Millian Dollar Baby
Millian Dollar Baby is a 2004 boxing film that directed and co-produced by Clint Eastwood. The film stars Clint Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman and won 4 Academy Awards.
The Plot
The story follows a tough boxing trainer/manager who relunctantly accepts to help an underdog amateur boxer achieve her dream of becoming a professional boxer. The film follows the rise of Maggie, played by Hilary Swank, as she is trained by Frankie Dunn, played by Clint Eastwood, and finds herself making waves in the professional boxing scene.
The story follows a fairly traditional underdog style up until the last 20 minutes, which is something I was not expecting. The ending of the movie, although it drags on a bit, is very touching and is something a bit different for this type of movie.
The Performances
The performances are all pretty solid in this movie. Morgan Freeman is as lovable as ever and he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, and the support cast are all strong. Hilary Swank delivers a very assured performance, for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Clint Eastwood is as solid as ever.
The Main Problem
The main problem for me with the film is the ending. Although the final scenes were not expected, it just seems to be dragged out a little too long and this is a shame because it ruins a perfectly good film. The film is still very strong but if the ending was a little more succinct then the overall film would earn an extra point or two with me!
Overall
Overall this is a very good film, with a nice underdog story but with a twist. The performances are all good at the very least but the film is only dragged down (slightly) by the ending dragging on. Overall a very enjoyable film with a lot of heart.
Rating - 7/10
Wednesday 28 March 2012
Saturday 24 March 2012
Donnie Brasco
Donnie Brasco
Donnie Brasco is a crime drama film that was released in 1997 and was directed by Mike Newell. Johnny Depp, Al Pacino and Michael Madsen star in this true story of an FBI undercover agent. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The Plot
The story follows an FBI undercover agent that becomes Donnie Brasco, played by Johnny Depp, who goes undercover in order to infiltrate a mob family. Donnie manages to become friends with an aging hit-man, Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino), who helps get Donnie into the mob. Donnie gets deeper and deeper into the Mafia world and finds himself identifying more with the people he is attempting to expose than his regular life.
The plot is fantastic. Although the film is not completely accurate to the actual events, it is very close with only a few alterations. The story is gripping and is aided by fantastic performances and a brilliant script.
The Performances
This film provides one of Al Pacino's greatest performances. Pacino as Lefty is a flawless performance and it is criminally overlooked for an Oscar nomination. Johnny Depp is also fantastic in this film and the supporting cast are all great in the various roles.
Overall
Overall this is a really great film. The story is gripping and is supported by a fantastic script, with equally good performances from some top stars. The real tragedy of this movie is that it seems to be overlooked and has crept under the radar of the mainstream slightly. A truly great movie.
Rating - 8/10
Donnie Brasco is a crime drama film that was released in 1997 and was directed by Mike Newell. Johnny Depp, Al Pacino and Michael Madsen star in this true story of an FBI undercover agent. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The Plot
The story follows an FBI undercover agent that becomes Donnie Brasco, played by Johnny Depp, who goes undercover in order to infiltrate a mob family. Donnie manages to become friends with an aging hit-man, Lefty Ruggiero (Pacino), who helps get Donnie into the mob. Donnie gets deeper and deeper into the Mafia world and finds himself identifying more with the people he is attempting to expose than his regular life.
The plot is fantastic. Although the film is not completely accurate to the actual events, it is very close with only a few alterations. The story is gripping and is aided by fantastic performances and a brilliant script.
The Performances
This film provides one of Al Pacino's greatest performances. Pacino as Lefty is a flawless performance and it is criminally overlooked for an Oscar nomination. Johnny Depp is also fantastic in this film and the supporting cast are all great in the various roles.
Overall
Overall this is a really great film. The story is gripping and is supported by a fantastic script, with equally good performances from some top stars. The real tragedy of this movie is that it seems to be overlooked and has crept under the radar of the mainstream slightly. A truly great movie.
Rating - 8/10
Monday 19 March 2012
As Good As It Gets
As Good As It Gets
As Good As It Gets is an American romantic comedy film that was released in 1997. The film was directed by James L. Brooks and was produced by Laura Ziskin. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear.
The Plot
As Good As It Gets sees single mother waitress Carol Connelly, played by Helen Hunt, form an unlikely friendship with gay artist Simon Bishop, played by Greg Kinnear, as well as author Melvin Udall who suffers from OCD, played by Jack Nicholson.
Melvin manages to alienate himself from most people but finds himself looking after Simon Bishops dog after Simon is hospitalised. On top of this, the only waitress who will serve Melvin is forced off work, leaving him unable to have breakfast.
It is an interesting plot, and does not follow a traditional romantic comedy storyline, although there are some of the usual cliches in there. The plot is interesting throughout, with dynamics changing constantly.
The Performances
The performances are all strong in this performances, which is supported by the fact that both Nicholson and Hunt won Oscars for their roles in the movie. Greg Kinnear is great in it as well and the support cast holds up strong, particularly Cuba Gooding Junior (who seems to pop up in every other film in the 90s).
Comedy
I often watch romantic comedy films that have very little comedy (and often very little romance to be honest!) contained in them. As Good As It Gets has some genuinely funny moments in it that mainly come from Jack Nicholson and his behaviour!
Overall
Overall As Good As It Gets has a lot going for it. It has a really strong cast that all put in fantastic performances. The story is strong, especially for a romantic comedy film, and has some funny moments in it. There is also a lot of heart in it and we really feel the characters.
Rating: 8/10
As Good As It Gets is an American romantic comedy film that was released in 1997. The film was directed by James L. Brooks and was produced by Laura Ziskin. The film stars Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear.
The Plot
As Good As It Gets sees single mother waitress Carol Connelly, played by Helen Hunt, form an unlikely friendship with gay artist Simon Bishop, played by Greg Kinnear, as well as author Melvin Udall who suffers from OCD, played by Jack Nicholson.
Melvin manages to alienate himself from most people but finds himself looking after Simon Bishops dog after Simon is hospitalised. On top of this, the only waitress who will serve Melvin is forced off work, leaving him unable to have breakfast.
It is an interesting plot, and does not follow a traditional romantic comedy storyline, although there are some of the usual cliches in there. The plot is interesting throughout, with dynamics changing constantly.
The Performances
The performances are all strong in this performances, which is supported by the fact that both Nicholson and Hunt won Oscars for their roles in the movie. Greg Kinnear is great in it as well and the support cast holds up strong, particularly Cuba Gooding Junior (who seems to pop up in every other film in the 90s).
Comedy
I often watch romantic comedy films that have very little comedy (and often very little romance to be honest!) contained in them. As Good As It Gets has some genuinely funny moments in it that mainly come from Jack Nicholson and his behaviour!
Overall
Overall As Good As It Gets has a lot going for it. It has a really strong cast that all put in fantastic performances. The story is strong, especially for a romantic comedy film, and has some funny moments in it. There is also a lot of heart in it and we really feel the characters.
Rating: 8/10
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