Movie Review - Queer

Director: Luca Guadagnino
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzmann, Colin Bates,
 
Description: In 1950s Mexico City, and American immigrant (Daniel Craig) in his late forties leads a solitary life amidst a small American community. However, the arrival of a young student (Drew Starkey) stirs the man into finally establish a meaningful connection with someone.
 
Review: William Lee, an American expat living in Mexico in the 1950s, spends most of his time in the Ship Ahoy bar, always on the lookout for a man he can take back to a hotel. He is always looking for the wrong men, until he sees Allerton. But when Lee approaches him, Allerton shows no interest, at first.
Luca Guadagnino shows us the romantic desire and longing, the search for the ideal complement to a lovely soul with his image that give us an insight about both characters and their journey from the start. A starting relationship that becomes somewhat toxic. Lee wants to be with Allerton all the time, but it’s fully not mutual.

Guadagnino made one of my favorite movies of all-time: “Call My By Your Name”. And the synopsis somehow felt similar. And while the film looks visually stunning and the acting is good, I did not look “Queer”.

Guadagnino want to provoke with “Queer”. Daniel Craig tries to make hist character Lee someone we feel sorry for because of his loneliness, but also feel rejection because of his addiction and self-destruction. There are many question about Lee, that we never get answers too. And I understand that a little mystery is good, but there are essential parts of his characters that we no nothing about. What brought Lee here? Why is he running away? What hurt him so much? Drew Starkey plays Allerton, the object of affection. But Allerton is a one-dimensional character. He doesn’t become more then the man Lee loves, but gets rejected by over and over again.

The way it was filmed is beautiful, but for the story and the execution of it I cannot say the same. The film was boring, it didn’t feel credible, a lot of abstract symbolism that felt out of place. “Queer” had so much potential and was promising, but just didn’t deliver. I did not enjoy it.  

Rating: 2/ 5

20s Movie Review - The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Director: Francis Lawrence
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Drama
Runtime: 157 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis, Hunter Schafer, Jason Schwartzman, Peter Dinklage

Description: Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) mentors and develops feelings for the female District 12 tribute (Rachel Zegler) during th 10^th Hunger Games.

Review: “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is the fifth movie in the Hunger Games franchise, based on the 4-part book series written by Suzanne Collins. The story is set many years before “The Hunger Games”, before we meet Katniss Everdeen.

In this film we see a world recently torn apart by war. there were many deaths, but above all there was hunger. A lot of hunger. Therefore, the instigators of the war, the districts that must listen to the autocrat in the Capitol, must pay. Every year 24 children, two from each districts, are drawn by a lot and thrown into an arena. They have to fight each other to the death, only one can come out alive and will be the winner. And the whole event can be followed on TV.

The “The Hunger Games” books, was one of the first series I absolutely loved. And I believe they did a fantastic job with the movies. This prequel came 10 years after the last book, “Mockinjay”, was released. In 2020, so not that long ago. We jump to the 10^th Hunger Games, which seem to be waning in popularity. Dr. Volumnia Gaul wants the games to continue at all costs. It is up to the students of the prestigious Academy to turn the children of the districts into a spectacle. They are all assigned one, and must coach them.

One of those students is Coriolanus Snow, the 18-year-old son of a deceased war commander. To the outside world, his family still has a lot of prestige, power and money, but in reality he is emaciated, broke and living on soup and cabbage. If he wants to continue his studies after the Academy, his tribute must win. Lucy Gray Baird is the poor girl from District 12 that he has to mentor.

Coriolanus Snow is of course the same person as President Snow, as we met him in “The Hunger Games”, the relentless, merciless leader of Panem. “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” shows you his backstory, of how he went from a hungry schoolboy to a ruthless tyrant. He falls in love with his tribute, Lucy, which should show us that he ones had feelings and heart. But somehow, I can never get behind it, I never feel respect, compassion or sympathy for young Coriolanus. Because I know who he will become. And although you are rooting for Lucy, her character didn’t do anything for me. I also didn’t like all the singing, it felt out of place. Rachel Zegler is a great singer, but you don’t have to use this quality every moment you get.

Viola Davis plays Volumnia Gaul, a pretty disturbing character. Loved her. And Peter Dinklage play Casca Highbottom, the brilliant mind behind the Hunger Games. It’s just a small role, but he steals every scene just like in “Game of Thrones”. He really fits into this world. Lucretius “Lucky” Flickerman is portrayed by Jason Schwartzman, the presenter of the Hunger Games. And he has a link to Cesar Flickerman, Stanley Tucci’s character in the original “The Hunger Games” films.

