Movie Reviews - Game Night

Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Kyle Chandler, Jesse Plemmons, Michael C. Hall, Danny Huston, Chelsea Peretti

Description: A group of friends who meet regularly for game nights find themselves entangled in a real-life mystery when the shady brother of one of them is seemingly kidnapped by dangerous gangsters.

Review: Two months after “Jumanji”, we get another fulm about dangerous games. But “Game Night” is not a blockbuster that has extravagant sets and special effects, but a satire mocking over-the-top action movies.
“Game Night” opens with Max and Annie meeting. They are both very competitive and love games. And game night is a regular thing in their lives. It’s basically just innocent games of Monopoly, Life, Charades and Scrabble. When Max’ brother Brooks joins them, he insist on hosting a game night himself. He thought of a murder mystery. But this game turns into a real kidnapping situation.
“Game Night” is at its best when Max and Annie are constantly trying to over throw everyone. Jason Bateman has played the role before, but it’s Rachel McAdams that steal the show. She doesn’t do this kind of comedy often, so it’s a real breath of fresh air. She is already one of my favorite actresses and I loved her in “Game Night”.
There is an element of surprise, which at one point they take a bit too far. But the camera techniques they use are really cool. And the jokes are sharp and quick. It sometimes has a hard time finding a balance.
“Game Night” is a fun comedy, that has Rachel McAdams and Jesse Plemons as its stars. It’s probably not a comedy classic, but it’s definitely a fun night.

Rating: 4 / 5

90s Movie Review - Tremors

Director: Ron Underwood
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 1990
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Fred Ward, Finn Carter, Michael Gross, Reba McEntire, Charlotte Stewart, Tony Genaro, Ariana Richards, Richard Marcus, Victor Wong, Sunshine Parker, Michael Dan Wagner, Conrad Bachmann, Bibi Besch

Description: Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.

Review: Don’t you just love monster movies? In “Tremors” the danger comes from graboids, some kind of giant, hungry worm that lives underground of the little town called Perfection.
At the start of the movie, we see people attack and die by the graboids. And we also meet the characters who have to deal with these creatures. The best part of the film is how it manages to combine action, tension, horror and humor all together. You are curious to what is happening, but it takes some time to really see the monsters. And the film has tempo. Because the character aren’t really safe anywhere, the tension is continuous. The graboids are fast and strong and find their victims due to the tremors of the ground.
As stated before, there is humor in this film. Throughout the entire film.
Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, not particularly known for their humor, proof that they have a comedic talent. And Michael Gross is probably the funniest part of the film.
The effects are pretty good, especially when you hardly see any computer techniques being used.
“Tremors” is a great example of an exciting movie, that doesn’t lose its tension because of the huge dose of humor. For me, “Tremors” is always a joy to watch.

Rating: 4 / 5

90s Movie Review - Deep Blue Sea

Director: Renny Harlin
Genre: Action/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 1999
Starring: Thomas Jane, Saffron Burrows, LL Cool J, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Rapaport, Stellan Skarsgård, Jacqueline McKenzie, Aida Turturro
Description: Searching for a cure to Alzheimer's disease a group of scientists on an isolated research facility become the bait as a trio of intelligent sharks fight back.

Review: When it comes to shark movies, “Jaws” is the only masterpiece out there. “Deep Blue Sea” is one of the better shark films, but don’t pay any attention to the logics. Turn off your brain and just watch it, it’s a lot of fun.
While trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, a group of scientist is working on a laboratory in the middle of the ocean and testing on sharks. This makes the sharks smarter. And more unpredictable and dangerous. Soon the people in the lab are the hunted ones.
The makers did find some inspiration with “Jaws”, but also “Jurassic Park”. The film is fast paced and entertaining from beginning till end. And it’s not as predictable as you would think, because it’s quite surprising who will die and who won’t.
Not all the actors are that good, it’s mostly the men who shine. Thomas Jane is the hero of the story, as Carter Blake, a diver with a dark past. Samuel L. Jackson hardly ever disappoints and he even has an unforgettable speech in this film. Unforgettable for so many reasons. LL Cool J has a fun supporting role, as the cook. Both Saffron Burrows and Michael Rapaport only show us how annoying their characters are.
The special effects are pretty good, sometimes it’s too obvious it’s a computer animated shark. But all in all “Deep Blue Sea” is not one of those terrible shark movies. It’s fun and entertaining, with some surprise elements here and there and enough excitement for a fun movie night.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

