10s Movie Review - While We're Young

Director: Noah Baumbach
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Grodin

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 23: A FILM WITH AMANDA SEYFRIED
 
Description: A middle-aged couple’s (Naomi Watts, Ben Stiller) career and marriage are overturned when a disarming young couple (Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried) enters their lives.

Review: Growing older is not easy, especially in a society as youth-oriented as ours. Becoming an adult is even more difficult these days, and increasingly less the same as growing older. What does it mean to be an adult, if it is no longer strictly tied to age? How do you become an adult and stay young at the same time? These questions are the basis of “While We’re Young”, by director Noah Baumbach.

Josh and Cornelia are a couple in their forties who are torn between what is expected of them at their age and their longing for their younger selves. The lives of their best friends revolve solely around children and parenthood, but the couple is not (yet) interested in that. Josh is a documentary filmmaker who has been working on his second film for ten years, without success. In doing so, he is actually postponing further development in his life, always citing the completion of his film as a reason for not doing anything else.

Then they meet Jamie and Darby, two incredibly hip twenty-somethings. They come acress as so original and spontaneous to Josh that he tries to become young again through his interactions with them and drags Cornelia along with him. This results in some funny scenes, where for example Cornelia is learning to dance to hip-hop after fleeing her best friend’s baby music class.

Baumbach skillfully interweaves artistic doubts with uncertainty about growing older and/ or becoming an adult, and the question of how to deal with this (and how not to). Baumbach has his own unique style, I always love his tragicomedies. And I feel like this is a movie that is overlooked by many.

Rating: 4 / 5

TV Show Review - The Watcher (Mini Series)

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Thriller/ Horror/ Mystery
Number of episodes: 7
Year: 2022
Starring: Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, Jennifer Coolidge, Christopher McDonald, Mia Farrow, Noma Dumezweni, Margo Martindale, Richard Kind, Luke David Blumm, Isabel Gravitt

Description: A married couple (Bobby Cannavale, Naomi Watts) moving into their dream home is being threatened by terrifying letters from a stalker, signed “The Watcher”.  

Review: Halloween is just around the corner and Netflix know damn well how to get you ready for that. Just in: “The Watcher”. A series, based on true events, about a married coupe and their two kids who buy their dream house.

Nora and Dean Brannock can’t believe how lucky they are, moving away from the big city, into to this beautiful house. Until they start receiving ominous letters, signed by someone killing themselves “The Watcher”. With that, the Brannocks’ neighbors are very strange and there seems to be a hidden history about the house.

The show started off super strong. The first two episode were really creepy, terrifying at times, where you just want to double check if you have locked every door and window in your house. The tension doesn’t stay consistent, but the mystery does.

Like the couple, you are constantly trying to figure out who is writing those letters and why this person keeps such close tabs on the Brannocks. It is loosely based on true events, which makes the thought of everything even scarier.

The ending might leave you a bit unsatisfied, but it makes sense, since that’s what really happened. A series easy to binge, perfect for Halloween.

Movie Review - Penguin Bloom

Director: Glendyn Ivin
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Griffin Murray-Johnston, Essi Murray Johnston, Abe Clifford Barr, Felix Cameron, Rachel House

Description: A family takes in an injured Magpie that makes a profound difference in their lives.

Review: A happy family with three sons is in danger of falling apart when mom Sam falls off a balcony while traveling in Thailand. She is confined to her wheelchair for the rest of ther life and that weighs heavily on Sam and her family. When oldest son Noah suddenly comes home with a baby Magpie, a bond grows between Sam and bird Penguin and it proves to be a bright spot for her and her family.
Naomi Watts is one of my favorites and she carries this film effortlessly. She is very well supported by Andrew Lincoln, who plays her husband Cam.
The story is a bit predictable, but here it doesn’t bother me. Mostly because it’s based on true story. And it has a very satisfying ending, which you already know when you start the film.
It’s a perfect family film actually. A beautiful looking movie, with a touching story and great acting.