“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a long sit, with over two and a half hours of runtime. But when you want to give a character depth and also show a lot of world-building, it’s necessary. And I didn’t mind, it didn’t feel like more then 150 minutes. And the actual Hunger Games is also a big part of the movie, which was really well-done. And it felt like a “Hunger Games”-movie, it fits in with the other four films. But the movie doesn’t stop right after the Hunger Games. For we see, and this is very well portrayed, how Coriolanus Snow changes from that schoolboy into a power-hungry, ruthless man, who will pulverize anything and anyone in his path towards his goal.

Overall, “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” is a good film, I enjoyed it, but didn’t care for the characters as much as I did with the other films.

Rating: 3,5/ 5
 

Movie Review - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Director: Joaquim dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Genre: Adventure/ Action/ Animation
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Laura Velez, Jake Johnson, Oscar Isaac, Mahershala Ali, Jason Schwartzman, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Karan Soni, Andy Samberg, Rachel Dratch, Jack Quaid, Jharrel Jerome
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 39: A ANIMATED MOVIE THAT IS NOT DISNEY
 
Description: Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) catapults across the Multiverse, where he encounter a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. When the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles must redefine what it means to be a hero.

Review: It’s hard to top predecessor “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”, but the sequel is another innovative experience that I loved just a much.

I guess people are still not sick of Spider-Man stories. And I’m so glad they aren’t, because then this amazing animation would maybe not even exist. Every superhero movie is directly or remotely based on a comic book. The makers of “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” don’t just sprinkle in source references, they go further. The film’s eclectic look is a downright homage to Marvel Comics’ comic book artists, each of whom have their own style, with their own choice of mediums to work with. Some work with old-fashioned pencils or pen, others create airbrush art or use digital programs. And this is exactly what makes this film so unique and fresh. The clever thins is that the film brings all these styles together into a whole, completely original yet recognizable. And following such a great first film with an equally amazing sequel is very rare.

I loved everything about “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse”: its unique mix of styles, the voice acting, the soundtrack, the whole experience was fantastic!

Rating: 5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Fantastic Mr. Fox

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Animation/ Comedy/ Adventure
Runtime: 87 minutes
Year: 2009
Starring: George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Wallace Wolodarsky, Eric Chase Anderson, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, Jarvis Cocker, Wes Anderson, Karen Duffy, Robin Hurlstone, Hugo Guinness, Helen McCrory, Roman Coppola, Juman Malouf, Jeremy Dawson, Garth Jennings, Brian Cox, Tristan Oliver, James Hamilton, Steven M. Rales, Bob Hersov, Jennifer Furches, Allison Abbate, Molly Cooper, Adrien Brody, Mario Batali, Martin Ballard

Description: An urbane fox (George Clooney) cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation.

Review: Obstinate director Wes Anderson brings the famous children’s book “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, written by Roald Dahl, to life. The fable about a fox that is on the run from three mad farmer, has been a personal favorite of Anderson for years. It took him some time to make this film. Reason: Wes Anderson always likes to do things a bit different than others. He decided to go for stop motion animation, which means there are twelve shots for every second of the film. Again Anderson manages to be surprising.
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” is a notable movie that doesn’t have a lot in common with other animations, like modern, computer animated films. All the shots in the movie look like they come straight from a picture book, with off course the infamous color pallet Anderson uses. He gave all the animals faces full of expression and a lively structure of fur. All of the animals have their own character. Take Mr. Fox, a slick and  not so virtuous fox who said goodbye to his life as a thief. His wife is pregnant and he has to be more responsible, so he takes on a job as a columnist. Twelve fox years later, when his son Ash is all grown up, Mr. Fox wants to start stealing again.
Off course we see the structure, the dysfunctional family, Anderson loves that. He gives Roald Dahl’s story an extra, more mature layer, which makes it more fun for adults.
For originality “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is outstanding. It’s very risky to go for this animation method in the world of computer animated films. That makes this movie unique. And Wes Anderson has done a wonderful job telling this beloved story. “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is probably my favorite Anderson movie.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 122: Saving Mr. Banks

Director: John Lee Hancock
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 125 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, B.J. Novak, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Rachel Griffiths, Bradley Whitford, Ruth Wilson, Kathy Baker

Description: Author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) reflects on her childhood after reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney (Tom Hanks), who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.

