gemini_dremz

I loved this film simply for the cast. Casey Affleck (who I always say never gets the credit he deserves) is perfect for the role of Robert Ford as is Sam Rockwell as his brother Charlie. The locations for filming (Canada I believe) were and the score is hauntingly beautiful beautiful. The only thing I didn't like about the film is the title. Personally, I don't think of Robert Ford as a coward when you look at all the things Jesse James had done; honoring the bad guy has always puzzled me. In any case, it's still intriguing and well worth the 160 minutes. It does have some sexual reference, but tastefully done and there isn't much in the way of cursing, but there is some graphic violence. I thought the narration (by Scottish actor Hugh Ross), throughout the film was a pleasant addition to the film as it explains a lot of what the viewer doesn't really see; the history of some of the characters and what they're thinking. This is still one of my favorite films and I recommend it if you like quality filming.

I have only been able to watch this film twice; it's extremely hard to get through the violence. It's not the type of violence you see in horror films, but the most realistic of human suffering. As a person of faith, it is difficult to imagine anyone going through Jesus' ordeal. I was really surprised that this was a Mel Gibson project (however I did really enjoy Apocalypto). Jim Caviezel's performance was superb; I loved his portrayal of Jesus. You cannot get through this film without a box of Kleenex; I never can and that's why I have only seen it twice. It's definitely not a film for children and I wouldn't allow them to watch it until a more appropriate age because of the disturbing content. However, I highly recommend this film even if you are not into religious films; I think the story is compelling in it's self.

This film has to be one of the most realistic stories of an American family trying so desperately to ignore it's blemishes, one being the ever so taboo subject of suicide. Poor Conrad struggles so hard to be "normal" after his release from a hospital after cutting his wrists in an attempt to commit suicide. He's a teenager dealing with the death of his brother, who happened to be his mother's favorite. What's so heartbreaking is the mother's (Mary Tyler Moore) obvious discontent for Conrad (played brilliantly by Timothy Hutton). It's like she blames him for his brother's death even though it was an accident. The father (Donald Sutherland) is the middleman. He's trying to please his wife and do right by Conrad. He seems to be oblivious to what's going on until his wife's treatment of his son can no longer be denied. It's at that time he becomes even more supportive of Conrad and less of his wife. As a parent it's difficult to imagine how anyone can treat a child in this manner; I absolutely despised her from the beginning. Conrad, no matter how he tries, just can't seem to do anything right and as a teenager (which is difficult in itself), has to live with his mother's hate, blame, his own guilt and shame not to mention not feeling loved by his mother. Conrad finds the help he needs through a therapist (Judd Hirsch). During his therapy, he is forced to face his demons which in the end helps him to move forward. It's a truly heartfelt film that reminds us that even the most perfect of families have problems. I think it's a film that should be shown in High Schools to show kids who are having the same feelings can get help. Sadly, depression is still swept under the rug.

First of all I loved Bale, Affleck and Harrelson, they were great! Bale is always a top notch actor and Affleck is so underrated (he needs more roles!) and Harrleson surprises me more and more! You can really feel the pain Russell Bane is going through. The accident, losing his girlfriend, the death of his father while he's serving time in prison then the death of his brother; the man goes through a lot. Casey Affleck's role as Rodney Bale is interesting because at first glance you think he's just a lazy punk trying to make a buck the easy way. For a brief moment, he reveals the pain he's been carrying since coming home from the war; which explains why he's such a good fighter with all that pent up anger. Woody makes a great bad guy; he was a good choice to play Degroat. The scene where he's mistreating the girl in the car then beating a man to nearly to death is an immediate eye opener as to what to expect from this character. The story is a little slow, but it's not an action film so don't expect that. At times it drags a bit, but it's meant to; that's how life is for the average person. These guys are just average blue collar guys experiencing one tragedy after another; specifically Bale's character. I enjoyed it and I would recommend this film. You have to accept it for what it is and not watch with expectations. It's a well made movie with a wonderful cast and filming.