Rating: 4 / 5

10s Movie Review - Allegiant

Director: Robert Schwentke
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, Naomi Watts, Theo James, Miles Teller, Maggie Q, Jeff Daniels, Ansel Elgort, Bill Skarsgård

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 35: A DYSTOPIAN MOVIE

Description: After the earth-shattering revelations of “Insurgent”, Tris (Shailene Woodley) must escape with Four (Theo James) beyond the wall that encircles Chicago, to finally discover the shocking truth of the world around them.

Review: The “Divergent” series has so far followed the practically all the conventions of the young adult genre. The third and final book was supposed to be two films, but the second half will be a series instead.
“Insurgent” worked mainly as an aftermath of the events of the first film and the setups for future parts were rather brief. In the final part the dictatorial faction system of a futuristic Chicago collapsed after it became clear that this society was an experiment to restore humanity. Or something like that. The main point was that the oppressed Divergents were not a problem but the solution for a peaceful future. As if you would expect something different from a film series that appeals mainly to insecure teenagers.
This hopeful end is turned upside down in the first minute of “Allegiant”. Freed from a totalitarian regime, the inhabitants of walled Chicago flock to the gates to explore the outside world. Unfortunately, their new leader doesn’t like it and locks things up. Typical case of meeting the new boss who happens to be the same as the old boss they initially hated. Of course ‘messiah’ Tris doesn’t care about such measures, so she tried to escape with a group of companions. Soon it turns out that keeping the gates closed wasn’t such a crazy idea; the outside world is a radioactive wasteland in which it’s hard to survive. Fortunately, the company is taken care of by those who run the Chicago experiment.
It is praiseworthy that a film series that has never surpassed mediocrity before doesn’t demand the same angelic patience from the viewer in this film. There are enough plot developments and well filmed action scenes for two hours. However, the CGI and special effects often look really bad, where both previous movies did look really beautiful.
The story offers few surprises and the look of the film is rather uninspiring. The movie is even at times a bit dull.
Also in terms of characters, not a lot new is offered. Main character Trisonce again gets a chance to save mankind and the contribution of her boyfriend Four is mainly of shooting and kicking people to the ground. Peter on the other hand does provide some cool moments. He was just an annoying character in the first film, now he has developed into an unpredictable wildcard.
“Allegiant” is definitely the least of the series, that wasn’t all that great to begin with.

Rating: 2/ 5

10s Movie Review - Insurgent

Director: Robert Schwentke
Genre: Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney, Naomi Watts, Ansel Elgort, Kate Winslet, Maggie Q, Zoë Kravitz, Ray Stevenson, Octavia Spencer, Suki Waterhouse, Daniel Dae Kim, Mekhi Phifer

Description: Beatrice Prior (Shailene Woodley) must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side.

Review: The fact that many have had enough of the seemingly endless stream of Hollywood movie sof successful YA books is not incomprehensible. However, the current young adult hype has a pleasant downside: the similarities of the many productions force comparisons to be made. For example: “The Divergent” series is very easy to compare to the series of “The Hunger Games”. Both series have a lot in common in terms of story and design, but where “The Hunger Games” addresses some relevant contemporary issues, “Divergent” has no much to offer than what can be seen on the surface. The latter inadvertently contributes to the foundation of the throne on which “The Hunger Games” currently sit.
However, when the first film released in 2014 was it turned out to actually be pretty good and quite enjoyable. After all, “Divergent” was a lot better to digest than “The Host” or “Mortal Instruments” and also a lot more lucrative, even if it was not a resounding success. Enough basis to film the remaining books of Veronica Roth’s trilogy. Because there’s no time to waste, the film’s first follow-up is released just one year after the first.
At the start of “Insurgent”, Tris, her boyfriend Four, her brother Caleb and former opponent Peter appear to have been blamed by the responsible oppressors for the massacre that ended the first film. This leaves them nothing but fugitives through post-apocalyptic Chicago, constantly searching for new hiding places. That brings them to some factions that haven’t been seen before, as well as to the Factionless, which turns out to be not nearly as helpless as previously suggested.
Although this second part still doesn’t reach the level of any of “The Hunger Games” movies, “Insurgent” is on many points a good quality film. Now that all the explanations are behind us, the story movies into a higher gear, resulting in a pleasantly smooth movie that hardly repeats itself in the first part. There is plenty of visual spectacle, but fortunately the characters all get a little more to do this time as well. Not every development works equally well, but thanks to some fine surprises, replacement director Robert Schwentke holds the viewer’s attention well. Perhaps the most pleasant element of “Insurgent” is that it’s not just another typical interlude that only serves to set things up for the grand finale. This part is mainly about the aftermath of the previous film and the makers don’t seem to want to occupy themselves too much with future films. This means, among other things, that some plot lines are already neatly ended and some characters disappear from the stage for good as a result.
I think “Insurgent” did a pretty good job in continuing in this series.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Reviews - The Wolf Hour

