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Mr. Brooks starring Kevin Costner, Demi Moore, Dane Cook and William Hurt

Posted on January 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

Kevin Costner as Mr. Brooks — Kevin Coster goes psycho on us. Nice!!!

It is fun when an actor pleasantly surprises you. I am used to seeing Kevin Costner as a nice guy. It is not that he didn’t play a convict (A Perfect World) or something, but even there, he hadn’t gone all psycho on us.

Mr. Brooks is a very complex character and he really gives you the chills. First of all, he is a “perfect” guy as far as anyone who knows him is concerned. He is a loyal and loving husband and father. He is awarded Man of the Year. But he also has a terrifying addiction: Killing.

He doesn’t entirely enjoy it but he always fights with his alter ego Marshall (played by William Hurt) and his ego usually wins. He is smart, meticulous and impossible to catch. If he makes a mistake, it is conscious- part of him wants to get caught. Kevin Costner’s performance is brilliant and William Hurt rocks as always.

Demi Moore co-stars as the detective out to catch the killer. She has issues on her own. She has family money and her jackass of an ex-husband (Jason Lewis) wants her money. Wouldn’t really wanna be her.

As Mr. Brooks has to deal with her college drop-out teenage daughter (Danielle Panabaker) and the secrets she might keep and battle with his terrifying addiction, he encounters another problem. His last murder (curtains open) is witnessed and photographed and blackmailed by the victims’ neighbor (Dane Cook). But this guy doesn’t just want Money. He wants Brooks to kill, and participate in the event. And you thought Brooks was the only sick character in the movie?

The screenplay is original and the movie is good overall but the movie has some other subplots it doesn’t need and this makes the movie a little too slow and boring at times. Of course everything is subjective- there are people who consider this a masterpiece. I think it needed some extra editing. But kudos to Costner’s performance. I always think he is good but he overdid himself this time.

Not the greatest psychological thriller ever, but definitely a good, small one.

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

Other Kevin Costner Movies and Posts:

Nicholas Sparks vs Happy Endings- Kevin Costner’s Message in a Bottle

Kevin Costner: An Amazing Lead Who Should Just Stay Away From Sci-Fi

When Adultery is OK- Revenge (Movie Review of Revenge, Starring Kevin Costner and Anthony Quinn)

Cheating Celebrity Trivia: 8 Celebs Thay Cheated – feat. Kevin Costner

The New Daughter starring Kevin Costner

Whose movie is it? : A post on Actor/Directors, Screenwriters and Producers – And who gets the last word

Other William Hurt Movies and TV Series

The Big Chill starring Kevin Kline, Glenn Close and William Hurt

Children of a Lesser God starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin

Damages Season 2 Review starring Glenn Close. Co-starring William Hurt, Timothy Olyphant and Ted Danson

Also on Demi Moore and Her Movies

Celebrity Break-Ups You May Not Have Seen Coming- feat. Demi Moore and Bruce Willis

Happy Celebrity Couples: Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin, Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher

The Scarlet Letter starring Demi Moore and Gary Oldman

A Perfect Getaway starring Timothy Olyphant, Milla Jovovich, Steve Zahn, Kiele Sanchez & Chris Hemsworth

Posted on November 8, 2009 Written by ripitup

A Perfect Getaway with Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, Mila Jovovich, Kiele Sanchez and Chris Hemsworth

for the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGdcG76uyNc

Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Mila Jovovich) are newlyweds who are in Hawaii for their honeymoon. However the exotic backpacking/trekking vacation gets a little complicated when they learn that there is a couple who have been murdering people on the island. They have met two couples so far: Kale and Cleo – a hitchhiking couple they might have annoyed: the guy seems to be holding a grudge against them and Nick (Timothy Olyphant) & Gina (Kiele Sanchez)- who have actually joined their vacation plans. They seem fun and friendly, yet their eccentricities might be bordering on dangerous.

Now we as the audience know that there’s a murderous couple. We start to play a who- are- the-killers game. It is fun and it is not meant to be disturbing or scary. It is an intriguing movie with amazing scenery. It is more of an adventure than a thriller with interesting characters. I especially enjoyed Kiele Sanchez’s and Chris Hemsworth‘s performances- though Chris doesn’t have that much screen time, he is good at arousing suspicion. He is a talented Australian who I hope we will see more in the future.

The movie is by no means perfect and it doesn’t have the potential to be a cult movie. I don’t mean to give spoilers but you might feel some dialogs could have been better structured. But…forget about what you might call plot holes and just enjoy.

