Mystic River, 2003

Mystic River, 2003
Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, Tim Robbins, Laura Linney, Laurence Fishburne



Stage: Home theatre, late Saturday night


Mystic River in short: Childhood friends Jimmy Markum, Sean Devine and Dave Boyle reunite following the death of Jimmy's oldest daughter, Katie. Sean's a police detective on the case, gathering difficult and disturbing evidence; he's also tasked with handling Jimmy's rage and need for retribution.



Preps: None in perticular. Clint is the man. Don't need any special intro.


Reality: One of the better ones in his biography. Speaking about Eastwood. Plus, Penn got an oscar for his performance. It is as I always claim, strong story makes the movie. Marry it to a great director, hence success. In this case, I am speaking about a devastating touching story about past events that can haunt you from the childhood on and catch up later, when you think you have seen it all. It is a movie about friendship that can last an eternity, yet get broken in an instance if the right button is pushed - in this sense the death of a daughter of a part of a great friendship.
You feel they get reunited, yet they find out the barriers that are driving them apart. You see how their lives turned out and try to imagine how would it have been if they haven't been faced with a such trauma when they were eleven. The movie makes you think about all the individuals that were submerged to any kind of violence and the consequences they needed to face, at that age, or much later. And how many of those ended up in institutions? The stars know..
Eastwood knit a spectacular out of a sad story and I am in it up to my toes. The chill ends in my veins when a friend murders a friend and finds out he made a mistake. The irony in one of the last scenes is the last nail in my coffin. I am surrounded in sadness, depression and hardness of the moment. The blood spilt in vain is running in my blood stream as well and I am really touched by scenes with such a terror in the eyes. Penn and Bacon are brilliant, also Tim Robbins. The cast is supreme, the scenario is brilliant, the director exceeds every last bit of my expectations. I love the movie.


My personal rating: 9,0 (beautiful, touching, filled with emotions. A must see).


Mystic river on IMDB

Trapped, 2002

Trapped, 2002
Director: Luis Mandoki
Cast: Charlize Theron, Courtney Love, Kevin Bacon



Trapped, in short: When their daughter is abducted and taken for ransom by a gang of serial kidnappers, a young doctor and his wife find themselves held hostage while a 24-hour plan to extort their money is set into motion. Now, with time running out and the health of their asthmatic daughter at serious risk, they find themselves in a life-and-death race against the clock as the "perfect crime" begins spiraling towards an unthinkable, terrifying and deadly conclusion.


Stage: home theatre, late Friday night


Preps: Hm. Already seen it. Is it a good piece? Cannot remember.. . Let's take a shot.


Reality: For once I have been right at my hunch. If I haven't remembered the storyflow and if I don't have a good idea about the movie, it couldn't have been a splendid one. Still, I am not in the mood to do anything else. Maybe I got the wrong impression.
Nope, I am right. It's not Ther0n's greatest hour. Neither Bacon's or Love's. A good action? My ass. Still, it's hard from my tongue, a better selection than anything from our local TV selection. The scenes are awful, the turnovers are predictable. The storyflow is not remarkable, as you can foresay what will happen. And the criminals aren't consistant. Are we watching a drama, psycho thriller or are we watching two randomly chosen couples that are making a pass to each other.
Again, my intuition was a good one. This is a bad movie, not worthy of your time and placing among the chosen ones.


My personal rating: 2,5 (rrrrr, still not satisfied about leaving my time in this one.).


Trapped on IMDB



Reality:

Sleepers, 1996

Sleepers, 1996
Director: Barry Levinson
Cast: Brad Pitt, Robert de Niro, Kevin Bacon, Dustin Hoffmann, Minnie Driver, Jason Patric




Sleepers in short: Four boys growing up in Hell's Kitchen play a prank that leads to an old man getting hurt. Sentenced to no less than one year in the Wilkenson Center in upstate New York, the four friends are changed by the beating, humiliation and sexual abuse by the guards sworn to protect them. Thirteen years later and a chance meeting lead to a chance for revenge against the Wilkenson Center and the guards.



