90s Movie Review - Cape Fear

Director: Martin Scorsese
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 128 minutes
Year: 1991
Starring: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Juliette Lewis, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck

Description: A convicted rapist (Robert De Niro), released from prison after serving a fourteen-year sentence, stalks the family of the lawyer (Nick Nolte) who originally defended him.  
 
Review: This remake of the 1962 film of the same name was directed by none other than Martin Scorsese, who demonstrated for the first time that he could create an atmospheric thriller.

Max Cady is a convicted rapist, who is released after fourteen years. He starts stalking Sam Bowden and his family, because Bowden was his lawyer.

What makes this film so compelling is Robert De Niro’s extremely unsettling portrayal of Max Cady. He rightly deserved and Oscar nomination for his role as this psychopathic stalker, and this role is still considered one of his best to this day.

Scorsese himself was a big fan of the original and wanted to give it his own twist so that it wouldn’t resemble the original too closely. The result was certainly successful, as it contains many typical Scorsese aspects and he definitely gave it his own twist. The acting is great, the atmosphere is dark and grim, the story is well constructed and the final scene on the boat is really good.

Rating: 4/ 5

10s Movie Review - Roman J. Israel, Esq.

Director: Dan Gilroy
Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Thriller
Runtime: 122 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Denzel Washington, Colin Farrell, Carmen Ejogo, Amanda Warren, Tony Plana, Sam Gilroy

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 30: A FILM WITH DENZEL WASHINGTON
 
Description: Roman J. Israel Esq. (Denzel Washington), a driven idealistic defense attorney, finds himself in a tumultuous series of events that lead to a crisis and the necessity for extreme action.

Review: Sometimes you watch these movies that, if the lead actor wasn’t apart of it, people wouldn’t care about it. “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” is one of these movies.

What a great character Roman J. Israel is, a brilliant, idealistic but socially awkward criminal defense lawyer. Played with restraint by Denzel Washington. You just wish he has a slightly better film than this unfocused mix of character study and courtroom thriller.

We follow three weeks in Israel’s life, during which he throws his integrity in the wind after a series of setbacks. Director and screenwriter Dan Gilroy (known for “Nightcrawler”, one of my personal favorites) manages to hold the viewer’s attention for a long time with intelligent dialogue and pleasant languid atmosphere, but seems unsure of where he wants to go with he story.

This movie is still worth watching, for Washington, who received an Oscar nomination. The performance is better then the movie.  

Rating: 3/ 5

Book Review - The Drowning Woman by Robyn Harding

Title: The Drowning Woman
Author: Robyn Harding
Genre: Thriller
Published: 2023
 
Description: Lee Gulliver never thought she’d find herself living on the streets, but when her restaurant fails and she falls deeper into debt, she leaves her old life behind with nothing but her clothes and her car. In Seattle, she parks in a secluded spot by the beach to lay low and plan her next move – until early in the morning, she sees a sobbing woman throw herself into the ocean. Lee hauls the woman back to the surface, but instead of appreciation, she is met with fury. The drowning woman, Hazel, tells her that she wanted to die, that’s she’s trapped in a toxic, abusive marriage, that she’s a prisoner in her own home. Lee has thwarted her one change to escape her life.
 
Out of options, Hazel retreats to her gilded cage, and Lee thinks she’s seen the last of her, until her unexpected return the next morning. Bonded by disparate but difficult circumstances, the woman soon strike up a close and unlikely friendship. And then one day, Hazel makes a shocking request: she want Lee to help her disappear. It’ll be easy, Hazel assures her, but Lee soon learns that nothing is as it seems, and Hazel may not be the friend Lee thought she was.
 
Review: When Lee, a woman who has lost everything and lives on the streets, sees a woman walking into the sea one morning, she rescues her without hesitation. But the woman, Hazel, was there for a reason. She wanted to get away from her violent, dominant husband. They become friends, but Lee also becomes entangled in a web of secrets and lies.
 