Review: Walt Disney tried to get the movie rights for the book “Mary Poppins” for twenty years. Author P.L. Travers was afraid that Disney would turn her beloved book into a musical. When she has money trouble and might lose her house, she decides to meet with Walt Disney in Los Angeles. But the happy Walt and the unfriendly Pamela are like water and fire.
To make a film based on a story which outcome we all know, is always a risk. The question in “Saving Mr. Banks” is if the movie “Mary Poppins” will ever be made. We all know that it was a huge success, but not a lot of people know how this movie actually happened. Travers didn’t want to give her character to anyone. Why she has such a special bond with the nanny is something we learn along the way. We see how a young Travers grow up in rough Australia. Her father, a beautiful role by Colin Farrell, is a loving man but he has a drinking problem. Their relationship is very strong, but a tragedy makes sure Travers will always be traumatized.
A movie about Disney, made by Disney. It surprisingly has a lot of self-mockery. For instance the scene where P.L. Travers arrives at her hotel in L.A. which is filled with enormous stuffed Disney animals. Emma Thompson has perfect comedic timing.
We all know that Thompson is a great actress, but in “Saving Mr. Banks” she really excels. She turns a rather unpleasant women into a women you love. Tom Hanks doesn’t look like Disney, but he brings a certain nuance to his role. Disney isn’t only a big kid that makes dreams come true, but also a businessman. Hanks does this very well. Colin Farrell plays a role like never before. I never saw Farell like this and I loved him in “Saving Mr. Banks”. Also Paul Giamatti and Jason Schwartzman were great in their roles.
“Saving Mr. Banks” is a lovely film carried by a fantastic cast. Although we all know how it ends, how “Mary Poppins” was made is such a wonderful story. Humor and emotion are very close and Emma Thompson played one of her best roles of her career.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 120: Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World

Director: Edgar Wright

Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Adventure/ Romance/ Fantasy

Runtime: 112 minutes

Year: 2010

Starring: Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Kieran Culkin, Chris Evans, Anna Kendrick, Brandon Routh, Alison Pill, Jason Schwartzman, Ellen Wong, Mark Webber, Mae Whitman, Aubrey Plaza, Brie Larson

Description: Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) must defeat his new girlfriend's (mary Elizabeth Winstead) seven evil exes in order to win her heart.

Review: When you manage to debut with “Shaun of the Dead” and then come with “Hot Fuzz” as your follow up, the pressure is big for a third film. With “Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” director Edgar Wright showed again his comedic talent, but this time combined with fantasy. The first time a big budget film and he succeeds.

It’s a setting where comic books, videogames and guitar music rule. It’s all very surrealistic and the playful setting are a real treat. It’s not your standard comic book adaptation.

Scott meets Ramona, a girl he saw in his dreams. He wants to win her over, but first has to beat her seven evil exes. They can literally appear everywhere and this gives us some real great action fighting scenes. All very original and a great style.

The movie is filled with references, to videogames, music, movies and television shows. It will especially speak to teenagers and twenty somethings. You sometimes do feel that towards the end it’s a bit rushed, because so much goes on in the film.

“Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World” is entertaining and it looks amazing. Edgar Wright succeeds in his first American production.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 15: Big Eyes

Director: Tim Burton
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter, Jason Schwartzman, Danny Huston, Terence Stamp, Jon Polito, Elisabetta Faontine, James Saito, Guideo Furlani, Delaney Raye, Madeleine Arthur, Emily Bruhn, Alan McFarlane, Tony Alcantar, Jaden Alexander

Description: A drama about the awakening of the painter Margaret Keane (Amy Adams), her phenomenal success in the 1950s, and the subsequent legal difficulties she had with her husband (Christoph Waltz), who claimed credit for her works in the 1960s.

