Top Movies – Trailer Talk: Money Monster – Movie Reviews Sites


George Clooney and Julia Roberts are taken hostage, in this intense looking investment-thriller.




Money Monster is an upcoming dramatic thriller, directed by Jodie Foster and starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell amongst others. This film will be released on May 13th in the States and a week later in Germany and the UK. It tells the story of Lee Gates (Clooney), a successful financial advisor with a booming TV show called “Money Monster”. When the studio is held hostage by a member of the shows audience (O’Connell), Lee’s producer (Roberts) decides to air it live on TV.

We have obtained a lot of similar movies as of late that tell an economic tale, whether it is based on true events or just fictionalised versions, such as The Big Short, The Wolf of Wall Street, Man on a Ledge, Margin Call or Company Men and all of them have been told from a different perspective, using a unique style to tell the story. What caught my interest in Money Monster, is first of all the stellar cast and second the aspect of camouflaging an economic drama as a hostage thriller.  
The trailer itself does look really interesting and is a non-stop heart pounding thrill ride, without disclosing too much of the plot. We get just the right amount of information and spared another trailer that ruins the complete movie experience. One thing I did found unnecessary was the fact that it made use of a “two-hour prior” flash back. Other than that it did manage to spike my interest and I can’t wait to see Money Monster on the big screen.
I have been waiting for these two magnificent actors to work together again since Ocean’s Twelve, so how were they in the trailer? Well, apart from a very short scene together, the two have separate screen-time for most of the scenes; nonetheless the Clooney and Roberts managed to impress me in that sort time and showcased a realistic boss-employee chemistry. I was also sold on Jack O’Connell’s character and am very interesting how his story will develop.

Overall it is a strong first trailer that did exactly what it was supposed to do, and that is getting me hooked. I can’t wait to see it in cinemas and have my fingers crossed for it not to be a stinker, even though from what I saw in this trailer I highly doubt it. So, have you seen the trailer for Money Monster? If so leave a comment with your opinion and if you not, I posted a copy of the trailer above, so have a look at it.


Thank you very much for reading and if you found this trailer review helpful make sure to share it with friends and family.



Top Movies – Brooklyn Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites


A lovely and adorable motion-picture, Brooklynmay not be perfect but sees a fantastic performance by Saoirse Ronan and one of the best costume designs in a period drama.

Genre: Drama
Director: John Crowley
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson,
Jim Broadbent, Fiona Glascott and Jane Brennan.
Run Time: 111 min.
US Release: 25 November 2015
UK Release:  06 November 2015
German Release: 21 January 2016
Brooklyn was not really on my “watch” list, but after having read all the positive reviews and heard about the multiple Oscar nominations, I was really curious as to how this historical period drama, playing in the 1950’s, would turn out to be. Brooklyn is based on the 2009 novel of the same name, written by Irish author Colm Tóibín and winner of the 2009 Costa Novel Award. To say the truth, I was quite surprised at how much I liked this movie but at the same time shocked that it earned that amount of stellar reviews, because it was not a “perfect” film.
The story revolves around a young Irish girl named Eilis Lacey (Saoirse Ronan), whose older sister Rose (Fiona Glascott) arranges for her to leave the small town of Enniscorthy and move to Brooklyn, New York where she is supposed to finally build a life for herself. At first awfully homesick, Eilis soon falls in love with the local boy Tony (Emory Cohen) but when she obtains disastrous news from Ireland, she needs to choose between her home and her heart.
Brooklyn is an incredible sweet and innocent motion picture that focuses on the pureness of Eilis and her growing as a character. It is also a love tale about two persons that come from different worlds, which turn into a menace for their growing attachment. This movie also manages to capture the 50’s setting spot on like no other period drama set in that time, but what really astonished me is how small and calm this film is and at the same time it has a good pace and time management.

On the other hand, the first half of the film suffered some mild blandness due to the lack of emotion (other than a little sadness) emitted by the main character and the fact that she is unable to stand up for her own believes and dreams, but rather lets others decide about her life. Once Emory Cohen’s persona is introduced along the second half of the story though, this period piece manages to turn interesting.  
Brooklyn also had some problems with character development and this is a reason why I did not feel as attached to the main personas as I should have. It is not until the last 20 minutes or so, that Eilis finally shows how much she has changed since her moving to New York and it was at that moment I finally felt an emotional bond to her.
Saoirse Ronan manages to portray Eilis’ young and timid being very well, but I wished for a little more insight about what was going on in her head, when others made decisions about her future. I did like Ronan as a protagonist and I did feel sorry when life strikes down her luck, but she also managed to annoy me quite a bit by looking mopey most of the time (even when she was happy). I also thought that while Ronan did a good job at displaying her characters homesickness, the movie skipped through that episode a little too fast.  
Emory Cohen and Domhnall Gleeson did both a great job and made for very impressive side characters, especially Cohen who gave a stellar performance as the friendly and sensitive Italian-American Tony.
Even the cinematography had few flaws at times. The movie was occasionally very bright, which made the film look artificial, especially during the outside early scenes on the outside deck of the ship. Other than that though, it was a beautiful looking romantic drama with extraordinary costume design fantastic and shot with a special lens, that made for pale looking colours that gave Brooklyn a very realistic mid 20th century feeling.
Verdict: Brooklyn managed to surprise me in a very positive way and although I don’t believe it is as good as most of the critiques made it out to be, I do believe that it is a must see in cinemas! The film features great performances by Ronan, Cohen and Gleeson, as well as having a solid cinematography and realistic costume design. It also has some issues though, which might strike a nerve with some of the viewers, other than that I highly recommend this movie and give it an 8 out of 10.

