The Libertine - The story of the debauched life of John Wilmot, the Earl Of Rochester during the 17th century.
Didn't really enjoy this. Johnny Depp was unconvincing and it was rather annoying. At the end I thought 'so bloody what'.
Moonlight Mile - Joe Nast (Jake Gyllenhaal) is grieving over the death of his fiancee and trying to figure out what to do with his life next.
Decent film that deals with the awkwardness of death and the grieving process. Gyllenhaal and Hoffman turn in good performances but Ellen Pompeo is too annoying for words. She kinda spoiled it for me.
Dreamcatcher - Adaptation of a Stephen King novel. Four mates go on a camping trip where all hell breaks loose thanks to a pesky alien invasion.
As with most SK adaptations this was a bit lame. Not disasterous but not great. The casting was very good except for Damien Lewis as Jonesy. There must have been a thousand American actors able to do it so why choose him ? Good book though.
The Beat That My Heart Skipped - Should Tom carry on as a hired heavy for his shady father or pursue his dream of becoming a pianist.
A fine follow up to 'Read My Lips'. Romain Duris is excellent as protagonist, Tom. The fight between his 'good' and 'bad' sides is compelling to watch. The scenes between him and his piano teacher are both scary and touching. You want him to suceed but feel that he will never make it & sabotage himself some way.
Recommended.
Come And See - A young boy is thrust headlong into the horror of WW2 when the Nazis invade the Soviet Union.
There isn't a plot so much as a series of horrifying events which are all witnessed by the main character, Florya. At the end of the film he seems to have aged before our very eyes.
This is a brutal, depressing film which depicts humanity at it's very worst.
The Hunted - Benicio Del Toro plays a Special Forces soldier who has gone nuts after a stint in the Balkans and started killing civilians. Tommy Lee Jones must stop him.
There's an interesting story about Post Traumatic Stress to be explored here. Unfortunately this isn't the film to do it. Ludicrous and boring.
Jarhead - Jake Gyllenhaal goes mad with boredom in the desert.
Great cinematography, excellent cast and a great script. I liked the fact that the film wasn't about the rights and wrongs of war but was just about the soldier's experience. I think that's what pissed a lot of the critics off. I didn't totally buy Gyllenhaal going nuts but for the most part I enjoyed his performance.
Major Lincoln (Dennis Haysbert) reminded me of a guy named Captain America in a book called Generation Kill. Has anybody read it ? It's about Marines in the current Gulf War.
Factotum - Hank Chinaski walks through life doing menial jobs that allow him to concentrate on writing & getting drunk.
Matt Dillon is brilliant in this. He plays a pretty awful guy but still manages to make you like him. Someone give the man an Oscar.
My Mum hated this film and walked out after 15 minutes but I thought it was great. There was something about his attitude that endeared him to me. Whether this is a good thing or not remains to be seen.
Broadcast News - Holly Hunter plays the ace producer, Albert Brooks the talented reporter and William Hurt the new guy.
Despite this film being nearly 20 years old it had some very important things to say about the modern media and the obssession with appearence and soundbites instead of proper news reporting.
Lots of snappy dialogue and one liners make this film a treat, performed by a very talented cast.
In Her Shoes - Maggie (Cameron Diaz) screws up her sister's (Toni Collette) life and runs away to find her long-lost grandmonther.
I usually avoid chick flicks like the plague but this wasn't really a chick flick per se. The films feels pretty realistic and reminded me of how I feel about my own sisters. The best thing is that it doesn't descend into sappiness and cheesiness.
The two leads give good performances and are backed up by a strong supporting cast especially the residents of the retirement home.
Forza Milan
Champions of Europe 2007
This thread hasn't been the same without you.
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