100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 34: Frank

Director: Lenny Abrahamson

Genre: Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 95 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleeson, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Francois, Civil, Carla Azar, Shane O’Brien, Moira Broker, Paul Butterworth, Phil Kingston, Chris McHalem, Hayley Derryberry, Lauren Poole

Description: Jon (Domhnall Gleeson), a young wanna-be musician, discovers he's bitten off more than he can chew when he joins an eccentric pop band led by the mysterious and enigmatic Frank (Michael Fassbender).

Review: “Frank” is a fictional story loosely based on the alter ego of the cult band and comedy legend Chris Sievey, who transformed into Frank Sidebottom when wearing a giant fake head. In this film Michael Fassbender is the one wearing the head and “Frank” is a hidden gem.

In “Frank” musician Jon accidentally meets an unconventional alternative band. Because of an incident the band is looking for a keyboard player and Jon happens to play it. The lead singer of the band is Frank who, despite of wearing a big fake head hiding his face, is extremely charismatic. When Jon joins them in a remote lodge to record a new album, the situation becomes stranger and stranger.

The movie deals with one important question: what is success and how do you define it? It is different for everyone. Jon’s big dream is to break through as a musician and to reach fame with a big audience. He is looking for appreciation and doesn’t only want compliments from people like Frank. Frank, but mostly the band, doesn’t care about what the crowd thinks. Creativity can’t be taught, you either have talent or you don’t.

Michael Fassbender is great as Frank. With or without the head he gives away a fantastic performance. You feel his enthusiasm and love, but also his powerlessness, panic and pain. Maggie Gyllenhaal, as Clara, also does a good job. She is closest to Frank and hates everything mainstream. Casting Domhnall Gleeson was also a good thing. He doesn’t fit in the group at all. Even though he seems like an average man to us, he is the odd one in the group. He represents how we would probably feel in a group like Frank’s.

Music is off course a big part of “Frank” and the soundtrack is really strong. If you don’t like alternative, experimental and vague music, you might think otherwise. The film has a beautiful and touching ending and you will leave this film satisfied.

“Frank” is a quirky film about self-expression, love for music and friendship. I loved it!

Rating: 4,5/ 5

TV Review: "Pretty Little Liars" Season 1

Genre: Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller

Year: 2010

Number of episodes: 22

Starring: Lucy Hale, Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Shay Mitchell, Ian Harding, Holly Marie Combs, Chad Lowe, Laura Leighton, Sasha Pieterse, Janel Parrish, Keegan Allen, Torrey DeVitto, Tyler Blackburn, Tammin Sursok, Bryce Johnson

Description: Four friends band together against an anonymous foe who threatens to reveal their darkest secrets, while unraveling the mystery of the murder of their best friend.

Review: I’m a pretty good girl, but everyone likes a little gossip and intrigue now and then. And the people who deny this are liars. Well, “Pretty Little Liars” is the perfect show for teen drama, mystery and lies.

Four friends, who are very different from each other, also have many things in common. One of those things is where this show starts with. The disappearance of their friend Alison. A fun thing about a mysterious show like “Pretty Little Liars” is that I constantly want to reveal the mysteries. But I also don’t, because then it all ends. The show does this well, lots of twists, some predictable some surprising. You really want to find out what happened to Alison.

The story revolves around five friends. Alison DiLaurentis is the one that goes missing in the first episode. A year later, the other four girls are brought together again. Hanna Marin is the friend that wants to be like Alison. When she met Alison, she was a little overweight and very insecure. Because of Alison, Hanna became more self-assured and she also acts more like Alison. Spencer Hastings is the most serious one of the group. She is good with computers, is serious about school and is very intelligent. Spencer’s parents have high expectations of her. Aria Montgomery is keeping a secret for her father, who she caught cheating on her mom. But she also has a secret of her own, when she starts dating her English teacher. Emily Fields (my favorite character this first season) is the caring one in the group, she is a good swimmer and she is also struggling with her sexuality when she meets a new neighbor.

Alison is the pretty girl, that everyone adored. She likes a challenge, but do her friends really know Alison all that well? When the four girls reunite, they start receiving messages from someone called A. Together they try to find out who A is and they also stumble upon many secrets and lies.

