Terminator 4: Salvation – Who’s The Savior?
The End Begins. We Fight Back.
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| Directors: McG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.2 out of 10 (31,892 votes) |
‘Terminator Salvation’ 2009 – Review
‘Terminator Salvation’ is the movie starring Christian Bale and Sam Worthington. Impressive visual effects, powerful mythology, strong script and harmonious cast – these are components of the fourth part of the saga about the deadly war between machines and humans.
Terminator
Fears of fans which were waiting for the movie release with a sinking heart – if McG will ‘craft’ something similar to Mostow’s ‘chef-d’oeuvre’ – those fears appeared to be groundless. ‘Terminator: Salvation’ managed to wash off the stain which was mercilessly imposed on the Terminator franchise by mess titled ‘Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines’. Now you can easily erase Kristanna Loken’s Terminatrix and amoebous John Connor performed miserably by Nick Stahl from your memory. Feel free to consider ‘Terminator’ a trilogy with ‘terminator Salvation’ being the third part.
The opening musical score of the ‘Terminator’ – like a hammer knocking on the anvil, which promises arduous trials to the humankind – is responsible for creating a legend out of the low-budget action movie to the same extent as Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has played the ruthless machine in the preceding three Terminators.
This familiar tune is perhaps the only component maintained by the franchise up to the fourth series of the ‘human-vs-machines’ opposition story. With this mechanical heartbeat, which penetrates into every corner of the audience’s hearts, six years after the ‘Rise Of The machines’ enters the fourth installation by director McG.
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McG is a cunning fellow, so he chose the right way to reanimate the movie legend – he has invited Christian Bale to star in ‘Salvation’. McG as a director has got enough competence and skills to do high-tech cinema attraction ( ‘Charlie’s Angels’), but he still lacks the charisma of James Cameron to end up with ‘ the magic’ of cinema. The legend of ‘Terminator’ requires much more than just a skilled professional, and that fact has been proven by the Jonathan Mostow’s ‘Terminator 3′.
‘Cast Away’ Download and Reviews
“Cast Away” Movie Details
Cast Away tagline: At the edge of the world, his journey begins.
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| Directors: Robert Zemeckis | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.5/10 out of 93,599 votes |
“Cast Away” Movie Review
“Cast Away” Plot Summary
A FedEx executive must transform himself physically and emotionally to survive a crash landing on a deserted island.
Simply wonderful!!
This is a marvelous, heartwarming, engaging movie that features the genius of Tom Hanks. The film was neither too long or boring; it was just right. It might have been boring if it’d been anyone other than Hanks, but as usual, he melts into his role and delivers a riveting performance.
Kudos to Zemeckis also in capturing Hanks’ ordeal on the island, from his weight loss to his desolation. This is one of the best ‘Robinson Crusoe’ type adaptations I’ve seen.
And Hanks’ journey back to civilization was so interesting and moving. He superbly played the part of the person who’s struggling to find his place after being out of touch for five years! The scenes are so touching, especially his reunion with Hunt.
I was almost convinced this was based on an actual account, so much so I was looking to see the trailers at the end of the movie, saying ‘Based on the real life account of…’
Tom Hanks is one of the best character actors of his generation, right alongside of Robert Duvall, Robert DeNiro, Dustin Hoffman, Robin Williams, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman, and Russell Crowe.
As an aside, this is the only movie I’ve seen that’s been a showcase of a corporate logo from beginning to end (and not a bad association, I might add), to which I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t produced by FedEx. ;-)
If you’re looking for something more than the shallow and contrived dramatics of the reality series Survivor, or a movie without the standard pyrotechnics or other adrenalin boosting gimmicks, then this film will be well worth your time.
It’s a human interest story, pure and simple.
I was so drawn in that when the movie ended, I really wanted to see what happens to Chuck in the new phase of his life, after meeting his next potential love interest at the very end of the film.
I guess that’s left up to the imagination. Happily ever after. :-)
Enjoy a superb tour de force performance by Hanks.
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‘As Good as It Gets’ Download and Reviews
“As Good as It Gets” Movie Details
As Good as It Gets tagline: Brace yourself for Melvin.