I have spoken to so many people about this film and ironically not a single one of them has ever heard of it; this is shocking! I love the way Nicholas Cage pulls off playing twin brothers; he was really fantastic as Donald and Charlie. In real life, Charlie Kauffman is a real writer and director, whereas Donald is a fictional character. The twins are geeky, I'd say odd really, but Donald seems to have it more together regarding, women and his work (they're both screenplay writers). In any case, you can't' help but feel sorry for Charlie who seems to be lacking in all the areas his twin succeeds in. He's trying so desperately to catch up. Of course Meryl Streep was on her game! Her character, Susan Orlean is very intriguing as she lives two separate lives. She has a husband and is an author, but during her research for her book, The Orchid Thief, she falls in a life of drugs and sex with John Laroche, played by Chris Cooper. Laroche is helping Susan with information on the orchid; he even takes her out into the everglades of Florida to find it. Charlie Kauffman is trying to write the screenplay of Susan's book and in doing so, but he gets writer's block. He wants to meet with Susan to discuss the book, but for some unknown reason, maybe self esteem issues and depression keeps him from seeing her. Donald goes in Charlie's place but feels that she isn't being honest during the interview and reports that back to Charlie. At that point they both follow her down to Florida where she meets up with John. Susan and John have sex and use the drug made from the Ghost Orchid. In the meantime, Charlie is watching through the window when John sees him. Laroche drags him into the house and they question what he was doing, then Susan recognizes him from the interview (who was actually Donald, but she's unaware there's a twin). She freaks out and says they have to kill him or he'll expose her. They take Charlie by gunpoint into the swamp; Donald was hiding on the floor in the back of the car. The twins manage to escape and spend the night in the swamp. When they awake the next morning they start heading toward the road when they are spotted; John shoots Donald by accident. Donald and Charlie make it to the road and drive off only to hit another vehicle throwing Donald out the windshield; he dies. Charlie takes off running in the swamp again and is once again spotted, but before John can shoot him, an alligator grabs him. Susan is desperate, holding John and crying, basically blaming all of it on Charlie. They both make it out of the swamp and Charlie calls his mother, Susan is arrested, Charlie confesses he's still in love to his ex girlfriend and finally finishes the script. It's an interesting film to say the least. Though the film was nominated in four categories, they didn't win (of course they were up against Roman Polanski's "Pianitst' amongst all the other top movies that year.) However, Golden Globes were won by both Streep and Cooper (also the Academy Award) for their supporting rolls and Kauffman won for best adapted screenplay at the British Academy Awards; Cage was nominated for several awards. t recommend seeing this with an open mind; I lent this to someone and they didn't' get it I suppose they weren't paying attention.

Yes, I'm an Ethan Hawke fan so of course I'm going to love his movies, but I have to say, this was one creepy film. The only thing annoying about it is that a good bit of the film is in one room; where Ellison writes his true crime novels. It's not an extraordinary storyline, but I found the reels of film Ellison discovers in the attic disturbing. I'm glad they didn't get too graphic with the murder scenes although the family hanging in the tree was horrifying. Of course we do see how each of the crimes were committed which is creepy enough in itself. I thought it was interesting that whenever he was making noise in the house, like when he fell from the attic, no one else in the house heard any of the noise. In any case, we never find out who the creepy guy is, but we do know the children are possessed and are sadly killing their own families. There wasn't much of a storyline on the rest of the roles as they were only a fraction of what the story is about anyway; at least until the end. I liked it, but cannot watch it alone! The music is just as eerie as the film itself.

I love this film if only for the actors! Willem Dafoe has always been one of my favorites and his portrayal of T.S. Eliot is wonderful, but Miranda Richardson's role as Vivienne Haigh-Wood Eliot is phenomenal. At first you have sympathy for Eliot because you think he's married to a nut case though we're never really told what's wrong with Vivienne other than "women's problems". However, as the movie moves on and you listen to the occasional narration of Vivienne's brother Maurice, you turn your sympathy towards Vivienne. Remembering Tom Eliot is an American, it's tedious watching him turn into the perfect Englishman as he'd always wanted. I do love the period costumes, cars and decor; very beautiful scenery as well. It's a rather sad story of secrets, denial and betrayal and in the end you feel left unsatisfied because once Vivienne is committed, she never gets out. One must wonder if she didn't choose to stay by her own accord even after being seen by an American Dr. who questions her long stay at the asylum. Tom has apparently moved on and must not have had regrets because Vivienne tells her brother that "I haven't' heard from Tom in ten years". It is at this point Maurice realizes what a terrible mistake he's made and is deeply ashamed of his decision to go along with Tom in having his own sister committed; a woman who was obviously very intelligent. Vivienne is quite an interesting character that leaves you wondering what she'll do next whereas Tom is most predictable. I do recommend this film.

