10s Movie Review - Detective Pikachu

Director: Rob Letterman
Genre: Adventure/ Comedy/ Science Fiction/ Action
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Bill Nighy, Ken Watanabe, Chris Geere, Suki Waterhouse, Rita Ora
Description: In a world where people collet Pokémon to do battle, Tim (Justice Smith) comes across an intelligent talking Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) who seeks to be a detective.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 27: A FILM WITH RYAN REYNOLDS
 
Review: Many generations have grown up with Pokémon. Millions of people around the world watched the popular anime series, played the games, collected the cards and enjoyed the movies. The brand grew into one of the biggest entertainment products in the world. I was never a Pokémon girlie. So, when “Detective Pikachu” was released, I was not really interested. I decided to watch it anyway, and I was pleasantly surprised. Because it’s such a fun film.

In this film, Ryan Reynolds voices the Pokémon Pikachu, who teams up with Tim Goodman (played by Justice Smith), to investigate the disappearance of Tim’s father. Tim can actually communicate with Pikachu, much to the surprise of the both of them. The unlikely duo embarks on an adventure in a colorful world where Pokémon live alongside humans, leading to the most absurd situations.

Reynolds is entertaining as the voice of Pikachu. Where the idea of Pikachu having the voice of Reynolds sounds silly, it works really well. And the world director Rob Letterman builds looks really good too. Everywhere you look, you see details from the Pokémon universe. For the target audience, the Pokémon fans, that must be enough for them to enjoy this film.

Me, not a Pokémon enthusiast, really loved this film. It was funny, action-packed, adventurous and I really liked seeing all these Pokémon coming to live in this live-action movie. So for the fans, this would probably have an ever better effect.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Review - Deadpool & Wolverine

Director: Shawn Levy
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2024
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Matthew Macfadyen, Morena Baccarin
 
Description: Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) is offered a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the Time Variance Authority, but instead recruits a variant of Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to save his universe from extinction.

Review: The previous two “Deadpool” movies were not only refreshing because they had their own sense of humor and took down the fourth wall, but also because they were just another superhero movie with small-scale goals that could be achieved without taking down entire cities. The third film has a grander plot, but it was everything I could ever wish for.

Ever since the first “Deadpool”, Ryan Reynolds didn’t exactly hide the fact that his original portrayal of the title sucked. Therefore, they simply pretended that “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” never happened. That successful method is exploited in part three for a dignified farewell to 20^th Century Fox’s remaining superheroes.

So count on a lot of familiar faces. Hugh Jackman alone as Wolverine is a big gain, since he indicated he would not reprise his role after “Logan”. But it’s understandable that the script convinced him to make one more appearance.

This all is done entirely in Deadpool-style. You would expect that meta-trick to get boring by now, but it’s not. And you would think you’d know the typical humor by now, but the jokes are still strong and  original enough to make you laugh out loud. Even after the credit role, there is an extremely effective joke that you don’t see coming. And the soundtrack again is very well chosen.

You can’t just go see “Deadpool & Wolverine” without having any knowledge of the previous films and you do need to be familiar with the Marvel films in general. Even outside the MCU, because there is a lot of pop culture reference and many characters from the Marvel universe pass by. It’s not as enjoyable if you have no clue who they are.

“Deadpool & Wolverine” is such a joy. It’s clever, entertaining, hilarious, action-packed, bloody, raunchy and just a whole bunch of fun. Porn for the real Marvel fans.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - The Adam Project

Director: Shawn Levy
Genre: Science Fiction/ Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Zoe Saldana, Catherine Keener, Walter Scobell

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE

WEEK 12: A NETFLIX-ORIGINAL MOVIE

Description: After accidentally crash-landing in 2022, time-traveling fighter pilot Adam Reed (Ryan Reynolds) teams up with his 12-year-old self (Walter Scobell) for a mission to save the future.