Director: Alistair Banks Griffin
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Naomi Watts, Jennifer Ehle, Emory Cohen, Jeremy Bobb, Kelvin Harrison Jr.

Description: June (Naomi Watts) was once a known counter-culture figure, but that was a decade ago. She now lives alone in het South Bronx apartment, having all but cut herself off from the outside world. It’s the notorious “Summer of Sam” and June only has to look out her window to see the violence escalating with the brutal summer heat. The city is on a knife’s edge, a pressure-cooker about the explode into the incendiary 1977 New York blackout riots.

Review: It is the summer of 1977 and it’s hotter than hell. June Leigh sits on her window sill of her Bronx apartment. She once was a successful feminist writer, but now she doesn’t dare to leave her home. Outside, violence erupts and ‘Son of S am’ is murdering women.
“The Wolf Hour” is a peculiar film, but compelling in its own way. Mostly thanks to Naomi Watts’ excellent performance. She is committed to the role as a once-celebrated author, not hemmed in to her apartment by paranoia. Ans although there are other players, this is nearly a one woman show. And it’s set in only one location: June’s apartment. And strangely enough, it’s never boring. It gives you an almost claustrophobic feel throughout.
“The Wolf Hour” will definitely be one of those overlooked films that doesn’t get the attention it deserves. But it’s mainly Naomi Watts who makes this movie great.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Reviews - Vice

Director: Adam McKay
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Alison Pill, Eddie Marsan, Justin Kirk, Jesse Plemons, Bill Camp, Shea Whigham, Tyler Perry, Naomi Watts, Alfred Molina

Description: The story of Dick Cheney (Christian Bale), an unassuming bureaucratic Washington insider, who quietly wielded immense power as Vice President to George W. Bush (Sam Rockwell), reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today.

Review: Director Adam McKay was once know for his absurd comedies with Will Ferrell, but has since made some less humorous films. In 2015 he brought us “The Big Short”, which focused on Wall Street. And with “Vice” he puts Dick Cheney in the spotlight. Is it a good career switch for McKay? I can say it is, because “Vice” is, even though very ambitious, a very strong political drama, a well-executed film with a comedic edge.
Because of the daily doses of idiotic Trump news, you would almost forget about the time that George W. Bush was president, which was also not the best political period for America. If it is completely Bush’s fault, that’s up for debate. It more luck than wisdom for Bush. And the political games he left for Dick Cheney. A man who became powerful by staying in the background. In “Vice” his political career is shown, and that career is much longer then we think. He started there when Nixon was president.
Cheney isn’t interested in politics at first. He chooses to be a Republican based on a speech Donald Rumsfeld gives. He becomes Cheney’s mentor. But student becomes teacher in this scenario.
When Cheney says his goodbyes to politics, he is tempted to work as Vice President for the unexperienced Bush. And when he becomes VP, he manages to draw all the power to himself.
Christian Bale looks nothing like Dick Cheney in real-life, but thanks to the fantastic make-up department Bale is unrecognizable and Cheney is born. He plays his role with perfection. But the satire doesn’t always work for Bale. Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell, who play Rumsfeld and Bush, are better suited for this style.
“Vice” has a few absurd scenes, that you wouldn’t expect in a political themed film. But here is where McKay separates himself from the rest. It doesn’t always work well, but it is original.
If politics don’t interest you, this movie is not for you. Even if it is brought with more wit and satire. If you do like it, it’s a nice change from all the raw and serious political dramas.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 42: About Ray

Director: Gaby Delal
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 87 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Naomi Watts, Elle Fanning, Susan Sarandon, Tate Donovan

Description: After Ray (Elle Fanning) decides to transition from female to male, Ray's mother, Maggie (Naomi Watts), must come to terms with the decision while tracking down Ray's biological father to get his legal consent.

