Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movies - Update 10

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.
 

33/ 100: The Sixth Sense (1999)
The young Cole Sear sees dead people, so he gets the help of child psychologist Malcolm Crowe. The dead don’t realize they are dead. It’s a film about loss, grief, broken relationships. Haley Joel Osment plays the key character and he does this extremely convincing. And I loved Bruce Willis in a more serious, dramatic role. A movie that shocks you the first time and you will watch differently the second time around. And this is a movie you should watch more then once. Still M. Night Shyamalan’s best movie. Read my full review HERE.
 

34/ 100: Shooting Dogs (2005)
April 1994. The Hutu president f Burundi is assassinated. According to the Hutus in neighboring Rwanda, the signal for a genocide of the Tutsis they despise. The images are familiar. In “Shooting Dogs” the drama is seen through the eyes of two Westerners: the old, jaded priest Christopher and the young idealistic teacher Joe. They see the failure of the heavily undermanned UN in the torn country. It’s a confronting and raw film, with a story deserved to be told. HERE is my full review.
 

35/ 100: Jurassic Park (1993)
In 1993, the special effects with which director Steven Spielberg conjured up his dinosaurs on the screen were awe-inspiring. And still, these images amaze me every time I watch it. I don’t need to tell you the story, if you haven’t seen this movie yet, what the hell are you doing here. “Jurassic Park” was the movie that made me fall in love with movies in the first place, it literally changed my life. Check out the full review HERE.
 

36/ 100: Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s second film elevated the director to the superhero status of independent cinema and marked the comeback of former teen idol John Travolta. Tarantino hopscotch tells several stories in criminal circles, which are nevertheless related. A common thread is hard to pinpoint. The film has amazing dialogue, which became one of Tarantino’s trademarks, and he made one of the best films of the 1990s with “Pulp Fiction”. You can read my full review HERE.
 
Still to watch: 64

Netflix Friday - Volume 8

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

Action: Saving Private Ryan (1998)
Following the Normandy Landings, a groups of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper (Matt Damon) whose brothers have been killed in action.

Drama: Lion (2016)
A five-year-old Indian boy is adopted by an Australian couple (Nicole Kidman, David Wenham) after getting lost hundreds of kilometers from home. 25 years later, he (Dev Patel) sets out to find his lost family.

Comedy: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
King Arthur (Graham Chapman) and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.

Animation: Kung Fu Panda (2008)
The Dragon Warrior has to clash against the savage Tai Lung as China’s fate hangs in the balance. However, the Dragon Warrior mantle is supposedly mistaken to be bestowed upon an obese panda (Jack Black) who is a novice in martial arts.

Romance: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018)
Lara Jean (Lana Condor) is a teenage girl whose secret love letters are exposed and wreak havoc on her love life.

Horror: Christine (1983)
A nerdish boy buys a strange car with an evil mind of its own and his nature starts to change to reflect it.

Science Fiction: Jurassic Park (1993)
A pragmatic paleontologist (Sam Neill) visiting an almost complete theme park is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park’s cloned dinosaurs to run loose.

Crime: Django Unchained (2012)
With the help of a German bounty hunter (Christoph Waltz), a freed slave (Jamie Foxx) sets out to rescue his wife (Kerry Washington) from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio).

Thriller: The Da Vinci Code (2006)
A murder inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity.

Documentary: Virunga (2014)
A team of brace individuals risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas.

Family: The Karate Kid (1984)
A boy (Ralph Macchio) and his mother move to California for a new job. He struggles to fit in, as a group of karate students starts to bully him for dating a rich girl (Elizabeth Shue) from their clique. It’s up to the Japanse landlord Miyagi (Pat Morita) to teach him karate.

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

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Scenes with the Perfect Music

Some scenes are memorable, because of the great acting, dialogue, a quote. But sometimes it’s the music that makes the scene unforgettable. Here is a list of movie scenes with the perfect music.

