10s Movie Review - The Switch

Director: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston, Jeff Goldblum, Patrick Wilson, Juliette Lewis

Description: Seven years after the fact, a man (Jason Bateman) comes to the realization that he was the sperm donor for his best friend's (Jennifer Aniston) boy.

I WATCHED THIS FILM FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 15: A FILM WITH JEFF GOLDBLUM
 
Review: Kassie and Wally have been best friends for a long time. Both single and not successful in the romance department, Wally has just accepted it. But Kassie has one desire: to become a mom. She decides to search for a sperm donor because she feels like time is running out. In a drunk moment, Wally accidentally spills the sperm sample that is supposed to give Kassie her baby and swaps it for his own. But he doesn’t remember doing it when he wakes up hungover. Kassie moves away and seven years later Wally gets to meet her son Sebastian. Who resembles him in every way.

Let’s just start with how ridiculous this premise is. I understand Kassie wanted a baby and deciding to go for a sperm donor. My best friend has done the same. But she hosts a party for it, where the chosen donor is ‘delivering his goods’ in the bathroom when everyone else is at the party. And then Kassie will be impregnated at that same party. Then, Wally, who is obviously a bit jealous and not understanding of Kassie’s choices, tries to mess with the sample and he actually spills it. He then fills the cup with his own sperm. But…. he doesn’t remember he has done it.

Kassie moves away to Michigan, leaving Wally in New York. They speak to each other, but don’t see each other for seven years. He never even goes to visit Kassie when she had her son Sebastian. And they are supposed to be best friends. When Kassie returns, that’s the first time Wally sees her son. And then he realizes that Sebastian has a lot of the same quirks that he has. It feels like looking at a younger version of himself. In the meantime Kassie starts dating the donor Roland, who she thinks to be the actual father of Sebastian. But Wally starts realizing what he has done. It’s one giant mess and I hated it.

It's just too ridiculous for me, I can’t wrap my head around the fact that Wally doesn’t remember that he made the switch. And that whole “I’m getting pregnant” party is just stupid. I love Jennifer Aniston and I usually enjoy watching Jason Bateman as well. And my favorite parts where the moments that Wally had with Sebastian. I couldn’t stand Kassie. Why can’t she see that Wally was the best choice from the start? And Jeff Goldblum was fun by the way. But for the rest, I kinda hated this movie.

Rating: 2 / 5 

20s Movie Review - Wicked

Director: Jon M. Chu
Genre: Musical/ Fantasy/ Adventure
Runtime: 160 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Peter Dinklage. Ethan Slater, Marissa Bode, Bowen Yang

Description: Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), a misunderstood young woman because of her green skin, and Galinda (Ariana Grande), a popular girl, become friends at Shiz University in the land of Oz. After an encounter with the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, their friendship reaches a crossroads.

Review: Anyone who has seen “The Wizard of Oz” knows how it ends with the Wicked Witch of the West. And in case you haven’t caught her fate yet, the opening scene of “Wicked” tells you. Glinda, once her friend, talks about her when she was still known as Elphaba Throbb.

Glinda, then still Galinda, and Elphaba meet each other at Shiz University, where the share a room. At first, they can’t stand each other. They are clearly very different. Elphaba is modest, kind, introverted. Glinda is vain, spoiled and loves attention. Their love-hate relationship drives a funny but also sad and sensitive adventure.

The Broadway phenomenon is turned into a delightful film. The Land of Oz is colorful, the contrast between Glinda and Elphaba (pink and green) looks amazing. My favorite décor was the library (or as Glinda calls it, the book place), but kinda crinched over all these people stepping onto and throwing around book.

“Wicked” is big on plit, acting, music and length. And this is only the first part. Time is taken for certain developments that would be rushed in other productions. The scenes are long and show varying emotions, but never get boring. The almost three hour runtime flies by.

Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba, and Ariana Grande as Glinda are strong, together and apart. Grande really surprised me with her comedic talent and both were really good in emotional scenes.

“Wicked” is one wild and colorful ride, and I can’t wait for part 2.

Rating: 4/ 5

80s Movie Review - Silverado

Director: Lawrence Kasdan
Genre: Western/ Action/ Drama/Crime
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 1985
Starring: Kevin Kline, Scott Glenn, Kevin Costner, Danny Glover, John Cleese, Brian Dennehy, Rosanna Arquette, Jeff Goldblum, Linda Hunt, Jeff Fahey

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 9: A WESTERN
 
Description: A misfit bunch of friends comes together to right the injustice which exist in a small town called Silverado.