What is your opinion of this historic period drama? Did you see it? Leave a comment below and let men know what you thought. My next review will be for Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight that is being released this Thursday in cinemas all around Germany. So expect it either this Thursday or Friday, depending on my schedule.



Top Movies – Point Break Comparison Review – Movie Reviews Sites


One of my favourite sayings goes like this: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. So why did we get a Point Break remake when we didn’t need it?



 
Genre: Action
Director: Ericson Core
Cast: Luke Bracey, Edgar Ramirez, Ray Winstone,
Delroy Lindo, Teresa Palmer and Clemens Schick.
Run Time: 114 min.
US Release: 25 December 2015
UK Release:  21 January 2016
German Release: 05 February 2016
For this review of the new Point Break movie, which came out yesterday in theatres all around Germany, I will try something different. Instead of simply reviewing this movie and giving it a final score, I will compare it to the original 1991 action flick directed by Kathryn Bigelow and starring Keanu Reeves as Johnny Utah and Patrick Swayze as Bodhi.
Despite being cheesy and a passable film, the 90’s version was undoubtedly one of the more entertaining action blockbusters from its era and although I haven’t re-watched it for some time (I think it was around 10 years prior to this review), I am still very fond of it. Point Break was one of the first action films my parents let me watch on TV and it did earn a special place in my heart. So when I heard they were going to reshoot the movie, I crossed my fingers for it to be worthy to carry this 90’ blockbuster’s name. Sadly that isn’t quite the case. 

— This Review Will Contain Spoiler to the 1991 Original —

I was actually surprised at how much more I enjoyed it than I originally thought. Does it come anywhere near the original? In no way, but I did not dislike this film as much as I believed I would. The main problem with this action remake is the story, which is simply boring and tedious at times, since nothing of interest happens over large periods of times.
The original 1991 Point Break was like a modern re-telling of the Robin Hood story, with a few tweaks here and there. It is about a group of surfers going against the government by systematically robbing banks, but instead of giving the money to the poor they use it to fund their summer surfing vacation. When young FBI agent Johnny Utah infiltrates the crew to stop the robberies, his sympathy for the surfers turns into an emotional struggle between friendship and job.
The remake has pretty much the same plot only that instead of surfers, the villains are extreme athletes and instead of playing Robin Hood, they are on a radical hippie-like spiritual ride, trying to give the Earth back what was taken from it. Ex-poly athlete and FBI freshman Johnny “Utah” (Bracey), goes undercover to infiltrate the group and becomes acquainted with their leader Bodhi (Ramirez).
What made the 90’s action-thriller so special was the camaraderie between the two lead characters, which made the villains likeable to a certain extent. It is essentially about a group of slackers, whose only real talent and interest in life is surfing while blaming the corrupt system for their cash issues. This makes the villains relatable to the viewer, even if you don’t condemn their actions. I absolutely liked how Bodhi influenced Utah when it came to the aspects of living and surfing, because his philosophy reflected his beliefs and that in turn made the viewer understand his character.
The dialogue on the other hand, was the weakest aspect of the original Point Break as it can be cheesy and over the top. Especially when it came to monologues performed by Reeves during dramatic scenes.
Sadly, the 2015 counterpart had nothing of that nor did it feel like a Point Break movie! The producers went for a complete different route and even though that isn’t a bad thing (in fact it is positive, as they tried making it fresh and new), they should at least have included the originals base and soul. At this point it looks more like a mesh between The Fast and The Furious and a Gopro documentary on extreme sports. My biggest issue with this film though, was that between the base-jumping, surfing and snowboarding scenes, the story was incredibly slow paced and boring.
Swayze’s Bodhi was a charismatic and spiritual dude, who just wanted to ride the waves and be one with the ocean. He did not want to kill people nor was he greedy, he just robbed the necessary amount of money to fund his summer vacation. In the remake, Bodhi (portrayed by Ramirez) was simplified to an extremist and a terrorist who did not care if his friends died while performing death-defying stunts.
In the 91 version, Johnny Utah was a young and somewhat lost FBI agent who started living once he met Tyler (Lori Petty) and Bodhi, who showed him how to surf. Even though he always knew that Bodhi and his gang were the bank robbers, he wasn’t able to arrest them at first due to their friendship. Bracey’s Utah (who wasn’t even called Utah) was already an expert in extreme sports and had no real connection to Bodhi. On a side note, Tyler was a much better love interest than Samsara whose character was never really explored.
The original was a typical 90’s action flick that used close-ups during romantic or emotionally dramatic moments, slow motion during dramatic action shootouts and a lot of panning during chase scenes. But it was always shot in a steady frame. The last scene in Australia made use of a darker and gloomier lighting, which did suit the last scene of the film.
The cinematography was the remakes strongest feature. The director clearly has a cinematographic background, proven by how he managed to capture the action pumped shots and my biggest compliments go to the extreme athletes used to film the beautiful looking stunts. My only complaint is the lighting, which gives the whole movie a greenish and pale look.
Verdict: The Point Break remake did have nearly nothing in common with the original, except the character names and robberies. While the cinematography and the stunts looked amazing on the big screen, the plot lacked a story and was incredibly boring but what I hated most about Point Break was that none of the characters were likeable. This is a movie I recommend you to skip overall and I will give it a 5.5 out of 10. If you want a good action movie about surfers, go see the original 1991 version!


Thank you very much for reading and if you found this review helpful, click like and share it with others. I will be finally reviewing Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight next week Thursday. 



