Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movies - Update 26

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.
 

85/ 100: Paddington 2 (2017)
Movies that are truly fun for the whole family are rare, which is why the 2014 live-action film about the bear Paddington was such a pleasant surprise. Director Paul King turned it into an irresistibly cheerful adventure, beautifully designed and full of jokes. The sequel had those same ingredients, but just slightly better. If only because of the delightful supporting roles by Hugh Grant and Brendan Gleeson. Read my full review HERE.
 

86/ 100: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)
Hollywood 1969. The classic movie star must slowly give away to a new type of actor. B-actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) is one such classic movie hero and is having a hard time. Why can’t he be as successful as his neighbor, actress Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie)? Fortunately, his friend and regular stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt) continues to support him. Exuberant, kaleidoscopic and delightful storytelling from director Quentin Tarantino, in which he shamelessly beds history to his will. Click HERE to check out my full review.
 

87/ 100: Hot Fuzz (2007)
Ominous things are happening in Sandford. The front gardens are too neat, the facades too clean. No hamlet can win Village of the Year three times in a row without unsavory practices behind it. Police officer Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) and his overambitious colleague Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) set out to investigate. This is one of the three films In the ‘Cornetto-trilogy”, directed by Edgar Wright. When all being on my 100 favorites list, this is my favorite of the three.”Hot Fuzz” is without a doubt the funniest movie ever made and proof that the British will always win comedy over Americans. Because the jokes are clever and masterful. Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost are a magical trio that I wish will be making more movies in the future. Read my full review HERE.
 

88/ 100: Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
Curious culmination of animation and feature film technique. Boskins plays private detective Eddie Valiant. During an investigation, he stumbles upon the murder suspect, yet completely innocent cartoon Roger Rabbit. As a child, me and my family used to watch this film so many times. Most of the jokes went way over my head, because this is not a children’s movie. Now, as an adult, I enjoy this film on a whole other level and maybe even more than I used to. My full review is right over HERE.
 
Still to watch: 12

Ranking the Franchise - Cornetto Trilogy (Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy)

Probably my most favorite trilogy of all-time is the so-called Cornetto trilogy, containing of the three films directed by Edgar Wright and starring Nick Frost and Simon Pegg. They are some of the funniest, smartest, cleverest and most inventive comedies you will ever see. It’s British humor, not so much in-your-face, and that’s just my kind of comedy. Even though it’s not a trilogy with sequels, since it’s three separate stories where Pegg and Frost play different characters, it is a trilogy and I can share with you what I think about them. It’s also the hardest ranking I had to do, because I want to put them all at the number one positions (since I rated all of them 5 out of 5). But I eventually did come up with a top 3.

3. The World’s End (2013)
This final part of a loosely connected trilogy focuses on five childhood friends who, twenty years after a failed pub crawl in their hometown, make a new attempt. But in the old village not everything turns out to be okay. It’s an unconventional mix of nostalgic tragicomedy and sci-fi-spectacular, with a strong cast, infectious humor and cleverly choreographed action and fight scenes.

2. Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Shaun suffers greatly from the breakup with his girlfriend Liz. His roommate Ed doesn’t have much, he’s too busy gaming, drinking and other shenanigans. Yet Ed turns out to be handy to have around, when residents of a suburb of London appear to suffer from a zombie virus. It’s the first film in the trilogy, with subtle hints and great visual humor.

1. Hot Fuzz
In Sanford, ominous things happen. The gardens are too neat, the facades too clean. No town can become ‘Village of the Year” three times in a row, without a bad practice behind it. Policeman Danny Butterman and his over-ambitious colleague Nicholas Angel are investigating. It’s a cheerful, humorous film with a great eye for detail, in which melancholy uncomfortable and masterly jokes alternate.

00s Movie Review - Hot Fuzz

Director: Edgar Wright
Genre: Action/ Comedy
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Rafe Spall, Paddy Considine, Olivia Colman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Martin Freeman

Description: Exceptional London cop Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is involuntarily transferred to a quaint English village and paired with a witless new partner. While on the beat, Nicholas suspects a sinister conspiracy is afoot with the residents.

Review: Supercop Nicholas Angel is transferred from the hard crimes in London, to a sleepy town called Sanford, because Nicholas makes all the other cops ‘look bad’. He is just simply too good. Sanford is in the running for the title ‘Village of the Year’, which they have won multiple times before. When Nicholas arrives, he soon discovers that the citizens and local cops don’t really take crime very seriously. Even when several people are murdered, they all think it’s just all an accident.
You can say a lot about “Hot Fuzz”, but not that it’s boring. There is a lot of action, violence and a load of great jokes. And there isn’t one joke that doesn’t make you laugh or is predictable or cliché. That makes this film fresh and original.
Of course the on screen duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost work like a charm. Pegg is an adrenaline rushed cop and Frost is the very naïve and looking-for-action partner. Like a tradition of buddy cop movies, who are complete opposites of each other, but yet again it’s never cliché.
“Hot Fuzz” is fast paced, action packed and fresh. An original film with lots of laughs, even after rewatching it many times, with a dark undertone. “Hot Fuzz” is a winner!