Review: Four cowboys brought together by fate arrive in Silverado. A series of events force them to face off against an overpowered force.

In 1985, director Lawrence Kasdan successfully attempted to bring back the big western to the silver screen. Even though he does not innovate the genre, he resumes authentic western mythology and creates an entertaining and adventurous old-fashioned western.

The main reason why “Silverado” is so long, is that each of the four main characters has their own plot line. But the movie does not bore for a moment. There is enough action and tension building to keep one’s attention. Only the subplot surrounding Rosanna Arquette’s characters seems a bit thrown away and isn’t fleshed out.

The four men are cast well. Kevin Kline is the main protagonist. He plays the dryly comic Paden, who tries very hard to put his past behind him. Scott Glenn is the very cool Emmett. His brother Jake is played by Kevin Costner (in his first major role), a young, carefree spirit. And Danny Glover is Mal, a more serious character partly because of his personal situation. But he was my favorite.

We get some great supporting roles by Linda Hunt as  the petite but feisty saloonkeeper Stella. Brian Dennehy as the corrupt sheriff Cobb. And John Cleese makes a brief appearance as a quirky sheriff in a town nearby Silverado.

What also lifts “Silverado” to a higher level is the music by Bruce Broughton. Which is also something I seem to love about westerns: its music. The film looks stunning. I believe that “Silverado” is a fine and sadly underrated masterpiece. Even if you’re not a fan of westerns. I loved it.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - Jurassic World: Dominion

Director: Colin Trevorrow
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 146 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie, Isabella Sermon, Campbell Scott, BD Wong, Omar Sy, Justice Smith
 
Description: Four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, dinosaurs now live alongside humans all over the world. This fragile balance will reshape the future and determine, once and for all, whether human beings are to remain the apex predators on a planet they now share with history’s most fearsome creatures in a new Era.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 23: AN ADVENTURE MOVIE

Review: The image we have of dinosaurs today was largely shaped by Steven Spielberg’s now classic film and masterpiece “Jurassic Park”. Science is now a lot further along in its knowledge of these creatures.

In the third film in the Jurassic World trilogy and sixth in the Jurassic Park franchise, humans have learned to live with the escaped dinosaurs. Biosyn, a multinational company with good intentions, has started a reserve in the Italian Dolomites and is taking care of the global dinosaur population. However, they are particularly interested in Maisie Lockwood, a girl who is a clone of her own mother, a deceased scientist from the time that Jurassic Park was build.

Maisie lives in the forest in the U.S. with Owen and Claire, who have each found their own way of dealing with the dinosaurs. When Biosyn also appear to be responsible for the extinction of global agricultural crops and threatens to disrupt the food chain, it’s time for action. None other than Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ian Malcolm and Dr. Ellie Sattler all turn up to fight Biosyn and find out the truth.

There’s a lot going on in this film. Even with over two and a half hours on the clock, it seems to be cramming to give so much plot and so many characters space. It is therefore striking how nicely everything falls into place. The storylines of the old and new group largely run separately, but do interlock constantly. Even new characters, such as the tough Kayla Watts, are given ample space and a full role.

You would almost forget that this movie is mainly about the dinosaurs, but director Colin Trevorrow constantly uses them when they help the story along, or simply guarantee spectacular action. Trevorrow also throws in some food for thought, but doesn’t rub it in.

It is clear that the makers have an enormous love for 1993’s “Jurassic Park”. It is expressed in shots that are borrowed one-on-one from Spielberg’s masterpiece. You could see it as cheap copying or paying an homage to a film that pioneered the use of computer effects and old school animatronics. Trevorrow didn’t shy away from these either.

“Jurassic World: Dominion” is getting mixed reviews. But I look at it this way: I knew going in, that it was never going to top “Jurassic Park” and no movie in this franchise ever did, will or tried to. The plot might be a little bit so-so, and there is a lot of fan-service and nostalgia in “Jurassic World: Dominion. I loved seeing the old and new gang, together and apart. The film was highly entertaining, we got to see a bunch of dinosaurs, some we already knew and some for the first time. The action is fast paced and it didn’t bore me for one second. Is it a great movie: no, but it’s still good, enjoyable and fun. And as a “Jurassic Park” fan, I loved all the hints to the original and the fan-service. So, I won’t talk crap, because I liked the film and it entertained me.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Hotel Artemis

Director: Drew Pearce
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Jeff Goldblum, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Day, Dave Bautista, Jenny Slate, Brian Tyree Henry

Description: Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, 'Hotel Artemis' follows the Nurse (Jodie Foster), who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals.

