Movies and Actors | pinartarhan.com

Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace

Posted on August 1, 2012 Written by ripitup

Lockout starring Guy Pearce & Maggie Grace: Fun, Fast, Cool Action. Image via evrenselfilm.com.

Snow (Guy Pearce) is a highly efficient, smartass CIA agent who gets setup during his last operation. Secret Service agent (Peter Stormare) is convinced that he killed a fellow agent and was selling state secrets. Snow’s only ally is another agent, who seems to believe in his innocence. But Snow eventually gets sentenced to 30 years in prison.

Emilie (Maggie Grace) is the president’s daughter on a humanitarian mission, visiting the world’s most secure prison-the first and only prison in space.

It holds the most dangerous criminals, who are kept in a sleeping state. She thinks that this increases aggression and can even cause dementia, but the guards just can’t wait to send her back off after giving her an interview with one of the criminals. But when the interview goes awry and the criminal manages to break out, she finds herself held hostage with the other employees and her one guard.

Of course there is only one guy who is good enough to get her out of there alive, and it is Snow. Not that he is willing to risk his own butt to fight against a prsion full of psychos, bu he accepts it when he learns his partner Mace has been sent there. And hey, it is the only way to get around his own sentence.

From that moment on, Snow uses all his skills to save himself and Emilie, and find Mace- while teaching a her a few thing or two about being tough. And both Snow and Emilie find out that there might be more to the other one that meets the eye…

Unfortunately, the Secret Service just might be more concerned about saving the world from an infiltration of convicts than saving one woman, even though she is the first daughter…

Lockout is one of the funniest, most entertaining and exciting sci-fi/action movies out there. Actually, a part the prison is the only sci-fi element, but then again, it doesn’t seem that much of a stretch for 2079. And it is not funny because there is comedy, but because Snow delivers hilarious oneliners with perfect timing. And it is fun to see your well-built, effective and attractive agent deliver all the comedy with a straight face.

See Lockout- it is fun action at its best, and was co-written by Luc Besson. Make the action here Guy Pearce and you have a cool movie at your best, without an unneccessary love story attached.

Also on Guy Pearce:

Guy Pearce Trivia

The King’s Speech starring Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush & Guy Pearce

Also on Peter Stormare

The Killing Room starring Timothy Hutton & Peter Stormare

The Vow starring Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams and Jessica Lange

Posted on July 11, 2012 Written by ripitup

The-Vow-Movie-Poster with Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams. Image via disneydreaming.

The Vow is Worth Seeing: Feat. Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Scott Speedman & Jessica Lange

The Premise

Sculptor Paige (Rachel McAdams) and record studio owner Leo (Channing Tatum) are happily married and deeply in love – until they have a car accident that gives Paige selective amnesia- the last 5 years of her life are completely gone, all of 5 years in which she met and has been with Leo. Leo does his best to help, but things get complicated when Paige’s parents (Sam Neill and Jessica Lange), who she hasn’t spoken to in 5 years, show up and want to make a fresh start by taking advantage of her lost memories (and anger towards them.) Leo somewhat manages to persuade Paige to come back with him, but whatever he does seem to either upset or annoy Paige so she decides to stay with her parents for a while.

And not only she doesn’t remember Leo at all, the last thing she remembers is being in love with her ex-fiancé, Jeremy (Scott Speedman)- who is more than willing to take her back as he was never really over her in the first place.

We are given lovely flashbacks to how their relationship has been like, making us root for her and Leo- with or without her regaining her memory.

Can Leo make her fall in love with her again? Can he really handle that his wife only seems to be developing a crush towards him when he is madly in love with her? Will Paige’s memory ever come back, and how long can Leo hang on before having to let go?

I Loved It, but I’d Planned on Hating It.

I was so ready to find The Vow mediocre, yet I loved it. OK, for me to find it bad would have been strange – given that I love Rachel McAdams and can’t resist a good-looking lead, in this case Channing Tatum, who plays a very romantic character.

But come on. Amnesia and the question whether true love could conquer that? It sounded like a Nicholas Sparks novel. But then again, had he written it, either Rachel’s or Channing’s character would probably end up dead. They don’t die, so consider this one a very positive and needed “spoiler.”

But The Vow, especially for the diehard romantics, is touching and heartwarming. While it has more clichés than we can count, it makes them work and at the end of the day, it is all that matters.

The Clichés: Good and Bad

-Two beautiful people deeply in love. Oh, and not an ounce of fat or flaw on either of them.

– A great cast (Jessica Lange, Sam Neill as parents. And I like McAdams too), with many pretty actors: Channing Tatum, Rachel McAdams, Scott Speedman (Underworld, Underworld Evolution, 24th Day), Dillon Casey (Nikita), Lucas Bryant (Haven).

