100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 109: Starter For 10

Director: Tom Vaughan
Genre: Comedy/ Romance/ Drama
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2006
Starring: James McAvoy, Alice Eve, Rebecca Hall, Dominic Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, James Corden, Charles Dance

Description: Set in 1985, working-class student Brian Jackson (McAvoy) navigates his first year at Bristol University.

Review: “Starter For 10” is based on a novel by David Nichols, one of my favorite authors. The film is set in the 80s, but it really looks like it was actually made in that era. Everything breaths 80s.
No special effects, no fancy camera positions, no tricks. This film’s strengths are in the nostalgic atmosphere, talented and strong actors and a well-directed script. Okay, sometimes it’s a bit cheesy and predictable. But it’s such a fun film.
I really love James Mcavoy in this coming-of-age story. As am 80s baby and hopeless romantic, “Starter For 10” is a win!

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 108: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Director: Burr Steers
Genre: Action/ Horror/ Romance
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Lily James, Sam Riley, Lena Heady, Charles Dance, Matt Smith, Bella Heathcote, Suki Waterhouse

Description: Five sisters in 19th century England must cope with the pressures to marry while protecting themselves from a growing population of zombies.

Review: “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is exactly what the title wants you to believe it is. Jane Austen’s good old tale “Pride and Prejudice”, but then with added zombies. 19th century women fighting off zombies.
A mash-up film like this can be extraordinary fun because of the contrasts between the two genres. And those moments, where the film mixes the genres and becomes half a parody and half something completely new, is where “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” is the strongest. Where the film tries to stick with the original romance novel, the film loses its power. Because we already know it and seen it.
For a film of this genre, it focuses too much on the original story, instead of the elements that make this story so special. We simply needed to have more of the zombies. Off course it’s also fun to see the moments from the original Austen novel, but we have other movies for that. It gets fun when the Bennet sister pull out weapons from their dresses and fight the undead.
Overall it’s a strange mix, although very entertaining. When the zombie element of the story had an overhand, “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” would have been much better. Still not a bad movie, but there was such potential.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 107: Carrie

Director: Kimberly Peirce
Genre: Drama/ Horror
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2013
Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Julianne Moore, Ansel Elgort, Judy Greer, Gabriella Wilde

Description: A shy girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), outcasted by her peers and sheltered by her religious mother (Julianne Moore), unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom.

Review: Hollywood has taken many of Stephen King’s novels as their inspiration. One of the bigger ones is “Carrie”, directed by Brian De Palma. It’s actually one of the few horror movies that got recognition from the Academy. It’s a pretty big job to top De Palma’s film. In 2013, Kimberly Peirce gave it a try, with this remake.
Peirce is known for “Boys Don’t Cry”. Her version of “Carrie” had to be a different take on King’s story. But Peirce doesn’t really succeed, because it’s nothing new and we’ve seen most of it before.
It follows the original pretty well, but also the horror genre in general. Like many horror remakes, “Carrie” doesn’t really focus on building the tension. There is more room for Carrie to experiment with her powers.
Chloë Grace Moretz, who plays Carrie, does manage to convince us. But Julianne Moore overshadows her, as Carrie’s extremely religious mother.
Sadly enough Kimberly Peirce wasn’t capable of finding new angles to present the film from. Bullying and social media are so topical, she could have turned “Carrie” into a contemporary horror film. Much further than a YouTube video, with no consequences, it doesn’t really go. We didn’t really need this remake.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched For My Challenge (September 2017)

This was a good month, because I saw a bunch of fantastic films. Here are my five favorites.

5. The Hitman’s Bodyguard
A super funny and harsh action comedy. I loved Samuel L. Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, apart and together. They make a great duo. And that scene with the nuns alone is reason enought to see it again.

4. Hidden Figures
A very inspiring story, about three black women making a change while working at Nasa. Based on a true story, rooting for women!!

3. It
Since I hate clowns, this was a big deal for me. The old "It" movie doesn't scare me anymore, but this is one of the scariest films I've seen. And also one of the best horror movies of the past years.

2. Brimstone
I'm a little proud to be Dutch now, because it was made by a Dutch director and has Dutch roots. It took him about 8 years to finish it and it was worth the wait.

