Rewatching My 100 Favorite Movie - Update 8

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.
 

26/ 100: Beauty & the Beast (1991)
An arrogant nobleman is turned into an angry beast by a with; he can only become human again if someone loves him for who he is, before the last petal of a magic rose has fallen. One day, much to his dismay, a beautiful girl from the village enters his castle. “Beauty & the Beast” has been my favorite Disney movie ever since I saw it for the first time. The songs are strong and has a few showstopper, with “Belle” being my absolute favorite. I never wanted to be Disney princess, but I always wanted to be Belle. She reads books and wants to see more of the world, and doesn’t settle for the first handsome man that asks to marry her. Check out my full review HERE
 

27/ 100: Forrest Gump (1994)
This cinematic dream for director Robert Zemeckis is a beautiful and uplifting allegory about a charming simpleton who served in Vietnam, meets several presidents and has more influence on the course of history than he himself could ever have imagined possible. Tom Hanks’ best performance to date and my second favorite movie of all-time. Check out the full review HERE to find out why.
 

28/ 100: Easy A (2010)
Teenager Olive tells her best friend an untrue but tough story about sex, and in no time the school gossip machine is working overtime. Olive’s reputation is damaged, but her status as an expert rises. Earthly, clever high school comedy about the various sides of sex as a determined social status. The movie that made me head over heals fall for Emma Stone. Read the full review HERE
 
Still to watch: 72

20s Movie Review - I Still Believe

Director: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin
Genre: Drama/ Music/ Romance
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: KJ Apa, Britt Robertson, Nathan Parsons, Gary Sinise, Shania Twain

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2021 CHALLENGE MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 45: A MOVIE ABOUT MUSIC
 
Description: The true-life story of Christian music star Jeremy Camp (KJ Apa) and his journey of love and loss that looks to prove there is always hope.

Review: Jeremy has finished high school and is all set to go to college. With his guitare and his enthusiasm, he moves to California, where begins his studies. Because of his interest in music, he is soon noticed by Jean-Luc, a successful artist who also studied at the university. However, he gets the most attention from Melissa, a young girl with whom he quickly becomes very close. Jeremy works his way I in the music industry and is on the verge of becoming a star. But just then fates strikes Melissa. She has cancer and it spreads rapidly throughout her body. Jeremy hoes his utmost to deal with her illness and involves hundreds of thousands of fans.
“I Still Believe” is based on the life of Jeremy Camp, a pop star fairly unknown to most but has a huge fan base in the United States. That alone will make you interested in the film. But when you are about fifteen minutes into the film, you know that the movie by the Erwin brothers is far from impressive. While the story certainly looks touching and captivating, the film’s creators by no means succeed in making you really sympathize with the characters. The large jumps in the story and the implausible twists make it difficult to stay interested as a viewer. In addition, the film’s message I excessively Christian, something that doesn’t really work for a lot of people. I’m very respectful towards people and their religions and find it admirable that people have faith and believe there is a higher power. I’m just not that person, I’m not religious and do not like it when it’s forced on you. That’s probably the reason why I didn’t like this movie.
The screenplay doesn’t allow you to actually sympathize with Jeremy or Melissa, an on-screen couple who look believable. That’s extraordinary, especially knowing that this film is based on true events. The problem is by no means the actors, the characters have not been given enough background.
Overall, “I Still Believe” is not a movie I would recommend, only if the theme really interests you or if you are a Jeremy Camp fan.

Rating: 2/ 5 

Movie Review - Venom: Let There Be Carnage

Director: Andy Serkis
Genre: Action/ Science Fiction/ Adventure
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Naomie Harris, Michelle Williams, Stephen Graham, Reid Scott, Peggy Lu

Description: Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) attempts to reignite his career by interviewing serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who becomes the host of the symbiote Carnage and escapes prison after a failed execution.

Review: Tom Hardy once again takes on the role of Eddie Brock and his alien parasite Venom, but in “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” we see a side of the bloodthirsty alien that we would rather not have seen.
In this sequel to “Venom”, Eddie Brock has accepted that he must share his body with Venom, but this leads to much bickering between the two. When deranged killer Cletus Kasady takes in his own symbiote and transforms into Carnage (a red larger version of Venom), Eddie and Venom must put their problems aside for a while.
Tom Hardy, as always, is a joy to watch. He feels more at home in this sequel as Eddie Brock. Without him the movie would have been a lot less engaging. This is partly due to his buddy Venom. And the sequel is a lot funnier. Venom has become a prankster and some jokes are good. But some are not. At those moments you don’t think you’re watching “Venom: Let There Be Carnage”.
Fortunately, when Venom and Carnage come face to face, the film is really good and the two rivals go head to head in some spectacular action sequences. Carnage is an impressive villain. Woody Harrelson, who plays Cletus Kasady, is too. At first. At the start of the movie, he is really good. But when he becomes the host of the symbiote Carnage, Cletus becomes more cartoonish and silly.
“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” does make an attempt to give Cletus some depth, pairing with Shriek and giving the two their own storyline. But not enough to make Cletus an unforgettable character.
The film feels a bit messy at times and is not one of the better Marvel films. It does make for an entertainment popcorn movie and it still is worth your time. Because the strong action sequences make up for a lot.

Rating: 3 / 5

Netflix Friday - Volume 80

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

Action: Desperado (1995)
Former musician and gunslinger El Mariachi (Antonio Banderas) arrives at a small Mexican border town after being away for a long time. His past quickly catches up with him and he soon gets entangled with the local drug kingpin Bucko (Joachim de Almeida) and his gang.  
 

Drama: The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
Two imprisoned men (Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman) bond over a number of years, finding solace and eventual redemption through acts of common decency.
 

