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Directed by: Curtis Hanson
Written by: Scott Silver
Starring: Eminem, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer, Kim Basinger
Review: Eminem plays Jimmy 'Rabbit' Smith in his feature film debut, and he does a good job of it. The fact that Jimmy's life is not so far removed from Eminem's own does not detract from his performance. The supporting cast put in solid performances, with assured direction from Curtis Hanson. The rap battles are particularly exciting to watch, as we see how talented Eminem really is. The film, set in Detroit, is dark and gritty giving it some good atmosphere that adds to the depth of the film.
My rating: * * *
D, Mu
Directed by: Alejandro Gonz�lez I��rritu
Written by: Guillermo Arriaga
Starring: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Benicio Del Toro
Review: On first hearing the basic premise of this movie, I thought it sounded strangely similar to I��rritu's previous film, Amores Perros (both are also written by Guillermo Arriaga) . Three sets of lives altered drastically by a terrible car crash, sounds familiar doesn't it? But the similarities basically end there. 21 Grams is a film with compelling themes of love, revenge, redemption, and loss, with powerful performances from its three leads. Naomi Watts is particularly moving as a mother dealing with the pain of losing her husband and children and trying to work out how she can possibly move on. The scenes in 21 Grams are all played out of order which at first is quite confusing, and makes it hard to care about the characters. However, it is the arresting execution of the three actor's roles that are in a way what saves the film from its frenetic editing. And towards the end, it comes together better and once you work out what is happening its easier to follow, with the film building to a satisfying climax, with a poignant although perhaps unnecessary closing monologue from Sean Penn.
My rating: * * * *
D, C, T
Directed by: Spike Lee
Written by: David Benioff, based upon his novel.
Starring: Edward Norton, Barry Pepper, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rosario Dawson, Anna Paquin, Brian Cox
Review: 25th Hour, from acclaimed director Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X) takes place over 24 hours, the last vestiges of freedom Montgomery Brogan (Edward Norton) has before serving a seven year prison sentence for drug dealing. The film explores the different ways in which Monty and those closest to him deal with his imminent departure, unsure if they will ever see the same Monty Brogan again.
Ed Norton is fantastic as Monty, and he proves yet again what a gifted actor he is. Indeed the entire cast did a fine job, but perhaps the standout performance for me was Barry Pepper�s portrayal of Monty�s best friend Frank; he brought a great intensity and emotion to the role.
The film is shot wonderfully with a sometimes jolted and grainy feel, by cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (who also shot Alejandro Gonz�lez I��rritu's Amores Perros, 21 Grams and upcoming Babel). The original score, by Spike Lee�s long time composer of choice Terence Blanchard, is beautiful and haunting.
From the opening credits of 25th Hour it is evident that this film is as much about the city of New York as it is about the human characters in the film. As it is, the themes of place and people are deeply intertwined. 25th Hour was the first major film shot in post 9/11 New York and it is an unavoidable issue in the film. The character�s perspectives are now altered by what happened; a heightened sense of mistrust in things different is evident.
The film probably resonates with Americans, and specifically New Yorkers, more than with people from other countries, yet I was still able to engage with the issues and feel for the character�s struggles, and I ultimately found it to be a deeply moving film.
My rating: * * * * 1/2
D, Cr
Original review posted 2002, current review posted Aug 2006 after second viewing of the film. My rating of 4 � stars remains the same.
Directed by: Danny Boyle
Written by: Alex Garland
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Naomie Harris, Brendan Gleeson, Megan Burns
Review: 28 Days Later comes from the writer-director team of Alex Garland and Danny Boyle (Trainspotting), creators of The Beach and the upcoming Sunshine. The film is essentially a horror movie, and has plenty of nasty images that will linger in your mind after it�s over, but it�s also an intelligent drama and what-if look at the potential effects of infectious disease, whether organic or human (e.g. terrorist) in origin.
The film begins with animal activists trying to free chimps that have been used for biological experiments. They unwittingly release a terrible blood infection, which is in essence a very concentrated form of rage. 28 days later Jim (Cillian Murphy) awakes in a hospital from a coma only to find that he is utterly alone. The hospital is empty. The street outside is empty. He walks through the centre of London and there is no one. These images are amazing and chilling.
He meets a survivor, Selena (Naomie Harris), and finds out that the rage disease has swept through London eliminating most of the population bar those who fled in time. Life becomes a harrowing task of evading the �infected� who prowl the city. The find a few other survivors and a plan is forged to leave London and find a supposed military shelter outside the city and the rest of the film entails the consequences of their search.
