A Taste of the Big Screen

The Italian Job - The perfect heist

2010-05-26T18:57:00.000+03:00

I like to think of The Italian Job as the younger brother of Ocean's Eleven. It's a great movie for people seeking a little bit of action in the company of the super-sexy duet Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron. The story takes us to Venice, Italy, where a group of expert thieves are planning to steal about $35 million in bars of gold. Everything goes smoothly until...

...One of the members gets greedy and decides it's time to steal all the gold for himself. Said and done! Too bad that one year later, the gang decides to take revenge and take back what is rightfully theirs. With some action-packed scenes, an ingenious scenario, just a pinch of comedy, a thieving master plan, an amazing Aston Martin, a couple of cool nicknames and a sexy cast (did i mention Edward Norton and Jason Statham are also starring?), The Italian Job is one movie that gathers the perfect ingredient for your Friday night movie with your friends.

The Blair Witch Project - The story of missing children

2010-05-23T18:11:00.000+03:00

I remember speaking a lot about the Blair Witch Project after seeing it. I first saw this movie back in high school because all my class mates kept speaking about this documentary made by 3 kids that went into the woods and never came back. Well, there is one thing that i can tell you about the Blair Witch Project: This movie will be worthless unless you first watch it at night, when you are home alone. That's when the story of the Blair Witch starts giving you the chills.

"In October of 1994 three student filmmakers disappeared in the woods near Burkittsville, Maryland, while shooting a documentary...A year later their footage was found..." This is how the movie starts and this is what caught my attention. It seemed like the story was so real and it led me to think that those poor kids actually disappeared in the woods. Is the story true? I'm pretty sure you are going to figure the answer to that one by yourself.

I do have a lot of ideas revolving around the story of a witch living in the woods but this would probably spoil the whole idea of the movie. 10 years ago, this movie kind of shocked me. Maybe it's because seeing a good thriller was difficult. Yes, one thing we have to clarify is that the Blair Witch Project is NOT a horror movie. In fact, I don't think you'll see one drop of blood. And yet, the suspense is going to kill you!

Shall we dance - The vertical expression of a horizontal desire...

2010-04-22T21:29:00.001+03:00

I remember seeing “Shall we dance” in a cinema in Brazil, right back in 2004 when it was released. After seeing the movie, it made me want to just get up and dance. And this is one thing that I found admirable about it, the fact that it got me so into the action, that I really wanted to be part of it.

Not only does it have a nice story, but “Shall we dance” has a wonderful cast. Richard Gere plays the role of John Clark, a man that has almost everything you could want in your life: a beautiful wife, played by Susan Sarandon, a successful job and a loving family. And when it seems that you have everything you asked for, you somehow always seem to want more and more… One day, when returning home from work, he sees Paulina (Jennifer Lopez), a beautiful dance instructor, while she is giving dance classes.

In order to get to know her better, John sings up to take dance classes and therefore discovers a true passion for dance. Even if the relationship between him and Paulina turns out to be nothing more than pure friendship, John wants to help her find her lost passion for dancing. But the more he is away from home, the more suspicious his wife gets and the secret is about to be revealed… “Shall we dance” is a movie about discovering which things are more important in life and it shows that no dream is impossible when you work hard and your loved ones are there to always support you.

Case 39 - Be careful who you rescue

2010-04-22T01:39:00.002+03:00

“Case 39” is one of those movies that captivated you from the beginning… and may just leave you disappointed in the end. Renee Zellweger is the last actress I expected to see in the role of a social assistant. She plays the role of Emily Jenkins, a woman very good at her job that tries to save a 10 year old girl (Jodelle Ferland) from a family that seems to abuse her.

Let me paint the picture: Emily Jenkins becomes a friend of Lillith Sullivan (the little girl) but the child will not admit any kind of family problems because she is too scared of her parents. Lillith calls Emily in middle of the night and simply says “I think they are trying to kill me”. Emily rushes over to the girl’s house, only to discover that her parents were planning to… burn her?! That’s right; they simply put her in the oven. No matter how sadistic it may sound, the movie leads you to believe that there is something wrong with the parents, that they are suffering from some mental disorder. They go to the nut house, Emily adopts Lillith and they live happily ever after. WRONG!

