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Actors’ Pleasantly Surprising Roles feat. Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman & Russell Crowe

Posted on January 10, 2011 Written by ripitup

Actors’ Pleasantly Surprising Roles feat. Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman & Russell Crowe

Finding a good script is tricky. Constantly being after good scripts and trying to be versatile at the same time is even trickier. An actor might often find himself playing a character more often than other roles- such as being a cop or a villain too often. So just when you think you’ve seen all the cards up his sleeve, he surprises you as a character you have never seen before. Below are 3 examples:

* Harrison Ford in Six Days Seven Nights

Six Days Seven Nights starring Harrison Ford & Anne Heche

We are accustomed to seeing Ford in serious roles. Whether he is a cop (The Devil’s Own,Witness) or The President (Air Force One). Sure he had his characters with a sense of humor (Indiana Jones) but this one really caught me off guard.

In Six Days Seven Nights, he is a middle-aged pilot who lives on an island in Tahiti and is pretty pleased with his easy-going life. That’s until he meets Robin (Anne Heche) and a plane crash puts them both an island.

Ford’s character gets drunk too often and makes jokes at Anne Heche’s character Robin’s expense. He also falls down, gets beaten up and smiles a lot, all the while managing to be the masculine Harrison Ford we know him to be. Watch this one to see Harrison in an action/romance/comedy genre.

Two other movies if you like the combination of these genres:

Birds on a Wire starring Goldie Hawn and Mel Gibson

The Bounty Hunter starring Gerard Butler and Jennifer Anniston

* Gary Oldman in The Scarlet Letter

The Scarlet Letter starring Demi Moore & Gary Oldman

We saw Gary play the bad guy too often. Sure, when he isn’t playing the ultimate-villain (Léon, Murder in the First, Dracula), he does play a lot of shady/grey characters (Romeo Lies Bleeding, Sid and Nancy). So I am guessing I am not the only one surprised to find him as Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale in the film adaptation of The Scarlet Letter in 1995. He was a reverend, he was genuinely nice and he was playing a romantic character! And being Gary Oldman, he pulled this off brilliantly. You may or may not like the movie but Gary’s performance was…well, up to Gary’s standards.

* Russell Crowe in A Good Year

A Good Year starring Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard & Albert Finney. Feat. Tom Hollander & Richard Coyle.

Russell Crowe might be an academy-award-winning actor, but hey let’s face it, he doesn’t have typically have a boyish charm. And he doesn’t really look like as if he is ready to make a fool out of himself. I am checking out his films to see another light-hearted role and I can’t. He played a warrior, a cop, an agent, an “insider”…. Sure, Mystery, Alaska is fun but A Good Year is even better. Not just because it features the Oscar-winning actress Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies, Inception) but because it shows us the two sides of Crowe- one we know so well and we are not so used to.

A Good Year follows Max Skinner- a ruthless and successful British broker in London to Provence, France. His uncle has died and left him his vineyard. All Max wants to do get the paperwork out of the way and do whatever the hell he wants with it. But before he can change the property, the property, its residents, his uncle’s (Albert Finney’s) memories and a certain French girl changes him.

This movie is directed by Ridley Scott, a director that Russell collaborates with quite often. The duo also did Gladiator, American Gangster, Body of Lies and Robin Hood together. But among them all, this is the sweetest, lightness and the most romantic movie of them all. Here, Russell’s hotshot Max gets into funny situations, falls in love, falls in love with the vineyard and discovers a side to himself that he didn’t know or forgot that it existed. And best of all, Russell isn’t alone in providing the comic relief. His friend Charlie (Tom Hollander) comes to visit. And well, Tom’s scenes are usually not so charismatic in movies and this one is no exception. Max’s broker nemesis is played by Richard Coyle– who you might remember as Jeff from TV Show Coupling– the British series that had most viewers laughing their butts off. And that’s an understatement. So it doesn’t matter if you put Richard in a semi-serious, small role. I start laughing the moment I see the guy. Oh, and the female lead is so elegantly beautiful that the story wouldn’t have made sense if Max hadn’t fallen head over heels with her. This film really made me like Russell. Yes, he is a good actor but he was just not this fun before.

