Archives for December 2009

Top 10 Gerard Butler Movies

Posted on December 30, 2009 Written by ripitup

This is not about critics, imdb ratings or box office results. It is my favorites from one of my fav. actors. If you want to share your thoughts on Gerard, you are more than welcome to do it here.

1) Law Abiding Citizen (2009)

This movie is a wonderful thriller that makes you question a lot of things, including who the bad guys/good guys in the movie. I side with Gerard Butler’s Clyde on most of his avenging acts, despite a couple of things. This movie isn’t perfect but it is pretty damn good. If you like your story smart, your “hero” on the “darker” side and enjoy a good revenge story, do not miss it. For the ones who have seen it, here is a review:

http://cinemaroll.com/cinemarolling/law-abiding-citizen-two-steps-short-of-perfection/

2) Butterfly on a wheel (2007)

I tend to like a movie more if it has some of the actors I love. This movie has 3: Pierce Brosnan, Gerard Butler and Maria Bello. A perfect marriage, a perfect kidnapping, an unpredictable criminal with strange requests. Or maybe the crime makes perfect sense and our “hero” Neil is not so perfect after all. No spoilers.

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/gerard-butler/

3) Please (1999)

Award-winning short film with Butler in the lead. My review on the film includes the youtube link where you can watch the whole movie:

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/please/

4) The Ugly Truth (2009)

Men are cocky, superficial and all you need to get one is to be thin, own some hot lingerie and give blow-jobs. Women are hopeless dreamers who are equally supeficial. They want romance if it is provided by a handsome guy with a good job. Or maybe things aren’t just simple and the truth isn’t that ugly. This R-rated romantic comedy shows us some reality with hilarious scenes, likable characters and predictable yet enjoyable twists. For the review including screen shots:

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/the-ugly-truth/

5) Dear Frankie (2004)

One modest sweetheart of a movie that wins you over with the acting and storytelling; not with the originality of the script. Frankie is a smart but deaf boy raised by his mother and grandmother. Their whereabouts are hidden from his violent father. His mother Lizzie does everything to protect him from the truth, so she writes to him as his father: a nice man, a sailor who can not be with them because of work. Of course a coincidence forces Lizzie to find a man to pose as the father. What she hasn’t planned on how this stranger (Gerard Butler) will connect both with her and Frankie:

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/dear-frankie-2004/

6) P.S I love you (2007)

Holly (Swank) and Gerry (Butler) are a happily married couple and still madly in love. When Gerry suddenly dies, Holly has difficulty in coping. However Gerry has planned ahead: He has written to Holly that are to arrive at specific times after his death. Bittersweet romantic drama/comedy. For the trailer:

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/p-s-i-love-you/

7) Attila (2001)

An epic TV film based on the life of Atilla, leader of the Huns. It has all the glory of an epic picture should have: nice battle sequences, love,loss,pain,treachery,lust…:

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/attila-2001/

8 ) Lara Croft: The Cradle of Life (2003)

Sequel to the first Lara Croft. Is it just me or is Angelina Jolie the best actress to play a video game character ever? She has the looks and the stamina. And who better than Butler to provide the sexual tension? Check out the longer review with pictures:

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/lara-croft-tomb-raider-the-cradle-of-life/

9) Timeline (2003)

A group of archeology students are forced to travel in time to save one of their friends’ father. It doesn’t help that they find themselves in France in the middle of the war with England, in 21st century. The fact that one of them is French doesn’t help. Paul Walker and Gerard Butler star. Funny, full of action and very romantic:

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/timeline-2003/

10) Nim’s Island (2008)

A widower biologist father (Gerard Butler) and his daughter Nim live on a recluded Pacific island. Nim loves this life and reading adventure books by Alex Rover. What she doesn’t know that the real Alex is an agoraphobic female (Jodie Foster) – unlike the Indiana Jonesque Alex she imagined. All hell breaks loose when Alex needs to get out to save Nim from trouble…For more details and the trailer:

https://pinartarhan.com/blog/nims-island/

P.S. I Love You starring Gerard Butler, Hilary Swank and Jeffrey Dean Morgan

Posted on December 29, 2009 Written by ripitup

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GNxdc-wlw4[/pro-player]

P.S. I love you, starring Gerard Butler and Hillary Swank

It occurred to me I never got to write about this sweetheart of a flick. I wrote a lot about Gerard Butler and while I included pictures from the movie before , I never wrote a proper movie review. Shame on me. So here we go:
Gerry (Gerard Butler) is an adorable Irish guy married to the American Holly. Though they have been married for some time now, they are still crazy about each other. Sure, they have problems; but nothing they can’t get over. So Holly’s world comes crashing down when Gerry suddenly dies. It has been love at first sight. And after a great marriage of 9 years, Holly just doesn’t know how to cope. But the sweet man that he is, Gerry has thought ahead. He has written letters and arranged them to arrive to Holly at certain times after his death. He speaks to her through the letters, instructing and guiding her, in an attempt to help her cope with his death and life. The letters will take Holly to both fun and emotional journeys in the past, present and the future…

The movie is based on the book of the same name by Cecelia Ahern. I read the book before I saw the movie and though I appreciated the sensitivity of the book, I enjoyed the movie much, much more. Hillary Swank is lovely as Holly and Gerard Butler makes an excellent Gerry. I am also a fan of movies that cast actors that I got to like from previous projects. Friends’ Phoebe Lisa Kudrow plays one of Holly’s best friends and Buffy’s Spike James Marsters plays Gerry’s best friend. Singer/actor Harry Connick Jr., plays the bartender.

