00s Movie Review - Ocean's Twelve

Director: Steven Sodenbergh
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Comedy/ Thriller
Runtime: 120 minutes
Year: 2004
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Bernie Mac, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Julia Roberts, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Carl Reiner, Shaobo Qin, Elliot Giuld, Vincent Cassel, Bruce Willis, Don Cheadle, Albert Finney

Description: Danny Ocean (George Clooney) once again teams up with experts so he can pull off three major European heists.

Review: Steven Sodenbergh’s “Ocean Twelve” demonstrates the difference between actors and movie stars: the film clearly lacks content, but is filled with beautiful images and gorgeous people. Loads of star power in this film, but rarely do they show their acting skills.
Where “Ocean’s Eleven” has a clear vision and plot, “Ocean’s Twelve” doesn’t really seem to care about the plot. Because it’s really of no importance at all. Danny Ocean and his companions are yet again trying to pull off three major heists. This time in three European countries: The Netherlands, Italy and France.
The other story that we follow is that of an elusive thief called Night Fox. He is in everything the cliché of the flamboyant jewel thief: a rich French baron who was trained by the best thief of all time, he steals purely for fun and leaves a small stone fox statue at the places he robs.
I really enjoyed the first film, but “Ocean’s Twelve” really dragged and was even boring at times. I did like the added humor, especially when Tess Ocean (played by Julia Roberts) had to pretend to be Julia Roberts. And with all those amazing stars in the film, it’s sad that actos like Don Cheadle and Elliot Gould don’t get the screen time they deserve. Because they are true scene stealers.
Overall, “Ocean’s Twelve” was just another cash grab.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

00s Movie Review - Ocean's Eleven

Director: Steven Sodenbergh
Genre: Crime/ Thriller/ Comedy
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2001
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Bernie Mac, Elliott Gould, Julia Roberts, Scott Caan, Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, Carl Reiner, Shaobo Qin, Holly Marie Combs, Barry Watson, Joshua Jackson, Topher Grace, Shane West

Description: Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.

Review: Danny Ocean just got out of jail and he’s already planning his next heist: the simultaneous robbing of three major casinos in Las Vegas. To carry out this daring plan, he assembles ten experts that, after extensive preparation, seems perfectly capable of getting the job done. However, it is questionable whether it will be that easy in reality, because casino owner Terry Benedict is smart and has cameras everywhere.
“Ocean’s Eleven” is a remake of the 1960 film of the same name. although in this case the term remake is very broad. Because Steven Sodenbergh’s version has some common ground with its predecessor it is essentially a completely different film. It starred Franks Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. among many others, and had the right atmosphere. But it lacked atmosphere and action. With Sodenbergh’s take on it, that’s different.
Their mission seems impossible at first, since the safe is very hard to access without being seen. But somehow the protagonists know how to find a surprising wat to bypass all security measures. Of course things go wrong, which add to the excitement of the film. The film has a lot of tension. The slick camera work and high star quality make for a great film. But it’s not perfect. The characters are largely one-dimensional. But don’t let this stop you from watching the film.
“Ocean’s Eleven” is almost two hours of entertainment.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

Title: The Surgeon
Series: Rizzoli & Isles (Book # 1)
Author: Tess Gerritsen
 
Description: A killer who targets lone women, who breaks into their apartments and performs terrifying ritualistic acts of torture on them before finishing them off. His surgical skills lead police to suspect he is a physician, a physician who, instead of saving lives, takes them. But as homicide detective Thomas Moore and his partner Jane Rizzoli begin their investigation, they make a startling discovery. Closely linked to these killings is Catherine Cordell, a beautiful doctor with a mysterious past. Two years ago she was subjected to a horrifying rape and shot and killed her attacker. Now the man she believes she killed seems to be stalking her once again, and this time he knows exactly where to find her…
 
Review: At night, the so-called Surgeon enters the bedrooms of unsuspecting women and proceeds with precision. The only hope for the police to expose him is Catherine Cordell, herself a victim of an almost identical crime. The only one she trusts are Thomas Moore and Jane Rizzoli, who do everything in their power to protect Catherine and expose the ruthless hunter.   
 
