"Django Unchained" Movie Review

"Django Unchained" movie poster.

"Former dentist, Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), buys the freedom of a slave, Django (Jamie Foxx), and trains him with the intent to make him his deputy bounty hunter. Instead, he is led to the site of Django's wife (Kerry Washington) who is under the hands of Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), a ruthless plantation owner." Written by BenLobel (Source below.)

I found this awesome
poster here.

Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino ("Kill Bill Vol. 1 and 2", "Reservoir Dogs"), starring Jamie Foxx ("DreamGirls", "Collateral"), Christoph Waltz ("Inglourious Basterds", "The Three Muskateers (2011)"), Kerry Washington ("The Last King of Scotland", "Ray"), Leonardo DiCaprio ("Inception", "Revolutionary Road"), Samuel L. Jackson ("The Avengers", "The Other Guys") who plays Candie's head house slave, Stephen, Walton Goggins ("Cowboys & Aliens", "The Bourne Identity") and Dennis Christopher ("Fade to Black", "Deadwood") who are Candie's right-hand men, and Laura Cayouette ("Kill Bill Vol. 2", "Enemy of the State") who plays Candie's widowed sister. Don Johnson ("Miami Vice", "Machete") and Jonah Hill ("How to Train Your Dragon", "Moneyball") show up in the funniest part of the whole movie.

Christoph Waltz (L)
and Jamie Foxx.

It was really good, I found the whole movie quite satisfying and the only problem I had with it was, it was a bit long. The soundtrack was really good. The clothing was well done and cinematography was beautiful. It was graphic, but this is a Tarantino film so you can't expect any less than that.

There is some nudity as well as graphic violence. And as far as the N-word is concerned, after the first few times they say it, it doesn't grate on you because it's obvious that for them in that time period that it is just a word they use. It's still derogatory, but it wasn't as big a deal as it is today. 

Leonardo DiCaprio.

After seeing this film, I can understand why Leonardo DiCaprio was snubbed for an Oscar nomination. Not because he didn't do a great job as a horrific villain 'cause he was fantastic, he just wasn't in the film that long. I think there could've been more scenes with him. Also, I liked his "good cop, bad cop" routine with Samuel L. Jackson, but as far as his villainy is concerned, I still think he could've been worse. I knew which moves he was going to make before he did them, so it wasn't as much of a shock as it could have been.

I still loathe the Academy for snubbing him, but at least they nominated Waltz, he was amazing. 

Samuel L. Jackson (L)
and Kerry Washington.

I wish they could've given Kerry Washington more to do, instead of just be a prisoner, but I think Tarantino was limited with what could've been done as far as what she would've been capable of doing.

Overall, a very good film and I am sure it will garner a number of awards. Also, I learned something as I watched this film; I had no idea that Alexander Dumas was black. I have all of his work (the author of "The Three Muskateers" and "The Man in the Iron Mask" to name a few) on my to-read list.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 typewriters.

I found this interview with the cast and director of "Django Unchained" 

and I wanted to share it as it is quite funny:

Sources: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/plotsummary and http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1853728/fullcredits#cast.

"The Departed" Movie Review

"The Departed" series of movie posters
featuring Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio.

"In South Boston, the state police force is waging war on Irish-American organized crime. Young undercover cop Billy Costigan (Leonardo DiCaprio) is assigned to infiltrate the mob syndicate run by gangland chief Frank Costello (Jack Nicholson). While Billy quickly gains Costello's confidence, Colin Sullivan (Matt Damon), a hardened young criminal who has infiltrated the state police as an informer for the syndicate, is rising to a position of power in the Special Investigation Unit. Each man becomes deeply consumed by his double life, gathering information about the plans and counter-plans of the operations he has penetrated. But when it becomes clear to both the mob and the police that there's a mole in their midst, Billy and Colin are suddenly in danger of being caught and exposed to the enemy-and each must race to uncover the identity of the other man in time to save himself. But is either willing to turn on the friends and comrades they've made during their long stints undercover?" (Link below.)

Jack Nicholson (L)
and Matt Damon.