Review: In future Los Angeles, a civil war is happening. Water is a luxury and when the watersupplies are shut off, riots start. People fighting in the streets, helicopters crashing into buildings and police shooting everything that seems suspicious. For The Nurse, owner of Hotel Artemis, it’s the most normal thing in the world. It’s a place for wounded criminals and according to her the world is in constant war. A place you will never be safe. For her, Hotel Artemis is the only place.
Jodie Foster plays The Nurse, a grumpy and stubborn woman that works with strict rules. Clients get codenames, weapons are forbidden and the most important rule: don’t kill other patients. Off course, all kinds of characters enter her hotel: hitmen, asshole criminals, wounded robbers and frantic sons of mob bosses. Charlie Day plays a fun role and Dave Baustista adds some humor to the film. Foster really does a good job as the charismatic and bossy nurse.
All the flamboyant characters make sure that the well organized life of The Nurse fall apart, bit by bit. And she gets closer to the outside world. The film has a good storyline and manages to add some depth too.
“Hotel Artemis” has a strong cast and it’s a pretty good film.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Animation/ Adventure
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Yoko Ono, Ken Watanabe, Fisher Stevens, Liev Shreiber, Courtney B. Vance, Angelica Huston

Description: Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.

Review: Wes Anderson is a unique filmmaker. One we can’t compare to any other filmmaker in Hollywood. He shines with his humor, mix of arthouse and commercial cinema. That last is because of all the great actors and actresses he always manages to get. Anderson already proofed with “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, that stop-motion is right up his alley. And “Isle of Dogs” is another one of his masterpieces.
All Japanese vocals are translated by a translator, computer or exchange student. This is what we see at the start of “Isle of Dogs”. The barking of the dogs is indeed English. And it’s true. A lot of Japanese. And not all is translated, but that’s not necessary. The most important tale is told by the animals.
Dogs had to fight for their position in Japan for ages. But in the fictional metropole Megasaki, the four legged friends are no longer welcome. A dog virus broke out and mayor Kobayasho orders to send all the dogs to a trash island. The dogs try to make it their own place. But their peace is disturbed when Atari, the mayor’s nephew, crashes onto the island while looking for his dog Spots.
It’s clear Wes Anderson is not a big fan of 3D. All the dogs are almost always seen in a frontal position, from the side or from above. I love his style, it has charm and it’s never too much. You are amazed by everything without losing your focus of the story.
“Isle of Dogs” is a modern fable about (literally) and underdog that tries to better the situation with unity, wit and humor. Wes Anderson has done it again!

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Director: J.A. Bayona
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, BD Wong, James Cromwell

Description: When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.

Review: The dinosaurs that were left behind when the Jurassic World theme park went bad, need to be saved. The islands volcano is about to erupt and Owen and Claire decide to go back. But naïve business men also send an over ambitious hunter to the island.
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is the sequel to “Jurassic World, the way “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” was a sequel to “Jurassic Park”. And you can see that a lot of it is the same. But director J.A. Bayona decided to have only a few scenes in the jungle and take the rest of the film to the city. Which is basically the last scenes from “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” stretched to film length. But from that point the film gets more original.
“Jurassic World” got mixed reviews. Especially the fans of “Jurassic Park” were really brutal. I’m also a huge fan, it’s THE movie that made me the movie geek I am now. But I watched “Jurassic World” as a separate film, not comparing it with the orinal master piece. And I really liked “Jurassic World”. And I also liked “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”. But less, because it reused a lot of elements from the previous films and the characters don’t really have any development. I like Owen and Claire, apart and together, but there is no development whatsoever.
Seeing Jeff Goldblum was off course great and he might be the greatest character ever created for the franchise (no, he IS).
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” shines because of the great visuals and its high entertainment value. And Chris Pratt as an action hero with the right amount of humor. But the best moments and quotes were ‘borrowed’ from the earlier films.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

90s Movie Review - The Lost World: Jurassic Park

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 129 minutes
Year: 1997
Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Vince Vaughn, Pete Postlethwaite, Richard Attenborough, Peter Stormare

Description: A research team is sent to the Jurassic Park Site B island to study the dinosaurs there while another team approaches with another agenda.

Review: After the enormous hit “Jurassic Park” in 1993, Steven Spielberg decided to make a sequel the audience was waiting for. Although the character dies in the first book by Michael Crichton, in “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” it’s Ian Malcolm who saves the day.
Off course the sequel isn’t as original, because the first was so groundbreaking and it amazed everyone. But it’s not just a copy either. John Hammond is concerned about the dinosaurs and tells Ian there is a second island. Malcolm’s girlfriend Sarah is already there to study the behavior of the dinosaurs, so Ian has to go back himself. He is accompanied by documentary maker Nick van Owen and gadget guy Eddie Carr. And Ian’s daughter Kelly also joins them, when she sneaks on the boat. What they don’t know is that the company InGen Is trying to capture the dinosaurs to bring them to San Diego.
To make “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” a little bit more surprising the makers decided to add two adult Tyrannosauruses and a baby. And there are more bad guys in the form of people working for InGen. There are also more deaths en they are bigger than ever.
Jeff Goldblum is, like the first, the best element of the film. The other characters aren’t as interesting as the first. Off course the special effects are again great. Fantastic visuals, that will blow your mind.
“The Lost World: Jurassic Park” builds up the tension, has strong action sequences, great visual effects. Although it never lives up to its prequel, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” is a joy to watch.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Jurassic Park

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 127 minutes
Year: 1993
Starring: Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson, Wayne Knight

Description: During a preview tour, a dinosaur theme park suffers a major power breakdown that allows its cloned dinosaur exhibits to run amok.

Review: Author Michael Crichton wrote a book called Jurassic Park, which became an enormous bestseller in 1990. And Steven Spielberg wanted to turn it into film. And how! When the movie was released, everyone was amazed by the realistic looking dinosaurs. But that was in the ‘90s. Nowadays it still manages to amaze me. Spielberg used digital effects and old-fashioned animatronics to give the dinosaurs that authentic look. With that we see the Tyrannosaurus Rex and Velociraptor parade our screens and give us a few big scares.
The story centers John Hammond, who found a way to clone dinosaurs and build a theme park around them. After a few incidents, the investors get nervous and Hammond invites some experts to test the park: Paleontologist Dr. Alan Grant, paleobotanist Dr. Ellie Sattler and mathematician Ian Malcolm. Off course things don’t go according to plan.
Sam Neill plays hero Alan Grant and Laura Dern portrays Ellie Sattler, but it’s Jeff Goldblum who gets all the good lines. He is the only one who is really worried about the cloning. He might come off as annoying, but he’s the best character in the film.
The movie is filled with amazing effects and exciting scenes. The kitchen scene is memorable, but the most epic one is the T-Rex outbreak. Far out the best scene ever. Everything is perfected in the detail and this movie will never bore me. This is one of those films that, after watching it, you immediately want to rewatch it. Some people might complain about the lack of character development, but the dinosaurs are the real stars here. “Jurassic Park” is a great movie, that everyone should see at least once. If you don’t you haven’t lived.
A spectacular movie, which keeps your adrenaline pumping and is a true thrill ride.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 116: Thor: Ragnarok

Director: Taika Waititi
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 130 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Hopkins, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tessa Thomspon, Karl Urban, Ray Stevenson, Clancy Brown

Description: Imprisoned, the almighty Thor (Chris Hemsworth) finds himself in a lethal gladiatorial contest against the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), his former ally. Thor must fight for survival and race against time to prevent the all-powerful Hela (Cate Blanchett) from destroying his home and the Asgardian civilization.

Review: Innovation and variation is becoming harder within the superhero genre. In the past 10 years, Marvel has brought us 17 movies. Because the characters keep meeting each other in each other’s movies, there is a chance the films lose their identity and become disposable. But Marvel has realized this and are heading into a different direction.
“Thor”Ragnarok” is a bit of a gamble. It’s a complete different route for the God of thunder, because it’s an unprecedented humoristic trip through the cosmos. And it’s a very welcome surprise, because continuing on the same way as “Thor: The Dark World” is simply not an option. Because that would mean that naïve Thor would fall for Loki’s shams all over again, when at the end of the first Avengers film, this relationship has been settled more the less.
All elements that are a threat to the levity of the film, have been removes and are just side issues. For instance, love interest Jane Foster isn’t in it and I’m not missing her.
“Thor: Ragnarok” left all seriousness aside, which makes it a good comedy with action in it. And that's all thanks to New Zealander Taika Waititi, who also directed “Hunt For the Winlderpeople”. And I love this director’s humor. He also voices one of the funnier characters in the movie.
Most memorable is the scene where Thor sees Hulk in the arena and adding the green hero to this film is a great addition. It’s fun to see a different side from him.
The biggest plus is that the world of Thor has become more colorful, in every way of the word. “Thor: Ragnarok” is the best in the trilogy and one of the best in the Marvel Cinemativ Universe. What an awesome movie!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 21: Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Director: Philip Kaufman

Genre: Science Fiction/ Horror/ Thriller

Runtime: 115 minutes

Year: 1978

Starring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Jeff Goldblum, Veronica Cartwright, Leonard Nimoy, Art Hindle, Lelia Goldoni, Kevin McCarthy, Don Siegel, Tom Luddy, Stan Ritchie, David Fisher, Tom Dahlgren, Garry Goodrow, Jerry Walter, Maurice Argent, Sam Conti, Robert Duvall

Description: In San Francisco, a group of people discover the human race is being replaced one by one, with clones devoid of emotion.

 

Review: This “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is a remake from the 1956 version. In San Francisco mankind is taken over by duplicates. Because the original took place in a small town, the claustrophobic feel is not as present, but here the big crowd scares you. Matthew and his friends can only rely on each other. The bigger the crowd, the bigger that oppressive feeling is.

This all makes the movie a success. They take the time to reveal the happenings, the slow buildup helps building the tension. The movie is well made, the camerawork is good and the use of light and dark. And some of the action sequences are also very impressive. The thriller and psychological horror aspect are clearly present. Because of the suspicion, claustrophobia and the fear of losing your own personality.

Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams do a good job as Matthew and Elizabeth. Also Veronica Cartwright is very believable and shows a wide range of human emotions. Leonard Nimoy and Jeff Goldblum also perform very well.

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” is of high quality and definitely one of the best science fiction movies ever made. The movie captivates you till the end and that surprising twist still haunts me. A definite must see.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 9: The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Director: Wes Anderson

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 118 minutes

Year: 2004

Starring: Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Cate Blanchett, Anjelica Huston, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Michael Gambon, Noa Taylor, Bud Cort, Seu Jorge, Robyn Cohen

Description: With a plan to exact revenge on a mythical shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife (Anjeica Huston) , a journalist (Cate Blanchett), and a man who may or may not be his son (Owen Wilson).

Review: “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” has a lot of elements: drama, humor, romance, fantasy. But it’s a typical Wes Anderson flick.

The movie doesn’t have any obvious, hilarious jokes. Bill Murray gets room to exploit his dry, cynical humor, which fits Anderson’s style perfectly. It’s an amusing atmosphere, that will make you chuckle at times because of its innovative comedy and look.

An eclectic group of actors. Off course Bill Murray, who is in probably every Wes Anderson movie ever made. Willem Dafoe plays the somewhat simple, manic depressed buddy of Steve Zissou. Owen Wilson plays Zissous son Ned, who has a more neutral role in the movie. His humoristic impulses are tempered, it seems a little bit off. Jeff Goldblum is fun, but not present enough. The same goes for Anjelica Huston. Cate Blanchett is good as journalist Jane, but here role didn’t really add a lot to the story. She has the unfortunate task to be the romantic object.

My favorite part of the movie is where we are introduced to the ship, the Belafonte. Due vertical and horizontal shots we get to see every single room on the ship. I love those shots in Anderson movies.

“The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou” is again a pleasure to watch, because of the style, humor and cast. But it’s not one of Anderson’s masterpieces.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Moments: "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"

The first time I did this item was august 14th 2011. The movie: “Jurassic Park”. So it’s time that I’m looking a little closer to the sequel “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”, that I think is also wonderful. Here are my favorite moments from the movie.

Moment # 1: The little girl

In the opening scene we see a couple and their daughter spending time on an island. The girl is exploring the sight and finds some little creatures. At first they are friendly, but soon the small dinosaurs appear a little less innocent then they are.

Moment # 2: Stegosaurus

Ian Malcolm is forced to go to the island, to get his girlfriend Sarah back. When he finds her, Sarah sees a baby stegosaurus. She wants to photograph him and Ian knows she will be getting too close. When Sarah runs out of film, the baby doesn’t like the sound of it and calls out for his mom. And they are mad!

