Boys Don't Cry Stirs Our Baser Emotions But Fails Miserably to Increase Our Understanding

Boys Don't Cry Stirs Our Baser Emotions But Fails Miserably to Increase Our Understanding - Free Articledocument.write('.tabber{display:none;}');   Featured Sites


Free "Movie Reviews" Article Boys Don't Cry Stirs Our Baser Emotions But Fails Miserably to Increase Our Understanding Author: Ed Bagley | Submitted: 2007-10-22 Boys Don't Cry - 1 Star (Terrible)

How can a film produce an Oscar winning Best Actress performance and a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and still be a terrible movie?

Easy, just fail to deliver an important message involving understanding and knowledge when you have millions of moviegoers who are glued to your presentation.

Give Kimberly Peirce credit for tackling an extremely controversial subject in Boys Don't Cry, the true life story of Brandon Teena, a transgendered teen who was born a woman named Teena Brandon that preferred life as a male until it was discovered that "he" was born female.

To say that this is a disturbing and powerful film is much more than an understatement when Brandon's biological identity becomes known, the script gives us an all too familiar scenario of events: betrayal, humiliation, rape and murder.

Please, Kimberly Peirce, if there is to be a subsequent controversial movie in the offing, do not repeat this scenario as it only reinforces all of the stereotypes, prejudices, bigotry, stupidity and transphobia already present in our society and culture.

(I am not sure what the phobia is for transgendered people so I simply created transphobia because homophobia means an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people, which is not what we are talking about here.)

In fairness to Peirce, Boys Don't Cry was her first film as a director, and she shared the screenwriting credits with Andy Bienen. Peirce drew some minor praise for her direction and script with the Stockholm Film Festival's Best Screenplay Award and even a Best Film nod from the International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

However, artistically this is not even an average film and certainly not a pleasant viewing experience because of the R-rated violence, including an intensely brutal rape scene, sexuality, language, drug usage and murder. Good grief, Lucy would have been aghast!

The point is that none of this graphic violence would have been needed to make this a great and moving film that engenders more understanding and compassion rather than being a disturbing drama with romance gone wrong.

Kimberly Peirce is not the first director/writer whose effort in a dual role breeds more failure than success. Any trophy she won for her directing and writing effort in Boys Don't Cry is metal without real meaning because it does little to help viewers better know and understand the transgendered community.

Peirce (terrible rating) joins the non-so-exclusive club of fellow writer/directors who have fallen short, including Vanessa Parise (average rating) for Kiss the Bride, Peter Weir (average rating) for Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Nancy Myers (average rating) for Something's Gotta Give, Thomas Bezucha (average rating) for The Family Stone, Michael McGowan (average rating) for Saint Ralph, Jared Hess (terrible rating) for Napoleon Dynamite, Robert Rodriguez (terrible rating) for Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and Paul Thomas Anderson (terrible rating) for Punch-Drunk Love.

The absolute worst of this lot is Punch-Drunk Love.

Boys Don't Cry must have been a low-budget movie because the star of the film Hilary Swank reportedly earned $75 a day for the filming and walked away with a paltry $3,000. Let aspiring actors know that Hollywood is not all glamour and wealth.

Hilary Swank delivered even though the movie did not. She earned both Oscar and Golden Globe Best Actress Awards as Brandon Teena. Swank also won another 18 lesser Best Actress Awards.

Chlo?evigny played Lana Tisdel, Brandon Teena's love interest in the film. Sevigny earned both Best Supporting Actress Oscar and Golden Globe nominations and won another 7 lesser Best Supporting Actress Awards.

Every female in the film auditioned for part that Hilary Swank won over hundreds of other actresses. Katherine Moennig who plays the part of the lesbian playgirl Shane on ShowTime's The L Word, a lesbian drama, also auditioned for the part.

Swank is no longer a name but a force in the acting community. She earned a second Best Actress Oscar and Golden Globe for her part as the struggling waitress-turned-boxer Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby, which also earned Clint Eastwood another Oscar as the Director.

Hilary Swank is only the fifth actress to win two Oscars in her first two nominations as Best Actress. She joins Vivien Leigh, Helen Hayes, Sally Field and Luise Rainer.

Swank brings to her roles the legendary, tenacious preparation of Dustin Hoffman. Swank dropped her body fat to 7% for the role as Brandon Teena and then went into serious training and put on 19 pounds of muscle for her role as Maggie Fitzgerald. She is athletic, having been a swimmer and gymnast of note growing up in a trailer park near Bellingham, Washington.

Boys Don't Cry is a sad, disturbing movie to watch, not just because of the subject matter but because the way it was presented nixed any opportunity to increase knowledge and understanding about the transgendered community.

Because of the violent explosiveness of the film, viewers are left to choose up sides and launch multiple topics of debate which regrettably settle or advance nothing.

It is like getting a group of overreactionary people together to settle the right way to think about pro choice-pro life issues, all of which is like civilization running in neutral gear when it could be moving forward to better knowledge and understanding of the critical issues people face in their ordinary lives.

This is not a job for a talented Hollywood scriptwriter; it is a job for someone more enlightened than a Hollywood scriptwriter.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

Ed Bagley's Blog Publishes Original Articles with Analysis and Commentary on 5 Subjects: Sports, Movie Reviews, Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, and Internet Marketing. My intention is to inform, educate, delight and motivate you the reader. Find my Blog at:www.edbagleyblog.com,www.edbagleyblog.com/MovieReviews.html, www.edbagleyblog.com/LessonsinLife.html

Article Source: Free Articles from http://www.ArticleSphere.com  More "Movie Reviews" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Movie Reviews" article category.

People interested in the above article "Boys Don't Cry Stirs Our Baser Emotions But Fails Miserably to Increase Our Understanding" are also interested in the related articles listed below: You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt - By : Ed Bagley
'The Departed' Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather' in 1972 - By : Ed Bagley
Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto' Brings the Past Violent Mayan Life into Our Consciousness - By : Ed Bagley
Four Average Movies: Two Messy and Two Unpretentious - By : Ed Bagley
These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama - By : Ed Bagley
Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want? - By : Ed Bagley
A Romantic Comedy That Works With a Couple of 60+ Senior Citizens - By : Ed Bagley
Five Movies That Try Hard Yet Still End Up As Terrible - By : Ed Bagley
Put These 5 Films Together and Spell Terrible 5 Times - By : Ed Bagley
Another 5 Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are - By : Ed Bagley

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5function ratearticle(s){ s.act.value="rate"; s.submit;} Not yet RatedHome | Product Reviews | Movie Reviews  Ask A Question Got a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions

Syndicate "Movie Reviews" Related Articles Via RSS!

  function producexml(id){ var a= document.article.baseurl.value; prompt ('Copy the RSS Feeder Link',a); }

Boost your websites' ranking in the search engines, and attract more repeat visitors to your websites with automatic and continually updating content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). To syndicate the above article "Boys Don't Cry Stirs Our Baser Emotions But Fails Miserably to Increase Our Understanding" and other "Movie Reviews" related articles at your websites and/or blogs, simply click on the XML Icon above to grab the RSS feed -- It's FREE!

Return HomeArticleSphere.com HomeSub-CategoriesWeb Visitor Actions Print This Article Post Your Comments Add To Your Favorites Email To Your Friends Publish On Your Websites var addthis_pub = 'larrylim'; Article CategoriesAll Article CategoriesWriters/Authors 1.Author Terms of Service
2.Sign Up Free Account
3.Submission Guidelines
4.Login to Submit Articles
Publishers 1.Publisher Terms of Service
2.Ezine Notifications
GeneralExpert Authors
Most Recent Articles
All Article Listings
ArticleSphere.com Blog
RSS Feeds & ParserSyndicate Category Articles
Subscribe Category Articles
Syndicate & Subscribe Most Recent Articles
Download RSS Parser
Frequently Asked QuestionsAbout Us
Contact Us
Copyright & Trademark
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer *
Link to Us
Advertise with Us


Submitting articles for publishing on article directories is one of the most cost effective methods of generating targetted traffic to your websites. Join ArticleSphere.com today - it's Free! About Us  |  About Larry Lim  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer  |  Top of Page United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . C?d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . S?Tom? Pr?ipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe Copyright © 2005 - var today = new Date() var year = today.getYear() if (year < 1900) { year = year + 1900; } document.write(year) by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners. Template Design by Larry Lim | Powered by Article Dashboard


Featured Sites: Internet Marketing | Small Business Marketing
Clickbank Marketplace | Finance Article Directory | Singapore Small Business p font {display:none;}p font a {display:none;}_uacct = "UA-647892-2";urchinTracker();

Powered by Article Dashboard

The Office (DVD) Review

One of the most refreshing new comedy series on TV, The Office catalogues the inner-workings of a fictional Pennsylvania paper company called Dunder-Mifflin. The name itself alludes to some sort of bureaucratic labyrinth administered by dunderheads, and in reality, it is. Unfortunately, what makes The Office so hilarious is the ability of viewers to relate to the onscreen office culture. The branch office of Dunder-Mifflin viewers are privy to is managed by the politically-incorrect, borderline lunatic Michael Scott (Steve Carell). Using twisted logic to set company policy, worn out clich?as a substitute for leadership, and an endless array of corny group activities to lift employee morale, he creates an office atmosphere that makes the career of Dilbert seem desirable in contrast.