1. Sing Street
I loved, loved, loved "Sing Street". The 80s time period, the 80s music, the characters, the story. It's so good. And I didn't even know about this film. One of the best films of 2016.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Life

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 106: Little Evil

Director: Eli Craig
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Adam Scott, Evangeline Lilly, Clancy Brown, Sally Field, Donald Faison

Description: Gary (Adam Scott), who has just married Samantha (Evangeline Lilly), the woman of his dreams, discovers that her six-year-old son may be the Antichrist.

Review: “Little Evil” follows Gary, who just married the woman of his dreams Samantha. She has a son, who Gary never really bonded with. Because he thinks Lucas is the antichrist.
“Little Evil” is a mix of comedy and horror, but it’s more comedy than it is horror. A movie like “This is the End” had the same set up, but is a lot more clever and sharp then this movie. The first half of the film is funny, I really liked that part. But towards the end I didn’t enjoy it as much.
Adam Scott is really fun, I always enjoy watching him in movies. In “Krampus”, which was also a horror and comedy mix, I liked him a bit more.
“Little Evil” is still fun to watch, but don’t expect too much.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 105: Need For Speed

Director: Scott Waugh
Genre: Action/ Crime
Runtime: 131 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Rami Malek, Dakota Johnson, Michael Keaton

Description: Fresh from prison, a street racer (Aaron Paul) who was framed by a wealthy business associate (Dominic Cooper) joins a cross country race with revenge in mind. His ex-partner, learning of the plan, places a massive bounty on his head as the race begins.

Review: Movies based on videogames don’t have a good reputation. When it’s a race game where the story barely even matters, the fans are skeptic. But “Need For Speed” has some tricks up its sleeve: a big budget, a talented cast and an ambitious director.
“Need For Speed” is based on the game with the same name, where the first part came out in 1994. The story is about Tobey Marshall, the owner of a garage and a talented street racer. When his garage has financial struggles, his arrogant rival Dino Brewster gets him to join an illegal street race, where the winner gets a large amount of money. The race ends up in disaster, when one of the cars makes a fatal crash. Dino gets out before he gets in trouble, but Tobey gets the blame for it. After two years of prison, he is determined to clear his name and take revenge on Dino.
Action movies like this don’t really need an intelligent plot or a surprising course of events. Beautiful cars and spectacular races and chases are enough. Director Waugh experimented with angles while filming those races: from the first person, from the sky, far away and up close. And he manages to make you feel that speed. And the stunts are real, no green screens. “Need For Speed” is visually very well done.
Aaron Paul does a good job and I really liked his chemistry with Imogen Poots. But the dialogue is so silly and clumsy sometimes. Michael Keaton is one of my favorites, but his role is a bit strange and I don’t know why he is in this film. His character seems unnecessary. And that strip scene by Rami Malek didn’t belong here either.
“Need For Speed” is filled with clichés, but this film does have something. The film never bored me, even though I have no connection with cars whatsoever. Maybe it was Aaron Paul…

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 104: Brimstone

Director: Martin Koolhoven
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Western
Runtime: 148 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, Carice van Houten, Kit Harington

Description: From the moment the new reverend (Guy Pearce) climbs the pulpit, Liz (Dakota Fanning) knows she and her family are in great danger.

Review: It took him seven years, but director Martin Koolhoven finally got his passion project “Brimstone” done. And I think all that work was worth it, because “Brimstone” is an impressive film. An American genre film, made by the Dutch.
We meet Liz, who has no tongue and can’t speak. When a new reverend arrives in her town, her peaceful life is history. Koolhoven tells the story between Liz and the reverend in four chapters. And this is fascinating.
Is “Brimstone” a typical western? You will definitely find some elements: dessert landscapes, prostitutes in saloons and gun duels. But they have been put to the background. Koolhoven knows his westerns, but he isn’t here to pay an homage to the genre. He gave it his own twist and focused more on the American religion in that time period. Koolhoven went against the grain, something that we need more of in Hollywood.
Dakota Fanning plays Liz and shakes off her teen image with this role. She is really good. Kit Harington, who is always a joy to watch for so many reasons, is the shady outlaw. I really liked seeing him in this role. Carice van Houten is one of our country’s biggest actresses and her role, although small, is really strong. But it is Guy Pearce that leaves the biggest impression. His portrayal of the reverend is terrifying in a way.
I’m not the biggest fan of Dutch cinema, even though I’m Dutch myself. But “Brimstone” is definitely a movie us Dutch people can be proud of. One of the best films from our country.

Rating: 5/ 5