joel McHale, Thomas F. Wilson, Scott Adsit

Description: The U.S. government decides to go after an agro-business giant with a price-fixing accusation, based on the evidence submitted by their star witness, vice president-turned-informant Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon).

Review: After Mark Whitacre graduated from Cornell University as a biochemist he starts working for a multinational company Archer Daniels Midland. In the early nineties he has worked his way up to vice-president of the company and everything is going well. In 1992 Mark discovers a mole in the company and tells his superiors. They rather let the FBI handle everything and they ask Mark to be their informant. But is he the right person for the job?

The movie is based on true events and director Steven Soderbergh made it a dark comedy. It’s a film with humor. Matt Damon, who plays the lead role, is irresistibly funny in “The Informant!” Not only because of his role, also his voice-over and the tragi-comedic take on the film. The look of the films suggest another time period then the nineties.

The start might feel a bit slow and has some weaker moments, but the more we get the know Mark Whitacre, the more fun it gets. Lie upon lie, a man that goes from being a naïve informant to a vicious fraud.

Matt Damon is perfect for the role, he does a great job. This is one of those overlooked and underrated Damon films.

Rating: 4/ 5