‘Collateral’ Download and Reviews
“Collateral” Movie Details
Collateral tagline: It started like any other night
 Collateral DVD Cover |
Actors:
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Traffic Cop #2 |
“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’ Download and Reviews
“We Were Soldiers” Movie Details
We Were Soldiers tagline: Fathers, Brothers, Husbands & Sons.
 We Were Soldiers DVD Cover |
Actors:
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Capt. Tom Metsker |
“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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‘Sixth Sense’ Download and Reviews
“Sixth Sense” Movie Details
Sixth Sense tagline: I see dead people
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| Directors: M. Night Shyamalan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 8.2/10 out of 219,101 votes |
“Sixth Sense” Movie Review
“6th Sense” Plot Summary
A boy who communicates with spirits that don’t know they’re dead seeks the help of a disheartened child psychologist. add synopsis
A surprising masterpiece!
Sometime Bruce Willis can make some bad films, like HUDSON HAWK and MERCURY RISING. And other times he can make some films that change the film industry and blow the audiences away (i.e. DIE HARD triology, 12 MONKEYS, and PULP FICTION). Now Willis’ new film, THE 6th SENSE falls in the latter catageory, as a surprising masterpiece that will leave images stuck in your mind for quite sometime. Willis plays Malcolm Crowe, a child psychologist, who is quite good at his job, he has a loving wife named Anna (played by the beautiful Olivia Williams), and he just got awarded by the mayor of Philadelpia for his excellent work. Then one night, Malcolm gets a terrifying unexpected visit from one of his former patients. The visit is so terrifying, that it haunts Malcolm later on. Months later, Malcolm’s job is going downhill, and his marriage is falling apart. Then his life is changed around when he meets Cole, a eight year old boy who is considered a ‘freak’ by everybody but his mom. Cole is usually alone, scared, and has cuts and bruses on his body. The doctors and social workers think the injuries come from his mom, Lynn Sear (Toni Collette). But Lynn loves Cole too much that she wouldn’t even think of harming him. The truth is that the injuries that Cole has are from other people, people that Cole only sees, people that are dead. Cole sees dead people walking around with the living, and only Cole sees these ghostly figures. Malcolm tries to help Cole with his unique gift, and to also find out what these ghostly figures want with him. When I saw the trailers for this movie, it looked like a o.k. movie. Acutally, the preview didn’t have any effect on me at all, as for seeing this film. But when I saw this film, I was blown away on how excellent this was! This is a highly entertaining film that is scary, sad, funny, and even touching. The plot is brilliant, it has intellegence, and shows the personalities of the characters well enough that you feel like that you know them after the movie is over. The acting is also great, Willis does a good job as the doctor trying to help poor Cole. Toni Collette is also great as the suffering mom who’s very worried and protective over Cole. Oliva Williams is good as well as the suffering wife of the doctor who feels that she’s losing her husband more and more everyday. But the real surprise is Haley Joel Osment, who plays the little boy, Cole. For a child actor he’s excellent! He shows potential to becomming a great actor in years to come. He’s the next promising child actor that will hopefully do well like Elija Wood and Anna Panquin. Overall, THE 6th SENSE took me by surprised, and I ended up loving this film. I would have to place this film as one of the best films of the year, as well as for the summer films. And for a PG13 rated film, it’s quite scary! This is one film that no one should miss!!! ***** (out of five)
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‘Changing Lanes’ Download and Reviews
“Changing Lanes” Movie Details
Changing Lanes tagline: An ambitious lawyer, a desperate father, they had no reason to meet, until today,
 Changing Lanes DVD Cover |
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Terry Kaufman |
“Changing Lanes” Movie Review
“Changing Lanes” Plot Summary
The story of what happens one day in New York when a young lawyer and a businessman share a small automobile accident on F.D.R. Drive and their mutual road rage escalates into a feud. add synopsis
Good Thriller
An original story, that escalates minor events into all out war between two fairly ordinary but stressed out individuals
A simple road accident, leads to ‘Jackson’ losing his last chance with his kids because ‘Afleck’ didn’t give him a lift. And so it begins, a winding thriller of morality and revenge. ‘Tit for Tat’ rapidly becomes far more than just childish games, and the lives of everyone involved are turned upside down Very well cast and directed, this is a fine film, with an interesting story.8/10
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‘The Full Monty’ Download and Reviews
“The Full Monty” Movie Details
The Full Monty tagline: Six men. With nothing to lose. Who dare to go….
