“Jaws 2″ Movie Details
Jaws 2 tagline: Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…
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Actors:
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Timmy Weldon |
| Directors: Jeannot Szwarc |
| IMDB Rating: 5.6/10 out of 17,606 votes |
“Jaws 2″ Movie Review
“Jaws 2″ Plot Summary
Police chief Brody must protect the citizens of Amity after a second monstrous shark begins terrorizing the waters. add synopsis
The mother of all sequals…
Jaws will always be remembered in history for so many things, but what I’ve chose to comment here, is about how sequels are now part of the main stream and how they are marketed. Planet of the Apes, and few other ‘franchises’ had existed before Jaws, but none have been copied, parodied, or are engraved in the mind of the public as the Jaws franchise. Jaws was one of the first film franchises to use a number after the title, along with aggressive add campains. For years every sequel that has come out uses something from the Jaws ‘book’ of ‘how to’ when it comes to sequels. Down to the taglines: ‘Just when you thought it was safe…,’ ‘See it before…’ ‘The (place your number here) dimension in terror’,…and the all too famous: ‘This time…it’s personal..’Face it, the Jaws sequels are bad, and yet still can be watched, because they are not as bad as most sequels, yet taught many film makers what NOT to do with a franchise.
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“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Movie Details
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford tagline: Beyond the myth lies America’s greatest betrayal.
 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford DVD Cover
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Actors:
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| Directors: Andrew Dominik |
| IMDB Rating: 7.7/10 out of 52,256 votes |
“The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Movie Review
“The Assassination of Jesse James” Plot Summary
Robert Ford, who’s idolized Jesse James since childhood, tries hard to join the reforming gang of the Missouri outlaw, but gradually becomes resentful of the bandit leader.
An epic masterpiece. Thoughtful, philosophical and profoundly existential
With a title almost as long as the 160-movie it names, regular movie-goers might be forgiven for thinking that The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford is worth a miss. Too, even, that a title basically giving away the central hub of the film’s plot makes it hard for studio execs to sell the film as a sassy, gun-toting western with shlocky shoot-em-ups and angel eyes Brad Pitt darling it up in the lead role. This was all many were expecting after several re-edits, one being a but-numbing 3? hour cut, were made to a film that actually wrapped up filming in 2005. But what Chopper director Andrew Dominik has delivered, in only his second film, is an beautiful, epic, meditative poem of a western, that once again transforms the genre, once such a stable for conservative normality, by dissecting the myths that created it
Brad Pitt is uber-outlaw Jesse James, co-founder of the James-Younger gang, primarily specialising in train robberies. Casey Affleck is Robert Ford, a clumsy, awkward upstart, who is entranced by Jesse James to the point of obsession. He views him like a celebrity, studying his life, his robberies, his voice and even his mannerisms. He is so entranced that at one point whilst attempting to engage his idol in a conversation during one of James’ tin bath sessions, James very coldly utters to Ford ‘Do you want to be like me? Or do you wanna be me?’.Ford is constantly teased by his fellow thieves and gunmen, taunted for his love and idolisation of the gang ringleader. As the title suggests (or rather gives away), it leads to a tragic conclusion, a conclusion revealed so that the whole film may operate on a level far more complex than mere formulaic convention. Since we know the fate of the hero, it is not about where the journey ends, or indeed how it ends. But rather what the journey is, and how the characters deal with it. James seems to flirt with the idea of death, having been rendered a stalinesque paranoia-case after losing faith in all of his gang members. Towards the end of the film, he relies only on the help of the Ford brothers Charlie and Robert, not being able to trust any one else. He would be proved right, when Robert is the one to pull the trigger
The Assassination of Jesse James is a majestic western. It is beautifully shot in a way that doesn’t just please the eye, but utterly renders both the icy mood and bitterly cold temperature of the film it colours. The acting is first rate, with Brad Pitt playing the cold psychopath that is Jesse James with a subtle viciousness beneath his icy blue eyes. But Casey Affleck is the man who walks away with the film. Every scene he is in, he steals. His Robert Ford is brilliantly balanced between the enthusiastically enthralled and gawkish pathos. His obsession with James is understandable, given the legend of the outlaw that has spun a million myths in its wake, but it is reminiscent, at least to a modern audience, of a Mark Chapman the man who shot John Lennon. In fact one of the many themes running throughout Andrew Dominik’s film is that of the obsession with a myth. He is known as the ‘coward’ but is it to be a coward? Ford idolises James like many people do modern celebrities. When James reveals his spiteful and altogether psychotic edge to Ford, the myth is dispelled, and everything Ford had invested in him becomes crushed. All Ford could do to redeem himself, he felt, would be to kill James, and end the charade. But alas, all that did was strengthen the legend further
Perhaps in another world, it would be pleasant to know that The Assassination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford gets all the credit it deserves, but it appears to have split many people up the middle. Some people think it is pretentious, and write sniffy articles about the film’s languidness. Others think it is too long and obscure. I am at the point now when it really doesn’t matter when dealing with a film of this magnitude, because it was a profoundly affecting experience, one reminiscent of the beautiful epics Terrence Malick used to make. If you find a better film this year, I would very surprised.
