Tag Archives: Bryce Dallas Howard

Rocketman (2019)

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Rocketman
Director: Dexter Fletcher
Writer: Lee Hall
Cast: Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, Bryce Dallas Howard, Gemma Jones, Steven Mackintosh, Tom Bennett, Matthew Illesley, Kit Connor, Tate Donovan, Ophelia Lovibond, Harriet Walter, Stephen Graham
Seen on: 11.6.2019

Content Note: (critical treatment of) homomisia

Plot:
Elton John (Taron Egerton) has reached a low point. Now he is in a rehab facility, trying to get better. Part of that is trying to piece together how he got to where he is now. So he reflects on his childhood as Reggie with his parents (Bryce Dallas Howard, Steven Mackintosh) and his grandmother (Gemma Jones), how he discovered music for himself and with his cooperation with Bernie (Jamie Bell), and how he meets producer John (Richard Madden). Especially his complicated relationship with John that makes Elton come to grips with his homosexuality, but also causes him a lot of pain.

Rocketman is not the best film you will ever see, but it is a really good one, with a great lead and awesome music.

The film poster showing Elton John (Taron Egerton) in a feather costume and huge glasses on stage in a stadium, playing the piano in full rock mode.
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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Director: J.A. Bayona
Writer: Derek Connolly, Colin Trevorrow
Based on: Michael Crichton‘s book (plus sequel)
Sequel to: Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III, Jurassic World
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall, Justice Smith, Daniella Pineda, James Cromwell, Toby Jones, Ted Levine, Jeff Goldblum, BD Wong, Geraldine Chaplin, Isabella Sermon
Seen on: 13.6.2018

Plot:
After Jurassic World was closed down, the remaining dinosaurs are roaming Isla Nubar and things should be calming down. But then the volcano on the island becomes active and threatens the last remaining living dinosaurs. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), by now head of the Dinosaur Protection Group, can’t let that happen. She contacts Owen (Chris Pratt) despite their differences because she knows she needs his help to save the dinos. But they are not the only ones interested in them.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was about as messy as Jurssic World. If it wasn’t for the dinosaurs, I’d say that it isn’t worth watching at all. But dammit, if the dinosaurs aren’t pretty.

Poster for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, showing a T-Rex roaring over a human.
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The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond (2008)

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The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
Director: Jodie Markell
Writer: Tennessee Williams
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Evans, Will Patton, Ann-Margret, Mamie Gummer, Jessica Collins, Ellen Burstyn, Zach Grenier
Seen on: 6.11.2016

Plot:
Fisher Willow (Bryce Dallas Howard) has spent some time overseas. Now she’s back home and supposed to come out to society. But while she was gone, her father caused some trouble in their town and is now hated. Fisher herself is rather wild and outspoken. The two things in combination leave her rather ostracized. She can’t even find a date to accompany her. So she pays Jimmy (Chris Evans) to accompany her. Jimmy’s family used to have a big name, but they have since fallen in standing. And Jimmy has his fair share of troubles to contend with, but he desperately needs the money.

I do wonder why nobody ever talks about The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond. Not only is it by Tennessee Williams (a “lost screenplay” that resurfaced 50 years after it was written), it’s a really good film.

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Pete’s Dragon (2016)

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Pete’s Dragon
Director: David Lowery
Writer: David Lowery, Toby Halbrooks
Remake of: Pete’s Dragon (1977)
Cast: Oakes Fegley, Bryce Dallas Howard, Robert Redford, Oona Laurence, Wes Bentley, Karl Urban, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Marcus Henderson
Seen on: 31.8.2016

Plot:
After his parents die in a car crash, Pete (Oakes Fegley) finds himself in the woods, seemingly all alone. But it soon turns out that there is somebody with him after all: a big, green dragon Pete calls Elliot. Together they have a good life in the forest until the local lumber company run by brothers Jack (Wes Bentley) and Gavin (Karl Urban) starts encroaching on their territory. Pete becomes curious and approaches Jack’s daughter Natalie (Oona Laurence), which ultimately leads to him being caught by the adults and brought in to the city by ranger Grace (Bryce Dallas Howard), who happens to be Jack’s fiancée. But Pete doesn’t want to leave the forest behind, much less Elliot – and his stories of a dragon in the forest can become quite dangerous for Elliot.

Pete’s Dragon is very different from the movie it’s based on, but I did enjoy it – more so than I expected I would. But I didn’t really fall in love with it.

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Jurassic World (2015)

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Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Writer: Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Colin Trevorrow, Derek Connolly
Based on: Michael Crichton‘s book (plus sequel)
Sequel to: Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park III
Cast: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Ty Simpkins, Nick Robinson, Jake Johnson, Lauren Lapkus, Omar Sy, BD Wong, Judy Greer, Katie McGrath
Seen on: 21.6.2015

Plot:
Years after the events at Jurassic Park, Jurassic World has opened – a theme park with actual dinosaurs. And things are going very well. A lot of that success is due to Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) who manages the park, is looking after investors and generally is always looking for ways to expand and to ameliorate. This weekend, she is visited by her two nephews Gray (Ty Simpkins) and Zach (Nick Robinson), but she also has to make sure that the park’s anticipated newest attraction – a new crossbreed of dinosaur – gets ready to be marketable. But then everything goes wrong and Claire has to team up with Owen (Chris Pratt) to avoid an even bigger disaster. Oh, and save her nephews.

I love the old movies and have loved them ever since I was a kid. So I was really looking forward to Jurassic World. But it manages the absolutely unthinkable: it makes dinosaurs boring. I am still unsure how they managed that particular feat, but it happened.

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50/50 (2011)

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50/50
Director: Jonathan Levine
Writer: Will Reiser
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Matt Frewer, Philip Baker Hall, Anjelica Huston

Plot:
Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is only 27 when he is diagnosed with cancer. Completely shocked, he tries to re-arrange his life to accomodate that fact and to beat the disease, as do his friends and family. But everybody is completely overwhelmed by the situation from his best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) to his girlfriend Rachael (Bryce Dallas Howard), his mother (Anjelica Huston). Even his young and inexperienced therapist Katherine (Anna Kendrick) isn’t much help.

I’m wary when it comes to movies with Seth Rogen/menchildren/stoner humor – they are not my thing. And this movie had the potential to end up just there. But fortunately, it didn’t. Instead it was a wonderful, touching and even funny film that I enjoyed very much.

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The Help (2011)

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The Help
Director: Tate Taylor
 Writer: Tate Taylor
Based on: Kathryn Stockett’s novel
Cast: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard, Jessica Chastain, Allison Janney, Ahna O’Reilly, Anna Camp, Sissy Spacek

Plot:
1960  in Jackson, Mississippi: Aibileen (Viola Davis) is a maid who is currently working for the Leefolt family, where she especially loves taking care of Mae Mobley, the Leefolts’ little girl. Her best friend is Minny (Octavia Spencer) who – quite contrary to Aibileen – usually gets in trouble because she won’t hold her peace. Which is not the best course of action for a maid. But when the white Skeeter (Emma Stone) looks for a maid to talk about her life, so she can write a book about it, it’s Aibilieen who jumps at the chance.

The Help is pretty much the perfect Christmas movie – sentimental, sweet and even more of a tear-jerker than the book (I was actually surprised that this was possible). A very nice way to shed some cathartic tears, despite a few weaknesses.

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Hereafter (2010)

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Hereafter is Clint Eastwood‘s newest film, starring Matt Damon, Cécile de France, Frankie and George McLaren, Bryce Dallas Howard and a cameo by Derek Jacobi.

Plot:
Three people all touched by death:
French journalist Marie LeLay (Cécile de France) is on holidays when she’s hit by the Tsunami and almost drowns. From then on, she’s obsessed with the life after death experience she’s had and tries to make sense of it all.
George Lonegan (Matt Damon) is trying to hard to lead a normal life, which is made impossible by his talent: whenever he touches someone, he sees the dead people who were close to them.
Marcus (George and Frankie McLaren) tries to get back on his feet after the death of his twin brother Jason (Frankie and George McLaren) and his mother (Lyndsey Marshal) going to rehab.

As I’ve said before, I really don’t like Clint Eastwood as a director. So nobody was more surprised than me that the thing I liked least about this film was Peter Morgan‘s script.

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