This biography of the relationship between poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes is beautifully played out in this film. If anyone knows anything about either of them, they would certainly be able to see the uncanny reality of the actors portraying them. I thought Gwyneth Paltrow portrayed the depressed Plath in the truest form. I found the part of Ted Hughes, played superbly by Daniel Craig, rather fascinating. Being a ladies man, he was never faithful, not even to his lover, Assia Gutmann who also committed suicide by gas oven, taking the life of her four year old daughter in the process. Though we do not see Assia and Ted's relationship fall apart, we do see how it developed. The movie is entirely about the tumultuous relationship between Hughes and Plath and how her insecurities, which are made to appear psychotic, are actually true. Her sense of Ted's cheating comes to fruition and it kills her, literally. If you like biographical films, this one is a winner. On another note, the son of Sylvia and Ted also committed suicide March 3, 2009. It seems Mr. Hughes, had survived the tragedies surrounding him until his own death by cancer in 1998.

For one thing it was very slow getting to the good parts. You get the story of the relationship between the friends/lovers, but you never quite get why this alien is there. Even in the end, all you see the is spaceship leaving. Watching these people fight this alien was in some ways quite comical though there were some pretty gory scenes, but nothing we haven't seen before. It seemed low budget as it was all shot in a very dark building. The lights flicker off and on and the creature was pretty cool looking, but that's about the best of it. I loved the accents, but didn't really care for this movie and wouldn't recommend it.