 The Full Monty DVD Cover |
Actors:
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Sharon |
“The Full Monty” Movie Review
“The Full Monty” Plot Summary
Six unemployed steel workers form a male striptease act. The women cheer them on to go for “the full monty” – total nudity. add synopsis
So much fun!
It’s been a while since I’ve laughed so much while watching a movie. This six-pack of regular Joes really becomes very likable. And they’re played by an excellent cast. Each and everyone of them doesn’t look like an actor, if you know what I mean. A great comedy, but also a very touching film. There’s nothing funny in the harsh economic reality that these guys (and a lot of others) have to endure. The soundtrack is excellent. There’s even Gainsbourg ‘Je t’aime moi non plus’ in it. A movie that you just want to see again! Seen at home, in Toronto, on February 11th, 2006.87/100 (***?)
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‘Stir Crazy’ Download and Reviews
“Stir Crazy” Movie Details
Stir Crazy tagline: Only these two pigeons could dress up as woodpeckers…
 Stir Crazy DVD Cover |
Actors:
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Big Mean |
“Stir Crazy” Movie Review
“Stir Crazy” Plot Summary
Skip and Harry are framed for a bank robery and end up in a western prison. The two eastern boys are… add synopsis
Classic Comedy
Comedic Legends Gene Wilder and Richard Pryor have been paired together numerous times, but this is quite possibly the most memorable of all their comedies as a duo. The plot is actually quite simple, they both flee New York to find a small peaceful town, then while finding work they are framed for a bank robbery and placed behind bars, then in the thick of it all they plan an escape while Wilder’s character participates in the Prison Rodeo. All in all it is a classic comedic performance from both Wilder and Pryor. Wilder’s character brings probably some of the biggest laughs of all time. His film career is legendary, but these laughs are truly memorable from him. Pryor also is a very hilarious friend sort of character. This has truly the makings to go down as probably one of the greatest comedies of the 1980’s.10/10
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‘Titanic’ Download and Reviews
“Titanic” Movie Details
Titanic tagline: Nothing On Earth Could Come Between Them.
 Titanic DVD Cover |
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| Directors: James Cameron | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.3/10 out of 217,122 votes |
“Titanic” Movie Review
“Titanic” Plot Summary
Fictional romantic tale of a rich girl and poor boy who meet on the ill-fated voyage of the ‘unsinkable’ ship.
The triumph of contemporary tripe
The tragedy of the doomed ship Titanic has inspired many books and movies. The battle between nature and technology always caught man’s imagination. The latest film concerning this tragedy in the Atlantic Ocean was written and directed by famous action movie filmmaker James Cameron. The story of ‘Titanic’ involves two fictional characters (Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet) from different backgrounds (one is a hobo-artist, the other is an aristocrat) and how their love triumphs over societal barriers and the tragedy of a sinking ship that they happen to be on.
First of all, although using a historical name, this movie had little regard to history. The plot was built around two fictional lovers, French diamond, and treasure hunters. The deaths of over a thousand of people on the greatest luxury ship of its time became a mere background. Many historical facts were simply forgotten. Where was the radio operator that ignored the iceberg warnings? Why was there no mention of the ship that was only 5 miles away from the Titanic but did not come to the rescue because its captain failed to identify the distress signal? Omitting these facts is an insult to the tragedy. And what was the point of flavoring this historical disaster with fictional cheesy romance when the story is already as sad as it is.
