Real Movie Review-Movie Reviews, Movie Quotes, Movie Trivia

Director: George Roy Hill

Starring: Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, Charles Durning, Harold Gould, Jack Kehoe

If ever there was a film where the key elements of great writing, innovative direction and charismatic performances came together in a flawless and enjoyable cinematic experience, then that film is The Sting. A seasoned cast of excellent performers is lead by Paul Newman and Robert Redford as they re-created the on-screen magic that they had first demonstrated in Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid in 1969. The clever story is smart and cool as it features fun period dialog, and is smoothly laid out by director George Roy Hill, and is brought together and made even more memorable by Marvin Hamlisch’s well known score.

Robert Redford is Hooker, a charismatic, depression era street grifter whose partner, Luther, is murdered under the orders of a ruthless Chicago mob boss, Doyle Lonnegan, played by Robert Shaw in a masterful performance. Hooker wants the kind of revenge only a conman can get and goes to an old buddy of Luther’s, Henry Gondorff (Paul Newman). Together they set out to hurt the gangster with a big con, while not ending up murdered along the way to a great ending.

The Sting is a 70’s classic and is required viewing for all scam loving movie goers., as well those who enjoy finely crafted, but still light and entertaining period pieces. The end result is not comedy, but is pretty campy and manages to invoke a mood all its own. Worth seeing and worth seeing again, and again, and again….You get the idea.

Director: Stefan Ruzowitsky

Starring: Karl Markovics, August Diehl, Devid Striesow, Martin Brambach, August Zirner, Veit Stubner, Sebastien Urzendowsky, Andreas Schmidt,

The true story of the largest counterfeiting ring ever is subject of this Austrian sub-titled feature and believe if or not, it wasn’t the mob, the KGB or Danny Ocean and his pack of cool conmen. Nope, it was Adolph and his Berlin boys. Based on the book of Adolf Burger who was one of the participants in this grand scale double cross. Wonderful performances, haunting sets and an absorbing story help director Stefan Ruzowitsky, create a magnificent motion picture that took the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film in 2008.

Karl Markovics is Sally Sorowitsch, a tough and successful Jewish criminal in 1930s Berlin, who makes his money as the premiere counterfeiter in Europe and doesn’t care about the Nazis, until he is arrested by them and sent to a concentration camp. Soon, he is using his artistic talent to please them and stay alive. Soon, however a Nazi officer named Herzog (Devid Striesow) takes Sally to be leader of a squad of specially skilled prisoners whose task it is to successfully counterfeit the British pound for the Nazi’s benefit. At first, things go smoothly, but in time, one of the workers, Adolf Burger (August Diehl) begins to think that they should not aid the Nazi cause.

The Counterfeiters is a strong drama and WWII period piece. The subtitles are worth it to enjoy this film, particularly if you like true stories of people in the most difficult of situations. Imagine Schlinder’s List, if it was set inside a German concentration camp and you will have an idea of what to expect here, although it lacks the emotional impact of the stronger earlier holocaust film.

Director: Robert Luketic

Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kevin Spacey, Laurence Fishburne, Kate Bosworth, Aaron Yoo, Liza Lapira, Jacob Pitts,

All right! Finally, a way to make some money in Vegas! Let’s grab some tickets. I’ll learn to count cards during the flight, and I should be rich by dinner! Director, Robert Luketic (Monster-In-Law)takes us to Sin City in this loud, flashy heist-style true story about a group of M.I.T. students who descend on Nevada’s most profitable Oasis to use their math skills like a blunt weapon to beat the dollars out of Vegas. The story is fast paced but predictable, though it does manage a tricky, if somewhat unconvincing ending.

Jim Sturgess (Across The Universe) seems a little uncomfortable as a smooth M.I.T nerd turned Vegas high roller, as a member of a group of card counting students led by Professor Rosa (Kevin Spacey). At first, it all seems like a never-ending party with money falling from the sky, but soon some dark clouds emerge in that sky in the form of dissension on the team and a surly security specialist, played by Laurence Fishburne.

21 is long on style, but a little short on substance and viewers without an interest in the subject matter will find it repetitious and may not be drawn in by the uneven story. Those who enjoy gambling films, will find this to be an imperfect, but enjoyable distraction for a couple of hours.

Director: Michael Haneke

Starring: Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, Michael Pitt, Brady Corbet, Devon Gearhart

Writer/director Michael Haneke did a scene by scene exact remake of his 1997 Austrian feature to create this English language version of the thought provoking film that questions the movie industry’s perceptions of violence and reality, unlike any film since 1971’s Clockwork Orange. The performances are superb and delivery of the natural dialog is impressive. The story moves forward slowly, and turns the usual Hollywood formula on its ear time, and time again, but to say more about how it does so, would reveal too much.

Ann, George (Naomi Watts, Tim Roth) and their son, Georgie (Devon Gearhart) are a rich, young family off to spend some time at their summer home. Things are busy, but pleasant, until a couple of polite and strange young men show up. When it turns out that their intentions include far more than borrowing a few eggs, things go downhill rapidly.