Review: Worldwide acceptance maybe a long way, but transsexuality reaches a bigger audience nowadays.
In “About Ray” Elle Fanning plays Ramona, Ray. She is sixteen and wants to make the transition from girl to boy, because she always felt more like a boy. Fanning’s performance is really strong. For the testosterone therapy Ray has to go through, she needs consent from both of her parents. But Ray’s father left the family when she was just a baby. Mother Maggie wants the best for Ray, but why does she need to dig up the past.
“About Ray” is a charming drama with little hints of comedy here and there. The cast does a great job, but the film overall never manages to convince completely.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 91: Demolition

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Naomi Watts, Chris Cooper

Description: A successful investment banker (Jake Gyllenhaal) struggles after losing his wife in a tragic car crash. With the help of a customer service rep (Naomi Watts) and her young son, he starts to rebuild, beginning with the demolition of the life he once knew.

Review: Davis Mitchell is in the car with his wife. They get into a crash and his wife doesn’t survive the accident. When he tries to get a bag of M&M’s from a vending machine, and the candy gets stuck, it’s the start of a chain of letters between him and a customer’s service rep.
Davis comepletely loses his way when he loses his wife. He realizes that his job, for his wife’s father, and their ultra modern house, doesn’t really fit him. They are all things that happened because of his relationship with Julia. Now she’s gone, Davis is trying to find a new identity.
Jake Gyllenhaal is a great actor and he proves that again here. Both in the dramatic and comedic scenes. Especially that last surprised me. I also liked him together with Naomi Watts. Her character doesn’t have the depth I hoped for, but she is still strong. The movie is original, but at the more dramatic moments it can’t escape the clichés.
Overall I really liked “Demolition”, mostly because of Gyllenhaal and Watts.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 110: Funny Games

Director: Michael Haneke

Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 111 minutes

Year: 2007

Starring: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, Devon Gearhart

Description: Two psychopathic young men take a family hostage in their cabin.

Review: “Funny Games” is a remake of the thriller from 1997 by director Michael Haneke. This German version of “Funny Games” gained Haneke international fame and was pretty controversial. Ten years later Haneke remakes his own film.

The movie is pretty much the same as the original. What would have been shocking back in 1997, is probably not that shocking anymore today. The actual confronting effects aren’t explicitly visible by the way.

The story starts pretty standard. Ann, George and their son Georgie are on their way to their cabin, to enjoy some sailing and golf. Their neighbors are acting a bit strange when they arrive and they are accompanied by two young men. Ann and George don’t really pay any attention to it, until those two young men visit them at their cabin. They ask for some eggs, for their neighbor, but Ann’s starts feeling uncomfortable. When George comes home, he tries to send the boys home. That’s when the situation escalates and the boys are starting to terrorize the family. They are going to play a game of life and death.

Especially the performances of Naomi Watts and Michael Pitt are strong and convincing. Tim Roth is solid, but his role is not as present. Also the young David Gearheart, as son Georgie, manages to act scared.

Like stated before, the violence is mostly off screen, but it gives you the chills anyway. You know what’s happening. Haneke also choose to let Michael Pitt’s character break the fourth wall. He talks to the audience, to start a discussion. This takes the tension out of the movie a bit and for me it didn’t fit in with the rest of the film.

For fans of slasher films, this is a pretty tame movie. Although the happenings in the movie are brutal, you hardly see anything of it. But fans of suspense movies will love it. The strong acting and the setting created by Haneke are reason enough to go see this film. A confronting film with a sinister atmosphere.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Favorite Actresses of the Moment

I change my list of favourite actresses from time to time, because I keep discovering new women or I rediscover actresses. Here is my current list of favourite actresses.

5. Emma Stone

I sort of have a girl crush on her. She is funny and has dramatic talent as well. She was great in “The Help”, “Easy A”, “Crazy Stupid Love” and “Zombieland”. Most recent she did a wonderful job in “Birdman” and I can’t wait to see her in “Aloha”.

