Try on Vintage Depp

Before Captain Jack Sparrow and remakes galore, Johnny Depp made some pretty inspiring movie choices. As much as I love Gilbert Grape and Chocolat, there is a small nook of my heart devoted to this Buster Keatonesque  performance. Plus a stonking good supporting cast to boot!! Check it out for some heart warming fun.

BENNY AND JOON

PLOT: After his autistic sister loses at poker night, Benny inherits a friend's odd cousin as a houseguest. Although at first bemused by sam's strange behaviour, he charms their lives and ultimately helps them both move forward from their traumatic past.

CAST: Aiden Quinn (Legends of thr Fall, Blink), Mary Stuart Masterson (Fried Green Tomatoes, Bed of Roses), Johnny Depp (Public Enemies, Alice in Wonderland), Julianne Moore (Evolution, Magnolia), Oliver Platt (Casanova, Lake Placid)

Located in: Comedy

Watch the trailer

For more Vintage Depp try:

• Chocolat
• What's Eating Gilbert Grape
• From Hell
• Edward Scissorhands

Give scifi a try - part #2

Because this post is 4 days late, you get 2 for the price of one!  I am a sci fi nut.  I've heard all the jokes so get over it... or get on board!

Yes, some sci fi is truly ridiculous - but those with a great narrative and unique perspective are worth a look.  And the other great thing about the smaller budget sci fi films is that studios haven't put their oar in and ruined original concepts!

EQUILIBRIUM

Okay, with this one I'm a little biased as Christian Bale can simply do not wrong in my mind.  This is part Matrix, part Dark City, part Gattaca... Plus jujitsu with guns!  You may think the hardest thing an actor does is act to a green screen or laugh or cry on cue.  It isn't.  The hardest thing an actor does is being completely without emotion and yet remain charismatic.  This is something Bale is extraordinary at.  It's easy to be charismatic when you're character is written as charming and friendly.  Not so here...

PLOT: In the facist future, the solution to stopping wars is to chemically suppress the very feelings that supposedly begin them and outlawing emotional stimuli.  These laws are absolute and brutally enforced by the Grammaton.  But they're most devoted cleric has just skipped a dose...

WRITER/DIRECTOR: Kurt Wimmer (Salt, Law Abiding Citizen, The Recruit)

CAST: Christian Bale (Public Enemies, Terminator Salvation, The Dark Knight), Taye Diggs (Chicago), Emily Watson (Gosford Park, Angela's Ashes), Sean Bean (Lord of the Rings, Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief), William Fichtner (Armageddon, "Prison Break", Contact), Angus MacFadyen (Braveheart)

Watch the trailer

PITCH BLACK
The first time I watched this, I got to the credits and watched it again.  When I bought the dvd, I watched ALL the special features and commentaries in one sitting!! This was filmed here in Australia and includes many locals in the cast.





PLOT: After crash landing on a deserted and scorching planetary body, the survivors discover that there is something worse than its 3 suns... sunset.  For the pitch black darkness has awakened an malevolent swarm.

WRITER/DIRECTOR: David Twohy (GI Jane, The Fugitive)

CAST: Vin Diesel (XXX, The Fast & The Furious), Radha Mitchell (Rogue, Man on Fire)

Watch the trailer

BOTH LOCATED IN: Sci-fi

When English Lit meets Archaeology

There are many professions devoted to the care of all things old... Archaeology, antiquities, geriatric medicine...  This week's film follows an intrepid hunt through the past for answers.

I love the dual stories playing out in this film, particularly the long lost secret which the leads are trying to uncover. The ending, though ultimately happy, does tug at the heartstrings a little.

Now, as many of you know, Gwyneth Paltrow irritates me more than most - she did after all separate our Cate from Oscar and she's usually more wooden than a Trojan horse.  I still don't understand how she got the knack for scoring British roles (leading to other mistakes like Bridget Jones) but somehow cast a stiff bookish type plays to her strengths in this case.  Aaron Eckhart is charismatic and playful.  You can't help but side with him.  Irritating though to see Toby Stephens as yet another schmuck (see Die Another Day).  Nevertheless, it will draw you in.

POSSESSION

PLOT: In his study of celebrated English poet, Randolph Ash, a struggling American academic discovers a letter written in the poet's own hand. With the expertise of ball busting Maud, he uncovers an illicit and shocking romance from the past that will have consequences for both their own lives.  But will they find the final piece of the puzzle before a greedy collector snatches it forever?

CAST: Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, The Core, Erin Brockovick), Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man, Shakespeare in Love, Sliding Doors), Jeremy Northam (Gosford Park, Emma), Jennifer Ehle (Pride and Prejudice, Paradise Road)

Watch the trailer

LOCATED IN: Drama

FOR MORE  LIKE THIS SEE:
The Notebook
Becoming Jane

Music to my ears

In the much maligned first SATC film, there is reference to the love letters written by great men resulting in unimaginative women everywhere swooning....

But what if I told you there was a film that catalogued an even great love story?  A forbidden and secret love only declared once and too late?  What if it was filmed well, explored beautifully the story of one of history's greatest composers and starred the incomparable Gary Oldman, you'd want to see it wouldn't you?

IMMORTAL BELOVED

PLOT: On his deathbed, the great Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his beloved a final letter.  But it is addressed simply to "My Immortal Beloved" and it falls to his friend to decipher who, of Beethoven's many great loves, that might be. 

