Category: Drama
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Contagion: Elizabeth Bennet prevents the people of the world from becoming a bunch of zombies
Contagion – 2011 Directed by Steven Soderburgh Starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jennifer Ehle, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard, Jude Law, Bryan Cranston, Sanaa Lathan, Elliot Gould, Chin Han, John Hawkes, Demetri Martin Written by Scott Z. Burns It’s been a long time since I had given a second thought about Jennifer Ehle. After…
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Forgotten Gem: Skateland: Remember when people responded to tragedy?
Skateland – 2010 Directed by Anthony Burns Starring Shiloh Fernandez, Ashley Greene, Brett Cullen, James LeGros, Taylor Handley, Haley Ramm, Heath Freeman, Melinda McGraw Written by Anthony Burns, Brandon & Heath Freeman, Justin Gilley, Nicholas Jayanty, Victor Moyers There was a point, about 4 hours after I got my first driver’s license, when I got into…
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The Help is better than a pie full
The Help – 2011 Directed by Tate Taylor Starring Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia Spencer, Jessica Chastain, Sissy Spacek, Mike Vogel, Allison Janney, Mary Steenburgen Written by Taylor based on The Help by Kathryn Stockett When thinking of how to view The Help, I think of it in terms of how to…
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Warrior is 3 remarkable journeys of one heart
The Warrior – 2011 Directed by Gavin O’Connor Starring Joel Edgerton, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison, Frank Grillo Written O’Connor, Cliff Dorfman, Anthony Tambakis A recurring theme for Warrior is the tale of Moby Dick, which is being read, in audio form by the father of the two main characters, Paddy Conlon (Nolte). He is…
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Another Earth: A familiar song, but almost a masterpiece.
Another Earth – 2011 Directed by Mike Cahill Starring Brit Marling, William Mapother, Kumar Pallana Written by Mike Cahill, Brit Marling There is an overwhelming melancholy that permeates every inch of Another Earth. Every action is a deliberate intention to right a wrong, to help a vacant heart, to serve someone completely. The wrong that has…
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Water For Elephants is an easy job until the elephants arrive
Water for Elephants – 2011 Directed by Francis Lawrence Starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattison, Christoph Waltz, Tai, Hal Holbrook, Paul Schneider, James Frain, Ken Foree, Tim Guinee, Mark Povinelli, Scott McDonald, Jim Norton, Richard Brake Written by Richard LaGravenese, based on the novel by Sara Gruen One thing that is apparent in watching the first half hour…
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Just relax, enjoy the ride, ’cause you’re Fair Game
Fair Game – 2010 Directed by Doug Liman Starring Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Michael Kelley, Noah Emmerich, Ty Burrell, Sam Shepard, David Andrews, Adam LeFevre, Khaled Nabawy Written by Jez and John Butterworth “They lied. That’s the truth.” Five words, six if you count the apostrophe, that most succinctly describe the Cheney/Bush Administration. Many egregious…
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All this useless pondering: The Tree of Life
The Tree of Life – 2011 Written and Directed by Terrance Mallick Starring Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Sean Penn, Joanna Going, Hunter McCracken “The nuns taught us there were two ways through life – the way of nature and the way of grace. You have to choose which one you’ll follow. Grace doesn’t try…
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Forgotten Gem: Mao’s Last Dancer
Mao’s Last Dancer – 2009 Directed by Bruce Beresford Starring Cin Cao, Bruce Greenwood, Joan Chen, Kyle MacClachlan, Wang Shuangbao, Amanda Schull, Ferdinand Hoang Written by Jan Sardi, based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin There’s a point early in Mao’s Last Dancer when young Li Cunxin, is missing home badly. He’s been selected from his small…
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The Conspirator reveals a dangerous tipping point in our country’s history
The Conspirator – 2010 Directed by Robert Redford Starring James McAvoy, Robin Wright, Evan Rachel Wood, Tom Wilkinson, Kevin Kline, Justin Long, Danny Huston, Alexis Bledel Written by James D. Solomon “…I too, hold sacred our rights, counselor. But they count, not at all, if our nation ceases to exist.” These words from Secretary of…
Ebert Did It Better: Gasbag Reviews 