Movie Reviews - Isle of Dogs

Director: Wes Anderson
Genre: Animation/ Adventure
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Yoko Ono, Ken Watanabe, Fisher Stevens, Liev Shreiber, Courtney B. Vance, Angelica Huston

Description: Set in Japan, Isle of Dogs follows a boy's odyssey in search of his lost dog.

Review: Wes Anderson is a unique filmmaker. One we can’t compare to any other filmmaker in Hollywood. He shines with his humor, mix of arthouse and commercial cinema. That last is because of all the great actors and actresses he always manages to get. Anderson already proofed with “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, that stop-motion is right up his alley. And “Isle of Dogs” is another one of his masterpieces.
All Japanese vocals are translated by a translator, computer or exchange student. This is what we see at the start of “Isle of Dogs”. The barking of the dogs is indeed English. And it’s true. A lot of Japanese. And not all is translated, but that’s not necessary. The most important tale is told by the animals.
Dogs had to fight for their position in Japan for ages. But in the fictional metropole Megasaki, the four legged friends are no longer welcome. A dog virus broke out and mayor Kobayasho orders to send all the dogs to a trash island. The dogs try to make it their own place. But their peace is disturbed when Atari, the mayor’s nephew, crashes onto the island while looking for his dog Spots.
It’s clear Wes Anderson is not a big fan of 3D. All the dogs are almost always seen in a frontal position, from the side or from above. I love his style, it has charm and it’s never too much. You are amazed by everything without losing your focus of the story.
“Isle of Dogs” is a modern fable about (literally) and underdog that tries to better the situation with unity, wit and humor. Wes Anderson has done it again!

Rating: 5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle

Director: Jake Kasdan
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 119 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Karen Gillan, Kevin Hart, Bobby Cannavale, Colin Hanks

Description: Four teenagers are sucked into a magical video game, and the only way they can escape is to work together to finish the game.

Review: It could have been another useless reboot or nostalgia trip; with Jake Kasdan as a director you expect nothing more than a cliché film. But “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” was surprisingly fun and not bad at all. A movie that actually uses the talent of its cast, a beautiful setting and believable characters. What a surprise!
The first minute are a nod to the original board game from the first film. Somehow the game is changed into a videogame. Four high school students that are in detention, find this game and decided to play it. They pick their characters and instead of the game entering our world, the kids are sucked into the game. Becoming their characters and having to save Jumanji.
The nerdy Spencer becomes the buff and brave Dr. Bravestone. Wallflower Martha turns into man killer Ruby Roundhouse. Jock Fridge now has to deal with a much shorter self, who is a zoologist. And popular and self-loving Bethany, becomes a middle aged man who specializes in reading maps, archeology and paleontology.
At first, the body switch gives a simple and predictable jokes. But the concept stays interesting throughout the whole film, without become lame and juvenile. Dwayne Johnson, who is now the embodiment of a shy and nerdy kid, does this very convincing. And Karen Gillan really does a great job awkwardly dealing with her body language. Jack Black was probably my favorite, a teenage girl trapped inside a middle aged man’s body. Kevin Hart is the least convincing of the four, because he plays himself instead of the character trapped inside of him.
It’s very clever to turn the Jumanji game into a videogame and this makes for a fun and entertaining setting. The characters have strengths and weaknesses and there are clear rules. And the whole décor is fantastic!
Although I love the original “Jumanji” movie, this film isn’t timeless. The special effects of this film are a bit outdated, but overall I still love it. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” really surprised me and I really liked it. A lot!

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - Ready Player One

Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 140 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance, T.J. Miller, Simon Pegg, Lena Waithe

Description: When the creator of a virtual reality world 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.

Review: Author Ernest Cline, who wrote “Ready Player One”, images a grim 2045: the world is a big garbage pile, stacked campers are used as homes and all the worldly problems are ignored. Mankind rather gets lost in ‘The Oasis’, an amazing computer simulation designed by James Halliday. With X-Wings, King Kond, T-Rex and Deloreans, this film is filled with nostalgia. And the book seemed unfilmable. Until Steven Spielberg reported for duty.
In its core, “Ready Player One” feels a bit like the story of Willy Wonka. When James Halliday dies, he scatters three keys through the Oasis. De first player to find all three, becomes the owner of the Oasis. Like Roald Dahl’s classis, the protagonist Wade Watts is a poor kid that has to fight ambitious competition.
The charm of “Ready Player One” isn’t in the fairytale-like tale or even the nostalgia bomb that’s being dropped. It’s the way people communicate through movie quotes and pop-culture. And everyone lives in the past.
I never read the book, so I can’t compare. But friends told me, that the essence of the book and the characters stay intact. Wade is a bit awkward and Samantha is charming. You might even say that the characters have a bit more depth in the film.
“Ready Player One” is an awesome film adventure. Although very busy, Spielberg manages to find a balance. The film has some moments that are a bit too sweet and it’s not one of Spielberg’s new masterpieces. But it’s a joy for every genre fan and people that love nostalgia and pop culture.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - Rampage

Director: Brad Peyton
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Naomi Harris, Malin Akerman, Joe Manganiello, Marley Shelton

Description: When three different animals become infected with a dangerous pathogen, a primatologist (Dwayne Johnson) and a geneticist team up to stop them from destroying Chicago.