 

 

4. Rachel McAdams

Off course she started out in sweet movies like “The Notebook” and she was a bitch in “Mean Girls”, but she has some serious acting chops. Rachel McAdams was great in “State of Play”, “Sherlock Holmes”, “Red Eye” and “Midnight in Paris”. Most recent successes are “To the Wonder” and “About Time”. Can’t wait to see her in “Aloha”, just like Emma Stone.

 

 

3. Jessica Chastain

She is one of those new additions, who I love more after every movie. I first saw her in “The Help” where she played my favourite character. That movie made me watch more of her work. Movies like “The Debt”, “Tale Shelter” and “The Tree of Life” were fantastic, but she broke through in “Zero Dark Thirty”. Great performance by Jessica Chastain. A more recent movie I loved her in was “A Most Violent Year”. Can’t wait to see her in “Crimson Peak”.

 

 

2. Charlize Theron

She has become better over the years. In “Monster” she stated how great she is as a performer, but also in “North Country” and “Young Adult”. Charlize Theron is one fo those beautiful actresses that dares to be ugly for a role.

 

 

1. Naomi Watts

My favourite for quite some time now. Okay, she had some misses, but she has more good movies. Off course “21 Grams”, “The Impossible”, “Mulholland Dr.” and “Eastern Promisses” are amazing, but more recent “Birdman” and “St. Vincent”. Naomi Watts is and probably will always be my favourite actress.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Emily Blunt, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence, Ellen Page, Rosamund Pike, Keira Knigtley, Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Zoe Saldana, Julianne Moore, Scarlett Johansson

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 36: St. Vincent

Director: Theodore Melfi

Genre: Comedy/ Drama

Runtime: 102 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Bill Murray, Melissa McCarthy, Naomi Watts, Chris O’Dowd, Terrence Howard, Jaeden Lieberher

Description: The young Oliver (Jaeden Lieberher) whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the misanthropic, bawdy, hedonistic war veteran Vincent (Bill Murray) who lives next door.

Review: “St. Vincent” is the directorial debut of Theodore Melfi and is about saints that are closer than you think. It can be your mom, a teacher or a friend. Or someone who doesn’t act like one at first sight. Vincent likes his booze and gambles away his savings. He isn’t very fond of people. This grumpy man has gambling debts and doesn’t have empathic feelings. The only person he has any affection for is Daka, a so called ‘lady of the night’.

When single mom Maggie and her son Oliver move into next door, Vincent’s life takes a different turn. He starts babysitting Oliver, when Maggie has to work long hours at the hospital. Vincent teaches Oliver lessons in a very unconventional way, by taking him to the race track, the local strip club and a bar. And also to ‘Sunny Side’, the home where his demented wife Sandy lives. The two develop an unlikely friendship.

The story may not be that original: a grumpy man befriending a kid. Bill Murray makes it into something special. His role is remarkable and unique, this is why I like Bill Murray. Naomi Watts portrays Daka with a big heart, also a very good performance by her. And it’s good to see Melissa McCarthy in a more modest role. Also a very funny small role for Chris O’Dowd, as Brother Geraghty. And the young Oliver is played by Jaeden Lieberher, the one with probably the most sense. Good role by him too.

“St. Vincent” has a good combination of comedy and drama, great performance and it’s easy to watch. Seriously, not watching it is a sin.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 18: Movie 43

Director: Elizabeth Banks, Bett Ratner, Bob Odenkirk, Steven Brill, Steve Carr, Rusty Cundieff, James Duffy, Griffin, Dunne, Peter Farrelly, Patrick Forsberg, Will Graham, James Gunn, Jonathan van Tulleken

Genre: Comedy

Runtime: 94 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Kate Winslet, Hugh Jackman, Anna Faris, Chris Pratt, Richard Gere, Kate Bosworth, Halle Berry, Stephen Merchant, Live Schreiber, Naomi Watts, Terrence Howard, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Duhamel, Kieran Culkin, Emma Stone, Chloë Grace Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Uma Thurman, Jason Sudeikis, Kristen Bell, Justin Long, Leslie Bibb, Gerard Butler, Johnny Knoxville, Seann William Scott, Jeremy Allen White, J.B. Smoove, Jack McBrayer, Aasif Mandvi, Bobby Cannavale, Patrick Warburton, Jimmy Bennett, Matt Walsh, Adam Cagley, Devin Eash

Description: A series of interconnected short films.