But I am not going to spoil the surprise. People that have been passionate about thrillers will have a hint as to what is going to happen right from the point where the child is rescued. On a more personal level, I expected a bit more from a movie where Renee Zellweger is the lead actress. Yet again, I should have seen it coming since I have some experience in watching movies with “demonic” children.

The Notebook - Does love really conquer all?

2010-04-06T01:36:00.000+03:00

One person can never call himself a true romantic movie passionate unless he sees “The Notebook”. Even if romantic movies have never been my thing, unless they are spiced up with some good jokes, this is one movie that I have learned to appreciate because of the passion between Allie Hamilton (Rachel McAdams) and Noah Calhoun (Ryan Gosling).

This is, in fact, a story about 2 people that are madly in love with each other but they have to face some social differences. Eventually, Allie’s parents manage to separate the 2 since Noah came from a rather poor family. Even after years of separation, love letters where exchanged but Allie gets engaged to someone closer to her social status. But how can you be happy with a person when you are crazy about someone else? And when destiny brings Noah and Allie face to face again, is there any way to repress feelings?

I like this story because it seems so real… and it’s a story about a couple that faces problems which exist even in our modern society, even if they come in different forms. So, which voice is powerful? That of love or who you are in the eyes of the world?

Precious - Best Adapted Screenplay

2010-03-21T01:52:00.000+02:00

Now this is a movie which is pretty hard to digest. In fact, some scenes are quite shocking and disgusting and it may determine a lot of people to just turn off the computer or TV. “Precious” is not a movie that everyone can understand. It is the drama of all dramas.

At the Oscar Awards, “Precious” took home two golden statues: one went to Mo’Nique for Best Actress in a Supporting Role and the other one was for the Best Adapted Screenplay from the novel “Push” by Sapphire. I cannot say that “Precious” is impressive as much as it is shocking. In fact, I think I have not heard the word F**K so many times in one movie since I last watched “Casino”. The movie tries to teach us that life is precious. And Precious is the name of our heroine: Claireece Precious Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) which has to endure a life in which most people would have killed themselves.

Raped by her father which left her pregnant twice and mentally abused by her mother, Mary (Mo’Nique), Precious is living a nightmare. School is her only refuge but her second pregnancy got her expelled. However, she starts following classes of a special alternative school, with people that, for one reason or another, were rejected by the modern society. With a teacher (Paula Patton) that fully confides in her, Precious starts to see that inside her she can find the power to take life into her own hands and that she alone is to decide what should happen next. This is the shocking life of Precious, a 16 year old girl who grew up in Bronx…

Mad Money - Money makes the world go round...

2010-03-15T04:20:00.000+02:00

…Or was it love? Anyway, this movie really got me thinking about that saying “Money does not buy happiness”. If you loved movies like “The Italian Job” or “Ocean’s Eleven”, you will most likely enjoy this one as well. Sure, there is no George Clooney or Matt Damon and no kiss kiss bang bang action but it does show the story of a master plan to steal money without anyone noticing.

Diane Keaton, Katie Holmes and Queen Latifah play the roles of Bridget, Jackie and Nina, three women that end up working in a bank just to make a decent living. These women come up with an ingenious plan to steal money from the Federal Reserve Bank, money which was about to be destroyed anyway because the bills are worn out. The women plan to steal enough money to make a decent living… but, as you can imagine, they get greedy and decide to get some extra cash just have a bit more than a regular life. It really has you thinking about how greedy human nature really is. How far would you go to live the life you’ve always wanted?

This movie is definitely one with an unexpected ending (hmmm… that is why I’m writing about it, isn’t it?). Aside from the genius master plan that a desperate woman can come up with, this movie deserves a good round of applause because of the 3 charismatic actresses that play the leading roles. I mean, you just gotta love Queen Latifah…

Alice in Wonderland - Purrrrfect

2010-03-12T02:30:00.000+02:00

I have been meaning to write this post on Monday but with all this fuss around the Oscar Awards I did not get the chance to share my experience from seeing “Alice in Wonderland” 3D. Since I had seen the cartoons when I was a child, I remembered pretty much of the action so the main reason why I went to see this movie was because of the 3D effects.