-Amnesia.

-The compromising mother who just accepts everything because……Nah. See the movie. But if I had a dime every time the married got away with what he did….

The Vow: The Perks

– Good soundtrack

– Great emotional/entertaining moments.

– A happy ending that is quite realistic that is based on a true story.

– The ex wasn’t a cheater and/or a jackass.

Why It Can Win You Over – despite the clichés

The Vow won me over. Because as typical as the storyline was, it was still hard not to feel empathy for all the characters (apart from maybe Jessica Lange and Sam Neill’s-at least until towards the end.)

I loved the little details such as how Leo won his sister-in-love over with the made-up Thom Yorke (front man of Radiohead) story, and how the story pretty much ended on a better note for everyone (except for one- you can guess who.)

And in the end, it is the right amount of cheesy yet heartfelt romance. What if it is a chick flick? It is a darn good one. If you want to cut down romance and see a different kind of film from McAdams, watch The Lucky Ones or Red Eye. If you want the romance to be a background device and comedy in the center, watch Morning Glory.

Hell, if you want Scott Speedman winning the girl’s heart, watch Underworld Evolution. It’s filled with vampires and werewolves and Speedman plays a hybrid. And I do prefer him with long hair anyway.

But as far as romantic escapism goes, it is a pretty good one.

The Criticisms

Audiences love oversimplifying things. Some people are calling Paige a bitch, whereas some find Leo a stupid, insensitive jerk. Guess what? They are all right. And all wrong. Because they both needed help, and they just needed to empathize a bit more. And where was the therapy?

Leo and Paige needed therapy, you just can’t deal with something on your own – especially when no one involved can be impartial. Yeah- and a separate therapy session for her family please.

But people make mistakes, hurt each other and if there is a way to come back from it, they do. Whether the relationship is worth it makes all the difference. Theirs was.

Recommended for:

All fans of the cast. Although if you are watching solely for Sam Neill you are better off watching Alcatraz as he is the main character, who incidentally has a long-lost love who is/was in a coma. For Dillon Casey, who plays the sister’s fiancé, you can always tune in to Nikita’s second season.

Chick flick fans. And I am a romantic chick, so I am not using the term condescendingly.

Those who think Nicholas Sparks could write some happy endings.

For those who compare it to The Notebook (also starring Rachel McAdams), I will write a compare/contrast post just like I did for Keith and A Walk to Remember.

Rated 6.6 on IMDB, a 7 from me. My love rate? 8/10. Enjoy!

The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon & Emily Blunt

Posted on July 7, 2012 Written by ripitup

the_adustment_bureau_movie_poster_ — The Adjustment Bureau starring Matt Damon & Emily Blunt. Image: collider.com

The Adjustment Bureau starring Matt Damon & Emily Blunt

Dave Norris (Matt Damon) is a promising senate candidate for New York until a past college moment comes out and kills his chances. While he’s preparing for his defeat speech, he runs into the beautiful and interesting Elise, who has been hiding in the men’s bathroom from the security because she crashed a wedding.

Elise and Dave hit it off, with instant chemistry and compatibility. Their magical moment is cut short when David needs to the speech and she has to outrun the security. When he sees her by chance one morning on the bus, the magic is still there and now he has her phone number.

Unfortunately, fate has other plans. Literally. Agents of Fate, or The Adjustment Bureau as they call themselves, have already decided on Dave’s fate- it is to get elected in the next election- and keep getting elected until he becomes the president. They believe Elise is a distraction and he would never be that politically ambitious if they happen to get together. So they intervene-by kidnapping Dave and explaining the situation.

While David is determined to keep his free will, they take away Elise’s phone number and threaten to reset him, meaning they’ll erase his memories (and everything that makes him him.) if he happens to tell anyone about them. Disappointed and upset, Dave doesn’t seem to have much choice…That’s until he coincidentally runs into Elise three years later, and explains to her why he hasn’t called…

Of course it will be hard to maintain a relationship when the agents are determined to keep them apart. And it all comes down to one question: Which is stronger- free will or fate?

Do you believe in fate? If you don’t believe in fate…even just a little bit, the movie’s point might be obsolete for you. The movie isn’t for the 100% fatalists either. Agents represent the events we can’t control, coincidences are events even they can’t control, and then there is the freewill and the question of how strong it can be.

I believe in making our own paths, but I can’t claim that it is all my own doing. There’re many things that I can’t control or change, but I try not to stray from the path I’ve chosen for myself. And in that, I identified a lot with Dave. He’s honest, idealistic, passionate and a true romantic. He believes in fighting for what he believes in-no matter what the odds are.

The movie has shown a fun yet frustrating portrayal of things we choose vs. things we can’t, and overall it has a very positive message of what we can do with our lives if we want it enough.

