One of the newest additions to the Fast & Furious family was Scott Eastwood, son of Clint Eastwood. He played a character who, to me, was only an annoying addition and he did not convince me of his acting talent. Fortunately, it was a supporting role, but in Overdrive (which happens to also be about a group that has a strong passion for cars), he plays one of the main roles. Does he show another side here? Continue reading
Although everyone will not know director/actor Stephen Chow, his films Shoalin Soccer and Kung Fu Hustle were quite popular a couple of years ago. After these he directed a number of films, with most of them not reaching the same level of popularity. One of them is The Mermaid, in which he presents the viewer with another bizarre story. Continue reading
Sometimes there are movies, that when you see something about them for the first time, alarm bells start ringing. They are sometimes titles that might look good on paper, but probably won’t work once executed. That is exactly the feeling I had when I first read about Table 19. The cast looks good: Anna Kendrick, Lisa Kudrow, Craig Robinson, Stephen Merchant, Tony Revolori and June Squibb. A combination of actors who could provide an entertaining film. But the fact that I had never heard of the film before and it was immediately available on DVD made me cautious. Of course, not all new titles can be released in the cinema, but you will still hear something about them. But because of that cast, it was one that I decided to give a chance. Was that a wise decision? Continue reading
Contemporary, violent and exciting were the three qualities that I attributed to the original Kingsman film. A title that surprised me in a positive way and I looked forward to the sequel. Of course you know in advance that the initial surprise will not be there anymore (the same was the case for Guardians of the Galaxy 2 for example), but that does not have to be bad if that sequel knows how to entertain. Does Kingsman: The Golden Circle succeed in that? Continue reading
Although Ryan Reynolds was never an actor to me who stood out or whose movies I watched much, he managed to become very relavant thanks to his appearance in Deadpool. The film, which he helped to realize, was an unexpectedly successful. One of the first posters for this film, which parodied the poster of The Bodyguard, made this also seem like a film that was worth watching. Especially when you consider that Reynolds would share the screen together with Samuel L. Jackson. Does that make for a fun movie? Continue reading
Edgar Wright, who was previously responsible for the Cornetto trilogy and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, walked around for years with the idea of making a film where everything revolved around music as much as possible. He has previously done something like that in Shaun of the Dead, in which all actions were performed to the rhythm of a Queen song, but did not yet do so on a larger scale.
The idea of a getaway driver who did everything to music is something he had for ages, which he already realized as a video for “Blue Song” by Mint Royale. When you compare the opening of Baby Driver (which is also in this review) to that video, the similarities are clear. Continue reading
One of the apps I use on almost a day to day basis is Just Watch. It shows which movies have been added to Netflix (and other services) each day. It keeps me up to date and makes me aware of titles I wouldn’t normally notice. Recently this movie was in the list and I had never heard of it, even though it has an Oscar nomination for best female supporting role. With Jane Fonda and Robert Redford in the leading roles, I was interested in seeing it. Continue reading
Most will know Donald Glover as an actor, but he is also an artist (Childish Gambino), director, writer, comedian and producer. He appeared in Community, The Martian, Spider-Man: Homecoming and for the Han Solo film he will play Lando Calrissian. So it is someone who has a busy life and also finds the time to make his own series in the form of Atlanta. A series that wanted to see for a while, but did not get around to. Luckily I had a long flight a while ago where the show was on the entertainment system and I could finally watch it. Continue reading
Although director Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovic, the Ocean’s Eleven films, Che, The Informant) announced in 2013 that he would stop making films that sad news. Yet saying something and sticking to it turned out to be difficult for him. He directed the The Knick series for HBO, helped Spike Jonze to edit Her and made his own “cuts” of well-known films available online. He had never really been away and now he “officially” is back with Logan Lucky, which to quote the film itself is an Ocean’s 7-11. In other words, a “heist” film, but in a setting that is a lot less glamorous. Continue reading
“Film is life without the boring bits” is one of the lines from Their Finest and an important reason why we love movies so much. If they are good, they offer a world for one and a half to three hours in which something is constantly happening, whether it is a lot of action or small personal moments. It is a period in which you do not have to do anything yourself and yet experience a great deal. Really good films are able to move you or give you a different view of something that you normally do not think about. And that all starts with someone who has a good idea and knows how to turn that into a fascinating script. That is partly what this film is all about. Continue reading