Review: Anyone who goes to see a movie starring Ryan Reynolds knows what to expect: sarcasm, self-conscious commentary, and many jokes. Whether you like Reynolds or not, you have to admit: his talent for verbally annoying others is undeniable. In the infectious Netflix time-travel film “The Adam Project”, he finally gets a big mouth back. From his 12-year-old self.
The films opens in 2050. Fighter pilot Adam Reed has just stolen a jet and is skimming through space, with an angry pursuer in his wake. Reed is injured, but manages to narrowly escape by flying into a wormhole, which lands him in the year 2022. There he sees how his life as an adolescent once was: playing video games, taking beatings in the schoolyard and making irritating jokes to annoy his grieving mother. 
The conversations he has with himself are deliciously caustic. “How did you get so smart?” asks Adam at one point to his younger self, wo which the latter responds with: How did you get so stupid?” It’s not often we see an exasperated Ryan Reynolds twist himself into so many turns to win an argument with another on the basis of wit. It lends the film a surprising amount of sass.
The dialogue-rich “The Adam Project” is also self-aware enough to poke fun at its own internal logic; time travel causes plot holes one way or another. The longer you dwell on it, the more inconsistencies you will find. The open naming of such pitfalls is a smart move, because it takes the wind out of the sails of even the most skeptical viewers.
Sometimes it gets a bit much, all that bickering. The holy adage ‘show don’t tell’ would have deserved more compliance in that sense. On the other hand, the dynamic between Ryan Reynolds and the talented young Walter Scobell is actually much too funny not to maximize. Besides, you get your share of action in the end, albeit in modest doses.
Fortunately, those action scenes are very smoothly, skillfully and flashily portrayed by Shawn Levy, the director with whom Reynolds previously made the entertaining “Free Guy”. Adam and Adam are on the run from a bunch of futuristic soldiers, let by a villain with rather predictable motives: power and money. And the way the created a younger version of Catherine Keener’s characters is really bad.
The latter is a major weakness in a film that really isn’t so much about action or messing with timeless as it is about dealing with personal trauma. In the final phase, Ryan Reynolds is allowed to squeeze out a few tears and the scope of his performance turns out to be broader than expected. Behind that big mouth, there is of course a lot more hidden. No matter, sometimes it pays to be a nerd.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Red Notice

Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Comedy
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, Gal Gadot, Rita Arya, Chris Diamantopoulos

Description: An interpol agent (Dwayne Johnson) tracks the world’s most wanted art thief (Ryan Reynolds).

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 48: AN ADVENTURE MOVIE
 
Review: “Red Notice” is not only an action comedy starring big stars Dwayne Johnson and Ryan Reynolds, but it also has the signature renowned comedy director Rawson Marshall Thurber. Add to the fact that the budget for this film is insanely high for a production from a streaming platform. And sky-high expectations were created. Sadly, it didn’t meet those expectations.
The central heist story has many recognizable elements. There is an ancient mythical work of art: the third golden egg of Cleopatra. No one knows exactly where it is, let alone whether it is entirely certain to exist at all. Some wealthy underworld figure must and will have this shiny gem and has put a ridiculous price tag on it. For master thieves such as the extremely sarcastic Nolan Booth, played by the ever sarcastic Ryan Reynolds, a prime opportunity to score a treasure of reputation.
Although Booth is successful enough in his job to have his entire Balinese home filled with world-famous art, he is constantly trounced in his greatest moments by an archenemy. This is a thief who regularly outsmarts him and is considered the most wanted art thief in the world: The Bishop. The hunt for the golden egg naturally degenerates into a spectacular quest, in which Booth finds an unlikely accomplice in FBI agent John Hartley. Indeed, the two share a desire to see The Bishop disappear from the scene. Exactly how this works in policy or legal terms, the film covers with the cloak of comedy.
More importantly, the pairing of this unusual twosome should make for a funny dynamic. Set against the backdrop of a Roman museum, a Russian prison or a Spanish bull-fighting arena, this makes for lighthearted jokes and witty one-liners. That this works with these tow actors can hardly be a surprise. Unfortunately, this premise, Ryan Reynolds forming an unlikely duo with a gruff antagonist and constantly being buffoonish, sarcastic and bland, does feel familiar by now. Recent comedies like “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” and of course “Deadpool” are examples of this. In “Red Notice” it’s getting old. At first funny, but it quickly becomes too routine and overused.
“Red Notice” has a great cast, but the movie is kind of bland. It’s all been done before, much before too. The film tries to be surprising by adding a plot twist at the end, which an average moviegoer already could have expected earlier on the movie. Which didn’t make the movie better. There are much better films on Netflix you can check out right now. A perfect popcorn flick, but very forgettable.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Movie Review - Free Guy

Director: Shawn Levy
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jodie Comer, Lil Rey Howery, Joe Keery, Taika Waititi, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aaron W. Reed, Britne Oldford, Camille Kostek, Mark Lainer

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 47: A SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE
 
Description: A bank teller (Ryan Reynolds) discovers that he’s actually an NPC inside a brutal, open world video game.

