Nov
19
2008
Dir: Oliver Stone
Writ: Stanley Weiser
- Josh Brolin … George W. Bush
- Elizabeth Banks … Laura Bush
- Ellen Burstyn … Barbara Bush
- James Cromwell … George Herbert Walker Bush
- Richard Dreyfuss … Dick Cheney
- Ioan Gruffudd … Tony Blair
This is an odd sort of a film. I mean, it clearly isn’t meant to be full of praise for George W. Bush. But at the same time it is almost gentle in its treatment of him. Presenting him as a somewhat simple-minded, but well-intentioned, fool. With Daddy Issues.
The film cuts back and forward in time. From W. as a drunk, to W. as president. It looks at his relationship with his father. With that decision not to go after Saddam in the first Gulf War and W.’s insistence that America do so in the second. And every so often inter-cutting W. and his love of baseball.
I enjoyed it. I suppose. But it really isn’t anything special. The acting is all fine and well, but it lacks any real sort of insight. If you are going to have a character-study, even a humourous one, then you really need to study the main character. Instead we seem to get a collection of scenes from George W. Bush’s life. Maybe we’re supposed to provide the analysis ourselves, I dunno, it just didn’t really work for me.
One to save for the dvd release I think.
IMDb ; Elsewhere
Tags:
6 Stars,
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biopic,
comedy,
Elizabeth Banks,
Ellen Burstyn,
George W. Bush,
Ioan Gruffudd,
James Cromwell,
Josh Brolin,
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Richard Dreyfuss,
Stanley Weiser,
W.
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Nov
01
2008
Author: Stephen King
ISBN: 0340829753 DDC: 813.54
Book 1 of The Dark Tower series.
Read for the RIP III Challenge
See also: LibraryThing ; Elsewhere
The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed
This is the first book in King’s seven book series, The Dark Tower, which I’ve been meaning to get started on for a good while now. It is labelled as a fantasy series, but with King you always[1] get some form of horror. And for that reason I decided to add this to my RIP challenge reading list.[2] The Gunslinger introduces the reader to Roland of Gilead, the gunslinger of the title, and the world in which he lives. It echoes many things of our world, maybe at some point in the future, after the world has “moved on”
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Linknotes:
- of course by always I mean usually. There are exceptions. ↩
- I had listed two Meyer books, but after reading them I figured that they really really dont fit in with the whole horror genre. At some point I’ll get around to reviewing them ↩
Tags:
6 Stars,
813.54,
horror,
reading challenge,
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Sep
28
2008
Dir & Writ: David Mamet
- Chiwetel Ejiofor … Mike Terry
- Alice Braga … Sondra Terry
- Jose Pablo Cantillo … Snowflake
- Emily Mortimer … Laura Black
- Tim Allen … Chet Frank
- Joe Mantegna … Jerry Weiss
See also: IMDb ; Other reviews
When is a martial arts film not a film about martial arts? When it is a David Mamet film of course.
Chiwetel Ejiofor in Redbelt
Redbelt tells the story of Mike Terry
[1] who is a struggling
[2] Jiu-jitsu instructor. His wife, Sondra is forced to direct money from her business into his in order to pay his bills. And she isn’t that happy about it. Especially because Mike will not fight in competitions; he sees them as weakening. A fight is a fight, a competition has rules and regulations, it isn’t a real fight. He also spouts “philosophical” statements about Jiu-jitsu and life in general. The main one being that there is always a way out.
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Linknotes:
- a man with two front names=invincible! ↩
- poverty wise I mean. He has it going on with the fighting and shit ↩
Tags:
6 Stars,
Alica Braga,
Chiwetel Ejiofor,
Emily Mortimer,
honour,
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Jose Pablo Cantillo,
Jow Mantegna,
R15A,
Redbelt,
Tim Allen
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Sep
13
2008
Dir: Isabel Coixet
Writ: Nicholas Meyer based on book by Philip Roth
- Ben Kingsley … David Kepesh
- Penélope Cruz … Consuela Castillo
- Dennis Hopper … George O’Hearn
- Peter Sarsgaard … Kenneth Kepesh
IMDb ; OtherReviews
David Kepesh, sometime narrator of this film, is an ageing lecturer. Or an ageing Tom Cat, going from woman to woman in order to maintain his independence. And then Consuela comes to his class.
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Tags:
6 Stars,
based on book,
Ben Kingsley,
bleak,
character study,
Dennis Hopper,
depressing,
Elegy,
feminism,
Isabel Coixet,
looks pretty,
nice touches,
Nicholas Meyer,
Penelope Cruz,
Peter Sarsgaard,
Philip Roth,
R16
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Jul
12
2008
Dir: Michael Weiss
Writ: Michael Weiss, Jennifer Flackett, & Mark Levin based on book by Jules Verne
- Brendan Fraser … Trevor Anderson
- Josh Hutcherson … Sean Anderson
- Anita Briem … Hannah Ã?sgeirsson
IMDb ; Other reviews
If you are looking for a mindless fun flick then this is one for you. I can’t imagine anyone going in to see Journey to the Center of the Earth expecting a thoughtful piece of film making. Especially considering that the main selling point of this film is the fact that it is in 3D. But it is fun. Action sequences and the wonder that is 3d. Honestly, it is great. I loved it for that U2 concert, but in actual film it works too.
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Tags:
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Michael Weiss,
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sff
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Jun
24
2008
Author: Terry Pratchett
ISBN: 9780552154901 DDC: 823.914
A Discworld novel.
LibraryThing : More reviews
They lay in the dark, guarding. There was no way of measuring the passage of time, not any inclination to measure it.
We first met Moist Von Lipwig back in Going Postal, now, with the Post Office running successfully Ankh-Morpork’s beloved tyrant Vetinari has another role in mind for our con-man gone straight. What would suit him better than taking over one of the city’s ailing banks. Afterall a city needs money and investment in order to grow and prosper.
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Tags:
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823.914,
Ankh-Morpork,
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golems,
humour,
Locus award winner,
Making Money,
Moist Von Lipwig,
sff,
Terry Pratchet,
Vetinari
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Jun
03
2008
Author: Joe Hill
ISBN: 9780575081864 DDC: 813.6
See also: LibraryThing ; Other reviews ; Joe Hill Fiction.com
Jude had a private collection.
He had framed sketches of the seven dwarves on the wall of his studio, in between his platinum records.
Judas Coyne has just bought a ghost. Or at least, he has paid for a suit, on the understanding that with the suit will come a ghost. Just one more thing to add to his collection. The collection of a retired death-metal rock star. Only it turns out that it wasn’t just an accident that led to Jude visiting that e-bay wannabe website. Some one really wanted Jude to buy that suit. And once bought there are no returns and no refunds.
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Tags:
6 Stars,
813.6,
death,
ghosts,
Haunted,
heart-shaped box,
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Joe Hill,
Locus award winner,
sff
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