Win A Date With Ted Hamilton, 2004

Win a Date With Ted Hamilton, 2004
Director: Robert Luketič
Cast: Kate Bosworth, Josh Duhamel, Topher Grace


Stage: Home TV selection, nice Monday evening


Win a Date in short: Rosalee Futch is a grocery clerk living in rural West Virginia. But even a small-town girl can have big dreams, and Rosalee's is to someday--somehow--meet her big-screen idol Tad Hamilton. The somehow arrives in the form of a contest--the grand prize: a date with Tad Hamilton--and the someday is now. Rosalee wins, much to the chagrin of her best friend and co-worker Pete, who is deeply, hopelessly--and secretly--in love with Rosalee. The Win a Date contest was cooked up by Tad's agent, Richard Levy, and his manager, also named Richard Levy, to clean up Tad's bad-boy image. Someone should have told them to be careful what you wish for. When Tad meets Rosalee and gets a taste of what he's been missing in the real world, he decides he wants seconds and moves to West Virginia, turning Rosalee's dream come true into a nightmare for Richard Levy, Richard Levy and, most of all, Pete.




Preps: I have nothing special to do and am not in a mood for something heavy. Plus, something isn't working as it should with my portable disc. Hence.. tv should make me entertained.


Reality: Hm. I am more than dissappointed. The plot seems interesting. Something like Notting Hill, but in US. NOT. Truly not. What did this director mean by creating something like this, I don't know. Fortunately, I don't recall having this at our theaters, otherwise I would object on this spot putting something like this in public.

To be quite precise - the plot is interesting, but poorly delivered. This means the script wasn't optimized and the screenwriter should probably rethink his work. Next, the characters. Lame delivery of cast, main and supporting actors. Poor energy, lousy dialogues and all the time you feel you are watching something that was designed for kids. Interesting music, but this normally isn't the problem at romantic comedies. Stage, photography, scenes.. average or subaverage. All in all, the movie leaves me cold and I am angry for spending time on this s...

You shouldn't bet on such TV comedies as they will seldom surprise you or leave you burning with anxiety. The story could be a good one, if it was delivered properly. The huge advance of this topic is seen in Notting Hill, taking number one in this genre and this perticular topic. Everyone wants to see how dating a celebrity might seem like, because anyone can relate to this desire every now and then. But to see it in this shape is truly dissappointing.


My personal rating: 1,0 (for the topic, not delivery. Don't waste your time!)


Win a Date on IMDB

13 Going on 30, 2004

13 Going on 30, 2004
Director: Gary Winick
Cast: Mark Ruffalo, Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Kathy Baker



Stage: Home theatre, on a sunny Thursday after a beautiful afternoon

13 Going on in short: After total humiliation at her thirteenth birthday party, Jenna Rink wants to just hide until she's thirty. Thanks to some wishing dust, Jenna's prayer has been answered. With a knockout body, a dream apartment, a fabulous wardrobe, an athlete boyfriend, a dream job, and superstar friends, this can't be a better life. Unfortunetly, Jenna realizes that this is not what she wanted. The only one that she needs is her childhood best friend, Matt, a boy that she thought destroyed her party. But when she finds him, he's a grown up, and not the same person that she knew.


Preps: Well, I remember this one. I believe I am in a romantic mood for a comedy.


Reality: Well, this is a fairly cute comedy. However, you need to have the obligation to rest and you cannot expect your brains to fall out of excitement.

The scenes and dialogues are somehow witty and can drag my attention easily. I spend a lot of time figuring out how the girl will transform into a responsible adult. And she almost passes with merits until real »adult« stuff comes along, within this the sexual life she's supposed to have with her boyfriend and the responsibilities at work.

I am somehow surprised the director took the lighter path (or the screenplayer). I believe it's not so easy to fit into the adult shoes as here is shown, plus, there would be more complications deriving from »no experience with credit cards, payments, etc« boundaries. On the other hand, the light showing of a »dream come true« for a teenager ends up in dissapointment where she discovers, what a bitch she has become and becomes really depressed about it.

Cute music that fits the purpose, doesn't stand out and just emphasize the importance of different sequences of the story. It is vital that you don't feel overburdened with the music in the movie. In this type of stories, the view and the concentration should be on the story and main cast, the interaction within the actors. It is kind of cute finding your long lost best friend and falling in love again. The movie gives us the feeling we all have second chances. At least this is the first feeling I get and this couldn't be more wrong.. Maybe more important, we don't always have a second chance, therefore we should seize the day and grab the opportunity as they really fly away.

