90s Movie Review - Space Jam

Director: Joe Pytka
Genre: Animation/ Comedy/ Family/ Adventure
Runtime: 88 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Bill Murray, Theresa Randle, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Danny DeVito

Description: In a desperate attempt to win a basketball match and earn their freedom, the Looney Tunes seek the aid of retired basketball champion, Michael Jordan.

Review: I grew up watching Looney Tunes cartoons. I loved them: Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, Sylvester, Taz, you name it. In 1996, they decided to combine animation with live-action for the movie “Space Jam”. Legendary basketball played Michael Jordan was enlisted as the lead actor, which results in a fun family film in which the hero of the Chicago Bulls and the Looney Tunes join forces.
When tiny aliens from Moron Mountain come to Earth to capture the Looney Tunes, the ever wise Bugs Bunny decides to challenge them to a game of basketball. If the Looney Tunes win, they don’t have to go to Moron Mountain to entertain the public, but if they lose, they are doomed to eternal slavery. But Bugs and his friends see no problem, since the aliens are a fist high. Until the little creatures transform into the Monstars, a team of giant monsters who stole the basketball skills from famous players. And the Looney Tunes don’t see how they can win anymore. Therefore, Bugs enlists the help of Michael Jordan.
When small and sneaky aliens from Moron Mountain come to Earth to capture the Looney Tunes, the ever wise Bugs Bunny decides to challenge them to a game of basketball. If the Looney Tunes win, they don't have to go to Moron Mountain to entertain the public, but if they lose, they are doomed to eternal slavery. But with the athleticism of a fish stick, Bugs, Daffy and their friends foresee no problems. Until the little creatures transform into the Monstars. A team of professional basketball players who have no problem chopping up the Looney Tunes.
“Space Jam” is mostly fun and nonsensical. Like in the cartoons we all grew up with, almost everything is possible in their world. It’s still, after so many years, an entertaining family film.

Rating: 3/ 5

Book Review - Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Title: Eeny Meeny
Series: Helen Grace (Book # 1)
Author: M.J. Arlidge
 
Description: Two people are abducted, imprisoned, and left with a gun. As hunger and thirst set in, only one walks away alive. It’s a game more twisted than any Detective Helen Grace has ever seen. If she hadn’t spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldn’t believe them. Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this case—with its seemingly random victims—has her baffled. But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense....
 
Review: What would you do? You are locked in a room with no food or water, but with you partner, sibling, colleague or friend. Between you us one gun. Whoever decides to take the gun and kill the other is a free person. what would you do in a situation like this? At first it is an obvious one, but when hunger and thirst start to gnaw at your sanity, you see things in a whole new light. And what happened then…
 
These are the bizarre events that take center stage in “Eeny Meeny”, the debut novel by M.J. Arlidge and the first book in the Helen Grace-series. Arlidge is an author whose main focus has been writing British crime series. When we meet main character Helen Grace, it quickly becomes clear that this inspector is not the most ordinary character and this raises curiosity and many questions. Helen struggles with her dark past while also having to hunt down a horrific psychopath, who sees the fun un leaving victims broken with guilt.  
 
Arlidge’s experience in writing television series is evident in his evocative and cinematic writing style. In particular the moments of the kidnapping and subsequent events are described in detail, making this not a book for people with weak stomachs. This also makes it seem like you are experiencing the terrifying events yourself and makes you think about what you would do. Why these murders take place is the main question the book focuses on.
 
As mentioned before, Helen Grace is the main character, but there are many interesting side characters. For example Mark or Charlie, who are Helen’s colleagues and they each struggle with their own problems. They both have a certain relationship with her and this comes under pressure as the search for the killer weighs more and more on them.
 