Preps: None in perticular. The cast is astounding. The director is one of my favourites. And I have naturally watched this earlier, as a child. Admired it at that time, I am sure I will even more now with a critical eye.



Reality: I am right. This is one of better bitter stories ever being put on screen. I believe Levinson is a genious and a coragious man to put this live. Still, the US government and all similar facilities, deny that such places exist, such actions ever could take place and that there wasn't a trial as depicted in the movie.
Well, the story will rip your bones off. It is breathtaking and it makes you shiver with fear and horror all along the way. Violence creates violence. Put normal boys into a facility of correction, juvenile home or something, abuse them and be sure they will grow up to be criminals, most of them.
The sad story revolves around four boys being taken into a facility for a homicide they commited unintentionally. And the abuse they were submitted to, it is just horrible. Their commitment never to speak about that part of their lives is broken when two former boys, now adults, have the chance to take the revenge with a guy that raped them. So they kill them and are put into trial.
The trial isn't about the killing, it's about revenge to the facility that abused them while they were taken in for a year in their childhood. And they get the revenge, with style.
The cast is magnificent. The story is breathtaking. The director did his work and it shivers me even now as I write about it. A must see for any person. It will make you fear of such institutions and make you never do wrong in a way you would get into a facility like that. It will make you hate those that abuse children, even more. And will make you think about the sacrifice you are willing to take for the ones you love. The priest treads on his values or virtues to help the kids get the revenge they want. The truth, even though not admitted by the government, is out and it should be. In a fair world, such things wouldn't go unpunished. And no kids would die on streets with 29. But that is in fairy tales. We live in a no dream world. And need to take it seriously, for it's a place for filth and abuse. You see this undoubtfully in this piece. It will tear down your heart.


My personal rate: 8,5 (splendid piece that makes you think way beyond its purpose and content. It makes you cry in your heart and feel with the characters. Not many pieces do that to you).


Sleepers on IMDB

Apollo 13, 1995

Apollo 13, 1995
Director: Ron Howard
Cast: Tom Hanks, Gary Sinise, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon



Stage: Home TV selection, late Saturday


Apollo in short: Based on the true story of the ill-fated 13th Apollo mission bound for the moon. Astronauts Lovell, Haise and Swigert were scheduled to fly Apollo 14, but are moved up to 13. It's 1970, and America have already achieved their lunar landing goal, so there's little interest in this "routine" flight.. until that is, things go very wrong, and prospects of a safe return fade.


Preps: Hm. I believe I have seen this one already, however I did't like it in perticular.



Reality: Well, this is no brainer. The storyline is predictable, as it is based on the real events (point one) and the second point is that it's made in a way you can be a magician and predict what it is going to take, which path and where it's taking the viewer.

In any case, we cannot go beyond the true facts. A bunch of astronauts going to the moon. Something goes wrong and in the mean time they are trying to get back. We are submurged to the parade of their families, as they eagerly try to monitor the safe return and possible loss of their fathers. Very Hollywood like. I wouldn't dream that NASA or whoever rocks these planetarium visits, really gives a damn about the families. The astronauts are like climbers, or someone that goes in a war zone trying to do good. It is a risk you are signing when you are going to the school that makes you an astronaut. Obviously there is a risk you will stay on some Saturn or never get out of a mission.

However, in this movie, we make a spectacle out of this mission (I am sure that even though it's after real events, it wasn't really like this. Cannot prove it, but I am sure it wasn't). The spectacle has a respectable cast, respectable director, some good music and some good scenes from outer space (and to be honest, this is what we all are hoping for because we aren't able to see it). In this sense, some lovely scenes. But this is it. Some witty dialogues, some dramatical scenes that can make you feel with them, especially being from US. But no wonders. No miracles. Nothing really special about the movie. Predictable ending. People shaking hands in NASA afterwards. Eh.. could be much more,




My personal rate: 5,0 (bah. one in a million similar movies, about the astronaut mission, possible failure and safe Hollywood like return).


