Quiz Show (1994)

Review Quiz Show

The quiz show has been a fixed part of TV programming for years on almost every channel. They are programs which are relatively cheap to make and contestants are easy to find. It was the same during the fifties and in America the show Twenty One was the most popular.

The show had two contestants (a challenger and a defending champion) who both are located in a sound proof booth and can’t see or hear each other. The presenter picks out a random card about a specific subjects and the contestants have to pick for how many points they want to play. The more points you choose, the more difficult the question. The winner is the one who reaches 21 points first. A big scandal related to the show was huge news for a while and could mean the end of the show. That scandal is the focus of this film. Continue reading

All Is Lost (2013)

Review of All Is Lost

The packaging of this movie in its DVD or Blu Ray form could have blurbs on it like “most realistic depiction of man versus nature” or “the ultimate movie about survival”. Unfortunately that does not automatically means that All Is Lost is a good movie though, something everyone will be able to enjoy. Could you imagine Life of Pi without the animals and narration? Or 127 Hours without the main characters talking to the camera? Buried without the phone? Those descriptions come pretty close to what this movie is. Except for a voiceover at the beginning of the movie this is almost a silent movie. Over an hour in Robert Redford (who I guess plays himself since we don’t get to know anything about the person he is playing) screams “FUUUUCCCKKKK”. Which was about the same thing I thought about the movie not having finished yet. Continue reading

The Company You Keep (2012)

Review of the Company You Keep

Surprises are the cherries on top of the cake of life (or something else if you don’t like cherries). They can brighten up your day because they show that the one giving them has taken the time to think about you and therefore are so cherished. They are the little moments you would like to have all the time and as a movie watcher I enjoy it when a movie is able to surprise me. I make sure movies are able to do that to read as little about them as possible and not watching trailers and for this movie, The Company You Keep I knew nothing. I knew Robert Redford and Shia LeBeouf were in it because they were on the cover, but as I was watching I was treated to one nice surprise after the other.

Robert Redford not only stars, but also has directed this movie (which is his 9th one) and has been able to get an amazing list of actors and actresses together to appear in this movie. Scene after scene I was thrilled to see another well-known actor play a role (some smaller than others) and this kept happening all through the movie. Susan Sarandon, Anna Kendrick, Stanley Tucci and Richard Jenkins are just a few examples, but there are many more. It’s a funny thing, but seeing familiar faces can really add to your enjoyment of a movie. Of course it is the reason why some actors get payed so much, because the general audience likes to see them and buys tickets. If you walk into a party and you don’t know anyone you won’t be as comfortable as when people you have seen before are present. As you know I watch all type of movies, also ones not starring well-known actors, but with this movie it was a joy to be surprised by the appearance of those actors/actresses. Continue reading

Buck (2011)

Buck

I’m personally not a big fan of horses. I have to go to the riding school once a week as the kids wanted lessons and they enjoy it. This means I regularly have to get close to them and saddle them, but it really isn’t for me. One thing you do notice is that they all have their personalities. For example, there is this one horse that always seems to be grumpy and you always have to keep your eye on him or he might shove you. Despite not liking horses much I was very interested in seeing this documentary about Buck Brannaman. Basically he is the horse whisperer (he was the consultant for that movie) Continue reading

The Sting (1973)

Robert Redford, Paul Newman (who already worked together in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)) and Robert Shaw star in this (IMDB top 250) movie about a couple of conmen who want to do a very big con. It’s a great heist movie which reminded me of the exact opposite of Ocean’s Eleven, as in this case the money will come to them. Continue reading