Rating: 5/ 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 12

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.

Action: Twister (1996)
Bill (Bill Paxton) and Jo Harding (Helen Hunt), advanced storm chasers on the brink of divorce, must join together to create an advanced weather alert system by putting themselves in the cross-hairs of extremely violent tornadoes.

Drama: Escape from Alcatraz (1979)
Alcatraz is the most secure prison of its time. It is believed that no one can ever escape from it, until three daring men (Clint Eastwood, Fred Ward, Jack Thibeau) make a possible successful attempt at escaping from on of the most infamous prisons in the world.

Comedy: Hot Fuzz (2007)
A skilled London police officer (Simon Pegg) is transferred to a small town with a dark secret.

Animation: Princess Mononoke (1997)
On a journey to find the cure for a Tatarigami’s curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Tatara, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Mononoke of Hime.

Romance: Always Be My Maybe (2019)
Everyone assumed Sasha (Ali Wong) and Marcus (Randall Park) would wind up together except for Sasha and Marcus. Reconnecting after 15 years, the two start to wonder.

Horror: Event Horizon (1997)
A rescue crew investigates a spaceship that disappeared into a black hole and has now returned… with someone or something new on-board.

Science Fiction: Children of Men (2006)
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which woman have become somehow infertile, a former activist (Clive Owen) agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.

Crime: Catch Me If You Can (2002)
A seasoned FBI agent (Tom Hanks) pursues Frank Abagnale Jr. (Leonardo DiCaprio) who, before his 19th birthday, successfully forged millions of dollars’ worth of checks while posing as a Pan Am pilot, a doctor and a legal prosecutor.

Thriller: Along Came a Spider (2001)
When a congressman’s daughter under Secret Service protection is kidnapped from a private school, detective Alex Cross (Morgan Freeman) investigates the case even though he’s recovering from the loss of his partner.

Documentary: Jane (2017)
The life and work of the renowned primatology scientist, Jane Goodall, especially on her research about chimpanzees.

Family: Bean (1997)
The bumbling Mr. Bean (Rowan Atkinson) travels to America when he is given the responsibility of bringing a highly valuable painting to a Los Angeles museum.

What's in a Movie Year - 2007

Taking a look at the year 2007, picking my 10 favorite movies from that year in random order.

Zodiac
In the late 1960s/ early 1970s, a San Francisco cartoonist becomes an amateur detective obsessed with tracking down the Zodiac killer, an unidentified individual who terrorized Northern California with a killing spree. With this special film about a serial killer, director David Fincher proves his class. In a semi-documentary style, he has made a haunting and exciting film about three men obsessively chasing a serial killer.

Ratatouille
It is Pixar’s eight feature-length animated film and it is about a young rat Rémy who dreams of becoming a chef in a top restaurant in Paris. The extremely cuddly Rémy gets a little help and ends up in the former 5-star restaurant of his idol, the late chef Gusteau. He makes an unusual alliance with young kitchen worker Linguini, who is talentless but very ambitious. “Ratatouille” is one of my favorite Pixar movies of all-time. Not only the technical mastery impresses, the film superbly combines serious matter and comical moments. The story is layered and offers top entertainment for all ages.

Juno
Juno is a sixteen year old girl who unexpectedly gets pregnant by a boy from the running team. She has to decide what to do with the yet unborn child. “Juno” writes witty and clever dialogue for this comic drama, that gets stronger and stronger towards the end.

Into the Wild
Chris McCandles is highly educated, the son of wealthy parents, but absolutely uninterested in social success. He decides to give his money away to survive in the wilderness and ends up in Alaska after a long journey. Is he brave, naïve or both? Director Sean Penn turns the true story into a somewhat bombastic epic about the search of a misguided soul for himself. Beautiful images, great performances, clever editing and an unforgettable soundtrack by Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder.

Atonement
The young worker Robbie is falsely accused of rape by the thirteen year old sister of his girlfriend Cecilia, in a film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s book. Excellent performances by James McAvoy, Keira Knightley and Saoirse Ronan and fabulous camerawork. Just look at that take on the battlefield around Dunkirk.