The film provides some very thrilling and scary scenes as the survivors try to avoid being found and mauled by the 'infected'. It will really have you on the edge of your seat. It�s also quite an interesting look at human nature and how people act in crisis situations. Both the good and bad side of humanity is explored, and it�s not always the �infected� who show up the worst of what we are capable of.
An intelligent, terrifying, very British, horror film that will leave an indelible impact long after you�ve finished watching it�
My rating: * * * *
H,T, D
reviewed August 2006
Directed by: Michael Lehmann
Written by: Rob Perez
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Shannyn Sossamon
Review: A film that starts with an idea that has the potential of producing some good laughs, but doesn't seem to know if its a romantic comedy or a teen gross-out comedy. Not particularly good, not particularly bad...the two leads are charismatic enough and there are a few genuine laughs, but not enough to sustain it.
My rating: * * 1/2
C,R
Directed by: Judd Apatow
Written by: Judd Apatow & Steve Carell
Starring: Steven Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen
Review: Many laugh-out-loud moments elevate The 40 Year Old Virgin above your average comedy. Perhaps too much gross-out humour for my taste but the movie has a surprisingly sensitive heart to it (without being cheesy). And a totally random end scene.
My rating: * * * 1/2
C,R
Directed by: Billy Crystal
Written by: Hank Steinberg
Starring: Thomas Jane, Barry Pepper
My rating: * * * 1/2
D
Directed by: Ron Howard
Written by: Akiva Goldsman, based upon the novel by Sylvia Nasar
Starring: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris
My rating: * * * *
O, D, T
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Written by: Steven Spielberg, Ian Watson, based on a short story by Brian Aldiss
Starring: Haley Joel Osment, Jude Law, Frances O'Connor
My rating: * * * * 1/2
SF, D
Directed by: Brian Helgeland
Written by: Brian Helgeland
Starring: Heath Ledger, Shannyn Sossamon, Paul Bettany
My rating: * * *
C, R, A
Directed by: Alfonso Cuaron
Written by: Richard LaGravenese and Elizabeth Chandler, based on the book by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Starring: Liesel Matthews, Eleanor Bron, Liam Cunningham
Review: This is a childhood favourite of mine, and of many others, I expect. The story is beautifully told in this film by Cuaron, and anyone who thought he couldn't make a kids' movie (i.e. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) obviously hadn't seen this. Like Frances Hodgson Burnett's novel, the film has a particular magical charm to it, evoked by a wonderful musical score and production design. It is such a lovely movie and I have liked it since I was a kid, so I can't really say anything bad about it, although I would recommend you read the book, which the movie changed a little.
My rating: * * * *
D
Directed by: Adam Shankman
Written by: Karen Janszen, based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks
Starring: Shane West, Mandy Moore, Peter Coyote, Daryl Hannah
Review: This movie can be a bit implausible at times, and the scene transitions sometimes don't work. Everything happens too quickly towards the end, but this may be because they are trying to pack all the events of the book into a 100 minute movie (I haven't read the book but apparently it works better because there is more time to explain Jamie and Landon's romance etc.). All said it was still quite a sweet and genuine movie, and I enjoyed watching it. Just when I though the cynic inside me was going to laugh at something I ended up crying. I think if you are a bit of a sap like me, you will like it, but if you have a low tolerance for cheese you might find it a bit hard to take. However, I really don't want to deride this film too much because it is an innocent and good-natured movie that doesn't compromise on its values, and it makes a nice change compared the gratuity of most Hollywood movies these days.
My rating: * * * 1/2
D, R
Directed by: Sam Mendes
Written by: Alan Ball
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch
My rating: * * * * *
O, C, R, D
Directed by: Tony Kaye
Written by: David McKenna
Starring: Edward Norton, Edward Furlong, Beverly D'Angelo
My rating: * * * * 1/2
D, T, Cr
Directed by: Alejandro Gonz�lez I��rritu
Written by: Guillermo Arriaga
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Emilio Echevarr�a, Goya Toledo
My rating: * * * * 1/2
D, T, FL
Directed by: various including Shinichir� Watanabe and Mahiro Maeda
Written by: various including Larry & Andy Wachowski
Starring: various voices including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Clayton Watson
My rating: * * * * 1/2
A, An, SF, Cr, F
Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Written by: Tab Murphy
Starring: the voices of Michael J. Fox, James Garner
My rating: * * *
R, A, An
Directed by: Jay Roach
Written by: Mike Myers, Michael McCullers
Starring: Mike Myers, Beyonc� Knowles, Michael Caine, Seth Green, Verne
Troyer, Michael York
My rating: * * * 1/2
C