Don't think you will gain too much of this experience. However, Garner plays lovely and will give you a glimpse how it is for a 13 year old who doesn't know what she's having in front of her head and how hard it must hit her to appreciate it.

My personal rating: 6,0 (quite good in this genre, I believe I can live with seeing something like this every now and then. To remind me to live while I am alive and not thrive for being older and more experienced)


13 Going on on IMDB

Crash, 2004

Crash, 2004
Director: Paul Haggis
Cast: Don Cheadle, Sandra Bullock, Thandie Newton, Matt Dillon


Stage: Home Theatre on a lonely night.


Crash in short: Over a thirty-six hour period in Los Angeles, a handful of disparate people's lives intertwine as they deal with the tense race relations that belie life in the city. Among the players are: the Caucasian district attorney, who uses race as a political card; his Caucasian wife, who, having recently been carjacked by two black men, believes that her stereotypical views of non-whites is justified and cannot be considered racism; the two black carjackers who use their race both to their advantage and as an excuse; partnered Caucasian police constables, one who is a racist and uses his authority to harass non-whites, and the other who hates his partner because of those racist views, but who may have the same underlying values in his subconscious; a black film director and his black wife, who believes her husband doesn't support their black background enough, especially in light of an incident with the racist white cop; partnered police detectives and sometimes lovers.



Preps: I am not familiar with this piece, although it must have been in local cinemas a while ago. The cast sounds splendid, the storyline also. Mmm, my Sandra Bullock. A must see then. Let's check it out.


Reality: Wow. One of the better ones lately on the racism topic. Or to be more exact, prejudice topic. It emphasizes the meaning of all prejudice we are born, raised, burdened with. And what it may lead us into. In perticular, the piece addresses violence towards black people and mixed people (half black, mexicans, etc). The whole US knows they steal, rape, make violent moves all of the sudden.. However, is this for real? My heart shook all evening because the movie gave me the thrills. The negative ones. The ones where your soul wants to crumble back in deep shame of being a white person. Because if we want it or not, because of limited individuals of our colour and race, the rest of the world looks at us as if we are the biggest barbarians there is. In some sense, I might agree. However, violence because prejudice cannot and in reality isn't limited to race, sex, genre of music, height, etc. It is limited to areas, where it's praised and taught, where you are doing right when threatening people that look, feel, taste, smell differently.
The movie faces us with numerous important scenes. We are supposed to take the good deed out of it. The line. The one thing we cannot do to each other. In some cases it's verbal violence. In others shooting around just for fun. In some physical abuse of black man's wife. It doesn't matter if they are famous.
The one thing that is indesputeably gorgeous about this piece is the 36 hour slot, where the paths of all those people, who even don't know each other, somehow collide. So they face each other in situations they could never imagine. The cop, molesting the wife of the famous director, gets stuck with her under a burning car, rescuing her. Life is a funny thing and world a small place - eventually you could run into the one you molested one day ago and would be forced to help him or even worse, would be in the position of asking a favour of that same person.

The piece will make you respect life and its diversity very much. It will make you think about all the abuse, anger, everything you express to the persons that surround you or some unknown people. Spectacular script, good delivery. I didn't notice some highlights on other effects, however they weren't needed. The moral of the story - if you have a powerful story, it doesn't need much enhancement. Same as in music with the lyrics :)

The crash is obviously named after the collision point - where some cars crash and some fates definitely change forever.


My personal rating: 9,0 (superb movie, a solid story with one of the best possible deliveries).

Crash on IMDB


The Crash.

Ray, 2004

Ray, 2004
Director: Taylor Hackford
Cast: Jamie Foxx, Regina King, Kerry Washington


Stage: Home theatre, late Sunday night


Ray in short: The life and career of the legendary popular music pianist, Ray Charles. Ray Charles has the distinction of being both a national treasure and an international phenomenon. By the early 1960's Ray Charles had accomplished his dream. He'd come of age musically. He'd made it to Carnegie Hall. The hit records "Georgia," "Born to Lose" successively kept climbing to the top of the charts. He'd made his first triumphant European concert tour in 1960 (a feat which, except for 1965, he's repeated at least once a year ever since). He had taken virtually every form of popular music and broken through its boundaries with such awe inspiring achievements as the LP's "Genius Plus Soul Equals Jazz" and "Modern Sounds in Country & Western." Rhythm & blues (or "race music" as it had been called) became universally respectable through his efforts. Jazz found a mainstream audience it had never previously enjoyed.