Review: Margaret Keane’s paintings were famous in the fifties and sixties. Even pop art front man Andy Warhol liked them. The paintings were characterized by portraits of children, with bid sad eyes. One problem: for a long time people thought Margaret’s husband Walter Keane was the creator of the paintings.
If you look at the design of the paintings, it’s typical Tim Burton. Not such a strange choice for a director. On the other hand, it’s not a typical Burton movie. We know Burton as the maker of fanciful, fairytale like movies like “Edward Scissorhands” and “Big Fish. “Big Eyes” is a true story.
“Big Eyes” starts off at the moment where Margaret is leaving her first husband, together with daughter Jane. Painting is the only thing, beside her daughter, that gives her joy. When moving to San Francisco, she continues to paint but without success. When she meets the charismatic Walter Keane, her live changes. He paints street sights of Paris and has talents as a salesman. Margaret and Walter see that they can offer each other a lot, so they decide to marry. When Margaret’s paintings get noticed, Walter takes credit for her work.
Burton choose to stay as close to the real story as possible. With that the story sometimes drags a bit and feels tedious at times. The fact that the movie is narrated, doesn’t help it. The movie also feels fragmentary, because the events follow each other rather quick.
Positive note is the superb enactment. Amy Adams is one of my favorites and I love her timid yet powerful performance. Christoph Waltz breaths charisma and that is again present in “Big Eyes”. That comedic court room scene, only Waltz can get away with that. Tim Burton, master of unlimited fantasy, took it easy by making “Big Eyes”. His movies didn’t bring him success lately and I’m afraid “Big Eyes” won’t change that. The film is okay, but the performances are better than the movie itself.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 131: Rushmore

Director: Wes Anderson

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 93 minutes

Year: 1998

Starring: Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Olivia Williams, Brian Cox, Luke Wilson, Andrew Wilson, Connie Nielsen, Seymour Cassel

Description: Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) is a precocious 15-year-old whose reason for living is his attendance at Rushmore, a private school where he's not doing well in any of his classes, but where he's the king of extracurricular activities. His life begins to change, however, when he finds out he's on academic probation, and when he stumbles into love with Miss Cross (Olivia Williams), a pretty teacher of the elementary school at Rushmore. Added to the mix is his friendship with Herman Blume (Bill Murray), wealthy industrialist and father to boys who attend the school, and who also finds himself attracted to Miss Cross. Max's fate becomes inextricably tied to this odd love triangle.

Review: The story of Max isn’t a very extraordinary story. The story of a boy who wants to be an adult, but isn’t. Max actually discovers that something like growing up, hardly exists. And this makes the story of “Rushmore” very extraordinary. Because of the person Max is, because he’s everything but ordinary. It’s Jason Schwartman’s debut role and a bright future is ahead of him.

Max is a typical teenager with feeling of insecurity and he hates studying. How this is worked into the film, is a-typical. Max creates his own ‘grown up world’ by starting all sorts of communities and groups and begins friendships with actual adults. For example Miss Cross, who Max falls in love with. Miss Cross is older and falls for the charms of Max’ other friend Herman Blume. But Miss Cross finds out that he’s just as childish as Max is. Because Herman Blume is still stuck in his teen years, makes him equal to Max. Even when they are fighting for the same woman, they can’t live without each other. The only difference is that Max intends to grow up eventually and Blume knows that, despite all his money, he can’t take on the world.

Director Wes Anderson gives the film a fantastic atmosphere. By using bright colors and still moments, the films has a calm and observing character. An excellent example is the scene of Blume jumping in a pool at his twin sons birthday party. This atmosphere make the experience very relaxed and the introvert acting fits it perfectly. Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray are the stars and shine in every scene. Olivia Williams also does a great job.

I’ve become a big Wes Anderson fan over the years and this, as one of his first films, is going on my favorites list.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 83: The Grand Budapest Hotel

Director: Wes Anderson

Genre: Comedy/ Drama

Runtime: 101 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Jude Law, Saoirse Ronan, Lé Seydoux, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, F. Murray Abraham, Harvey Keitel, Tom Wilkinson Mathieu Amalric

Description: The adventures of Gustave H (Ralph Fiennes), a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa (Tony Revolori), the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.

Review: You love his work or you hate it. Where most directors want to be as realistic as possible, Wes Anderson does the opposite and makes everything look artificial. In “The Grand Budapest Hotel” we can again see this and it’s another highlight in his career. A mix of diverse genres leads to a crazy adventure.

