The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011) / Review

Release Date: 18 November 2011 (India) Runtime: 117 min
Genres: Adventure | Drama | Fantasy | Romance
Taglines: Forever is only the beginning

The Quileute and the Volturi close in on expecting parents Edward and Bella, whose unborn child poses different threats to the wolf pack and vampire coven.

Director: Bill Condon
Writers: Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay), Stephenie Meyer (novel)
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner

Stewart is finally acting, which is one of the biggest reasons why this movie is so much better than the others. She portrays Bella in a way that is so close to the book, and it's wonderful to see her and Pattinson playing lovers that are so, so, so in love. The fact that Bill Condon (director) gave the happy couple so much time to be just that, happy, makes you really believe in their love and it makes you understand why they can't live without each other.
This movie takes you from a beautiful wedding, complete with the most hilarious toasts (Jessica and Charlie) wonderful music, stunning dresses and declarations of love that will touch everyone's hearts, to South America for a sexy, funny and exciting honeymoon where we see heartfelt smiles, kissing, cuddling and teasing along with the epic headboard breaking scene. It then settles back in Forks, where we get to witness the most terrifying pregnancy imaginable.
 The special effects team deserve an Oscar for the work they've done on making Stewart look like she's slowly fading away. The moments leading up to the birth scene are actually scarier than the scene itself. It really is a horror film towards the end, and some scenes should maybe have been rated R. It ends in the perfect place, such a natural and obvious cut. I am so thankful that Breaking Dawn has been split into two parts, because I can't imagine even once scene in this part that could have been skipped.

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Cast
Taylor Lautner , Gil Birmingham, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke, Ty Olsson, Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Jackson Rathbone, Peter Facinelli , Elizabeth Reaser, Kellan Lutz , Nikki Reed, Robert Pattinson, Christian Sloan, James Pizzinato

Produced by Wyck Godfrey, Stephenie Meyer, Mark Morgan & Karen Rosenfelt
Original Music by Carter Burwell       
Cinematography by Guillermo Navarro       
Film Editing by Virginia Katz       
Casting by Debra Zane       
Production Design by Richard Sherman         
Costume Design by Michael Wilkinson    
Filming Locations: Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
Budget: $127,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co: Summit Entertainment, Sunswept Entertainment, TSBD Canada Productions
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | DTS
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J. Edgar (2011)/ Movie Review

Release Date: 11 November 2011 (USA) Runtime: USA: 137 min
Genres: Biography | Drama
Taglines: The Most Powerful Man in the World

Storyline
As the face of law enforcement in America for almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.

Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer and Naomi Watts

Directed by Clint Eastwood        
Writing credits  Dustin Lance Black
Produced by Clint Eastwood    , Brian Grazer, Ron Howard & Robert Lorenz   
Original Music by Clint Eastwood        
Cinematography by Tom Stern   
   
Cast
Leonardo DiCaprio (J. Edgar Hoover)
Josh Hamilton (Robert Irwin)
Naomi Watts (Helen Gandy)
Geoff Pierson (Mitchell Palmer)
Cheryl Lawson     (Roberta Dixon Palmer)
Kaitlyn Dever (Palmer's Daughter)
Gunner Wright (Dwight Eisenhower)
David A. Cooper, (Franklin Roosevelt)
Ed Westwick (Agent Smith)
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Filming Locations: Los Angeles, California, USA
Budget: $35,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co:
Imagine Entertainment, Malpaso Productions, Wintergreen Productions
Sound Mix: SDDS  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | Dolby Digital
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Immortals (2011)

Release Date: 11 November 2011 (India) Runtime: USA: 110 min
Genre: Action | Drama | Fantasy Tagline: The Gods Need a Hero

Theseus is a mortal man chosen by Zeus to lead the fight against the ruthless King Hyperion, who is on a rampage across Greece to obtain a weapon that can destroy humanity.

Director:  Tarsem Singh

Writers (WGA):  Charley Parlapanides &  Vlas Parlapanides

Cast : 

Henry Cavill, Mickey Rourke, Stephen Dorff, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans, John Hurt, Joseph Morgan, Anne Day-Jones , Greg Bryk, Alan Van Sprang, Peter Stebbings, Daniel Sharman, Isabel Lucas, Kellan Lutz

Storyline

Eons after the Gods won their mythic struggle against the Titans, a new evil threatens the land. Mad with power, King Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) has declared war against humanity. Amassing a bloodthirsty army of soldiers disfigured by his own hand, Hyperion has scorched Greece in search of the legendary Epirus Bow, a weapon of unimaginable power forged in the heavens by Ares. Only he who possesses this bow can unleash the Titans, who have been imprisoned deep within the walls of Mount Tartaros since the dawn of time and thirst for revenge. In the king's hands, the bow would rain destruction upon mankind and annihilate the Gods. But ancient law dictates the Gods must not intervene in man's conflict. They remain powerless to stop Hyperion...until a peasant named Theseus (Henry Cavill) comes forth as their only hope. Secretly chosen by Zeus, Theseus must save his people from Hyperion and his hordes..

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | SDDS  | DTS
Original Music by Trevor Morris       
Cinematography by Brendan Galvin
Film Editing by Wyatt Jones & Stuart Levy            
Production Design by Tom Foden       
Filming Locations:  Cité du Cinéma, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Budget: $75,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co:  Relativity Media, Atmosphere Entertainment MM, Hollywood Gang Productions

Review

Let's put the theme at the beginning, the 9000+ reviews that put this movie above a 7, are one of the three: a hired hand who's likely never seen this movie to begin with (otherwise may conscience haunt him/her immortally), someone who's NEVER seen another movie, or a downright blind man. This is another one of those movies for which seeing the trailer more than suffices and any more irrational desire to see the ACTUAL movie is better suppressed. Be warned, go see the actual thing and regret every cent of your money and every minute of the abysmal performance.
Okok, the movie has to be somewhat decent if some rich boss poured 75 mil on it right? Not so quick. I don't know how much cash the high flying movie stars were paid for this simple gig, but CG alone couldn't have costed that much. Seriously, no plot made any sense, no character was developed even superficially. Those who claim this is a 300 equivalent... are just unethically drawing indiscrete and action-seeking movie goers, whom like myself will be sorely disappointed.
However, on the bright side, if you somehow end up seeing this, do me a favour and watch how Theseus rallies his "troops" at the big battle, and tell me if you just wasted 2 hours of your life.

