#martindonovan

[film-book]

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Film Review: THE APPRENTICE: A Tame Trump Biopic [London 2024] https://film-book.com/film-review-the-apprentice-a-tame-trump-biopic-london-2024/?feed_id=159146&_unique_id=671113d96f0b9

[filmbookpodcast]

‎

The Complete Works Ep. 103: Christopher Nolan - TENET (2020) https://film-book.com/the-complete-works-ep-103-christopher-nolan-tenet-2020/?feed_id=135765&_unique_id=6665c97aef5d5

[unblogparaloschicos]

Cine: Saved! (2004)

Todo comienza como un juego: Dean (Chad Faust) le revela a su novia Mary (Jena Malone) que es gay. Ambos comparten una pileta y, en el estupor, ella se golpea la cabeza con algo y es rescatada por un carpintero (Thomas Plustwik) a quién confunde con Jesús. Éste le pide hacer lo posible para salvar a su novio.

Ya desde el vamos tomamos conciencia de que vive en un entorno fuertemente cristiano y que, convencida de que el Salvador puede restaurarle la virginidad, decide mantener relaciones sexuales con Dean. Su plan da un vuelco tan violento como inesperado cuando descubre que ha quedado encinta y que su novio había sido llevado a "Mercy Center", una "clínica de tratamiento" para homosexuales, embarazadas, adictos y otros jóvenes con problemas.

Allí surge el temor de ser repudiada frente a una sociedad en la que palabras como "amor" o "compasión" son pronunciadas constantemente. Le aterroriza pensar cómo lo tomarán sus amigos Hilary Faye (la cantante Mandy Moore) y su hermano Roland Stockard (Macaulay Culkin), Tia (Heather Matarazzo), Patrick (Patrick Fugit) y, en especial, el pastor Skip (Martin Donovan), padre de Patrick y Lillian (Mary-Louise Parker), su madre viuda. Afortunadamente, encuentra la aliada menos esperada en Cassandra (Eva Amurri), una rebelde chica judía metida en una escuela cristiana por ser considerada casi un caso perdido.

Este blog ha presentado muchos ejemplos de cómo la religión es un elemento esencial a la hora de narrar una historia sobre personajes LGBTQ. Aquí, el director alemán Brian Dannelly crea una historia prácticamente autobiográfica sobre su experiencia en un colegio bautista y lo hace en un rango satírico en el que explora las contradicciones e hipocresías de quienes presumen de virtud a la vez que expone cómo las buenas intenciones no siempre conducen a los resultados correctos.

[mrs-stans]

@metropolitanfilms: Une projection officielle couronnée de succès pour le nouveau film de #AliAbbasi ! ✨👏 Après #Border et #LesNuitsDeMashhad, le réalisateur est de retour en #Compétition au @FestivaldeCannes 2024 avec #TheApprentice ! Un biopic alléchant trumpien revenant sur l’ascension vers le pouvoir de l’ex/futur/(ex-futur Président américain ?) avec @imsebastianstan, #JeremyStrong, @mariabakalovaofficial et #MartinDonovan. #Cannes2024 #FestivalDeCannes #FestivalDeCannes2024

[thefilmverdict]

#theApprenticemovie #Ali Abbasi #Gabriel Sherman #RoyCohn JeremysStrong #SebastianStan # MariaBakalova # MartinDonovan #CharlieCarrick #MarkRendall, # MarkRendall # KasperTuxen #OlivierBuggeCoutté #OliviaNeergaardHolm #AleksandraMarinkovich #Martin Dirkov # Scythia Films #ProfilePictures #Tailored Films #Rocket Science #discussing film 

[adamwatchesmovies]

Silent Hill: Revelation (2012)

It's ok if you enjoy 2006's Silent Hill, but don’t tell me it’s a good movie. The plot makes no sense, the acting is lousy, and it’s obvious the main objective was to crowbar as many monsters and references to the game into a 2-hour running time... but it's a masterpiece compared to Silent Hill: Revelation.

Set 9 years (ish) after the first film, Sharon Da Silva (Adelaide Clemens) and her adoptive father Christopher (Sean Bean) are on the run from a cult obsessed with the town of Silent Hill. When her father is kidnapped by the Order of Valtiel (led by Carrie-Anne Moss as Claudia Wolf), Sharon and her new best friend, Vincent (Kit Harington), head for the creepy town to save him.

