Movie Row

We've moved!

2007-02-16T14:34:00.000Z

Starting today you can find Movie Row at movierow.net! That's right, I decided to drop the
.blogspot and move the site to a domain of it's own.

Though you'll still be able to access this site (Blogger version), I won't post here anymore.
You'll find a new design and many new feature on the new site, so come pay us a visit!

Oscars 2007 Nominees

2007-01-28T15:15:00.000Z

With just under a month to the Oscars it's time to look at this year's nominees and remember some of the good films of the last year. Since there are so many categories with many nominees, I'll not go into details just yet, but go through them very briefly.

However, in the following weeks I'll post reviews for many of the ones that curently don't have one on the blog and try to comment a little on possible winners. So just keep on visiting Movie Row as there'll be plenty for you to read.

As I write more and more reviews for nominated films, I'll link them to this post and viceversa for the sake of easy navigation.

Best Motion Picture of the Year

Babel
The Departed
Letters from Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Leonardo DiCaprio for Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling for Half Nelson
Peter O'Toole for Venus
Will Smith for The Pursuit of Happyness
Forest Whitaker for The Last King of Scotland

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Penélope Cruz for Volver
Judi Dench for Notes on a Scandal
Helen Mirren for The Queen
Meryl Streep for The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet for Little Children

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin for Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley for Little Children
Djimon Hounsou for Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy for Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg for The Departed

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Adriana Barraza for Babel
Cate Blanchett for Notes on a Scandal
Abigail Breslin for Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson for Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi for Babel

Best Achievement in Directing

Clint Eastwood for Letters from Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears for The Queen
Paul Greengrass for United 93
Alejandro González Iñárritu for Babel
Martin Scorsese for The Departed

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Babel: Guillermo Arriaga
Letters from Iwo Jima: Iris Yamashita, Paul Haggis
Little Miss Sunshine: Michael Arndt
El Laberinto del Fauno: Guillermo del Toro
The Queen: Peter Morgan

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan:
Sacha Baron Cohen, Anthony Hines, Peter Baynham, Dan Mazer, Todd Phillips
Children of Men: Alfonso Cuarón, Timothy J. Sexton, David Arata, Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
The Departed: William Monahan
Little Children: Todd Field, Tom Perrotta
Notes on a Scandal: Patrick Marber

Best Achievement in Cinematography

The Black Dahlia: Vilmos Zsigmond
Children of Men: Emmanuel Lubezki
The Illusionist: Dick Pope
El Laberinto del Fauno: Guillermo Navarro
The Prestige: Wally Pfister

Best Achievement in Editing

Babel: Douglas Crise, Stephen Mirrione
Blood Diamond: Steven Rosenblum
Children of Men: Alfonso Cuarón, Alex Rodríguez
The Departed: Thelma Schoonmaker
United 93: Clare Douglas, Richard Pearson, Christopher Rouse

Best Achievement in Art Direction

Dreamgirls: John Myhre, Nancy Haigh
The Good Shepherd: Jeannine Claudia Oppewall, Gretchen Rau, Leslie E. Rollins
El Laberinto del Fauno: Eugenio Caballero, Pilar Revuelta
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: Rick Heinrichs, Cheryl Carasik
The Prestige: Nathan Crowley, Julie Ochipinti

Best Achievement in Costume Design

Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia: Chung Man Yee
The Devil Wears Prada: Patricia Field
Dreamgirls: Sharen Davis
Marie Antoinette: Milena Canonero
The Queen: Consolata Boyle

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score

Babel: Gustavo Santaolalla
The Good German: Thomas Newman
Notes on a Scandal: Philip Glass
El Laberinto del Fauno: Javier Navarrete
The Queen: Alexandre Desplat

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song

An Inconvenient Truth: Melissa Etheridge ("I Need To Wake Up")
Dreamgirls: Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, Anne Preven ("Listen")
Dreamgirls: Henry Krieger, Siedah Garrett ("Love You I Do")
Cars: Randy Newman ("Our Town")
Dreamgirls: Henry Krieger, Willie Reale ("Patience")

Best Achievement in Makeup

Apocalypto: Aldo Signoretti, Vittorio Sodano
Click: Kazuhiro Tsuji, Bill Corso
El Laberinto del Fauno: David Martí, Montse Ribé

Best Achievement in Sound

Apocalypto: Sean McCormack, Kami Asgar
Blood Diamond: Lon Bender
Flags of Our Fathers: Alan Robert Murray, Bub Asman
Letters from Iwo Jima: Alan Robert Murray
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: George Watters II, Christopher Boyes