The fact that we don’t know who A is and the story keeps revealing new surprising information, makes “Pretty Little Liars” a joy to watch. It’s an exciting show, filled with lies, intrigue and mystery. I can’t wait to start season 2.

Top 5 Thursday: TV Gal Pals

Well, sisters before misters. I have the two best girlfriends in the world, but what about our favorite friends on TV, the best gal pals? Here is my pick, my five favorite TV gal pals.

5. Robin Sherbatsky & Lily Aldrin (“How I Met Your Mother”)

Lily and Robin are both not the mother in the title, but they are still best friends. As fans we have gotten to see their friendship grow. While Lily has been in a long term relationship with Marshall and Robin has had a couple of boyfriends, the two always leaned on each other.

 

 

4. Brooke Davis & Peyton Sawyer (“One Tree Hill”)

From the beginning, Brooke and Peyton have been best friends. Brooke is a popular cheerleader and Peyton started out that way too. But there is more to both of them. Both have artistic qualities, Peyton with music and her art and Brooke in fashion. Although very different from each other in how they look at life, both have relied on each other.

 

 

3. Jess Day & Cece Parekh (“New Girl”)

Cece and Jess met as children. They always stayed friends, even when they both chose a complete different path in life. Cece and Jess have been through plenty together and they are overprotective over each other. Cece would never let any guy hurt Jess and Jess helps Cece always making her feel great about herself.

 

 

2. Meredith Grey & Cristina Yang (“Grey’s Anatomy”)

Meredith and Cristina have been friends since the first episode. They are each other’s ‘person’. This started when Cristina needed to fill out her medical release forms and she put Meredith down as her emergency contact. There are not mushy about their friendship, but they will always be there for each other.

 

 

1. Monica Gellar, Rachel Green and Phoebe Buffay (“Friends”)

This is actually a group of six,, but just the girls it’s three. And many people say that three is a bad number in a friendship, but I disagree. I also am part of a group of three and it’s perfect. And Monica, Rachel and Phoebe proof it too. All so different, but understanding towards each other and always there for one another.

 

 

They Almost Made the Top 5: Ann Perkins & Leslie Knope (“Parks & Recreation), Penny, Amy & Bernadetta (“The Big Bang Theory”), Aria, Emily, Hanna & Spencer (“Pretty Little Liars”)

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 33: Nostalghia

Director: Andrei Tarkovsky

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 125 minutes

Year: 1983

Starring: Oleg Yankovsky, Erland Josephson, Domiziana Giordano

Description: The Russian poet Andrei Gorchakov (Oleg Yankovsky), accompanied by guide and translator Eugenia (Domiziana Giordano), is traveling through Italy researching the life of an 18th-century Russian composer. In an ancient spa town, he meets the lunatic Domenico (Erland Josephson), who years earlier had imprisoned his own family in his house for seven years to save them from the evils of the world. Seeing some deep truth in Domenico's act, Andrei becomes drawn to him. In a series of dreams, the poet's nostalgia for his homeland and his longing for his wife, his ambivalent feelings for Eugenia and Italy, and his sense of kinship with Domenico become intertwined.

Review: “”Nostalghia” is the first Andrei Tarkovsky film I see and this ‘meeting’ was pretty heavy. It’s all pretty vague when this is your first Tarkovsky film. It’s a semi-intellectual and deep film.

There is a certain disconnection between the protagonist and his environment, his questions about life. I found that interesting. The shots in the film are beautiful, misty Italy, rain and the chill atmosphere. The first hour is gripping, but the second hour not so much.

There is a moment in the film where I thought the ending would have been perfect, but Tarkovsky takes us to Rome all of a sudden. Something he shouldn’t have done. The surrealism disappeared. It eventually did have a good ending, but the film is about a half hour too long.

I always want to be open to new things and it often works out well. But “Nostalghia” was a step too far for me at this point. A strong first hour and I can certainly see why people love director Andrei Tarkovsky, I’m just not one of them. Yet.

Rating: 3/ 5

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!