Top Movies – Daddy’s Home Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites


It’s dad vs. step-dad, in this hard to digest comedy that sees Will Ferrell take on Mark Wahlberg.

Genre: Comedy
Director: Sean Anders
Cast: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini, Scarlett Estevez,
Owen Vaccaro, Thomas Haden Church, and Hannibal Buress.
Run Time: 96 min.
US Release: 25 December 2015
UK Release:  26 December 2015
German Release: 21 January 2016
January started of great here in Germany with a couple of solid movies, but it seems that it is taking a turn for the worse now. Coming out of the premiere for Daddy’s Home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was a comedy gone horribly wrong and while there had been some genuine laughs, the overall film was actually garbage. Sean Anders, director of Horrible Bosses 2 and That’s My Boy, directed this train-wreck of a comedy that not even Ferrell and Wahlberg combined were able to save.
To be absolutely honest I am not a big fan of Ferrell comedies as of late. Get Hard was mediocre, Anchorman 2was a personal letdown and The Campaign just sucked, but last time I saw Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg in The Other Guys it made me laugh non-stop from beginning to end. So when I saw the trailer for this film, I crossed my fingers and hoped for something good.
“Omega-male” and gentle radio host Brad Whitaker (Ferrell) is married to Sara (Cardellini) and is stepfather to her two children Dylan (Vaccaro) and Megan (Estevez). Despite doing his best the kids don’t accept Brad as the new father figure; still he does not give up and hopes that at some point of time they’ll open up to him. That is until Dusty (Wahlberg) hears of his ex-wife’s new husband and pays his family a visit to break Brad’s bonding efforts with the children. Thus begins a “turf” fight for the children’s approval, much to the dismay of Sara.
As a comedy Daddy’s Home did manage to make me laugh here and there, so it didn’t fall flat completely but it did make me question what Anders was trying to accomplish with this film. Real life issues that patchwork families need to go through on a regular basis, especially with two or more father figures in the picture, inspired the story. The big problem this movie is suffering from is that it turned those problems into macabre scenarios that are not funny but rather hard to look at.
Then there was the issue of the PG-13 rating. I simply can’t comprehend why the director and producers would go for a family friendly rating, if they are clearly trying to be offensive by crossing over to genitalia humour. Daddy’s Home was constantly struggling with those boundaries and clearly did not know what kind of movie it wanted to be. The main reason why I disliked this comedy though, was because it wasted opportunities that could have been really funny and instead went for absurd scenarios at the cost of losing credibility.  
As I said before, there were also aspects in this comedy I did like, such as Brad’s working environment. His boss, played by Thomas Haden Church, was an obvious scumbag but their conversations were genuinely funny conversations co-workers could have in an office. 
Another big issue this movie suffers from, is that none of the characters in it are likeable no matter how much they are trying to be. All of them, including the children are pretentious pricks, sexual scumbags or simply unfriendly assholes that pretend to be sweet, kind or cute. This makes it really hard for the audience to root for any of the two lead actors.
Will Ferrell & Mark Wahlberg attempt their best in this movie, but even their greatest efforts don’t help saving this comedy. The chemistry they had in The Other Guys is still there, yet no matter how funny or likeable they portrayed their respective personas, I just wanted to bash in both their faces by the end.
Linda Cardellini, who played Ferrell’s wife and Wahlberg’s ex and was the most unlikeable character of them all, simply because she did not act like a person. Her perspectives and sides switched every now and then to suite the situation and to create a conflict between Dusty and Brad. It was inexcusable how she behaved and I was hoping that both guys would leave her once the film finished.
As for the children: as stated above, no matter how cute or sweet they looked and behaved, in the end they were mean and foul mouthed brats. If I would have been Brat, I wouldn’t have put up with any of the crap those kids pulled on him.
This comedy has a bright and glossy look, which creates a synthetic feel. The effects and stunts, such as the motorcycle scene that was shown in the trailers, were bad and the obvious use of computer imagery ruined any funny scene.
Verdict: Daddy’s Home is a comedy with a lot of issues, and I can’t recommend it to anyone. The characters are unpleasant and the exaggerated recreation of family problems, enhanced by the synthetic looking cinematography and bad use of effects cuts any ties to reality. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg do their best to rectifying the messy script, but not even their chemistry was able to save this bad film. It still does have some redeemable aspects and made me laugh every now and then, which is why I will give Daddy’s Home a score of 4.5 out of 10.

What was your opinion of Daddy’s Home? Did you like it or did you despise it like me? Leave a comment below and if you liked this review, please share it with others. I’ll post my review for the Point Break remake tomorrow, so look out for it!



Top Movies – Batman Begins Review – Movie Reviews Sites


Christopher Nolan revived the character of Batman and Bruce Wayne after the train-wreck that was Batman & Robin.



 
Genre: Action
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson,
Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson and Morgan Freeman.
Run Time: 140 min.
US Release: 15 June 2005
UK Release:  16 June 2005
German Release: 16 June 2005
With Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice arriving in theatres a mere two months from now, I decided to develop a series of reviews that will lead up to this film. It will Include Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy and Snyder’s Man of Steel, which I will post on my blog along the next two months. Kicking it off today, I will begin my series with what was considered a game changer in the adaptation of graphic novels, I will start with Batman Begins.
My personal history with Batman goes back to my childhood; he was my ultimate DC hero, just as Spider-Man was my hero of the Marvel comics. I had such love for the characters that my grandma used to make up Batman stories before putting me to bed. So when this movie was announced to screen in 2005, I was desperate to go see it in the cinemas. Sadly I did not go because none of my friends wanted to see it, however I bought it on DVD as soon as it was released!

— THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS —

When Bruce Wayne (Bale) loses his parents in a robbery gone wrong, his butler Alfred (Caine) takes on the role of his father. Years later, when the murderer of his parents is about to be released from prison in return for information on mob boss Carmine Falcone (Wilkinson), Bruce returns from University with revenge on his mind and set out to kill the man that shattered his childhood. But one of Falcone’s pawns shoots Chill right after the hearing, before Wayne has the chance to get anywhere near him.
Rachel Dawes, assistant attorney and childhood friend of Bruce, is disgusted by what he was about to do and shows him the real underworld of Gotham, ruled by Falcone who feeds on the fear of the citizens. Bruce leaves Gotham to train under Ra’s Al Ghul and comes back years later to save the city. He creates the Batman persona to share his fear of bats with his enemies and starts stirring up Gotham’s underworld, but as his quest begins an old friend reappears who is willing to destroy the city he swore to protect.
The script was heavily inspired by a set of comics, such as O’Neil and Giordano’s “The Man who Falls” or Loeb and Sale’s “The Long Halloween”. But Frank Miller’s Year One was the main basis for Batman Begins. Nolan wanted to create a more realistic and grittier Batman movie.
This film is an origin story done right, focusing more on the characters of Bruce Wayne rather than his alter ego. It is a psychological portrayal of the man who lost his parents at a very young age and his dealings with it. Nolan really manages to make the audience care for the character of Wayne and his relationship with butler Alfred.
It also explores the world around Batman like no other movie did before; Gotham and its underworld are organic and breathing parts of this action-drama. Wayne Enterprises feels like a real company with actual economic issues and the training with Ra’s and the League of Shadows was marvellous to witness. It was not simply a great Batman film, it was also a marvellous portrayal of a city that is rotting at its core and in desperate need of saving.
I loved how Nolan and Goyer introduced typical minor DC/Batman characters, such as Victor Zsasz or Barbara Gordon, in the most subtle way and without distracting from the main plot. Even Dr. Crane (aka The Scarecrow) was a mere side character that was used in a fantastic manner, with Cillian Murphy giving a great performance. I also thought that saving up the archenemy (Joker) for a later movie was a daring but genius move by Nolan, because this action-drama was a mere set up for something bigger to come.
This was Bruce Wayne’s film and Christian Bale gave a magnificent performance as a man who is torn between his anger, fear and moral compass. The decision to show the viewer Bruce’s relationship with his parents before their death, helped to give the character a much-needed depth. I also thought that Katie Holmes did a grand job as Rachel Dawes, old friend and love interest of Bruce.
Ra’s Al Ghul was the right choice as the main villain for this superhero flick, because after witnessing what Gotham is, the audience fully comprehends why he takes such drastic measures to destroy it. This was one of Neeson’s best performances and he fully sold the character of the Demon’s Head, making him real and threatening.  
Michael Caine as Alfred was a brilliant casting choice! He made the man who stands by Bruce’s side to be much more than just a simple side character. Caine gave him depth and an emotional factor, which helped the audience care for him and his relationship with Bruce Wayne. Alfred was always a father figure for Wayne and Michael Caine reflects this well on screen. Morgan Freeman portrayed the side character of Lucius Fox and was another great addition to the cast that elevated this movie to new heights.  
Batman Begins was shot in anamorphic 2.40 format and made extensive use of practical effects. The streets of Gotham look real, the viewer can nearly smell and feel the air of the city and Bruce’s training in Nepal did send cold chills down my back, as I witnessed Bale and Nesson train in a frozen tundra. The music composed by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard sounded epic, strong and dark. It suited the dramatic world of Gotham and Batman unbelievably well.
Verdict: This is one of my favourite trilogies of all time and Christopher Nolan simply got it right from the start. Batman Begins is a fantastic portrayal of a man who needs to overcome his anger and fears, to rise above everybody else and become the protector of his city. The cinematography, the story and the acting was close to being perfect, with just a few minor things that bothered me. I will therefore give it a 9 out of 10!

Thank you very much for reading my review for Batman Begins, if you found it helpful don’t forget to click like and share it with family and friends. So which Batman movie is your favourite? Leave a comment in the section below.



Top Movies – The 5th Wave Movie Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites


When humankind is systematically attacked to near extinction by an unknown alien race, a smart and witty teenage girl needs to fight her way through enemy lines to save her younger brother.



