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Archive for 2007
- 25/January/2007 [3:32 PM] -- The Hitcher
One thing you really should know about me is that I am a horror movie junkie! I go to see as many horror films as I possibly can, there are some good ones and there are some really awful ones and then there are the down right campy horror films that really are only good for a laugh and should have been deemed comedies in pre-production. The truly great ones are hard to come by, recently I saw The Decent which was one of the best horror movies I have seen in quite some time. I also recently saw Pulse, which was, well, one of the worst I had ever seen. So this genre is pretty hit and miss and most people either love horror movies or hate them. I love them and can appreciate the good and the bad and take them for what they are. That being said, I must say I wasn’t expecting a great horror movie when I walked into The Hitcher, for one it’s a remake and we all know how those usually turn out (check out new version of Night of the Living Dead 3D… just terrible), however, I must say I was very impressed. It is director Dave Meyers first feature film, he is a music video director, but he made it seem like he has been directing these types of movies all his life, and an added bonus to him being a respected music man is an awesome soundtrack to fit a perfectly updated adaptation of a classic horror movie. Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings) plays Ryder, the hitcher, a very disturbed individual that Grace (Sophia Bush) and Jim (Zachary Knighton) nearly run down on the road and feel compelled to help him out completely unaware that he is a serial killer. Their encounters with Ryder continue to intensify and as the story plays on Grace and Jim are faced with one life and death situation after another and are even being framed for the murders and pursued by the police. The Hitcher is also skillfully updated for modern day and not once did I think the characters acted irrationally, which always brings to mind for me the famous quote from Scream “ I hate horror movies, there is always some big breasted girl running up the stairs when she should be going out the front door, it’s insulting”. The Hitcher has it all, talented actors, a well-written script and fantastic directing, set with the gorgeous back drop of the New Mexico mountains. Unfortunately it is not available in MoPix and I do believe some description would be very helpful for the visually impaired here. There is another company called the National Captioning Institute that is also starting to do descriptive narrative for the visually impaired, I have not been able to find a list of films that they provide the service for but it is definitely something to look into, if not try and take a sighted friend who can fill you in on all the gory details, well so to speak! Enjoy!
Posted in [Scary, Scary Reviews]
- 12/January/2007 [5:35 PM] -- Blood Diamond
Leave it to Leonardo DiCaprio to a movie that is as equally entertaining as it is morally impactful. Blood Diamond is a story set in the chaos and misery of the civil war that covered 1990’s Sierra Leone. It focuses on Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), an ex-mercenary from Zimbabwe, and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a Mende fisherman with a wife and four children. Solomon has been taken from his family and home by the rebels and forced to work the diamond fields when he finds a very rare, very large pink diamond and he decides to hide it even knowing it may cost him his life because he also knows it may be his only means to save his life and the lives of his family. Archer who has spent his life trading diamonds for armed weapons hears of Solomon’s diamond while serving time in prison with him. He will do whatever it takes to get the diamond from Solomon because it will be a payoff that will get him out of his brutal life of corruption. Then enters Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American Journalist working to uncover the truth behind conflict diamonds and wanting to expose the diamond industries leaders. She knows Archer can do this for her, but Archer may find he needs Maddy more then she needs him. This becomes a game of push and shove Archer needs Maddy’s name to get him from place to place unseen, Maddy needs Archer for her story, Archer needs Solomon to help him recover the diamond and Solomon needs Archer to help him rescue is son from the rebels who brainwashing him into a child solider. This movie is extraordinary, director Edward Zwick has out done himself this time. It is a moving and emotional work of art that also holds an incredibly powerful political statement. Leonardo DiCaprio gives the performance of his career. Every time I think he has reached his peak he takes it one step further. He is nominated for a Golden Globe (against himself in The Departed I might add). The Golden Globes air Monday night, I truly hope he walks away with the Globe; it was the best male performance this year as far as I am concerned. Djimon Hounsou is exquisite and Jennifer Connelly is lovely and powerful. Blood Diamond is offered in MoPix and I do strongly recommend it since there is a lot going on and a lot of action you won’t want to miss a second of this film. Superb.
Please visit: http://www.conflictfreediamonds.org/
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(Warner Bros.)
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Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, Jennifer Connelly, Michael Sheen, Arnold Vosloo, David Harewood, Basil Wallace and introducing Kagiso Kuyp Dia
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Rated: R
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Running Time:
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This Film is currently available in MoPix
Posted in [Drama Reviews, Action Film Reviews]
- 11/January/2007 [4:09 PM] -- The Holiday
I have to tell you this is the most enchanting romantic comedy since the romantic comedy boom in the 1990’s! Although this decade has brought some wonderfully written comedic romance like, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days or Serendipity, I feel like the 80’s and 90’s comedies had a certain sentiment about them that has been lost over time. The Holiday completely brings that magical mood back to cinema. I will even go as far as to say it is one of my favorite romantic comedies of all time right next to You’ve Got Mail and While You Were Sleeping! Amanda Woods (Cameron Diaz) is the owner of a very successful advertising company that creates movie trailers in Los Angeles. Iris Simpkins (Kate Winslet) writes a popular wedding column for London’s Daily Telegraph and lives in a charming cottage on the beautiful countryside of Surrey England. Even living 6,000 miles apart Amanda and Iris are in exactly the same place, they are both very successful women who have disasterous relationships. Amanda, wanting to get away from LA for the holidays happens upon a web site for home exchange, and finds a picture of Iris’s cottage and decides that it will be the perfect prescription for her relationship blues. She messages Iris who, having never been to California, immediately agrees to the exchange, and the very next day they are on there way to getting away from their everyday lives for two weeks. Iris lands in sunny California on a beautifully clear day and is greeted by the warm gusts of the Santa Ana winds. She is quick to make friends one being Arthur (Eli Wallach) a 90 year old screenwriter from the Golden Era of Hollywood, and Miles (Jack Black) a loveable film composer who works with Amanda’s ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile, in Surrey, Amanda is settling into the cozy Rosehill Cottage in the peacefulness of snow covered roads, soon finding herself bored and ready to pack it up and go back to her fast paced life when Iris’ handsome brother Graham (Jude Law) comes by the cottage catching Amanda and her heart by surprise. As unexpected events occur for Amanda and Iris, friendships are made and love is found. Brilliantly written and directed by Nancy Meyers (Something’s Gotta Give and What Women Want) I laughed and got misty-eyed and felt completely warmed by this film. The acting is top notch Kate Winslet is absolutely adorable, Jack Black is as charming as ever, Eli Wallach is simply genius, Jude Law is heart warming and this by far is Cameron Diaz’s best work to date! You will absolutely fall in love with The Holiday, it is a definite must for all and offers lots of dialogue and narrative for the visually impaired. It is also available in MoPix if you wish to use it but I don’t think it is needed here. In the words of Arthur, The Holiday and I had a perfect meet-cute! (If you want to know what that means you will have to go see film for yourself!) ENJOY!
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(Columbia Pictures and Universal Pictures)
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Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black, Eli Wallach, Edward Burns and Rufus Sewell
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Rated: PG13
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Running Time: 138 mins
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This film is currently available in MoPix
Posted in [Comedy Reviews]
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