Not much to say, except this Martin Scorsese film blew my mind! Also, it won the Oscar for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Directing, and Best Film Editing (although I don't think it should've gotten that one - even I noticed those mistakes) in 2007.

Script available here: http://www.screenplaydb.com/film/scripts/departedthe200609/.

"The Departed" movie poster
featuring Jack Nicholson.

Favorite Lines:

[Brown is telling Billy why he signed up for the police] 

Brown: So she tells me, "You never finish anything. You finish the police course, you get taken care of again, baby." So after graduation, I get a blowjob again. 

Billy Costigan: That's great. Your mother sounds like a wonderful woman. 

Brown: Fuck yourself. 

Billy Costigan: Look at it this way: You're a black guy in Boston. You don't need any help from me to be completely fucked. 

Ellerby: Go fuck yourself. 

Dignam: I'm tired from fucking your wife. 

Ellerby: How is your mother? 

Dignam: Good, she's tired from fucking my father.

Leonardo DiCaprio.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0407887/.

"Shutter Island" Movie Review

"Shutter Island" movie poster.

"Federal Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his new partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo) travel to a government-run mental institution for the criminally insane on Shutter Island, near Boston, when there is a report that one of the prisoners has gone missing. Daniels has his own reasons for wanting to get to the island and carries baggage of his own. He is still traumatized from what he saw when his army unit liberated one of the Nazi concentration camps at the end of World War II and is still haunted by the more recent death in a fire of his wife. The head of the hospital, Dr. John Cawley (Ben Kingsley), treats him alright but others give the agents a less than warm reception. Daniels particularly wants to find out what is going on in one of the wards, reserved for the most serious offenders. As Daniels begins to peal away the layers of deceit, it becomes obvious that not all is as it seems." Written by garykmcd (Link below.)

Leonardo DiCaprio.

Based on the novel by Dennis Lehane and directed by Martin Scorsese, I really enjoyed this movie. (Book review found here.) I thought it was very well-done. The script was great. Someone had already told me the ending so I knew what was coming and could see the various ways the scene would look to the detective and to someone who knew what was really going on.

The ending makes me wonder though. I'm trying not to give too much away, but it seems as if he did it on purpose and he walked away with the orderlies just fine. Like he knew what was coming and was welcoming it. I can understand why he would not to live with what he knew. I don't know if I could.

Ben Kingsley.

I recommend this movie if you liked "The Machinist", "The Sixth Sense", or "Unbreakable".

I'm definitely gonna read the book now. I hope it's as good as the movie.

Script available here: http://screenplayexplorer.com/wp-content/scripts/Shutter_Island.pdf.

Favorite Lines:

[Daniels has asked the staff about Rachel's activities before her disappearance] 

Teddy Daniels: Anything unusual occur? 

Nurse Marino: Define 'unusual'. 

Teddy Daniels: Excuse me? 

Nurse Marino: This is a mental institution, Marshal. For the criminally insane. Usual isn't a big part of our day.

Leonardo DiCaprio.

Dr. John Cawley: [examines Rachel's note] Ah, this is definitely Rachel's handwriting. I have no idea... what the "Law of Four" is, though. 

Teddy Daniels: It's not a psychiatric term? 

Dr. John Cawley: No, I'm afraid not. 

Chuck Aule: [reads the note] "Who is 67?" Fucked if I know. 

Dr. John Cawley: I have to say that's quite close to my clinical conclusion.

Warden: Did you enjoy God's latest gift? 

Teddy Daniels: What? 

Warden: God's gift. Your violence. 

[Daniels looks at him blankly] 

Warden: When I came downstairs in my home, and I saw that tree in my living room, it reached out for me... a divine hand. God loves violence. 

Teddy Daniels: I... I hadn't noticed. 

Warden: Sure you have. Why else would there be so much of it? It's in us. It's what we are. We wage war, we burn sacrifices, and pillage and plunder and tear at the flesh of our brothers. And why? Because God gave us violence to wage in his honor. 

Teddy Daniels: I thought God gave us moral order. 

