Movie Reviews - Uncut Gems

Director: Bennie Safdie, Josh Safdie
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 135 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Adam Sandler, Keith Williams Richards, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel

Description: A charismatic New York City jeweler always on the lookout for the next big score makes a series of high-stakes bets that could lead to the windfall of a lifetime. Howard (Adam Sandler) must perform a precarious high-wire act, balancing business, family, and encroaching adversaries on all sides in his relentless pursuit of the ultimate win.

Review: Because of lies and making the wrong choices, jeweler Howard Ratner gets increasingly cornered in the Netflix-original film “Uncut Gems”. Adam Sandler in a completely different type of role, the best he has been. If you want to be taken seriously as a comedian, you have to also take on serious roles. That’s when you win prizes. Look at Jim Carrey, who took a turn for the serious roles in movies like “The Truman Show” or “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, or Robin Williams, who won an Oscar for his role in “Good Will Hunting” and earned a nomination for “Dead Poets Society”. This time it’s Adam Sandler, the uncrowned king of juvenile comedy, who proofs he has a serious side. In “Uncut Gems” he plays the gambling addicted jeweler and it’s the best he has ever been. And only an awkward nervous laugh is what you get, when you see him Sandler’s Howard Ratner get into trouble again.
Showing of a lot of bling, with his fake teeth and leather jacket. Howard is unreliable and so unsympathetic that it is hard to sympathize with him. The film has chosen a different path and avoids all the standards you would expect in a film like this. The style it is filmed in has a nervous touch and this tension is only added more with the soundtrack.
“Uncut Gems” is a surprising and entertaining film, filled with nervous energy. It is a bit long with over 2 hours of runtime. Adam Sandler gives a fantastic performance, even though the Academy Awards completely ignored him. I hope he decides to take on more roles like this.

Rating: 4 / 5

10s Movie Review - Parasite

Director: Bong Joon-Ho
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 131 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Kang-ho Song, Sun-kyun Lee, Yeo-jeong Jo, Woo-sik Choi, So-dam Park, Jeong-eun Lee, Hye-jin Jang, Ji-hye Lee, Ji-so Jung, Myeong-hoon Park, Seo-joon Park, Keun-rok Park

Description: All unemployed, Ki-taek and his family take peculiar interest in the wealthy and glamorous Parks, as they integrate themselves into their lives and get entangled in an unexpected incident.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 6: A MOVIE EVERYONE HAS SEEN BUT YOU

Review: South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho has been an established name in international film circles for years. Bong made his debut in 2000 with “Barking Dogs Never Bite”, but broke through in 2003 with the police thriller/comedy “Memories of Murder”. After that, he established his name with films like “The Host”, “Mother” and the English-language films “Snowpiercer” and “Okja”. With his latest film “Parasite” he won a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival, the most renowned film award in the world. “Parasite” is a layered and successful satire on South Korean class society that could have taken place in any capitalist society. Hilarious, unpredictable and not to be missed.
As in most of his film, Bong combines dark comedy with layered social criticism and a popular genre. It’s really hard to define just one genre for this film and it’s best to know as little as possible about “Parasite” before watching it. Because at first, it seems like a light hearted comedy, but it transforms into something completely different. And you realize it after it has already happened.
The premise seems simple: the poor Kim family live in a small basement-like apartment and can barely keep their head above water. Son Ki-Woo gets a unique possibility. An old schoolfriend of his is traveling to go to college and asks Ki-Woo to take over his tutoring job for the teenage daughter of the wealthy Park family. When he is accepted by the family, he manages to find a way to get his sister and his parents a job for the family. All under different names and they must not know they are related. His sister Ki-Jeong becomes the young son’s art teacher, father Ki-Taek becomes their driver and mother Chun-Sook gets a job as the new housekeeper.
The first act of the film is really funny, even hilarious at times. On one hand because of the way in which the Kims lie and deceive the Parks and allow the rich Parks to do so because they have become alienated from the world thanks to their wealth, and are purely focused on and within themselves. On the other hand, the implementation of Ki-Woo's plan works like a kind of heist film, including forging documents, costumes and coming up with convincing background stories. The Kims, however, do not rob a bank, but provide themselves with well-paid jobs in order to finally make a bit of a normal living. They can even afford wifi instead of having to steal it from their upstairs neighbors, which can only be received above their toilet.
With this given alone, “Parasite” would have been a successful film, but there is a turning point in the film (which I will not mention). This makes the film even better and more surprising and it keeps surprising until the end credits start rolling. Director Bong doesn’t only do this with an excellently and very well-crafted script, but also with visual metaphors, two fantastic set pieces and an outstanding cast.
And of course with the ancient contradictions between rich and poor. The Kims may be the crooks, but compared to the Parks they remain the sympathetic underdog. Until that turning point, after which everyone's world changes forever. Water plays an important role in “Parasite” and is masterfully used by Bong to emphasize the differences between the Parks and the Kims. But as the English saying goes: 'blood is thicker than water'.
“Parasite” is a must-see for every movie fan, because it will definitely be an unforgettable movie experience.

