If you want to see Liam Neeson in action done well, see watch Taken. Taken was well shot, well thought out, fast paced, gritty, and a huge thrill ride. Unknown tries to mimic these many ups from Taken, including casting Liam Neeson, but fails in every way, except for the man himself.
This film is poorly cast, where no one except for Neeson is a good fit as Martin Harris. Aidan Quinn has never really had a breakthrough in terms of his career, but he always has been a dependable actor from Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein to Legends of the Fall. In this film, he is way past his prime and tries to act out and beak out our main man to no avail. All of the money must have been spent for the horrible CG action scenes that could have been done better, and cheaper, practically; whereas that money could have been on getting a better actor for “Martin B” as he is called in the credits. Although he looks a lot like him, my mind is going straight to Ralph Fiennes for a better Martin B.
Then there is January Jones who plays his wife, Liz. She plays her role very unexpressive. This could have been potentially been a great role for her, to show people what to expect in her role for X-Men First Class. But I just don’t see her going much in the way of her career unless she steps up in a better way.
Next, we come to the other three major supporting roles, Diane Kruger, Bruno Ganz, and Frank Langella. Kruger is half way decent compared to the other main actors in this film. We actually like her, believe her, and think positive things about her. Ganz is the second best actor here in this movie next to Neeson. He plays a sort-of private detective hired to try and figure out who Martin Harris is. Then there is Frank Langella… Not that great is he. I’m not going to say much, but highlight this next sentence if you want major spoilers. (Mr. Nixon is behind it all!)
Now done with the acting, I think I need to say how terrible the plot is. The story is great and one or two of the twists were fun, but it was getting from Point A to Point B to Point C to Point D to Point E…you get the picture. It was long, drawn out and filled with holes. YOU CAN”T DEFIB A WET MAN PEOPLE! And when you run out of the shower, your hair will be wet. These things and much, much more are a few holes in the stinky cheese.
Even the action scenes are horribly shot. We see a shot of a coming car, three shots of Neeson and him changing the gear, two shots of seeing cars zooming, a shot of Kruger in the front, five shots of Neeson and his gears and I don’t need to go on. I was thinking “Please, enough with the gear shots, we know he is changing gears. Jason Bourne didn’t change gears this much. Let’s see more explosions and crashes.” Even the hand to hand combat scenes were too quick and choppy. We didn’t see much of the fun punching that we saw in the trailer.
I could go on even more about the plot holes, and choppy action scenes, and badly placed camera angles, and the acting, and (SPOILER ALERT AGAIN!) how a police and security force of a hotel could possibly miss a bomb that size in a building that a Prince who has almost been assassinated three times (NO MORE SPOILERS), but I won’t.
Bad movie all the way around. Terrible, flawfull (yes, I made up a new word), and so un-original, this movie is a don’t see if there ever once one. 2011 is getting to a bad start. Other than The Way Back, I can’t recommend any recently released theatrical films. Sorry.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Never Let Me Go; 4 stars
Although it is based on a great novel; although it is wonderfully acted; although the sets and locations are perfectly beautiful and amazing, Never Let Me Go was not as good as it could have.
Carrey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley star in this tragic story of a sci-fi, futuristic England in the past (weird, I know, but that isn’t the problem) and they are the perfect cast for these three roles. I do not know any other actors who could have done a better job. Carrey plays the heroine and we truly, deeply feel for her. She always does a good job with whatever she is given. Andrew plays the conflicted love interest for these two women. And Knightley, well, this is the first time we actually are supposed to not like her. She plays the evil bully Ruth who takes Tommy (Garfield) from Kathy (Carrey). Played by almost anyone else, it would have been terribly hard to watch, but Keira should definitely play more roles like this.
I loved the music in this movie. Yes, I will be talking about the music again. I thought that it was one of the best composed music of last year. Romantic, hopeful, and emotional, Rachel Portman gives me everything I’m looking for in a movie like this. Simply listening to the music on its own makes me cry.
And the story is still fantastic. It is a futuristic world where medicine has become so advanced, that the average life a human is past 100. But get this; it is taken place in the past. It isn’t in the future. It takes place in a parallel universe in the year 1952. It is very captivating and interesting, and I loved it.
Now, if I loved all of these things so much, why did I not like it? Simple answer: too much sex and nudity, too much exposition and not enough fluidity, slow editing where it needed to pick up and not drag on in a boring way, and the directing. That last note is something that I am always keen on looking for and I need one second to explain.
Most people blame specific departments for failures in areas where as I try to see the directing of the film as a whole. A bad director can have many good people around him working on his film, but that does not make the director a good director. Because he has all of the pieces and they are all good and beyond what some might expect, but a bad director won’t know how to combine these pieces of the puzzle into an articulate and fashionable way. And that is where Mark Romanek fails. He doesn’t know how to make these puzzle pieces fit so he smashes them together and hopes his viewers don’t know the difference. He made me feel one way and then something happened and we are now forced to go another way, and I never knew where I should be emotionally in the film.
The movie had everything going for it: great script, great novel it was adapted from, great cast, great music, great sets and art direction. But this man couldn’t combine them into a masterpiece. And some of my readers may think why I said too much sex. Another simple answer: if it doesn’t need to be there, it shouldn’t be there. And those two sex scenes did not need to be in there. Pure and simple.
If you want to see this movie for the acting or the romance, go ahead and you may still be pleased. But as a piece of art, it falters in one way that is pivotal: direction.
Carrey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightley star in this tragic story of a sci-fi, futuristic England in the past (weird, I know, but that isn’t the problem) and they are the perfect cast for these three roles. I do not know any other actors who could have done a better job. Carrey plays the heroine and we truly, deeply feel for her. She always does a good job with whatever she is given. Andrew plays the conflicted love interest for these two women. And Knightley, well, this is the first time we actually are supposed to not like her. She plays the evil bully Ruth who takes Tommy (Garfield) from Kathy (Carrey). Played by almost anyone else, it would have been terribly hard to watch, but Keira should definitely play more roles like this.
