My Rental Queue: ON THE EDGE (2001)
October 4, 2007 by Sandie
Filed under DVD Reviews
Director: John Carney
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Tricia Vessey, Stephen Rea, and Jonathan Jackson.
Plot: Suicidal patients discover their true selves while going through therapy in a treatment center.
Review: After discovering the wonderful work of John Carney on “Once”, I decided to look at another film he had made. After watching ON THE EDGE, I am officially a fan of John Carney. This is another one of the best films I have seen this year. It was a very simple, yet effective movie. No special effects, but a strong storyline and strong actors made this film so much more enjoyable than pretty much all the movies I have seen lately.
I did not see the time go by because all the characters drew me in completely. You share their pain and joy and you get a feel of what it’s like to be locked up in a mental institution. However, this mental institution is different because it feels like they are living in a house, except that they wear their pajamas all the time - so that we can tell who’s a patient and who’s a civilian. This plays an interesting part in the film because for them, pajamas gain a negative connotation and they dress up when they are in their room to feel like they are normal.
It was a very inspiring film and reminded me why I love to go to the movies.
The film also starred an actor I really admire: Cillian Murphy. Even though it was one of his early films, you already see the qualities that make him as star today. After seeing him in On the Edge, I have even more respect for him now.
Finally, just to show you how much I loved this movies, I even bought the DVD, that’s how much I loved it.
My Rental Queue: FRACTURE (2007)
September 6, 2007 by Sandie
Filed under DVD Reviews
Today we start our new feature called My Rental Queue. From the title you pretty much guessed it's all about renting movies and what we think about them. The first movie we will talk about is: FRACTURE.
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, Embeth Davidtz, and Billy Burke
Plot: A highly successful engineer, Ted Crawford, has shot his wife and made it the perfect crime. In comes Willy Beachum, an assertive assistant D.A. on the verge of signing with a major law firm. The case should have been an easy conviction if it wasn't for Ted Crawford exploiting legal loopholes to keep himself a free man.
Review: I didn't want to see this movie at the theater because I thought it would be another generic thriller movie with a weak storyline. I wasn't totally right. After watching Fracture, I was pleasantly surprised by its well-structured storyline. It wasn't predictable and it kept me guessing. In addition, the whole movie benefits from great acting. I have to mention Anthony Hopkins and Ryan Gosling in particular. While it comes as no surprise that Anthony Hopkins portrays the role of Ted Crawford to perfection, I feel the need to mention the wonderful portrayal of Willy Beachum by Ryan Gosling. He is most definitely one of the best actors of his generation but is for some reason underrated. He holds his own opposite Anthony Hopkins and both actors allowed me to enjoy Fracture to its full potential. While it is not the best movie of the year, Fracture is a nice way to spend a couple of hours.
Check out the preview after the jump. Read more