This film’s got nothing going on. That brief synopsis tells you everything you need to know about this story, save the ending. It’s as razor-thin as the knives held by those creepy, faceless nurses. Revelation has all of the problems of the first picture on top of its own bucket of issues. The twists in this story are so easy to predict, so obvious you’ll feel like a genius, proudly exclaiming out loud “that’s a bad guy!”, “that guy’s not as creepy as he looks!” and so on the instant someone walks on-screen. You'll only be surprised by how unconvincing the line deliveries are, and how nutty the plot gets.

The picture begins on the wrong foot by attempting to be an actual sequel. While Silent Hill foreshadowed a part 2 with a would-be spooky ending, this picture has to jump through so many hoops to make it work it’s ridiculous. Apparently, the same town that housed Christabella and all of her followers also hosts another new cult whose objectives and beliefs are completely different from the other one - and they all escaped Alessa's wrath to go into the real world. Why didn’t anyone mention that Christabella and Deborah had another sister and a father stuck in an insane asylum? How did we miss the creepy carnival and mannequin factory? Why is Pyramid Head suddenly protecting people instead of killing them?

In a good movie, characters’ actions follow a logical sequence. The consequences of those actions generate new situations for them to react to. There are hardly any characters in Silent Hill: Revelation; only excuses to have a body count. This film is not clever enough to have real scares or atmosphere. Out of desperation, writer/director Michael J. Bassett throws a bunch of gory deaths at the screen… too bad none are impressive. Not helping are the monsters in this follow-up, which are lame.

Silent Hill: Revelation is everything a bad horror movie can be and everything a bad video game-based movie can be at once. A deluge of references crammed throughout might distract the fans from the unholy performances and wretched story but only if all they want is to play "Silent Hill Bingo". As a horror movie, it fails to generate even a single scare or moment of tension. The characters are so stupid you feel like you’re watching someone move through a world where the biggest consequence is a “Game Over” screen. The only improvement over the 2006 film is the running time: about a half-hour shorter. When the end credits begin rolling, you’ll be screaming out loud “Was that it?!” Technically, it isn’t. Stick around for the very end of the credits.

Silent Hill: Revelation is the kind of film you want to look away from. Not because of the horrific sights - actually, the visuals are quite good - not because it reminds you of anything chilling, but because it generates such second-hand embarrassment for actors Carrie-Anne Moss, Sean Bean, and Malcolm McDowell that watching them becomes unbearable. (2D version on Blu-ray, October 21, 2016)

[jamest541975]

I'm about to watch @tenetfilm #tenet #elizabethdebicki #robertpattinson #johndavidwashington #kennethbranagh #aarontaylorjohnson #clemencepoesy #dimplekapadia #himeshpatel #michaelcaine #andrewhoward #yurikolokolnikov #fionadourif #martindonovan #ingridmargus #weschatham #seanavery #jackcutmorescott #laurieshephard #denzilsmith #carinavelva #joshstewart #jonathancamp #matthewmarsden #richcerauloko #jeffersonhall #jeremytheobald #marcelsabat #anthonymolinari #tomnolan https://www.instagram.com/p/CQoxvxfM2bQ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[doomonfilm]

Review : Tenet (2020)

In a perfect, pandemic free world, my fall would have been more than likely centered around the release of Tenet.  Christopher Nolan has earned his spot as a filmmaker who releases event-level films, and the anticipation for Tenet was through the roof, even before COVID-19 shifted the way of the world away from the theater experience.  I was bummed to miss the film in the theater, but after a long and patient wait, it hit streaming services, which finally gave me the opportunity to experience what looked like a brain-bender of a film.

After being captured during a siege on a Kyiv opera house, a CIA agent (John David Washington) attempts to commit suicide via a cyanide pill, only to be awakened by his CIA superior Fay (Martin Donovan).  Our revived agent, now going by the title Protagonist, is briefed on an organization known as Tenet and assigned a role in stopping an upcoming war threatening to destroy the past through “inversion”, a practice in which the entropy of object is reversed, causing them to look as if they are moving backwards through time.  The Protagonist is educated on inversion by a CIA scientist (Clémence Poésy) before visiting arms dealer Priya Singh (Dimple Kapadia) with the aide of his new partner Neil (Robert Pattinson).  The meeting puts them on the track of art appraiser Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), who has a dangerously contentious relationship with Russian figurehead Sator (Kenneth Branagh).  As the duo investigates deeper, they are thrown into a whirlwind of time, pitting them against numerous unknown enemies and situations.