Review: Free City is a popular online videogame, in which bank teller Guy lives in a loop. He is a Non Playable Character (NPC) who finds out about who he actually is and tries to fight it.
The appeal for “Free Guy” lies primarily in the concept of the story. Every gamer has hit or beaten the insignificant citizen in games that look similar as the fictional Free City. The film tells the story from the perspective of this background character. Doesn’t immediately sound like a must-see, but Ryan Reynolds plays the lead role and  due to him “Free Guy” is the success that it is. His wonderful innocent charisma in this film is unbelievably entertaining. His performance is pure, hilarious and optimistic. This movie would never have worked as well as it did if Reynolds wasn’t in it.
Yet beyond the main character Guy, there is a while world of details. The story about the NPC who becomes self-aware is grounded in reality by the subplot that takes place in the real world. Jodie Comer plays Millie, a game programmer who along with her friend Keys has an interesting relationship and shares conflict with Keys’ boss Antwan, who has stolen a piece of code from them and put it into his own, now very successful, game. With Millie and Keys, it’s more about their creation, they see the beauty in it. This storyline gives a lot more weight to the plot, increases the tension and makes us care about the conflict.
“Free Guy” is full of pop-culture references, which I am a sucker for. And it has one quick, but very awesome cameo that I won’t spoil.
Even though the movie is almost 2 hours long, time flies by. The film has some hilarious moments, strong action sequences and the visual effects are very impressive. And this is one of the few movies out right now, that isn’t really based on anything.
I was pleasantly surprised with “Free Guy”, it was such a fun film.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Review - Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard

Director: Patrick Hughes
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas

Description: The bodyguard Michael Bruce (Ryan Reynolds) continues his friendship with assassin Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) as they try to save Darius’ wife Sonia (Salma Hayek).

Review: As much as I liked “The Hitman’s Bodyguard”, it didn’t exactly scream for a sequel. On the other hand, buddy action comedies are extremely rare these days (gosh, I miss those 80s and 90s buddy cop movies), so if capitalizing on this mild success is the only way to keep this type somewhat alive: so be it. “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” still had a solid trump card that wasn’t fully played: Salma Hayek as the scene-stealing wife of the titular hitman. So it makes sense that her supporting role has been upgraded to one of the three leads and she has been given a prominent place not only on the poster, but even in the title.
This time, bodyguard Michael Bryce not only gets stuck with hitman Darius Kincaid, but also with his equally disturbed wife Sonia. This development manages to shake p the dynamic quite a bit. Where Bryce and Kincaid were still equivalent opposites in the first part, this time Bryce is in the minority. He is at the mercy of a couple who behave like children, but treat him as is he were their child. Of course, the coarse -tongued Sonia gets all the attention, to which actress Salma Hayek gives herself over with visible pleasure. Fortunately, the bond between Bryce and Kincaid is not completely forgotten. And while the events of the first film may have created some mutual respect between the two, it by no means mean that they are friends now.
Whereas the first part was set in Western Europe, part two is set in the Mediterranean territory, playing on the tension between Greece and the European Union. Now I’m sure that relationship is still no optimal, but this plot point would have been a lot more topical ten years ago.
“Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard” is flat, nonsensical and lacks the straightforwardness of its predecessor. It’s a fairly easy fill-in-the-blanks exercise that hardly deviates from what made the first part so successful. And yet, again, there isn’t too much to dislike. The actors have fine chemistry, there are some solidly executed chases, and while not every joke hits the mark, there are plenty that will make you laugh. In other times, a film like this would probably have been casually tossed aside as a pointless interlude, but in a time when lavish blockbusters rule the roost, this kind of unpretentious entertainment may deserve a little more benefit of the doubt.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - 6 Underground

Director: Michael Bay
Genre: Action
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Mélanie Laurent, Dave Franco, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ben Hardy, Corey Hawkins, Adria Arjona

Description: Six untraceable agents, totally off the grid. They’ve buried their pasts so they can change the future.