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The Rum Diary (2011)/Review

Taglines: One part outrage. One part justice. Three parts rum. Mix well.
Release Date: 28 October 2011 (USA) Runtime: 120 min
Genres: Drama | Mystery | Thriller

American journalist Paul Kemp takes on a freelance job in Puerto Rico for a local newspaper during the 1950s and struggles to find a balance between island culture and the expatriates who live there.

Director: Bruce Robinson
Writers: Bruce Robinson (screenplay), Hunter S. Thompson (novel)
Cast overview: Johnny Depp, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Rispoli, Amber Heard, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi, Amaury Nolasco, Marshall Bell , Bill Smitrovich, Julian Holloway, Karen Austin

Storyline

Paul Kemp is a freelance journalist who finds himself at a critical turning point in his life while writing for a run-down newspaper in the Caribbean. Paul is challenged on many levels as he tries to carve out a more secure niche for himself amidst a group of lost souls all bent on self-destruction.

Filming Locations: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Budget: $45,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co: Dark & Stormy Entertainment, FilmEngine, GK Films
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Review

Rum Diary was an interesting movie that told the story of a writer at a crossroads in his life who flees to Puerto Rico in 1960 to either find something better in himself or get lost in a river of rum.
Johnny Depp goes a good job as a failing novelist who takes to journalism for the San Juan Star in hoping that writing something will help him ultimately succeed at writing novels. Depp is captivating in every scene, as his character falls into endless trouble but finds ways out. Ultimately, the chaos around him helps Depp's character find focus and purpose.
Michael Ribosi does an outstanding job as Depp's sidekick and American guide to Puerto Rico. Ribosi's character survives on rum and the occasional hamburger. Despite his character's self-destructive nature, his character adds warmth and humanity to the film.
I initially went to see Rum Diary for its setting in Puerto Rico. I have lived in Puerto Rico and visited many times. The rural settings accurately depict the rural Puerto Rican lifestyle even today. And the beauty of the island and Old San Juan is captured nicely throughout the movie, albeit less than I hoped.
The Rum Diary is a captivating look into a fascinating and flawed character in a unique time and place. 

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Like Crazy (2011)

Release Date: USA 28 October 2011  Runtime: 90 min
Genres:   Drama | Romance
Storyline
A British college student falls for an American student, only to be separated from him when she's banned from the U.S. after overstaying her visa.

Director: Drake Doremus
Writers: Drake Doremus & Ben York Jones

Cast : Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlie Bewley , Alex Kingston, Oliver Muirhead , Finola Hughes, Chris Messina, Ben York Jones , Jamie Thomas King, Amanda Carlin Keeley Hazell, Kayla Barr

"Like Crazy" starts out strongly. Fresh young love, imbibed with an earthy, quiet spontaneity. The 2 leads actors have a playful, heartfelt energy between them. Yelchin (Jacob) and Jones (Anna) were finely cast, as were Alex Kingston and Oliver Muirhead, as the parents of Anna. Several scenes were familiar territory to me, even offering a few gentle reminders about the fragile nature of romantic dreams.

Kudos to the production design and costuming people, who were willing to let the actors shine. The scenes were rendered with comforting modernity, without trying too hard. It's refreshing to see a creative team who are not compelled to be edgy or trendy.

The push-pull dynamic of long-distance relationships is revealed quite well in this story. Having said that, the core energy and rhythm seemed to dissipate after a while, and I felt like the movie lost its bearings. This film could have benefited from a tighter edit. In a way, the director may have intended for the audience to feel a bit haggard at various points. The romantic part of me wanted some reassuring escapism in the final scene. Instead, we are left to grapple with the evidence of awkwardness, which some of us are all too familiar with.

Production Co:  Andrea Sperling Productions, Indian Paintbrush, Super Crispy Entertainment
Sound Mix:  Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | SDDS
Original Music by  Dustin O'Halloran        
Cinematography by  John Guleserian        
Film Editing by  Jonathan Alberts        
Casting by  Eyde Belasco        
Production Design by  Katie Byron        
Art Direction by  Rachael Ferrara        
Costume Design by  Mairi Chisholm        

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Trespass (2011)

Review   

Unrealistic to the point of absurdity; a tad melodramatic

Trespass is so unrealistic and outrageous that at times it becomes absurd and outrageously melodramatic. It tries to sweep away with one grand stroke all of the logical flaws in the script by simply claiming that the burglars are psychotic and insane. On the whole it insults the intelligence of the viewer by expecting the viewer to believe things would happen like they did in Trespass. In other movies of this genre there are always twists and somewhat unrealistic scenes that one can overlook if there is a cleverness or a presiding intelligence behind the story, but Trespass lacks this sharpness and edginess. The outrageousness, lack of realism, and madness of the story is simply too much to ask the viewer to believe and look past.

The movie does have its moments and isn't entirely worth ignoring however. The acting of Nicole Kidman is excellent and to see how she and Nicholas Cage are on-screen together is also very intriguing. The house where it is set has a very interesting modern design that comes off as very stylish and aesthetically appealing. A few of the twists and surprises in the movie are clever and there are a handful of good moments in the movie where I was surprised and satisfied with the cleverness of a certain turn of events.

