Pride & Prejudice (2005) - Wright's marriage drama makes the mind wander off

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Star Keira Knightley and co-star Matthew Macfadyen in beautiful sunset light on a field makes up most of this pretty poster for Joe Wright's Pride & Prejudice

Late 18th century England: The Bennet family have more than one daughter who are ready to get married off. A young soldier, a priest and the mysterious Mr. Darcy are among the suitors.

 

Pride & Prejudice is written by Deborah Moggach (Final Demand (2003, TV movie)), with Emma Thompson (Effie Gray (2014)) contributing uncredited work, adapting the same-titled 1813 novel by Jane Austen (Mansfield Park (2014)), and directed by debuting Joe Wright (The Soloist (2009)).

Overwrought over-acting characterizes more than one of the performances in this plush adaptation that is essentially a coming-of-age romance. The young women are extraordinarily giggly and excited, and I for one could not attach myself to them to the required degree, despite lead Keira Knightley's (Domino (2005)) at times charming nature. There are none other to seriously cling onto, and the archaic family story, which solely concerns getting the 'girls' married in a suitable fashion, thus becomes terribly distant and unappealing.

Darcy is played with almost humorous sulk and lack of positivity by Matthew Macfadyen (Ripper Street (2012-16)), and it sure is a mystery here why Knightley's Lizzy falls for him. Donald Sutherland's (Ad Astra (2019)) soft patriarch performance nevertheless stands out as moving. Wright's possible qualities as a director remain hidden here.

 

Watch a trailer for the movie here

 

Cost: 28 mil. $

Box office: 121.6 mil. $

= Big hit (returned 4.34 times its cost)

[Pride & Prejudice premiered 25 July (Hamburg, Germany) and runs 127 minutes. Shooting took place from July - October 2004 in England. The film opened #10 to a 2.8 mil. $ first weekend in 215 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #6 and in 1,335 theaters (different weeks), grossing 38.4 mil. $ (31.6 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 26.5 mil. $ (21.8 %) and Germany with 7.1 mil. $ (5.8 %). The film was nominated for 4 Oscars, winning none: Best Actress (Knightley), lost to Reese Witherspoon in Walk the Line, Art Direction, lost to Memoirs of a Geisha, Costume Design, also lost to Memoirs of a Geisha, and Score (Dario Marianelli), lost to Gustavo Santaolalla for Brokeback Mountain. It also won 1/6 BAFTA nominations, was nominated for 3 European Film awards and 2 Golden Globes, among other honors. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star review, translating to 4 notches over this one. Wright returned with Atonement (2007). Knightley returned in Domino (2005). Pride & Prejudice is certified fresh at 87 % with a 7.70/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Pride & Prejudice?

The Eagle Has Landed (1976) - Sturges' enjoyable, last man's adventure

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One of the deliciously colored, neat posters for John Sturges' The Eagle Has Landed

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In 1943 in small town Norfolk, England, German colonel Michael Caine (The Swarm (1978)) and joyous adventurer Donald Sutherland (Virus (1999)) land with a group of Polish paratroopers on a secret mission: To kidnap British PM Churchill. But things get complicated ...

The Eagle Has Landed is an adaptation of Jack Higgins' (The Iron Tiger (1966)) same-titled 1975 bestseller by Tom Mankiewicz (Diamonds Are Forever (1971)) and directed by John Sturges (Ice Station Zebra (1968)). It is a very exciting film of a fictitious high-risk kidnapping attempt by the Germans in WWII. Eagle is elementary, male-eschewed suspense of the type that Sturges was often successful with, a real boyish adventure yarn and a well-made one.
Lalo Schifrin (The Mean Season (1985)) has made a fine, militaristic score, and the film has fine performances, apart from the stars already mentioned also from Treat Williams (Chicago Fire (2013-15))  as a very American soldier, Donald Pleasence (Phenomena (1985)) as Nazi Himmler and Robert Duvall (The Apostle (1997)), also as a Nazi, and actually seeming like one.