Best Achievement in Visual Effects

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: John Knoll, Hal T. Hickel, Charles Gibson, Allen Hall
Poseidon: Boyd Shermis, Kim Libreri, Chas Jarrett, John Frazier
Superman Returns: Mark Stetson, Richard R. Hoover, Neil Corbould, Jon Thum

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year

Cars: John Lasseter
Happy Feet: George Miller
Monster House: Gil Kenan

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year

Efter brylluppet (Denmark)
Indigènes (Algeria)
El Laberinto del Fauno (Mexico)
Das Leben der Anderen (Germany)
Water (Canada)

Best Documentary, Features

Deliver Us from Evil: Amy Berg, Frank Donner
An Inconvenient Truth: Davis Guggenheim
Iraq in Fragments: James Longley, Yahya Sinno
Jesus Camp: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
My Country My Country: Laura Poitras, Jocelyn Glatzer

Best Documentary, Short Subjects

The Blood of Yingzhou District: Ruby Yang, Thomas Lennon
Recycled Life: Leslie Iwerks, Mike Glad
Rehearsing a Dream: Karen Goodman, Kirk Simon
Two Hands: The Leon Fleisher Story: Nathaniel Kahn, Susan Rose Behr

Best Short Film, Animated

The Danish Poet: Torill Kove
Lifted: Gary Rydstrom
The Little Matchgirl: Roger Allers, Don Hahn
Maestro: Géza M. Tóth
No Time for Nuts: Chris Renaud, Mike Thurmeier

Best Short Film, Live Action

Binta y la gran idea: Javier Fesser, Luis Manso
Éramos pocos: Borja Cobeaga
Helmer & Søn: Søren Pilmark, Kim Magnusson
The Saviour: Peter Templeman, Stuart Parkyn
West Bank Story: Ari Sandel

Review of "Children of Men"

2007-01-24T15:47:00.000Z

Children of Men is a good, carefully crafted apocalytic film about the chaotic and hopeless world of 2027 in which no child was born for the past 18 years. Set in and around a dystopian London torn apart by violence and warring sects, the movie follows Theo Faron (Clive Owen), a disillusioned ex-activist who’s forced to protect and transport a pregnant woman named Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) to a scientists sanctuary at sea.

For the most part it follows one of the classic apocalypse recipes: because of it’s constant line of mistakes (polluting, disrespecting nature, warring etc), humankind is on the brink of extinction. For some unknown reasons, we’ve lost the ability to procreate and thus, in term became desperate enough to actually manage and bring most of the world to chaos, leaving only one spot of relative normality – Britain. A plot that resembles a futuristic “Battle of Britain” with very dark prospects. A plot not quite used to it’s full potential as it's stingy with some details and concentrates on Kee, Theo and them getting from point A to point B in one piece. But I’ll overlook that as there are some very small clues regarding possible questions and the trip itself is action packed and at times humorous enough to keep your eyes glued to the screen.

The acting is overall great. The old hippie Jasper, portrayed by Michael Caine, is a good example of the acting quality seen in this movie and at the same time contributes a great deal to the funny pieces. The same goes for Julianne Moore (as Julian Taylor) and of course, the main characters, Theo and Kee. However, I have to point out the sort of robot-like acting and exaggerated reactions of Marichka, the gypsy in the camp, portrayed by the Romanian actress, Oana Pellea. As a Romanian, being able to understand what she was saying, I’ve found Marichka too artificial in a way.

Helping the feeling and being a nice touch is the sound. There are a lot of minute details, easy to miss that add to the atmosphere of the world depicted and they really help the visuals, who are also very good and on this part I have to give Emmanuel Lubezki, the director of photography his well deserved credit as he really does wonders with the beautiful, outdoor shots. And the soundtrack is excellent with the alternative Spanish version of "Ruby Tuesday" along with some classical pieces.

The ending will disappoint some people and it did disappoint me a little. It’s almost like there’s a pseudo Deus Ex Machina there, but that depends on what you like to belive about the prospects that lay ahead for humanity – will it or will it not survive.

Overall this is movie is worth your attention and may actually stay in your head well after you’ve watched it. If it weren’t for the unanswered questions, some dubious twists and minor flaws, I’d give it a 10, but considering the above, I’ll settle for an 8.

RATING: 8/10

Directed by: Alfonso Cuarón
Writing credits: Alfonso Cuarón (screenplay), Timothy J. Sexton (screenplay), David Arata (screenplay), Mark Fergus (screenplay), Hawk Ostby (screenplay) & P.D. James (novel "The Children of Men")
Starring: Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, Claire-Hope Ashitey, Pam Ferris, & Danny Huston

MPAA Rating: Rated R for strong violence, language, some drug use and brief nudity.
Runtime: 109 min
Country: UK / USA
Language: Serbo-Croatian / German / Italian / Romanian / English / Spanish
Color: Color
Sound Mix: SDDS / Dolby Digital / DTS
Certification: Singapore:NC-16 / Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) / Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) / Ireland:15A / Portugal:M/16 / Netherlands:16 / USA:R / France:U / Germany:16 / Finland:K-15 / Australia:MA / UK:15 / South Africa:16LV

Awards: Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 15 nominations

See it also at:
IMDb
Metacritic
Rotten Tomatoes

Review of "Night at the Museum"

2007-01-23T21:40:00.000Z

This movie is refreshing and enjoyable. Don’t expect a solid and profound plot. Instead be ready for a simple but full of surprises one that manages to entertain you the whole length of the movie, while being very easy to digest. Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) is employed as a night watch for the Museum of Natural History in NYC with the task of not letting anything in or out of the museum, and soon discovers what the "out" part was all about. "Powered" by an ancient, cursed Egyptian pharaoh's tablet, the animals and exibits in the museum come to life, wreaking havoc. Not afording to quit his job, Larry has to deal with them and prevent them from getting out, where they would turn to dust.

The acting is ok, with Stiller actually being funny and likable, which is something he hasn’t been in many of it’s movies. Robin Williams as Teddy Roosevelt is hilarious as usual and a nice surprise and so is Mickey Rooney, as the disgruntled and annoyed security guard, Gus.

The special effects are good and their star is certainly Rex, the T-Rex in the movie and the best dinosaur on screen in the last years. The cowboy and the Roman and Aztec miniatures that give Larry a continuous headache are very funny and do a good job supporting the chaos that characterizes the film. Also adding to the dynamic, the music is good and in tone with the action that evolves on screen.

Though having it’s share of clichés, Night at the Museum is a great family film worth watching. It has action, romance and a good dose of silly humor. Best fun flick in a while.

RATING: 7/10

Directed by: Shawn Levy
Writing credits: Ben Garant (also screen story), Thomas Lennon (also screen story) & Milan Trenc (book)
Starring: Ben Stiller, Carla Gugino, Robin Williams, Dick Van Dyke, Steve Coogan, Patrick Gallagher, Ricky Gervais, and Mickey Rooney

MPAA Rating: Rated PG for mild action, language and brief rude humor.
Runtime: 108 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS
Certification: UK:PG / USA:PG / Portugal:M/6 / Malaysia:U / Australia:PG / Singapore:PG / Germany:6 / Portugal:M/12 / Hong Kong:I / Ireland:PG / Finland:K-11

See it also at:
IMDb
Metacritic
Rotten Tomatoes

Review of "The Pursuit of Happyness"

2007-01-18T17:33:00.000Z

I knew this movie had a lot of potential the moment I saw it’s awesome trailer at the cinema, but now that I’ve actually seen it, I have to admit it surpassed all my expectations. I saw a couple of good 2006 movies, but The Pursuit of Happyness ranks as no. 1 in my personal 2006 top and among the first 10 all time favourites.

Chris Gardner (Will Smith’s character) is a loving father, smart man but a failling businessman struggling with poverty, living in the 1980s San Francisco. He sells bone scanners for a living, but he can barely pay rent and taxes with the earned money so he applies for an unpaid, competitive internship that offers him a very long shot at a better life. The next six moths he has to risk everything on his gamble while also taking care of his son, Christopher (played by Jaden Smith, Will’s real son) after his wife, Linda has left him.

First of all, if you really thought Will Smith couldn’t act well, you’re in for a surprise. You can feel what he’s going through, the pain he has to endure, the effort he has to make every single day in hope of better days, just by looking in his eyes. It’s almost as if he struggles not showing he’s suffering, always trying to be and look happy so when he snaps you can really see it. When he cries, you feel his pain and desperation. Jaden Smith is really adorable and the on-screen chemistry between him and Will is awesome.

Gabriele Muccino, also made a very good job directing the movie, and achieved sending a powerfull message without poking you in the head, like some directors tend to do. Some scenes are really heartbreaking, like the one Chris and his son have to sleep in a BART toilet and the misdirection he uses to protect his son from suffering, the one with the rich people in the car passing the homeless shelter or the one when he cries for the first time and many more. I also like the analogy between Chris’ running and the movie’s title and all the reference to happiness and Thomas Jefferson.

The soundtrack is discrete and well chosen. It does what it’s supposed to do – suport a beautiful, well crafted and powerful film. Doesn’t try to exaggerate those tensed moments, nor is it overused, like in some movies.

This movie is a beautifully crafted and very real story about a father’s struggle with poverty, racism and day-to-day problems in his pursuit of happiness and it was nominated for 2 Golden Globes as well as other 10 awards. It's earned a 10.

Oh, by the way, the real Chris Gardner makes a cameo appearance just at the end, so be on the look out.

RATING: 10/10

Directed by: Gabriele Muccino
Writing credits: Steve Conrad (written by)
Starring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith, Thandie Newton, Brian Howe, James Karen, Dan Castellaneta, Kurt Fuller, and Takayo Fischer

Also Known As: Untitled Chris Gardner Project (USA) (working title)
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some language.
Runtime: 117 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: DTS / Dolby Digital / SDDS
Certification: Ireland:12A / USA:PG-13 (certificate #42013) / Sweden:7 / Netherlands:6 / Singapore:PG / Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) / Canada:G (Quebec) / UK:12A / Italy:T

Awards: Nominated for Oscar. Another 12 nominations

See it also at:
Official site
IMDb
Metacritic

Preview of "Nomad"

2007-01-17T13:56:00.000Z

Set in the 18th-century Kazakhstan, the movie follows the story of a young man destined to unite the country's warring tribes. The estimated budget of $40,000,000 makes it the most expensive Kazakh movie ever made and some critics say this shows in the movie.

Though the trailer is a little dull, from what I've read and seen so far, it seems Nomad is a good movie. I have to agree though that casting Jay Hernandez and Kuno Becker as main carachters in a film about Kazakhs is not really a struck of genius nor does it improve the feeling of authenticity of the picture.

The worldwide version was premiered at the Locarno Film Festival on 5 August 2006, and the North American release is scheduled for January 26 in the USA.

RELEASE DATE: January 26, 2007 (USA - limited)

Directed by: Sergei Bodrov, Ivan Passer, Talgat Temenov
Writing credits: Rustam Ibragimbekov
Starring: Jay Hernandez, Kuno Becker, Mark Dacascos, Jason Scott Lee, and Doskhan Zholzhaksyno

Also Known As: N/A
MPAA Rating: Not rated
Runtime: 111 minutes
Country: Kazakhstan
Language: Kazakh (with English subtitles)
Color: Color
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Certification: N/A

Awards: Nominated for Golden Globe

See it also at:
Official site
IMDb
Metacritic

Preview of "Epic Movie"

2007-01-17T12:35:00.000Z

"Epic" they say. I doubt it. I've always thought bad of this movies that just make fun of other movies by actually managing to be worse than the movies they mock in the first place. And yes, I have to admit, some of them were funny by just being totally idiotic, but now it's just one after the other. Same stupid plots, same 3rd hand actors, same 3rd grade humor and the same fart jokes.

Well, from the writers of Date Movie (and what a lame piece of work that was), the same ones that contributed to Scary Movie series, comes Epic Movie. If you live in the US, you can see it starting January 26th. The plot sound like this:

The twisted minds of two of the six writers of "Scary Movie" tackle the biggest mega-blockbusters of all time in "Epic Movie." The story centers on four not-so-young orphans: one raised by a curator at the Louvre (where an albino assassin lurks), another a refugee from Mexican "libre" wrestling, the third a recent victim of snakes on her plane, and the fourth a "normal" resident of a mutant "X"-community. The hapless quartet visits a chocolate factory, where they stumble into an enchanted wardrobe that transports them to the land of Gnarnia (with a "G"). There they meet a flamboyant pirate captain and earnest students of wizardry - and join forces with, among others, a wise-but-horny lion to defeat the evil White Bitch of Gnarnia.

RELEASE DATE: January 26, 2007 (USA - limited)

Directed by: Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer
Writing credits: Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer
Starring: Kal Penn, Adam Campbell, Jennifer Coolidge, Tony Cox, Carmen Electra, Faune A. Chambers, Crispin Glover & Fred Willard

Also Known As: Bob Bailey (USA) (working title)
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language and some comic violence
Runtime: N/A
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: N/A
Certification: USA:PG-13

Awards: N/A

See it also at:
Official site
IMDb

"Blood and Chocolate" Soon to Open

2007-01-15T23:28:00.000Z

Blood and Chocolate will soon open in the US. On January 26th, to be precise. From what I've seen and read so far, it's just another werewolf movie. One nice touch to it is that it was filmed in Romania, in my city, Bucharest.

So, you have Vivian (Agnes Bruckner) a young werewolf who's living in Bucharest and is chosen as the mate for the leader of her pack, Gabriel, interpreted by Olivier Martinez, though she has feelings for a human - Aiden (Hugh Dancy). Her sense of alienation is heightened when a series of unexplained murders point to her as the killer, a threat not only for her, but for her entire pack as well. Personally, this plot has a little Underworld written over it, only this time, we don't have vampires, but werewolves. In fact, the producers are the same ones that brought you Underworld. Who knows, maybe I've underestimated this movie.

RELEASE DATE: January 26, 2007

Directed by: Katja von Garnier
Writing credits: Ehren Kruger (screenplay), Christopher Landon (screenplay) & Annette Curtis Klause (book)
Starring: Agnes Bruckner, Hugh Dancy, Olivier Martinez

Also Known As: N/A
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for violence/terror, some sexuality and substance abuse
Runtime: N/A
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: N/A
Certification: USA:PG-13

Awards: N/A

See it also at:
Official site
IMDB

Review of "World Trade Center"

2007-01-15T17:28:00.000Z

I finnaly got to see this movie about a week or so ago and it made a positive impression on me.

Note: spoilers may follow!

First of all, compared to United 93, World Trade Center takes on a more personal approach to 9/11, focusing on the story of two Port Authority police officers that become trapped inside an elevator shaft of the main concourse between the towers when the first tower collapses.

I like how the movie succeeds in creating a just-another-ordinary-day atmosphere in the begining, almost as if nothing out of the ordinary is bound to happen during the next 130 minutes or so. However, you are quickly introduced into the dynamic and dramatic nature of the events of that day when news about the first plane hitting gets to the emergency services.

Both Nicolas Cage and Michael Peña do a good job at portraying officers John McLoughlin and Will Jimeno respectively, and give a good sense of authenticity to the entire movie. The drama of being trapped under the rubble of the WTC and not knowing what really happened, the fear of not getting to see your loved ones again and the ever present risk of going to sleep and not waking up is only interrupted by memories and moments of sheer as the two strugle for survival. Though the film is unable to establish a connection between the audience and emergency personnel as a whole, it does a pretty good job at making you care for the two cops, in case the reality of the events portrayed is not enough.

When it comes to the visual part, World Trade Center does well considering that most of the shots are actually under rubble or indoors at the families of the two officers. I would say the scene with the burning towers seen from the ground and the final scene showing Ground Zero are enough to give you goose bumps as it gives you a sense of scale, and thus a good sense of what trying to rescue people from the towers must have been like.

The soundtrack fits the whole idea of the movie. Personally I liked the part with "Only in America" playing at the radio. The music was at times an unnecessary adition, cause it adds even more dramatic weight to some shots and that may be considered manipulation by some, as 9/11 is a very sensitive subject, but overall, the story is clean and focuses more on facts rather than just visuals plus music, like some productions often do.

And yes, facts, the key ingredient to every based-on-a-true-story type of movie. Except a few minor details, I've found World Trade Center to be historically accurate for the most part. And in case you're wondering why Sgt. Thomas, the marine who rescued McLoughlin and Jimeno is white in the movie when in reality he is black, that's because his identity was unknown at the time of filming, and thus they only knew him as Sgt. Thomas and portrayed him as a white marine.

I encourage you to go see this movie if you haven't already. It's a good depiction of the way 9/11 affected those two officers and not only them. Oliver Stone did a good job on this one. And as far as awards go, it has won two: Hollywood Movie of the Year at the Hollywood Film Festival and Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review. Overall, World Trade Center deserves a solid 9.
All
RATING: 9/10

Directed by: Oliver Stone
Writing credits: Andrea Berloff (written by), John McLoughlin (true story), Donna McLoughlin (true story), William Jimeno (true story) & Allison Jimeno (true story)
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Michael Pena, Jay Hernandez, Maria Bello, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Stephen Dorff, Michael Shannon & Patti D'Arbanville

Also Known As: September (USA) (working title) & Untitled Oliver Stone/September 11 Project (USA) (working title)
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense and emotional content, some disturbing images and language
Runtime: 129 min
Country: USA
Language: English
Color: Color
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital / SDDS / DTS
Certification: Philippines:PG-13 / Spain:13 / Peru:14 / Argentina:13 / Argentina:16 / Italy:T / Ireland:12A / Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) / Canada:14A (Nova Scotia) / Netherlands:12 / UK:12A / Australia:M / Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) / Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) / Singapore:PG / USA:PG-13 (certificate #42823) / Finland:K-11 / Portugal:M/12 / Hong Kong:IIA

See it also at:
Official site
IMDb
Metacritic
Rotten Tomatoes