Casino Jack (2010)

Real life stories can succesfully be used for comedies. It’s something which I Love You Philip Morris has already proved. Casino Jack is a comedy which is based on real events, in this case the story of Jack Abramoff, a superlobbyist. As a viewer you are introduced in his world, in which there don’t seem to be any boundaries and in which presents and envelopes with money are just ways to do business. Jack Abramoff is constantly on the edge of what is allowed and makes some decisions which push him over it. Continue reading

Ondine (2009)

Most of you will know the classic fairy tales. When you were a kids you heard the stories about Hansel and Gretel, little red riding hood and Snow White. These stories have been told for centuries, but despite their age they are still being told as they have some magical qualities and a deeper truth which will teach something to kids. The lessons learned are usually about the fear of something evil, which has to be defeated.
According to Wikipedia an ondine is a mythological water nymph and as it usually goes with people telling stories, they get changed and local elements are added to it. In the Irish version of the story the nymph is called a Selkies which you will see after a seal sheds of its skin to change into a human.

This movie has based its story on this fairy tale. Syracuse (Colin Farrell) is a fisherman who finds a woman in his net, Ondine (Alicja Bachleda). The woman is still alive and tells him that she wants no one to see her. Syracuse takes her to a deserted house where she’s able to stay. She joins him on some fishing trips and every time she sings a song he catches more fish than he ever does.
Syracuse is divorced and has a young daughter, Annie (Alison Barry), who’s in a wheelchair and regularly has to go to the hospital for dialysis. When she finally receives an electric wheelchair she gains a lot more freedom and go out on her own. She discovers the secret her father is keeping from her. Continue reading

Cyrus (2010)

A while ago Anomolous Material had an article about actors that are better at doing supporting roles instead of playing the main part in a movie. One of the actors that was on the list was John C. Reilly and I agree with his inclusion on the list. He was funny in Talladega Nights and Step Brothers, but the reason for it was because of the rest of the cast. In Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, which spoofed Walk the Line, he starred and I was really disappointed by that film as it just wasn’t funny. With Cyrus he gets another chance to show he has the star power to pull it off. Does he manage to do it or does this movie show he just can’t? Continue reading

Buried (2010)

Is it possible to make a movie in just one location and make it interesting? Hitchcock has shown it can be done with the now classic Rear Window. Another movie (which has more locations, but does end up in one location for a long time) is Phone Booth with Colin Farrell (have seen it many times). A third example is of course Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, which almost feels like a play. In all these movies the actors are not alone on the screen as there are other characters the those main characters are interacting with. This is not the case with Buried.

During 95 minutes you are looking at Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds), a truck driver who was working in Iraq, who has been trapped in a coffin, buried. The only things he has are a Blackberry, a Zippo, a pencil and some glow sticks. Does this setting work as good as in the other movies that are set in one location? Continue reading

Get Low (2009)

Robert Duvall has been acting since the sixties. He has acted in a lot of well-known movies like The Godfather series, Apocalypse Now and Falling Down. When I hear his name I always have to think about his role in Falling Down. He played a likeable cop who is about to retire and has to chase a lunatic who is terrorizing the city. It’s the first time he really stood out for me and I have been enjoying his acting ever since. He was also excellent in We Own the Night for example.

Duvall really makes Get Low the movie that it is. He’s the recluse Felix Bush, who lives alone on his own piece of land. A lot of stories are being told about him, although no one seems to know whether or not they are true. Because of these stories everyone seems to fear him, especially when he suddenly rides into the nearby town. He knows a lot of stories are told about him and he has an idea which allows him to hear all of them. Continue reading

Ed Wood (1994)

According to some Ed Wood was the worst director that ever lived. Others might think of Uwe Boll, but I can’t confirm either choice as I haven’t seen any film made by these directors. After watching the movie Ed Wood I actually would like to watch at least on of his movies as I got this “so bad it’s good” feeling about them. Ed Wood tries to show how this director ended up in the world of movies and what happened once he did. Continue reading

The Fighter (2010)

Over the years there have so many movies about boxers. Of course the most famous movies are the Rocky films and when you look at the pictures of The Fighter you’d expect a similar kind of movie. Although there are some things that are the same, the focus is not as much on the fighting as you’d expect. Continue reading

Enter the Void (2009)

Gaspar Noé is a director who stands out. With Irreversible (a movie which I have not seen) he has shown he’s not afraid of controversy. The movie had a rape scene which was close to 10 minutes and something that was hard to watch for a lot of viewers. With Enter The Void Noé attacks his viewers again, although less extreme (although there are still some very explicit scenes). It’s more an attack on your eyes and ears, which already begins when the movie starts. You’ll hear loud music and see a lot of flashes. The flashes are something that will return all during the movie, so if you are sensitive to them it’s better to skip the movie as you will get a seizure. Enter The Void is a movie that can’t be compared to anything else I’ve seen. I would almost describe it more as an experience instead of a film. Continue reading

Winter’s Bone (2010)

17-year-old Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence) doesn’t have an easy existence. She lives together with her younger brother and sister and her mother, who has some mental issues, on the countryside of America. Life is already very hard, but when she hears that her father has put up their house in order to make bail it all becomes worse. If he doesn’t show up on his court date it will mean that her world will collapse.
The only thing she can do is to start searching for her father. Her environment is very hostile towards her, which only makes her search more difficult. Continue reading

The Dark Side of Chocolate (2010)

Chocolate is my personal addiction, whether it’s some M&M’s or a candy bar, it’s something I eat almost every day. It turns out that behind the wonderful taste which can make a person very happy, there is also a darker side. In this documentary Roberto Romano decides to investigate stories about child labor during the production and harvesting of cocoa beans. Continue reading