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Andy K (10821 KP) rated Snowpiercer (2013) in Movies
Jan 5, 2018
Interesting premise (2 more)
Fantastic visuals
Compelling
Director Joon-ho Bong brings us his vision of a post-apocalyptic world where most of humanity has been destroyed and the remaining humans are left to circle the globe in a relentless train called the Snowpiercer.
The cast is led by Chris Evans, but also features Kang-ho Song, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer and Jamie Bell.
Humanity has evolved similar to what I have read about the Titanic, meaning, the lower classes at the back of the train suffering to survive and the upper classes more forward living in luxury.
There is an uprising within the squalor and the inhabitants attempt to ascertain their situation by taking the cars ahead one-by-one. The story is very interesting and the people and situations the rebels meet along their way to the engine keep you surprised.
The engine also contains an interesting character who is eluded to within the beginning of the film.
The ending was somewhat controversial when the movie was first released; however, I find it more than satisfactory to tie up the story.
Check it out for yourself.
The cast is led by Chris Evans, but also features Kang-ho Song, Ed Harris, John Hurt, Tilda Swinton, Octavia Spencer and Jamie Bell.
Humanity has evolved similar to what I have read about the Titanic, meaning, the lower classes at the back of the train suffering to survive and the upper classes more forward living in luxury.
There is an uprising within the squalor and the inhabitants attempt to ascertain their situation by taking the cars ahead one-by-one. The story is very interesting and the people and situations the rebels meet along their way to the engine keep you surprised.
The engine also contains an interesting character who is eluded to within the beginning of the film.
The ending was somewhat controversial when the movie was first released; however, I find it more than satisfactory to tie up the story.
Check it out for yourself.
Gareth von Kallenbach (962 KP) rated Planes: Fire And Rescue (2014) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
In “Planes: Fire & Rescue,” Dusty Crophopper (Dane Cook), the former dust cropper turned racing plane, has become one of the top racing competitors. Unfortunately, his racing days are over when he damages his gearbox, a discontinued model that cannot be replaced, rendering him unable to push himself to top speeds.
In attempt to keep Propwash Junction, the beloved airport that Dusty calls home, from being shut down due to a lack of fire trucks and planes, Dusty volunteers to train to become a fire fighter. Dusty travels to Piston Peak National Forest to learn how to fight fires from Blade Ranger (Ed Harris) and his brigade of firefighters.
The sequel to Disneytoons Studio, “Planes” movie is far superior than its predecessor. I must admit I was very disappointed in the first installment due to its lack of connection to the characters and an unengaging storyline. It’s easier to connect with these heroes. In this film, we get a glimpse of the life of firefighters and how they risk their lives every day putting out fires to save people, wildlife, and nature. There are several perilous firefighting rescue scenes which keeps you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed every second.
In attempt to keep Propwash Junction, the beloved airport that Dusty calls home, from being shut down due to a lack of fire trucks and planes, Dusty volunteers to train to become a fire fighter. Dusty travels to Piston Peak National Forest to learn how to fight fires from Blade Ranger (Ed Harris) and his brigade of firefighters.
The sequel to Disneytoons Studio, “Planes” movie is far superior than its predecessor. I must admit I was very disappointed in the first installment due to its lack of connection to the characters and an unengaging storyline. It’s easier to connect with these heroes. In this film, we get a glimpse of the life of firefighters and how they risk their lives every day putting out fires to save people, wildlife, and nature. There are several perilous firefighting rescue scenes which keeps you on the edge of your seat. I enjoyed every second.
Darren (1599 KP) rated A Lonely Place to Die (2011) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: A Lonely Place to Die starts as we three climbers Rob (Newman), Ed (Speleers) and Alison (George) showing just how extreme their love for climber is when we see them avoid disaster following an accident. Returning to their holiday trip the friends meet up with fellow climbers Jenny (Magowan) and Alex (Sweeney) to prepare for the biggest climb of their trip.
Heading out on the next day of climbing the friends find a mysterious breathing pipe where they discover a young girl Anna (Boyd) locked in a hole in the ground. Deciding to do the right thing they split up to get help with Alison and Rob heading to Devil’s Drop to get to the village quicker while the rest take Anna for a safe place to wait for rescue.
When one of their own is killed the remaining friends find themselves being hunted down by Mr Kidd (Harris) & Mr Mcrae (McCole) who are after Anna, the friends have to use all their climbing and survival skills to escape this deadly situation.
A Lonely Place to Die is a thriller that goes on to keep the storyline twists coming, the idea of finding a girl trapped in the woods and being hunted down is an easy story and would easily have been enough but adding in the idea of kidnapping hand over works really well. This does mean the introduction too all of the original characters comes off almost pointless because most of them are just disposable but it does get saved with the final act tension. This is one I do feel people will enjoy and with this many twists it never actually gets confusing.