Genre: Action/Drama/Sci-fi
Director: J Blakeson
Cast: Chloë Grace Moretz, Nick Robinson, Alex Roe, Zachary Arthur,
Maika Monroe, Ron Livingston, Liev Schreiber and Maria Bello.
Run Time: 112 min.
US Release: 22 January 2016
UK Release:  22 January 2016
German Release: 14 January 2016
It’s the beginning of a new year, which means a new film adaptation of a young adult novel is to be released in theatres. The 5th Wave is a sci-fi drama based on the book by author Rick Yancey and adapted into a screenplay by writers Akiva Goldsman, Susannah Grant and Jeff Pinkner. The movie was not on my radar until very late in December, when a trailer advertised it on TV.
I did not read the novel, so I can’t say if it is any good nor can I compare it to the film. I did hear positive things about it though, with many reviewers saying that the book blurred the lines between young adult fiction and adult fiction. This blockbuster did not offer any of those qualities and seems to be a dumbed down version of its print counterpart.
Cassie Sullivan (Moretz) is a normal teenage girl, who has a good relationship with her parents and younger brother Sam (Arthur). Her high school crush is Ben Parish (Robinson), captain of the football team and her best friend and her are members of the school’s girl-soccer team. Everything changes though, when an alien race unleashes four lethal waves of attacks that leave humankind nearly decimated.
Cassie makes her way amidst the ruins of civilisation, to find and save her brother who was taken by Colonel Vosch (Schreiber), while preparing for the 5th and last wave. She teams up with a young man named Evan (Roe, who seems to have some valuable skills. But is she able to trust him?
Now the story does have it’s positives (if not many) and I am going to start by counting them down. The 5th Wavestarts out strong, with Moretz being put in a tough position until it skips back in time before the invasion. Talking about the alien invasion, the way the “Others” attack humans on Earth was realised pretty well and has a sense of danger to it. The part in which the army abuses the naivety of the children is elaborated really good and makes sense, especially since we see that type of abuse every now and then in the news.
I did appreciate how the story centred on Cassie’s desperate attempt to get to her brother and how she punches her way through rows of adults – with some help by others. She manages to kick some butt, even though it was not exactly the portrayal of a strong and independent girl I had wished to see.
Sadly the negatives out way the positives, starting with the fact that the plot offers no new formula for this kind of movie that includes easy and predictable twists. Instead it gives the viewer the same repetitive story we obtained since The Twilight Saga: Teen girl meets boy she likes, then tragedy strikes. Girl encounters another boy who is interested in her and finally, the love triangle.
This gets me to the worst part of this film, which is the romance between Cassie and Evan. It is completely inorganic and although a part of the novel, it does not fit into the cinematic adaptation, with its forced and awkward dialogues between both characters.
My last two issues with The 5th Wavemight be nitpicks, but they did bother me nonetheless! Number one; Lack of an insight as to why the aliens are in desperate need of Earth, they just simply are. Finally, my last story related complaint is the about how this movie portrays child-soldiers; I wished for something more realistic and gritty, not scenes filled with clichés about the military.
Chloe Grace Moretz makes the best impression in this sci-fi drama, actually trying to give a good and committed performance. But due to the clumsy writing and zero chemistry with co-worker Alex Roe, her acting is just “OK”. I did like her reaction in the woods when she finally comes to realise that she lost her father and brother all in one day.
Nick Robinson, the boy you might recognize from Jurassic World or the sitcom Melissa & Joey, has a couple of good scenes but was generally bad compared to Roe, who apart from the bodged romance with Moretz at least sees to try and give a good performance. Liev Schreiber has limited screen time, but is nonetheless disappointing due to his monotonous portrayal of Army Colonel Vosch.
The camera work for this film is good but nothing groundbreaking, with director of photography Enrique Chediak giving it a bright, strong and glossy look. The special effects are rather mediocre; the plane falling from the sky (as seen in the trailers) and the alien drones look like computer animated graphics and I didn’t buy the flood waves.
Verdict: The 5th Wave is the first dull movie I walked into early this year and to say the truth, I did not expect anything else. According to what I read about the novel online, it is supposed to be gritty and to some extend insightful. The film displays none of those qualities and simply offers a worn out plot with mediocre performances and poor romance between the two main characters. I am sure this will be a fun movie for young teenaged girls, but older audiences won’t find any enjoyment in this film. I will give this sci-fi drama a 6 out of 10.
If you are looking for an entertaining evening in the theatre, I recommend you go see either Creed or The Big Short. Here are the links to my reviews for both films: CreedReview (Spoiler Free) & The Big Short Review (Spoiler Free).


So what did you think of The 5th Wave? Do you agree with my opinion? Leave a comment below if you want to discuss a specific aspect of the movie. Thank you very much for reading and if you found this review helpful, click like and share it. 




Top Movies – The Big Short Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites


Christian Bale and Steve Carell deliver a funny and shocking drama about the true events of the 2007 economic meltdown.




Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Adam McKay
Cast: Christian Bale, Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling,
John Magaro, Finn Wittrock & Brad Pitt.
Run Time: 130 min.
US Release: 23 December 2015
UK Release:  22 January 2016
German Release: 14 January 2016
The Big Short was in no way a movie I was anticipating this year, because the subject simply does not interest me. Under normal circumstances, not even the wide array of big talented actors that star in this film would have been able to convince me to watch and enjoy this film, but I was pleasantly surprised when the credits rolled and it did keep me thinking all night until I fell asleep.
What really startled me though is how this movie made me care about the world of finances. Not about the money or the big man sitting in an office, but about those that suffer; generally innocent people who pay their taxes regularly and live righteous lives. I felt really dirty and ashamed by our society (this is something that is not only happening in the States, but here in Europe as well) and how demoralised and greedy we got. The only thing I wanted to do when I got back from the theatre was to take a shower!
The plot depicts the events that lead to the 2007 financial crisis that stalled western economy. Michael Burry (Bale), an eccentric hedge fund manager discovers that the housing market has become extremely unstable and calls his investors about it. To prove his point he bets against the market, which gets the attention of Jared Vennett (Gosling), a trader for Deustche Bank.
Vennett seeks the help of hedge fund manager Mark Baum to take on the banks for their mistakes, ignorance and stupidity. While mean young investors and friends Charlie Geller (Magaro) and Jamie Shipley (Wittrock) find one of the reports written by Vennett and enlist the help of former banker Ben Rickert (Pitt) to profit from the circumstances.
The Big Short is told in a very unique way, by specifically splitting up the plot into three acts and telling it from three different perspectives; That of Michael Burry, Mark Baum and partners Charlie Geller and Jamie Shipley, while the character of Jared Vennett acts as the narrator. McKay managed to turn a dry subject into a very entertaining movie.
The story to this film was really well elaborated and simplified for the audience, to make them understand exactly which factors were dependant that lead to the complete failure of global economy between 2007 -2008. I was thankful for this because a lot of the numbers and terms didn’t make sense to me. Short cameos of different stars were used to explain in detail what happened to the housing market.
The dialogue was remarkable and completely different to any other motion picture. Most characters often broke the fourth wall, looking directly into the camera and talking straight to the audience.
It is not an impeccable movie though and does have severe issues which I hampered my enjoyment. One of those issues was the direction; even though I liked the story and the camera work, the way the plot unfolded of was somewhat off and really bothered me while watching it. My other complaint is that it sometimes goes a little too deep into the matter at hand, which can be excruciatingly painful and boring to follow. This movie could have done with 15 minutes less!
The acting and the characters are one of the best parts of this drama. Christian Bale was fantastic as the one eyed, somewhat weird and sociable difficult Michael Burry. The hedge fund manager and number cruncher foresaw the big financial crisis of 2007-2008. Bale managed to capture the personality of his character really well and added some humour to his persona.
Steve Carell was another great addition for this film. He proved that he is capable of more than just comedy, playing the very angry Mark Baum who lost all faith in humanity. Just like Bale, Carell managed to be quite funny at times, but it never clashed with the movie once it switched to a more serious and dramatic tone.
Ryan Gosling & Brad Pitt, although very good are completely underused. Pitt is in this movie for about ¼ of its length and Gosling is not more than just a side character. What’s even worse, is that Gosling plays a disgusting human being the audience cannot relate to at all.
John Magaro & Finn Wittrock, two actors I know little to nothing about, where the actual other two main characters in this biographical-drama about banking. Both made good performances as the young investors Geller and Shipley, who accidentally stumble upon Vennett’s paperwork about the house market bubble.
Just like the pot, the cinematography of The Big Short has a very unique style. It is filmed as a documentary, with a lot of fast cuts to convey information as well as making use of a few crash zooms on images from 2005 to 2008. I also liked how they implemented real life footage from the news into this film.
But even the cinematography was not great. One of the problems I had was the quality of the film, because it made use of bad and unprofessional techniques to sell the documentary style. Use of better shots and an improvement in the quality of filming would have made for a much better movie.
Verdict: The Big Short was an unconventional movie with great acting, that turned a true story and potentially boring plot into a fun and entertaining motion picture. It still has issues with the direction and cinematography and part of its advertised cast only made appearances as supporting characters. In the end, The Big Short is a movie I do recommend to see in cinemas, as long as you are interested in the thematic. I will give it an 8 out of 10.

So did you go see The Big Short yet? What did you think of this biographic-drama that displayed the events, which lead to the financial crisis? I will go see The 5th Wave this Thursday, so expect my review for it sometime on Friday. Thank you for reading this review and if you liked it, please leave a comment and share it with friends and family.




Top Movies – Creed Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites


A young man tries to step into his father’s shoes by making his own legacy, but to reach that goal he needs to ask an old friend of the family for help.

Genre: Drama/Sport
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone,
Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad & Tony Bellew.
Run Time: 133 min.
US Release: 25 November 2015
UK Release:  15 January 2016
German Release: 14 January 2016
It’s the seventh film of the franchise and boy is it a big one! Hello and welcome to my review for Creed, the latest addition to the Rocky series and possibly the best one to date. This boxing-drama was released in the States last year during Thanksgiving, but just reached the shores of Europe mid-January this year and although I only heard positive things about this movie, I was still incredibly nervous walking into the theatre.
Now I am not a real Rocky fan, I like the first movie as well as Rocky Balboa and thought that the second one was fun to watch, but the rest of the films are simply mediocre or bad. When I heard that this movie was in production it did not really excite me and I doubted that it would live up to any of the other films. Well I have been proven seriously wrong! What I experienced in the cinema was not only emotionally touching, but also offered an amazing cinematographic representation of the sport of boxing.
Creed revolves around Adonis “Donnie” Johnson, who is the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed; former rival and close friend of boxing legend Rocky Balboa. Apollo’s wife Mary Anne took in Donnie when he was a young troubled child from the streets and gets him through college, but when Johnson tells her that he quit his job to pursue his late father’s career, she snaps at him and tells him to leave.
Alone and without anyone to help him, Adonis travels to Philadelphia searching for the man that once defeated his father years ago: Rocky Balboa. Balboa is now running a small Italian restaurant named after his late wife and when Johnson asks him to train him he refuses at first. What comes after is a blossoming friendship between two men (one before, the other after his prime) who have just each other to rely on.
Creed managed to capture the spirit of the first Rockymovie and used it to develop it’s own legacy. There are strong parallels between Adonis story, wanting to make a mark of his own without the need of his father’s name, and this movie wanting to be able to stand on its own merits without ripping of the Rocky films. Coogler not only managed to pull that off, but he also directed, what is in my opinion, the best movie of the franchise surpassing even the first Rocky.
Creed is much more than a typical boxing film, at the core it is about the friendship and relationship between Donnie and Rockie; one who had no one to begin with and the other who lost his wife, friends and kids along the years, and that is what makes it so great. The boxing fights are just a side dish served with the main course.
This is a sports-drama with a beautiful and emotional message about how true strength comes from the inside. If you work hard and keep training, you have already proven that you are worth something. I am not going to lie, this movie had me close to tears during specific moments, including the end.
The dialogues were fantastic, the original Rocky was a little plumb when it came to romance, but Creed managed to hit all nails on their heads when it came to dialogues. The chats between Adonis and Bianca are heart-warming and sweet and the conversations between Adonis and Rocky are lessons for life that left me severely moved and that is in part due to the acting.
Stallone was incredible and gave one of his best performances since years. His work as of late consisted of a lot action movies, but returning as Rocky in this film he proves that he is still able to act. Just like Adonis Creed making his own mark was a metaphor for this movie, the story about Rocky is a parallel to Stallone’s acting career and he truly knocks it out of the park with his performance! He absolutely deserved the Golden Globe for best supporting actor.
Michael B. Jordan portrays Adonis Johnson fantastically. He managed to give a strong and physically brutal rendition, as well as an incredibly deep and emotional psychological performance. The way he looks up and cares for Rocky, the father figure he never had, is touching and heartbreaking.
This is a great looking movie by cinematographer Maryse Alberti. The shots of the streets of Philly look unusually realistic, as if the viewers were able to reach out and touch the pavement on which Donnie and Balboa are standing on. Adonis first real boxing match was shot in one single extended take without any cuts, which gives the fight an incredible sense of grit. You can almost smell Michael B. Jordan’s sweat and the blood as he is trying to survive the first couple of rounds.
The musical score for Creed was composed by Ludwig Göransson and was extraordinary. It not only gave the original score from Rocky a small upgrade, but had an intense and energetic soundtrack of it’s own that gets to the audience and entices them. Göransson’s composition matched that of Bill Conti in every aspect.
Verdict: Creed, the seventh movie in the Rockyseries, is by far the best instalment to date. It features an impeccable and emotional story, brought to life by the amazing performances of Stallone, Jordan and Thompson. The cinematography is beautifully looking and the score is as impressive and majestic as Conti’s original. I was more than satisfied when I left the theatres and thought it was a near perfect movie, I will therefore give it a 9.5 out of 10.