Review: Under the names One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six, six people work together to eliminate notorious criminals. They all disappeared by staging their own deaths. As ghosts from the past living in freedom, they are all brought together by One, a billionaire mastermind and leader of the team. With their unique skills, they start a mission to change the future. A mission in Florence brings them to Rovachs, the blood-thirsty dictator of Turgistan.
After Michael Bay broke through in the mid-90s with the spectacular action film “Bad Boys”, “The Rock” and “Armageddon”, he spend half of last century making Tranformers movies. From 2007 to 2017 he delivered us five films in this franchise. And they were all not that great. Which is pretty much the standard for a Michael Bay movie. They are all spectacular, but not that great. With a budget of 150 million dollars, Bay made the Netflix film “6 Underground”.
And from the first minutes of the film, you can see where that budget went, because like any Bay movie, it’s super flashy, sexy and over-the-top spectacular. Because the film looks fantastic.
As a viewer, you’re kind of searching for the how and what in the story. But there is hardly any time to take a breath and think about this. There is not really a very deep story here. But what this movie lacks even more is logic. Why is the death driver being replaced by a trained sniper? And is it just me or is One the worst person to be a leader of this team? And if they want to do good, why do they keep on driving into crowds and probably killing innocent people? I think a film like this doesn’t need logic, as long as it doesn’t take itself too serious. Unfortunately Michael Bay always takes himself very seriously.
Ryan Reynold is the lead in this action flick and he is surrounded by a cast that looks great on paper. And it doesn’t surprise you that all of them look beautiful, are almost flawless at what they do and don’t really have any depth. The dialogues are exchangeable and sometimes even unnecessary and the jokes feel like the ones that didn’t make it in any of the “Deadpool” films.
It's clear that “6 Underground” is all about the visual flair and spectacular action. Don’t expect any more then that.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

Movie Reviews - Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw

Director: David Leitch
Genre: Action
Runtime: 137 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby, Idris Elba, Cliff Curtis, Eddie Marsan, Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart

Description: Lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and outcast Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain (Idris Elba) threatens the future of humanity.

Review: The “Fast & Furious” franchise is an eye-catching phenomenon of modern-day Hollywood. What started out as a film about illegal street races with a few action scenes, is now a million dollar series of almost 10 films, which leans primarily on spectacle and has no credibility left.
“Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw”, like the title suggests, revolves around two of the most popular characters in the franchise: Dwayne Johnson’s flamboyant secret agent Luke Hobbs and Jason Statham’s former soldier slash hitman Deckard Shaw. Against their will, they are teamed up to protect the world from ‘half-robot’ Brixton, who wants to expose mankind to a dangerous virus.
The entry of this villain, played by Idris Elba, shows that the film makers embrace the absurdity that this franchise has become. And nothing separates them from any random Marvel movie, because it’s basically indestructible heroes fighting for world peace. That combined with a dose of humor and funny observations. It even has an after credit scene which hints to a sequel (which we really don’t need, but will get anyway…).
At least the cast is formed by three charismatic leads, even though they do nothing groundbreaking. Johnson and Statham are constantly exchanging cliché heavy one-liners and insult each other. And this gets old after fifteen minutes or so. That scene on the plane, took way too long (and adding Kevin Hart to the party, doesn’t make it better). But that doesn’t add up to what they did with Idris Elba. Elba is a fantastic actor who screams charisma. But his portrayal of bionic villain Brixton is very one-dimensional and absolutely forgettable.
Little note: Ryan Reynolds is really funny. His short appearances adds a half star to the rating.
The action is well choreographed and visualized, but what can you expect from a two-hundred-million dollar budget. The spectacle does look great, but it is sometimes so over-the-top laughable that even the most expensive visual effects look cheap and unbelievable. And the scenes are too long and too much, that it becomes hard to watch.
“Fast & Furious: Hobbs & Shaw” is even more hysterical and over-the-top then its predecessor “Fast & Furious 8”. And although it looks stunning and is entertaining, it never becomes more than a standard action movie that could land on the B-list. At least we got some handsome men.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Reviews - Deadpool 2

Director: David Leitch
Genre: Action
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin, Morena Baccaring, T.J. Miller, Terry Crews, Eddie Marsan, Julian Denisson

Description: Foul-mouthed mutant mercenary Wade Wilson,AKA. Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), brings together a team of fellow mutant rogues to protect a young boy with supernatural abilities from the brutal, time-traveling cyborg, Cable (Josh Brolin).

