Movies Blog : thrillers

"Awake" an amazing TV show, cancelled after tonight

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:48:00 GMT

I'm not a fan of hyperbole...but Awake is, without a doubt, the best show I've seen on TV in a long time.

However, the bean counters at NBC have already cancelled the show. Tonight's season finale will also be the series finale.

Detective Michael Britten survives a horrific car crash with his wife and son as passengers. Following the accident, Michael finds himself living in two realities: one in which his wife survived but his son didn't, and one where his son survived but his wife didn't.

Michael alternates between the two realities every morning when he wakes. Happenings in one reality become clues for the other.

Definitely an interesting concept. But it's the writing, acting, and emotion that make the show so great. The cinematography is excellent as well, always alerting the viewer to which reality they are currently seeing (except for a few scenes that are intentionally vague).

Is one of the realities a dream? Are both? What is going on? We should find out tonight as the 13th and final episode airs.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this series (if you couldn't tell already), but you must watch them in order. They are available for viewing on Hulu.

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My Favorite Sleep/Dream Related Movies

So all this talk about Awake made me think about movies involving sleep & dreaming. Below are 3 of my favs, and as I previously declared my love for all things Christopher Nolan it should be no surprise that two of these are his.

Inception (2010) - Check our catalog

Ambiguous Plot Description: In a world where technology exists to enter the human mind through dream invasion, a highly skilled thief is given a final chance at redemption which involves executing his toughest job to date: Inception. Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, & Ellen Page.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) - Check our catalog

Ambiguous Plot Description: A couple undergo a procedure to erase each other from their memories when their relationship turns sour, but it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with. Starring Jim Carrey & Kate Winslet.

Insomnia (2002) - Check our catalog

Ambiguous Plot Description: Two Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to an Alaska town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the murder of a local teen. Starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, & Hilary Swank.

Blow Out

LemmyCaution@evpl — Sat, 14 May 2011 18:01:00 GMT

The Criterion Company continues its amazing track record of preserving classic works of film with the recent addition of Brian De Palma's 1981 masterpiece Blow Out. Early in his career Brian De Palma distinguished himself as a maverick independent filmmaker whose work was heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock, which is conspicuously evident in such works as Sisters, which includes a score from Hitchcock's famous collaborative composer Bernard Hermann, and Dressed to Kill. These exemplary efforts differ from his larger studio efforts such as the indulgent Scarface, but before Scarface, De Palma brought together John Travolta and Nancy Allen together in Blow Out; a twisted and dark post-Watergate era film steeped in the political paranoia of the late 70's, the Chappaquiddick incident, and Michelangelo Antonioni's Blow Up. Blow Out's story revolves around John Travolta who plays a sound effects editor on B grade exploitation films and one evening when recording in a park he hears what appears to be a gunshot shooting out the tire of a car that drives off a bridge into a nearby river. Travolta jumps into the water and manages to save Sally, played by Nancy Allen, but leaves the driver who is dead. After taking Sally to the emergency room, Travolta finds out that the other person in the car was the Governor of Pennsylvania, who was planning on running for President. Also Travolta is told to keep quiet about Sally since the Governor was married and his aid wants to save the Governor's family from embarrassment. This sets off Travolta's character with a reluctant Sally to prove what he saw was a murder, and not an accident, despite everyone's doubts. De Palma's tour de force consists of his most mesmerizing and dizzying camerawork from his trademark split screen and slow motion sequences, to a variety of dolly and tracking shots to emphasize emotion and build narrative connections. All of the camera tricks coalesce into a luminously shot but disturbing finale set during the fireworks display of the fictional "Liberty Day" parade. What could have been a derivative exercise in suspense or topical film a la All the President's Men comes off as a unique political thriller enlivened by the personal performance of Travolta and the combined camerawork of Brian De Palma and the famous Vilmos Zsigmond. Also look for one of De Palma's most notable tracking shots which occurs in the sequence following the murder of a young girl and continues following a character into a seedy motel.

Christopher Nolan movies you've probably never heard of

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:14:00 GMT

With the success of Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and the now-in-theaters Inception, Christopher Nolan has become a pretty popular guy. And rightfully so.

However, most folks don't realize that Nolan has been making films for over 10 years.

As a fan of fine cinema, I've been following (wait for it...) Nolan's films ever since seeing Memento for the first time, shortly after its DVD release. And while his previous films didn't enter the public consciousness upon their release, at least compared to the level of his Batman films, they should have. These are amazing films.

So without further ado, I present a brief look, with purposely-ambiguous plot descriptions (i.e. NO-SPOILERS!), at Nolan's non-Batman/non-Inception films.

Following (1998) - Check our catalog

(...EPIC pun! Sorry, back on topic...)

Ambiguous Plot Description: An aspiring writer, obsessed with following strangers on the streets of London, forms a partnership with a burglar, breaking into flats and prying into the personal lives of the tenants.

Nolan's debut, a low-budget 70 minute black-and-white film, definitely hints at the director's future. The interesting thing about Following is the way the story is told...completely out-of-order. Scenes are shown in a completely random order. At first you'll be extremely confused, then less so as you start putting the pieces together. At the end, when all is revealed,...um, wow.

Memento (2000) - Check our catalog

Ambiguous Plot Description: A man, suffering from short-term memory loss, uses notes and tattoos to hunt for the man he thinks killed his wife. Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Joe Pantoliano.

Like Following, Memento is not presented in chronological order...but it makes more sense here, in the context of the story. Amazing, one of my favorite movies.

Insomnia (2002) - Check our catalog

Incredible, occasionally disturbing, performances by Pacino & Williams. Things quickly spiral out of control after [plot point that I won't reveal]...

The Prestige (2006) - Check our catalog

Ambiguous Plot Description: A mysterious story of two magicians whose intense rivalry leads them on a life-long battle for supremacy -- full of obsession, deceit and jealousy with dangerous and deadly consequences. Starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and David Bowie as an amazing Nikola Tesla!

Based on a book of the same name, The Prestige was released between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Strangely enough, it hit theaters right around the same time as The Illusionist...another film about magicians set during the Victorian Era. On its own, The Prestige is the better film; it also stars Scarlett Johansson, which gives it bonus points in my book.

And there you have it...the Christopher Nolan movies you've probably never heard of. But now you have. Check em out and sound off in the comments below.

More Info

IMDB.com: Find out more about Christopher Nolan on his IMDB page.
Amazon.com: Purchase the movies from Amazon using the Public Library Friends' referral link. All of Nolan's films, except Following, have been released on Blu-ray.
Mementos - The Freshmaker: CollegeHumor's Mentos commercial. In the style of Memento.

"Chuck" is about a nerd that becomes a spy...essentially my life story

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 17:50:00 GMT

In the television show Chuck, Charles "Chuck" Bartowski plays your typical 20-something computer-geek, stuck in a dead-end job at Buy More's Nerd Herd (a less-than-subtle parody of Best Buy's Geek Squad). He lives an uneventful life with his sister Ellie, until one day when he receives an email from his long-lost friend Bryce. Turns out Bryce is a rogue CIA agent, and his email contains an entire government database of top secret info, which embeds itself into Chuck's brain upon viewing.

Both the NSA and CIA want the intelligence returned to them and dispatch agents of their own - Major John Casey and Sarah Walker - to "retrieve" that data. When the original database is destroyed, Chuck has the only copy of that data, so he is forced to become a spy. Chuck's decision to keep his new-found occupation a secret from his family and friends, and to live his life as normally as possible, forces Casey and Walker to establish an uneasy alliance and secret identities (Walker poses as Chuck's girlfriend and takes a cover job at the local restaurant next to the Buy More while Casey gets a job at the Buy More), with the shared goal of protecting Chuck at all costs.

Seeing specific people/things causes Chuck to "flash", subliminally retrieving data about the person/object from the government database in his mind. Chuck uses this ability to help John & Sarah thwart evildoers and save the entire world from impending doom.

Sarah is an incredibly attractive female spy, and as they continue their "fake" relationship Chuck's feelings for her become real. There is lots of romantic tension, often mocked by smart-aleck comments by John (portrayed by Adam Baldwin, of Full Metal Jacket & Firefly/Serentity fame).

This show is brilliant, tied with The Office as my favorite current TV show. The cast is excellent, with real chemistry. The plots, while far-fetched, are extremely well-thought out, always resulting in hilarity and the unexpected. And the emotion evoked by the tension between Chuck & Sarah (not helped by Ellie's constant "I'm so happy you finally found a girlfriend" remarks), his belief that Sarah is way out of his nerd-league, the experiences with his ex-girlfriend (who re-appears in season 2), and his quest for more (a normal life and better job, for starters) creates endearing, genuine characters.

Season 1 was released on DVD & Blu-ray a couple months ago, and season 2 (which is even better than season 1) is currently airing on Monday nights at 7pm on NBC. It's a show you really need to watch in order, so check out the season 1 DVDs, catch up on the previous season 2 episodes at NBC.com, and watch the latest episode every Monday night!

More Information

EVPL Catalog: Check on the availability of Chuck: The Complete First Season on DVD at EVPL libraries.
NBC.com: Official website of Chuck. Find out more about the show, and watch full episodes from season 2!
Amazon: Buy Chuck: The Complete First Season on DVD or Blu-ray using these links, and the Public Library Friends will receive a portion of your purchase!

"Redbelt" not your typical karate movie

professor.knowsitall@evpl — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 17:38:00 GMT

Redbelt, written & directed by David Mamet, is not your typical martial arts movie...it has very few action scenes. In fact, calling it a "martial arts movie" is a bit belittling, as it is first and foremost a drama. While it started extremely slowly, I ended up getting drawn in and loving it.

Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Mike Terry, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instructor barely making ends meet. A series of unfortunate events increase the financial burden on Mike and his wife, Sondra. While Mike is a talented fighter, he refuses to participate in any kind of fighting competitions, as they have commercialized something he deems pure.

While seeking Sondra's brother (who just so happens to be a fight promoter) to ask for another loan, Mike is able to defend actor Chet Frank (well-played by Tim Allen) in a bar fight. The two become friends and Mike is hired on as producer of Chet's latest movie.

The rest of the story involves extremely-surprising twists & turns, which force Mike to enter the ring in competition. I am refraining from detail to avoid any possible spoilers...there are a number of different sub-plots, but the masterful storytelling really shines as things never become convoluted.

The acting is top-notch as well. This film is Chiwetel Ejiofor's first lead performance, and he proves he is more than capable. After seeing him in Dirty Pretty Things, Four Brothers, Serenity (where he plays the most mild-mannered, evil villain I have EVER seen), & Children of Men, I must say that I am a fan of his. Tim Allen does a great job with his first serious role (no Tim "The Toolman" here!), and Emily Mortimer does a great job as a quirky lawyer who becomes entangled in the plot after some odd occurrences.

After seeing some of the forum posts on IMDB (i.e. "worst movie ever", "Garbagebelt", "This movie is PURE CRAP", etc.), I understand that this is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of movie. If you're expecting a brain dead beat-em-up, you will be disappointed with Redbelt. However, if you're able to enjoy slow-paced, thought-provoking movies, I think you will enjoy it. With its story of fighter honor & dignity, similar to the old Kurosawa films, I cannot recommend it highly enough!

More Information

YouTube: Check out the theatrical trailer.
EVPL Catalog: Check the availability of Redbelt at EVPL libraries.
Buy it at Amazon: Purchase your own copy at Amazon using this link to support the Public Library Friends.
Movie info @ IMDB: More info about the movie, including WORST MOVIE EVAH opinions, available at the Internet Movie Database.
Chiwetel Ejiofor @ IMDB: View the biography & filmography of this promising actor.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

wag.mado@evpl — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:20:00 GMT

I picked this one up because I saw the face of Philip Seymour Hoffman on the cover. And as usual, he did not disappoint me. The story is about 2 brothers, Andy (Hoffman) and Hank (Ethan Hawke), who are both in need of money in the worst way. The elder Andy persuades his baby brother Hank to pull off the perfect crime - the robbery of their parent's jewelry store. Since these men are morally corrupt and driven by sex, greed, and drugs, the plot is quite a thriller. Throw their father, Charles (Albert Finney) and Andy's wife, Gina (Marisa Tomea) in the mix and you have a tale of one horribly dysfunctional family. These are NOT nice, normal people! Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is sequenced in flashback/forward style giving the viewer little clues here and there that lead to a complex tension-filled conclusion. I thought all the acting was superb and would highly recommend this movie to anyone who likes suspenseful thrillers. Why not check it out today?

Big Brother got your number?

E-Ville Librarian@evpl — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:25:00 GMT

Right off, no I am not talking about that terrible CBS television show. I am refering to Eagle Eye a new picture from DreamWorks Pictures starring Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan. As is often the case with most modern marketers, the movie is being plugged via the internet's viral format. In this particular case it takes the form of a database where you enter your phone number and pray they just try to sell you tickets to their movies. Follow the link if you "Ain't scared."