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Unknown starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones & Aidan Quinn

Posted on June 26, 2011 Written by ripitup

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Unknown Movie Poster- starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones & Aidan Quinn
Unknown starring Liam Neeson, Diane Kruger, January Jones & Aidan Quinn. Image via movienewz.com

American botanist Martin Harris (Liam Neeson) travels to Berlin with his wife (January Jones) for an important summit. When they arrive at their hotel, he realizes that he has forgotten his briefcase at the airport, so he jumps on another cab to go back, while his wife is left to check in. On his way to the airport, the cab gets into an accident, and the cab crashes down into the river. The cab driver Gina (Diane Kruger) manages to save Martin- who is unconscious due to bumping his head hard, and disappears from the scene when the paramedics arrive.

Martin wakes up 4 days later in a Berlin. He remembers who he is, and rushes out to the hotel to meet his wife. But he is shocked when his wife doesn’t have a clue who he is. Moreover, there is another guy (Aidan Quinn), claiming to be her husband. And she is agreeing with the other Martin. With his passport left in the briefcase he couldn’t get to, he has no means of proving who he is. Moreover, the other Martin has all kinds of IDs with his pictures, as well as his face on the website. This sends Martin into doubting who he is…until men start coming after him and kill whoever gets in their way. Martin enlists the help of the unwilling Gina, and the old German ex-spy (Bruno Ganz) to help him prove he is the real Martin Harris. While Gina and Martin try to survive assassins, the spy does his best to prove Martin right. And just when he gets some proof, things get even more complicated….

Why would anyone want to replace him? Why would his wife work with them? Can Liam’s Martin and Diane Kruger’s Gina survive long enough to learn the whole story?

**

Unknown is an incredibly entertaining action/mystery with touches of drama. Watchers of the Bourne series and Liam Neeson’s Taken complain that Unknown is not an original movie. Never mind that the screenplay which was based on the novel by a French writer who might not even have seen Bourne movies, it is 2011. Millions of scripts were written. And I don’t really think Bourne movies were all %100 original when they came out. I mean come on. What you can do as a writer is to take an idea, and tell it in your own unique way. And Unknown is refreshing in the way that the man who has a head trauma remembers who he is, but his wife refuses it. I quite like how they explained this. And there is no point in getting upset if you guessed the twist. It doesn’t mean the movie is bad. It just means you watch many movies:D But this is not a horror film where the twist is the whole point. It is how we get to the twist, and what happens after it that really matter.

As to why this movie is being compared to Taken, Neeson is once again playing an American who kicks butt in a foreign country. But in Taken, he was an ex-CIA agent, forced to travel to France to save his daughter from her kidnappers. Here, Liam Neeson is more trying to save his butt than trying to kick others’. And apart from the American getting involved in action on foreign soil, the two movies vary a lot in story.

Yes, I enjoyed the movie. Frankly, I was so in love with Taken that I was looking forward to Liam being in another action film. And while I found the Unknown trailer unimpressive, the movie doesn’t fail to entertain.

And “the potential plot holes”  can be explained very easily.  And as to the complaints on how January Jones and Diane Kruger are too young for Neeson, come on! Never mind that Zeta Jones married Michael Douglas in real life, being 6 years younger than January and 8 than Kruger, I have to confess I really think Liam Neeson got more attractive when he got older. Plus, a 25 year-old kicking butt is not that interesting. And we know guys can become action stars in their 40s. And an actor kicking butt at 59 is just way more fun.

**

Fun notes:

– Diane Kruger’s character Gina is an illegal Bosnian alien in Germany. In real life, she is actually German.

– American Martin Harris – Liam Neeson- is actually Irish.

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: action, aidan quinn, bruno ganz, Diane Kruger, January jones, Liam Neeson, liam neeson unknown, movies, taken movie, thriller, Unknown, unknown 2011, unknown cast, unknown movie

Blink starring Madeleine Stowe & Aidan Quinn

Posted on January 2, 2011 Written by ripitup

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Blink starring Madeleine Stowe & Aidan Quinn
Blink starring Madeleine Stowe & Aidan Quinn. Featuring Sex and The City’s Richard Wright- James Remar.

Emma (Madeleine Stowe) is a young and beautiful violinist who was blinded at a very young age by her own mother. She plays in a band with her friends and takes care of herself with the help of her dog.

On a night out with his cop buddies, police detective John Hallstrom (Aidan Quinn) doesn’t come off as the most sensitive guy when he makes a bet with his friends that he can get Emma’s attention. He doesn’t notice she is blind, so he even goes as far to have a stripping session in front of her band.