5. “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd (“Kingsman: The Secret Service”)
All hell breaks loose in a church. Unable to control themselves, the people engage in a battle royal and there is only one person to come out of that church alive. The power balad by Lynyrd Skynyrd elevates this action packed scene.

4. “The Murder” by Bernard Herrmann (“Psycho”)
If there is a piece of music that guarantees to give you the chills, it’s this. The violin screech from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” is probably one of the most recognizable pieces of music in film history.

3. “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds (“The Breakfast Club”)
Five teens have to spend a whole Saturday in detention. At first sight the gang couldn’t be more different. As the day progresses, they find out that they are all struggling with similar inner demons. And although they run in different social circles and at the end they will go their own separate ways, what they learned in that short time will never be forgotten. And that song makes it even better.

2. “Welcome to Jurassic Park” by John Williams (“Jurassic Park”)
During the moment where Alan, Ian and Ellie see a real life dinosaurs for the first time, the experience is enhanced by the perfect score created by John Williams.

1. “A Real Hero” by College feat. Electric Youth (“Drive”)
Music acts like a window for the main character’s soul, because the Driver has limited dialogue or facial expressions. In one of the brighter scenes of “Drive”, Driver is taking Irene and her son for a L.A. tour in his car. We can see that there is more to the man than just an empty shell. The story says everything the hero can’t.

They Almost Made the Top 5: “The End” by The Doors (“Apocalypse Now”), “Lust for Life” by Iggy Pop (“Trainspotting”), “Mad World” by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules (“Donnie Darko”), “Born to be Wild” by Steppenwold (“Easy Rider”), “The Sound of Silence” by Simon and Garfunkel (“The Graduate”)

Top 5 Thursday: Movies You Need to Watch in Theaters

I always love going to the theater, but I always choose films that will probably add something extra to the film when watching it on such a big screen. Some movies are just better in theaters, because of the effects, cinematography or the whole experience. Here are my five picks for movies you need to watch in the theater.

5. Avatar
I was stupid enough to not see this in theaters and I regret it to this day. It is such a visually beautiful movie, even on television. So how about on the big screen? It will blow my mind.

4. The Revenant
The story might not be that special, but the cinematography is reason enough for me to watch this. I saw it in theaters and it took my breath away. I wish I made this movie!

3. Inception
This movie looks amazing, what a visual masterpiece. And it’s most impressive on the big screen.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road
This film is one giant adrenaline rush and it really has a great impact when you watch it in theaters. Action in its purest form.

1. Jurassic Park
Probably one of the most jaw-dropping movies I’ve ever seen. And it still amazes me how fantastic and breathtaking this movie is. And on the big screen it’s even more beautiful. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Saving Private Ryan, Gravity, Star Wars franchise, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Blade Runner

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Scores

You just have to hear the song and you know which movie it’s from. Those scores you can hum along and just make that great movie even greater. Here are my five favorite instrumental movie scores and I have to tell you it was really hard to do this!

5. Concerning Hobbits by Howard Shore (“The Lord of the Rings”)

This franchise is one of my all-time favorites and I’m especially a fan of the hobbits. And they have an amazing theme song. I love this score.

 

 

 

4. Becoming One of the People by James Horner (“Avatar”)

“Avatar” is an amazing piece of cinema, but is completed with its music by James Horner. This theme is just beautiful.

 

 

 

3. The Raiders March by John Williams (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”)

This score is just recognizable to anyone, even people who haven’t seen the movies (which is weird by the way, who has never watched it). Indiana Jones is an iconic movie character with an equally iconic theme.

 

 

 

2. Journey to the Island by John Williams (“Jurassic Park”)

“Jurassic Park” is one of my all-time favorite movies and that music is so iconic. As the Indiana Jones theme, everyone knows this too.

