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Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
TFA fans will enjoy it, TLJ fans most likely not
Fair enough, the latest Star Wars trilogy will not be awarded for it's originality. This movie is no exception. That said, I enjoyed the Rise of Skywalker a lot. Like the Force Awakens it has the feeling of the old Star Wars movies. Something that the Last Jedi had not. JJ Abrahams also stayed true to the legacy or myth of the original characters. Ryan Johnson chose a different path, which divided the fan base. JJ Abrahams returns to, what he started with, the Force Awakens and this movie is more of a sequel to that one as it is to the Last Jedi. In fact, this movie kind of dismisses a lot of the stuff that was told and shown in the Last Jedi.
Because of this I think the fans of TFA will enjoy this (a lot). Fans of TLJ will be disappointed that Rian Johnson's movie is somewhat denied in this sequel and will feel that this movie is just a rehash of the old movies.
Either way, the movie doesn't have the most brilliant storyline, but it gives closure in a way that, at least I, was hoping for. It's an emotional goodbye to a universe that I followed for over 40 years.
It Chapter Two (2019)
Not bad but... nobody mentions the horroble horrible ending?
Actually the film is not bad at all. Some typical horror moments, good casting and acting. But the movie is a tat long. Still for most part it does justice to Stephen King's novel. And that's an accomplishment on its own.
I don't mind when movies are changing parts of a book. And sometimes it works better for a movie to adjust the storyline. Same goes with this movie. But what really really bothers me is the ending. Don't worry, no spoilers, but this is the dumbest ending I've seen in a decade. It's so simplistic and unconvincing, it's almost the ending of a child's movie. My wife called it 'Typical Hollywood dumbness' and it's a shame as It deserved better.
Bill Skarsgård actually did a better job as Pennywise than in the first movie and some scenes are certainly gruweling. But it never becomes scarrier, or more visual stunning than any of the other Hollywood horror movies of this century. Making it just an average movie. That said, with a better ending it would have received one more star in my personal rating.
In the end it's not a movie you MUST see, but I am sure you won't be (too much) disappointed when it's done.
31 (2016)
Rob Zombie just can't do any better
What I've learned from this movie is that Rob Zombie has not evolved as a director since 1000 corpses. It's more of the same from his other movies but as the little tricks get old it is also very boring.
I think this is the most boring bloody gore movie I have ever seen. Despite the terrifying environment, the classic cat & mouse situation and what else, Zombie manages to create characters nobody cares about. Not if they are victims, killers, getting murdered, escape, die a gory death or get killed off screen. You watch but it just doesn't matter. It is a complete waste of time.
The movie drags, seems to go nowhere and then it is over and you realize it really didn't go anywhere at all.
Whatever made Zombie movies interesting is now something from the past. In the music business you would call him a one day fly or a one hit wonder. But I don't see any future in Rob Zombie directions anymore.
Rogue One (2016)
Nearly 40 years after Star Wars there finally is the prequel
Although the movie is more of a war drama than a space adventure, it manages to give you that Star Wars feeling that the prequel trilogy failed to do. Sure those prequels shared the well known characters but it lacked everything that is Star Wars. Rogue One, surprisingly, managed to pull you in the Star Wars universe with a completely different story and characters.
I'm not going to give anything away but the people who hated the Force Awakens, for being a copy of the original trilogy, will enjoy what this movie has to offer. But also the people that loved the Force Awakens will enjoy this one because this movie connects to the original trilogy as much as TFA did. With the right cameo's, the right nods but especially because of the balance between 'the old Star Wars' and the new imagination of the creative teams behind this movie.
To me Rogue One has overcome everything that the prequel trilogy wanted to offer. And in a way gives us more answers than the prequel trilogy did. Who would have thought that Disney would rescue Star Wars? But with TFA and now Rogue One they seem to understand this universe better than it's creator George Lucas.
When Disney anounced they were going to release a Star Wars story each year, I was very sceptic. But after Rogue One I must admit that I can hardly wait for the Han Solo movie. The Star Wars Universe has just expanded in a very very good way.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015)
A bridge between generations of Star Wars fans. JJ Abrahams got it right!
After the prequels I was very sceptical about another Star Wars movie. Mainly because the prequels -despite the fact if you like them or not- lacked that feeling I have when I watch a Star Wars movie from the Original Trilogy. And to be honest, I was pretty sure it's impossible to create a movie in this age that would be able to give me that same feeling again.
When I left the theater I realized how wrong I was. THIS WAS STAR WARS! I mean everything in this movie felt and breathed like a Star Wars movie. The characters, the settings, the story... I watched Star Wars. And I was as excited as I was 30 years ago.
