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The Ides of March feat. George Clooney, Ryan Gosling, Evan Rachel Wood, Paul Giamatti & Philip Seymour Hoffman

Posted on January 6, 2012 Written by ripitup

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The Ides of March Plot Summary- with some spoilers
The Ides of March movie poster
The Ides of March. Image via stuffistumbledupon.com

Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) is a smart and ambitious political campaign specialist, and he is co-managing the presidential campaign of Governor Mike Norris (George Clooney), an idealistic politician who might be just what the USA needs: anti-war, pro-choice and refusing to let go of his principles in order to secure a win. In the meantime, Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is having a difficult time getting senate votes because of Meyers’ ideals.

Stephen has little time apart from managing the campaign and the press –especially journalist Ida (Marisa Tomei). He starts hanging out with the 20-year-old intern Molly (Evan Rachel Wood), and is quite happy with his situation until two things happen:

1)      The campaign manager of the opponent, Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti), wants to meet with him and when Stephen goes for curiosity’s sake – and someone leaks this to Ida.

 

2)      Intern Molly confesses that she slept with the happily married Morris, is pregnant and needs $900 to have an abortion.

From then on, everything seems to work against Stephen. While he works to manage the crisis, Paul fires him- because he met with Duffy. And when Molly can’t manage the idea of a very angry Stephen looking to take revenge, things get even more complicated for Stephen….

**

Review

The Ides of March is a solid political drama with an impressive cast, and while it is not a thriller, sometimes it manages to be as engaging as one. It is hard to do a political drama this interesting, and director/co-writer/co-star George Clooney has pulled it off, no doubt with the help from Gosling, Giamatti, Hoffman, Tomei and Wood.

The only problem with the movie is the stereotype George Clooney’s character turns out to be. One minute he is this idealistic and principled guy who refuses to “bribe” his way into getting votes, and the next he is screwing a 20-year-old intern. So he is too decent to be a corrupt politician, but not a decent enough husband to keep it in his pants…Yes, politician with some nice views who has a problem staying loyal to his wife. Gee, where did we see this guy before?

The sad thing is, when Morris turns out to be a little moral than Meyers thought, he still wants to run the campaign. Who cares about his bedroom habits if he can manage the campaign right? But of course Morris only plays the game by his own rules, and Meyers just might to lose his self-respect to get back what he lost…

In the end, the movie engages you, depresses you and makes you question morality, loyalty, ethics and ambitions. It is well-done, even though you may not get any characters that you like or respect at the end.

Currently rated at 7.4 on IMDB.com

Fun notes on the cast:

Max Minghella, who plays Ben (one of the campaign staff) is the son of the deceased director Anthony Minghella, who is best known for the movies The English Patient and Cold Mountain.

 

Other Posts on the Cast

Also on Ryan Gosling

Crazy, Stupid, Love starring Steve Carell, Julianne Moore, Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone Trivia

All Good Things starring Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst & Frank Langella

Movie Reviews of 4 Nicholas Sparks Adaptations: A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe, Message in a Bottle and The Notebook

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: drama, Evan Rachel Wood, George Clooney, george clooney the ides of march, Jennifer ehle, Marisa Tomei, Max Minghella, movies, paul giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ryan Gosling, ryan gosling the ides of march, the ides of march, the ides of march cast, the ides of march movie, the ides of march movie review, the ides of marcn plot

Down in the Valley starring Edward Norton and Evan Rachel Wood

Posted on February 28, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Down in the Valley with Edward Norton and Evan Rachel Wood
Down in the Valley with Edward Norton and Evan Rachel Wood. Interesting romance/drama/western/thriller.

Tobe (Evan Rachel Wood) is living with her sister and father. Her brother Lonnie (Rory Culkin) is quiet and a bit too dependent on her for his age. Their father Wade (David Morse) seems less than loving and she is the typical problematic teenager. She smokes, takes drugs and doesn’t mind inviting the cute southern cowboy wannabe Harlan (Edward Norton) to the beach. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by the fact that she just met him or he is older than her.

At first it is a fun, contemporary whirlwind romance: hooking up right away, getting romantic, having a quickie and dating afterwards. Harlan seems really nice, Lonnie likes him and the only problem seems to be that Wade hates this guy. As the story progresses, we start to realize maybe Harlan has more problems than wishing he lived in a western. But ordering a teenager not to see her boyfriend never works. Especially when Harlan treats them a lot better than Wade…

Down in the Valley is an interesting film. It has some pretty intriguing characters, a fun plot idea, good scenery and nice music.

But the director really takes his time to tell the story. Sometimes the movie feels a bit slow. It It has some really decent moments. Don’t think of it as a thriller. It has some action, but if you consider at a romance, the little action will please you rather than disappoint. Enjoy the scenery and the music. Written and directed by David Jacobson, 2005.

Why watch?

1)  Anyone who has seen David Morse, Evan Rachel Wood or Edward Norton before in a film know that they are never bad.