Revolutionary Road depicts the story of a 1950's married couple who, by all appearances are the ideal couple. However there are underlying problems in the relationship. Intriguing are the routine lives they all lived, in a Stepford Wives sort of way; like when Frank Wheeler's waiting for the train with what looks like 100's of his clones. His wife April is the typical 50's housewife. She reminisces of the time she and Frank met and how much she loved him and how she wanted that back. At this point things are so routine she desires a change or to feel alive again. Frank sleeps with a secretary in an attempt to also feel alive. April tries to liven things up by suggesting that they move to France; Frank once told her how people are more lively there. She talks about working and while Frank studies. They tell their friends about their plans, but they don't understand why they would want to move. Oddly enough the only one who is supportive, is John Givings (son of Helen, the Realtor who sold the Wheeler's their home), who was released from a mental hospital. While packing, April tells Frank she's ten weeks pregnant and that she has two more weeks to take care of it. Shortly thereafter he sees an apparatus used for abortions in their bathroom closet and confronts her about it. She advises him it's the best thing they could do with the trip nearing and for saving money, but he's against it. Frank is then offered a promotion but turns it down then later accepts it causing things to unravel. April realizes she is stuck in this fast track to nowhere and ends up sleeping with the neighbor Shep Campbell. Her and Frank fight and she tells him she hates him, he confesses about the other woman, but April is numb she doesn't care; she doesn't confess about Shep. Frank cannot believe his wife isn't happy with all they have and say the whole France thing was a childish idea to begin with. The argument escalates and he tells her he wishes she had gotten an abortion. She's devastated and runs into the woods with Frank following, but she wants to be alone to think. He drinks himself to sleep and when he awakens, she's cooking breakfast, looking as lovely as ever and being very pleasant, Frank is taken back by this, but is very pleased. She asks about his work and he smiles. You can see by his expression that he's so happy that she's interested in his work and illustrates, on a napkin, how a this particular piece of equipment works. When she says she's not sure she sees what he means, he looks disappointed, but perks back up when she says she does in fact see. She boosts his ego even more by telling him he should keep doing what he's doing because he's "obviously good at it". Before he leaves, he tells her how pleasant their breakfast was and asks if she hates him; she tells him no and assures him she still loves him. As he walks toward his car, she stands, loyally, on the doorstep watching him; he turns, smiles and waves. She waves back and watches him leave. Upon returning to clean the dishes, she bursts into tears. It's as if she knows she can no longer pretend to be someone she is not and continue this charade. She calls a friend and asks if they could bring the children back in the evening. Then April goes upstairs and pulls the abortion apparatus out of her vanity drawer. She removes her shoes and skit and closes the bathroom door. We then see her descend the stairs, barefooted, take each step carefully. She walks to the living room window and stares out at the sunny day as if things seem clearer to her; then you see the blood dripping on the carpet. The camera widens and you see her blood stained skirt and then hear her on the phone asking for help. The next scene we see Shep show up at the hospital and Frank is already there; he is crying and distressed. He tells Shep what the Dr.'s have told him and then says "she did this to herself"; meaning she hurt herself. Shep goes to get coffee but just cries to himself before returning with the coffee, but when he does, Frank is coming out of the OR with a look of shock; April died. Of course everyone on Revolutionary Road goes on with life as usual. The Wheeler's are mentioned from time to time, but no one really wants to talk about them. Ironically, Frank moved to the city with his children and found another job. When April was alive he wasn't going to leave and tried to convince her that their life was wonderful, but after the tragedy, that all changed and he ended up leaving anyway. This made me think of all the couples who were and probably still live this way. As dismal as this film is, it really makes you think about one's own life and whether it's truly fulfilling or just an emotionless routine. I highly recommend it as it flows nicely without boredom and the setting really takes you back in time. I especially loved the clothing; it was a time when men and women took pride in their appearance and always looked their best. There's just a few cuss words, but that's it, even the sex scenes are done tastefully. The acting was phenomenal; particularly Kate Winslet's. I loved Michael Shannon's role as John, Leonardo DiCaprio's role wasn't as intriguing, but that doesn't take away from his performance; he's great in all he does.

I finally got the opportunity to see this film and I was really taken in. The actors are all perfect for their roles and the storyline, though a fiction, could very well be real. The story of kids who start out with a gag that turns deadly. It shows the innocence of middle and high schoolers who want to be tough and fit in, yet in the end show their true humanity. I like the way the director lets the viewer inside the mind of a bully and his desire to be liked, even by his victims. Then we see how mean he really is and your empathy for him disappears, almost applauding his demise. Of course no one wants to see a kid die, but everyone wants justice. Even though his death was a accident, the rest of the group grapple with doing the right thing and finally come to the decision, after being convinced by their leader, that burying him and hiding the secret is what's best for all. However, the others decide that it's best to tell and they do while the leader of the group runs and inevitably turns to crime as we see when he robs a convenient store. It's not fast paced, high energy or violent. Instead it has a steady pace throughout and though there is some graphic language a scene of nudity and sexual suggestions, it's pretty clean. The only problem I saw with the film is when the youngest boy takes the police to where the body is buried and they bring the mother along. I've never known any family member being taken to the scene of the crime/burial site. Other than that, I enjoyed the film and recommend it.

Well I only watched it because my husband likes those Jackass shows/movies; personally I think they're ridiculous. In any case, the trailer's show the funny parts; there are a few more. However, parts of it reminded me of Bad Santa and Little Miss Sunshine combined; really nothing original. Some of the so called funny parts were actually quite disgusting. Even though we know this man didn't really splatter fecal matter on the restaurant wall, it was just so gross; I can see how teenage boys would find this funny.

It's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. It's definitely not "clean" humor (by far), there's nothing artistic about it and parts of it are slow.

The only two good things were Johnny Knoxville's imitation of an old man; ridiculously good makeup job and acting (goofiness is more like it). The other is Jackson Nicoll. Any nine year old boy who dresses up like a little girl for a beauty pageant and dances like that is talented. The kid was funnier than the grandpa in my opinion. Again a knock off of the kid in Bad Santa.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film because it got a lot of mixed reviews from people I know, so I was a little apprehensive about seeing it. On that note, I'm glad I did and I would definitely recommend it.

