20s Movie Review - Look Both Ways

Director: Wanuri Kahiu
Genre: Drama/ Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Danny Ramirez, Aisha Dee, David Corenswet, Luke Wilson, Andrea Savage

Description: On the even of her college graduation, Natalie’s (Lili Reinhart) diverges into parallel realities: one in which she becomes pregnant and remains in her hometown to raise her child and another in which she moves to L.A. to pursue her dream career.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 7: A ROMANTIC MOVIE
 
Review: Natalie has a tight five-year plan outlining her career to conquer the animation world. But she she suffers from nasea after sex with her best friend Gabe, the fear of pregnancy throws that plan into disarray. In the bathroom where she takes a pregnancy test, her life spits into two timelines: one in which she is indeed pregnant and decides to keep the child and one in which she is not pregnant and she is going to follow her plan to move to L.A. and become an animator.

“Look Both Ways” is a fun film that makes it all too clear that life cannot be planned that easy. It is nice to see that both timelines get a fair amount of screen time and one is not clearly placed above the other. At the same time, not all scenes feel equally urgent and there are some very large time jumps. Thus, the script is not as tight as it could have been and also makes you wonder if this concept would not work better in a series.

What I liked most is that the makers never force one of the two stories on you. One is not better than the other, because both timelines have their ups and downs and their good and bad moments. And I really liked Lili Reinhart in her role.

The film also paints a somewhat fatalistic picture by implicitly stating that you will end up where you are supposed to be anyway. Five-year plan or not, you are simply a plaything of fate. In contrast, the idea that hard work always gets you where you need to be in the end easily fits into the image of makeable happiness that is very short-sighted. But if you don't dwell too much on such matters, Look Both Ways is an entertaining film that doesn't get boring especially with thanks to the infectious acting of the expressive Lili Reinhart and warm Danny Ramirez.

“Look Both Ways” is a fun and entertaining film, that is not overly romantic because that is not the focus. Natalie’s journey is, and I really enjoyed that. The two separate stories are nothing groundbreaking, but I really loved the concept of the two timelines.

Rating: 3/ 5

10s Movie Review - Concussion

Director: Peter Landesman
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Albert Brooks, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Morse, Eddie Marsan, Hill Harper, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Stephen Moyer, Richard T. Jones, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson

Description: In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. bennet Omalu (Will Smith) uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 30: A MOVIE RECOMMENDED BY A FRIEND
 
Review: Mike Webster was one of the best center players in the National Football League (NFL) in America. He played professional American Football for sixteen years, mostly for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After his career, he soon declined. He lives in a pickup truck and suffers from dizziness, forgetfulness and insomnia. Not surprisingly, he dies. A heart attack is soon the official reading. Nigerian forensic neuropathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu is assigned to investigate Webster. He discovers that something is wrong with the brain, but can’t quite pinpoint what it is. When another former football player dies, Omalu notices the same brain abnormalities. Could there be something more going on with football players after all? Omalu tries to bring this to the attention of the NFL board, but his research is dismissed as nonsense. In fact, since then Omalu has only been thwarted in his investigation and even received death threats.
Jeanne Marie Laskas wrote the article Game Brain for the men’s magazine GC in 2009. In it, she describes the story of how Nigerian Dr. Bennet Omalu discover what effect the hard hits and collisions of American Football players have on their brains. And how Omalu is opposed by the entire NFL after this discovery. Peter Landesman is a director and writer, but also a journalist. He has written a number of articles on human and gun trafficking for New York Time Magazine, The New Yorker and other leading magazines. His first feature film, “Parkland”, dealt with the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He made the follow-up “Concussion” in response to Jeanne Marie Laskas’ article. His background as a journalist came in handy for the structured telling of the story surrounding Dr. Bennet Omalu and his investigations. A story that is structured according to fairly standard principles, but contains poignant moments. Its distressing that a large organization like the NFL considers entertainment interests more important than the health of its players. Somehow it’s understandable, because the stakes are high. The NFL desperately needs the players to keep the entertainment going. The chances that young people will stop playing American football when they hear that it can cause brain damage are high, so the sport will eventually cease to exist. Yet it is strange that people do not want to look for a solution, but continue to deny the danger Omalu points out.
As a sub-line in the story, there’s Omalu’s personal struggle to adapt to the American system as an immigrant. He wants to succeed at all costs in the promised land. But as a Nigerian, he has his own ideas and principles and they do not always correspond to what is expected in America. This leads to misunderstanding on both sides. Omalu is portrayed by Will Smith, who is very convincing, inspiring and strong in his role. Another actor I need to point out is David Morse. He only has a minor role at the start of the film, but he really leaves an impression.
“Concussion” doesn’t really color outside the lines. The film is made according to standard movie laws. But a film like “Spotlight” had already shown that you can still make an interesting film this way, because the content is so well done. “Concussion” can’t match that film, but is intriguing enough to keep you interested the entire runtime.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

Director: Adam McKay
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2004
Starring: Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Chris Parnell, Fred Willard, Kathryn Hahn, Fred Armisen, Seth Rogen, Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, Tim Robbins, Ben Stiller, Missi Pyle, Jack Black

Description: Ron Burgundy (Will Ferrell) is San Diego’s top-rated newsman in the male-dominated broadcasting of the 1970s, but that’s all about to change for Ron and his cronies when an ambitious woman (Christina Applegate) is hired as a new anchor.

