100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 132: Call Me By Your Name

Director: Luca Guadagnino
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 132 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Armie hammer, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Timothée Chalamet, Esther Garrel, Peter Spears, Elena Bucci, Victoire Du Bois, Antonio Rimoldi, Andre Anciman, Marco Sgrosso, Vanda Capriolo

Description: In Northern Italy in 1983, seventeen year-old Elio begins a relationship with visiting Oliver, his father's research assistant, with whom he bonds over his emerging sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the beguiling Italian landscape.

Review: “Call Me By Your Name” is the kind of movie that will make you sit through the credits with tears in your eyes. It’s not a sad movie, it’s a movie about love. And that a beautiful thing like love, can also make your hurt.
Timothée Chalamet is a force of nature. His character Elio will make you live life to the fullest and will make you want to fall in love too. Hopefully we will see more of him in the future.
Armie Hammer is so good in “Call Me By Your Name”. Oliver is endearing and caring, but also sexy and human. He cares for Elio and his love for him is so sincere.
That monologue that Michael Stuhlbarg gave towards the end of the film, really touched my heart in all the right spots. So raw and honest.
I’m really glad I got to see it. I hope more people will, because it’s a fantastic film. One of the best of 2017.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 131: Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Director: Rian Johnson
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Fantasy/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 152 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Daisy Ridley, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Gwendoline Christie, Benicio Del Toro, Laura Dern, Lupita Nyong’o, Warwick Davis, Peter Mayhew, Kelly Marie Tran

Description: Rey (Daisy Ridley) develops her newly discovered abilities with the guidance of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill), who is unsettled by the strength of her powers. Meanwhile, the Resistance prepares to do battle with the First Order.

Review: As a fan of the Star Wars franchise, I am relieved. It’s a good one! “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” was already a great start of a new Star Wars series and I was extremely excited for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”. Director Rian Johnson took over from J.J. Abramds and manages to impress with a good mix of action, character moments, humor and drama.
“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” showed that the franchise still had the magic, we saw old heroes and new ones stole our hearts. Rian Johnson had a difficult task. He clearly respects and loves the Star Wars universe, but is also not scared to make it his own, especially with the humor he adds to it. The meeting between Rey and Luke Skywalker is great, but really nothing like you’d expect.
The film doesn’t focus on the training that Rey is undergoing, but more the inner struggle and insecurities of Rey. Daisy Ridley really does a great job. She is looking for her identity and in this she has a connection with Kylo Ren, who is also dealing with some struggles. How much are they alike and which character trade will eventually dominate?
I loved the fact that Poe Damercon, played by Oscar Isaac, had a bigger role in this film. He’s a character a liked from the start, also thanks to his sidekick BB-8, but his character was a little underused in the previous film. We got to know him better and he had a more important role too.
The return of Mark Hamill to the franchise probably made every nerd heart beat a little faster. And I have to say he was the best Luke Skywalker ever. I loved him in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”. Also in combination with Daisy Ridley.
The addition of the Porgs was exactly right. I expected them to be as annoying as Jar Jar Binks in “Star Wars: The Phantom Menace”, but they were in it just enough to make them loveable and not annoying.
The storyline of Finn and Rose is probably my only negative of the film. It took the pace out of the film a little bit and wasn’t as interesting. And off course the last performance of Carrie Fisher. It’s a bit heart breaking, but I loved seeing her one last time as Leia.
“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” was really good. I enjoyed it very much and wasn’t disappointed one bit. It’s not better than “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, but certainly an excellent sequel. I would say they are equal.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 130: The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Genre: Drama/ Thriller/ Mystery
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Alicia Silverstone, Bill Camp

Description: Steven (Colin Farrell), a charismatic surgeon, is forced to make an unthinkable sacrifice after his life starts to fall apart, when the behavior of a teenage boy (Barry Keoghan) he has taken under his wing turns sinister.