When I was a child, I was always scared by the Cheshire Cat from this story and I thought things would be different now that I was all grown up. WRONG! Tim Burton has managed to create a Cheshire Cat which is both lovely and creepy at the same time and if you will ask the people that have seen “Alice in Wonderland” which was their favorite character, most of them will tell you it was the cat. Johnny Depp manages to impress once again with the Mad Hatter role. In fact, every actor in this movie manages to play the role perfectly. However, “Alice in Wonderland” would have never had the same impact on me if I hadn’t seen it in 3D. Even if it does not leave you with the same WOW impression that “Avatar” does when it comes to special effects, this movie sends a special message to its audience: why shouldn’t you have the courage to act in real life just like you do in your wildest dreams?

“Alice in Wonderland” is still an amazing movie for the entire family no matter what critics have to say. It brings us to a world of fantasy where we forget about ourselves for a while. The action of this movie takes us to a wonder world, where Alice (Mia Wasikowska) has been chosen to fight the Jabberwocky, a horrible creature which represents evil and all that is ugly and once this creature is dead, the reign of terror of the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter) will end and the White Queen (Anne Hathaway) will make sure that peace is once again brought to Wonderland. A lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon indeed!

And the Winners are...

2010-03-08T14:27:00.000+02:00

1.) Best Picture: The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier & Greg Shapiro.

2.) Actor in a Leading Role: Jeff Bridges
Crazy Heart.

3.) Actor in a Supporting Role: Christoph Waltz
Inglourious Basterds.

4.) Actress in a Leading Role: Sandra Bullock
The Blind Side.

5.) Actress in a Supporting Role: Mo'Nique
Precious: Based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire.

6.) Animated Feature Film: Up
Pete Docter.

7.) Art Direction: Avatar
Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg (Art Direction); Kim Sinclair (Set Decoration).

8.) Cinematography: Avatar
Mauro Fiore.

9.) Costume Design: The Young Victoria
Sandy Powell.

10.) Directing: The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow.

11.) Documentary Feature: The Cove
Louie Psihoyos & Fisher Stevens.

12.) Documentary Short: Music by Prudence
Roger Ross Williams & Elinor Burkett.

13.) Film Editing: The Hurt Locker
Bob Murawski & Chris Innis.

14.) Foregin Language Film: The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)
Directed by Juan Jose Campanella.

15.) Makeup: Star Trek
Barney Burman, Mindy Hall & Joel Harlow.

16.) Music (Original Score): Up
Michael Giacchino.

17.) Music (Original Song): Crazy Heart "The Weary Kind (Theme form Crazy Heart)
Music and Lyrics by Ryan Bingham & T Bone Burnett.

18.) Short Film (Animated): Logorama
Nicolas Schmerkin.

19.) Short Film (Live Action): The New Tenants
Joachim Back & Tivi Magnusson..

20.) Sound Editing: The Hurt Locker
Paul N.J. Ottosson.

21.) Sound Mixing: The Hurt Locker
Paul N.J. Ottosson & Ray Beckett.

22.) Visual Effects: Avatar
Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham & Andrew R. Jones.

23.) Writing (Adapted Screenplay): Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire
Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher.

24.) Writing (Original Screenplay): The Hurt Locker
Written by Mark Boal.

Oscar 2010 Nominees - Is "Avatar" taking home every statue?

2010-03-07T22:47:00.000+02:00

Just as I promised, tomorrow I will post the winners of the 2010 Oscar Film Awards. But before we go on predicting who is the winner of each category, I have researched the list of the 2010 Oscar Nominees so you can now have your chance to guess which is the winner. The Oscar Awards will be broadcasted live tonight, at 3:30 A.M. Romanian time, on our local HBO channel.

1. BEST PICTURE
- Avatar (James Cameron & Jon Landau)
- The Blind Side (Gil Netter, Andrew Kosove & Broderick Johnson)
- District 9 (Peter Jackson & Carolynne Cunningham)
- An Education (Finola Dwyer & Amanda Posey)
- The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier & Greg Shapiro)
- Inglorious Basterds (Lawrence Bender)
- Precious (Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness & Gary Magness)
- A Serious Man (Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)
- Up (Jonas Rivera)
- Up in the Air (Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman & Jason Reitman)

2. ACTOR IN LEADING ROLE
- Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
- George Clooney (Up in the Air)
- Colin Firth (A Single Man)
- Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
- Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

3. ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Matt Damon (Invictus)
- Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)
- Christopher Plummer (The Last Station)
- Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)
- Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

4. ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
- Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
- Helen Mirren (The Last Station)
- Carey Mulligan (An Education)
- Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)
- Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)

5. ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
- Penelope Cruz (Nine)
- Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)
- Maggie Gyllenhaal (Crazy Heart)
- Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)
- Mo’Nique (Precious)

6. ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
- Coraline (Henry Selick)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (Wes Anderson)
- The Princess and the Frog (John Musker & Ron Clements)
- The Secret of Kells (Tomm Moore)
- Up (Pete Docter)

7. ART DIRECTION
- Avatar - Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg (Art Direction); Kim Sinclair (Set Decoration)
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus - Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro (Art Direction); Caroline Smith (Set Decoration)
- Nine - John Myhre (Art Direction); Gordon Sim (Set Decoration)
- Sherlock Holmes - Sarah Greenwood (Art Direction); Katie Spencer (Set Decoration)
- The Young Victoria - Patrice Vermette (Art Direction); Maggie Gray (Set Decoration)

8. CINEMATOGRAPHY
- Avatar (Mauro Fiore)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Bruno Delbonnel)
- The Hurt Locker (Barry Ackroyd)
- Inglorious Basterds (Robert Richardson)
- The White Ribbon (Christian Berger)

9. COSTUME DESIGN
- Bright Star (Janet Petterson)
- Coco Before Chanel (Catherine Leterrier)
- The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Monique Prudhomme)
- Nine (Colleen Atwood)
- The Young Victoria (Sandy Powell)

10. DIRECTING
- Avatar (James Cameron)
- The Hurt Locker (Kathryn Bigelow)
- Inglorious Basterds (Quentin Tarantino)
- Precious (Lee Daniels)
- Up in the Air (Jason Reitman)

11. DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
- Burma VJ (Anders Østergaard and Lise Lense-Møller)
- The Cove (Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens)
- Food, Inc. (Robert Kenner and Elise Pearlstein)
- The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith)
- Which Way Home (Rebecca Cammisa)

12. SHORT DOCUMENTARY
- China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears Of Sichuan Province (Jon Alpert and Matthew O'Neill)
- The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (Daniel Junge and Henry Ansbacher)
- The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert)
- Music by Prudence (Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett)
- Rabbit a la Berlin (Bartek Konopka and Anna Wydra)

13. FILM EDITING
- Avatar (Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron)
- District 9 (Julian Clarke)
- The Hurt Locker (Bob Murawski and Chris Innis)
- Inglorious Basterds (Sally Menke)
- Precious (Joe Klotz)

14. FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
- Ajami – Israel
- The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada) – Peru
- A Prophet (Un Prophète) – France
- The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos) - Argentina
- The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band) – Germany

15. MAKEUP
- Il Divo (Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano)
- Star Trek (Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow)
- The Young Victoria (Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore)

16. MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)
- Avatar (James Horner)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (Alexandre Desplat)
- The Hurt Locker (Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders)
- Sherlock Holmes (Hans Zimmer)
- Up (Michael Giacchino)

17. MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)
- The Princess and the Frog – “Almost There” (Music and Lyric by Randy Newman)
- The Princess and the Frog – “Down in New Orleans” (Music and Lyric by Randy Newman)
- Paris 36 – “Loin de Paname” (Music by Reinhardt Wagner; Lyric by Frank Thomas)
- Nine – “Take it All” (Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston)
- Crazy Heart – “The Weary Kind” (Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett)

18. SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)
- French Roast (Fabrice O. Joubert)
- Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty (Nicky Phelan and Darragh O'Connell)
- The Lady and the Reaper (Javier Recio Gracia)
- Logorama (Nicolas Schmerkin)
- A Matter of Loaf and Death (Nick Park)

19. SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)
- The Door (Juanita Wilson and James Flynn)
- Instead of Abracadabra (Patrik Eklund and Mathias Fjellström)
- Kavi (Gregg Helvey)
- Miracle Fish (Luke Doolan and Drew Bailey)
- The New Tenants (Joachim Back and Tivi Magnusson)

20. SOUND EDITING
- Avatar (Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle)
- The Hurt Locker (Paul N.J. Ottosson)
- Inglorious Basterds (Wylie Stateman)
- Star Trek (Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin)
- Up (Michael Silvers and Tom Myers)