Overall however, the movie turned into not the fascinating, intense, and intelligent thriller I hoped it would be, but a merely average movie that I couldn't possibly believe that got worse and worse as it climaxed to near complete absurdity. If the movie is worth a view at all it is simply to see the chemistry between Cage and Kidman and to appreciate the architectural design of the house where the movie is set. The ideas in the writing aren't wholly absurd, but clearly the writing and ideas aren't the strong point of Trespass.
DETAILS
Release Date: 21 October 2011 (Bulgaria) Runtime: 91 min
Genres: Crime | Drama | Thriller
Taglines: When terror is at your door, you can run, or you can fight.

As they're held for ransom, a husband and wife's predicament grows more dire amid the discovery of betrayal and deception.

Director:Joel Schumacher
Writer:Karl Gajdusek

Cast

Nicolas Cage,  Nicole Kidman,  Ben Mendelsohn, Liana Liberato, Cam Gigandet , Jordana Spiro Dash Mihok , Emily Meade, Nico Tortorella, Terry Milam , Nilo Otero
Music by David Buckley       
Cinematography by Andrzej Bartkowiak       
Film Editing by Bill Pankow       
Casting by Jessica Kelly    & Suzanne Smith  
Filming Locations: Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Box Office Budget: $35,000,000 (estimated)

Production Co: Millennium Films, Nu Image Films, Winkler Films See
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

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Footloose (2011)/Movie Review

Release Date:  14 October 2011 (USA) Runtime: 113 min
Genres: Musical/Drama
official site: www.footloosemovie.com

City kid Ren MacCormack moves to a small town where rock 'n' roll and dancing have been banned, and his rebellious spirit shakes up the populace.

Director: Craig Brewer
Writers: Dean Pitchford & Craig Brewer

Cast overview
Kenny Wormald, Julianne Hough, Dennis Quaid , Andie MacDowell, Miles Teller, Ray McKinnon Patrick John Flueger, Kim Dickens, Ziah Colon, Ser'Darius Blain, L. Warren Young, Brett Rice, Maggie Elizabeth Jones, Mary-Charles Jones, Enisha Brewster

Executive Producers : Timothy M. Bourne & Dean Pitchford  
Original Music by Deborah Lurie       
Cinematography by Amy Vincent       
Film Editing by Billy Fox       
Casting by Laray Mayfield & Julie Schubert  
Storyline:    

Ren MacCormack is transplanted from Boston to the small southern town of Bomont where he experiences a heavy dose of culture shock. A few years prior, the community was rocked by a tragic accident that killed five teenagers after a night out and Bomont's local councilmen and the beloved Reverend Shaw Moore responded by implementing ordinances that prohibit loud music and dancing. Not one to bow to the status quo, Ren challenges the ban, revitalizing the town and falling in love with the minister's troubled daughter Ariel in the process.

Filming Location: Georgia, USA
Budget:  $30,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co: Paramount Pictures, Dylan Sellers Productions, MTV Films
Sound Mix:  Dolby Digital  | SDDS  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound)

Review by Entertainment Weekly

Actor Kenny Wormald arrives in Craig Brewer's thoroughly winning remake of Footloose with a lot to prove, just like his character, Ren MacCormack. Ren's a big-city high school rebel who relocates to a small town, takes up the right to dance to loud, groovin' music as his cause (laws on the books forbid it), and eventually wins over everyone from the town preacher's trouble-making daughter, Ariel (Julianne Hough), to the reverend himself (Dennis Quaid). Wormald, meanwhile, a former backup dancer for Justin Timberlake, is also an outsider choice to play Ren in this energized redo of the beloved 1984 Flashdance-era classic. Yet stepping into sacred shoes once worn by Kevin Bacon, Wormald handily owns the role for a new audience. Same goes for a terrific Miles Teller (Rabbit Hole) in the sidekick role of Willard so memorably originated by the late Chris Penn.

Guardians of the '80s flame will approve of the production's sincere respect for the original; church still matters, and so do Ariel's red cowboy boots. But Brewer, who previously put his high-intensity spin on Hustle & Flow and Black Snake Moan, displays his coolest moves in the way he smartly unties this Footloose from its 1980s moorings. He matter-of-factly integrates the townsfolk. And he establishes a timeless zone in which children of all colors always yearn for freedom, and wise parents learn how to hand over the dance floor to the next generation

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50/50 (2011)/Movie Review

Release Date: 30 September 2011 (USA) Runtime: 100 min
Taglines:  It takes a pair to beat the odds

Genres:  Comedy | Drama

Inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy who learns of his cancer diagnosis, and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.

Director: Jonathan Levine
Writer: Will Reiser

Cast overview,:
Joseph Gordon-Levitt ,Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas , Rachael
Anjelica Huston , Serge Houde , Andrew Airlie, Matt Frewer, Philip Baker Hall , Alan
Donna Yamamoto, Sugar Lyn Beard, Yee Jee Tso     , Sarah Smyth , Peter Kelamis , Jessica Parker Kennedy ,

Original Music by Michael Giacchino       
Cinematography by Terry Stacey       
Film Editing by Zene Baker       
Casting by  Sandra-Ken Freeman & Francine Maisler       
Production Design by Annie Spitz  

Storyline
Inspired by personal experiences, 50/50 is an original story about friendship, love, survival and finding humor in unlikely places. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen star as best friends whose lives are changed by a cancer diagnosis. Rogen also serves as producer, along with Evan Goldberg and Ben Karlin. Jonathan Levine directs from a script by Will Reiser. “We worked with Will on Da Ali G show, and it was shortly after that we learned he was sick.” Rogen recalls. “As shocking, sad, confusing and generally screwed up as it was; we couldn’t ignore that because we were so ill-equipped to deal with the situation, funny things kept happening. Will got better, and when he did, we thought the best way to pull something good out of the situation was to get him to write a screenplay. Ideally we wanted to make a film that would be as funny, sad, and hopefully as honest as the experience we went through. As soon as the script was completed, it quickly became a passion project for all of us. It helped us come to terms with Will’s struggle as well as our own experiences.” 50/50 is the story of a guy’s transformative and, yes, sometimes funny journey to health. 50/50 draws its emotional core from Will Reiser’s own experience with cancer and reminds us that friendship and love, no matter what bizarre turns they take, are the greatest healers.