Actor Review
Melissa George: Allison is the experienced climber on a climbing holiday with friends, we see how she can handle herself in the extreme conditions early on but when we see her and her friends find a young girl in the middle of the forest she must find a way out of the mountain range to save the girl. Melissa is always a strong lead in film but I was never sure of her accent in this one.
Ed Speleers: Ed is the least experienced member of the friends that Allison has bought along on the trip, he is reckless but we see how he will do the right thing when needed. Ed is a solid supporting choice but lacks that final moment.
Sean Harris: Mr Kidd is one of the two men hunting the friends down, he is very psychotic as we see him happily watch people die. This is a very good villain because we see his greed and complete lack of care showing through. Sean is good in this role where we see just how twisted his character gets.
Karel Roden: Darko is dealing with Mr Kidd, he is a victim as it is Anna that has been kidnapped for a ransom. He has come prepared to get revenge on the people involved. Karel is good in this role as we see his change as we learn his real position in the situation.
Support Cast: A Lonely Place to Die has a good supporting cast that all do their jobs to make this an edge of your seat ride.
Director Review: Julian Gilbey –
Action: A Lonely Place to Die has a lot of survival action with chasing, climbing and gun fights happening.
Crime: A Lonely Place to Die puts us in the middle of the kidnapping so we actually feel like the one of the climbers stuck in the middle.
Thriller: A Lonely Place to Die keeps us on edge through the whole film as we wonder who will make it out alive.
Settings: A Lonely Place to Die has the first half in the middle of the Scottish Highlands with no means on communication while being chased really does work and the festival finale is a good close for the chaos.
Special Effects: A Lonely Place to Die has good effects when needed but isn’t a film that turns to them.
Suggestion: A Lonely Place to Die is one I think people should watch, I think it is intense thriller with nicely handled twists. (Watch)
Best Part: The twists.
Worst Part: A few loose ends at the end.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $4 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes
Tagline: Out there, there’s nowhere to hide
Overall: Enjoyable thriller that keeps us on edge throughout.
https://moviesreview101.com/2016/08/06/melissa-george-weekend-a-lonely-place-to-die-2011/
Heading out on the next day of climbing the friends find a mysterious breathing pipe where they discover a young girl Anna (Boyd) locked in a hole in the ground. Deciding to do the right thing they split up to get help with Alison and Rob heading to Devil’s Drop to get to the village quicker while the rest take Anna for a safe place to wait for rescue.
When one of their own is killed the remaining friends find themselves being hunted down by Mr Kidd (Harris) & Mr Mcrae (McCole) who are after Anna, the friends have to use all their climbing and survival skills to escape this deadly situation.
A Lonely Place to Die is a thriller that goes on to keep the storyline twists coming, the idea of finding a girl trapped in the woods and being hunted down is an easy story and would easily have been enough but adding in the idea of kidnapping hand over works really well. This does mean the introduction too all of the original characters comes off almost pointless because most of them are just disposable but it does get saved with the final act tension. This is one I do feel people will enjoy and with this many twists it never actually gets confusing.
Actor Review
Melissa George: Allison is the experienced climber on a climbing holiday with friends, we see how she can handle herself in the extreme conditions early on but when we see her and her friends find a young girl in the middle of the forest she must find a way out of the mountain range to save the girl. Melissa is always a strong lead in film but I was never sure of her accent in this one.
Ed Speleers: Ed is the least experienced member of the friends that Allison has bought along on the trip, he is reckless but we see how he will do the right thing when needed. Ed is a solid supporting choice but lacks that final moment.
Sean Harris: Mr Kidd is one of the two men hunting the friends down, he is very psychotic as we see him happily watch people die. This is a very good villain because we see his greed and complete lack of care showing through. Sean is good in this role where we see just how twisted his character gets.
Karel Roden: Darko is dealing with Mr Kidd, he is a victim as it is Anna that has been kidnapped for a ransom. He has come prepared to get revenge on the people involved. Karel is good in this role as we see his change as we learn his real position in the situation.
Support Cast: A Lonely Place to Die has a good supporting cast that all do their jobs to make this an edge of your seat ride.
Director Review: Julian Gilbey –
Action: A Lonely Place to Die has a lot of survival action with chasing, climbing and gun fights happening.
Crime: A Lonely Place to Die puts us in the middle of the kidnapping so we actually feel like the one of the climbers stuck in the middle.
Thriller: A Lonely Place to Die keeps us on edge through the whole film as we wonder who will make it out alive.
Settings: A Lonely Place to Die has the first half in the middle of the Scottish Highlands with no means on communication while being chased really does work and the festival finale is a good close for the chaos.
Special Effects: A Lonely Place to Die has good effects when needed but isn’t a film that turns to them.
Suggestion: A Lonely Place to Die is one I think people should watch, I think it is intense thriller with nicely handled twists. (Watch)
Best Part: The twists.
Worst Part: A few loose ends at the end.
