Movie Review - Julie & Julia

I've been missing my Kiefer Sutherland, so I was very excited to see "The Right Temptation" on cable.
The story centers on Derian McCall (Rebecca De Mornay) a private detective hired by Anthea Farrow-Smith (Dana Delany) to spy on her potentially wayward husband Michael Farrow-Smith (Kiefer Sutherland).
Derian follows Michael around for a week and reports back that she witnesses no foul play. Unsatisfied with this effort, Anthea proposes that Derian seduce Michael to truly test his devotion. Derian initially refuses, but then quickly changes her mind when Anthea promises to double her fee.
During a series of flashbacks, we learn that Derian is a former undercover cop, who quit because she became romantically involved with a suspect. With her prior indiscretions planted firmly in her psyche, she goes about trying to entice Michael.
After a couple of innocent encounters, in which Michael adamantly declares his loyalty to his marriage, they finally

succumb to their temptations and engage in a torrid affair.
Derian reports back to Anthea and attempts to end the assignment, when Anthea breaks down and tells her it was never about Michael's romantic affairs, it was about his business affairs. Anthea is terrified that Michael is dealing with people who are extremely dangerous and she's afraid for their lives.
Derian's continued involvement, with this unusual couple, draws her further into their tangled web; where no one's innocent and nothing's as it seems.
This movie is trying to be a romantic noir-thriller, but the end result is nowhere close to romantic, noir or thrilling. This movie was laughably terrible. There were multiple moments where I literally laughed out loud.
I'm not sure where to begin, so let's first address the acting. I have enjoyed each of these actors in various other performances, so this movie was a huge disappointment.
Delany was too diabolical and gave away too much of her character, which took the edge off of the final twist.
De Mornay was dull and lifeless throughout the entire film. Her incompetent acting was made all the more prominent by the ridiculous wig she was sporting in the flashback sequences. The only thing remotely endearing about her character was that she owned a pet pig.
Sutherland's performance was uneven and uninspired. It seemed as if he wasn't sure how to approach the character of Michael Farrow-Smith. He also has this annoying tendency to grab a woman's head during a kiss, which makes the moment feel woefully manufactured.
I don't want to place the full blame on the actors, because this movie contained some seriously, awful material. It was as if they decided on the beginning and the ending and tried to force the middle to adapt to both. There were so many unrealistic components, which bumped you out of the story, that by the time you reached the twist ending, you no longer cared.

Fireproof - Christian Movie Reviews

The movie Fireproof, staring Kirk Cameron (Caleb) and Erin Bethea (Catherine), portrays a typical couple that experience the degradation of their marriage in a scenario where many of us can relate, whether in part or in whole. There are points in a relationship where it appears doomed to fail, where there just does not seem to be any way out of the turmoil which somehow crept in without notice. At this point, most of us seem all too willing to throw in the towel and call it quits. Divorce then becomes the only way out. Fortunately, our two characters were blessed with a wise mentor, Caleb's father, who had at one time experienced a decline in his marriage as well and proposes a possible solution to his son.

 A little bit about the movie: Caleb is a dedicated fireman who gives more attention to his job than he does his wife Catherine. His irritation, whether from the demands of his job or of his working wife's supposedly "delinquent" domestic duties, escalates into several arguments and fits of rage with Catherine. Furthermore, Caleb unknowingly adds to his troubles by surfing for porn on the internet. His success at work truly does not carry over equally to home life.
Catherine, who appears to be a somewhat frigid individual and who doesn't seem to give her husband the attention he needs (you can speculate why this is so), works at a hospital where she has caught the attention of a flirtatious doctor. Because of her problems at home, the doctor begins to woo her over as she begrudgingly succumbs to the only solution she feels plausible.

Divorce appears to be the only solution. However, with the help of Caleb's father and the "Love Dare", a 40-day guide representing a more spiritually approach to building relationships, Caleb learns how to properly treat his wife and become a stand up husband. The couple eventually learns to return their attention to one another and regain their love, but not without some soul searching and a willingness to look past prior hurts.

I wholeheartedly recommended this film for new and existing couples wanting a glimpse at the realities of marriage. Other reviews have noted the shaky beginning and less than stellar acting abilities. Considering these are volunteers, I would say they did an excellent job. But as the storyline unfolds, it ends on a very strong note. If you are looking for a wonderful message and a recipe for a stronger relationship, you will be glad you saw this one.