21. SOUND MIXING
- Avatar (Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson)
- The Hurt Locker (Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett)
- Inglorious Basterds (Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano)
- Star Trek (Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin)
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson)

22. VISUAL EFFECTS
- Avatar (Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones)
- District 9 (Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken)
- Star Trek (Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton)

23. WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)
- District 9 (Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell)
- An Education (Screenplay by Nick Hornby)
- In the Loop (Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche)
- Precious (Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher)
- Up in the Air (Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner)

24. WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)
- The Hurt Locker (Written by Mark Boal)
- Inglorious Basterds (Written by Quentin Tarantino)
- The Messenger (Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman)
- A Serious Man (Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)
- Up (Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter. Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy)

Perfume - The story of a bit more than a murderer

2010-03-05T15:11:00.000+02:00

I am not quite sure in what film genre I should place this movie. Sometimes, it’s a drama. In the next 10 minutes, the action turns to thriller. It is a movie about crime and human psychology… and at other times, it looks like a plain love story. I guess that this is what fascinated me most about “Perfume: The Story of a Murderer”. I had never heard about Ben Whishaw before but his way of playing the role of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is really something else. Jean-Baptiste is a man with a superior olfactory sense which can distinguish each and every smell that he senses.

Living a harsh life but always wanting to take advantage of his gift, Jean-Baptiste ends up working for a perfume store and creating unique and astonishing perfumes. But as he grows to learn more about smell and scent, he is more eager to discover and preserve certain aromas which were not meant to be stored in a simple bottle. The plot thickens when Jean-Baptiste starts to discover that one of the smells that fascinates him most… is the scent of a woman’s skin…

Message in a Bottle - The greatest love story

2010-03-03T20:11:00.000+02:00

There are no simple words to describe the feeling given by this movie. “Message in a bottle” is a movie about past love and new beginnings. Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn are Garret and Theresa, two people living in different cities which come to meet other through the help of love letters placed in bottles and thrown into the sea. It is very difficult to explain how this movie manages to impress the audience though words and feelings so I have decided to give you one of the letters from “Message in a bottle” and maybe you can get an idea about how this movie managed to impress me…

To all the ships at sea...and all the ports of call.

To my family...and to all friends and strangers.

This is a message and a prayer.

The message is that my travels taught me a great truth.

l already had what everyone is searching for...and few ever find:

The one person in the world...who l was born to love forever.

A person like me, of the Outer Banks...and the blue Atlantic mystery.

A person rich in simple treasures...self-made, self-taught.

A harbor where l am forever home.

And no wind or trouble...or even a little death can knock down this house.

The prayer is that everyone in the world can know this kind of love...and be healed by it.

lf my prayer is heard, then there will be an erasing of all guilt...and all regret...and an end to all anger.

Please, God.

Amen.

The Illusionist - The grand finale

2010-03-02T10:32:00.000+02:00

Ever since I was a child, I have always been fascinated with magic and the explanation behind magic tricks. Edward Norton is Eisenheim, the illusionist that manages to astonish the world with his bold magic performance. This movie is captivating not only though its plot, but also thanks to the small details.

“The Illusionist” will always leave you wondering “now, how does he do it?” And just like all the good movies, we needed a love story between our hero and some damsel in distress. Jessica Biel is Sophie, the childhood friend of Eisenheim and his secret love. Due to certain social differences, Eisenheim and Sophie were separated by their parent when they were younger and never permitted to speak to each other again. The two are reunited after many years on stage, when she is a volunteer to one of Eisenheim’s illusions. But how do you separate the love of your life from the Crown Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell), a man whose anger and frustration are only exceeded by his power.

So, what is there to do to gain the love of your life back when she is engaged to a man that will track them down and kill them both if they ever pulled a stun like that. However, when Sophie decides to leave the prince, we have a twisted turn of events which make the movie even more captivating than it was in the beginning.

The Box - Greed is part of human nature

2010-02-26T16:25:00.000+02:00

The main reason why I liked this movie so much is that you cannot predict how it ends until you reach… the end! Cameron Diaz and James Madsen play the roles of Norma and Arthur Lewis, a regular married couple with a young boy which is about to live the unexpected.

One day, a simple man shows up at their door step while Norma is home alone and has a very interesting proposition. He shows a regular wooden box which has a button in the middle. The story is simple: open the box and press the button and the Lewis family gets $1 million without any further questions or explanations. The consequence: when the button is pressed, another person, somewhere in the world is going to die. This person is in no way related to the Lewis family so apparently there is no reason to worry so push the button and take the money! The family has 24 hours to decide. After that, the box will be taken and they will have missed the opportunity of a life time.

The grand finally is something hard to predict as this movie is more than a thriller, it is a psychological analysis of the human nature and the whole movie is going to leave you wondering what is going to happen next.

Taken - Kidnapping and human traffic

2010-02-24T20:13:00.000+02:00

This is a good action movie... probably not as good as “Man on fire” but a great movie to enjoy even when you’re alone. Liam Neeson plays the role of Bryan Mills, a divorced man, retired from the Secret Service who wants to concentrate on renewing his relationship with his seventeen year-old daughter, Kim (Maggie Grace). Just like every teenager, Kim dreams about a vacation abroad with her best friend Amanda, far away from her parents so she convinces her father to let her travel to Paris for a couple of days under the false pretext that “Amanda’s grown up cousin in also going to be there”.

When the girls arrive in Paris, they are kidnapped. The mission? Desperate father is supposed to find his daughter using the very little clues he has managed to gather. Luckily, Kim manages to call her father minutes before the kidnapping and she is given instructions to put the phone down and describe shortly the men that were about to take her. The kidnapping scene is probably the best one in the movie. Can you imagine what is inside the desperate heart and mind of a father which hears on the phone how his daughter is being taken by an Albanese gang and moved God knows were? Shocking indeed!

The former secret agent and spy has to use his intuition and skills to track down Kim which is on another continent and could be taken out of France at any time. The plot thickens when the man finds out that he is dealing with a network of human traffickers…

A Lot Like Love - Make up your mind before it's too late

2010-02-23T02:09:00.000+02:00

“A lot like love” is one romantic comedy which has that special something, making it different from the other similar movies in this category. This is story about good boy meets bad girl, have crazy and spontaneous sex in the airplane restroom and then each of them leads a separate life after one nice afternoon spent together.

With beautiful actors like Ashton Kutcher and Amanda Peet, this movie is going to offer some funny and romantic scenes that will make you cry and bite your lower lips at the same time. Even if Oliver and Amanda go their separate ways, destiny somehow brings them back together again… and again… and again… you get the picture! The point is that whenever one of them wants a bit more than sex and friendship, the other one seems to change his mind. I like this movie as it resembles the real life in so many ways. I’m sure that you or someone close to you have had a least one period in your lives when you couldn’t make up your mind about certain things. It’s about the same thing with relationships and commitments.

Apparently, Amanda and Oliver have absolutely nothing in common that could make them work as a couple. And yet, they somehow cannot forget that the other one exists and happy memories are the ones which are hard to be forgotten. Will Amanda and Oliver be together? You’d like to know that, wouldn’t you?

Under the Tuscan Sun - The first day of the rest of my life

2010-02-20T13:03:00.000+02:00

The first time I saw this movie was back in 2004. I was in Brazil and I went to visit someone which was watching this movie on DVD, doubled in Portuguese. I could not make anything of it. One week later I rented the DVD and saw it in English. It was like watching a totally different movie.

“Under the Tuscan Sun” is not a complex movie… but the spontaneity and charisma of Frances (Diane Lane), a woman who must suddenly divorce the man of her dreams, make this film wonderful and a bit difficult to understand if you have never been love hurt. And is there any better solution to heal one’s heart than travel to Tuscan and suddenly buy a house? Apparently not. This is one movie everyone should watch when they are depressed as this is a movie about disappointment and the courage to start all over again.

It just goes to show you that life has a lot of surprises in store for you; you just need an open mind and the courage to look for the signs. Frances is a character which has a little bit of everything: strength yet weakness, courage yet fear, happiness yet depression but, most importantly, she sometimes acts without thinking things over… and this is what brings some of the beautiful moments in life.

