Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movies - Update 20

I decided to rewatch my 100 favorite movies of all-time. What those are, you can check HERE. I watch them in random order, there is no rhyme or reason there, just watching those movies I love so much.
 

67/ 100: Knives Out (2019)
That the Agatha Christie formula is still working, proves director and screenwriter Rian Johnson with this ingenious murder mystery that simultaneously honors, mocks and turns the rules of the genre inside out. A successful thriller author who celebrates his 85^th birthday at his mansion, surrounded by family, is found dead. Eccentric sleuth Benoit Blanc arrives to solve this crime. A cleverly written whodunnit that requires at least a second viewing, to see if you spotted the later unraveled clues. HERE is my full review.
 

68/ 100: The Princess Bride (1987)
A grandfather visits his sick grandson and wants to read to him a book. The boy doesn’t think much of it at first. Then a sparkling fairy tale unfolds about a young woman, Buttercup, who no longer believes in love after the man of her dreams goes missing at sea. When she is kidnapped, she meets numerous unusual characters. The film has much to offer: an original take on the genre, enthusiastic performances and a fun story for young and old. One of those romance movies that even men like. Read my full review HERE.
 

69/ 100: Shaun of the Dead (2004)
Shaun is suffering greatly from his breakup with his girlfriend Liz. He doesn’t have much use for his roommate Ed, who is too busy gaming, drinking and hanging around Shaun’s house. Still, Ed proves convenient when residents of a London suburb turn out to be infected by a zombie virus. A brilliant comedy, with a touch of gore. The first in Simon Pegg and Nick Frost’s  “Cornetto trilogy”, all directed by Edgar Wright. Check out my review HERE.
 
Still to watch: 31

20s Movie Review - The Good Nurse

Director: Tobias Lindholm
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Eddie Redmayne

Description: An infamous caregiver (Eddie Redmayne) is implicated in the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients.

Review: “The Good Nurse” paints a poignant portrait of the woman who stepped forward to expose a serial killer, despite the risk she took in doing so. This true story contains a surprising second villain: the hospital business.

The intention was to tell the story of serial killer Charles Cullen without exploiting his victims. The creators were very successful at that. By focusing on nurse Amy Loughren, who was friends with Cullen,  as special aspect of this history is highlighted and a worthy narrative is created for the victims of this killer who had his way for years.

Through a rock-solid performance, Eddie Redmayne confronts us with the uncomfortable reality that serial killers can be among us unseen. Jessica Chastain, who has been a favorite of mine for years, shows once again why she is on that list. She plays the titular good nurse, that stand up for her patients. But it’s more difficult then she thinks, because it becomes extra wrenching when it slowly becomes clear how much responsibility the various hospitals where Charlie worked had in the murders he committed. Very shocking because of the film’s basis in reality. As harrowing as it is, it makes “The Good Nurse” even more suspenseful and the importance of storytelling even clearer.

The tension is palpable until the very end, up to and including the long-awaited confrontation between Amy and Charlie. A very strong thriller, that is captivating from begin ‘till end.

Rating: 4/ 5

Book Review - Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

Title: Horrorstör
Series: -
Author: Grady hendrix
 
Description: Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.
 
Review: Orsk is an Ikea-like store, where strange things seem to be happening overnight. Every morning, the employees find broken furniture and shattered ornaments. Three employees volunteer to a night shift, where they are trying to find out who is vandalizing the store.
 
I’ve been loving horror books more and more, especially when they have a comedic, dark edge to them. “Horrorstör” is very accessible for anyone who hasn’t dipped into the horror genre before.
 
I was able to submerge my mind’s eye into the employee’s environment with ease, since I worked in retail myself and because of the large resemblance to Ikea which most of us have been to once or twice. The book is unconventional in so many ways: the size of the book, spacing of words and sentences, and everything in between. But it read like a fiction should.
 
Because it’s not a very long book, it’s always more difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper level. I did enjoy reading about them. There are not a lot of characters in here, which is a good thing for a shorter novel. The ones that we are introduced to, do have some development, which is very well done in such a short amount of time. Because the story basically takes place over one night. Ruth Anne was probably my favorite character.
 
“Horrorstör” is very fast paces and I found myself racing through this book. And that’s perfect if you’re a slow reader like me. It takes some time for the books to really become eventful and action packed, but because of the ominous atmosphere that is constantly present, you just want to keep reading.
 
This was a highly enjoyable book, I so impressed by Grady Hendrix’ writing style and I’m ready to explore more of his work.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - The Hours

Director: Stephen Daldry
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, John C. Reilly, Ed Harris, Stephen Dillane, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Miranda Richardson, Claire Danes, Margot Martindale, Jeff Daniels

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 3: AN ANTHOLOGY MOVIE
 
Description: The story of how the novel “Mrs. Dalloway” affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have to deal with suicide in their lives.

Review: Three women. One writes, the other reads and the last lives. The words of Virginai Woolf’s famous book “Mrs. Dalloway” give shape and dimension to their tragic lives. Based on the Pullitzer Prize-winning nover “The Hours” by Michael Cunningham, the story was a valid attempt to illustrate how literature and true life can be connected. And how immortal stories are even when their writers and protagonists die.

The three women who sometimes effortlessly blur into one character in the book are pulled apart for the film in three powerful roles played by Nicole Kidman (as Virginia Woolf), Meryl Streep (as the contemporary New York Carissa Vaughan) and Julianne Moore (as a 1950s housewife. Their fates are shown as they wear the same kind of earrings, and, thanks to ingenious editing, relive or read the same scenes from “Mrs. Dalloway” at the same time.

