10s Movie Review - First Man

Director: Damien Chazelle
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 141 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler, Jason Clarke, Corey Stoll, Patrick Fugit, Ciarán Hinds, Ethan Embry, Brian D’Arcy James

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 24: A MOVIE FROM A DIRECTOR YOU LOVE
 
Description: A look at the life of the astronaut, Neil Armstrong (Ryan Gosling), and the legendary space mission that led him to become the first man to walk on the Moon on July 20, 1969.

Review: The true story of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who became the fist man to walk on the Moon.
Director Damien Chazelle mainly tries to show that Neil Armstrong was a man of heart and feeling. A man who has a trauma to deal with in the form of a child death. That the loss and the almost obsessive drive for ambition and accomplishment also took their toll is elaborated somewhat less accurately. Armstrong’s family had to put up with a lot by having to put up with a father who only looked after his family with one eye.

With that, “First Man” does stumble on two minds. Space fans, above all, want to know how Armstrong and his men pulled it off. In this respect Chazelle does not disappoint and the fans are amply served. The director shows us creaking cockpits, makeshift repairs, predicaments and roaring rocket engines.
At the same time, the personal drama surrounding this achievement is flat. There could have been a lot more interaction between Ryan Gosling’s Armstrong and his wife Janet, played by Claire Foy. What effect this all has on Janet and their children isn’t shown much.  

Visually this movie is amazing, it proofs why Damien Chazelle is one of the great of his generation. “First Man” is nothing like his previous films “Whiplash” and “La La Land”, completely different theme, based on a true story, no focus on music or Hollywood.

This movie was tough to get through because of the pace. It’s extremely slow and I felt that the entire time. So, overall, it looks good, has a great performance by Ryan Gosling and an interesting story. But the drama lacks and the pace was way too slow for my liking.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Belfast

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 98 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jude Hill, Jamie Dornan, Catriona Balfe, Judi Dench, Ciarán Hinds, Lewis McAskie
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 31: AN OSCAR-WINNING MOVIE
 
Description: A young boy (Jude Hill) and his working-class Belfast family experience the tumultuous late 1960s.

Review: Actor and director Kenneth Branagh made a lot of films lately: from the flopped “Artemis Fowl” this his pompous Agatha Christie film “Death on the Nile”, which wasn’t very successful either but at least enjoyable. But with “Belfast”, Branagh really steals my heart. He based it on his own childhood in a working-class street in Belfast, where everyone knows each other and grandma and grandpa are always around.

The film is set in the late 1960s, filmed almost completely in black in white, with minimalist sets and plenty of natural light. Branagh manages to sublimely translate his memories to the silver screen.

Branagh knows how to direct his actors to great heights, as the actors fir seamlessly into his Northern Island lane. Child actor Jude Hill is the obvious heart of the film, as Buddy who is sincere, wise and naïve at the same time. And smaller roles are for “Pop” and “Gran”, played by veteran actors Ciarán Hinds and Judi Dench, who were both nominated for Academy Aways for their roles. Branagh himself won an Oscar for “Most Original Screenplay”, which is well-deserved.

It's wildly clever that “Belfast” manages to create melancholy and nostalgia for a time and place that, for most viewers, is not in their own past. I loved this film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Justice League

Director: Zack Snyder
Genre: Action.. Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher, Amy Adams, Jeremy Irons, Connie Nielsen, Diane Lane, Amber Heard, Robin Wright, J.K. Simmons, Ciarán Hinds, Billy Crudup

Description: Fuled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman’s (Henry Cavill) selfless act, Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) enlists the help of his new-found ally, Diana Prince (Gal Gadot), to face an even greater enemy.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 45: A DC COMICS MOVIE

