After seeing this film, we didn’t think it was as good as it could have been. And thought “Love” was missing throughout the entire film. It did however seem to showcase these people’s different stories in this rather large and unpredictable city. How accurate this paints a picture of the Big Apple (New York) is unclear. There are so many different ethnicities throughout the city it creates some interesting views on the culture there. The city has its moments of shining with the use of the clever cinematography, which was used and captivates New York City in a rather cinematically type of a way.
This film is a myriad of different stories collected together by different directors bringing their stories to this famous and quite well known city. These directors include: Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Allen Hughes, Shunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Brett Ratner, Randall Balsmeyer (director of the transitions) Shekhar Kapur (segment “Hotel Suite”) and actress Natalie Portman (segment “Natalie Portman”).
There were a number of writers involved in this production as well such as Emmanuel Benbihy, Tristan Carné, Hall Powell, Israel Horovitz, James C. Strouse, Shunji Iwai, Israel Horovitz, Hu Hong, Yao Meng, Israel Horovitz, Scarlett Johansson, Joshua Marston, Alexandra Cassavetes, Stephen Winter, Jeff Nathanson, Anthony Minghella, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Olivier Lécot, and Suketu Mehta.
The film has an independent feel about it and was artsy, there were a number of actors on board you might recognize at least a few of the cast who were involved in these productions. I’m not sure which one of these segments I liked the best, but the oddest of them all was the segment “Shekhar Kapur” which starred Shia LaBeouf as Jacob and Julie Christie as Isabelle with John Hurt also appearing as the Waiter.
More well-known actors appear in this such as: Bradley Cooper playing Gus in the segment “Allen Hughes” along with Drea de Matteo who plays Lydia. Natalie Portman appears in the segment “Mira Nair”. Orlando Bloom plays David and Christina Ricci plays Camille in segment “Shunji Iwai”. Hayden Christensen plays Ben, Andy Garcia plays Garry and Rachel Bilson plays Molly in segment “Jiang Wen”. Ethan Hawke plays the Writer and Maggie Q plays the Call Girl in “Yvan Attal”. Anton Yelchin plays the Boy in the Park in segment “Brett Ratner” along with Olivia Thirlby and Blake Lively who plays the Girlfriend of the Boy and James Caan who plays Mr. Riccoli.
Robin Wright plays Anna in segment “Yvan Attal” as Robin Wright Penn along with Chris Cooper playing Alex. Eva Amurri plays Sarah and Justin Bartha plays Sarah’s Boyfriend in “Transitions” together. Ugur Yücel plays the Painter and Qi Shu plays the Chinese herbalist in segment “Fatih Akin”. And I thought the most noteworthy segment was Eli Wallach playing Abe in segment “Joshua Marston” along with Cloris Leachman as Mitzie they were hilarious together as an old married couple.
If you thought this film was interesting, you may enjoy the film Love Actually (2003) which has more romance and a far more underlining love theme using different connections than this film does. However, this film was entertaining enough to watch. I wanted to mention that this is an anthology film, which some people might not find interesting or want to follow numerous separate stories thrown together into one big melting pot of a film.
I thought this might be an unexpected surprise, and it certainly was that. I’m still not sure what to make out of this film. It had elements of daily small town life wrapped up inside of it, from a wandering traveler’s point of view. It was an adaptation from a book by Branimir Scepanovic apparently, and there was a 1982 Yugoslavian/Czechoslovakian co-production titled Smrt gospodina Goluze (Death of Mr. Goluza) which was previously made. The stories are slightly different, but are pretty much the same overall. Alan Wade directed Julian Po and also wrote the screenplay for it.
I thought the casting was simply brilliant, and they picked people who were very believable in these roles. It seemed like a very small town out in the middle of nowhere for the setting backdrop of the story. Christian Slater grabs the lead role in this as the character Julian Po; I thought this was one of his best performances since some of his earlier work. His character wanders into this small town after his car breaks down, little does he realize what a bunch of quirky weirdo characters he would stumble into. He has his own issues, but these people were truly strange. There are some small town stereotypical type characters that emerge, and they capture your attention as well. But, Slater delivers in this one with each of his scenes.
The people befriend him in their own odd ways, some of these are acceptable and in other ways not so much. This story is for the most part a fable about life and death, relationships and finding some type of happiness for even just a brief moment in time. The film does move at a pretty good pace, as you try to figure out what in the world is going on. The initial setup is there, but by the end you start to wonder what is going to play out next.
Robin Tunney plays Sarah, Michael Parks plays Vern, Cherry Jones plays Lucy, Frankie Faison plays Sheriff Leon, Harve Presnell plays Mayor Henry Leech, Allison Janney plays Lilah Leech, LaTanya Richardson plays Darlene, Dina Waters plays Dee, Bruce Bohne plays Pastor Bean, Roy Cooper plays Tobias the Barber, Zeljko Ivanek plays Tom Potter, Ellen McElduff plays Reva, Io Tillett Wright plays Walter and Jeremy Jordan plays Bobby.