Apollo on IMDB

Elephant White, 2011

Elephant White, 2011
Director: Prachya Pinkaew
Cast: Djimon Hounsou, Kevin Bacon, Jirantanin Pitakporntrakul



Elephant White in short: In Bangkok, the assassin Curtie Church (Djimon Hounsou) is hired by a businessman to kill six men. Job done, the employer proposes another contract to Curtie to kill the lord of the traffickers that had addicted, prostituted and murdered his daughter. Curtie seeks out the Englishman Jimmy that is an arm dealer and he rents heavy weapons. Then Curtie provokes a war between gangs to eliminate the greatest number of white slave traders. Meanwhile, the young prostitute Mae meets Church and helps him to release other girls. When Mae vanishes, Curtie seeks her out and finds the truth about Mae.


Stage: Home theatre

Preps: Well, trying to see this one for a while now, because I have heard the topic is devastating and I absolutely admire movies that are coping with social aspects or issues.

Reality: The Thai prostitution vehicle is truly something that can tore your heart. Young girls, being dragged to clubs (to make them dance and sleep with the customers), making sure they are attached to their kidnappers by giving them drugs and making them addicts - the story reveals only the surface of this great issue this "love country" posesses. And sadly enough, while being on drugs, the girls are addicted to these relationships also and don't want to flee or be free at all. The piece gives an insight into one of the stories, as Hounsou plays the role of a killer on a mission, trying to find (and to make a revenge on behalf of the father) a girl that is missing like millions of them.

He finds a girl but it isn't until the end the viewer is absolutely sure this was the girl he was seeking and that she came in a spiritual way, in order to make others survive, be a mind leader, a bad conscious to the killer, call her whatever you please. But the person isn't real, the killer for sure is. You are dragged right into the mob centre, where gangs are trying to fight their placement in the society, by taking control in a weapon manner, and taking control over the girls as well. A sad story, sadly enough it's also a true one. The movie serves with some statistics on the fact that we have trade with humans still active in this part of the world. That the parents cannot survive themselves, yet alone their children. So they sell them away. The way it's described in the piece, will give you the chills.

Now, for the act - it could be done in a smoother, better way. Not all of us are Bruce Willis and yes, if you get loads of fire upon yourself, something should hit you. And after a while, when you get hit, you should also be wounded. You cannot go around in the scene five minutes after this, like nothing happened. So, some serious abuse for the viewer, if you don't pay attention. And the layout could be better. More black/white picturesque images for the viewer. Because this world is rotten and you get the feeling sometimes that the director is trying to share a romantic perspective on this issue. Well, no romance in human trade. In slaves, I mean girls. The issue is alive and would maybe deserve a better execution. Even though Hounsou and Bacon are a good pair, they don't make it up for what the director messed up.


My personal rate: 5,5 (see it for the conscious reasons. And as a live threat).

Elephant White on IMDB

Taking Chance, 2009

Taking Chance, 2009
Director: Ross Katz
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Tom Aldredge


Taking Chance in short: Based on real-life events, Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, a volunteer military escort officer, accompanies the body of 19-year-old Marine Chance Phelps back to his hometown of Dubois, Wyoming. Stage: Home theatre

Preps: just another one waiting in the line. Taking chance is a promising title..


Reality: Well, the title turns out to market something completely else. Taking a chance as a phrase would be something completely else as Taking mr. Chance home. Which is what movie is all about. Or dare I say the mainstream of the movie. In my opinion (and it changes a bit every now and then, when I think about this, the movie could easily be antimarketing for the war that is happening in Iraq. And the termination / or everlasting question: wtf are the americans doing there? From political perspective, I cannot be the judge. But you have thousands of people, wasting time and governmental money just for some of them to turn out dead. And then be escorted in a fine coffin (the red line of this piece) with a fancy soldier, that is pretending to give a damn and giving the belongings of the deceised to his family.
No true virtues are in this act, being loyal to one's mind is for sure under question here. Is being normal and demanding a family or a happy life without one so bad? THe people feeling really bad for not serving the country in this endless dispute with the Iraquis, this is lame for sure. Noone should feel bad for not wanting to be a part of the war. I am against all wars in all the countries and I feel they just feed the political hunger in some countries or some people, on the other hand they exploit civilians and make them serve. The brave decision makers of course sit in their offices, and are not the ones having their head on the market.

