Movies and Actors | pinartarhan.com

Out of Line starring Jennifer Beals and Holt McCallany

Posted on July 1, 2013 Written by ripitup

Out of Line starring Jennifer Beals and Holt McCallany — Image via imdb.com

I have a soft spot when it comes to “forbidden” romance thrillers. I don’t mean forbidden as in stories about cheating (though if the “cheated” party is a jerk, some great stuff can come from the it).

But I’m talking about stories where it’s logically, ethically or even legally wrong for the couple to get together. Think FBI agent/serial killer’s wife (The Following), witness/cop (Blink), lawyer/client and so on.

Here we have another fun, but a no-no in real life, pairing: Parole Officer/Parolee. And to make it even more dangerous, of course the parole officer is female (Jennifer Beals) and the guy is the parolee (Holt McCallany).

I’m not saying the movie isn’t flawed. Some parts are totally overdone, reminding me of some 80s thrillers (though this one is subtle in comparison, being made in 2001 and all), the main characters could have spent a bit more time together and some more background info on both would have made it all a bit more believable.

But it is entertaining enough, and it looks like Holt McCallany was born to play an ex-con with “different” kind of adaptation problems. OK, let’s go over the plot and then you can see if this kind of “forbidden” romance thriller is up your alley too:

Out of Line Story

Henry Brule (Holt McCallany) has been in prison for 8 years, with more years to go. He is a though guy who can more than handle himself, and this catches the eye of Alfonso, a fellow con with an axe to grind. The deal is simple: Henry will be paroled through several strings, he will seduce the girlfriend (Claire) of the guy who screwed over Alfonso and kill him.

Saying no doesn’t seem like an option, and a not-so-willing Henry agrees. What he wasn’t planning on was having a beautiful and caring parole officer, Jenny, and having lost some normal social interaction skills on the inside. When his first attempt to seduce Claire backfires, he enlistst Jenny’s help on being able to talk to “nice women.” Jenny agrees after Henry accepts doing some community hours, and studying Tai Chi with her.

So Henry’s “busy” life starts as a “free man”, and things would work out so much better if Alfonso’s man didn’t keep bugging him. And things get further complicated when he and Jenny start being attracted to each other.

Henry chooses to pursue Jenny despite the danger and well…things will go awry any minute…

Out of Line is fun, escapist entertainment. Despite a couple of scenes where you want to smack Henry around (the first make-out sessions, pursuing Jenny despite he’ll eventually have to hurt her either way….), he is generally a likeable character. His adaptation problems and lack of flirting skills are pretty funny, and he does vulnerable vs. tough, nice vs. rough, passionate vs. clear-headed well. And Jennifer Beals is lovely too.

P.S. “Claire” is played by Keegan Connor Tracy, the Mother Superior/Fairy of Once Upon a Time.

P.P.S. Is it just me or did several scenes of Holt remind you of John Travolta big time?

Dead Man Down starring Colin Farrell & Noomi Rapace: Solid Action-Drama

Posted on June 27, 2013 Written by ripitup

colin farrell-dead-man-down — Image via fanpop.com.

Victor (Colin Farrell) is one of the best men working for the gangster Alphonse (Terrence Howard). However Victor does seem to have an agenda – something he is pursuing whenever he isn’t around Alphonse and his men.

Beatrice (Noomi Rapace) is a young woman who lives in the apartment building across him. She has been in a car crash, and her face still shows some of the scars despite reconstructive surgeries. She is being mocked by kids, doesn’t feel “authoritative enough” to go back to her job as a beautician.

Victor says yes, wondering if she has witnessed the murder he committed in his flat. She has, and this is why she asked him out- she has a “business” proposal. Victor can kill the man who caused her accident (and didn’t serve much in prison), and she can forget about the murder. Or she can go the cops.

Victor is obligated to accept, because he is not exactly a cold-blooded killer.

But as Beatrice spends more time with and around Victor (she gives him info on his “target”, and finds excuses to hang around to find out more about him), they start feeling a connection.
And as much as Victor develops feelings for Beatrice, he’s running out of time to take his own revenge on a very large scale; and this will get them both in more danger.

Dead Man Down is a nice action/drama hybrid that balances drama and action well.

Farrell first appears as any other hired gun. He watches his boss’ back, is cool and composed. But you do sense something is different, and soon it is revelead that he is working for Alphonse (Terrence Howard) for a whole other reason- and this gives us a new perspective on his career, and explains why a “killer” wouldn’t just kill Beatrice and be done with her for good.

