CIA analyst Jack Ryan tries to thwart a terrorist plot to bring down the U.S. economy in this action-thriller helmed by Kenneth Branagh. Chris Pine plays the title character alongside an all-star cast that includes Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley.
For some reason, the enemy being is Russia is back in fashion in Hollywood, but anyway, the actors are so good you get into the story, it flows well, the story is catchy, and that makes up for a good spy movie of the good old days (of course Tom Clancy's book is probably helping the script to be solid). And even if Kenneth Branagh evolved from Hamlet to Thor (!?!), this one at least doesn't feel like a joke.
A hard-working lawyer, attached to his cell phone, can't find the time to communicate with his family. A couple is drawn into a dangerous situation when their secrets are exposed online. A widowed ex-cop struggles to raise a mischievous son who cyber-bullies a classmate. An ambitious journalist sees a career-making story in a teen that performs on an adult-only site.
This movie is interestingly good. The interconnected stories reminded me of the format of Crash of Paul Haggis, and little by little, you discover the characters and the catalyst that internet has been to discover another side of themselves. The fact that internet protects you from being identified allows them to become more vulnerable, interestingly enough, to the point where they end up with real world consequences. The topics have been all over the media, with real cases of harassment, identity thief, sex site using minors... This movie is one of the first entering the subject in an interconnected way, with an original script where no-one is either good or bad, just somehow irresponsible, and the cast is really holding the story together.
This true-to-life action saga profiles Virginia's bootlegging Bondurant gang, whose exploits during the Prohibition era made them outlaw heroes. The three Bondurant brothers tussle with the law and each other as they try to survive changing times.
This is not a genre I am familiar with. Prohibition time in the countryside, gangster movie. And perhaps because it doesn't generally appeal to me. My curiosity for this one was the cast, with Jessica Chastain and Tom Hardy who I really like in general. Anyway, the story is good, the rhythm keeps you hanging in there, good guys are bad guys and bad guys are really freaky. The movie is about men, and how their humanity is defined through the changes of the society. It is intelligent, not sophisticated, there are no crazy pursuits, everything feels like it should have been back then, and somehow that feels right. (Tired of special effect action movies...)
with Wes Chatham, Devon Sawa, Sarah Butler, Neal McDonough, Lucky Johnson, Chris Browning, Adam Mervis, Bernard Hocke, Ava Bogle, Eric Scott Woods, Michael Jai White, Andrew Sensenig, Rich Clementi
After 10 years in prison, a former high school wrestling star transfers his skills to the murky world of mixed martial arts cage fighting. But the cost of winning might not be worth the struggles he has to endure.
This movie was something, with the good guy, the bad one, the pressure, the gangs, the police. Everything to make a good and dark action movie. The truth, this movie was hum... lets say not good. And absolutely not memorable, since I saw it last month and I already forgot most of it. Combats were the best part.
In a city rife with injustice, ex-cop Billy Taggart seeks redemption and revenge after being double-crossed and then framed by its most powerful figure: Mayor Nicholas Hostetler.
This movie got me thinking. First because I work in New York, second because we are electing now our new mayor, and perhaps because this movie is intelligent. I was afraid of the reviews, not very positive, but the twists and turns of the story are actually interesting. Billy Taggart is a simple man, with a sense of revenge and justice, a little stubborn and not definitely subtle. In some ways, quite ordinary. But because of his stubbornness, he gets to understand things. It is interesting to see the portrayal of our two-level society, with a combination of manipulating powerful people and the rest of us, never really interacting with each other, living in parallel words. And sometimes, something happens that helps change the course of things. Interesting...
On the run after a casino heist, siblings Addison and Liza split up. When Liza gets a ride from a prison parolee heading to his parents' home for Thanksgiving, unexpected events lead the two families toward a collision in this suspenseful thriller.
There are movies you don't really feel like watching, perhaps because they give you the impression that you already saw it, or that it doesn't look too good. This was the case of Deadfall, with an Eric Bana that reminded me of his performance Hanna, and the rest of it feeling too unreal. There is a lot of stereotypes and madness in this movie, the characters are rough and cold, the climax is at the same time predictable and not interesting, the drama rises and falls flat. The perhaps only interesting point of the movie is the lack of justice and the randomness of death that makes it completely anti-commercial.
