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Saturday, April 28, 2007

GREENLIGHT #133: Fracture (with "Hearts in Atlantis" and "The Remains of the Day")

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Ann and Les were thoroughly engaged in the story of Fracture (2007) but not in an emotional way. Ryan Gosling plays a hotshot prosecutor who finds himself caught in the web of a suspected killer played by Anthony Hopkins. It's a fantastic cat-and-mouse game. Their only complaint is that it's strangely cold - even the supposed romance between Gosling and his soon-to-be-boss played by Rosamund Pike. Nonetheless, both Ann and Les recommend this film by Gregory Hoblit. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends another film featuring Mr. Hopkins called Hearts in Atlantis (2001.) It didn't receive much attention or acclaim at the time, (in fact, Ann had never heard of it,) but Les thinks it's an intriguing tale of family love and psychic gifts. And it's got an incredible pedigree as the original story was written by Stephen King and the screenplay was written by William Goldman. Ann simply purrs about her film which also features the amazing talents of Mr. Hopkins. In fact, she thinks this is his best. He plays Mr. Stephens, the "butler of all butlers," in England's Darlington Hall of the late 1930's. Mr. Stephens life is perfectly and satisfactorily regimentd until the light and charming and yet still competent maid played by Emma Thompson enters it. Plus, Darlington Hall gets some interesting visitors including a snobby aristocrat played by a young Hugh Grant. Don't miss this Ismail Merchant and James Ivory masterpiece called The Remains of the Day (1993.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:57

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Thursday, April 26, 2007

GREENLIGHT #132: In the Land of Women (with "The Graduate" and "Garden State")

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Ann and Les aren't interested in spending much more time in In the Land of Women (2007.) It's a film with Meg Ryan in it but it's not really about her. It's about a relatively young guy played by Adam Brody who moves home to Michigan to take care of his grandmother after his famous-actress girlfriend dumps him in LA. Once there he becomes entangled in the lives of the familiy across the street of which Ms. Ryan is the mother of two girls. Yep, the teenage girl, played by Kristen Stewart, is beautiful but much to Ann and Les' surprise, she's also an actress worth watching (and so is the actress who plays her younger sister Makenzie Vega.) But Mr. Brody's character ends up being more interested in the older woman. If it sounds like a soap opera, that's the problem and it's complete with the crazy old lady played by Olympia Dukakis. A messy film made by director Jon Kasdan. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends the classic film about a younger man and older woman called The Graduate (1967.) It’s the movie that turned Dustin Hoffman into a big star and turned Ann Bancroft into the monster of all mother-in-laws. Ann recommends another film about a young man returning to his hometown and finding more than he expected. It's a flawed but charming film written, directed, and starring rising star Zach Braff and also features a wonderful and, so far, not repeated performance by Natalie Portman. It's a small lovely film called Garden State (2004.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:59

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Monday, April 23, 2007

GREENLIGHT #131: Disturbia (with "Mermaids" and "Vertigo")

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Ann and Les were pleasantly surprised by their reaction to Disturbia (2007.) It’s a modern-day teen version of a Hitchcock classic and for that, they are grateful. Teens emulating “the greats” is a good thing. So although they did not know much about the work of the three young stars before they went in, they think we’ll all get to see much more of Shia Lebouf , Sarah Roehmer, and Aaron Yoo . But they did know the work of Carrie Anne-Moss and David Morse and they continued to be quite good as adults – one good and one a bit creepy. OK, Les liked it more than Ann but they both are positive about it. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a film that highlights teen angst exquisitely called Mermaids (1990.) It’s a lovely tale of a funky mom, played by Cher, who has moved her two young daughters, played by Wynona Ryder and Christina Ricci , eighteen times to avoid engaging in a serious relationship. Needless to say, such galavanting around the country has left its mark on the girls who take refuge in the nunnery, boys, and water – though not at the same time. Shoe salesman Bob Hoskins shows up and is possibly the one to make them stay in one place. It’s a Richard Benjamin charmer. Ann goes with the Hitchcock theme for her recommendation and chooses the one featuring the odd pairing of James Stewart and Kim Novak. As Ann puts it, “it’s about a dizzy man chasing a dizzy dame and the effect is dizzying.” And it’s also delightfully suspenseful. You’ll be amazed at the modern work of Alfred Hitchcock in Vertigo (1958.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:56