Believability: No
Chances of Tears: No
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: No
Budget: $4 Million
Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes
Tagline: Out there, there’s nowhere to hide
Overall: Enjoyable thriller that keeps us on edge throughout.
https://moviesreview101.com/2016/08/06/melissa-george-weekend-a-lonely-place-to-die-2011/
Tim McGuire (301 KP) rated Snowpiercer (2013) in Movies
Nov 2, 2019
All Aboard!!
Old Movie Revisited: Snowpiercer. One of those awesome apocalyptic films that makes you wanna ride a train. It reminded me of a bunch of other stuff thrown in there... Battlestar Galactica directed by Terry Gilliam on a train heading Beyond Thunderdome, there was even a scene where I felt Resident Evilish as well. (Our heroes go into a train car and encounter all these dudes with black masks on and giant axes, I instantly thought that Alice was about to come in and wipe them out.) So whats its about you ask, instead of looking it up your damn self? Its about a self-sustaining train that loops the world after global warming has sent us into another ice age. The train in seperated by class, workers way in the back, rich folk up front. And its all about a revolution to take over the train led by Captain America, Billy Elliot, and Kane from the Nostromo, to bust to the head of the train, and take over, I guess. Tilda Swinton gets to be called by her real name, because she's awesome, once again, and even Ed Harris pops up in there! "Nice." The best line is delivered by Captain America:"You know what I hate about myself? I know what people taste like. I know babies taste the best." However I can't really picture Chris Evans doing that, he looks to nice, The Capt America image has gone too far. Anyways, its a cool movie and definitely needs to be watched!! Filmbufftim on FB
Darren (1599 KP) rated The Abyss (1989) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: The story focus on many different vision people have of something happening, we have the military view, the scientist view and the everyday workers view. Each one if different because each shows fear, interest or curiosity of the unknown. Everything comes together nicely without leaving you asking any questions, which in today’s film industry is a normal to get you coming back for more. This was ground breaking for its time and will always be considered a classic. (9/10)
Actor Review
Ed Harris: Bud the lead engineer on the underwater oil rig, he knows how to handle his team to get the most out of them and has all their respect. The whole team supports him over his ex-wife Lindsey, he is also one of the most experienced divers and believes in what he can see. Good performance from Harris showing he was going to be a lead actor for years to come. (9/10)
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio: Lindsey ex-wife to Bud and creator of the underwater rig system, she is more interested in investigating what is going on rather than just blowing it up and hoping for the best. Good performance in a difficult role which needed her character to be hated. (8/10)
Director Review: James Cameron – Cameron has been behind some of the most ground breaking films in history and this is right up there with his best. (9/10)
Sci-Fi: A sci-fi film that isn’t about a bleak future or space travel, this really is a rarity in the business. (9/10)
Settings: The isolation adds tension from start to finish. (10/10)
Suggestion: I think this is a film that everyone should see at least once in their life time, it will surprise you the quality even after 25 years. (Watch)
Best Part: The water creature investigating the rig.
Worst Part: It can seem long.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: Yes
Oscar Chances: Won an Oscar for Visual Effects.
Box Office: $90 Million
Budget: $69 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 26 Minutes
Tagline: A place on Earth more awesome than anywhere in space.
Overall: A Forgotten Masterpiece
https://moviesreview101.com/2014/08/16/the-abyss-1989/
Actor Review
Ed Harris: Bud the lead engineer on the underwater oil rig, he knows how to handle his team to get the most out of them and has all their respect. The whole team supports him over his ex-wife Lindsey, he is also one of the most experienced divers and believes in what he can see. Good performance from Harris showing he was going to be a lead actor for years to come. (9/10)
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio: Lindsey ex-wife to Bud and creator of the underwater rig system, she is more interested in investigating what is going on rather than just blowing it up and hoping for the best. Good performance in a difficult role which needed her character to be hated. (8/10)
Director Review: James Cameron – Cameron has been behind some of the most ground breaking films in history and this is right up there with his best. (9/10)
Sci-Fi: A sci-fi film that isn’t about a bleak future or space travel, this really is a rarity in the business. (9/10)
Settings: The isolation adds tension from start to finish. (10/10)
Suggestion: I think this is a film that everyone should see at least once in their life time, it will surprise you the quality even after 25 years. (Watch)
Best Part: The water creature investigating the rig.
Worst Part: It can seem long.
Believability: No (0/10)
Chances of Tears: No (0/10)
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: Yes
Oscar Chances: Won an Oscar for Visual Effects.
Box Office: $90 Million
Budget: $69 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 26 Minutes
Tagline: A place on Earth more awesome than anywhere in space.
Overall: A Forgotten Masterpiece
https://moviesreview101.com/2014/08/16/the-abyss-1989/
Fred (860 KP) rated Mother! (2017) in Movies
Jul 10, 2019
What the hell did I just watch?
Contains spoilers, click to show
Okay, so normally as soon as I watch a film, I review it. That keeps my initial thoughts fresh. But with "Mother", I just couldn't. Because I don't know what the hell I just watched. It was only at the very end, when I realized Javier Bardem was God, that I knew I had to think back & figure out what this mess was about. And so, I slept on it. And here's the way I see it.