Warden: There's no moral order as pure as this storm. There's no moral order at all. There's just this: can my violence conquer yours?

An image from the film "Shutter Island".

Warden: If I was to sink my teeth into your eye right now, would you be able to stop me before I blinded you? 

Teddy Daniels: Give it a try. 

Warden: That's the spirit.

Dr. John Cawley: Why are you all wet, baby?

Teddy Daniels: After she tried to kill herself the first time, Dolores told me she... she had an insect living inside her brain. She could feel it clicking across her skull, just... pulling the wires, just for fun. She told me that. She told me that but I didn't listen. I loved her so much.

"Shutter Island"
book cover.

"Shutter Island"
book cover.

Teddy Daniels: So, what's our next move? 

Chuck Aule: You tell me. 

Teddy Daniels: I gotta get off this rock, Chuck. Get back to the mainland. Whatever the hell's going on here, it's bad. 

[pause] 

Teddy Daniels: [sotto voce] Don't worry, partner, they're not gonna catch us. 

Chuck Aule: That's right, we're too smart for 'em. 

Teddy Daniels: Yeah, we are, aren't we? 

[pause] 

Teddy Daniels: You know, this place makes me wonder. 

Chuck Aule: Yeah, what's that, boss? 

Teddy Daniels: Which would be worse - to live as a monster? Or to die as a good man?

[gets up and walks off]
Chuck Aule: Teddy?

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1130884/.

"Inception" Movie Review

"Inception" movie poster.

"Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming." Written by Warner Bros. Pictures (Link below.)

(Back) Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Wow. I'm still trying to process this movie. It's a lot to take in, what with dream psychology, psychology, and bad relationships all in one movie. I really enjoyed it though. It was incredible to watch. I didn't even realize I was watching a science fiction until one of the actors mentioned it in an interview about the movie. 

Eames, played by Tom Hardy (who appears in another film by Mr. Nolan as Bain in the "The Dark Knight Rises"), was my favorite character because of his witty lines. 

Ken Watanabe (L) and Marion Cotillard.

Marion Cotillard was incredible as a psychopathy dead wife who made her husband's life a complete nightmare! She has officially made French people suck less. 

I had no idea that Joseph Gordon-Levitt could be so unmistakably hot fighting people in a suit. 

Ellen Page had an interesting and mothering supportive character that I enjoyed watching being too curious for her own good. 

Michael Caine was in it. And he's always an awesome addition to a cast. 

Ken Watanabe was also in this picture and although I think he's possibly the sexiest Asian I've ever seen and I have loved him since I saw him in "The Last Samurai", I feel his character wasn't as developed as the other characters were, but that's Christopher Nolan's fault. Shame on you, Christopher! 

Dileep Rao's character, Yusuf, suffered the same ordeal. He was interesting but not fully formed. But I could only imagine how long that film would be.

Cillian Murphy only seems to play a whiney bitch of a character, doesn't he? William Killick in "The Edge of Love"; the Scarecrow in "The Dark Knight". Just sayin'.

And, of course, Leonardo DiCaprio, who did an excellent impression of himself as a serious and mentally unstable person.

Talulah Riley.

And I mustn't forget, though I almost did, Talulah Riley, who played a va-va-voom character for about two minutes in the film. But I am just so surprised because the last time I saw her, she was in "Pride and Prejudice" playing Elizabeth's (Kiera Knightley's) average-looking and gloomy sister. I cannot believe the transformation and I don't think it was CGI.

It didn't feel like a two-and-a-half-hour movie either, it just kept going and kept being awesome. The costumes and scenery were breath-taking. And there weren't too many editing mistakes in it, which is amazing. Although you could argue and say that while in a dream state most "mistakes" could be attributed to the logic and law of dreams, which is to say none at all. So, were they actually mistakes?

Script available here: http://www.raindance.org/site/scripts/Inception.pdf.

If someone knows who made or owns the rights
to this poster, please let me know..

*SPOILERS* I like the way it ended too. It gets me thinking: if it was all a dream, how many levels of dreams is this one guy in? And if it isn't a dream (which is what I suspect), then why didn't Michael Caine's character take Cobb's kids to meet him in France? Although that wouldn't have been as awesome a movie. Maybe an awesome book series though. 