After Emma gets an eye surgery, she goes through complications: her sight is often blurry and her brain doesn’t always process the images the moment she sees them. To make matters worse, Emma hears a strange noise one night from her apartment building. When she goes to the police station to explain, John and his friends don’t really take her seriously…until they realize that a murder has taken place. It is the work of a serial killer and the victim is Emma’s neighbor.

It doesn’t help matters that their only witness is a formerly-blind woman with a confusing sight. But John is determined to solve this case and he is growing more attracted to Emma as time passes. But under the circumstances, can this relationship have a future?

**

Blink is a really fun and harmless romantic thriller from 1994. Granted, it is not the most original storyline, but it wasn’t so tired in 1994. Yes, it was the 90s and you have your usual passionate love story (and obviously the sex scenes) along with the psychotic killer. But I like the 90s vibe of the film, and I really like seeing Aidan Quinn & Madeleine Stowe so young, and sharing the screen time. As they got older, they didn’t star in the movies often so this is a great one for their fans.

Written by Dana Stevens (City of Angels, Life or Something Like It) and directed by Michael Apted (Nell, The World is not Enough).

Fun note: Co-starring is James Remar, as a fellow cop/John’s friends on the case. Sex and the City fans will remember James as Richard Wright – the rich and cool businessman who Samantha Jones fell in love with. And got her heart broken over. And The Vampire Diaries watchers saw James Remar as Giuseppe Salvatore, father of Damon and Stefan Salvatore.

Favorite Line:

Emma’s friend (after the concert, on Hallstrom’s stripping): He gave everyone a big anatomy lesson.

Emma: How big?

The Trailer

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azibdrz8l3c&feature=related[/pro-player]

Other Posts on Madeleine Stowe

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: aidan quinn, Blink, blink 1994, blink movie, Dana Stevens, james remar, Madeleine Stowe, michael apted, movies, romance, thriller

3 Movies with “Tristan” Protagonists feat. Legends of The Fall, Stardust, Tristan & Isolde

Posted on December 24, 2010 Written by ripitup

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The first time I heard the name “Tristan” was when I watched Legends of the Fall, starring Brad Pitt. I had found Tristan to be a pretty cool and unique name back then. I also love the movie so it stayed with me. Later I saw the movie Tristan & Isolde, a lovely romantic adventure/drama starring James Franco. Then came Stardust, and Charlie Cox’s Tristan.

Enjoy 3 movies that all have Tristans as their leading characters. The order is random.

 

1) Movie: Tristan and Isolde

Actor playing Tristan: James Franco

Tristan & Isolde starring James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell, Henry Cavill & Mark Strong.
Tristan & Isolde starring James Franco, Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell, Henry Cavill & Mark Strong.

Directed by Kevin Reynolds, 2006’s Tristan & Isolde co-stars Sophia Myles, Rufus Sewell, Henry Cavill & Mark Strong.

James Franco plays Tristan, a man raised by Lord Marke (Rufus Sewell) after an Irish attack left Tristan an orphan. Based on the legend, Tristan and Isolde is a powerful love story. When Briton Tristan is presumed dead, Irish princess Isolde (Sophia Myles) takes care of him. They fall for each other but they have to part. Unfortunately, their “reunion” comes in the least desired format: Tristan unknowingly has “won” Isolde as a bride for his Lord Marke. How can the two stay apart? Yet how can be together?

 

Tristan is a great soldier, friend, leader and lover. He is generally very loyal, in fact he would have gladly have died for Marke but the fact that he fell for Isolde before she married Marke complicates things. Tristan feels tremendous guilt and is thorn between his love for Isolde and his love for Marke.

Read Tristan and Isolde Detailed Review featuring Plot Trivia and James Franco Links

2) Movie: Legends of the Fall  Brad Pitt

Actor playing Tristan: Brad Pitt

 

Legends of the Fall starring Brad Pitt, Julia Ormond, Aidan Quinn, Anthony Hopkind & Henry Thomas

 

Directed by Edward Zwick and co-starring Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond & Henry Thomas, Legends of the Fall is an epic romance/drama/war whose story covers many years.

Brad Pitt plays Tristan Ludlow, a young man living in 1900s America with his father –former soldier William (Anthony Hopkins), his older brother Alfred (Aidan Quinn) and his younger brother Samuel (Henry Thomas). Tristan is the free-spirited, rebellious and adventurous one. Alfred is rational and responsible and they both dote on their youngest and more fragile brother Samuel. Things are fine until Samuel brings home his beautiful fiancé Susannah (Julia Ormond). Both Alfred and Tristan are attracted to her, but this doesn’t become an issue until World War I breaks out. The boys go off to fight, and Samuel doesn’t survive. Upon their return, Tristan and Susannah start a passionate romance, totally frowned upon and envied by Alfred. Tristan is not happy, however – he needs to go off into the wilderness, to find himself and get over the death of his brother. But will Susannah be able to wait him forever?