Bardem is God, Jennifer Lawrence is Mother Earth, Ed Harris is Adam, Michelle Pfeiffer is Eve. Their sons are of course, Cain & Able & everyone else is the human race. So, now it clicks and I understand what the movie is about. It's a great premise. However, it's a terrible movie.
Let's start with the acting. It is terrible. Normally greats like Lawrence, Harris & Bardem would light up the screen, but here they come across as over-the-top novice actors. I blame the dialogue & the direction, of course. At no point during the film did I feel that any of the actors were even acting. This brings me to the next point.
No one in the film acts like they should act. Now, I get that they are playing people who are the interpretation of biblical beings. But come on. These people barge in to your home and you're like "Can you please...." and "Go downstairs..." when it should be "Get the f*ck out of my house!!!" Perhaps if I knew the meaning before I watched the movie, I would have picked up on the way they were acting in these situations, but even now knowing, I find it so goddamn annoying. That may be the one word that best describes this movie. Annoying. When you want to scream at the screen to tell people how to act in a situation, it's just annoying. There's nothing worse than a movie where someone is treated like shit & they don't do anything about it. That's the entire movie.
Sure, you can sit back & think that people are over-populating the Earth. And that God is super-interested in being worshipped and some people are trying to help the Earth, while others treat it like garbage. Blah blah blah. The movie is still not a good movie. The idea is great & should have made for a great movie, but it's execution is terrible. I would actually think about watching it again, knowing what I know now, but thinking about how bad the movie is, I doubt that would happen. This would probably have been better as a book. I'm giving it 4 points for the idea, but 0 extra points for the movie.
Bardem is God, Jennifer Lawrence is Mother Earth, Ed Harris is Adam, Michelle Pfeiffer is Eve. Their sons are of course, Cain & Able & everyone else is the human race. So, now it clicks and I understand what the movie is about. It's a great premise. However, it's a terrible movie.
Let's start with the acting. It is terrible. Normally greats like Lawrence, Harris & Bardem would light up the screen, but here they come across as over-the-top novice actors. I blame the dialogue & the direction, of course. At no point during the film did I feel that any of the actors were even acting. This brings me to the next point.
No one in the film acts like they should act. Now, I get that they are playing people who are the interpretation of biblical beings. But come on. These people barge in to your home and you're like "Can you please...." and "Go downstairs..." when it should be "Get the f*ck out of my house!!!" Perhaps if I knew the meaning before I watched the movie, I would have picked up on the way they were acting in these situations, but even now knowing, I find it so goddamn annoying. That may be the one word that best describes this movie. Annoying. When you want to scream at the screen to tell people how to act in a situation, it's just annoying. There's nothing worse than a movie where someone is treated like shit & they don't do anything about it. That's the entire movie.
Sure, you can sit back & think that people are over-populating the Earth. And that God is super-interested in being worshipped and some people are trying to help the Earth, while others treat it like garbage. Blah blah blah. The movie is still not a good movie. The idea is great & should have made for a great movie, but it's execution is terrible. I would actually think about watching it again, knowing what I know now, but thinking about how bad the movie is, I doubt that would happen. This would probably have been better as a book. I'm giving it 4 points for the idea, but 0 extra points for the movie.
Darren (1599 KP) rated A Beautiful Mind (2001) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: A Beautiful Mind starts as we see John Nash (Crowe) start his time at Princeton University where we meet fellow students Sol (Goldberg), Hansen (Lucas), Bender (Rapp), Ainsley (Gray-Stanford) and his roommate Charles (Bettany). Struggling to find his place in the University it takes an everyday occurrence for John to final start rolling on his theory.
After becoming the brightest student John moves onto becoming a teacher while secretly working for the government on code breaking reporting to Parcher (Harris). While teaching he meets the beautiful Alicia Nash (Connelly) and the two strike it off before starting their lives together.
When it becomes apparent John is struggling to manage both live the people that care about him with Charles returning to his life, Parcher pushing him too much and his wife wondering what he is up to, but this beautiful mind is about to be tested when Dr Rosen (Plummer) a psychologist enters his life.
A Beautiful Mind is a wonderfully drama showing us the story of one of the greatest minds of our generation. We see how difficult the life was for John before learning of his mind being damaged due to his schizophrenia. We follow from his time in school until his Noble Peace Prize. We see John deal and learn with his condition to still go on achieve greatness in his life. This is such a brilliant story that shows how success you can achieve your potential regardless.
Actor Review
Russell Crowe: John Nash is the brilliant mathematician that believes he has been working for the government cracking codes, but when we and he learns the truth we discover this beautiful mind is damaged in other ways. We see John’s life from early Princeton till his final acceptance in the scientific world. Russell gives the best performance of his career her where he shines in the drama.john
Ed Harris: Parcher is the man John believes works for the government as he lives the life of mystery and code breaking John believes he is part of. Ed is great in this supporting role.parcher
Jennifer Connelly: Alicia Nash starts off as a student of John’s before being the only person that sees there is something wrong with his mind, she supports him through every decision in their lives. Jennifer is brilliant in this role of the patience wife.