Rapace also fleshes Beatrice out. You find yourself identifying with her. You understand why she might start hating so much, and the pain would finally compel her to consider something so drastic. And frankly, while I wouldn’t go as far as comtemplating murder, I think I’d have made sure the drunk (who ran me over without any punishments and messed up my joy of life, health and confidence) ended up beaten up pretty badly or something. And because she is in a dark state of mind, she has the balls to ask a “killer” out, and makes her threat without taking precautions. If he went nuts and killed her right there and then, she wouldn’t have minded terribly.

But as they give each other more moments to smile about, the attraction grows.

*
I’ll admit that I was positively biased before watching this. I love a good revenge story based on the loss of a loved one. I love that they didn’t go that way for Rapace’s character, but her acting and psychology enables us to empathize at one leve or another. I also like the cast, and I was sold from the trailer.

Add a well-shot, well-acted full feature with a decent soundtrack, and well, I already saw Dead Man Down twice, enjoying it even more the second time. Through a second viewing, character actions and motivations make even more sense.

While some viewers didn’t find the cruel kids’ reaction to Beatrice (calling her a monster, throwning stones at her) not realistic, they should remember that some kids, like people, can be cruel for the most superficial of all reasons- and they should be happy they haven’t been exposed to such behaviour. Those viewers should also watch Mads Mikkelsen’s The Hunt. Sometimes kids can do scary, unimaginable things…

Dead Man Down has entered the list of favorite revenge movies, and it looks like it’ll remain there. 5 other revenge movies I really love are on covered on this post: 5 Awesome Revenge Movies feat. Gerard Butler, Kevin Bacon, Antonio Banderas, Brandon Lee and Mel Gibson.

Also on Colin Farrell:

The Recruit starring Colin Farrell, Al Pacino and Bridget Moynahan

Pride and Glory review – starring Edward Norton and Colin Farrell

London Boulevard starring Colin Farrell & Keira Knightley

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Superman: Man of Steel starring Henry Cavill and A lot of Oscar Winners (&Nominees)

Posted on June 19, 2013 Written by ripitup

man-of-steel-man-of-steel-henry cavill-russell crowe-michael shannon — Image via fanpop.com. From left: Russell Crowe, Henry Cavill & Michael Shannon.

On the Cast and Crew

I don’t think a comic book movie has ever seen such a cast. Superman’s father is played by Russell Crowe, stepfather by Kevin Costner, stepmother by Diane Lane, love interest Lois Lane by Amy Adams. The main villain is played Michael Shannon, one of the most gifted actors of his generation – who is better known for awesome low-budget films (Shotgun Stories, Take Shelter).

The special effects are pretty spectacular-to the point of being overdone, but then again it’s Zac Snyder (300, Watchmen). The story is written by David. S. Goyer (Dark Knight trilogy) and Christopher Nolan (Memento, Inception, the Dark Knight trilogy…)

As a fan of the 70s/80s Superman series, (as horrible the effects seem today and the story isn’t cool, it holds a tremendous nostalgic value for me . After all, it was my first superhero movie, and Christopher Reeve was my first Superman). And it is hard to fill in Reeve’s shoes as an actor (and as Superman)- he had this uniquely suave look about him, and he stood at 6′ 4″ (1.93 m). So you hardly questioned Lois being head over heels, or him being an alien with super powers

christopher-reeve-superman — The late Christopher Reeve as Superman. Image via allposters.com.

But then Henry Cavill came, having worked out so much that he could have been the next choice as Wolverine (pay attention to his look and mannerisms in the first rescue scene.) He looked the right amount of innocent, frustrated and otherworldly. Something I don’t think Brandon Routh was able to bring.

henry-cavill-shirtless-on-set-5-762x1024-1 — Henry Cavill as Wolverine. Oops, I mean Clark Kent. 🙂 Image via celebuzz.com.

Yes, with such cast and crew, you’d keep your expectations high. And I’m thinking you are more likely to be impressed than disappointed. Let’s go over the plot before moving on to other thoughts:

Man of Steel Plot

Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife (Ayelet Zurer) manage to have the only naturally born son (Kal-El, later to be named Clark by his stepparents) in a long time in the dying planet Krypton. General Zod (Michael Shannon) tries to take over, hoping to save the planet under his rule. His hostility and betrayal aren’t approved by Jor-El, and he sends his son to earth, a plan he came up with his wife.

He sees that his baby leaves the planet safely, but ends up being murdered by Zod. Eventually Zod and his men are captured, sentenced to a very long time in a black hole.