2) I have loved Morse ever since he co-starred in House in season 3, as the only guy who seemed smart enough to really give House hell. It was brilliant to see our pill-popping, brilliant yet unconventional doctor had finally met his match-in a cop-who was out to get him.

3) Edward Norton doesn’t have one bad movie in his career. Some might be boring or not my cup of tea, but bad isn’t his thing.

4) Evan Rachel Wood is so beautiful and natural, she just fits the role perfectly.

5) If the plot summary I gave you didn’t make you think the movie was original, it was because I was trying to refrain from giving spoilers. What happens- especially after the second half- is well….Harlan is full of surprises and they are not good ones.

6) Rory Culkin (I am guessing you remember his brother Macaulay) is really good.

Its 6.6 IMDB rating seems fair. Although sometimes it might act like a 7…

All  Movies with Edward Norton:

Leaves of Grass

Kingdom of Heaven

 25th Hour

 Fight Club

 The Illusionist

The Painted Veil

American History X

Primal Fear

The Incredible Hulk

Death to Smoochy

Posts featuring Evan Rachel Wood

Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood

33 Actors From My Generation: Actors Born Between 1980-1990

Bizzare Celebrity Couplings featuring Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: David Jacobson, David Morse, Down in the Valley, drama, Edward Norton, Evan Rachel Wood, movies, romance, Rory Culkin, thriller, western

Bizarre Celebrity Couplings: Marilyn Manson and His Girlfriends

Posted on October 27, 2009 Written by ripitup

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Rose McGowan  &  Marilyn Manson

Marilyn Manson and Rose McGowan.
Marilyn Manson and ex-girlfriend Rose McGowan.

Yes, I am well aware of the fact that they broke up ages ago. But it doesn’t change the fact that they looked odd together, more like The Beauty and The Beast. Don’t get me wrong. I respect Manson to a certain extent. His image may not be my cup of tea but at least he is honest. Have you seen Michael Moore’s Bowling for Colombine? There, Manson says that he is doing whatever he does to attract attention. How many celebrities do that? But his honesty aside, there is a strong ick factor. No, it is not (just) the make-up! I actually heard that he had a surgical operation to have some bones removed so that he could give himself a blow-job! YUCKS!!! I really hope that’s some bogus news generated by his publicist. Otherwise it is just too much.

It is interesting that his girlfriends are beautiful actresses. I know rockers are known to pick up hot chicks but Manson isn’t your idea of a hot rocker, is he? We are moving on another Manson coupling:

 

Evan Rachel Wood  &  Marilyn  Manson

Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood
Marilyn Manson and on and off girlfriend Evan Rachel Wood

And the moral is pick up the guitar and girls will come regardless of your make-up and style? I know musicians tended to look pretty funny through out the history- just look at the fashion in every decade. And I have to admit, it is not like I never liked a band with make-up. I still like Kiss. I own Twisted Sister albums. Hell, I saw Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora with lipstick back in the day! Still, does this look like a match made in heaven?

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Filed Under: For Fun: Celebrities, dating, relationships and everything else Tagged With: Bowling for Columbine, celebrities, Evan Rachel Wood, Marilyn Manson, marilyn manson evan, marilyn manson girlfriends, marilyn manson rose, Michael Moore, Rose McGowan

The Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman and Evan Rachel Wood

Posted on October 25, 2009 Written by ripitup

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SPOILERS !! SPOILERS!! SPOILERS!!!

You should either have watched the movie, or you really shouldn’t mind spoilers. Because I’m going to dig deep with this one.

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The Life Before Her Eyes with Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood and Brett Cullen
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Brett Cullen plays Diana’s husband

When you really like a movie, you don’t really have to go out of your ways to find reasons to explain why you liked it. And when you really didn’t enjoy it, even little things bug you. For me, I really don’t know where I stand with this movie. During the first half, I found myself lost in the story. I was mesmerized.

Uma Thurman has become one of my favorite actresses to watch. She has grown up from the young innocent looking girl to this incredibly beautiful and talented woman. She was good to watch in her earlier roles in movies like Dangerous Liaisons, Gattaca, Tape and later on in Prime.  She is versatile; like any good actress should be.

I was curious about Evan Rachel Wood. She became so popular lately and I hadn’t seen really seen her in anything before and this was a chance to see if she was a promising actress. She is.

The movie gave me a good surprise too. I didn’t know Brett Cullen was in it until the opening credits rolled and I have always loved seeing him. Seriously. No matter how big or small his role is, you bring Cullen on any time. Yes, I admit I have had a bit of a crush on him ever since I first saw him in Something to Talk About. He is handsome on a very classy level and has this aura that suggests you can trust him; which makes him good for the nice guy parts and even better for the not so nice parts, since you wouldn’t really see it coming.

So three good actors, a wonderfully sad& tragic event told in flashbacks. So far so good. Let me go over the story.