Paul Bettany: Charles is the roommate John has at Princeton that helps him break out of the problems he has been suffering through but we learn the truth about Charles once we learn John’s mental state. Paul put himself on the map with this great supporting role.charles
Support Cast: A Beautiful Mind has a brilliant supporting cast that all give performances worthy of this subject matter.
Director Review: Ron Howard – Ron shows that he can handle the serious films that are important to see the greatest people in human history.
Biographical: A Beautiful Mind shows the struggles John Nash had with his own sanity to achieve unlocking all of the potential inside his mind.
History: A Beautiful Mind is one film that shows the mind of someone so troubled achieving so much.
Settings: A Beautiful Mind uses the real life location re-created for the story to be unfolded in.
Suggestion: A Beautiful Mind is one for everyone to watch at least once. (Watch)
Best Part: The Pen scene.
Worst Part: Slightly too much time on the imagined side of John’s life.
Favourite Quote: Dr Rosen ‘Imagine if you suddenly learned that the people, the places, the moments most important to you were not gone, not dead, but worse, had never been. What kind of hell would that be?’
Believability: Based on the John Nash and his amazing story.
Chances of Tears: Maybe a few nearer the end.
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Won 4 Oscars including Best Picture, Director and Supporting Actress with another 4 Nomination including Best Actor.
Budget: $60 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 15 Minutes
Tagline: The Only Thing Greater Than the Power of the Mind is the Courage of the Heart
Trivia: John Nash is shown smoking in the film. In reality, he was a militant anti-smoker.
Overall: Brilliant Biographical film that is a must watch for all.
https://moviesreview101.com/2016/05/27/paul-bettany-weekend-a-beautiful-mind-2001/
After becoming the brightest student John moves onto becoming a teacher while secretly working for the government on code breaking reporting to Parcher (Harris). While teaching he meets the beautiful Alicia Nash (Connelly) and the two strike it off before starting their lives together.
When it becomes apparent John is struggling to manage both live the people that care about him with Charles returning to his life, Parcher pushing him too much and his wife wondering what he is up to, but this beautiful mind is about to be tested when Dr Rosen (Plummer) a psychologist enters his life.
A Beautiful Mind is a wonderfully drama showing us the story of one of the greatest minds of our generation. We see how difficult the life was for John before learning of his mind being damaged due to his schizophrenia. We follow from his time in school until his Noble Peace Prize. We see John deal and learn with his condition to still go on achieve greatness in his life. This is such a brilliant story that shows how success you can achieve your potential regardless.
Actor Review
Russell Crowe: John Nash is the brilliant mathematician that believes he has been working for the government cracking codes, but when we and he learns the truth we discover this beautiful mind is damaged in other ways. We see John’s life from early Princeton till his final acceptance in the scientific world. Russell gives the best performance of his career her where he shines in the drama.john
Ed Harris: Parcher is the man John believes works for the government as he lives the life of mystery and code breaking John believes he is part of. Ed is great in this supporting role.parcher
Jennifer Connelly: Alicia Nash starts off as a student of John’s before being the only person that sees there is something wrong with his mind, she supports him through every decision in their lives. Jennifer is brilliant in this role of the patience wife.
Paul Bettany: Charles is the roommate John has at Princeton that helps him break out of the problems he has been suffering through but we learn the truth about Charles once we learn John’s mental state. Paul put himself on the map with this great supporting role.charles
Support Cast: A Beautiful Mind has a brilliant supporting cast that all give performances worthy of this subject matter.
Director Review: Ron Howard – Ron shows that he can handle the serious films that are important to see the greatest people in human history.
Biographical: A Beautiful Mind shows the struggles John Nash had with his own sanity to achieve unlocking all of the potential inside his mind.
History: A Beautiful Mind is one film that shows the mind of someone so troubled achieving so much.
Settings: A Beautiful Mind uses the real life location re-created for the story to be unfolded in.
Suggestion: A Beautiful Mind is one for everyone to watch at least once. (Watch)
Best Part: The Pen scene.
Worst Part: Slightly too much time on the imagined side of John’s life.
Favourite Quote: Dr Rosen ‘Imagine if you suddenly learned that the people, the places, the moments most important to you were not gone, not dead, but worse, had never been. What kind of hell would that be?’
Believability: Based on the John Nash and his amazing story.
Chances of Tears: Maybe a few nearer the end.
Chances of Sequel: No
Post Credits Scene: No
Oscar Chances: Won 4 Oscars including Best Picture, Director and Supporting Actress with another 4 Nomination including Best Actor.
Budget: $60 Million
Runtime: 2 Hours 15 Minutes
Tagline: The Only Thing Greater Than the Power of the Mind is the Courage of the Heart
Trivia: John Nash is shown smoking in the film. In reality, he was a militant anti-smoker.