Hot Fuzz
In Sanford, ominous things happen. The gardens are too neat, the façades too clean. Not village can become ‘Village of the Year’ three times in a row without a bad practice behind it. Policeman Danny Butterman and his over-ambitious colleague Nichols Angel are investigating. After their success with the zombie film parody “Shaun of the Dead”, director Edgar Wright teamed up with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost again. And they gave us the best comedy ever made. It’s a comedy with masterly jokes and uncomfortable melancholy, that will make my day any time.

Lars and the Real Girl
This sweet, witty drama about a particularly shy young man who experiences great love with a sex doll was widely praised. His brother and sister-in-law are very worried about his unconventional romance, but gradually the village community decides to accept the inflatable Bianca. It’s a totally crazy story with a big, warm beating heart and it remains perfectly balanced. Largely thanks to the restrained, touching performance by Ryan Gosling in one of his best roles.

There Will Be Blood
Early twentieth century miner Daniel Plainview finds oil. By plodding day and night he manages to build on his initially modest success the only one who doesn’t fall for his smooth talks about the wealth he can bring to farmers is the charismatic preacher Eli Sunday. It’s a surprising epic about the rise of a misanthropic oil baron with excellent performances, especially by Daniel Day-Lewis, who once again immersed himself completely in his role.

Eastern Promises
With “A History of Violence” director David Cronenberg made a compelling portrait of the beast in an everyday man. Two years later he teams up with Viggo Mortensen again. This time Mortensen plays the omniscient Russian driver for a highly criminal Russian family in London. A very overlooked crime drama, with excellent performances by Viggo Mortenson, Naomi Watts, Armin Mueller-Stahl and Vincent Cassel.

No Country for Old Men
Vietnam veteran Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead Mexicans in the Texas desert, a car full of drugs and a suitcase with money. He takes the money with him and is soon chased by Anton Chigurh, an assassin who prefers to kill with a slaughter pistol. the disillusioned sheriff Bell can only watch from a distance. In this brilliant modern western, the action takes place out of the frame in the crucial scenes. That doesn’t mean the Coen Brothers are sparing with blood, bullets and corpses. An excellent script and especially well-performed by Javier Bardem who won an Oscar for his role as Chigurh.

Top 5 Thursday: Comedies from the 2000s

It’s time for the 2000s and this decades best comedies. Comedy is different here, but not bad at all. Here are my favorite laughs of the 2000s.

5. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Not that popular when it came out, but it reached a cult status later on. It even got a sequel. That wasn’t as good, but “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” is hilarious. It’s silly, but maybe that’s why I like it so much.

 

 

4. The 40-Year Old Virgin

This movie put Steve Carrel on the map (beside “The Office” off course). His portrayal of virgin Andy is so endearing and you can’t help but like the guy.

 

 

3. Old School

Somehow Will Ferrell always makes me laugh, he is such a funny actor. And his character of Frank the Tank is the best thing about “Old School”. Him singing ‘Dust in the Wind’ or doing gymnastics, if that doesn’t make you laugh.

 

 

2. Shaun of the Dead

It’s a horror comedy and it’s hilarious. “You got red on you”. Edgar Wright directs and Simon Pegg and Nick Frost star in this amazing comedy. Can’t get enough of it.

 

 

1. Hot Fuzz

Off course this is my number one. I stated my love for this movie (and the trio Wright-Pegg-Frost) so many times. It’s actually in my top 10 of all-time favorite movies. It doesn’t get funnier than this.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Superbad, Meet the Parents, Knocked Up, Wedding Crashers

Movie Favorites: Hot Fuzz

Synopsis: Top London cop, PC Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is good. Too good. And to stop the rest of his team looking bad, he is reassigned to the quiet town of Sandford. He is paired with Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), who endlessly questions him on the action lifestyle. Everything seems quiet for Angel, until two actors are found decapitated. It is called an accident, but Angel isn't going to accept that, especially when more and more people turn up dead. Angel and Danny clash with everyone, whilst trying to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the apparent "accidents".

 

 

Unique Selling Point: This is how action and comedy should be mixed. This is probably my favorite out of the cornetto-trilogy.

Most Valuable Player: Edgar Wright, for writing one of the greatest comedies in movie history. Clever jokes, something that makes me laugh every time.

Best Moment: Nicholas Angel jumps over a fence, smoothly. Danny also does it, not so smoothly. “What’s the matter, Danny? Never taken a shortcut before?” Well, he clearly hasn’t.

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Sidekicks

A great hero is nothing without its sidekick. Here are my five favorite movie sidekicks.

5. Cato Fong (“A Shot in the Dark”)

He is the man-servant of Inspector Clouseau. Cato Fong basically has one rule he must live by: constantly and unexpectedly attacking Clouseau to keep his wits sharp.