I loved the music in this movie. Yes, I will be talking about the music again. I thought that it was one of the best composed music of last year. Romantic, hopeful, and emotional, Rachel Portman gives me everything I’m looking for in a movie like this. Simply listening to the music on its own makes me cry.
And the story is still fantastic. It is a futuristic world where medicine has become so advanced, that the average life a human is past 100. But get this; it is taken place in the past. It isn’t in the future. It takes place in a parallel universe in the year 1952. It is very captivating and interesting, and I loved it.
Now, if I loved all of these things so much, why did I not like it? Simple answer: too much sex and nudity, too much exposition and not enough fluidity, slow editing where it needed to pick up and not drag on in a boring way, and the directing. That last note is something that I am always keen on looking for and I need one second to explain.
Most people blame specific departments for failures in areas where as I try to see the directing of the film as a whole. A bad director can have many good people around him working on his film, but that does not make the director a good director. Because he has all of the pieces and they are all good and beyond what some might expect, but a bad director won’t know how to combine these pieces of the puzzle into an articulate and fashionable way. And that is where Mark Romanek fails. He doesn’t know how to make these puzzle pieces fit so he smashes them together and hopes his viewers don’t know the difference. He made me feel one way and then something happened and we are now forced to go another way, and I never knew where I should be emotionally in the film.
The movie had everything going for it: great script, great novel it was adapted from, great cast, great music, great sets and art direction. But this man couldn’t combine them into a masterpiece. And some of my readers may think why I said too much sex. Another simple answer: if it doesn’t need to be there, it shouldn’t be there. And those two sex scenes did not need to be in there. Pure and simple.
If you want to see this movie for the acting or the romance, go ahead and you may still be pleased. But as a piece of art, it falters in one way that is pivotal: direction.
Winter's Bone; 5 stars
In one of my earlier editorials, Actors Who Will Be Famous, I mentioned a young woman who starred this past year in an indie film which gave her wide recognition. This actress’ name is Jennifer Lawrence. She is a young, hot, talented actress who will be going many places in the foreseeable future. And this indie film that garnered so much praise that it was nominated for Best Picture is Winter’s Bone.
I didn’t know what to expect when I bought the movie, just thinking I would learn to love this actress like so many critics across the world have done. I watched the movie with my fine tooth comb, looking for something that I could point out and say, “AHA! There is a major flaw!” But, alas, I could not find a problem, be it small or large.
Like I said, there is a lot of loving towards Ms. Lawrence for this movie, and the director as well, Debra Granik, which is well deserved. However, John Hawkes, who plays Ree Dolly’s (Lawrence) uncle, is also in need of praise. He performs very silently and never takes over the screen, and that is the perfection of the acting: supporting Jennifer’s role, not grabbing the movie out of her hands.
There is nothing overly special about this film, in the acting or directing or music or art direction, and that is the point. Lawrence and Hawkes do not overact and the music doesn’t overwhelm the listeners and the art direction isn’t in your face like some films are. No, everything is subtle and well placed so not to steal the movie. Everything blends together. It is a true masterpiece of editing and acting and directing.
I highly recommend this movie. And like most films, I do not think I should state the synopsis because I believe that you won’t get the full experience when you watch it. A five star movie if ever there was one.
I didn’t know what to expect when I bought the movie, just thinking I would learn to love this actress like so many critics across the world have done. I watched the movie with my fine tooth comb, looking for something that I could point out and say, “AHA! There is a major flaw!” But, alas, I could not find a problem, be it small or large.
Like I said, there is a lot of loving towards Ms. Lawrence for this movie, and the director as well, Debra Granik, which is well deserved. However, John Hawkes, who plays Ree Dolly’s (Lawrence) uncle, is also in need of praise. He performs very silently and never takes over the screen, and that is the perfection of the acting: supporting Jennifer’s role, not grabbing the movie out of her hands.
There is nothing overly special about this film, in the acting or directing or music or art direction, and that is the point. Lawrence and Hawkes do not overact and the music doesn’t overwhelm the listeners and the art direction isn’t in your face like some films are. No, everything is subtle and well placed so not to steal the movie. Everything blends together. It is a true masterpiece of editing and acting and directing.
I highly recommend this movie. And like most films, I do not think I should state the synopsis because I believe that you won’t get the full experience when you watch it. A five star movie if ever there was one.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Let Me In; 4.5 stars
Let Me In is a masterpiece among horror films. Of course, no horror film can ever match up to the class of Alfred Hitchcock, except maybe the Hannibal Lector movies but that is beside the point. Let Me In is a true classic. I have not seen the original film, Let the Right One In, so I guess I can’t make a point on its adaptation, but I can speak for its filmmaking qualities and it is top notch.
I won’t go into any details about the plot. I think one of the reasons I loved it so much is because I did not know what to expect. All I knew was that it about a bullied kid who falls in love with a girl who turns out to be a vampire. No, this is not a twist on Twilight people. (Although Bella wasn’t bullied, she should have been). This is a pure, beautiful vampire flick as they should be, not these sick, idiotic teen vampires who have sex with everything that moves. This doesn’t have sex, it has power behind the performances that you don’t normally see today in these kinds of films.
Chloe Grace Moretz, of Kick-Ass fame, is amazing as the vampire girl. She isn’t your typical vampire. There is much more going behind the scenes that we don’t really know about and that is part of the fun. And her counterpart, the weakling Kodi Smit-McPhee, of The Road, is very good in his role. Of course almost any kid actor can make us feel bad when we see them get beaten around, but Kodi really lets us into his mind. We don’t just feel bad for him: we understand him and can truly get inside of him.
However, where every horror film needs to excel is not really the acting (although it is always a plus to have good actors). Where it needs to excel and surpass all other aspects is the music. Jaws wouldn’t be Jaws without Williams’ theme. Sign wouldn’t be Sign with Howard’s haunting strings and brass. Let Me In surpassed all of my exceptions and I would call it a near perfect film, I can’t be me without finding a flaw. I did not care for Michael Giacchino’s music. It was generic, clique, and predictable. There was nothing special and nothing that stood out to me.