Julian Po has an epiphany after his car breaks down; from then on you enter this strange story. I highly recommend watching this one; it was quite different as well as entertaining. It was categorized as a Comedy and Drama.
I was thinking about a good family film that was entertaining and fun to watch. This one I think was a standout. The cast includes a number of talent individuals who bring something to this story. There are loads of setup gags, and some action sequences thrown into the mix. Joe Johnston brings his flair for theatrics in his own special way. He has previously done other films such as Jurassic Park III (2001), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), and his upcoming film The Wolfman (2010). The writing credits go to Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain for the screenplay. The film was based upon the book by Chris Van Allsburg.
I watched this film in the theatre by myself when it was released, it was a fun experience. I remember children in the theatre laughing at some of the scenes, and one kid in particular had a funny laugh which added something as well. The story is about a board game, which has magical powers to bring forth things to reality such as monkeys, rhinos, spiders and more. Imagine a jungle appearing inside your town and all the havoc it would bring. This is what happens to the cast as they are forced to finish playing the game and try to win it.
The story follows a young Alan Parrish played by Adam Hann-Byrd he is a boy who discovers a unique board game; he decides he wants to try it out along with a friend of his named Sarah played by Laura Bell Bundy who lives nearby. Little do they know what would happen as they continued playing? Alan is hoisted away into the Jumanji jungles as his friend Sarah gasps in horror.
Fast forward time to modern day, as Nora Shepherd played by Bebe Neuwirth moves into her new home formerly owned by the Parrish family along with her nephew Peter Shepherd played by Bradley Pierce and her niece played Kirsten Dunst as Judy Shepherd. Alan Parrish returns after the children (Peter and Judy) decide to play the same board game again and the younger Alan returns as a grown man after his time away living in the jungle. He is played by Robin Williams who did a terrific job with the part; Bonnie Hunt plays the older Sarah who is now much older as well. I think she was a standout in this film as well.
More of the cast includes Jonathan Hyde playing both Van Pelt and Sam Parrish; you might recognize him from other films such as The Mummy (1999) or Titanic (1997). David Alan Grier plays Bentley, Patricia Clarkson is Carol Parrish, James Handy is the Exterminator, Gillian Barber is Mrs. Thomas, Brandon Obray is Benjamin, Cyrus Thiedeke is Caleb, and Gary Joseph Thorup is Billy Jessup.
Jumanji received attention from a few different awards; the film won a Saturn Award for Best Special Effects by Stan Parks, and Best Supporting Actress by Bonnie Hunt. There were a few nominations as well including: Best Actor Robin Williams, Best Director Joe Johnston, Best Fantasy Film, and Best Performance by a Younger Actor by Kirsten Dunst and Bradley Pierce who were both nominated for.
I think you will find this to be a delightful film, and it certainly holds up as a good one to watch even now as something you can enjoy together with friends and family. I highly recommend seeing this one.
My wife and I just finished watching this and thought it was a good film overall. It really dives into cooking author and television personality Julia Child peering into how she became famous, and how she ended up influencing the cooking world. It also follows Julie Powell a blogger who follows her every move while working a steady job using Julia’s philosophies on life interweaving them into her own. We see a similarity between the two women as the movie progresses. While Julia has a zest for life, Julie is desperately trying to seek it and tries to find herself along the way and her sense of purpose.
This film was directed by Nora Ephron she also wrote the screenplay. Nora’s previous work includes such hits as Sleepless in Seattle (1993), When Harry Met Sally (1989), and You’ve Got Mail (1998). If you enjoyed any of those films, you will more than likely enjoy this. If I had a negative comment about this film, it would be the length of it. I wish some things were summarized more yet still kept the continuity of the storyline and overall plot. However, I think it is certainly worthwhile to see. And for those aspiring cooks or want to be cooks, you will walk away ready to whip something up in the kitchen after having seen this.
* A lot of the film was based upon the book by Julia Child and Alex Prud’homme titled “My Life in France”.
It is easy to see why Meryl Streep has continuously worked in Hollywood for so many years; she completely nailed the part of Julia Child and won a BSFC Award. I was impressed with her voice and her mannerisms which she got down to a tee. Amy Adams delivers a most stellar performance as well playing Julie Powell and really getting into the part and brought something of her own to the role.
The two men playing the counterparts to these women are Stanley Tucci who delivers a most excellent performance as Paul Child the husband of Julia. Chris Messina also steps into the role of Eric Powell (Julie’s husband) and brings a nice performance as well. I thought the casting was quite fitting and the actors really seemed to pull off a nice touch with this one. More of the cast includes: Linda Emond as Simone Beck, Helen Carey as Louisette Bertholle, Mary Lynn Rajskub as Sarah, Jane Lynch as Dorothy McWilliams (sister of Julia), Joan Juliet Buck as Madame Brassart, Crystal Noelle as Ernestine, George Bartenieff as Chef Max Bugnard, Vanessa Ferlito as Cassie, Casey Wilson as Regina, Jillian Bach as Annabelle, and Andrew Garman as John O’Brien.