Review: I don’t like saying this, but “Justice League” reminds me a lot of “The Avengers”. Not only the tone and the humor, but also the story structure is similar: short introductions of all the team members, the search of a bad guy Steppenwolf, and even the way the team fights against itself. Or take the entrance of Steppenwolf teleports to Earth thanks to a magical cube, and tries to get his hands on it while soldiers try to stop him. It’s not necessarily copied, the so-called Motherboxes do come from the original stories, but they are clearly playing it safe with the intention of “Justice League”. He therefore misses the impact, innovation and own identity that “The Avengers” had.
It turns out to be a successful formula, which proides a significant improvement over the overambitious “Batman V Superman”. Whereas the dark predecessor threw all kinds of subplots, themes and comic strips into a blender and hoped for a form of coherence, Zack Snyder had a clear them for the sequel. The film opens with the meaning of Superman’s emblem, the symbol for hope. This time it’s not a nice one-liner, but the core of the film. Truly every character ans subplot revolves around hope: Flash’s relationship with his father, Cyborg’s resurrection, Batman and Wonder Woman’s struggle with their past and Aquaman’s cantankerous and lonely quest for more. The tone is therefore more consistent than ever in the DCEU.  
Steppenwolf is allowed to join the lon line of uninteresting bad guys. His background as the seconds of Darkseid and his role as a military leader of the Planet Apokolips are hardly explained. Moreover, there is not glimmer of charisma or personality. “Justice League” has more lack of construction. Cyborg, Flash and Aquaman haven’t been able to benefit from a solo film yet, and have to try to develop their characters within some scenes.
The best thin about “Justice League” is, especially for the fans, that the fifth DCEU movie finally has a grip on the source material. The interaction between all the heroes is convincing and strong. And especially The Flash is a pleasant and enjoyable presence.
Compared to the other superhero movies that came out in 2017, “Justice League” is too safe to compete with. “Justice League” feels more like a rectification, mainly due to the optimistic and heroic tone in the last few shots.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Red Sparrow

Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Charlotte Rampling, Ciarán Hinds, Joely Richardson, Bill Camp, Jeremy Irons, Thekla Reuten, Mary-Louise Parker

Description: Ballerina Dominika Egorova (Jennifer Lawrence) is recruited to 'Sparrow School,' a Russian intelligence service where she is forced to use her body as a weapon. Her first mission, targeting a C.I.A. agent (Joel Edgerton), threatens to unravel the security of both nations.

Review: “Red Sparrow” is an old school spy story, filled with betrayal, twists and strange accents. The film is almost completely set in Russia and Eastern Europe, but all characters are portrayed by non-Russians taking on a Russian accent. It doesn’t have the nuance of a John Le Carré film, but it’s a simplistic and entertaining spy thriller.
Jennifer Lawrence plays Dominika Egorova, a promising ballet dancer who is part of the Bolsjoi ballet. She has lived for dancing all her life, but due to a certain turn of events, has to end her career. Manipulated by her uncle Vanya Egorov, she starts working for him. He is an important man working for the SVR, the Russian CIA. Dominika is trained to become a Sparrow, special spies who use their bodies as a weapon.
“Red Sparrow” is an interesting spy thriller, that has more to offer than some cheesy and cliché twists or typical spy operations filled with betrayal and lies. But it doesn’t have the substance that movies like “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” have.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 2: Frozen

Director: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee

Genre: Animation/ Adventure/ Family/ Fantasy/ Musical

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad, Santino Fontana, Alan Tudyk, Ciarán Hinds

Description: When princess Elsa (Idina Menzel), with the power to turn things into ice, curses her home in infinite winter, her sister, Anna (Kristen Bell) teams up with mountain man Kristoff (Jonathan Groff), his playful reindeer Sven, and snowman Olaf (Josh Gad) to change the weather condition.

Review: In “Frozen” the winter wonderland from the famous Christmas songs, comes to life. The setting, snowy Scandinavia, looks stunning and perfect for the 3D effect. But “Frozen” isn’t just nice images. The story is timeless yet contemporary. Although the convincing bad guy is missing, the characters manage to win you over. From sisters Elsa and Anna, to Kristoff and his faithfull reindeer Sven. But it’s Olaf that is probably the most memorable (and huggable).

Kristen Bell, who voiced for Anna, has a surprisingly good singing voice. But Idina Menzel, as Elsa, blows you away with her beautiful sound.