Preps: I am not aware of the life and all the misstresses this great man had. But I am more than curious.


Reality: One of better biographies I have seen lately. I am always wondering, how much they have really taken upon the real events. And how much of this is true. Lives of musicians have always been inspiring me, however, they also make me sad. A sack, full with hard work, with rarely any effect.
Ray Charles, a musician without any competition in his time, with all the world lying at his hand. The plus of this piece is truly that it's filled with music. A good music. The way it has been recorded. And the dames being a part of this game, conspiracy, if we listen to Ray's wife. The deals, the managers, the records, the music factories, and obviously, the audience. The most important part of this puzzle. How to satisfy always hungry audience. How to satisfy the hungry women, lying at his feet, plus taking care of the family in a proper way. In a musician's life everything doesn't have time or place to stand out. Ray's life was destroyed by drugs. Is this a surprise? I guess not. What did Sinatra do? He was also accused of taking drugs, being violent in many family disputes, similar to Lennon, etc.
The cast is a good one. Jamie Foxx did a great job. I think his impersonification of Charles is amazing. He bought me right from the start and I am just wondering how it is for a blind person to feel the world as he made me think he did. The game wasn't about just music at all. Drugs played a large part of his life. How he got this catholic wife, remains a mistery to me. Do you always see what you want to see or what you are hiding from, in a person you need to marry you? In this case, I am not sure. The wife could have guessed, but as we saw also in the Tina Turner biography (What's love got to do with it), mostly the game reveals in the middle, not at the beginning. And at that time it's much worse. In this piece, we see Charles drown at the same time as climb to the peak of his career.

I think that the music and the game itself changed very much since that time. We simply don't know how to make such music and yet alone, there aren't players to play it this good.
To be blind is a bad thing. However, some of the chosen ones use it wisely and make it famous. In music business we do have two protagonists; Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. I adore his music. To every fan of his music, this piece is going to cling to his ears. Who doesn't know Hit the road Jack? And who wouldn't want to see the scene where this one derives from?


My personal rating: 7,0, (mmm, a good biography. Makes me think again about my music career :)))Really hard bread, hard life, hard decisions. Not only milk and honey, definitely not.


Ray on IMDB

The Terminal, 2004

The Terminal, 2004
Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Catherina Zeta Jones, Tom Hanks, Chi Mcbride


Stage: Home TV selection. Finally a piece worth seeing again on TV.


The Terminal in short: Viktor Navorski, a man from an Eastern European country arrives in New York. However after he left his country war broke out. Suddenly Navorski is a man without a country - or one that the U.S. cannot recognize, thus he is denied entrance to the U.S. However, he also can't be deported so he is told by the Security Manager that he has to remain in the airport until his status can be fixed. And also Navorski doesn't speak English very well, so he cannot talk to or understand anyone. But he somehow adapts and sets up residence in the airport, which makes the man who placed him there unhappy, as it seems he is in line for a promotion but Navroski's presence might complicate that. So he tries to get Navorski to leave but Navorski remains where he is. Navorski makes friends with some of the people who work in the airport and is attracted to a flight attendant he runs into whenever she comes in.



Preps: Wow, a Spielberg classic. Am in need of something sentimental and touching. Definitely worth seeing, I know this by now, have seen this piece several times. A great story with the great interpretation. Just like Steven does almost every time.


Reality: Imagine a definite administrative fuckup. I don't mean a mess. A fuckup, truly. When you are being held because of some weird clerks that follow national guidelines, that just changed. The storyline is quite simple, but the truth behind it lies deeply in soul of many so called upgraded "normal" countries. Victor is being stuck at the airport, because his country is denied by great US. Wow, a surprise. Any given day, great US decides, who to praise and who to neglect. In this sense, Victor's country, being at war, is suddenly not in US interest, therefore they are keeping him. Unimaginable long time. It is in my deep subconscience where I still can feel mocking towards US administration and politics. Others may seem to find more visible stuff in this piece - longing towards the promised land; trying to survive, mocking out of nations that aren't US, in perticular the ones that come from Eastern Europe. Falling in love and flirting with a taken woman is one of the objectives you can find in this piece. Spielberg took care of our minds. There are simply too many stories to follow, so you choose the ones you love the most.