If you have a couple hours of spare time, I’d recommend seeing this one.
“Passion. Ambition. Butter. Do You Have What It Takes?”
Some movies you remember for their creativity, and this one was this type of a movie. Imagine a world without power? We are all so dependent on having it, that when we lose it, all hell can break loose. The tagline for this one was: “When Nothing Works, Anything Goes” I thought this one was good enough to rent or find for cheap to buy. It makes you think about how things can change dramatically for your family and friends, in an over the top situation directed by David Koepp. This was written by James Burke and David Koepp also co-wrote the screenplay.
The cast includes an underrated array of characters played by Kyle MacLachlan as Matthew, Elisabeth Shue as Annie Kay and Dermot Mulroney as Joe. They are all close friends and decide to stick together to overcome the extreme environment which they now have to deal with. They have no choice in the matter and their lives are in constant threat. Each day for them is another victory in this strangely entertaining tale.
I think some critics didn’t like this film, and thought there was something missing. Perhaps it was the choice of actors and the director’s vision. Who knows? I still think it was worthy of a watch regardless of what others thought. More often than not the so-called critics compare any older release to something fresh out in the theatres. The choices for watchable movies seem to dwindle each year. I’ve been disappointed recently in some of the upcoming releases.
There are more first name only appearances in this feature which include: Rick Worthy as Johnny, Richard T. Jones as Raymond, Bill Smitrovich, Steph, Michael Rooker as Gary, Tori Kristiansen as Sarah, and Tyra Kristiansen as Sarah. (Yes the younger girl Sarah was played by a set of twins on set) This was the girl’s only appearance known on screen.
Overall, I think you will find this one to be entertaining enough to check out. The actors seemed to make the most out of what they had to work with. It would be considered a B list or even C list movie to some. But, I thought it was worthwhile for sure. Check this one out if you want to see something with a different kind of premise.
The story is basically about revenge, and the lead character coming back through the spirit of a crow giving him the powers to destroy those who wronged him in another life. This film was directed by Alex Proyas and was based upon the comic book series written by James O’Barr. David J. Schow and John Shirley both wrote the screenplay. The late leading actor in this was Bruce Lee’s very own son Brandon Lee, who tragically died while filming on March 31, 1993 at EUE Screen Gems Studios in Wilmington, North Carolina. Apparently, a faulty charge on a prop gun went off, it had a live round in the chamber which was unknown to the crew. The round struck him in the lower abdomen. He later died at New Hanover Regional Medical Center in Wilmington, North Carolina around 12 hours later. There were about 8 days left of shooting the rest of the film with him so, a stand-in helped to complete the rest of the scenes his character Eric Draven was in. They used digital effects to paint his face onto the stand-ins, and used these in the final scenes.
Brandon Lee’s character Eric Draven was a rock singer in a band who also plays guitar; his fiancée gets raped and killed the night before Halloween. As time passes around one year later, a crow taps on his gravestone awaking the angel of death returning him to life beholding the spirit and life of the crow. From this point on all hell breaks loose in the city. The crow helps track and hunt down those who killed him and his fiancée Shelly Webster who is played by Sofia Shinas. One of his best friends Sarah figures out what is going on. She was played by Rochelle Davis, who never returned to the screen. This was her only role, and will always be remembered as the little girl with the skateboard. She did come back to the set following the death of Brandon Lee to film the scene where Eric Draven says “Sarah, I do care” with the stand-in body double.
Ernie Hudson best known as Winston Zeddmore from Ghostbusters (1984) plays Sergeant Albrecht who assists Eric in his pursuit while trying his best to uphold the law. Michael Wincott who has a flare for playing villains plays Top Dollar who is the leader of this criminal element within the city. Ling Bai plays Myca who is his woman and by his side trying to help destroy Eric and the crow. Anna Levine plays Darla the drug addicted prostitute mother of Sarah. David Patrick Kelly whom I remember in Dreamscape (1984) as Tommy Ray Glatman with Dennis Quaid plays T-Bird in this film, he uses his wicked wild ways to get what he wants. Angel David is Skank, Laurence Mason is Tin Tin, Michael Massee is Funboy, Tony Todd is Grange and Jon Polito is Gideon the Pawn Shop Owner.
I watched this film in the theatre on its release date, and there was a sense of sadness at the theatre as people looked around at one another before going into the movie. It was haunting to see Brandon Lee in each scene. It was very much like art imitating life. If you like vengeful films, then you will surely enjoy this one. The tagline for the film was “It Can’t Rain All the Time”. There have been two other films released in this series The Crow: City of Angels (1996) and The Crow: Salvation (2000).
