pinartarhan.com

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

  • Home
  • Hire Me
  • Books
  • Privacy Policy

A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris & Paul Bettany

Posted on December 13, 2010 Written by ripitup

Share

A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris & Paul Bettany
A Beautiful Mind starring Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris & Paul Bettany

John Nash (Russell Crowe) is a brilliant mathematician who gets into Princeton on a prestigious degree. Obsessively working on a big and original idea for his doctorate thesis, he is often mocked by his peers due to his highly anti-social and odd behavior. His only real friend turns out to be his roommate Charles (Paul Bettany).

After a while, a night out with friends gives him the perfect idea and he gets the credit and success he deserves. Years later, he is working with his Princeton friends, Sol (Adam Goldberg) and Bender (Anthony Rapp) at MIT. There he meets a beautiful student named Alicia (Jennifer Connelly) and they start dating. However, Nash has already accepted a secret government assignment as a code-breaker, recruited by a man named William Parcher (Ed Harris) and his assignments start getting riskier after marrying Alicia. But is John’s paranoia justified?

As Nash is admitted to a mental hospital under the authority of Dr. Rosen (Christopher Plummer), both Nash and Alicia are about to face a shocking revelation…

**

A Beautiful Mind is based on the life of the mathematician John Nash, and the biographical book of the same name. Directed by Ron Howard in 2001, A Beautiful Mind is one of those rare movies where you agree that it deserved all the Oscars and Oscar nominations it received. And I definitely wish Crowe had won Best Actor. It was one of the most humane, authentic and touching performances I have ever seen on screen.

The movie won 4 Oscars: Best Supporting Actress (Jennifer Connelly), Best Director (Ron Howard), Best Film (Ron Howard & Brian Grazer) and Best Adapted Screenplay ( Akiva Goldsman). The nominations were Best Actor (Russell Crowe), Best Editing, Best Makeup and Best Music (James Horner). I also wish the movie had gotten the best makeup academy award – especially for what they have done with Russell Crowe.

You see, I have never been a Guy Ritchie or Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino fan. Sure there have been Nolan movies that I enjoyed but as I realized once more, I will take a Ron Howard movie any day. Ron has directed Apollo 13, Ransom, Far and Away, The Da Vinci Code, Cinderella and more.  Yeah, I guess I am more into old-fashioned story-telling with great actors, lovely music and an interesting story than cult appeal.

Highly recommended.

Fun Note: Co-stars Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly got married in 2003 and they have a child together.

 

Other Posts on Russell Crowe & his movies

A Good Year starring Russell Crowe & Marion Cotillard

Other Posts on Jennifer Connelly & her movies

Coming Soon:The Dilemma starring Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin James, Winona Ryder and Channing Tatum

Jennifer Connelly Trivia: 14 Facts About Actress Jennifer Connelly

Dark City

Requiem for a Dream

He is just not that into you

Of Love and Shadows

6 Hollywood Couples: Gorgeous, Glamorous and Happy Together

Other Paul Bettany Movies & Posts

The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany

Firewall starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen and Paul Bettany

6 Hollywood Couples: Gorgeous, Glamorous and Happy Together

Other Ed Harris Movies

Copying Beethoven starring Ed Harris & Diane Kruger

Swing Shift starring Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell & Ed Harris

Share

Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: a beautiful mind, a beautiful mind movie, Academy-award winning movie, adam goldberg, Akiva Goldsman, anthony rapp, biography, brian grazer, Christopher Plummer, drama, Ed Harris, james horner, Jennifer Connelly, john nash, movies, Paul Bettany, ron howard, russell crowe

The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany

Posted on December 11, 2010 Written by ripitup

Share

The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany
The Tourist starring Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie & Paul Bettany. Feat. Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton & Raoul Bova.

Paris, France. Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie) is a mysterious, beautiful woman with the Scotland Yard after her.  The Yard is really after Alexander Pearce, who owes quite a sum in tax money. The investigation is run by John Acheson (Paul Bettany), who is obsessed by catching Pearce. His chief Jones (Timothy Dalton) is not all that pleased with how much the case is costing them.

Pearce is rumored to have gone under severe plastic surgery, so no one has a clue what he looks like. Knowing this, he sends Elise a note. He tells her to get on the train to Venice and sit down next to a guy that has his built and height. Elise picks Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp). Tupelo is a math teacher from Wisconsin and is mesmerized by Elise’s beauty. Elise seems to like Frank too but she is more interested in using him get to Alexander, the love of her life.

This encounter leads them to a luxury hotel suite in Venice, and some fun action happening on the water…

The Tourist is a fun romance/adventure that has a pretty impressive cast. Hell, even the mysterious English guy following Elise around is played by Rufus Sewell and the Italian man chatting up Elise at the ball is the famous Italian actor Raoul Bova.