Moment # 3: Baby Rex

After freeing the dinosaurs that were captured, Owen decided to take the baby Tyrannosaurus Rex with him because his leg is broken. Sarah and Owen get him into the trailer, but son mommy and daddy come looking for their baby.

Moment # 4: Compsognathus attack

While the group is resting, Dieter needs to take a leak and wanders of in the woods. He is followed by a group of little compsognathus. They won’t leave him alone and attack him. Dieter can’t find his way back and it’s a painful death for Dieter.

Moment # 5: Tent

The group is trying to get some sleep and Ian’s daughter Kelly and Sarah are sleeping in a tent. Their sleep will soon be disturbed when a Tyrannosaurus Rex is coming to camp. He checks out the tent. When one of the people starts to scream, everyone has to run away.

Moment # 6: Long grass

When the group goes into the long grass, which is a very bad idea, they don’t realize a group of hungry velociraptors is surrounding them. From different angles they attack and pull down people in the grass.

Moment # 7: Facing of raptors

While trying to find a save place, Ian, Sarah and Kelly stand eye in eye with two velociraptors.

Moment # 8: T-Rex in San Diego

It’s a brilliant plan to capture a Tyrannosaurus Rex and then bring it to the big city, right? No! It eats everyone on the ship and breaks out.

Favorite Moment: Moment # 3 : Baby Rex

Video of the Week (22)

Jeff Goldblum isn't just one of the talest Hollywood stars, he's also one of the coolest. He can make anything sound cool somehow. Even lighting. Just watch this commercial.

 

 

Marry, Kiss, Cliff - Round 4

Round 4: Guy Patterson (“That Thing You Do”), Ian Malcolm (“Jurassic Park”) and Jerry Dandridge (“Fright Night”)

 

Marry: Guy Patterson is husband material, very caring and loves his music. I think we would have a lot of fun going to concerts and music festivals together.

Kiss: I know he’s an evil vampire, but can’t you blame me for thinking this? Just look at him!

Cliff: I really like Ian Malcolm, but he’s a mathematician. He would drive me nuts.

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

Movie Moments: "Jurassic Park"

I decided to introduce a new item: Movie Moments. I will pick a movie and than I will choose my favorite moments from that movie. I'm going to start with "Jurassic Park", I saw it again today and I recently used this film for another item of mine: In the Picture. So here are my favorite moments from"Jurassic Park" in order of how they appear in the movie.

Moment # 1: The opening scene
They are delivering a group of raptors for the park. While releasing one of them into its cage, something goes horribly wrong and one of the raptors grabs a man. Off course this man ends up dead. This scene really sets the mood for the movie

Moment # 2: Welcome to Jurassic Park
At this moment Alan, Ian and Ellie had just arrived at the island and get their first encounter with a real-life dinosaur. Alan's respons: "It's a dinosaur".

Moment # 3: Dinosaur egg hatches
During their tour around the research facility, Alan, Ellie, Ian and Dr. Hammond witness how a baby dinosaur is born. When it exits the egg, Alan finds out it's a raptor, which he knows to be the most vicious dinosaurs.

Moment # 4: Sick Triceratops
They are in the cars and they haven't seen any dinosaurs on the tour yet. Alan sees something and jumps out of the car, discovering a sick Triceratops. Alan says it has been his favorite dinosaur ever since he was a kid and Ellie wants to find out why the Triceratops is so sick.

Moment # 5: Dilophosaurus vs. Nedry
Dennis Nedry shuts off the entire system for 18 minutes, so he can deliver dinosaur DNA, which he stole from the research centre. While trying to get to the boat, he crashes his car. He gets out and meets a dilophosaurus, which seems harmless at first. The dinosaur starts spitting and Dennis' face is all covered with sticky goo. When he thinks he got away by getting in the car, the dilophosaurus appears next to him and attacks Dennis.

Moment # 6: T-Rex attacks
Ian and Alan are in one car and Tim, Lex and Gennaro are in the other when the cars stop. It's raining and the power is off. The T-Rex escapes from his paddock and attacks the car with Tim and Lex in it. The 'brave' Gennaro already left the car, but gets eaten not very short after his escape. Alan gets out of the car to save the kids and Ian tries to distract the T-Rex. This is by far one of the most exciting scenes ever.