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Partygoer |
“As Good as It Gets” Movie Review
“As Good as It Gets” Plot Summary
A single mother/waitress, a misanthropic author, and a gay artist form an unlikely friendship add synopsis
This movie truly is ‘As Good As It Gets’
This movie truly is ‘As Good As It Gets’. Outstanding acting, bizarre, yet amazing plot, this movie has got it all! Jack Nicholson plays a marvelous role as Melvin Udall, a seemingly cruel, middle-aged man, who is a successful romantic storywriter. Melvin is extremely rude to his neighbours, especially to his gay neighbour Simon Bishop, played by Greg Kinnear. Greg is a remarkable actor in this film. In fact, Greg was nominated for best supporting actor, along with Nicholson for best actor and Helen Hunt for best actress. The film was nominated for best picture and best screenplay for the 1997 Academy Awards. Greg plays the role of a gay artist who is mugged while working in his home studio. During his recuperation he has to leave his dog in the hands of his spiteful neighbour. In Simon’s absence an unlikely friendship grows between Melvin and his neighbour’s dog. The story unfolds to show that this uncaring man can indeed have feelings for another being, in this case the dog. You also see that Melvin has feelings for someone other than the dog. He has a daily routine of going to a restaurant. He orders the same meal by the same waitress everyday. One day the waitress, Carol Connelly, played by Helen Hunt, misses work because of her son’s illness. Melvin refuses to eat until Carol returns to work. He can’t live out his daily routine without Carol. He finds that he needs her. He pays for a home doctor for Carol’s son to get Carol back at work. But this only scares her. Eventually they all learn to love one another. The directing in this movie was reasonable. The director was James L. Brooks. This movie is a bit better than other movie that he has directed, such as I’ll Do Anything (1994), Broadcast News (1987) and Terms of Endearment (1983). The plot of this movie is interesting. It is believable, but not likely to happen. As Good As It Gets is an original film. No film I know is similar to it at all. I doubt there is any chance of any sequel to this movie. The sound in the movie isn’t really noticeable in the film. However, perhaps that is fine. If the sound were out of place, possibly it would have been more noticeable. That would be unpleasant. One sequence in this film that struck me as outstanding was when Nicholson went to the doctor for help. He had what is called obsessive-compulsive disorder. The doctor refuses to help him because he made no appointment. On his way out he passes through the waiting room. He stops and turns to everyone and say ‘Have you ever thought what if this is as good as it gets?’ I figure that was a turning point in his life. He realizes that life might not get any better and he should live it to its fullest. The photography and camera angles contributed to this scene to make it perfect. The movie was filmed in California, Manhattan and Brooklyn, New York. It was noticeable that the movie was filmed in New York, because the location on scenes looked like New York. One scene in the movie had exceptional make-up. The scene where you see Melvin’s neighbour Greg in the hospital after he is mugged. He is so bruised up. It looked so real. In the movie when Nicholson was walking on the sidewalk he would always make sure he didn’t step on the cracks. This was because of his obsessive-compulsive disorder. He did this every time he went out. Eventually after taking his neighbour’s dog out with him the dog started to do the same. This is considered a stunt. The stunt crew created a thin string fence above each crack in the sidewalk. The string fence was not visible to the viewer, but the dog would have to step over the string when walking over a crack. However nothing that occurred was that dangerous to warrant a major stunt scene. The editing in this movie was done fairly well. There are no noticeable mistakes. I’m sure special effects were used, but none were obvious in the movie. As Good As It Gets was produced and directed by James L. Brooks. Tristar Pictures financed and distributed the film. The film was successful
As Good As It Gets is a good comedy, has a good love story and great acting. It is not that much of a convincing movie, however it has wonderful writing and acting. It’s a movie I would recommend.
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‘Apocalypto’ Download and Reviews
“Apocalypto” Movie Details
Apocalypto tagline: When the end comes, not everyone is ready to go
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| Directors: Mel Gibson | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.9/10 out of 76,384 votes |
“Apocalypto” Movie Review
“Apocalypto” Plot Summary
As the Mayan kingdom faces its decline, the rulers insist the key to prosperity is to build more temples and offer human sacrifices. Jaguar Paw, a young man captured for sacrifice, flees to avoid his fate.
Amazing to watch Brutally brilliant!
