Cast: Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Heath Ledger (The Joker), Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two-Face), Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox)
For complete info, see IMDb's The Dark Knight page.
This movie is as good as everyone else is saying it is. Go see The Dark Knight (preferably in IMAX, so it takes over almost your entire field of vision) in a theatre! I thought the switch back and forth between the scenes filmed for IMAX (which take up the entire IMAX screen) and the rest of the movie. Due to the fact that the film was very well remastered for the IMAX screen, the difference is not as drastic as it would seem and most of the scenes that were filmed in IMAX are the scenic skylines, Batman flying in, etc. Fortunately, a couple fight scenes and the one big chase scene were also filmed in IMAX and those are amazing!
I've heard a lot of people talking about Heath Ledger getting the Oscar this year and I can definitely see why he would. So far, I haven't seen a performance I'd rank higher this year. I don't see as many movies in a theatre as I used to see, but I do still rent a lot of movies. One of my friends argued that he didn't think Heath Ledger should win, since he's dead. Although I don't think the fact that he's dead should increase his chances of winning, if Ledger had the best acting performance of the year, he deserves the Oscar. Can you imagine anyone wanting to win the award this year if they didn't actually do a better job than Ledger? They'd always be thought of as the one who won the Oscar, since Heath was dead. That makes no sense to me. Award the best performance whether the person is alive or not at the time of the awards ceremony.
The costumes, makeup, scenic design, orchestrations, acting, ... are all wonderful. I'm sure if you love Batman you've already seen The Dark Knight at least once, but if you've somehow missed it, go see it now. It's great!
There are also many amazingly funny lines in The Dark Knight, which I won't ruin for you. Enjoy!
Grade: A
Labels: 2008, Aaron Eckhart, action, Christian Bale, comics, crime, drama, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: David Duchovny (Tom), Julianne Moore (Rebecca), Billy Crudup (Tobey), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Elaine)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Trust the Man page.
Normally movies that spend so long in development (some sites list it as a 2004 film, some 2005, but it was released 2 weeks ago) scare me a bit. However, the cast of Trust the Man is amazing and it takes place in my favorite city (NYC). A friend (also from NYC) saw it and told me I had to see it on the big screen, so that was enough for me to move it from my list to a movie I'd definitely see in a theatre, even though we hadn't seen a movie in a theatre in almost a month.
Bart Freundlich (the writer & director) clearly loves New York City and that shows throughout the movie. I definitely highly recommend Trust the Man for anyone who loves New York and knows it well. They use locations from all over the city and you'll really enjoy it.
The story of Trust the Man is also good and would be good if it took place elsewhere. It's a movie about two couples where the one woman and man are brother and sister, the women are best friends, and the men are best friends. The way that the romantic relationships develop is explored really well due to the dynamics of the friendships and families.
Perhaps (from the reviews I've read) you have to love New York or theatre to fully enjoy Trust the Man. I don't really think that's necessary, though. My husband and I both enjoyed it and he was raised here in Orange County.
If you don't have time to catch Trust the Man in a theatre (especially because of its limited release), be sure to rent it on DVD.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2006, Billy Crudup, comedy, David Duchovny, drama, Julianne Moore, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie, New York, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:50 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Lisa Kudrow (Mamie), Steve Coogan (Charley), Jesse Bradford (Nicky), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Jude)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Happy Endings page.
Happy Endings is a very interesting title for this drama/comedy. This movie weaves many strangely interconnected stories to show a unique view of the world, life, love, and family. Not the run of the mill movie, but definitely a good rental idea if you're in the mood for an off the wall flick.
Grade: B
Labels: 2005, comedy, drama, Lisa Kudrow, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Julia Roberts (Katherine Ann Watson), Kirsten Dunst (Betty Warren), Julia Stiles (joan Brandwyn), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Giselle Levy), Ginnifer Goodwin (Connie Baker)
For complete info, see IMDb's Mona Lisa Smile page.
I know a lot of people hated this movie, but I thought it was very endearing. I liked that for a change everything isn't perfectly lined up at the end the way you think it will be at the beginning, since everything doesn't fall in line with the typical Hollywood ending. Besides, Tori Amos was in this, which I didn't even realize before seeing the movie. I guess I haven't been reading her sites much lately. That was a great surprise, since I love her music. She looks great in that era, too!
I thought the cast was amazing, the costumes were very well done, and that the story was a good period piece.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2003, comedy, drama, Julia Roberts, Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, movie, romance
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:50 PM show | 0 screams