A Good Year starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard

Posted on October 5, 2010 Written by ripitup

A Good Year starring Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard. Co-starring Albert Finney, Freddie Highmore, Tom Hollander, Abbie Cornish and Richard Coyle. Directed by Ridley Scott.

Max Skinner (Russell Crowe) is a very successful, ruthless and ambitious stockbroker in London. He is loved by women, envied and hated by his co-workers and rivals. His career and reputation are his whole life. To him, leaving London even during a weekend is unquestionable. So that’s why he is reluctant when he receives the news of his uncle Henry’s (Albert Finney) death. Max is Henry’s sole beneficiary but legal details force him to go to France in order to claim the estate, which consists of a beautiful farmhouse with a pool, garden and a big vineyard.

Convinced that he can handle things on a day trip, Max goes to France. He starts being haunted by the memories of his childhood and Henry, spent talking, playing games and drinking wine – idle and fun times that couldn’t have been more different than Max’s current hectic life. When he arrives at the estate, he is still set on spending as little time as possible in France and getting back to his life in London; but funny accidents, French laws and the aftermath of Max’s questionable but very profitable stock management strategy obliges him to spend a little more time in France. However as time passes, Max becomes more emotional about the place and really starts enjoying his life, especially after meeting the gorgeous and passionate French woman Fanny (Marion Cotillard). So what should Max do? Sell the estate, go back to London and forget about Fanny? Or rethink about his priorities and keep enjoying what life has to offer him?

A Good Year is simply one of my favorite movies. It ended up making me a Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard fan. This is the first film I saw Cotillard in but not my first Crowe movie. But prior to this film, I just didn’t like Crowe for some reason. I had nothing against his capabilities as an actor but to me, he lacked the sense of humor, self-depreciating manner that made me warm up to many of my favorite actors. But this movie, Russell played a great, flawed character that perfectly transformed from an apparently insensitive but highly smart jerk to the real, fun-loving and passionate character his childhood self promised us to be, while engaging in great comedic situations but great liners (and thankfully, the timing for thje comedy was natural). The scene where he falls into the pool, his attempts to save himself and Fanny’s revenge are just priceless.

A Good Year is one international film: English Max is played by New Zealand-born and Australian raised Russell Crowe, Max’s youth and Uncle Henry are played by English actors Freddie Highmore (August Rush, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Finding Neverland) and Albert Finney (Big Fish, Erin Brockovich). Max’s might-be-cousin, American Christie is played by Australian Abbie Cornish (Bright Star, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Candy). French actress Marion Cotillard (Public Enemies, Inception) stars as Fanny. And of course I have to note that Tom Hollander and Richard Coyle (Coupling’s Jeff, The Best Man, Prince of Persia) and Tom Hollander (Pride and Prejudice, Martha Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence). Note that the actors playing Mr. And Mrs. Duflot (Didier Bourdon and Isabelle Candelier)are also priceless.

This movie is one little gem. It is funny and romantic, with a great cast, adorable cinematography and a lovely story. Based on the novel by Peter Mayle, written by Marc Klein and directed by Ridley Scott (Kingdom of Heaven), this is a must see for anyone who wants to have a great time, laugh a lot, smile all the time and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

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Favorite Scenes and Lines:

*After Max has won his company millions of dollars through his questionable strategy:
Kenny: Ready for the fan mail?

Max: Shoot, sunshine.

Max keeps reading his paper casually as Kenny keeps reading the messages.

Kenny: Bastard. Bastard.

Max: A-ha.

Kenny: Burn in hell.

Max: Alright.

Kenny: Rot in hell.

Max: Lovely.

Kenny: Die.

Max: Charming.

Kenny: Congratulations , you are my hero.

Max: Who sent that?

Kenny: Your lawyer.

