100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 167: La La Land

Director: Damien Chazelle
Genre: Drama/ Comedy/ Romance/ Musical
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, J.K. Simmons, Rosemarie DeWitt

Description: A jazz pianist (Ryan Gosling) falls for an aspiring actress (Emma Stone) in Los Angeles

Review: Even if you’re not a fan of musicals, “La La Land” will mesmerize you. The ode to love, passion, creativity and dreams by director Damie Chazelle stands out and manages never to fall into clichés.
Chazelle uses two characters to tell the story about people who desperately want to make it in Hollywood. Emma Stone plays Mia, a waitress who wants to be an actress. But she is dealing with disappointments and rejections. Ryan Gosling has an even bigger goal as Sebastian, to become a pure jazz musician without any commercial concessions. But he works at a restaurant where nobody really listens to him. By Mia does and they go on an incredibly journey together, trying to pursue their dreams.
“La La Land” isn’t just an ode to all those themes I mentioned earlier, but also an ode to the classic film and classic musical. Nowadays musicals aren’t what they used to be, but “La La Land” got it right. The characters don’t suddenly burst into song, the songs all seamlessly weave into the story.
It’s the most beautiful film I’ve seen in 2016, it constantly amazed me and it put a big fat smile on my face. The film looks beautiful. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have perfect chemistry and they are both sublime in their roles. The music is fantastic and I loved every minute of “La La Land”.
“La La Land”. And instant classic that many movie makers should take as an example.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 77: Men, Women & Children

Director: Jason Reitman

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 119 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Rosemarie DeWitt, Adam Sandler, Jennifer Garner, Dean Norris, Judy Greer, Emma Thompson, Ansel Elgort, J.K. Simmons, Dennis Haysbert

Description: A group of high school teenagers and their parents attempt to navigate the many ways the Internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives.

Review: Fifteen years after “American Beauty”, little has changed with the relational problems of seeking teens and their disillusioned parents in the suburbs. Only nowadays many of it goes through social media. At least for the characters in “Men, Women & Children”. Director Jason Reitman zooms in on a small group of American men, women and children and how they deal with the temptations of the internet.

Supported by the narration of an ironic Emma Thompson, an above average cast including a very modest Adam Sandler, the movie shows us a disturbing image of the effect of the new media. On sexuality in the modern society: boys grow up with internet porn, girls want to live up to a certain standard and parents that commit adultery. Reitman shows us how today’s teenage life integrates with the smartphone. It’s like real life doesn’t matter anymore, when the real problems happen in real life.

“Men, Women & Children” wants to tell a lot of stories in two hours’ time. For themes like gaming addiction and anorexia there is just not enough time. And because we follow multiple storylines, it’s hard to focus on all of them. Some characters are also in contrast too much. When Judy Greer’s characters publicly ‘sells’ her daughter by posting promiscuous pictures of her daughter online, so she can have a career in Hollywood, Jennifer Garner’s character is obsessed with the incoming and outgoing computer data of her daughter. The acting in the movie is good, it’s especially fun to see Adam Sandler in a more serious role again.

“Men, Women & Children” is not bad, because the concept is good. The movie is just a little to melodramatic, has too many storylines and lacks subtlety.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 64: Promised Land

Director: Gus van Sant

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 106 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Matt Damon, Frances McDormand, John Krasinski, Rosemarie DeWitt, Scoot McNairy, Titus Welliver, Hal Holbrook

Description: A salesman (Matt Damon) for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the available resources.

Review: The story follows Steve Butler and Sue Thomason who travel to a small town in Pennsylvania, on behalf of oil company Global. There is gas under that ground and with the use of fracking they want to get it out. Steve and Sue are trying to convince the locals that they can earn a lot of money when Global can drill there. But when environmentalist Dustin shows up, it changes everything.

“Promised Land” is mostly about the dilemma environment or money? With that given, it’s hard to find the main characters, Steve and Sue, likeable. It’s easier to get on Dustin’s side. It’s not clear which side the director wants you to be on.

The movie is an entertaining light drama, but it isn’t original. I did like Matt Damon, Frances McDormand and John Krasinski in their roles. It’s especially fun to see a different side from Krasinski.

It was an okay movie, until we got to the end. That ruined it for me. It was anything but satisfying. With that, it makes “Promised Land” and easily forgettable film, but not at all bad. Sad, because it had more potential.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 13: The Watch

Director: Akiva Schaffer
Genre: Comedy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, Rosemarie DeWitt, Will Forte Description: Four men who form a neighborhood watch group as a way to get out of their day-to-day family routines find themselves defending the Earth from an alien invasion.

Review: It’s a very noble deed: starting a neighborhood watch to help de police out. Evan is the initiator, but only three other people in Glenview want to help him. Soon the four men stumble upon something that’s bigger than any of them: extraterrestrials. That’s basically the story and you shouldn’t take it too seriously. It’s a simplistic comedy with jokes that pass you in warp speed. Occasionally they will make you laugh, but they’re mostly juvenile sex jokes.
Although we’re dealing with a cast who has lots of experience with the comedy genre, they don’t lift “The Watch” to a level above average. Ben Stiller is just being his silly self, Vince Vaughn is overly loud and outspoken and Jonah Hill is constantly proving that he’s not a loser. The one that made me laugh the most was Richard Ayoade, who’s just starting to make a name in Hollywood. But then again he’s British and their humor is almost always better than American humor.
Time goes fast while watching this movie, but when it comes to humor the makers were aiming for quantity instead of quality. “The Watch” isn’t a movie you should expect much from, it’s simple and easy to watch.

Rating: 2/ 5