“Eeny Meeny” is the first part of a promising thriller series, that I will most definitely continue. I’m very excited to read more books in the Helen Grace-series and am surprised that I only just discovered it.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

80s Movie Review - The Great Mouse Detective

Director: Ron Clements, Burny Mattinson, David Michener
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Adventure/ Fantasy
Runtime: 75 minutes
Year: 1986
Starring: Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin, Susanna Pollatschek, Candy Candido, Eve Brenner

Description: Basil, the rodent Sherlock Holmes, investigates the kidnapping of a toy maker and uncovers its link to his archenemy, Professor Ratigan.  

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR THE 2021 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 27: A MOVIE WITH ANIMALS AS THE MAIN CHARACTERS

Review: Hiram Flaversham is a toy maker and surprises his daughter Olivia with a beautiful music box ballerina. When Falversham is kidnapped, Olivia goes in search for help. She loses her way and seeks shelter. Dr. David Q. Dawson happens to be passing by and finds Olivia. He wants to help the little girl and together they go looking for Basil Bakerstreet. Together with this detective, they go in search for Olivia’s father and have to face Basil’s archenemy Professor Ratigan.
I always love stories, where the human parts are being played by animals. In “The Great Mouse Detective” Basil of Bakerstreet represents Sherlock Holmes, the famous English detective. And in David Q. Dawson you immediately recognize Sherlock’s partner Watson.
“The Great Mouse Detective” is one of those typical animated Disney classics that most people will forget. And that’s so sad, because it’s such a fun and entertaining movie, with great characters. It does have some scary moments for the little ones, but overall it’s a film that deserves more praise. 

 
Rating: 3,5 / 5

00s Movie Review - TMNT

Director: Kevin Munroe
Genre: Action/ Animation/ Adventure/ Fantasy
Runtime: 87 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Chris Evans, Mako, Kevin Smith, Patrick Stewart, Laurence Fishburne, Ziyi Zhang, Mitchell Whitfield, James Arnold Taylor, Mikey Kelley, Nolan North, John DiMaggio, Paula Mattiolo, Kevin Michael Richardson, Fred Tatasciore

Description: When the world is threatened by an ancient evil, the four adolescent turtles must reunite and overcome their faults in order to stand against it.  

Review: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first came to life in 1984, as a comic book. They were a parody of comic book heroes. It became a television series and gained popularity all over the world. They had a bunch of live-action movies in the early 90s, which were fun and in the 10s there were two more live-action movies that were entertaining, but mostly that. In between that, there was “TMNT”. A fully animated movie about the shelled heroes.
In the original cartoons, the turtles are two-dimensional, so it always takes some getting used to seeing them worked in in 3D. This is mostly visible with the people like April O’Neil and Casey Jones. But the turtles look really good and so these the scenery and environment.
The story is god enough, mainly because of the well-developed characters and their relationships. The story development could have been better, but it’s still alright. The story focuses mostly on Leonardo and Raphael. The other two turtles, Donatello and Michelangelo, feel more like side characters here. When they are actually my two favorites of the foursome.  
If you are a fan of the original cartoon series, you will probably like them. At least more than the live-action movies that came out later.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Review - Fear Street Part 1: 1994

Director: Leigh Janiak
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 107 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Kiana Madeira, Olivia Scott Welch, Benjamin Flores Jr., Julia Rehwald, Maya Hawke, Charlene Amoia, David W. Thompson, Noah Bain Garrett, Darrel Britt-Gibson, Ashley Zukerman, Fred Hechinger, Matthew Zuk

Description: A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years. Welcome to Shadyside.

Review: Netflix is doing something new with horror trilogy series “Fear Street”: all the movies are coming out in the same month. It starts with “Fear Street Part 1: 1994”.
Author R.L. Stine has given many children nightmares with his horror book series “Goosebumps”. With “Fear Street”, he makes an attempt to traumatize young adults. These books are the inspiration for the Netflix movies of the same name. And it’s nice we don’t have to wait too long to see how the trilogy ends.
The first film of this series is a fun and gory start, that is paying homage to the slasher films of the 1990s and providing a solid foundation for the world to be explored in greater depth in the following films. It feels like a love letter to the mid-90s slasher, complete with massive amounts of blood and the obligatory archetype characters. And there is plenty of blood, especially in the third act. It’s not an exact adaption of the book, but it’s a fun watch. And lots of 90s nostalgia with a great soundtrack.
Looking forward to “Fear Street Part 2: 1978”, where we go back in time.