Review: “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” could have easily been a juvenile, forgettable comedy. But director Adam McKay really created a hilarious film, that is a favorite for a lot of people.
We meet the arrogant and quirky Ron Burgundy, who is one of the most successful news anchors in 1970s San Diego. When Veronica Corningstone enters, he gets some rivalry, because she is a very ambitious women with only one big dream: becoming a lead anchor. At first Veronica gets simple stories to cover, like a fashion show for cats, but she doesn’t accept being just that kind of news woman.
When “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” was released in 2004, it wasn’t very well-received by critics. But through the years, the film has gained a cult-status and is a comedy classic. There was even a sequel in 2013.
The constant bickering between Will Ferrell and Christina Applegate’s characters is hilarious and we get fun supporting roles from Paul Rudd, Fred Willard and Vince Vaughn. But it’s Steve Carell that steals the show, as weatherman Brick Tamland. He is seriously the dumbest movie character and you question yourself how it’s possible Brick is still alive. Carell is hilarious in his role.
“Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy” is definitely one of my favorite comedies off all-time.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Old School

Director: Todd Phillips
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 88 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Ellen Pompeo, Elisha Cuthbert, Perry Reeves, Jeremy Piven, Seann William Scott, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini

Description: Three friends attempt to recapture their glory days by opening up a fraternity.

Review: Mitch just found his girlfriend cheating on him, when he returns early from his business trip. Not interested in forgiving her, he leaves the house and buys a new one near the campus of the local university. Mitch’s best friend Beanie sees it as the perfect opportunity to have parties. Their other friend, newly-wed Frank and well-known former party animal, really gets back to his old ways during these parties. Because the house seems to be on campus ground, the guys decide to start a fraternity, for all those guys who didn’t get into any.
Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn show that they work well together, when it comes to good comedy. The film hasn’t got the most original plot, but the film has some great jokes and especially Will Ferrell is on a roll as Frank the Tank.
“Old School” is one of those comedies that never gets old and stays funny, even after viewing it over a dozen times.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - All the Bright Places

Director: Brett Haley
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Elle Fanning, Justice Smith, Luke Wilson, Keegan-Michael Key, Kelli O’Hara

Description: The story of Violet (Elle Fanning) and Theodore (Justice Smith), who meet and change each other’s lives forever. As they struggle with the emotional and physical scars of their past, they discover that even the smallest places and moments can mean something.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 10: A TEEN MOVIE

Review: We follow Violet, who is dealing with the loss of her sister, who died in a car accident. She meets Theodore Finch, who is also struggling with himself for yet unknown reasons. They have to work together for a school project, where they have to find the most meaningful and beautiful places in Indiana, where they live.
When they meet, Violet is at her worst. Finch helps Violet’s process her sister’s death and it even feels like he becomes her mentor. But Finch’s situation worsened.
If you can appreciate “The Fault in Our Stars’, you will also enjoy this film. “All the Bright Places” shows us in a beautiful wat how two teenagers deal with mental health issues and which effects this has on themselves, their relationships and the people around them. A pretty heavy theme, but the film has plenty of cheerful and light moments.
“All the Bright Places” is a good romantic drama, that doesn’t shy away from heavy topics. But it’s still not daring enough. Although it’s easy to relate to both characters, it’s not completely clear what Finch is struggling with the most and why he is the way he is. I feel like Violet’s character was more in-depth. And there is one character, Amanda, one of Violet’s friends, who has a small subplot that is so thrown in there that it’s really hard to care. When you really want to care, but it’s so out of the blue. And it doesn’t really serve a purpose.
Like I said before, you will probably like it if you enjoyed films like “The Fault in Our Stars”. And it is a pretty good teen drama with a good change that you will shed a tear.

Rating: 3 / 5

Movie Review - Zombieland: Double Tap

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Genre: Comedy/ Action/ Horror
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin, Zoey Deutch, Rosario Dawson, Luke Wilson, Bill Murray, Thomas Middleditch

Description: Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Wichita (Emma Stone) and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky makeshift family.

