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American History X starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong

Posted on February 27, 2010 Written by ripitup

American History X starring Edward Norton and Edward Furlong

Neo-nazi gang leader Derek Vinyard (Edward Norton) kills two armed black guys that try to steal his truck. This gets him 3 years in prison.

Derek’s younger brother Danny (Edward Furlong) is fascinated by his brother and proudly following in his footsteps. His Nazi-praising history project lands him in trouble with headmaster Sweeney, who tells him to prepare another project -on his brother- for the next day. Danny thinks this project is his only problem but to his biggest surprise, Derek has gotten out of the prison as a different man. Not only he no longer believes in the neo-nazi ideology, he also doesn’t want Danny to hang with his old gang and crowd. What happened to Derek? How did the angry, frustrated young guy who put his family through hell because of his beliefs turn into this open-minded, loving guy regretting his mistakes? And will he really be able to keep his brother away from his past?

This 1998 drama is one of the most powerful movies I have seen. It has a 8.6 on IMDB and I think it deserves every bit of it. Edward Norton was nominated for a best actor Oscar and it really puzzles me that he didn’t get it. Every cast member does a wonderful job but the heavy-lifting is on the shoulders of Norton and Furlong. Some argue that the movie could have been more subtle. Well, the movie really is in your face. It doesn’t go easy on you and it doesn’t give a damn about your comfort. But this is a strength for the movie, not a weakness. It deals with racism, crime, street gangs, family, love, hatred, faith, hope, rage…It just wouldn’t do the movie any favors to be subtle.

It was directed by Tony Kaye and written by David McKenna. Roberto Benigni won Best Actor for La Vita é bella. Good film and good performance, but I find American Histroy X to be better. Not that I believe in the academy anymore. I mean why wouldn’t someone nominate Mel Gibson for best actor in Braveheart?

Anyway. What I am saying is American History X is a must-see. It is like a shock in the system, told powerfully and impressively.

photo: rise-worldwide.com

American History X with Edward Norton — Notice the change in Derek? (Norton) Movie tells his racist period in black and white, whereas his reformed version is told in color. Perfect choice by director Tony Kaye. Photo: itusozluk.com

Enjoy the trailer:

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

The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth & William Hurt: Updated

Posted on February 26, 2010 Written by ripitup

The Incredible hulk with edward norton and liv tyler — The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton and Liv Tyler

The Incredible Hulk movie poster via harleycordelllane.com

I avoided the Hulk movies for so long. As a kid, I adored its cartoons but even with the effects of the 21st century, I still didn’t find the computer effects impressive when it came to creating our green “monster”. Even though I love both Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, I didn’t watch the first one. But after having liked the second one with Edward Norton and Liv Tyler, I decided to give Ang Lee’s version a shot. It was also quite interesting that one was rated 5.7 and the second one is a 7.1. Isn’t it usually the other way around?

I don’t think there is another case of making a second movie, 5 years after the first, with a different leading actor and actress for the same characters. If the first one was a disappointment, how did they know for sure the second one would work? Why did they let Ang Lee direct Hulk in the first place? I mean he is a good director but directing a comic book adaptation with a big budget? The guy followed Hulk with Brokeback Mountain for heaven’s sake! Well, I did see Hulk and I am not impressed. Don’t see it if you can help it. It is like a cartoon, with people thrown in. Not good. So even the 5.7 IMDB user rating seems too generous to me. Yes, I don’t really take any rating too seriously, but sometimes it an give you an idea of what others think.

Back to the 2008’s The Incredible Hulk:

It is good entertainment. The cast is pretty marvelous. Edward Norton, William Hurt and Tim Roth just fit their roles perfectly. Liv Tyler still has that innocently sexy look we are used to from Aerosmith’s Crazy video. The effects are OK, I still wish it had a bigger budget, though. I wish The Hulk had a 100 million dollars more. Look at Avatar. No decent plot, but hey the effects are amazing!

I think The Incredible Hulk is better than your average comic book movie. We travel a lot, we feel Bruce’s pain, root for Bruce and Elizabeth to get together and despise the general (William Hurt).

Sure, the good guys are purely evil and the bad are purely bad (with the exception of the general, he loves his gray areas) but hey, this script isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, so we accept the clichés. After all, it is Edward Norton who feeds them to us;)

The plot? Oh, yeah- that:

Bruce Banner (Norton) is the most crucial target for the US army. He is the “victim” of a gamma ray experiment which resulted in him in turning into the “Hulk” – a green, gigantic creature with some temper. He can’t avoid the transformation that happens when he gets too excited or angry.