The prediction of the situation like this is filled with black humour. On the other side, Victor takes the best out of the situation and spends months virtually living there. He takes us through every shop, making money, looking after yourself in cosmetic sense, spending time and money in shops, trading service for lunch and above all, flirting with the cutest stewardess ever.
The side stories are short, yet amazing. All the clerks, employees in the airport, we are handed their story to follow and being depressive with them, having fun with them, thinking our best wishes and crossing our fingers for them. A range of "coincidences" make everyone believe Victor is really waiting for another flight, all but some rare individuals, who are either feeling with him, or mocking him in every humiliating way possible. Stanley Tucci as mr. Dixon plays the bad guy. You need to hate him. The same way you hated Billy Zane in Titanic. Although he represents supposingly "the right side", the law. Brilliantly played role. I hate him from the bottom of my heart, as he represents all the clerks that denied me something at some point of time, even though they legally had the right. So in my head, I am hitting him with evil for all the wrong deeds I see clerks and administrative people like him, have done to me.

For nine months Victor is constantly meeting a cute stewardess, who firstly admits her life made mistakes and hopes, and finally, they come to an interesting interaction. He makes her 1000 fountains /(builds per se the fountains in a mosaic inside building, in a department that isn't active as a part of the airport). He develops a wonderful dinner for her. She takes him for a criminal, for a psychiatric person. She represents common mind, common visitor and the eyes someone would see Victor if one saw him at a glance here at airport. However, the spectator, that takes all the terror Victor has to live through, just keeps the fingers crossed for a lucky happy ending.

Now, Amelia and her story.. is almost as powerful as Victor's. She hides behind words, and yet you can feel her being insecure about herself and her desires. Like a woman's aknowledgement she feels about herself, knowing she's doing something wrong, not being able to cut it loose or to choose a second path.
"I am like Napoleon. I eat poisonous men until I get sick."

In many aspects, a piece worth seeing and worth the philosophy put behind it. I admire Hanks with his russian accent (or let me say eastern Europe accent, for he knows no russian, obviously. I have several friends that have said really weird stuff about his interpretations. Still, in my eyes, he represents someone without rights, deriving from a poor background,that gets the american fairytale, a kiss and a woman to kill for :)


My personal rating: 8,0 (mmmm, every time a pleasure to see. A Spielberg must have in your sight kind of movie):



The Terminal on IMDB

Spanglish, 2004

Spanglish, 2004
Director: James L. Brooks
Cast: Tea Leoni, Adam Sandler, Paz Vega



Stage: Home Theatre, TV selection of the week


Spanglish in short:John Clasky is a devoted dad whose skills as a chef have offered his family a very upscale life, including a summer home in Malibu and a breathtaking new Mexican housekeeper, named Flor. She and her daughter Cristina have recently emigrated to L.A. from Mexico and are trying to find a better life. When they move in with the Claskys for the summer, Flor has to fight for her daughter's soul as she discovers that life in a new country is perilous!


Preps: Wanted to see this several times, because I was told it was a good one. Never had the opportunity until now.


Reality: mmmm, music by Hans Zimmer, one of my favourites. The music is really good, although in this piece doesn't have the same value as in several where his music is really put on the pedestal. But it gives the movie a romantic sense and touch, so you feel quite safe and loveable while it poses down your veins.
The second surprise is the duet Tea Leoni and Adam Sandler. As I saw Sandler in some movies, he strikes me more of a family romance type of movie. Or a "chick" movie per se. Which means that this should be his genre and definitely feels very comfortable in the shoes of a modern guy that gets a good looking girl at the end, as a reward for being a good guy. As oppose to his wife, who screws it up and finds herself alone and miserable.

The funny part of the story is tackled right at the beginning. Being a maid and serve for a family that doesn't understand a word you are saying (and vice versa) gives a playground for many funny scenes so the director really took good advantage of those. Plus, all of those scenes are really easy to penetrate into your mind and make you laugh. The beauty of the new maid gives a flashy add on to those scenes and at the end you are just waiting for the chemistry to happen. I might add that during the movie you don't really have the feeling of some attractions going on between the two.
On the opposite side, we have a battle between a poor mum that loves her child and a rich mom that wants the best and needs to buy it. Something we see in Desperate housewifes developed to the last bit :) But in this case, there are serious disputes, deriving from the limits that poor people have, regarding education, home supplies, modern devices, etc. And the influence that these can have on a child. A good ground for you to think about it and what would you do if you were in her shoes.

The jump into this story serves as basis for university entry from the only child the spanish maid has. And the story how her mother was her biggest influence and inspiration. Sort of a tribute to mum. Therefore, all of mothers that are dying to get praised by their children, are definitely a target audience for this piece. And the message, that there is no love like mother's love, shines through.


My personal rating: 6,5 (a solid romantic piece about making a better future. Or to reason with the teenage child, if that is even possible).