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Friday, April 20, 2007

GREENLIGHT #130: Perfect Stranger (with "Monster's Ball" and "Introducing Dorothy Dandrige")

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Ann and Les wish they were strangers to the movie Perfect Stranger (2007) but, alas, they had to see it. They think it’s almost sad that Halle Berry would have read this script and said anything like “this will work for me.” It’s a tired story of a female reporter who goes undercover to try to trap a killer – and she does so by dressing provocatively and furtively sending suggestive emails. How clever. Bruce Willis plays the man in question and, while not great, has enough charm to keep working after the film. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends Ms. Berry in her oscar-winning performance in Monster’s Ball (2001.) Here she offers a truly strong portrayal of a woman whose husband, played by Sean Combs was just executed and then she ends up in a new relationship with one of the jailers, played by Billy Bob Thornton who participated in the execution. It’s not a warm and fuzzy movie – and you’ll probably find it hard to watch the bigotry of Peter Boyle character but it’s extremely well-done. Ann also recommends another film featuring Ms. Berry but this one’s a little less harrowing – though still troubling. In this film, Berry gives us the life-story of the first black woman nominated for the best-actress Oscar, Dorothy Dandridge. Berry is impeccable as she goes through her love affair with famed-director Otto Preminger played by Klaus Maria Brandauer and deals with her ever-loyal (and ever hopeful) friend Earl Mills (who wrote the original story and is played by Brent Spiner .) It’s a lovingly told story by director Martha Coolidge called Introducing Dorothy Dandridge (1999.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:57

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Thursday, April 19, 2007

GREENLIGHT #129: Grindhouse (with "D.O.A." and "Dead Man Don't Wear Plaid")

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Ann and Les don't want to put their nose anywhere near Grindhouse (2007) but they enjoyed it all the same. It's really two films in one and they both are satires of the old-fashioned B-horror flick. Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed the first one called "Planet Terror" and manages to make newcomer Rose McGowan a wonderfuly comic character with a machine gun for a leg. Quentin Tarantino wrote and directed the second one called "Death Proof" and he gets the performance of a lifetime from Kurt Russell who plays a psychotic race car driver who challenges an incredible group of women to an ultimate race. They're not films for the light-of-heart but they do have their entertainment value. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends his favorite B-film of all time called D.O.A. (1950.) In this classic film noir, Edmond O'Brien gets to try to solve his own murder. Ann emphasizes the satire of the day by recommending Steve Martin in a send-up of detective film noirs. The fun of the movie is that it's spliced with clips from those very films so Martin interacts with the likes of Humphrey Bogary , Cary Grant , and Ingrid Bergman . It must have been a pure work of joy for Carl Reiner to create Dead Man Don't Wear Plaid (1982.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:58

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GREENLIGHT #128: The Hoax (with "The Mothman Prophecies" and "The Cider House Rules")

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Ann and Les aren’t putting you on when they say they thoroughly enjoyed The Hoax (2006). Richard Gere gives a truly engaging performance as the man who lies his way to fame and fortune by telling the world that the world-famous recluse Howard Hughes chose him to be the writer of his autobiography. The hoax even worked on his agent played marvelously by Hope Davis but, as most lies do, it eventually all came undone. They don’t think the script was so good for Marcia Gay Harden or Julie Delpy but it was wonderful for Alfred Molina and Stanley Tucci . Much credit goes to director Lasse Hallstrom for bringing this true story to the screen so entertainingly. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends a relatively obscure film called The Mothman Prophecies (2002.) Like Hoax, it featured Gere in a non-hunk role. Instead he played the distraught reporter whose wife, played by Debra Messing , was recently killed in a car accident and now he thinks he’s can somehow reconnect with her through the bizarre visions of a great big “moth man” in a small town in West Virginia. Sounds quite far-fetched, Les knows, but he says it’s quite interesting. Ann recommends another Lasse Hallstrom film with an incredible cast including Michael Caine, Tobey Maguire , Charlize Theron , and Paul Rudd . They effortlessly take on some major issues through John Irving’s screenplay adaptation of his own novel The Cider House Rules (1999.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:55

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Friday, April 06, 2007

GREENLIGHT #127: Blades of Glory (with "It Happens Every Spring" and "Wayne's World")