Overall: Brilliant Biographical film that is a must watch for all.
https://moviesreview101.com/2016/05/27/paul-bettany-weekend-a-beautiful-mind-2001/
Bob Mann (459 KP) rated Mother! (2017) in Movies
Sep 29, 2021
Welcome to the Crystal Maze.
Darren Aronosfsky’s mother! is like no other film you’ll see this year: guaranteed. As a film lover, an Aronosfsky film is a bit like root canal at the dentist: you know you really need to go ahead and do it, but you know you’re not going to be very comfortable in the process.
Jennifer Lawrence (“Passengers“, “Joy“) plays “mother!” doing up a dilapidated old house in the middle of nowhere with her much older husband “Him” (Javier Bardem, “Skyfall”). he (sorry…. He) is a world-famous poet struggling to overcome a massive writing block. The situation is making things tense between the couple, and things get worse when He inexplicably invites a homeless couple “man” (Ed Harris, “Westworld”, “The Truman Show”) and “woman” (Michelle Pfeiffer, “Stardust”) to stay at the house. As things go progressively downhill, is mother losing her mind or is all the crazy stuff going on actually happening?
Jennifer Lawrence can do no wrong at the moment, and her complexion in the film is flawless: it needs to be, since she has the camera constantly about 3 inches from her face for large chunks of the movie: I sat in the very back row, and I still wasn’t far enough away! Her portrayal of a house-proud woman getting progressively more and more irritated by her guests’ inconsiderate acts – a glass? without a table mat??! – is a joy to watch. As her DIY ‘paradise’ is progressively sullied my ‘man’ and ‘woman’, so her distress grows exponentially.
Some of the supporting acting is also superb, with Ed Harris and particularly Michelle Pfeiffer enjoying themselves immensely. Also worthy of note are the brothers played by real-life brothers Brian Gleeson and Domhnall Gleeson: the latter must never sleep since he must be *constantly* on set at the moment. One of these guys in particular is very abel! (sic).
Whereas the trailer depicts this as a kind of normal haunted house spookfest, it is actually nothing of the sort: much of the action (although far-fetched) has a reasonably rational explanation (a continuation of my theme of the “physics of horror” from my last two reviews). The film is largely seen through mother!’s eyes, and the skillful cinematographer Matthew Libatique – an Aronosfsky-regular – oppressively and relentlessly delivers a uniquely tense cinematic experience. For me, for the first two thirds of the film at least, it succeeds brilliantly.
Aronosfsky is no shirker of film controversy: having Natalie Portman perform oral sex on Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” was enough to teach you that. But in the final reels of this film, Aronosfsky doesn’t just wind the dial past 10 to the Spinal Tap 11…. he keeps going right on up to 20. There are a few scenes in movies over the years that I wish I could go back and “unsee”, and this film has one of those: a truly upsetting slice of horror, playing to your worst nightmares of loss and despair. While the religious allegory in these scenes is splatted on as heavily as the splodges of mother!’s decorative plaster, they are nonetheless extremely disturbing and bound to massively divide the cinema audience. I think it’s fair to say that this DVD is not going to have “The Perfect Gift for Mother’s Day” as its marketing strapline.
Which all leaves me… where exactly? For the first time in a long time I actually have no idea! This is a film that I was willing to give an “FF” to while I was watching it, but as time has passed and I have thought more on the environmental and religious allegories, and the portrayal of the cult worship prevalent in popular X-factor celebrity, I am warming to it despite my best instincts not to. I’m not religious, but I would love to compare notes on this one with someone with strongly Christian views.
So, I’m actually going to break all the rules (a snake told me to) and not provide any rating below at this time. I might revisit it again at Christmas* to see if I can resolve it in my mind as either a movie masterpiece or over-indulgent codswallop.
* I have, and have decided to give it 4 Fads… its a film I’ve thought about a lot over the last few months.
Jennifer Lawrence (“Passengers“, “Joy“) plays “mother!” doing up a dilapidated old house in the middle of nowhere with her much older husband “Him” (Javier Bardem, “Skyfall”). he (sorry…. He) is a world-famous poet struggling to overcome a massive writing block. The situation is making things tense between the couple, and things get worse when He inexplicably invites a homeless couple “man” (Ed Harris, “Westworld”, “The Truman Show”) and “woman” (Michelle Pfeiffer, “Stardust”) to stay at the house. As things go progressively downhill, is mother losing her mind or is all the crazy stuff going on actually happening?
Jennifer Lawrence can do no wrong at the moment, and her complexion in the film is flawless: it needs to be, since she has the camera constantly about 3 inches from her face for large chunks of the movie: I sat in the very back row, and I still wasn’t far enough away! Her portrayal of a house-proud woman getting progressively more and more irritated by her guests’ inconsiderate acts – a glass? without a table mat??! – is a joy to watch. As her DIY ‘paradise’ is progressively sullied my ‘man’ and ‘woman’, so her distress grows exponentially.