Review: That a cast filled with Hollywood’s finest actors isn’t a guarantee for a good movie, is made painfully clear by “Movie 43”. In the US the movie got criticized and smashed by the audience and after seeing it myself I know why. It’s a comedy that simply isn’t funny, that barely has a script and has the goal to show the audience raunchy and ridiculous sketches. For instance, Kate Winslet going on a blind date with Hugh Jackman who has testicles under his chin, Halle Berry making guacamole with her boob and Elizabeth Banks who gets peed on by an animated cat. One sketch is even worse than the other.

Why all those actors and actresses (some with Academy Award wins and nominations) wanted to be in this movie, is a mystery. The movie is vulgar, obscene, nasty and especially really unfunny. You know how many times I laughed? Not once! The only reason to watch this movie is to see with your own eyes how terrible “Movie 43” is. But please, run away from it as fast as you can!

Rating: 0,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 12: Birdman

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Michael Keaton, Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, Zach Galifianakis, Andrea Riseborough, Amy Ryan

Description: Washed up actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), who once played an iconic superhero, battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career and himself in the days leading up to the opening of a Broadway play.

Review: Movies by Alejandro González Iñárritu were characterized by the way the story was told. A puzzle of unlucky, life changing decisions and what consequences they had on life. The characters put the pieces of the puzzle together. When Iñárritu made “Biutiful”, he focused on only one character. With “Birdman” the director decided to go further with that more intimate approach.
Riggan Thomson is loved by the audience for his role of Birdman. That character still lives in his head. As the actor of the fictional Birdman trilogy, he got the fame. But he wants to be adored by the whole world, so he wants to break through on Broadway as well. But before the play ‘What We Talk About, When We Talk About Love’ premieres, there are a lot of obstacle to overthrow. “Birdman” is self-conscious and has a lot of double layers. Choosing Michael Keaton to play an actor who used to play a superhero, was off course a deliberate choice, he got fame for playing “Batman”. There is a thin line between fiction and reality.
The cinematography is excellent. Iñárritu hardly used any montages, the movie looks like it was filmed in only one take. It seems like one long continuous shot.
Michael Keaton is sublime in his role as Riggan Thomson. It looks like Keaton will finally get the recognition he deserves, because he’s always been a fantastic actor. And Keaton is surrounded by an amazing supporting cast: Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Naomi Watts and Zach Galifianakis are all at the top of their game. Especially the last two should get more credit for their roles, Stone and Norton already did by receiving an Academy Award nomination as well as Keaton.
Alejandro González Iñárritu manages to keep “Birdman” light, with the dark humor. The cast performs incredibly well and visually this movie is an actual movie experience. “Birdman” is a fantastic film.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 67: Adore

Director: Anne Fontaine

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 100 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel, James Frencheville, Ben Mendelsohn

Description: Lil (Naomi Watts) and Roz (Robin Wright) are two lifelong friends. As adults, their sons have developed a friendship as strong as that which binds their mothers. One summer, all four are confronted by simmering emotions that have been mounting between them, and each find unexpected happiness in relationships that cross the bounds of convention.

Review: We follow the unconventional story of best friends Lil and Roz. They have friends been since early childhood. Both women have a grown son. Lil’s son Ian starts flirting with Roz, who is charmed by it and feels flattered by the attention she gets from the young Adonis. Roz’ son Tom witnesses this happening and decides to take revenge. He tries to hit on Lil, who rejects him at first. Soon the two of them also start a passionate affair. The melodrama is complete, both boys are in a relationship with their best friend’s mother.

The boys don’t struggle with this extraordinary situation and both women only admit they have crossed a line, but don’t end the relationship. It’s a very provocative theme. It sometimes feels like a soap opera, with straight forward dialogues and long, pining looks.

The location where it was filmed is gorgeous and the camerawork is impressive. Both Naomi Watts and Robin Wright are very professional and take the movie to a higher level. Xavier Samuel and James Frencheville are stuck with a more stereotypical role of young stud.

