MILDRED PIERCE

Director: Michael Curtiz

Producer:  Jack L. Warner

Genre: Film Noir

Writer(s): Ranald MacDougall, and William Faulkner

Year of Release: 1945

Running Time: 111 min.

Language: Some Profanity

Movie Rating: PG-13

Actors: Joan Crawford, Ann Blyth, Jack Carson, Zachary Scott, and Even Arden.

Wow, this movie was just Awful!!!!!, I Did not like this movie. Maybe it was the fact that the acting was overdone or maybe it was the fact that Mildred Pierce kept letting her stupid daughter walk all over her. Anyways the plot of the film is set in the suburb’s in the 1940’s. At the beginning it starts off with a man named Monte Beragon who is shot whispers the voice Mildred. Then the next scene it shows a woman, who we can tell is very wealthy. She is about to kill herself by jumping off the Pier into the Ocean before a Police Officer stops her. She then meets her friend Wally (Jack Carson) at his restaurant, and she tells him that the police are after her. The police take her in and then the police bring another man, Mildred’s ex-husband Bert (Bruce Bennett) admits that he killed the man, however Mildred confesses that she did it, surprisingly, the police thinks she is lying then she tells the story how it all begin. Mildred Pierce was married to Bert Pierce who is a real estate, but now unemployed. She played the perfect homemaker from taking care of her selfish 16 yr. old daughter Veda (Ann Blyth) and 10 yr daughter Kay. Kay, later on, dies of pneumonia. Both Bert and Mildred are aware of Bert’s affair with another woman, and she asks Bert to leave and for a divorce. With no money she looks for a job and gets a job as a waitress. Along the way she realizes she wants to open up a new restaurant with the help of Bert’s co-worker and Mildred’s friend Wally to help her look for a place. She and a friend and co-worker at her old restaurant run the new one and make a ton of money. Soon Mildred meets Monte Beragon (Zachary Scott), a wealthy playboy, and him and Mildred become close and later on get married, and that’s where it all begins!! A very interesting plot, but not quite as secretive who killed Monte. This was not a good enough Murder Mystery through half of it I COULD ALREADY GUESS WHO IT WAS!!!! Ridiculous!! The daughter Veda made me so mad, because she was such a jurk to her own mother, and Mildred was such a sapp who let everyone keep stepping allover her like a doormat. Zachary Scott, who played Monte, didn’t do anything in the film but hold a cigar in his hand and where bathrobe the entire time!!!!! Who is this Tool?? HUGH HEFNER!!!! However, I absolutely loved Jack Carson, who plays the fun-loving Wally. He was creative upbeat and I could really feel his character involved in Mildred’s life in such a big way, so I give him a round of applause, The rest of the film, a blank expression on my face.

If I were to rate this film I would give it an Adrien Brody= 2.5/10

 

Hardworking dedicated, but only good enough to watch to the point I want to fall asleep 

PRIDE AND PREJUDICE

Director: Joe Wright            

Producer:  Tim Beven, Eric Fellner, and Paul Webster

Genre: Romance

Writer(s): Deborah Moggach

Year of Release: 2005

Running Time: 127 min

Language: None

Movie Rating: PG-13

Actors:  Keira Knightley, Matthew Macfayden, Judi Dench, Brenda Blethen, and Donald Sutherland.

