Category Archives: Drama

Drama, Narrative, Thriller

9/11 in the Movies

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Ten years later, I’m surprised at the lack of narrative feature films that have depicted the events of 9/11. A couple that immediately come to mind are 2006’s United 93 and World Trade Center. (Of course, the 2004 Michael Moore documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 deserves mention here, despite not being a narrative.) Sure, there have been some others in which 9/11 served as a backdrop or back story, but very few in which the attacks, themselves, are dramatized for the big screen. Perhaps some feel it’s still too soon or it would be wrong to profit from the tragic events—though that’s never really deterred filmmakers with a story to tell in the past.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHdqw6scuIc]

UNITED 93

IMDb Summary: A real-time account of the events on United Flight 93, one of the planes hijacked on 9/11 that crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania when passengers foiled the terrorist plot.

Director: Paul Greengrass

Screenwriter: Paul Greengrass

Producers: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Paul Greengrass, Lloyd Levin

Cast: JJ Johnson, Gary Commock, David Alan Basche, Olivia Thirlby, Liza Colón-Zayas

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Distributor: Universal Pictures

Runtime: 111 min.

Rating: R, for language and some intense sequences of terror and violence

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoVTupwbQ-s]

WORLD TRADE CENTER

IMDb Summary: Two Port Authority police officers become trapped under the rubble of the World Trade Center.

Director: Oliver Stone

Screenwriter: Andrea Berloff

Producers: Moritz Borman, Debra Hill, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Michael Peña, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jay Hernandez, Michael Shannon

Genre: Drama

Distributor: Paramount Pictures

Runtime: 129 min.

Rating: PG-13, for intense and emotional content, some disturbing images, and language

Drama, Narrative, New Release, Review

WARRIOR Strikes Hard

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I caught a screening of Warrior a couple of weeks ago and was pleasantly surprised. Generally, I’m not a sports movie fan (except for some noted gems, like Rocky), but this mixed martial arts (MMA)-based film is more than just a sports movie. This is a character-based film with heart. Rising stars Tom Hardy (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) and Joel Edgerton (Animal Kingdom, Kinky Boots) play estranged brothers opposite their screen dad Nick Nolte. The brothers find themselves participating in the same MMA tournament, only to find themselves standing across each other in the finals. Both men have much to gain and even more to lose. This film is well written, directed, acted, scored, etc., etc., etc. It’s one of the best films I’ve seen all year, and I didn’t even notice it ran a little long (139 minutes). Definitely check it out when it hits theatres on September 9.

Click here to read Limité Magazine‘s review by Stephanie Dawson.

Director: Gavin O’Connor

Screenwriters: Gavin O’Connor, Cliff Dorfman, Anthony Tambakis

Producers: Gavin O’Connor, Greg O’Connor

Cast: Tom Hardy, Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Morrison

Genres: Action, Drama, Sports

Distributor: Lionsgate

Runtime: 139 min.

Rating: PG-13, for sequences of intense mixed martial arts fighting, some language, and thematic material

Release Date: 9.9.11

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/LionsgateLIVE?v=rESBZ3bbS2o&feature=pyv&ad=16313219874&kw=warrior%20download]
Drama, Independent Film, Narrative, New Release, News, Preview, Thriller

Kevin Smith’s RED STATE Set for “One Night Only” Event

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Note: Melissa Leo won her Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, not Best Actress.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ1v6oFHefc]

HOLLYWOOD, CA, September 2, 2011—On the heels of its chart-topping, Academy-qualifying run at Quentin Tarantino’s New Beverly Cinema, SModcast Pictures announced today the next phase of its unprecedented release strategy for Kevin Smith’s controversial thriller Red State.

On Sunday, September 25, Red State will screen at select theatres nationwide through a unique partnership with the Emerging Pictures theatre network, announced David Dinerstein, whose D Squared Films is overseeing the films distribution for SModcast. “Red State will be made available as a ‘One Night Only’ event, which mirrors the format of SModcast’s record-breaking Red State USA Tour from earlier this year. For this screening event, Smith’s trademark post show Q&A will be digitally streamed live from Tarantino’s New Beverly into all of the participating theatres, allowing audience members to interact directly with Smith utilizing Twitter. Smith will be joined on stage by a special guest who will moderate the Q&A,” said Dinerstein.

Continue reading Kevin Smith’s RED STATE Set for “One Night Only” Event →

Coming Soon, Drama, Narrative, Preview

Coming Soon: Machine Gun Preacher

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Marc Forster, the versatile filmmaker who brought us the imaginative Stranger Than Fiction and Finding Neverland and the gritty Monster’s Ball, is primed to deliver big with his latest offering, Machine Gun Preacher—arguably the best-titled film of the year (not to be confused with this year’s Hobo with a Shotgun, which is an equally amazing title). This is the true story of Sam Childers (Gerard Butler), a former drug-dealing biker, who takes it upon himself to advocate for Sudanese children who are forced to be soldiers.

I’m a big fan of Forster’s work, so I’m looking forward to this film. Its fall release and Forster’s name put the film in prime contention for Oscar consideration. The Academy is usually a sucker for true stories, particularly those with heart, which this film appears to have. Judging from the trailer and synopsis, Childers’s arc is pretty dynamic. I’m interested to see what Butler did with such a meaty, inspired part. It’s good to see him outside the rom-com genre, at least for the time being.

Director: Marc Forster

Screenwriter: Jason Keller

Producers: Robbie Brenner, Craig Chapman, Marc Forster, Deborah Giarratana,  Gary Safady

Cast: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama

Distributor: Relativity Media

Official Site: machinegunpreacher.org

Release Date: 9.23.11 (NY & LA)

Coming Soon, Drama, Independent Film, Narrative, Poster, Preview

New Poster Released for DRIVE

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Below is the new domestic poster, just released for Nicholas Winding Refn’s action/thriller Drive, which is slated to bow in theatres on September 16. The film stars Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan. (Synopsis after the jump)

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Drama, Hit & Miss, In Theatres, Independent Film, Narrative, Review, Sci-Fi, War

Hit & Miss: Another Earth, The Devil’s Double

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I’m usually a pretty good judge of movies before even watching them. I can often tell whether I think a movie is going to be good or bad based on the trailer, logline, filmmaker, cast, or any other factor. Of course, this is not unique to me. Many of us have this super power. But every now and then, my senses go awry and I find myself in disbelief. Here are a couple of recent examples:

Hit

ANOTHER EARTH

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8hEwMMDtFY]

Going In: I’m not much for sci-fi, and after having seen the trailer, I just had a feeling—this is not going to be a good movie. And that’s a shame, because Fox Searchlight is my favorite distributor—but hey, even Fox Searchlight is entitled to a not-so-great movie once in a while. (Has anyone seen The Tree of Life?) Another Earth looked sleepy, boring, quiet, and any other number of synonyms that describe bland.

Stepping Out: BEST. MOVIE. OF. THE. YEAR. (so far) I can’t believe how wrong I was with this one. Brit Marling. Remember that name. She wrote, produced, and stars in this micro-budget indie that was directed by Mike Cahill. Nearly everything about this film is perfect. The dynamic performances. The breathtaking cinematography. The mesmerizing music. And most especially, the complex characters in a simple, original story. It just goes to show you, a film’s budget is no barometer for how good a movie is. The writing is (among other things). You can go into space with a tight script. And this film is proof.

Miss

THE DEVIL’S DOUBLE

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auE1FAGP1Kc]

Going In: The true story of the man who was forced to act as Uday Hussein’s double. (That’s Saddam’s son, folks.) I was easily intrigued, quite simply because I hadn’t seen anything like this before. And speaking of something I haven’t seen before, (based on the trailer) it looked like Dominic Cooper was turning in a performance unlike any other he’s done. I’m sold.

Stepping Out: WTF! Sure, there is gory violence, but this film isn’t nearly as gritty as I thought it would be. Sure, Cooper’s performance is solid, but that’s pretty much all this Lee Tamahori-helmed film has going for it. It’s glitzy, golden visuals are clearly implied in the trailer and poster, but I was mostly going into this film with the overall concept in mind. Clearly, I wasn’t paying close enough attention. This film resembled more of a flashy music video than any film worth my time. (I was actually expecting something on par with The Hurt Locker, in style and substance.) Mind you, I didn’t hate it—and “not hating it” is the best compliment I can offer.

Actors, Coming Soon, Drama, Independent Film, Narrative, Preview

DRIVE Goes Full Throttle at Comic-Con

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Fresh off its run at Cannes and a presence at 2011 Comic-Con, filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn brings his latest feature, Drive, to theatres on September 16. This Ryan Gosling-starring vehicle also stars Bryan Cranston (TV’s Breaking Bad), Carey Mulligan, Christina Hendricks (TV’s Mad Men), Albert Brooks, and Ron Perlman. Here’s the official trailer, synopsis, and photos from Comic-Con.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eup3tFOgbk&feature=channel_video_title]
Drama, Independent Film, Narrative, New Release, Preview, Sci-Fi

New Web Series: Death’s Door

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My friend Stephanie just produced a new web series called Death’s Door, which will be premiering next month. Check out the trailer and synopsis below. Also, be sure to stop by the YouTube page, where you can watch exclusive interviews with the filmmakers and cast.

The first time Marcus died, he thought his life was destroyed. The second time, he discovered what life is. Death’s Door is a 10-part sci-fi web series that starts August 7. New episodes will release weekly on Sundays at 8pm.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81LMpuCJDls]
Actors, Awards, Coming Soon, Drama, Independent Film, Narrative, Oscars, Preview

Meryl Streep Is Made of Iron

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The most nominated actress in Oscar history is working hard for her 17th nomination next year. Meryl Streep has been consistently nominated at least every few years since her first Academy recognition in 1978’s The Deer Hunter. Despite her two wins, you can call Streep the new Susan Lucci. Her last win came nearly 30 years ago for Sophie’s Choice (1982). Thirty years! For some reason, the Academy can’t bear to honor who is arguably the greatest actress of all time just once more. Perhaps it feels “she’s won twice, so let’s honor someone new—all the while, we can’t not recognize her talent, so a nomination will be enough for her.” Enough for her? Maybe. Enough for her fans? Hardly. All these years later, Streep still turns out some truly inspired performances. (I still get goosebumps thinking about what she did for her character in 2008’s Doubt.)

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Drama, Foreign Film, Independent Film, Narrative, Sci-Fi, Short Film

Short Film: “Alive in Joburg” by Neill Blomkamp

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In my last post, I referenced District 9, the South African Oscar Best Picture nominee from 2008. “Alive in Joburg” is the 2006 short film on which District 9 was based, directed by Neill Blomkamp (who also helmed the feature) and produced by Sharlto Copley (who stars in the feature adaptation).

Aliens have arrived to Johannesburg …