Monday, October 2nd, 2006
|
|
12:19 am - World Trade Center (2006)
|
Directed by Oliver Stone
Written by Andrea Berloff
Cinematography by Seamus McGarvey
Edited by David Brenner, Julie Monroe
Running Time:
Main Cast:
Maria Bello .... Donna McLoughlin
Michael Pena .... Will Jimeno
Nicolas Cage .... John McLoughlin
Maggie Gyllenhaal .... Allison Jimeno
Michael Shannon .... Dave Karnes
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 7/10
|
|
(5 comments | comment on this)
|
|
Sunday, October 1st, 2006
|
|
11:46 pm - Children of Men (2006)
|
Directed by Alfonso Cuaron
Written by PD James, Alfonso Cuaron
Cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki
Edited by Alex Rodriguez
Running Time: 109mins
Main Cast:
Clive Owen .... Theodore Faron
Julianne Moore .... Julian Taylor
Michael Caine .... Jasper
Chiwetel Ejiofor .... Luke
Charlie Hunnam .... Patric
Claire-Hope Ashitey .... Kee
Pam Ferris .... Miriam
Danny Huston .... Nigel
Peter Mullan .... Syd
Imagining the reactions of the human race to its inevitable extinction as a result of a biological defect that ensures the demise is literally realised for a lifetime promotes visions of a particularly dystopian civilisation. Cuaron’s theatrical take on P.D. James’s novel catapults the viewer into exactly this world: the Britain of the future offering as little appeal as the world of the hopeless could be expected to. The sprawling concrete, the grubby, littered streets and the abused public transport are all pervasive signs of a society displaced, sitting only in contrast to the marginal improvements in technology that Children of Men presents while adding significant resonance to a graffiti artist’s sentiment that ‘The future’s a thing of the past’.
The year is 2027, and the human race is scarred with a 100% infertility rate. The youngest human, aged 18 years, has just died, and the world exists as a maelstrom of despondency and capitulation ruled by anarchists, as unprecedented feelings of meaninglessness infiltrate the collapsing species. Only Britain soldiers onwards, maintaining some regularity for its citizens and enforcing strict anti-immigration legislation for the mounting influx of refugees; yet this existence is a façade, an attempt by an increasingly totalitarian regime to control and manipulate the weary, who must daily face the inexorable truth. Miraculously, however, a woman has become pregnant and the survival of humankind depends on her safe delivery to a sanctuary at sea, known only as ‘The Human Project’. Recruited by his revolutionary ex-wife to aid in the safe transport of mother and foetus, Theo (Clive Owen), an ex-activist office worker becomes the reluctant hero as he is thrust into a mission fraught with jeopardy yet infused with sanguine expectations.
The concern with apocalyptic films such as Children of Men is that once the major premise has been mapped and the context has become apparent, the narrative can never be expected to conjure up any enthralling surprises. The aim becomes to present a story that merely serves to complicate inevitability since optimism is always forthcoming. Fortunately, Children of Men presses forward at an exuberant pace, operating in almost episodic fashion as our protagonist persists with a task that perpetually acts to reinitiate the romanticism that drove his activist self many years previous. It is this change in character that drives the film’s unshakeable message that even in times of global horror and bleak submission, when despair becomes a revealing characteristic of an ever fascistic society, a small token of possibility can spur on the affected and at least momentarily remind the pugnacious of more auspicious times.
Cuaron’s interpretation of a disillusionment of unparalleled quantity, complemented by captivating cinematography that showcases a series of cold, dark and portentous landscapes, is the backdrop for an entertaining thriller that stutters only slightly with a weak morality but presents adequate opportunity for individual contemplation. Faced with an existence that only has a conclusion the children of men become expendable and Children of Men is only too happy to oblige in presenting this harrowing circumstance.