Related review:

John Sturges: Chino/Valdez, Il Mezzosangue/Valdez the Half BreedThe Valdez Horses (1973) - Bronson is his own man only in Sturges' good spaghetti western

Robert Duvall is credible as a Nazi in John Sturges' The Eagle Has Landed

In lieu of a trailer for the film, not currently on Youtube, listen here to Schifrin's theme for the film

Cost: 6 mil. $
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertainty (but likely a big hit)
[The Eagle Has Landed was released December 25 (Sweden and Finland) and runs 130 minutes. The film was shot on location in England and Finland from May - August 1976. Caine has later related how Sturges confided to him that he only accepted the job, which became his last film, so he could get money to go fishing after. He has also written that Sturges never appeared for any post production duties on Eagle. The film was released in North America in a slightly shorter (124 min.) version, but the film is mostly seen in its longer version on DVD and Blu-ray today. It was well-received by public and press alike and is said to have made a tidy profit, although without numbers, I can't say for sure how much. 13,917 IMDb users have given The Eagle Has Landed a 6.9 average rating.]

What do you think of The Eagle Has Landed?

Don't Look Now (1973) or, Grief in Venice

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The exciting, chilling poster for Nicholas Roeg's Don't Look Now

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An English couple lose their daughter in a drowning accident. Soon hereafter they venture to Venice, where the woman meets a blind, psychic woman who then disappears.

Based on a short story by Dauphne du Maurier (Jamaica Inn (1936)), Nicholas Roeg's (The Witches (1990)) horror drama Don't Look Now is somewhat similar to Rosemary's Baby (1968)), though substantially less exciting.
It is lovely to be in Venice in the film, and the acting of leads Julie Christie (Troy (2004)) and Donald Sutherland (The Art of War (2000)) is fairly good. But Roeg's visual and editing style is stressful and feels a bit film school-y and tedious and at times involuntarily funny to me, although others find it innovative. Don't Look Now divides people, and I am obviously not among its many fans. I think it could have been a considerably better film.
Allan Scott (Regeneration (1997)) and Chris Bryant (The Awakening (1980)) wrote the screenplay.

Watch the original trailer for the film here

Cost: Estimated 1.1 - 1.5 mil. $
Box office: Unknown
= Unknown
[The film was shot in England and Italy December 1972 - February 1973. It became controversial upon release due to a heated if not very stimulating sex scene between the two leads, which led to the film's X rating in Britain, where the scene was cut for the its later TV premiere on BBC. It has been rumored that the scene featured unsimulated sex, which naturally infuriated Warren Beatty, Christie's boyfriend at the time, but the truth remains obscure. In Britain, the film was released on a double bill with the better film The Wicker Man (1973). The film's B.O. numbers are unfortunately not available online to my knowledge. It was well-received by many critics and won a BAFTA for Best Cinematography, (and was nominated for another 6.) Its star has only grown since then, also with many filmmakers praising it. Don't Look Now is certified fresh at 96 % with a 8.9 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Don't Look Now?

The Hunger Games (2012) - A global, teen-centered sci-fi smash

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Jennifer Lawrence dyed her hair dark brown to portray Katniss Everdeen in Gary Ross' The Hunger Games

QUICK REVIEW:

In the future, the US population is held in an iron grip under a rich ruling class with a broadcasted, deadly game between 24 children and young people as the annual highpoint. But this year cool Katniss Everdeen volunteers to spare her little sister, who was drawn out for the competition!

Hunger Games is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' (Mockinjay (2010)) same-titled 2008 novel, the first in her Hunger Games trilogy. It is adapted by Collins, Billy Ray (Captain Phillips (2013)) and great co-writer/director Gary Ross (Pleasantville (1998)).
The Hunger Games universe lures and amuses with its many goofy elements and stylings of its characters; here's a giant science fiction phenomenon that simply doesn't look very cool!
Jennifer Lawrence (American Hustle (2013)), the Cinderella-like darling of the movie business these years, is perfect in the lead, and she possesses a warmth and a strength that is remarkable. Donald Sutherland (Horrible Bosses (2011)) is exciting to watch as President Snow. In other supporting parts, Lenny Kravitz (Precious (2009)), Woody Harrelson (Semi-Pro (2008)), Elizabeth Banks (Magic Mike XXL (2015)), Toby Jones (Berberian Sound Studio (2012)) and Stanley Tucci (The Devil Wears Prada (2006)) are good, at times funny, whereas Liam Hemsworth's (Empire State (2013)) contribution is minimal. I also SPOILER wondered why Katniss falls for Josh Hutcherson's (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)) character, who can't do much and even betrays her.
The violent scenes are shot so that it's hard to see what is happening, which is annoying.
The Hunger Games is a piece of sci-fi that isn't so bizarre that one can't see reflections of our own reality in the exciting world conjured up here. A promising start to the franchise.

