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Man on a Ledge with Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Edward Burns & Jamie Bell

Posted on June 16, 2012 Written by ripitup

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Man on a Ledge movie poster
Man on a Ledge movie poster with Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Edward Burns & Jamie Bell. Prison break? Check. Cool heist? Check. A female negotiator more invested in helping and solving than the protocol? Check. Image via sinemafilmler.net.

Ever watched a movie that made you feel like you were the spot-on target audience? A movie that makes me feel like that usually has these elements: an entertaining story, a genre that I love, actors that I like and some good humor.

Movies don’t have to be masterpieces or mind-blowingly creative attempts to entertain. I usually just want to have a good time – and Man on a Ledge can definitely show you that.

Here’s why:

1)      The Plot

We have the innocent convict Nick (Sam Worthington) who takes a day off for his father’s funeral to make his escape. He knows it is his only shot, and frankly, he’d rather die to go back to serve 20+ years of jail. An former cop, he makes sure he has enough time to set his plan in motion: he rents a room on one of the top floors of a luxury hotel, enjoys a “last” meal, leaves a “note”, wipes off his parents, steps on the ledge and makes his request when the cops (though not the ones who know who he is) arrive in the room: They’ve 30 minutes to get suicide-negotiator Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks) to talk to him, or he jumps.

 

The cop who takes his request is Dougherty (Edward Burns), and neither he nor the cop in charge of “ground control” (Titus Welliver) are pleased about it.

 

But after a short while, Mercer seems to have formed a bond and Dougherty is becoming more convinced of her skills. Still she fears that he might jump, and is also suspecting he might be up to something. And he is. He’s gathering all the attention so that his brother (Jamie Bell) and brother’s girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) can break into the vault next door- so that they can steal the “supposedly stolen” diamond from the rich and powerful man (Ed Harris) who framed him.

 

But as resourceful as he is, he still has to race against time, help out his brother, dodge the cops who are after him while maintaining the Mercer’s trust. Will they be able to pull it off on time?

 

2)      The fun: the heist, Nick’s tactics to keep everyone busy, Dougherty’s reactions to Mercer’s unorthodox methods, and most of all- the fun one-liners between Joey and his girlfriend.

 

3)      The cast: Sam Worthington, Elizabeth Banks, Edward Burns, Jamie Bell, Ed Harris, William Sadler (Sheriff of Roswell and McGarrrett’s father in the new Hawaii Five-O) and Kyra Sedwick – who makes brief but entertaining appearances as the cheeky reporter.

 

4)      The predictable but highly enjoyable twists. There’re very few twists that get a movie addict shocked, or at least hasn’t seen coming. But I don’t watch a fun action movie for twists – surely you see them coming, but they are so entertaining as a whole that you just care if the way to the “twists” are fun.

 

5)      A protagonist to root for

 

6)      Interesting supporting characters

 

7)      A totally ruthless villain

 

 

Man on a Ledge is rated only at 6.6 on IMDB, and I think it should be higher – for its entertainment value. See it to enjoy it. It’s good entertainment- it doesn’t try to be anything more.

 

Directed by Asger Leth and written by Pablo F. Fenjves.

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Ed Harris, Edward Burns, Elizabeth Banks, genesis rodriguez, Jamie bell, Kyra Sedgwick, man on a ledge, man on a ledge 2012 movie, man on a ledge cast, man on a ledge dvd, man on a ledge movie, man on a ledge movie review, Sam Worthington, sam worthington man on a ledge, titus welliver, william sadler

Something to Talk About starring Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Duvall

Posted on September 22, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Something to Talk About starring Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands and Brett Cullen
Something to Talk About starring Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands and Brett Cullen

Grace (Julia Roberts)’s marriage to her high school sweetheart Eddie (Dennis Quaid) is not exactly in honeymoon period. They have a little daughter named Caroline (Haley Aull) and that seems to be the only thing they have in common. Grace works for her father (Robert Duvall), running the family barn and socializing with a local women’s committee.