Carell, star of the recent box office hit The 40-Year-Old Virgin, shines in the role of the nutty and eccentric office manager, and his talents are well complimented by Rainn Wilson who plays the part of Michael's butt-kiss, rule-Nazi lackey, Dwight Schrute. Dwight's over-the-top antics conflict with the rest of the office, particularly co-worker Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) whom Dwight would like to fire. A charming unspoken office crush between Jim and Pam Beesley (Jenna Fischer) makes for an interesting and recurring subplot. Both Jim and Pam epitomize the remainder of the cast of Dunder-Mifflin employees who come across as logical, well-reasoned, and normal individuals. Normal people stuck in a bizarre world where idiots like Michael and Dwight preside over their working hours. Similar in theme to the equally funny feature film Office Space, The Office provides us with a much more excitable Bill Lumbergh lording over an army of Peter Gibbons-like worker bees. For creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who first experienced success with the concept in the UK, it's a recipe for pure, unadulterated laughter.

The Office (Season 1) DVD features six hilarious episodes including the season premiere in which a camera crew arrives at Dunder-Mifflin in order to film a documentary. Naturally, Michael tries to portray himself as a brilliant steward of office productivity, while office enemies Jim and Dwight engage in a series of desk battles. Viewers also get a glimpse of the regular flirtations between Jim and Pam. Other notable episodes include "Diversity Day" in which Michael engages in a feeble and half-hearted attempt to shed light on office diversity, while alienating most of his employees in the process, and "Health Care" in which Michael, afraid of bearing bad news, delegates his authority to Dwight who creates an utter fiasco of the company health care plan.

Below is a list of episodes included on The Office (Season 1) DVD:

Episode 1 (Pilot) Air Date: 03-24-2005
Episode 2 (Diversity Day) Air Date: 03-29-2005
Episode 3 (Health Care) Air Date: 04-05-2005
Episode 4 (The Alliance) Air Date: 04-12-2005
Episode 5 (Basketball) Air Date: 04-19-2005
Episode 6 (Hot Girl) Air Date: 04-26-2005

This Movie Reviews

You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt

You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt - Free Articledocument.write('.tabber{display:none;}');    You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt  Free "Movie Reviews" Article by: Ed Bagley | Submitted: 2007-10-23 National Treasure - 3 Stars (Good)

It took an inordinately long time for movie land to bring us a modern day treasure hunt worth watching, but Director Jon Turteltaub delivered big time in National Treasure, the story of a secret treasure that crosses the centuries.

National Treasure is the story of a vast bounty that continues to grow and change hands throughout time until confiscated by the Knights Templar as early as the 11th Century during the Crusades. The Knights Templar become the modern day Masons.

Eventually the treasure finds its way to our shores, and our founding fathers, several of whom were Masons, hide the treasure to help finance the Revolutionary War against the British.

Then the treasure was lost and six generations of the Gates Family carry on a search to prove its existence, the last of which is Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage). Gates is joined by sidekick Riley Poole (Justin Bartha), Patrick Gates (Jon Voight as Ben's father) and Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger).

Gates ends up stealing the Declaration of Independence to validate a clue and get the important document before the bag guys do (all treasure hunts have bad guys in the chase). Abigail, the curator of the National Archives, is pulled into the chase to recover the original document, and she eventually joins with Gates in a quest for the truth.

National Treasure is full of obscure clues, the trail of which keeps viewers riveted to the story line written by Jim Kouf and Oren Aviv, and polished by uncredited screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio.

It starts on the Arctic Coast with a 200-year-old meerschaum pipe found aboard a ship buried in snow named Charlotte, confirming the first clue: The Secret Lies With Charlotte. For the curious, meerschaum is a soft, white claylike material consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate, found chiefly in Turkey, so, in this case, meerschaum is a Turkish smoking pipe.

From there the original Declaration of Independence is stolen to confirm the presence of an undetected code on the back of the document.

Then it is on to the Silence Dogood Letters written by a young Benjamin Franklin when he was a printer with his brother. From there to the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall in Philadelphia and an ocular device (eyeglasses) hidden in a brick wall. Finally we are taken to Trinity Church near Broadway and Wall Streets in New York, and the grave of Parkington Lane.

In the end, the 200-year-old meerschaum pipe provides the "key" to the treasure.

This is a good film because of some nifty writing and direction by Jon Turteltaub. National Treasure loses the honors race for recognition by Oscar and associated award venues, but wins the viewer race by capturing its audience.

The unlikely path to finding the treasure is a 200-year-old wood staircase several stories high and fraught with crumbling boards and heroic escapes. I liked this film and I hope it shows.

Unlike the Indiana Jones trilogy with Harrison Ford, where you are drawn to Ford and his action adventure antics, National Treasure stays focused on the clues with the actors not upstaging the treasure hunt story line.

Turteltaub does this without the usual Hollywood props of sex, drugs, drinking, profanity, rape and murder, and gets high marks plus a Disney rating (PG) for doing so. The entire family can watch this movie without the fear of inappropriate scenes. There is some violence but by Hollywood standards for violence it is nothing.

Nick Cage does a good job in this film staying focused on the treasure chase, and Diane Kruger does most of her own stunt work in a harrowing car chase scene.

I like this movie despite some improbable happenings and filming goofs. None of this seems to interfere with the mission at hand: solving the clues and discovering the treasure.

See National Treasure. You will like it, especially if you like treasure hunts, or good story lines about treasure hunts.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

Ed Bagley's Blog Publishes Original Articles with Analysis and Commentary on 5 Subjects: Sports, Movie Reviews, Lessons in Life, Jobs and Careers, and Internet Marketing. My intention is to inform, educate, delight and motivate you the reader. Find my Blog at:www.edbagleyblog.com,www.edbagleyblog.com/MovieReviews.html,www.edbagleyblog.com/LessonsinLife.html

Article Source: Free Articles from http://www.ArticleSphere.com  More "Movie Reviews" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Movie Reviews" article category.

People interested in the above article "You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt" are also interested in the related articles listed below: Boys Don't Cry Stirs Our Baser Emotions But Fails Miserably to Increase Our Understanding - By : Ed Bagley
'The Departed' Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather' in 1972 - By : Ed Bagley
Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto' Brings the Past Violent Mayan Life into Our Consciousness - By : Ed Bagley
Four Average Movies: Two Messy and Two Unpretentious - By : Ed Bagley
These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama - By : Ed Bagley
Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want? - By : Ed Bagley
A Romantic Comedy That Works With a Couple of 60+ Senior Citizens - By : Ed Bagley
Five Movies That Try Hard Yet Still End Up As Terrible - By : Ed Bagley
Put These 5 Films Together and Spell Terrible 5 Times - By : Ed Bagley
Another 5 Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are - By : Ed Bagley

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5function ratearticle(s){ s.act.value="rate"; s.submit;} Not yet Rated Ask A Question Got a Question about 'You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt'?
Frequently Asked Questions

Syndicate "Movie Reviews" Related Articles Via RSS!

  function producexml(id){ var a= document.article.baseurl.value; prompt ('Copy the RSS Feeder Link',a); }

Boost your websites' ranking in the search engines, and attract more repeat visitors to your websites with automatic and continually updating content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). To syndicate the above article "You Cannot Forget Captain Jack Sparrow, But National Treasure Is One Heck of a Hunt" and other "Movie Reviews" related articles at your websites and/or blogs, simply click on the XML Icon above to grab the RSS feed -- It's FREE!

*** Most Recent Articles Subpages ***  

Updated: Saturday, 27 October 2007 10:02 am (Singapore)

Home | Product Reviews | Movie ReviewsReturn HomeArticleSphere.com HomeWeb Visitor Actions Print This Article Post Your Comments Add To Your Favorites Email To Your Friends Publish On Your Websites var addthis_pub = 'larrylim'; Article CategoriesAll Article CategoriesWriters/Authors 1.Author Terms of Service
2.Sign Up Free Account
3.Submission Guidelines
4.Login to Submit Articles
Publishers 1.Publisher Terms of Service
2.Ezine Notifications
GeneralExpert Authors
Most Recent Articles
All Article Listings
ArticleSphere.com Blog
RSS Feeds & ParserSyndicate Category Articles
Subscribe Category Articles
Syndicate & Subscribe Most Recent Articles
Download RSS Parser
Frequently Asked QuestionsAbout Us
Contact Us
Copyright & Trademark
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer *
Link to Us
Advertise with Us


Submitting articles for publishing on article directories is one of the most cost effective methods of generating targetted traffic to your websites. Join ArticleSphere.com today - it's Free! About Us  |  About Larry Lim  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer  |  Top of Page United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . C?d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . S?Tom? Pr?ipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe Copyright © 2005 - var today = new Date() var year = today.getYear() if (year < 1900) { year = year + 1900; } document.write(year) by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners. Template Design by Larry Lim | Powered by Article Dashboard

Featured Sites: Internet Marketing | Small Business Marketing
Clickbank Marketplace | Finance Article Directory | Singapore Small Business p font {display:none;}p font a {display:none;}_uacct = "UA-647892-2";urchinTracker();

Powered by Article Dashboard

Crash (DVD) Review

Nominated for six Academy Awards, and winner of Best Picture, Crash is more than deserving of the critical acclaim surrounding its release. Probing the deepest recesses of racism, prejudice, and discrimination in modern day America, the film forces viewers to examine their own tendencies to create and foster stereotypes. More importantly, it does so in a way that doesn't accuse, blame, or pursue a political agenda. In fact, Crash even touches on the shortcomings of political correctness and how some people have allowed outside perceptions to affect personal judgment, often to their own detriment. Written and directed by Paul Haggis, author of the Million Dollar Baby screenplay, Crash is a thoughtful piece of social commentary wrapped in a storyline ripe with conflict and suspense.