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“The Shining” Movie Details
The Shining tagline: The tide of terror that swept America IS HERE[UK Poster]
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Actors:
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| Directors: Stanley Kubrick |
| IMDB Rating: 8.5/10 out of 164,112 votes |
“The Shining” Movie Review
“The Shining” Plot Summary
A family heads to an isolated hotel for the winter where an evil and spiritual presence influences the father into violence, while his psychic son sees horrific forebodings from the past and of the future.
One of the Scariest Movies Of All Time!!!
This is the classic horror! Stanley Kubrick’s Finest! The scariest of the ‘Kubrick Stares’ has to be Jack Nicholson looking through the door in the classic horror scene. The camera, music, acting, and scares are top notch! I highly recommend this movie to: Horror fans, Kubrick fans, psychological thriller fans, and even Nicholson fans. You will love this movie to death! Four out of four stars. A definative classic! SEE IT!
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“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” Movie Details
Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels tagline: A Disgrace to Criminals Everywhere.
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Actors:
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Paul |
| Directors: Guy Ritchie |
| IMDB Rating: 8.1/10 out of 116,031 votes |
“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” Movie Review
“Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels” Plot Summary
Four London working class stiffs pool their money to put one in a high stakes card game, but things go wrong and they end up owing half a million pounds and having one week to come up with the cash.
entertaining
For $8 million, this is a fricking monument of 1990’s film. The first time I saw it I laughed at most of the jokes and followed the plot with pleasure. That’s more than I can say about any number of movies in the 1990’s that cost ten times as much to make and starred pricey talent. The editing is clever and cute. The casting is just short of flawless. Of the four principles, only Bacon seemed consistent to me. The minor parts were sometimes spectacular, esp. Big & Little Chris and Barry the Baptist
There are some legitimate complaints about this movie. The big one is that it doesn’t really go anywhere or mean anything. It seems like an awful lot of flash and talent to end up saying nothing about anything. But um it’s not like Lock, Stock is trying to be anything it isn’t, so maybe it’s not a valid critique after all. Considering how long Tarrantino’s influence has been around, it’s a little unfair to call Ritchie on imitating him. There are some similarities large casts, distinct characters, clever dialogue, rapid shifts in narratives from one string to another and shifting in time, and few other things. I think the problem is that years of dumbing down by Hollywood have almost eliminated all these things. The influence is there certainly, but it would not seem as pronounced if there were any other hugely exposed filmmakers in recent memory that put as much emphasis on dialogue and character besides Tarantino
I haven’t watched MTV since the mid-1980’s, so the style of Lock Stock and Snatch didn’t seem trite to me. Some people I talked to said that the film style was too much like the average car commercial or pop video, which is getting the influence backwards, but I could see how those associations would spoil the experience.
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“Australia” Movie Details
Australia tagline:
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Actors:
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| Directors: Baz Luhrmann |
| IMDB Rating: 6.8/10 out of 34,260 votes |
“Australia” Movie Review
“Australia” Plot Summary
Set in northern Australia before World War II, an English aristocrat who inherits a sprawling ranch reluctantly pacts with a stock-man in order to protect her new property from a takeover plot. As the pair drive 2,000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape, they experience the bombing of Darwin, Australia, by Japanese forces firsthand.
Epic!
Australia is a long film (154 minutes to be precise) that is full of fun, action, a little comedy, romance and plenty of drama. Do not listen to the critics and people who are badmouthing this film. It is the sort of film you have to judge for yourself to understand it completely. It may be long but it is well worth your while. The film focuses its plot on three main characters – Hugh Jackman who I thought was great as the Drover (and showed me that he’s capable of many different roles besides Wolverine!), Nicole Kidman who I thought was brilliant as Lady Sarah Ashley and Brandon Walters who plays Nullah an orphaned boy who helps them dearly on their treacherous journey over an ‘unforgiving landscape’ and who is a main character throughout the film
The plot is fairly simple and never seems to lose track of itself. It captures and motivates you and keeps you interested up until the very end. I must admit this is an incredibly powerful and emotional film that can make you laugh and cry, especially near the end. I think the war-scenes were done brilliantly. You would never know CGI was involved! OK, maybe you would, but it was still pretty darn good! The landscapes were beautiful and sometimes, some of the scenes took me by surprise because I was just not expecting them. One scene in particular involving the cattle and a cliff was very thrilling and literally had me on the very edge of my seat! Very exciting! Now for the story – Set in 1939 before World War II, a woman (Nicole Kidman) inherits a ranch in Australia and reluctantly joins forces with a man named the Drover (Hugh Jackman) who as you have probably guessed, drives the cattle from A to B. They then experience the bombing of Darwin and let me tell you; they couldn’t have picked a worse time to fall in love! The story then takes it from there and so forth
Like I said before, this film literally had me on the edge of my seat. I did not think it was at all predictable and I do not think it deserves all the bad reviews it is receiving. Why, I do not know but then, I guess everyone has their own opinion. If you like war movies, romance and Hugh Jackman, I definitely recommend checking out this film. It is not your usual popcorn type movie. If I had seen this in the cinema, I would have been too distracted to eat popcorn anyway!! Give this film a go and judge it for yourself. 9/10.
