TV Show Review - Lovecraft Country

Season: 1
Genre: Thriller/ Horror/ Drama/ Mystery/ Fantasy
Number of episodes: 10
Year: 2020
Starring: Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, Aunjanue Ellis, Wunmi Mosaku, Abbey Lee, Jamie Chung, Jada Harris, Michael Kenneth Williams, Courtney B. Vance, Jordan Patrick Smith

Description: A young African-American (Jonathan Majors) travels across the U.S. in the 1950s in search of his missing father.

Review: First, let’s talk about H.P. Lovecraft, a very influential American horror author who in the 1920s and 1930s wrote classic stories and novels around a mythology he developed himself, in which an unfathomable and ancient evil lurks beneath the surface of life in New England. Lovecraft died in 1937, before his work became successful.  
In 2016, Matt Ruff wrote the novel “Lovecraft Country”, win which horror with an unmistakable Lovecraft touch is used in a story about a road trip through the segregated America of the fifties as a background. Here, two types of horror are captured in one worldview.
And now it’s a TV series on HBO. The screenplay is by Misha Green and is produced by big names like J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele.
It’s a creative way of combing the horror theme of Lovecraft’s world with the terror that African Americans had to deal with in the 1950s. It’s brilliantly done. Nothing is what it seems and anything goes. It’s a surprising series, it’s bloody, exciting and it looks amazing. And the performances are also rock-solid. It’s not a series you can easily binge, it’s better to watch an episode at a time and take it in.
Even though I loved this series, I don’t think it needs another season.

Movie Review - Hubie Halloween

Director: Steve Brill
Genre: Comedy/ Horror
Runtime: 102 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Kevin James, Rob Scheider, Steve Buscemi, Ray Liotta, June Squibb, Noah Schnapp, Maya Rudolph, Tim Meadows, Michael Chiklis, Kenan Thompson, Shaquille O’Neill, Ben Stiller, Jackie Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler

Description: Despite his devotion to his hometown of Salem, Hubie Dubois (Adam Sandler) is a figure of mockery for kids and adults alike. But this year, something is going bump in the night, and it’s up to Hubie to save Halloween.  

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2020 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 43: A HORROR COMEDY

Review: Adam Sandler joked that if he didn’t get an Oscar for “Uncut Gems” he would intentionally make a bad comedy. He kept his word, because here is “Hubie Halloween”.
Every now and then Adam Sandler makes a serious movie and shows everyone what a good actor he can be. With movies like “Punch-Drunk Love”, “Funny People” and “The Meyerowitz Stories” he won the hearts of the critics. With “Uncut Gems”, which is probably his best performance and movie to date, he even had a chance to win an Oscar. On Howard Stern’s radio show, Sandler joked that he would take revenge with a really bad movie, if he didn’t win. Sandler never even got a nomination, which is a damn shame. So out of ‘vengeance’, he made “Hubie Halloween”.
It is a typical Adam Sandler comedy. Weird mouth, funny voice, poop jokes and all of his actor friends.
In terms of story, “Hubie Halloween” isn’t much either. Sandler plays adult child Hubie Dubois, the village idiot. He is seen as annoying and a loser and hated by the entire town, when he is actually one of the nicest people out there. Hubie doesn’t care about what others think and always wants to help people. And with his favorite holiday Halloween coming up, he’s got his eyes open. Because things will get freaky this year, but no one believes Hubie.
An old acquaintance of Hubie has escaped from the madhouse, his new neighbor has a dark secret and several residents of Salem are kidnapped. Hubie alerts the police, but no one takes him seriously. So Hubie has to solve it himself.
“Hubie Halloween” is a wink to some of Sandler’s other movies. Ben Stiller is in the opening scene, as the mean nurse from “Happy Gilmore” and his former co-star Julie Bowen from that same movie is also in it. There is a reference to Canteen Boy, a character he played on “Saturday Night Live”, and the film is filled with many of Sandler’s friends: Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Kevin James. Even his wife and kids have roles.
Don’t take it all to seriously, then “Hubie Halloween” might be more enjoyable. It has some funny details, like the running gag of Hubie’s mother’s obscene shirts and women dressing up as Harley Quinn. But apart from that, the humor never exceeds the level of a screaming Adam Sandler.
It's not one of his worst movies, but Adam Sandler sure as hell made a lot better comedies. “Hubie Halloween” just feels effortless. I think, with a better script and jokes it could have been a lot funnier.

Rating: 2 / 5

10s Movie Review - Ocean's Eight

Director: Gary Ross
Genre: Crime/ Comedy
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Helena Bonham Carter, Rihanna, Awkwafina, James Corden, Richard Armitage, Elliott Gould

Description: Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) gathers an all-female crew to attempt an impossible heist at New York City’s yearly Met Gala.

Review: For those who didn’t know it yet: master criminal Danny Ocean has an equally clever sister: Debbie Ocean. And besides the cast being all-female this time, “Ocean’s Eight” has the same set-up as the other films. This is both a reboot and a sequel to the Steven Sodenbergh trilogy.
Director Steven Sodenbergh acts as a producer this time and Gary Ross takes over as a director. The formula has changed very little. The build-up is practically the same as “Ocean’s Eleven”. The opening scene is exactly the same, only it’s not George Clooney, but Sandra Bullock leaving prison.
Debbie Ocean swears that she leaves the criminal life behind her and she wants to live a simple, good life. As soon as she leaves prison, she  finds her friend and partner Lou. Together they plan a jewel heist and they form an all-female team of a hacker, pickpocket, fashion designer, desperate housewife and diamond entrepreneur. The yearly Met Gala is where it will all happen.  
I think that the cast helps to this film’s success. Sandra Bullock is amazing, she is charming as ever and I love her. She is surrounded by a great group of women, that form a powerful team. And I was amazed by the fantastic costume design, which is hardly ever something I pay attention too. But in this film that really stood out.
It never lives up to “Ocean’s Eleven”, but I enjoyed it more then “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen”. I found there was no dull moment in this film and it was highly entertaining. I’m just not a fan of the other Ocean’s sequels and I did like this one. I think that’s mainly because I like almost everyone in the cast. Okay, it’s not the most original. Because it is very similar to “Ocean’s Eleven”, aside from the all-female cast and that this time it’s a jewel heist instead of robbing casinos. But overall, “Ocean’s Eight” was a good time.

Rating: 3 / 5

00s Movie Review - Ocean's Thirteen

Director: Steven Sodenbergh
Genre: Comedy/ Crime
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2007
Starring: George Clooney, Brad Pitt, matt Damon, Al Pacino, Ellen Barkin, Bernie Mac, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Elliott Gould, Shaobo Qin, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Carl Reiner

Description: Danny Ocean (George Clooney) rounds up the boys for a third heist after casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino) double-crosses on of the original eleven: Rueben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould).

Review: The story in a nutshell: Danny Ocean and his ream get together to assist their buddy Rueben Tishkoff, who has been double-crossed by casino boss Willi Banks. As a result, Rueben has collapsed, is in bed with heart problems and Danny is furious. Time for revenge. The plan is to bankrupt Banks’ casino before it officially opens its doors. Let the swindle and sabotage begin…
After a flying start “Ocean’s Thirteen” collapses after thirty minutes. The different storylines aren’t all that interesting, characters come and go, and certain things remain unexplained. But they are back in Las Vegas, like in the first movie. And the actual execution of the plan feels like old times. And this part was really fun, enjoyable and exciting.  
Does the third film add something to the series? Not really. The second one also didn’t, but I do prefer this over “Ocean’s Twelve”. But “Ocean’s Eleven” was the best of the three and they should have just stuck with that one.

Rating: 3/ 5

TV Show Review - Dark (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Mystery/ Crime
Number of episodes: 10
Year: 2017
Starring: Louis Hofmann, Karoline Eichhorn, Lisa Vicari, Maja Schöne, Stephan Kampwirth, Jördis Triebel, Andreas Pietschmann, Oliver Masucci, Paul Lux, Moritz Jahn, Christian Hutcherson, Peter Benedict, Gina Stiebitz, Debora Kaufmann, Daan Lennard Liebrenz

Description: A family saga with a supernatural twist, set in a German town, where the disappearance of two young children exposes the relationships among four families.

Review: An almost apocalyptic landscape dominated y a large nuclear power plant. The German town of Winden has all the characteristics of a potential ghost town. The population is emotionally and deeply touched by the disappearance of a young boy. When more young people start to disappear, the citizens of Winden realizes that this has happened before. Thirty-three years earlier. Is the possible perpetrator still active or is it a copycat? When a young child is found dead with strange facial wounds, it is clear that there is more going on. It becomes even stranger when it turns out that the dead boy is directly connected to the disappearance of thirty-three years earlier.
“Dark” is a gloomy and grim interplay of supernatural phenomena and mysterious characters. Jumping in time and the number of characters sometimes makes it difficult to follow, but when paying attention it is easy to follow. The setting and shot images add to the dark atmosphere.
One of the main character is Ulrich Nielsen. His marriage to wife Katherina isn’t like it used to be, it’s become a more routine life. He has an affair with Hannah. Her husband committed suicide. When Mikkel, Ulrich’s son, disappears, everything turns upside down.
“Dark” seems like a crime mystery at first, but eventually mixes these detective and drama elements with the supernatural. And it goes in a completely different direction, which I didn’t expect but loved about the show.
Looking into the past of the characters involved, we go back thirty-three years, where Ulrich’s brother also disappeared. And the circumstances are the same now as they were then: flickering lights, birds falling from the sky. Suddenly there appears to be a lot more going on in Winden and the mutual relationships turn out to be much more complex than initially thought.
Hannah’s  son, Jonas, is now looking for Ulrich’s son as well. Jonas feels guilty about the disappearances of Mikkel. His relationship with his best friend and girlfriend, with whom he has a brief fling, becomes increasingly complex as the revelations become larger. Central to everything seems to be a hooded man. Furthermore, there is a cave in the forest that runs under the nuclear power plant. A place full of strange phenomena, such as the unexpected flickering of flashlights.
The unexpected plots and unusual family relationships make the series a dark whole. The first season ends with a surprising twist, which makes you want to come back for season two. And I definitely will. “Dark” is an overlooked series on Netflix that is most definite worth your time.

10s Movie Review - Unforgettable

Director: Denise Di Nivo
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 100 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Rosario Dawson, Katherine Heigl, Geoff Stults, Cheryl Ladd, Isabella Kai, Whitney Cummings, Darah Burns

Description: Tessa (Katherine Heigl) sets out to make life a living hell for her ex-husbands new fiancée Julia (Rosario Dawson).

Review: Let’s just start with telling you that this is a really bad movie.
We meet Julia. She is driving towards a bright future. Julia is a partially retired blog editor (yes, really) and about to move in with her fiancée David. However, she has a past in which violence dominated her life. Moving on from a violent relationship, she now has a life with David and his young daughter Lily. And with taking on the new role of stepmother, Julia also has to deal with David’s ex-wife Tessa. And as soon as Tessa and Julia meet, we know bad things will happen.
After seeing this film, I was wondering how the hell Rosario Dawson ended up in a film like this. Her performance is way better then this movie deserves. And with that, Dawson is the only redeeming feature of “Unforgettable”.
The story is predictable and this film looks like a Lifetime Movie that would normally go straight to DVD and never even have a theatrical release. Well, it did end up in cinemas and some people actually paid money to see it. The film is full of terrible dialogues and a really bad fight scene towards the end. It’s boring and filled with bullshit. And that ending… it even makes you believe there will be a sequel. And the universe really doesn’t need that. Or want it for that matter.  
I don’t know what happened to Katherine Heigl, I used to love her in “Grey’s Anatomy”. But she is really bad in this movie. And she stares in mirrors a lot. And I don’t even know why this movie is called “Unforgettable”.
Nope, if you have the chance to see this film, don’t!

Rating: 1/ 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 25

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

Action: King Kong (2005)
A greedy film producer (Jack Black) assembles a team of moviemakers and sets out for the infamous Skull Island, where they find more than just cannibalistic natives.
 

Drama: The Godfather (1972)
The aging patriarch (Marlon Brando) of an organized crime dynasty tranfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son (Al Pacino).
 

Comedy: Monty Python’s Life of Brian (1979)
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth (Graham Chapman) spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
 

Animation: Madagascar 2 (2008)
The Madagascar animals fly back to New York City, but crash-land on an African nature reserve, where they meet others of their own kind. And Alex (Ben Stiller) especially discovers his royal heritage as prince of a lion pride.
 

Romance: She’s the Man (2006)
When her brother dedides to ditch for a couple of weeks, Viola (Amanda Bynes) heads over to his elite boarding school, disguised as him, and proceeds to fall for his school’s star soccer player (Channing Tatum), and soon learns she’s not the only one with romantic troubles.
 

Horror: The Exorcist (1973)
When a 12-year-old girl (Linda Blair) is possessed by a mysterious entity, her mother (Ellen Burstyn) seeks the help of two priests (Max von Sydow, Jason Miller) to save her.
 

Science Fiction: Spider-Man Far From Home (2019)
Following the evens of “Avengers: Endgame”, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
 

Crime: Ocean’s Eleven (2001)
Danny Ocean (George Clooney) and his ten accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously.
 

Thriller: The Girl on the Train (2016)
A divorcee (Emily Blunt) becomes entangled in a missing persons investigation that promises to send shockwaves throughout her life.
 

Documentary: American Murder: The Family Next Door (2020)
In 2018, 38-year-old Shanann Watts and her two young daughters disappeared in Colorado. With the heartbreaking details emerging, the family’s story made headlines around the world.

Family: Dudley Do-Right (1999)
Inept Canadian Mountie Dudley Do-Right (Brendan Fraser) chases after villain Snidley Whiplash (Alfred Molina) and woos girlfriend Nell Fenwick (Sarah Jessica Parker). (Okay, this is actually a really bad movie, but fun for the family)