Review: Yorgos Lanthimos has an interesting mind. Just look at “The Lobster”. “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” is not any different. It’s a complete mystery what the film really means, but it gives you enough material to think about.
The film also marks the second collaboration between Lanthimos and actor Colin Farrell, who seems right in his place in this absurd world. Farrell plays Steve, a successful heart surgeon with an apparent perfect life: he has a good job where he gets praised for, a huge house, a beautiful and successful wife and two talented kids. Outside work, Steven often talks to teenager Martin. What the connection between the two is, stays a secret for a while, but you know something’s going on. The two meet each other in a café, are very polite to one another and exchange gifts.
When Martin is invited to Steven’s home, the rest of the family really like to have him around. But not for long. Things are going terribly wrong with the family and it feels like somehow Martin’s presence causes this all. From that moment on, the movie becomes darker, more psychological and it leans towards horror. The absurd tone of Lanthmos’ style is still present, but “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” has a lot more scary elements then his previous films. Mostly because of Barry Keoghan’s performance. He manages to portray Martin very well. He is always polite, but there is also a constant threat that is hard to put your finger on.
Not only the cast is doing really well, also Lanthimos as a director. His camera work, the dialogues, the shots, every detail. He knows how to make the audience feel uncomfortable.
I think it’s safe to say, that Yorgos Lanthimos is not a director for the mainstream audience. But once you get used to his style a but, you can clearly see that “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” is one of the best movies of 2017.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 129: Deepwater Horizon

Director: Peter Berg
Genre: Action/ Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Kurt Russell, Gina Rodriguez, John Malkovich, Dylan O’Brien, Kate Hudson

Description: A dramatization of the disaster back in April 2010, when the offshore drilling rig called the Deepwater Horizon created a giant explosion, which created the worst oil spill in American history.

Review: In April of 2010, the biggest oil spill in American history took place in the Gulf of Mexico. Because of a massive leak, oil seeped into the water for almost three months. This oil disaster also had some explosions and heavy fires. This is perfect material for Hollywood. And normally these kind of stories turn into sappy films about heroic people who are praised. That’s at least what I was expecting. But “Deepwater Horizon” is a lot better than I expected it to be and it’s not a sentimental disaster film at all.
Director Peter Berg used the book “Deepwater Horizon’s Final Hours” as his inspiration. It’s basic facts and not a bunch of heroic characters and sentiment. The characters in this film are based on actual people that survived this disaster. And Berg doesn’t try to make anything look better or more beautiful than it is. The central character is technician Mike Williams, who leaves a wife and daughter at home and travel to the platform for three weeks. Williams is accompanied by Andrea Fleytas, a tough young lady working in a men’s world. On board of the Deepwater Horizon, that functions as an explorer to find new oil sources, the team leader is determined to get everything check on safety. The big shots don’t think this is necessary and feel like everything is safe enough, they need to drill. Off course, things go wrong.
Hectic and chaos, not very surprising in a disaster movie. Berg didn’t take the time to be all technical about the cause of the disaster, thank goodness. And the connection between Wahlberg’s character and his wife at home is not turning into a tear jerking and is kept to a minimal. It’s just enough to know that something is terribly wrong and that Williams is a family man.
Berg excels in great shots of impressive explosions and the immense sea of fire. The film keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s a surprising film, because I expected just another over-sentimental disaster film. I was wrong, and I love that actually! “Deepwater Horizon” is a surprisingly great film.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 128: The Purge: Election Year

Director: James DeMonaco
Genre: Thriller/ Horror/ Action
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Elizabeth Mitchell, Frank Grillo, Mykelti Williamson

Description: Former Police Sergeant Barnes (Frank Grillo) becomes head of security for Senator Charlie Roan (Elizabeth Mitchell), a Presidential candidate targeted for death on Purge night due to her vow to eliminate the Purge.

