Movie Review - I Want You Back

Director: Jason Orley
Genre: Comedy/ Romance
Runtime: 116 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jenny Slate, Charlie Day, Scott Eastwood, Gina Rodriguez, Clark Backo, Manny Jacinto
 
Description: Newly dumped thirty-somethings Peter (Charlie Day) and Emma (Jenny Slate) team up to sabotage their exes new relationships and win them back for good.

Review: Director Jason Orley focuses on thirty-somethings, but it feels like a coming-of-age film. After Emma and Peter are both dumped by their partners, they hatch a plan to get their lovers back. While Emma will seduce Peter’s ex Anne’s new boyfriend, Peter becomes friends with Emma’s ex Noah and persuade him to break up his new relationship. A recipe for funny moments about people who have to learn to let go and look for what really suits them.

The casting of the characters is perfect. Emma is a funny, chaotic person who does not yet have her life in order, or in other words not someone you can build on according to ex-boyfriend Noah. Jenny Slate throws herself confidently into her role and despite her over-the-top moments, where she dramatically burst into tears, for example, she still feels very human.

Peter, on the other hand, is dumped by Anne because he is too lacking in spontaneity and she feels she cannot move forwards. Charlie Day fits right into the more passive role in which he is not so much funny himself as the situations he repeatedly finds himself in. His naïve, adorable appearance further enhances the humor.

Not only Emma and Peter come off well. Certainly Noah in some ways conforms to the stereotypes of the typical handsome man, but at the same time the film plays with expectations and manages to surprise. This does not mean that everyone gets a distinct personality. Noah and Anne’s new partners have little to do, and Emma’s roommates are there purely for comic relief. But the relationship between the characters work.

The pace is nice and the dialogues and awkward situations manage to make you laugh. It is also nice that the characters’ behavior does not simply lead to a happy ending. For however understandable, Emma and Peter’s plan is obviously dubious.

Without getting preachy, “I Want You Back” manages to convey well the life lesson the characters learn. And while the film never makes the characters unsympathetic, it is certainly aware of their lesser sides. That the film never goes over the top is due to the enjoyable cast, but also by never letting the exes become simple stereotypes. This gives the film just that little bit more.   

I’m not the world’s biggest romcom fan, but there is always at least one every year that pleasantly surprises me and I actually like. “I Want You Back” is the one this year.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

Title: The Turn of the Key
Series: -
Author: Ruth Ware
 
Description: When she stumbles across the ad, she’s looking for something else completely. But it seems like too good an opportunity to miss: a live-in nannying post, with a staggeringly generous salary. And when Rowan Caine arrives at Heatherbrae House, she is smitten. By the luxurious “smart” home fitted out with all modern conveniences, byt the beautiful Scottish Highlands, and by the picture-perfect family.

What she doesn’t know is that she’s stepping into a nightmare, one that will end with a child dead and herself in prison awaiting trial for murder.
 
Review: A thriller set in a mysterious house, with a family who isn’t as picture-perfect as they seem.
 
Rowan Caine thinks she has found the dream job: working as a nanny in a luxury mansion, for an amazing salary. When she gets the job, she moves from London to the Scottish Highlands to live with the Elincourt family with four daughters. Unfortunately, most dreams are deception, including this one.
 
Rowan finds out as soon as she moves into the mansion. Many nannies have gone before her, all of which have not lasted long. The only question is: why? One thing is clear, the children aren’t jumping up and down of excitement to meet yet another nanny.
 
As soon as Rowan start working for the Elincourts, both parents have to leave for work and Rowan is left alone with three of the four children. She meets the hostile housekeeper and the kind handyman/ driver. And strange things start to happen. It all starts to look like someone wants her gone.   
 
The book starts with Rowan writing a letter, to a lawyer, because she is in prison for a crime that she, so she claims, hasn’t committed. Through this letter, we are experiencing the story. I was surprised with that, I didn’t expect it. It’s written from the I-perspective, which seems the logical choice and I really like it.
 
Even though you already know from the start that a child will die and that Rowan is the one blamed for it, the story is anything but predictive. Author Ruth Ware managed to give the story some surprising twists. And everyone has secrets, not just the house and the family that lives in it.
 
I really loved “The Turn of the Key” and I’m very excited to read more of Ruth Ware’s books.
 
Rating: 4,5/ 5

Movie Review - Mr. Harrigan's Phone

Director: John Lee Hancock
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Horror/ Mystery
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Jaeden Martell, Donald Sutherland, Joe Tippett, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Peggy J. Scott,  
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 43: A MOVIE BASED ON A BOOK
 
Description: When Mr. Harrigan (Donald Sutherland) dies, Craig (Jaeden Martell), the teen who befriended and did odd jobs for him, puts his smart phone in his pocket before burial. When the lonely Craig sends his friend a message, he is shocked to get a return text.