Some of the supporting acting is also superb, with Ed Harris and particularly Michelle Pfeiffer enjoying themselves immensely. Also worthy of note are the brothers played by real-life brothers Brian Gleeson and Domhnall Gleeson: the latter must never sleep since he must be *constantly* on set at the moment. One of these guys in particular is very abel! (sic).
Whereas the trailer depicts this as a kind of normal haunted house spookfest, it is actually nothing of the sort: much of the action (although far-fetched) has a reasonably rational explanation (a continuation of my theme of the “physics of horror” from my last two reviews). The film is largely seen through mother!’s eyes, and the skillful cinematographer Matthew Libatique – an Aronosfsky-regular – oppressively and relentlessly delivers a uniquely tense cinematic experience. For me, for the first two thirds of the film at least, it succeeds brilliantly.
Aronosfsky is no shirker of film controversy: having Natalie Portman perform oral sex on Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” was enough to teach you that. But in the final reels of this film, Aronosfsky doesn’t just wind the dial past 10 to the Spinal Tap 11…. he keeps going right on up to 20. There are a few scenes in movies over the years that I wish I could go back and “unsee”, and this film has one of those: a truly upsetting slice of horror, playing to your worst nightmares of loss and despair. While the religious allegory in these scenes is splatted on as heavily as the splodges of mother!’s decorative plaster, they are nonetheless extremely disturbing and bound to massively divide the cinema audience. I think it’s fair to say that this DVD is not going to have “The Perfect Gift for Mother’s Day” as its marketing strapline.
Which all leaves me… where exactly? For the first time in a long time I actually have no idea! This is a film that I was willing to give an “FF” to while I was watching it, but as time has passed and I have thought more on the environmental and religious allegories, and the portrayal of the cult worship prevalent in popular X-factor celebrity, I am warming to it despite my best instincts not to. I’m not religious, but I would love to compare notes on this one with someone with strongly Christian views.
So, I’m actually going to break all the rules (a snake told me to) and not provide any rating below at this time. I might revisit it again at Christmas* to see if I can resolve it in my mind as either a movie masterpiece or over-indulgent codswallop.
* I have, and have decided to give it 4 Fads… its a film I’ve thought about a lot over the last few months.
Darren (1599 KP) rated A History of Violence (2005) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
Story: A History of Violence starts as we meet mild-mannered Tom Stall (Mortensen) working in his local diner with his own family, wide Edie (Bello) and child Jack (Holmes) and Sarah. One evening two men arrive in his diner trying to rob and kill the people inside, Tom’s quick thinking kills the criminals making him a local hero.
The act of heroism brings gangster Carl Fogarty (Harris) to town who claims Tom is from the criminal underworld hiding out with his older brother Richie (Hurt) waiting for him to return back to the criminal world.
Thoughts on A History of Violence
Characters – Tom Stall is a quiet man, running a diner having a loving family, he steps up to protect his customers and friends makes him a local hero. Now he has drawn a target on his chest with his past coming back to haunt him. Edie is the wife of Tom, she works in law bring home the bigger pay checks, she supports Tom, until she learns the truth and must decide where she stands with him. Carl Fogarty is the mysterious stranger that arrives in town claiming to know Tom from a previous life, he brings the danger back into Tom’s life with the past he wanted to run away from. Richie is the crime boss and brother to Tom, he has been searching for his brother for years and now sees the chance for the connection.
Performances – Viggo Mortensen is outstanding in this leading role we see how he keeps his character perfectly calm in everyday life and how the switch can make him a deadly killer, this is an ability that not everyone can achieve. Maria Bello is strong in her role as a woman unsure who her husband really is. Ed Harris and William Hurt in the supporting role are fantastic both take over the screen with their presence adding much needed tension to everything.
Story – The story here follows a mild-mannered man whose past comes back to haunt him after protect people he loves and cares about. This is almost like the story that follows up one of the gangster films where we see someone leave the life only to get drawn back years later against his will. The film like to use the idea of violence being the breaking point for relationships between husband & wife, father & son and two brothers which gets played out perfectly. There is an air of tension from start to finish in the film which leaves us only wanting to see where things would go next.
Thriller – The film uses the tension to keep us feeling uneasy through nearly each moment in the film never knowing what would happen next.
Settings – The film is set in a small town which Tom makes safe and happy, if would make sense for his character to be there too, it shows how media can expose anybody’s secret.
Scene of the Movie – The first crime rescue.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The bullying side which isn’t the most important thing we see.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best modern thrillers you will see, you have four stunning performances and shocks around each corner.
Overall: Stunning thriller
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/10/21/viggo-mortensen-weekend-a-history-of-violence-2005/
The act of heroism brings gangster Carl Fogarty (Harris) to town who claims Tom is from the criminal underworld hiding out with his older brother Richie (Hurt) waiting for him to return back to the criminal world.