The Goods - An offer you can't refuse

2010-02-19T16:18:00.000+02:00

Now this is a marketing movie I like. In fact, if you are a marketing graduate you must dream at some point of becoming like Don Ready. This guy is a car salesman… and what a car salesman he is! With a history filled with successful sales, Don Ready (Jeremy Piven) is now confronted with his greatest challenge yet: selling 200 cars in only three days.

Just like any good movie, we do have the regular story “Boss hires Don. Don falls for boss’s daughter. Daughter is already engaged. Don is love hurt.” Other than this juicy love story, this movie is all about marketing, success and teamwork. I think that salesmen-wannabees have a couple of things to learn from Don Ready and his team of super cool cars salesmen. “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” is looking to teach us that our entire life is one big bargain and negotiation is in our blood.

This is an amazing movie for both marketing passionates and regular people that have nothing to do with the sales business. It’s a movie about performance and perseverance and it just goes to show you that when you are just a little bit of ambition, you can reach for the top.

Man on Fire - How far would you go for the ones you love?

2010-02-18T15:49:00.001+02:00

Out of all the Denzel Washington movies ever made, „Man on Fire” has to be the best. I was never a fan of action movies, but when the story seems so real and the scenes are so intense, who could resist? Did I mention Dakota Fanning is in this movie as well? Denzel Washington plays the role of John Creasy, a former CIA assassin who is hired by the wealthy Samuel (Marc Anthony) and Lisa Ramos (Radha Mitchell) to be the bodyguard of their charming nine-year old daughter Pita (Dakota Fanning).

The action takes place in New Mexico, in a time where child kidnapping has turned out to be a profitable business. The fascinating story is how a child’s charisma and smile can melt even the cold heart of an assassin. When Pita is kidnapped, Creasy’s life changes and it focuses on one thing: revenge on those that ever laid a hand on the girl. The roles of Pita and Creasy are played impeccably by the two actors which have the voice, the gestures and the mimics to impress even those that never cared too much about movies with assassins and revenge.

John Creasy manages to put all the gears in motion and swears “to punish anyone who has anything to do with Pita’s kidnapping”. How many people would risk their lives for a person they know so little? An action movie where you actually cry at the ending?! Nah, I would have never believed it. It makes you wonder how far would you go for the ones you love…

Zeitgeist - Heal the world

2010-02-17T15:11:00.000+02:00

“Zeitgeist – The Movie” and “Zeitgeist Addendum” were definitely 2 documentaries that changed the vision of many people out there. The first documentary is structured in 3 parts. Part 1 refers to the history of religion and it basically tries to prove that Christianity is nothing more than a copy of different pagan religions. Part number 2 raises a big question mark around the series of events that happened on September 11th and the final part has a couple of things to say about the Federal Reserve Bank and how it controls and manipulates the world wide economy.

“Zeitgeist Addendum” tries to offer a solution for a better life by demonstrating that all the materials we ever need to lead a decent life are the natural resources of mother Earth. It gives us details about Jacque Fresco and the Venus Project in an attempt to get rid of social corruption and that one element that owns everybody’s lives: money.

Zeitgeist is not a movie for the weak; it’s a movie for those that believe in change and are willing to think outside the box. It’s about time we realized that we are not doing enough to live the happy and careless life that we always dream about. The Zeitgeist series is a non-profit one which has the courage to speak up and tell everyone the unseen face of the people that basically rule the world. The documentaries tell us the truth about the manipulation that was behind a war that killed innocent people. It shows how the Federal Bank operates in such a manner that every dollar in this world generates debt and the final result is… slavery. I know these 2 documentaries have opened my eyes and I can’t help wondering when this mass manipulation is going to end. It won’t, not until everyone is willing to accept the fact that we have to “heal the world”.

Se7en - Murder and The Divine Comedy

2010-02-16T15:19:00.000+02:00

I don’t know what’s more amazing about the movie “Se7en”: the amazing actors or the ingenious script. You have to admit, one movie gets a special touch when the leading roles of 2 detectives are played by Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt. We have Kevin Spacey in the role of the criminal mastermind and Gwyneth Paltrow is the beautiful wife of Detective Mills.

The movie revolves around a series of crimes and an investigation led by Detective Somerset (Freeman) – one man who was ready to retire before he got forced into accepting this one last case – and Detective Mills (Pitt) – a young and recently married cop with a promotion a bit too big for what he can handle. When an obese man and a lawyer are murdered only to reveal the words GLUTTONY and GREED written at the crime scenes, the two detectives discover that these are two of the deadly sins that Dante wrote about in the “Divine Comedy”: gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, lust, pride and envy. That means there are still 5 crimes to be committed.