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 7/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Friday, September 29th, 2006
|
|
9:00 pm - Ordinary People (1980)
|
Directed by Robert Redford
Written by Judith Guest, Alvin Sargent
Cinematography by John Bailey
Edited by Jeff Kanew
Running Time: 124mins
Main Cast:
Donald Sutherland .... Calvin Jarrett
Mary Tyler Moore .... Beth Jarrett
Judd Hirsch .... Dr. Tyrone C. Berger
Timothy Hutton .... Conrad Jarrett
M. Emmet Walsh .... Coach Salan
Elizabeth McGovern .... Jeannine Pratt
Dinah Manoff .... Karen
Synopsis:
The accidental death of the older son of an affluent family deeply strains the relationships among the bitter mother, the good-natured father, and the guilt-ridden younger son.
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 7/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
8:56 pm - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
|
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie
Edited by Jamie Selkirk
Running Time: 240mins
Main Cast:
Sean Astin .... Sam
Sean Bean .... Boromir
Cate Blanchett .... Galadriel
Orlando Bloom .... Legolas
Billy Boyd .... Pippin
Bernard Hill .... Theoden
Ian Holm .... Bilbo Baggins
Ian McKellen .... Gandalf the White
Dominic Monaghan .... Merry
Viggo Mortensen .... Aragorn
Paul Norell .... King of the Dead
Miranda Otto .... Eowyn
John Rhys-Davies .... Gimli
Andy Serkis .... Gollum
Liv Tyler .... Arwen
Karl Urban .... Eomer
Hugo Weaving .... Elrond
David Wenham .... Faramir
Elijah Wood .... Frodo
Brad Dourif .... Grima Wormtongue
Christopher Lee .... Saruman
Entertainment Value: 10/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 8/10
IMDB Vote: 10/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
8:52 pm - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
|
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie
Edited by Michael Horton, Jabez Olssen
Running Time: 214mins
Main Cast:
Sean Astin .... Sam
Cate Blanchett .... Galadriel
Orlando Bloom .... Legolas Greenleaf
Billy Boyd .... Peregrin 'Pippin' Took
Brad Dourif .... Grima Wormtongue
Bernard Hill .... Theoden
Christopher Lee .... Saruman
Ian McKellen .... Gandalf the White
Dominic Monaghan .... Merry
Viggo Mortensen .... Aragorn
Miranda Otto .... Eowyn
John Rhys-Davies .... Gimli/Voice of Treebeard
Andy Serkis .... Gollum
Liv Tyler .... Arwen
Karl Urban .... Eomer
Hugo Weaving .... Elrond
David Wenham .... Faramir
Elijah Wood .... Frodo Baggins
Sean Bean .... Boromir
Entertainment Value: 9/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 8/10
IMDB Vote: 9/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
8:49 pm - Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
|
Directed by Peter Jackson
Written by J.R.R. Tolkien, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson
Cinematography by Andrew Lesnie
Edited by John Gilbert
Running Time: 200mins
Main Cast:
Sean Astin .... Sam Gamgee
Sala Baker .... Sauron
Sean Bean .... Boromir
Cate Blanchett .... Galadriel
Orlando Bloom .... Legolas Greenleaf
Billy Boyd .... Peregrin 'Pippin' Took
Ian Holm .... Bilbo Baggins
Christopher Lee .... Saruman
Ian McKellen .... Gandalf the Grey
Dominic Monaghan .... Merry
Viggo Mortensen .... Aragorn
John Rhys-Davies .... Gimli
Andy Serkis .... Gollum
Liv Tyler .... Arwen
Hugo Weaving .... Elrond
Elijah Wood .... Frodo Baggins
Entertainment Value: 9/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 8/10
IMDB Vote: 9/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Tuesday, September 26th, 2006
|
|
11:01 pm - The Omen (2006)
|
Directed by John Moore
Written by David Seltzer
Cinematography by Jonathan Sela
Edited by Dan Zimmerman
Running Time: 110mins
Main Cast:
Liev Schreiber .... Robert Thorn
Julia Stiles .... Katherine Thorn
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick .... Damien
Amy Huck .... Nanny
David Thewlis .... Keith Jennings
Pete Postlethwaite .... Father Brennan
Mia Farrow .... Mrs. Baylock
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 6/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Monday, September 25th, 2006
|
|
11:12 pm - Slither (2006)
|
Directed by James Gunn
Written by James Gunn
Cinematography by Tyler Bates
Edited by Gregory Middleton
Running Time: 95mins
Main Cast:
Nathan Fillion .... Bill Pardy
Elizabeth Banks .... Starla Grant
Gregg Henry .... Jack MacReady
Michael Rooker .... Grant Grant
Tania Saulnier .... Kylie Strutemyer
Entertainment Value: 6/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 6/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Sunday, September 24th, 2006
|
|
7:17 pm - Dead Man's Shoes (2004)
|
Directed by Shane Meadows
Written by Paddy Considine, Paul Fraser, Shaun Meadows
Cinematography by Danny Cohen
Edited by Celia Haining, Lucas Roche, Chris Wyatt
Running Time: 90mins
Main Cast:
Paddy Considine .... Richard
Gary Stretch .... Sonny
Toby Kebbell .... Anthony
Synopsis:
A disaffected soldier returns to his hometown to get even with the thugs who brutalized his mentally-challenged brother years ago.