The overall plot was rather shallow; rich equals greed and corruption, poverty equals compassion and heroism. It is very ironic to spend $200 million to make a movie about how money corrupts. There was absolutely no human side shown in anti-heroes. It seemed like Billy Zane was playing a part of the devil. Casting was also very poor. If DiCaprio was 2 inches shorter than Winslet, you could swear she was his baby-sitter. The length of the movie was unnecessarily stretched to over 3 hours. First hour and the half was wasted on establishing the relationships between the characters that were known to audience long before they went to theater and the dialogue that was used to do so made it even worse. Hearing corny pick up lines such as ‘I see you’ and ‘This is my side of the ship’ generated more pain than the screams of drowning people. Also, jokes were too abundant and rather lame.
‘Titanic’ did involve some moving scenes such as the part when the musicians were playing while the ship was sinking but they were no way near anything original. The best thing about this film were its special effects, and that is the only thing that truly deserved an award.
Although this film lacked artistical value in overall sense, the public could not resist a sentimental story starring Romeo (DiCaprio), and so the movie became a success. Now it is safe to say that the industry will be less hesitant to invest large amounts of money in a single motion picture, so it seems that ‘Titanic’ did achieve something after all.
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‘I’m Not There’ Download and Reviews
“I’m Not There” Movie Details
I’m Not There tagline: All I Can Do Is Be Me Whoever That Is
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| Directors: Todd Haynes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.1/10 out of 21,263 votes |
“I’m Not There” Movie Review
“I’m Not There” Plot Summary
Ruminations on the life of Bob Dylan, where six characters embody a different aspect of the musician’s life and work.
Beautiful, Unique & Full of Life
Todd Haynes (‘Velvet Goldmine’, ‘Far from Heaven’) created a non-linear, truly original film, that must be seen by every Bob Dylan lover. Haynes’s tapestry is ‘inspired by the music and lives of Bob Dylan’ – he introduces us to 6 different Dylans: Jack Rollins (Christian Bale), Woody Guthrie (Marcus Carl Franklin), Jude Quinn (Cate Blanchett), Robbie Clark (Heath Ledger), Billy the Kid (Richard Gere) and Arthur Rimbaud (Ben Whishaw), interweaving their stories in a groundbreaking narrative slightly similar to Todd Solondz’s unsettling, caustic ‘Palindromes’ (2004), in which several very different actresses (and a boy) play a 13 year-old pregnant girl. While ‘Across the Universe’ illustrated The Beatles’ fantastic songs with simple, adorable characters in a psychedelic rhythm, but with little character development (not that I’m complaining: I absolutely love to see visual masters like Baz Luhrmann or Julie Taymor on fire, since their self-indulgence creates wonderful sensorial pieces), ‘I’m Not There’ is much more complex: it’s deeper than conventional biopics (‘Ray’, ‘Walk the Line’), and much smarter than exploitative flicks (the atrocious ‘Factory Girl’). Haynes crafted a unique film that’s a feast for the eyes (thanks to cinematographer Ed Lachman, ‘The Virgin Suicides’, who also co-directed the disgusting ‘Ken Park’ with Larry Clark), ears (Dylan’s music is always a pie in the sky) and mind (it’ll make you admire the man even more, and it doesn’t even need to be an ass-kissing biopic to succeed on that). The cast is heterogeneous and solid, but I think critics are overrating Cate Blanchett for the sheer fact that she’s playing a man (which makes things more challenging for her, indeed), when she’s not really better than most of the cast; a good performance for sure, but I was much more impressed by Christian Bale and the young revelation Marcus Carl Franklin. Julianne Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Michelle Williams play some important women from Dylan’s life, and the always underrated Bruce Greenwood has a small but interesting part. All in all, this isn’t a film that will enjoy big commercial success, and it’s probably too artsy (although, not in a bad way) to get the Academy’s top prize (even though Blanchett’s performance and, maybe, Haynes’s magnificent directing/writing, will probably be remembered), but it’s a real gem for those who want to see something really exciting and original. As for myself, I’m thankful to Haynes and his audacious, faithful producer Christine Vachon (this woman rocks, and in a perfect world, she’d have all the money that a certain Jerry Bruckheimer possesses), who always dare to blow us away – something rare, these days. Fascinating. 10/10.