Also on Timothy Olyphant:

Justified

Damages

Timothy Olyphant

6 Hollywood Stars That Would Make 20-Year-Olds Jealous

The Lodger starring Simon Baker, Shane West, Alfred Molina and Hope Davis

Posted on October 31, 2009 Written by ripitup

The Lodger, starring Alfred Molina, Hope Davis, Shane West and Simon Baker

Detective Chandler Manning (Molina) and his rookie partner Street Wilkenson (Shane West) have stumbled upon a disturbing case: brutal murders of hookers, which resemble the crimes of the infamous Jack the Ripper and also a serial killer who Manning caught behind bars and was executed years ago.

Married couple Ellen (Hope Davis) and Bunting (Donal Logue) are having financial troubles. Their marriage doesn’t also seem that solid either: Their relationship is strained and the husband constantly refers to the medication Ellen should be taking. We are tipped- at the very beginning of the movie- that Ellen may not be mentally very stable and that she doesn’t like her husband spending so much time away from home, especially at night.

Manning’s private life isn’t that great either. He has a wife staying at a mental hospital, after an attempted suicide and his daughter holds him responsible. She believes that his compulsiveness and possessive actions have caused this.

Ellen’s life, on the other hand, seems to get interesting. Their guest house finally gets rented, by a mysterious stranger (Simon Baker). Now this guy is dark, he keeps to himself and is obsessed with his privacy. He refuses to meet her husband and keeps disappearing at night…

The movie has a lot of suspicious characters so we are never sure to trust Manning, Ellen, her husband and especially not the lodger. Now the movie is a remake and is not boring. It has its moments and Manning’s obsession with Jack The Ripper gives the movie edge. However the twists and turns and the camera work don’t amount too much when some things are too obvious. It is an OK movie with some wasted potential. After all, the movie has wonderful actors. Hope Davis is wonderful as the edgy Ellen who is very attracted to her new lodger. I have always enjoyed watching Alfred Molina since he portrayed the uptight mayor in Lasse Hallstrom’s Chocolat in 2000. Simon Baker has always pleasantly surprised me with the wide arrange of roles he has taken and this is by far the darkest. Shane West makes a good rookie. But as I said, it has wasted potential. It doesn’t add anything new to the guess-who-is-the-killer game. It is worth a watch if you like the actors. Frankly, the poster looks good and it is cooler than the movie. I actually half-expected a story with vampires when I first saw it.

All Posts Featuring Simon Baker

Simon Baker Trivia: 21 Facts About Australian Actor Simon Baker

Not Forgotten Movie Review

The Lodger Movie Review

Top Nine Aussies in The Entertainment World: Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Kylie Minogue and More

Posts featuring Simon Baker and The Mentalist

The Mentalist TV Series Review- Starring Simon Baker

Castle vs The Mentalist- Comparing the two addictive shows

Television’s 3 Most Brilliant, Emotionally Broken Men: Patrick Jane, Gregory House and Jack Bauer

Use of Social Media in TV Series featuring Castle, The Mentalist, House, Cougar Town and NCIS Los Angeles

Seven Engaging Tv Shows with Suspense Featuring Castle, The Mentalist, House, Ncis Los Angeles and More

Thick as Thieves starring Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman and Radha Mitchell

Posted on October 22, 2009 Written by ripitup

Morgan Freeman and Antonio Banderas in Thick As Thieves.

Ripley (Morgan Freeman) is an aging, master crook in debt to the Russian mafia. He requests the help of another expert thief, Gabriel (Banderas) to pull of a 4o-million-dollar heist. Ripley also has an attractive god-daughter called Alex (Radha Mitchell) whose father was killed- probably by none other than Ripley himself.

The movie shows us how fast and dangerous stunts Gabriel can pull and that Ripley can track him down. He gets Gabby’s interest by mentioning how much the theft will be worth. Gabby is also very interested in Alex…

Are you smelling clichés? Are you expecting Antonio’s character to get Alexa into bed within the second day he sees her? Are you also expecting Abby to care a lot for this woman that he sleeps with twice? Well, you are right. It is in so many ways a very typical script. It does have some good twists, although you will notice them coming. Well, clichés aren’t that big of a problem. How they explain the twists are. It is not logical at all. But if you just don’t question anything, it is an OK movie.

Now, I really do have to write about some of the comments made about the movies and the actors though. I read this funny comment that Banderas was too old for the role. Trust me, the movie has many issues but the actor’s age is not one of them. Well, the fact that he can get the girl for instance is one of the few things that made sense. He is 49, in good shape and all though he has matured, he is good-looking. The problem is that his character just seems too plausible and too naive . Other than that the movie does entertain. Just don’t think. About anything.

Posts Featuring Antonio Banderas

OF LOVE AND SHADOWS (1994)

Favorite Revenge Movies

The Other Man

Dispara

Actors, getting naked and their take on nudity