Romance, heartache, defiance, and a quest to finding oneself are all intertwined in this 2005 European film starring: Keira Knightly, Matthew Macfadyen, Judi Dench, Brenda Blethen, and Donald Sutherland all star in this Film adaption based on the Book Pride and Prejudice by famous English author Jane Austen. The Movie Centers around the Bennett a family in the early 1800’s London, England.  The main character Elizabeth Bennett (Portrayed by Keira Knightly), her mother (Brenda Blethen), father (Donald Sutherland), and 5 sisters. Thoughout the course of story, the mother, Mrs. Bennett has a yearning for all her 5 daughters to get married before Mr. Bennett reaches the point of his last days. I think that Brenda Blethen displayed a fantastic job as being the needy mother who wants her kids to be happy, and ulitimatly driving her complete insane, not literally. Elizabeth, the main character meets a man named Mr. Darcy, and when they first meet (knightly) trys to have a bubbly an upbeat conversation to get to know him, however Mr. Darcy isn’t too lenient on her and rather rejects finding her unattractive in everyway whatsoever, as Elizabeth overhears this she immediately finds a loathe towards him. Keira Knighlty had to play a go with the flow, secretively angstful character towards Mr. Darcy and in a way plays hard to get. And due to her performance, she displayed a beautiful job creating a very modest “Femme Fatal”. However, I noticed that another side of her had to be the brutally harsh character tow whom she knows who she is and what she wants and at the same-time self-seekful young woman, who derives to know if there really is true love out there for her after all. Matthew Macfayden (Mr. Darcy) may have not been exposed a whole lot as I thought he would throughout the film, the times he has been he acted in many different ways, he will act like a gentlemen, but he will be blunt about how he feels in a cold, soft way, and I could honestly feel the cold-like atmosphere him and Knightly inflicted on one other’s roles. Also the story doesn’t just primarily focus on Elizabeth but, nevertheless shows the youngest sister, Lydia (Jenna Malone) an upbeat, fun-loving, eccentric sister who later marries a crush of Elizabeth’s and presents a very naïve and immature, however I notice that she is confident into thinking that she is more mature than her other sisters. The sister Kitty, second to the youngest, plays another naïve immature young lady who is closest with Lydia, and becomes jealous towards her because she herself can not find love. The middle sister Mary, incredibly reserved, and very homely than the other sister and rolls with her own beat, and I thought that the actress may have been too reserved when I suddenly notice that she had a thing for Mr. Collins later in the movie, I thought I saw a pattern with all the sisters and their love, I thought I lost hope when marry didn’t want anyone or couldn’t find anyone she liked, but I was completely fooled when I saw that. And the last sister Jane, I saw her as the real eye-candy in the film, but something held her back which was her sweet and kind shy-like personality, and she found love, and because she was being that everyone knew her to be, her love interest loved her so much that in the in end the love ended up really finding her.  The movie was incredible and the music for it fit it nicely, and the dream sequences were very symbolic in Elizabeth’s dream. The only thing I didn’t like about the movie was the rush of the scenes, if the director extended 2 or 3 of the scenes then everyone would probably get a better understanding.

Ratings Scale: Ugly Celebrities

Ex.

Not Cute-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------HOT!!

1------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10

CHRISTOPHER WALKEN 1!!  

                                                                                                                            JOSH DUHAMEL 10!! 

DEFINITELY A JOSH DUHAMEL= 10/10 

Hoplessly beautiful, and enticing!! 

AUSTRALIA

Director: Baz Luhrmann  

Producer:  Baz Luhrmann and

Genre:

Writer(s):

Year of Release:

Running Time:

Language: Some profanity, and vulgarity.

Movie Rating: PG-13

Actors: Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, Brandon Walters, and David Wenham.  

