90s Movie Review - The Witches

Director: Nicolas Roeg
Genre: Horror/ Family/ Fantasy
Runtime: 91 minutes
Year: 1990
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Mai Zetterling, Jasen Fisher, Jane Horrocks, Anne Lambton, Rowan Atkinson, Bill Paterson, Brenda Blethyn, Charlie Potter, Sukie Smith, Rose English, Jenny Runacre, Annabel Brooks, Emma Relph, Nora Connolly

Description: A young boy stumbles onto a witch convention and must stop them, even after he has been turned into a mouse.

Review: There are certain children’s movies, that aren’t actually children’s movies. “The Witches” is one of those, based on a book by Roald Dahl. There is more to it, things that kids would probably not understand or will overlook. Director Nicolas Roeg had to adapt his style. We know him from movies like “Don’t Look Now”, they are full of symbolic, double meanings and aren’t chronologic. In “The Witches” it’s all very clear and the story is told chronologic. The mystery isn’t in the theme, but the dark characters, beautiful camera work and special effects. The grand high witch, wonderfully played by Angelica Huston, is truly scary. As a kid, it freaked me out. And the two talking mice look realistic, especially for that time.
Character Luke is the typical Roald Dahl hero, a brave kid with a big heart. And grandma is likeable. Rowan Atkinson catches your eye as the clumsy hotel manager, but it’s Angelica Huston that shines. She portrays pure evil, someone that will haunt many children’s nightmares.
The camera work is very well done. The scenes with Luke and Bruno as mice are shot wonderfully, it’s seen from a very low perspective.
The negative is the ending. Director Roeg changed the ending. As a big fan of Roald Dahl’s work, that’s not appreciated.
All in all, “The Witches” is an excellent adaptation of the classic children’s book. A bit too scary for the little ones, but the story was very well executed.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Jungle

Director: Greg McLean
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Thomas Kretschmann, Alex Russell

Description: A group of friends join a guide for a trek into the Bolivian jungle, searching for an Indian village. The men soon realize that the jungle is a difficult place to be.

Review: Daniel Radcliffe exchanges his nerdy look for a more rugged backpackers look for this intense survival drama. A bit predictable, but with a strong performance by Radcliffe.
The film is based on the true story of Yossi Ginsberg and his travel companions. They decide on the search for an Indian village in the Bolivian jungle. A guide escorts them, but they group realizes it’s not an easy task. The jungle becomes their biggest enemy.
Daniel Radcliffe has come a long way from the Harry Potter films that made him a star. He never managed to lose that image, but he comes awfully close here. He shows that he can be a strong performer.
It’s beautifully filmed and the way it’s showed to us how Yossi hallucinates is shot really well too.
It’s not very special overall, but it is a solid survival drama.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Reviews - Lady Bird

Director: Greta Gerwig
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts, Lucas Hedges, Timothée Chalamet, Beanie Feldstein, Jordan Rodrigues, Odeya Rush

Description: In 2002, an artistically inclined seventeen-year-old girl (Saoirse Ronan) comes of age in Sacramento, California.

Review: What do you want to be when you grow up? Many people who are on their dead bed don’t even know the answer to that question. But for some it’s clear very early on in which direction their life is going. For some it’s an eternal search. Teenager Lady Bird is somewhere in between. But can you blame other fort his?
Actress Greta Gerwig already wrote a handful of screenplays and made her directorial debut about a decade ago. But with “Lady Bird” she shows herself as a true filmmaker. The central character in this coming-of-age story is teenager Lady Bird and her search for her purpose in life. And her relationship with her mother is a big part of that. One moment they are listening to an audiobook together in the car, filled with emotion. The next minute, Lady Bird throws herself out of that car after a discussion with her mom.
She is actually called Christine, but because she is bored of the dull life in Sacramento, she decides to give herself the name Lady Bird.
The quest for adulthood is a common given in movies, because it makes room for character development. And that’s something that keeps a dramedy interesting. But in “Lady Bird” everything falls into the right place. And not only because of Greta Gerwig. Also actress Saoirse Ronan, who plays the title role.
“Lady Bird” is not the kind of film with rigorous twists or melodramatic changes and happenings. And this all makes this film very relatable. And Gerwig doesn’t force a moral on you either.
Not only Ronan deserves praise. Also her movie mom, played by Laurie Metcalfe, deserves to be mentioned.
“Lady Bird” is an excellent coming-of-age story, very well performed by Ronan and Metcalfe and a great director Greta Gerwig.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - Tully

Director: Jason Reitman
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Ron Livingston, Mark Duplass

Description: Marlo (Charlize Theron), a mother of three hires a night nanny (Mackenzie Davis) to help with her newborn.