The way that Christopher Nolan is able to take a specific genre and infuse high-level thinking and abstract ideas is a unique gift, especially when it comes to Hollywood fare.  Tenet takes the spy genre and uses it to reflect on the way we view time, life, and in many ways, cinema itself.  The whole idea of inversion therapy shakes up our understanding of causality, fracturing it in such a manner that he can then move sections of his narrative around and present them in one of the most temporal-shifting ways since Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction… specifically, the story tells a bit of itself, shows you key information from later in the run of events, brings them together, and then explodes out the view of the world, making a sort of ‘folded string’ style of experiencing time.  Aspects of parallel experiences, time paradoxes and world-breaking events fall right in line with the danger of nuclear holocaust and the real danger of military level combat.

Inversion and entropy also lend themselves to many, many visually stunning sequences, and quite a few of them, while making logical sense, are very hard to process the first time they are seen.  The fight scenes have so much going on in terms of choreography and coordination that they hide a major narrative reveal, and they serve as an introductory point of understanding that makes the madness and chaos of the final sequence easier to comprehend, which allows the viewer to keep track of the many moving parts in the run up to the story’s resolution.  The action and motion-based aspects of time work emotionally as well, with many characters finding richer connections as their level of familiarity wavers through temporal peaks and valleys.  Most any film that takes a deep dive into how time works will be confusing on some level, but Nolan handles his lofty concepts with the calm assurance of a seasoned storyteller, giving us enough context visually and expositionally to suspend disbelief and immerse ourselves into his world.

The immersion is incredibly easy in the case of Tenet, and this is chiefly due to Nolan’s affinity for using practical effects as much as possible.  On top of this practice, the inversion concept seemingly forced Nolan to take your common aspects of spy films, such as car chases, explosions, gunplay, hand to hand combat and life or death races against time, and infuse them with fresh ideas that are new or rare to the screen.  The scope of the story is broadened by the use of real locations and a vast array of actors that represent many different nationalities.  The score pulls you in deeper with its pulsing sense of life, and it also serves to inform the viewer as it chooses times to run forwards and backwards, generally in league with the action on the screen.  The screenplay is extremely tight and rewarding at its conclusion, with so much eventually revealed that it ends up lending the film to rewatches in hopes of catching tiny details that may have been overlooked.

Many people criticized John David Washington for a flat performance, but in my opinion, he serves as a steadying force in an initially confusing series of events and exposition, allowing us a clear logical and emotional focal point as our understanding of events unfolds.  Elizabeth Debicki, by contrast, brings an innocent victimhood to the table that slowly gives way to a caged animal looking for the opportunity to land a retaliatory strike.  Robert Pattinson brings the sly assurance of a seasoned veteran to the table, as if he is running off of the knowledge of knowing what lies in wait.  Kenneth Branagh leans all the way into the worst aspects of his antagonist character, being equally despicable in terms of his wife, his property and any advantage he may happen upon.  Dimple Kapadia presents an air of class in a world full of unscrupulous individuals.  These actors make up the core cast, with Martin Donovan, Fiona Dourif, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Himesh Patel, Clémence Poésy and more adding to the textured world of Tenet. 

In many ways, I feel that Tenet was one of the biggest victims of COIVD-19 changing the way that we absorb film.  Much like social media, anything given the time and opportunity to scrutinize will fall victim to nitpicks and negative observations, but in the realm of a theater experience where one is disconnected from reality (even if briefly), I feel the viewer would find themselves too locked into the ride to pick it apart.  While not the best Christopher Nolan film, I must recognize it as the stunning achievement it is, and give it its props as one of the best of 2020.  

[darthtalon89]

This movie was awesome #CometoDaddy #blackcomedy #thriller #comedy #AntTimpson #CometoDaddyMovie #CometoDaddyFilm #ElijahWood #StephenMcHattie #MichaelSmiley #MadeleineSami #MartinDonovan #dad #daddy #father #baddad https://www.instagram.com/p/Cf-KqRUp6uT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[davidosu87]

This movie has an interesting premise. It feels like an urban legend that many of us knew growing up. We get some good performances from our two leads, including Emily Blunt. I don't know if it fully came together for me though and felt like we are missing a bit in the story. Have you seen this one? What do you think? My thoughts are up on @davidosu87’s blog or the link below: https://horrorreview.webnode.com/news/wind-chill/ #windchill #emilyblunt #martindonovan #ghost #ghosts #haunted #curse #adventure #drama #thriller #unitedkingdom #horror #horrormovie #horrormovies #horrorfilm #horrorfilms #horrorfan #horrorfans #horrorreview #horrorreviews #horrorreviewer #filmreview #filmreviews #filmreviewer #nothorror #horrorcommunity #horrorfamily #hashtag https://www.instagram.com/p/CYq0SaQuiap/?utm_medium=tumblr