But what made this movie so special. What is the reason it gave me that familiar old feeling I had? Well simpel, The Force Awakens is a remake of the best of the Original Trilogy.
HEAVY SPOILERS BELOW:
Let's sum it up. It starts on a desert planet were a droid BB-8 (= R2D2) escapes the First Order (= Empire) with important data information. The droid falls in the hands of Rey (= Luke). Rey falls under the guidance of Han Solo (= Obi Wan). Kylo Ren (= Darth Vader) is trying to capture the information hidden in the droid. The First Order also has a mighty weapon, that can destroy entire planets (= Death Star). During the movie we learn that Kylo Ren is the son of Han Solo and Leia. And Leia believes that there is still good in the boy and that they can convert him back to the light side. There is a confrontation between the estranged father and son where Han gets killed (= Obi-Wan vs Darth Vader). And of course there is the end battle where the weapon gets destroyed by X-Wing fighters blowing up the entire planet.
And now I can hear you think "So it's a cheap remake. That sucks." But if you think that I have to disagree. I think it's a brilliant idea! By making this first sequel a remake of the Original Trilogy, JJ Abrahams basically placed the new characters in a familiar Star Wars environment. Because of this we accept Rey, Finn, Kylo Ren and all others immediately as Star Wars characters and we want to see their stories develop. And unlike the Prequels this solution ensures that the older generation of Star Wars fans recognize this movie as something they enjoyed for so many years. At the same time the new generation can enjoy the characters and make them their own for the future movies. JJ Abrahams created an almost impossible bridge, between all generations of Star Wars fans with this movie. And, in my opinion, that's pretty impressive.
This movie is a fantastic set-up for a trilogy that can go any direction but because of the brilliant connection of this movie to Episode IV, V and VI, despite where the new trilogy will take us, it will already feel like a real Star Wars trilogy. Something -I- missed from the prequels.
As a Star Wars fan I have to say that JJ Abrahams got it right! all in all I give this movie a solid 8,5 to 9 out of 10. (and 10 stars on IMDb because of the haters who gave it 1 star just to troll)
Jurassic World (2015)
It's a Syfy movie with a big budget
Ever saw those monster movies on Syfy channel? You know, the ones with the 2 dimensional characters. That have poor dialogue and horrible special effects. Well that's Jurassic World, with exception of the sfx.
Jurassic World looks expensive, has some fantastic shots but unfortunately nobody seemed to care about writing interesting characters or story lines. And if the characters are so badly written it's not surprisingly that the actor's deliver poor work.
Yes, the movie has a few funny moments but the entire cast is uninteresting, shallow and predictable. Basically just like the storyline.
I had some expectations for this movie but I have to say that the 14 minutes of dino's in Jurassic Park had more impact on me than the 5 best minutes of Jurassic World. I expected this to be the best of the franchise after the original. But in the end it turned out to be almost as bad as JP 3
Meat Loaf: In Search of Paradise (2007)
Great if you're not a die hard fan
When I heard about the documentary I was really excited. As a big Meat Loaf fan I really wanted to see this in depth look of him. Before I watched this I was already aware of the dedication Meat puts in his shows. And although they aren't all good he always seems to give his very best. So I wondered what I would get to see what I didn't already know about Meat. The answer: nothing.
Does that mean that this documentary sucks? No and yes really. No because the things we get to see are almost heartbreaking. We get to see many faces of Meat loaf. We get to see his 'larger than life' persona, almost broken, lying on the floor after a show. We see him being annoyed about the media about his act with Aspen Miller (Meat being 60 and Aspen looking like a 14 yr old did cause a lot of controversy in the press and by fans), we hear his band talk about him and we get to see how they go along together.
So a lot of backstage excitement you'd think. But not really because it doesn't really add anything to Meat Loaf from a fan's point of view. In fact at the beginning the crew of the documentary claim they are allowed to film anything for a certain amount of time but during the movie you realize that this was never the case. The direction always has been completely in the hands of Meat himself and we are only allowed to see what Mr. Loaf wants us to see. Nothing more nothing less. An that makes this documentary almost a waste of time. Whenever things start to get really interesting we get cut off so you almost wonder why it was made.
In the end it's hard for me to believe that the makers are happy with their product. Because it hardly is their product. It's Meat Loaf's propaganda movie showing how dedicated he is. At the beginning of the film it's obvious this wasn't the intention of the film crew but when it's all set and done the audience knows the director already lost charge after 10 minutes of filming.