It is a wondrous conclusion to have to see, almost a century after Mrs. Dalloway lived, that, in Daldry's view, personal freedom is more than ever bound by sexual and familial ties.

Rating: 4/ 5

TV Show Review - The White Lotus (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Number of episodes: 7
Year: 2022
Starring: Jennifer Coolidge, Aubrey Plaza, Theo James, Michael Imperioli, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Megan Fahy, Will Sharpe, Haley Lu Richardson, Tom Hollander

Description: Set in a resort in Sicily, it follows the exploits of various guests and employees over the span of a week.
 
Review: The first season of this mini-series was a huge success, so they decided to create a second season. Set in Sicily this time. Jennifer Coolidge is the only returning actress. Het character Tanya has ended up in Sicily with her new husband, and once again the tragicomic character seems to attract misfortune and calamity. Her husband does not appreciate her as the diva she is; she ends up needing a group of flamboyant gay men for that. Tanya’s assistant Portia, meanwhile, may be available on call, but must also make herself invisible.

We also mee three generations of American-Sicilian men who have a special relationship with female beauty. Another storyline revolves around Cameron and Ethan, two former college mates, who have found each other again and are constantly testing both each other and each other’s relationships. There are more characters involved, but these are the three main storylines.

“The White Lotus” again proves sublime at portraying interpersonal interactions, awkwardness, misunderstandings, suspicions and the volatility that almost all of his character harbor. The season begins with a corpse, but we have to wait until the final episode to see who ends up floating lifeless in the ocean.

Meanwhile, “The White Lotus” mercilessly fillets human nature, where, as in the first season, you have no idea where it’s all going or will end up. I only missed Murray Bartlett’s character from season one, but overall, I liked this season just as much as the first. And I’m totally in for another series of events at a different White Lotus hotel.

Book Review - Night of the Mannequins by Stephen Graham Jones

Title: Night of the Mannequins
Series: -
Author: Stephen Graham Jones
 
Description: A contemporary horror story where a teen prank goes very wrong and all hell breaks loose: is there a supernatural cause, a psychopath on the loose, or both?
 
Review: The idea than an inanimate but human-looking object could come to life and kill you really scared me. The synopsis for Stephen Graham Jones’ “Night of the Mannequins” really got me excited, even though the description is still a bit vague. The idea of a mannequin coming to life and killing teenagers.
 
WARNING! THERE MIGHT BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW
 
Our main character and first person narrator is Sawyer, a teenager in a group of friends who like to play pranks on each other. Sawyer and his friends found a mannequin and they name him Manny. They think of the perfect prank: dress him up and set him in the movie theater one of his friend works at. But the prank goes wrong, when Sawyer sees Manny get up an walk away.
 
What follows is a story that reads like a slasher film, with lots of weirdly deranged action, a very funny narrative voice, and lots of ambiguity about what exactly is happening to Sawyer and his friends, and whether ot not a mannequin has come to life. A warped perception of what’s real and what’s not. Sawyer is an unreliable narrator, so you never really know whether it’s really happening, it’s in his head or it even is him doing it.
 
“Night of the Mannequins” is a strange book, but it’s definitely worth picking up if you enjoy strange horror themes. It’s a quick read and a good way to discover Stephen Graham Jones’ writing.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - Verity by Colleen Hoover

Title: Verity
Series: -
Author: Colleen Hoover
 
Description: Lowen Ashleigh is a struggling writer on the brink of financial ruin when she accepts the job offer of a lifetime. Jeremy Crawford, husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford, has hired Lowen to complete the remaining books in a successful series his injured wife is unable to finish.

Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.

Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.
Lowen arrives at the Crawford home, ready to sort through years of Verity's notes and outlines, hoping to find enough material to get her started. What Lowen doesn't expect to uncover in the chaotic office is an unfinished autobiography Verity never intended for anyone to read. Page after page of bone-chilling admissions, including Verity's recollection of what really happened the day her daughter died.
Lowen decides to keep the manuscript hidden from Jeremy, knowing its contents would devastate the already grieving father. But as Lowen's feelings for Jeremy begin to intensify, she recognizes all the ways she could benefit if he were to read his wife's words. After all, no matter how devoted Jeremy is to his injured wife, a truth this horrifying would make it impossible for him to continue to love her.
 
Review: Colleen Hoover is know for her New Adult book and with “Verity” she goes in a completely different direction. It’s a thriller, one that will be difficult to put down.
 
Young writer Lowen Ashleigh gets an offer of a lifetime: she is asked to finish successful author Verity Crawford’s popular book series. Verity has been paralyzed since a serious accident and won’t be able to finish the series herself. Lowen will stay with the family for a few days to go over Verity’s notes. Among the documents, Lowen finds an unfinished autobiography, and as she starts reading it, an unpleasant feeling creeps up on her. The more she reads, the more frightened she becomes. Lowen wants to keep the biography hidden, even from Verity’s husband Jeremy.
 
Lowen is a introverted character whose life is complete chaos when she is approached to finish the bestselling books. We get to know her right away. Verity is a mystery, but through her manuscript, we get to know more about her. You will probably feel a tremendously dislike towards Verity. There is constant tension during the time Lowen is staying at the Crawford residence.
 
“Verity” is a unique book that tells an incredibly exciting story. It has some spice in it, which I didn’t mind. But these parts in the book become a bit repetitive as the story develops. This is the only point of criticism, because I loved this book.
 
The twist at the end was really good and it leaves you with a lot of questions at the end. Colleen Hoover manages to catch you off guard an leave you confused. A good book for a book club, it will lead up to discussion. I believe “Verity” is a thriller for readers that are often a bit intimidated by the genre.

Rating: 4,5/ 5