The cinematography, the scene transitions, along with the music set the mood and tempo but most importantly the lighting was spectacular in this film. I thought singer and now actress Norah Jones was remarkable in this role playing Elizabeth. There are a number of camera shots used in this, that capture many things that are subtle like facial expression close-ups and minor body language gestures more so than many other films.
The film received a Golden Palm reward at Cannes film festival. After seeing this film, I will have to watch more films by director Kar Wai Wong. He has a unique kind of style and I really appreciated seeing something different for a change. Kar Wai Wong and Lawrence Block worked together on the screenplay for this. And the story was originated by Kar Wai Wong as well.
The storyline is about a younger woman named Elizabeth (Norah Jones) who does a bit of soul searching among mending her broken heart while trying to find love and understanding once again. The setting takes place in different locations including Las Vegas, New York and Memphis, Tennessee.
What was rather captivating about this was the flow of the film, I liked the speed of each scene and how everything falls into place by the ending to reach a nice resolution on things. There are lots of moments where you wondered where Elizabeth would go next, what was going through her mind after her end of a bitter romance and as she tries to get on her feet while waitressing at various locations. The absolute hypnotic atmosphere this film takes was very entrancing to see. I would certainly recommend this film to others, it was one of the better simple story – yet character driven films I’ve seen in a while.
I also enjoyed the casting and the others who were handpicked to play each part. This includes British actor Jude Law who really fit well into this role playing a character named Jeremy. David Strathairn delivers a riveting performance as Arnie Copeland a recovering alcoholic police officer and his wife who was played by British actress Rachel Weisz as Sue Lynne Copeland. Natalie Portman also appears in this towards the latter half of the film playing a character named Leslie, this was a different type of a role for her to play, but she pulled it off I thought.
There are more appearances in this by Chad R. Davis who plays Elizabeth’s Boyfriend, Katya Blumenberg playing the Girlfriend, John Malloy plays the Diner Manager, Demetrius Butler plays the Male Customer, Frankie Faison plays Travis, Adriane Lenox play Sandy, Benjamin Kanes plays Randy, Cat Power plays Katya, Michael Hartnett plays Sunglasses, and Michael May plays Aloha.
The film was considered a drama with some romance in it, and I thought it was that for the most part. Do yourself a favor and watch this sometime when you feel like escaping into a dreamy type of a world. It was well done and well performed.
No, this film isn’t about shoes. It’s about a special team that was put together to break into various places only then do they get paid. They try to break into security systems that were put in place to guard away prying eyes. The film was directed by Phil Alden Robinson who also helped write the screenplay along with Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes. I think you would fit this one in multiple categories as it has a little bit of everything in it.
They used the tagline “We could tell you what it’s about. But then, of course, we’d have to kill you”
The cast was an interesting combination of actors who were put together, yet all of them seemed to fit perfectly in each role. They all seem to lean on one another as a team, and the chemistry is there for certain. One of the cast members was taken before his time; the late River Phoenix played a character named Carl who adds a quirky sense of humor to the story along with some physical stunt work.
Hollywood icon Robert Redford heads up the cast as Bishop the commander of this crew of misfits. He is accompanied by another icon Sidney Poitier as Donald Crease. David Strathairn plays a standout character named Erwin ‘Whistler’ Emory who happens to be blind. Dan Aykroyd adds humor and wit as a character named “Mother”. Mary McDonnell is Liz who has had a past relationship with Bishop. More of the cast includes Jo Marr as College-Aged Cosmo, Bodhi Elfman as the Centurion S&L Night Guard, Denise Dowse is the Bank Teller, Hanyee is the Bank Secretary, Timothy Busfield is Dick Gordon, Eddie Jones is Buddy Wallace, Time Winters is the Homeless Man, and Jun Asai is the Piano Prodigy.
I think this film is a real gem and was quite entertaining. I will recommend it to those who like movies with variety in them. There are a number of creative scenes that were included to see. Can the team get away with the black box? Find out by watching this now.
This is a nice movie for a family to watch, especially if you enjoy fantasy films. The storyline goes like this: A mother and her two children move into a run-down older home – which is located near the forest. The children are not so happy with their new home, but try to adapt to their new surroundings. Soon enough, they discover they are not alone, but there are creatures living among them like faeries. These creatures can’t be seen by normal sight – until their new friend gives them the ability to start seeing what is really there.
The leading actor in this tale is young Freddie Highmore, who you might have seen in movies such as Finding Neverland (2004) alongside Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet. He also is the voice of Astro Boy the upcoming children’s film. His mother is played by actress Mary-Louise Parker, who fames from South Carolina. She is currently starring in the Showtime series “Weeds” and has an upcoming movie starring with Michael Douglas, Susan Sarandon and Danny DeVito called Solitary Man (2009).
There are more actors in this one like the talented Nick Nolte, who has starred in a number of films like: I’ll Do Anything (1994) and the 48 hours movies with Eddie Murphy. I must not forget to mention more talented cast in this one such as Andrew McCarthy, Joan Plowright, David Strathairn, Seth Rogen, and Martin Short. If those aren’t enough talented cast members, then the upcoming actress Sarah Bolger who plays the role of Mallory Jared / Simon’s older sister should impress you from this particular performance.
I recommend watching this movie; it was a real treat to see. The special effects were well done also. This movie was directed by Mark Waters, who directed movies like Mean Girls (2004) and the remake of Freaky Friday (2003).
