Rated: Rated R for strong bloody brutal violence and torture, a scene of rape, and pervasive language.

Genre: Drama, Thriller

Release Date: 16 October 2009

Runtime: 109 min

Director: F. Gary Gray

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, Leslie Bibb, Michael Irby, Gregory Itzin, Regina Hall, Annie Corley, Reno Laquintano, Josh Stewart

Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is a genius planner and inventor. One night two robbers, Ames (Josh Stewart) Dixon (Reno Laquintano) and  invade his home in Philadelphia and gruesomely kill his wife and daughter, leaving him to die on the floor. The killers are caught, and Assistant DA Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) is assigned the case. Nick is ordered by the DA to make a deal with Dixon to testify against his partner Ames for a 10 year plea bargain prison sentence. Clyde does not want Nick to make the deal, but Nick says it was too late and the deal is done, the other option may have resulted in both men walking away. Ames was given the death penalty. After 10 years, the Dixon is released from prison, and he soon ends up dead. Clyde is arrested under suspicion and subtly admits to Nick that he did it, although not really confessing. Clyde is put in jail, and he warns Nick that he must fix the broken justice system that failed him and his family or else anyone connected to his case will soon die. Even from jail, Clyde’s threats become a reality, and Nick must stop Clyde before his family is next.

The best part of this film is watching Clyde’s plans unfold. The anticipation builds up in you until something goes BOOM on the screen. This is one of those films where you cannot help but root for the “evil” side. I enjoyed every killing on screen, and yes this may mean I am sadistic but you ought to watch the movie and see for yourself if your support switches from Clyde’s side to Rice’s. Overall the message of ‘Justice needs a lesson’ is a little extreme and the way that they are taught a lesson is a little silly, however some of the points brought up did stir up a little something in me. The fact that the justice system is not really as blind as they claim to be, and that sometimes (often times) they slip up. Fair enough. No system works at 100% efficiency.

carole Drama, Thriller

Aaron Eckhart and Jennifer Aniston star in the romantic drama Love Happens. When a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might…

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Romance

Release Date: 18 September 2009

Runtime: 109 min

Director: Brandon Camp

Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Jennifer Aniston, Dan Fogler, John Carroll Lynch, Martin Sheen, Judy Greer

Aaron Eckhart (Burke) and Jennifer Aniston (Eloise) star in the romantic drama Love Happens. When a self-help author arrives in Seattle to teach a sold-out seminar, he unexpectedly meets the one person who might finally be able to help him help himself.

Dr. Burke Ryan (Eckhart) is on the precipice of a major multimedia deal, but the therapist who asks his patients to openly confront their pain is secretly unable to take his own advice.

Eloise Chandler (Aniston) has sworn off men and decided to focus on her floral business. However, when she meets Burke at the hotel where he’s speaking, there is an instant attraction. But will two people who have met the right person at exactly the wrong time be able to give love another chance?

As each struggles with the hurt of love and loss, they realize that in order to move forward, they need to let go of the past. And if they can, they’ll find that, sometimes, love happens when you least expect it. –© Universal

I am not one to go to a “chick-flick” however when it is your friends turn to pick a movie you cannot really argue. I cannot begin to describe how uninterested I was with the ‘character development’ and the blossoming romance between the main characters in the film. I felt it was a wearisome romance between two one-dimensional characters. Once introduced to both characters, if I was asked, I would have been able to write the rest of the movie and get it on the nose as to what would happen, who would be involved, etc.

I truly do not recommend this movie to those movie goers tired of the same old: boy meets girl; girl does not want boy; girl wants but cant have boy; finally they fall in love; and they lived happily ever after tales. I insist on refering readers of this blog to RottenTomatoes.

carole Drama, Romance

Genre: Drama

Release Date: 27 April 1937

Runtime: 111 min

Director: William A. Wellman

Cast: Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine, Lionel Stander, Owen Moore, Peggy Wood

Esther Blodgett is just another starry-eyed farm kid trying to break into the movies. Her grandmother warns her that to gain success in any dream she might have, the consequences would be paid by her heart. Warned and ready for change Esther sets off for Hollywood. Unable to catch a break she accepts a waitress job at a Hollywood party, she catches the eye of alcoholic star Norman Maine, is given a test, and is caught up in the Hollywood glamor machine. Esther (now Vicki Lester) and her idol Norman marry; but soon after, his career develops difficulties while hers flourishes.