[film-book]

‎

The Complete Works Ep. 103: Christopher Nolan - TENET (2020) https://film-book.com/the-complete-works-ep-103-christopher-nolan-tenet-2020/?feed_id=135764&_unique_id=6665c85bd5bd1

[filmbookpodcast]

The Complete Works Ep. 95: Christopher Nolan - INSOMNIA (2002) https://tinyurl.com/yzv4akeb

[wherever-i-look-blog]

White Lie - Review/ Summary (with Spoilers) In White Lie, you watch as a con artist desperately tries to maintain their story of having cancer, seemingly by any means necessary. https://wherever-i-look.com/movies/white-lie-review-summary-with-spoilers?feed_id=2351&_unique_id=600c9de7e7b6d

[mrs-stans]

@emily.mitchell.official: This guy right here 🙌 @imsebastianstan @briarcliffent @gabrielsherman @apprenticemovie #AliAbbasi @imsebastianstan #DonaldTrump #JeremyStrong #RoyCohn #IvankaTrump #EmilyMitchell @mariabakalovaofficial #IvanaTrump #MartinDonovan @catherinemcnallyofficial @thecharliecarrick @benpsully #TheApprentice #InTheatersNow

[thatsmovietalk]

The Sentinel (2006) Directed by #ClarkJohnson Starring #MichaelDouglas #KieferSutherland #EvaLongoria #MartinDonovan #KimBasinger #TheSentinel #Hollywood #hollywood #picture #film #movie #cinema #films #theater #movies #movieposter #movieworld #movielovers #movienews #screen https://www.instagram.com/p/CBqAAefAK86/?igshid=1c40fpivaiqh7

[adamwatchesmovies]

Death Becomes Her (1992)

Death Becomes Her is not a bad film. The special effects are great, the premise clever, it offers some good black comedy… but it also shouldn’t have been a movie. Its needlessly long running time, predictable twists, and conclusion prove this should've been an hour-long episode of Tales from the Crypt.

Beautiful, talentless, and manipulative Madeline Ashton (Meryl Streep) seduces the fiancé of her long-time rival Helen Sharp (Goldie Hawn). Years after their wedding, Madeline and Ernest (Bruce Willis) are miserable but Helen hasn't aged a day. Looks like she'll have the last laugh. Desperate to save face, Madeline visits Lisle von Rhuman (Isabella Rosellini) who promises her eternal life and youth.

This setup is needlessly detailed and complicated. This is the story of rival women competing for the love of a man. Things get dark and comedic when one of them drinks a potion that prevents her from dying no matter how fatal the injury may be. You can see where the comedy potential already. After Helen wins back Ernest, they need a way to dispose of Madeline. Poison's the solution but the dead woman springs back to life, hell-bent on getting revenge on her rival not by killing her… but by winning back Ernest once again.

Robert Zemeckis was involved in the production of the 1989 Tales from the Crypt series, which shows this sort of morbid humor is his thing. He might've been a bit too enthusiastic about this story. At 104 minutes, a lot of this material could've been trimmed. We’re told that Madeline is a terrible actress, but that only plays out in a single scene. The film begins in 1978, then jumps 7 years in the future and then another 7 years for the plot to start. It's clunky and that time would've been better as a way to show off more gore or nudity.

I’m not suggesting sex and intestines spilling onto the floor just to be sleazy. It's what this movie needed to be funnier. Making the severe injuries suffered the kind that would have police officers or coroners running for the hills while the party involved is stuck trying to figure out how they’re going to resolve this issue would've fit perfectly with the premise. As for the sex, the movie already plays “hide the nipple” whenever Isabella Rosellini is on-screen. The plot calls for people to cheat on their spouse, seduce each other over, and over... but their clothes stay on the whole time? It feels like a betrayal to the twist-filled EC comics we're drawing inspiration from.

This movie needed to be shorter, funnier, gorier, and faster-paced. There are plenty of solid gags - particularly once the blood starts flowing - but it’s not bloody enough. Even if you took a meat cleaver to the film and edited this down, it would still be lacking in this area.

I’m coming down hard on the film but want to stress again that it’s not because the movie’s bad. I liked it enough to give Death Becomes Her somewhat of a recommendation. Just know that it had the potential to be so much better. (On DVD, October 2, 2015)