I implore you to watch Creed in the cinemas, because it deserves to be seen on the big screen. If you saw it already, leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it. My next post will be uploaded this Thursday and will about The 5th Wave, the new movie starring Chloë Grace Moretz. Thank you very much for reading and if you enjoyed this review, make sure you share and like it!



Top Movies – The Danish Girl Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites


What if you found out that you are not the person you were born as, but rather meant to be someone completely else. Tom Hooper’s new movie touches upon this problem in The Danish Girl.



 
Genre: Biography/Drama
Director: Tom Hooper
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts,
Ben Whishaw & Amber Heard.
Run Time: 119 min.
US Release: 25 December 2015
UK Release:  01 January 2016
German Release: 07 January 2016
The Danish Girl is a biographical romantic-drama, based on the novel of the same title and written by author David Ebershoff. I went to see this movie together with my sister, who showed big interest in the story of this film. Sadly when walking out of the cinema, both of us were left cold and somehow tired out by Hooper’s newest theatrical release.
Last year was a big one for the transgender movement; amongst others we had Caitlyn Jenner introducing herself to the world, the Pentagon planned to lift a ban on US military service by transgender people and the White House hired an openly transgender staff-member. It is no wonder that the entertainment section of the media started picking up on the subject.
Amongst others we obtained several TV shows that covered the matter (Transparent or last years season of South Park), and were also treated with cinematic movies such as Tangerine. This romantic-drama tries to jump on that same wagon and although Coxon’s script and Hooper’s direction makes for a movie that is easy on the eyes, starring two fantastic actors, it still leaves the audience untouched.
The Danish Girl tells the story of 1920’s Danish artists Einar (Redmayne) and Gerda Wegener (Vikander). Einar is a successful and nationally popular landscapist, while his wife is struggling to get the attention she deserves with her portraits. When a female model is late to pose for one of Gerda’s paintings, she asks her husband to stand in for her. Posing as a female sets off a life long identification issue, which Einar can no longer hide from. Renaming himself Lili Elbe, Einar sets out to find her true identity.
By no means is this a bad film, it just lacks the depth that would have made it great and the script is by far the weakest aspect of this movie. While it’s lead actors tried very hard to give good and committed performances, the pencilled story and its depiction fell as flat as a pancake.
Hooper simplified the subject at hand and played it safe to reach the widest possible audience. There is nothing wrong with doing that as long as the story doesn’t suffer and in this case it did, because by holding back it did not delve as deep into the matter as it should have, barely scraping the surface. It also stretched out a few things too long and I wished to have seen Einar’s relationship with Gerda a little longer, before Lili was re-awoken inside of him. As much as it pains me to say it, but in the end Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech & Les Miserables) directed a movie that was rather fit for TV, but not for the big screen!
What I liked about the story was that although it was based on the book by author David Ebershoff, the novel that was very loosely inspired by the lives of both Danish painters, Lucinda Coxon re-wrote the screenplay to be more faithful to the true events. I also thought that the subject was handled very tasteful and although not fully capturing the complexity of the matter, Hooper created a movie that can easily be enjoyed.
Eddie Redmayne gives a marvellous performance as Einar/Lili. Like in The Theory About Everything, he fully emerges into the character he is portraying and displays the pain and emotional struggle of Danish painter Einar Wegener as he is trying to find out who he truly is, while being tortured by what he is.
Alicia Vikander gave another fantastic performance as Wegener’s wife Gerda. Einar’s wife is going through emotional turmoil as well, when she figure out that the man she loves and married is not who he truly is. Even though that tears her apart, she still stands by his side, supporting and defending him when society turns against them. Vikander was brilliant at displaying those factors that ultimately draw the character closer to depression.
Cinematographer Danny Cohen and director Hooper created a brilliant and stunning looking movie. The Danish Girl consisted of a variety of scenes that could not be more different, from vast landscapes of the Danish moorland, to the more dead end looking streets of the 1920’s European Copenhagen and Paris. What really impressed me though is how the cinematography and music of this film go hand in hand; the movie would not have been the same with a different theme or another cinematographer.
Alexandre Desplat, who also composed the musical score for The King’s Speech, composed the music for this romantic-drama. The soundtrack is a light but emotionally strong composition and one of the best parts of this movie. I was surprised at how well it mingled with the cinematography.