Their capture doesn’t prevent the planet from ultimate destruction, however.

Later we meet the adult Clark (Henry Cavill) who has managed to keep his special abilities secret by working the odd jobs, and not staying in one place for too long.

Through flashbacks, we get to see how Clark struggled as a young boy to control and hide his abilities, but managed somehow through the guidance and support of his stepparents, Jonathan (Kevin Kostner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane).

Jonathan explains him that he came from another planet, though he doesn’t have a lot of details. He encourages him to keep his powers secret for the greater good of his planet’s and the earth’s.

The adult Clark’s final gig lands him in Canada, where Louis Lane of The Daily Planet is also on a case. When Lois follows Clark into the spacecraft (a vehicle that the army was trying to figure out), Clark gets to save her – revealing his powers, but not before having gotten the message of his biological father.

He leaves soon, and Louis writes about the mystery man. But when her boss (Laurence Fishburne) refuses to print it, she makes sure people hear her story via a conspiracy theorist. She later decides to track down the mystery guy herself. But when she finally finds him, he tells her about Jonathan and his doubts about the world being ready for someone like him. After this, Louis decides to keep his identity a secret, strengthening the bond already formed between them.

But things get out of her control when Zod announces that he’s coming to the earth with his men, and all he wants is the alien. And of course he won’t accept “no” in peace. This puts Lois at risk, and Clark knows better than to trust Zod.

And the real action/effects feast part of the movie start after we find out that Krypton’s demise has freed Zod and his men; and he intends to recreate Krypton on earth, while destroying humans…

Review

Man of Steel provides solid entertainment with substance.

It does a good job explaining the backstory and answering the questions of the superhero’s fans who don’t necessarily read the comics: Where does the name/costume come from, why there is an S symbol on his costume (and a lot of other places), how he “officially” became a hero among others.

It starts presenting Krypton in all its different glory and giving Crowe a piece of the action.

Then we move on to an adult Clark who has nothing to do with newspaper reporting or glasses, which is refreshing.

The movie does a fine job of balancing drama with action, though I have to say I prefer to part of the movie before Zod arrived in our world. Because the fight sequences between Clark and Zod’s two soldiers took a bit too long for my taste- and as Transformers showed, too loud and long can be a major turn-off. And I can also say it for the final battle between Zod and Clark. However these are my only two complaints about the movie. I had a great experience. I can’t wait for the next installations.

I’m also happy to announce that the movie made more than half its budget at the box office on its first day. May Nolan and Snyder collaborate on more features.

How did you like the film?

Also on Kevin Costner:

The Company Men starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper, Maria Bello & Kevin Costner

Nicholas Sparks vs Happy Endings- Kevin Costner’s Message in a Bottle

Kevin Costner: An Amazing Lead Who Should Just Stay Away From Sci-Fi

When Adultery is OK- Revenge (Movie Review of Revenge, Starring Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn)

The New Daughter starring Kevin Costner

Also on Russell Crowe

The Next Three Days starring Russell Crowe & Elizabeth Banks: Emotional, Captivating, Entertaining

State of Play starring Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel Mcadams and Helen Mirren

A Good Year starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard

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

Robert Redford Against Happy Endings: Featuring 10 Redford Films including The Great Gatsby, Havana, The Last Castle, Up Close & Personal and more.

Posted on May 24, 2013 Written by ripitup

Robert Redford is a lot of things. A great director, a skilled actor, a movie icon…One thing he isn’t, though, is a fan of happy endings. Oh, and I believe the evidence (i.e. his filmography) speaks for itself.

Either Redford doesn’t enjoy happy-endings, or he just happens to like the script too much to care whether his character gets romantic bliss at the end.

Note: If you don’t want to be spoiled about the endings of several Redford movies, you might not want to continue further.

Out of Africa (1985): Directed by Sydney Pollack. Co-Starring Meryl Streep. 7 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

out of africa, robert redford, meryl streep — Image via movie-poster-artwork-finder.com

Out of Africa tells the story of a Danish baroness starting a life in Africa, and bringing all her energy and uniqueness with her as she interacts with natives and non-natives alike. But she has quite the impact on free-spirited hunter Denys (Robert Redford), who she starts falling for.

Of course he is cool, handsome, charismatic and adventurous.

They have this modern romance for a while before their differences get in the way. As much as they are both independent, they have different ideas about romance and being with someone.

In the end, they realize they might both need to change a little since they do want each other but guess what? Denys dies in a plane crash. Ouch.