Now, I was expecting the movie to have a similar pace and action/romance/comedy ratio with Knight and Day starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz. It doesn’t. It starts like a spy movie, but quickly turns into a romance film. You might feel the movie drags for 10 minutes or so, when Johnny Depp is acting like a bewildered love sick puppy, but worry not. The movie picks up pace, the funny situations become more apparent and fun boat & roof chases follow…

But let’s not call it a drama/thriller like IMDB did. It is a romantic adventure. And it is a little slower than Knight and Day.

But all in all, it is a fun movie. It combines the genres that I like, presents them at the adorable Venice setting and well, an adorable cast. Sure, it could have been faster, sexier and/or funnier. And it might not have interested me that much without such a cast. But it is what it is.

7/10 from me.,

The Tourist Trailer

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

Other Posts on Johnny Depp

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

Johnny Depp: Top Eight Movies

Six Celebrities That Aged Really Well

Johnny Depp A Kind of Illusion – review for the book on Johnny Depp

Other Posts on Angelina Jolie

Beyond Borders starring Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen

Actors, Getting Naked and Their Take on Nudity

Playing by Heart starring Angelina Jolie, Sean Connery, Dennis Quaid, Ryan Phillippe, Madeleine Stowe

Other Posts on Paul Bettany

Firewall starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen and Paul Bettany

6 Hollywood Couples: Gorgeous, Glamorous and Happy Together

Other Posts on Rufus Sewell

Tristan and Isolde starring James Franco, Sophia Myles and Rufus Sewell

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

The Woodlanders: A Gorgeous Rufus Sewell in an Awful Movie

In a Savage Land with Rufus Sewell

Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence: Fun romcom with Monica Potter, Rufus Sewell and Joseph Fiennes

Vinyan starring Rufus Sewell

The Illusionist with Edward Norton, Rufus Sewell and Jessica Biel

Share

Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: action, adventure, Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, movies, Paul Bettany, raoul bova, romance, Rufus Sewell, the tourist, the tourist movie, the tourist trailer, timothy Dalton

Firewall starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen and Paul Bettany

Posted on May 21, 2010 Written by ripitup

Share

Firewall starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen and Paul Bettany
Firewall starring Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen and Paul Bettany. Image from: http://imagecache2.allposters.com/images/HPO/firewall.jpg

Consider yourselves warned. This movie will not surprise you. You will get the ending you always do. That being said, it is just not a bad movie.

After a movie, I usually cruise through IMDB boards and check out what the other folks are saying. It’s quite amusing. No matter what the movie, you will find people that had a good time, that hated it and that just don’t really care. Some people think Harrison Ford should stop acting (in action films).  Because he is too old. Yeah, I know. People would love to manage actors’ careers…

OK. Enough with the gossip and the sarcasm. I did warn you that this is a predictable movie. But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s entertaining:

Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford) is a happily married man with 2 kids, aged 8 and 14. His wife (Virginia Madsen) is a beautiful architect and the marriage is great. His only problem is the merger his bank is going through but it is nothing he can’t handle. His life gets very difficult and complicated, however, when his best friend Harry (Robert Forster) introduces him to a businessman (Paul Bettany). Jack is a security specialist working at the large bank. The “businessman” makes him an offer and as Jack leaves to get home, he finds the businessman in his car. His name is Cox, he wants $100,000,000 from the bank. He also has taken his family hostage. From then on, it is a matter of life and death. Jack tries to outsmart Cox, and every time he fails, Cox proves that he is not kidding. So Jack needs to rob the bank he is protecting – and this robbery is a lot more technological and a lot less physical than the robberies we are used to…

It is not a masterpiece. It doesn’t have surprises. Still, I liked watching Jack finding a way to pull the stunts off. I had fun. The fun isn’t in trying to figure out whether Harrison will save his family. It’s in more how psycho the villain can get and how Jack can steal that much money, cover Cox’s track. And let’s face it, Bettany makes a fine villain. You might recgonize Jack’s secretary Janet (Mary Lynn Rajskub) as she has helped out Jack Bauer more than once in the series 24.

And why would people think Harrison is too old for this role is beyond me. It is not like he is playing Clive Owen’s part in Shoot Them Up or Gerard Butler’s in 300! He is trapped, he needs to save three members of his family. Anyone’s adrenaline would be pumped up. Watch it if you enjoy a typical thriller/action and like Bettany and Ford. By the way, remind me, did Harrison Ford ever play a villain?

5.8 on IMDB. I’ll give it a 6.Let me know what you think.

P.S. I read that Harrison Ford declined to play in Schindler’s List, claiming his stardom would get in the way of the message of the movie. I am glad Liam Neeson has the title role but what do you think about Harrsion’s remark? Do you think he is right? Or just cocky?

?

Share

Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: crime, Firewall, Harrison Ford, Mary Lynn Rajskub, movies, Paul Bettany, Robert Forster, thriller, Virginia Madsen

In the mood for a fun romcom novel?

Copyright © 2025 · Focus Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT