100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 89: The D Train

Director: Andrew Mogel, Jarrad Paul
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Jack Black, James Marsden, Kathryn Hahn, Jeffrey Tambor, Dermot Mulroney, Mike White

Description: The head of a high school reunion committee (Jack Black) travels to Los Angeles to track down the most popular guy from his graduating class (James Marsden) and convince him to go to the reunion.

Review: Jack Black has his ups and downs. Well, “The D Train” is a movie that not a lot of people might have heard of, and it’s better that it stays that way. It’s not one of his best film. I don’t really know what it is, really.
Dan Landsman is the head of the high school reunion committee. He wasn’t very popular back then and he still isn’t. He still wants to be accepted by others. He decides to track down Oliver Lawless, the most popular guy in school when they were young.
The film takes some surprising turns, but they are somewhat hard to believe and understand. And the film also got on my nerves for some reason. There is a reason why this film played a limited time in theaters.
No, “The D Train” is a movie you can better skip.

Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (301)

Here are this week's trailer.

Ready Player One
Director: Steven Spielberg
Description: When the creator of an MMO called the Oasis dies, he releases a video in which he challenges all Oasis users to find his Easter Egg, which will give the finder his fortune. Wade Watts finds the first clue and starts a race for the Egg.
Starring: Mark Rylance, TJ Miller, Ben mendelsohn, Simon Pegg, Olivia Cooke, Tye Sheridan
Trailer: Trailer "Ready Player One"
Comment: Always in for some Spielberg magic

Marjorie Prime
Director: Michael Almereyda
Description: A service that provides holographic recreations of deceased loved ones allows a man to come face-to-face with the younger version of his late father-in-law.
Starring: Jon Hamm, Geena Davis, Tim Robbins, Lois SMith
Trailer: Trailer "Marjorie Prime"
Comment: It looks stunning

The Vault
Director: Dan Bush
Description: Two estranged sisters are forced to rob a bank in order to save their brother. But this is no ordinary bank.
Starring: James Franco, Taryn Manning, Clifton Collins Jr., Franscesca Eastwood, Q'orianka Kilcher
Trailer: Trailer "The Vault"
Comment: Am I the only one that found this trailer a bit weird?

Suburbicon
Director: George Clooney
Description: A home invasion rattles a quiet family town.
Starring: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac
Trailer: Trailer "Suburbicon"
Comment: Hell yes, want to see this immediately

LBJ
Director: Rob Reiner
Description: The story of U.S. President Lyndon Baines Johnson from his young days in West Texas to the White House.
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Jeffrey Donovan, Richard Jenkins, Bill Pullman
Trailer: Trailer "LBJ"
Comment: Harrelson looks so much like LBJ.

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 88: Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates

Director: Jake Szymanski
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 99 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Stephen Root, Jake Johnson

Description: Two hard-partying brothers (Adam Devine, Zac Efron) place an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves out-hustled by an uncontrollable duo (Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza).

Review: Mike and Dave are two brothers that always manage to make a party more fun. But not according to their family, because to them they ruin every party. Now their little sister is about to get married and Mike and Dave’s parents want them to bring proper dates to the wedding. Nice girls. They decide to put an add online. Alice and Tatiana see this add and can’t wait to take a free trip to Hawaii and become their wedding dates. But they aren’t nice girls. They party just as hard as Mike and Dave. They manage to fool the boys and they tag along with them to the wedding in Hawaii.
The plot is simple and anything but original. And the humor is juvenile and distasteful. The leading characters, Mike, Dave, Alice and Tatiana, are all just characters. They are to ridiculous to be believable as actual people. Maybe Dave a little bit, but the other three aren’t.
Zac Efron and Adam Devine do see like they had tons of fun making this movie, and that somewhat rubs off on the audience. And I did laugh on occasion. But overall, “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” is an average silly and predictable comedy.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 87: Baby Driver

Director: Edgar Wright
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Jon Bernthal, Jon Hamm, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jamie Foxx, Flea

Description: After being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), a young getaway driver (Ansel Elgort) finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.

Review: Before I start this review, I have to state that director Edgar Wright is a genius. And as for many geniuses, the big crowd doesn’t understand him. His previous films (like “Shaun of the Dead”, “Hot Fuzz” and “The World’s End”) are examples of how a movie is perfectly edited. His films are never box office hits and he never seems to click with the average moviegoer. In my opion: Edgar Wright is one of the best directors of the moment.
Because of a constant ringing in his ear, Baby listens to music non-stop. That makes music not only a big part of the film, but also the story. Everything is accompanied by the music: every shot, movement, rhythm. And because of Wright’s perfect editing skills, “Baby Driver” is an amazingly synchronized and choreographed film. And that without it distracting from the actual story. Every song fits the scene like a glove and sounds like it belongs there.
Does the film have flaws? Off course, but they are so miniscule. Probably the motives of the characters, but that would be nitpicking.
The film opens with an amazing chase scene, where we see what Baby can do. One giant chunk of adrenaline.
When I saw the trailer for “Baby Driver”, I was sceptic about Ansel Elgort as the leading man. But boy did he surprise me. In a good way! Jon Hamm as Buddy and Jamie Foxx as Bats (the last being one of the most annoying characters of this year, I constantly wanted to slap him in the face) are also worth mentioning. The chemistry between Ansel Elgort and his on-screen love interest Lily James is very strong. Some might say it’s a bit too sweet, but it’s forgivable.
The script is simple, yet Edgar Wright turns it into what I can call the best film of 2017 so far.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (300)

Here are this week's trailers. And BTW, it's my 300th entry of this item!!!!