 

3) Movie: Stardust

Actor playing Tristan: Charlie Cox

 

Stardust starring Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Mark Strong & Sienna Miller
Stardust starring Charlie Cox, Claire Danes, Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Mark Strong & Sienna Miller

Charlie Cox’s Tristan lives in a village that neighbors a magical kingdom. In fact, his existence is due to the fact that his father Dunstan (young Dunstan is played by Ben Barnes) crossed over to the magical kingdom, met a witch’s slave and fell in love with her. Tristan is desperately in love with Victoria (Sienna Miller), a spoiled girl who is more interested in money and title. Tristan decides to win her heart by bringing her a fallen star but to his disbelief, the star is actually young beautiful woman called Yvaine (Claire Danes). He has to go through a journey with Yvaine and at first they can’t really get along. But this is a journey full of unexpected twists, full of pirates, witches, crown-crazed princes and more.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn and based on Neil Gaiman’s graphic novel, 2007’s Stardust has one impressive cast including Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Robert De Niro, Mark Strong, Rupert Everett, Ricky Gervais, Sarah Alexander (Susan of Coupling), Ben Barnes, Sienna Miller and Henry Cavill. Interestingly enough, both Henry Cavill and Mark Strong co-star in both Tristan & Isolde and Stardust.

  • Read 20 Reasons to Love Stardust for detailed review: plot trivia, review, photos and links

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: aidan quinn, Anthony Hopkins, Ben Barnes, Brad Pitt, brad pitt legends of the fall, Charlie Cox, edward zwick, henry cavil, Henry Thomas, James Franco, julia ormond, Kevin Reynolds, legends of the fall, legends of the fall cast, legends of the fall film, legends of the fall movie, Mark Strong, matthew vaughn, movies, Sienna Miller, Stardust, stardust 2007, stardust cast, stardust movie, tristan and isolde, tristan and isolde movie

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

Posted on July 28, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Benny and Joon starring Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn and Julianne Moore
Benny and Joon starring Johnny Depp, Mary Stuart Masterson, Aidan Quinn and Julianne Moore. Image via uaa.alaska.edu/

Car mechanic Benny (Aidan Quinn) has been living with and taking care of his sister Joon (Mary Stuart Masterson) ever since they lost their parents a long time ago. Joon is mentally troubled and has certain obsessions. Her problems make her intolerant to certain things such as extreme noise, traffic and chaos. While social consultants advise Benny to register in a private care facility, Benny is perfectly content with the living arrangements and so is Joon.

Benny’s idea of fun is playing poker with his friends. At one game, the stakes get a bit unusual. One of Benny’ friends puts his eccentric cousin Sam (Johnny Depp) on the table. Benny loses and ends up taking Sam at home. Sam can’t read or write but he is a total movie nut and he is acting a lot like the silent movie actor Buster Keaton. It doesn’t take long for him to get used to Joon’s “eccentricities” and Joon has a lot of fun having him around. In fact they seem to form a special bond which leads to a romantic involvement. But how will Benny react? And how are these two ever going to make a relationship work? And will Benny be ever to concentrate on his romantic life while he is concerned about Joon all the time?

Benny and Joon is a delightful, emotional and very fun romantic comedy/drama. The performances are lovely but of course as always Johnny Depp shines through. Oliver Platt and Julianne Moore take supporting roles – Oliver Platt as Benny’s friend and Julianne Moore as Ruthie, Benny’s romantic interest. The soundtrack is just lovely and both Benny and Joon’s and Joon and Sam’s relationships are well-developed throughout the film. This film is so much more than a romantic/drama/comedy.

Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik and written by Barry Berman and Lesley McNeil, 1993. 

Rated 6.9 on IMDB. Well, 7 or above 7 seems pretty fair to me. Benny and Joon is a total Johnny Depp gem. Of course the film is based in reality and you are having your most fun Tim Burton/ Johnny Depp collaborations, this might not be ideal for you. However, I do suggest you give this one a shot. 

Also featuring Johnny Depp

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Also Featuring Aidan Quinn

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: aidan quinn, Barry Berman, Benny and Joon, buster keaton, comedy, drama, Jeremiah S. Chechik, Johnny Depp, Julianne Moore, Lesley McNeil, Mary Stuart Masterson, movies, Oliver Platt, romance

In the mood for a fun romcom novel?

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