Cast: Denzel Washington (Frank Lucas), Russell Crowe (Richie Roberts), Chiwetel Ejiofor (Huey Lucas), Josh Brolin (Detective Trupo)
For complete info on this great cast, see IMDb’s American Gangster page.
I’ll see almost any movie with Denzel Washington, so I was sold on this movie from the start. After seeing American Gangster, I think I’m going to have to read the book, since the story really intrigued me. Real-life stories like this always grab my attention. The movie was very well done. It had an amazing cast and really made me jump in a couple points. It seemed every time I was ready for something bad to happen it didn’t and when I least expected it, *bang*… It always impresses me when a movie can do that throughout the story, since I’m not exactly stupid and normally I catch on quickly. The way American Gangster was directed, it kept me on my guard for the whole movie, which is rare.
The true story behind American Gangster interested me and the movie made me a lot more curious about the real story. I highly recommend seeing American Gangster in the theatre or renting it when it makes it to DVD, which doesn’t seem to take long these days.
Grade: A-
Labels: 2007, crime, Denzel Washington, drama, movie, Russell Crowe, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Russell Crowe (Jim Braddock), Renee Zellweger (Mae Braddock), Paul Giamatti (Joe Gould)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Cinderella Man page.
I'm not a fan of boxing, so in spite of the cast and raves, I was skeptical about Cinderella Man. Fortunately, it wasn't about boxing as much as it was the man. Jim Braddock really was a great man fighting to keep his family together.
Ron Howard does a great job directing a wonderful cast in Cinderella Man.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2005, drama, movie, Paul Giamatti, Renee Zellweger, Russell Crowe, sports
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Russell Crowe (Capt. Jack Aubrey), Paul Bettany (Dr. Stephen Maturin, Surgeon)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World page.
Considering all the Oscar buzz about this movie, I expected a lot more. Perhaps that was the problem and if I went in expecting less I would have been more impressed, but the story never really grabbed me. This seemed like one of the longest movies I've ever seen, though it wasn't even close to the longest movie I've seen.
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World dragged in so many places that I found myself looking at my watch trying to figure out if it would end soon. I'd recommend waiting till it comes out on DVD and renting it.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2003, action, adventure, drama, movie, Paul Bettany, Russell Crowe, war
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Russell Crowe (John Nash), Ed Harris (Parcher), Jennifer Connelly (Alicia Nash), Paul Bettany (Charles)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's A Beautiful Mind page.
This story of a brilliant man dealing with the mathematical problems he allows to take over his life and his secret work is my pick for best picture of 2001. It's wonderfully written and has the perfect cast. Everyone in A Beatiful Mind did an amazing job. It's one of those movies you can't say much about without giving anything important away, but go see it!
Grade: A-
Labels: 2001, Best Picture, drama, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, movie, mystery, Paul Bettany, Russell Crowe
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Russell Crowe (Maximus), Joaquin Phoenix (Commodus), Connie Nielsen (Lucilla), Oliver Reed (Proximo)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Gladiator page.
The special effects were definitely a bit lacking, but the story and cast are great. Going from a general to a gladiator must be an amazingly difficult thing to endure. The way the gladiators were treated by the public as heroes when one of them would usually die was pretty interesting, too.
I'm a sucker for a period piece, but it's definitely worth the time to see it!
Grade: B+
Labels: 2000, action, adventure, Best Picture, drama, Joaquin Phoenix, movie, Russell Crowe
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Al Pacino (Lowell Bergman), Russell Crowe (Dr. Jeffrey Wigand), Christopher Plummer (Mike Wallace)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Insider page.
The Insider is based on the true story of a 60 Minutes episode about tobaco company malpractices that CBS wouldn't air due to the objections of their parent company (Westinghouse). It was very interesting to see what went on behind the scenes in the tobaco industry trials. The justifications of it by the tobaco companies blows my mind.
Russell Crowe shows a side we've never seen and clearly put on quite a bit of weight to play this roll. Very well done.
Grade: B+
Labels: 1999, Al Pacino, drama, history, movie, Russell Crowe, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:25 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Kevin Spacey (Det. Sgt. Jack Vincennes), Russell Crowe (Det. Sgt. Jack Vincennes), Guy Pearce (Det. Sgt. Jack Vincennes), James Cromwell (Capt. Dudley Liam Smith), Kim Basinger (Lynn Bracken)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's L. A. Confidential page.
What an amazing movie! The way L.A. Confidential addressed the issue of corruption and politics involved in police investigations was very interesting. This is one of the best period pieces I've ever seen. They did a great job with making you feel like you were watching a story unfold that was taking place in another time. Everything was very well assembled to create the story of a big murder investigation and the politics that surroud it.
Each officer has his own way of dealing with the situation. Some of them use the situation to their advantage, and they all learn the reality of dealing with corruption.
A wonderful period piece that will always be a great movie to watch!
Grade: A
Labels: 1997, crime, drama, Guy Pearce, Kevin Spacey, movie, mystery, Russell Crowe, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:50 PM show | 0 screams