Posts Tagged ‘cynicism’

Chicago (2002)

Saturday, November 29th, 2008
Genres: Comedy | Crime | Drama | Musical
Countries: Germany | USA
Actors: Taye Diggs | Cliff Saunders | Catherine Zeta-Jones | Renée Zellweger | Dominic West | Richard Gere | Jayne Eastwood | Bruce Beaton | Christine Baranski | Roman Podhora | John C. Reilly | Colm Feore | Rob Smith | Shawn Wayne Doyle | Steve Behal | Robbie Rox | Chita Rivera
Directors: Rob Marshall
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Fame hungry Roxie Hart dreams of a life on the Vaudville stage, and spends her nights jazzing it up in the bright lights of Chicago, continually hoping that she’ll find her lucky break, and be shot into 1920’s stardom, so able to flee her boring husband Amos. In awe of seductive club singer Velma Kelly (who is subsequantly arrested for the murder of her husband and sister - after discovering their affair), Roxie meets Fred Cassely a man who convinces her he can ‘make her showbiz career take off’. However after Roxie has undergone the ‘casting couch’ treatment, and Fred has had his wicked way with her, he reveals that he has no more connections in showbusiness than she does. This is the final straw for Roxie, and her constant anger at rejection explodes. She shoots Fred Cassely and kills him. Upon discovering her infidelity, Roxie’s husband Amos refuses to take the blame for the murder and Roxie is sent to jail, pending hanging. In jail she finally meets tabloid darling Velma Kelly, currently receiving huge media attention for the double murder she committed earlier in the tale. Sharing the clink with Velma, are a collection of other sly females, all awaiting trial for the murders of their own partners. Velma is aloof to Roxie, however the prison Warden Mrs Morton offers Roxie the opportunity of representation by slick Chicago lawyer Billy Flynn. Billy is more a showbiz P. R agent than a legal lawyer and minipulates the tabloids into thinking Roxie is no more than an innocent ‘good time girl’ who took the wrong path, than a scheming murderess. The tabloids go crazy for the new girl on the cell block, and Roxie finally becomes a star. However due to Roxie’s new found fame, Velma is forgotten about. She is forced to approach Roxie with an offer of a part in her Vaudville act (filling the gap left by her murdered sister), but Roxie turns down her offer flat, thinking she needs no support in topping the bill. However, just as Velma’s star fell, so does Roxie’s, when Go-to-hell Kitty arrives at the jail on a multiple murder charge, the press forget Roxie and now she and Velma are in the same boat. With one more trick up her sleave Roxie manages to bring the media attention back onto her, and her day in court arrives. Billy is now ready to play the ultimate showman!

Bringing Out the Dead (1999)

Thursday, July 10th, 2008
Genres: Drama | Thriller
Countries: USA
Actors: Nicolas Cage | John Goodman | Ving Rhames | Tom Sizemore | Marc Anthony | Cliff Curtis | Nestor Serrano | Afemo Omilami | Cullen O. Johnson | Arthur J. Nascarella | Martin Scorsese | Tom Riis Farrell | Aleks Shaklin | Leonid Citer | Jesus A. Del Rosario Jr.
Directors:
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48 hours in the life of a burnt-out paramedic. Once called Father Frank for his efforts to rescue lives, Frank sees the ghosts of those he failed to save around every turn. He has tried everything he can to get fired, calling in sick, delaying taking calls where he might have to face one more victim he couldn’t help, yet cannot quit the job on his own.