 

 

 

1. Now We are Free by Hans Zimmer/ Lisa Gerrard (“Gladiator”)

Probably not the most popular choice, but such an amazingly beautiful and heart felt score. It gives me the chills every single time.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Comptine d'un autre été - L'après midi by Yann Tiersen (“Amélie”), Star Wars Main Theme by John Williams, The Imperial March by John Williams (“Star Wars”), Harry Potter Main Theme by John Williams/ Alexandre Desplat, Pirates of the Caribbean Main Theme by Hans Zimmer/ Klaus Badelt, Liz on Top of the World by Dario Marianelli (“Pride & Prejudice”), Back to the Future Main Theme by Alan Silvestri, Jaws Main Theme by John Williams, End Title by Thomas Newman (“The Shawshank Redemption”), Dream is Collapsing by Hans Zimmer (“Inception”), Halloween Main Theme by John Carpenter, Chevaliers De Sangreal by Hans Zimmer (“The Da Vinci Code”), I’m Forrest by Alan Silvestri (“Forrest Gump”)

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Entrances

Remember when we first met those great characters in those amazing movies? Well, then it’s an epic entrance. Here are my favorite epic movie entrances!

5. Indiana Jones in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”

Concealed in darkness for the entirety of the opening credits, this guy’s nothing more than a shadowy figure in a fedora. Then, when a gun’s raised at his back, Indy cracks the whip, disarms his would-be assassin

 

 

 

4. Darth Vader in “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope”

Smoke from a laser gun battle hangs in the air, the John Williams music playing and then there is Darth Vader. It takes my breath away ;)

 

 

 

3. T-800 in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”

Stomping naked into a biker bar, he asks a biker for his clothes, boots and motorcycle, and roars off into the night. It’s super iconic and awesome!

 

 

 

2. Jack Sparrow in “Pirates of the Caribbean”

Captain Jack Sparrow sails aboard a ship that’s in the process of sinking. Not that Jack minds, the ship’s mast reaches docks just in time for him to step casually onto land. Hilarious every single time.

 

 

 

1. T-Rex in “Jurassic Park”

It starts with that cup of water on the dashboard, the sound of heavy footfalls and finally the T-Rex. Epic! And actually my favorite movie scene of all time!

 

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: John Doe in “Se7en”, Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs”, Chest bursting alien in “Alien”, Tina Carlyle in “The Mask”, The Joker in “The Dark Knight”, Jessica Rabbit in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, John Coffey in “The Green Mile”, Alex DeLarge in “A Clockwork Orange”

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

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.

DVD Collection Update (17)

Ten new ones in my collection. So pleased with them and some lukcy breaks as well. Here they are.

 

First I got a movíe I've been wanting to see it since I saw its trailer. It never played in our theaters, but when it was released on DVD I immediately bought it. And I loved "Nebraska", especially Bruce Dern. He's just great.

"Philomena" is also a movie I've been waiting to see and it also didn't disappoint me. Judi Dench is so good and together with Steve Coogan she forms an amazing duo.

This is just amazing!!! "The Grand Budapest Hotel" is a true art piece. Wes Anderson has become one of my favorite directors.

Finally my country released it! The second part of season 13 of my most beloved show "CSI". That great episode, where Sara is suspected of murder, is on this. I think that's a great episode. And the one where Neal McDonough guest stars, is also awesome.

This was the Lucky break. I bumped into it, knowing I really forgot about this comedy series. "The IT Crowd" is so hilarious, I watched the entire series in just three days. Don't you just love Moss and Roy?

Finally saw it yesterday. I think I expected more, but it was still an amazing movie. I especially liked Amy Adams and Christian Bale. Great performance by Jeremy Renner too.

I'm craving to see "Jurassic World" but because I have to wait for that, I decided to still that hunger by getting "The Lost World: Jurassic Park". Off course not as great as the first, but I love this as well. I just love dinosaurs!

Don't know if "Premium Rush" is any good, but I bought it because of Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Yeah, guilty!

"Julie & Julia" is such a feel good film, it makes me smile. I like both Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in their roles, but also Stanley Tucci (who I wish I knew in real life). And all that delicious food....

Last I got season 6 and 7 of "Waking the Dead". Only two more to go and my collection is complete.

Top 5 Thursday: Movie Opening Scenes

The opening scene of a movie is often a simple introduction to what you’re going to see. But sometimes it leaves an impression, it sets the tone for the rest of the film. Here is a list of opening scenes in movies that had that effect on me.

5. Up

This is probably also the saddest opening, at least for Disney. We meet Carl and Ellie, how their life started together and also how it ended. The first time a Disney movie made me cry before the actual story had even started.

 

4. Jurassic Park

You don’t get the see the dinosaurs yet, only an eye, but the mood is set. And it leaves you wanting more.

 

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark

Back in 1981, no one knew who Indiana Jones was. We knew in a couple of minutes. Indy left an impression on us, this opening scene is timeless. It suddenly made archaeology less dull (the clip doesn't contain the scene from the beginning. Because of the music it wasn't alowed on youtube).

 

2. Jaws

We meet Chrissy, and that’s all we get to know about her. Oh yeah, she likes skinny dipping, but she wished she didn’t. We don’t get to see the shark, but this scene tells you everything you need to know about the unique tone of the film.

 

1. The Lion King

This opening scene was a jaw dropping moment for me, when I first saw it. I remember it like it was yesterday. The beautiful animations and the epic music still give me goose bumps.

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Goodfellas, Reservoir Dogs, Inglourious Basterds, Scream

Top 5 Thursday: Bad Decisions in Movies

Sometmes when I'm watching a movie, I'm on the coutch screaming at the screen asking the characters why the hell they would do that. Making bad choices or decisions are often seen in horrormovies, but the once I choose are bigger. Here are the five worst decisions in movies.

5. Zombieland
It’s kind of smart that Bill Murray tried to survive the zombie apocalypse by pretending he was a zombie himself. But what’s really not such a good idea is to try and scare the trigger happy Jesse Eisenberg by pretending to be a zombie. You just signed your own dead warrant.

4. The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Off course you want to help the little T-rex, but it’s not smart to take him into your trailer with a very angry mommy looking for her young.

3. King Kong
Who brings a giant, raging gorilla to New York? That’s just asking for trouble. As much as I love gorilla's, that's just not a good idea. Just leave him on the island, where he’s happy.

2. Jurassic Park
The entire park is surrounded by an electric-fence, but there is no back-up system for when the power fails. The movie wouldn’t be excited if they did, but still.

1. Deep Blue Sea
If the sharks brain might cure Alzheimer, why the hell would you set up a totally isolated and abandoned from civilization laboratory in the middle of the ocean? I couldn’t concentrate on my work really, with hungry sharks lurking at me all the time.

They Almost Made the Top 5: The Last King of Scotland, Looper, Demolition Man

Top 5 Thursday: Steven Spielberg Movies

With "Lincoln" coming out in theatres soon, here in the Netherlands, I thought to rank my favorite movies by director Steven Spielberg. He has made so many great, memorable movies. Here are my favorite five.

5. Catch Me If You Can
It's an extraordinary story, that's really hard to believe but actually happened. Love the acting by Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. I always watch it when it's on.

4.Jaws
The power of this horror movie is how the tension is build up. The first 45 minutes you don't even see the shark, but it's terrifying anyway. Nowadays it's more bloody. "Jaws" is a fantastic movie.

3. Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones is my favorite movie character and the movies are all great. The first is still the best and I just love that scene with the swordsman Indy shoots. A movie full of adventure, humor and romance.

2. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
This film has a lot of aw-moments. "E.T." is such a sweet, heartwarming and touching movie. Great for all ages. Even the kids in my class, who are from a total different generation, know "E.T.". Timeless.

1. Jurassic Park
I remember when I first saw "Jurassic Park". It was jawdropping and right after the end credits I wanted to see it again. It's so amazing. And still I can watch it over and over again.

They Almost Made the Top 5: "Empire of the Sun", "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom", "The Lost World: Jurassic Park"