Discrimination, War, Romance, and Self-knowledge are the key elements in this 2008 War/Drama adaption called Australia. The plot and setting of story at the beginning of film takes place in the 1930’s, World War I era, on a large estate in London, England. The main character Lady Sarah Ashley, the wife of Lord Ashley, runs her and her husband’s estate, while Lord Ashley runs a cattle station in the outback called faraway downs. Sarah not seeing her husband for months, decides to leave for Australia and bring him home. Her ride to Faraway Down’s is the handsome, yet rugged Cattle Drover (Hugh Jackman), sent to take her. Sarah is repulsed by The Drover, and thinks of him as a man who throws himself at women. The Drover finds the feeling mutual her finding her selfish and uncaring. When she arrives at the station, she finds her husband dead. Mr. Fletcher, the manager, claims that an aboriginal tribal elder King George killed him. Sarah decides to stay for a while and learns that the property is losing its cattle to King Carney, a wealthy monopolistic man who lives in the town Darwin. In the middle of the night a little aboriginal boy named, Nullah, the grandson of King George, makes her aware of this “driving the cattle onto Carney’s land”. fires him for finding this out and for mistreating Nullah. She also learns that he is Nullah’s son and has been abusing Nullah’s mom, and grandmother who live on the property. She later finds out that Fletcher killed her husband, and blamed it on King George. She lost Fletcher and his men, except for the drover, who instead gets bribed by Lady Ashley for a beautiful horse.The Drover has no fellow cattle herder’s except him and his aboriginal brother-in-law Margarri, from the Drover’s late wife. So Sarah gets the little boy Nullah, Nullah’s mother, grandma, and Mr. Flynn the Station’s accountant. They get all the cattle and bring it back to the town in a period of 5 days, Sarah and the Drover start to get along and fall in love with each other. Along the way Nullah’s mother drowns in a water tank, from where her and Nullah hide from the cops, as well as Mr. Flynn who stampeded by the cattle. They end up bringing the cattle and get them on the ship. All is well the Drover, Sarah Ashley, and Nullah become a family and live in Faraway downs for 2 yrs. Carney is killed, by Fletcher, but make it look like a Crocodile came up and killed Carney. Fletcher marries Carney’s daughter, and he owns The King’s monopoly. Sarah wants send Nullah to school to get an education, but Nullah must go on a, “walk about” first, after fighting about this with the Drover, he leaves Sarah, with her telling him to leave because she thinks of herself as mother, but he doesn’t think he is a father. Later on the World War I hit Australia, the drover is devasted thinking that Sarah is dead but she is alive and he goes to save Nullah, along with Margarri, on a nearby island. They save him and learn that Sarah is alive and they live happily ever after. The movie had bold acting done by the lovely Nicole Kidman, and the gorgeous hunk Hugh Jackman.The little boy Brandon Walters did a wonderful job playing the free-spirited Nullah. The things I didn’t like about the movie, how the war could have been explained a little more.

If I were to rate this film I would give it a:

Chad Michael Murray = 6.5/10

MILLION DOLLAR BABY

Director: Clint Eastwood           

Producer:  Clint Eastwood

Genre:  American Sports Drama                                          

Writer(s): Paul Haggis, and F.X. Toole

Year of Release: 2004

Running Time: 132 min.

Language: Few major uses of Profanity and vulgarity, and many minor uses of language.

Movie Rating: PG-13

Actors:  Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, and Morgan Freeman

This edge-cutting Academy award winning Director, Best Actress, and Best Film, has many of the ingredience to find hope, redemption, and search for happiness. The movie centers on Hilary Swank’s character Maggie Fitzgerald, a poor, optimistic 29 yr old woman who has the knack of being devalued as a person, by her family members and everyone around her. Clint Eastwood’s character Frankie Dunn, a former boxer, owns and trains his own boxing gym along with his friend Eddie Dupris, or “Scrap”. Frankie is a stern-quiet mean character , and has issues of his own after losing his own family due to them leaving him, because of some mistakes in the past he has truly never been happy, and finds happiness by going to church and questioning his minister on his sermons. Maggie wants to do boxing and asks hopefully if she can start training, and tries to have Frankie train her, however he declines. He doesn’t train girls to box. She without his consent stays at the gym and works hard to show him that she can be a great competitor and athlete. As he unknowingly gives her tips reminding himself that he doesn’t, “train” girls, he is won over and starts training her. “Scrap” supports Maggie in fighting. After winning some competitions Maggie makes a bundle of money, and surprises her mother, and sister with a new house for them from their trailer trash lifestyle. The mother and daughter complain about having to make bills, and say that they didn’t even ask them. They are not appreciative, but are willing to keep the house only because they want somewhere nicer to live, but they belittle Maggie into feeling like it isn’t good enough and never will be good enough. Maggie gets to the big leagues and Frankie makes a full-time commitment to being. Maggie get’s her own title, and as for this Frankie sets up account for her if she wins the European Tour, and he gives her the name, Mo Chishule. Maggie asks what it means, and no matter how many times she asks Frankie he refuses to tell her, because he is afraid. Maggie competes against notorious Higher Welterweight Champion, who is a dirty boxer. Maggie fights her and wins some, but almost wins, accept the boxer come from behind and hits Maggie, causing her to fall on the stool which Frankie could take away in time to save her. Then Maggie becomes paralyzed from the waste down. As Maggie is getting help from Frankie her family comes and tries tro convince her to gove them the money so it will be safe, an she knows they don’t care for her and want the money for them, so she angrily tells them to leave. She asks Frankie to kill her, but Frankie refuses, and asks “scrap” what to do, so scarp advises no, he tells “scrap” that he doesn’t know anything and that he is trash. Frankie tells her before he kills her with a shot of adrenaline that her title name Mo Chishule means, my blood, my darling. He gives it to her and she ends up dying. Frankie not being able to live with himself sends a letter, the whole movie that is narrated a little by “Scrap” to Frankie’s daughter, explaining the person that he is, and why she never got a better understanding of him. This movie was so good an inspirational, Clint Eastwood had a troubled and hard life, and as his rough character her showed love and compassion

