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

Posted on August 24, 2010 Written by ripitup

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The Big Chill starring Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jobeth Williams, Mary Kay Place, Tom Berenger, Meg Tilly, Jeff Goldblum
The Big Chill starring Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jobeth Williams, Mary Kay Place, Tom Berenger, Meg Tilly, Jeff Goldblum. Image: s11.allstarpics.net

Harold, Sarah, Sam, Nick, Michael, Meg, Karen are old college friends who haven’t been able to keep in contact as they planned, apart from Harold (Kevin Kline) and Sarah (Glenn Close)- who married each other and started a family together.

These old friends reunite at a funeral- the other member of the old gang, Alex, has committed suicide. After the funeral, they spend the weekend at Harold and Sarah’s place and try to get over Alex’s death, times and identities lost and catch up.

Now their friendships are as “complicated” as the ones in Grey’s Anatomy or Dawson’s Creek– here’s what I mean:

–          Nick (William Hurt) and Karen used to be an item but Karen (Jobeth Williams) and Sam (Tom Berenger) always had an eye for each other.

–          Meg (Mary Kay Place) has a little history with Michael  (Jeff Goldblum), who is busy chasing Chloe (Meg Tilly)- Alex’s young girlfriend who’s staying at the house as well. Chloe isn’t interested in Michael but she seems to be into Nick (William Hurt).

–          Nick is Meg’s first choice as a sperm donor. Oh yes, it is the 80s, she is the modern working woman who is sick of dating and wants a kid from a friend. But of course Nick can’t help since he can’t function down there, a gift from Vietnam. And Sam already had a broken marriage and a daughter he barely sees so he may not exactly jump at the offer and Karen doesn’t love the idea either as she seems to want Sam for herself. Sam is into Karen too, but Karen has a husband and two kids.

–          Oh and then there is Sarah, who seems more shaken up by Alex’s death. As Harold reveals to us, she had an affair with him but she and Harold got over it…

So here we have a 8 people with complicated friendships and pasts, a weekend fuelled with conflicted emotions, drugs, alcohol, fun, nostalgia, sadness, broken dreams, love and confrontations.

The movie is one of the earliest works for the most of the cast, most of who are considered to be the finest actors of Hollywood. It is worth noting that Glenn Close was nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar and the movie also was also nominated for Best Film and Best Screenplay. The movie was written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek and directed by Lawrence Kasdan.

The movie  has its flaws and charms, just like the characters. There are things in the movie that almost every one can related to: How you can lose contact with your best friends when life gets in the way or how your life may not turn out the way you hoped it would. And I am guessing the actors’ generation will identify with the story even more.

However the characters- despite the identity issues- didn’t really feel real to me. And no matter how charming the actors are, the characters are just…off. I mean, if your best friend kills himself, would your immediate reaction would be to have a baby with one of his other friends and start making the baby right after the funeral? Not to mention their soap-opera type of histories. And what kind of prick hits on his recently dead friend’s girlfriend, who almost seems jovial at all times? And would you really be that upset if your best who killed himself was banging your wife behind your back? And then there is the lecturing attitude Harold gives Nick when a cop brings him over- about being a part of the community, respecting the cops and whatever while they were all high half the movie?

The verdict: I am not going to lie to you, I had fun watching this movie. It was nostalgic and I love the soundtrack. I like the actors and the director. Despite the reunion happens because of a suicide, the movie is more fun than emotional and sad. There are some great funny lines and scenes and it is hardly ever boring. But had the cast been different, I doubt I’d have watched it.

Overall, this is a decently-acted and entertaining film with nostalgic value. But it is  well…fluff. A pretty and quality fluff. You will have fun watching it but if you don’t watch it, you won’t have missed out on a thing.

7.0 on IMDB. A 6 from me.

Fun facts About The Big Chill:

–          Do you remember the last movie you saw with Tom Berenger? It is probably Inception where he plays the uncle to Cillian Murphy’s character. Out of all the cast members of The Big Chill, he is the one who bears no resemblance to his younger self.

–          The little son of Harold and Sarah that appears in the beginning of the film is the real life son of director Lawrence Kasdan. His name is Jon Kasdan.

–          Meg Tilly is an ex-girlfriend of Colin Firth and they have a son together.

–          Lawrence Kasdan and Kevin Kline work together often. They also made French Kiss and Silverado together.0000

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: academy award nominee, Barbara Benedek, cast of movie the big chill, comedy, drama, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, Jobeth Williams, Jon Kasdan, Kevin Kline, Lawrence Kasdan, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, movie the big chill, movies, romance, The Big Chill, the big chill 1983, the big chill movie, Tom Berenger, William Hurt

Children of a Lesser God starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin

Posted on March 3, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Children of a Lesser God, starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin
Children of a Lesser God (1986), starring William Hurt and Marlee Matlin. What a beautiful name for a story. The movie is based on the play of Mark Medoff, written for the screen by Medoff himself. Directed by Randa Haines. The movie was nominated for 5 Academy Awards: Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. It won Best Actress.

James Leeds (William Hurt) the new speech teacher at the school for deaf  people. Much to the horror and inconvenience of the principal, he is willing to try new methods to teach his students to read lips and speak using their own voices. His energy and fun methods engage most of the kids and he manages to bond with them.