Of course Out of Africa isn’t just about the love story, but it’s an integral part of the film. It offers great cinematography, chemistry between actors, the true story of a very interesting woman…

Still, when you look at Redford’s character: he gets the girl, but he dies in the end.

P.S. I haven’t seen all his movies (yet), so if there is more, don’t add it in the comments. I don’t want to be spoiled : )

Up Close and Personal (1996) co-starring Michelle Pfieffer

I already reviewed the film, so you can have unspoiled fun here.

Redford’s Warren is a seasoned news reporter-turned-producer who trains the small town Sally (Michelle Pfieffer) and she slowly transforms from clueless to elegant and heart-felt.

Spending this much time together and getting to know each other really well result in them falling for one another, and the two stay together despite different career opportunities and aspirations.

Unfortunately, one career aspiration sends Warren to Panama and he proves that he’s still got it: There really is a story there. But that story does get him killed…

A case of Redford getting the girl but dying.

The Way We Were (1973)

(*Also features spoilers for Sex and the City series)

he-way-we-were-poster-big — Image via soundtrack-covers.com

An “opposites attract until opposites repel” story that I just can’t like as a romance.

OK, so I saw The Way We Were after I saw Sex and the City because well…I was 14 when SATC started and I saw the related episode before the movie. Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) was comparing her doomed relationship with Big (Chris Noth) to the relationship of Katie (Barbra Streisand) and Hubbell (Robert Redford)’s.

Well, I was quite disappointed with SATC because despite all the horrendous things that happened in their relationship (including cheating on their then partners with each other), they got a happily ever after at the end of the series. By then I couldn’t have cared less about Big, or Carrie.

And watching The Way We Were…well, Hubbell and Katie made Carrie and Big seem like two peas in a pot. At least their political views weren’t insanely different, their career advancement didn’t disappoint the other and one’s political affiliation didn’t endanger the other’s career. Then there’s the little affair where Hubbell cheated on Katie whereas in SATC, despite all the “twistedness”, Big was loyal to Carrie.

Now, with Hubbell and Katie…their differences were even more obvious and powerful. And you are supposed to love someone not despite who they are, but because of who they are.

You can argue that they loved each other but it just didn’t work…but hey, tell me, what did they love exactly?

For a romantic like me, The Big and Carrie storyline was not romantic at all, especially after they involved Aidan. But The Way We Were’s story is just as annoying, if not more depressing. I love Redford, and got nothing against Streisand but boy, this movie bored me.

So Redford gets the girl, but doesn’t end up with her.

The Horse Whisperer (1998) co-starring Kristin Scott Thomas & Scarlett Johansson

(*Spoilers for both the movie, and the novel it was based on)

the horse whisperer movie — Image via nelldeanbooks.weebly.com

When Annie’s (Kristin Scott Thomas) daughter (Scarlett Johansson) has an accident with her horse, she thinks that the best way to heal her daughter, along with the horse, is move to the ranch of the horse whisperer Tom Booker (Robert Redford). Of course having left behind not the greatest of marriages, spending a lot of time with the handsome and modern cowboy, and the beauty of the nature will confuse the hell out of Annie.

Being a romantic drama directed by Robert Redford, an unhappy ending shouldn’t surprise you in the slightest. Though this time we have to hand it to Redford – he changed the ending from the hero dying to the hero just losing the girl.

Not that the girl really wanted to leave, but her life was in the city, her husband (Sam Neill) still loved her and wanted to try-and he really loved her daughter. So it was more like she picked her daughter (and the city) over the whisperer, rather than her husband over him.

Still, Redford didn’t get the girl.

The Great Gatsby (1974) co-starring Mia Farrow

The Great Gatsby, Robert Redford, Mia Farrow — Image via fashionindustrynetwork.com.

Based on the classic F. Scott Fitzgeral novel.

Gatsby (Robert Redford) acquires wealth to impress his ex flame Daisy (Mia Farrow) who married into privilege, but Daisy seems to care about titles and money that were born into.

Now, it has been a while since I read the novel, but if I recall correctly, Gatsby never quite gets the girl and even dies at the end. Ouch.

Though I have to say I didn’t really care about either of their characters.

Fun note: (Now, I’ll spoil a bit of DiCaprio endings for you…)

Director Baz Luhrman remade The Great Gatsby in 2013 with Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role. Which got me thinking, DiCaprio doesn’t that get that many happy endings in his movies either. Assuming the end of this classic wasn’t changed, we can add it to Romeo and Juliet, Titanic, Blood Diamond, Revolutionary Road (if my memory serves right) and well…I can’t remember the rest of his movie endings. Feel free to spoil me about them.