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“Wild Wild West” Movie Details
Wild Wild West tagline: It’s a whole new west. July ‘99.
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Actors:
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Cross-eyed reb |
| Directors: Barry Sonnenfeld |
| IMDB Rating: 4.3/10 out of 50,972 votes |
“Wild Wild West” Movie Review
“Wild Wild West” Plot Summary
The two best hired guns in the West must save President Grant from the clutches of a 19th century inventor-villain. add synopsis
Funny and entertaining!
I see that a lot of people just absolutely HATED this movie. I thought that this was a very funny, slick, and entertaining movie. Will Smith gave another one of his smooth performances and Kevin Kline was great as Artemus Gordon. I agree that Salma Hayek had little to do except look hot, but that was no problem with me. The best performance was by the character Arliss Loveless, I loved the evil delight that Ken Branaugh brought to this role. The special effects were top notch, and the verbal sparring that Jim West engages in with Arliss(in particular the racial and legless jokes), were very funny. So I guess that I’m in the minority when I say give this one 9 stars out of 10!
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“Mad Max” Movie Details
Mad Max tagline: The Maximum Force of the Future.
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Actors:
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| Directors: George Miller |
| IMDB Rating: 6.9/10 out of 33,852 votes |
“Mad Max” Movie Review
“Mad Max” Plot Summary
In a dystopic future Australia, a vicious biker gang murder a cop’s family and make his fight with them personal.
Low budget classic that is now a genre landmark.
Set somewhere in the future we are privy to a world where the roads are ruled by maniac gangs with souped up cars, and bikers that literally could come from hell. Trying to stop these marauding loons are the overstretched police force who themselves ride in exceptionally fast cars. At the front of this story is Max Rockatansky, a good honest cop trying to hold his own against the chaotic world that is forming around him. After his best friend is burned and left for dead he decides enough is enough and thinks about retiring from the service, but whilst on a vacation with his wife and child things go decidedly bad and Max becomes an avenging force of fury with devastating affect
When evaluating this film I feel it really needs to be put into perspective just how brilliant a job director George Miller did with next to no cash to work with, in fact Miller edited the film in his own bedroom just to emphasise the low-fi nature of the beast. The costumes are excellent, the cast are terrific, with Mel Gibson as Max particularly impressive, and here we have villains to truly fit the word villainous, but it’s the stunts and chase sequences that makes this film a rich rewarding experience. The opening ten minutes alone are pure adrenalin pumping genius, but the film as a whole delivers a crash bang wallop punch that has often been imitated since its release, but rarely bettered, and although the heart of the film is a simple revenge story, it grabs your attention and delivers right to the corking finale, 8/10.
Footnote: Region 2 Users should note that the bargain bucket Mad Max Trilogy flip pack set still contains the foolishly dubbed version of this film, incredibly stupid move from the American distributors.
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“Collateral” Movie Details
Collateral tagline: It started like any other night
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Actors:
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Traffic Cop #2 |
| Directors: Michael Mann |
| IMDB Rating: 7.8/10 out of 98,743 votes |
“Collateral” Movie Review
“Collateral” Plot Summary
A cab driver finds himself the hostage of an engaging contract killer as he makes his rounds from hit to hit during one night in LA. He must find a way to save both himself and one last victim.
The Best thriller of 2004.