Filming Locations: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Production Co: Mandate Pictures, Point Gray See more »
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | SDDS  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound)

Review
The perfect balance between drama and comedy, '50/50' depicts cancer the right way
by Movie_Muse_Reviews (IL, USA)
Most movies don't know how to handle cancer. Heck, most people don't know how to handle cancer — and I'm not talking about the patients. Cancer, or any other terminal illness for that matter, almost always plays some kind x-factor in a film — that is when a film even dares to enter a realm often deemed depressing and "not for the movies." Most often, scripts will position cancer as a tearjerking emotional turning point in a film or as the initial spark of some banal "live life to the fullest" comedy.
"50/50" puts an end to that. Written semi-autobiographically by cancer survivor Will Reiser, it would seem it takes one to write one. Although cancer drives the entire story, the story doesn't fixate on cancer or melodramatize the terrible truths we already know about potentially fatal illness. Perhaps you could tell as much from the trailer thanks to some typical Seth Rogen antics, but the injection of contemporary R-rated humor is neither irreverent, insensitive nor an attempt to simply put a positive spin on a depressing subject. Life — believe it or not — doesn't stop for cancer. People don't sit in the hospital the entire time and then lie at home in bed the rest. Reiser's story provides a mostly unforced and honest depiction of a young man's diagnosis and treatment for potentially fatal spinal cancer, one where cancer isn't the conflict in and of itself, but the way it so dramatically changes the behavior of the people whose lives it enters and positively and negatively alters relationships.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt continues his spree of playing absolutely lovable main characters as Adam, a play-it-safe 27-year-old who after the initial shock handles his diagnosis in stride, keeping his ups and downs internal other than when the script cues him to let it out a bit. The more external symptoms come from Adam's girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) and mother (Anjelica Huston).

Other than focusing on these relationships, director Jonathan Levine ("The Wackness") puts particular emphasis on character perspective, which will change instantaneously at points throughout the film. In one terrific sequence, Adam enters the hospital for his first chemo treatment and gets bummed out by all the sick and ailing people in the hallway. After the older men he meets while getting treatment (Philip Baker Hall and Matt Frewer) give him some marijuana-filled pastries, he leaves down the same hallway high as a kite, suddenly elated despite the same negative images lining the hall. Levine understands that so much of how you deal with cancer relates to mood and perspective at any given time.

Levine coaxes brilliant and thoughtful performances out of his actors. Even though Rogen exerted his usual shtick a bit more than needed, he handles his character as written, someone who wants desperately to help his best friend but hides behind shallow self-centered form of support that many men turn to because they can't communicate emotions all that well.

The women of "50/50" also deliver if not more so. Howard's character is an unlikable mess but she gives her performance convincingly. Anjelica Huston perfects the ideal on-screen mother, the best since Melissa Leo's Oscar-winning mother in "The Fighter." Anna Kendrick also continues to blow me away with her talent. She plays a psychiatrist working on her PhD who receives Adam as just her third patient. She gives such lifelike quirks to her characters and Katie plays right to her strengths.

But in a drama/comedy about cancer, the key lies in tone and for that Levine should become an A-list director. "50/50" could have easily turned into a Hollywood hack-job like the various comic-toned cancer films before it, a film that either overplays the dramatic or overcompensates with the humorous, but "50/50" might be one of film's best balancing acts between the two. The shifts feel completely natural between moments of deep sentiment and moments of levity. Those who can't help but fixate on this being a movie about cancer will likely have to remind themselves to feel serious when "50/50" just wants you to simply absorb it as you would any other film.

Other than some predictable moments and plot devices to give the film a nicer Hollywood sheen, "50/50" provides a genuine and heartfelt movie experience, one that neither goes for the emotional sucker punch nor the sugarcoated version. Instead of making us look at cancer in a specific way, it makes us look at the way we look at cancer — or any uncomfortable subject — the way we talk about it or don't talk about it, the way we interact with those who live with it and the way we cope with it ourselves. That way when someone we love has a serious problem, we can ultimately do what's best for that person

Trailer 

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Courageous (2011)/ Movie Review

Release Date: 30 September 2011 (USA) Runtime: USA: 129 min
Genres:  Drama

Taglines:  Four men, one calling: To serve and protect

When a tragedy strikes close to home, four police officers struggle with their faith and their roles as husbands and fathers; together they make a decision that will change all of their lives.

Director: Alex Kendrick
Writers: Stephen Kendrick, Alex Kendrick
Credited cast:
Alex Kendrick, Ben Davies, Ken Bevel, Kevin Downes, T.C. Stallings, Rusty Martin, Dylan Mitchell,
Rusty Martin, Sr. Angelita Nelson, Robert Amaya, Matt Hardwick, Eleanor Brown, Renee Jewell,
Taylor Hutcherson, Ed Litton

Summary
Four men, one calling: To serve and protect. As law enforcement officers, they face danger every day. Yet when tragedy strikes close to home, these fathers are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, and their faith. From this struggle will come a decision that changes all of their lives. With action, drama, and humor, the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures embraces God's promise to "turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers." Souls will be stirred, and hearts will be challenged to be ... courageous!