Thoughts on A History of Violence
Characters – Tom Stall is a quiet man, running a diner having a loving family, he steps up to protect his customers and friends makes him a local hero. Now he has drawn a target on his chest with his past coming back to haunt him. Edie is the wife of Tom, she works in law bring home the bigger pay checks, she supports Tom, until she learns the truth and must decide where she stands with him. Carl Fogarty is the mysterious stranger that arrives in town claiming to know Tom from a previous life, he brings the danger back into Tom’s life with the past he wanted to run away from. Richie is the crime boss and brother to Tom, he has been searching for his brother for years and now sees the chance for the connection.
Performances – Viggo Mortensen is outstanding in this leading role we see how he keeps his character perfectly calm in everyday life and how the switch can make him a deadly killer, this is an ability that not everyone can achieve. Maria Bello is strong in her role as a woman unsure who her husband really is. Ed Harris and William Hurt in the supporting role are fantastic both take over the screen with their presence adding much needed tension to everything.
Story – The story here follows a mild-mannered man whose past comes back to haunt him after protect people he loves and cares about. This is almost like the story that follows up one of the gangster films where we see someone leave the life only to get drawn back years later against his will. The film like to use the idea of violence being the breaking point for relationships between husband & wife, father & son and two brothers which gets played out perfectly. There is an air of tension from start to finish in the film which leaves us only wanting to see where things would go next.
Thriller – The film uses the tension to keep us feeling uneasy through nearly each moment in the film never knowing what would happen next.
Settings – The film is set in a small town which Tom makes safe and happy, if would make sense for his character to be there too, it shows how media can expose anybody’s secret.
Scene of the Movie – The first crime rescue.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The bullying side which isn’t the most important thing we see.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the best modern thrillers you will see, you have four stunning performances and shocks around each corner.
Overall: Stunning thriller
https://moviesreview101.com/2018/10/21/viggo-mortensen-weekend-a-history-of-violence-2005/
Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated A Beautiful Mind (2001) in Movies
Jul 4, 2020
Russell Crowe's performance (1 more)
The legendary scene with the cup of tea and the pens
What a masterpiece!
Recently, a photo was circling Facebook, with a room full of movie items, where you had to guess all movies. Me and my boyfriend played it, and found almost all of the movies. On this picture, there was a table with a cup of tea and multiple pens, and we had no idea what movie this was about. I knew it had to mean something, so we searched for "cup of tea and pens movie scene" and came across the legendary scene on YouTube.
Knowing the name of the movie now, we had to watch it. And it was legendary!
The story is about a young mathematician John Nash, who studies at Princeton University. While all his colleagues attend classes and write papers, he is trying to solve an original problem and won't stop until he proves a theory wrong.
During this journey, he is approached by a man and is recruited to work for the government, to break secret codes Russians might leave hanging about for their next steps. He also meets a woman and falls in love.
At one point, it becomes difficult for John to keep up with everything happening in his life, and the pressure is too much to handle. A couple of people start chasing him, and put him into a mental health facility.
And this is where I will stop, as I don't want to reveal any spoilers.
But this is the moment where John will have to face the truth, and finally try and battle what is real in his life and what has been an illusion all along. And we follow him on this revelation and on his journey. I have never felt this was about any movie when I have had a revelation.
The acting is impeccable. When I think of Russell Crowe, I think of Gladiator. But John Nash is the opposite - the socially awkward intelligent guy. And Russell Crowe made me believe this performance and I never doubted it.
Also, Ed Harris is a phenomenal actor as well!
The movie kept you in the dark with what was real and what not for a very long time, and this was the favorite part for me.
Recently, a photo was circling Facebook, with a room full of movie items, where you had to guess all movies. Me and my boyfriend played it, and found almost all of the movies. On this picture, there was a table with a cup of tea and multiple pens, and we had no idea what movie this was about. I knew it had to mean something, so we searched for "cup of tea and pens movie scene" and came across the legendary scene on YouTube.
Knowing the name of the movie now, we had to watch it. And it was legendary!
The story is about a young mathematician John Nash, who studies at Princeton University. While all his colleagues attend classes and write papers, he is trying to solve an original problem and won't stop until he proves a theory wrong.
During this journey, he is approached by a man and is recruited to work for the government, to break secret codes Russians might leave hanging about for their next steps. He also meets a woman and falls in love.
At one point, it becomes difficult for John to keep up with everything happening in his life, and the pressure is too much to handle. A couple of people start chasing him, and put him into a mental health facility.
And this is where I will stop, as I don't want to reveal any spoilers.
But this is the moment where John will have to face the truth, and finally try and battle what is real in his life and what has been an illusion all along. And we follow him on this revelation and on his journey. I have never felt this was about any movie when I have had a revelation.
The acting is impeccable. When I think of Russell Crowe, I think of Gladiator. But John Nash is the opposite - the socially awkward intelligent guy. And Russell Crowe made me believe this performance and I never doubted it.
Also, Ed Harris is a phenomenal actor as well!
The movie kept you in the dark with what was real and what not for a very long time, and this was the favorite part for me.