I loved the movie, but why shouldn’t I? I’m a dreamer, a romantic and a stubborn writer who’s determined to make all her dreams come true. Oh, and I’ve always liked Matt Damon and Emily Blunt.

Written and directed by George Nolfi – based on Philip K. Dick’s short story Adjustment Team.

7 on IMDB. 8 for the entertainment value.

Other Emily Blunt Movies Featured

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen starring Ewan McGregor & Emily Blunt

Wind Chill starring Emily Blunt & Ashton Holmes

The Jane Austen Book Club feat. Blunt, Hugh Dancy, Maria Bello& Kevin Zegers

Other Matt Damon Movies Featured

The Good Shepherd

Wind Chill with Emily Blunt and Ashton Holmes: More Romance Than Horror

Posted on July 3, 2012 Written by ripitup

Wind Chill Movie Poster- Emily Blunt — Wind Chill starring Emily Blunt & Ashton Holmes. Image via wildaboutmovies.com

I will refer to the characters with the actors’ names as the writer hasn’t given them names.

The Story

Emily Blunt is a college student who needs a ride to Delaware for Christmas. When she sees the notice of a follow student looking for a road buddy, she decides to drive with him (Ashton Holmes.)

However the trip turns out to be less than pleasant when they don’t exactly get along, and things turn out for the worst when Blunt finds out that he is not actually from Delaware, but he just wanted to spend a couple of hours with her. However, when he takes a short cut despite her objections, things get even worse between them, as now she is pretty sure that he is some psycho stalker. It doesn’t help that they crash and get stuck at night, in the middle of nowhere.

But Holmes is actually just a boy with a crush, and she realizes that she’d be better off being afraid of the cold, as well as the mysterious and scary-looking passerbys who don’t seem to be interested in helping at all.

As they get hungrier and colder, she realizes tat he is more heavily injured than he let on. And as if the danger of dying from cold wasn’t scary enough, they realize that the passerbys aren’t men but ghosts – and an evil ghost (Martin Donovan) is just on his way to try to kill them.

The mutual danger and time spent together brings them closer, but will it be enough to survive the night?

Wind Chill – the actual genre: Romantic/Drama Thriller

The film is usually categorized as horror/thriller, but it is more drama/romance with some supernatural thriller elements. You can try turning off your lights and watching it by yourself during the night, but it still won’t get scary. Momentary surprises? Maybe. Scares? Unlikely.

There is some violence and blood, but nothing gory or disgusting.

I’m also calling it a romance, because the movie takes about half an hour till the crash happens, and even then, it is more about the relationship of Emily Blunt and Ashton Holmes and their survival attempts – while connecting with and liking each other more. You can at least picture a friendship, and/or a few dates after/if they survive (obviously I won’t tell what happens!)

Is it worth watching?

Yes, especially if you don’t mind the thrilling aspects starting later, the movie being less violent and bloody than your typical horror movie. There is no nudity or gore either. As I mentioned above, it is not scary. It is however engaging and interesting as a drama/romance – two strangers getting to form a connection/alliance/friendship to survive.

The scenery is good, the ghosts are just men with disappearing & violence abilities. The snow adds more chill than the villain, and it is not that hard to imagine how scared you’d be, had you been in that situation.

Yeah, you wouldn’t run into ghosts but you could very well run into psychotic strangers. And even if you didn’t, the nature and the weather are enough of an enemy. Add it to their lack of heat, medical supplies and food, and well…you’d be scared.

Lessons from the movie:

Check supplies, get first aid and extra blankets. Maybe a baseball bat/gun could come in handy- at least for inital protection. Oh and do yourself a favor, and don’t take the shortcut- no matter how short and easy it sounds.
Oh, and there is a chance that the driver/passenger you travel with may be the psycho/villain rather than a very cute boy with a harmless crush so prefer to ride with people you actually know. Just in case.
And better yet, take the bus or plane.

Rated at 5.9 on IMDB. My rating- as a horror/thriller movie: 5-6/10.

As a romance/drama thriller: 7-7.5/10

Interesting facts about the movie:

Producers: Two of the producers are George Clooney and director Steven Soderbergh (Erin Brockovich; Sex, Lies and Videotape.)

Characters without names: The lead characters don’t have names.

Similar to Wind Chill

Frozen starring Kevin Zegers, Shawn Ashmore & Emma Bell

(nothing supernatural, people against nature, cold & the dark. Drama/thriller)

Reviews Other of Emily Blunt Movies

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen feat. Ewan McGregor & Emily Blunt

The Jane Austen Book Club with Emily Blunt, Kevin Zegers, Maria Bello & Hugh Dancy

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I will refer to the characters with the actors’ names as the writer hasn’t given them names.