That being said, I found the ending enjoyable and perfect. I loved the whole story, the acting, the horrific images, and the pure excitement of what was going to come. I think most people would enjoy this and I think it should be a standard to modern day horrors from now on.
Tomorrow: Unknown, Never Let Me Go, and Winter’s Bone
I won’t go into any details about the plot. I think one of the reasons I loved it so much is because I did not know what to expect. All I knew was that it about a bullied kid who falls in love with a girl who turns out to be a vampire. No, this is not a twist on Twilight people. (Although Bella wasn’t bullied, she should have been). This is a pure, beautiful vampire flick as they should be, not these sick, idiotic teen vampires who have sex with everything that moves. This doesn’t have sex, it has power behind the performances that you don’t normally see today in these kinds of films.
Chloe Grace Moretz, of Kick-Ass fame, is amazing as the vampire girl. She isn’t your typical vampire. There is much more going behind the scenes that we don’t really know about and that is part of the fun. And her counterpart, the weakling Kodi Smit-McPhee, of The Road, is very good in his role. Of course almost any kid actor can make us feel bad when we see them get beaten around, but Kodi really lets us into his mind. We don’t just feel bad for him: we understand him and can truly get inside of him.
However, where every horror film needs to excel is not really the acting (although it is always a plus to have good actors). Where it needs to excel and surpass all other aspects is the music. Jaws wouldn’t be Jaws without Williams’ theme. Sign wouldn’t be Sign with Howard’s haunting strings and brass. Let Me In surpassed all of my exceptions and I would call it a near perfect film, I can’t be me without finding a flaw. I did not care for Michael Giacchino’s music. It was generic, clique, and predictable. There was nothing special and nothing that stood out to me.
That being said, I found the ending enjoyable and perfect. I loved the whole story, the acting, the horrific images, and the pure excitement of what was going to come. I think most people would enjoy this and I think it should be a standard to modern day horrors from now on.
Tomorrow: Unknown, Never Let Me Go, and Winter’s Bone
Monday, February 14, 2011
Movies of 2011
Everyone of of these movies below are films coming out this year that I would love to watch. Sadly, I may not be able to watch them all, due to budgetary reasons or that there are too many bad reviews for me to go see it. So hopefully you will follow the links provided to see the trailers and you can make your own assessment.
2/18 Unknown (Liam Neeson, the new Taken) And it comes out this week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcE2dGpyDyk
3/4 The Adjustment Bureau (Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, and Terence Stamp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHVU3fKhsjI
3/11 Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska, Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, and Sally Hawkins) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8J6Cjn06kA
3/25 Sucker Punch (Emily Browning, Abby Cornish, and Scott Glenn) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrIiYSdEe4E
4/1 Source Code (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkTrG-gpIzE
4/8 Arthur (Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Gardner) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TKGaBYadEs
Hanna (Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchette, and Eric Bana) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zd4zGt13IE
4/15 The Conspirator (Directed by Robert Redofr; James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, and Kevin Kline) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IsRhwEqW2g
4/15 Margin Call (Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons. A movie that may not be of interest to most, but for me, the actors in it make me want to watch it.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xY_TsBJoYY
5/6 Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, and directed by Ken Branagh) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOddp-nlNvQ
5/20 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Need I say more) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_9A-cUEJc
5/27 Tree of Life (Brad Pitt and Sean Penn) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRYA1dxP_0
6/3 X-Men: First Class (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrbHykKUfTM
6/10 Super 8 (J.J. Abrams new sci-fi film produced by Steven Spielberg) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80DXVBYGLL8
6/17 Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Mark Strong) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs2sZgO3OMk
7/1 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Hopefully this one will be better than numero dos) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOCkhicK4FU
7/15 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
7/22 The First Avenger: Captain America (Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving. This one will be bad) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5l7S-Ypv7o
7/29 Cowboys and Aliens (Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, and Harrison Ford. And produced by Spielberg and Ron Howard) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqbUVMjndx4
8/31 The Debt (Sam Worthington, Martin Csokas, Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTb2pqNf4J0
9/9 Midnight in Paris (Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Michael Sheen and Tom Hiddelston, and Marion Cotillard)
10/7 Johnny English Reborn (The long awaited sequel, with Gillian Anderson and Rosamund Pike)
10/14 The Three Musketeers (Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Matthew McFayden, and Christoph Waltz)
10/21 Contagion (Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, and Laurence Fishburne)
10/28 Now (Directed by the man who wrote Truman Show and drected Gattaca, stars Olivia Wilde, Cillian Murphy, and a few others that I actually am not too excted for, but the concept look great)
11/11 Immortals (Henry Cavill, Isabel Lucas, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt, and Luke Evans)
11/23 Caesar: Rise of the Apes (James Franco, Andy Serkis, Tom Felton, and John Lithgow)
12/16 Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes 2
12/23 The Adventures of Tintin (The first Spielberg directed film since the bad 4th Indy movie)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (The English version directed by David Fincher starring Daniel Craig and new comer Rooney Mara)
12/28 War Horse (Another Steven Spielberg directed movie starring David Thewlis, Tom Hiddelston, Emily Watson, Benedict Cumberbach, Toby Kebbell, and new comer Jeremy Irvine)
Other Movies that Do Not Have a Release Date
Black Gold (Mark Strong and Antonio Banderas)
Coriolanus (Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes, and Vanessa Redgrave)
Haywire (Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, and Antonio Banderas)
London Boulevard (Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Ray Winstone, and David Thewlis) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6eVMP456UY
My Week With Marilyn (Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Eddie Redmayne, Toby Jones, Julia Ormond, and Emma Watson)
Oranges and Sunshine (Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving, and David Wenham) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUvbnVXqp_8
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, and Colin Firth)
This will change over the year with new trailers as they come out and with new movies as they are announced or as I disover them. And it will be updated with new release dates.