The movie, furthermore, increases the amount of negativism in me towards the drama being pulled off for one person. I am not aware of the number of casualties in this war, but if they really pull off a drama like that and pull out patriotism all the time (all the generations in the family serving, one in Vietnam, the other in Iraq).. well, this is sad, pathetic, depressive.. and expensive. For all the parties involved. So in one sense, the movie shows some kind of weird tribute that I am not sure all the soldiers were treated this nice way. And in the end.. what does a nice coffin bring? nothing. You should instead live a nice life, not a war.


My personal rating: 2,0 (for the contribution to the identification of wars being stupid and male-stupidity- driven. I have several friends that are also in the army. They will personalize with this completely, I am sure. But for me.. a waste of time. Like wars.)


Taking Chance on IMDB

Trapped, 2002

Trapped, 2002
Director: Luis Mandoki
Cast: Charlize Theron, Courtney Love, Stuart Townsend, Kevin Bacon


Stage: Home TV selection on a rainy Sunday evening

Trapped in short: When their daughter is kidnapped by experienced nappers (Bacon and Love), the Jennings' (Theron and Townsend) turn the tables on this seemingly foolproof plan

Preps: None in perticular - I have just caught the TV movie and I loved the cast, seemed intriguing. Theron just doesn't go with lame movies and neither does Kevin Bacon (in general, I believe it's so). However, the movie is unfamiliar to my knowledge and I am curious.

Reality: I am deeply dissappointed in this piece. The topic can be strong and the story can be written in an intriguing thriller-kind, maybe even showing deep revenge and the excitement when a kid is kidnapped and the blackmailing begins. But not this story. Not the Trapped story. This one is really something pulled out when the director (or should I blame the screenplay writer) was on vacation, I guess.

The movie seems deep, but it's really shallow. I think about turning it down in the first quarter, but then decide to show some respect to Theron and Bacon, who I love watching in some pieces. However, I am deeply annoyed spending two hours on a vague movie, which doesn't leave a trace in me. Scenery is rotten, cast could be much better, it seems the creators of the movie took this one as a high-school assignement rather than a serious movie.

I don't recommend it - do something more useful with your time!




My personal rating: 3,0 (not even decent fun, really one of the worse versions of the topic.. truly dissappointed when seeing this)

Trapped on IMDB

My one and Only, 2009

My one and only, 2009
Director: Richard Loncraine
Cast: Renee Zellwegger, Logan Lerman, Kevin Bacon


My one and only in short: An unusual road trip movie about a mother driving her two sons from New York to Pittsburgh to St. Louis and eventually Hollywood in her quest to find a man to take care of them all.


Stage: Home theatre

Preps: None. I don't know the movie, I see Renee and I am satisfied. I like to see her act as she has grown tremendously in the last five years. Each role I find something interesting and unusual in this attractive actress and most of the roles she plays, are tailored for her. However, I never lose the Bridget Jones image :)



Reality: I tend to think about the time this was filmed - I mean the time presented in the movie. In my opinion, Zellwegger in this cast would more suit in the beginning of this century than in the nowadays. The fact that she's a lady, a spoilt lady, never used to work, just doesn't fit in the present figure we have in our minds with a woman nowadays. Still, she acts it brilliantly, as she struggles to keep her spirit and her pride in the act against her husband.

The only thing you need to know about women is something that keeps me smiling long after that man, she is chasing, is gone. They are either too hot or too cold. So you need a pullover or something to make them warm, if they are cold, you need to have it at you at all times. There are several topics in the movie, that are true and honestly addressed, and the struggle for life is real. How to know your children when you don't know them at all. And what is the purpose, the happiness of the parents, or the children? For they cannot be satisfied at the same level, the movie implies. I agree totally. See it. I think you might like it :)


My personal rating: 6,0 (a good script, good act, a bit poor on the flow, gets a bit unreal and unbelievable somewhere in the middle and to the end of it. But Bacon and Zellwegger get some more than decent dialogues and I think it is more that just one of the pieces in this genre.)

One and only on IMDB
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