90s Movie Review - Beverly Hills Cop III

Director: John Landis
Genre: Comedy/ Action
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 1994
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, Hector Elizondo, Theresa Randle, Timothy Carhart, Bronson Pinchot

Description: Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy), while investigating a car theft ring, comes across something much bigger than that: the same men who shot his boss are running a counterfeit money ring out of a theme park in Los Angeles.

Review: This is the third time Eddie Murphy decides to kick some ass as cop Axel Foley. This is definitely not a good movie, it’s probably the worse in the series. But it’s my guilty pleasure and it also puts a smile on my face. So, don’t take this review too seriously.
After his boss got killed in action, Axel Foley visits his old friend Billy Rosewood to help him find the guy who did it. Apparently he’s hiding in an amusement park called Wonder World.
Because of the setting, a theme park, this movie shouldn’t been taking all too seriously. You can expect it to become a bit silly. For me it has many hilarious scenes, that still make me laugh after a few times. But that’s probably just me. For example that scene where Axel meets his old acquaintance Serge. Call me weird, but it cracks me up every time.
“Beverly Hills Cop 3” is a movie I always watch when it’s on television, everyone has movies like that. So the rating is based on its entertainment level and not on the quality of the film.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

80s Movie Review - Beverly Hills Cop II

Director: Tony Scott

Genre: Action/ Comedy

Runtime: 100 minutes

Year: 1987

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Jürgen Prochnow, Brigitte Nielsen, Allen Garfield, Dean Stockwell, Paul Reiser, Paul Guilfoyle, Chris Rock

Description: Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) returns to Beverly Hills to help Taggart (John Ashton) and Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) investigate Chief Bogomil’s near-fatal shooting and the series of “alphabet crimes” associated with it.

Review: Eddie Murphy was added to the cast of “Beverly Hills Cop” at the very last moment. And it gave us a successful and fun comedy action film. In the second part, “Beverly Hills Cop II”, the script is written around his ability to act and improvise. As a viewer you would expect a better elaborated story, but in practice it turns out differently. The story is pretty much the same, but the film isn’t very surprising at all.

Eddie Murphy is still funny and seemingly enjoying his role. The same goes for Judge Reinhold and John Ashton, as Rosewood and Taggart. They get more screentime and their characters have undergone development.

“Beverly Hills Cop II” is again fun, but offers just more of the same ad the previous film.

Rating: 3 / 5

80s Movie Review - Beverly Hills Cop

Director: Martin Brest
Genre: Action/ Comedy
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 1984
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Ronny Cox, Lisa Eilbacher, Steven Berkoff, Jonathan Banks, James Russo, Bronson Pinchot, Damon Wayans, Paul Reiser. Stephen Elliott

Description: A freewheeling Detroit cop (Eddie Murphy) pursuing a murder investigation finds himself dealing with the very different culture of Beverly Hills.

Review: The script of “Beverly Hills Cop” was initially written with Sylvester Stallone in mind, but he dropped out at the last moment. With Eddie Murphy as his replacement, the scriptwriters had to rewrite many scenes, but due to the short time frame not all dialogues were finished before filming. With the arrival of Murphy, the film changed from a serious police thriller into a comedic action film, in which the humorous dialogues were mainly created by improvisation.
It shows that the actors has a lot of fun. During the so-called supercop scene, the actors clearly have trouble holding back their smiles. Eddie Murphy is given the freedom to shape his character, Axel Foley, as a last minute stand-in. the creators give him the space, but it’s the supporting roles, which act both as a counterpoint to his character and as a companion to the jokes. The two dull cops of the Beverly Hills police force who excel in this, are played by Judge Reinhold and John Ashton. They play the roles of Billy Rosewood and John Taggart. Together they are also responsible for sharp dialogues.
“Beverly Hills Cop” is probably  one of Eddie Murphy’s most iconic roles and it’s one of the most fun action comedies from the 80s.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Review - Rebecca

Director: Ben Wheatley
Genre: Drama/ Romance/ Mystery
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Lily James, Armie Hammer, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ann Dowd

Description: A young newlywed (Lily James) arrives at her husband’s (Armie Hammer) imposing family estate on a windswept English coast and finds himself battling the shadow of hos first wife, Rebecca, whose legacy lives on in the house long after her death.