However, not everyone is willing to learn from him- especially the school’s custodian Sarah (Marlee Matlin), who is one of the old students at school. He is intrigued by this extremely frustrated, angry and smart woman who claims to be content with her cleaning job, as long as she is left alone.

Even though she dismisses James’ efforts, she also finds herself  attracted to him. They eventually start a relationship but misinterpretations, misunderstandings and temper will put them through many challenges…

This is a beautiful romance/drama with powerful performances. Marlee Matlin, deaf in real life as well, won the best actress oscar for her portrayal of Sarah and William Hurt was nominated for Best Actor. Sarah’s mother is played by Piper Laurie, another oscar nomination for the film.

Sometimes passionate love stories make you wonder how the actors felt about each other in real life. In this case, William Hurt and Marlee Matlin were together for a while and maybe this adds to the effectiveness of the story.

I especially love William Hurt’s role.

Favorite scene:

– He is teaching a deaf student to feel music and then dances with her. Brilliant. So much fun.

Favorite Line:

James (Hurt): I am falling in…to the pool with you……

Children of a lesser god with William Hurt

photos from:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41VQ2GAM62L.jpg

http://randazza.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/children-of-a-lesser-god.jpg

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Academy-award winning movies, drama, Marlee Matlin, movies, Piper Laurie, romance, William Hurt

The Incredible Hulk starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth & William Hurt: Updated

Posted on February 26, 2010 Written by ripitup

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The Incredible hulk with edward norton and liv tyler
The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton and Liv Tyler

The Incredible Hulk movie poster via harleycordelllane.com

 

I avoided the Hulk movies for so long. As a kid, I adored its cartoons but even with the effects of the 21st century, I still didn’t find the computer effects impressive when it came to creating our green “monster”. Even though I love both Eric Bana and Jennifer Connelly, I didn’t watch the first one. But after having liked the second one with Edward Norton and Liv Tyler, I decided to give Ang Lee’s version a shot. It was also quite interesting that one was rated 5.7 and the second one is a 7.1. Isn’t it usually the other way around?

I don’t think there is another case of making a second movie, 5 years after the first, with a different leading actor and actress for the same characters. If the first one was a disappointment, how did they know for sure the second one would work? Why did they let Ang Lee direct Hulk in the first place? I mean he is a good director but directing a comic book adaptation with a big budget? The guy followed Hulk with Brokeback Mountain for heaven’s sake!  Well, I did see Hulk and I am not impressed. Don’t see it if you can help it. It is like a cartoon, with people thrown in. Not good. So even the 5.7  IMDB user rating seems too generous to me. Yes, I don’t really take any rating too seriously, but sometimes it an give you an idea of what others think.

Back to the 2008’s The Incredible Hulk:

It is good entertainment. The cast is pretty marvelous. Edward Norton, William Hurt and Tim Roth just fit their roles perfectly. Liv Tyler still has that innocently sexy look we are used to from Aerosmith’s Crazy video. The effects are OK, I still wish it had a bigger budget, though. I wish The Hulk had a 100 million dollars more. Look at Avatar. No decent plot, but hey the effects are amazing!

I think The Incredible Hulk is better than your average comic book movie. We travel a lot, we feel Bruce’s pain, root for Bruce and Elizabeth to get together and despise the general (William Hurt).

Sure, the good guys are purely evil and the bad are purely bad (with the exception of the general, he loves his gray areas) but hey, this script isn’t trying to reinvent the wheel, so we accept the clichés. After all, it is Edward Norton who feeds them to us;)

The plot? Oh, yeah- that:

Bruce Banner (Norton) is the most crucial target for the US army. He is the “victim” of a gamma ray experiment which resulted in him in turning into the “Hulk” – a green, gigantic creature with some temper. He can’t avoid the transformation that happens when he gets too excited or angry.

This has caused him to escape from the country, having left his beloved girlfriend Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler) behind. He resides and works in Brazil, away from anything that might trigger the transformation while seeking the cure his condition forever. But when the army finds him, he has no choice but to go back. Ross will help him no matter what, defying her father the general. But as the general will soon realize, he might have created a threat that’s far more “inconvenient” than Hulk…

7/10 from me.

Enjoy the trailer.

 

***

Fun Note: Our Hulks keep changing. We switched to Norton from Bana, and now we have Mark Ruffalo instead of Norton in 2012’s The Avengers- featuring an ensemble cast, with ensemble heroes. The movie is written and directed by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy. The stars include Iron Man Robert Downey Jr., Captain America Chris Evans, Thor Chris Hemsworth  and more.

 

[pro-player width=’530′ height=’253′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7a5LcTckfg[/pro-player]

Here is more on Edward Norton and his movies:

Death to Smoochy

Kingdom of Heaven

Pride and Glory

25th Hour

The Illusionist

The Painted Veil

Fight Club

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Ang Lee, Edward Norton, Eric Bana, Hulk, Jennifer Connelly, Liv Tyler, The Incredible Hulk, The Incredible Hulk trailer, Tim Roth, William Hurt

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

Posted on January 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

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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

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Dane Cook, danielle panabaker, Demi Moore, demi moore movies, Jason Lewis, Kevin Costner, Kevin Costner movies, movie reviews, movies, Mr. Brooks, thriller, William Hurt, william hurt movies

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