This was the first time reading a “Rizzoli & Isles” novel and “The Surgeon” is the first book in this series. And what a great book this was. In this first book detective Jane Rizzoli is introduced, although as a reader it feels more like you’re reading the story of Catherine Cordell. However, I didn’t care at all when I finished the book.
 
The story is incredibly good and the tension continues until the end. I got sucked in and it was a real page-turner. There is good character development and they have depth and dimension. You really get to know the main characters well and personally.
 
The book uses a lot of medical terms, but very-well explained without becoming to simplistic. And it often gets very explicit, when it comes to the details of the murders. So if you have a weak stomach, this is a tough read. Author Tess Gerritsen does not shy away from describing an autopsy or crime scene in extreme detail. And since I love details, this worked perfect for me. It gave me a picture in my head, so I could actually see it myself.
 
“The Surgeon” is a great, exciting thriller. It got me curious about the other books in this series.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - The Hunt

Director: Craig Zobel
Genre: Action/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz, Ethan Suplee, Emma Roberts, Justin Hartley, Wayne Duvall, Amy Madigan

Description: Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know were they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chose, for a specific purpose: The Hunt.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 42: A MOVIE RATED FRESH ON ROTTEN TOMATOES

Review: To start it off: “The Hunt” is not for the faint of heart, since it’s very violent and there is a lot of bloodshed. Already in the opening phase, it becomes clear that a group of rich and influential people with a private jet are on their way to an unknown location to hunt down and kill innocent people. Once on location, the potential victims are dumped in the woods and then, one by one, fall prey to the trigger-happy hunters. The massacres are colorful, explicit and body parts fly all over the place.
Although the story seems to be secondary to all that bloodshed, after a bloody opening phase attention is paid to the characters and the motives of the elite group to hunt down innocent people. In the first part of the film, you’re not really sure who the main character is, because we follow several. When it’s eventually clear who we will stick with, this character is one of the most likeable ones.
“The Hunt” is a satire. I think that’s the reason why the audience is so divided in opinion. I think many people take it too seriously and don’t even get that it’s meant to be a satire. I think the scene where the first people are hunted makes it very clear.
I think “The Hunt” is a lot better than it gets credit for. The runtime is short, never drags and there isn’t a dull moment. The character development does suffer from that short runtime, because other then our main character, we don’t really get to know any of them. Their motives are explained, but only very briefly and not enough to actually care.
“The Hunt” is a very enjoyable action/ horror movie.  

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Five to Watch - Found-Footage Movies

It’s a real popular concept, the found-footage film. Especially in the horror genre. It all started with “The Blair Witch Project”, which was marketed as being an actual found-footage film, based on real footage. It of course wasn’t, but when you believed it, it was a pretty terrifying film. And the realism element of the held-hand camera adds to the scary effect. And since then we’ve had a great deal of found-footage films. A lot of bad one, but also some really good ones. I picked out five films that you might not have seen, that I think are either underrated or overlooked. Here are five found-footage movies you should definitely watch.  

Troll Hunter (2010)
A fun mockumentary about three students who go into the woods to make a documentary about bear poacher Hans. But then it turns out that Hans doesn’t hunt bears at all, but trolls, which he turns into stone with a special UV-gun as soon as they get too close to inhabited areas. In short: a Norwegian folklore variation on the horror classic “The Blair Witch Project”, with very dry humor and surprisingly successful special effects (despite the limited budget).
 

Rec (2007)
Reporter Angela Vidal makes a television report about the fire brigade in Barcelona. Little happens, until the team has to move out to an apartment building, where a woman seems to be in distress. Angela and her cameraman chase the firefighters with the camera. And then the screaming starts. Exciting and pretty bloody Spanish horror movie, especially effective because the evens are shown without interruption, in real time. A lot of the acting was improvised. It had an American remake (Quarantine, 2008) and several follow-up films.
 

The Bay (2012)
A boring fishing village is suddenly attacked by a mysterious outbreak: boils, swellings and internal bleeding, resulting in death, affect just about everyone who comes into contact with water from the Chesapeake Bay. Director Barry Levinson once researched pollution of that same bay for a documentary, but instead turned it into a docu-style horror movie.
 

Searching (2018)
A crime thriller with a twist. When his sixteen-year-old daughter disappears, single father David starts an intensive search on her laptop. What follows is a cinematic succession of images from Facebook movies, surveillance cameras, Facetime conversations, etcetera. The intention is clear: our whole life is digitally recorded and can be followed on the internet. The concept of this film is what makes it so unique and original, since the story itself isn’t at all. It’s an intense thriller.
 