Crash follows numerous characters living in and around Los Angeles as they deal with racial perceptions, prejudices, and stereotypes in their daily lives. Jean Cabot (Sandra Bullock) struggles with her inability to trust her own instincts following a car-jacking which leaves her teetering on the brink of a mental breakdown. Meanwhile, police officer John Ryan (Matt Dillon) harasses African-Americans as a result of the prejudices he developed following his father's bankruptcy years ago. Lucien (Dato Bakhtadze) and his wife Elizabeth (Karina Arroyave) find their own biases and self-perceptions erupting to the surface of their marriage following a traumatic encounter with Officer Ryan. The consequences of Ryan's hatred have a rippling effect, a theme which is repeated in countless other social exchanges between store owners, locksmiths, detectives, and hockey enthusiasts. In short, Crash sets out to jar its audience into recognition of the enormous consequences of racial prejudice, no matter how "minor" we may believe those attitudes may be.

The cast of Crash is superb. Don Cheadle completes his graduation from the front desk of The Golden Girls spin-off Golden Palace by turning in a second blockbuster performance within a matter of months (Hotel Rwanda would be the other). Like other characters from the film, Cheadle's Graham is unable to fully develop due to time constraints, yet he manages to come across as a sympathetic and flawed character. The same can be said of Matt Dillon's portrayal of Officer John Ryan. He isn't a mere hatemonger skinhead, but rather a caring individual who developed detrimental prejudice based on past events from his childhood. In the end, like many of the film's characters, the audience gets a glimpse of his good side.

Overall, Crash is an excellent film that lives up to the notoriety and hype. For the typical viewer, it will evoke myriad emotions - hatred of racism, loathing of man's inhumanity to man, empathy, self-reflection, and an awareness of how one's own prejudices may affect others. Paul Haggis brilliantly illustrates the consequences of widespread attitudes harboring racist, prejudicial, discriminatory, and stereotypical overtones. He does so without pointing fingers or assigning blame. Everyone is guilty; no race, gender, class, or ideology is spared. Crash also probes the depths of American prejudice by addressing the unintended consequences of both affirmative action and political-correctness. It's this reluctance to strictly adhere to an ideological agenda that empowers Crash with its universal appeal. By not being preachy, the film is better able to relate its themes to viewers from every type of background and perspective. It's an entertaining film. Hopefully, it also makes each us think twice about the way in which we relate to our fellow man. If so, then Crash is more than just a film; it's a world-changing experience.

This Movie Reviews

Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want?

Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want? - Free Articledocument.write('.tabber{display:none;}');    Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want?  Free "Movie Reviews" Article by: Ed Bagley | Submitted: 2007-05-01 What Women Want - 2 Stars (Average)

What Women Want is a romantic comedy light enough to float away.

See What Women Want for entertainment only and do not be fooled by its story line, which has Mel Gibson (Nick) as a chauvinistic advertising executive who after an accident can suddenly hear what women are really thinking.

Gibson is paired with Helen Hunt (Darcy) who gets the promotion that Nick (Mel Gibson) covets. Darcy is more talented and Nick fancies himself as a ladies man, not a good combination for Nick, who plans to use his newfound talent to sabotage Darcy by stealing her ideas and claiming them as his own. Nick, of course, does not succeed as love gets in his way.

The director of this film is Nancy Meyers who was also the writer/director for Something's Gotta Give. The writing in What Women Want by Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa is no better than what Nancy Meyers penned in Something's Gotta Give, so the film effort remains average at best despite its entertainment value.

Hunt is a real talent with real hardware and seemed so on top of her game after the release of What Women Want in 2000.

When she left the Mad About You sitcom opposite screen partner Paul Reiser she had earned 4 consecutive Emmy Awards (1996 through 1999) and became the highest paid TV actress in history, earning $1 million per episode.

Hunt is the only actress to win a Golden Globe Award (she has 4), an Academy Award (Best Actress in As Good as It Gets) and an Emmy Award in the same year (1998). Hunt is also the only actress to win 4 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards.

Heck, I figured, move over Julia Roberts and hello Helen Hunt as America's newest sweetheart, but Hunt did Cast Away with Tom Hanks and then returned to Broadway. Big screen's loss became Broadway's gain. I believe that the two rising stars today are Reese Witherspoon and Hilary Swank.

Witherspoon won a Best Actress Oscar for her performance as June Carter Cash in Walk the Line opposite Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash. She won 10 other Best Actress awards for the same performance. I knew Reese Witherspoon was the real deal and on the rise when I saw her in Sweet Home Alabama three years earlier.

Swank's presence on the star scene has become enormous. She took a huge chance in Boys Don't Cry (a great performance in a crummy movie) in 1999 and won a Best Actress Oscar, and then picked up another Best Actress Oscar in 2004 for Million Dollar Baby (another difficult role, this time as a female boxer) in Director Clint Eastwood's Oscar winning film.

Both of these young actresses (Witherspoon at 30 and Swank at 32) have become bankable with a capital B. If you ignore their relationship problems, life is good when you are the center of attention and making it big time.

After all, this is the acting profession, where the stars can switch partners faster than cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Ed Bagley is the Author of Ed Bagley's Blog, which he Publishes Daily with Fresh, Original Articles on Internet Marketing, Jobs and Careers, Movie Reviews, Sports and Recreation, or Lessons in Life intended to Delight, Inform, Educate and Motivate Readers. Visit Ed at . . .www.edbagleyblog.com/MovieReviewArticles.html , www.edbagleyblog.com/LessonsinLifeArticles.html , www.edbagleyblog.com/InternetMarketingArticles.html

Article Source: Free Articles from http://www.ArticleSphere.com  More "Movie Reviews" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Movie Reviews" article category.

People interested in the above article "Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want?" are also interested in the related articles listed below: 'The Departed' Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather' in 1972 - By : Ed Bagley
Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto' Brings the Past Violent Mayan Life into Our Consciousness - By : Ed Bagley
Four Average Movies: Two Messy and Two Unpretentious - By : Ed Bagley
These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama - By : Ed Bagley
A Romantic Comedy That Works With a Couple of 60+ Senior Citizens - By : Ed Bagley
Five Movies That Try Hard Yet Still End Up As Terrible - By : Ed Bagley
Put These 5 Films Together and Spell Terrible 5 Times - By : Ed Bagley
Another 5 Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are - By : Ed Bagley
Two Award-Winning Films That Are Pretty Average - By : Ed Bagley
'Camelot' Is a Magical Movie, and a Primer in Civilized Human Relationships and Growth - By : Ed Bagley

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5function ratearticle(s){ s.act.value="rate"; s.submit;} Not yet Rated Ask A Question 'Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want?' Got a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions

Syndicate "Movie Reviews" Related Articles Via RSS!

  function producexml(id){ var a= document.article.baseurl.value; prompt ('Copy the RSS Feeder Link',a); }

Boost your websites' ranking in the search engines, and attract more repeat visitors to your websites with automatic and continually updating content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). To syndicate the above article "Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want?" and other "Movie Reviews" related articles at your websites and/or blogs, simply click on the XML Icon above to grab the RSS feed -- It's FREE!

*** Most Recent Articles Subpages ***  

Updated: Thursday, 18 October 2007 07:20 pm (Singapore)

Home | Product Reviews | Movie ReviewsReturn HomeArticleSphere.com HomeWeb Visitor Actions Print This Article Post Your Comments Add To Your Favorites Email To Your Friends Publish On Your Websites var addthis_pub = 'larrylim'; Article CategoriesAll Article CategoriesWriters/Authors 1.Author Terms of Service
2.Sign Up Free Account
3.Submission Guidelines
4.Login to Submit Articles
Publishers 1.Publisher Terms of Service
2.Ezine Notifications
GeneralExpert Authors
Most Recent Articles
All Article Listings
ArticleSphere.com Blog
RSS Feeds & ParserSyndicate Category Articles
Subscribe Category Articles
Syndicate & Subscribe Most Recent Articles
Download RSS Parser
Frequently Asked QuestionsAbout Us
Contact Us
Copyright & Trademark
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer *
Link to Us
Advertise with Us


Submitting articles for publishing on article directories is one of the most cost effective methods of generating targetted traffic to your websites. Join ArticleSphere.com today - it's Free! About Us  |  About Larry Lim  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer  |  Top of Page United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . C?d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . S?Tom? Pr?ipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe Copyright © 2005 - var today = new Date() var year = today.getYear() if (year < 1900) { year = year + 1900; } document.write(year) by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners. Template Design by Larry Lim | Powered by Article Dashboard

Featured Sites: Internet Marketing | Small Business Marketing
Clickbank Marketplace | Finance Article Directory | Singapore Small Business p font {display:none;}p font a {display:none;}_uacct = "UA-647892-2";urchinTracker();

Powered by Article Dashboard

Jarhead DVD Review

Jarhead

Available in standard, HD DVD, and Collector's Editions, Jarhead brings the Gulf War to your living room. Although commonly compared to movies such as Full Metal Jacket, Jarhead, placed in the genre of "War," really doesn't compare simply due to the fact that the movie is more of a telling of the life of a soldier rather than consisting of any action or actual battle scenes. Although true to the book and the source material, Jarhead's advertising itself as a war flick turned off critics and movie-goers who found the movie to be quite different than expected.

However, Jarhead has still found its niche of fans. The movie, if it had not wrongly been classified as a war film, probably could have fared much better in theatres. Jake Gyllenhaal stars as a Marine from a long-standing Marine family who joins up to serve in the Gulf War. Opening with boot camp, the movie depicts the life of a Marine as he goes through the verbal, mental, and physical punishment that is laid onto Marines in an attempt to properly prepare them for war. The movie, as it intends to do, brings to life a side of the military that photojournalism, documentaries, and feature films often fail to grasp.

Most war films involve a character or characters triumphing over certain conflicts. They involve action, epic scenes of battle. But Jarhead contains no such scenes. There are no epic battles in the film, but rather the story focuses more on the inner struggles of Jake and other Marines in his troop and tells the story of their experiences in the Gulf War. Not one shot is taken at an enemy by any in the troop in the entire movie, but that doesn't stop the movie from successfully developing a plot and delivering it in a interesting and engaging fashion.