This has caused him to escape from the country, having left his beloved girlfriend Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler) behind. He resides and works in Brazil, away from anything that might trigger the transformation while seeking the cure his condition forever. But when the army finds him, he has no choice but to go back. Ross will help him no matter what, defying her father the general. But as the general will soon realize, he might have created a threat that’s far more “inconvenient” than Hulk…

7/10 from me.

Enjoy the trailer.

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Fun Note: Our Hulks keep changing. We switched to Norton from Bana, and now we have Mark Ruffalo instead of Norton in 2012’s The Avengers- featuring an ensemble cast, with ensemble heroes. The movie is written and directed by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy. The stars include Iron Man Robert Downey Jr., Captain America Chris Evans, Thor Chris Hemsworth and more.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7a5LcTckfg[/pro-player]

Here is more on Edward Norton and his movies:

Death to Smoochy

Kingdom of Heaven

Pride and Glory

Inside Man with Clive Owen, Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster

Posted on February 25, 2010 Written by ripitup

inside man with clive owen, denzel wasington and jodie foster — Brilliant. Just brilliant. If I were an actor, I’d be so jealous of Clive Owen. The guy plays in awesome movies. And obviously, I don’t need to praise neither Jodie nor Denzel at this point in their careers? Love the cast,script and the direction. The only thing I don’t like about this movie is…Wait, there is nothing I don’t like about it! Image via cinemablend.com

Wow. Wow. And wow. It is one of those rare movies where it gives you everything you can ask for, while entertaining the hell out of you and keep you guessing during the whole time:

Actors: Denzel Washington, Clive Owen, Jodie Foster, Willem Dafoe, Christopher Plummer

Plot: Detective Keith Frazier (Washington) is facing the most interesting bank robbery-hostage situation ever. The criminals are very well-organized and very smart. Their leader Dalton (Clive Owen) seems to have thought every little detail. They have tens of hostages, all from different backgrounds, all forced to dress like the criminals. Needless to say the cameras are broken, and our criminals never show the hostages their faces. So if they all get caught, there is no one who can testify against them.

The bank in question belongs to a wealthy and well-respected businessman (Christopher Plummer) who wants a very mysterious woman involved: Madeleine White (Jodie Foster). She has a complicated job description. She knows all the right people in the high places and she can get anything to anyone. But this one is tricky- even for a sharp woman like her. How the hell is she going to get one specific thing out in all the chaos? And why is that one thing so much more important than all the money inside the vaults?

A 7.7 imdb rating is way, way underrated. The script is brilliant. Just when you think you see the next twist coming, you don’t. I think this is Clive Owen’s best movie. Oh, and don’t give me that “you raised our expectations so high and now we will be disappointed” look. If you don’t like this thriller, there is a chance my taste in movies is radically different from yours. I never thought I could like a Spike Lee movie this much. But whether you like him or not, anyone into smart heist movies will like this movie.

9/10. At least.

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjqWFRPi63s[/pro-player]

inside man with denzel washington, clive owen and jodie foster — What’s your favorite Clive Owen movie? This is mine. Image via movie studio.files.wordpress.com

Billy Bathgate with Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman

Posted on February 24, 2010 Written by ripitup

Billy Bathgate with Dustin Hoffman and Nicole Kidman — Image via:sondheimguide.com

I should be ashamed. I am a Hoffman and a Kidman fan, but I hadn’t even heard of this one. My bad. But then again, I have so many actors to follow. I missed the first 20 minutes or so, but it is a movie where the plot is pretty straight-forward so catching up was easy.

Dutch Schultz’ (Hoffman) is a gang leader. He is smart, quick and pretty ruthless. He is having his fun with the pretty, young and free-spirited Drew (Kidman). He also has a young rookie under his wing: Billy (Dean). Billy wants the glamor and the power. But there are two things wrong with him. 1) He is too nice to be a successful crook. 2) His admiration for Dutch gets overshadowed by his admiration for Drew.

As if these aren’t enough, anyone working for Dutch could be in danger because of a more powerful guy as well. ..

The movie is fun. It is not complicated or really orginal. I am not going to suggest you go running to the closest DVD store but you shouldn’t flip the channel if you run across this one either. I never saw a movie where Hoffman was any less than good. Kidman is so young here. I especially loved Loren Dean- casting him was the perfect choice because he portrays innocence, indecision and conflicts so well. The movie has another couple of niice surprises: It has Stanley Tucci and Steve Buscemi. Even Bruce Willis makes an appearance.

Entertaining experience with actors you like.

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