Filming Locations: Albany, Georgia, USA
Budget:  $2,000,000 (estimated)
Production Co:  Alabama Production Group, Sherwood Pictures
Sound Mix: SDDS  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | Dolby Digital

Review
Faith, Family, Fatherhood - all in one
 dmhonan (United States)
This is quite simply a superb movie about faith, love, family and what is really important in life. A must for all fathers and would be fathers. The movie weaves real life adventure and problems into a compelling police-based story and delivers solutions to those problems that can be used in our lives. Sure, some of the jokes are a little corny, but they are all in good taste - a rare exception to Hollywood's sex, sex and more sex mentality. The acting is really pretty good - there's no Brad Pitt here, but there is plenty of heart and soul from the entire cast. Hard to believe a movie with this much drama, acting and pathos was created with only a one million dollar budget! It is not only entertaining and funny but didactic as well. Don't miss this one - do it for yourself - do it for God!

Courageous Movie Trailer Official (HD)

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The Ides of March (2011)

Release Date:  7 October 2011 (USA) Runtime: 101 min
Genre:  Drama

An idealistic staffer for a newbie presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Based on the play by Beau Willimon.
Cast overview,  Ryan Gosling, George Clooney , Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti     , Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright , Max Minghella , Jennifer Ehle, Gregory Itzin Michael Mantell , Yuriy Sardarov   

Directed by George Clooney       
Writing credits  George Clooney     , Grant Heslov    & Beau Willimon       
Original Music by Alexandre Desplat       
Cinematography by Phedon Papamichael       
Film Editing by Stephen Mirrione       
Casting by Ellen Chenoweth       
Production Design by Sharon Seymour
Production Co:  Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media Group, Smoke House
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | SDDS
Filming locations Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, Covington, Kentucky, USA, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, USA, Michigan, USA, Newport, Kentucky, USA, Oxford, Ohio, USA (as Miami University), Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Review       
I'd suggest you see Ides, film buffs; although more of a triple than a home run, the cast is superlative and the direction very fine
Author: Amy Adler from Toledo, Ohio

Stephen (Ryan Gosling) is a razor-sharp, rising star political media consultant. Presently, he is working on Pennsylvania Governor Mike Morris' (George Clooney) campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. Steve-o has only one man above him, overall campaign manager Paul (Philip Seymour Hoffman). The two consult each other daily. The governor has a single chief competitor, an Arkansas senator with his own astute adviser, Tom (Paul Giamatti). At the moment, the Ohio primary is looming and the staff is working out of Cincinnati. One of the governor's lower-level workers is beautiful Molly (Evan Rachel Wood), the daughter of the present head of the National Democratic Party. Only 20, she is just learning the ropes. One day, she makes a pass at Stephen and he responds positively. But, he makes it clear to her that politics is his passion and, especially, Mike Morris, his idol. Indeed, Morris is handsome, smart, and appears to speak sincerely and clearly to potential voters. Yet, very soon after their first encounter, Molly drops a bombshell on Stephen. It is a stunning piece of news, one that could knock the earth off its axis. Also, amazingly, Tom has been courting Stephen to "switch sides" while a respected, determined journalist, Ida (Marisa Tomei) is eager for any and all campaign stories. A cauldron of conflicting genuine and perceived realities is brewing. What will be the result? This is a fine film, based on a stage play, and directed by Mr. Clooney. While the story is more predictable in nature, the script has some great lines and Clooney's direction is quite, quite admirable. This is particularly true of the performances he draws from the cast, with Gosling, Hoffman, Giamatti, Tomei, Clooney himself, and especially Wood giving great turns. All the film's amenities, from sets, costumes, and camera work, are also nice. If you are a discriminating film buff, who loves quality flicks with ample discussion points, then I'd suggest you see Ides at your earliest convenience.

The Ides of March ~ Trailer

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Real Steel (2011)/ Movie Review

Release Date:  7 October 2011 (India) Runtime: 127 min

Genres: Action | Drama | Sci-Fi 

Taglines: If you get one shot, make it real.

Set in the near future, where robot boxing is a top sport, a struggling promoter feels he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.

Cast overview Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo, Evangeline Lilly, Anthony Mackie, Kevin Durand, Hope Davis, James Rebhorn, Marco Ruggeri, Karl Yune, Olga Fonda, John Gatins     , Sophie Levy Tess Levy, Charlie Levy , Gregory Sims   
Storyline:
A future-set story where robot boxing is a popular sport and centered on a struggling promoter (Jackman) who thinks he's found a champion in a discarded robot. During his hopeful rise to the top, he also discovers he has an 11-year-old son who wants to know his father.

Director: Shawn Levy
Writing credits  John Gatins, Dan Gilroy & Jeremy Leven
Original Music by  Danny Elfman       
Cinematography by  Mauro Fiore       
Film Editing by  Dean Zimmerman       
Casting by  Richard Hicks & David Rubin       
Production Design by Tom Meyer

Filming Locations: 341 N Jefferson St, Mason, Michigan, USA
Budget:  $80,000,000
Production Co: Touchstone Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, 21 Laps Entertainment
Sound Mix: SDDS  | Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound)

Review from IMDB
'Real Steel' is Real Fun with Rocky Robots
by changmoh (Malaysia)

THE BIG DEAL in this Disney movie set in the 2020s is robot-boxing. The idea is adapted from Richard Matheson's 1956 short story "Steel" previously shown on TV as an episode of "The Twilight Zone." Just think of "Rocky" being played by a robot and you are as close to what Real Steel is about as you can get. Besides the novelty of Robot Rocky, there is only the usual estranged dad-and-son storyline with a little uncanny romance thrown in. Considering that this is a Disney film, you can expect to have your heartstrings tugged - and other predictable stuff.