Review: After a two year break, the Purge returns. It’s a yearly event, where any crime can be committed without any consequences. This time it has a political touch. The elite and corrupt government wants to stop all the people who are against the Purge. Starting with Senator Charlie Roan, running for president and wanting to end the Purge.
“The Purge” and “The Purge: Anarchy” were original and had a low budget, but did pretty well. They weren’t masterpieces and felt like B-movies because of the cheap dialogues and jump scares. Director James DeMonaco managed to improve some points in this sequel.
The movie takes its time to introduce some of the characters. Like Joe, the owner of a small local store. Laney, the pacifist. Charlie Roan, the idealistic presidential candidate. And Leo Barnes, her personal bodyguard. The characters cross each other’s paths, no unnecessary plot twist or cheap dialogues (okay, maybe some).
“The Purge: Election Year” looks better then the other two, but there is still room to scare more. The film has two tones: it sometimes feels satirical, but it also provides social comments. Those tones don’t work together well, they clash.
“The Purge: Election Year” is very watchable.

Rating: 3/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 127: A Monster Calls

Director: J.A. Bayona
Genre: Drama/ Fantasy
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Lewis MacDougall, Sigourney Weaver, Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell

Description: A boy (Lewis MacDougall) seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mother's (Felicity Jones) terminal illness.

Review: Your own fantasy to escape reality and all the misery in your life. To make life more bearable, kids are even more capable then adults to let their free spirit speak. Many films and books have these themes and it often happens in a very subtle way. Look at modern fairytales “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Wizard of Oz”. it’s often the adults that disturb the dream. In “A Monster Calls” there is something different happening. A bullied boy tries to cope with his mother’s illness and thanks to her, he can escape reality for a while.
Almost every night it happens: the 13 year old Conor O’Malley wakes up in sweat, after having that some scary nightmare. In this dream he sees the church across his house collapse and his mother disappears in the hole that appears. Conor can’t save his mom. In real life, his mother is battling an aggressive form of cancer.
In school Conor’s life isn’t any better, because he is the center of attention for the bullies. The only thing that keeps him going is his art, he makes the most amazing drawings. One night, at seven minutes past twelve, Conor sees the tree across his house come to life and turn into a nameless monster. He shall tell Connor three stories, but the fourth story has to be Connor’s. It’s an adaptation of the children’s book by Patrick ness. Director J.A. Bayona doesn’t sugarcoat things, just because it targets a younger audience. Conor’s life is pretty miserable at the moment. It’s not only a very sick mother and the bullying. Conor also has to deal with a grandmother he can’t get along with and a father that is hardly every around and started a new family in the US. That tree coming to life is just as scary as the harsh reality Conor has to deal with very day.
Because of this, “A Monster Calls” is a drama, with fantasy elements. The visuals are subtle and sober, but it looks stunning. The young lead, playing Conor, has a tough task. He basically has to carry this film. And he did a pretty good job. The fact that Conor feels alone in this battle is well portrayed.
“A Monster Calls’ shows how strong the power of imagination can be and how it can help you in the most awful situations. It’s a beautiful film.

Rating: 4/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 126: Why Him?

Director: John Hamburg
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 111 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Bryan Cranston, James Franco, Zoey Deutch, Megan Mullally, Keegan-Michael Key, Cedric the Entertainer

Description: A holiday gathering threatens to go off the rails when Ned Fleming (Bryan Cranston) realizes that his daughter's (Zoey Deutch) Silicon Valley millionaire boyfriend (Jame Franco) is about to pop the question.

Review: Ned and Barb are being invited to spend the holidays with their daughter Stephanie. Once they arrive, they meet her new boyfriend Laird, who isn’t exactly the ideal son in law.
“Why Him?” is a pretty funny comedy, directed by John Hamburg. A father meeting his daughter’s new boyfriend isn’t a new concept, but the cast makes it better then you would expect. I think James Franco is very funny, but his personal assistant (played by Keegan-Michael Key) steals the show in his scenes.
“Why Him?” doesn’t work all the time. Bryan Cranston doesn’t really shine and some of the jokes are a bit distasteful. It’s a comedy that will entertain you while having a lazy day on the couch. Funny yet missing the mark sometimes.

Rating: 3/ 5