From director Ridley Scott comes this tense crime thriller starring Denzel Washington as true-life Harlem drug lord Frank Lucas and Russell Crowe as the dogged outcast NYPD cop charged with bringing him down. Ruby Dee (in an Oscar-nominated role), Cuba Gooding Jr., Josh Brolin and Chiwetel Ejiofor lead the supporting cast in this powerhouse tale penned by Steven Zaillian (Schindler's List) and based on actual events.
This movie was incredible in transporting us into the Harlem of the 70's, with its fashionable shops, the sex drug rock n roll, the war America never managed to win, the police that got a lot of self-interest in mind, and the opportunists that came along. Denzel Washington is amazing is the portrayal of this man who had the respect of the social class and ruled the drug trafficking in a smart way, all the way to the top, with something ethical and untouchable. Russell Crowe is perfect in playing the good cop, the one that follows the rules, even to the most stupid extend, just because it is the right thing to do, loosing along the way respect, and not even classy to start with. This couple together is the perfect combination of opposite, till the day they get together and finally crush everyone else. All this looks very contemporary, it is a big production portrayal of a society, and at the same time, the story in a way is very character driven, it has a very human aspect (Frank Lucas' grandmother is unique), you get to love the good ones as much as the bad ones. Very interesting. When I read "The Heart of a Woman" by Maya Angelou, I was reminding myself of the only thing I could, the first footage which I remember in black and white of Harlem, at the beginning of the movie.
Florida bank robber Jack Foley (George Clooney) plays a genteel game of cat and mouse with Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez), the stunning federal marshal he meets in the trunk of a getaway car, in this Steven Soderbergh-directed film that shows off his trademark nonlinear storytelling. Out of Sight received Oscar nominations for both its crack editing (Anne V. Coates) and its brilliant adaptation (Scott Frank) of Elmore Leonard's novel.
My favorite Soderbergh so far, although I really like his movies in general. George Clooney is sexy, Jennifer Lopez's performance in perfect as a US marshal, I think I prefer her in this kind of roles than the typical falling in love girl she is since (I recommend "The Cell" as well). Anyway, the soundtrack is really good, the actors are all well chosen, even Catherine Keener that I finally recognized (after perhaps seeing this movie about five times) in a role she never takes. The storyline is great, deconstructed, original, with a dark great sense of humor, and did I already mentioned I really like Elmore Leonard's writing, Jackie Brown, Get Shorty, Bandits...
with Denzel Washington (Unstoppable), Paula Patton (Precious), Val Kilmer (The Saint), James Caviezel, Adam Goldberg, Elden Henson, Erika Alexander, Bruce Greenwood, David Jensen, Jennifer Weston, Lara Grice
ATF agent Doug Carlin finds himself dogged by feelings of déjà vu as he investigates a bombing on a New Orleans ferry. Should he shrug off the unsettling sensation, or can it help him unravel the clues he needs to save hundreds of innocent people?
I don't know why but every time a woman is introduced in a movie of Tony Scott, I have to fall for her, Paula Patton and Lisa Bonet are some of them... He had a certain talent in making women look extraordinary, special, strong and at the same time sensitives. Then I have a special connection with movie who are on time travel and time discontinuity. This one was a treat, I really loved the logic behind the succession of events. It is wrapping up beautifully in a perfect look, which I don't mean to spoil... The acting is excellent, of course, and the action is smartly driven with excellent rhythm and combined with an emotional journey that Denzel Washington handles with excellence.
After killing an innocent boy in London, hit men Ray (Colin Farrell, in a Golden Globe–winning role) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) are ordered to lay low at a bed and breakfast in Bruges, Belgium, until their boss (Ralph Fiennes) phones with further instructions. But when he calls, Ken doesn't like the assignment. Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, this dark comedy earned a BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay.
Weird weird movie. Darkest sense of humor ever. Very Belgian in a way. The cast is impeccable, the tone is between the fairy and the spy story, not the most common combination. Adding the interesting fact that the hit men are literally stupid and existential, it gives the movie twists and turns that are to the most unexpected. An excellent surprise.