Duflot: (on Fanny) Remember what Proust said – leave pretty women to men with no imagination.

Max: Duflot, I am a banker. I have no imagination.

Max: (on the candle-lit table Mrs. Duflot prepared for him and his potential cousin) Ludivine? Don’t you think this is a bit much? I mean, she is my cousin.
Ludivine Duflot: Almost all French aristocrat have, how you say… liaison with their cousins, yes?

Max: (amused) Gosh, that explains a lot.

Max: (to his lawyer Charlie, played Tom Hollander) Just a quick question. You’d know this. In France, is it actually illegal to shag your own cousin?

Charlie: Only if she is ugly.

Max sees Fanny for the first time after Fanny fills the pool with water and Max has to swim in the dirt. He goes up to her in the restaurant.

Max: Joan of Arc?

Fanny: Oh, Jacques Cousteau

Max: You tried to drown me!

Fanny: You tried to run me over with your little car!

Max: What do you mean I tried to run you over? What sort of bullocks is that?

Fanny: You were driving in your midget car. And I believe you had your ass stuck very far up your ass. (pulling up her skirt – revealing her leg and part of her bum to show her giant bruise) Look at the

Damage you have caused! You tried to kill me, I tried to kill you. (she walks away angrily- Max is fascinated)

Max: My God. She is fantastic.

Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard in A Good Year. Image via worth-2-hours.com

Trailer:

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-B6FsAAvmM[/pro-player]

Kingdom of Heaven starring Orlando Bloom and Eva Green

Posted on March 5, 2010 Written by ripitup

Kingdom of Heaven- Orlando Bloom. Photo via lightscamerahistory.files.wordpress.com

1184. Blacksmith Balian (Orlando Bloom) is not a happy man. He has recently lost his kid, and his wife has committed suicide, not being able to bear the death of their child. Moreover he has to listen to the town’s priest (Michael Sheen), who goes on and on about how his wife is in hell. But his life completely changes when he meets his father for the first time. The absent father is Lord of Ibelin (Liam Neeson), and he is there to take Balian with him. At first Balian is unwilling but circumstances force him to go. From then on, he learns a lot from his father. He will also need to prepare himself to take his father’s place. He now doesn’t even have the time to grieve- he has to be a knight, a worthy lord, deal with Prince Guy (Marton Csokas) who absolutely despises him, travel to Jerusalem…

Kingdom of Heaven. As glorious as an epic should be. Written by William Monahan. Directed by Ridley Scott. Photo: images.allmoviephoto.com

Balian’s journey is exciting and never dull for a second. In Jerusalem, he easily makes friends with the Marshall Tiberias (Jeremy Irons) and earns the trust of King Baldwin (Edward Norton). He also intrigues and attracts, Sibylla (Eva Green)- The King’s sister- who also happens to be Guy’s wife. Not to mention, Guy is thirsty for blood and is dying to fight the Muslims- much against the will of the King.

Kingdom of Heaven- a battle scene — I love a good old battle scene. Well, what did you expect? My favorite movie ever is an epic war flick, Braveheart. Photo: film.com.tr

This movie is a really good example on how an epic should be. It has all the complications and the amazing battle scenes. It has the peace-loving villager-turned lord-who doesn’t let go of his virtues, even though it might cost him dearly. Orlando Bloom fits Balian perfectly and the rest of the cast is simply brilliant.

Fun Stuff:

Liam Neeson only appears in the first 25 minutes or so.

Orlando Bloom and Liam Neeson in Kingdom of Heaven. Father and son bonding moment. Cool for Bloom. Those sword-fighting lessons from Pirates of The Caribbean must have come in handy. Photo: hecinemasource.co

King Baldwin has leprosy. So you never see Edward Norton’s face. But it is fun to have him nevertheless.

Edward Norton in Kingdom of Heaven. Yep, this is how Edward Norton looks throughout all his scenes. For all we know, he could have recorded his voice. Just kidding. It is always nice to have him in a movie. Even when you don’t see him.Photo: cinecultist.com

The (only) leading female is Sibylla, played by the gorgeous Eva Green.