However, a common criticism of the movie is the way the plot ends. The way it unfolds is properly done and is very engaging, but the climax of the movie is almost non-existant and there is virtually no resolution. The movie has a sudden ending that results after a series of build-ups with no final conflict and resolution. This experience tends to leave viewers a bit disappointed.

The extras in the standard DVD edition tend to be pretty sparse. The Collector's Edition contains quite a few fantasy and deleted scenes along with interviews and documentaries. Overall, those who were dissatisfied with the movie in theatres won't be tempted by the DVD, but those who enjoyed the movie should still have enough reason to consider picking it up.

This Movie Reviews

These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama

These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama - Free Articledocument.write('.tabber{display:none;}');   Featured "Movie Reviews" Related SitesComing your way soon!  These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama  Free Movie Reviews Article by: Ed Bagley | Submitted: 2007-05-28 Ocean's Eleven - 2 Stars (Average)

Ocean's Eleven is a confusing film about a $160 million heist of three Las Vegas casinos from an impenetrable safe 200 feet underground. I say confusing because it is not really evident whether Ocean's Eleven is supposed to be an action flick, a comedy, a crime story or a drama.

Director Steven Soderbergh tries to make this film slick and clever, and at times it is, but he is unable to pull it off and after awhile it becomes annoying.

This 2001 version of Ocean's Eleven features George Clooney as Danny Ocean who recruits 10 accomplices to pull off the heist. The cast includes Brad Pitt as Rusty Ryan, Elliott Gould as Reuben Tishkoff, Bernie Mac as Frank Catton, Casey Affleck as Virgil Malloy and Scott Caan as Turk Malloy and some other lesser lights.

The 1960 original version of this remake featured Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop (otherwise known as the Rat Pack) and Angie Dickinson.

The brain trust for the writing of this screenplay shall remain nameless because what they wrote is inane. These luminaries penned such memorable lines as:

Danny (just released from prison): Now, they tell me I paid my debt to society.

Tess (his ex-wife played by Julia Roberts): Funny, I never got a check.

If that does not leave you rolling over in laughter, try:

Turk Malloy: Watch it, bud.

Virgil Malloy: Who you calling bud, pal?

Turk Malloy: Who you calling pal, friend?

Virgil Malloy: Who you calling friend, jackass?

Turk Malloy: Don't call me a jackass.

Virgil Malloy: I just did call you a jackass.

Not to be outdone, we also get this brilliant exchange:

Virgil Malloy: Are you a man?

Turk Malloy: Yes, nineteen.

Virgil Malloy: Are you alive?

Turk Malloy: Yes, eighteen.

Virgil Malloy: Evel Knievel.

Turk Malloy: (the "s" word).

This accurately depicts the lack of quality in the script, and any script too difficult to understand is not that good, and neither is this movie. Ocean's Eleven earned nothing in awards, even with Brad Pitt and George Clooney doing the honors.

Ocean's Eleven is also one of those films that uses indiscriminate cussing, typical Hollywood dialogue when the script, acting and direction cannot carry the film anywhere.

The Hours - 2 Stars (Average)

The Hours features three depressed women from three different generations trying to cope with life, some Academy Award-winning performances and a story line that is even more depressing and repugnant.

Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) is married and writing her book Mrs. Dalloway in England in 1923.

Laura Brown (Julianne Moore), who is pregnant and questioning her ability as a mother even though she already has a son, is reading Mrs. Dalloway in Los Angeles in 1951.

Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep) is a career publisher in New York in 2001 who is about to throw a party for her friend Richard who is being honored as a poet and dying of AIDS.

All three of these depressed women are interconnected by Virginia Woolf's novel while all of the action takes place in one day in each of the time periods. Woolf is writing her book, Brown is reading the book, and Vaughan is a book publisher nicknamed Mrs. Dalloway by her dying friend and former boyfriend Richard (Ed Harris).

As if this is not confusing enough, Director Stephen Daldy and Screenplay Writer David Hare chose to start this film in a totally disjointed fashion that takes the moviegoer too long to figure out what is happening unless they are familiar with Michael Cunningham's Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Hours.

As if things are not heavy enough, all three women kiss another woman in the film, and all are involved in suicide. Virginia Wolf is mentally ill, a very unhappy lesbian at heart and ultimately commits suicide.

Laura Brown either attempts suicide or commits suicide (this movie is such a downer I do not remember which).

Vaughan, a lesbian in a relationship, sees Richard commit suicide by falling out of a window.

Overblown drama does not begin to describe how depressing and repugnant this film is, that is the bad news.

The upside, if there could possibly be one, is an Academy Award winning performance by Nicole Kidman as Virginia Woolf and the film earned 8 other Oscar nominations. The Hours knocked down 29 other wins and another 57 nominations. The make up on Kidman was so good I did not even recognize her.

In essence, The Hours is a much honored film you can barely strand to watch once because of its content and presentation. There will be no second viewing for me. I am glad that Kidman won a Best Actress Oscar, she deserved it.

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Ed Bagley is the Author of Ed Bagley's Blog, which he Publishes Daily with Fresh, Original Articles on Internet Marketing, Jobs and Careers, Movie Reviews, Sports and Recreation, or Lessons in Life intended to Delight, Inform, Educate and Motivate Readers. Visit Ed at . . .
www.edbagleyblog.com/MovieReviewArticles.html , www.edbagleyblog.com/LessonsinLifeArticles.html , www.edbagleyblog.com/InternetMarketingArticles.html

Article Source: Free Articles from http://www.ArticleSphere.com  More "Movie Reviews" Related Articles

Listed below are more articles related to the above article from the "Movie Reviews" article category.

People interested in the above article "These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama" are also interested in the related articles listed below: 'The Departed' Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather' in 1972 - By : Ed Bagley
Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto' Brings the Past Violent Mayan Life into Our Consciousness - By : Ed Bagley
Four Average Movies: Two Messy and Two Unpretentious - By : Ed Bagley
Whatever Happened to Helen Hunt After Making What Women Want? - By : Ed Bagley
A Romantic Comedy That Works With a Couple of 60+ Senior Citizens - By : Ed Bagley
Five Movies That Try Hard Yet Still End Up As Terrible - By : Ed Bagley
Put These 5 Films Together and Spell Terrible 5 Times - By : Ed Bagley
Another 5 Movies You Think Would Be Better Than They Are - By : Ed Bagley
Two Award-Winning Films That Are Pretty Average - By : Ed Bagley
'Camelot' Is a Magical Movie, and a Primer in Civilized Human Relationships and Growth - By : Ed Bagley

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5function ratearticle(s){ s.act.value="rate"; s.submit;} Not yet Rated Ask A Question 'These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama' Got a Question?
Frequently Asked Questions

Syndicate "Movie Reviews" Related Articles Via RSS!

  function producexml(id){ var a= document.article.baseurl.value; prompt ('Copy the RSS Feeder Link',a); }

Boost your websites' ranking in the search engines, and attract more repeat visitors to your websites with automatic and continually updating content via Really Simple Syndication (RSS). To syndicate the above article "These Two Films Create Confusion or Unbelievably Overblown Drama" and other "Movie Reviews" related articles at your websites and/or blogs, simply click on the XML Icon above to grab the RSS feed -- It's FREE!

Free Articles at ArticleSphere.com:
articles from Free Articles at ArticleSphere.com

Why Are Some Wrinkle Creams Better Than Others? Posted By : Geoff Hopkins8 Tips to Saving Money When Buying an Xbox Posted By : JJ HendricksBest Wrinkle Cream: Six Components of the best Anti-Aging Products Posted By : Geoff HopkinsThere Are Hundreds Of Wrinkle Creams - Which Ones Work? Posted By : Geoff HopkinsLife Settlement Broker is a safe bet to be relied upon Posted By : William RegalWherever You Are Is The Center Of The Universe Posted By : Enoch TanKeeping the Lines of Management Intact Posted By : Linda FinkleTop 3 Affiliate Internet Marketing Tips For Your Web Business Posted By : Darryl HarrisFall Bulbs for Spring Blooms Posted By : Colin Clifford5 Important Email Marketing Tips Posted By : Darryl Harris  

Updated: Friday, 05 October 2007 10:10 pm (Singapore)

Home | Product Reviews | Movie ReviewsReturn HomeArticleSphere.com HomeWeb Visitor Actions Print This Article Post Your Comments Add To Your Favorites Email To Your Friends Publish On Your Websites var addthis_pub = 'larrylim'; Article CategoriesAll Article CategoriesWriters/Authors 1.Author Terms of Service
2.Sign Up Free Account
3.Submission Guidelines
4.Login to Submit Articles
Publishers 1.Publisher Terms of Service
2.Ezine Notifications
GeneralExpert Authors
Most Recent Articles
All Article Listings
ArticleSphere.com Blog
RSS Feeds & ParserSyndicate Category Articles
Subscribe Category Articles
Syndicate & Subscribe Most Recent Articles
Download RSS Parser
Frequently Asked QuestionsAbout Us
Contact Us
Copyright & Trademark
Privacy Policy
Disclaimer *
Link to Us
Advertise with Us