The Barefoot Contessa (1954)

Saturday, August 18th, 2007
Genres: Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance
Countries: Italy | USA
Actors: Humphrey Bogart | Ava Gardner | Edmond O'Brien | Marius Goring | Valentina Cortese | Rossano Brazzi | Elizabeth Sellars | Warren Stevens | Franco Interlenghi | Mari Aldon | Bessie Love | Diana Decker | Bill Fraser | Alberto Rabagliati | Enzo Staiola
Directors: Joseph L. Mankiewicz
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While in the burial of Countess Torlato-Favrini, her friend Harry Dawes and her acquaintance Oscar Muldoon recalls parts of her past. When the wealthy Kirk Edwards hires director and screenplay writer Harry Dawes, they travel to Spain with the public relations Oscar Muldoon to see the dancer of a nightclub Maria Vargas and invite her for an audition, since they need a new face for their next movie. Maria, a naive woman with simple origins, is convinced by Harry to go to Hollywood and becomes a famous star and a close friend of Harry and his girlfriend Jerry. Along her successful career, Maria lives personal dramas including lack of adaptation for her new lifestyle, is unable to love and is disputed by the powerful millionaires Kirk Edwards and Alberto Bravano. When she meets the noble and handsome Count Vincenzo Torlato-Favrini in the French Riviera, she believes that she found her prince charming and her life becomes a fairy tale. But after the wedding, she sees that her Cinderella’s castle of dreams has become a pumpkin.

Manderlay (2005)

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
Genres: Drama
Countries: Denmark | France | Germany | Netherlands | Sweden | UK
Actors: Bryce Dallas Howard | Isaach De Bankolé | Danny Glover | Willem Dafoe | Michaël Abiteboul | Lauren Bacall | Jean-Marc Barr | Geoffrey Bateman | Virgile Bramly | Ruben Brinkmann | Doña Croll | Jeremy Davies | Llewella Gideon | Mona Hammond | Ginny Holder
Directors: Lars von Trier
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In 1933, after leaving Dogville, while traveling with her father (Willem Dafoe) and his gangsters to the south of USA, Grace Margaret Mulligan (Bryce Dallas Howard) sees a slave ready to be punished in a property called Manderlay. The slavery had been abolished seventy years ago, and Grace becomes revolted with the attitude of the owners of Manderlay, keeping slaves in their cotton fields and following predetermined despicable rules called “Mam’s Law”. Grace decides to stay with some gangsters in Manderlay and give notions of democracy to the slaves and to the white family. When harvest time comes, Grace sees the social and economical reality of Manderlay.

No Man’s Land (2001)

Wednesday, August 15th, 2007
Genres: Drama | War
Countries: Belgium | Bosnia-Herzegovina | France | Italy | Slovenia | UK
Actors: Branko Djuric | Rene Bitorajac | Filip Sovagovic | Georges Siatidis | Serge-Henri Valcke | Sacha Kremer | Alain Eloy | Mustafa Nadarevic | Bogdan Diklic | Simon Callow | Katrin Cartlidge | Tanja Ribic | Branko Zavrsan | Djuro Utjesanovic | Mirza Tanovic
Directors: Danis Tanovic
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After various skirmishes, two wounded soldiers, one Bosnian and one Serb, confront each other in a trench in the no man’s land between their lines. They wait for dark, trading insults and even finding some common ground; sometimes one has the gun, sometimes the other, sometimes both. Things get complicated when another wounded Bosnian comes to, but can’t move because a bouncing mine is beneath him. The two men cooperate to wave white flags, their lines call the UN (whose high command tries not to help), an English reporter shows up, a French sergeant shows courage, and the three men in no man’s land may or may not find a way to all get along.

Alien: Resurrection (1997)

Friday, May 4th, 2007
Genres: Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Countries: USA
Actors: Sigourney Weaver | Winona Ryder | Dominique Pinon | Ron Perlman | Gary Dourdan | Michael Wincott | Kim Flowers | Dan Hedaya | J. E. Freeman | Brad Dourif | Raymond Cruz | Leland Orser | Carolyn Campbell | Marlene Bush | David St. James
Directors: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
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200 years after the conclusion of Alien 3, the company is able to resurrect Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) through the process of cloning and the scientists successfully take the Queen Alien out of her. But, Ripley’s DNA gets mixed up with the Queen’s and she begins to develop certain alien characteristics. The scientists begin breeding the aliens, but they later escape. Soon the Xeno-morphs are running amok on the ship, which is on course to earth. The Queen then gives birth to a deadly new breed of alien, which could spell disaster for the entire human race. It’s up to Ripley and a band of space pirates to stop the ship before it reaches earth.