Review: In 2016 “Deadpool” surprised us all, it was an instant hit. And the genius marketing campagne helped too. Obviously there had to be a sequel. A big challenge for director David Leitch and creative brain Ryan Reynolds, especially trying to find an original angle. And that without becoming a recycled version of the first film.
In his new mission, Deadpool has to protect Russell. A teenager struggling with his abilities and who is hunted by futuristic soldier Cable.
Like the first film, there is harsh satire and bloody action. This made the original film so fresh, because it wasn’t made kid friendly. “Deadpool 2” has this too. With a lot of winks to other Marvel films, DC and even Ryan Reynolds’ previous work.
I can understand that the humor in “Deadpool 2” is not for everyone and a lot is pop culture references. I love this kind of humor. It’s sharp, clever, sarcastic and it mocks itself. Sometimes they go a little too far, a bit over the top. But never enough to make it annoying.
“Deadpool 2” is surely not better than or as good as the first. But it’s super entertaining, funny, action packed and one hell of a wild ride.

Rating: 4 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 100: The Hitman's Bodyguard

Director: Patrick Hughes
Genre: Action/ Comedy
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Ryan Reynolds, Gary Oldman, Salma Hayek, Richard E. Grant

Description: The world's top bodyguard (Ryan Reynolds) gets a new client (Samuel L. Jackson), a hit man who must testify at the International Court of Justice. They must put their differences aside and work together to make it to the trial on time.

Review: “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” feels a bit like a buddy action comedy from the 80s or 90s. It’s a shameless and very entertaining film, if you enjoy films like “48 Hours” and Lethal Weapon”.
Samuel L. Jackson plays Darius Kincaid, a hitman that has to testify in an important case. He has to be transported from A to B by Michael Bryce, played by Ryan Reynolds. Off course they are the exact opposites of each other and the transportation doesn’t go as planned.
“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” has some really great action scenes and car chases. And it’s fun to see that most of the movie was filmed in my country, The Netherlands.
“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” feels fresh, it’s an old fashioned style and well executed action comedy. But then with more violence and swearing, but that’s what you get when it stars Samuel L. Jackson. The humor is great and I loved the dynamic between Reynolds and Jackson. And I really enjoyed Salma Hayek’s role as well.
“The Hitman’s Bodyguard” is so much fun!

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 98: Life

Director: Daniel Espinosa
Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson, Ryan Reynolds

Description: A team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars and now threatens all life on Earth.

Review: Trying to bring back dead tissue to life, is probably not a good idea. There are many examples in film history that proof that. In “Life” they find organism on Mars, which they manage to bring to life. And off course, everything goes wrong after that.
“Life” gets exciting and has tension very early in the film. During the openings scene we see how the crew of an international space station try to catch a capsule with a mechanical arm. On board there are samples of the planet Mars, with proof there is life on Mars. The first organism they bring to life they call Calvin.
At first, Calvin is hard to see with the naked eye. It manages to adapt to its environment quickly. It also causes a bizarre accident in the lab and isn’t as friendly as they thought. It starts feeding of off the flesh of the astronauts and gets bigger and stronger by the hour.
It’s clear director Daniel Espinosa was inspired by movies like “Alien” and “Gravity”. He uses the claustrophobic rooms of the space ship to create extra fear and the extra-terrestrial life prefers to enter a human’s body through its mouth. But there are also crucial differences: we get to see the alien a lot more and the characters don’t all have that depth. Although we do see the monster often, it doesn’t always make it less scary. “Life” works perfectly as a popcorn film. The tempo is high and never manages to collapse.
Rebecca Ferguson and especially Jake Gyllenhaal, really steal the show. Their performances are strong. And I rated this movie higher than I expected, because of the ending.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Actors That Are Sexier with a Beard

I love beards, or I love men with beards. A good beard. And there are so many men that look much hotter with a beard. I listed five of those men, actors to be specific, that look way better with a beard.

