Movei Review - Raya and the Last Dragon

Director: Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Paul Briggs, John Ripa
Genre: Animation/ Fantasy/ Adventure/ Family
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Daniel Dae Kim, Benedict Wong, Gemma Chan, Izaac Wang, Sandra Oh, Alan Tudyk

Description: In a realm known as Kumandra, a re-imagined Earth inhabited by an ancient civilization, a warrior named Raya is determined to find the last dragon.

Review: Kumandra is plagued by Druun: an evil entity who steals the life force of the inhabitants and then turns them into stone. As a result, the Druun becomes stronger, while the number of people decreases. Raya is on a quest to find Kumandra’s last hope: the dragon Sisu, who has the power to stop the Druun.
“Raya and the last Dragon” is beautifully animated, but it’s Disney so that’s no surprise. I love how they also added some simple animations, when they explain a story from the past.
Raya lives in Kumandra, a land which is divided into several pieces. It is placed around a dragon-shaped river - and all five tribes are named after the place where their home is located; Heart, Tallon, Tail, Fang and Spine. This is incredibly cleverly done and adds extra elements to the story that gives it that extra bit of depth.
The feud between the five tribes, who all think they are the best and most important, is a good story element. Raya, who is from Heart, is mostly in ‘war’ with Namaari from Fang, who is the reason the Druun came back. Raya wants nothing more then to get all the tribes together again.
Sisu, the dragon in the story, is not your typical dragon. Normally they are associated with dangerous, fire-breathing and terrifying creatures. But Sisu is mostly a funny and cute dragon. Originall, but it might disappoint some people.
I loved “Raya and the Last Dragon’, where there is yet another strong female lead without her being the damsel in distress.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Jungleland

Director: Max Winkler
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Jack O’Connell, Jessica Barden, Jonathan Majors

Description: Two brothers (Charlie Hunnam, Jack O’Connell) try to escape their circumstances by traveling across the country for a no holds barred boxing match that becomes a fight for their lives.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 24: A MOVIE WITH A ONE-WORD TITLE
 
Review: We meet two brothers: Stan, a man who once had a charming charisma, but lost it and owes some shady characters a lot of money. And Lion, a boxer who seems to be depending on Stan. But little by little it becomes clear that it’s probably the other way around.
The poster and synopsis of the film make you think it’s yet another boxing movie. It technically is, but the focus is much more on the two brother then on the actual sporting event they are trying get to. We see their lives togethers, how they are always together. Their lives have never been easy, they had to be on their own when they were very young. The result is that they never really got to the point they wanted to be at. It looks like Lion can’t be without Stan, but it’s actually Stan that can live without Lion. Everything Lion does, is because of Stan. Most situations and problems they get into, are due to Stan. Lion’s life would probably be better without him. And a girl named Sky entering his life, makes him disconnect from Stan for the first time.
Charlie Hunnam plays Stan and is the highlight of the film. His performance is powerful and he knocks it out of the park. He doesn’t overshadow Jack O’Connell, who I strong too, but he has the upper hand.
Missed opportunity though is not using the song “Jungleland” by Bruce Springsteen, when there is another song by the Boss playing at the end.
“Jungleland” is a solid drama, carried by Charlie Hunnam.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 59

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

Action: Troy (2004)
An adaptation of Homer’s great epic, the film follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.
 

Drama: Blow (2001)
The story of how George Jung (Johnny Depp), along with the Meddellín Cartel headed by Pablo Escobar, established the American Cocaine market in the 1970s in the United States.
 

Comedy: Happiest Season (2020)
A holiday romantic comedy that captures the range of emotions tied to wanting your family’s acceptance, being true to yourself, and trying not to ruin Christmas.
 

Animation: Wish Dragon (2021)
Determined teen Din is longing to reconnect with his childhood best friend when he meets a wish-granting dragon who shows him the magic of possibilities.
 

Romance: Love, Rosie (2014)
Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) have been best friends since they were 5, so they couldn’t possibly be right for one another… or could they? When it comes to love, life and making the right choices, these two are their own worst enemies.
 

Horror: The Ninth Gate (1999)
A rare book dealer (Johnny Depp), while seeking out the last two copies of a demon text, gets drawn into a conspiracy with supernatural overtones.
 