Charlie Kenton (Hugh Jackman) is a has-been boxer who now travels the country promoting his tin-can fighter robot. He owes a lot of people money and he finds a way out of his predicament when he gets news that his ex-wife has died in an accident, and he must attend the custody hearing of his son Max (Dakota Goyo, who was last seen in "Thor"). Charlie practically "sells" his son off to his ex-wife's sister (Hope Davis) and her filthy-rich hubby (James Rebhorn) for adoption.
For the time being, however, Charlie is stuck with Max who also happens to be a fan of video games and robot boxing. Together, and with the help of Charlie's girlfriend Bailey (Evangeline Lilly), they patch up used robots for tournaments. When they come across an obsolete sparing 'bot named Atom, Max sees potential in it as an underdog droid capable of taking on the top robots in the Real Steel matches.
"Real Steel" holds thrills for boxing fans because the action is as gruelling and crunching as the human matches. Top that up with realistic-looking effects, we even feel for those boxing machines - just as we have felt for droids like R2D2 and C3PO in the "Star Wars" sagas. Among the human cast, Jackman is in top form as the debt-ridden hustler of a dad who finds a match in his own flesh-and-blood. Indeed, Goyo steals the show as the Dr Pepper-guzzling kid who is highly confident in himself and his abilities. Together, Jackman and Goyo exude fantastic screen chemistry.
Lilly (of TV's "Lost") provides the requisite feminine presence as Charlie's long-suffering girlfriend but the relationship poses some disturbing questions for viewers: like, what is a pretty girl like her doing, waiting for a loser like Charlie when she can have any guy she wants? And as can be expected, another winning performance comes from Atom the cute 'junkyard dog' that dances like a butterfly and takes heavy beatings without flinching. Another entertaining family treat from Disney

TRAILER WATCH  'Real Steel' Trailer HD

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Dolphin Tale (2011)/Movie Review

Release Date: 23 September 2011 (USA) Runtime: 113 min

Genres: Drama | Family

A story centered on the friendship between a boy and a dolphin whose tail was lost in a crab trap.

Cast: Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Nathan Gamble, Kris Kristofferson, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Morgan Freeman, Austin Stowell, Frances Sternhagen, Austin Highsmith, Betsy Landin

Director:  Charles Martin Smith
Writers (WGA):  Karen Janszen (written by) and  Noam Dromi (written by)
Original Music by Mark Isham        
Cinematography by Karl Walter Lindenlaub        
Film Editing by Harvey Rosenstock        
Casting by Kerry Barden     & Paul Schnee        

Storyline

A lonely and friendless boy finds and untangles a hurt dolphin that is caught in a crab trap. He becomes very attached to the dolphin when the tail must be taken off to save the dolphin's life. The boy believes the dolphin would be able to swim normally if it was given a prosthetic tail.

Filming locations

Admiral Farragut Academy, St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Clearwater, Florida, USA
Satinleaf Avenue Oldsmar, Florida, USA
Production Co: Alcon Entertainment, Paradise F.X. Corp.
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | SDDS  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound)

User Review

What a treat! This is a movie for "Everyone of All Ages", not just kids. I would dare to suggest that Parents should not drop off the kids to see this film but share this movie with your children. It is a very enjoyable, uplifting and heartwarming film that you will definitely enjoy seeing with your children. Grandparents will also enjoy seeing this film with their grandchildren. It is also a factual and enlightening film based upon a true story and is not "a fantasy film", such a the "Free Willy" type of films. I highly recommend that you put this on your "Must See" list and if you cannot make it to the theatre it will make a great Christmas gift or stocking stuffer. Thank you so very much, Warner Bros. Pictures Canada and Empire Theatres!

Dolphin Tale Trailer 2011 Official Movie Trailer 2 HD

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Abduction (2011)/Movie Review

 Release Date: 23 September 2011 (India) Runtime: 106 min

Genres: Action | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Taglines: The fight for the truth will be the fight of his life.

A thriller centered on a young man who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website.

Director: John Singleton
Writer: Shawn Christensen
Cast: Lily Collins, Jake Andolin, Oriah Acima Andrews,     Ken Arnold, Maria Bello    , Steve Blass, Derek Burnell, Benjamin J. Cain Jr., Holly Scott Cavanuagh, Radick Cembrzynski, Richard Cetrone, Mike Clark  

Original Music by Ed Shearmur
Cinematography by Peter Menzies Jr.
Film Editing by Bruce Cannon       
Casting by Alan Lee Joseph Middleton       
Production Design by Keith Brian Burns       
Production Companies: Gotham Group  Lionsgate  Quick Six Entertainment  Tailor Made Vertigo Entertainment
Filming locations:  Brownsville, Pennsylvania, USA Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA Sutersville, Pennsylvania, USA
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
REVIEW

The premise for this story is that Nathan (Lautner) is living a wonderful life with his two parents. However, one fateful day a group of men kill his parents and destroy his home sending he and his girlfriend Karen (Lily Collins) on an adventure, as they try to avoid the CIA and the Russian Intelligence. This is really all I can say without ruining any major aspects in this tried and true plot.
I'll start this review by saying that trailer was more action packed then the actual movie. Rather than seeing Lautner wield a gun and do some awesome martial arts, a majority of the action involves the teenage couple mainly eluding the henchmen. Various chase scenes, both car and on foot, are shown throughout the movie, and are interspersed with repetitive dialog and occasional, albeit brief combat scenes. As a result, action lovers or even semi action lovers will be disappointed with what this movie has to offer.
So you may be asking, "Robbie if the story was bad and the action was not very good, what was good about it?" Well the two biggest strengths of this movie were the soundtrack and the suggestion of a plot twist. The soundtrack for the most part provided more of an adrenaline rush than anything interlacing fast paced techno tones with hard core guitar. The combination of the two styles gave half of the chase scenes their character. Perhaps the biggest reason I stayed though was that the film kept suggesting there was going to be some plot twist, or underlying motif to the reason Nathan was being chased. Although they told you the reason he was being hunted, the acting and plethora of shady moves kept hinting there was something more. I'm here to tell you that there is a very minor twist that really wasn't worth the long wait.
The only other things I can say about this movie are the following. First Taylor Lautner fans are going to go gaga over watching their favorite werewolf smolder and pout throughout the whole movie. He still delivers the same monotone dialog that he made famous in his teenybopper career, but this time keeps his shirt on to actually act. Regardless teenage girls and other big fans will not mind as they scream in delight, while those who don't will enjoy watching him get owned in a few scenes. Guys will be happy to see the cute Lilly Collins throughout the movie, and may even enjoy her acting as much as I did. I have to applaud the camera work as well as they do a nice job of capturing what little detail was in this movie. Finally fans may have seen Sigourney Weaver in the trailer, but like so many cameos these days, her star appearance is few and far in between.
Lautner may have finally escaped his werewolf days of Twilight, but he hasn't really traveled that far outside of the role. The promise Abduction had shown in the trailers was grossly overrated. A shallow plot, overabundance of chase scenes, and lack of twist really disappointed me.