5. George Eads
He had many looks on “CSI”, but the season(s) where he had a beard I loved Eads the most. Eads is one of those men that gets more attractive by the years. And that beard on him is just sexy. Especially with a few grey hairs in it…

4. Ryan Gosling
He has a more trimmed beard, not very heavy on the facial hair. And Gosling is extremely attractive without it, just look at him in “Drive”. But that beard makes him more of a man and more handsome too.

3. Ryan Reynolds
Without a beard, Reynolds simply has a baby face. He is super hot with that beard, just look at the Amity film he was in.

2. Chris Evans
The beard doesn’t make Evans a tough guy, it just makes him more serious and appealing. As Captain America it doesn’t fit him, but for other roles it does. Throw that razor out Chris!

1. Chris Hemsworth
Okay, this man. I sometimes think he isn’t real, that’s how perfect he is. And with that beard he is the definition of a perfect man.

They Almost Made the Top 5: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Robert Downey Jr., Tom Hardy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bradley Cooper, James Franco, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Kit Harrington

Top 5 Thursday: Hottest Male Characters in Horror Movies

Since it is October and it’s the month of Halloween, I decided to share with you a top 5 featuring horror movies. Well, I do it my way. I focused on the hottest male movie characters in horror movies. Here they are.

5. Seth Gecko (George Clooney in “From Dusk Till Dawn”)
Seth Gecko manages to charm you and you almost forget that he is a criminal. And although I’m not much a tattoo kind of girl, his is pretty awesome. And sexy.

4. Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale in “American Psycho”)
Patrick Bateman is exactly the kind of man I would never date: a yuppie, narcissistic and vain man. But he is attractive.

3. Curt (Chris Hemsworth in “Cabin in the Woods”)
Curt is kind of a douche, the jock of the group. But come on, it’s Chris Hemsworth who plays him. I just had to put him on the list.

2. George Lutz (Ryan Reynolds in “The Amityville Horror”)
I don’t know why George Lutz is in this film shirtless so often, but I’m not complaining. George eventually turns into a psychopath, but he still got the looks.

1. Jerry (Colin Farrell in “Fight Night”)
I’ve never liked the swoony vampires, that don’t want to kill people. I liked the bad boys. Having Jerry as your neighbor is not that bad, weren’t it for the fact that he is an evil vampire. A hot evil vampire.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Jerry (Colin Farrell in “Fright Night”), Nick Jones (Chad Michael Murray in “House of Wax”)

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 26: Deadpool

Director: Tim Miller

Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Adventure

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 2016

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, Gina Carano, Ed Skrein

Description: A former Special Forces operative turned mercenary (Ryan Reynolds) is subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopting the alter ego Deadpool.

Review: Looks are everything, that’s Deadpool’s conclusion when he shows his deformed face to his friend. Ryan Reynolds is an actor that has his acting career thanks to his looks. And it’s great to see that same Reynolds portray Wade Wilson aka Deadpool in the most brilliant way. He had to give up his looks in order to cure himself from cancer and to become immortal. His humor he kept, thank goodness. From the fun opening sequence that sums up some common superhero movie elements (moody teenage, CGI character, unnecessary cameo) to the after credits scene: “Deadpool” is, besides a great action film, a fantastic film filled with catchy one liners and sharp dialogues.

It starts with Wade in a cab, who tells the audience that his life was once perfect. In an important acquittal, director Tim Miller takes us back to better times with the use of flashbacks. Wade was once part of Special Forces, later became a mercenary and he was a womanizer. In his bar he meets stripper/ prostitute Vanessa. The two fall for each other and have all the luck in the world. Untill Wade finds out he has cancer. He leaves Vanessa to spare her the pain. Wade meets mutant Ajax, who says he can cure him. Hours of torture are ahead of him, but the prize he pays for continuing his life is much bigger than he thought. Wade becomes his alter ego Deadpool and wants revenge.