A great old Hollywood film, A Star is Born is enjoyable for anyone still into faintly colored reels and high pitched voices of good ol’ American girls. I myself am a fan of such flicks. Nothing draws me into a movie more than classic cars, Men in suits (even in casual situations) and Ladies with shoulder pads, curled up hair and super red lipstick. This film stands out from the movies of its time in the sense that it has a much darker side to it, so much so that near the end of the film your heart twists and you feel yourself choking up. There is no doubt that this film, although over 70 years old, will manage to emotionally effect today’s generation. There is not much else to say about this movie, only that I suggest classic movie fans ought to check this one out.

carole Drama

Rated:

Genre: Drama

Release Date: 8 March 2002 (Norway)

Runtime: 122 min

Director: Ole Bornedal

Cast: Maria Bonnevie, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Eccleston, Pernilla August, Bjørn Floberg, Hans Matheson, Amanda Jean Kvakland, Jørgen Langhelle, Mads Mikkelsen, Søren Sætter-Lassen

In Northern Norway during the 1860s, a little girl named Dina (Amanda Jean Kvakland) accidentally causes her mother’s death. Overcome with grief, her father (Bjørn Floberg) refuses to raise her, leaving her in the care of the household servants. Family friend Jacob (Gérard Depardieu) encourages Dina’s father to hire Lorch (Søren Sætter-Lassen) a tutor who introduces her to the cello. Dina (Maria Bonnevie) grows up wild and unmanageable, her father sends away Lorch and she is left with her only friend being the stable boy, Tomas (Hans Matheson). She summons her mother’s ghost and develops a strange fascination with death as well as a passion for living. When Dina is old enough, she marries Jacob and moves to Reinsnes, a port he runs with his mother, Karen, and his stepsons Niels (Mads Mikkelsen) and Anders (Jørgen Langhelle). Niels doesn’t like Dina’s wild ways, or the fact that she has taken over accounting duties at Reinsnes. Dina’s eccentric tendencies become even stronger, eventually leading Jacob into an accident of his own and bringing Tomas back into her life.

The tale drew me in from beginning to end. From the opening seen of the little girl in her room on a stormy night right to the very end where she shoots the man she loves. It baffled me how close to home the story was. Dina has difficulties dealing with the departure of people she loves, and in order for her to deal with it she feels the best way to avoid being left is to kill them so that they can remain with her, carefree and peaceful. This is not to say that I imagine killing people to keep them with me, but the fact is it is hard to see people leave us and for someone to come up with this “different” solution made this movie all that more intriguing. This Vanguard film is defiantly a hit. Granted the movie is over 2 hours long, I can assure you time flies while watching this movie.

carole Drama

Rated: R

Genre: Comedy, Action, Drama, War

Release Date: 21 August 2009

Runtime: 153 min

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Cast: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Til Schweiger, Gedeon Burkhard, B. J. Novak, Omar Doom, Samm Levine, Paul Rust, Michael Bacall, Carlos Fidel, Harvey Keitel, Michael Fassbender, Mike Myers, Rod Taylor, Mélanie Laurent, Diane Kruger, Christoph Waltz, Daniel Brühl, Jacky Ido

In Nazi Occupied France a young Jewish refugee Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the slaughter of her family by Colonel Hans Landa. Narrowly escaping with her life, she plots her revenge several years later when German war hero Fredrick Zoller quickly takes an interest in her and arranges an illustrious movie premiere at the theater she now runs. With the promise of every major Nazi officer in attendance, the event catches the attention of the “Basterds”, a group of Jewish-American guerrilla soldiers led by the ruthless Lt. Aldo Raine. As the relentless executioners advance and the conspiring young girl’s plans are set in motion, their paths will cross for a fateful evening that will shake and change the history of the world.

Inglourious Basterds, I can honestly say, is hands down the best film I have seen so far in 2009. The Writer/Producer Quentin Tarantino has rarely failed to entertain an audience as he most certainly has in his latest film.  His cast selection could not have been more appropriate and his different editing techniques, such as separating parts of the movies into Chapters, enhanced the appeal of the film.