Movie Review - Adam Sandler Shines in Reign Over Me

I am not one for comedy often, yet I have seen Adam Sandler in quite a few films because I like the guy. Yet never have I seen him shine, as I saw him light up the screen in this highly emotive film Reign over Me. Not once have I ever seen such a powerful performance by Adam, it's a film that will make you laugh, cry and be filled with joy. Let me share some things with you.
The blurb on the back on the DVD I hired says of Adam, 'Adam Sandler is simply remarkable."
The description on the back of the DVD reads:

 "Five years after losing his wife and children in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, Charlie Fineman (Sandler), a once successful dentist who has now retreated from his life, unexpectedly bumps into his old college roommate Alan Johnson ( Don Cheadle) on a Manhattan street corner. Alan, who is dealing with issues in his own family life, is shocked to see the change in his formerly gregarious friend.

Their re-kindled relationship becomes a life-line for the two men, who are both in need of a trusted friend, and their chance encounter soon becomes a life-long friendship where both are enriched and enlightened."
As a person that has written two 400 page novels and three two hour movies, I am a person that likes many elements of a film or a book. I especially enjoy a dramatic film that can have me cry, have me scared, have me happy and take me through a rollercoaster of emotion. Reign over Me, thanks to Adams powerful portrayal of Charlie delivers in every single detail that I like about a well written film

As a writer there is always a struggle to get the balance between fine character development and the story moving forward. Both elements need to be there in an exceptional film, however if you spend to much time building a character the story can suffer, and if you put to much emphasis on the story rather then proper character development then the film will simply not resonate as strongly with the audience. As a writer, I could not have written a better screenplay and as an editor of scripts, I can see that this script went through an extensive polishing to make it work so well. You may see out of 560 articles that I have written, that I have written very few film reviews. Simply put, not many films inspire me enough to sit down and spend a half an hour of my time to recommend the film on paper. This film is outstanding and well worth spending money to buy it.

As a writer, like most writers I enjoy story and drama. I especially like to see and engaging story with that blend of fine character development and the essential conflict and tension that is needed to move a story forward. The film delivers on all the points that I like. I heard once that and extraordinary film can only be produced by an exceptional script. Not even the finest actors can bring a hopeless script to a great film. If given a good script, a fine actor and a good director can weave even a greater dimension to the story, better then the writer can even imagine is possible.

Yes, Adam may have made you laugh you head off at times, yet in this performance I had to switch the DVD off and have a good cry. To be frank, I prefer a film to make me cry and even weep, rather then make me laugh. That is just me, it might not be you. I would not say that I am the best writer in the world but for 25 years I have been watching at least one film at the movies every two weeks. It is said that Hollywood is presented with more then 20,000 fresh scripts each year, and on average only about 3 to 4 films get released in Australia each week. This means that out of the 20,000 only 2000 at the most make it to the big screen each year. If only one tenth of the films get made and there is so much garbage that gets made, it makes me wonder how bad the 18,000 were that didn't make the cut.
This film might be one of the best films that you have seen this year. It certainly had me impressed enough to write about it and give it 4.5 stars out of 5. If you hire it and do not like it, feel free to email me and I may send you a refund.

Warning:

It is a highly emotional film and could be disturbing to some people who have lost loved ones.
I hope you can see the film. If you like Adam and have not seen this film, I think this performance was a stand out performance in his career. Though I have not seen every film he has been in, I don't think any actor in the world could have done a better job of this film then Adam did.
Added to the mix was the pretty face and fine acting of Liv Tyler as a therapist.

Movie Review For Confessions of a Shopaholic

This is a nice family oriented romantic comedy starring the lovely red head Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers, Fiance of the notorious Baron Sasha Cohen more widely known as Ali G. and Borat).
Isla Fisher plays Rebecca Bloomwood of the title, whose childhood desires has given want to spending more than she really should in adulthood to the desperation of her flatmate and best friend Suze, played by the lovely Krysten Ritter (What happens in Vegas) .