Review: The gothic novel “Rebecca” by the British writer Daphne du Maurier was already brilliantly filmed in 1940 by none other than Alfred Hitchcock. At the time, the black and white classic won the Oscar for best film and best cinematography. In the year 2020 ‘the master of suspense’ is missed. This new version, made for Netflix, can’t be compared to the original, but fortunately it didn’t turn out to be a complete failure.
The story revolves around Maxim de Winder, a charming aristocrat who set his sight on a ‘companion lady’. Their romance is new, but that doesn’t stop the two lovebirds from exchanging the French coast for a large, chic and somewhat uncanny estate in England called Manderley. Here the woman of simple descent may finally count herself as Mrs. De Winter to the aristocracy.
Mrs. De Winter discovers some strange things once she arrives at Manderley. For example, her husband starts sleepwalking at night and stays in front of one room that is forbidden territory for her. Moreover, Maxim is very shady about his previous marriage to a lady named Rebecca, who died some time ago under rather mysterious circumstances. According to the caretaker and the servants, Rebecca’s ghost still roams the corridors of Manderley.
Visually this film is stunning. At the beginning, when the two character are starting to fall for each other, the shots are bathing in romantic sunlight and bright colors. But as the film takes a turn and gets darker, the color palette begins to fade. Scenes still fit with all kinds of wealth and opulence, such as porcelain figurines, satin bedding and paintings in gold frames, but the attention shifts more to sparsely lit rooms and corridors. And to the high cliffs on the coast, which consist of black, razor-sharp rocks.
Suddenly, unfortunately, the film is a bit weaker. As soon as Mixim and Mrs. De Winter move into their extravagant manor, the story begins to swell. Maybe this is due to the fact that Daphne du Maurier’s book has been adapted into a screenplay by no less than three different writers. Which way do they want to go with the story? Romance, drama and mystery are thrown together, but to be honest, it’s only the third act that they make some headway. Especially because the plot twists suddenly start to pile up like crazy.
Despite the messy story structure, “Rebecca” remains viewable. The protagonsts Armie Hammer and Lily James are both strong actors and have solid performances. And they work well together. But it’s Kristin Scott Thomas, as the icy caretaker Mrs. Danvers, that takes all the credit. Her role as a manipulator behind the scenes is much more interesting.
The film misses an edge. “Rebecca” is beautifully filmed, but lacks focus. Still a nice film to watch, but you can better watch the original from 1940.

Rating: 3 / 5

Scary Movie Night - Halloween 2020

Halloween isn’t really celebrated here in The Netherlands, but I wished it was. Because I love it and everything about this holiday. I usually have a scary movie night on Halloween, but I never really shared anything about it on my blog. This year I will. And I will do more of these in the future, whenever I have a themed movie night. My favorite kind of ‘party’ to host.
 
This year we chose three films. All horror, but three very different films. I won’t review them here, but will give you links to the reviews of the movies we viewed.
 
My scary movie night partner in crime this year was my brother Frank, who is a horror fan and has seen some of the most obscure films in the genre and is an expert when it comes to scary films.
 

The first film we watched turned out to be the most shocking and heavy one of them all: “Sinister”, starring Ethan Hawke. The film shines because of its suspense and tension build-up and had some really big, effective jump scares. I realized that my heart rate went way up when I watched “Sinister”. Check out my review HERE .
 

Number two was a rewatch and a personal favorite for both of us: “Fright Night”. The original version from 1985, with Chris Sarandon as Jerry Dandridge. This film is not so much scary, but extremely entertaining, funny with horror elements and a great 80s throwback. It was a nice change from the heavy material we saw before. Check out my review for “Fright Night” HERE .
 

We finished with a movie I had never seen, but is one of Frank’s favorite horror movies of all-time. And I think a favorite for most horror fans: “Hellraiser”. This is scary because of the gore. It’s a body horror film with pretty disturbing and bloody images. Also very eighties. You can read my review HERE .
 

I was a fun scary movie night, with some real good scares. What did you watch on Halloween?

80s Movie Review - Hellraiser

Director: Clive Barker
Genre: Horror/ Fantasy
Runtime: 94 minutes
Year: 1987
Starring: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashely Laurence, Sean Chapman, Oliver Smith, Robert Hines, Anthony Allen, Leon Davis, Michael Cassidy, Frank Baker, Kenneth Nelson, Gay Baynes, Niall Buggy, Dave Atkins, Oliver Parker, Doug Bradley

Description: A woman (Clare Higgins) discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body so he can escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their sadistic underworld.