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 8/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
7:13 pm - The Night Listener (2006)
|
Directed by Patrick Stettner
Written by Armistead Maupin (Screenplay & Novel), Terry Anderson (Screenplay), Patrick Stettner (Screenplay)
Cinematography by Lisa Rinzler
Edited by Andy Keir
Running Time: 82mins
Main Cast:
Toni Collette .... Donna D. Logand
Robin Williams .... Gabriel Noone
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 5/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
7:06 pm - Metal: A Headbanger's Journey (2005)
|
Directed by Sam Dunn, Scot MacFadyen, Jessica Joy Wise
Written by Sam Dunn, Scot MacFadyen, Jessica Joy Wise
Cinematography by Brendan Steacy
Edited by Mike Munn
Running Time: 96mins
Main Cast:
Tom Araya .... Himself
Alice Cooper .... Himself
Bruce Dickinson .... Himself
Ronnie James Dio .... Himself
Tony Iommi .... Himself
Lemmy .... Himself
Rob Zombie .... Himself
Synopsis:
Documentary investigating the culture of heavy metal, in an attempt to discover why this genre of music has been consistently stereotyped, dismissed and condemned and yet is loved so passionately by its millions of fans.
Entertainment Value: 7/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 7/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Saturday, September 16th, 2006
|
|
4:38 pm - The Black Dahlia (2006)
|
Directed by Brian DePalma
Written by Josh Friedman, James Ellroy
Cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond
Edited by Bill Pankow
Running Time: 121mins
Main Cast:
Josh Hartnett .... Ofcr. Dwight "Bucky" Bleichert
Scarlett Johansson .... Kay Lake
Aaron Eckhart .... Sgt. Leland "Lee" Blanchard
Hilary Swank .... Madeleine Linscott
Mia Kirshner .... Elizabeth Short
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 7/10
IMDB Vote: 5/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
4:34 pm - 36 Quai Des Orfevres (2004)
|
Directed by Olivier Marchal
Written by Olivier Marchal, Frank Mancuso, Julien Rappeneau
Cinematography by Denis Rouden
Edited by Hugues Darmois
Running Time: 110mins
Main Cast:
Daniel Auteuil .... Léo Vrinks
Gérard Depardieu .... Denis Klein
André Dussollier .... Robert Mancini
Roschdy Zem .... Hugo Silien
Valeria Golino .... Camille Vrinks
Daniel Duval .... Eddy Valence
Francis Renaud .... Titi Brasseur
Catherine Marchal .... Ève Verhagen
Alain Figlarz .... Francis Horn
Entertainment Value: 8/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 8/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
4:31 pm - It Came From Outer Space (1953)
|
Directed by Jack Arnold
Written by Ray Bradbury, Harry Essex
Cinematography by Clifford Stine
Edited by Paul Weatherwax
Running Time: 81mins
Main Cast:
Richard Carlson .... John Putnam
Barbara Rush .... Ellen Fields
Charles Drake .... Sheriff Matt Warren
Joe Sawyer .... Frank Daylon
Russell Johnson .... George
Kathleen Hughes .... Jane
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 5/10
IMDB Vote: 5/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Thursday, September 14th, 2006
|
|
10:43 pm - The Sentinel (2006)
|