Her life changes completely when she catches Eddie cheating. She takes Caroline and moves back to her family’s house, staying at her sister Emma Rae (Kyra Sedgwick)’s separate cottage. Her sister is eager to kick Eddie’s ass, but her father is a lot more concerned about the upcoming deal he will be making with Eddie’s dad than her daughter’s happiness. As for her mother (Gena Rowlands), she is being an old-fashioned, traditional mother who thinks men do stray by nature and it is OK to take them back as long as they are sorry. The only other ally in kicking Eddie’s ass is the “crazy” aunt.

Eddie is missing her daughter, but Grace has no intention of letting him off the hook so easily, especially after she finds out he has strayed a lot and well, strayed with her friends in the committee.

With the help of her upfront and snappy sister Emma, Grace starts to reevaluate all aspects of her life. And the handsome rider/trainer Jamie (Brett Cullen) is back. What’s next for Grace?

Something to Talk About is a lovely little romantic comedy/drama from 1995. I first saw it in the late 90s and loved it. I have seen it a couple of times after that. For me, it is just a nostalgic good time with some of my favorite actors and I also love the concept of “make the cheating bastard suffer”. There are many reasons to see this film but there are also many reasons why some people may not enjoy it. Here are both lists:

Reasons to Like Something to Talk About:

–          The Cast: Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands and Brett Cullen.

–          The nostalgia: It is from 1995- and the actors are notably younger, especially Kyra, Julia, Dennis and Brett.

–          The story: Familiar but fun. Written by Callie Khouri.

–          The Director: This was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the Swedish director that gave us Chocolat starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche) , Casanova (starring Heath Ledger and Siena Miller) and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis)

Reasons Not to Like Something to Talk About:

–          The concept isn’t exactly original. There are no twists and surprises, just fun moments.

–          The ending. I kinda like it, but I would rather have it go another direction.

–          No, I wouldn’t watch this film without this cast.

Favorite Scenes:

–          The meal Grace cooks for Eddie

–          How Emma Rae keeps Eddie busy when he first drops by after Grace left with their daughter.

–          Grace’s going nuts in the committee

–          Gena Rowlands’ going rebellious on Robert Duvall

–          The very end scene, Julia Roberts’ funny suspicious look.

*Fun note: Dennis Quaid and Gena Rowlands also starred in Playing by Heart together, another romantic comedy drama, again from the 90s. Again, Dennis Quaid’s character is married to a daughter of Gena Rowlands, and there is cheating. But this time, it is the wife who cheats on Quaid.

Other Posts on the Cast

Kyra Sedgwick

Phenomenon starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Duvall

The Closer starring Kyra Sedgwick

Dennis Quaid

Other Dennis Quaid Movies

In Good Company starring Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace and Scarlett Johannson

The Day After Tomorrow

Yours, mine and ours

Playing by Heart

Also recommended for Dennis Quaid fans: Trivia for Meg Ryan, Ex-Mrs.Quaid

Other Julia Roberts Movies

Duplicity starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen

Closer starring Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman and Jude Law

Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere

Conspiracy Theory starring Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson

Brett Cullen

Damages TV Series Review

Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood and Brett Cullen

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Brett Cullen, comedy, dennis quaid, drama, Gena Rowlands, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick, Lasse Hallstrom, movies, Robert Duvall, romance, something to talk about, something to talk about movie

The Closer starring Kyra Sedgwick

Posted on September 13, 2010 Written by ripitup

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The Closer starring Kyra Sedgwick, J.K. Simmons and Jon Tenney
The Closer. From left: Michael Paul Chan, J.K. Simmons, Kyra Sedgwick, Jon Tenney and Corey Reynolds

Brenda Johnson (Kyra Sedgwick) has just been appointed to LAPD as Chief of Police. Previously located in Atlanta, she has great training and results under her belt when it comes to interrogations: she manages to get confessions and close cases fast. But at her new office, she faces hostility from her new colleagues, as she is new, a little tough and doesn’t take crap from anyone. However she soon proves her reputation and even though she gets on people’s nerves, she is probably the worst thing that can happen to criminals. Co-starring as her boss is J.K Simmons.

There is also Brenda’s relationship with FBI agent Fritz (Jon Tenney), which could have gone a lot more smoothly if their cases didn’t intersect and Brenda wasn’t obsessed with getting justice.

***

The Closer first aired in 2005, but I hadn’t paid much attention to it first. Kyra’s accent threw me off a little (it is not her interpretation of the accent but the accent in general) and well, there were so many criminal dramas going on, I really didn’t think this one was different.

Well, while it may not be unique, it certainly is different and entertaining; not to mention a little addictive. I love watching a woman in charge and her unusual methods to get things done. After a while, the accent doesn’t bother me much as the story does pull you in.

While I am not as attached to the show as I am to Castle and The Mentalist, I realized it was really good TV and a rather good substitute. Kyra Sedgwick finally won the Emmy this year for Best Actress in Drama as well. Kyra was also nominated for Golden Globe many times and won in 2007.

Give this a shot. Your favorite moments might just be the ones where she gets her suspects/criminals to confess- her tactics are well worth seeing. And it is good to see Kyra as a leading actress.

Other Posts on Kyra Sedgwick

6 Hollywood Couples: Gorgeous, Glamorous and Happy Together

Phenomenon starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Duvall

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Filed Under: TV shows Tagged With: crime, drama, j.k. simmons, jon tenney, Kyra Sedgwick, the closer, the closer tv series, the closer tv show, TV shows

Phenomenon starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall and Forest Whitekar

Posted on July 3, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Phenomenon starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitekar and Robert Duvall
Phenomenon starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitekar and Robert Duvall. Image from http://s11.allstarpics.net/images/

George Malley (John Travolta) is a nice, sweet guy living in a small town, working as a car mechanic. His best friends are Nate (Forest Whitekar) and the town doctor (Robert Duvall). He is hopelessly in love with Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), a single mom who lives a little outside of the town with her two young children. She has been burnt once before so she is not exactly willing to let George in, no matter how sweet he seems.

George’s ordinary life gets a big challenge at his birthday; in the form of a very bright light. What the hell was that? The problems and complications arise when almost immediately after the incident, all of George’s senses have become a lot more efficient and impossibly good. He was sort of smart before but now he can sense earthquakes before the officials, without any devices, can read tens of books at night (and learn everything in them) and can even learn Spanish on a 30-minute car ride without having been able to speak a word before…His friends are scared. The Doc and Nate do their best to understand. Is something supernatural at work? And will Geroge finally get the happy ending he deserves with Lace?

Phenomenon is wonderfully smart and sweet romantic/ drama with a hint of some fantasy elements.  It is impossible not to root for George- whose oldest acquaintances turn their back on him when his actions and talents don’t seem to make sense anymore. Directed by Jon Turteltaub (While You Were Sleeping, National Treasure) and written by Gerald Di Pego. This is one of my favorite Travolta films and I really love the connection and relationship he has with Grace. Wonderfully humane and emotional.

The film also has a very decent soundtrack featuring Sheryl Crowe, Peter Gabriel, Eric Clapton and more. My favorite song from the movie, as it also is used during a very meaningful scene, is Have a Little Faith in me. Rated at 6.3 on IMDB. 8.0 from me.

John Travolta Posts

Basic

Hairspray

From Paris with Love

Pulp Fiction

Actor Musicians and Musician Actors

Favorite Actors to Play Villains

Featuring Kyra Sedgwick

6 Hollywood Couples: Gorgeous, Glamorous and Happy Together

Gamer

Buy the Phenomenon DVD on Amazon.com

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: drama, fantasy, Forest Whitekar, Gerald Di Pego, John Travolta, john travolta films, john travolta movies, Jon Turteltaub, Kyra Sedgwick, movies, Robert Duvall, romance

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