And another note, I might be changing the website to a wiki so it will be more maneuvarable for my readers. Stay tuned for newer reviews and updates.
2/18 Unknown (Liam Neeson, the new Taken) And it comes out this week. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcE2dGpyDyk
3/4 The Adjustment Bureau (Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, and Terence Stamp) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHVU3fKhsjI
3/11 Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska, Judi Dench, Jamie Bell, and Sally Hawkins) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8J6Cjn06kA
3/25 Sucker Punch (Emily Browning, Abby Cornish, and Scott Glenn) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrIiYSdEe4E
4/1 Source Code (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michelle Monaghan) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkTrG-gpIzE
4/8 Arthur (Russell Brand, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Gardner) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TKGaBYadEs
Hanna (Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchette, and Eric Bana) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zd4zGt13IE
4/15 The Conspirator (Directed by Robert Redofr; James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Tom Wilkinson, Danny Huston, and Kevin Kline) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IsRhwEqW2g
4/15 Margin Call (Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons. A movie that may not be of interest to most, but for me, the actors in it make me want to watch it.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xY_TsBJoYY
5/6 Thor (Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, and directed by Ken Branagh) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOddp-nlNvQ
5/20 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (Need I say more) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR_9A-cUEJc
5/27 Tree of Life (Brad Pitt and Sean Penn) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WXRYA1dxP_0
6/3 X-Men: First Class (James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrbHykKUfTM
6/10 Super 8 (J.J. Abrams new sci-fi film produced by Steven Spielberg) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80DXVBYGLL8
6/17 Green Lantern (Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Mark Strong) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs2sZgO3OMk
7/1 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Hopefully this one will be better than numero dos) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOCkhicK4FU
7/15 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
7/22 The First Avenger: Captain America (Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving. This one will be bad) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5l7S-Ypv7o
7/29 Cowboys and Aliens (Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, and Harrison Ford. And produced by Spielberg and Ron Howard) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqbUVMjndx4
8/31 The Debt (Sam Worthington, Martin Csokas, Helen Mirren, Ciaran Hinds) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTb2pqNf4J0
9/9 Midnight in Paris (Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Owen Wilson, Michael Sheen and Tom Hiddelston, and Marion Cotillard)
10/7 Johnny English Reborn (The long awaited sequel, with Gillian Anderson and Rosamund Pike)
10/14 The Three Musketeers (Milla Jovovich, Orlando Bloom, Matthew McFayden, and Christoph Waltz)
10/21 Contagion (Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, and Laurence Fishburne)
10/28 Now (Directed by the man who wrote Truman Show and drected Gattaca, stars Olivia Wilde, Cillian Murphy, and a few others that I actually am not too excted for, but the concept look great)
11/11 Immortals (Henry Cavill, Isabel Lucas, Mickey Rourke, John Hurt, and Luke Evans)
11/23 Caesar: Rise of the Apes (James Franco, Andy Serkis, Tom Felton, and John Lithgow)
12/16 Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes 2
12/23 The Adventures of Tintin (The first Spielberg directed film since the bad 4th Indy movie)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (The English version directed by David Fincher starring Daniel Craig and new comer Rooney Mara)
12/28 War Horse (Another Steven Spielberg directed movie starring David Thewlis, Tom Hiddelston, Emily Watson, Benedict Cumberbach, Toby Kebbell, and new comer Jeremy Irvine)
Other Movies that Do Not Have a Release Date
Black Gold (Mark Strong and Antonio Banderas)
Coriolanus (Gerard Butler, Ralph Fiennes, and Vanessa Redgrave)
Haywire (Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Michael Douglas, Bill Paxton, and Antonio Banderas)
London Boulevard (Colin Farrell, Keira Knightley, Ray Winstone, and David Thewlis) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6eVMP456UY
My Week With Marilyn (Michelle Williams, Kenneth Branagh, Derek Jacobi, Judi Dench, Eddie Redmayne, Toby Jones, Julia Ormond, and Emma Watson)
Oranges and Sunshine (Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving, and David Wenham) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUvbnVXqp_8
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Gary Oldman, Mark Strong, Tom Hardy, and Colin Firth)
This will change over the year with new trailers as they come out and with new movies as they are announced or as I disover them. And it will be updated with new release dates.
And another note, I might be changing the website to a wiki so it will be more maneuvarable for my readers. Stay tuned for newer reviews and updates.
Saturday, February 12, 2011
The Eagle; 3 stars
The Eagle is one of those films where you don’t quite have a definitive hate or love for it; it is just there and you can take it either way. For me, it is one of those films where you now need to weigh the good and the bad and then figure out if you thought it was good or bad. I liked it, but that was simply because of this scaling method I do.
The pros: Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell are great. There could have been better casting for these two roles, Marcus and Esca, but the director and actors did a good enough job.
Another pro, Mark Strong was a nice addition to the cast, however, like with some of his roles lately, I wish he had a larger role. I still am excited to see him as Sinestro this summer in Green Lantern. This is one of his roles where you actually like him. He does do a good job with his evil roles, but I really like to see him with a heart. And we also get to see Tahar Rahim (a young up and coming actor from France) as a really cool prince of the Northern tribes. He really steals several scenes even though he doesn’t speak a word of English.
A third pro for the film are the locations and cinematography. Unlike Brokeback Mountain (which forever will be a stand point of what not to do with the landscape), the film works around the film and doesn’t just hit you. It is another actor and doesn’t feel forced.
The other major good thing about the film was the action sequences. Although Gladiator is the standard at which all ancient epics should be compared to, it still rises to the occasion. It has more in keeping with Robin Hood than Centurion (a terribly made film about Marcus’ father that came out last year). Not much blood and gore, but it doesn’t need it (however I would love to have seen it). But it was choreographed well and looked pretty dang good on screen. In fact, the duel at the end of the film works really well mainly because they actually stopped playing the music.
