movie meets mind

starring Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower, Godfrey Gao, Lena Headey, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Kevin Zegers

directed by Harald Zwart

Have you already seen the tv show “Shadowhunters”? Then you should. No seriously, apart from it being a great show, you should watch it before watching this movie because you will only understand 1/3 of it if you don’t. Even better, you should read the book.

Look, I get that they wanted to make it a franchise. But the material isn’t just suitable for that. There are inside informations and jokes that go unnoticed unless you are familiar with the format. And they simply packed too much into a whole movie.

If - on the other hand - you are familiar with the material, you will definitely enjoy the movie more. You can lean back, relax and just let it entertain you in the best way.

The performances are solid - esp. by Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower and Jonthan Rhys-Meyers. But the real scene stealer is definitely Godfrey Gao as Magnus.

Another reason I give the film such a low rating is the criminally low amount of Malec scenes. To an extent you understand that there is something building between them, but they are in the film for 5 minutes, tops, and you cannot explore a relationship out of that.

starring Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux, Ben Whishaw, Ralph Fiennes, Ana de Armas, Lashana Lynch, Christoph Waltz, Rami Malek directed by Cary Fukunaga

It could be all so nice. James Bond enjoys his retirement on Jamaika with Madeleine, when his past comes knocking.

This is about everything I can tell you about the film as not to make any spoilers.

How to sum up the film? It was … okay. Entertaining for sure. The action was solid. But there was not much new. The usual car chase. The usual shooting. Oh God, the shooting. There was one scene where the shooting went on and on and all I wished for was for it to finally end.

Daniel Craig was fabulous as ever. But. This film clearly belonged to the strong, beautiful women in it. Lea Seydoux as Madeleine was simply stunning and emotional. Fabulous acting. Ana de Armas deserved more screen time. But that little time she was on, she used it well. Who knew that one can fight LIKE THAT in A DRESS? But most of all, I liked Lashana Lynch. Such a force of nature and beautiful woman!

The two villains remained bland. Neither Christoph Waltz nor Rami Malek managed to impress, or even scare me.

starring Abigail Breslin, Colt Prattes, Bruce Greenwood, Debra Messing, Sarah Hyland, Nicole Scherzinger, Catey Sagal directed by Wayne Blair

Ah yes, the classics. We love them, we cherish them and they always put us in a nostalgic mood. But the problem with classics is that after seeing them for the umpteenth time on tv, it becomes ad nauseum.

Dirty Dancing is such a classic. You are most likely familiar with the plot. Baby. Johnny. Vacation. Dancing.

Dirty Dancing (2017) takes off tons of dust layers off the Patrick Swayze movie and gives it a modern and clever makeover.

Yes, Dirty Dancing is a nice movie. But let me tell you why I prefer the remake: Abigail Breslin in the role of Baby actually looks like she could be a teenager, compared to Jennifer Grey with her perfect thin body and thus unrealistic expectations. Colt Prattes is one hell of a dancer (and singer!). There is nice chemistry between the two, and the initial awkwardness is almost palpable. Sarah Hyland (also a wonderful singer and you get to hear her sing in this film!) is actually a loveable sister with more depth than her counterpart from the original. Nicole Scherzinger shines in the role of Penny. And also, the film focuses more on the relationship of the parents and shows a loving bond in the family.

I know, die-hard fans of the original will disagree with me, but actually, if you try to watch this remake without prejudice and really open your heart for it, chances are you might like it, too.