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Archive for the 'Drama Reviews' Category
- 27/June/2007 [3:30 PM] -- A Mighty Heart
On January 23, 2002, Mariane Pearl’s (Angelina Jolie) life changed forever when her husband Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl (Dan Futterman) vanished soon after bidding her farewell and letting her know he might be late for dinner. That morning he entered a taxi waiting outside the home of his colleague, Asra Nomani (Archie Panjabi) and he never returned. He was on assignment in Pakistan, working on a story about shoe bomber Richard Reid, following a tip which he expected to lead to a one on one interview with Sheik Mubarak Ali Gilani (Ikram Bhatti), a religious figure rumored to be behind many al-Qaeda operations. However, Pearl, who was a Jewish-American, had apparently been betrayed by his source. He thought he’d be meeting with a man that could break his story wide open but instead ended up in the hands of a man named Bashir (Aly Khan) a member of a secret cell of radical Muslims cell taking orders from 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. When Danny failed to return that evening a five month pregnant Mariane alerted authorities and a massive manhunt ensued that lead to a cooperative effort launched by the Pakistani police, the FBI, and agents of the U.S. State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service. They all embarked on a powerful attempt to bring Danny home.
I heard about this story when it first happened and seeing all of it unfold on the big screen and learning the details made it that much more real to me. It is an emotional and powerful film directed by Michael Winterbottom who is best known for his powerful documentaries. Winterbottom effectively conveys a tasteful sense of realism. Jolie’s performance was completely flawless. She expresses Mariane’s desperation, dedication and love for her husband brilliantly. This is a five star film with a remarkable story. It is not available in MoPix and may be hard to follow without it so I suggest bringing along a sighted friend or waiting for the DVD but this is a must see movie for this year.
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(Paramount Vantage)
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Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, and Archie Panjabi
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Rated: R
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Running Time: 103 mins
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This film is currently not available in MoPix
Posted in [Drama Reviews]
- 19/June/2007 [10:06 AM] -- In The Land Of Women
In the Land of Women is a surprisingly very emotional film. Advertised as a sort of romantic comedy it is actually a somber and touching, character driven, and coming of age tale from director Jonathan Kasdan. Adam Brody (The OC) plays Seth Cohen a soft-core porn writer from LA who has just been dumped by his beautiful but shallow actress girlfriend Sophia. Desperately trying to find meaning in his life he decides to pack up and head to a Detroit suburb to stay with his senile grandmother Phyllis (Olympia Dukakis), in an attempt to help her out and also to gain some perspective on his life. Seth begins to write a screenplay he has been trying to pen for years, come to terms with his breakup all while trying to make any sense of his grandmothers incoherent ramblings and making some very confusing yet inspiring friendships with his neighbors next door, Sarah (Meg Ryan), Lucy (Kristen Stewart) and Paige (Makenzie Vega). While the film at times seems a little off balance trying desperately to take hold of something it can’t seem to find, the relationships are meaningful and poetic, written eloquently and always leaving you with a sense of understanding and wonderment. Adam Brody’s performance is charming and quirky, Meg Ryan is at her very best and Kristen Stewart adds heart-wrenching depth to her character. If you love character and relationship studies this movie is for you, it offers deep, thoughtful dialog and is emotionally riveting.
1/2
Posted in [Drama Reviews]
- 19/June/2007 [9:29 AM] -- Jericho
Hi everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to write more reviews for all of you! I have had lots of things going on lately! I am back though and ready to write you all some fun and entertaining movie reviews but before I get into those I’d like to take a moment to talk about a TV show, a TV show that has generated lots of buzz and a passionate outcry from it’s faithful viewers. CBS’s Jericho was my favorite new show of last season. Starring Skeet Ulrich, (who in my opinion is one of the greatest actors of our generation), Ashley Scott, Brad Beyer, Lennie James, Pamela Reed, Sprague Grayden, Kenneth Mitchell, Shoshannah Stern, Erik Knudsen, Michael Gaston, and Alicia Coppala.
Jericho is based in a small, rural Kansas town, in the aftermath of nuclear attacks on twenty-three major cities in the United Sates. The series begins with a visible nuclear detonation of unknown origin over nearby Denver, Colorado; they suffer loss of power and loss of communication, isolating Jericho. Several themes regularly addressed in the show are gathering of information, public order, limited resources, the value of family, and internal as well as external threats. The show also features several mysteries involving the backgrounds of major characters, the perpetrators of the attack, and the extent of damage to the United States and its government.
The pivotal character in this story is Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich), the 32-year-old son of Mayor Johnston Green (Gerald McRaney), who returns home to briefly visit his family and friends before becoming stranded as a result of the catastrophe. After a somewhat awkward return home and a tense reunion with his father, Jake steps up to become a leader in Jericho, fighting to protect the town and its citizens. As the people of Jericho struggle to survive in a changed world, they remain unaware that one of the newest residents, Robert Hawkins (Lennie James), knows more about the attacks than he lets on.