Willow Creek (2013)
A young couple ventures into the woods to capture footage of bigfoot. “Willow Creek” is not very different from “The Blair Witch Project”. Instead of making a documentary about a witch, the couple in this film wants to find Bigfoot. Jim and Kelly go to the forest where the original Bigfoot legend comes from. On their way they interview people about this legend. Then they go off into the woods and camp out. That’s when it gets scary. It takes some time to get into, but when we’re about 45 minutes in, the movies gets haunting. Especially the long scene where the two are in a tent at night and hear sounds coming from the woods. And they get scarier and scarier. A very entertaining found-footage film
 

90s Movie Review - Basic Instinct

Director: Paul Verhoeven
Genre: Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 1992
Starring: Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Jeanne Tripplehorn, George Dzundza, Denis Arndt, Wayne Knight, Mitch Pileggi, Stephen Tobolowsky

Description: A violent police detective (Michael Douglas) investigates a brutal murder that might involve a manipulative and seductive novelist (Sharon Stone)

Review: If there was ever a film that deserved the title of ‘erotic thriller’, it’s this one. Even today, the sex scenes are very daring for a film that does not belong in the adult section. Of course “Basic Instinct” is most known for that one interrogation scene, but the film has way more to offer.
Sharon Stone’s name is so strongly associated with the film that you would almost forget thay she wasn’t the first choice. Michael Douglas suggested Kim Basinger, but she rejected the role. Michelle Pfeifer, Kathleen Turner, Geena Davis, Ellen Barkin and Marielle Hemingway also declined. The studio finally wanted Demi Moore, but then director Paul Verhoeven suddenly thought of Sharon Stone, with whom he had already worked in “Total Recall”. And she turned out to be the perfect choice for femme fatale Catherine Tramell.
Michael Douglas plays the somewhat shady San Francisco detective Nick Curran. He falls for the wrong women, other women fall for him. During a murder investigation, he falls head over heels in love with the main witness (and suspect), the beautiful author Catherine Tramell. She has a strange take on ‘research’: she bases her male characters in her novels on existing men. And to study them she sleeps with them. When the book is finished, these men are mercilessly dumped. She is now the prime suspect in the murder of a man who was killed with an icepick. The same method as in one of Catherine’s books.
“Basic Instinct” is one of Paul Verhoeven’s best films, filled with intrigue, mystery, sensuality and darkness. I actually can’t believe that I saw this film at a young age, because it’s pretty explicit. I don’t think Verhoeven could have gotten away with this film today, because Hollywood is a bit of a prude.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 24

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
In the early 1960s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) participate in a joint mission against a mysterious criminal organization, which is working to proliferate nuclear weapons.
 

Drama: The Revenant (2015)
A frontiersman (Leonardo DiCaprio) on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.
 

Comedy: The Cable Guy (1996)
A lonely and mentally disturbed cable guy (Jim Carrey) raised on television just wants a new friend. But his target, a designer (Matthew Broderick), rejects him, with bad consequences.
 

Animation: Monster House (2006)
Three teens discover that their neighbor’s house is really a living, breathing, scary monster.
 

Romance: The Reader (2008)
Post-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman (Kate Winslet) came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg (David Kross) re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.
 

Horror: The Shining (1980)
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where a sinister presence influences the father (Jack Nicholson) into violence, while his psychic son (Danny Lloyd) sees horrific forebodings from both past and future.
 

Science Fiction: War of the Worlds (2005)
As Earth is invaded by alien tripod fighting machines, one family fights for survival.
 

Crime: Se7en (1995)
Two detectives, a rookie (Brad Pitt) and a veteran (Morgan Freeman), hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.
 

Thriller: Identity (2003)
Stranded at a desolate Nevada motel during a nasty rain storm, ten strangers become acquainted with each other when they realize that they’re being killed off one by one.
 

Documentary: David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet (2020)
One man has seen more of the natural world than any other. This unique feature documentary is hi witness statement.
 

Family: Johnny English: Reborn (2011)
Johnny English (Rowan Atkinson) goes up against international assassins hunting down Chinese Premier Xiang Ping.