The movie overall is pretty enjoyable, although I struggled with the ethics a bit, when the characters clearly didn’t. It’s entertaining, especially if you like melodramatic movies.

Rating: 3 / 5

Pic Spam: Academy Awards 2014

I saw the Academy Awards last night and I Always love to watch this glitter & glamour evening. This is the only night that I allow myself to feel a bit of hedonism. It's been a while since I've done a pic spam (december!) and I decided to do something new. So I'm going to share some pictures from last night's Academy Awards. My favorite stars, moments, shots, you name it.

Pic Spam: Favorite People of 2013

I did this back in 2011, so I decided to share with you my eight favorite people of this year. Pretty hard by the way, because I had to eliminate some of my favorites because they didn't do anything memorable this year. But here are my favorites of 2013.

Best & Worst: Naomi Watts

Naomi Watts is a brilliant actress, who can hardly ever do anything wrong. So I’m not sure if I can pick a worst. But I have to, so I will. She is my favourite and here is my choice of best & worst Naomi Watts movie.

This is the movie that introduced me to her. Since then I wanted to see everything with Naomi Watts in it. She plays such a fragile role, so sublime! It’s that my other favourite Charlize Theron took home the Academy Award that year, but it’s definitely an oscar worthy performance. This movie is such a masterpiece.
Honorable mentions: “King Kong”, Mulholland Drive”, “The Impossible”, “The Painted Veil”

A very disappointed movie, not a lot happened here. Naomi Watts didn’t get enough screen time, maybe that’s why I didn’t like it. The plot sounded more interesting then the actual movie eventually was.
Dishonorable mentions: “Movie 43” (This seemed like the easy choice, because no one likes it)

Jensen, Naomi, Elisabeth and Marg

It's been while since I posted some of my self created wallpapers. I have four new ones. First one is with Jensen Ackles.

Second is Naomi Watts, my favorite actress and this is a beautiful picture.

Then two wallpapers with each a "CSI" actress on it. Elisabeth Harnois and Marg Helgenberger.

They are all pretty simple, but that's the way I like them. The Jensen Ackles wallpaper is on my desktop right now. And you can all use the wallpapers for your own computer of you'd like.

In the Picture: The Characters from "21 Grams"

Although normally I focus on films with at least five leading character, I decided to go with a somewhat smaller cast. “21 Grams” is one of the best movies ever made and it has complicated, strong characters. Only three important characters. Here they are.

Paul Rivers
Played by: Sean Penn
Paul is a mathematics professor with a fatal heart condition. Unless he receives a new heart from an organ donor, he will not live longer than one month. Paul's wife wants him to donate his sperm so she can have his baby even if he dies. The two are civil to one another, yet distant. Paul finally receives a heart, from Christina Peck’s late husband. After he found out about the donor, he wants to find Christina. When he does, the two develop a relationship. Though Paul has a new heart, his body is rejecting the surgery and his outlook is grim.

Christina Peck
Played by: Naomi Watts
Christina is a recovering drug addict and now lives a normal suburban life with a supportive husband and two children. She is a loving mother and active swimmer who has left her days of drugs and booze behind. When her husband and daughters are hit by a car, she wants to move on with her life but soon falls back into her old habits. As Cristina begins to dwell more on her changed life and the death of her girls, she continually focuses on a desire to exact revenge on Jack. She goads Paul into agreeing to murder him.

Jack Jordan
Played by: Benicio Del Toro
Jack is a former convict who is trying to better his life. He is using his new-found religious faith to recover from drug addiction and alcoholism. One night Jack hits a man and two little children, who are killed due to the accident. It’s Christina’s family and Jack is stricken with guilt following the accident. Despite his wife's protests to keep quiet and conceal his guilt, Jack tells her that his "duty is to God" and turns himself in. While incarcerated, he claims that God had betrayed him, loses his will to live and tries unsuccessfully to commit suicide. He is released after Cristina declines to press charges, as she realizes that putting Jack in prison will not bring her family back. When Jack is released, he is unable to reincorporate himself into normal family life, and instead leaves home to live as a transient, working a job of manual labor.

Favorite Character: Christina Peck