80s Movie Review - Jaws: The Revenge

Director: Joseph Sargent
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 89 minutes
Year: 1987
Starring: Lorraine Gary, Michael Caine, Mario van Peebles, Lance Guest, Karen Young

Description: Chief Brody's widow (Lorraine Gary) believes that her family is deliberately being targeted by another shark in search of revenge.

Review: In this series of shark films, the original “Jaws” is the best and will probably never be topped. They just get worse. And to be honest, “Jaws: The Revenge” is one of the worst movies I ever saw.
The plot for the third film was already pretty dumb, but there is no logic at all here. We again follow the Brody family. When one of the sons of the family gets killed by a shark, Ellen knows for sure that the shark is out for revenge. Because her now deceased husband Martin killed two sharks. Ellen flees to her other son who lives in the Bahama’s, where the shark follows her (!!!) and has is out for her and her family.
This plot is ridiculous. Sharks aren’t vengeful and they sure as hell don’t follow people across the globe. And Ellen somehow has a telekenetic connection with this shark, because whenever the shark is near or doing something, Ellen ‘feels it’. And she also has flashbacks of Martin dealing with the shark, but she was never present during those happenings. So how can she see them?
Michael Caine is even in this film. I mean Michael ‘freakin’ Caine. He is probably the best part of this film! He plays Ellen’s love interest, but that’s really not something you want to see in a shark movie.
But the shark is not that great either. He looks so fake and does weird things. He even ‘stands up’ in the water, while roaring. Sharks don’t roar!!! And when the boat hits it, the shark explodes. How? I’m not a science nerd, but even I know that a shark can’t explode by hitting it with a sailboat.
This film has absolutely no respect for the masterpiece “Jaws”. It’s a monstrosity. One of the worst movies ever made.

Rating: 0,5 / 5

00s Movie Review - Jurassic Park 3

Director: Joe Johnston
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2001
Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, Laura Dern

Description: A decidedly odd couple (William H. Macy, Téa Leoni) with ulterior motives convince Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) to go to Isla Sorna (the second InGen dinosaur lab.), resulting in an unexpected landing...and unexpected new inhabitants on the island.

Review: “Jurassic Park III” was probably made for commercial reasons, but didn’t manage to get Steven Spielberg to direct. The first two movies where a huge success, but in my opinion “Jurassic Park III” isn’t as bad as everyone says.
The third part isn’t based on Michael Crichton’s book. You can see that, because “Jurassic Park III” isn’t as original. Joe Johnston is the director of the film and it’s very different from the original movies.
At the end of “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” you get a glimpse of the Pterosaur, as a teaser for the sequel. This flying dinosaur has a big role in the third installment. A fan favorite, the Tyrannosaur Rex, has a small role and is hardly in the movie. He had to make place for the Spinosaurus. And off course the Velociraptors are present, but they look different from the previous movies. Because of paleontological research the looks of the raptors were adjusted.
Aside from the new dinosaurs, the story is a copy of the other movies. People end up on the dino island, they have to run from them, some are eaten and some live. When the characters are introduced, it’s already clear who will make it and who won’t.
Sam Neill returns as the beloved character Dr. Alan Grant. And Laure Dern, as Dr. Ellie Satler, also has a small role. William H. Macy, who is an excellent character actor, is added, but he never seems to feel comfortable in the movie. And Téa Leon, as the ex-wife, only has to be hysterical.
The movie looks good and the action scenes are solid. That’s because of Johnston. He had very big shoes to fill and he did an excellent job when it comes to the visuals.
Overall is “Jurassic Park III” definitely not the best in the series, but still very entertaining.

Rating: 3/ 5

Movie Reviews - The Florida Project

Director: Sean Baker
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 115 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Brooklynn Prince, Christopher Rivera, Aiden Malik, Grandma Stacy, Valeria Cotto, Edward Pagan, Bria Vinaite, Patti Wiley, Jasineia Ramos, Willem Dafoe, Rosa Medina Perez, Mela Murder, Krystal Nicole Watts, Sandy Kane, Jim R. Coleman

Description: Set over one summer, the film follows precocious six-year-old Moonee (Brooklynn Prince) as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother (Bria Vinaite), all while living in the shadows of Walt Disney World.

Review: Director Sean Baker broke through with the film “Tangerine” las year. A film fully filmed with an IPhone. He proved that you don’t need a big budget to create a good film. He was named one of the biggest talents and we should keep an eye on him. And with that, there was extra pressure on him when “The Florida Project” was released.
We meet several residents of a motel, called the Magic Castle, which is just outside Disney World. They are all trying to keep their heads above water. Six-year-old Moonee and her friends don’t seem to realize that, that they are on the bottom of the social ladder. They spend the days on the streets, asking money for ice cream and teasing people. But the grown ups no longer dream of a better life. Moonees mother Halley sells perfume to tourists, but realizes that’s not enough.
We also meet the owner of the motel, Bobby. A likeable man who has the unthankful task to chase the residents for rent money. Even though he is pretty strict, he can’t help to have a weakness for the children. He tries everything to protect them.
Baker decided to show this world of inequality fro the perspective of the children. Often he chooses lower camera angles, to keep the camera with Moonee. A lot of the blanks you can fill in yourself, which makes you more involved. It’s not a story divided in three acts, but like life it just goes forward. We see glimpses of the character’s lives and the choices they make in this time period. De location is chosen perfectly. Knowing that just a few block away, richer families are having the time of their lives in Disney World, makes Moonee’s situation even harder to watch.
The style Baker shows, feels almost like a documentary. Also because of the natural performances by the actors. Brooklynn Prince is really strong as Moonee. A lot of dimension in this tiny girl, which makes her role beautiful. But Willem Dafoe is the adult that steals the show.
“The Florida Project” is a surprising and lively film. No clichés, it’s pure and authentic. Not a movie filled with exciting happenings, but a great look at society. Without any morals.

Rating: 4 / 5

Movie Reviews - Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Director: J.A. Bayona
Genre: Action/ Adventure
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum, Toby Jones, Rafe Spall, BD Wong, James Cromwell

Description: When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen (Chris Pratt) and Claire (Bryce Dallas howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.

Review: The dinosaurs that were left behind when the Jurassic World theme park went bad, need to be saved. The islands volcano is about to erupt and Owen and Claire decide to go back. But naïve business men also send an over ambitious hunter to the island.
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” is the sequel to “Jurassic World, the way “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” was a sequel to “Jurassic Park”. And you can see that a lot of it is the same. But director J.A. Bayona decided to have only a few scenes in the jungle and take the rest of the film to the city. Which is basically the last scenes from “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” stretched to film length. But from that point the film gets more original.
“Jurassic World” got mixed reviews. Especially the fans of “Jurassic Park” were really brutal. I’m also a huge fan, it’s THE movie that made me the movie geek I am now. But I watched “Jurassic World” as a separate film, not comparing it with the orinal master piece. And I really liked “Jurassic World”. And I also liked “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”. But less, because it reused a lot of elements from the previous films and the characters don’t really have any development. I like Owen and Claire, apart and together, but there is no development whatsoever.
Seeing Jeff Goldblum was off course great and he might be the greatest character ever created for the franchise (no, he IS).
“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” shines because of the great visuals and its high entertainment value. And Chris Pratt as an action hero with the right amount of humor. But the best moments and quotes were ‘borrowed’ from the earlier films.

Rating: 3,5 / 5