Directed by Clark Johnson
Written by George Nolfi, Gerald Petievich
Cinematography by Gabriel Beristain
Edited by Cindy Mollo
Running Time: 108mins
Main Cast:
Michael Douglas .... Pete Garrison
Kiefer Sutherland .... David Breckinridge
Eva Longoria .... Jill Marin
Kim Basinger .... 1st Lady Sarah Ballentine
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 5/10
IMDB Vote: 5/10
|
|
(2 comments | comment on this)
|
|
|
10:37 pm - Yeogo Goedam/ Whispering Corridors (1998)
|
Directed by Ki-Hyung Park
Written by Ki-Hyung Park, Jung-Ok In
Edited by Sung-Won Ham
Running Time: 105mins
Main Cast:
Kang-hie Choi .... Youn Jae-yi
Gyu-ri Kim .... Lim Ji-oh
Mi-yeon Lee .... Hur Eun-young
Jin-hie Park .... Park So-young
Ji-hye Yun .... Kim Jung-sook
Entertainment Value: 4/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 5/10
IMDB Vote: 4/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
Monday, September 4th, 2006
|
|
11:29 pm - Dead End (1937)
|
Directed by William Wyler
Written by Sidney Kingsley, Lillian Hellman
Cinematography by Gregg Toland
Edited by Daniel Mandell
Running Time: 93mins
Main Cast:
Sylvia Sidney .... Drina Gordon
Joel McCrea .... Dave Connell
Humphrey Bogart .... Hugh 'Baby Face'/'Marty' Martin
Wendy Barrie .... Kay Burton
Claire Trevor .... Francey
Allen Jenkins .... Hunk
Marjorie Main .... Mrs. Martin
Billy Halop .... Tommy Gordon
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 5/10
|
|
(3 comments | comment on this)
|
|
|
5:19 pm - Gattaca (1997)
|
Directed by Andrew Niccol
Written by Andrew Niccol
Cinematography by Slawomir Idziak
Edited by Lisa Zeno Churgin
Running Time: 101mins
Main Cast:
Ethan Hawke .... Vincent Freeman
Uma Thurman .... Irene Cassini
Jude Law .... Jerome Eugene Morrow
Entertainment Value: 5/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 6/10
IMDB Vote: 5/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
|
5:11 pm - The Wicker Man (2006)
|
Directed by Neil LaBute
Written by Neil LaBute, Anthony Shaffer
Cinematography by Paul Sarossy
Edited by Joel Plotch
Running Time: 97mins
Main Cast:
Nicolas Cage .... Edward Malus
Ellen Burstyn .... Sister Summersisle
Kate Beahan .... Sister Willow
Synopsis:
Police Officer Edward Malus pays a visit to a small, private island to investigate the disappearance of a young girl and becomes embroiled in the matriarchal communities sectarian activities, which he believes will culminate in the sacrificial burning of the child he has come in search of.
Entertainment Value: 3/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 5/10
IMDB Vote: 3/10
|
|
(1 comment | comment on this)
|
|
|
5:04 pm - An American Haunting (2005)
|
Directed by Courtney Solomon
Written by Courtney Solomon, Brent Monahan
Cinematography by Adrian Biddle
Edited by Richard Comeau
Running Time: 91mins
Main Cast:
Donald Sutherland .... John Bell
Sissy Spacek .... Lucy Bell
James D'Arcy .... Richard Powell
Rachel Hurd-Wood .... Betsy Bell
Entertainment Value: 3/10
Potential for film-making analysis: 5/10
IMDB Vote: 3/10
|
|
(comment on this)
|
|
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
nothing_inside's journal