Spanglish on IMDB

The Forgotten, 2004

The Forgotten, 2004
Director: Joseph Ruben
Cast: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Christopher Kovaleski




Stage: Home TV selection on a Friday night


The Forgotten in short: A grieving mother, Telly Paretta, is struggling to cope with the loss of her 9-year-old son. She is stunned when her psychiatrist and her husband tell her that she has created eight years of memories of a son she never had. But when she meets the father of one of her son's friend who is having the same experience, Telly embarks on a mission to prove her son's existence and her sanity.



Preps: I think I have heard of this piece or started watching it on another occassion, but I am not sure. In the heading, I see Julianne Moore, and I sort of admire her drama casts, therefore I give it a shot.


Reality: Well, no special surprise. Another quest for alien actions that are supposed to be happening around us and we are staring in the sky wondering what is really happening. One of worse interpretations, I might add to this. We never learn anything about the aliens, despite the fact that they are unvulnerable. Does this mean that their civilization is expanding all the time? It could give us a laughter, but the focus of the movie isn't really on the aliens. It's on the love one feels for his child and the power or let's say energy that attaches one to another. In some sense it is supposed to be the greatest bond ever made and impossible to break.

In some sense the experiment with forgetting someone is amazing, because it shows place for many things we would really like to forget. On the other hand not forgetting allows us to grow and spread experience when we come in a similar occasion (not to repeat same mistakes, repeat actions that gave us good luck, happiness, etc). In this perticular piece the case is extraordinary, the dilluted mom which seems to be seeking for a child that never existed (at least so you think up to one third of the movie). Her story becomes solid when she meets a parent she knows and forces to remember. So they have a quest together, to bring supposeably dead children back to life. They are naturally followed and they seem to hide despite the fact that they are being observed all the time. The story would normally be filled with holes, however we need to see it like aliens are allmighty and they will get what they want.

The piece isn't very convincing in the way we are used that similar movies on this topic can be. However, it does make up with the energy the mother (Julianne Moore) shows and love she has for her child. The last scenes are in this sense very touching and can get to your soul very easily. So if you are somehow mushy or feeling sad, it will touch you. But if you are looking for alien chase action, don't expect it. This movie doesn't have it.





My personal rate: 5,0 (you won't miss much if you pass on this one. However, it makes you think about the special bondage between parents and children, and how would it be to just forget about everything you knew so far).


The Forgotten on IMDB

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind, 2004

The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, 2004
Director: Michel Gondry
Cast: Jim Carey, Kate Winslet,Tom Wilkinson


Stage: Home Theatre
The Sunshine in short:Joel is stunned to discover that his girlfriend Clementine has had her memories of their tumultuous relationship erased. Out of desperation, he contracts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwaik, to have Clementine removed from his own memory. But as Joel's memories progressively disappear, he begins to rediscover their earlier passion. From deep within the recesses of his brain, Joel attempts to escape the procedure. As Dr. Mierzwiak and his crew chase him through the maze of his memories, it's clear that Joel just can't get her out of his head.

Preps: I have seen this movie several times. Find it a classic and a good way to think about what you do in life. The choices you make. A good way to spend a Friday evening.



Reality: Up to what extent are we remembering or better put, trying to keep the memory? According to some theories, in a long run, you don't remember the good stuff, you tend to remember the bad things. Therefore, if you have a bouncy relationship, which ends in fury, you will remember after a while, only the things you fought about. And after years and years, maybe a vague memory will serve as a mere reminder of what have you done wrong. Or how it went down the drain.

Now, this movie implies something completely different. That the good times are stashed somewhere subconsciously. Yes, the memory reminders, such as the things you have done together, the photos, the quotes you both spoke, nick names, dolls you bought together, those reminders will take you back to a good memory. This is why most women (and some men also) just stash those things in a box and bury it, throw it away, clean the appartement from those reminders. How about cleaning your soul, subconscious thoughts, things that chase you in your dreams? The procedure, shown in a movie, is a bit similar to losing weight by going to a place where they suck your fat. It makes you thin in a second, but what a waste to one's mind - you don't get to grow by experience, because you pay that an experience is skipped and afterwards, mostly, unappreciated present state of mind, makes you forget about the path (obviously, because you haven't had one to remember about).

Building a relationship is stated of many moments, that collide in a story. After ending it, they collapse in fragments that appear every now and then in your imagination. Either good or bad, they are here. They chase you while you are being alone at night, wondering, what the hell went wrong and how did I succeed not noticeing it. So, a perfect solution appears in this piece, just erase the bloody memories. It will all restart, and your brains will not be damaged any more with you wondering around, thinking how good it was and how crappy everything is right now.

