Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched For My Challenge (June 2017)

I know it's not Thursday, I'm a little late to the party. But I wanted this top 5 to go up. Here are my five favorite film that I watched for my challenge, for the month of June.

5. El Faro de las Orcas
A Netflix film I stumbled upon by accident. But I’m glad about that, because its’s a beautiful film. And since orcas are my favorite animals, it’s super special for me.

4. Split
I always stood by M. Night Shyamalan, even though he did make some stinkers. With “Split” he is finally back and proofs that he is an amazing director. James McAvoy is fabulous in his role and I loved the ending.

3. Wonder Woman
I always love a strong female lead, but when the characters is also physically strong, it’s double awesome. “Wonder Woman” is the film DC needed (and I needed).

2. A Cure for Wellness
The movie got mixed reviews, but I really loved it. It was already one of my most anticipated films of 2017 and it didn’t disappoint me. I don’t understand the hate for this movie, but the few people who love it as much as I did, I do get.

1. Annie Hall
When Woody Allen is on a roll, I love him. He directed and starred in “Annie Hall” and I loved everything about his film. And Alvy Singer, the character Allen plays, is basically me. I’m Alvy Singer’s long lost sister.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Okja

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 78: Wonder Woman

Director: Patty Jenkins
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Connie Nielsen, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Ewen Bremner, Lucy Davis

Description: Before she was Wonder Woman she was Diana (Gal Gadot), princess of the Amazons, trained warrior. When a pilot (Chris Pine) crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, she leaves home to fight a war to end all wars, discovering her full powers and true destiny.

Review: DC isn’t doing as well as Marvel at the moment. “Batman V Superman” and “Suicide Squad” both disappointed, and “Man of Steel” got mixed reviews. Well, leave up to the women, because “Wonder Woman” is an amazing film. Director Patty Jenkins didn’t have an easy task, but she did a fantastic job.
The biggest strength of “Wonder Woman” is portraying believable, human heroes in an extravagant world.
Gal Gadot has a lot of room to develop Diana Prince. She grows up as a strong woman, wanting to fight for justice. A bit naïve she goes into the world to end World War I. Gadot is very charismatic, gorgeous and impressive in her role as Diana Prince. Chris Pine is her love interest and the two have amazing chemistry. The dialogues between the two are great and the romantic elements are kept to a minimal. And the humor is subtle.
The film is action packed, but it’s the right amount of action we get. There is only violence when it really matters. There is more room for character development. But whenever there is an action sequence, it impresses. Sometimes you see Zack Snyder’s influence, especially in those slow-motion moments.
Did I like “Wonder Woman”? No. I loved it. I always love watching strong female characters come to life on the big screen, it just happens that this one is also physically strong. And that a film like this is directed by a woman is also something that makes me happy. “Wonder Woman” is what DC needed right now and what I needed.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (267)

Here are this week's trailers.

Wonder Woman
Director: Patty Jenkins
Description: An Amazonian princess (Gal Gadot) leaves her island home to explore the world and, in doing so, becomes one of the world's greatest heroes.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, RObin Wright, Connie Nielsen, David Thewlis, Danny Huston
Trailer: Trailer "Wonder Woman"
Comment: A new official trailer. Kick ass Wonder Woman.

Collateral Beauty
Director: David Frankel
Description: Retreating from life after a tragedy, a man questions the universe by writing to Love, Time and Death. Receiving unexpected answers, he begins to see how these things interlock and how even loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.
Starring: Will Smith, Helen Mirren, Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley, Naomie Harris, Michael Peña
Trailer: Trailer "Collateral Beauty"
Comment: I already got tears...

Valerian and a City of a Thousand Planets
Director: Luc Besson
Description: Time-traveling agent Valerian is sent to investigate a galactic empire, along with his partner Laureline.
Starring: Cara Delevingne, Ethan Hawke, John Goodman, Dane DeHaan, Clive Owen, Rutger Hauer, Rihanna
Trailer: Trailer "Valerian and a City of a Thousand Planets"
Comment: Luc Besson directing this is promising.

The Salesman
Director: Asghar Farhadi
Description: Forushande (The Salesman) is the story of a couple whose relationship begins to turn sour during their performance of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman.
Starring: Taraneh Alidoosti, Shahab Hosseini, Mina Sadati, Babak Karimi
Trailer: Trailer for "The Salesman"
Comment: Looks intense.

The Adulterers
Director: H.M. Coakley
Description: A man who returns home to find his wife cheating on him on their anniversary. He holds her and her naked and humiliated lover captive at gunpoint while he decides whether or not he's going to kill them. The story, inspired by true events, takes place over one day and is set in New Orleans during a stifling heat wave.
Starring: Sean Faris, Mehcad Brooks, Danielle Savre
Trailer: Trailer "The Adulterers"
Comment: Looks a bit shitty.

Movie Trailer Sunday (248)

Here are this week's trailers.

Justice League
Director: Zack Snyder
Description: Fueled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's (Henry Cavill) selfless act, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), to face an even greater enemy.
Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Henry Cavill, Amber Heard, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Ezra Miller, J.K. Simmons, Willem Dafoe, Jeremy Irons
Trailer: Trailer "Justice League"
Comment: Wasn't a fan of "Batman V. Superman".

Wonder Woman
Director: Patty Jenkins
Description: An Amazon princess (Gal Gadot) leaves her island home to explore the world, and becomes the greatest of its heroes.
Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen, Danny Huston
Trailer: Trailer "Wonder Woman"
Comment: Looks more interesting then "Justice League".

Kong: Skull Island
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Description: An action/adventure story centered on King Kong's origins.
Starring: Brie Larson, Tom Hiddleston, Toby Kebell, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly
Trailer: Trailer "Kong: Skull Island"
Comment: This excited me more than all the DC stuff.

Doctor Strange
Director: Scott Derickson
Description: After his career is destroyed, a brilliant but arrogant and conceited surgeon gets a new lease on life when a sorcerer takes him under her wing and trains him to defend the world against evil.
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor
Trailer: Trailer "Doctor Strange"
Comment: Looks fantastic!

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
Director: Guy Ritchie
Description: Feature film version of the classic King Arthur story.
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Dhimon Hounsou, Jude Law, Aiden Gillen, Eric Bana, David Beckham
Trailer:
Comment: Ikay, this looks like it's going to suck.