Movie Battle: Catch Me If You Can Vs. The Departed

This might seem like a random battle, but it has some thought behind it. I looked up Leonardo DiCaprio on Rotten Tomatoes and check which were his two highest rated films. These are the two. I will do this more often, so you can see if I agree with the ranking. But first, let’s fight: “Catch Me If You Can" Vs. "The Departed”

 

 

ACTORS

Catch Me If You Can: Leonardo DiCaprio is the lead, as real life conman Frank Abagnale Jr. His father is played by Christopher Walken and Abagnale Jr. is hunted down by frustrated cop Carl Hanraty, portrayed by Tom Hanks. There are also smaller roles for Jennifer Garner, Amy Adams and Martin Sheen.

The Departed: “The Departed” is a film that has an amazing ensemble cast. Matt Damon, Leonardo DiCaprion, Jack Nicholson, Vera Farmiga, Alec Baldwin, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone. And they are all fantastic in it.

STORY

Catch Me If You Can: It’s a true story and one of those stories that seem unbelievable. It’s such an interesting story that Frank Abagnale Jr. managed to pretend to be a doctor, pilot and lawyer, without any degree, earn money and then get away with it.

The Departed: A story about two cops, one is a mole and one has to find the mole. It’s such a great and interesting story that stays interesting from beginning ‘till end. I only hoped the bad guy would win, that would separate the film from other crime dramas.

EFFECTS

Catch Me If You Can: No effects needed. It’s an acting film.

The Departed: The movie did a great job portraying Boston. No real effects needed here either, also an acting film.

WINNER

Close call, I love both movies. But I will go for “Catch Me If You Can”. More because it’s a more rewatchable film and the ending is better.

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 32: Sharknado

Director: Anthony C. Ferrante

Genre: Horror

Runtime: 90 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, John Heard, Cassie Scerbo, Jaason Simmons, Chuck Hittinger, Aubrey Peebles

Description: When a freak hurricane swamps Los Angeles, nature's deadliest killer rules sea, land, and air as thousands of sharks terrorize the waterlogged populace.

Review: When it comes to shark movies, there is only one really good one. The rest is mediocre and mostly very bad. When you see the trailer for “Sharknado”, you know it’s going to be bad. A tornado filled with sharks? But I wanted to see this. And I was surprised…. No, I wasn’t. “Sharknado” is a terrible movie. But it’s one of the best worst movies I’ve ever seen. It’s so bad, it’s hilarious.

The film starts with a deal gone wrong (which isn’t in the movie anymore after this scene, so why is it in here) and sharks attacking a boat. After this, we meet the main characters. And as you can predict, they have no depth, aren’t interesting and are pretty dumb. A big storm floods a city and also brings a lot of dangerous sharks with it. They are everywhere.

There is no rhyme or reason for anything that happens and the complete film is illogical. I can deal with the over-the-top part though. The special effects are very bad. They tried to make the sharks look a bit more real by adding some footage from Shark Week into it, but this is used wrong too. And there are also parts in the movie, that have nothing to do with anything. We don’t care about the family drama!

This is such a bad film, but it is a fun watch. I laughed my ass off!

Rating: 0,5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (229)

Here are this week's trailers.

Louder Than Bombs

Director: Joachim Trier

Description: The fractious family of a father and his two sons confront their different feelings and memories of their deceased wife and mother, a famed war photographer.

Starring: Amy Ryan, Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne, David Strathairn, Isabella Huppert

Trailer: Trailer "Louder Than Bombs"

Comment: Not really sure what to expect, but that's makes it interesting.

Finding Dory

Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane

Description: The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish reunites with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.

Starring: Ellen Degeneres, Albert Brooks, Michael Sheen, Idris Elba, Dominic West, Diane Keaton, Ed O'Neill, Ty Burrell, Eugene Levy

Trailer: Trailer "Finding Dory"

Comment: Can't wait!!!!

Ghostbusters

Director: Paul Feig

Description: 30 years after Ghostbusters took the world by storm, the beloved franchise makes its long-awaited return. Director Paul Feig brings his fresh take to the supernatural comedy, joined by some of the funniest actors working today.

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Murray, Andy Garcia, Elizabeth Perkins, Ernie Hudson, Cecily Strong, Dan Ayrkoyd, Annie Potts

Trailer: Trailer "Ghostbusters"

Comment: I was unsure at first, but this trailer made me more excited.

The Adderall Diaries

Director: Pamela Romanowsky

Description: As a writer (James Franco) stymied by past success, writers block, substance abuse, relationship problems and a serious set of father issues, Elliott's cracked-out chronicle of a bizarre murder trial amounts to less than the sum of its parts. Not long into the 2007 trial of programmer Hans Reiser, accused of murdering his wife, the defendant's friend Sean Sturgeon obliquely confessed to several murders (though not the murder of Reiser's wife). Elliott, caught up in the film-ready twist and his tenuous connection to Sturgeon (they share a BDSM social circle), makes a gonzo record of the proceedings. The result is a scattered, self-indulgent romp through the mind of a depressive narcissist obsessed with his insecurities and childhood traumas.

Starring: James Franco, Amber Heard, Ed Harris, Christian Slater, , Cynthia Nixon, Wilmer Valderrama, Timothy Olyphant

Trailer: Trailer "The Adderal Diaries"

Comment: Looks okay.

The Meddler

Director: Lorene Scafaria

Description: An aging widow from New York City (Susan Sarandon) follows her daughter (Rose Byrne) to Los Angeles in hopes of starting a new life after her husband passes away.

Starring: Susan Sarandon, Rose Byrne, J.K. Simmons, Cecily Strong, Jason Ritter, Michael McKean, Casey Wilson, Lucy Punch

Trailer: Trailer "The Meddler"

Comment: I love this cast!

