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Archives for April 2010
Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen
Starring: Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfadyen, Donald Sutherland, Rosamund Pike, Brenda Blethyn, Carey Mulligan, Jena Malone, Simon Woods, Rupert Friend, Tom Hollander and Judi Dench
Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley) lives in the early 19th century England with her parents and 4 sisters. She gets along fine with the pretty and serene Jane (Rosamund Pike) and is amused by her 3 other sisters (Jena Malone, Carey Mulligan and Talulah Riley). She adores her father (Donald Sutherland) and tries to tolerate her mother (Brenda Blethyn )- who is very loud, very traditional and is dying to see all her daughters get married fast. Except Lizzy couldn’t have cared less. She loves reading, walking, dancing and having fun. She is not about to give up the idea on true love so that her mother can be happy.
When Mr. Bingley (Simon Woods), his sister and their friend Mr. Darcy (Matthew Macfadyen) visit home, things are about to get a little complicated. Bingley and Jane instantly fall for each other. Elizabeth is not impressed by Darcy at all, who appears to be very full of himself. And no matter how rich, handsome and knowledgeable Darcy might be, Elizabeth won’t take any crap from anyone. But given Bingley’s love and her mother’s plans, she might have to see a lot more of Darcy than she planned. Then she meets the handsome soldier Wickham (Rupert Friend) who tells her that Darcy caused him great misfortune. But maybe Darcy isn’t that arrogant and proud. Maybe he is just misunderstood. It is not helping matters that he has declared his feelings for her…
Obviously there is a lot to the story than just the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth but it is the core that gives the story the name and the magic. There are many sub-plots featuring Elizabeth’s sister and the one featuring her best friend but let’s face it. Our number 2 concern is Jane and Bingley. And number 1 is obviously….yeah.
This version of Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is either in top 20 or top 10 and yeah, I watch a lot of movies. It has all the charming and addictive elements of an amazing period romance and it contains hilarious comic relief. The actors are perfectly cast and I wouldn’t replace anyone, had I been (magically) involved in the process. Matthew McFadyen and Keira Knightley were born to play Darcy and Elizabeth.
I love everything about this movie. The costumes, music, parties, location, houses…See it. Hell, it is 7.8 on imdb. How many other “chick flicks” that are rated that high? 10/10 from me.
Darcy is the guy that should give every boy in his right mind a nightmare. Why? You can read it here.
My Own Worst Enemy, starring Christian Slater
It is no secret that I love my spy gear, secret agents and a good mystery.For instance it might be about a secret agent who has been tricked and hanging in to take revenge while leading a dual life (Alias). By the way, Christian Slater does appear in 2 episodes of Alias.
However, the “mystery” and the conflict in My Own Worst Enemy is even more complicated. No, fellow fans of Alias, I haven’t lost it. I know all about Sydney Bristow and her family background. But despite all the tricks and lies, she wanted to be an agent. She just didn’t know she was recruited by the wrong men.
Henry Spivey (Christian Slater) is a family man. He loves his wife (Mädchen Amick) and his two kids (Taylor Lautner and Bella Thorne). He doesn’t mind working hard to keep the comfortable domestic bliss that they’ve got going.
Edward Albright (also Christian Slater) is a highly-skilled and deadly operative working for a secret government agency. He doesn’t mind having sex with his target and then killing her on the spot. He is good at everything, including sex.
The deal? There is a chip in our Henry/Edward (yep-same body)’s brain- implemented by the agency and used at their convenience. When an operation needs Edward, Henry is supposedly sent on a business trip and our gentle husband/dad is put the sleep. Edward is awakened and he gets the job done. Then the memories are erased for Henry and he wakes up. Henry isn’t supposed to know about Edward…However this dual life-one guy system hits a bump. Edward starts to wake up in the middle of Henry’s life and Henry starts waking up in the middle of Edward’s operations. The agency threatens Henry that they will kill him if he tries to talk about this to anyone, so he tries to co-exist. Edward doesn’t mind sleeping with the hot wife Angela. He has a hard time with the mundane family life, though. And Henry is more than freaked out having to participate in the spy game. Especially, every time he uncovers a truth, it is more disturbing than the last. He also hates the fact that his wife is unknowingly having sex with Edward and enjoying it a lot!