Submitting articles for publishing on article directories is one of the most cost effective methods of generating targetted traffic to your websites. Join ArticleSphere.com today - it's Free! About Us  |  About Larry Lim  |  Contact Us  |  Privacy Policy  |  Disclaimer  |  Top of Page United States of America, USA . United Kingdom, UK (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) . Canada . Afghanistan . Albania . Algeria . American Samoa . Andorra . Angola . Anguilla . Antarctica . Antigua & Barbuda . Argentina . Armenia . Aruba . Australia . Austria . Azerbaijan . Bahamas . Bahrain . Bangladesh . Barbados . Belarus . Belgium . Belize . Benin . Bermuda . Bhutan . Bolivia . Bonaire . Bosnia-Herzegovina . Botswana . Brazil . British Virgin Islands . Brunei Darrusalam . Bulgaria . Burkina Faso . Burundi . Cambodia . Cameroon . Cape Verde . Cayman Islands . Central African Republic . Chad . Channel Islands . Chile . China . Christmas Island . Colombia . Comoros . Congo . Congo (Dem. Rep.) . Cook Islands . Costa Rica . C?d'Ivoire . Croatia . Cuba . Curacao . Cyprus . Czech Republic . Denmark . Djibouti . Dominica . Dominican Republic . East Timor . Ecuador . Egypt . El Salvador . Equatorial Guinea . Eritrea . Estonia . Ethiopia . Falkland Islands and Dependencies . Faroe Islands . Fiji . Finland . France . French Guiana . French Polynesia . Gabon . Gambia . Gaza . Georgia . Germany . Ghana . Gibraltar . Greece . Greenland . Grenada . Guadeloupe . Guam . Guatemala . Guinea . Guinea-Bissau . Guyana . Haiti . Hawaiian Islands . Honduras . Hong Kong . Hungary . Iceland . India . Indonesia . Iran . Iraq . Isle Of Man . Israel . Italy . Ivory Coast . Jamaica . Japan . Johnston Atoll . Jordan . Kazakhstan . Kenya . Kiribati . Korea (North) . Korea (South) . Kuwait . Kyrgyzstan . Laos . Latvia . Lebanon . Leeward Islands . Lesotho . Liberia . Libya . Liechtenstein . Lithuania . Luxembourg . Macau . Macedonia . Madagascar . Malawi . Malaysia . Maldives . Mali . Malta . Marshall Islands . Martinique . Mauritania . Mauritius . Mexico . Micronesia (Federated States) . Midway Islands . Moldova . Monaco . Mongolia . Montserrat . Morocco . Mosquito Coast . Mozambique . Myanmar (Burma) . Namibia . Nauru . Navassa Island . Nepal . Netherlands . Netherlands Antilles . New Caledonia . New Zealand . Nicaragua . Niger . Nigeria . Niue . Norfolk Island . Northern Mariana Islands . Norway . Oman . Pakistan . Palau . Palestine . Panama . Papua New Guinea . Paracel Islands . Paraguay . Peru . Philippines . Pitcairn Islands . Poland . Portugal . Puerto Rico . Qatar . Reunion . Romania . Russia . Rwanda . Ryukyu Islands . Saint Helena . Saint Kitts and Nevis . Saint Lucia . Saint Pierre & Miquelon . Saint Vincent & The Grenadines . Samoa . San Marino . S?Tom? Pr?ipe . Saudi Arabia . Senegal . Serbia . Seychelles . Sierra Leone . Singapore . Slovakia . Slovenia . Solomon Islands . Somalia . South Africa . Spain . Sri Lanka . Sudan . Suriname . Swaziland . Sweden . Switzerland . Syria . Taiwan . Tajikistan . Tanzania . Thailand . Togo . Tonga . Transkei . Trinidad & Tobago . Tunisia . Turkey . Turkmenistan . Turks and Caicos Islands . Tuvalu . US Virgin Islands . Uganda . Ukraine . United Arab Emirates . Upper Volta . Uruguay . Uzbekistan . Vanuatu . Vatican City (Holy See) . Venezuela . Vietnam . Wake Island . Windward Islands . Yemen . Yugoslavia . Zaire . Zambia . Zimbabwe Copyright © 2005 - var today = new Date() var year = today.getYear() if (year < 1900) { year = year + 1900; } document.write(year) by Larry Lim, Singapore - Article Search Engine Directory at ArticleSphere.com™
All Rights Reserved Worldwide. All Trademarks and Servicemarks are the property of the respective owners. Template Design by Larry Lim | Powered by Article Dashboard

Featured Sites: Website Marketing | Small Business Marketing
Clickbank Marketplace | Finance Article Directory | Singapore Small Business p font {display:none;}p font a {display:none;}_uacct = "UA-647892-2";urchinTracker();

Powered by Article Dashboard

'The Departed' Is Best Mob Film Since Mario Puzo's 'The Godfather' in 1972

The Departed - 4 Stars (Excellent)

Let me get to the most important thing first: Director Martin Scorsese won an Oscar for "The Departed".

Scorsese, one of the most accomplished directors of our era, has been nominated for 7 Oscars-5 for Best Director and 2 for Best Screenplay-before winning with The Departed.

He had also received 7 Golden Globe nominations-6 for Best Director and 1 for Best Screenplay-and won for Gangs of New York before winning again for The Departed this year (2007).

The Departed is simply the best mob film since Mario Puzo's original Godfather in 1972.

Besides Scorsese, The Departed won for Best Picture, Best Screenplay (William Monahan) and Best Editing (Thelma Schoonmaker), giving The Departed 4 Oscar wins to The Godfather's 3 (Marlon Brando for Best Actor, Best Picture and Best Screenplay by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola).

Mark Wahlberg was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor as Sgt. Sean Dignam.

The Departed also picked up 45 more wins and another 45 nominations, including another win for Scorsese (Best Director) and nominations for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg) at the Golden Globes.

In short, The Departed brought home more hardware than a Home Depot shopping spree.

The icing on the cake for Scorsese was his best box-office opening ever ($26 million), his highest grossing film ever with $132 million nationally and $288 million worldwide through March 2007, and $48 million more in VHS rentals. The film's budget was $90 million.

The all-star cast of DiCaprio (Billy Costigan), Matt Damon (Sgt. Colin Sullivan), Jack Nicholson (Frank Costello), Wahlberg (Sgt. Sean Dignam), Martin Sheen (Capt. Oliver Queenan) and Alec Baldwin (Capt. George Ellerby) did not hurt a lick.

The story takes place in Boston where Irish Mob boss Frank Costello (Nicholson) embeds Colin Sullivan (Damon) as an informant with the Massachusetts State Police. Simultaneously, the State Police assign Billy Costigan (DiCaprio) to infiltrate Costello's crew.

When both sides figure out the situation, it is left to Sullivan and Costigan to discover each other's identity.

Along the way, 22 people get whacked (this is a Mob flick), the "f" word is used 237 times (about 235 times too many), and we get a study in relationship psychology as the only real love interest-Madolyn Madden-is a criminal psychiatrist who is wooed by both rivals.

The Departed kept my attention riveted for 151 minutes. The three main characters (Costello, Sullivan and Costigan) all show their anguish in balancing survival, winning and conquering the moment.

There are apparently two versions of this film. I saw the longer version that is rated R for strong brutal violence, pervasive language, and some strong sexual content and drug material.

This film is not for children or young adults, not that young adults do not hear the same "f" word dozens a time a day at high schools all over the country, but who needs the "f" word 237 times in 2.5 hours? Nobody.

I managed to tune out the cussing and concentrate on the story, acting and presentation that were excellent for an action flick with Mob presence.

Copyright © 2007 Ed Bagley

Shawshank Redemption DVD Review

Weighing in with three different versions, the Shawshank Redemption DVD is one that seeks to do the movie proper justice by delivering the same quality in the extras provided as was the quality delivered by the movie itself. Shawshank Redemption can be purchased as a standard, Deluxe Limited, and as a Special Edition. Although the Deluxe Limited and Special Edition's offer notable extra features, each delivers the powerful movie as it was intended.

Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins deliver powerful roles in this prison film. Tim Robbins plays Andy Dufresne, a man convicted of killing his wife and her lover. He is sent to prison on a life term and there meets up with Red, played by Morgan Freeman. The chemistry between the two characters is simply unmatched by most other prison films and the movie delivers a powerful performance fueled by the superb acting jobs of these two fine actors.

The DVD's deliver the movie in great clarity and quality. The film has been sharpened and refined when transferred to DVD version and this results in a very high quality film with bright, vibrant colors, great detail, and proper light and shadow settings. Although the movie contains no option for fullscreen viewing, the widescreen presentation was done wonderfully and really delivers the movie superbly.

The sound is delivered in crisp, clear Dolby 5.1. Although the movie was never really epic in terms of its audio component, the music matches the film but doesn't really leave any lasting impressions, the dialogue is delivered very clearly and the interaction between the two stars is brought even more to life.

In terms of extras, the standard version is pretty light and contains almost nothing in terms of actual package extras. However, the other edition's are packaged with a lot of extras that are worth a look for fans of Shawshank Redemption. Commentaries, interviews, documentaries, and other special features are all smartly done and worth watching.

The Shawshank Redemption DVD's present the movie with high quality and the transfer over to DVD format was done very well. Although the standard DVD doesn't contain many extras, all versions are worth a look and each delivers its own money's worth. The Shawshank Redemption is an epic film and the DVD's capture that very well and deliver the movie as it should be seen.

This Movie Reviews

Hot Rod - Stuntman Forever

If there's one thing we can rely on every summer, it's the release of some fun movies. A great example is the zany offering "Hot Rod". This film builds on the premise that Rod Kimble's step-father (Frank) is a bully and Rod needs to take him down a notch or two. The problem we soon see is that Daddy Dearest has major health problems. Rod plans to raise money to save Frank by performing a never-before-completed stunt jump.

In the meantime we learn that Frank has a biological son named Kevin Powell, who turns out to be a supportive step-brother for Rod. To learn more about how Rod trains for his mission and to donate money for Frank, be sure to visit Kevin's site.