Jericho is well written, superbly acted and holds a sense of mystery in every episode. Sounds interesting don’t you think? Intriguing? With 9+ million viewers CBS decided to cancel Jericho. Fans were, to say the least, very upset with this decision. Not only were they taking off one of the best shows on TV but in the season one finale they left the audience on a huge cliffhanger, which was just a slap in the face to all of us loyal followers. Well fans weren’t going down without a fight! A campaign was launched with the help of Nutsonline.com to SAVE JERICHO. Fans began sending NUTS to CBS in protest, why nuts you may ask? Well in the finale it is what Jake (Skeet Ulrich) says to Jericho’s attackers when asked to surrender is town. About $55,000 later, after 20 tons of nuts were sent to CBS that’s about 8 million peanuts CBS decided to give Jericho another chance renewing it for 7 more episodes with hopes of higher ratings so that the show may continue on. I can proudly say I was one of those passionate fans who sent some NUTS and in turn we also made history, networks are now starting to change the way they view ratings factoring in internet downloads, internet watching, TIVO and other forms, in this day and age with our technology TV shows are watched in many ways and it’s time the networks realized that. Too many times I have gotten involved in shows only to have them canceled after only a few episodes, times have changed and our rating system should change along with it.
Never the less, a brilliant show has been saved and given another chance! I hope all of you will tune into Jericho to see what all the passion is about! I also encourage everyone in this world to pick a greater cause and show support just as these fans did, can you imagine what a wonderful world this would be if we could all ban together for the greater good? Just something to think about…
Reruns of the first season of Jericho will start on Friday July 6th at 9pm followed by a recap episode of the first half of the season on Friday July 13th and then the remainder of the season will play out every Friday after that. Or you can always catch it online at www.cbs.com ! And I of course give this show:
Posted in [Commentary, Drama Reviews, Action Film Reviews]
- 29/January/2007 [4:52 PM] -- The Last King of Scotland
Forest Whitaker delivers a violently commanding performance as the brutal Ugandan president Idi Amin. The Last King of Scotland is adapted from a novel by Giles Foden and tells the story of Amin’s horrific reign through the eyes of a some-what fictional character, Nick Garrigan (James McAvoy), a young doctor who has traveled from Scotland hoping to do some good with his medical talents. He befriends two married doctors in a small village; he begins to fall for Sarah (Gillian Anderson), despite the fact that she is a married woman. After a car accident Nick is asked to help treat the president’s wounds and Nick’s out spoken behavior impresses Amin who then asks Nick to become his personal physician. Nick agrees for personal and professional reasons and is immediately intoxicated by his new found importance and life of luxury, until he begins to see the mayhem the president is inflicting upon the people, then realizing he could share the same fate he tries to make a desperate escape out of Uganda. This is a powerful story, compelling and intriguing; however there is a lull in the middle of the movie where I feel it tended to drag a bit. James McAvoy is truly outstanding and completely captivating and I feel should have also been nominated for his performance as Nicolas. Director Kevin MacDonald who is acclaimed as a documentary filmmaker is able to succeed at depicting the same sort of feel for this movie as well, which I believe made it very unique and riveting. The Last King of Scotland is not available in MoPix so some parts may be a little hard to follow; some of it is very visual but can be filled in with the help of a friend. It is an exceptional story that is definitely worth seeing.
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(Twentieth Century Fox)
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Starring: Forest Whitaker, James McAvoy and Gillian Anderson
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Rated: R
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Running Time: 2hours 3 mins
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This film is currently not available in MoPix
Posted in [Drama Reviews, Action Film Reviews]
- 29/January/2007 [4:24 PM] -- Catch and Release
Catch and Release is a romantic dramady that pales in comparison to some of the great romances, but is able to hold its own mainly due to the remarkable cast of actors. Jennifer Garner plays Gray a woman dealing with the sudden death of her fiancé Grady just days before their wedding finding comfort only in the company of her friends, the cheerful and comedic Sam (Kevin Smith), the very responsible tree-hugger Dennis (Sam Jaeger) and Grady’s irresponsible childhood friend Fritz (Timothy Olyphant). As secrets begin to emerge about Grady, like he has a child in another state she knew nothing about, she begins to see new sides of the man she thought she knew and also experiences a awakening in herself. With the help of her friends and the mother of Grady’s child (Juliette Lewis), she begins to pick up the pieces of her life and even finds love again with the last man she ever expected to fall for. Catch and Release has a very lovely moral and is well penned by Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich). Jennifer Garner is a powerful leading lady and completely lights up the screen, Kevin Smith is at his best, Timothy Olyphant is charming and Juliette Lewis marvelously embraces a brilliant character. Although Catch and Release is a good movie it had potential to be really great but I think there was a case of an underdeveloped plot line here, it needed something more. Definitely entertaining, but I would wait for the DVD, it’s a perfect cozy stay at home and curl up on the couch kind of movie. It is not available in MoPix but if you decide to see it in the theatre I don’t think it is needed, there is plenty of dialogue to get you through easily and enjoyably!
- (Columbia)
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Starring: Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Sam Jaeger, Kevin Smith and Juliette Lewis
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Rated: PG-13
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Running Time: 124 mins
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This film is currently not available in MoPix
1/2
Posted in [Drama Reviews, Comedy Reviews]
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