Archives for December 2010

A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris & Paul Bettany

Posted on December 13, 2010 Written by ripitup

A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris & Paul Bettany

John Nash (Russell Crowe) is a brilliant mathematician who gets into Princeton on a prestigious degree. Obsessively working on a big and original idea for his doctorate thesis, he is often mocked by his peers due to his highly anti-social and odd behavior. His only real friend turns out to be his roommate Charles (Paul Bettany).

After a while, a night out with friends gives him the perfect idea and he gets the credit and success he deserves. Years later, he is working with his Princeton friends, Sol (Adam Goldberg) and Bender (Anthony Rapp) at MIT. There he meets a beautiful student named Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and they start dating. However, Nash has already accepted a secret government assignment as a code-breaker, recruited by a man named William Parcher (Ed Harris) and his assignments start getting riskier after marrying Alicia. But is John’s paranoia justified?

As Nash is admitted to a mental hospital under the authority of Dr. Rosen (Christopher Plummer), both Nash and Alicia are about to face a shocking revelation…

A Beautiful Mind is based on the life of the mathematician John Nash, and the biographical book of the same name. Directed by Ron Howard in 2001, A Beautiful Mind is one of those rare movies where you agree that it deserved all the Oscars and Oscar nominations it received. And I definitely wish Crowe had won Best Actor. It was one of the most humane, authentic and touching performances I have ever seen on screen.

The movie won 4 Oscars: Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Best Director (Ron Howard), Best Film (Ron Howard & Brian Grazer) and Best Adapted Screenplay ( Akiva Goldsman). The nominations were Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Editing, Best Makeup and Best Music (James Horner). I also wish the movie had gotten the best makeup academy award – especially for what they have done with Russell Crowe.

You see, I have never been a Guy Ritchie or Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino fan. Sure there have been Nolan movies that I enjoyed but as I realized once more, I will take a Ron Howard movie any day. Ron has directed Apollo 13, Ransom, Far and Away, The Da Vinci Code, Cinderella and more. Yeah, I guess I am more into old-fashioned story-telling with great actors, lovely music and an interesting story than cult appeal.

Highly recommended.

Fun Note: Co-stars Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly got married in 2003 and they have a child together.

Other Posts on Russell Crowe & his movies

A Good Year starring Russell Crowe & Marion Cotillard

Other Posts on Jennifer Connelly & her movies

Coming Soon:The Dilemma starring Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin James, Winona Ryder and Channing Tatum

Jennifer Connelly Trivia: 14 Facts About Actress Jennifer Connelly

Dark City

Requiem for a Dream

He is just not that into you

Of Love and Shadows

6 Hollywood Couples: Gorgeous, Glamorous and Happy Together

Other Paul Bettany Movies & Posts

The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany

Firewall starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen and Paul Bettany

6 Hollywood Couples: Gorgeous, Glamorous and Happy Together

Other Ed Harris Movies

Copying Beethoven starring Ed Harris & Diane Kruger

Swing Shift starring Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell & Ed Harris

Spin City starring Michael J. Fox, Barry Bostwick, Heather Locklear, Charlie Sheen & Connie Britton

Posted on December 12, 2010 Written by ripitup

Spin City starring Michael J. Fox, Heather Locklear, Connie Britton, Barry Bostwick & Charlie Sheen

The Plot, Characters and First Episodes

Mike Flaherty (Michael J. Fox) is the Deputy- Mayor of New York City. He is ambitious, hard-working, witty so the often-clueless Mayor Randall Winston (Barry Bostwick) depends on Mike for everything. Mike runs an equally funny group of employees: the introverted and goofy speech writer James (Alexander Chaplin), the always dating Nikki (Connie Britton), goofier, lanky and socially clueless media spokesperson Paul (Richard Kind), and the annoying but harmless Stuart (Alan Ruck).

Mike also manages to squeeze in a serious relationship with the beautiful, ambitious journalist Ashley (Carla Gugino) who gives Paul nightmares. However Mike feels an overwhelming pressure when Ashley talks about letting her apartment go, since they practically live together. Add this to the mayor’s constant goofs and the attack from the leading gay activist Carter (Michael Boatman) and Mike feels at a dead end. But at the end of the day, he always manages to save his own butt, as well the mayor’s. He hires Carter – persuading him that it will be much harder to actually contribute to policies than putting blame and what better job to make the mayor’s life a nightmare?

The team is complete with constant jokes about politics, relationships, friendships, character personalities and sex.

Sense of Humor

Spin City is one of the funniest TV shows I have ever seen. I don’t care about politics and I am not even a New Yorker, but the jokes are universally hilarious and the characters are original, as well as highly relatable. The show has the advantage of making fun of the politically incorrect situations, and the goofiness of its characters. No character is perfect and despite Mike’s professional success, he can be equally ridiculous when it comes to his personal life.