There was one character I forgot about after the suspense started building: they just let that poor bastard get tortured to death! That poor guy, played by Lukas Haas who's quite handsome for such a thin fellow. 

Favorite Lines:

Eames: [Shows up while Arthur is in a gunfight] You mustn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling. 

[Pulls out a grenade launcher] 

Yusuf: [after surviving a roll with the van] Did you see that? 

[realizes that everyone else in the van is asleep] 

Silly owl.

Cobb: You create the world of the dream. We bring the subject into that dream and fill it with their subconscious. 

Ariadne: How could I ever acquire enough detail to make them think that it's reality? 

Cobb: Well, dreams, they feel real while we're in them right? Its only when we wake up then we realize that something was actually strange. 

Arthur: It would have to be a 747. 

Cobb: Why is that? 

Arthur: Because in a 747, the pilot's up top, and the first class cabin's in the nose, so no one would walk through. But you'd have to buy out the entire cabin. And the first class flight attendant... 

Saito: I bought the airline. 

[Everybody turns and stares at him. Saito just shrugs] 

Saito: It seemed neater. 

Cobb: [notices that he's being followed] That price on my head, was that dead or alive? 

Eames: Not sure. See if he starts shooting.

Arthur: What about his security? It's gonna get worse as we go deeper. 

Cobb: I think we run with Mr. Charles. 

Arthur: No. 

Eames: Who's Mr. Charles? 

Arthur: Bad idea. 

Cobb: The second we get in that hotel with Fischer, his security is gonna be all over us. We run with Mr. Charles like we did on the Stein job. 

Eames: So you've done it before? 

Arthur: Yeah, and it didn't work. The subject realized he was dreaming and his subconscious tore us to pieces. 

Eames: Excellent. But you learned a lot, right?

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/plotsummary.

"Marvin's Room" Movie Review

"Marvin's Room" movie poster.

"Estranged since their father's first stroke some 17 years earlier, Lee (Meryl Streep) and Bessie (Diane Keaton) lead separate lives in separate states. Lee's son, Hank (Leonardo DiCaprio), finds himself committed to a mental institution after setting fire to his mother's house. His younger brother, Charlie (Hal Scardino), seems unfazed by his brother's eccentricities or his mother's seeming disinterest. When Lee comes to the asylum to spring Hank for a week in Florida so that he can be tested as a possible bone marrow donor for Bessie, Hank is incredulous. "I didn't even know you had a sister," he says. "Remember, every Christmas, when I used to say 'Well, looks like Aunt Bessie didn't send us a card again this year?'" "Oh yeah," Hank says. Meanwhile, Marvin (Hume Cronyn), the two women's bedridden father, has "been dying for the past twenty years." "He's doing it real slow so I don't miss anything," Bessie tells Dr. Wally (Robert DeNiro). In Bessie's regular doctor's absence, it has fallen to Dr. Wally to inform Bessie that she has leukemia and will die without a bone marrow transplant. This precipitates the two sisters uneasy reunion. In Marvin's room, Bessie cares for her father's every need. In Lee's eyes, the sacrifice Bessie has made is too great and realizing the old man's welfare will fall to her if Bessie dies, Lee's first instinct is to look for a nursing home. "In a few month's, I'll have my cosmotology degree," she says. "My life is just coming together; I'm not going to give it all up, now!" As first Lee is tested and then the boys for the compatibility of their marrow with Bessie's, the women take stock of their lives and rediscover the meaning of 'family.' " Written by Mark Fleetwood (Link below.)

I found this movie to be enjoyable. It's kind of cute, but it has a lot of cliches in it: there was the unfeeling mother, the self-sacrificial sister, the bad boy, that crazy aunt whose breathing machine causes the garage door to open at odd times.

Diane Keaton (L) and
Leonardo DiCaprio.