Imagine Desperate Hours (anyone remember that one?), with the home invaders being a couple of polite young men of obvious good breeding and cross with the cultural commentary of Clockwork Orange and you will have some idea of what to expect here, but really, in the end, this will really not be anything like what you have come to expect from a film.

Director: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Jason Statham, Ray Liotta, Vincent Pastore, Andre Benjamin, Terence Maynard, Mark Strong

I was pleasantly surprised when I found this little known Guy Ritchie (Snatch) crime feature. It sounded great and Ritchie’s cool and stylish hand was immediately evident in the lightning editing and unusual use of color. The slow story, however, couldn’t keep up with the pace that Ritchie sets, and eventually becomes a little hard to follow, very hard to buy and, by the end, it has become strange, surreal and too clever for its own good. For some reason, Ritchie inserts short comic book clips of the action, as well. These were different, but seemed out of place. The characters are adequate, but nowhere near Snatch standards, as is the dialog.

Jason Statham is Jake, a tough, smart hood, who has just been released after seven years in jail at the hand of local mobster, Macha, delivered by Ray Liotta, in a great performance. Jake feels he is owed something for the time he served and goes to tell Macha this, which, predictably results in a bunch of thugs making a determined effort to kill him. So far, so good. In an early twist, however, it seems that poor Jake has only three days to live due to a rare blood disease. Because of these two situations, he agrees, for some unfathomable reason, to turn over all his cash to a couple of loan sharks to protect him. Huh? I thought Jake was a tough guy? Anyway, suddenly Jake has become a lap dog for Avi and Zach (Andre Benjamin and Vincent Pastore). Don’t worry though, there are plenty of action scenes and plot twists to watch before all is revealed in a longwinded, and awkward ending, that I think I only understood part of.

Fast paced direction with a lumbering story isn’t a strong combination and, in this case, the result is a disheartening blow to Guy Ritchie’s reputation as the premiere maker of stylish crime films. Revolver is as over done as hockey puck burger, and there are better choices out there, but I know that Guy Ritchie fans (like me) will have to see this one for themselves. Maybe you’ll enjoy it more than I did.

Director: Roger Donaldson

Starring: Jason Statham, Saffron Burrows, Stephen Campbell Moore, Daniel Mays, James Faulkner, Michael Jibson, Richard Lintern

Director Roger Donaldson is on a roll. His last three films, The World’s Fastest Indian, The Recruit, and Thirteen Days, have all been fine efforts, but all are outdone by this captivating, true story of a 1970s bank robbery, where pulling off the caper was only the beginning of the robber’s challenges. The cool script moves at a brisk clip that swiftly ramps up the tension, and keeps it up the RPMs, all the way. Not all of the subplots seemed necessary and, although the dialog is sound, a few more slick quotable lines would have made this fine film even stronger.

Jason Statham (Snatch, Transporter series) must have been wondering what happened to the requisite scene where he leaps through the air in slow-motion with two pistols blazing. All of his projects since Snatch seem to find a way to fit that in. This isn’t that kind of film. Statham is Terry, owner of an unsuccessful car lot, with a shady background and the kind of debt that isn’t settled by declaring bankruptcy. An answer appears in the form of an old flame, Martine, who shows up with info and an offer of a lucrative robbery. What she fails to mention, is that she’s been recruited by black-op government types to get a hold of royal sex photos that are being used by a criminal as a stay out of jail free card. Terry puts together a team and this ambitious plan gets more complicated and dangerous as it goes on. And this is true? So they say. If there is a book about this (I looked. I couldn’t find one), I want to read it.

Today, sex photos of a prominent royal would likely lead to little more than a flurry of internet activity and a tearful apology. What a difference a quarter century makes! In the 1970s, the British government would apparently stop at nothing to keep those photos from becoming a front page scoop. The Bank Job is a jaw-dropping true story with top notch direction, and strong performances, that held me riveted to the end. If you loved films like Heat and Inside Man, then this is your first must-see motion picture of 2008.

Director: Martin McDonagh

Starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason, Clemence Poesy, Ralph Fiennes, Jordan Prentice,

First time feature film writer/director, Martin McDonagh gives viewers a bit of everything with this fresh, genre-bending, small-scale, character-driven action/comedy/drama. McDonagh showcases his writing skills here as well, with a smooth, entertaining script that also allows the performers to shine, and shine they do. Gleason and Farrell (where has this guy been the last few years?) are remarkable, and get plenty of help from an outstanding, supporting cast.

Ray and Ken (Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleason) are a couple of likable mob hitmen, who are mysteriously ordered, by their boss, Harry, (Ralph Fiennes) to go hide out in the historical, but small, Dutch town of Bruges following a job. While Ken relaxes and enjoys the slow-paced sight-seeing vacation, Ray is bored and uneasy, both because of the small town isolation and his own issues. He passes time by finding a movie set where is mesmerized by a dwarf actor (Jordan Prentice), and enchanted by a pretty Dutch girl (Clemence Poesy), before being enraged by a couple in a restaurant. It’s safe to say that things in the demographically small, but historically huge, town of Bruges, don’t stay boring for long.