The troubles with this film, however, are also quite extensive. The major flaw in the casting is casting American and Canadian actors for smaller parts where they ultimately fall apart. Donald Sutherland normally is really good, even though his roles in the past decade only last ten minutes of screen time, this movie shows that he has past his prime and that he should stop doing these small roles and either start doing bigger ones or just retire. I did not like, I thought he was miscast, and I thought that he brought nothing to the role.
Another problem was the music. I was expecting much from this, hoping to hear a grand epic score, but in the end it just fell flat and was plain and generic. And that is always the problem with Kevin MacDonald films: he doesn’t do so well with the score.
And one other problem would have to be the editing. We get strange, awkward scenes and glimpses of Marcus’ father fighting the tribes. These are out of place flashbacks that try to add emotion to Tatum’s performance, but takes away from the scenes at hand. We also get quick shots of the grass and leaves and trees around him as we gets these flashbacks that also hope to add some kind of mystical feel. This doesn’t give me a sense of awe, but a sense of confusion.
It may be a good film that is worth seeing once, maybe twice, but it isn’t something special. Good major actors and some fun action sequences, but not much else there.
Next time: Never Let Me Go, Let Me In, and Winter’s Bones
The pros: Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell are great. There could have been better casting for these two roles, Marcus and Esca, but the director and actors did a good enough job.
Another pro, Mark Strong was a nice addition to the cast, however, like with some of his roles lately, I wish he had a larger role. I still am excited to see him as Sinestro this summer in Green Lantern. This is one of his roles where you actually like him. He does do a good job with his evil roles, but I really like to see him with a heart. And we also get to see Tahar Rahim (a young up and coming actor from France) as a really cool prince of the Northern tribes. He really steals several scenes even though he doesn’t speak a word of English.
A third pro for the film are the locations and cinematography. Unlike Brokeback Mountain (which forever will be a stand point of what not to do with the landscape), the film works around the film and doesn’t just hit you. It is another actor and doesn’t feel forced.
The other major good thing about the film was the action sequences. Although Gladiator is the standard at which all ancient epics should be compared to, it still rises to the occasion. It has more in keeping with Robin Hood than Centurion (a terribly made film about Marcus’ father that came out last year). Not much blood and gore, but it doesn’t need it (however I would love to have seen it). But it was choreographed well and looked pretty dang good on screen. In fact, the duel at the end of the film works really well mainly because they actually stopped playing the music.
The troubles with this film, however, are also quite extensive. The major flaw in the casting is casting American and Canadian actors for smaller parts where they ultimately fall apart. Donald Sutherland normally is really good, even though his roles in the past decade only last ten minutes of screen time, this movie shows that he has past his prime and that he should stop doing these small roles and either start doing bigger ones or just retire. I did not like, I thought he was miscast, and I thought that he brought nothing to the role.
Another problem was the music. I was expecting much from this, hoping to hear a grand epic score, but in the end it just fell flat and was plain and generic. And that is always the problem with Kevin MacDonald films: he doesn’t do so well with the score.
And one other problem would have to be the editing. We get strange, awkward scenes and glimpses of Marcus’ father fighting the tribes. These are out of place flashbacks that try to add emotion to Tatum’s performance, but takes away from the scenes at hand. We also get quick shots of the grass and leaves and trees around him as we gets these flashbacks that also hope to add some kind of mystical feel. This doesn’t give me a sense of awe, but a sense of confusion.
It may be a good film that is worth seeing once, maybe twice, but it isn’t something special. Good major actors and some fun action sequences, but not much else there.
Next time: Never Let Me Go, Let Me In, and Winter’s Bones
Actors Who Are the Best In the Business
The last in my “Actors Who…” series, this final list of actors are my favorite actors of all time. Some of these actors I have stated before, but there are some actors here that you may not have heard of and I highly recommend you watch their films. And note that just because an actor isn’t on this list doesn’t mean I don’t like him or her, it simply means that I have a higher regard for these one. (Also, the first five are the only one in order of favorite; the others are simply there. And these are actors who are still alive and at work today, and not retired or dead.)
Top 25 Actors
1. Gary Oldman
2. Anthony Hopkins
3. Russell Crowe
4. Mark Strong
5. Edward Norton
Colin Firth
Jeremy Irons
Kenneth Branagh
Martin Freeman
Hugh Jackman
Andrew Garfield
Javier Bardem
Stanley Tucci
Paul Bettany
Bill Nighy
Clive Owen
Sam Rockwell
Derek Jacobi
Michael Sheen
Chris Cooper
David Thewlis
Tom Hardy
Robert de Niro
Michael Fassbender
Ralph Fiennes
Top 25 Actresses
1. Cate Blanchette
2. Helena Bonham Carter
3. Tilda Swinton
4. Olivia Williams
5. Miranda Richardson
Emma Thompson
Sally Hawkins
Emily Blunt
Judi Dench
Chloe Grace Moretz
Maggie Smith
Kelly MacDonald
Julie Walters
Carrey Mulligan
Helen Mirren
Bryce Dallas Howard
Olivia Wilde
Naomi Watts
Michelle Pfeiffer
Saoirse Ronan
Sigourney Weaver
Laura Linney
Romola Garai
Eva Green
Catherine Zeta-Jones
I didn’t think I would do anymore than 50. Sometime later I may do a top 100 list, but that won’t be today. Next time: The Eagle starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell
Top 25 Actors
1. Gary Oldman
2. Anthony Hopkins
3. Russell Crowe
4. Mark Strong
5. Edward Norton
Colin Firth
Jeremy Irons
Kenneth Branagh
Martin Freeman
Hugh Jackman
Andrew Garfield
Javier Bardem
Stanley Tucci
Paul Bettany
Bill Nighy
Clive Owen
Sam Rockwell
Derek Jacobi
Michael Sheen
Chris Cooper
David Thewlis
Tom Hardy
Robert de Niro
Michael Fassbender
Ralph Fiennes
Top 25 Actresses
1. Cate Blanchette
2. Helena Bonham Carter
3. Tilda Swinton
4. Olivia Williams
5. Miranda Richardson
Emma Thompson
Sally Hawkins
Emily Blunt
Judi Dench
Chloe Grace Moretz
Maggie Smith
Kelly MacDonald
Julie Walters
Carrey Mulligan
Helen Mirren
Bryce Dallas Howard
Olivia Wilde
Naomi Watts
Michelle Pfeiffer
Saoirse Ronan
Sigourney Weaver
Laura Linney
Romola Garai
Eva Green
Catherine Zeta-Jones
I didn’t think I would do anymore than 50. Sometime later I may do a top 100 list, but that won’t be today. Next time: The Eagle starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell
Friday, February 11, 2011
Gosford Park; 5 stars
Can there be a film that stars several of the greatest actors from the United Kingdom in almost every single role? How can this be? People the average American viewer wouldn’t know half of those people. Well, this is all true for Gosford Park is a great who-done-it film. Helen Mirren, Clive Owen, Michael Gambon, Emily Watson, Maggie Smith, Charles Dance, Derek Jacobi, and Eileen Atkins, Kelly MacDonald, Tom Hollander, Sophie Thompson, Jeremy Northam, Stephen Fry, Alan Bates, Richard E Grant, and Kristen Scott Thomas.