Review: The subgenre, horror comedy, is one of my personal favorites. Especially when it has to do with zombies. When “Zombieland” came out in 2009, it was a surprising, fresh and hilarious film that really impressed. It mocks itself and is creative. Ten years later, director Ruben Fleisher comes with the sequel. Maybe a little late, but better late than never. Because, did we need it? Not really. Did I enjoy it? Hell yeah!
In 2009, besides Woody Harrelson, all actors were fairly new to Hollywood. Now, it stars Oscar nominees and even one winner, being Emma Stone. Besides this difference, the cast hasn’t changed a bit and the chemistry is still a strong element in the film. The bickering between Columbus and Tallahassee, the creative ways to kill a zombie, sharp dialogue. Off course it doesn’t reach the same level as “Zombieland”, but “Zombieland: Double Tap” comes awfully close.
“Zombieland: Double Tap” is more of the same, but we loved the first so why change the formula? It’s not as original as the first, but it’s a great sequel. And if you’re a fan of the original film, you will enjoy this one as well.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 149: The Skeleton Twins

Director: Craig Johnson

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 93 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, Ty Burrell, Boyd Holbrook

Description: Having both coincidentally cheated death on the same day, estranged twins reunite with the possibility of mending their relationship.

Review: Milo Dean is unhappy with his life and decides to step out of it. Right at the time that his estranged twin sister Maggie wants to take a pill overdose, she gets a call that Milo is in the hospital. It brings the two back together after ten years of not speaking to each other.

That Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig work well together, we have already seen on “Saturday Night Live”. They were part of the cast for many years. The two of them team up again in “The Skeleton Twins” and it works like a charm. It’s clear that the duo had a lot of fun making it and they are well attuned. Especially the scene were Milo is trying to make Maggie feel better by lip syncing to an eighties song, you can see how well Wiig and Hader function on screen as a duo.

What I found fascinating was to see all these comedic actors in more serious roles. Kristen Wiig has already proven a couple of times that she can also do light drama. Bill Hader also finds his way around the genre. Luke Wilson and Ty Burrell, who have supporting roles, are both convincing as well. When you put drama and comedy on a scale, it wouldn’t be balanced, because the drama has the upper hand. Although the movie deals with some heavy themes, the drama is kept light by the touch of comedy that sometimes has a dark edge.

“The Skeleton Twins” is a strong drama, that especially succeeds because of the great chemistry between the two lead actors. It’s their power that made us care for them and their story.

Rating: 4/ 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

Top 5 Thursday: Famous Acting Brothers

It's time for Hollywood brothers!! No need to explain it further, here are my favorite acting brothers.

5. Mark Wahlberg & Donnie Wahlberg
Just to be clear, the Wahlbergs as actors! Forget about their singing/ rapping period. Both Mark and Donnie are the living proof that there are singers that can actually act. I really like to watch Mark Wahlberg,especially in "The Fighter" and I'm really looking forward to see "Ted". And Donnie was fantastic in the series "Band of Brothers". Mark is my favorite of the two.

4. Ben Affleck & Casey Affleck
The Affleck brothers are perhaps the best ones on this list. Both of them are very good and I even like Ben a bit more as a director. And I love their collaboration in "Gone Baby Gone" where Ben directed and Casey acted. Fantastic! Casey is my favorite of the two.

3. James Franco & Dave Franco
Everyone knows how much I love James. Don't know much about Dave yet but I enjoyed him in "Fright Night" and "21 Jump Street". I don't need to explain why James is so good, just watch "127 Hours". James is still my favorite of the two.

2. Andrew Wilson, Owen Wilson & Luke Wilson
A threesome! Andrew is the least known of the bunch, but how cool was he in "Whip It"? Owen Wilson is great in anything, but I think my favorite movies are "Midnight in Paris" and "Marley & Me". Luke Wilson is adorable and I loved him in "Old School". My favorite of the three is Owen.

1. Chris Hemsworth & Liam Hemsworth
Only recently discovered by me, but this is one handsome looking family! Chris is gorgeous, Liam is gorgeous. And they are Australian, love that accent. Oh, and they can act as well. Loved Liam in "The Hunger Games" and Chris in "The Avengers" and "Snow White and the Huntsman". Favorite..... hard to say. Hmmm. I'll go with Chris.

They almost made the top 5: Alec, Stephen & William Baldwin, Beau & Jeff Bridges.

Movie Tip #28 - Old School

Director: Todd Phillips

Starring: Will Ferrell, Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, Ellen Pompeo, Jeremy Piven, Juliette Lewis, Leah Remini, Seann William Scott, Perry Reeves

Description: Mitch (Luke Wilson),Frank (Will Ferrell) and Beanie (Vince Vaughn) are disillusioned with their personal lives begining when Mitch's nymphomanic girlfriend cheats on him, then former party animal Frank gets married, but unwilling to get go of his wild life, and Beanie is a family man seeking to reclaim his wild and crazy youth. Beanie suggests that they form their own fraternity in Mitch's new house on a college campus to re-live their glory days by bringing together a variety of misfit college students, losers, middle-aged and elderly retirees as their new friends and later try to avoid being evicted by the new Dean of Students, whom still holds a personal grudge against all three of them.

Review: It's one of the funniest movies ever. The casting is great, they got a nomination for best on-screen team. Especially Will Ferrell is hilarious as Frank "The Tank" Ricard. Especially when he sings "Dust in the Wind" and the scene where he does gymnastics. But that guy makes me laugh when I just look at him. The story isn't all the complicated, but the way these actors work it is just extremely funny. Watch it and you'll see what I mean.