In Chapter 2 of the movie when the camera spans across the 8 Basterds, introducing them to the audience, I could not imagine a more scandalous group of men who would suit the term basterds better. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) aka “The Jew Hunter” seemed to be the favourite of the crowded theatre, he definetely had something different about him, granted he was the “bad guy”, I could not help but love him.

The film was overly graphic to the extent that we saw scalps being cut off, heads bashed in, blood splatter whenever a gun showed up on screen… finally!!! Hollywood is showing it’s audience the stoamch twisting gore we all crave and loath at the same time. Moreover there was comedy, subtle humor that received theatre wide reaction. I get excited now just thinking about the movie from last night, and I am finding it hard to write about this movie without being tempted to throw out examples of what happened during the film and basically ruin it with spoilers. One final note… Tarintino ends his film in a different way then what really went down in the history books…what I suggest is that this MUST SEE film out to be added to everyones ’seen’ list.

carole Action, Comedy, Drama, War

Rated: R

Genre: Drama

Release Date: 24 June, 2008

Runtime: 100 min

Director: Rowan Woods

Cast: Kate Beckinsale, Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Hudson

Fragments takes place in a restaurant where, Carla Davenport (Kate Beckinsale), the restaurant cashier; Charlie Archenault (Forest Whitaker), a driving-school teacher; Bruce Laraby (Guy Pearce), an emergency room physician; Anne Hagen (Dakota Fanning), her father, and her best friend Jimmy Jasperson (Josh Hutcherson) suddenly hear gun shots. Anne, and Jimmy retreat under a table as a suicidal gunman shoots several people (including Anne’s father) and then himself. These five traumatized people struggle to regain their trust in the ordinary world.

One of the first things praise-worthy in this ensemble film is, of course, its terrific cast. Many of these actors provide performances that prove they have more potential than I had previously thought. The story seems easy enough, however I personally found it hard to concentrate throughout the movie. It was not as capturing as it could have been. Although the movie could have been produced much better than it actually was, the story is still a good one. The story of such a touching tragedy which has become all too common in our day.

Back to the movie… I understood that the film was following the different people who survived the shooting and how these 5; the closed, the selfish, the lucky, the denier and the saver deal with the event. These characters remain deep and complex throughout the movie, however when those 100mins were over I was left with so many unanswered questions. Why didn’t the gambler pay off his debt as opposed to being greedy and getting his arm broken? Who was the gunman and what was his story? For a movie to have so many plots and characters I truly feel that 100mins was really not enough to cover it all.

My overall reaction to this movie was simply that as time went by it became less enjoyable and I became less interested. Maybe this simply is not my type of film, or maybe it’s the producers fault.

carole Drama

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rated: PG-13

Released: October 26, 2007

Run time: 87 mins

Director: Marcos Siega

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Emily Mortimer, Stuart Townsend, Sarah Chalke

I can’t believe I didn’t hear about this movie until this weekend. I was searching for romantic comedies to watch (one of my favorite genres) and I came across a movie starring Ryan Reynolds so I had to watch it, him being one of my favorite actors. He’s great in every movie I watch him in, he cracks me up. His role in this movie however is different than his usual role as the funny guy.

Reynolds plays Frank Allen, an efficiency trainer by avocation; he’s a man whose life is organized entirely around to-do lists, time charts and abstrusely calculated probabilities. Then, one day Frank is forced to change his old ways of thinking and adopt a new philosophy of life altogether due to circumstances beyond his control. His old way of shuffling index cards to determine his next course of action is over.

Chaos Theory is a great story about truth and connection, and how sometimes connection needs to be restored and conserved even in the face of the failure to fully reveal the truth. The movie is a well-acted comedy-drama that delivers laughs at the right moments while delivering a well-structured story that is not entirely predictable. The ending is touching and well explained. It explores what is more important in life. Is it the job, family or deeper values such as forgiveness?

Watch this movie if you have the chance, great movie.

Jenn Comedy, Drama

Rated: R

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Release Date: 14 May 2004

Runtime: 93 min

Director: Yann Samuell

Cast: Guillaume Canet, Marion Cotillard, Emmanuelle Grönvold, Gérard Watkins

If you are a fan of international films, then Love Me If You Dare is a MUST see. It is no surprise why it was such a massive hit. These non-Hollywood films always seem to have some element that differs them from the mainstream that we are used to. The cutting of the reel throughout the film, although annoying at first, becomes an effective technique to force you to concentrate for fear you will miss out on something said.

