When his wife is sent to jail on murder charges she fervently denies, college professor John Brennan comes up with a meticulous plan for the ultimate prison escape — even though he's never committed a crime in his life.
The Next Three Days is a movie that is a bit surreal. Crowe plays the ordinary man, although there is no way the guy can actually become what he is in the movie just with preparation. So, when you pass that suspect element, the rest kind of flows, with a good suspense, good acting, good effect, good editing, we are definitely hooked. The small role of Liam Neeson helps the realism, which was definitely need in this case.
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.
with Gustaf Skarsgård, Torkel Petersson, Thomas Ljungman, Amanda Davin, Annika Hallin, Jacob Ericksson, Anette Sevreus, Mats Blomgren, Malin Cederblad, Antti Reini, Mirja Burlin, Marie Delleskog
Gay couple Sven and Goran adopt a child. But when Patrik arrives in their lives, it turns out that he's not 1.5 years old as they were told by the adoption agency — he's a rebellious, homophobic 15-year-old.
Sweden can be a far more evolved country than others, specially when it is about gay rights, and then so picky about their rights. It is more or less what happens in this story about a gay couple trying to make everything perfect in a society that still perceive the parenthood of gay couple, odd, or worse. Of course, there is this kid (amazingly performed by Thomas Ljungman), uniquely outlaw, homophobic, but also enough gave up on, who will of course be more reluctant to build a trust, with any new parent. It is still a comedy, with breakdowns and breakups which are portrayed in a very comical way, which gives an unusual balance to the seriousness of the topic, which is of a gay couple trying to integrate in a society that beyond their laws, are not ready to incorporate gay parents.
After he's laid off from his longtime job at a soulless retail giant, average middle-aged guy Larry Crowne decides it's time to change his life by heading back to college, where he finds a new perspective — and a new romance with a professor.
I didn't realize this movie is directed by Tom Hanks. I am always impressed by actors who dare stepping in the shoes of a director, even more when they act in the same movie. Mostly perhaps because it is a lot of responsibility, and if you fail, you may also loose your recognition, as an actor. This one is a pretty simple story, of people loosing their job, and having to rebuild themselves. Of course it is a romantic comedy, with a little bit of gag, so it doesn't take the topic to heavily. It is refreshing, naive, with cute characters, well acted, not necessarily bad, perhaps not memorable, that's all...
When fugitive ex-cop Nick Cassidy steps onto a window ledge high above a busy Manhattan street, police psychologist Lydia Anderson tries to talk him down. But soon Anderson suspects that there's more to Cassidy's stunt than meets the eye.
I am getting convinced that American producers are really skills in creating amazing tension, set, visual effects, action driven movies. I believe this one has achieved those goals. The cast is really good, although their capability are far more extended than what we can see in this movie. It is a good action thriller, with no mental exercise to do, simple, straight to the point, with character you can define with two words, no subtlety, but if you are not expecting more than that, than you might actually have a good time watching "Man on a Ledge"!
with Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams (Julie and Julia), Laura Dern (Dr. T. and The Women), Jesse Plemons, Rami Malek, Jillian Bell, Ambyr Childers, Lena Endre (The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo), Kevin J. O'Connor, Josh Close, Barlow Jacobs, Mimi Cozzens, Madisen Beaty
A heavy-drinking loaner named Freddie finds some semblance of a family when he stumbles onto the ship of Lancaster Dodd, the charismatic leader of a new "religion" -- some say cult -- he forms after World War II.
Today is a day where I do not have much to say about a movie. The Master is a movie that has great actors, great cinematography, an interesting and polemic topic, a realism that isn't questionable, dialogues shaped in intonations, silences, unsaid and strange meaningful words. The journey of the characters makes us know a lot, with their unpredictable behaviors, intentions... in almost a language that looked foreign to me, since I couldn't really understand them. It felt I was mislead, out of it, in a way because I was reading the first layer and it wouldn't tell me anything, and the second layer was telling me more without managing to get me involved, I felt as far from them as I could. I felt the same with "There Will Be Blood", so perhaps it is the style of the director I cannot connect to, perhaps it is just that I was tired, uncomfortable and the movie was long... I didn't feel anything, that is all... I would recommend to watch it, and write something back in the comment box that would illuminate me!
After witnessing a fatal bus crash, teenager Lisa believes she inadvertently played a part in the tragedy. As she tries to deal with her feelings, Lisa becomes emotionally abusive to those around her — and to herself.
How to start. First the positives, this movie is an original portrait of adolescence entering the adulthood. Lisa is opiniated, thinks she gets the world in a better way than anyone, smart-ass with all what comes with it. When something real happens to her, the emptiness of her world becomes striking, she needs to connect with the people that were affected by the accident, realizing they did not care as much, they didn't relate in the same way, and in a way, they reacted with what their situation was at their present time, while she didn't have anything else than a strong responsibility and tons of feeling she cannot canalize. In her search of justice, it becomes clearer than her action are driven by innocence, except that everything not related to the case becomes a way for her to get attention, to shape her life into something more dramatic, existential, shocking, involving others in a journey that she doesn't understand herself, except that instead of being constructive, it destroy her self, her identity she thought was uninteresting.
The dialogues are amazing, the contrast between this movie and the vast majority of movies made today is the quality of the vocabulary, the choice of words, the literate way of communicating and misunderstanding which is such a big part of our life and conflict, which in most movies doesn't have any place. The adult characters are shown quite all evolved, or think they are until they break, facing the innocent voice or contact of adolescence, showing how adulthood is perhaps as complex as adolescence, except with more tragic experience that lead the way to more complex reactions. There are amazing dialogues and monologues, most often lead by Jeannie Berlin, the cast is actually impeccable and Lisa (Anna Paquin) is perfectly irritable, perhaps a bit predictable.
Finally, what was an interesting point, which was for Lisa to have
reached a truth and an ability to fight a real cause that no one sees
because she fights everything else in the same manner looking like she
created her own drama and discrediting her to the eyes of adults, this
point becomes a caricature that is so obvious to the eyes of the viewer
that it makes the movie fall a little bit flat. Too bad for a movie that has such a nuance and sensitivity.