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‘Alpha Dog’ Download and Reviews
“Alpha Dog” Movie Details
Alpha Dog tagline: Inspired by true events.
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| Directors: Nick Cassavetes | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 6.9/10 out of 35,245 votes |
“Alpha Dog” Movie Review
“Alpha Dog” Plot Summary
A drama based on the life of Jesse James Hollywood, a drug dealer who became one of the youngest men ever to be on the FBI’s most wanted list.
Powerful and realistic. Well done by Cassavetes and Timberlake.
Alpha Dog starts off as what seems like a movie all about a group of friends who life their idea of the American dream: doing drugs, having sex, and hanging out with each other not a care in the world. However, when their leader, Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch), decides to kidnap the brother (Anton Yelchin) of a man (Ben Foster) who owes him drug money, their perfect world begins to shatter as they realize that their mindless prank has become a situation that could get them stuck in jail for the rest of their lives.
The acting is pretty good considering the cast is mostly young men with little to no experience. First, you have Anton Yelchin, whom the plot centers around. He is the young man trying to grow up, and finds a real sense of comfort in his captors, as weird as it sounds. He does a great job building a likable, yet flawed character. The film definitely displays likable characters, but the audience has to remember that these characters are not good people. Ben Foster has always been around in my eyes, and he delivers his most intense role yet as the scary and sadistic Jake Mazursky. Very good job. Emile Hirsch is steadily developing into a good leading man after nice turns in Lords of Dogtown and The Girl Next Door. He’s the leader of the group, and he has a certain presence despite his small size that reminds the viewer who’s in command. Sharon Stone continues to defy my expectations of her after watching her in Bobby and this film. Very intense and powerful performance, which is very heartfelt at the end of the film. However, none of these performances stack up close to that of GASP Justin Timberlake. Timberlake really stood out to me in the film as Frankie, Johnny’s best friend. He develops a strong friendship with Yelchin’s character, and Timberlake really steals the show the whole time. His character is the most believable and likable of the bunch. Bruce Willis and Shawn Hatosy are also good in limited screen time (I don’t think I’ve seen Willis have this much hair in a long time).
Nick Cassavetes does a good job as director, giving us the exact opposite of his most famous work to date, The Notebook. He delivers the gritty and realistic feel of 1999 Southern California and gets great performances out of actors who you don’t really expect it from. The film definitely was better than I expected because of Justin Timberlake. I thought he would make the film worse but he made it better. It has some sex scenes and nudity, not to mention a lot of language, so Alpha Dog isn’t really appropriate for anyone under 16 or 17. With a good ensemble cast, a good script, good direction, and a heart wrenching climax, Alpha Dog is a good movie to watch.
8/10 –spy
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‘Surrogates’ Download and Reviews
“Surrogates” Movie Details
Surrogates tagline: How do you save humanity when the only thing that’s real is you?
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| Directors: Jonathan Mostow | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 6.4/10 out of 15,755 votes |
“Surrogates” Movie Review
“Surrogates” Plot Summary
Set in a futuristic world where humans live in isolation and interact through surrogate robots, a cop (Willis) is forced to leave his home for the first time in years in order to investigate the murders of others surrogates. |
Yet another brilliant Willis thriller!
‘Surrogates’ is yet another example of just how good an actor Bruce Willis is. This is a great movie that is exciting throughout the whole thing. There are no boring parts in this movie.
This movie is about a world where almost everyone has a ’surrogate’. A surrogate is basically a robot that is controlled by your mind and lives your life for you while you lie in a special chair. The point of surrogates is that you can live the life you want without any risk to yourself. Then a weapon emerges that when fired at a surrogate can kill the person using the surrogate. This makes the whole point of surrogacy obsolete. So a cop, Tom Greer (Bruce Willis), has to investigate these murders.
The movie is full of action and excitement and certainly is one of Bruce Willis’s best action/thriller films. I would definitely recommend anyone interested in robots, action and thriller movies to watch this one.
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