So in conclusion you can say it's a good documentary for people who are not that familiar with Meat Loaf. You get to see a dedicated older rock star trying his best. As a Die Hard fan you learn nothing. From the reactions he leaves on the fan forum we know he is kind of a spoiled brat when it comes to criticism and thus the documentary was nothing more than an open door to us.
In Search For Paradise is included as the bonus disc on the recent Live DVD from the 3 Bats tour.
The Pink Panther (2006)
Too bad they used the Pink Panther franchise for this one
Let me start by saying that this isn't a too bad comedy.
Unfortunately it's not very good either though. Especially the running gags are almost painful unfunny. Still this movie has some good moments and Martin has given himself one or two funny one-liners.
The big problem of this movie is that Steve Martin tries to be Clouseau, one of the funniest characters invented for the big screen. Martin was a great comedian over a decade ago but since then he never managed to be really funny anymore. His time has past and this movie shows it. Steve Martin just simply isn't good enough to perform as Inspector Clouseau (perhaps nobody is, but he might have been the worst choice for this part). And the fact that Peter Sellers made this character his own doesn't help Martin either.
Desperately trying not to imitate Sellers Steve Martin gives his own 'swing' to the role. Something that could work on any other comic part, but not for a personality as famous as Clouseau. In fact a few script changes and staying away from the Pink Panther franchise would have improved this movie quite a bit. It would never have been a great comedy because for that it just isn't funny enough, but it also wouldn't give people such a bad taste and disappointment over the way our beloved Inspector is portrayed in this film.
That brings me to the other characters of Dreyfuss (Kevin Kline) and Ponton (Jean Reno). Gendarme Ponton of course is an entire new character and although he didn't do much for me as a viewer I think I enjoyed this one the most of all characters. Kevin Kline however... Just one word comes to mind to express my feelings: Ouch! If he was only half as good as Beyoncé in this movie... which also says a lot.
After seeing this movie I'm afraid that the entire Pink Panther thing was used to try to get former comedy star Steve Martin some sort of cheap success. not by attracting people to see his comic skills but merely hoping that Pink Panther fans will visit this one because of the franchise. And those people will be very disappointed. First of because the movie isn't that funny. But mostly because it doesn't do any justice to the former Pink Panther films. Said that I like to add that if Peter Sellers saw this one he would not turn over in his grave but he would more likely smile over the fact that after almost 30 year since he played this role for the last time and several failed Panther spin-offs, Hollywood still hasn't figured out a way to copy it successfully.
If director Shawn Levy would have created a new detective or police character for this story (and changed the screenplay a little), this movie would have gotten a 5 or 5.5. But because this one is miss-using (or perhaps is abusing a better word for it) the Pink Panther franchise I can't give it more than 3 out of 10.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Not Horror but a Gothic Fairy Tale
Perhaps you have to be a Burton fan to like this stuff. The scenery, the characters, the humor; it is all Burton.
I loved this one. The atmosphere that it is breathing, the lack of color, the darkness and the surrounding. It all contributes to the big picture. A dark mysterious tale of an insecure policeman and the tale of a legendary ghost: The Headless Horseman.
Johnny Depp plays his part superbly. He is Ichabod Crane, the sometimes clumsy scientific N.Y. policeman. I even thought Ricci was terrific. By holding back her emotions and even act a little "cold" you could understand why Crane in the end has his doubts about her. But the greatest pleasure I took out of the part of the Horseman himself. Christopher Walken (the man who once said:'There is no such thing as a small role, only small actors') proofs that with just a few movie-minutes you can steel an entire picture. He is one scary horseman!
I read that some people didn't like the combination of humor, horror and what more. I think it makes it a better picture. Other people felt this wasn't a good horror movie. Well they are right because it is not. I like to think of it as a gothic fairy tale. If you want to compare it to horror, I think it will remind people to the seventies hammer horror. This, for example, also was a studio film.
Well I didn't read the story of the legend of Sleepy Hollow, but I can imagine that, for his own convenience, Burton did not stick to the original. And for this picture it may have been better so. I mean if Tim Burton has an idea about something you should let him go his own way and something beautiful will come out of it, just like this one.
The Art Direction on this picture was great and therefore deserved the Oscar (Although I still think that during the last couple of years the Academy Award is the less serious film-award of them all).
This was the third Burton/Depp movie, Ed Wood and Edward Scissorhands were the other two, but I wouldn't mind if they made a fourth, fifth or even sixth movie together. If the outcome would be as great as this one (or the other two)it would certainly be a reason to visit the cinema again. Therefore this one got the highest score from me. A solid 10 out of 10
Pearl Harbor (2001)
Three hours filled with ...nothing
As a European I saw Pearl Harbor, and after three of the most boring movie hours of my life I wondered if in Hollywood they realize that also non-Americans go to the cinema.
This is another Patriotic load of crap. It has got an uninteresting love triangle, bad acting and some (ok) nice special effects.
This was going to be the Blockbuster of the year??? Those crazy Americans. Do they really believe that the audience would love this crap? I heard that Disney expected it to beat Titanic. They are so arrogant over there. How long did it last as the no.1 movie? ...A week? and rightfully so.
As an audience you do not feel compelled with any of the characters. In fact you don't care if they live or die. And (in opposite of Titanic) you certainly don't want to see it once again. It's much too long and boring to go through it once more.
In an effort to make a new Titanic they forgot that the strength of that movie was the emotional binding with the characters together with the great visual spectacle. That same thing made Gladiator a big hit (or did you think that it was the sight of the digitally built arena that did it for this movie?). No, this one (Pearl Harbor)just has some great effects and that's it.
But maybe that the Americans think differently about it. They are in fact very patriotic (when I saw "the Shadow" in the states in '94, there is a line in that movie where Baldwin as the Shadow says to his opponent something like: "Hey watch it, that's the US of A your talking about" Every proud American soul in the theater started to clap their hands and cheer, I think that says enough) but then again, maybe it's even too much for them to handle.
However as a European I could not appreciate this long movie. Bad acting and no story made it give me a 1 out of 10. Sorry but in my eyes it didn't deserve any more.
Shrek (2001)
Dreamworks' best animation
Shrek is without a doubt the best animation out of the Dreamworks studios. The reason is very simple: Finally they made a film for all ages, which will not bore little children and attract adults also. The story is simple but not annoying. The characters are fun and well made.
The big problem with former Dreamworks animation movies (both computer animation and cartoon) was that they weren't able to create a cast that was fun for children and adults. AntZ was fun if you were old enough to understand the philosophy but boring for the little kiddies (Bugs life had way more fun characters), Prince of Egypt was much to serious to attract young children (I wonder if they attend to make it a film for children) and Small Soldiers might have been to aggressive. The road to El Dorado came close. A funny adventure tale in 'Disney' style, but again with a lack of fun creatures. Children enjoy those things (every Disney film has two or more of such characters). But now with Shrek they have solved that problem.
The Ogre who seems evil outside carries a great hart within, The Princess who (for her own reason) understands that beauty doesn't always come from the outside, the evil want-to-be-king villain who seeks for the ultimate power and the Donkey (a great Eddie Murphy) who gives us the regular laughter like the best Disney characters do.
All I hear or read about this movie is that it is the best since Toy Story 2. Sorry but I liked this one more. Maybe because this was more like a fairy tale fantasy (my kind of movies). That and because the great vocal cast (Cameron Diaz as the princess, Mike Myers as Shrek, Eddie Murphy as the Donkey and a great John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad, the villain) made me give this movie a 9 out of 10.
Armageddon (1998)
Filled with Special Effects
The story is bad, the acting even worse and the plot has disappeared from the planet. Still I enjoyed this one.
What is it about: Earth is facing its end as a meteorite the size of Texas is heading towards us. The best thing NASA comes up with is to send a bunch of oil drillers on to the meteorite to drill a hole fill it with nuclear bombs and destroy it. That's all. Really, there is nothing more.
So why did I enjoy it?
Well never before I have seen a movie that is two-and-a-half hours long from which more than 90 minutes are filled with special effects and non-stop action. As a viewer you hardly get any rest and you are chased from one big explosion to another.
Does this make it a good film? Hell no, but it makes it enjoyable. That's why I give this one a 7 out of 10.
And if you intend to buy it, buy the criterion collection DVD. It has got a Director's Cut (with a never before seen scene between the Bruce Willis character and his Father) and lots and lots of extra features. A great DVD
Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
Sequels are bad, this is worse
When I Was in the US during the Christmas holidays of 1997, me and my buddy visited Universal Studios Hollywood. And there I saw IT. A big sign that said: Blues Brothers 2000. And my first thought was YEAAAAAH!!!!
As a big fan of the original I realized that this one would be less enjoyable, but then again these are the BLUES BROTHERS man. What could go wrong?
I tell you. First of all that annoying, never funny, arrogant kid (if I wanted to see another HOME ALONE movie, I would not bought a ticket for the Blues Brothers, Would I?). Second of all the cowardly character played by John Goodman (C'mon I mean the fun of the first one was the undisturbed acting of the 2 brothers) and third of all the lack of humor (maybe I missed it). I can not say a lack of plot because the first one didn't had any (but still was incredibly funny).