Some Early Favorite Lines & Scenes

* Mike feels frustrated in his relationship with Ashley so he asks Carter if gay relationships are easier. Carter says that apart from not having the toilet seat argument, it is just as, maybe even more complicated.

* Mike: (on a formal dinner they are all attending) There are 10 commandments. I’d like your dates to check out on at least 7 of them.

Nikki: (on phone): I didn’t mean to scare you, it was just a simple run of the mill orgasm… (Mike walks up) …Can you hold on a second, Mom?

Mike: Oh, I’ll let you get back to your mom, before she loses her erection

Changes in Cast and the Departure of Michael J. Fox after Season 4

Carla Cugino left after playing in 13 episodes. Connie Britton (Nikki) left after 4 seasons and so did Alexander Chaplin. While some Spin City fans didn’t like the arrival of Heather Locklear in 1999, I didn’t really have problems with that. While she is not the funniest actress around, she suited her character and the comedic timing of the rest of the cast remained perfect. For me, the show got its real and crushing blow after season 4, as Michael J. Fox, the leading character of the show, had to leave due to his progressing Parkinson’s disease. Charlie Sheen took over, playing the new deputy mayor Charlie Crawford.

Charlie’s character lacked Mike’s likability and for me, Charlie Sheen failed as an actor where Michael J. Fox had shone. I never found sheen to be a great actor but he is OK. He is just not my type of funny. I don’t really enjoy his popular comedy Two and a Half Man either. I quit watching Spin City a short time after J. Fox left.

Recommended episodes:

All of the first 4 Seasons! But if you are in some way allergic to Heather Locklear, all of the 3 seasons.

Fun Notes:

* Charlie Sheen was married to actress Denise Richards, who was rumored to have had an affair with Richie Sambora while he was married to Heather Locklear.

* Charlie Sheen is best friends with rocker Bret Michaels. Charlie Sheen’s brother Emilio Estevez is best friends with rocker Jon Bon Jovi.

Also on Spin City

Spin City TV Show Guest Stars Trivia: Amanda Peet, Gabriel Macht, Paula Marshall & Tracy Pollan

Spin City TV Show Guest Stars Trivia: Feat. Jennifer Garner, Kim Raver, Carla Gugino, Christopher Llyod & More

Other Posts on Michael J. Fox

My favorite Canadians: #1 Michael J. Fox

Canadian Celebrity Trivia: Featuring Bryan Adams, Jim Carrey, Michael J. Fox, Ryan Reynolds and More

Posts on Heather Locklear

10 Celebrity Couple Break-Ups You May Not Have Seen Coming

Charlie Sheen Movies and Posts

The Three Musketeers starring Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen and Chris O’ Donnell

Actor Families: Michelle Pfeiffer, Dedee Pfeiffer, Emilio Estevez, Martin Sheen and Charlie Sheen

The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany

Posted on December 11, 2010 Written by ripitup

The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany. Feat. Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton & Raoul Bova.

Paris, France. Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie) is a mysterious, beautiful woman with the Scotland Yard after her. The Yard is really after Alexander Pearce, who owes quite a sum in tax money. The investigation is run by John Acheson (Paul Bettany), who is obsessed by catching Pearce. His chief Jones (Timothy Dalton) is not all that pleased with how much the case is costing them.

Pearce is rumored to have gone under severe plastic surgery, so no one has a clue what he looks like. Knowing this, he sends Elise a note. He tells her to get on the train to Venice and sit down next to a guy that has his built and height. Elise picks Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp). Tupelo is a math teacher from Wisconsin and is mesmerized by Elise’s beauty. Elise seems to like Frank too but she is more interested in using him get to Alexander, the love of her life.

This encounter leads them to a luxury hotel suite in Venice, and some fun action happening on the water…

The Tourist is a fun romance/adventure that has a pretty impressive cast. Hell, even the mysterious English guy following Elise around is played by Rufus Sewell and the Italian man chatting up Elise at the ball is the famous Italian actor Raoul Bova.

Now, I was expecting the movie to have a similar pace and action/romance/comedy ratio with Knight and Day starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. It doesn’t. It starts like a spy movie, but quickly turns into a romance film. You might feel the movie drags for 10 minutes or so, when Johnny Depp is acting like a bewildered love sick puppy, but worry not. The movie picks up pace, the funny situations become more apparent and fun boat & roof chases follow…

But let’s not call it a drama/thriller like IMDB did. It is a romantic adventure. And it is a little slower than Knight and Day.

But all in all, it is a fun movie. It combines the genres that I like, presents them at the adorable Venice setting and well, an adorable cast. Sure, it could have been faster, sexier and/or funnier. And it might not have interested me that much without such a cast. But it is what it is.