Review: The number of film adaptations of Stephen King stories is at least as vast as the literary canon of the great master himself. New to the list is the Netflix film “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone”.

Craig befriends the old billionaire Mr. Harrigan where at a young age, he reads literature to the old man, because his eyes are deteriorating. He does this over a period of five years and we see him grow up from a young boy to a teenager. A special bond develops between the two. Craig gets an iPhone from his father and later buys one for his old friend. When one day Mr. Harrigan dies, Craig puts Harrigan’s phone in his suit at the funeral, to be buried with him. When Craig is feeling lonely, he decides to leave a voicemail message for Mr. Harrigan, telling him how much he misses him. But he gets a text message back from him and strange things start to happen.

The reason the two have such a good bond is because they both lost their mother at a young age. Craig likes being with him because he is not well-liked at school and is more concerned with getting rid of the bullies. The wise old man recognizes this and teaches him wise life lessons.

For the people afraid of horror: you can watch this. It is not horror. It’s at most a mystery thriller, with drama elements. The focus is on the bond between the two main characters. What is their connection. How is it that Craig still gets messages on his phone when the man has died. And what about the wishes he expresses on Harrigan’s voicemails and their outcomes?

Donald Sutherland, who plays the titular Mr. Harrigan, doesn’t have a big role, but plays it convincingly. Wise and sly but also fragile. Jaeden Martell, who was also in “It”, another film based on a Stephen King book, and  holds his own against the veteran. Martell portrays a believable, insecure teenager.  

“Mr. Harrigan’s Phone” is a film I enjoyed, not one of the best Stephen King adaptations, but definitely not in the worst category either.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

TV Show Review - House of the Dragon (Season 1)

Season: 1
Genre: Drama/ Fantasy
Number of episodes: 10
Year: 2022
Starring: Milly Alcock, Emma D’Arcy, Emily Carey, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Matt Smith, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best, Steve Toussaint, Fabien Frankel

Description: An internal succession war withing House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen.

Review: “Game of Thrones” was a huge success for HBO. Perhaps the last show that almost everyone seemed to watch. The spin-ff “House of the Dragon” is supposed to be its successor. But despite it’s set in the same fantasy world as “Game of Thrones”, the series has become a different kind of series.

It’s a prequel series and set about 170 years before Daenerys Targaryen was even born. It’s based on George R.R. Martin’s book “Fire & Blood”. There are no familiar characters, but we do meet many characters with similar names, because it’s not uncommon in royal families to name your child after another family member.

The series contains fewer characters than “Game of Thrones” and also takes place in fewer different locations. The drama revolves around the Targaryens and related families Velaryon and Hightower.
The game for the throne begins with the death of the queen, after which King Viserys is left with only one child: Princess Rhaenyra. He appoints her as his heir and makes everyone swear allegiance to her, despite the fact that he himself came to power only because most of the lords of Westeros did not want his niece Rhaenys on the throne: would rather have a distant cousin on the throne who does not seem suitable, than a woman.

Viserys is expected to remarry very quickly after his wife’s death. He choses Alicent Hightower, his daughter’s childhood friend and daughter of his hand Otto Hightower. Alicent and Viserys soon have their first child together: a son, which makes him the first male heir to the throne. We get many time-jumps after that and follow these characters over a twenty year period. Rhaenyra and Alicent become increasingly enemies, despite attempts at rapprochement. The men around them want power and do not shun violence, murder or war to do so.

Structurally, “House of the Dragon” is set apart to cover those many years. Sometimes several years pass between episodes, which is mostly explained in dialogue. There is even ten years between episode five and six, after which all the younger characters are played by different actors, including Rhaenyra and Alicent, who have suddenly become adult mothers of multiple children (sometimes hard to keep up which child is which).

Daring as we had just gotten used to the young actresses Milly Alcock and Emily Carey. But Emma D’Arcy and Olivia Cooke take over with dignity. To get to know the characters, the structure is slow at first, but then sometimes suddenly jumps quickly from dramatic climax to climax.

So far, “House of the Dragon” is definitely better than the last season of “Game of Thrones”, but not even close to when the successful series was at its best. It has more dragons though, which is a huge plus.

Movie Review - Bullet Train

Director: David Leitch
Genre: Action/ Comedy/ Thriller
Runtime: 126 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Brad Pitt, Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Sandra Bullock, Logan Lerman, Zazie Beetz
 
Description: Five assassins aboard a swiftly-moving bullet train find out that their missions have something in common.

Review: After a small role in “The Lost City”, Brad Pitt is back in a lead role. In a so-called bullet train flying through Japan at high speeds, much more is going on than meets the eye.