The only problem the human race might have with this, that in many cases emotions suck the sane part of your mind. For instance, erasing your own memories just because your ex decided to do so (for some sort of a vengeance reason) is purely emotional factor and shouldn't in this case make the doer any happier. She doesn't know him anymore and it will only serve the desperation Joel has when thinking of the daring idea she got into motion with erasing everything they did, who they were, every fragment that involved him. In some sense, the easier way. Like a suicide. The easiest way to solve problems. And definitely coward-full, in terms of it's harder to cope with your trouble and accept responsibility than to just end it up. In this piece, erase it.

Humans tend to change their minds. Just what if you took the wrong pill (Matrix) and you want to exit? In this dream, no way. Still, Joel finds a lucid way in his procedure of erasing and knows he's dreaming. A conscious decision to escape the procedure makes this sf movie tremendously adventurous and romantic at the same time. Does he escape the things that are buried in his soul? In his dreams firstly he realizes they are dreams and memories that are about to go blunt, and then he creates another dream within a dream (the Inception from last year holds the same candle in its red line). In those dreams, supposeably cannot be found. The acknowledgement, that he per se, doesn't want to lose the memories at all, is breathtaking, as we watch him fall deeper and deeper, desperately seeking a place where he can hide with his Clementine.


Brilliant work from Carey and Winslet. Excellent exposure of the director's mind. A movie, worth all the attention it got and worth re-seeing again and again. Sad, romantic story about the essence of ourselves and up to what point we want to torture ourselves or live in a dream. And up to what extent the memories of a beloved person reach.



My personal rate: 9,5 (a brilliant "relationship" piece, worth every second of screening).

The Sunshine on IMDB

MIllions, 2004

Millions, 2004
Director: Danny Boyle
Cast: Alex Etel, Lewis McGibbon, James Nesbitt




Stage: Home theatre
Millions in short: The UK is about to switch its currency from Pounds to Euros, giving a gang a chance to rob the poorly-secured train loaded with money on its way to incineration. But, during the robbery, one of the big bags falls literally from the sky on Damian's playhouse, a 7-year old given to talking to saints. The boy then starts seeing what the world and the people around him are made of. Ethics, being human and the soul all come to the forefront in this film.

Preps: I don't know the movie and the content. However, the content is well rated.


Reality: What is the difference between good and bad again? This time in a shape of a ton of money dropping out of the sky to a young kid, who thinks it's god sending something to him in order to change the world. And he goes, giving money to persons he thinks that need it and giving all away to charity. Being mocked by an elder brother that tries to spend as much money as he can, the movie beautifully shows the versatility in human nature. The naive one (the younger, not spoilt by the system), wants to give to the poor or ones in need. The elder wants to satisfy his own needs, pay respects with the money and pay the way to the adulthood.

Is it ok to spend the money that has been robbed? This is another part of the story. Do you need to return something that was stolen, even if you help your own miserable life with this or the ones that need help. What would you do with a pile of money? A true dilemma. If you didn't know where it derived from (God wasn't meant to throw us money) or if you knew it was stolen, would you return it? Don't answer right away. It cannot be a simple question. The movie will pop you a dilemma. And a true affection for the younger of the brothers for wanting to change the world.

Finally, the movie reveals several dilemmas. It is hard to spend money all around. YOu get suspicious. It is hard to accept the life after mother's death. Proven.
It is hard to accept another woman in your father's life. I presume the feeling I get with this is genuine. Those are sidestories. But they touch my heart nevertheless.

THe movie is filled with some obscene saints and scenes like they were taken from Monty Phython's wannabe movie. I like it up to some level. After that it just goes beyond what is acceptable and funny. The director should maybe pay more attention to this. Not every obscene story or idea is acceptable.



My personal rating: 6,0 (very watchable and entertaining.)


Millions on IMDB

Troy, 2004

Troy, 2004
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Cast: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom


Stage: Home theatre

Troy in short: It is the year 1250 B.C. during the late Bronze age. Two emerging nations begin to clash after Paris, the Trojan prince, convinces Helen, Queen of Sparta, to leave her husband Menelaus, and sail with him back to Troy. After Menelaus finds out that his wife was taken by the Trojans, he asks his brother Agamemnom to help him get her back. Agamemnon sees this as an opportunity for power. So they set off with 1,000 ships holding 50,000 Greeks to Troy. With the help of Achilles, the Greeks are able to fight the never before defeated Trojans. But they come to a stop by Hector, Prince of Troy. The whole movie shows their battle struggles, and the foreshadowing of fate in this remake by Wolfgang Petersen of Homer's "The Iliad."