Best & Worst: Bruce Willis

A lot of people don’t consider Bruce Willis a good actor, but I think he has proven many times that he is very good indeed. He is actually one of my favorites, not only in action movies. I enjoy his movies, his performances and he has done some really good movies. Here are my best and worst pick.

 

 

His most memorable movie and character! When I think of Bruce Willis and when I have to name one action movie, “Die Hard” is the one. The best he made and my favorite. Probably not the most surprising choice.

Honorable Mentions: “Sin City”, “Die Hard with a Vengeance”, “Moonrise Kingdom”, “The Sixth Sense”, “Unbreakable”, “Pulp Fiction”, “Twelve Monkeys”, “The Fifth Element”, “Looper”

 

 

The one that made him famous was “Die Hard, but this fifth instalment was what killed the franchise. This movie is so bad, John McClane doesn’t even get into a fight here. It’s terrible! And the bad guy is tap dancing while eating a carrot. Well….. It sucks.

Dishonorable Mentions: "Hudson Hawk", "Charlie Angels: Full Throttle", "Color of Night", "Mortal Thoughts"

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 31: This is Where I Leave You

Director: Shawn Levy

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 103 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Adam Driver, Corey Stoll, Dax Shepard, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Rose Byrne, Katherine Hahn, Abigail Spencer, Debra Monk

Description: When their father passes away, four grown siblings are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens.

Review: In “This is Where I Leave You” we follow a family that comes together after the father of the family died. There are a lot of unsolved issues, frictions and relationship problems and this doesn’t make the mourning process any easier.

After Judd finds his wife in bed with his boss, he gets a call from his sister Wendy, that their father passed away. His father wants to be buried within the Jewish tradition and this means they have a ‘sitting Shiva’. Here people will visit them for an entire week, to give them their condolences. Which also means that the family has to be together the entire time.

The family is a party of five: Judd, sister Wendy, oldest brother Paul, youngest brother Philip and mother Hilary. Judd is trying to deal with his upcoming divorce and he also bumps into a woman he used to like. Wendy is married with two children, but her husband is a work-aholic and she is secretly still in love with her first love Horry, who she was in an accident with. Paul and his wife Annie are desperately trying to have a child, but nothing has worked so far. Philip, who just brought home his new girlfriend Tracey who is much older, never really grew up. Mother Hilary has to deal with all her children, while also saying her final goodbyes to her husband.

The movie is a mix of drama and comedy, but the focus is more on the drama. Although that’s very light. There are subtle jokes and especially the dysfunctionality of the family is funny. All the characters are really interesting to get to know.

The cast is really good. Jason Bateman plays a role he has played before, but he is likeable and proofs he can carry a movie. Tina Fey is also strong in a more serious role then we are used to from her. Adam Driver is solid and Jane Fonda is delightful as the mother, who sometimes overshares information that as a kid you wouldn’t be very happy with.

“This is Where I Leave You” is an excellent film about a family with problems. Dysfunctional families somehow always interest me, it reminds me of how great mine is.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (February 2016)

I have to say, I didn’t see a lot of new movies this month. But I did see some movie that have a chance of ending up on my end year’s list for this challenge or best films of 2016. Here are the five best movies I watched in February for my challenge.

5. Robin Hood

I’ve always been fascinated by the character of Robin Hood and there are so many different versions of this old story. Off course the Kevin Costner version, which holds a special place in my heart. But Disney’s take on the hero is amazing! I loved “Robin Hood”.

 

 

4. Deadpool

It was way funnier than I initially thought it would be and Ryan Reynolds is great in “Deadpool”. I love the self-mockery. It’s a nice variety in the superhero movie universe, it separates itself from the other films in the genre.

 

 

3. Galaxy Quest

I’m so glad I finally got to see “Galaxy Quest”. It was so funny! And I loved Alan Rickman in this film. Such a different role for him, yet so perfect.

 

 

2. The Revenant

Amazing movie. I wanted to see this movie for a long time and it didn’t disappoint. Fantastic cinematography and great acting.

 

 

1. Spotlight

This movie amazed me, shocked me, interested me, grabbed me, gave me chills, captivated me. It did all that! And Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams are very good in it too.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Grizzly Man, Interstellar, The Age of Adaline

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 30: Malcolm X

Director: Spike Lee

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 202 minutes

Year: 1992

Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr., Spike Lee, Delroy Linda, Kate Vernon, Lonette McKee, Tommy Hollis, James McDaniel, Ernest Thomas, Jean-Claude La Marre, Theresa Randle, O.L. Due, Larry McCoy

Description: Biographical epic of the controversial and influential Black Nationalist leader (Denzel Washington), from his early life and career as a small-time gangster, to his ministry as a member of the Nation of Islam.

Review: “Malcolm X” is an impressive film, that tells the story of an extraordinary American. Malcolm X was, like Martin Luther King, a fighter for equal rights for African Americans. The difference was that Martin Luther King did this together with the white people, he didn’t want to use any violence. Malcolm X didn’t deny he would use violence if necessary. It’s clear director Spike Lee was an admirer of Malcolm X.

Spike Lee has made films about the position of the African American in the US before. Best known is “Do the Right Thing” from 1989. In “Malcolm X’’ he shows us again, but this time it’s a biography.

Denzel Washington is very convincing as Malcolm X. He is the star of the film and has no trouble carrying this movie. The length of the movie is a problem though. It’s over 3 hours long and that is way too long for a film with only dialogue and no action.

Today, “Malcolm X” is still relevant and topical. A very strong biopic.

Rating: 4/ 5