In Bruges is an unconventional film, that has something for everyone, from laugh out loud humor, to moving drama, to original action scenes. The acting is strong and the characters are interesting. It is still a small film, and could have used a little more originality in the story and some edgier dialog, but these are only minor observations about a motion picture film that will appeal to fans of light, European crime dramas. Check it out.

Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner

Starring: Cesar Ramos, Alicja Bachleda-Curus, Kevin Kline, Paulina Gaitan, Zack Ward, Marco Perez,

Little known German director Marco Kreuzpaintner made this arresting, edge-of-your-seat drama from a script by TV writer, Jose Rivera, who was inspired by a New York Times magazine cover article by Peter Landesman. The difficult subject matter of sexual slavery is balanced by a riveting story and exceptional performances by a largely unknown cast. The potent direction and apt pacing makes this a disturbing standout of a film.

Paulina Gaitan is Adriana, an innocent 13 year-old girl living in Mexico City. Her brother, Jorge (Cesar Ramos), is a street hustler and when Adriana is snatched off the street by a gang of sexual traffickers, he launches into a desperate search for her. Held along with Adriana is a beautiful and scrappy Polish girl named Weronica (Alicja Bachleda-Curus). Jorge’s search for his abducted sister, seems increasingly hopeless, but starts to look up when he finds himself teamed up with an American cop (Kevin Kline). The story here is taut and will keep you both mesmerized and uncomfortable for its entire 2 hour run time.

Trade is a disturbing, and revealing glimpse, into the seedy world of sexual slavery, as well as finely crafted film. The story is strong, but does rely a little too heavily on coincidences, but is still an engaging viewing choice. Be careful, though, as it does run the risk of jarring us from our lives of complacency and have us demanding that this horrific criminal enterprise be crushed tomorrow.

Director: David Cronenberg

Starring: Viggo Mortenson, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Mina E. Mina

It’s Brutal. It’s dark, and it’s maginficent. Director David Cronenberg teams up with Viggo Mortenson, as he did in the less impressive History of Violence. Writer Steven Knight, Oscar nominee for his 2004 Dirty Pretty Things screenplay, outdoes himself here with this gritty story that is aided by outstanding acting performances, particularly by Mortenson in his best performance thus far, and by the skilled veteran Armin Mueller-Stahl (himself as Oscar nominee for Shine). The 2007 Oscar race is underway and Eastern Promises is storming out of the gate.

Viggio Mortenson shows his acting dedication as he delivers his lines in Russian, playing a Russian mafia associate named Nikolai. Nickolai is the driver for Kirill (Vincent Cassel), who is the son of powerful mob boss, Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl). The story takes place in London and starts when midwife, Anna (Naomi Watts) delivers the baby of a dying teen and sets out to have her Russian-language diary translated to discover her identity. This soon leads her to the Russian community of London, and into contact with some very dangerous men. I found the ending a little unsatisfying, though my companion disagreed (she usually does). What do you think?

Eastern Promises is an excellent film with great performances, a top-notch story and scenes that are alternately absorbing, shocking and subtle that should provide some mantle piece ornamentation for those involved. Imagine The Departed with Russian gangsters and without dueling cops and you will have some idea of what to expect here. This is one of the strongest movies of 2007. Don’t miss it.

Director: Sidney Lumet

Starring: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, Albert Finney.

Sidney Lumet is known for skillfully injecting atmosphere and mood into his films and this dark drama is no exception. He has a strong cast to work with and they do a fine job with a screenplay that is guaranteed to make you pretty uncomfortable as some really sleazy characters set out on a disturbing plan. The pace is slow and the story unfolds by jumping back and forth in time, which can be a little annoying, but holds the audience in suspense and keeps the interest level up. The dark subject matter, and hopelessly amoral characters, will not appeal to everyone, but there can be little debate that this is a well-crafted, and strongly performed feature. When was the last time Philip Seymour Hoffman gave a bad performance? Can you think of one? I can’t.

Philip Seymour Hoffman is Andy, a successful white collar worker who finds himself with a drug habit and a high-priced wife, played by Marisa Tomei. With these little issues, it’s no surprise that Andy is a little short on coin and needs a little extra income. One way to handle this would be to steal from work. It’s not a good solution, but it is the solution that Andy chooses and, surprise, surprise, things are soon worse. Now getting desperate, Andy comes up with a plan that could put a stop to any Sunday dinner invites. He plans a robbery of his parent’s jewelry store, and recruits his struggling, younger brother, Hank (Ethan Hawke) to pull it off. The plan is to use no violence and steal the stock, which is covered by insurance, anyway. Gee, that sounds harmless. What could possibly go wrong?

This is a deliciously evil film about some morally corrupt characters. It plays out like A Simple Plan, or Fargo (without the humor), so if you enjoyed those features then this is worth checking out. The pace is slow and the story takes a little while to draw you in. The script also jumps around alot, so make sure that you are paying enough attention or it will likely be difficult to follow. Now, paying attention is a colossal effort for me, but this one is worth it.