Movie Review - Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Director: James Mangold
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 154 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Toby Jones, Mads Mikkelsen, John Rhys-Davies, Antonio Banderas, Boyd Holbrook, Olivier Richter, Thomas Kretschmann, Karen Allen
 
Description: Archeologist Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) races against time to retrieve a legendary artifact that can change the course of history.

Review: When it comes to film, Indiana Jones is the adventurer. Harrison Ford gives the iconic character heart and soul.

In this final Indiana Jones adventure, Indy is after an artifact that could change the course of history. He is accompanied by his goddaughter Helena. But we start the movie in the past, where Ford has been made digitally younger. Here is explained what this artifact, a dial made by Archimedes, means to his friend Basil Shaw, Helena’s father.

Even though “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is a big step up from “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”, it is the first film without Steven Spielberg as a director. James Mangold takes over and does a good job, but you do miss Spielberg at times. It is entertaining and I always like going on an adventure with Dr. Jones. He is my favorite male movie character for a reason. And Ford hasn’t lost it. But this movie never reaches the level of the first three films in the franchise.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Pianist

Director: Roman Polanski
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 150 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard, Julia Rayner, Jessica Kate Meyer, Michael Zebrowski, Wanja Mues, Richard Ridings, Nomi Sharron, Anthony Milner, Lucy Skeaping, Roddy Skeaping

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 37: A PALM D’OR WINNING MOVIE
 
Description: A Polish Jewish musician (Adrien Brody) struggles to survive the destruction of the Warsaw ghetto of World War II.

Review: In “The Pianist”, director Roman Polanski describes Wladyslav Szpilman’s hardship during the German occupation of Warsaw in World War II. When the Germans invade Poland and bomb Warsaw, Szpilman is playing a piece of Chopin for the Polish radio. The radio’s building receives a direct hit which abruptly makes Szpilman an unemployed pianist. The timing of the German invasion is particularly unfavorable, as the acquaintance with a beautiful cello player cannot develop into something beautiful due to the violence of the war.
From the moment German soldier march into Warsaw, the Jews’ lives are made increasingly unbearable. It begins with harassment and the obligation to wear an armband with the Star of David, and eventually 500,000 Jews are crammed together in a ghetto. Szpilman becomes a pianist in a diner in the ghetto. His fame drags him through numerous predicaments. When thousands of Jews, including Szpilman and his family, are about to be put on the train to the Treblinka extermination camp, a Jewish policeman saves his ass because he recognizes him. For Szpilman a life of forced labor and hiding then begins.
The arbitrariness and sadism of the Germans are chilling. For example, the Szpilman family witnesses how a family across the street is murdered. And old man, wheelchair and all, is thrown from the balcony. “The Pianist” contains numerous harsh scenes like this. The film also shows similarities with “Schindler’s List”. Director Polanski incorporated his own war experiences. He survived the Krakow Ghetto, like Szpilman, lost his entire family.
One of the most extraordinary scenes in “The Pianist” is, when Szpilman has to play a piece for a high-ranking German officer who discovers him by chance as he tries to open a can of pickles. Szpilman this he will die after it, which makes this scene extra intense.
“The Pianist” is a long film, but it’s worth your time, I promise.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Jungle

Director: Greg McLean
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Thomas Kretschmann, Alex Russell

Description: A group of friends join a guide for a trek into the Bolivian jungle, searching for an Indian village. The men soon realize that the jungle is a difficult place to be.

Review: Daniel Radcliffe exchanges his nerdy look for a more rugged backpackers look for this intense survival drama. A bit predictable, but with a strong performance by Radcliffe.
The film is based on the true story of Yossi Ginsberg and his travel companions. They decide on the search for an Indian village in the Bolivian jungle. A guide escorts them, but they group realizes it’s not an easy task. The jungle becomes their biggest enemy.
Daniel Radcliffe has come a long way from the Harry Potter films that made him a star. He never managed to lose that image, but he comes awfully close here. He shows that he can be a strong performer.
It’s beautifully filmed and the way it’s showed to us how Yossi hallucinates is shot really well too.
It’s not very special overall, but it is a solid survival drama.

Rating: 3/ 5