Bad Santa (2003)

Wednesday, March 28th, 2007
Genres: Comedy | Crime
Countries: Germany | USA
Actors: Billy Bob Thornton | Tony Cox | Brett Kelly | Lauren Graham | Lauren Tom | Bernie Mac | John Ritter | Ajay Naidu | Lorna Scott | Harrison Bieker | Alex Borstein | Dylan Charles | Billy Gardell | Lisa Ross | Bryan Callen
Directors: Terry Zwigoff
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“Bad Santa” is the story of two conmen who go on a road trip to malls dressed as Santa and his elf. Rather than spreading good cheer, the duo’s motive is to rob each establishment, a strategy that becomes complicated when they encounter an 8-year-old who teaches them the true meaning of Christmas.

L.A. Confidential (1997)

Wednesday, March 21st, 2007
Genres: Crime | Mystery | Thriller
Countries: USA
Actors: Kevin Spacey | Russell Crowe | Guy Pearce | James Cromwell | Kim Basinger | Danny DeVito | David Strathairn | Adam Rifkin | Matt McCoy | Paul Guilfoyle | Paolo Seganti | Graham Beckel | Sandra Taylor | Steve Rankin | Elisabeth Granli
Directors: Curtis Hanson
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1950’s Los Angeles is the seedy backdrop for this intricate noir-ish tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Three very different cops are all after the truth, each in their own style: Ed Exley, the golden boy of the police force, willing to do almost anything to get ahead, except sell out; Bud White, ready to break the rules to seek justice, but barely able to keep his raging violence under control; and Jack Vincennes, always looking for celebrity and a quick buck until his conscience drives him to join Exley and White down the one-way path to find the truth behind the dark world of L.A. crime.

Casablanca (1942)

Monday, February 12th, 2007
Genres: Drama | Romance
Countries: USA
Actors: Humphrey Bogart | Ingrid Bergman | Paul Henreid | Claude Rains | Conrad Veidt | Sydney Greenstreet | Peter Lorre | S.Z. Sakall | Madeleine LeBeau | Dooley Wilson | Joy Page | John Qualen | Leonid Kinskey | Curt Bois
Directors: Michael Curtiz
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During World War II, Europeans who were fleeing from the Germans, sought refuge in America. But to get there they would first have to go Casablanca and once they get there, they have to obtain exit visas which are not very easy to come by. Now the hottest spot in all of Casablanca is Rick’s Cafe which is operated by Rick Blaine, an American expatriate, who for some reason can’t return there, and he is also extremely cynical. Now it seems that two German couriers were killed and the documents they were carrying were taken. Now one of Rick’s regulars, Ugarte entrusts to him some letters of transit, which he intends to sell but before he does he is arrested for killing the couriers. Captain Renault, the Chief of Police, who is neutral in his political views, informs Rick that Victor Laszlo, the European Resistance leader, is in Casablanca and will do anything to get an exit visa but Renault has been “told” by Major Strasser of the SS, to keep Laszlo in Casablanca. Laszlo goes to Rick’s to meet Ugarte, because he was the one Ugarte was going to sell the letters to. But since Ugarte was arrested he has to find another way. Accompanying him is Ilsa Lund, who knew Rick when he was in Paris, and when they meet some of Rick’s old wounds reopen. It is obvious that Rick’s stone heart was because of her leaving him. And when they learn that Rick has the letters, he refuses to give them to him, because “he doesn’t stick his neck out for anyone”.

The Last Boy Scout (1991)

Monday, February 12th, 2007
Genres: Action | Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller
Countries: USA
Actors: Bruce Willis | Damon Wayans | Chelsea Field | Noble Willingham | Taylor Negron | Danielle Harris | Halle Berry | Bruce McGill | Badja Djola | Kim Coates | Chelcie Ross | Joe Santos | Clarence Felder | Tony Longo | Frank Collison
Directors: Tony Scott
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A down and out cynical detective teams up with a down and out ex-quarterback to try and solve a murder case involving a pro football team and a politician.