This Paramount Pictures, Michaels/Goldwyn Production "Hot Rod" will come to theaters on August 3, 2007. Many familiar names compose the cast as well as some on their way to sure stardom. They include Andy Samberg of Saturday Night Live (SNL) fame; Isla Fisher noted for her role as the sex-crazed sister in the equally zany "Wedding Crashers"; Ian Mc Shane television and film star (Deadwood (for which he won a Golden Globe, Lovejoy, and "Sexy Beast" among a multitude of others; and Sissy Spacek, another award winner who's career spans over 35 years. You may remember her from "Carrie" or "Coal Miner's Daughter". Pam Brady ("South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut) wrote the hilarious script, and Akiva Shaffer directed. He currently writes for SNL as well directs their Digital Shorts and music videos. This film is not yet rated.
You'll find short videos, photos, and more information on "Hot Rod" as well as "Stuntman Forever" on My Space as well as their individual websites.

Movie Plot
Rod Kimble fancies himself a talented stuntman and spends hours perfecting his art. In the meantime Frank, his step-dad can't seem to harass him enough. During their sparring sessions Frank throws Rod around, humiliating him at every turn. When Frank becomes so ill he needs major surgery, it's a mixed blessing for Rod. He gets the chance to showcase his biggest stunt ever and if he pulls it off he'll not only become famous, he'll also be able to pound the daylights out of Frank. If he fails he faces the ultimate debasement because if Frank lives he'll have the last laugh and Rod's audience will quickly disappear.
Rod idolizes the now aging and retired Evel Knievel, who ultimately jumped over 13 double-decker and 14 Greyhound buses while perched on his motorcycle. Rod sets a goal of soaring over a total of 15 buses. With the money raised from ticket sales he'll become famous and be able to pay for Frank's operation.
Andy Samberg
Whether or not you've seen Andy on SNL, you'll fall in love with this loveable goofball. His and Chris Parnell's hysterically funny short video "Lazy Sunday: Chronicles of Narnia", released in December 2005, broke viewing records for My Space and NBC. He and all the talent in and behind the scenes of "Hot Rod" and "Stuntman Forever" provide some rollicking good fun that you'll want to see over and over.

Just Friends DVD Review

A romantic comedy starring Amy Smart and Ryan Reynolds, Just Friends is a funny story about a friendship attempting to be taken to the next step. The movie uses a real life situation that tends to plague many people, the challenge of just being friends. While there are criticisms of the movies character development, the movie does deliver in its ability to consistently provide a good chuckle.

Amy Smart and Ryan Reynolds carry the average script fairly well. Although the movie isn't written overly well, the actors do a good job of using their own talents to deliver lines that can consistently bring out a laugh out of viewers. The plot is fairly unoriginal and uninspired but it is still interesting enough for many viewers. However, the character development is very poor. The characters seem to switch personalities mid-scene and fail to develop properly. There is no consistently in personality.

However, the storyline itself can't be attacked too much. Truly, it is not meant to be in such a movie. The movie is an average romantic comedy, it doesn't attempt to bring anything new or original to the scene. Rather, it takes a situation that many people have found themselves in and can relate to and uses them to create funny scenes that are played out well by the solid acting of the two stars. The movie can be uninspired but it still is successful and getting a rise out of viewers.

Overall, Just Friends is a decent romantic comedy that is bound to find a match in somebody's DVD collection. It won't win any awards, but the movie creates scenes that everyone can relate to and capitalizes on them by making them funny without trying too hard. The actors show good talent and have good chemistry on screen. The DVD offers a few deleted scenes and bonus features but is not packed with anything else notable to speak of. Just Friends is an average offering that is successful and doing what it intended to do.

This Movie Reviews

Movie Reviews Honest Movie Reviews to Help You Pick Better and Save Time

Honest movie reviews help the average movie-goers make good decisions and spend their time and money wisely on movies that they will thoroughly enjoy. Today there are an abundance of movie reviews appearing in regular magazines, newspaper supplements, specialty magazines, and websites. There are hundreds of movie reviews sites that offer movie reviews on films of all genres.

Movie reviews will be based on the opinionated and personal preferences of the reviewer. There are also passionate movie-goers who review movies. Reviews by these people detail the emotion that they experience while they were watching the movie. Readers of movie reviews, who share the passion of the reviewers, get a clear idea of what they can expect from the movie. Such reviews will not narrate the story line, but tell the readers what they want to hear about the movie. These passionate reviews are often the best movie reviews.

Movie going is mainly about the experience. A movie review must portray the exact feeling experienced while seeing the movie. The review must also make the reader feel enthused about watching the movie, but only if it is worthwhile. If the movie is not worth it, the reviewer must communicate this.

Ratings, usually on a five-star or a ten-star scale, appear beside all movie reviews. This rating is fairly useful, but it is only a number. It does not account for the experience that the reviewer had while watching the movie. Then again, this rating system is unavoidable when looking for movie reviews.

There are also other recommendations like 'Watch today', 'Wait until video is out' and 'Not worth the trouble'. Self-describing recommendations are often the best one-line movie reviews. Movie reviews don't just tell about the USCCB or MPAA ratings or the story line. They capture the imagination of the reader without revealing too much of the story line and make him or her feel like actually seeing the movie.

Read passionate reviews, including the opinion of reviewers, solely from the angle of a movie-goer. If these are the type of movie reviews that you are looking for, you've come to the right place. We also always list details such as the director, cast, and MPAA ratings. Our movie reviews are always based on a personal opinion of what is attractive in a movie or why it may not be worth your time.

Unlike movie reviews in specialty magazines, there is no cost involved other than spending the time to read it. We have an extensive list of new first-run movies and the movies that are now available for purchase.

Movie reviews are also best when not confined into checklists like the quality of acting, sound, visual effects, camera, and direction. The reviewer has to convey his or her feelings to the audience. It is quite easy to give ratings on a five or ten-star scale. Actually conveying your feel on the movie is another thing. Movie reviews should be the communication of the opinion of the movie-goer to fellow movie-goers. Only then shall the write-up qualify as a movie review.

When writing movie reviews, the reviewers never forget to include vital information like the title, director, cast, and rating (MPAA) in a list or box format.

Movie reviewers too are as diverse as the movie genres. Some reviewers are hardcore science fiction fans, while others enjoy musical comedies more. Movie-goers need to know which movies to take their children to and which movies are best avoided.

DVD Releases for Tuesday September 11, 2007

Another week, another not so shining release week, unless you’re into The Starter Wife kinda thing.

Here there are, folks, the DVD releases for Tuesday September 11, 2007:

Away From Her
Bones: Season Two
Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee
Charmed: The Final Season
Even Money
Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends: Season 2
Fraggle Rock: Complete Third Season
Grey’s Anatomy: Season 3
I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete Fourth Season
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers
Las Vegas: Season Four
Snoop Dogg’s Hood Of Horror
The Starter Wife
Supernatural: The Complete Second Season
Two and a Half Men: The Complete First Season

D-War: Dragon Wars - Review

?Dragon Wars? is a peculiar animal. When I saw the first TV spot I figured it was for another Sci-Fi Channel Original Movie like ?Mansquito? or ?Boa vs. Python?. I had no idea that this thing was actually going to get a national theatrical release when it looked, felt and smelled like something brewed for the straight-to-video market. To my surprise, the movie was still bad, but it wasn?t Sci-Fi Channel bad. It was cheesy and stupid with poor effects and even poorer acting, but there was something about it that was just kind of cool.

Oh yeah, it was the dragons.

According to an ancient Korean legend, two dragons (one good and one evil, naturally) will wage a war every five hundred years for the soul of a special human which will grant them passage to the heavens to be reborn as a Celestial Dragon. Baraki, the evil dragon, has summoned his army of demonic followers to hunt down Sarah (Amanda Brooks), the bearer of the ancient power. Her reincarnated guardian, Ethan (Jason Behr), has made it his job to protect her?from gigantic eighty story-tall serpents that eat helicopters. Good luck with that.

The story for the movie is so thin, empty and obvious that one would think it was originally conceived as a Saturday Morning Cartoon geared to sell a ?D-War? toyline. Indeed, the characters and monsters all seem like they stepped out of a two-dimensional toy commercial/cartoon from the 80?s and don?t really try to get any deeper than that. Even if writer/Director Hyung-rae Shim had received a bigger budget, this movie would have only been marginally improved.

Still, the effects surprised me. They?re better than most of the CG debacles that the Sci-Fi Channel pumps out on a monthly basis, but a far cry from anything that deserves to be shown in a movie theater. The dragons all look pretty fake, but what manages to make the scenes involving them watchable isn?t so much the special effects as it is Shim?s cinematography. It?s very dynamic, exciting and thankfully doesn?t imploy ?shakey cam? techniques too often. So even when the monsters look like they stepped out of a Playstation 2 game, the camera work during the action sequences and the epic scale of a few of the shots makes them?acceptable.

Obviously, no one is going to see this movie for the sappy love story or any of the cardboard humans. When you?re lead human villain looks so much like Steve Martin that it distracts you from giant screaming behemoths, then you know there must be a casting problem. The action in ?Dragon War? is honestly kind of satisfying if you can get past the sub-standard special effects. My various Godzilla reviews on this site should give you a hint that I?m partial to movies where giant monsters plow through cities, so I was rather pleased with what I got. The final battle between the good and evil dragons at the film?s climax was admittedly pretty sweet.

I can?t recommend that you pay $10 bucks to see this in the theater. Under normal circumstances, giant monster movies are always better on the big screen, but ?D-War? reeks of a straight-to-video flick that somehow got lucky. So wait to rent it if you really want to watch it.

