Articles + Quotes on Film & TV

Directed by Robert Redford, this is a clever and decidedly frank dramatic tale of what happens, when a nation and its leaders feel they are under threat. His direction is stunning in this film. Specifically, when Abraham Lincoln, the current president is assassinated as well as the secretary of state. In this film, the Civil War has apparently ended, at least the fighting has and on the 14th of April, 1865 the unthinkable happens, at a theatre. All are appalled and when the others that were planning such a heinous crime, are arrested and named, they too are tainted with the same brush of guilt by the media of the day, and by extension, the general populace. Including a young lawyer, Frederick Aiken, recently returned from a soldier's life, fighting on the union side of the Civil War, here portrayed by James McAvoy. Here in this film, it is really quite hard to even imagine that he is Scottish and not American. He has possibly the most believable American accent in this film...

Thanks to the bad publicity surrounding the lead actor of this film, its release date was stalled and pushed back a lot. And that lessened the chances of fair reviews as well. Which is sad, because it isn't only Mel Gibson's acting ability that is showcased to it fullest in this film. Its Jodie Foster's directing and acting, as well as the superb acting of Anton Yelchin and Jennifer Lawrence. The script, is quite excellent too, but you wonder how much of the script was used in the end, and how much was pure ad lib, as the delivery is quite natural and unforced. From the trailer, you get the feeling that the film is serious in the problems that Walter Black has, but then has some levity with the introduction of the beaver puppet, hence the title. Of course, the film is more serious and more realistic than the trailer would have you believe. A lesson learned the hard way, after watching most of the film: Everybody's Fine. That trailer showed the film to be a comedy....

This isn't just a film that shows the idea that eventually became the most used and most trusted social networking website: Facebook. Jesse Eisenberg portrays Mark Zuckerberg, Andrew Garfield, his friend Eduardo Saverin. Both mains are excellent, especially English actor Mr Garfield, who not only portrays his role well, but also has a believable accent to go with it. Joseph Mazzello, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Josh Pence and Rooney Mara also star. And all play their roles well. As well as Brenda Song, who plays the psycho girlfriend from hell. This is a well made film, each and every detail researched to the finest degree, with the young actors portraying their characters, based on real people, perfectly nuanced. I watched this with the audio commentary and from there, discover how much effort was put into the detailing of this film. They looked up the real Mark Zuckerberg's college application and found that he had been in a fencing club in high school. Which, when ...

I have been a fan of this series, since reading the first book, (twelve years ago) and loving every word printed. And have been an avid reader and watcher of both the books and movies. I loved them all, despite their faults and plot holes and with that in mind, I watched the last Harry Potter film at the cinemas today, this afternoon. We've all known, for a while now, that the acting standards of the three main characters, is not that brilliant. But these movies were not made with acting awards being their main goal. Aside from the obvious monetary gain of making films of a very popular series, there was a story to be told. And in each film, it has been a huge thrill ride from beginning to end, with comedic and some romance scenes in each one of them. This one, was no exception. I've read each of the books several times and despite knowing how the story goes, I actually felt nervous for all the characters and found that I had to remind myself, several times, that it would b...

There are quite a few of these. Some more painfully typecast than others, Meg Ryan springs to mind. She is best known and best liked for her role in romantic comedies. Less liked and known for her roles in the genre of drama. Two films that can be used as an example here, In the Land of Women and Against the Ropes. In both, her acting was of a high standard, but the character was not someone in love. Hence the poor reviews. Restoration is another, but that film was also less of a hit, because another lightly typecast actor portrayed the main role. And that time, he was not always portraying yet another cocky young man. That is of course, Robert Downey Jr, and the other films he's played against type, are Charlie Bartlett and maybe The Soloist. One of those might have been just as successful as Iron Man or Sherlock Holmes, but somehow, I doubt it. This brings me to three young actors, who have recently finished filming the last of eight movies, part of one of the biggest franchi...

I have watched the two seasons of this show a couple of times so far, and as yet, I am nowhere near bored of it.There are many layers to it, and to both sides of the story, which ultimately of course collide. Its set in 1934, right smack in the middle of the Depression, in America. On one side of the story, the main character is a young chain gang escapee, called Ben Hawkins. The actor who plays him, probably one of the best yet very relatively unkown, is Nick Stahl. His acting and the way he portrays his character so fully and with the best expressions, is what drives this half of the story. His family farm, which more resembles a patch of dirt and dust, has been repossessed. He's picked up by a travelling carnival, who have stopped in the little town in Oklahoma, hence the name of the show and works there, as a roustabout. He joins the ragtag group, despite concerns from the old blind mystic, who can read dreams and Ben's are more extreme than most. The fact that Ben has he...

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon, both actors are well known in their own right, in the same film, doing impersonations of famous characters and actors, whilst touring restaurants in the North of England. Directed by Michael Winterbottom, how can you resist the combination? Answer, you can't, and you would be very foolish to not watch this film. Put simply, a film full of one liners and hilarious send ups, is so enjoyable to watch. The two mains, Mr Coogan and Mr Brydon, play "fictionalised versions of themselves", rather how I've heard the guest actors on Extras portray themselves. A word of advice, this is a good movie, to watch when you've already eaten, because then you won't feel too hungry afterwards.