The DARE game begins when Julien (Guillaume Canet) and Sophie (Marion Cotillard) are children, eight-year-old Sophie is the girl on the bus that everyone teases because she is Polish. Julien is the little boy that comes to her rescue. As they grow older the game intensifies and becomes more twisted and dangerous. Although they are in love with each other, the game of dare later dictates their future, and the dare even goes as far as hurting and tricking each other.

Julien is forced several times to pick between the childhood fun and candy-coated world represented by Sophie, or the expectations, demands, and successes of the adult world represented by his father and his eventual wife and children. Sophie, meanwhile, is content to live her life — as she puts it as “a cream puff”, becoming a trophy wife to a successful soccer player. Nonetheless, she keeps returning to Julien, despite her apparent happiness with what she has. The movie’s main theme of  ’true love overcoming all obsticles’ is represented through a different twist in this film. A truly enjoyable film and definitely worth the effort of reading throughout the whole 93mins (if you don’t understand french).

carole Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rated: PG-13

Genre: Drama, Romance

Release Date: 14 August 2009

Runtime: 107 min

Director: Robert Schwentke

Cast: Eric Bana, Rachel McAdams, Ron Livingston, Jane McLean, Stephen Tobolowsky, Arliss Howard, Brooklynn Proulx, Alex Ferris

I am not one to get excited over a chick-flick however when I saw the trailer to this film I decided this would be one of the rare ones I freely choose to go watch. I had heard raving word-of-mouth reviews from female friends telling me they cried from beginning to end, even a couple male friends admitted to choking up at the end (apparently after being dragged to the movie by a girlfriend…sure boys).

Based on the premise of The Time Traveler’s Wife, published in 2003 as the debut novel of American author Audrey Niffenegger, a Chicago librarian Henry DeTamble (Bana), has a genetic disorder that causes him to time travel randomly and at lengthy intervals. Though he often disappears from her life for long periods of time, he tries to build a romantic relationship with Clare Abshire, an artist (McAdams) who has known and been in love with Henry her whole life.

An overly squishy story about true love that lasts through thick and thin, through confusion, doubt and troubling times, not surprisingly it managed to bring tears to nearly every women in the theater (and there were many). However it was a disturbing story at the same time. *SPOILER ALERT* It bothered me that after ‘older’ Henry’s vasectomy Clare cheats on him with his younger non-vasectomy self to get pregnant…what was that about?

All in all it was an entertaining movie and for you men out there… this is the perfect summer flick to take a date to cause once she’s crying and falling in love with the on-screen romance, she will look to you to fill the void that Henry has left in her heart.

carole Drama, Romance

Based on the novella by Stephen King, Directed by Brian Singer Apt Pupil is a disturbing Psychological Thriller about the relationship that forms between a teenage boy (Brad Renfro) and a neighbor (Ian McKellen) he discovers is a Nazi war criminal in hiding. This is one of the few books from Stephen King made into a movie that doesn’t have a lot to do with supernatural, but it’s still very riveting.

Apt Pupil addresses holocaust-related matters. Todd Bowen (Renfro) confronts Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen) when he does a project for school and becomes fascinated with wartime atrocities. He blackmails the ex-Nazi, promising to keep his secret in exchange for Holocaust horror stories.

In his mission for information, Todd ignores his schoolwork and lets his mid-term grades slip, thus risking exposure of his after-school activities. At this point, Dussander turns the tables by pretending to be Todd’s grandfather and making a deal with his guidance counselor: Todd must get straight A’s in the finals in exchange for his poor mid-term grades being wiped off of his record. Dussander then uses the clever skills he acquired running a Nazi concentration camp and drives Todd to passing with straight A’s, something most would think impossible in just 3 weeks.

The changeover from blackmailer to apt pupil is done brilliantly, very much in the Stephen King style. In the last scene, where Todd is faced to deal with his guidance counselor, he displays why he deserves the title in more ways than one; for not only has Todd learnt the art of torture and discipline, but also how to manipulate people around him to suit his own agenda.

Jenn Drama