Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movies - Update 18

I decided to rewatch my 100 favorite movies of all-time. What those are, you can check HERE. I watch them in random order, there is no rhyme or reason there, just watching those movies I love so much.

61/ 100: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)
Mother of a murdered and raped teenager can’t stomach the fact that one year after the fact, a perpetrator has still not been caught and she decides to put pressure on the local sheriff. The mother is not only good, he sheriff is not only bad. And that goes for all the, well-drawn charactrs. At once, comic and tragic, with unforgettable, razor-sharp dialogue from writer/ director Martin McDonagh, who we know from movies like “In Bruges”. Read my full review for “Three Billboards” HERE.

62/ 100: Rear Window (1954)
Photojournalist Jeffries sits at home in a wheelchair with his leg in a cast. His beautiful girlfriend, fashion model Lisa Fremont, comes o see him every day. She hopes to propose, but Jeffries is afraid of commitment and prefers to spy on he neighbors across the street. The wife of one of them, a man with an unhappy marriage, is suddenly nowhere to be seen. Has she been murdered? The story takes a grim turn when Lisa gets actively involved in the case. One of the undisputed highlights of Alfred Hitchcock’s oeuvre, still quite exciting and downright brilliantly constructed. Check out my full review of the movie HERE.

63/ 100: Call Me By Your Name (2017)
It is the summer of 1983. The 24-year-old American research assistan Oliver comes to Northern Italy to assist Professor Perlman. And makes a big impression on his 17-year-old son Elio, who to his own shock and surprise falls in love with Oliver. The discovery of the talented Timothée Chalamet. All the praise for this film is understandable, it’s a fantastic movie. Sparkling, intimate and honest. A movie to fall in love with. HERE is my full review.

Still to watch: 37

Movie Reviews - Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Director: Martin McDonagh
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Caleb Landry Jones, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage, Lucas Hedges, Abbie Cornish

Description: A mother (Frances McDormand) personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

Review: “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” is a strong film, with an original screenplay and lots of unpredictability. Frances McDormand plays, as a broken and fighting mother, the role of her life.
I’m glad we finally got another monumental film, that is not mainly leaning on pretty pictures to decorate the story and a soundtrack to keep the pace. If this film doesn’t win any awards for best screenplay, leading lady and supporting actor, I don’t know what the hell is wrong with Hollywood.
When it looks like you’re dealing with a simple story, but it turns out to be a realistic drama with dark humor. Director and writer Martin McDonagh, who already brought us two very brilliant films “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths”, shows us how this is done.
We follow mother Mildred Hayes, who lost her daughter who was raped and murdered. Because she believes the local authorities are failing her, she rents three billboards. On those billboards she puts the following messages: ‘Raped while dying’, ‘And still no arrests?’, ‘How come Chief Willoughby?’.
This provocative message becomes the talk of the town. Chief Willoughby, played by Woody Harrelson, is personally attacked. But he also has his own problems, because he is facing terminal cancer. Beside him there is Jason Dixon, portrayed by Sam Rockwell, the racist, alcoholic ‘bad cop’ with a dominant mother.
Frances McDormand plays the best role to date. And she has her fair share of memorable performances. But my favorite was Sam Rockwell. What a performance!
“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” will definitely end up on my favorites list at the end of 2018. Fantastic film!

Rating: 5 / 5

Movies to Look Forward to - January 2018

New year, new movies. Let's see what movies will be released in January (Dutch release dates).

January 4th – The Greatest Showman
Director: Michael Gracey
Starring: Hugh Jackmann, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson
Description: Inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, The Greatest Showman is an original musical that celebrates the birth of show business and tells of a visionary who rose from nothing to create a spectacle that became a worldwide sensation.

January 11th – All the Money in the World 
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Timothy Hutton
Description: The story of the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother to convince his billionaire grandfather Jean Paul Getty to pay the ransom.

January 11th – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Director: Martin McDonagh
Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Caleb Landry Jones
Description: A mother personally challenges the local authorities to solve her daughter's murder when they fail to catch the culprit.

January 18th – Proud Mary
Director: Babak Najafi
Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Danny Glover, Neal McDonough
Description: Mary is a hitwoman working for an organized crime family in Boston. Mary's life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy whose path she crosses when a professional hit goes awry.

January 25th – 12 Strong
Director: Nicolai Fuglsig
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, William Fichtner, Elsa Pataky, Taylor Sheridan, Michael Peña, Rob Riggle
Description: 12 Strong tells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban.

January 25th – Downsizing
Director: Alexander Payne
Starring: Matt Damon, Kristen Wiig, Hong Chau, Christoph Waltz
Description: A social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.