Archive for the ‘Reviews’ Category
We don’t know how she got out of her room. It’s as if she evaporated, straight through the walls. – Dr. John Cawley
**This is a SPOILER FREE Review**
It’s safe to say that the partnership between DiCaprio and Scorsese has been a productive one for the famed director – Gangs of New York got 10 Oscar nominations, The Aviator got 11 nods (and 5 wins), and The Departed got 5 nominations and won 4, including Best Picture and Marty’s long-coveted Best Director Oscar [video]. So when it was told that the team was going at it again for Shutter Island, this fan was going to be first in line. Did it live up to my own hype? It sounded like perfect thriller material, straight out of the third act of Scorsese’s Cape Fear remake, and an ideal fit for the legendary filmmaker. I am glad to say I was first in line, last to leave and very satisfied.
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Tags: Ben Kingsley, leonardo dicaprio, mark ruffalo, martin scorsese, michelle williams, review, shutter island
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My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name, Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.
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Tags: alice sebold, Lord of the Rings, lovely bones, mark wahlberg, peter jackson, review, stanley tucci
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Clint Eastwood plays it safe with this tale of Mandela and his idea to bring unity to South Africa through rugby. Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon provide the acting clout while Eastwood shapes the direction of the film. I loved Eastwood’s previous outings; Gran Torino, Changeling, Million Dollar Baby and Mystic River – perhaps for the darker side of filmmaking Directed with each. INVICTUS is a modest, self-effacing movie about extraordinary events that chronicles one battle in Nelson Mandela’s war against the past and his journey to reconstruct a brighter future for his people.
The movie’s plot sounds clichéd, and while the film is a lot of the time, the good news is that it’s not overwhelmed by it. I found it bland and slow; the movie will win audiences with the charm of Mandela, but descends into a film about rugby.
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Tags: clint eastwood, francois pienaar, invictus, matt damon, morgan freeman, nelson mandela, review
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I saw AVATAR this past weekend with no expectations. Believe it or not, I stayed clear of a lot of hype – you might thank me for not posting a million stories on CoF about it. This was my FIRST 3D movie; I was unaware of this non-option as well until the nice gal at the Box Office informed me it’s only in 3D. So was it everything the internet world has said it is? Yes. Yes it is. New technology had to be created to make this movie, James Cameron held out until it was invented. The man has patience. He’s told a story that isn’t from a comic, teen novel, or TV show. This movie is why theater going will never die (so I hope). There should be a lot of comparisons to Star Wars; Cameron has created just as Lucas did; a new world of exploration, characters and storytelling. The movie going experience itself was nothing short of extraordinary and I would like to do it again. This was the event of the year and the best way to send 2009 into history.
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Tags: avatar, james cameron, michelle rodriguez, movie review, review, sam worthington, sigourney weaver, star wars, stephen lang, titanic, zoe saldana
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Brothers (2009)
I still see a young Spider-Man. Sorry Tobey Maguire. Although he brings maturity and depth to his role in BROTHERS, a part of me is waiting for him to say “with great power comes…” well you know. Instead we get a lot of yelling and breaking of things, ah feels like home.
BROTHERS, the new home-from-the-war film has been made with obvious sincerity for the subject matter. I did somewhat expect an anti-war movie, and it never felt that way. I don’t support war by any means – and this movie didn’t cater to either side. It is about the war at home. War is hell and this movie shows some of the consequences. Yet, with that major upside to the film, it still seems very unrealistic in terms of its characters. Maguire, as young as he looks and sounds does bring that nervousness with him to the role and you feel it. Director Sheridan and Maguire run things well here, running a line of tension through the film that explodes at the end; it really had people asking aloud “what’s going to happen.” (Ssshhh, watch and find out people!).
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Tags: brothers, jake gyllenhaal, movie review, natalie portman, review, tobey maguire
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