 

 

4. Hit Girl (“Kick Ass”)

Call her a sidekick and she will probably kick your teeth in. This mini superhero is handy with all sorts of weaponry and has a really smart mouth.

 

 

3. Garth (“Wayne’s World”)

Garth is terrified of girls, but his priorities lie win strumming to the key of rock with fellow music fan Wayne. And he has a permanent grin on his face.

 

 

2. Cosmo Brown (“Singin’ in the Rain”)

He is silent film star Don Lockwood’s best friend. His ditty musical number “Make ‘em Laugh” made him win me over!

 

 

1. Danny (“Hot Fuzz”)

Danny is a bumbling good-heart small-time cop with small-time deals. Everyone loves Danny!

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Spock (“Star Trek), Short Round (“Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom”), Dr. Watson (“Sherlock Holmes”), Bubba (“Forrest Gump”), Harry Dunne (“Dumb & Dumber”), Donkey (“Shrek”), Buzz Lightyear (“Toy Story”), Goose (“Top Gun”), Ron and Hermione (“Harry Potter” series), Dr. Emmett Brown (“Back to the Future”), Chewbacca (“Star Wars” series), Dory (“Finding Nemo”) Wilson (“Cast Away”)

Top 5 Thursday: Movies from 2007

Some of my all-time favourites were made in this year. 2007 was a great year for film. Here are the best.

5. Eastern Promises

Such a fantastic film, great performances by Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts.

 

4. No Country for Old Men

The Coen Brothers can go in two different directions and I prefer the dark humour, but this is probably one of their best movies.

 

3. Ratatouille

My second favourite Pixar film. It’s just something about that little rat, with ambitions as a cook, that steals my heart every single time. And it's amazing how great animated Paris looks.

 

2. Atonement

A perfect adaptation of the book by Ian McEwan. Wonderful film!

 

1. Hot Fuzz

The funniest film ever! This movie has it all, British humour is the best humour and I can watch this film over and over again. And still laugh at the same jokes.

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Amazing Grace, Disturbia,, Rescue Dawn, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Jane Austen Book Club, Juno

Me & 3 Cornetto Movies

Now that I finally saw “The World’s End” I can finally put these three amazing films in this item. I love all the movies that Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost made together. They are just genius.

Shaun of the Dead
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Year: 2004
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Kate Ashfield, Dylan Moran, Lucy Davies, Bill Nighy, Penelope Wilton, Martin Freeman
Description: Shaun (Simon Pegg) decides to turn his moribund life around by winning back his ex-girlfriend, reconciling his relationship with his mother, and dealing with an entire community that has returned from the dead to eat the living.
Opinion: This is what started it all. I laughed so hard when I first saw it, and maybe even harder the second time.
Favorite character: Ed (Nick Frost)
Most memorable quote: “Who died and made you fucking king of the zombies?” - Ed -
Best scene: While the jukebox (which is on random) plays “Don’t stop me now” by Queen, Shaun, Ed and Liz are beating up zombies.

Hot Fuzz
Genre: Comedy/ Action
Year: 2007
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Martin Freeman, Bill Nighy, Steve Coogan, Paddy Considine, Rafe Spall
Description: Exceptional London cop Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is involuntarily transferred to a quaint English village and paired with a witless new partner. While on the beat, Nicholas suspects a sinister conspiracy is afoot with the residents.
Opinion: I remember that my brother and I leaned this movie from someone, saying it wasn’t all that funny. Well, they obviously don’t have a great sense of humour, because British humour doesn’t get any better than this. The story is fun and they way it’s executed is just simply brilliant.
Favorite character: Danny Butterman (Nick Frost)
Most memorable quote: “[shouting] Have you ever wondered why, why the crime rate in Sandford is so low, yet the accident rate is so high?” – Nicholas Angel -
Best scene: Danny tries to jump over a fence, like Nicholas did. Only Danny isn’t as good at it.

The World’s End
Genre: Comedy/ Action/ Science-Fiction
Year: 2013
Director: Edgar Wright
Cast: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Paddy Considine, Eddie Marsan, Rosamund Pike, Pierce Brosnan
Description: Five friends who reunite in an attempt to top their epic pub crawl from 20 years earlier unwittingly become humankind's only hope for survival.
Opinion: It was worth the wait. Very subtle British humour and a great way to end a trilogy.
Favorite character: Gary King (Simon Pegg)
Most memorable quote: “What the fuck does WTF mean?” – Gary King -
Best scene: The fight scene in the bathroom.

Favorite of the 3: Hot Fuzz