DIRECTOR: Bernard Rose (Robin Hood, Body of Lies, Black Hawk Down)

CAST: Gary Oldman (Harry Potter, The Dark Knight, The Contender, Air Force One), Jeroen Krabbé (Ever After, The Fugitive), Isabella Rossellini (30 Rock, Blue Velvet)

LOCATED IN: Drama

FOR MORE MICHIEVOUS MUSICIANS SEE
Amadeus
Copying Beethoven
Walk The Line
Crazy Heart

Have you seen this man? AKA Oh THAT guy!

Career Retrospective

There are lots of actors that people recognise but can't place.  One of my favourite actors is such a person.  You may know him as Ethan Embry but I remember when he went by his birth name Ethan Randall!

My first memory of him was in Drive Me Crazy (Dutch in US) with Modern Family's Ed O'Neill (with whom he would again work in L.A Dragnet.)

He's been in a number of easily recognised roles over the years including Empire Records, Can't Hardly Wait and Sweet Home Alabama...

...and a number of roles that you may not have realised was him!  Remember That Thing You Do, White Squall, Timeline?

You may be under the impression that Ethan just pops up every now and again?  But you would be wrong.  Ethan voices a number of animated series in addition to the couple of movies he makes each year.

He has also branched out into tv and I was stoked to see him recently in a stellar cameo on House.

But my absolute favourite of his roles was as spoiled Harry Winslow in the terrific kids movie A Far Off Place.  It's a performance with real heart by one talented young man and the rapport with Reese Witherspoon is palpable. Two up-and-comers before their time.  This is how I remember them...

Go you good thing!

Weekly Challenge #2 - I never saw a wild thing sorry for itself.

In 1997, before Cougars and LOTR, back when Demi and Bruce were still together and before Ridley Scott discovered Russell Crowe, there was GI Jane.

 

Sadly, this is the thing most people remember about this movie...

Yes, Demi pulled a Sinead and shaved her head. Moving on...

Take another look... First of all, it's great for the guys and gals alike.  Produced by ScottFree (that's Ridley & Tony Scott to you) means quality production with decent action and effects.  

As for the ladies, how does Viggo Mortensen in fatigues sound?  How about a woman beating the odds and surpassing her male classmates on sheer guts?

No?  Need more?  Supporting cast includes Jim Caviezel, John Michael Higgins, David Vadim…

 

Forget personal trainers and calorie counting; one screening of this has me off my couch and getting fit every time!  Plus I love the action and watching Jordan shit all over a bunch of misogynist expectations and getting up in the face of the politicians using her.

This chick's got game. 

GI JANE

PLOT: An ambitious politician orchestrates the enrolment of the first female officer into Navy Seal training… but will O'Neil complete the gruelling training when everyone expects her to fail?

DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott (Robin Hood, Body of Lies, Black Hawk Down)

CAST: Demi Moore (Charlie's Angels, A Few Good Men, Ghost), Viggo Mortensen (A History of Violence, Lord of the Rings), Anne Bancroft (Keeping The Faith, Great Expectations, The Graduate)

LOCATED IN: Action

52 Week Challenge - Week 1 "James Cameron"

As this is a 52 week challenge and I have more than 52 DVDs (I know it's a real shock, right?) I thought I would start with a collection I have rather than a single film.

I am often accused of being pedantic, finicky and many other adjectives which all mean the same thing... anal... about cataloguing my dvds but that's just because I can now go to the drawers and know exactly what is where.  No, it's not chronological or alphabetical, it's much harder to crack than that.  Essentially my catalogue system is intuitive - some of it is chronological but other sections are by director, genre or actor - and the reason for this is that I have exceedingly eclectic taste.

So this inaugural blog is of my James Cameron collection.  No, don't groan!  There's a reason he was invited into a guest spot in Entourage people! Long before monsters like Titantic and Avatar broke box office records, Cameron was pushing the envelope technologically and his films were incredible.  I will concede that in some cases the plot and character development came second to the technology but in those that got it right, wow!  And it is for these films that Cameron currently sits in my list of Top 3 Directors.

So, below is a list of my JC collection in order of preference (Least Fave to AWESOME):


Avatar - JC taking his love of blue to a new level!)
Titantic - Love Winslet, love Leo but hate this film simply because it took people soooo long to see these excellent actors as anything but Rose & Jack. I do however love it for the detail )
True Lies - Arnie taking the mickey out of himself, Jamie Lee Curtis as the fish out of water in a very hot striptease, and Tom Arnold as, well, Tom Arnold.  Sigh... I love it. (PS - hear rumors of a tv series in the works... what's with all the spy shows at the mo?  Is it just that people are already missing 24?)
Terminator 2 - Assassin turned protector, liquid metal villain and a beefed up but clinically insane mother. Forget relating to the characters and just enjoy shit blowing up! 
Terminator  - How can you not love a film with Arnie, Biehn AND an iguana!
Aliens - While Ridley Scott pioneered this franchise we have JC to thank for taking it mainstream.  PS - can't believe they're recasting Ripley in a new prequel GRR!!

THE ABYSS

This one sits in my top 10.  It's an awesome flick that I just never get sick of.  Part sci-fi, part drama, part love story, part thriller.

CAST: Ed Harris (A Beautiful Mind, The Rock, A History of Violence, The Hours) Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio (Prince of Thieves), Michael Biehn (The Rock, Terminator).


PLOT:
A civilian diving team are enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and face danger while encountering a potentially unidentified aquatic species.

LOCATED IN: Sci Fi