I actually think it's a shame Mr. DeNiro was in this, because the role was very small. It was important but I can't believe an A-list actor did it. Mr. DiCaprio's part was cool - he actually did burn down a house, so he's actually a really bad boy! Mr. Scardino's part was a bummer though. He was practically a non-entity. They seriously could have cut him from the movie, it wouldn't have made much of a difference. Both Ms. Streep and Ms. Keaton acted their asses off in this film. They are always awesome to watch.

I know that this movie was up for an Academy award - Diane Keaton for 'Best Actress in a Leading Role' - and a whole slew of other awards but that only makes me think it might've been a slow year. Leonardo DiCaprio won a Chlotrudis Award for 'Best Supporting Actor', quite possibly the ugliest award statuette I've ever seen!

The print is small but the script is available here: http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/m/marvins-room-script-transcript-dicaprio.html.

Meryl Streep (L) and Leonardo DiCaprio.

It was an okay movie. I don't think I would watch it again. If it weren't for the big-name actors this would've been a made-for-tv movie. I give it 3 stars.

Favorite Lines:

Lee: Are you behaving yourself? 

Hank: Well, they're not strapping me down anymore.

Lee: We're going to see your Aunt Bessie in Florida. She's not feeling so well. 

Hank: I didn't even knew I had an Aunt Bessie. 

Lee: She came to the house right after your Dad and I were married. 

Hank: I wasn't even born yet. 

Lee: Oh. 

Lee: Don't waste your time trying to make friends with him. We're only going to be here a few days.

Lee: [to her son] My feelings for you, Hank, are like a big bowl of - 

[sighs] 

Lee: fish hooks. I can't just pick up one up at a time. I pick one up and they all come, so I just had to leave 'em alone.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116999/plotsummary.

"Total Eclipse" Movie Review

"Total Eclipse" movie DVD cover.

"In 1871, Paul Verlaine (1844-1896)(David Thewlis), an established poet, invites boy genius Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891) (Leonardo DiCaprio) to live with Paul and his young pregnant wife, Mathiltde (Romane Bohringer), in her father's home in Paris. Rimbaud's uncouth behavior disrupts the household as well as the insular society of French poets, but Verlaine finds the youth invigorating. Stewed in absinthe and resentment, Verlaine abuses Mathiltde; he and Rimbaud become lovers and abandon her. There are reconciliations and partings with Mathiltde and partings and reconciliations with Rimbaud, until an 1873 incident with a pistol sends one of them to prison. Codas dramatize the poets' final meeting and last illnesses." Written by jhailey@hotmail.com (Link below.)

Leonardo DiCaprio.

At first, I didn't think I would finish the movie because the characters are so awful to each other. But I did watch the whole thing. This film starred Leonardo DiCaprio, David Thewlis, Romane Bohringer, and Dominique Blanc.

Lots of sex, including gay sex, in this film. If you don't like butts you might not want to watch this film. Although you also get to see Ms. Bohringer's lovely boobs if you wait long enough. Verlaine's and Rimbaud's relationship is mainly sex and violence, lots of slapping and hitting and it eventually culminates in a gun shot and an arrest for sodomy.

David Thewlis (L) and
Leonardo DiCaprio.

I don't think I will watch it again, but it was an okay film. I think it would've benefited from some finessing of the characters. The costumes were well done and the acting was good, apart from Leonardo DiCaprio's lack of an accent, which I found at times to be distracting. The music was okay, but there were a lot of moments where it kind of fell flat and didn't help the story. It was just sort of there.

You can read a scene from the script here: http://roadside6.tripod.com/eclipse.htm.

Favorite Lines:

Paul Verlaine: Sometimes he speaks in a kind of tender dialect of the death which causes repentence, of the unhappy men who certainly exist, of painful tasks and heartrending departures. In the hovels where we got drunk he wept looking at those who surrounded us, the cattle of poverty. He lifted up drunks in the black streets. He had the pity a bad mother has for small children. He moved with the grace of a little girl at catechism. He pretended to know about everything, business, art, medicine. I followed him, I had to! 

Leonardo DiCaprio as
Arthur Rimbaud.

Arthur Rimbaud: I have no intention of taking a job. My work is going far too well - I can't afford to waste time earning money. 