Review: Since her role in “Monster”, Charlize Theron belongs with the best of the best in Hollywood. For her role in “Tully”, Theron gained a lot of weight to get ready for the role.
Theron plays Marlo, a mother of three. She just gave birth to her third child and because she feels like dealing with everything on her own, she hires a night nanny, named Tully. At first Marlo feels uncomfortable around Tully, but they develop a strong bond. Why Marlo and her husband are having a third child is a big question, since their son is hard to handle and very difficult to read. And with the birth of daughter Mia, motherhood is officially too much for Marlo. 
When Tully enters her life, Marlo starts loving life again. And even her marriage gets a boost. But eventually Marlo can’t be without Tully anymore.
The contrast between Marlo and Tully is very big. Young versus old, free versus bound, energetic versus exhausted: it’s a little predictable. The focus is on the two of them and Marlo’s husband Drew hardly gets any attention.
Charlize Theron is really strong. A beautiful actress like her who always dares to be ‘ugly’ and show the human side of a character.
It isn’t until the end of the movie, that you come to realize it was actually a good film. Because of that ending. Without that, this film is pretty standard.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Movie Reviews - Action Point

Director: Tim Kirby
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 84 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Christ Pontius, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Dan Bakkedahl, Eric Manaka, Joshua Hoover, Connor McVicker, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Johnny Pemberton, Michael Everson, Aidan Whytock, Matthew Peterson, Aidan Scott, Ashley Dickerson, Matt Schulze, Camilla Wolfson, Patrick De Langhe

Description: A daredevil (Johnny Knoxville) designs and operates his own theme park with his friends.

Review: What do you get when you combine “Jackass” with a true story about a dangerous amusement park. Well, “Action Point”. D.C. is the owner of that park, that doesn’t really care about any safety rules. Not very surprisingly this role is played by Johnny Knoxville.
The acting is not that good and the characters are very one-dimensional. And this film is constantly looking for a way to hurt Knoxville, like we’ve seen happen to him on “Jackass”.
They added a secondary storyline, about D.C. and his daughter and how he is about to lose custody over her. They didn’t really pay a lot attention to that part, it could have been left out.
“Action Point” is at times funny, but it had a lot more potential.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

Movie Reviews - Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 147 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Sean Harris, Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett, Alec Baldwin, Michelle Monaghan, Wes Bentley

Description: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team, along with some familiar allies, race against time after a mission gone wrong.

Review: Seldom do movies in a series get better by each release. But for the Mission: Impossible franchise that is definitely the case. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is the sixth film in the franchise and the best so far!
“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” was directed by Christopher McQuarrie and he also directed the sixth installment. The stunts and action sequences are bigger, more dangerous and more spectacular. And in this case, bigger is better. Tom Cruise still does all of his own stunts and that fascinates me. It helps the authenticity of the action sequences and makes it look amazing.
And the fight scenes are also fantastic. Perfectly choreographed. The same goes for the chase scenes. It doesn’t matter if it’s with cars, motorcycles or helicopters, they are all memorable. And then that bombastic music in the background.
But “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is more than just an action packed spectacle. The story is strong and so are the characters. Twists, turns and surprises, all present like any spy themed film should have.
If you are a fan of the franchise, you shouldn’t miss this one. “Mission: Impossible – Fallout” is the best film in the series.

Rating: 5 / 5

Movie Reviews - Ant-Man and the Wasp

Director: Peyton Reed
Genre: Adventure/ Action
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Judy Greer, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Pfeiffer, Laurence Fishburne

Description: As Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) balances being both a Super Hero and a father, Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Dr. Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) present an urgent new mission that finds the Ant-Man fighting alongside The Wasp to uncover secrets from their past.

Review: After the big spectacle that is “Avengers: Infinity War”, Marvel studios gives his fans a moment to breath, with the smaller but also important “Ant-Man and the Wasp”. The first film from 2015 was very well received and was a true joy to watch. With director Peyton Reed returning, we get a trusted and very solid sequel with a high tempo and a high entertainment level.
Scott Lang is home on house arrest and his allies Hank and Hope are wanted. But somehow to cross paths again and have to work together. Don’t expect big threats, but a more personal touch and individual life situations that are on the line.
Paul Rudd was already a big surprise as Scott Lang and again he does a great job. But the biggest enrichment in this film is the introduction of The Wasp, portrayed by Evangeline Lilly. Hope is a strong power woman, not afraid to take the lead or to get her hands dirty.
The humor is also what made the first film strong. Again clearly present in the sequel. Especially character Luis, played by Michael Peña. And Langs sassy daughter Cassie.
For an soactacular adventurous action movie, “Ant-Man and the Wasp”is fairly small and that is what Marvel needed right now. And the fans, after all we had to deal with in “Avengers”Infinity War”.
“Ant-Man and the Wasp” eventually doesn’t manage to live up to the first film, but it is a fun time, filled with humor and good characters. I really enjoyed it and it’s a movie I would rewatch.

Rating: 3,5 / 5