Not only is the cast great, every single one giving their all in a very complex and fast paced film, but the screenplay is great work. In anyone else’s hand, the story would be too convoluted and too arduous to keep up with. However, in Jullian Fellowes gifted hands, this film is complex without it being overbearing. We don’t struggle to keep up with the story. If you miss a few plot points, it’s okay because everything kind of ties off nicely and so you can focus harder on the details the second go-round. It is put together well and is well deserving of everyone’s praise.
The music is also touching, not going too far as too take the viewers away from the film. Patrick Doyle encompasses the audience and draws you in without you knowing about it. I found myself coming closer to the television whenever something big was going to happen without knowing that I was. Also, if you listen closely, you can hear some beautiful themes for certain characters.
So overall, a great film: fantastic cast in which they all do great with what little screen time they all have, a well crafted screenplay in which nothing was forced, and a well composed score that doesn’t detach the audience from what is going to happen. Great movie and I highly recommend anyone to watch it.
Next time: Actors Who Are Amazing
Not only is the cast great, every single one giving their all in a very complex and fast paced film, but the screenplay is great work. In anyone else’s hand, the story would be too convoluted and too arduous to keep up with. However, in Jullian Fellowes gifted hands, this film is complex without it being overbearing. We don’t struggle to keep up with the story. If you miss a few plot points, it’s okay because everything kind of ties off nicely and so you can focus harder on the details the second go-round. It is put together well and is well deserving of everyone’s praise.
The music is also touching, not going too far as too take the viewers away from the film. Patrick Doyle encompasses the audience and draws you in without you knowing about it. I found myself coming closer to the television whenever something big was going to happen without knowing that I was. Also, if you listen closely, you can hear some beautiful themes for certain characters.
So overall, a great film: fantastic cast in which they all do great with what little screen time they all have, a well crafted screenplay in which nothing was forced, and a well composed score that doesn’t detach the audience from what is going to happen. Great movie and I highly recommend anyone to watch it.
Next time: Actors Who Are Amazing
Brokeback Mountain; 1.5 stars
Brokeback Mountain. Please don’ skim over this purely because of the title. This movie is a terrible movie and it Is for several reasons, and not just because of its subject matter.
The films major problems are with its lead actors. I did not enjoy the performance of Heath Ledger or Jake Gyllenhaal at all in this movie. Again, not because of them being gay, but because of either over or under acting. Nothing quite was unique about either of these two guys. Jake overacted too much, making smaller, powerful scenes be too much and exaggerated everything, and Heath just underplayed everything. Yes, Ennis de Mar is a soft-spoken man, but there could have been a lot more that Heath could have done.
Where the movie really falters are the endless montages. The movie adds to the short story in one way and that is by relentlessly showing us a series of quick glimpses and shots of these two actors and their wives, or of them out in the landscape. There isn’t much build onto this. Plus, it overemphasizes the terribly written music. With all of this silence in between scenes, we are forces to hear this music that is just not worthy of either a western or romance film. How this film won all of its awards and got its nominations, I will never know.
The only things that I could say were great were the actresses Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway. My belief of Hathaway is that she is good only when she doesn’t surround herself with tremendous British talent such as Alice in Wonderland or Becoming Jane. When other American actors are acting with her, it seems like she is always the great spark that out shines them all (because she has an American accent, not a British one). In Brokeback Mountain, she does a great job. It’s a shame that we see so little of her in the film considering this is one of her better performances. Then there is Michelle Williams who plays tragic very well. I can’t wait to see her as Marilyn Monroe this year. But just like Hathaway, I really do think we needed to see more of her.
In a nutshell, not worth seeing, not just because of the gay romance, but because I really do think this was badly filmed.
The films major problems are with its lead actors. I did not enjoy the performance of Heath Ledger or Jake Gyllenhaal at all in this movie. Again, not because of them being gay, but because of either over or under acting. Nothing quite was unique about either of these two guys. Jake overacted too much, making smaller, powerful scenes be too much and exaggerated everything, and Heath just underplayed everything. Yes, Ennis de Mar is a soft-spoken man, but there could have been a lot more that Heath could have done.
Where the movie really falters are the endless montages. The movie adds to the short story in one way and that is by relentlessly showing us a series of quick glimpses and shots of these two actors and their wives, or of them out in the landscape. There isn’t much build onto this. Plus, it overemphasizes the terribly written music. With all of this silence in between scenes, we are forces to hear this music that is just not worthy of either a western or romance film. How this film won all of its awards and got its nominations, I will never know.
The only things that I could say were great were the actresses Michelle Williams and Anne Hathaway. My belief of Hathaway is that she is good only when she doesn’t surround herself with tremendous British talent such as Alice in Wonderland or Becoming Jane. When other American actors are acting with her, it seems like she is always the great spark that out shines them all (because she has an American accent, not a British one). In Brokeback Mountain, she does a great job. It’s a shame that we see so little of her in the film considering this is one of her better performances. Then there is Michelle Williams who plays tragic very well. I can’t wait to see her as Marilyn Monroe this year. But just like Hathaway, I really do think we needed to see more of her.