Arthur Rimbaud: The only unbearable thing is that nothing is unbearable. 

Arthur Rimbaud: I've found it. 

Paul Verlaine: What? 

Arthur Rimbaud: Eternity. It's the sun mingled with the sea.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0114702/.

"The Basketball Diaries" Movie Review

"The Basketball Diaries"
movie poster.

"Film adaptation of street tough Jim Carroll's (Leonardo DiCaprio) epistle about his kaleidoscopic free fall into the harrowing world of drug addiction. As a member of a seemingly unbeatable high school basketball squad, Jim's life centers around the basketball court and the court becomes a metaphor for the world in his mind. A best friend (Michael Imperioli) who is dying of leukemia, a coach ("Swifty"), played byBruno Kirby, who takes unacceptable liberties with the boys on his team, teenage sexual angst, and an unhealthy appetite for heroin -- all of these begin to encroach on young Jim's dream of becoming a basketball star. Soon, the dark streets of New York become a refuge from his mother's (Lorraine Bracco) mounting concern for her son. He can't go home and his only escape from the reality of the streets is heroin for which he steals, robs and prostitutes himself. Only with the help of Reggie (Ernie Hudson), an older neighborhood friend with whom Jim "picked up a game" now and then, is he able to begin the long journey back to sanity." Written by Mark Fleetwood (Link below.)

Leonardo DiCaprio (L)
and Ernie Hudson.

This movie stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Wahlberg, Bruno Kirby, Ernie Hudson, andLorraine Bracco as Jim Carroll's mother. I think everyone did an extraordinary job in their parts. I like how the movie was more realistic, it wasn't about how cool the drugged up scenes looked, but more about how screwed up he got.

Leonardo DiCaprio (L)
and Mark Wahlberg.

I really enjoyed this movie. I would love to read the book. It was sad, but very interesting and ultimately rewarding. If they showed dirtier movies like this in high schools, a lot more people wouldn't do drugs. I doubt too many would want to prostitute themselves just to get a high, if people realized that's what they might become if they start. Or maybe they would do it for a while and then realize something was wrong before it got real bad. Here's to hoping. 

But anyway, I recommend this movie as a coming of age story and for those who are aficionados of Leonardo DiCaprio's career. A very good performance by him in this film. Very promising actor, as we all know now.

Favorite Lines:

Jim Carroll: [Is continuously getting hit by the Father's cane. The bell rings and the Father stops hitting him] Too bad, Father. I was just beginning to enjoy it. 

Father McNulty: We can do it again tomorrow if you like, Mr. Carroll.

Juliette Lewis (L) and
Leonardo DiCaprio.

Jim Carroll: First, it's a Saturday night thing when you feel cool like a gangster or a rockstar- just something to kill the boredom, you know? They call it a chippie, a small habit. It feels so good, you start doing it on Tuesdays... then Thursdays... then it's got you. Every wise ass punk on the block says it won't happen to them, but it does. 

Jim's Mother: Idle time is the devil's play thing.

Reggie Porter: Hey white boy! Are you ready for your beatin'? 

Jim Carroll: Don't let your mouth get you into something your ass can't handle. 

Jim Carroll: Time sure flies when you're young and jerking off. 

Jim Carroll: You're growing up. And rain sort of remains on the branches of a tree that will someday rule the Earth. And it's good that there is rain. It clears the month of your sorry rainbow expressions, and it clears the streets of the silent armies... so we can dance.

Leonardo DiCaprio
as Jim Carroll.

Jim Carroll: Just my own naked self and the stars breathing down, it's beautiful. 

Jim Carroll: I felt dazed, like I just came out of a 4 hour movie I didn't understand. 

Jim Carroll: You gotta have presence on the court. Presence like a cheetah rather than a chimp. Sure, they both got it, but Chimpy gotta jump his nuts around to get it. The shy cheetah moves with total nonchalance, stickin' it to them in his sexy, slow strut. Me? I play like a cheetah.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112461/plotsummary.

"J. Edgar" Movie Review

"J. Edgar" movie poster.