All the characters are entwined and the story comes full circle which I liked. Personally, I liked the actors chosen for the parts they played. Bradley Cooper always seems like the sweet, honest do-gooder and Ray Liotta, well he's a great bad guy. I loved Ryan Gosling as Luke, I don't think anyone else would've done that role justice. Dane DeHaan was most impressive as Jason.

When you watch this, you find yourself cheering for Luke and wanting Avery Cross to be punished, but by the end of the film, you feel compassion for Avery especially when Jason finds the photo of his family in Avery's wallet.

In the end when you see Jason ride off in his newly purchased bike, knowing he is trying to be like his father, you know the story has come full circle.

I found it to be a compelling story of tragedy, morality, denial, greed and desperation.

Living in Virginia I'm familiar with the Franklin area and I was actually surprised to hear of this film as it's not a well-known town such as Richmond or Norfolk, in the Commonwealth. I have seen it twice and Iove it! I think this movie should've gotten higher ratings if just for the cast alone. The acting was excellent! I'm a huge fan of Guy Pierce, but I absolutely hated his character; he was obsessed with the brothers and was a mean SOB if I can say that.

Even though there the movie had a rape segment, I'm glad they didn't show it; I don't think anyone really wants to see that anyway. The murder scenes were done tastefully for this type of movie. For instance, they never showed Howard and Forrest cutting out the tongue of one of their enemies, but you knew what was going on by all the blood in the room, them holding knives and Howard handing the blood stained bag to his younger brother.

I thought the story was compelling. We've all heard about bootlegger's and gangster's and that's not a new concept, but it wasn't just about violence in the South, it was about a family who did what they had to do to survive; it was all they knew how to do. It's about a town standing up for one another during tough times.

It's not highly action packed, but if you like period pieces, you would enjoy this. I recommend it.

This is one of the most moving stories I've seen in quite some time. This film demonstrates the innocence of people at a time when monstrosities were being committed against other human beings. Beginning with the Commandant's wife and children.

Elsa (Vera Farmiga) doesn't fully understand her husband's position in the Nazi party. It isn't until they move to their new home at the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. It is at their new home when she realizes what is going on; the stench of the burning bodies and when Lt. Kotler, confirms her suspicions by saying "They smell worse when they burn, don't they?". She becomes very upset. As time goes on she wants to take the children and leave.

Meanwhile, Bruno, their only son meets Shmuel, a Jewish child prisoner. Bruno cannot understand the position Schmuel is in, he only knows he made a new friend with a funny name and wearing pajamas unaware his own father is in charge of Schmuel's fate.

Bruno: "Why do you wear pajamas all day?" Shmuel: "The soldiers. They took all our clothes away." Bruno: "My dads a soldier, but not the sort that takes peoples clothes away."

Little by little Bruno begins to wonder what his father's intentions as a soldier really are. His sister encourages him to be more anti-Semitic with her propaganda as does their tutor who tries to convince the confused and questioning Bruno Jews are not good.

Bruno: "There is such thing as a nice Jew, though, isn't there?" Herr Liszt: "I think, Bruno, if you ever found a nice Jew, you would be the best explorer in the world."

He witnesses the attack of Pavel who is the Butler of the house that had been placed there because he is Jewish. He helped Bruno patch up his knee once he fell from the swing and was kind to Bruno. Pavel died from the beating even though his mother begged his father to stop it; he did not. He finds his basement is full of dolls (taken from Jewish girls) and is prohibited from going outside the house gates (restricted perimeter). These things make him wonder about his father's work.

I don't want to go through every detail of the movie, so I'll just say the ending was heartbreaking to watch. Two innocent children who'd made friends and yet lived completely different lives die together. Schmeul's death was inevitable and Bruno's was sort of Karma for his father's bad behavior. Very sad story, but I highly recommend it.

You either love it or hate it, there's no in between. The first time I watched it, I was alone, the second time was with my husband. I really wanted to see what he got out of the ending as everyone seems to have an opinion about it, but no one really knows.