With shocking scenes and an unexpected ending, this has got to be one of the best thrillers I’ve seen so far. Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt play their two roles impeccably as the old and wise and the young and ambitious. The movie can become confusing when the identity of the killer is revealed too soon but I can assure you, it is worth watching until the grand finally.

P.S. I Love You - Do you believe in life after love...?

2010-02-15T15:13:00.000+02:00

Before seeing this movie, i used to believe there was no greater love film than „Message in a Bottle”. Let’s just say that „P.S. I love you” is a story about love in modern society pushed beyond the limits of life itself.

It is said that everything in life has a solution… except for the moment you die. Hilary Swank and Gerald Butler play the roles of Holly and Gerry, a regular couple with the usual problems except they are madly in love with it each other and that helped them overcome… well, pretty much anything! In short, they were that couple that no one could ever imagine falling apart. Until Gerry’s unfortunate death. Heartbroken and devastated, Holly could not find the necessary ambition to move on with her life so she receives some help… from the man she has loved her entire life. Before his death, Gerry wrote several letters which he left behind for Holly to periodically receive, letters which taught her how to live again, and letters which would remind her that no matter what goes on in the future, he would always be watching over her.

“P.S. I love you” is a movie that teaches us that the best romantic comedies are the one that make you laugh and cry at the same time. It shows the story of two simple people with an amazing will and power to love. This is a movie that teaches us that you can take care of the one you love without necessary being present. This is a story about the courage to think about the one you love even when your days are numbered. The combination of love, letters, beautiful scenes from Ireland and “The Pogues – I love you till the end” is to be always remember when somebody asks you “What’s the best romantic comedy you’ve seen lately?”

Post Grad - And now what...?

2010-02-13T20:04:00.000+02:00

What happens after graduation? Is it really easier to move on if you already have your life planned according to a schedule? Alexis Bledel plays the role of Ryden, the super girl and wonder child that has her life all figured after she graduates college: a dream job at a famous publishing agency, a super apartment with a dreamy view to look at every morning and looking for the guy of her dreams.

But what do you do when something goes wrong in your master plan? Since the job was given out to her college rival, Jessica, Ryden is forced to move back to her parents’ house and look for a job, any job, an ordinary job, something that gives out a paycheck at the end of the month. Just like any girl that has to take the steps of becoming a woman, Ryden walks around with an open heart, ready to embrace that one true love, whoever it may be. Zach Gilford is here to play the role of Adam Davies, “the best friend” who is madly in love with the girl and just doesn’t have the guts to say it out loud and when he finally does… well, that’s for me to know and for you to see after you watch this superb romantic comedy about teenagers, love, dreams and aspirations.

Featuring great actors, like Michael Keaton and the dream boys of Hollywood, like Rodrigo Santoro, this movie is captivating especially for those that have found themselves in that situation, where you have no idea what you next steps should be. “Post Grad” is a movie about true friendship and it touches the delicate subject of “What if the love of my life is right before my eyes and I don’t know it yet?” It’s a movie about how to turn the wrong into right and expressing true feelings and hidden desires. Now that is easy to say… but what do you do in real life when you are afraid to risk a wonderful friendship for something that could turn into a lovely romance?

Another movie blog...?!

2010-02-13T18:36:00.001+02:00

... What makes thig blog different than every other movie blog on this planet? As they teach you in marketing class, the answer to 90% of the questions on earth is: depends. This blog is all about movie reviews, the good, the bad and the ugly of the beautiful stories on the big screen.

It reflects my unprofessional opinion: that of a 22 years old Marketing and Business Communication student, a person with interests in advertising and a regular movie passionate. In these pages you are going to read about the movies that have impressed me in a powerful manner, about the hidden messages and ever-lasting movie quotes. Some reviews will be objective, others will be subjective, depending on the impact they’ve had and the way they changed my vision about things. I don’t always believe in happy endings but I do believe that movies show reflections from the real life, about desires and frustrations, about love and war, about passion and hate and all general life aspects.

Read, rate, comment… and don’t forget to enjoy!