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by Sarah Star

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Archive for June, 2007

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.
- (Paramount Vantage)
- Starring: Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, and Archie Panjabi
- Rated: R
- Running Time: 103 mins
- This film is currently not available in MoPix
Posted in [Drama Reviews]

22/June/2007 [1:36 PM] -- Knocked Up

Director Judd Apatow (The 40 Year Old Virgin) does it again only this time even more hysterical, appealing to a larger audience he becomes a champion of the great all American family values, pushes the envelope as he always does, leaves you wanting more all while bringing attention to a sense of morality. Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl) has a flourishing career at E! Entertainment Channel and has just been promoted to an on-camera position. Alison and her sister Debbie (Leslie Mann) go to a club to celebrate but not long into the evening Debbie gets called away to attend to her children, leaving Alison in the enthusiastic company of charming idler Ben (Seth Rogen). In the intoxicated dark of the nightclub Ben seems like a great guy but in the sober light of the morning Alison realizes that the man she has slept with is just an overgrown child with no direction in life, without a job and without money and also seems to have the social habits of a teenager. Politely brushing him off as a one night stand Alison goes about her life forgetting that the night ever happened until 8 weeks later when she realizes she is pregnant. And thus begins a whirlwind of events that are both uproariously funny as well as heartfelt. With outstanding performances by the entire cast Katherine Heigl finds the perfect balance between comedy and the seriousness of the underlying principles of the story, she is a true talent as any Grey’s Anatomy fan will tell you. Seth Rogen has the ideal blend of charm, humor and lovability that leaves you routing for his character every step of the way. Leslie Mann is luminous as Alison’s neurotic sister Debbie and Paul Rudd is at his absolute best as Debbie’s husband Pete. Although there is some visual humor most of the best moments in the film are brought to the audience through the marvelous dialog. Knocked Up is a great film for everyone who loves to laugh. It is available in MoPix if you would like but I do believe it is easy to follow considering the amount of dialog it has. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up for the film!

(Universal)
Starring: Katherine Heigl, Seth Rogen, Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann
Rated: R
Running Time: 129 mins
This film is currently available in MoPix

sword sword sword sword

Posted in [Comedy 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.

(Warner Bros)
Starring: Adam Brody, Meg Ryan, Kristen Stewart, Olympia Dukakas and Makenzie Vega
Rated: PG-13
Running Time 100 mins
Coming soon to DVD

sword sword 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 6^th at 9pm followed by a recap episode of the first half of the season on Friday July 13^th 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: sword sword sword sword sword

Posted in [Commentary, Drama Reviews, Action Film Reviews]

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