I really liked George (Rupert Evans); whom the movie mostly focused on. He seemed like the nicest of the group always the peacemaker amongst his co-workers/band mates. He always said "You're welcome" to the inmates when serving them and obviously loved his girlfriend.

Some parts were a bit graphic and hard to watch (that's just me; I don't like people chewing their own fingers off). However concept of the story, though not that original, was still inviting. I mean just imagine being in a situation like that....what would you do?

The scenery was what you'd expect....it's an asylum. The soundtrack suited the film and the actors were perfect for their characters. Rupert Evans did a great job and he looked good too!

You can't help feeling sorry for George. For one thing, he's just a cook, not someone trained to handle the criminally insane. Though he and his friends did what they could, they just weren't prepared for what took place and was defeated in more ways than one. Yes he tried to escape, yes his life was spared and yes, he was saved, but he was defeated mentally.

I have tried to figure out the ending like everyone else and like them, have no real answer. Personally, I just think the entire experience made him crazy. His girlfriend visits him and says "What happened to you was an accident, it could've happened to anyone; it's not your fault". This makes me think he was not in fact crazy all along as some have suggested.

The bottom line is this, if you want to see something creepy and a little gory at times, this is the movie to watch. It's not as popular as some other horror movies we've grown to love or hate, but it's worth viewing. It's a little out there to say the least and I recommend it.

I saw this film today and it brought me back to my own childhood. I would've been 7 yrs. old in 1971 and I have to say I was impressed with everything the film offered to make it feel like it was the 70's; from the clothing, hair styles, paranormal equipment, cars, house decor even down to the coffee cups, I remember all of those things just as they were.

Now about the film itself, the acting was phenomenal, especially Lili Taylor's role; that had to be tough, but she pulled it off just as she did in The Addiction in 1995 (if you've not seen it, please do, it also cast Edie Falco and Michael Imperioli). Vera's always great to watch and I was happy to see Ron Livingston as Roger Perron (I always think of him in Office Space). The entire cast was so believable.

One would think "here's another movie about demonic possession", but it's really not. In fact, it's quite frightening when you think of the possibilities. Yes, it's based on a true story and as with all films based on true stories, it's got the Hollywood touch. The FX were amazingly real; shockingly real. I like that for once there was a horror movie without sex, nudity, foul language and lots of gore, in fact, the only other horror film I believe to have been made without all that was The Omen with Gregory Peck (another favorite of mine).

There were parts that really scared me, but the entire story is just creepy and I think that's what makes it so scary, not gore, but the premise itself. I would highly recommend this film even if you're not a fan of horror films. I think it's one I'll have to add to my DVD collection in the near future!!!!

I found this film frustrating. Though I thought the concept was intriguing, what I found disappointing is how the characters were made to look ridiculously stupid. I understand how absurd a story like this would be if you heard it and why the sister is not a credible witness. However, all the clues were there and the police still couldn't figure it out? The sister told them what she saw, she even did research on missing people in the area and her sister still refused to believe it. Another problem is that Daniel and another victims' son refuse to say a word about what's happening. Why would they not tell?! The bottom line is, the viewer is left hanging never knowing what really happened to the victims or what was taking them.

I gave this movie a 10 because it's probably one of the most realistic films I've seen in some time. Honestly, if you like real life stories, you'll find this intriguing and intense. A friend told me about it and said "you've got to see this", he won't go in the water either for the very reason this film was made. I was so nervous the entire movie. The acting and scenery were realistic and the shark footage was perfect with the sequence of events. Editing a film like this to make it as real as possible is difficult, but they created a horrifying film which is much more frightening than Jaws and Open Water. I loved that it was filmed in Australia and the actors were actual Aussies! I'm always weary when movies say "Based on a true story", but this is as real as it gets. I have read the actual version of what happened and it's scary but when you see it depicted in The Reef, you'll never go in the water again. I was truly horrified at the events. I won't say much more because I don't like giving spoiler's, but if you haven't seen it, you absolutely must!!!!