Mel Gibson’s ‘Apocalypto’ is not a normal movie but a big make-up movie From the moment the film starts to the moment it ends you feel you are transported into the ancient Mayan civilization, seeing full body tattoos, body art, multiple piercing and jewelry It is a very exciting motion picture to look at, so strange to watch It has the esthetic that began to appeal and it fills you with wonder Our hero Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood) is a cunning hunter whose father requests him not to tell of what he saw in forest today He is warned to strike fear from his heart and not to bring it into the villageHis wife, Seven (Dalia Hernandez) is pregnant, and their small son, Turtles Run (Carlos Emilio Baez), live modestly in a village surrounded by a tranquil rain forest… After a night of frivolity, the peaceful existence of this small community of hunters collapses when savage outsiders begin torching and burning everything in sight killing most and taking away dozens left Going undetected, Jaguar Paw hides his wife and child in a deep, waterless well promising to return when the attack has passed However when he is captured by his fearsome aggressors, he is tied to a pole and marched with his friends and fellow villagers to a forsaken land, stone-built, where the earth bleeds A fortuitous switch provides Jaguar Paw with an unexpected opportunity to escape and get back to his family in peril But for that he has to make his way home through a killing field and a dangerous jungle, racing against sadistic captors hot on his trail ‘Apocalypto’ transports the viewers to a strange and unreachable world, to a civilization in decline, to an infernal vision of a city and its inhabitants, to shocking images of human barbarism which has always existed throughout the ages
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‘Waterworld’ Download and Reviews
“Waterworld” Movie Details
Waterworld tagline: Beyond the horizon lies the secret to a new beginning.
 Waterworld DVD Cover |
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Nord |
“Waterworld” Movie Review
“Waterworld” Plot Summary
In a future where the polar ice caps have melted and most of Earth is underwater, a mutated mariner fights starvation and outlaw “smokers,” and reluctantly helps a woman and a young girl try to find dry land.
The $200 Million Dollar Roger Corman Film
I’ll admit it: I liked ‘Waterworld’ . . . or parts of it, anyway. No, ‘Waterworld’ is not exactly Shakespeare — for that matter, it’s not exactly James Cameron, either — but it hits a certain ‘Mad Max/Road Warrior’ vibe that’s moderately cool, and it provides a handful of decent thrills. Should two hundred million dollars been spent on this flick? Probably not, but I’ll ask you this: Does it matter? If you only have to plunk down three bucks to rent a movie, does it really matter what that movie’s budget was, provided that you were at least slightly entertained?’Waterworld’ is the story of the Mariner (Kevin Costner); a tough, grizzled loner who roams the seas of post-apocalyptic Earth. The polar icecaps have melted, flooding the world, and land has become little more than a legend. During his travels between the tiny man-made islands that comprise the remnants of civilization, the Mariner meets a woman named Helen (Jeanne Tripplehorn) and a small girl named Enola (Tina Majorino) who claim to have knowledge — or at least a cryptic map — of where to find land. Of course, a rowdy gang of pirates known as the Smokers also are aware of the fact that Helen and Enola have this knowledge; so, under the guidance of their mad leader Deacon (Dennis Hopper), the pirates try to hunt down the two. Faced with his one slim chance of ever finding land falling into the hands of complete madmen, it’s up to the Mariner to protect Helen and Enola — and ultimately, to try and defeat the Smokers — if he wants to keep his dreams and himself alive . . . .The premise of ‘Waterworld’ is interesting enough; I like the fact that the film actually tries to show (at least in the opening scenes) how people would survive in a world flooded by salt water. There’s some cool flashes of originality in here regarding what the world would be like — for example, the fact that ordinary dirt has become so valuable as to become the standard of currency — but unfortunately, that originality gets ignored the second the action starts rolling halfway through the film. Overall, the script isn’t terrible — however, it’s quite predictable. For example, the first part of the film is spent explaining painfully how there is no more land, and how it’s just a myth . . . gee, wonder what our heroes will find towards the end of the film? A couple of twists spring readily to mind (for example — there genuinely is no more land, or dry land can be found far beneath the sea in domed cities, like some kind of ‘Atlantis’, perhaps) — one such twist would’ve been nice to see. While the story does have its good moments (particularly any scene involving Dennis Hopper), it’s too formulaic to be called exciting. Nice? Yes. Exciting? No. The few good scenes are very, very good, but there’s a lot more average — or even dull — scenes spread out between the sparse fun