Preps: I have seen this piece several times and it is one of my favourite ones. In terms of genre, the actors, the scenery, the music. Each time I find something new.


Reality: Troy as always inspires me and doesn't leave me breathing up to its end. All the historical or antique fans worldwide will be dragged right in the middle of the movie, historical scenery, beautiful music and powerful cast. You cannot decide which root to follow, which side to take, as they impersonate glory and rage on one side and pride on the other side. A woman to be inbetween as the ultimate reason to kill and to die for. At least to some extent to some of the involved ones, the "management" of the war.

On other side, pure rage and following the leader in ranks, seen violence and harmony in ways the greeks or troyans fight. Beautiful mask, costumography makes me want to be a woman at that point. And in no dream a man. It is simply not realistic to die for honour or to die so you will be written about somewhere in the future. Nowadays, the idea seems outdated, still, in this movie it will dry your brains and leave you with your mouth wide open. What is worth to die and fight for? Love, romance? Country? Your dead relatives? Or the ones, that died side by side fighting with you?

I believe this to be on the same level as one of my most popular ones - Gladiator. The protagonists are so powerful I think about all of happenning way after end of the movie. Although very long, lasts only a minute in my mind. And I beg for more.


My personal rating: 9,5 (one of the best impersonements of my all time favourite greek heroes and stories)

Troy on IMDB

Troy home page

The Grudge, 2004

The Grudge, 2004
Director: Takashi Shimizu
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, Clea DuVall


Stage: Home theatre


The Grudge in short: Karen Davis is an American Nurse moves to Tokyo and encounter a supernatural spirit who is vengeful and often possesses its victims. A series of horrifying and mysterious deaths start to occur, with the spirit passing its curse onto each victim. Karen must now find away to break this spell, before she becomes its next victim.


Preps: none in perticular. Another one to follow in my movie line


Reality: Nothing is what it seems. In the movie, the basic plot is easily understood. The essence isn't. In a sense, that you absolutely don't have a clue, what is going on in the house. The whole horror is based on the viewer's imagination, which proves to be a great thing, only done by best horror japanese directors. In this piece, somehow american people are being mocked, I sense this in ways young girl is shown and ways she presumabely intelligently follows the mystery in the house.

In my opinion, a lot of blood doesn't make a horror movie. A lot of unseen and predicted scenes in the eyes of a beholder, well, this makes an excellent movie, filled with terrifying horror. Japanese are the experts in the field and I must admit I have never seen a truly great (remembering type) horror, done by an american director. No disrespect whatsoever, but I see that US is building horror on blood, whereas asian countries build on fear of unknown and unproved.

For this piece.. It is said that houses are being haunted sometimes and noone would like to experience something like that. Being a girl, alone, trapped in a house like that - the mere idea of this makes my blood chill.

Is the house secret revealed? Yes, to some extent it is. After leaving some bodies, burning imagination of a viewer, horrific music (in a good aspect as in a good horror movie) and a cat, running around, to make your body shiver in terror. Briliantly put two-dimensions between a cat transforming into a boy. The leftovers from prior life that went on in this house. The scene is obscure to the point that even a simple walk on the stairs seems difficult to handle (without something terrible happening inbetween).

I am more than impressed by the piece. And the fact, that I recognize "Nathan" from the series Lost, gives me a homerunning feeling.



My personal rating: 6,0 (for the sake of following japanese style of horror - it seems to be more effective than any american horror movie)

The Grudge on IMDB

The official site

Taxi, 2004

Taxi, 2004
Director:Tim Story
Cast: Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon



Taxi in short: A mouthy and feisty taxicab driver has hot tips for a green and inept cop set on solving a string of New York City bank robberies committed by a quartet of female Brazilian bank robbers.


Stage: Home theatre

Preps: none in perticular. Just wondering, if this is the famous comedy from ages ago, the french stuff, that I really liked.


Reality: Well, this is a totally different movie. Queen Latifah as the queen of bicycle race (or racing) for a postal office. Interesting. Science fiction, in fact. I doubt that law officers or police would let these races happen. Nevertheless, this is a mere start of a pretty decent comedy.
Making your life better is the main theme in this movie to my opinion. Let it be in the relationship or as a career (step forward from bicycling to driving a taxi). Some material disputes I had - as I claimed before that you cannot drive a byke this way and remain not punished - well the same goes for the Batmobile that Queen posesses as a taxi driver.