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a story within a story within a story. The three time fazes are all filmed in different formats and color schemes. We start in the eighties, when we see a girl with a book and a key walk up to a statue of a deceased author. Next we make a leap back in time and we see that same author, talking to the audience, telling us how the story of “The Grand Budapest Hotel” started. Then we jump to the sixties, where we see the young author in that hotel, meeting owner Zero Mustafa. He tells the story and that’s where all the madness starts. At the start of the 1930’s the hotel was hot and happening. Especially rich, elderly ladies love coming there. Does it have anything to do with the charming and charismatic concierge Gustave H.? Through the eyes of the young Zero, who is thought by Gustave, we see how everything works in the hotel. When one of the guests, Madame D, dies under mysterious circumstances, Gustave inherits the pricey painting ‘Boy with Apple’. His fascist son Dmitri isn’t happy about that.

The cast is filled with many great actors. Most only have a small role. Some are common faces in Wes Anderson films, like Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Owen Wilson. Ralph Fiennes is the one carrying the film. He does it so well. On one hand he is this super slick charmer, but he can also be vulgar and crafty. And his comedic timing is just perfect.

Besides comedy “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a mystery, action thriller and a romance. But most of all it’s a tribute to the days gone by. As no one else Wes Anderson mixes reality and fiction together. It’s like a storybook coming to life.The result: a hilarious and unique film, like only Anderson can make, perfected in every detail and filled with great characters.

Rating: 5/ 5

Quotables: "Fantastic Mr. Fox"

How this movie was made is just amazing. I just love Wes Anderson’s style! It’s based on a book by Roald Dahl and I decided to pick my favorite quotes and to share them with you.

Mole: I just want to see... a little sunshine.

Mr. Fox: But you're nocturnal, Phil. Your eyes barely open on a good day.

Mole: I'm sick of your double talk, we have rights!

Coach Skip: Basically, there's three grabbers, three taggers, five twig runners, and a player at Whackbat. Center tagger lights a pine cone and chucks it over the basket and the whack-batter tries to hit the cedar stick off the cross rock. Then the twig runners dash back and forth until the pine cone burns out and the umpire calls hotbox. Finally, you count up however many score-downs it adds up to and divide that by nine.

Mrs. Fox: Why did you lie to me?

Mr. Fox: Because I'm a wild animal.

Mr. Fox: [looking at an electric fence] Huh. This could be difficult.

Squirrel: It's fatal for humans, but we got enough fur to keep the voltage from getting to us. Let's go!

Mrs. Fox: Excuse me? Am I being flirted with by a psychotic rat?

Ash: There's a lot of attitudes going on around here... don't let me get one.

Mr. Fox: They say all foxes are slightly allergic to linoleum, but it's cool to the paw - try it. They say my tail needs to be dry cleaned twice a month, but now it's fully detachable - see? They say our tree may never grow back, but one day, something will. Yes, these crackles are made of synthetic goose and these giblets come from artificial squab and even these apples look fake - but at least they've got stars on them. I guess my point is, we'll eat tonight, and we'll eat together. And even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five and a half most wonderful wild animals I've ever met in my life. So let's raise our boxes - to our survival.

Franklin Bean: What are you singing, Petey?

Petey: Erm... I just kind of made it up as I went along, really.

Franklin Bean: That's just weak songwriting! You wrote a bad song, Petey!

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 17: Moonrise Kingdom

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Edward Norton, Bruce Willis, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keitel, Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward

Description: Set on an island off the coast of New England in the 1960s, as a young boy and girl fall in love they are moved to run away together. Various factions of the town mobilize to search for them and the town is turned upside down.

Review: Problematic families, impossible loves, existential voids; those are known themes for director Wes Anderson. The obstinate Anderson makes movies you either love or hate. “Moonrise Kingdom” is a distinctive film, especially the wonderful world he has created and he takes the viewers on a magical journey.
The leading roles are for the very young Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, who decide to run away together after exchanging mail. Their roles are very mature and the performances are very solid. But that’s the key ingredients: kids who act like adults and adult who simply don’t want to grow up. The film has quirky characters, a bit of dry humor but also a touch of emotion. “Moonrise Kingdom” is the ‘sweetest’ film Anderson has made so far. That all has to do with the young lovers, but there’s more. Like Bruce Willis’ character, who has something touching because he’s not a too smart sheriff with good intensions. And Edward Norton, who’s constantly a bit nervous.
For me Wes Anderson movies are always a joy to watch. Just the detailed décor and the witty, sweet and quirky characters and humor alone makes it a great movie experience. It’s certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but fans have enough to look forward to.

Rating: 4,5/ 5