Rating: 3 / 5

90s Movie Review - The Hand That Rocks the Cradle

Director: Curtis Hanson
Genre: Thriller/ Drama
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 1992
Starring: Rebecca De Mornay, Annabella Sciorra, Matt McCoy, Ernie Hudson, Julianne Moore, Madeline Zima

Description: After her humiliated husband kills herself, an embittered pregnant widow (Rebecca De Mornay) loses her child and embarks on a mission of vengeance against a woman (Annabella Sciorra) and her family.

Review: “The Hand That Rocks the Cradle” is a good example of not trusting everyone, much less putting them in charge of your household if you don’t know who you’re dealing with. In this thriller, the Bartel family unwittingly falls victim to a vengeful nanny.
Claire and her husband Michael could use all the help they can get in and around the house. After assigning handyman Solomon to renew the fence, they search for a suitable nanny to care for little Emma and their newly born baby Joe. Soon the friendly Peyton shows up on their doorstep unannounced to apply for the job.
Peyton moves in with the Bartels and for a while everything seems to be perfect. But a chain of unwanted coincidences and accidents arouse suspicion among the Bartels and their good friend Marlene.
Rebecca De Mornay does an excellent job playing the role of Peyton, the shrew who is relentless when taking revenge on the Bartels. It is occasionally scary to see the look in her eyes whenever she has schemed another plan. Ernie Hudson, who plays Solomon, also does a really good job, as the handyman with a mental disability who soon realizes that Peyton is a threat.
Despite the fact that the acting by Annabella Sciorra and Matt McCoy is pretty ordinary, director Curtis Hanson manages to deliver a good and solid thriller. The story is simple, but exciting enough to keep you captivated the entire runtime.

Rating: 4/ 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 61

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 Italian Job (2003)
After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker (Mark Wahlberg) and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally.
 

Drama: Victoria & Adbul (2017)
Queen Victoria (Judy Dench) strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim (Ali Fazal).
 

Comedy: Barney’s Version (2010)
The picaresque and touching story of the politically incorrect, fully lived life of the impulsive, irascible and fearlessly blunt Barney Panofsky (Paul Giamatti).
 

Animation: The Lego Movie (2014)
An ordinary LEGO construction worker (Chris Pratt), thought to be the prophesied as “special”, is recruited to join a quest to sop an evil tyrant (Will Ferrell) from gluing the LEGO universe into eternal stasis.
 

Romance: Shall We Dance (2004)
A bored, overworked estate lawyer (Richard Gere) signs up for ballroom dancing lessons.
 

Horror: Fear Street Part 1: 1994 (2021)
A circle of teenage friends accidentally encounter the ancient evil responsible for a series of brutal murders that have plagued their town for over 300 years. Welcome to Shadyside.
 

Science Fiction: In the Shadow of the Moon (2019)
A Philadelphia police officer (Boyd Holbrook) struggles with a lifelong obsession to track down a mysterious serial killer whose crimes defy explanation.
 

Crime: Gone Baby Gone (2007)
Two Boston area detectives (Casey Affleck, Michelle Monoghan) investigate a little girl’s kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally.
 

Thriller: Red Dragon (2002)
A retired FBI agent (Edward Norton) with psychological gifts is assigned to help track down “The Tooth Fairy” (Ralph Fiennes), a mysterious serial killer. Aiding him is imprisoned forensic psychiatrist Dr. Hannibal “The Cannibal” Lecter.
 

Documentary: Pelé (2016)
Pelé’s meteoric rise from the slums of Sao Paulo to leading Brazil to its first World Cup victory at the age of 17 is chronicled in this biographical drama.
 

Family: Matilda (1996)
Matilda Wormwood (Mara Wilson) is a gifted girl forced to put up with a crude, distant father and mother.