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The International starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts

Posted on January 31, 2010 Written by ripitup

The International with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts — Clive Owen and Naomi Watts make an excellent team in The International.

Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) is an Interpol agent. When one of his collegaues dies suspiciously in front of him, he is sure it is not a natural cause. He asks the help of DA Eleanor (Naomi Watts). They realize that a very powerful bank is behind all these and they are very well-protected. You think just because you heard the name bank this is a boring movie about financial conflict? Think again.

This bank has tremendous power. It controls conflicts and debt and billion-dollar-worth weapon trading. The bank will do anything to get rid of anyone that stands in the way. Plus, the justice system Louis and Eleanor believe in might be supporting the bank after all. Their families and careers will be at risk. But then again, Louis is determined to get everyone responsible, even it means disobeying everyone.

The film is a quality political drama/thriller. If you have soft spot for movies where agents are both street and gun-smart; where they can survive both an armed fight and put people in their places in conversations, Louis Salinger is your man. Who better than Clive Owen than to play the strong yet emotional, disheveled yet cool- to play Louis? Naomi Watts is as beautiful and good as usual.

The movie takes you on a ride across the globe. You will see Italy, USA, Switzerland, Germany, France and Turkey. I might even be missing some. You will hear foreign languages and get into smart complications. And be warned: Louis and Eleanor are not lovers!! They are good friends and frankly, this is refreshing to see in such a thriller.

How would you like to watch an amazing shoot out that takes place in the Guggenheim Museum?

And my readers from Turkey:

Be ready to see Haluk Bilginer in a very,very cool role. Plus, wouldn’t it be lovely to see Clive Owen chasing his men around Istanbul?

So, have I intrigued you yet? Below is the trailer:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mDi49Qj1xk[/pro-player]

Other Clive Owen movies:

If you want more of Clive Owen’s movies, click the name of the movie to go the reviews/trailers.

Elizabeth The Golden Age

Derailed

Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson

Posted on January 30, 2010 Written by ripitup

I’d been waiting for this movie for ages. I am a great fan of Mel Gibson’s work. Yes, he was a looker in the 70s-90s but the reason he became an A-lister had a lot to do with his talent. Want proof? Go see Edge of Darkness. Mel is no longer fit or pretty. But the intensity he brings to such roles is a ll there and he is so good, he lives and breathes through his character.
Craven is a police detective, happy to have his 24-year-old daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) back home again. But he can only enjoy this event for about 5 minutes. His daughter is killed, right in front of him, and there are signs that indicate the intended victim was Craven. But Craven knows he doesn’t have enemies. So the deeper he digs, the more he realizes that they really did aim at Emma. Craven is haunted by the images of his daughter and does his best to stay focused. Emma worked in a company that dealt with nuclear energy. Obviously she was going to expose something. She wasn’t the only one murdered and the company is determined to get rid of everyone who gets in the way…

Does it sound ordinary? Trust me, it is not. The movie does not waste any scene. There are no unneccessary lines. Craven is your hero but he does not go all Rambo on us like Liam Neeson did in Taken. Don’t get me wrong, I love taken. It is an amazing thriller. But Edge of Darkness is a wonderfully dark drama with interesting characters and events that you don’t see coming, or events that you know that will happen but they still manages to shock you with “how”. It is heavy but only because it intends to be. Craven is smart and his actions are very humane. He is your hero all the way. This movie is not about who the good guy is. We know who he is. We know who the bad guys are. We also have another (Ray Winstone) leading character whose motives are not all that clear.

See this movie and you will know what I am talking. Yes, the father is after answers and vengeance. But how the concept is dealt with is very refreshing. This is a very solid drama with disturbing tension. I have to add this movie to my all time favorites.

I am glad to have Mel back. He picks great scripts (with a couple of exceptions) and puts his heart and soul into it.

Keep your expectations straight. There is no romance or no eye candy for either gender. There are no action sequences or no special effects. It is all about the story and the direction and the acting. And it is not surprising that the movie is great because of these three. Directed by Martin Campbell. Written by William Monahan and Andrew Bovell, based on the TV series, written by Troy Kennedy-Martin. Vastly underrated at 6.7 on IMDB. 10/10 from me.

Other Posts featuring Mel Gibson

MEL GIBSON TOP 10: The movies that prove he can act, direct and entertain better than anyone

All About Mel: A Fun Yet Fair Mel Gibson Tribute

8 Reasons to Love Braveheart- Braveheart Movie Review

MEL GIBSON IS A DAD. AGAIN!!!

Mel Gibson: what in the world happened to you?

Favorite Revenge Movies

Shoot ’em Up! starring Clive Owen, Monica Belluci and Paul Giamatti

Posted on January 29, 2010 Written by ripitup

Clive Owen and Monica Belluci in Shoot 'Em Up. Fast, cool, sexy and hard rock all around.

This movie kicks ass. It is exciting, fast, sexy, funny, clever and as exaggerated as a computer game but it just works. Imagine a roller-coaster ride. Only, it is better, because the movie just never loses momentum.

Smith (Clive Owen) is a lone ranger minding his own business. The guy is so cool, he makes eating carrots look cool. So he gets annoyed to see that a heavily pregnant woman is being chased by gun men. He just has to get involved. There are many shooters but he takes care of them as if they are merely still targets. He even kills a guy with a carrot. Oh ,yeah. And you thought the carrot wouldn’t come in handy?! The shooters just keep coming and Smith takes care of them all the while help deliver the baby. He gets to save the baby and all the shooters come after him. So from that point on, we embark this uber-cool journey as this 6’2” stranger takes care of a newborn, gets assistance from his hooker friend (Monica Belluci), shoots men tens at a time as the audience gets to watch with a big grin on their faces.

It is absurd and totally unrealistic. But Clive Owen plays Smith to such perfection and you think: That guy is like smarter, cooler, faster and better than we have ever seen on screen and he can pull that off. He is also full-of one liners. You so wish you could know a guy like Smith and have him watch your back (and I am thinking if you are a woman, you would want to take him to bed too-the guy can shoot up everyone all the while continuing to give the woman an orgasm. And no, it is not my fantasy, it is a scene in the movie)

Paul Giamatti plays the ultimate psycho and Smith’s main enemy. His motives aren’t all that clear but his acting sure adds to the movie’s coolness.

The baby is fantatic. It smiles when Smith talks about guns and sleeps when he hears heavy metal.

Oh, and if by any chance you love rock music, the soundtrack is awesome. It includes Motorhead, Motley Crue, Nirvana, AC/DC, Wolfmother, Iggy Pop and more.

Fun as hell. See it. I take a movie this fun over any serious film or a light chick-film any day.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlx4n_ibNZE[/pro-player]

Posts on Clive Owen:

* Clive Owen Trivia: 21 Facts about Clive Owen

* Duplicity Movie Review – Duplicity also features Paul Giamatti

* The Boys Are Back Movie Review

* Beyond Borders Movie Review

* Closer

* Elizabeth The Golden Age

* The International

* Derailed

*Inside Man

The Boys are Back starring Clive Owen

Posted on January 28, 2010 Written by ripitup

The Boys are Back- Clive Owen — The Boys are Back stars Clive Owen. No, he does not hold a gun throughout the entire movie. Refreshing and beautiful gem of a film.

Joe Warr is a successful sports writer. He lives in Australia with a wife that he adores and a little son he really loves. So his whole world comes crashing down when he loses his wife to cancer. He has to deal with his wife’s death, help his son cope with his mother’s absence and juggle his work and family relationships…And just when he think he is getting the hang of it through trial and error, his older son from his previous marriage decides to come for a visit. He is a 15-year-old teenager who blames Joe for leaving. Patching things up with him won’t be easy. And it is another problem that the brothers seem to be getting attached to each other. What the hell is Joe going to do when his older son goes back to England?

The movie is just so beautiful, heart-breaking, fun and moving. It touches you, makes you smile and gives a lot to think about. Clive Owen magnificently portrays the lovable yet flawed Joe. Just when you think that you get him, his actions and reactions baffles you. When his past proves disappointing compared to his present, you still find yourself forgiving him. The movie is based on a memoir by Simon Carr so every bit of is real. If you expect another Clive Owen movie with guns, running and breath-taking action, you are in for a big surprise. This is a wonderfully humane story- full of ups & downs and rich with both external and internal conflicts.

This time it is art imitating life and it has done a great job. The scenery is also amazing. The movie made me fall in love with Australia all over again. Wild-life surrounding Joe’s house is just as wonderful as the rest of the movie.

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