Comedy: Daddy’s Home (2015)
Brad Whitaker (Will Ferrell) is a radio host trying to get his stepchildren to love him and call him dad. But his plans turn upside down when their biological father, Dusty Mayron (Mark Wahlberg), returns.
 

Animation: Sausage Party (2016)
A sausage (Seth Rogen) strives to discover the truth about his existence.
 

Romance: Clueless (1995)
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is at the tp of her Beverly Hills high school’s pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other.
 

Horror: Bone Tomahawk (2015)
In the dying days of the old west, an elderly sheriff (Kurt Russell) and his posse set out to rescue their town’s doctor from cannibalistic dwellers.
 

Science Fiction: Star Trek (2009)
The brash James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) tries to live up to his father’s legacy with Mr. Spock (Zachary Quinto) keeping him in check as a vengeful Romulan from the future creates black holes to destroy the Federation one planet at a time.
 

Crime: Man on Fire (2004)
In Mexico City, a former CIA operative (Denzel Washington) swears vengeance on those who committed an unspeakable act against the family he was hired to protect.

Thriller: Gone Girl (2014)
With his wife’s (Rosamund Pike) disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man (Ben Affleck) sees the spotlight turned on him when it’s suspected that he may not be innocent. 

 

Documentary: Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond (2017)
A behind-the-scenes look at how Jim Carrey adopted the persona of idiosyncratic comedian Andy Kaufman on the set of “Man on the Moon” (1999).
 

Family: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)
The adventures of writer Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne) in New York’s secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before harry Potter reads his book in school.

10s Movie Review - Easy A

Director: Will Gluck
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 92 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Emma Stone, Penn Badgley, Amanda Bynes, Dan Byrd, Thomas Haden Church, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Cam Gigandet, Lisa Kudrow, Malcolm McDowell, Fred Armisen

Description: A clean-ct high school student relies on the school’s rumor mill to advance her social and financial standing.

Review: High School student Olive is a wallflower and is pretty much invisible. Her best friend Rihannon gets more attention after she told everyone she had sex. Olive thinks it wouldn’t harm anyone if she starts a rumor herself, about losing her virginity. This rumor spreads faster than she could have ever imagined.
The story doesn’t sound all that special, but it’s the execution of this story that is almost brilliant. And Emma Stone is fabulous in “Easy A”. This is the movie that introduced me to her and I have been a major fan ever since. Her portrayal of Olive is just great and she is actually one of my favorite female movie characters. Her parents, played by Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson, are great too. They are so funny, I love them in this film. And Amanda Bynes, as Jesus freak Marianne, is really funny as well.
I’m not a fan of romantic comedies, but when there is more com then rom, I tend to like them more. “Easy A” is one of those films, I love this movie! “Easy A” gets an A+!

Rating: 5/ 5

90s Movie Review - Forrest Gump

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: Drama/ Comedy
Runtime: 142 minutes
Year: 1994
Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Mykelti Williamson, Sally Field

Description: Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), while not intelligent, has accidentally been present at many historic moments, but his true love, Jenny Curran (Robin Wright), eludes him.

Review: “My momma always said, life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get”. Forrest Gump isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed, but his mother was such a smart woman. With these words Forrest starts telling us his life story, to perfect strangers who sit next to him at a bus stop. The result: a extraordinary story, mesmerizing from beginning till end, about a simple man with a pure heart and the will to make the impossible possible. Very American, but so beautiful. 
Forrest Gump is honest and open, with all the best intentions. His naïve view on the world makes sure you feel for him right away. From him as a successful American football player to the captain of a shrimping boat and from a Vietnam war veteran to a pingpong champion. He has done it all. The film is filled with romance, tension, drama and humor.
Tom Hanks is simply brilliant as Forrest. This is still his best performance and I doubt if he can ever top that. We don’t see Hanks in this movie, we the simple and naïve Forrest Gump. Robin Wright also does an excellent job as Jenny. Gary Sinise as Forrest’s army friend lieutenant Dan and Sally Field as momma Gump both perform very decently.
“Forrest Gump” is my second favorite movie of all time and it won the Academy Award for best movie (where it beat my number on favorite movie “The Shawshank Redemption”). “The world will never seem the same, once you’ve seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump”. A movie that will never leave you.

Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - Muppets Haunted Mansion

Director: Kirk R. Thatcher
Genre: Family/ Comedy/ Musical/ Adventure
Runtime: 52 minutes
Year: 2021
Starring: Will Arnett, Taraji P. Henson, Darren Criss, Yvette Nicole Brown, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta, Eric Jacobsen, Matt Vogel, Alfonso Ribeiro, Ed Assner

Description: On Halloween night, Gonzo is challenged to spend one night in The Haunted Mansion.

Review: It’s Halloween and the Muppets celebrate. Except for Gonzo and Pepé. Gonzo receives an invitation to the spooky manor in which magician MacGuffin disappeared exactly a hundred years ago.
The Haunted Mansion is one of Disney most popular attractions, a kid-friendly haunted house. There is already a live-action movie based on this ride, starring Eddie Murphy. But let’s be honest, it’s more fun with the Muppets in it.
Several famous Halloween movies are spoofed here as well, most obvious one is “The Shining”. That’s where again this Muppet movie is for the entire family, because this is a joke that kids won’t understand, but the adults do.
“Muppets Haunted Mansion” stars the side characters of the popular puppets. Not Kermit or Miss Piggy are the stars, it’s Gonzo and his King Prawn friend Pepé.
It’s a fun Halloween film, for the whole family and for every Muppets fan.

Rating: 3,5/ 5