Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal (Tommy Cahill), Natalie Portman (Grace Cahill), Tobey Maguire (Capt. Sam Cahill)
For complete info, see IMDb's Brothers page.
The previews I'd seen of Brothers led me to expect quite a few things that didn't happen in the movie, which was good. Brothers is definitely a very realistic drama (too realistic at times - I couldn't watch the screen for the entire movie). I'm not generally a fan of war movies. I have no interest in seeing The Hurt Locker in spite of the fact that it won Best Picture and I was glad when Saving Private Ryan didn't win. However, I think Brothers is a very good movie and totally worth renting. I cried at parts and it was very moving, but it was well done and when you're renting a movie it's easier to look away (or even fast forward, if necessary) through the parts of the movie that are a bit too much to take for the violence or other issues you may have.
The cast is wonderful and the story of Brothers is very well done. I definitely recommend renting the movie if you haven't seen it yet.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2009, drama, Jake Gyllenhaal, movie, Natalie Portman, suspense, tear jerker, Tobey Maguire, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal (Robert Graysmith), Mark Ruffalo (Inspector David Toschi), Anthony Edwards (Inspector William Armstrong), Robert Downey Jr. (Paul Avery)
For complete info, see IMDb's Zodiac page.
I haven't read the books or seen any of the other movies about the zodiac killer, but unsolved mysteries always intrigue me. The cast of Zodiac is amazing. If I was still seeing a lot of movies in theatres, this would have definitely been on my list, but I prefer to rent them most of the time now.
They describe Zodiac as a thriller, but I’m not sure I agree with that. Perhaps a very mild thriller. It wasn’t exactly scary, as most thrillers are, but it was an interesting crime drama with a the added bonus of being an unsolved mystery. Since no one really knows for sure what happened, it made the movie more interesting.
I definitely recommend renting Zodiac. It’s a very well done suspenseful movie.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2007, Anthony Edwards, crime, drama, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, movie, Robert Downey Jr., thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Heath Ledger (Ennis Del Mar), Jake Gyllenhaal (Jack Twist), Michelle Williams (Alma Del Mar)
For complete cast list, see IMDb's Brokeback Mountain page.
Brokeback Mountain wasn't just a beautiful love story, it was cinematically beautiful, as well. Everyone knows about this movie as the "gay cowboy movie," but I think people need to look at it as a love story - pure and simple. I'm very happy that a movie that involves a gay love story is able to be in the top 10. For any movie to be at number 8 in the box office, when it's playing in only 483 movie theaters when number 9 (Rumor has It...) is in 2766 theaters and number 10 (The Family Stone) is in 2085 theaters. To me, that says a lot about the movie. I hope it continues to do well when it reaches wide release and that it gets a lot of the awards it is nominated for at the Golden Globe awards!
Grade: A
Labels: 2005, Anne Hathaway, drama, Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow (Catherine), Anthony Hopkins (Robert), Jake Gyllenhaal (Hal), Hope Davis (Claire)
For additional information, see IMDb's Proof page.
Since Proof is my favorite play, I was worried and excited about the movie initially. The more clips I saw from the movie, the happier I got about the job John Madden did directing it. I was worried when IMDb listed more characters than the original four from the play, but the clips of the movie were true to the play, so I had faith that these were very small parts and didn't have a big impact on the integrity of the play. Fortunately, this was true.
Proof was very well done and I can't wait for it to be released on DVD so that I can own my favorite play and my favorite musical on DVD by mid-2006. I never thought that would be possible. I am so happy with this movie. I recommended it to many people before I had a chance to see it, since it was released the day before my wedding. Lucky for me, they did a good job with the movie, so I had recommended the movie wisely.
I highly recommend the movie and play Proof!
Grade: A+
Labels: 2005, Anthony Hopkins, drama, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jake Gyllenhaal, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Dennis Quaid (Jack Hall), Jake Gyllenhaal (Sam Hall), Emmy Rossum (Laura Chapman), Dash Mihok (Jason Evans), Jay O. Sanders (Frank Harris), Sela Ward (Dr. Lucy Hall)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Day After Tomorrow page.
I expected this movie to be a bit too ridiculous to entertain, but was surprised to find that it was very well done. I should have known with such a great cast that it would be an enjoyable movie, but you can never tell. I loved seeing how they made my home city look so desolate and covered with ice. I think Roland Emmerich and his special effects crew did a great job. The Day After Tomorrow is fast-paced and definitely kept me interested until the very end.
Since the changing weather patterns are in the news frequently, I think they did a good job of capitalizing on this timely matter and exaggerating it to the point where it made an entertaining disaster movie. I think this movie is definitely worth seeing and I'm glad we saw it in a theatre.
Grade: B
Labels: 2004, action, adventure, Dennis Quaid, drama, Emmy Rossum, Jake Gyllenhaal, movie, sci-fi, Sela Ward, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 11:40 AM show | 0 screams
Cast: Jennifer Aniston (Justine Last), Jake Gyllenhaal (Holden Worther), Deborah Rush (Gwen Jackson), Mike White (Corny), Zooey Deschanel (Cheryl)
For complete cast, see IMDb's The Good Girl page.
The Goodbye Girl is a wonderfully done movie that is definitely more drama than comedy. It makes you sympathize with (and in many ways understand) a woman who is struggling to break free from the confines of her boring life & marriage. The cast is amazing, especially Jennifer Aniston, who clearly proves that she's capable of much more than she ever had to show in Friends.
I highly recommend this one for a time when you're okay with a bit more sad times than happy in a movie.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2002, comedy, drama, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jennifer Aniston, movie, Zooey Deschanel
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:30 PM show | 0 screams