100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 72: The Heat

Director: Paul Feig

Genre: Comedy/ Action

Runtime: 117 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Marlon Wayans, Michael Rapaport, Jane Curtin, Taran Killam, Michael McDonald

Description: The uptight FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn (Sandra Bullock) is paired with the foul-mouthed Boston cop Shannon Mullins (Melissa McCarthy) to take down a ruthless drug lord.

Review: The role of FBI-agent isn’t new to Sandra Bullock. She played one in “Miss Congeniality”. In “The Heat” Bullock does it again. This time she’s the serious agent Sarah Ashburn, whose only company is her neighbor’s cat. Her co-workers don’t like her because of her ‘know-it-all’ attitude. Even though her qualities as a team player aren’t perfect, her boss gives her a chance: if she manages to track a drug lord, Sarah might get a promotion. Off course it doesn’t go without the proper obstacles. This time in the form of Melissa McCarthy, as detective Shannon Mullins. She is an unconventional cop, with strange interrogation skills and a foul mouth. Ashburn and Mullins are forces to work together, if they like it or not.

The story is pretty plain, but Bullock and McCarthy manage to lift it to a higher level. They work well together and form a great duo. Bullock is great as the somewhat stuck-up Ashburn, but McCarthy steals the show. I especially like the constant offensive insults she makes.

“The Heat” isn’t surprising at all, because we all know that Mullins and Ashburn aren’t going to hate each other the entire movie. The plot isn’t the reason to see this movie. The duo Bullock-McCarthy is though.

Rating: 3 / 5

100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 71: The Vow

Director: Michael Sucsy

Genre: Drama/ Romance

Runtime: 104 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Sam Neill, Jessica Lange, Scott Speedman

Description: A car accident puts Paige (Rachel McAdams) in a coma, and when she wakes up with severe memory loss, her husband Leo (Channing Tatum) works to win her heart again.

Review: “The Vow” is based on a real life story. In the opening scene we meet Paige and Leo, a happily married couple that doesn’t know their life is about to change forever. Their car is hit from behind and Paige smashes through the window. When she wakes up, she doesn’t remember Leo. The past five years of her life are gone. Her parents, who she hadn’t seen since she met Leo, see it as a chance to reconnect with Paige. And the man who Paige used to be engaged too, who she does remember, also turns up and makes it even more difficult for Leo.

Leo is a character that is too good to be true. Not only because of his perfect body, but also because of the love he feels for his wife and everything he does to win her back. That his recording studio isn’t doing well, doesn’t seem to bother him. All he wants is Paige.

Channing Tatum isn’t a very diverse actor, but does manage to portray Leo as believable and honest as possible. He wins over the audience easily. Rachel McAdams is perfect for roles like this. And both actors, who have great chemistry, don’t make this one of those overly sweet romance stories but a very watchable romantic drama.

“The Vow” can’t avoid the clichés that are known to the genre. And the makers know how to touch the viewers. This movie is perfect for the lovers of the genre and Channing Tatum fans. It’s an enjoyable movie that I almost hate to admit I liked.

Rating: 3 / 5

Me & 3 Philadelphia Movies

This idea just popped in my head when I realized that two movies I watched in one night where both set in this American city. That’s why I decided to go for three movie that were set in Philadelphia. One is pretty obvious. Here are my three choices of movies set in Philly.

Philadelphia

Genre: Drama

Year: 1993

Director: Jonathan Demme

Cast: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Antonia Banderas, Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards

Description: When Andy (Tom hanks), a man with AIDS, is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires homophobic small time lawyer Joe Miller (Denzel Washington) as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit. Opinion: I hadn’t seen this movie in a long time. I realized what a great movie this is. One of the best performances of Tom Hanks, he manages to make me cry every single time. And Denzel Washington also solid as always. When this movie came out, it was still not done to talk openly about AIDS, so this movie made a change.

Favorite character: Andrew “Andy” Beckett (Tom Hanks)

Most memorable quote: “Some of these people make me sick. But a law's been broken here. You do remember the law, don't you?” – Joe Miller -

Best scene: Joe is going over the case with Andy, when Andy all off a sudden stops to listen to the opera. He tells Joe why he thinks it’s so beautiful and loses himself in all his emotions.

Rocky Balboa

Genre: Drama

Year: 2006

Director: Sylvester Stallone

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Milo Ventimiglia, Burt Young, Geraldine Hughes, Antonio Tarver

Description: Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) comes out of retirement to step into the ring for the last time and face the heavyweight champ Mason 'The Line' Dixon (Antonio Tarver).

Opinion: When I first heard about this, I wasn’t too thrilled to see another “Rocky” movie. I’m a huge fan of the first, but this one is also very good. I didn’t expect it all.

Favorite character: Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone)

Most memorable quote: “The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you're hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done!” – Rocky Balboa -

Best scene: The good old work out montage.

Silver Linings Playbook

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Year: 2012

Director: David O. Russell

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jackie Weaver, Chris Tucker

Description: After a stint in a mental institution, former teacher Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper) moves back in with his parents and tries to reconcile with his ex-wife. Things get more challenging when Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own.

