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Jeff Nichols’ Take Shelter starring Michael Shannon & Jessica Chastain

Posted on February 14, 2012 Written by ripitup

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Take Shelter movie poster
Take Shelter starring Michael Shannon & Jessica Chastain. Feat. Kathy Baker.

Take Shelter Story

Curtis (Michael Shannon) is a family man in his mid-30s. He works in construction, and tries to deal with the fact that he has a deaf daughter as well as he can. He has a happy enough marriage with wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain).

The problem is, he has started to things that indicate a heavily destructive storm coming, and yet nobody else seems to either see them or care. These visions are combined with seriously disturbing nightmares, and Curtis tries to cope in two ways: He starts researching mental illnesses, inspired by the fact that his mother (Kathy Baker) was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia, and he also starts building an underground storm shelter.

He spends & borrows a lot of money without letting his wife know, and his visions have started to affect his work.

Is Curtis mentally ill? Or is he actually gifted in sensing things other can’t? Either way, it looks like Curtis’ personal and professional life will crack before he can find out…

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Take Shelter: Worth watching – despite the pace

I was looking forward to Take Shelter ever since I saw the trailer, which does a great job of reflecting both the premise and the mood of the movie. The problem is, what looks extremely gripping in a 2-minute trailer may not always be that exciting in a 2-hours-plus movie.

The acting is top-notch-especially with Michael Shannon. He is so good, he leaves you wondering why the hell he hasn’t scored a Golden Globe or even Oscar nomination. Jessica Chastain also does a great job as the loving wife who doesn’t know what to do with her husband as he is not letting her in. So no problems with the cast.

I fell in love with the premise right after the trailer. Written and directed by Jeff Nichols, what can be more intriguing than a protagonist that is likable and relatable, but yet that secretly makes us fear the safety of his family- because of him. And we keep wondering about his mental state, and whether or not he is crazy.

The movie, to me, has only one weak point-and that is the pacing. The director takes a little more time than necessary, and effective, to show us Michael’s state of relationships and mind. The premise is strong enough and the acting is good enough to make you deal with the dragging parts, but I think the movie would have been a lot more effective, had it been about 20 minutes shorter.

But all can be forgiven if you make it to the end, as it is pretty good. Some believe it is open to interpretation, some believe it couldn’t have been less ambiguous. Decide it for yourself. But one thing is for sure- despite the too slow moments, this movie is just not the same old story.

It also has a brilliant title, and question. Should Curtis take shelter with his family against the storm, or should he shelter them against himself?

Currently rated at 7.7. on IMDB.  I will give it a 7, though if the pacing had been a little faster, this movie would be a deserving 8.

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: drama, Jeff Nichols, Jessica Chastain, Kathy Baker, Michael Shannon, movies, mystery, take shelter, take shelter 2011 movie, Take Shelter cast, take shelter movie

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

Posted on November 27, 2009 Written by ripitup

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

Jocelyn (Maria Bello), Kathy Baker (Bernie), Amy Brenneman (Sylvia), Prudie (played by Emily Blunt- is brought to the group by Bernie) are all friends with distinctly different personalities and chosen life paths. Sylvia is married to her high school sweetheart, who happens to be Jocelyn’s ex. Her husband has left her for another woman and she is not taking this very well. Their lesbian daughter is not too happy about her dad’s affair either and she seeks happiness through the extreme sports. Jocelyn is beautiful, single, loves dogs and as much as she enjoys fixing people up, she doesn’t seem that interested in dating herself. Bernie seems to be the quirky and extra colorful one. She has been married many times yet she is not the least pessimistic about romance and relationships. She is also friends with the French teacher Prudie who considers herself much more European. She is married to Dean (Marc Blucas) who doesn’t match her intellectually and they don’t seem to have much in common anyway. One of her students- appropriately played by the sexy Kevin Zegers has set his eyes on her and she is ready and willing to be seduced. After all this might really spice up her otherwise very dull and predictable life.

The women decide to start a book club, reading Jane Austen’s novels. It will be fun and it is supposed to provide distraction for…..When Jocelyn meets the younger and cute Grigg (Hugh Dancy), she decides to include him in the book club- secretly planning to hook him up with Sylvia. Of course sci-fi nut Grigg has agreed to be in the club to get close to Jocelyn.

Months pass by as this group reads, gathers and talks about the books. We see the relationships developed- and the comparisons/resemblance to real life events/characters as more funny and complicated events follow. After all, Jocelyn doesn’t seem all that pleased with her own matchmaking plans after a while.

Yes, this is I guess easily a chick flick. But if a guy is in the complaining mode about women and not figuring about what they want and why they want that stuff, it might wash over well. And Dancy’s character provides a lovely take on sci-fi and why it is not simply about “aliens and spaceships” but rather people – he insists that Jocelyn reads his favorites. It is all in the name of good fun as sexes gather a better understanding of each other through classic novels. And it helps if you like Austen.

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Amy Brenneman, Emily Blunt, Hugh Dancy, Kathy Baker, Kevin Zegers, Marc Blucas, Maria Bello, The Jane Austen Book Club

In the mood for a fun romcom novel?

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