This movie relaxes and offers some good humour points. But nothing more. So it's a decent Sunday entertainment when you have nothing else on your mind to disturb your piece.

My personal rating: 4,0



Taxi on IMDB

Head In The Clouds, 2004

Head in the clouds, 2004
Director: John Duigan
Cast: Stuart Townsend, Penelope Cruz, Charlize Theron



Head in short: a sweeping romantic drama set in 1930's England, Paris, and Spain. Gilda Bessé shares her Paris apartment with an Irish schoolteacher, Guy Malyon, and Mia, a refugee from Spain. As the world drifts toward war, Gilda defiantly pursues her hedonistic lifestyle and her burgeoning career as a photographer. But Guy and Mia feel impelled to join the fight against fascism, and the three friends are separated - seemingly forever.


Stage: Home theatre

Preps: None in perticular. A brilliant cast set and war as a background give me high expectations.


Reality: One of the better ones in terms of war drama, romantic drama. Brilliant cast by Theron, another one of Cruz. Making a love triangle from director's perspective is brilliant, in this cast set also possible to really bite into the challenge. Threesome form a miraculous set for adventures, indulging life as it was just before the war. The scenery is amazing, awsomely dragging you into that period with the clothes, parties, shoes, hats. The manners of behaviour. The food and the drinking. Enjoying company and wasting the time, not like in present, when we run around headless and without breathing. Shown as potential the viewer can only dwell upon and think how good it would be to be there for some time.
The story turns completely around with the savage approach to the war. The perspective is european, but in my opinion pretty honest. If in the first half you want to experience this - the director in the second half makes sure you remember that it was one of the most disastrous moments in history of mankind and that there's nothing for individual to wish to be there.
The piece involves everything worth remembering. The suffering, endless romance. Expectations. Indulgement. All in one piece.


My personal rating: 8,0 (something worth seeing and remembering. I simply adore Theron and Cruz).

Head in the clouds on IMDB
Head in the clouds homepage

The Butterfly Effect¸ 2004

The Butterfly Effect, 2004
Director: Eric Bress, j.Mackye Gruber
Cast: Ashton Kutcher, Melora Walters, Amy Smart



The Butterfly Effect in short: A young man blocks out harmful memories of significant events of his life. As he grows up, he finds a way to remember these lost memories and a supernatural way to alter his life.


Stage: Home theatre this time. Seen in the local cinema, several times at home.

Preps: The first time with none and with a giant impact afterwards. This time seeking new solutions to the idea of changing the past or being able to influence the one thing you did wrong and circled around your life completely.

Reality:
The title card hits you like a brick and makes you think throughout the movie, what it is that we should have impact on. Title Card: It has been said something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world. - Chaos Theory

The Chaos theory proves itself within this piece with a constant change of hystorical events that lead to differentiation in one or more person's life. First you are stunned with the normal life curve of Evan and all the people within his surroundings. All the traumatic events and all the blackouts that happen due to unnormal behaviour, abuse and correlated things. The hatred and evil some people can posess. And then the adrenalin continues as you tend to question yourself, if you already have such a gift as Evan does, is it right/fair to try to differ one's life and making other person miserable while making the first person happy? It's a constant question in history and power most of us would like to have and don't know how we would control it afterwards.

The movie implies that no person can play god (virtually) and take fate of other people's lives in his hands. The butterfly effect changes a slight thing in the past and then miracously is followed by the chain of events that influence all people's lives. And each time Evan tries to change, an alternative reality shows - none is satisfactory enough to make it count for all persons involved. Finally at the end the sacrifice is put into perspective. The last thing Evan does is sacrifice his own life to make all other persons around him happy and normal.

The idea of playing with the past and the future if you are able to, first started off in the trilogy Back to the future. However, in this scenario, upgraded and vividly played, not in a shape of a comedy, but in a brilliant drama.

The movie offers as many interpretations as one would want and beyond that, it's a superb time flashing / changing piece. This was one of the first movies ever made with a constant leaping into the past, making the spectator burning with braincell work about the connections and trying to keep pace with the story. A brilliant piece, more than worth seeing. I have seen it a lot of times and each time I find a new explanation and new philosophical approach to this.


My personal rating: 9,0 (try it out, it will rock your world. One of the best Kutcher's roles ever.)



Jason Treborn: You can't play God son.
You can't change who people are without destroying who they were.


The Butterfly Effect on IMDB
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