Favorite character: Pat Solitano (Bradley Cooper)

Most memorable quote: “Humanity is just nasty and there is no silver lining” – Tiffany -

Best scene: The dance that Pat and Tiffany perform and how they react after their (not so great) score.

Favorite of the 3: “Silver Linings Playbook”

Top 5 Thursday: Movies from 2007

Some of my all-time favourites were made in this year. 2007 was a great year for film. Here are the best.

5. Eastern Promises

Such a fantastic film, great performances by Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts.

 

4. No Country for Old Men

The Coen Brothers can go in two different directions and I prefer the dark humour, but this is probably one of their best movies.

 

3. Ratatouille

My second favourite Pixar film. It’s just something about that little rat, with ambitions as a cook, that steals my heart every single time. And it's amazing how great animated Paris looks.

 

2. Atonement

A perfect adaptation of the book by Ian McEwan. Wonderful film!

 

1. Hot Fuzz

The funniest film ever! This movie has it all, British humour is the best humour and I can watch this film over and over again. And still laugh at the same jokes.

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Amazing Grace, Disturbia,, Rescue Dawn, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Jane Austen Book Club, Juno

Video of the Week (7)

I bumped into this really adorable hamster video. Hamsters are such cute animals. This guy made his pet hamster a miniature burritos and it just looks so cute. Just check it out.

 

Marry, Kiss, Cliff - Round 2

Round 2: Marcus Wright (“Terminator Salvation”), Richard Jones (“Babel”) and Patrick Verona (“10 Things I Hate About You”)

Marry: Richard Jones is a loving husband, he stands by his wife at all times.

Kiss: Patrick Verona is a so-called rebel, but he has a soft spot. He’s actually a very sweet and adorable guy. Wouldn’t you just melt if he sang for you like he did in the movie?

Cliff: I don’t really want to push Marcus Wright of a cliff, but he isn’t human. He’s a terminator. If I push him, all that happens is that he breaks. I could fix him afterwards.

Movie Trailer Sunday (142)

Here are this weeks trailers.

Willow Creek

Description: Jim and Kelly (Bryce Johnson and Alexie Gilmore) venture off to find the wooded location of the Patterson-Gimlin Bigfoot footage from the late ’60s. Jim is making his own documentary about the hirsute beast and Kelly is there to support and help, in spite of her lack of belief in the cryptozoological celebrity. And if Jim manages to capture a Bigfoot sighting along the way, his trip is considered a win.

Director: ​Bobcat Goldthwait

Starring: Bryce Johnson, Alexie Gilmore

Trailer: Trailer "Willow Creek"

Comment: Feels like "The Blair Witch Project", hopefully it's even better.

Very Good Girls

Description: Best friends Lily (Dakota Fanning) and Gerry (Elizabeth Olsen), home for one last New York summer, make a pact to lose their virginity before leaving for college. But when they both fall for the same handsome artist (HBoyd olbrook) and Lily starts seeing him in secret, a lifelong friendship is tested.

Director: Naomi Foner

Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Dakota Fanning, Boyd Holbrook, Demi Moore, Richard Dreyfuss, Peter Sarsgaard, Clark Gregg and Ellen Barkin

Trailer: Trailer "Very Good Girls"

Comment: What I'm excited about: Richard Dreyfuss!

 

The Best of Me

Description: Dawson and Amanda (James Marsden and Michelle Monaghan) are two former high school sweethearts who find themselves reunited after 20 years apart, when they return to their small town for the funeral of a beloved friend. Their bittersweet reunion reignites the love they've never forgotten, but soon they discover the forces that drove them apart twenty years ago live on, posing even more serious threats today. Spanning decades, this epic love story captures the enduring power of our first true love, and the wrenching choices we face when confronted with elusive second chances.

Director: Michael Hoffman

Starring: Michelle Monaghan, James Marsden, Liana Liberato, Luke Bracey, Sebastian Arcelus and Gerald McRaney

Trailer: Trailer "The Best of Me"

Comment: What can I say, Nicholas Sparks stories are a weakness of mine.

Are You Here

Description: Ben Baker (Zach Galifianakis) inherits his estranged father's fortune. His best friend, womanizing local weatherman Steve Dallas (Owen Wilson), then joins forces with him to battle the legal challenge brought by Ben's formidable sister (Amy Poehler).

Director: Matthew Weiner

Starring: Zach Galifianakis, Amy Poehler and Owen Wilson

Trailer: Trailer "Are You Here"

Comment: You know how much I love Owen Wilson.

Sharknado 2: The Second One

Description: A freak weather system turns its deadly fury on New York City, unleashing a Sharknado on the population and its most cherished, iconic sites - and only Fin and April can save the Big Apple.

Director: Anthony C. Ferrante

Starring: Ian Ziering, Tara Reed, Mark McGrath, Vivica A. Fox, Judd Hirsch, Kari Wuhrer

Trailer: Trailer "Sharknado: The Second One"

Comment: How can I not show you this. It's ridiculous, but somehow I just want te see it laugh about it.