100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 21: Absolute Beginners

Director: Julien Temple

Genre: Musical/ Romance/ Drama

Runtime: 108 minutes

Year: 1986

Starring: Patsy Kensit, Eddie O’Connell, David Bowie, James Fox, Ray Davies

Description: A musical adaptation of Colin MacInnes' novel about life in late 1950s London. Nineteen-year-old photographer Colin (Eddie O’Connell) is hopelessly in love with model Crepe Suzette (Patsy Kensit) , but her relationships are strictly connected with her progress in the fashion world. So Colin gets involved with a pop promoter (David Bowie) and tries to crack the big time. Meanwhile, racial tension is brewing in Colin's Notting Hill housing estate...

Review: I love musicals, they’re my guilty pleasure. And I always get excited when I see a musical. But “Absolute Beginners” is not one I liked very much.

We meet photographer Colin, who is in love with model Suzette. Colin gets involved with a pop promoter. That’s all I can really remember, the film didn’t impress me. And it couldn’t keep my attention.

In musicals there is always some overacting, but there is overacting and bad acting. In this movie the acting is not very good unfortunately. The one thing I did really love about “Absolute Beginners” is the David Bowie music.

“Absolute Beginners” would look great on stage, but isn’t a good movie. It’s very forgettable.

Rating: 2/ 5

Best & Worst: Matthew McConaughey

I used to hate Matthew McConaughey as an actor, but the past years he has delivered and proved he has serious acting chops. It’s also his choice of film nowadays and the fabulous performance he delivered in the TV show “True Detective”. Here are my best and worst picks.

 

 

A movie that doesn’t have a lot of action or spectacle, but it has the great performance by Matthew McConaughey. When you read the synopsis, it’s not that interesting so this movie really took me by surprise. It’s really good!

Honorable Mentions: “Dallas Buyers Club”, “The Lincoln Lawyer”, “A Time to Kill”, “Killer Joe”, “Amistad”, “Contact”

 

 

One of those stupid, dumb, cheesy, predictable romantic comedies. I hate this movie and the fact that Jennifer Lopez is in it has nothing to do with that hate. At all (*sarcasm*). Even then, in the time McConaughey mostly did movies like this, he deserved better.

Dishonorable Mentions: “Failure to Launch”, “Fool’s Gold”, “Two For the Money”

Top 5 Thursday: Tv Shows Perfect for Binge Watching

What do I love to do when it’s a rainy day and have nothing planned? Binge watch TV shows! And I got a list for you with some of the shows that are perfect for such an occasion.

5. Community

It’s not one of my favorite shows, but this is a perfect show to binge watch. Whenever Comedy Central is airing a marathon, I’m in!

 

 

4. The Office

Who doesn’t want to enjoy Michael Scott’s shenanigans for hours in a row? I always loved how this movie was filmed, like a documentary. I have to admit that Michael Scott leaving wasn’t the best for the show, but there are still enough episodes to binge watch.

 

 

3. The Walking Dead

It is not a 20 minute per episode kind of show, but once you watch an episode, it’s really hard to stop. It’s such an exciting and thrilling show! My favorite show of the moment.

 

 

2. Friends

I lost count at how many times I’ve watched all the episodes, but it never gets old. I just love “Friends” and that love will never die. I still laugh at the same jokes.

 

 

1. Modern Family

Filmed in the same style as “The Office” and I just love every single character in this show. It’s a show that always makes me happy and I can enjoy this show every single day of every single week.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: How I Met Your Mother, Supernatural

Marry, Kiss, Cliff - Round 12

Lance Brumbder (“Orange County”), Saul Silver (“Pineapple Express”) and Don Lockwood (“Singin’ in the Rain”)

Marry: Don Lockwood would be the most sensible choice. He is charming and he always knows how to lighten up your day. Don can get you in the right mood.

Kiss: Okay, he might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but let’s face it. You gotta love Saul Silver. I think he’s great!

Cliff: As much as I like Lance Brumbder, he’s also a pain in the ass. He can’t do anything right, he actually doesn’t really do anything but watch TV.

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 20: Grizzly Man

Director: Werner Herzog

Genre: Documentary

Runtime: 103 minutes

Year: 2005

Starring: Werner Herzog, Amie Huguenard, Timothy Treadwell

Description: A take on grizzly bear activists Timothy Treadwell and Amie Huguenard, who were killed in October of 2003 while living among grizzlies in Alaska.

Review: For thirteen years Timothy Treadwell spend his summers in the wilderness of Alaska, among a group of grizzly bears. The last five years he brought a camera, to document the behavior of the bears and himself. Timothy wanted to protect the bears, wanted to show the world how beautiful they are. In October 2003 they found his remains inside the stomach of a bear. Together with his girlfriend Amie he filled up to four garbage bags of human remains. He had shot hundreds of hours of material, including his own death. This material was picked up by Werner Herzog and he made “Grizzly Man”.