Moment # 7: "God bless you"
Alan, Lex and Tim wake up after sleeping in a tree. A Brachiosaurus starts eating the branches of the tree they're in. Lex seems very interested in the dinosaur, because they are vegetarians like her. As Lex reaches in to pet the Brachiosaurus, the dinosaurs pulls back and releases a very big sneeze. Pretty disgusting, because Lex is covered in snot, but little brother Tim sees the fun of it and yells out: "God bless you".

Moment # 8: Raptor in the powerhouse
Ellie was send out to turn on the power. Dr. Hammond and Ian are talking her through. After turning the power on, a raptor appears and she has to run from it. Finding Mr. Arnolds arm is the least of her problems.

Moment # 9: Electrocution
Alan, Tim and Lex are climbing the big fence, because they want to get to the other side. Right before the power comes on, Tim freezes and can't climb any further. When the power comes back, Tim is sent flying right into Dr. Grant's arms.

Moment # 10: The kitchen
My favorite scene from the movie. While Lex and Tim are eating, they see a raptor and flee into the kitchen. Two raptors enter and both children are trying to get away from the dinosaurs. This scene is so exciting, it makes me nervous every single time I watch it.

Moment # 11: T-Rex saves the day
Alan, Ellie, Lex and Tim are chased by raptors and now surrounded by them. Just when one of them is about to strike, T-Rex enters and saves the group from the raptors. Then a banner drops saying: "When dinosaurs ruled the earth".

Favorite Moment: # 10: The kitchen

In the Picture: The Characters from "Jurassic Park"

This movie is off course about the dinosaurs and the beautiful visual effects. But let's pay attention to the people who enter Jurassic Park. I choose the six most important characters from the movie.

Dr. Alan Grant
Played by: Sam Neill
Alan is a very introvert person and he's very passionate about dinosaurs and his job as a paleontologist. He doesn't like children, but when he meets Tim and Lex, Hammonds grandchildren, he does warm to them eventually. Alan specializes in the velociraptor and he is among the many paleontologists that believe birds are descended from that kind of dinosaurs. His true passion goes out to dinosaurs.

Dr. Ian Malcolm
Played by: Jeff Goldblum
Ian is a mathematician and chaos theorist. He speaks very highly of himself and is a bit eccentric. He dresses all in black and acts like he's some kind of rockstar. Alan dislikes him right away, although Ian becomes more serious along the way of their adventure. Ian has kids, but isn't married.

Dr. John Hammond
Played by: Richard Attenborough
John is the owner of Jurassic Park and the founder of InGen. He is a sympathetic grandfather who means well. He created the themepark of his dreams but he underestimates the power of genetics. He is willing to take responsibility for his actions and the safety of his grandchildren comes first, but he still wants to live the dream.

Dr. Ellie Sattler
Played by: Laura Dern
Ellie is Alans girlfriend and a specializes in paleobotany. She sees the beauty of the dinosaurs, but isn't as passionate about her job as Alan is. She wants to settle down someday. Ian shows interest in her, but Alan dismisses those flirtations by affirming their relationship. Ellie is a very brave and strong woman, but she'd rather read about the dinosaurs then actually meet them.

Lex Murphy
Played by: Ariana Richards
Lex is John Hammonds granddaughter. She is very smart and has advanced computer skills. Her knowledge helps them a lot, while trying to escape from the velociraptors. Lex is a vegetarian and is especially interested in the herbivores, or as she calls them the vegisaures. She also has a little crush on Alan.

Tim Murphy
Played by: Joseph Mazzello
Tim is Lex' younger brother. He is very curious and wants to know everything about Alan and his work. At first this annoys Allan but he and Tim build up a friendship because of Tim's interest in and knowledge of dinosaurs.

Favorite Character: Ellie Sattler

Movie Tip #26 - Jurassic Park

Director: Steven Spielberg

Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough

Description: John Hammond (Richard Attenborough) has developed a dinosaur park using a DNA of a prehistoric dinosaur taken from an ancient insect. In a tour that Hammond makes to a selected audience which suppose to decide whether the park is safe or not safe for public, the security system collapsed, and the dinosaurs set themselves free. Now the selected audience, in the leadership of Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and include Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum), Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern), Hammond's grandchildren, and some more has to survive in the Island.

Review: You've probably all seen this film, but why shouldn't I put it up here? It's a classic. No one will ever make a better movie about dinosaures. It's a visual treat, it's exciting and breath-taking! Everything about this movie is just great. From the characters to the visual effects and from the music to the action sequences. Master piece from Spielberg.