The strength of this thriller lies in the layered plot and clever use of perspective shifts. Lee is an interesting and compelling character. She has been through a lot and finds herself in hopeless situations. Hazel remains a mysterious character for longer. She raises a lot of questions. Can she be trusted? What is her real motive? The interaction between Hazel and Lee are the backbone of the story.
 
I did not particularly like either of the characters though, but I could empathize with both. I just couldn't understand how both women let themselves be so easily charmed by a man who, in my eyes, wasn't that special. And I'm not talking about Hazel’s abusive husband in this case, because that is a more difficult situation. I can’t relate to that either, but I can understand Hazel’s behavior and actions.  
 
I always enjoy thrillers about trust, lies and hidden motives. “The Drowning Woman” had a lot of that. Author Robyn Harding did a good job writing a page turner. Her writing style is accessible and fluent and there is a good balance between suspense and character development. The tension does lack in the second half and I just didn’t like the ending. It had too many loose ends. It felt rushed and a bit abrupt. But I still think it’s a good read I would recommend. Perfect thriller to read on your Summer vacation.
 
Rating: 3/ 5

90s Movie Review - That Thing You Do!

Director: Tom Hanks
Genre: Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Jonathan Schaech, Ethan Embry, Steve Zahn, Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Giovanni Ribisi, Bill Cobbs, Kevin Pollack, Rita Wilson, Chris Isaak

Description: A local Pennsylvania band scores a one-hit wonder in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as they can, with lots of help from their manager (Tom Hanks)

Review: “That Thing You Do” follows a young, ambitious group of young men, in the 1960s, that love music. They start a band. When their drummer breaks his arm, right before an important show, they hire Guy Patterson. He has a different view on music and tries something more up-tempo. This works well and it turns their band, “The Wonders”, into a rock ‘n roll sensation.

It’s the directorial debut of star actor Tom Hanks, who also wrote the script. Hanks also has a role as the manager, but wanted young actors to steal the show. Jonathan Schaech plays lead singer Jimmy, who is very ambitious and talented, but the stardom changes him. Steve Zahn is always excellent at playing the funny supporting characters and does that very well in this movie. Liv Tyler, as Jimmy’s very supportive girlfriend Faye, is lovely as ever. But the real star is Tom Everett Scott, as Guy Patterson. This was his first movie he starred in. Tom Hanks first didn’t want him to star, because he resembles a young Hanks. His wife Rita Wilson, who also has a small role in the movie, finally convinced him. And it was the right choice, because Tom Everett Scott steals every scene he is in.

“That Thing You Do” is one of those fun comedies you can watch over and over again, and you never get tired of it. Even when the song, titled ‘That Thing You Do’, is played so many times. Because you hear it a lot! It’s the perfect movie for a night you don’t want to think too much and just enjoy a fun film.

Rating: 4/ 5

20s Movie Review - One Life

Director: James Hawes
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 109 minutes
Year: 2020
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Lena Olin, Johnny Flynn, Helena Bonham Carter, Romola Garai, Alex Sharp
Description: Sir Nicholas ‘Nicky’ Winton, a young London broker who, in the months leading up to World Ward !!, rescued over 600 children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 29: A FILM WITH HELENA BONHAM CARTER
 
Review: Prague, 1938. Englishman Nicholas Winton is persuaded to come and offer help. Nicholas arrives at a refugee camp where dozens of displaced Jewish families are living in the cold, homeless, and this is just one of many. Nichols is moved and knows that war could break out at any moment. He wants to try at least get the children out. That is easier sais than done.

The story alternates between the late 1930s with young Nicholas and the 1980s with Anthony Hopkins playing the elderly Winton. Old Nicholas is not comfortable in his own skin. He is know for his deep melancholy. Young Nicholas doesn’t realize that he is about to change lives, ones he and his team start getting Jewish children of the train to England.

It’s a story about a true hero, who did a completely selfless act and helped save over 600 children’s lives. The ending is very emotional and satisfying and it solves the mystery of old Nicholas’ negative attitude. As a World War II film, “One Life” is nothing new. But the story is about someone who deserves to be in mentioned, for all the good deeds he did, when other’s just looked away.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

Title: Whalefall
Author: Daniel Kraus
Genre: Horror/ Science Fiction
Published: 2023
 
Description: Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand – to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. He knows it’s a long shot, but Hay feels it’s the only way for him to lift the weight of guilt he has carried since his dad’s death the previous year.
 