Last but not least, Grey’s Anatomy’s Denny Duquette and Watchmen’s The Comedian Jeffrey Dean Morgan has a small but important role.

The only thing I didn’t like about the movie was Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s part. Developments concerning his character just feels rushed. And after watching a story that makes us love Gerry, it feels like you are betraying him. Other than this, director/co-writer Richard LaGravenese has done a decent job.

You should take this lovely journey with Holly. It is romantic, funny and emotional.

NUMB starring Matthew Perry- Strongly Recommended for the Depressed

Posted on December 26, 2009 Written by ripitup

Numb movie review, starring Matthew Perry — Matthew Perry starrs as Hudson in the 2007 movie Numb

Hudson (Matthew Perry) has a big, psychiatric problem: He is depersonalized- it is a depressive state of mind where he doesn’t feel anything is real, that he doesn’t belong and he is anxious all the time. He hates being this way but he can’t seem to do anything about it either. In his own words, he is fucked up.

He hasn’t had the most fun childhood or the most caring mother but his life as a screenwriter hasn’t been this bad- until now. He tries therapy, prescribed drugs, activities… nothing seems to work. However, meeting the beautiful and fun Sara (Lynn Collins) at least gives him the illusion of happiness and although he is in love with her, the thought that she deserves better keeps nagging at him.

As this movie takes a look at Hudson’s life for 93 minutes, we embark on a bittersweet journey on the mostly dark side of life. There are some really funny bits due some of his therapy sessions and some of his psychiatrists and some desperate reactions from Hudson. He is an original character yet not hard to relate to. In fact, if any of you have gone through any type of depression (and I have. I’m talking about the real thing here, not the occasional blues), this movie just hits home. It is just so real. The bitterness, the pain, the hope, the comedy, functioning, love and relationships…It is a good movie. It is sincere and real.

Matthew Perry is such a good actor. He is so terrific at comedy (Friends, The Whole Nine Yards, Serving Sara…) that sometimes I forget he can do drama. Sure, he has proven his dramatic skills at Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. But now I can honestly say, Perry is just very good. The movie is written/directed by Harris Goldberg. The feel of the film makes me think either Perry or the director (maybe both) might have gone through a similar process.

If you don’t like it, you probably never have been actually depressed. Well, I am jealous. But if you have, just do not miss this movie. It just might help with the healing process. And you have to love the tagline: Love is better unmedicated.

Numb on Amazon

Strange Days – One Hell of a Movie

Posted on December 24, 2009 Written by ripitup

Strange Days with Ralph Fiennes, Angela Bassett, Juliette Lewis. Written by James Cameron and directed by Kathryn Bigelow.

1999. Los Angeles. The “City of Angels” has never been more chaotic, the cops have never been so corrupt and life is more complicated than ever.

Our (anti-) hero Lenny Nero (Ralph Fiennes) used to be a cop. Now he is a dealer who sells the “drug” of the decade: tapes of real experiences (of real people)- through a device that sends signals straight to their brain. Result? Highly addictive habit of living through other people’s moments. Everything feels real. Who needs porn when you can watch an actual couple having sex and feel every bit of it in your body too? But there is a downside. Crimes have just become more dangerous. There is a psycho out there killing-while he makes his victim watch her own death live- hence doubling the pain, shock and horror.

Lenny is obsessed with his ex Faith (Juliette Lewis), an ex-hooker/singer wannabe who’s dating a seriously bad guy (Michael Wincott).

Lenny does have someone he can count on,though. His best friend Macey (Angela Bassett). But while Lenny turned weak and miserable, Macey has turned into a kick-ass single mom who can do more than take care of herself and she gets Lenny out of trouble quite a few times. Lenny and Macey share an old bond and even though Mace doesn’t approve of Lenny’s conduct, she sets to help him out.

The movie takes exciting twists and turns as the pair needs to uncover a murder that has to do with an infamous rap singer with a huge following, sadistic cops and Faith’s boyfriend/manager who doesn’t like Lenny all that much.

This is one of those gloriously dark movies. It takes you to all the grey areas, multi-dimensional and colorful characters and truly psychotic bad guys. But just when you think, the world is shitty and dark, it does show you love, friendship and hope exist.

The script is highly original, and to me, it’s the best James Cameron has ever written. Forget about every other movie he wrote. Strange Days is a strange gem. It won’t get old.

I was lucky to first see this 1996 film while I was in 1999, on New Year’s Eve, waiting for the millennium. Got to tell, you- it made it extra effective.

Ralph Fiennes is always good and he is a versatile actor. He can scare you or seduce you, make you like or hate him very easily. His character Nero is very likable character despite his flaws. He is weak and strong, he is stupid and smart…All in all, his character is entertaining and very humane.

I definitely adore Bassett’s role. She owns her scenes. The rest of the cast is also impressive with Tom Sizemore, Vincent D’Onofrio, and my favorite baddy Michael Wincott (from The Crow, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves).

The director is Kathryn Bigelow. She is very good at making adrenaline-inducing films. I also love her Point Break (starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze).

It is one of favorite movies ever. Be ready to have fun, to be disturbed and to see real action.