"Biopic of J. Edgar Hoover told by Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he recalls his career for a biography. Early in his career, Hoover fixated on Communists, anarchists and any other revolutionary taking action against the U.S. government. He slowly builds the agency's reputation, becoming the sole arbiter of who gets hired and fired. One of his hires is Clyde Tolson (Armie Hammer) who is quickly promoted to Assistant Director and would be Hoover's confidant and companion for the rest of Hoover's life. Hoover's memories have him playing a greater role in the many high profile cases the FBI was involved in - the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the arrest of bank robbers like John Dillinger - and also show him to be quite adept at manipulating the various politicians he's worked with over his career, thanks in large part to his secret files." Written by garykmcd (Link below.)

Leonardo DiCaprio (L)
and Judi Dench.

A long-ish movie (2 hours and 17 minutes), it stars the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Armie Hammer,Naomi Watts, and Judi Dench. And directed byClint Eastwood; screenplay written by Dustin Lance Black (also wrote the script to the Sean Penn flick "Milk"). 

I thought it a bit strange for Mr. DiCaprio to be in this film. He's no stranger to gay relationships (and now no longer immune to a bit of cross-dressing) and he loves biographical stories featuring odd people, but he's very handsome and the real J. Edgar Hoover looked like a flesh-colored beach ball. (Assume that I prefer to look at the DiCaprio version.) And also, it surprised me how deep Mr. Hammer's voice was. I haven't seen "The Social Network" yet, so I didn't know he sounded like that. He's also very attractive. A nice surprise. However, the acting was excellent. I believed that he was an old man during some parts in the film.and that the special effects people somehow CGI-ed DiCaprio's acting skills onto the old actor's face.

Leonardo DiCaprio (L)
and Naomi Watts.

A wise man once said, "Absolute power, corrupts absolutely." While I don't think of Mr. J. Edgar Hoover as a bad person or an evil one, I certainly am glad that I cannot get on his bad side. Avery interesting man with a ton of issues in every way possible, but also one that was very driven and strong.

I found the story entertaining and very intriguing - I would like to read a book about Hoover now - but I found the movie a bit long. That's about my only criticism. I found Tolson's and Hoover's relationship compelling and sad. I also realized through watching this movie that I don't usually see older people in films. And how sad their lives are. And then also realizing that that is probably why they don't make good film fodder.

Leonardo DiCaprio as
"Older" J. Edgar Hoover.

I absolutely loved all of the hats and costumes in this film! And I was so impressed with the make-up effects that I looked through the credits for the person in charge of doing it and I was going to put his name in this blog entry.... But there were too many to name and I'm somewhat lazy about a few things like this. 

I give this film a 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Favorite Lines:

J. Edgar Hoover: Find Agent Purvis. He is to be demoted or, better yet, fired.

J. Edgar Hoover: What's important at this time is to re-clarify the difference between hero and villain. 

Albert Osborne: Is that all Mr. Hoover? I have a 2:30 class to teach. 

J. Edgar Hoover: No, you don't. Consider your pay doubled; you now work for your country. Congratulations, Dr. Osborne.

Annie Hoover: I would rather have a dead son than a daffodil for a son.

Annie Hoover: Is it a date? 

J. Edgar Hoover: I think so, I think so. I'm going to show her my old card catalog system at the Library of Congress.

Armie Hammer as
Clyde Tolson.

Annie Hoover: Romance, son.

Congressman: But your agency is already one of the most well-funded in Washington, is it not? 

J. Edgar Hoover: Yes, that is true sir, but our car and bank robbery recoveries totaled 6.5 million last year, and our budget is only, well, 2 million. Unlike other departments in Washington, we actually run a profit. 

J. Edgar Hoover: It's easy to be the expert if you're the only person in the world with any interest. 

Clyde Tolson: He does also claim he can tell as much from a cut of wood as a doctor can from an autopsy. 

J. Edgar Hoover: Ah. 

Clyde Tolson: He has, um, social difficulties. 

J. Edgar Hoover: He is mentally ill, isn't he? 

Clyde Tolson: He's only as mad as you are - sir. 