Rating: 5 / 5

10s Movie Review - Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Director: André Øvredal
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Zoe Margaret Colletti, Michael Garza, Gabriel Rush, Austin Abrams, Dean Norris, Gil Bellows, Austin Zajur, Natalie Ganzhorn, Lorraine Toussaint, Kathleen Pollard, Deborah Pollitt, Victoria Fodor, Marie Ward, Mark Steger, Javier Botet, Troy James, Kyle Labine, David Tompa, Karen Glave, Stephanie Belding

Description: On Halloween 1968, reclusive Stella and het two friends meet a mysterious drifter, Ramón, and uncover a sinister notebook of stories.

Review: Some names in Hollywood create high expectations. Like Guillermo del Toro for instance. “Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” has a screenplay written by Del Toro, who also produced the film. His name is on the poster. The film is loosely based on the short stories by Alvin Schwartz and directed by the Norwegian André Øvredal. But the film is a bit disappointing.
It's not a direct adaptation of Schwartz’ stories. Instead, some of his stories were bundled into a somewhat coherent narrative about the fears of the teenagers who play the main roles. It’s 1968, in a sleepy American town, where Both Halloween and the Vietnam war are awaiting. Teenager and aspiring writer Stella, her friends Auggie and Chuck and newcomer Ramón are running from a group of bullies and end up in a mysterious, abandoned house.
One day, a girl lived her and she wrote ghost stories in an old book. When Stella finds this book and takes it home, she finds out it is a very special book. There is some sort of a curse on it and the book starts to write stories about Stella and her friends. And whenever they appear in a story, their life isn’t safe.
Many of the almost isolated horror moments are confrontations between the teenager in question and a monster. People are chased, there is some growling and flickering lights, but the variation is hard to find. The only exception is a somewhat older teenager who is confronted with a huge pimple on her cheek before a school performance.
The film had such a promising starting point, but is overall not that special. The film does have some really creepy monsters, but overall it’s a film with a few cheap jump scares. But even for a scaredy-cat like me, this wasn’t the ‘scary story’ that the title promised me. It could have been so much more.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - 6 Underground

Director: Michael Bay
Genre: Action
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Mélanie Laurent, Dave Franco, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Ben Hardy, Corey Hawkins, Adria Arjona

Description: Six untraceable agents, totally off the grid. They’ve buried their pasts so they can change the future.

Review: Under the names One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six, six people work together to eliminate notorious criminals. They all disappeared by staging their own deaths. As ghosts from the past living in freedom, they are all brought together by One, a billionaire mastermind and leader of the team. With their unique skills, they start a mission to change the future. A mission in Florence brings them to Rovachs, the blood-thirsty dictator of Turgistan.
After Michael Bay broke through in the mid-90s with the spectacular action film “Bad Boys”, “The Rock” and “Armageddon”, he spend half of last century making Tranformers movies. From 2007 to 2017 he delivered us five films in this franchise. And they were all not that great. Which is pretty much the standard for a Michael Bay movie. They are all spectacular, but not that great. With a budget of 150 million dollars, Bay made the Netflix film “6 Underground”.
And from the first minutes of the film, you can see where that budget went, because like any Bay movie, it’s super flashy, sexy and over-the-top spectacular. Because the film looks fantastic.
As a viewer, you’re kind of searching for the how and what in the story. But there is hardly any time to take a breath and think about this. There is not really a very deep story here. But what this movie lacks even more is logic. Why is the death driver being replaced by a trained sniper? And is it just me or is One the worst person to be a leader of this team? And if they want to do good, why do they keep on driving into crowds and probably killing innocent people? I think a film like this doesn’t need logic, as long as it doesn’t take itself too serious. Unfortunately Michael Bay always takes himself very seriously.
Ryan Reynold is the lead in this action flick and he is surrounded by a cast that looks great on paper. And it doesn’t surprise you that all of them look beautiful, are almost flawless at what they do and don’t really have any depth. The dialogues are exchangeable and sometimes even unnecessary and the jokes feel like the ones that didn’t make it in any of the “Deadpool” films.
It's clear that “6 Underground” is all about the visual flair and spectacular action. Don’t expect any more then that.