Still I gave this picture a 5 out of 10. I know it's more than it deserved, but I am a big Blues Brother fan. Still if you haven't seen this one, please don't rent it or watch it on tv. It is not worth your time and you will regret it the rest of your life. Just rent the original once more and enjoy the great John Belushi again. It's much better than the best (I mean less worthless) performance in the sequel.
This one is the worst of all sequels
From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)
The Thin Line Between Suspense and Horror
***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** From Dusk Till Dawn is one of those movies that surprised the audience big time. Starting out as a real suspense/thriller the audience will be taken to the edge of their seat.
But then half way the film the plot suddenly turns 180 degrees and we are in the middle of a great, funny, gore, horror movie. For those who didn't know what to expect it was a real shock. "How the hell can a great thriller like this turn into a cheap horror flick?" they must have thought.
Well the answer is simple. Because it is a Rodriguez-Tarantino production which proofs "you never can tell" what will happens next.
When I saw this one at the Cinema in the Netherlands, just a few people knew what they were going into. But most of them had no idea what to expect. So during the break (In the Netherlands most theaters have a 15 minute break halfway a movie) people in the Lobby were talking about this great thriller. The break started at the moment that the brothers, together with the camping family, reached the Titty Twister, just before they went in. Everybody was wondering what the twist would be. But I bet that even their wildest imagination didn't come close. After the interval the movie went on and within a few minutes everyone changed into vampires. Not long after that most of the audience walked out of the theater. They could not believe what was happening to the story. Such a sick twist. How was this possible? The people that stayed were in for a big treat. And at the end we all cheered and clapped our hands for a while. This was great.
The director took us from a great suspense movie into an even greater horror/comedy. He showed us that the distance between the two genres is in fact nothing more than a thin line. For those of you who think the same way about this great picture, you should buy the DVD Collector's Edition. It's full of great special features (incl Full Tilt Boogey, a full feature film about the making of this picture). I rewarded this movie a 10 out of 10 because I still enjoy it every time I see it
Halloween (1978)
The beginning of an new HORROR era
Almost everything that can be said over this film has been said. Still I want to add a thing or two too it. I rated this one 10 out of 10. Why? Because this was the beginning of a new kind of horror movie. The ultimate evil in the shape of a man. Something that could not be destroyed and was able to scare the living daylights out of Cinema viewers.
After this one there were many other movies with the same idea: Jason from the friday the 13th series, Freddy Krueger from Elm Street and more recent the masked killer from the Scream trilogy (which I hope will stay a trilogy). But none of them can be compared to Michael Meyers.
The scene that I found the most terrifying is after Laurie (J L Curtis) thinks she killed the boogie man, we see a close-up of her face. In the back you can see the body of Michael. When the camera slightly off-focus on Laurie we suddenly notice that the shape is moving. Michael is sitting up!!! This was, for me, the most intense scene of the film. Just look at the way the actor sits up. So perfect in his movement it's almost not human. For me that was the scene I realized that Michael was the Boogie Man, the ultimate evil in a human body.
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
This one has everything
This is one of the most amazing movies ever. It's got everything: Humor, Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Romance and Magic. Kurt Russel is a great anti-Hero, Jack Burton, a very macho truck-driver who is about to enter the underground of San Francisco's Chinatown. Together with his Chinese side-kick he discovers a world of magic, monsters and martial arts when they try to rescue the side-kick's fiancee out of the hands of Lo Pan, a 2000 year old magician, who needs the girl as an offer to become flesh and blood again. For Jack, who's not half the man he wants to be, this adventure might be more than he can handle!
If you already know this movie you should watch it again on DVD. It's really amazing. A great DTS soundtrack and much of extra features makes this a must-have DVD. As a Dutchman I had to wait some time before I could get the Region 1 DVD (in Europe we have Region 2, but it is not available here) but man, do I enjoy this one again and again and again...
The Blues Brothers (1980)
You never stop laughing
This has always been my most favorite movie. You either love it or hate it, but for me the humor is so funny. From the moment Elwood picks up his brother who is released from jail (in a former POLICE CAR)until the greatest car-chase scene I've ever seen that takes us through the entire state of Illinois. The brothers are able to make enemies with the complete Illinois State Police Force, a Country and Western Band, Nazis, a Nun and the National Army, before they can complete their "Mission from God".
Of course this one is full of over-the-edge slapstick humor and some of you may not like the undisturbed behavior of our couple. Every time something bad happens to them they just not seem to notice it.
This picture also has some of the greatest blues performers such as James Brown, Cab Calloway, Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles.