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A Dangerous Method with Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley & Michael Fassbender: Disappointing

Posted on February 1, 2012 Written by ripitup

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 A Dangerous Method movie poster with Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley & Michael Fassbender

A Dangerous Method Plot

If you have seen the trailer, you’ve seen it all:

Freud (Viggo Mortensen) wants to work with Jung (Michael Fassbender), who is at the time treating a female patient (Keira Knightley). Jung is impressed by how smart and educated his patient is, and he encourages her to pursue her dreams about being a doctor. After she gets better, she enrolls in the university to become a psychiatrist. She and Jung seem to agree more on things than Jung and Freud do, as Freud is not happy with Jung’s fascination with things that aren’t %100 scientific. He is not also thrilled about Jung’s attitude towards his patients where he seems to want to be their life coach as well, and not just their doctor.

Things on Jung’s end get more more complicated as he starts sleeping with his ex-patient, and starts treating another psychiatrist. Among all the S&M and his new patient’s lack of morals and limits, Jung’s chosen path starts differ radically from Freud’s.

 A Dangerous Method Review

Well, this won’t be the last time the trailer of the movie is a lot more fun than the movie itself. I’d written a positive preview based on it, but the movie well…didn’t live up to my expectations. Let’s review this in the fashion of the one word association thing they do in the movie.

 

Movie – disappointing

Knigthley- annoying

Jung- mental

Story: dragging

Characters: unrelatable

Freud: saner

Relationships: seriously?

Gross (Cassel’s character): gross

 

Yes, I was expecting a somewhat controversial and a little kinky movie. But I was also expecting it to be fun, engaging and interesting. Instead, we get too much dialogue, a Jung that needed more therapy than his patients, a female patient whose diagnosis was only left to the audience to guess, a wife that’s anti-feminism personified. …

It is not to say I don’t have anything positive to say. I do. Keira Knightley’s performance was good, it was her character that was truly annoying. We got her issues, her problems the first three-four times they showed us, so there was no need to drag it.

Carl Jung was surely more than a man who slept around with his patients, took advice from a mental patient that also happened to be psychologist, saw his kids as hindrance to his career???

In a movie where Sigmund Freud is the only one who makes sense, the characters go around in circles with annoying manners and dragging scenes, great cinematography, costume design and acting don’t impress you much.

If you like Viggo Mortensen and Cronenberg, stick with A History of Violence.  A Dangerous Method has its moments, but not enough of them.

My favorite part of the movie (spoiler!!): When Sabina (Knightley) picks a side in the dispute.

Currently rated at 7 imdb. I am however once again impressed by Mortensen’s acting skills.

Also on Keira Knightley:

Last Night starring Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes & Guillaume Canet

London Boulevard starring Colin Farrell & Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley Trivia: Facts About the Oscar-Nominated Star of Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice starring Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen

Also on Michael Fassbender:

Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska & Michael Fassbender

Michael Fassbender Trivia

The Awesome X-Men: First Class with James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon & Rose Byrne

 

Also on Vincent Cassel:

Derailed starring Jennifer Aniston, Clive Owen & Vincent Cassel

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan: The Movie Natalie Portman  Couldn’t Save

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: a dangerous method, a dangerous method movie, a dangerous method movie review, carl jung, david cronenberg, drama, Keira Knightley, michael fassbender, sigmund freud, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel

A Dangerous Method Preview: Starring Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley & Michael Fassbender

Posted on July 22, 2011 Written by ripitup

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A Dangerous Method starring Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley & Michael Fassbender
A Dangerous Method starring Viggo Mortensen, Keira Knightley & Michael Fassbender. Image via cinema.com

 

You’ve got to love David Cronenberg. Granted, not all of his movies might be up your alley- but there’re  bound to be some films Cronenberg’s you just couldn’t resist. I didn’t watch his earlier work like The Fly. And I didn’t really like much about Existenz. But Crash (starring James Spader) and Spider (starring Ralph Fiennes) are on my to-watch list, and I absolutely loved A History of Violence (starring Viggo Mortensen). And while Eastern Promises (also starring Mortensen) failed to be just as compelling and hard-hitting, it was not a mediocre experience. Now Cronenberg is back, with a really fun cast and a very tempting plot:

A Dangerous Method depicts the relationship between Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and how their great minds don’t always work alike-especially when one of them starts sleeping with a patient. It just looks too delicious to pass up- and we even have Vincent Cassel as a bonus.

Based on the book by John Kerr (A Most Dangerous Method) and the play by Christopher Hampton (The Talking Cure). Adapted by Christopher Hampton. Coming to the theaters in September.

 

 

The Trailer: 

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

 

Also on Keira Knightley:

Last Night starring Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington, Eva Mendes & Guillaume Canet

London Boulevard starring Colin Farrell & Keira Knightley

Keira Knightley Trivia: Facts About the Oscar-Nominated Star of Pride and Prejudice

 

Also on Michael Fassbender:

Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska & Michael Fassbender

The Awesome X-Men: First Class with James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon & Rose Byrne

 

Also on Vincent Cassel:

Derailed starring Jennifer Aniston, Clive Owen & Vincent Cassel

Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan: The Movie Natalie Portman  Couldn’t Save

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: a dangerous method, a dangerous method movie, a dangerous method trailer, carl jung, david cronenberg, drama thriller, Keira Knightley, michael fassbender, sigmund freud, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel

Jane Eyre starring Mia Wasikowska & Michael Fassbender

Posted on July 13, 2011 Written by ripitup

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Jane Eyre starring Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska, Jamie Bell & Judi Dench
Jane Eyre starring Michael Fassbender, Mia Wasikowska, Jamie Bell & Judi Dench. Image via daemonsmovies.com

Plot Summary

Jane Eyre (Mia Wasikowska) has been brought up in a hostile, unloving environment, only to be sent to a even worse “charitable” school where she is treated very badly. She loses her only friend and lives a loveless life until she leaves the school for a governess position at 19.

She is to teach a young French girl at a house owned by Mr. Rochester, who is rarely ever home. She is happier here, even though she wishes for a more exciting life. And her life does get more exciting with the appearance of her boss Mr. Rochester. (Michael Fassbender)

Mr. Rochester is mysterious, unpredictable, charismatic and challenging. Yet he finds his match in Jane, who is quite clever, quick to retort and can give unique perspectives on everything. A bond forms between them, a bond that is filled with chemistry and attraction. Yet Jane is sure Rochester would rather marry a prettier girl with a different background. However Rochester is his own man, and he would rather follow his heart than conform to society.

But when Rochester’s secret comes out, will Jane be able to follow her heart, rejecting her own beliefs?

 

**

My Thoughts

Jane Eyre is a deliciously dark romantic/drama, staying true to the spirit of Brontë sisters. Jane Eyre is yet another adaptation of the famous novel (Jane Eyre), written by Charlotte Brontë.

Sure, at times it is slow and depressing. But the slow and depressing moments help us understand Jane, feel for and get in the mood of the film. Some parts at the Rochester house feels like we are in some gothic thriller, and a part of me wished this had been a looser adaptation where Rochester’s secret could be more supernatural.

 

I also wish some scenes were more intense. It is rated PG-13, and I wish it had pushed the limits a little further. The movie stayed true to Charlotte Brontë, and the spirit of period movies. Yet I believe that the mood set could make up for more daring scenes- and t could have been done without really betraying the book or the PG-13 limits.

 

Apart from the occasional slowness and the “romantic” limitations between the characters, I loved the movie. I have nothing against the current 7.8 user rating on IMDB. However, I rated it a 7. I need to be honest with you, as much as I loved the film, Michael Fassbender’s acting has a lot to do with it. I don’t think it would have been the same with another actor.

 

To me, Fassbender (Eric/Magneto from X-Men First Class) brings a raw intensity to his emotional scenes –in a similar fashion with the English actor Ralph Fiennes. Just as Fiennes was perfect as Heathcliff of Wuthering Heights, Fassbender is the right Rochester.

 

Should you see it?

Unless you have something against well-done period romantic dramas, you SHOULD NOT MISS this version. But I believe that men who don’t have a soft spot for classic romantic literature, and men who need to see an alluring actress in the leading role should so stay away from this film. After all, Jane is as plain as they come, with a ridiculous (albeit historically appropriate) hairstyle.

 

Trailer:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8PLpXvhtlc[/pro-player]

Cast Notes:

 

–          Mia Wasikowska did a wonderful job in the Oscar-nominated 2010 drama/comedy The Kids Are All Right. She played the teenage daughter of the lesbian couple, portrayed by Annette Bening & Julianne Moore. She also played Alice in Tim Burton’s 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland.

 

–          English actor Jamie Bell, who you might remember from Jumper and Billy Elliott, plays St John – the young man who finds Jane Eyre in the beginning of the movie.

 

–          In the upcoming period drama/thriller A Dangerous Method, Michael Fassbender plays Carl Jung- whose relationship with Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) doesn’t go smoothly when Jung starts being romantically involved with his patient (Keira Knightley).

 

–          Veteran actress Judi Dench plays the housekeeper in Jane Eyre.

 

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: charlotte brontë, drama, Jamie bell, Jane eyre, jane eyre 2011, jane eyre 2011 movie, judi dench, Mia Wasikowska, michael fassbender, movies, romance

The Awesome X-Men: First Class with James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Kevin Bacon & Rose Byrne

Posted on June 7, 2011 Written by ripitup

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X-Men: First Class starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon & Nicholas Holt
X-Men: First Class starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon & Nicholas Holt. Image via morfingen.com.
  • Warning! This review has been written for the people who have seen the X-Men movies (If you haven’t seen X-Men movies, there might be spoilers)

 

X-Men: First Class is the prequel to the X-Men series. We go a couple of decades back, to a time when Magneto was Erik (Michael Fassbender), and Professor X was Charles (James McAvoy), and he could walk… We get to see how the mutants were recruited by Charles to help save the humans from the common enemy Sebastian Shaw (Kevin Bacon), a man with a couple of mutants in his charge. Shaw is trying to destroy as many humans as he can because this makes him stronger, and Erik cares more about taking his revenge than helping others.

Here is how the story starts:

1940s

–          The smart and telepathic Charles is born to rich but absent parents. He is living in a mansion when he meets Raven (Jennifer Lawrence), the girl who would later become Mystique. Raven had occasionally planned to hide her true (blue) colors, but Charles reveals his secret, as well as hers, befriends her and keeps treating her like a sister as they grow up.

 

–          Erik loses both parents to concentration camps, and is kept alive by Shaw for his ability to control and move metal, an ability that surfaces when he feels extremely upset and angry. When Shaw kills Erik’s mother to guarantee the necessary amount of rage, he gains a very powerful enemy.

 

–          Fast forward over a decade. Charles becomes a professor whose specialty is mutation, a specialty he uses to pick up girls. However, he becomes aware of the common enemy, and the existence of not-so-friendly mutants when CIA agent Moira MacTaggert (Rose Byrne) pays him a visit, demanding an explanation about mutants. While most of the CIA isn’t that cooperative and understanding, an agent played by Oliver Platt takes Charles to the special unit he has built, where Charles and Raven get to meet the mutant Hank (Nicholas Hoult) and start recruiting other mutants to help America, and Russia against Shaw. Will they be able to prevent a nuclear war and stop Shaw? What will break Charles and Erik’s bond? And how will each of the mutants feel about conformity or individuality and uniqueness?

 

**

 

X-Men First Class is indeed a first-class prequel. It carries the right amount of emotion and character development (for the main characters), the glorious kind of action and terrific acting on all parties. To be honest, I wasn’t really excited to see it after seeing the trailer. But I am so glad that I did. The movie works so well on so many levels that the trailer just doesn’t do it justice. The movie also has fun references to the X-men movies, as well as 2 great cameos* (read below to spoil the surprise a little) from the X-Men cast.

*Hugh Jackman, who plays Wolverine/Logan, is sitting in a bar when Erik and Charles show up, trying to introduce themselves. The other mutants have been interested, whereas Logan replies “Fuck Off! “ And orders another drink.

*Erik is drawn to Raven, but he finds her too young. When he sees her in his bed, he says “Maybe in a few years…” That is when Raven turns herself to Rebecca Romjin- who has played Mystique in the series.

*

The bottom line is: See this movie! It has a great cast, a great story and great effects. The cameos, and the other fun references to the X-Men movies are just bonuses!

Currently rated at 8.3 on IMDB.com. A heartfelt 9 from me. Can’t wait to see it again. It also made me want to re-watch the X-men movies.

Fun Notes:

– X-Men first class was directed by Matthew Vaughn, who also directed Stardust, Layer Cake and Kick-Ass.

– One of the co-writers & co-producers is Bryan who directed the first two X-Men films.

 


**

Also on James McAvoy

James Franco, James McAvoy & James Marsters: Collective Trivia for 3 Namesake Actors

Also on Rose Byrne

Damages Season 2 Review: Starring Glenn Close, Rose Byrne, Timothy Olyphant, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt and Ted Danson

Wicker Park starring Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, Rose Byrne & Matthew Lillard

Adam starring Hugh Dancy and Rose Byrne

Also on Oliver Platt

Dangerous Beauty starring Rufus Sewell & Catherine McCormack

Love and Other Drugs starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway

2012 starring John Cusack, Amanda Peet, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover & Woody Harrelson

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

The Three Musketeers starring Kiefer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen and Chris O’ Donnell

Also on Kevin Bacon

Handsome Actors to Play Villains: Viggo Mortensen, Tom Cruise, Xavier Samuel, Kevin Bacon and Kevin Costner

Actor Musicians and Musician Actors: Keanu Reeves, Jon Bon Jovi, Kevin Bacon

5 Awesome Revenge Movies Feat. Gerard Butler, Kevin Bacon, Antonio Banderas, Brandon Lee and Mel Gibson

Stardust, The Air I Breathe, Playing by Heart, The Good Shepherd, Hairspray & He’s Just Not That Into You: 6 Good Movies with Brilliant Casts

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: action, adventure, bryan singer, Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, matthew vaughn, michael fassbender, movies, nicholas hoult, rebecca romjin, Rose Byrne, x-men first class, x-men first class cast, x-men first class movie, x-men first class trailer

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