It might have lasted only a season (9 episodes) but it is definitely not because the show is not interesting. It has a great storyline and a solid leading actor. The rest of the cast are also doing a good job. Edward’s superior is played by Alfre Woodard. That woman really gives me the creeps. It is not really just about her talent but the shady characters she plays as well. You might remember her from Desperate Housewives, where she played the mysterious new neighbor who had one son locked in the basement. Edward’s partner/ Henry’s colleague Raymond/Tom (also dual identity-played by Tom (Mike O’Malley). Saffran Burrows plays the firm therapist. Mädchen Amick has appeared in many tv shows such as Joey, Freddie and Gossip Girl but she is most memorable in her role in Dream Lover, starring with James Spader. And of course Taylor Lautner who made quite a name for himself, playing Jacob Black in the Twilight Saga movies, Twilight and New Moon. He will continue his role in the two remaining movies of the series. But mind you, he doesn’t have that many lines. It is Christian’s show.
Watch it if you like your spy stuff. Christian Slater is also a plus.
The Mentalist starring Simon Baker
Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) is a mentalist, helping the CBI (California Bureau of Investigation) with their cases.
A mentalist-as the definition appears on the screen right before each episode starts- is someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion.
Patrick used to pass himself off as a psychic and had more than a good 15 minutes of fame too. But when the serial killer he was helping the police catch killed his family to show he wasn’t as smooth or smart he believed himself to believe. After that, Patrick assists the CBI full-time. He profiles the suspects and the victims. By using his mental capabilities, he makes almost perfect assumptions. Although his theories don’t always amuse the detective in charge, Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), she is aware of how big an asset he is. Mind you, she doesn’t always approve of his tactics. However, more often than not, he ends up being right.
A good friend of mine suggested I should watch The Mentalist. His reasoning was that I loved House and there was a big chance I would like this show too. As a fellow House addict, he wasn’t wrong. There are some uncanny similarities in the way how their mind works, how smart they are and how much attention they pay to details and how much they can derive from little stuff that could mean not much to others.
There are of course many differences as well. Patrick Jane doesn’t really mind talking to people. He takes pleasure in figuring them out whereas House really hates every extra “social” minute he has to spend. He is less of a loner and he used to be much less unconventional. He was married with a kid, until it was taken away from him. He sure gets to smile more often. But the thing is, there is no reason a fan of House can’t enjoy The Mentalist and vice versa.
Simon Baker is a good actor. You might have dismissed the tv show The Guardian he was previously starring in. I did. And you could have just labeled him as the pretty boy in The Devil Wears Prada. However, when I watched him in Sex and Death 101, I realized that he could indeed be worthy of all the fuss. Don’t be fooled by IMDB’s genre tags for Sex and Death 101. It is not a romantic comedy by any means. It is a black/dark comedy and obviously the romance is attached is very unconventional to say the least. Not a great movie but it is interesting and different. And then I watched him in The Lodger. He plays the mysterious lodger who may or may not be a serial killer, highly admiring Jack The Ripper. And again, although the movie wasn’t that good, Simon was.
Finally, Baker is the leading actor in a show well worthy of his talent and of your time. It is interesting, captivating and sometimes gruesome (due to the nature of the crimes). But our character Patrick does not come without a sense of humor. And neither do Teresa and the members of her team. And it is set in California, my favorite place on earth.
As the tagline of the show states, let the mind games begin. And I do love a good mind game!
Posts featuring The Mentalist
Castle vs The Mentalist- Comparing the two addictive shows
Television’s 3 Most Brilliant, Emotionally Broken Men: Patrick Jane, Gregory House and Jack Bauer
All Posts Featuring Simon Baker
Simon Baker Trivia: 21 Facts About Australian Actor Simon Baker
Top Nine Aussies in The Entertainment World: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue and More
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