Science Fiction: Space Sweepers (2021)
Set in the year 2092 and follows the crew of a space junk collector ship called The Victory. When they discover a humanoid robot named Dorothy that’s known to be a weapon of mass destruction, they get involved in a risky business deal.
 

Crime: Mystic River (2003)
The lives of three men who were childhood friends are shattered when one of them has a family tragedy.
 

Thriller: Shutter Island (2010)
In 1954, a U.S. Marshal  (Leonardo DiCaprio) investigates the disappearance of a murderer who escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.
 

Documentary: Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet (2021)
David Attenborough and scientist Johan Rockström examine Earth’s biodiversity collapse and how this crisis can still be averted.
 

Family: Finding Ohana (2021)
A summer in rural O’ahu takes an exciting turn for two Brooklyn-raised siblings when a journal pointing to a long-lost treasure sets them on an epic adventure with new friends, and leads them to reconnect with their Hawaiian heritage.

10s Movie Review - Love, Rosie

Director: Christian Ditter
Genre: Romance/ Comedy/ Dram
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2014
Starring: Lily Collins, Sam Claflin, Christian Cooke, Jaime Winstne, Suki Waterhouse, Tamsin Egerton, Jamie Beamish, Lorcan Cranitch, Ger Ryan, Lily Laight, Matthew Dillon, Rosa Molloy, Sadbh Malin, Nick Lee, Damien Devaney

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 23: A ROMCOM
 
Description: Rosie (Lily Collins) and Alex (Sam Claflin) have been best friends since they were 5, so they couldn’t possibly be right for another… or could they? When it comes to love, life and making the right choices, these two are their own worst enemies.

Review: It’s a truism: romantic comedies don’t have the most unexpected endings or particularly original entanglements. The genre almost always has the charismatic setback so that it all seems to go wrong and the lovebirds will be sitting there all alone. Or with someone they aren’t meant to be with. Everything depends on the interpretation of the romcom. In that respect, “Love, Rosie” is just right. Because if they didn’t get it right, it would be yet another cliché romcom. Because it’s not easy to watch two people who are made for each other endlessly revolve around each other for over hundred minutes, without admitting they love each other.
The fact that Rosie and her best friend Alex, whom she has known since she was five, will eventually get together is almost a certainty. You can’t imagine fate and a lot of misunderstandings and wrongly chosen moments ensure that the two friends take a different path in their lives and then end up back together. It’s what happens to both of them over a course of 12 years.
The moments in the lives of Rosie and Alex are entertaining, at times frustrating to the bone, and above all, a succession of fatal misfortune. However, it is brought with great nuance and embedded in realistic situations. When Alex is about to travel to the States to study there, it’s unthinkable that his heartfelt friend won’t allow him. But Rosie stays home and Alex hooks up with  a graceful American with whom things get very serious. Rosie only has to take one look at the couple during a visit to see that Alex’ relationship is doomed to fail. She doesn’t look for the cause in herself, but is simply sure that her best friend deserves better.
“Love, Rosie” benefits from the appealing interaction between lead actors Sam Claflin and Lily Collins. The number of side characters is kept to a minimum and the film focuses on Alex and Rosie.
I’m not the biggest fan of romcoms, but I really loved this film. “Love Rosie” is not about whether Rosie and Alex will fall into each other’s arms, but about how.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 58

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

Action: Shaft (2019)
JJ Shaft (Jessie T. Usher), a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, enlists his family’s help to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s death.
 

Drama: Blue Miracle (2021)
To save their cash-strapped orphanage, a guardian and his kids partner with a washed-up boat captain (Dennis Quaid) for a chance to win a lucrative fishing competition.
 

Comedy: Tower Heist (2011)
When a group of hard-working guys find out they’ve fallen victim to their wealthy employer’s Ponzi scheme, they conspire to rob his high-rise residence.
 

Animation: The SpongBob SquarePants Movie (2004)
SpongeBob SquarePants takes leave from the town of Bikini Bottom in order to track down King Neptune’s stolen crown.
 

Romance: 13 Going On 30 (2004)
A girl makes a wish on her thirteenth birthday, and wakes up the next day as a thirty-year old woman (Jennifer Garner).
 

Horror: Pet Sematary (2019)
Dr. Louis Creed (Jason Clarke) and his wife, Rachel (Amy Seimetz), relocate from Boston to rural Maine with their two young children. The couple soon discover a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near their new home.
 