Eva Green in Kingdom of Heaven — Trust me, this picture doesn’t do her justice at all. She is simply radiantly beautiful in this cool epic from 2005. Photo: http://www.atoww.com

There is also Dr. Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) from Grey’s Anatomy, plays one of Liam Neeson’s soldiers.

Brendan Gleeson plays exactly looks like his character in Braveheart– where he played Hamish, Wallace’s best mate. Although here, he is pretty much the bad guy.

Brendan Gleeson, Braveheart — This is Brendan in Braveheart. One of the good guys.

Brendan Gleeson in Kingdom of Heaven. Apart from 10 year gap between the films, he is instantly recognizable and reminded me of Hamish. Here, he does a great job as a mean bastard. Photo: filmdope.com

Reasons to see Kingdom of Heaven:

– You mean apart from Liam Neeson, Jeremy Irons, Edward Norton, Orlando Bloom and Eva Green?

– Director is Ridley Scott- who also directed Gladiator, Body of Lies, American Gangster, White Squall and Thelma and Luis.

– Good script, good acting, wonderful direction and pretty cool battle scenes.

– If you are not convinced yet, I am giving up.

Cons:

– I didn’t see any, but you might be bothered by the stuff that is not historically accurate.

– Why have Edward Norton play a character with leprosy in the first place? But being the cool and interesting guy that he is, it was Edward who specifically requested that role. Let’s keep fingers crossed that he does star in an epic one day, with his face showing…

– If you do hate Orlando Bloom and think he can’t act, obviously you will get annoyed watching him for 144 minutes. Or for 190 minutes in Director’s Cut.

Orlando Bloom in Kingdom of Heaven — Yep, a lot of Orlando Bloom. He is pretty good, though. He carries his role with grace and innonce. Photo: wallpaperbase.com

My biases: Love the whole cast and I am a big fan of Ridley Scott. White Squall (starring Jeff Bridges) is one of my favorite movies ever and I am yet to dislike anything Ridley worked on.

IMDB verdict: 7.1

My verdict: 7.8- 8.0

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Why Movie Taste is Relative feat. Christian Bale, Quentin Tarantion, Ridley Scott & More.

Posted on October 3, 2009 Written by ripitup

Your favorite painter, movie-maker, musician, …Who you like and why you like them are easily defined by you. Depending on how fanatic you are, you are ready to argue the merits and reasons of your taste. And yet the argument is unlikely to have a winner.

Take my student advisor for instance. He is one of my favorite people and one of the few that I respect, and yet he was very skeptical when I told him about my intentions about studying film. His reason? I don’t like Quentin Tarantino and therefore I do not belong there. I thought he was insane. I am skeptical of all authority when it comes to passion and dreams, and when a business T.A. condescends you about your dreams, you just want to punch him in the face.

The thing is, people don’t have to like Polanski or Tarantino. Or Spielberg or one of the Scott (Ridley Scott, Tony Scott) Brothers. You might think the Coen Brothers have got it all and some will remain unfazed by their efforts. And that’s completely alright.

You don’t have to follow all the festivals. It is OK to like a movie just for the sake of loving a low-budget, character-driven film, just like loving a good old epic film (in my case I love Braveheart) does not make you unworthy of applying to the MFA area of your choice.

Christian Bale is quoted to have said “I think there’s a kind of pretentiousness to the idea that serious work is only found in low-budget independent movies–I can’t stand that snobbery.”

I couldn’t agree more. He has proven himself in a variety of roles. I think only mentioning The Machinist and Batman in the same sentence will suffice to prove the point.

Some people loved Black Swan. Some people hated it. Some couldn’t see why many people adored The Social Network. Some people thing The Hangover is an awful movie, and some just laughed their butts off while watching it…

It is all relative. It depends from person to person, and that is all the whole point. That’s why it is so fun to share- you never know what the other person might think.