The most puzzling part about ‘Waterworld’, though, is the direction. The film is loaded with action, and I’ll give credit where credit is due — nearly all of the action looks great, especially since all the fights and the action take place out on the water. But for $200 million . . ? It doesn’t look THAT good. I know a significant part of the film’s budget was spent on floating sets out in the Pacific — but the camera cuts and shot selections are usually so quick and tight, it’s hard to notice the background. There’s no long, slow shots basking on the glory of these expensive sets. ‘Waterworld’ is filmed exactly like a typical action movie, which is okay, I guess, but it completely fails to take advantage of its resources. Quite strange, to say the least
As for the cast . . . it’s a mixed bag. Kevin Costner does a very good job as the grizzled Mariner, playing against type as a hardened, almost amoral anti-hero. It goes against the good-guy grain that Costner has typically played in most of his films, and Costner seems to relish the change. Dennis Hopper is terrific as the villainous Deacon; the role is completely over-the-top and absolutely ludicrous at times . . . in short, the part is perfect for Hopper. His lines simply drip with withering sarcasm, making him a quite memorable screen villain. The rest of the cast . . . ehh. Nobody does a horrible job, but nobody’s particularly memorable, either. Should ‘Waterworld’ have been a $200 Million Dollar Dud? Probably not. In a perfect world, ‘Waterworld’ would’ve been a $20 Million Dollar Sleeper, directed by John Carpenter and starring Rutger Hauer . . . or a $2 Million Dollar Cult Classic, directed by Roger Corman and starring Lorenzo Lamas. However, this isn’t a perfect world (as evidenced by the fact that Freddie Prinze, Jr. keeps making movies), so ‘Waterworld’ is forever branded as the bad film with a runaway budget. Too bad. ‘Waterworld’ is by no means a great movie, but it has some entertaining moments, enough to warrant at least a rental . . . and some frequent pushes of the fast forward button. Grade: B-/C+
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‘The Fugitive’ Download and Reviews
“The Fugitive” Movie Details
The Fugitive tagline: A murdered wife. A one-armed man. An obsessed detective. The chase begins.
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Chicago Cop #2 |
“The Fugitive” Movie Review
“The Fugitive” Plot Summary
Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of killing his wife, must find the real one-armed killer while avoiding Marshal Sam Gerard.
Simply the Best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Absolutely Brilliant!!!!! 10/10
One of Harrison Ford’s most magnificant, significant and most highly acclaimed performances of his career. The Fugitive explores the themes of Justice and Betrayal from a murder case. Harrison Ford plays as Dr. Richard Kimble, a highly respected doctor in Chicago. He has all that he wants; a wife and a succesful promising career. But one night his life turned around. There is someone in his house………his wife is dead. Now he must run for his life to find the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. With a whole police force behind his back, he will not give up until he finds the man who killed his wife. Co-starring Tommy Lee Jones, this movie is one of the best thrillers out there. It makes us think hard on the themes portrayed in the movie and reminds us that Justice is not always achieved in our world. Harrison Ford’s extremely realistic performance as a man on the run, will keep you on the edge of your seat. This film is certainly a classic in the genre.
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‘What Women Want’ Download and Reviews
“What Women Want” Movie Details
What Women Want tagline: He has the power to hear everything women are thinking. Finally… a man is listening.
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Stella |
“What Women Want” Movie Review
“What Women Want” Plot Summary
After an accident, a chauvenistic executive gains the ability to hear what women are really thinking. add synopsis
Charming and amusingly funny. Gibson and Hunt are a cute couple–but a bad ending. *** (out of four)
WHAT WOMEN WANT / (2000) *** (out of four) By Blake French:In the year 2000 alone, Mel Gibson portrayed a colonial-times rebel in ‘The Patriot,’ arrogant poultry in ‘Chicken Run,’ and now a hotshot chauvinist in Nancy Meyers’ new romantic comedy ‘What Women Want.’ Mel Gibson has slick, suave charm and electric charisma in the role of a self-confident advertising executive. All of his seemingly natural talents combine to create a funny, entertaining character named Nick Marshall. The adorable Helen Hunt has the same amiable traits as her irresistible co-star as she lights up the screen with a gentle personality and glowing elegance. With a respectable supporting cast, including Marisa Tommei, Alan Alda, Lauren Holly, and Bette Midler, it is hard to imagine how ‘WhatWomen Want’ could have failed to entertain audiences
Nick Marshal obviously does not know what women want. He was raised as a testosterone-based bachelor, with the idea that he is the world’s gift to all females. As a rich executive on the verge of a big promotion from his boss, Dan Wanamaker (Alan Alda), he is not pleased when a young, ambitious woman named Darcy Maguire (Helen Hunt) gets the position instead of him. To make matters worse for Nick, his ex-wife (Lauren Holly) has just remarried, leaving him their somewhat rebellious fifteen year old daughter for two weeks, and his attempts to bed a coffee shop employee named Lola (Marisa Tomei) are continuing to fail
Everything changes for Nick after he experiences an accidental electrical shock that leaves him with the ability to read the minds of any female person. He abruptly pays a visit to his former marriage counselor (Bette Midler) who wakes him up on his unique gift that could be used to his advantage. He immediately takes charge of his new gift; it is interesting, funny, and always amusing to witness his reactions to women’s personal thoughts and desires. The screenwriters take full use of the comic material, and use it selectively and wisely; the humor never gets in the way of the movie’s message about a modern-day ladies man. By the end of the movie, Nick is a much better person than he was at the beginning of the story.’What Women Want’ is written with a sharp edge; the dialogue is poignant and sassy, the characters are witty, sexy, and often hilarious. However, there is also a positively sweet sentiment holding all of the material together and helping the story flow smoothly. There is plenty of effective comic content here, naturally revolving around Nick’s ability to read the women’s minds. The movie also develops Gibson’s character well, and the lessons he learns about women are never too preachy or emotional to turn audiences off to the light-hearted humor. I also liked the unique direction by Nancy Meyers, whose style is keen and slick, sometimes taking the point of view of the woman in focus, allowing us to experience a variety of perspectives. She and writers Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa provide the leads with a lot of juicy material, and they take advantage of it all.’What Women Want’ falls into the usual pattern of concluding in a conventionally sweet, happy ending. The final romantic sequence feels contrived and unconvincing, unsettling, like a meet cute during a disappointing finally. Even the smiling faces of Helen Hunt and Mel Gibson cannot save a conclusion that is confusing and perplexing. After the movie, I asked a handful of audience members of their interpretation on the closing, and I got a handful of different responses, only one actually cleared up the whole situation for me. What a umbrage to a generally enjoyable romantic comedy.
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‘National Treasure: Book of Secrets’ Download and Reviews
“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” Movie Details
National Treasure: Book of Secrets tagline:
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| Directors: Jon Turteltaub | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 6.5/10 out of 55,117 votes |
“National Treasure: Book of Secrets” Movie Review
“National Treasure 2″ Plot Summary
Treasure hunter Benjamin Franklin Gates looks to discover the truth behind the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, by uncovering the mystery within the 18 pages missing from assassin John Wilkes Booth’s diary.
Enjoyable and recommendable
It was a good movie but not as good as the first one. I think that its just the same story as the first one with very little changes. Treasure hunter Ben Gates tries to clean its name by looking for an ancient treasure. The first half of the movie is kinda slow and even tiresome, too much talking and very little action. But it gets better on the second part towards to the end. The cast is excellent, Nicolas Cage in a role he knows very well, Jon Voight as Cage fathers is very convincing, Ed Harris is the bad guy that the only thing he wants is to find the treasure and keep it to himself, Harvey Keitel as an FBI agent wit a brief but convincing performance and Helen Mirren as Nicola’s mother with a good and even funny performance. Although this movie isn’t the greatest thing, it is very enjoyable and entertaining, perfect to spend some time with the family.
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‘The Incredibles’ Download and Reviews
“The Incredibles” Movie Details
The Incredibles tagline: Do hero, ek awaaz!! (Hindi-language version)
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Tony Rydinger |
“The Incredibles” Movie Review
“The Incredibles” Plot Summary
A family of undercover superheroes, while trying to live the quiet suburban life, are forced into action to save the world.
Good Entertainemt For About Any Age
This was somewhat of a surprise hit when it came out in 2004. Most of the attention was on a competing animated film but this is the one that turned out to be a huge box-office success. Word of mouth helped his immensely. It’s what made me check it out, as several friends recommended it. I wound up agreeing with them: it’s excellent entertainment
The visuals and sound are very impressive, but it’s the story that carries this film: a solid combination of humor, drama, suspense, family ties and action. The action, as in many modern-day films, was overdone in the last half hour of the movie but overall….the DVD is a good investment since people 3 to 63 should enjoy this
As an adult, it’s not always easy to keep my attention for two hours with animation but the fact this movie does, tells you how good the story is presented. There are wonderful colors in here, too, and a good 5.1 surround system with a sub-woofer would probably blow the roof off!