A Wrinkle in Time
Director: Ava DuVernay
Description: After the disappearance of her scientist father, three peculiar beings send Meg, her brother, and her friend to space in order to find him.
Starring: Chris Pine, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Peña, Zach Galafianakis, Mindy Kaling
Trailer: Trailer "A Wrinkle in Time"
Comment: Mysterious trailer, still don't really know what it's really about.

Professor Marston & the Wonder Woman
Director: Angela Robinson
Description: Details the unconventional life of Dr. William Marston, the Harvard psychologist and inventor who helped invent the modern lie detector test and created Wonder Woman in 1941. Marston was in a polyamorous relationship with his wife Elizabeth, a psychologist and inventor in her own right, and Olive Byrne, a former student who became an academic. This relationship was key to the creation of Wonder Woman, as Elizabeth and Olive's feminist ideals were ingrained in the character from her creation. Marston died of skin cancer in 1947, but Elizabeth and Olive remained a couple and raised their and Marston's children together. The film is said to focus on how Marston dealt with the controversy surrounding Wonder Woman's creation.
Starring: Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, Connie Britton, Bella Heathcote
Trailer: Trailer "Professor Marston & the Wonder Woman"
Comment: This is an interesting story.

The Disaster Artist
Director: James Franco
Description: A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Tommy Wiseau's The Room (2003).
Starring: James Franco, Seth Rogen, Dave Franco, Alison Brie, Zoey Deutch, Zac Efron, Bryan Cranston, Kristen Bell, Josh Hutcherson, Sharon Stone, Adam Scott
Trailer: Trailer "The Disaster Artist"
Comment: I cannot wait to see this.

The Snowman
Director: Tomas Alfredson
Description: Detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender) investigates the disappearance of a woman whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Rebecca Ferguson, Val Kilmer, Chloë Sevigny, J.K. Simmons, Charlotte Gainsbourg, James D'Arcy, Toby Jones
Trailer: Trailer "The Snowman"
Comment: I love stories like this.

Wonderstruck
Director: Todd Haynes
Description: The story of a young boy in the Midwest is told simultaneously with a tale about a young girl in New York from fifty years ago as they both seek the same mysterious connection.
Starring: Julianne Moore
Trailer: Trailer "Wonderstruck"
Comment: This one I need to see!!!

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 86: The Big Year

Director: David Frankel
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 96 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Owen Wilson, Jack Black, Steve Martin, Rosamund Pike, Kevin Pollack, Joel McHale, Dianne Wiest, Brian Dennehy, June Squibb, Rashida Jones, Tim Blake Nelson, Al Roker, Jim Parsons, Anjelica Huston

Description: Two bird enthusiasts (Jack Black, Steve Martin) try to defeat the cocky, cutthroat world record holder (Owen Wilson) in a year-long bird-spotting competition.

Review: Jack Black, Owen Wilson and Steve Martin. With this cast the film will draw a crowd, but a movie can disappoint with high expectations. I didn’t expect much, but this movie was surprisingly fun. A movie about bird watching or birding.
Kenny Bostick holds the record of spotting the most birds in one year, which the call the big year. Brad Harris and Stu Preissler have the same passion for birds and decide to do a big year themselves. But they have to be one step ahead of cocky Bostick.
Most people are not that positive about “The Big Year” but I found it highly enjoyable and think it deserves a bit more praise. I really like the theme of the film and how it was executed. The cast is fun, all three actors are solid and I always love watching them work.
“The Big Year” is more a feel-good film than a comedy. The film develops slowly, but it never really gets comedic. But that didn’t bother me. The movie could have easily fallen into that ridiculous comedy trend, where everything that can go wrong, goes wrong. I found this really refreshing and I really enjoyed watching it.
“The Big Year” is a good movie, that surprised me.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 85: Victoria

Director: Sebastian Schipper
Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2015
Starring: Laia Costa, Frederick Lau, Franz Rogowski, Burak Yigit, Max Mauff, André Hennicke, Anna Lena Klenke, Hans-Ulrich Laux, Eike Frederik Schulz, Adolfo Assor, Jan Breustedt, Ambar de la Horra, Anne Düe, Daniel Fripan, Martin Goeres, Philipp Kubitza, Nadja Laura Mijthab, Dennis Oestreich, Ulrike Runge

Description: A young Spanish woman (Laia Costa) who has recently moved to Berlin finds her flirtation with a local guy turn potentially deadly as their night out with his friends reveals a dangerous secret.

Review: A film made from one long shot. That’s mainly what makes “Victoria” such an impressive film.
Over two hours long, we follow the Spanish Victoria. The film opens with her standing in the middle of a Berlin club, dancing, without any friends. She tries to connect with people, but no one really bites. Until she meets four Berlin men, who are interested in her company. Without giving anything away, thing go downhill pretty quickly.
Like I stated before, the film is one long take. And that’s very impressive. We go from clubs, to Berlin suburbs, a roof, an underground garage to a hotel. This gives “Victoria” extra intensity.
It also asks a lot from the actors. The script was apparently only 12 pages long and the actors mostly improvised. It’s brilliant to see how leading actress Laia Costa gets into her role and keeps your attention the entire runtime.
“Victoria” is a film that everyone that has the slightest insight in films can appreciate. If you see this film, you will understand what I mean.

Rating: 4,5/ 5