Timothy wanted to film the bears to protect them and to observe them. He felt at home with the bears and gave them names, he had a connection with them. There are only a few moments that Timothy is aware of the dangerous situation he is in. There is a part of him that wants to be seen as a hero, a fighter for nature. But he is also someone that despises mankind and he feels one with the bears.

Timothy saw emotion, love, grief and brotherhood when he watched the bears. Herzog didn’t. According to him nature is nothing more than a harmonic mass murder. Although Herzog hardly doubts Timothy’s sincere intentions, he doesn’t agree with his idea of nature. This makes “Grizzly Man” not just a documentary about the beautiful nature images Timothy shot, but also about the differences between man and nature.

As a viewer you’re not forced to take one side, although Timothy’s death somehow proofs Herzog’s theory. Timothy was depressed and took drugs and didn’t know what to do with his life. Thanks to the bears, Timothy found himself again, they gave him a new life. And eventually also took it.

When Timothy was attacked, the camera was running. The lens cap was still on, so there is only audio material. We don’t get to hear it, but there is a scene where Herzog is listening to it. Halfway through he asks to stop, because he can’t take to listen to it anymore.

“Grizzly Man” is an impressive documentary, a great look into the life of Timothy Treadwell. You might not agree with him and you might also say it’s his own fault he died. I think he didn’t want to go any other way.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Favorites: Jane Eyre

Synopsis: After a bleak childhood, Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) goes out into the world to become a governess. As she lives happily in her new position at Thornfield Hall, she meets the dark, cold, and abrupt master of the house, Mr. Rochester (Michael Fassbender). Jane and her employer grow close in friendship and she soon finds herself falling in love with him. Happiness seems to have found Jane at last, but could Mr. Rochester's terrible secret be about to destroy it forever?

 

 

Unique Selling Point: Although the story has been told many times, it does the classic novel justice. It’s filmed beautifully and the actors have plenty of room to show their skills. It’s great to see how efficiently the hundreds of pages of the book are made into a film.

Most Valuable Player: Michael Fassbender as Rochester, the handsome and charismatic man with a dark edge.

Best Moment: Every hopeless romantic would go for the part where Rochester asks for Jane’s hand in marriage.

Movie Trailer Sunday (225)

Here are this week's trailers.

Get a Job

Director: Dylan Kidd

Description: Life after college graduation is not exactly going as planned for Will (Miles Teller) and Jillian (Anna Kendrick) who find themselves lost in a sea of increasingly strange jobs. But with help from their family, friends and coworkers they soon discover that the most important (and hilarious) adventures are the ones that we don't see coming.

Starring: Miles Teller, Anna Kendrick, Alison Brie, John Cho, Bryan Cranston, Marcia Gay Harden, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Jorge Garcia, John C. McGinley, Bruce Davison, Greg Germann

Trailer: Trailer "Get a Job"

Comment: Some fun actors in this film.

Miles Ahead

Director: Don Cheadle

Description: An exploration of the life and music of Miles Davis (Don Cheadle).

Starring: Don Cheadle, Ewan McGregor

Trailer: Trailer "Miles Ahead"

Comment: I'm not into his music, but it looks interesting. And I love Don Cheadle.

Ice Age: Collision Course

Director: Mike Thurmeier, Galen T. Chu

Description: Scrat's epic pursuit of his elusive acorn catapults him outside of Earth, where he accidentally sets off a series of cosmic events that transform and threaten the planet. To save themselves from peril, Manny, Sid, Diego, and the rest of the herd leave their home and embark on a quest full of thrills and spills, highs and lows, laughter and adventure while traveling to exotic new lands and encountering a host of colorful new characters as well as a new enemy who is a brother to one of their old foes.

Starring: Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez, Simon Pegg, Nick Offerman, MIchelle Rauch, Max Greenfield, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Wanda Sykes, Jessie J,

Trailer: Trailer "Ice Age: Collision Course"

Comment: Another one? Don't get me wrong, I like the first two/ three, but sometimes you just need to give it a rest.

Me Before You

Director: Thea Sharrock

Description: A girl (Emilia Clarke) in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man (Sam Claflin) she's taking care of.

Starring: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Jenna Coleman, Charles Dance, Matthew Lewis

Trailer: Trailer "Me Before You"

Comment: It reminds me a bit of "Intouchables", but I loved that one and I really want to see this as well!

Misconduct

Director: Shintaro Shimosawa

Description: When an ambitious young lawyer takes on a big case against a powerful and ruthless executive of a large pharmaceutical company, he soon finds himself involved in a case of blackmail and corruption.

Starring: Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, Josh Duhamel, Malin Akerman, Alice Even, Julia Stiles

Trailer: Trailer "Misconduct"

Comment: Meh...