“Deadpool” is a pleasant variety in the superhero genre. The movie dares to mock Marvel and itself. Many references to “The Avengers” and “X-Men”, and even “The Green Lantern” which stars Ryan Reynolds. This works great. Ryan Reynolds’ performance is really good and he even breaks the fourth wall. And every time you think you discovered a cheesy or unoriginal element, the writers managed to make it surprising.

“Deadpool” is an unconventional take on a superhero story and this separates it from the rest. Fun times!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 12: The Croods

Director: Kirk de Micco, Chris Sanders

Genre: Animation/ Family/ Comedy/ Adventure

Runtime: 99 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Emma Stone, Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Cloris Leachmann, Catherine Keener, Chris Sanders, Randy Thom

Description: After their cave is destroyed, a caveman family must trek through an unfamiliar fantastical world with the help of an inventive boy.

Review: The world of computer animation has been ruled by Pixar for years. But Dreamworks shows us with “The Croods” that they are also doing well. This is probably one of their best animations in years.

Since “Shrek” Dreamworks has shown they are very creative with humor. Movies like “Madagascar” and “Bee Movie” show that too. “How to Train Your Dragon” had more emotion and combined it with amazing visuals. “The Croods” has found a perfect mix of it all.

The prehistorical Croods family spends their days in a dark cave. They only leave it to find food. Father Grug wants to protect his family no matter what. His daughter Eep is a little bit more adventurous for his liking. When an earthquake demolishes their cave, the family has to find a new place to live. The intelligent Guy helps them, but Grug isn’t happy with him at all.

It’s a very simple setup, but the creators were very creative with the execution. They put in a lot of work to bring this era to life. And the further into the film we learn it’s not just a fun comedy, but it also touches you.

“The Croods” is a surprisingly good and fun animation.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Battle: Adventureland Vs. The Way Way Back

Both movies I really loved the first time I watched them. They are both coming of age movies, centering around a guy who just tries to feel normal and start a job at a park. “Adventureland” Vs. “The Way Way Back”

 

 

CAST

Adventureland: The leading part is for the easy likeable Jesse Eisenberg. His love interest is played by Kristen Stewart and the really funny roles are for Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. Ryan Reynolds also has a role.

The Way Way Back: Relatively unknown Liam Jones plays the leading role. His mother is portrayed by Toni Collette and his douche of a stepdad is played by Steve Carell. A great role by the way. Sam Rockwell plays my favourite character in the movie, it’s impossible to not like this guy. Also a fun roles for Allison Janney and Maya Rudolph, and AnnaSophie Robb plays the love interest.

STORY

Adventureland: It’s set in 1987. Eisenberg plays college graduate James Brennan who takes a ‘nowhere’ job at his local amusement park. He thinks it’s the perfect course to get him prepared for the real world.

The Way Way Back: Duncan is a shy guy, who goes on vacation with his mom, mom’s new boyfriend and the boyfriend’s daughter. Having a rough time fitting in, Duncan finds just the place. He starts working at the local Water Park, where he finds an unexpected friend in manager Owen.

EFFECTS

Adventureland: The movie has a cool 80’s vibe, due to the clothes, music and surroundings.

The Way Way Back: It’s mostly about the characters and the story here. You do get a summer feeling while watching the movie.

WINNER

“The Way Way Back”. It’s such a good film, I can’t fault it. It’s a guarantee to make you feel better and gives you an instant smile.

Pic Spam: My Favorite Guys

Well, it's my birthday and I thought I could give myself a little treat. So I decided to dedicade this pic spam to my favorite guys. And it's going to be a bit longer than usual.

Pic Spam: Ryan Reynolds

My second pic spam, this time with cutie Ryan Reynolds. Great guy and he's really fun to watch. I loved him in "Definitely, Maybe" and yesterday I added him to my 'best movie dads' list. Here are the pictures:

New wallpaper

I made a new wallpaper. This time featuring Ryan Reynolds. I love this guy! I recently saw him in "Smokin' Aces" (just perfect how he ended that film) and he was great in "Definitly, Maybe" , "The Amityville Horror" and "Van Wilder". I am looking forward to "The Proposal" (with Sandra Bullock) and "Wolverine". I also still have to see "Adventureland" and "Fireflies in the Garden". Here's the wallpaper:



What do you think? Ryan fan, be free to copy it to your desktop...

X Joyce