Helen Gandy: The Bureau is stronger than just you and me now. Your child is sure and keeps the country safe.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1616195/.

"Body of Lies" Movie Review

"Body of Lies" movie poster.

"Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a CIA operative in the Middle East; Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe) is his control at Langley. Cynicism is everywhere. In Amman, Roger works with Hani Salaam (Mark Strong), Jordan's head of security, whose only dictum is "Don't lie to me." The Americans are in pursuit of a cleric, Al-Saleem, (Alon Aboutboul) who leads a group placing bombs all over Europe. When Hani rebukes Ed's demand that Jordan allow the Americans to use one of Jordan's double agents, Roger and Ed hatch a plan to bring the cleric to them. The plan involves implicating an innocent Dubai-based architect named Omar Sadiki (Ali Suliman) as a rival terrorist, but the plan is complicated by its being a secret from Hani and by Roger's attraction to a local nurse, Aisha (Golshifteh Farahani). Satellites and cell phones, bodies and lies: modern warfare." Written by jhailey@hotmail.com

(Link below.)

A Ridley Scott film of 2008 with screenplay by William Monahan, based on the book of the same title by David Ignatius. It is kind of a cut and dry story as far as CIA operative spy thriller movies are concerned. But it is enjoyable and has a political message that still has relevance to today's society.

Script can be downloaded here:
http://www.screenplaydb.com/film/scripts/bodyoflies20070921/.

Mark Strong.

The cast also consisted of Oscar Isaac and Simon McBurney. Nobody's acting was particularly strong, but everyone was very good as their characters. Mark Strong was sultry and sexy as Hani Salaam. I felt so bad for Omar Sadiki - poor bastard.

*SPOILER ALERT* I'm still a little confused about the ending, what did Hani tell Aisha that would make it hard for Ferris to earn her love? And is Ferris fired?

Golshifteh Farahani.

I'm going to read the book in the hopes that it clears most of this up. But I have heard that the movie is actually better than the book and it doesn't have all of the same characters. I have also heard that the book has a kick-ass ending though, so hoping for the best. (Book review here.)

Favorite Lines:

[first lines] 

Title Card: I and the public know what all schoolchildren learn, those to whom evil is done, do evil in return. - W.H. Auden

Roger Ferris: [having cell phone conversation] You know what? I've had it. I've had it. I can't do this anymore.

Ed Hoffman: Yes, you can. Now, you just get yourself a couple of hours' sleep. And you call me when you're thinking straight. 

Roger Ferris: You know what? I am thinking straight. You're not, all right? You can't, because you're a million fucking miles away. I'm here, Ed, every day. And I see the unnecessary travesties of this war... that the rest of you backstabbing political fucking bureaucrats... only look at pictures of. So don't you dare tell me I am not thinking straight! This is not working, all right? It's not working, I'm out. 

Ed Hoffman: Ferris? Ferris? 

[phone disconnects] 

Ed Hoffman: I should pack.

Russell Crowe (L) and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Hani: And so we throw him back into the sea to swim where he naturally swims, to learn what he naturally learns. We'll see how long he remembers my benevolence. 

Roger Ferris: What if he forgets? 

Hani: If he forgets, I remind him that I have the power of life and death over him. Because you see, any time I wish, I can let them know he works for me.

Roger Ferris: I thought you didn't believe in torture, Hani Pasha. 

Hani: This is punishment, my dear. It's a very different thing. 

Mark Strong (L) and Leonardo DiCaprio.

[Nizar refuses to come to them and Bassam has to leave the car to fetch him] 

Bassam: Hey hey, listen to me. I'm not getting my head cut off on the Internet, alright? No. If something happens, shoot me. Will you shoot me? 

Roger Ferris: Fuck that shit, I will shoot you right now. 

Bassam: I'm not kidding. 

Roger Ferris: Quit being a pussy.

Garland: ...and a list of emails for the Brothers of Awareness. 

Roger Ferris: The Brothers of who the fuck?

Ed Hoffman: Nobody's innocent in this shit.

Source: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758774/plotsummary.