 Matters come a pivotal moment for Rebecca when she applies for her dream job at a fashion magazine headed by Alette Naylor played by the brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas (The English Patient) unrecognizable with her French accent, but in the process ends up working as a financial journalist headed by Edgar West played by John Lithgow (3rd Rock from the sun) and run by Luke Brandon played by Hugh Dancy (Blood and Chocolate), the initial first bad impressions aside, Luke gives her a chance, and she proves a hit with her column "The Girl with the green scarf" giving tidbits and common sense approach to spending for all who can't help but use their plastic.

Her column becomes so popular that it is featured on television, and in the midst of all this, a debt collection man has been after Rebecca for some time for obviously some unpaid credit card debt, he happens to turn up at her work place, where Rebecca tells her boss that he is a stalker, he promptly has him thrown out, but the more popular she becomes the closer her gets to confronting her about the unpaid debt, which Suze, and her parents Jane and Graham played by Joan Cusack (Arlington Road, something about her smile just brightens up any scene) and John Goodman (Roseanne, Evan Almighty) have been advising her to do.

Realizing that she has to do something about her escalating debts, cheered on by her best friend and flatmate who is soon to be hitched, she joins the equivalent of Alcoholic Anonymous for Shopaholics, but will it be too late before the debt collector exposes her in front of her boss and the media?

Movie Review For W

This is Oliver Stone's (Director of Platoon) biographic on the life of the 43rd President George W. Bush Jr. chronicling his days from Yale through to his presidency, and the Iraq and Afghan wars.
The lead role is played superbly by Josh Brolin (No country for Old Men), having the Texas accent, and Bush's mannerisms down to a fine art, playing the younger Bush during his time at Yale, and the Grey-haired Bush during his time right up to the conflict in Iraq.

 Vice-President Dick Cheney is played superbly by an unrecognisable Richard Dreyfuss (Mr. Holland's Opus) with a very uncanny resemblance, even the mannerisms of grinding his teeth, Condoleeza Rice is played by an unrecognisable Thandie Newton (The Pursuit of Happyness, The Chronicles of Riddick), Colin Powell is played impressively by Jeffrey Wright (Shaft, Quantum of Solace), Donald Rumsfeld is played by the veteran Scott Glenn (The patriarch in Brothers and sisters), Paul Wolfowitz is played by Dennis Boutsikaris (The Last Don), Karl Rove is played by the diminutive and brilliant Toby Jones (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets).

We chronicle various aspects of the former President's life, from drilling jobs in Texas, running his own oil company, running a major league team, all seem overshadowed by the deep disappointment Bush Jr. regards in himself, as opposed to his younger brother, who he sees as his father's favourite Governor of Florida Jeb Bush, as seen by his father George W. Bush Sr. played wonderfully by James Cromwell (L.A. Confidential). At times the elder Bush is long suffering towards his son, and other times, does not communicate with him directly, apparently only through notes, as he did when George W. Bush became Governor of Texas.

The conflicts amongst the key participants in the Oval office before the justification of the War in Iraq, notably the friction between Donald Rumsfeld, Vice-President Dick Chenney, Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz and Commander of the Armed Forces Colin Powell, regarding the search for weapons of mass destruction, and following U.N. protocol is well acted. The arrogance of Bush and his dismissal of the U.N. in this regard is believable given press conferences at that time.

Overall this portrayal of George W. Bush Jr. aims to keep a balanced perspective, from his battle with alcohol, and trying to make his own way in the world, without everybody else thinking everything in his life has been handed to him on a silver platter, to his liaison with Laura Bush played by the lovely Elizabeth Banks (Meet Dave), to the much maligned war, where as he puts it, "I am just trying to make the world a better place."

Movie Review For the Matrix Reloaded

This is the sequel to The Matrix, again starring Keanue Reeves (Point Break, Bill and Ted's Excellent adventure) as Neo, Laurence Fishburne (Apocalypse Now) as Morpheus, and Carrie Ann Moss (Memento) as Trinity. It was reported Laurence Fishburne signed up to the sequels without reading the scripts.

 The directors Andy and Larry Wachowski better known as the Wachowski brothers have reportedly refused to do any interviews about The Matrix or it's sequels, possibly to continue and preserve it's cult status.

As with many sequels, there are never as critically acclaimed or well received by the fans as the originals, and this is no exception. That said for cult fan status it was a long wait, with a superb teaser trailer broadcast during the Super Bowl, that had many fans salivating. This sequel did reveal a little bit more about the composition of the real world our protagonists lived in and the Matrix world the frequented.