The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth where he is pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tank runs out – one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.
 
Review: “Whalefall” is a sci-fi horror about a diver who is swallowed by an 80-foot, 60 ton sperm whale and has only an hour to escape before his oxygen runs out. This was all I needed to know.
 
Jay Gardiner wants to find the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay thinks it’s the only way to get some closure.
 
It takes some time to get into the book, but when we finally get to the exciting point, it’s hard to put down. It’s a fairly short book, with just over 300 pages. In reality it’s probably a lot shorter even. Some chapters consists of just one word or sentence.
 
The book alternates between the present and the past, and in chronological order. The small fragments we get from Jay’s past range from when he was a kid to very recently. For the people who disliked this book, that is probably the main reason. I think it was clever, and it also allowed events to unfold in a different way.
 
It’s marked as horror and I do believe that’s correct. The fact you’re attacked by a giant squid is already very scary, but then being swallowed by a sperm whale. And then there is the claustrophobic feel, which is actually the scariest part of the story. Especially with the realization you only have an hour of oxygen left. If this story is scientifically accurate? I leave that to the scientists. But for some reason that wasn’t on my mind while reading the book.
 
“Whalefall”, for the most part, is about a man dealing with his grief, it has a lot of emotion. The books has a slow start, it took me some time to get into the story. But once Jay goes diving, you’re in for a treat. Especially those final chapters, I was on the edge of my seat. And that’s why I don’t understand why people find it boring. “Whalefall” is a really good book with many layers.
 
Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Final Destination: Bloodlines

Director: Zach Lipovsky, Adam B. Stein
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 110 minutes
Year: 2025
Starring: Kaitlyn Santa Juana, Teo Briones, Rya Kihlstedt, Richard Harmon, Owen Patrick Joyner, Anna Lore, Alex Zahara, April Telek, Tinpo Lee, Tony Todd, Brec Bassinger, Gabrielle Rose
 
Description: Plagued by a recurring violent nightmare, Stefani (Kaitlyn Santa Juana) returns from college to find the one person who can break the cycle and save her family from the horrific fate that inevitably awaits them.
 
Review: It has been almost fifteen years since the last “Final Destination” film was released. Part five nicely rounded off the series with a surprise ending. But in true Hollywood tradition, no franchise is dead as long as people are still interested. That brings us to the legacy sequel: “Final Destination: Bloodlines”.

The formula is simple: someone foresees a fatal disaster, manages to escape fate, and saves themselves and others from it. Because Death cannot be fooled, they eventually still die in gruesome ways.

The first film in the series is from 2000. This was a great film. And it has some enjoyable sequels. I only remember absolutely nothing about the fourth movie. These films have never been praised for their high quality. Their appeal lies in the gore and creative ways in which the characters die. But that doesn’t mean it’s superficial nonsense. Behind the setting, structure, and climax of each death is a clear and effective vision.

Until now, each part has faithfully followed this fixed formula. That’s exactly why it’s a pleasant surprise that “Final Destination: Bloodlines” dares to play with it. The film does not open in the present, but in the 1950s. Iris and her boyfriend Payl go to the opening of the Sky View Tower, which ends in a major disaster. When Iris dies, you expect her to wake up from the vision, as usual. But that does not happen. Iris is not the main character, it’s her granddaughter Stefani.

Stefani has been having the same nightmare about the collapsing Sky View Tower for months. She suspects her grandmother can explain more, and it turns out that because her grandmother should not have survived the incident, Stefani and her relatives are also on Death’s list.

“Final Destinations: Bloodlines” breathes new life into the franchise. And again comes up with some really creative ways to kill of its characters. In terms of plot, acting and other cinematic elements, this film has little to offer.

I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this film and it’s actually a great addition to the franchise.

Rating: 3,5/ 5