Assassin Ladybug is given a seemingly simply assignment: steal a suitcase on a Japanese bullet train and get off with it at the next stop. Everything seems to be going smoothly, until Ladybug finds out that he is not the only hitman sent aboard the train with an assignment.  

“Bullet Train” is a highly entertainment film with not a dull moment in it. Besides the amazing action scenes it contains, in colorful neon lights of modern Japan, the actors get every chance to shine in a film that actually takes place almost entirely in one location. And aside from all the spectacle, the actors especially shine in the conversations their characters have with each other. Brad Pitt infuses his character with a genuine amazement at everything, while as a reborn person he clearly forgets what industry he works in. Tangerine and Lemon make a delightful duo, while Prince makes everything to her liking.

The action and humor that alternate at a high pace make the film a cinematic ride to be fully enjoyed. Towards the end, it doesn’t quite manage to maintain that perfect pace, but that’s forgivable.

“Bullet Train” is a ride you won’t soon forget. The combination of humor and action works perfectly. The great action scenes and delightful conversations follow each other at a good pace. And the cast manages to hold your attention. With Brad Pitt as the stand-out. A movie I didn’t expect to love as much as I did.

Rating: 4,5/ 5 

Movie Review - Elvis

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 159 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Olivia DeJonge, Helen Thomson, Richard Roxburgh, Dacre Montgomery, Luke Bracey, David Wenham, Kodi Smit-McPhee
 
Description: The life of American music icon Elvis Presley (Austin Butler), from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).

Review: It takes guts, making a movie about Elvis Presley. Director Baz Luhrman dared to do it. And you just have to dare, playing Elvis and singing in your own voice. Actor Austin Butler dared and succeeds with flying colors.

With Baz Luhrman we have a man who received an Oscar nomination for “Moulin Rouge”. The second leading actor Tom Hanks has already won two of those awards. But Austin Butler isn’t yet a big name. I believe that after you see him in “Elvis”, there’s no way you won’t remember his name.

“Elvis” is the type of movie that depends on the performance of the lead actor. Now matter how good the story is, a mediocre portrayal of The King will break the film. And from the first moment you see Butler as Elvis, you see Elvis, not an actor playing him. And the fact that he sang everything himself, makes it even more incredible!

The story itself is told from the perspective of Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’ manager. Tom Hanks portrays him. He is actually known as Dries van Kuijk and came from Breda, The Netherlands. And even though he always claimed to wanting the best for Elvis, he wasn’t a good man. And Hanks does a fantastic job, as always, in a more villainous role, which is something we don’t often see from Hanks.

As every Baz Luhrman movie, the film looks gorgeous and stylish. And with a runtime of more than 2,5 hours, the movie never gets boring. It has a fast pace, where there is almost no time to catch your breath. I wouldn’t have mind some quieter moments here and there.  Thanks to great performances, this movie is definitely worth watching.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Pinocchio

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Genre: Family/ Adventure
Runtime: 105 minutes
Year: 2022
Starring: Tom Hanks, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Benjamin Evan Ainsworth, Angus Wright, Cynthia Erivo, Keegan-Michael Key, Lorraine Bracco, Guiseppe Battison
 
I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2022 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 42: A CHILDREN’S MOVIE
 
Description: A puppet is brought to life by a fairy, who assigns him to lead a virtuous life in order to become a real boy.

Review: After “Beauty and the Beast (2017)”, “The Lion King”(2019) and “Aladdin” (2019), it is time for yet another Disney fairy tale to be turned into a live-action movie: “Pinocchio”. None other than Tom Hanks takes on the role of Geppetto, but even Hanks can not save this somewhat disappointing retelling of the familiar fairy tale.

Geppetto must learn to cope with the loss of his son and makes a wooden doll that reminds him of his boy. How wonderful it would be if this Pinocchio were really alive. He makes a wish and it comes true. Pinocchio comes to life and embarks on a grand adventure. From his first day at school to an encounter with questionable characters.

Tom Hanks works together with director Robert Zemeckis again, who he made “Forrest Gump” with. Such a big name as Hanks naturally attracts many fans, it was a reason for me to watch it. As Geppetto, Hanks is merely the creator of Pinocchio and then fades into the background.

The story has no faults. The donkeys, the fairy, the whale and the evil fox and cat: we know it all from the original fairy tale. All the elements are in it again this time. And it all looks beautiful. Even though it’s a live-action film, most of the film is still animated, or computer animated anyway. The film is filled with CGI, when many things could have been recreated with practical effects. Because of this, the film really loses its magic and pure beauty, that we know and love from the animated film.

This is one of these movies I really wished I loved, but I didn’t. Probably my least favorite of the recent Disney animations brought to life in live-action.

Rating: 2,5/ 5