Verdict: In the end, The Danish Girl is a well-acted movie that stars two fantastic and very talented actors, with impeccable cinematography and an incredible and touching soundtrack. Sadly this movie, while good, is merely mediocre as the script and direction of the movie removed the complexities of this film’s subject to reach a more straightforward story that would appeal to a mass audience. Without Redmayne, Vikander or the music by Desplat, this would have been a disaster of a movie, and therefore I give it a 7 out of 10.

Make yourself a favour and save your money. If you are eager to see this film, rent it once it is out or buy it on Blu-ray, but it is not truly worth a visit to the theatres. If you feel different about The Danish Girl, be welcome to leave a comment below and if you liked my review, please share it with others. Thank you very much for reading.




Top Movies – The Revenant Review (Spoiler Free) – Movie Reviews Sites


When the hostile Native American tribe of Arikara Indians is attacking a military hunting party of fur trappers, one heavily injured man is left for dead and needs to beat the odds to make it back to camp alive.



Genre: Drama/Thriller/Western
Director: Alejandro G. Iñaratu
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson & Forrest Goodluck.
Run Time: 156 min.
US Release: 08 January 2016
UK Release:  15 January 2016
German Release: 07 January 2016


Hello and welcome back, today I am going to review The Revenant, the first film from my most anticipated list of 2016 and it contains one of the greatest pieces of camera work my eyes have seen up-to-date. Alejandro Iñaratu director of 2014’s Birdman also instructed this movie and although not as good as his previous film, The Revenant is still a visual spectacle.
The plot was inspired by the true story of Hugh Glass, a fur trapper from the 1820’s. When the hostile Native tribe of Arikara Indians attacks his hunting party, consisting of military men, they need to leave their goods behind to save their own skin. Being still pursued by the Indians, commander Captain Andrew Henry (Gleeson) puts Glass (DiCaprio) and his son Hawk (Goodluck) in charge of finding a safe passage back to their camp.
Party member John Fitzgerald (Hardy) does not trust Glass’ methods, especially since his son is half Native American and strongly believes that they are all savages. When Glass gets injured and is on the verge of dying, Fitzgerald sees an opportunity and leaves him behind to save himself. Glass though manages to hang on to life.
I’ll get through the negative points first, to get them off my back. At times the film felt a little too stretched out and too long. I noticed this when I caught myself for the first time, thinking that I would like to see Glass finally get to take his revenge on Fitzgerald and it did cross my mind a second time.
The dream sequences had something to do with the time issue, and they are my second complaint. While they were quite intriguing during the beginning of the story, they started looking overly exaggerated and took up too much time by the fourth time Glass was experiencing them. They started annoying me and I just wanted them to fly by as fast as possible to get back to the main story. Apart from those two issues, The Revenant was a revelation of a movie!
This western-drama is one of the best films I have seen, with a fantastic story that pits the main character against Mother Nature. Glass goes through his hardest time in life, consistently getting clawed, beaten, stabbed and frozen by the wilderness of Louisiana. The dialogue is kept at a minimal and about half of it is in a different language, but it doesn’t hurt the movie one bit as it is very well acted and depicted.
But it is not just the aspect of man versus nature that makes this stunning looking piece of motion art so special. At it’s core The Revenant is a movie about revenge, and my god does it pay off when DiCaprio finally confronts Hardy about his wrong doings! This is a brutal, sadistic and bloody piece of art that was fantastically captured on film, with sequences that really got under my skin as I stared in awe at what was being displayed in front of my eyes.
Leonardo DiCaprio keeps surprising me as an actor. Just when you thought he reached his peak, he goes on by pushing himself a few steps further. His portrayal of Glass is riveting, even though he has little to nothing to say. Half of his dialogue scenes are in a different language and it was his body language that did most of the talking.
The scene displayed in the trailer featuring a bear, is one of the most spectacular moments in the whole movie. The pain and agony that he displays through his face, got me looking away every now and then as I felt his suffering.
Tom Hardy made for another fantastic performance in this western-drama. He is a vile and disgusting person and makes for a great antagonist. Fitzgerald isn’t an evil human being though; he simply is a selfish coward who tries to reach his goals by lying and deceiving. There are moments Tom Hardy is hard to understand, but he gave nevertheless one of the most iconic portrayals in his career.
The strongest plus of this film though must be the cinematography! Iñaratu makes use of beautiful panoramic shots and amazing close-ups, using only natural light and the resources of the wilderness as a setting. It is one of the most unique cinematographic styles I have seen in a movie to date, which saw many crew members quitting because they thought the movie was impossible to shoot.

The music in The Revenant is iconic and exotic. It was composed by Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto in collaboration with German electronic musician Alva Noto and The Nationals guitarist Bryce Dessner.


Verdict: The Revenant is a grand film, visually and story wise, with grand performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Domhnall Gleeson as a fantastic supporting character. The cinematography was superb and although a little bit too long, it is a film I do recommend to go see in theatres! I will give The Revenant a 9 out of 10 because, apart from those dream sequences, it did everything right.


So, what was your opinion of Iñaratu’s newest movie? Did you see it yet? Leave a comment below with your response and if you liked this review don’t forget to share it. As always thank you very much for reading, I really do appreciate it.



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