pinartarhan.com

Fun and comprehensive entertainment blog feat. movies, TV series, actors, movie-makers, music & books: 1980 - Present

Apartment Zero starring Colin Firth and Hart Bochner

Posted on Written by

Share
apartment zero, colin firth
Colin should play in better thrillers. He deserves it.

What a weird little movie. Seriously. It is a thriller, with unintended parody (you should see the neighbors). It is supposed to be a thriller, because well- there is a serial killer we keep hearing about. But then Colin Firth plays a character so socially awkward, you think you might be getting into a drama. Then there is this sexual tension with the other male lead. The movie takes place in Buenos Aires. Oh, don’t get me started on the accents. Why is everyone supposed to speak English fluently? I have an idea- instead of making everyone else speak English, make Colin Firth speak Spanish with his neighbors. OK, maybe Jack isn’t fluent but him speaking Spanish awkwardly would be much less painful than this.

Plot:

The premise is interesting enough. Adrian (Colin Firth) has enough problems. He has financial problems, his mother is at a mental institute and he is an antisocial who hates his nosy neighbors.

But he needs money so he rents a room of his flat. His roommate is an American named Jack (Hart Bochner). He is handsome, charming and a total sweetheart with the neighbors. He also quickly becomes great friends with Jack. They seem so…close, in fact I was expecting them to make out any minute.

I can’t quite explain Adrian’s character. “He has issues” is the best way to put it. Jack seems too nice in public and he is too mysterious the rest of the time. Colin’s acting is top notch, Hart Bochner (Jack) is alright. The rest is well…Casting director should have done a better job.

It is one of those movies: You have the right lead. The idea is great. But the movie is…incomplete.

Verdict:

I’d suggest to see it only if you are a Colin Firth fan. But I am a Firth fan and didn’t enjoy it. Yet it was fun to see him so young. Your call.

Other Posts on Colin Firth

The Last Legion starring Colin Firth

Trauma starring Colin Firth and Mena Suvari

The British Actors We Love feat. Colin Firth, Daniel Day Lewis, Rufus Sewell and Ralph Fiennes

St. Trinian’s starring Colin Firth

Apartment Zero starring Colin Firth

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

The English Patient feat. Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Kristin Scott Thomas & Colin Firth

Hollywood’s Tall Actors feat. Colin Firth, Keanu Reeves, Gerard Butler & More

Share

The International starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts

Posted on Written by

Share
The International with Clive Owen and Naomi Watts
Clive Owen and Naomi Watts make an excellent team in The International.

Louis Salinger (Clive Owen) is an Interpol agent. When one of his collegaues dies suspiciously in front of him, he is sure it is not a natural cause. He asks the help of DA Eleanor (Naomi Watts). They realize that a very powerful bank is behind all these and they are very well-protected. You think just because you heard the name bank this is a boring movie about financial conflict? Think again.

This bank has tremendous power. It controls conflicts and debt and billion-dollar-worth weapon trading. The bank will do anything to get rid of anyone that stands in the way. Plus, the justice system Louis and Eleanor believe in might be supporting the bank after all. Their families and careers will be at risk. But then again, Louis is determined to get everyone responsible, even it means disobeying everyone.

The film is a quality political drama/thriller. If you have soft spot for movies where agents are both street and gun-smart; where they can survive both an armed fight and put people in their places in conversations, Louis Salinger is your man. Who better than Clive Owen than to play the strong yet emotional, disheveled yet cool- to play Louis? Naomi Watts is as beautiful and good as usual.

The movie takes you on a ride across the globe. You will see Italy, USA, Switzerland, Germany, France and Turkey. I might even be missing some. You will hear foreign languages and get into smart complications. And be warned: Louis and Eleanor are not lovers!! They are good friends and frankly, this is refreshing to see in such a thriller.

How would you like to watch an amazing shoot out that takes place in the Guggenheim Museum?

And my readers from Turkey:

Be ready to see Haluk Bilginer in a very,very cool role. Plus, wouldn’t it be lovely to see Clive Owen chasing his men around Istanbul?

So, have I intrigued you yet? Below is the trailer:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mDi49Qj1xk[/pro-player]

Other Clive Owen movies:

If you want more of Clive Owen’s movies, click the name of the movie to go the reviews/trailers.

Shoot ‘Em Up

Duplicity

The Boys are Back

Beyond Borders

Elizabeth The Golden Age

Derailed

Share

Edge of Darkness starring Mel Gibson

Posted on Written by

Share
Mel Gibson in Edge of Darkness
Mel Gibson in Edge of Darkness

I’d been waiting for this movie for ages. I am a great fan of Mel Gibson’s work. Yes, he was a looker in the 70s-90s but the reason he became an A-lister had a lot to do with his talent. Want proof? Go see Edge of Darkness. Mel is no longer fit or pretty. But the intensity he brings to such roles is a ll there and he is so good, he lives and breathes through his character.
Craven is a police detective, happy to have his 24-year-old daughter Emma (Bojana Novakovic) back home again. But he can only enjoy this event for about 5 minutes. His daughter is killed, right in front of him, and there are signs that indicate the intended victim was Craven. But Craven knows he doesn’t have enemies. So the deeper he digs, the more he realizes that they really did aim at Emma. Craven is haunted by the images of his daughter and does his best to stay focused. Emma worked in a company that dealt with nuclear energy. Obviously she was going to expose something. She wasn’t the only one murdered and the company is determined to get rid of everyone who gets in the way…

Does it sound ordinary? Trust me, it is not. The movie does not waste any scene. There are no unneccessary lines. Craven is your hero but he does not go all Rambo on us like Liam Neeson did in Taken. Don’t get me wrong, I love taken. It is an amazing thriller. But Edge of Darkness is a wonderfully dark drama with interesting characters and events that you don’t see coming, or events that you know that will happen but they still manages to shock you with “how”. It is heavy but only because it intends to be. Craven is smart and his actions are very humane. He is your hero all the way. This movie is not about who the good guy is. We know who he is. We know who the bad guys are. We also have another (Ray Winstone) leading character whose motives are not all that clear.

See this movie and you will know what I am talking. Yes, the father is after answers and vengeance. But how the concept is dealt with is very refreshing. This is a very solid drama with disturbing tension. I have to add this movie to my all time favorites.

I am glad to have Mel back. He picks great scripts (with a couple of exceptions) and puts his heart and soul into it.

Keep your expectations straight. There is no romance or no eye candy for either gender. There are no action sequences or no special effects. It is all about the story and the direction and the acting. And it is not surprising that the movie is great because of these three. Directed by Martin Campbell. Written by William Monahan and Andrew Bovell, based on the TV series, written by Troy Kennedy-Martin. Vastly underrated at 6.7 on IMDB. 10/10 from me.

Other Posts featuring Mel Gibson

MEL GIBSON TOP 10: The movies that prove he can act, direct and entertain better than anyone

All About Mel: A Fun Yet Fair Mel Gibson Tribute

8 Reasons to Love Braveheart- Braveheart Movie Review

MEL GIBSON IS A DAD. AGAIN!!!

Mel Gibson: what in the world happened to you?

Favorite Revenge Movies