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Moneyball (2011)/Movie Review

Genres: Biography | Drama | Sport
Taglines: What are you really worth?

The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

Directed by Bennett Miller       
Writing credits  :  Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin, Stan Chervin & Michael Lewis (book "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game")
Original Music by Mychael Danna       
Cinematography by Wally Pfister       
Film Editing by Christopher Tellefsen       
Casting by Francine Maisler       
Production Design by Jess Gonchor  

Cast : Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Wright, Chris Pratt, Stephen BishopBrent Jennings, Ken Medlock, Tammy Blanchard, Jack McGee, Vyto Ruginis, Nick Searcy     Glenn Morshower, Casey Bond, Nick Porrazzo    

Storyline : Oakland A's GM Billy Beane is handicapped with the lowest salary constraint in baseball. If he ever wants to win the World Series, Billy must find a competitive advantage. Billy is about to turn baseball on its ear when he uses statistical data to analyze and place value on the players he picks for the team.

Box Office Budget: $47,000,000 (estimated)
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | SDDS
Production Companies
Film Rites, Michael De Luca Productions, Scott Rudin Productions & Specialty Films (II)
Filming Locations: California State University Long Beach - 1250 N. Bellflower Boulevard, Long Beach, California, USA

Review
 by Robin Dhanju (Canada)

First and foremost, I want everyone to know that I love baseball and I do understand the intricacies associated with thePanasonic to unveil new helper robots game, and the fact that the A's were competing with a payroll of 1/3rd of the Yankees is very significant. However, the story line is extremely slow, and boring.

I came into this movie totally hyped up and excited about a baseball movie after way too long of a wait. I went to a matinée with only about 20 other people there to watch the movie on opening day (I know it was early but 20 is very low). Most of them seemed like avid fans as well, judging by their giggles at some of the jokes (very few) in the movie. The first thirty minutes were O.K., as it was meant to build the story line and introduce the characters. That was understandable, what was not, was the fact that the story didn't capture my attention any more throughout the the next one hour or so. I believe that the movie touched upon three players, mostly the first basemen and their transition to becoming an Athletic. I also felt that the movie focused way to much on Brad Pitt and Billy Beane, and I understand that he is the GM that revolutionized the game, but the character development really didn't reach a climax. Billy Beane had the same attitude towards baseball, and his life in general, as he did in the start. And the two hours that it took to get to that point really didn't accomplish much. The climax of the movie was VERY rushed, it was condensed into 15 minutes that really didn't have me very interested, rather had me thinking to myself "what the hell just happened".
Overall, the movie was a total let down, and even Brad Pitt's and Jonah Hill's presence isn't enough to keep baseball fans (let alone casual viewers) interested.

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Drive (2011) /Movie Review

Release Date: 16 September 2011 (USA)  Runtime: 100 min

Genres: Action | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Official Sites: http://www.drive-movie.com
Taglines: Get in. Get out. Get away.

A Hollywood stunt performer who moonlights as a wheelman discovers that a contract has been put on him after a heist gone wrong.

Director:  Nicolas Winding Refn

Writers:  Hossein Maine (screenplay), James Sallis (book)

Original Music by Cliff Martinez

Cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel

Film Editing by Matthew Newman

Cast

Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Bryan Cranston, Albert Brooks, Oscar Isaac, Christina Hendricks,

Ron Perlman, Kaden Leos, Jeff Wolfe, James Biberi, Russ Tamblyn, Joe Bucaro III, Tiara Parker

Budget:  $13,000,000 (estimated)

Production Co: Bold Films, Odd Lot Entertainment, Marc Platt Productions

Sound Mix: DTS  | Dolby Digital  | SDDS

Filming Locations: Los Angeles, California, USA

Review 

A Tense and Often Beautiful Masterpiece.

by evansweet1214 (United States)

You might hear one comparing this to a Tarantino film, but leave all worries at the door, this is an absorbing and tremendously unique piece of cinema from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn. The reason it works so exquisitely well is because the film grabs hold of you and takes you inside this often dark and dream-like LA setting. So, when the end of the film hits, you feel apart of this film, and it's there to stay.

This film also offers a Ryan Gosling like you've never seen him, speaking only when necessary, with tension and fury in his eyes. He's silent, caring, and ridiculously tough. Every line is delivered perfectly and every gesture is natural.  The music only makes this film more unique. It is catchy and synchronized perfectly with the TRULY beautiful cinematography.

This film is the BEST of its genre. I honestly cannot compare it to any other film, for it is truly that different. "Drive" is already the best of the year, because I'm POSITIVE no other film will haunt and invade me quite like this film has. This is not just a classic for its genre, but a beautiful and bold classic in general.