Rating: 2,5 / 5

TV Show Review - Sex Education (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2020
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Aimee Lou Wood, Tanya Reynolds, Patricia Allison

Description: Teenager Otis (Asa Butterfield), with a sex therapist mother (Gillian Anderson), teams up with high school classmate Maeve (Emma Mackey) to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school.

Review: The first season of “Sex Education” was one of Netflix’ biggest surprises and a huge success overall. Although not for the faint-hearted, “Sex Education” season 2 is again e hit and I am longing for more.
The second season of the series starts with a somewhat explicit. Otis finally got comfortable with masturbation and in the opening scene we see him ‘enjoying himself’ in bed, the shower, the woods and in the car. The tone is set for season 2. Which starts with a chlamydia outbreak. A lot of naming and shaming and most of all hysteria at school. That last is what Otis claims it is. After he broke with friend Maeve, he is no longer consulting students about their sexual problems. But not for long, because this ‘outbreak’ brings them back together. But there is competition, in the form of his own mother, who is providing sex education at their school.
Season 2 is nothing new, but it has all the ingredients that make “Sex Education” great. Themes like love, friendship, violation, honesty, family, boundaries and being yourself are talked about in a light-hearted and heartfelt matter. The series is very outspoken and relatable and they makers don’t shy away to touch up on difficult themes.
I couldn’t recommend “Sex Education” enough, it’s a definite must-see. And season 2 lives up to the hype of the first season. I can’t wait for another season of Otis and his friends dealing with all these problems.

TV Show Review - Sex Education (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2019
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Gillian Anderson, Ncuti Gatwa, Emma Mackey, Connor Swindells, Kedar Williams-Stirling, Aimee Lou Wood, Tanya Reynolds, Patricia Allison

Description: Teenager Otis (Asa Butterfield), with a sex therapist mother (Gillian Anderson), teams up with high school classmate Maeve (Emma Mackey) to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school.

Review: People who are prudish can better ignore “Sex Education”. In this fantastic drama by Netflix, sexuality in the broadest sense of the word is examined and portrayed in a humorous, warm and sincere way. Less than a month after the release date, on February 1, 2019, Netflix announced that “Sex Education” would return for a second season. That's not surprising when you consider that within four weeks, an estimated 40 million households have watched the series.
“Sex Education” tells the story of Otis Milburn and his environment. Otis is sixteen, a virgin, a tad shy and struggling to masturbate. His mother Jean is a sex therapist, doesn’t do relationships and always over-analyzes her son. Together they live in a beautiful house in the English country side, which is covered with pornographic images, sex toys and erotic art. Jean works from home and advices clients about their sex lives. Even though Otis is unexperienced himself, he has a lot of psychological knowledge.
The series starts on the first day after the summer break. Otis and his best friend Eric ride their bikes to school. Eric tells Otis that all their classmates had sex this summer. Otis gives sex advice to Adam, the bully in school. And Maeve witnesses this and sees an opportunity. She convinces Otis to start a sec therapy clinic at school. And they discover that many kids in their school have issues with their sexuality. The way the story is told around Otis and his mates growing to adulthood is very refreshing.
Unlike other coming of age stories, “Sex Education” tackles the subject of sexuality in a more authentic way. Instead of just pure underpants fun, glorifying alcohol and drug use and romancing sex, there is more stratification and ambiguity in the way these subjects are dealt with in ”Sex Education”. In a light-hearted way, various sides of issues that are generally in the taboo area are addressed. For example racism, abortion, erection problems, panic attacks, feminism, homophobia, masturbation and revenge pornography. It is clever of the makers that they cover these subjects without the series turning into one big valley of tears. As far as I am concerned, that is the great strength of the series.
The acting lifts the series to a higher level. Asa Butterfield portrays Otis in a very special and sincere way. Gillian Anderson is brilliant as his free-spirited yet concerned mother with razor-sharp remarks. The rest of the cast consists mainly of newcomers who play excellently. For instance, Emma Mackey convinces as a rebellious teenager, Connor Swindells is a perfect bully and Aimee Lou Wood and Tanya Reynolds provide the necessary laughs as teenage girls on a voyage of discovery. Ncuti Gatwa deserves a special mention as Eric. It's amazing how he manages to play a dark, flamboyant, gay boy who effortlessly switches between comic, tragic and combative without going completely over the top. As far as I'm concerned, Ncuti is the great discovery of the series.
The series is also great visually. The use of color, the surroundings and the decoration are a feast for the eyes. Thanks to the clothing and choice of music, the series seems to take place in the 80s. Yet the characters all have smartphones and watch porn on computers. Several decades seem to merge into “Sex Education”. According to maker Laurie Nunn, the series is a tribute to 1980s films such as “The Breakfast Club” and “Pretty in Pink” by the king of teen comedy, John Hughes. The themes covered turn out to be universal and timeless. All in all, “Sex Education” is a more than successful, surprising series in the genre. A new favorite series for me!