Review: When albino gorilla George gets infected with a genetic substance, primatologist David Okoye has to try and protect his friend.
“Rampage” is based on an arcade game from 1986. In this game, you would go through a city as a giant gorilla, lizard or wolf and try to sabotage the army. A simple concept and perfect for an entertaining monster movie.
There is a little more context here. It’s explained why the animals grow to be so big. And we are introduced to human characters that we should sympathize with or hate.
“Rampage” is a destructive monster movie, with not enough of the monsters. It look good, the animals look great. Dwayne Johnson does what he does best. Being a damn charming action hero.
Fun and entertaining, that’s all.

Rating: 3 / 5

Movie Reviews - Paddington 2

Director: Paul King
Genre: Adventure/ Family/ Comedy/ Fantasy
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Ben Wishaw, Sally Hawkins, Hugh Bonneville, Imelda Staunton, Michael Gambon, Peter Capaldi, Hugh Grant, Brendan Gleeson, Julie Walters, Jim Broadbent

Description: Paddington (Ben Wishaw), now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen.

Review: The British have a thing for bears, at least when it comes to children’s literature. Pooh, Rupert, SuperTed, Baloo. And they also have a special place for Paddington, with his signature red hat and blue coat. The first film, I liked very much. It was loveable and heartwarming. But “Paddington 2” I absolutely love and is even more loveable and heartwarming!!!
Paddington lives a happy life with the Brown family and puts a smile on all his neighbor’s faces. His wish is to find the perfect gift for his aunt Lucy, who lives in South America. Because aunt Lucy also dreams of a trip to London, Paddington finds an antique pop-up book about the British capitol. He gets a job to earn money to buy this gift.
If you don’t like this movie, you seriously suck! It’s only the British that can manage to add so much humor and warmth to a film like this. There is a good mix of adventure, tension, slapstick humor and tenderness. Even the extreme situation of Paddington going to jail, is brought to us with warmth and heart. Paddington is an example for us, he stays polite in every situation, without being annoying or sugar sweet.
Hugh Grant plays the villain in this second film. He is a egotistical, self-loving actor, who has his eyes on the same book as Paddington. But for other reasons. And Grant is really solid as the bad guy.
You don’t have to be a kid to love this film. “Paddington 2” puts an instant smile on your face. I love this film!

Rating: 5 / 5

Movie Reviews - The Meg

Director: John Turteltaub
Genre: Action
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jason Statham, Cliff Curtis, Rainn Wilson, Ruby Rose, Bingbing Li, Winston Chao, Masi Oka, Jessica McNamee, Page Kennedy, Robert Taylor

Description: After escaping an attack by what he claims was a 70-foot shark, Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) must confront his fears to save those trapped in a sunken submersible.

Review: Shark movies are kind of my guilty pleasure, I love watching them, good or bad. As far as I know, “Jaws” is the only perfect movie in this subgenre. “The Meg” is definitely not a masterpiece, but for what it is, it’s a super fun film to watch.
Jason Statham plays Jonas Taylor, an expert in submarine rescues. His help is wanted when a deep sea expedition has gone wrong and his ex-wife and her colleagues are stuck on the bottom of the ocean. It’s a new discovered area and this is not the only thing they discover. It also has a 25 meter shark down there: a megalodon that was claimed to be extinct.
The barrier is broken and the megalodon swims into the deep blue sea. And ‘the meg’ is extremely strong, hungry, aggressive and fast and could easily bite through a whale. Reason enough for Jonas to stop this animal. Together with the expedition team, he is determined to kill it.
When a director takes a movie like this too serious, it’s instantly a bad film. John Turteltaub knows what it is and doesn’t fall into that trap. This film is never too serious and it’s a big wink to those films that do. Yes, it’s over the top sometimes and no the depth of the plot isn’t really great. But it fits here.
“The Meg” is extremely entertaining, especially when you love shark movies. It has the right amount of humor, a cool hero and pretty good visuals. And it has a high rewatchability level. If you go in thinking it’s another “Jaws”, you will hate it. But it’s not even pretending to be “Jaws”.
For what it is, “The Meg” is a fun movie, a perfect summer blockbuster without too much substance. And I actually loved Jason Statham in this film (usually not a big fan). So if you go in with minimal expectations and shut of your brain for two hours, you’re going to have a blast!

Rating: 3,5 / 5

80s Movie Review - An Officer and a Gentleman

Director: Taylor Hackford
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 124 minutes
Year: 1982
Starring: Richard Gere, Debra Winger, Louis Gossett Jr. David Keith, Robert Loggia

Description: A young man (Richard Gere) must complete his work at a Navy Flight school to become an aviator, with the help of a tough gunnery sergeant (Louis Gossett Jr.) and his new girlfriend (Debra Winger).

Review: “An Officer and a Gentleman” is seen as one of the most romantic films of the 80s. the movie has so many efficient clichés, that it’s no surprise it’s so popular: the impossible love between a man in uniform and a working girl, the choice between heart and mind.
Richard Gere, who broke through two years earlier with “American Gigolo”, really rose to the top after “An Officer and a Gentleman”. And I think every woman was in love with his character Zack Mayo, especially after that scene where he picks up Paula in the factory, wearing the white uniform. Louis Gossett Jr. got an Academy Award for his role as Sgt. Emil Foley. And well deserved.
“An Officer and a Gentleman” has a lot to offer. Good acting, strong story, classic romance, drama and a good soundtrack. I can totally understand why it’s my mother’s favorite movie. It’s actually because of her that I love this movie so much too.

Rating: 5/ 5