Diana is in her 30s, living in suburbia with her loving husband and beautiful little daughter. They have a beautiful home and a great family. But it is a tough time for Diana. 15 years ago, her school witnessed one of the worst tragedies ever. One of her classmates brings a gun to school and shoots almost everyone. Diana and her best friend Maureen are in the girls’ room when the boy finds them. He says that he is going to shoot only one of them so they have to choose. It is horrible. It is terrifying. Both girls are scared shitless, and in shock. But Maureen suggests that if he is going to shoot one, he should shoot Maureen.

Diana (Uma Thurman) has led a good life. A life that seems like Maureen would have wanted for herself, had she lived. You see, Maureen has been the good little Christian. She was a loving friend, a dutiful daughter, a church-going virgin who really wanted to get married and have kids. She was the one with romantic fantasies. Diana (young Diana is played by Evan Rachel Wood) on the other hand was a rebel. She smoked pot, wasn’t exactly the best student and she slept with boy(s). She even had to get an abortion. Maureen was there for her as always. They were really different, but they had a strong bond and a true friendship.

So Diana still feels guilty, 15 years later. She has stayed in town, like Maureen would. She has got the husband and kid and the teaching job. Hell, her daughter even goes to a school run by the nuns.

As the movie progresses, she starts to lose control. She remembers more and more about her time with Maureen and her mind frequently revisits the day of the shooting. She also seems to have hallucinations. Things seem a certain way for a moment and then…they don’t.

So I’m thinking, it should be the post-traumatic stress coming back. I mean, it might have been 15 years but it was an awful tragedy. Her best friend was killed by a psychopath. Hell, almost all of the school was killed by him. Moreover, he told her about his plans the day before and she didn’t take him seriously. So, it is OK for her to be “losing it”. It is expected. Half the movie, I expected her to open her bathroom cabinet and reveal to us that she has been using anti-depressants. Otherwise, how could she stay in the same town and drive by the same school everyday, on her way to drop her daughter off? You should have to be heavily medicated or well, some sort of a masochist.

We go back to that bathroom scene a lot. Too many times, in fact. And then voila! We go back there one last time and we actually find out that it was Diana who was shot, not Maureen. Because Diana tells the guy to shoot her, repeatedly. So the guy does what Diana asks. He shoots Diana. So apparently it was Diana’s life before her eyes- just not as flashbacks as most people admit to experience as they feel they are going to go but vivid, coherent (most of the time) flashforwards. So basically picturing her future life, she decides she can not live with that guilt. She chooses to save her best friend instead. While it is a noble act, it also naturally creates a controversy between the viewers.

I know movies always divide people but this one was actually more than asking for it. Some hate the movie because they believe it is a pro-Christian/anti-abortion movie. I honestly hadn’t seen that one coming. They feel like that the fact the good Christian lives and the “slut” dies insults them. Some believe it is a poetic movie with just the right ending. Some don’t have problem with the ending, they just find the whole movie boring. But having visited some discussion boards, I really didn’t come across anyone who thought Diana had to have a mental problem. I was actually hoping to explain the ending like this: She felt so guilty after all those years and that in order to get a closure , she pictured and/or wished a different ending for what happened.Otherwise, I really have to agree with the others who think that the fact that she can have such a flashforward is absurd. I don’t mean you can’t think your future when you are at gunpoint. I have never been at gunpoint, so I have no insight to what you may or you may not think. But I can claim that it is downright bullshit that she could have imagined all that. Because she had what? 10 seconds? And she had time to develop an alternate life in the future with so many details? It is humanly impossible to generate that many thoughts in such a little time. In fact, I don’t remember even a sci-fi movie with a character who could generate that much thought, in that little time.

This movie actually had the opposite effect on me, compared to the effect of watching The Sixth Sense. I thought that movie was slow to watch. But the ending paid off. The ending made it all worthwhile. But here, the ending made me feel like I wish I hadn’t seen it.

I am not saying you should stay away from the movie, but I can’t whole-heartedly recommend it either. I expected the movie to blow me away. And it did. Then it also put me off. Told you, mixed feelings. Maybe it is because I cared more about having Diana alive rather than Maureen. It just feels like one of those movies where you go with the flow and really enjoy it. And then the main character wakes up. What do you know!!! She had a dream. And you are like What the ….???

Posts featuring Uma Thurman

10 Celebrity Couple Break-Ups You May Not Have Seen Coming

10 Most Entertaining Sci-fi Movies: Favorite Sci-fi Movies of a Non-fan

Looking Up: Tall Girls Dating

The Accidental Husband starring Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Colin Firth

Pulp Fiction

Posts featuring Evan Rachel Wood

Down in the Valley starring Edward Norton and Evan Rachel Wood

33 Actors From My Generation: Actors Born Between 1980-1990

Bizzare Celebrity Couplings featuring Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Bret Cullen, drama, Evan Rachel Wood, movies, The Life Before Her Eyes, the life before her eyes movie review, Uma Thurman

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