Grade: D+

Mr. Woodcock - Review

While it?s been a fairly good year for blockbuster films, 2007 has been absolutely abysmal in the comedy department. I?ve run the gamut of nearly all genres these past nine months and of all the films I?ve watched, I think I?ve seen maybe two or three okay comedies, and even fewer good ones. ?Mr. Woodcock? ranks among the very poor, which leaves me even more resentful, considering the New Line Cinema marketing department decided to pimp the ever living crap out of this movie, welding the trailer onto practically every film I?ve gone to see for the past three months.

John Farley (Seann William Scott) used to be a pudgy nobody in high school, ruthlessly humiliated by his sadistic gym teacher, Mr. Woodcock (Billy Bob Thornton). Thirteen years later, John has grown into a successful young man thanks to his self-help novel about releasing painful memories. When he returns home, though, he discovers he?s up for the ultimate test, as his mom (Susan Sarandon) is dating his arch nemesis, Mr. Woodcock. Woodcock hasn?t changed at all in thirteen years and continues to make John?s life a living nightmare even as an adult.

Although I try to go into movies with as unbiased a perspective as humanly possible, I can?t deny that the marketing onslaught for this thing made me go into the theater with a rather nasty chip on my shoulder. Still, even if I hadn?t been bitter and cross toward the flick beforehand, I highly doubt I would have enjoyed ?Mr. Woodcock? anyway. It is a very light comedy, with the jokes either being stale and boring or just not really jokes at all. It plods along with its story but feels entirely bland all the way through.

I have nothing against Seann William Scott, Billy Bob Thornton or Susan Sarandon. I think they?re all capable of being funny or endearing depending on the script and the crew?but ?Mr. Woodcock? was not a good showcase for their talents. I suppose Thornton?s portrayal of the title character got the most laughs out of the audience and he certainly is the film?s highlight, pale though it is. Scott, on the other hand, plays little more than your typical comedy straight-man thrown into a wacky predicament leaving you to predict his every move or reaction. Meanwhile, Sarandon?s mother character is entirely forgettable.

If you?re looking for a good comedy, you honestly aren?t going to find it in ?Mr. Woodcock?. Also, a message for New Line Cinema: Please, please, please show some variety with your trailers. Just because you attach the damn trailer to every movie seeing release for a span of two months that does not guarantee people are going to like it.

Grade: F

3:10 to Yuma (2007) - Review

Aside from possibly Romance, I can?t think of a single genre that bores me quite as much as Western. Cowboys on horseback, grimy saloons, sun-bleached deserts?pretty much everything that makes the Western genre unique and romantic simply puts me to sleep. However, after watching ?3:10 to Yuma? I have decided to completely rethink my opinion on Westerns. ?3:10 to Yuma? was hands down one of the most outstanding pictures I?ve seen all year and a real surprise to me, someone who admittedly avoids the Western genre like the plague.

Life isn?t easy for homesteaders out in the Old West. No one knows this better than Dan Evans (Christian Bale) and his family, who are about to be kicked off their land if they can?t pay their debts. Then in rides Ben Wade (Russell Crowe) and his gang of outlaws who, after a stagecoach robbery, wind up fleeing the town and leaving their boss behind. Wade is to be taken a few towns over to ride the 3:10 to Yuma prison and Evans takes the job escorting him there in order to save his land. The trek won?t be easy, with obstacles such as Wade?s gang, Indians and Ben Wade-himself getting in the way.

I wasn?t originally planning to see this movie this month, but the choice came down to either ?3:10 to Yuma? or ?Dragon Wars? and so I chose what I figured to be the lesser of two evils. I am extremely pleased with my choice, as ?3:10 to Yuma? proved to be one of the more exciting, well-scripted and well-cast films I?ve sat through all year, Western be damned. As I found out only recently, it?s actually a remake of a 1957 film that I?d never heard of, so I won?t be able to draw any comparisons between the two for you or say which one is ?better?. All I can tell you is that this is a fantastic flick which you?d be wise to check out, whether you enjoy Westerns or not.

Christian Bale has really been hitting a string of bullseyes for the past few years, with this movie just being his next direct hit. He makes Dan Evans out to be a truly complex and endearing hero that compliments Russell Crowe?s ?lovable villain? quite nicely. Crowe, as we already know, is a fine actor and delivers another stellar performance as Ben Wade. I?m the kind of guy who typically prefers villains over heroes since they?re always more fun. Crowe?s Wade really makes the movie, as he both helps and hinders his captors all throughout the film, doing devilish things but in such a charming manner you just can?t hate him for it.

I may not be an expert on Westerns, but from my experience I?ve come to understand that what the audience is really waiting for is the ?showdown? at the end. Evans and Wade?s run for the train at the end is mesmerizing, keeping you with that ?are they gonna make it?? voice yammering on in your head the whole way. And the ending is absolutely perfect.

As someone who unashamedly dislikes Westerns, even I can?t pretend for a second that this wasn?t a fantastic movie. It?s got a great cast (I only mentioned the two headliners, but there are plenty more in here to impress you) and an enthralling story. I have a good feeling you?ll want to see this movie even if you don?t want to see this movie.

Grade: A

Ghostrider with Nicholas Cage

I’m a big fan of movies based on comics, especially the Marvel stuff nowadays, as it tends to be pretty good.

I’m also familiar with the Ghostrider comic, although I never read more than a couple of issues, so I waslooking forward to seeing the movie…

The special effects are pretty cool, but the whole thing was let down for me because there never really seemed any doubt that the Ghostrider was going to win, so the movie never really “grabbed me”.

It’s not one of Nicholas Cages best performances, but then the plot, scenes and dialogue he had to work with were unlikely to stretch him, at all.

If you’re just looking for a Marvel super hero action movie that’s not going to tax you’re brain (at all), then I guess it’s ok, but don’t expect much.

Lionsgate Releases ‘Saw 4′ Teaser Movie Trailer

I have to admit I stopped watching the Saw movies after the first one, but this one’s for all you true fans out there.

Lionsgate has just released a new teaser movie trailer for the upcoming Saw 4 & man is it gory.  Consider yourself warned is all I am trying to say. 

Catch the teaser here.

‘John Rambo’ Movie To Be Released January 25, 2008

Well, we finally have an official date on the upcoming release of Sylvester Stallone’s John Rambo.

January 25, 2008 is the date to save for this Lionsgate film, which is rather interesting since January isn’t such a hot month for movies.  Wishing the best of luck to this kiss of death movie all the same though.

{Source}

my favorite TV shows

The TV rcording boxes (Tivo, Sky Plus etc.) have changed the way I watch TV, as I can now just watch my favorite programs when I feel like it and not worry about missing anything, unless my wife has set something new up that causes a “clash”…

I’ve actually found I end up watching less TV, as I’ve always got a backlog of my favorite shows, I’ve become a lot fussier about what I spend time watching, so what do I take the time to sit down and relax with….?

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip - This is pretty damn good, it’s not just funny, but topical and quite clever, with an ongoing plot that’s actually got a little depth to it.

Boston Legal - This has been a fav of mine since I caught the first series, and it’s  managed to make it through to season four without loosing to much of it’s “freshness” and humor. It’s probably the best acting I’ve ever seen William Shatner do and James Spader has always been a favorite of mine. The collection of other “oddball” and classic stereo type characters and storylines add to the humor, as well as delivering a message. Well worth watching.

Heros - I’ve only recently got in to this series since it’s come to terestrial TV, as I missed the first season on satelite, and I find myself eagerly awaiting the next step in the plot. It’s good that it’s more about the story than the “powers”, as it could easily have gone the way of many “sci-fi” series and turned in to just a “cult” show.

Top Gear - as a bit of a “petrol head” this has always been a favorite, and Clarkson, “hamster” & Captain slow continue to deliver a program about cars that is so much more. Their weekly races and “tasks” are just hilarious!

Las Vegas - this is another show that I missed the first couple of series and am now playing catch up with, but it’s move Vegas several places up my list of “places to visit”. No, that doesn’t mean I’m expecting Vegas to be like the show, but I am looking forward to soaking up the atmosphere of a real Casino one day.

Two & a Half Men - This show makes me laugh evertime I watch it. The interplay between the characters is simply wicked.

It seems comedy shows are still my favorite, but then laughter is good for you right…

Guy X

I picked up this DVD as a birthday present for myself as it looked to be a bit of an “off the wall” comedy that could be quite good.

Jason Briggs plays a US Army private who ends up at a top secret miltary base in Greenland thanks to a mess up.

The camp turns out to be a pretty mad place with all sorts of “characters” that spark some fairly amusing moments, but there’s no real big laughs to be seen.

The “secret” that the base is hiding, and apparently no-one other than the “top brass” knows about, is never really explained, and apart from some funny moments with Puffin’s, the plot never really gathers pace.

This is another movie that I feel didn’t quite hit the mark, I couldn’t say where it went wrong, but it never seems to really get going.

Not one I’ll bother watching again or recommending to friends…

The Prestige

In one of those strange Hollywood coincidences that looked like a game of chicken both sides were determined to not to lose and so both went over the cliff still in the car, two movies about magicians and their loves came out within weeks of each other last fall. One was The Illusionist, which I wrote up a month ago, starring Edward Norton and Joaquin Phoenix fighting over Jessica Biel.

In The Prestige Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale) fight each other over their magic, not their women (Piper Perabo and Rebecca Hall), but the women get involved in their unfriendly competition nonetheless. Michael Caine has the lead supporting role as a man who creates tricks for magicians and is somewhat of a confidant to Angier and Borden who, early on, meet while working under the tutelage of the same star.

David Bowie is delightful as Nikola Tesla, a real person who was Thomas Edison’s employee, vitcim and primary competitor in the commercial development of electricity. The Prestige is set later in Tesla’s life, after Edison has won the corporate battle; though we never see the Wizard of Menlo Park onscreen, his agents are shown hounding Tesla, forcing him to be constantly on the defensive and on the move, though willing to assist Angier when he travels to wintry Colorado Springs in quest of a copy of a device he believes Tesla built for Borden.