What I found refreshing is that “Frozen” somewhat mocked other princess stories, where two people get married after just meeting. But the rest makes it classic fairytale and Disney. I can totally understand the success of “Frozen”.

With likeable characters, a vivacious story and old fashioned show stoppers, “Frozen” is a wonderfull Disney musical. Off course there is a message, but it’s not shoved in your face. The ideal animation to watch with the entire family. It’s simply heartwarming.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 58: The Debt

Director: John Madden
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Action
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Helen Mirren, Sam Worthington, Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson, Marton Csokas, Jesper Christensen

Description: In 1965, three Mossad agents cross into East Berlin to apprehend a notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, the secrets the agents share come back to haunt them.

Review: “The Debt” is based on the Israeli movie “Ha-Hov” from 2007. Three Mossad agents try to capture a Nazi doctor. Their mission didn’t go according to plan. The decision they make will haunt them when they’re older. They are seen as heroes in their country, but do they really deserve that?
The heart of the film is formed by a flashback from 1965, where Rachel, Stephan and David are send to East Berlin. Their task is to find doctor Bernhardt, better known as the ‘surgeon of Birkenau’. This is also the strongest part of the film. Jessica Chastain, Sam Worthington and Marton Csokas show us what they are made off. Especially Chastain is hard to overlook, her performance is very strong. That and the constant tension take the film to a higher level. There is one crucial scene we get to see a couple of times, which unravels the secret bit by bit.
The nerve wrecking middle part makes us expect much from the finale. Sadly the ending is a bit weak. If it weren’t for Helen Mirren and Tom Wilkinson, this movie would collapse in the end. But that’s the only critical note to this very intelligent thriller.
“The Debt” deals with some complicated moral questions, mostly on the psychological aspect. The characters are haunted by a lie from their past, which gave them a heroic status. All three characters deal with it differently. John Madden succeeded in making a good thriller, with great acting and a setting that gives you a claustrophobic feeling. Intelligent film.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 7: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Mystery
Runtime: 127 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Gary Oldman, Colin Firth, Benedict Cumberbatch, John Hurt, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Stephen Graham, Ciarán Hinds

Description: In the early 1970s during the Cold War, the head of British Intelligence, Control (John Hurt), resigns after an operation in Budapest, Hungary goes badly wrong. It transpires that Control believed one of four senior figures in the service was in fact a Russian agent - a mole - and the Hungary operation was an attempt to identify which of them it was. Smiley (Gary Oldman) had been forced into retirement by the departure of Control, but is asked by a senior government figure to investigate a story told to him by a rogue agent, Ricky Tarr (Tom Hardy), that there was a mole. Smiley considers that the failure of the Hungary operation and the continuing success of Operation Witchcraft (an apparent source of significant Soviet intelligence) confirms this, and takes up the task of finding him.

Review: John le Carré is without a doubt one of the masters of spy thrillers. The author of this story once worked for the MI6, so he knows how things work around there. His writing style criticizes the successful stories of James Bond. His characters are a bit less heroic, but because of their weaknesses they are more human. Take for instance George Smiley, the main character of “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy”. Smiley is a modest, middle-aged man, who wouldn’t reach for a gun but purely trusts on intelligence. He sounds dull when you compare him to James Bond, but George Smiley is a very intriguing figure. Especially when you let Gary Oldman portray him.
The writers stayed very true to the novel. John Hurt plays Control, the boss of MI6, who sends agent Jim Prideaux (Mark Strong) on a secret mission to Budapest. He has to persuade a Hungarian general. It appears there is a spy in MI6, who hands out crucial information to Karla, the biggest spy in Russia. The general knows who it is, but Prideaux never lives to tell the tale. George Smiley, who’s just retired, has to find the mole.
It sounds like an average whodunit scenario, but there is more to it than meets the eye. The atmosphere and the characters are so interesting. The way director Alfredson filmed it, with the raw glow and different shades of brown, makes you feel like you are in the seventies. And there is a tension throughout the entire runtime of the film.
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” proves that you don’t need an actionhero to make a good spy thriller. This is a breathtaking movie.

Rating: 4,5/ 5