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The Debt /Movie Review

Release Date: 31 August 2011 (India)   Runtime: USA: 113 min

Genres:  Drama | Thriller

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital  | DTS (as Datasat Digital Sound) | SDDS

Official Sites: http://www.seethedebt.com

The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel...

Director:  John Madden

Writers:  Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman

Original Music by Thomas Newman

Cinematography by Ben Davis

Film Editing by Alexander Berner

Cast

Helen Mirren , Tom Wilkinson , Ciarán Hinds , Romi Aboulafia,  Tomer Ben David , Ohev Ben David , Jonathan Uziel , Eli Zohar , Irén Bordán , Jessica Chastain , Marton Csokas , Sam Worthington ,

Jesper Christensen , Brigitte Kren , Bálin Merán

Storyline

The espionage thriller begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (Helen Mirren) and Stefan (Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds). All three have been venerated for decades by their country because of the mission that they undertook back in 1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas, and Sam Worthington) tracked down Nazi war criminal Vogel (Jesper Christensen) in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished - or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations.

Box Office

Opening Weekend: $9,949,109 (USA) (4 September 2011) (1826 Screens)

Gross:$14,753,014 (USA) (4 September 2011)

Production Companies Marv Films & Pioneer Pictures

Distributors Miramax Films (2011)

Filming Locations: Budapest, Hungary

REVIEW

Marvelously Acted, and Tightly Directed

Author: griffolyon12 from United States

Few movies are as perfectly cast as The Debt. It's just unreal how believable it is that Jessica Chastain is a young Helen Mirren, that Sam Worthington is a young Ciaran Hinds, and that Marton Csokas is a young Tom Wilkinson.

The Debt is a movie that takes place primarily in the past, as the older counterparts of three Israeli Mossad agents reflect on their secret mission in the early '60s trying to apprehend the Nazi Surgeon of Birkenau for war crimes committed against the Jewish nation. Majority of the action transpires in the past, while majority of the present is purely the characters reflecting on what happened when they were young. Seeing why these characters are reflecting (via flashbacks) is more satisfying than the moments where their older counterparts are simply reflecting, but the two wind up complimenting one another and forming a complete whole in the end, and the climax with the older Helen Mirren is as suspenseful as any of the moments with the young Jessica Chastain.

While Israeli accents often slip amongst the actors, in particular Sam Worthington, the performances of the cast are pure and emotionally authentic, while director John Madden infuses the scenes of the past with so much raw tension that The Debt often rivals Hitchcock classics, and then the scenes in the present are so marvelously played by the older actors conveying so much with simple looks. There is a richness to character in The Debt beyond the usual thrills of a thriller like this, and it is what makes The Debt so special and enjoyable. Even if the present is less exciting to watch than the past, the two work in tandem, with the past delivering the thrills and the present the emotion of the events.

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Warrior (2011)/Review

Release Date: 9 September 2011 (USA) Runtime: 140 min

Genres: Action | Drama | Sport

Official Sites: http://www.warriorfilm.com/

Taglines: Family is worth fighting for

Director:  Gavin O'Connor

Writers:   Gavin O'Connor | Anthony Tambakis

CASTS

Joel Edgerton | Tom Hardy  | Nick Nolte |Jennifer Morrison | Frank Grillo | Kevin Dunn | Maximiliano | Hernández | Bryan Callen | Sam Sheridan  | Fernando Chien  | Jake McLaughlin | Vanessa Martinez |

Denzel Whitaker | Carlos Miranda |Nick Lehane

Filming Locations: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

Budget: $30,000,000 (estimated)

Production Co: Mimran Schur Pictures | Lionsgate, Solaris 

SUMMARY

Two brothers face the fight of a lifetime - and the wreckage of their broken family - within the brutal, high-stakes world of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting in Lionsgate's action/drama, WARRIOR. An ex-Marine haunted by a tragic past, Tommy Riordan returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enlists his father, a recovered alcoholic and his former coach, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. As Tommy blazes a violent path towards the title prize, his brother, Brendan, a former MMA fighter unable to make ends meet as a public school teacher, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family. Even though years have passed, recriminations and past betrayals keep Brendan bitterly estranged from both Tommy and his father. But when Brendan's unlikely rise as an underdog sets him on a collision course with Tommy, the two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives.

 REVIEW

The picture flirts with contrivance and cliché (it at times feels like a smoothie composed of the best bits and pieces of the Rocky pictures and The Fighter), but comes out the other side due to a refusal to pander or insult our intelligence.  There are no 'big speeches' and plenty is left unsaid.  I appreciated the fact that we never get any details about just what horrors Paddy committed against his family back in the day, only offhand implications.  I appreciated that the film takes it for granted that Brendan loves his wife and his children and doesn't feel the need to add gratuitous displays of 'emotion' (i.e. no overacted playtime with kids, no flashes to happy moments during a climactic moment of struggle, etc).  And, without going into details, I love that the film doesn't resolve its deep family hurts by the end of the picture, but rather puts its characters in a place where at least some of these characters have a chance to repair the long term damage if they so choose.

Warrior is, above all, an emotionally engaging and uncommonly thoughtful family drama.  It rises above most in its genre by refusing to pit 'good' against 'evil' and by refusing to pander to our lowest emotional denominator.  It features moments of genuine insight and recognizable human interaction that feel so 'right' that you almost want to cheer.  Like the best of its genre, it is less about who wins or loses as opposed to who is in your corner when the game ends.  It does have several crowd-pleasing moments, and few of them are the sort that you'd expect in this genre.  It features wonderful performances across the board, and I could easily see this film's cast dominating the year-end awards race if the film hits it big at the box office.  Aside from too much 'on the nose' play-by-play announcing during and between the fight scenes, the film has dialogue that rivals anything you're likely to hear this year in terms of authenticity.  Warrior is a wonderful movie and a pretty great film.

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