Review: Larry and Julia have moved into a new home. He is a dull guy, who believes in the goodness of his wife. However, she is an adulterer who once had a relationship with Frank, Larry’s brother. When Larry injures himself during the move, some blood falls on the wooden floor. This brings Frank back, but his body is only partially resurrected. He once bought a magic cube, which opened the gates to hell. The so-called Cenobites, demons from hell, exit from it and they tortured Frank to death. Blood sacrifices will make Frank human again and Julia is supposed to bring him victims.
When Larry’s daughter Kirsty finds the cube and takes it with her, she also opens the gates to hell. Pinhead and his friends now want to torture her too but because she knows Frank’s soul is trying to escape Pinhead, they make a deal. But you really shouldn’t trust a Cenobite.
“Hellraiser” is known as one of the better horror movies out there. At least for true horror fans. And I understand why. The tension build-up is good, no clichés. The story starts quite calm, but us taken a step further and further, until the gates to hell are opened. Also the somewhat campy, yet dark atmosphere contributes to an oh so pleasant viewing experience. The Cenobites are creatures from nightmares, and Pinhead isn’t even the scariest of them.  
The film has some blood and gore in it, but it never overpowers. The acting isn’t great, but it’s nowhere a point of annoyance. Ever horror fan should see “Hellraiser” at least once in their life.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

10s Movie Review - Sinister

Director: Scott Derrickson
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2012
Starring: Ethan Hawke, James Ransone, Vincent D’Onofrio, Juliet Rylance, Fred Dalton, Danielle Kotch, Michael Hall D’Addario, Clare Foley, Rob Riley, Tavis Smiley, Janet Zappala, Victoria Leigh, Cameron Ocasio, Ethan Haberfield, Blake Mizrahi, Nicolas King

Description: Washed-up true crime writer Wllison Oswalt (Ethan Hawke) finds a box of super 8 home movies in his new home that suggest the murder that he is currently researching is the work of a serial killer whose work dates back to the 1960s.  

Review: Few horror movies manage to make the audience feel uncomfortable within the first twenty seconds. “Sinister” does. The opening image is downright disturbing: a man, a woman and their children are each standing with a bag over their head and a noose around their neck, under a tree. Exasperatingly slowly a large branch is sawn off, which serves as a counterweight. The foursome struggle and their agony seems to last forever. But then the bodies hang lifeless from the tree. The ominous tone is set.
For crime novelist Ellison Oswalt this type of movies are interesting source material. His career as a writer has been on hold for a while, so he could use a good story. He decides to move with his family. Ellison assures his wife that this time they didn’t move close to a former crime scene. But in reality they are moving in to the house of the family from that snuff movie. In the attic, Ellison accidentally finds a box with a Super 8 camera and film rolls. It looks like family movies with titles such as Family BBQ and Sleepy Time. Ellison decides to watch them in his office and is shocked by what the films contain.
Ellison knows he has to let the dark past rest, yet he is curious and watches all the reels. Even when the projector starts spinning by itself, his son suffers from sleepwalking and his daughter makes macabre drawings, he continues the search. Who was responsible for these insane acts? Why was the family hanged? Why was everything recorded? One thing is clear: I know why the movie is called “Sinister”.
This is a horror movie that understands the formula. It masters the build-up of tension and suspense. Knowing something is not right. Ethan Hawke is an actor I always enjoy watching and I think he is kind of underrated and he doesn’t get enough praise. He is so good in “Sinister” and really carries this film.
“Sinister” gets under your skin and pulls the audience into the obsession of the main character. The film is scary because of its realistic and disturbing images and it has some very effective jump scares (that are not cheap). One of the ‘family films’ especially has a very shocking moment, which is considered one of the better jump scares in a horror movie.
I also want to give the movie bonus points for its ending. I won’t reveal anything, but it something that doesn’t happen enough in horror these days. Most of them play safe, but “Sinister” actually did a very unconventional and controversial thing.
“Sinister” really scared me, a movie best watched in dark room for maximum effect. My heart rate went way up while watching this film.

Rating: 4/ 5