Science Fiction: The Discovery (2017)
Two years after the afterlife is scientifically proven, a man (Robert Redford) attempts to help a young woman (Rooney Mara) break away from her dark past.
 

Crime: Joker (2019)
In Gotham City, mentally troubled comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is disregarded and mistreated by society. He then embarks on a downward spiral of revolution and bloody crime. This path brings him face-to-face with his alter-ego: the Joker.
 

Thriller: The Rainmaker (1997)
An underdog lawyer (Matt Damon) takes on a fraudulent insurance company.
 

Documentary: One of Us (2017)
Penetrating the insular world of New York’s Hasidic community, focusing on three individuals driven to break away despite threats of retaliation.
 

Family: Hugo (2011)
In 1931 Paris, an orphan living in the walls of a train station gets wrapped up in a mystery involving his late father and an automaton.

Movie Review - Godzilla Vs. Kong

Director: Adam Wingard
Genre: Action/ Adventure/ Science Fiction
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Rebecca Hall, Alexander Skarsgård, Millie Bobby Brown, Bryan Tyree Henry, Julian Denison, Kyle Chandler, Demián Bichir, Lance Reddick

Description: The two most powerful titans are opposite of each other: the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong.

Review: When the giant ape Kong is deployed to find a mysterious energy source, his presence attracts the attention of Godzilla. It’s only a matter of time before these two titans go into battle with each other.
“Godzilla Vs Kong” is a movie I’ve been looking forward to ever since I heard it was in the making. And what a treat it is to see it in theaters, after them being closed for so long.
After “Godzilla” (2014), “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) and “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” (2019), we have now arrived at “Godzilla Vs Kong. It is not the first time the two iconic monsters meet but today the level is higher. And the result is breathtaking. As in the previous Monsterverse films, the makers have a good eye for detail, scale and action, keeping the way these gigantic creatures move not only believable, but spectacular.
Like its predecessors, this film has little time for the human characters. They aren’t provided with a lot of depth. But the majority of them do serve a purpose in the movie. Especially the little deaf girl Jia, who has a special bond with Kong. This is the heart of the story and the scenes between them are heartwarming. And they are in the film just the right amount, because when you go to see “Godzilla Vs King” you want to see some monster action, epic fights and spectacular battles. And that’s exactly what you get. Depth of characters isn’t needed at all, because you hardly care about the people in the film. But, as I stated before, they have a purpose in the story.  
I wouldn’t have mind if the film was a bit longer. But “Godzilla Vs Kong” did end perfectly in my eyes. Without spoiling anything, they gave both monsters a good ending of this story with it being believable if they were real.
I was so glad that I got the chance to see it on the big screen, because this is a movie you should see in theaters. The movie didn’t disappoint and it was pure entertainment with fantastic visuals.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

Book Review - The Windsor Knot by S.J. Bennett

Title: The Windsor Knot
Series: Her Majesty the Queen Investigates (Book # 1)
Author: S.J. Bennett
 
Description: It is the early spring of 2016 and Queen Elizabeth is at Windsor Castle in advance of her 90^th birthday celebrations. But the preparations are interrupted when a guest is found dead in one of the Castle bedrooms. The scene suggests the young Russian pianist strangled himself, but a badly tied knot lead MI5 to suspect foul play was involved. The queen leaves the investigation to the professionals, until their suspicions point them in the wrong direction. Unhappy at the mishandling of the case and concerned for her staff’s morale, the monarch decides to discreetly take matters into her own hands.

 
Review: A book with a striking title, but it’s just fiction. A murder is committed in a very special place: Windsor Castle. After a party, one of the guest is found dead in his room. The authorities think that one or more servants are involved in the murder. But Queen Elizabeth disagreed and secretly take the investigation into her own hands. 
It's a delightful story with a mixture of existing and fictional characters. It turns out to be a  warm, funny and exciting book. If you’re a fan of monarchy or when you love murder mysteries, this is the book for you.   
The Queen of England (The Boss) loves to solve mysteries. She started doing this at the age of twelve. Nothing escapes her, she sees things that other people do not. She Knows a lot about a lot of things, has hawk eyes a nose for nonsense and a fantastic memory. She notices things and sees when something is not right. And she then looks for the reason why. 
I really loved the idea and how they gave the murder mystery genre a royal touch. It was such a fun book to read and very original and fresh.

 
Rating: 3,5/ 5