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‘Stranger Than Fiction’ Download and Reviews
“Stranger Than Fiction” Movie Details
Stranger Than Fiction tagline: Harold Crick isn’t ready to go. Period.
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| Directors: Marc Forster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| IMDB Rating: 7.9/10 out of 69,843 votes |
“Stranger Than Fiction” Movie Review
“Stranger Than Fiction” Plot Summary
An IRS auditor suddenly finds himself the subject of narration only he can hear: narration that begins to affect his entire life, from his work, to his love-interest, to his death.
Brilliant Script, Superb Direction, Best Ensemble Cast Performance: Why no Oscars?
STRANGER THAN FICTION is one of the more wise, conceptually stunning, finely executed original films to come to the screen in a long time. How this little gem of a film went unnoticed by the Academy is anyone’s guess, but viewers’ alert: spend an evening viewing this film and new standards for excellence will be set for you
Director Marc Forster (‘Finding Neverland’, ‘Monster’s Ball’, ‘Stay’, ‘Everything Put Together’) is a director of vision, a man unafraid to tackle testy topics, and a genius at pacing a film with a keen collaborative eye with his cinematographer, his editor, his set designer, his casting director, and his actors. Taking the chance of working with first time writer Zach Helm (a gifted artist whose niche in the business is already secure with this first venture) and assembling a cast of some of our finest actors proves successful in every graphically odd twist and turn of this unusual, compelling and unclassifiable story
Harold Crick (Will Ferrell – finally given a role in which he can prove that he is an actor and not just a foolish pratfall comedian) is a boring, number obsessed IRS agent whose every moment of every day is timed to be exactly the same (with the important co-existence with his wrist watch!)…until one day he hears a voice narrating his life, the female voice of loopy and blocked writer Kay Eiffel (Emma Thompson) who is writing a story that has a ‘Harold Crick’ as her main character. Only our boring IRS agent can hear her voice: his loony office friend Dave (Tony Hale) empathizes but can do little else to help him. When the narrator begins to talk about ending ‘Harold’s’ life, Harold freaks and seeks guidance from a literature professor Jules Hilbert (Dustin Hoffman, in one of his most subtle and refined roles of his career) who knows Eiffel’s work and aids Harold in understanding novels, be they comedy or tragedy. Harold also seeks the advice of psychiatrist Dr. Mittag-Leffler (the always superb Linda Hunt) who is of little help, and Dr. Cayly (Tom Hulce) who repairs all upsets with hugs
Meanwhile in his work of auditing citizens he encounters anti-government baker Ana Pascal (Maggie Gyllenhaal, once again proving that she is one of the most formidable talents in film today), and a bizarre but tender attraction slowly ensues. And all this time novelist Kay Eiffel is struggling with how to ‘kill Harold’ so that she can complete her novel. Her publisher sends in ‘assistant’ Penny Escher (Queen Latifah) to ground her and guide her to her novel’s completion by helping her observe hospital disasters, vantages, and steadying her grip on life
The manner in which the novel is finished which involves the ultimate fate of Harold and the changes the narration of the novel have had on his life makes up the resolution of the story. And a cleverly written conclusion it is. Zach Helm is obviously a brilliant, well-informed writer who knows how to balance comedy and tragedy, crises of life with the little things that count, and can mold conversations so subtle that they beg to be rewound to enjoy the words repeatedly. Forster wisely uses graphic superimpositions of numbers and graphs and lines to show us the inside of Harold’s intriguing mind, all the while allowing us to draw close to the needy and tender aspect of this nerd of nerds, thus making the involvement with his narrator, his girlfriend Ana, and his doctors and professor wholly credible
Some people (this viewer being one) avoided this film in the theaters because of the fear that it may be just another Will Ferrell bit of foolishness: over the top slapstick physical comedy that grows stale after about five minutes. But Will Ferrell here opens an important new door for his career: he can act! The ensemble cast could not be improved upon and it is refreshing to see the widely disparate types of actors gathered here work as a cohesive and impeccable unit. Added to the DVD is about an hour’s worth of featurettes that are, for once, brilliantly informative and well worth viewing to enhance the film just experienced. Bravo to the entire cast and crew of this little masterwork! Grady Harp
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