In a nutshell, not worth seeing, not just because of the gay romance, but because I really do think this was badly filmed.
Donnie Darko; 4 stars
Donnie Darko can be explained in one line… But I won’t say it. It is weird, but in a good weird. It has good child actors like the lead, Jake Gyllenhaal. But where this film falters are the adult actors.
Jake does messed-up, creepy, psychotic boy very well. A psychologically disturbed boy, Donnie Darko sees an evil-looking bunny telling him to destroy certain properties. Explaining any more than that might cause even bigger spoilers than some might want to know. It is kind of a sick, evil, dark version of Harvey in a very generic sense. Almost like Harvey on drugs.
But this movie really is fun and it has some great moments in it. The kids, however, are what move this film along, not the script or the adult actors. The back of the DVD case said “An All Star Cast”, but what that means is “A Cast Of Well Known Names, But They Are All Crappy.” These actors are the likes of Drew Barrymore (please don’t swear, you make my ears bleed when you do that) and Patrick Swayze (dude, you are not that great, you do not do charming well, and your brainwashing tactics wouldn’t work on a ten year old girl). Jake Gyllenhaal’s real life sister, Maggie (The Dark Knight) is also really good, as is Jena Malone (Into the Wild and Contact) who plays Donnie’s girlfriend.
There is one other factor that I must state: the dialogue in the film is very weak. It is short, choppy, silly at times, and in all honesty, it sounds sometime like a junior higher wrote it. The concept is great and the director and writer Richard Kelley came up with a great concept for the film, but he should have gotten someone else to write the film. It was just plain sloppy.
Anyway, I would defiantly recommend this film.
Jake does messed-up, creepy, psychotic boy very well. A psychologically disturbed boy, Donnie Darko sees an evil-looking bunny telling him to destroy certain properties. Explaining any more than that might cause even bigger spoilers than some might want to know. It is kind of a sick, evil, dark version of Harvey in a very generic sense. Almost like Harvey on drugs.
But this movie really is fun and it has some great moments in it. The kids, however, are what move this film along, not the script or the adult actors. The back of the DVD case said “An All Star Cast”, but what that means is “A Cast Of Well Known Names, But They Are All Crappy.” These actors are the likes of Drew Barrymore (please don’t swear, you make my ears bleed when you do that) and Patrick Swayze (dude, you are not that great, you do not do charming well, and your brainwashing tactics wouldn’t work on a ten year old girl). Jake Gyllenhaal’s real life sister, Maggie (The Dark Knight) is also really good, as is Jena Malone (Into the Wild and Contact) who plays Donnie’s girlfriend.
There is one other factor that I must state: the dialogue in the film is very weak. It is short, choppy, silly at times, and in all honesty, it sounds sometime like a junior higher wrote it. The concept is great and the director and writer Richard Kelley came up with a great concept for the film, but he should have gotten someone else to write the film. It was just plain sloppy.
Anyway, I would defiantly recommend this film.
American History X; 5 stars
American History X is one of the golden gems that I have just discovered. It has been around for a long time and I had just now finally seen it and I have to say that this continues to prove my theory that Edward Norton is the single greatest American actor at work today.
The movie is filled with tears and a heart-wrenching back story that adds more to the heart break. It begs the question that many teachers have been struggling to answer: How far can a kid go before he is lost? And the answer is never.
Edward Norton plays a skin-head, neo-Nazi man who is determined to outcast all non-White people out of his town. He ends up in prison and reforms himself due to reasons I will not mention. When he gets out, he sees that his younger brother is going down the same exact path that he does which ultimately winds up in one the most tragic endings I have ever seen and one of the most unexpected.
Edward Furlong, who plays the younger brother, also gives a great performance, but it is the acting of Norton that this whole film rests on. Quite honestly, no one else could have played Derek Vinyard and have done half as well as he did. In fact, I can’t quite say anything else about this movie except for the acting for these two actors. Not to say that there isn’t anything else good in the film, but they both embody this movie that there really isn’t much else to say.
I’d say see it, that is if you don’t mind the language. There are a few scenes where some may want to look away such as two quick jail shower scenes and a sex scene that is brief at the beginning of the film. But if you do see it, prepare yourself for an emotional finale.
The movie is filled with tears and a heart-wrenching back story that adds more to the heart break. It begs the question that many teachers have been struggling to answer: How far can a kid go before he is lost? And the answer is never.
Edward Norton plays a skin-head, neo-Nazi man who is determined to outcast all non-White people out of his town. He ends up in prison and reforms himself due to reasons I will not mention. When he gets out, he sees that his younger brother is going down the same exact path that he does which ultimately winds up in one the most tragic endings I have ever seen and one of the most unexpected.
Edward Furlong, who plays the younger brother, also gives a great performance, but it is the acting of Norton that this whole film rests on. Quite honestly, no one else could have played Derek Vinyard and have done half as well as he did. In fact, I can’t quite say anything else about this movie except for the acting for these two actors. Not to say that there isn’t anything else good in the film, but they both embody this movie that there really isn’t much else to say.
I’d say see it, that is if you don’t mind the language. There are a few scenes where some may want to look away such as two quick jail shower scenes and a sex scene that is brief at the beginning of the film. But if you do see it, prepare yourself for an emotional finale.
Friday, February 4, 2011
The Way Back 4.5 stars
Peter Weir is one of the greats. His films are all at the top of their game and only one film in his career really disappoints (Green Card). The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society, Witness, Master and Commander all were fantastically made films. And so here is a new film to add on that small list of Peter Weir directed film.
The Way Back is great in many ways: the actors, the locations and cinematography, and the screenplay are the main plusses in this film.
The four main actors are Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, and Saoirse Ronan, all of them having their character’s proper accents. They are not Americans or Irish playing Russians sounding like Americans or Irish. Each actor is perfectly cast in their respective roles; however I do wish that Mark Strong should have been given a bigger role.