7/10 from me.,

The Tourist Trailer

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XtbLezJtMg [/pro-player]

Other Posts on Johnny Depp

Benny & Joon starring Johnny Depp, Aidan Quinn, Mary Stuart-Masterson & Julianne Moore

Johnny Depp: Top Eight Movies

Six Celebrities That Aged Really Well

Johnny Depp A Kind of Illusion – review for the book on Johnny Depp

Other Posts on Angelina Jolie

Beyond Borders starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen

Actors, Getting Naked and Their Take on Nudity

Playing by Heart starring Angelina Jolie, Sean Connery, Dennis Quaid, Ryan Phillippe, Madeleine Stowe

Other Posts on Paul Bettany

Firewall starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen and Paul Bettany

6 Hollywood Couples: Gorgeous, Glamorous and Happy Together

Other Posts on Rufus Sewell

Tristan and Isolde starring James Franco, Sophia Myles and Rufus Sewell

The British Actors We Love feat. Rufus Sewell, Colin Firth, Daniel Day Lewis & Ralph Fiennes

The Woodlanders: A Gorgeous Rufus Sewell in an Awful Movie

In a Savage Land with Rufus Sewell

Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence: Fun romcom with Monica Potter, Rufus Sewell and Joseph Fiennes

Vinyan starring Rufus Sewell

The Illusionist with Edward Norton, Rufus Sewell and Jessica Biel

Wicker Park starring Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, Rose Byrne & Matthew Lillard

Posted on December 9, 2010 Written by ripitup

Wicker Park starring Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, Rose Byrne & Matthew Lillard

Plot

Matthew (Josh Hartnett) has a promising career in advertising and a beautiful girlfriend named Rebecca (Jessica Paré). However he is unsure about proposing, as deep down, he has never gotten over the love of his life, Lisa (Diane Kruger). She has left him without saying anything 2 years ago. When he thinks he saw her at a restaurant, he decides to ditch his business trip and look for her. The clues take him to a hotel and then an apartment. There he gets a real surprise, because the woman living there isn’t his Lisa but a brunette who claims that her name is Lisa (Rose Byrne). She also happens to be wearing Lisa’s clothes and shoes…

Matt has also run into his old friend Luke (Matthew Lillard) who runs a shoe shop and knows what Lisa meant to him. But he thinks that Matt’s quest for Lisa is crazy and he is more concerned with his love life. Despite pretending to be a player, he is actually a nice and decent guy with a huge crush on Alex, a theater actress. Alex’s behavior is highly unpredictable for reasons Luke might never find out. Alex can be the key to everything mysterious about Lisa’s disappearance. But will Matt be able to find out?

Wicker Park is a really solid mystery/romance. It is just different. It is very emotional and revolves around the 4 characters, especially Matthew, Alex and Lisa. It is a gripping drama romance with some thriller-like elements and its characters are just deliciously flawed. All of the main characters make bad choices, act stupidly and/or naively and/or selfishly. They also have redeeming qualities that make us feel for them. The music is really good (feat. Stereophonics, Coldplay, The White Stripes and more). I’d say that it is one of those rare romance movies where cynics and romantics will both have a good time.

The bad things? Oh, the characters are sometimes so monumentally stupid that it makes you want to smack them. And there is this whole string of (bad) coincidences that don’t always feel natural. And Matt is the right guy for only Lisa. For any other girl, he is one of the worst choices. So this is not a romance film where I will just talk about how unrealistically awesome the protagonist is. Because he is a very real character. So yes, the movie has its flaws but character development and a decent dose of realism are definitely not among them.

Background

Yes, the script is not technically original as It is based on the 1996 French film L’ Appartment starring Star Romane Bohringer, Vincent Cassel, Jean-Philippe Écoffey and Monica Belluci. It was written & directed by Gilles Mimount.

This 2004 American version was written by Brandon Boyce and directed by Paul McGuigan (Push, Lucky Number Slevin). I’ll see the original French film but if you haven’t already seen it, this version is pretty good.

Currently rated 6.8 on IMDB. L’ Appartement is rated 7.6. For Wicker Park, my vote is a solid 7, and in some aspects even 7.5.

Fun note: Vincent Cassel and Monica Belluci, the two starring actors of L’ Appartement,got married in 1999, 3 years after the making of the film. They have 2 kids together.

A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris & Paul Bettany

Spin City starring Michael J. Fox, Barry Bostwick, Heather Locklear, Charlie Sheen & Connie Britton

The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany

Wicker Park starring Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, Rose Byrne & Matthew Lillard

Other Diane Kruger Movies

The Hunting Party starring Richard Gere, Jesse Eisenberg & Terrence Howard. Feat. Kruger

Copying Beethoven starring Diane Kruger & Ed Harris

Other Josh Hartnett Films and Posts

40 Days and 40 Nights starring Josh Hartnett & Shannyn Sossamon

Hollywood’s Tall Actors feat. Hartnett, Ben Affleck, Ryan Reynolds& more

Rose Byrne

Damages TV Show Review – starring Rose Byrne and Glenn Close

Adam starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne