Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (September 2016)

I watched some great classic movies this month and not a lot of really bad ones, at least not for this challenge. Here is my top five of movies I watched for my challenge for the month of September.

5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind
I can’t believe I never saw this before. Okay, parts of it, but never from beginning ‘til end. It’s a great film, and this is a film that proves you don’t need jump scares or big special effects. Just sound effects, lights and stuff. Spielberg knows how to captivate you.

4. City Lights
Such an endearing and adorable film, very funny and touching at the same time. Charlie Chaplin is fantastic.

3. The General
Another silent movie that I really love. Buster Keaton is great and this movie is action packed and hilarious. I really enjoyed “The General”.

2. Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Sadly this is one of those movies that many people will never see, so I’m shouting out to the world that everyone should see it if you have the chance. “Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is a fantastic film.

1. The Apartment
Another great classic that I never saw before and now I’m glad I did. This is a perfect comedy, Jack Lemmon at his best. “The Apartment” even made it into my list of favorites of all time.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Evil Dead 2, Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Cinderella

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 129: White Heat

Director: Raoul Walsh
Genre: Drama/ Crime
Runtime: 114 minutes
Year: 1949
Starring: James Cagney, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O’Brien, Margaret Wycherly, Steve Cochran, John Archer, Wally Cassell, Fred Clark, Fred Coby, G. Pat Collins, Garrett Craig, Paul Guilfoyle, Micky Knox, Perry Ivins, DeForrest Lawrence, Ian MacDonald, Ray Montgomert, Robert Osterloh

Description: A psychopathic criminal (James Cagney) with a mother complex makes a daring break from prison and leads his old gang in a chemical plant payroll heist. Shortly after the plan takes place, events take a crazy turn.

Review: Many say that the role of Cody Jarrett was James Cagney’s best. “White Heat” is a classic gangster film. The opening is pretty bold for a movie from 1949. During a robbery on a train several witnesses are shot in cold blood, because they know the name of the leader. And one of the robbers gets sevearly burned. Jarrett eventually wants this man to be killed, because he slows the group down.
Cody Jarrett is a sickly character. He has a strong relationship with his mother and terrible heatache attacks. But he is not stupid: he knows he will get the electric chair when he is caught for robbing the train. He decides to turn himself in, for a different robbery in another state. The plan works, but detective Hank Fallon decides to go undercover and catch Jarrett once and for all.
“White Heat” is a must see for movie fans and also fans of the crime drama or gangster films. James Cagney did first what later actors like Robert De Niro and Al Pacino did. Cagney is fabulous as maniacal Cody.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Movie Trailer Sunday (260)

Here are this week's trailers.

Passengers
Director: Morten Tyldum
Description: A spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet and transporting thousands of people has a malfunction in its sleep chambers. As a result, two passengers (Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt) are awakened 90 years early.
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Andy Garcia
Trailer: Trailer "Passengers"
Comment: I was already escited, but now I that I saw the trailer I definitely am!!!

Smurfs: The Lost Village
Director: Kelly Asbury
Description: In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting race through the Forbidden Forest leading to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history.
Starring: Bill Hader, Joe Manganiello, Mandy Patinkin, Rainn Wilson, Demi Lovato, Keegan-Michael Key, Jack McBrayer
Trailer: Trailer Smurfs: The Lost Village"
Comment: More Smurfs? Nooooooo!

Trespass Against Us
Director: Adam Smith
Description: A man (Michael Fassbender) looks to find a way to escape the criminal ways of his outlaw family.
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Brendan Gleeson,
Trailer: Trailer "Trespass Against Us"
Comment: Looks good.

Bastards
Director: Lawrence Sher
Description: Upon learning that their mother has been lying to them for years about their allegedly deceased father, two fraternal twin brothers hit the road in order to find him.
Starring: Owen Wilson, Ed Helms, J.K. Simmons, Glenn Close, Ving Rhames, Terry Bradshaw, Harry Shearer, Bill Irwin
Trailer: Trailer Bastards"
Comment: Yeah, why not. I like Owen Wilson.

Fist Fight
Director: Richie Keen
Description: When one school teacher (Charlie Day) gets the other (Ice Cube) fired, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
Starring: Charlie Day, Ice Cube, Christina Hendricks, Tracy Morgan
Trailer: Trailer "Fist Fight"
Comment: I think Charlie Day is hilarious.

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 128: City Lights

Director: Charlie Chaplin
Genre: Comedy/ Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 87 minutes
Year: 1931
Starring: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers, Al Ernest Garcia, Hank Mann, Jean Carpenter

Description: With the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp (Charlie Chaplin) who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl (Virginia Cherrill) accumulates money to be able to help her medically.

Review: In “City Lights”, Charlie Chaplin falls in love with a blind flower girl and he tries to collect money for her operation. And with this film Chaplin proofs that he is one of the masters of silent film. And still, so many years after it was released, it’s a joy to watch.
Chaplin’s physique is perfect for silent film. His style is well-known and the choreography in the film is fantastic. The film has many hilarious moments, like the scene where he swallowed a whistle and the boxing match. But the film also has some heartfelt and adorable moments, the ones between him and the blind girl.
“City Lights” is an absolute classic and a movie that any film fan should have seen.

Rating: 5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 127: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

Director: Taika Waititi
Genre: Adventure/ Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 101 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Sam Neill, Julian Dennison, Riama Te Wiata, Rhys Darby, Rachel House

Description: A national manhunt is ordered for a rebellious kid (Julian Dennsion) and his foster uncle (Sam Neill) who go missing in the wild New Zealand bush.

Review: I wanted to see this film as soon as I saw the trailer and I didn’t disappoint me one bit. A foster kid from the big city and a grouchy bushman are forced to form an unlikely alliance to survive in the New Zealand wilderness. The film is adapted from the book “Wild Park and Watercress”. The movie is in perfect balance, it blends comedy, drama, action and heart all together.
The two leading characters, Ricky and Hector, are polar opposites. Not only because of their age difference, but Ricky is from the big city and Hector is an outdoors man. The intereaction between the two is fun to watch, it’s funny and heartfelt. The young Julian Dennison and acting veteran Sam Neill are fantastic in this film.
The movie is divided in novelistic chapters and has many great moments. My favorite is the scene where they meet Psycho Sam, which is the most hilarious part of the film. But “Hunt for the WIlderpeople” also as some touching moments of drama.
“Hunt for the Wilderpeople” is a movie that will probably be overlooked, but this is just one of those gems. I got the chance to see it, if you have that chance too, go see it. It’s a great film!

Rating: 5/ 5

Top 5 Thursday: Movies You Need to Watch in Theaters

I always love going to the theater, but I always choose films that will probably add something extra to the film when watching it on such a big screen. Some movies are just better in theaters, because of the effects, cinematography or the whole experience. Here are my five picks for movies you need to watch in the theater.

5. Avatar
I was stupid enough to not see this in theaters and I regret it to this day. It is such a visually beautiful movie, even on television. So how about on the big screen? It will blow my mind.

4. The Revenant
The story might not be that special, but the cinematography is reason enough for me to watch this. I saw it in theaters and it took my breath away. I wish I made this movie!

3. Inception
This movie looks amazing, what a visual masterpiece. And it’s most impressive on the big screen.

2. Mad Max: Fury Road
This film is one giant adrenaline rush and it really has a great impact when you watch it in theaters. Action in its purest form.

1. Jurassic Park
Probably one of the most jaw-dropping movies I’ve ever seen. And it still amazes me how fantastic and breathtaking this movie is. And on the big screen it’s even more beautiful. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

They Almost Made the Top 5: Saving Private Ryan, Gravity, Star Wars franchise, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Blade Runner

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 126: Evil Dead 2

Director: Sam Raimi
Genre: Horror/ Comedy/ Action
Runtime: 85 minutes
Year: 1987
Starring: Bruce Campbell, Sarah Berry, Dan Hicks, Kassie DePaiva, Ted Raimi, Denise Bixler, Richard Domeier, John Peakes, Lou Hancock, Snowy Winters, Sid Abrams, Josh Becker, Scott Spiegel, Thomas Kidd, Mitch Cantor, Jenny Griffith, William Preston Robertson, Sam Raimi

Description: The lone survivor of an onslaught of flesh-possessing spirits holds up in a cabin with a group of strangers while the demons continue their attack.

Review: Ash, The only survivor of a demonic slaughter returns, with his girlfriend, to the same cabin where once the blood was flowing. By playing a tape, the demonic powers are again released and take possession of his girlfriend. Ash has to fight the demons himself.
“Evil Dead 2” is the sequel to the film “The Evil Dead”, that was released six years earlier. But it also parodies the first. The stories of both films are very similar. The difference is in the amount of blood splatter and the running gags.
For fans of the genre, this is pure entertainment. People who don’t like horror or horror combined with comedy, they will not change their minds after seeing “Evil Dead 2”. For me, it was a fun watch. I liked it just as much as the first.

Rating: 4,5/ 5