The filming locations were also amazing. The cinematography was so grand and gorgeous without being too overbearing (watch Catherine Hardwicke films if you want over the top filming). It reminded me of Avatar; the overall scope alone is worth watching the film (but unlike Avatar, it is not the only reason).
Finally, the screenplay added even more to the film. Humor, drama, and story mixed together perfectly. Humorous lines and scenes are thrown in only when they need to add a little lightness when it gets too dramatic, but not giving away the mood (if that makes sense). And vice-versa.
So I highly recommend The Way Back if you can find it in theatres. It is a very well thought out film with great actors and an amazing screenplay.
Next week: I don’t know
The Way Back is great in many ways: the actors, the locations and cinematography, and the screenplay are the main plusses in this film.
The four main actors are Jim Sturgess, Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, and Saoirse Ronan, all of them having their character’s proper accents. They are not Americans or Irish playing Russians sounding like Americans or Irish. Each actor is perfectly cast in their respective roles; however I do wish that Mark Strong should have been given a bigger role.
The filming locations were also amazing. The cinematography was so grand and gorgeous without being too overbearing (watch Catherine Hardwicke films if you want over the top filming). It reminded me of Avatar; the overall scope alone is worth watching the film (but unlike Avatar, it is not the only reason).
Finally, the screenplay added even more to the film. Humor, drama, and story mixed together perfectly. Humorous lines and scenes are thrown in only when they need to add a little lightness when it gets too dramatic, but not giving away the mood (if that makes sense). And vice-versa.
So I highly recommend The Way Back if you can find it in theatres. It is a very well thought out film with great actors and an amazing screenplay.
Next week: I don’t know
Actor Who I Have Not Liked Until Recently
There are a few actors out there that my mind has changed from disliking to having respect for their acting ability. These few have only happened recently and most is because of recent films and their improvement. In the case of Leonardo DiCaprio, he was a bad actor in his early career, but these past five or six years have changed that.
Brad Pitt: An Interview With A Vampire, Meet Joe Black, Legends of the Fall, Troy, Sleepers, and Seven Years in Tibet are just a few of Mr. Pitt’s bad films. As I grew up, the only films that I liked of his were the Ocean’s Trilogy. However, I just started watching more of his other films and I have to say with confidence that I enjoy Brad Pitt now. After watching Snatch, Fight Club, Seven, A River Runs Through It, Burn After Reading, The Assassination of Jesse James, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Inglourious Basterds, I really have a new found love for this man. I look forward to seeing him this year in the film Tree of Life.
Angelina Jolie: This isn’t so much as a new found love like her domestic partner, but I can say that Ms. Jolie is a good actress when she wants to be. And if you don’t believe me, I highly recommend that you watch Clint Eastwood’s film Changeling. She is just magnificent and if she ever deserved any awards for any of her works, it is for this one. And then I watched Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and that was the first time that I actually thought of her as HOT! I never knew what people thought of her until I saw her in that film. And lastly there are a few good roles that she has done too. She was good The Tourist, I have to say. The movie was bad, but she was pretty good. And then there is of course Wanted that made me think of her as hot again. Curses, filmmakers need to keep her away from guns so I can stop thinking this of her.
Leonardo DiCaprio: Like I stated before, Mr. DiCaprio was never been one that I liked until very recently. I mean, look at every film before Catch Me If You Can and I dare you to find one performance of his that I liked. After Catch Me If You Can, there are films like The Aviator, Blood Diamond, Body of Lies, and most recently Shutter Island and Inception (though there is one exception, The Departed). But now this man know how to act and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future (J. Edgar Hoover anyone?).
Jessica Biel: This woman has gone back and forth in my mind on the quality of her work. I have never really enjoyed any of her films until this past year. And only there can I name three movies in which she does a good job. She was really good in The A-Team and The Illusionist. But the only reason she was good in Next was because everything going on around her was doing such a bad job. She stuck out as the least painful thing in that film.
Brad Pitt: An Interview With A Vampire, Meet Joe Black, Legends of the Fall, Troy, Sleepers, and Seven Years in Tibet are just a few of Mr. Pitt’s bad films. As I grew up, the only films that I liked of his were the Ocean’s Trilogy. However, I just started watching more of his other films and I have to say with confidence that I enjoy Brad Pitt now. After watching Snatch, Fight Club, Seven, A River Runs Through It, Burn After Reading, The Assassination of Jesse James, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Inglourious Basterds, I really have a new found love for this man. I look forward to seeing him this year in the film Tree of Life.
Angelina Jolie: This isn’t so much as a new found love like her domestic partner, but I can say that Ms. Jolie is a good actress when she wants to be. And if you don’t believe me, I highly recommend that you watch Clint Eastwood’s film Changeling. She is just magnificent and if she ever deserved any awards for any of her works, it is for this one. And then I watched Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and that was the first time that I actually thought of her as HOT! I never knew what people thought of her until I saw her in that film. And lastly there are a few good roles that she has done too. She was good The Tourist, I have to say. The movie was bad, but she was pretty good. And then there is of course Wanted that made me think of her as hot again. Curses, filmmakers need to keep her away from guns so I can stop thinking this of her.
Leonardo DiCaprio: Like I stated before, Mr. DiCaprio was never been one that I liked until very recently. I mean, look at every film before Catch Me If You Can and I dare you to find one performance of his that I liked. After Catch Me If You Can, there are films like The Aviator, Blood Diamond, Body of Lies, and most recently Shutter Island and Inception (though there is one exception, The Departed). But now this man know how to act and I can’t wait to see what he does in the future (J. Edgar Hoover anyone?).
Jessica Biel: This woman has gone back and forth in my mind on the quality of her work. I have never really enjoyed any of her films until this past year. And only there can I name three movies in which she does a good job. She was really good in The A-Team and The Illusionist. But the only reason she was good in Next was because everything going on around her was doing such a bad job. She stuck out as the least painful thing in that film.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)