In this sequel we are introduced to a whole other A.I. living in the Matrix, Persephone played by the beautiful Monica Bellucci (The brothers Grimm) and her husband Merovingian played by Lambert Wilson (The Lazarus Project, Babylon A.D.), and The Oracle was also revealed as another system of control, unfortunately the original actress Gloria Foster who played The Oracle, died soon after completing her scenes.

Morpheus believing a prophecy told to him by the Oracle, that getting Neo to the source will end the war and set them free from the A.I., along with Trinity try to get Neo to the location of the source, battling some nifty Programs along the way, a pair of them having the ability to move through objects and other people (which is plausible as no one in the Matrix is really flesh and bone, but a kind of simulation).

The Wachowski brothers on the few times they did talk about The Matrix, said they always wanted to make a movie that combined their love of Kung-Fu and the Martial Arts with Science Fiction, and The Matrix captures this beautifully.

The interesting thing about the Matrix and it's sequels is the hidden meanings littered throughout every scene, going back to look at various scenes again, and reading up about it, the hidden religious references combining key aspects of the world's major religions is quite interesting, from the "Know thyself" writing when Neo first meets The Oracle to his first encounter with The Oracle's protector Seraph played by Collin Chou (The Forbidden Kingdom, DOA: Dead or Alive) (apparently The Wachowski brothers tried to get Kung-Fu legend and three times Chinese high kick champion Jet Li to play Seraph but he declined indicating he didn't want people to ignore the storyline and focus that he is in the movie)telling Neo "you never truly know anyone until you fight them".

The Friday the 13th Films Parts I-X

Of all the slashers out there, Jason Voorhees has probably been the most trademarked with his signature hockey mask. But the storylines from most of his films are essentially the same. There is very little substance. A warning to all who have not seen all the films: this article contains spoilers.
The routine plot is Jason stalks a bunch of misbehaving teenagers who have accidentally trespassed on his territory. He kills them off one-by-one until only one or two characters remain, typically at least one is female. They are usually able to "kill" Jason, or at least incapacitate him, until the sequel. This is how most of his movies go, the only difference being an occasional change of scenery.

But of course, not all the Friday the 13th films go exactly like this. For example, the first one features Jason's mother Pamela as the killer. She, unlike her son, is very human with no supernatural strength or invincibility. The lone survivor decapitates the vengeful mother.

The next two sequels follow the typical plotline I described earlier. One female is left suffering from severe hysterics or dementia after her ordeal is over.

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter changes up the formula somewhat by establishing a connection with the next two sequels by featuring the only character to appear in more than one of the films in a relatively significant role, besides Jason himself. That character is Tommy Jarvis. This movie features Tommy as a 12-year-old boy who loves to make masks but whom we later find out is quite disturbed after he brutally murders the hockey mask killer.

The next part (A New Beginning) has Tommy in a half-way house after having been released from years of psychiatric therapy. After the murders mysteriously begin again, in usual Friday the 13th fashion, he and the other characters assume Jason has returned from the dead once again. But this story has a plot twist: the killer turns out to be a copycat. It was a psychotic paramedic who was seeking revenge over the death of his son at the same half-way house Tommy was staying in.
The follow-up film (Jason Lives) again features character Tommy Jarvis in his final appearance in the series. The only substance to this story was Jason was being brought back to life with lightning, giving him superhuman strength and invulnerability. But Tommy once again incapacitates the killer by chaining him to a rock at the bottom of the lake.

Its sequel (The New Blood) had a female character, Tina Shephard, with telekinetic abilities. The plot, except for this aspect, follows the same pattern as the others.
The next chapter (Jason Takes Manhattan) takes place primarily in Manhattan, NY. This, again, was the only difference in the story formula.

Its successor (Jason Goes to Hell) has perhaps the most plotline substance of any of its predecessors. Jason's body is destroyed early in the film, but the coroner eats his heart, putting the killer's soul inside his body. Throughout the film, Voorhees jumps from body to body attempting to be reborn via a blood relative. After he finally succeeds, his niece kills him "for good" by sticking a dagger in his heart.

The final film of the original series before the Freddy Krueger crossover puts Jason in space. It takes place in the distant future but, aside from that, everything is essentially the same.
As you probably realize by now, the Jason Voorhees film series provides little in terms of story substance but the character's mere popularity is what contributed to the length of the series.