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Ann and Les enjoyed watching Blades of Glory (2007) in which Will Ferrell and John Heder do a bang-up job as fierce ice-skating competitors who have to pair up with each other to stay on the ice. It's light, funny, and, thankfully, short. Watch also for the stellar comedy of real-life husband and wife Amy Poehler and Will Arnette who play a very funny brother-sister skating pair. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends another sports comedy called It Happens Every Spring (1949.) Here Ray Milland plays a nerdy scientist who finds a formula to repel wood and uses it to become a champion baseball pitcher - but, of course, chaos ensues. Also, you'll get to see Alan Hale Jr. in a non-marooned role. Ann went with the Saturday Night Live theme and recommends the talents of writer Mike Myers and co-hort Dana Carvey as two nerdy boys who do a public access television show in their basements and, thanks to the urging of a slimeball producer, played by Rob Lowe they believe they're about to become big stars. Director Penelope Spheeris had a big hit on her hands with Wayne's World (1992.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:58

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Thursday, April 05, 2007

GREENLIGHT #126: The Lookout (with "Charly" and "Out of Sight")

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Ann and Les encourage everyone to keep a sharp eye out for The Lookout (2007.) They say it's a truly interesting and thoughtful thriller from beginning to end. The lead is played by Joseph Gordon-Leavitt and they were amazed at the self-control he exhibited while playing a boy with frustrating mental challenges. Equally brilliant, they believe, was the debut of writer Scott Frank as a writer-director. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends Charly (1968,) a poignant tale of a retarded adult male who gets a brief glimpse at life without his mental limitations. It was a small budget film and shocked all of Hollywood when normally tough guy actor Cliff Robertson took on the role and ended up winning an Oscar for it. Watch for a very young Dick Van Patten too. Ann stuck with the thriller theme and recommends a small film which featured the smooth talents of George Clooney and the surprising talent of Jennifer Lopez. Clooney plays a bank robber who takes an FBI agent (Lopez) hostage. The sparks fly in director Steven Soderbergh's Out of Sight (1998.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:58

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Tuesday, April 03, 2007

GREENLIGHT #125: Reign Over Me (with "Thelma & Louise" and "Racing with the Moon")

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Ann and Les just can't imagine what anyone was thinking when they agreed to make Reign Over Me (2007.) They say it's a simply ghastly film and should put an end to the careers of Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle . Enough said - although while they're at it, they are hopeful that this movie is the end of director Mike Binder's career as well. For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends Thelma & Louise (1991,) a buddy film that really entertained him. Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis discover the joy and sorrow of independence as they leave their men behind and take off for the unknown in their convertible. This movie was a marked departure in style for director Ridley Scott and was the movie that launched Brad Pitt's career. Ann recommends a small ensemble film featuring early performances of Sean Penn, Nicholas Cage, and Elizabeth McGovern. It's the beautifully told story about two friends who have six weeks to go before basic training in 1941. Director Richard Benjamin should be proud of his film Racing with the Moon (1984.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:56

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Monday, April 02, 2007

GREENLIGHT #124: Shooter (with "The Perfect Storm" and "The Shootist")

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Ann and Les think Shooter (2007) is the most on-the-mark action movie they have seen in years. Both went to the film dragging their feet because, despite some good performances in the past, they just couldn't believe that Mark Wahlberg would be able to carry the movie. Turns out, he not only carries it but he runs the length of the field with it too. He was fantastic in a fantastic film. The screenply, written by Jonathan Lemkin from a novel by film critic Stephen Hunter , was packed with great and suspenseful storytelling without relying on foul language or excessive violence. The director, Antoine Fuqua , put together a seemless film and got wonderful performances from the likes of Michael Pena and Ned Beatty . For their GREENLIGHT Rentals, Les recommends another great performance by Mr. Wahlberg when he portrayed a boathand in The Perfect Storm (2000.) He plays the warm and friendly fisherman in contrast to the cocky annoying captain played smoothly by George Clooney. Ann recommends John Wayne's last film. He played an aging gunfighter who is diagnosed with a fatal disease by the town doc played by Jimmy Stewart while at the same time accepts a challenge from the new boys in town. Director Don Siegel took full advantage of the inherent drama in the man and the story in The Shootist (1976.)
RUNNING TIME: 14:59

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