Collateral combines star power, great performances, top notch direction, a fantastic soundtrack and what is a bona fide contender to be called the best action scene in years. Quite simply, I can not think of a movie released in 2004 that thrilled me quite as much as Collateral. Collateral has Tom Cruise (Who rivals Sean Penn to be called my favorite actor of the generation of 40-something year olds) as Vincent, a smart, precise hit-man in Los Angeles to kill five targets in one night. He hires cabdriver Max (Jamie Foxx, in a now Oscar nominated performance) for the night and they’re off. Max realizes that something is up around the time that Vincent leaves at the first stop and a dead body hits the roof of his cab. Upon his return, he replies that he didn’t kill him, ‘Bullets and the fall killed him.’ Over the course of the night they make more stops, most of which turn into great scenes, whether they’re going to a jazz club to off a guy or to a hospital to pay a visit to Max’s mom. The scene I was referring to the best action scene in years takes place in a night club where Max and Vincent, some cops who think Max is the killer, a thug belonging to Vincent’s employer who also thinks Max is the Killer, a cop who knows Max isn’t the Killer, club security, Vincent’s target and his bodyguards and a dance floor full of bystanders meet up. There is about five minutes of characters driving to the club that builds up tension beyond belief. When it goes down, it may be a flurry of gunfire, but with the setting of the club, the quality of Mann’s direction and the coolest piece of music I’ve heard in a movie this year(Paul Oakenfold- Ready Steady Go,) it adds up to the best action scene of at least this year, topping even the car chases of movies like The Bourne Supremacy, Which I loved, The Matrix Reloaded, Which I liked, and I, Robot, Which I didn’t care for. Collateral can be seen as an adrenaline pumping thriller, which it is, or as something more. For those of us who loved Mann’s 1995 epic Heat, Collateral is definitely the latter. Mann makes references to heat in several ways. For those who thought that the subway finale was a disappointment, check out Heat. The nod there is that Heat begins on a subway platform and ends at the airport, while Collateral begins in the LAX terminal and ends on the subway. That is just one of several nods. When people have been saying stuff about the best thriller of 2004, they are frequently mentioning Collateral, The Bourne Supremacy and The Manchurian Candidate. While I consider Collateral a clear victor, I certainly understand why someone would mention The Bourne Supremacy, but The Manchurian Candidate was murky all the way through, had a weak ending and was a major step down from the 1962 version, which is one of the best movies ever made. I’ll use the phrase that James Berardinelli uses on his favorite summer movies to wrap this up. When the dust settles, Collateral will be the best of this (Last) years summer movies. Sadly, Collateral only got two Oscar nods, Supporting Actor, Foxx, and Editing. However, that’s more than any other mentioned summer thriller got. ***1/2 (Out of ****)
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“We Were Soldiers” Movie Details
We Were Soldiers tagline: Fathers, Brothers, Husbands & Sons.
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Actors:
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Capt. Tom Metsker |
| Directors: Randall Wallace |
| IMDB Rating: 6.9/10 out of 40,183 votes |
“We Were Soldiers” Movie Review
“We Were Soldiers” Plot Summary
The story of the first major battle of the American phase of the Vietnam War and the soldiers on both sides that fought it.
I’ve been waiting over 30 years for one
Ever since 1970 when I finished my third tour of combat duty with the Marines in Viet Nam I have been waiting for a film that reflected the American Fighting Man in the Viet Nam war as an American Fighting Man; not a drugged-out, anti-war whiner. Well this is it. The movie is non-stop action after the first fifteen minutes of character development is finished. Having experienced what it is like to be over-run by the NVA during the third week of my first VN tour I can tell you that this movie does an excellent job of showing the excitement, tension, exhaustion, chaos, and courage of an extended battle. While this is by no means the best war movie I have ever seen, it is the first Viet Nam war movie which has provided me with a sense of satisfaction after leaving the theater. Mel Gibson turns in a good performance, Sam Elliot is a bit stiff. The wives of the soldiers are believable. Including a bit of the NVA’s attitude about the war adds a balanced flavor to the film. Overall I would say that you will experience at least a small part the intensity of war if you go to this movie. I took my female companion and she was shocked, touched, and thrilled with it. As Americans, we need to remember that freedom is not, and never has been, free. It is always paid for with the blood of those who fight to get it, sustain it, or expand it. The politically correct may not like this film, but then who cares what they like. Thanks for making this film Mel. I’ve been waiting over 30 years to see it.
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“Wag the Dog” Movie Details
Wag the Dog tagline: A Hollywood producer. A Washington spin-doctor. When they get together, they can make you believe anything.
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Actors:
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Director |
| Directors: Barry Levinson |
| IMDB Rating: 7.0/10 out of 34,615 votes |
“Wag the Dog” Movie Review
“Wag the Dog” Plot Summary
Before elections, a spin-doctor and a Hollywood producer join efforts to “fabricate” a war in order to cover-up a presidential sex scandal.
Super but certainly not for all tastes
This is a super-cynical film that is incredibly entertaining, insightful and oh, so jaded! The problem is that although it’s got a brilliant script, the film will only appeal to a small select audience. Die-hard Clinton lovers will NOT appreciate the film as it’s a thinly veiled criticism of the Clinton presidency–particularly since the film is about some completely amoral spin-doctors doing ANYTHING to save the butt of an amoral politician. Clinton lovers probably can’t admit the truth of this aspect of his personality. Die-hard Clinton haters will no doubt love the film. Frankly, I’m rather Libertarian in view and think the nonsense in this film could apply to ANY politician, so those jaded viewers (like myself) will probably appreciate the edgy and dark humor.
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