towards Maggie (Swank) by training her and pushing her. Hilary Swank worked really hard to get into this film, and she did a great performance as for being the sweet gentle person, then becoming a hard Female Boxer in the ring with no mercy. Morgan Freeman played a poor employee of Clint Eastwood’s character and gives off his appeal of kind old man with a wise streak to him. The story-line was motivating, and encouraging. 

If I were to rate this movies would rate it: A GARRETT HEDLUND = 9.5/10 

It was gracefull, but a little too serious for my taste!! 

Deja Vu

Cast And Credits

Director: Tony Scott’s

Producer:  Jerry Bruckheimer

Genre: Crime Thriller

Writer(s): Bill Marsilii, and Terry Rossio

Year of Release: 2006

Running Time: 127 min.

Language: Rarely used. 

Movie Rating: PG-13

Actors: Denzel Washington, Paula Patton, and Adam Goldberg.

One word to describe this Movie. TO DIE FOR!!!! Once again Denzel Washington does it again!! From Remember the Titans to the Pelican Brief, ladies and gentlemen Denzel wows the audience with his HARD CORE action face and acting in DÉJÀ VU. Now this is the movie to see. It starts off with U.S Navy, or Sailors and their families celebrating Mardi Gras on a Grand Ferry crossing the bay, when all of a sudden a bomb goes off and kills everyone on deck. Doug Carlin who is portrayed by Denzel investigates, he then goes off by shore and notices a bag, but its not only a bag it is a body in a bag. He then realizes through some Forensic investigating the body was a woman named Claire Kuchever was murdered before the bomb went off, and the body was made look like it was at the scene of the crime. Later on throughout the film Doug meets a special private governmental unit that works on certain investigations. A program called Snow White the units boss Dr. Alex Denny (Goldberg), allows them to use these 7 camera angles to go 4 days in the pass and see events. They can use this to look at anything anywhere, but there is no rewinding, or fastforwording. Carlin believes that the terrorist, or killer may have involved Claire in the bomb in some way, so he investigates Claire’s past. He finds out the man bought a car from her. Carlin finds more secrets about the program, that it can send small objects into the past. Doug asks them to send a note to himself at his office, his partner sees the note and it says to go to the investigation, however when he gets over there he is killed by the terrorist who is planning it all out. Carlin asks to send him back but there is a chance that he wont survive, but however he does and ends up saving Claire after she is kidnapped from the terrorist, and he stops the bomb that is in Claire’s car stolen by the man on the ferry, and they drive it off the ferry into the bay, Carlin subsequently dies leaving Claire devastated. However everyone survives, the killer is caught and sent to jail. SHOCKER ALERT comes to the investigation, but this is the future and it is future Carlin and present day Carlin is killed. Claire is shocked but all is well.  Denzel, oh man, Despite what people may think of him as an actor, just taking these easy action films, that he works on for 2 months a makes 13 mill, and just moves on two another one and comes back in 5 more yrs. He may just do that but he doesn’t giving him a standing ovation. He really connected so well with Doug Carlin and made him his own, he doesn’t add any bull crap tears, or some unnecessary arguments, he is clear, straightforward, and assertive in flawless manner. Paula Patton did an okay job; I like how brought her tears on as a victim and showed her sadness. Adam Goldberg always playing those annoying nerds, he can be very convincing with what he wants, be he ALWAYS has that look on his face that he has seen as ghost. The storyline was very cool the camera angles were all over the place and it gives you an idea of how you really want to just caught up, but the Terrorist going solo on his “mission to kill” didn’t win me over.

I rate this movie a

Brad Pitt= 6/10

 1--------------------------------------------------------------------10 

Good-looking, yet attitude is quiet, tries to hard, and the can open the droopy eyes a little bit more.