Director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Insomnia, Memento), who co-wrote the snappy, intelligent script with his brother Jonathan from Christopher Priest’s novel, points out right at the beginning that in the world of magic nothing is ever what it seems to be, that the show must be watched carefully and that the performers will go to great lengths to create illusions. This is very useful advice, so I pass it along to you.

recommended

Lithium Springs

I was asked to review an independently made movie called Lithium Springs but have nothing positive at all to say, so I will just leave my comment as this note.

Shoot ‘em Up - Review

You know what the difference between films like ?Shoot ?em Up? and “War? is? ?Shoot ?em Up? is a good bad movie, while ?War? is just a plain ole bad movie. To elaborate, while films such as ?War? sincerely believe they are God?s gift to the action genre and legitimately artistic and inspiring pieces of celluloid, ?Shoot ?em Up? is completely self-aware that it?s an over-the-top, leave-your-brain-at-the-door bulletfest and only aspires to have a good time and never takes itself more seriously than it ought to. And that?s why I can in good conscience give a thumbs down to stupid cliché-ridden films like ?War? while simultaneously enjoying goofy brainless films like ?Shoot ?em Up?.

Smith (Clive Owen) is just your average Brit living in America with a chip on his shoulder and carrot-fueled super eyesight. He inadvertently becomes the protector of a newborn infant who has become the target of the pudgy hitman Hertz (Paul Giamatti) and his legion of dispensable cannon-fodder assassins. Smith?s only ally in this crazy ordeal is a Eurotrash hooker named Donna (Monica Bellucci), whom he needs to feed the baby breast milk while he deals with all the psychos out to get them.

As previously stated, ?Shoot ?em Up? is entirely self-aware that it is insane and ridiculous and not a movie to be taken seriously for a split second. So as such, it ignores the requirements of physics or character depth or coherent plotting all for the sake of having some fun at whatever the cost. The action scenes in this movie are intentionally as crazy and impossible as you can imagine, but they all have a sense of humor to them so you know you should be smiling instead of sneering. If you can get past the fact that the physics are complete nonsense, you shouldn?t have any trouble going along for the ride.

And that?s what makes ?Shoot ?em Up? a fun movie. The gun battles are completely outrageous and will have the audience laughing and cheering at the preposterous ?improve? on the part of Smith and the ludicrous situations going on around him. I also enjoyed the film?s soundtrack, featuring the likes of Motorhead, Motley Crue and AC/DC, but I?m a sucker for oldie metal.

While the fight scenes are fun, the characters aren?t all winners. Clive Owen is hilarious as Smith, with his constant carrot-chewing and hair-trigger temper winning the audience over mighty quick. His one-liners weren?t all gold, but I think they were supposed to be intentionally cheesy and stupid at times. Paul Giamatti managed a particularly memorable villain, who never seems all that threatening, but then that?s kind of the point. Like everything else in the movie, the villain has a sense of humor about him which makes him almost as likable as the hero. Now, outside of fun character quirks and inspired casting, the main characters don?t come across particularly deep. They try to throw in a thin and watery backstory for Smith, but it seems more like an afterthought than anything necessary for the character, and in all honesty, they pretty much ripped it from “The Punisher?, anyway.

?Shoot ?em Up? is a fun little goofball movie, and when I look at my to-see list for this month, well, it looks to be about the best action flick that?ll be out for the next four weeks. Anyhow, if you can lighten up, then I?m sure you?ll enjoy ?Shoot ?em Up?.

Grade: B-

Aeon Flux

Less than a decade from now, a lab-created virus is unleashed and decimates the human population; only a few million of us survive, all of whom live in a single city governed by the sons of Dr. Goodchild, the scientist who found the cure for the virus. After 400 years, though, not all the citizens are satisfied with the state of things and the most disaffected have formed an underground rebel group called the Mohicans. The group’s leadership have decided that direct action is required to make a change in the status quo and dispatch an assassin.

Based loosely on the MTV animated series from the mid 1990s, 2005’s Aeon Flux stars Charlize Theron as the titular character, the Mohican assassin, Martin Csokas as Trevor Goodchild, the current governor, and Jonny Lee Miller as Trevor’s younger brother Oren. Frances McDormand and Pete Postlethwaite have supporting roles as Aeon’s Mohican handler and the ancient Keeper of genetic records.

The script by Phil Hay and Matt Manfreddi (the pair also collaborated on Jacky Chan’s The Tuxedo and Crazy/Beautiful) has to account for the practical differences between live action and animation, and between a continuing series and a 90 minute movie as well, though I think most fans of the original were disappointed in this film. I’ve not seen the old series except for bits and pieces so the comparison wasn’t too important for me yet I felt the writers could’ve done better in keeping all the various aspects more consistent with each other.

This is the movie Karyn Kusama chose as the followup to her critically acclaimed 2000 indie drama Girlfight. I can understand the attraction for her, the chance to develop a similar theme on a much broader canvas, but have to wonder how constrained Kusama was by the studio production execs. They were probably a lot more interested in having as many cool fight scenes and big action sequences as could be stuffed in, and far less emphasis on Flux’s inner turmoil and the philosophical conflict between the Goodchild brothers.

recommended

The Good Shepherd

I’m always a sucker for a movie that Angelina’s in, but she doesn’t play much of a roll in this one, it’s mostly Matt Damon and it’s mostly very confusing…

I did enjoy it, and I think I got most of what was going on, but I’m going to have to watch it again to really get it all!

My wife on the other hand gave up after just 15 mins.

This is not an “easy watch” movie, but if you enjoy a movie full of intrigue, twists and turns, then this should be right up your street!

Just be prepared to give it your full attention, or you’ll probably be lost before tyou get half way through.

The Three Stooges-Classic Comedy Icons

Ahhhh...The Three Stooges...Classic slapstick comedy and an American tradition. Who hasn't seen a Stooge classic film short? But, who were these men who brought their caustic brand of physical comedy into our living rooms and theaters?

We all know them as Curly, Larry and Moe, but when they first started in1922 they were with a vaudeville act called Ted Healy and his Stooges (which was originally called Ted Healy and his Southern Gentlemen).

The ensemble consisted of Ted Healy, brothers Harry Moses Howard (Moe), Samuel Howard (Shemp) and Larry Fine (Larry). In 1931, Shemp left the group for a career in feature films, and needing a third stooge, Moe suggested his brother Jerome. Ted, not enamored with his long hair and facial hair, stated he (Jerome) was not a character like Moe and Larry. Jerome left the room and quickly returned with a shaved head and face and Curly, as we know him, was born.

In his autobiography, Moe Howard and The Three Stooges, The Stooges and Ted Healy parted company in 1934 because, as Moe recalled, of Healy's abrasiveness and alcoholism. This is when they began their Columbia Pictures film career and the Three Stooges, as most of us know them, started their long journey into comedy history.

From 1934 until 1959, the Three Stooges starred in 190 film shorts; the longest such series in film history. They also appeared in a dozen movies and entertained millions throughout the world with their catch phrases, physical routines and masterful comedy.

In 1946, Curly suffered a stroke and Shemp was asked to rejoin the group. Knowing that Moe and Larry careers and the Stooges would be finished, he reluctantly agreed to rejoin the group, but only on a temporary basis. Unfortunately, Curly never recovered and died in January of 1952.

The Stooges, with Shemp as Curly's replacement, went on to appear in 77 more short films and a feature film called Gold Raiders (1951). Additionally, in 1949, Moe, Larry and Shemp made a pilot for a Three Stooges television show called "Jerks of All Trades". The show was never picked up, but the pilot is public domain and is available on home video.

The Three Stooges dynasty took another hit when Shemp Howard died of a sudden heart attack in November of 1955 at age 60. Joe Besser replaced Shemp in 1956-57, appearing in 16 short films. Interestingly, Joe had a clause in his contract specifically prohibiting him from being hit too hard, although it was lifted as time passed. Unfortunately, the market for short films and for the Stooges had passed. Columbia Pictures, the last studio still producing short films fired the Three Stooges in 1957. (Because of contractual obligations and backlogs, final Stooge shorts weren't released until 1959). A new medium, television, had taken over.

The Stooges weren't down for long as the "rebirth" of the Stooges came rather quickly. In 1959, Columbia Pictures syndicated the entire Three Stooges film library to television and the Stooges were rediscovered by the baby boomers.

Stoogemania quickly swept across the country and Moe and Larry found themselves back in the spotlight again. But Joe Besser's wife had a heart attack and he withdrew from the act, so Moe quickly signed Joe DeRita as his replacement. DeRita shaved his head and became Curly-Joe, because he looked like the original Curly.

This version of the Three Stooges went on to make 39 short films and a few full-length movies in the late 1950's and through the 1960's. In 1969 they filmed a pilot for a new TV series called "Kook's Tour", which would have been a show about the "retired" Stooges traveling the world, with episodes filmed on location. Alas, during production, Larry suffered a stroke that ended his acting career as well as the TV series. Larry suffered another stroke in December 1974 and another month later suffered a fatal stroke and died in January 1975.

It was thought that they could carry on, several movie ideas were considered, however Moe Howard passed away in May 1975. Although Curly-Joe (Joe DeRita) did some live work with a new group of "Stooges" in the early 1970's, the Three Stooges, as we knew them, we gone.

This has been a synopsis of the lengthy careers and the phenomenon that was and still is the Three Stooges. With the advent of cable television, home video, dvds and with a loyal army of loyal fans, the Three Stooges are still entertaining the masses and will be for years to come.

Article Source: http://www.marketingarticlebank.com