Indecent Proposal (1993) co-starring Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson

indecent_proposal_movie — Image via tvtropes.org.

Rich businessman John (Redford) is used to getting what he wants, and now he wants to sleep with the married Diana (Moore). Diana loves her husband David (Harrelson) to bits, but they are in huge debt, and John has offered a million dollars to “have” Diana for one night.

She begrudgingly accepts, and their marriage later suffers from the aftermath. Diana gets with John for a while…

So he sexually gets the girl, later partly emotionally gets the girl, but will always be second to the husband. Not that his character was an angel, but all parties are seriously flawed. So why shouldn’t we root for the guy who looks and sounds like Redford?

Havana (1990) co-starring Lena Olin

havana robert redford lena olin — Image via mrqe.com.

It’s 1958. Professional gambler Jack (Redford) is in Havana to pull the biggest, and last game of his career when he meets the beautiful Roberta (Olin) who has been helping the rebels with her Cuban doctor husband. He falls for Roberta’s passion and she gives him something to believe in other than himself.

Her husband dies, Jack comes to her rescue, quite impressively and eventually she becomes enchanted by him too. But hey, she just might be a bit more in love with the idea of a revolution than she’s with Jack.

So Redford gets the girl for a bit, he doesn’t die but the girl doesn’t go with him either

Thinking about it, if Redford has a niche (or several, we are talking about decade of film-making and acting here) –it is romantic dramas without happy endings. Or action/dramas with some sad aspect, usually about him.

The Last Castle (2001) co-starring James Gandolfini and Mark Ruffalo

the last castle movie — Image via amazon.

Now, this is not a romantic drama. It’s an exciting and thought-provoking action/drama about how one general (Redford) finds himself in a military prison where the warden (Gandolfini) has been treating the inmates inhumanely. It gets to the point where the general can’t take it anymore, and with his leadership, the men set out to take over the prison.

They do manage to take over the prison through some fun action scenes, but in the end, Redford dies for his cause. Sure, they make their point and overthrow the warden. But the man who made it possible is gone. And it is an action movie, for crying out loud!

So what’s the score now? Robert Redford 8, happy endings 0?

Three Days of the Condor (1975) co-starring Faye Dunaway

three days of the condor, robert redford — Image via amazon.

CIA researcher Joseph Turner (Redford)’s job is to read anything and everything. However his not-so-dangerous life is turned upside down when someone inside the CIA orders his unit (and every person in it) to be destroyed. He survives by pure chance, and spends his “three days” trying to not to get killed.

Part of his success comes from the fact that his mind doesn’t work like a regular agent’s. He kidnaps a random woman (Faye Dunaway), stays with her in her house and during the interesting “hostage” situation they “bond”.

At the end of the movie, it seems that he has a safety measure, but it is not guaranteed that it will work. The woman wouldn’t mind seeing him again, but she has a boyfriend, and she is a bit weird.

So it is not so much unhappy as it is very vague. But it is definitely not a happy ending.

This Property Is Condemned (1966) co-starring Natalie Wood

Now I really don’t like this movie, but the ending has got nothing to do with it. I pretty much enjoyed most of the movies listed above, but this one…

I just can’t stand most of the movies before the 70s. The artificial colors, the exaggerated acting, the overly loud sound editing…Nothing sits right with me. It’s all like a bad play.

You can counter-argue that 80s and 90s have a lot of examples of exaggeration and over-doing things, but I wasn’t born into the 60s. I didn’t grow up watching them either, so they don’t have a nostalgic hold over me like the 80s and 90s do.

This Property is Condemned tells the story of railroad official Owen (Redford) who comes to a small town to close the railway, falls in love with the town’s flirt (Natalie Wood) and together they sort of overcome all…Until she dies.

I know. Ouch. No happy ending for Redford yet again.

Final Score: Redford 10, Happy Endings 0.

*Note: Now, I first wrote a post called Nicholas Sparks vs. Happy Endings since we know the writer loves killing off his main character(s) most of the time. Sure it often happens after he/she hooks up with their big love and they have some quality time together, but I don’t really enjoy seeing the hero/heroine being killed off sometime after having enjoyed the sunset with the heroine/hero.

And please let’s not get into the “there are no real happy endings in real life” debate. It’s Nicholas Sparks. It’s pure escapism, and I don’t like being captured by the prison guards and tell me I never made it out; that it was just an illusion. Metaphorically speaking.

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