10s Movie Review - Happy Death Day 2U

Director: Christopher Landon
Genre: Horror/ Thriller/ Comedy
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard Phi Vu, Suraj Sharma, Sarah Yarkin, Rachel Matthews, Ruby Modine, Steve Zissis, Charles Aitken, Laura Clifton, Missy Yager, Jason Bayle, Caleb Spillyards, Jimmy Gonzales, Peter Jaymes Jr., Rob Mello, Kenneth Israel, James W. Evermore

Description: Tree Gelbman (Jessica Roth) discovers that dying over and over again was surprisingly easier than the danger that lie ahead.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 5: A HORROR MOVIE

Review: Although a lot of sequels have been made for slasher films over the years, this type of film doesn't always lend itself to that. After all, many such films end with the unmasking and killing of the killer, which means that the makers have to wriggle into particularly strange curves in order to reduce this threat. Resurrections, copycats, successors... it's all been done before. The sequel to “Happy Death Day” actually uses a method that has probably never been used before in slasher history: a new killer because of an alternative universe. That probably sounds completely ridiculous, but actually fits perfectly in a series like this. After all, playing with time and space is already in the DNA of the first film.
A sequel to “Happy Death Day” may seem like a pointless undertaking because by the end everything was perfectly finished, but of course there was still a pressing question: why did the protagonist Tree constantly relive the same day? Admittedly, the main source of inspiration for “Groundhog Day” didn't explain why the grumpy weatherman Phil Connors kept waking up on the same day, but the approach of that film was that this protagonist had to learn how to become a better person and could use some resits. It is therefore quite plausible that there was a higher power behind it. In “Happy Death Day”it’s a little different, because it was a completely different type of film: a slasher with a wink, in which it was all about unmasking a murderer. Personal growth as a result of the situation was more a bonus than a requirement.
Fortunately, “Happy Death Day 2U” doesn't take long to figure out what it was all about: three of Tree's fellow students developed a machine in their university lab that accidentally created the time loop. Why exactly Tree ended up in it, and how she managed to leave it by surviving the day, are follow-up questions you shouldn't think about for too long. Tree sighs at a certain moment when she herself thought that her constant repetition of the same day might have had a comical reason, but now she just has to accept that she is the victim of the scientific banter of some overzealous students. So if you're disappointed with this statement: rest assured, the main character doesn't know what to think either.
There's no time for more contemplation, because to her great frustration Tree ends up back on the day she had to experience so many times in the first film. Maybe a somewhat easy-going starting point for a sequel, but fortunately there is variation in the circumstances. The day may be the same, but due to interdimensional travel some details differ in the well-known scenes. For example, Trees' boyfriend is now together with her bossy roommate, Tree is not having an affair with her teacher and her roommate is not going to let her live. Simple variations, but all so workable that this sequel does not become a predictable repetition of moves. From a meta-textual perspective, this approach fits pretty well. The attraction of sequel films is for the most part in the recognition, but without any variation, viewers soon get the feeling they are being bought. “Happy Death Day 2U” plays nicely with that...
By the way, the film starts with a nice piece of deception, by hinting that this time a supporting actor from the first film acts as the main character who gets caught in a time loop. This might have worked, even if you end up in the segment of the remake sequel: the same story but with different characters. In hindsight, it's a good thing that the familiar main character has been retained. All the knowledge and assertiveness that she acquired during the previous film is retained. Tree ends up in a universe where her mother is still alive, causing her to face a dilemma: stay here and settle into a life that is not quite hers, or return to the familiar life with all the loss that goes with it? Of course she will make the right decision at the end, but her development in the previous film is indispensable.
Many horror series gradually become a parody of themselves and although “Happy Death Day 2U” hasn't reached that point yet, this time the self-mockery is a lot more prominent than last time. This is also possible to neutralize the scientific hocus pocus, although it is also noticeable that in the humor the edge is regularly sought out. Tree always has to reset the day, which results in a remarkably corny montage of creative suicides. Even the nowadays almost obligatory set up for a future part turns out to be a part of a fun encore. “Happy Death Day 2U” may not be a hilarious comedy or a blood-curdling horror film, but in today's horror landscape it is at least one of the few films that dares to wink at its audience with pleasure.

Rating: 3 / 5