Watch the trailer for the movie here

Cost: 78 mil. $
Box office: 694.3 mil. $
= Huge hit
[The Hunger Games was one of Lionsgate's biggest projects at the time, and lots of happening actresses tried out the part that went to Lawrence. It was shot on film, (which was deemed most cost-friendly...) in May - September 2011 in North Carolina. Tax breaks helped the costs down by around 8 mil. $. A majorly anticipated youth property, the film arrived with positive reviews to a great response: It took the #1 spot with a 152.5 mil. $ opening weekend in North America and broke the March release record. It held onto the #1 spot for 4 consecutive weekends, the first film to achieve this since Avatar (2009). It grossed 408 mil. $ (58.8 % of the total gross) in North America. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets for the film were the UK (37.3 mil. $/5.4 %) and Australia (31 mil. $/4.5 %). Hunger Games was banned in Vietnam. With 10.3 mil. DVD and Blurays sold, it was the #1 video release of 2012, and the soundtrack album debuted at Billboard's #1 spot as the first soundtrack to do this since This Is It (2009). The Hunger Games is certified fresh at 84 % with a 7.2 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of The Hunger Games?

The Mechanic (2011) - West's dull, flawed action remake

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Jason Statham looks good hanging in a rope on the poster for Simon West's The Mechanic

Arthur Bishop is the title 'mechanic', a hard-skinned assassin. He gets a job of cleaning up after a bloody leak and kills an old ally. Then he trains the man's son.

It is hard to get engaged in Jason Statham's (Death Race (2008)) protagonist character, SPOILER after he kills wheelchair-bound Donald Sutherland (Virus (1999)) in cold blood. T And the casting of Tony Goldwyn (The 6th Day (2000)) as his boss, SPOILER who of course turns out to be the real villain, is too obvious.
Mechanic is a silly action remake of The Mechanic (1972) with Charles Bronson, SPOILER that ends in a similarly silly, explosive finale.
Ben Foster (Six Feet Under (2003-05)) has one good scene in the film, in which he seduces a huge assassin and then fights him - to the death!
But all in all it is very hard to get involved with Mechanic, a slick and dull film. It is written by Richard Wenk (The Equalizer (2014)) and Lewis John Carlino (The Mechanic (1972)) and directed by Simon West (Con Air (1997)), a prolific Hollywood director who has still to make a good film. He currently has three films in development, among them a remake of The Blob (1958) for next year.

Related posts:
 

Simon West: The Expendables 2 (2012) - An over-packed action hot-air balloon
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III] 
2011 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2011 in films - according to Film Excess  

 Watch the trailer for the movie here

Cost: 40 mil. $
Box office: 76.3 mil. $
= Big flop
[Mechanic had an 11.4 mil. $ North-American opening weekend and grossed 29.1 mil. $ there (38 % of the total gross). Despite its flop status, a sequel is in post production, Mechanic: Resurrection (2016), again starring Statham and co-starring Tommy Lee Jones, Jessica Alba and Michelle Yeoh.]

What do you think of The Mechanic?

Backdraft (1991) - Ron Howard's giant, stupid Chicago-set firefighter movie

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French poster for Ron Howard's Backdraft

A pair of brothers in the Chicago Fire Dept., one already a veteran there and the other one barely making his entrance in their world, trail in their father's footsteps, when a series of terrible fires are set off by an unknown, crazed arsonist.

 

Ron Howard's (Frost/Nixon (2008)) tries to make the broadest possible action-adventure here, and in this he succeeds. Is the story, fire philosophy (laid out by Robert De Niro's fire investigator) and general environment preposterous, and the characters thin and one-sided? Sure. But the camaraderie and going-for-broke, massive score and ambitious production width is enticing. Backdraft has solid photography, - by Mikael Salomon (Hard Rain (1998), director), - and very impressive fire scenes, with stunts that defy expectations and are worth the time in themselves. Donald Sutherland is a compelling lunatic, and you couldn't ask for better hams than Kurt Russell and William Baldwin's (The Squid and the Whale (2005)) as the film's brothers.

Gregory Widen's (Highlander (1986)) scripted. Backdraft may be a somewhat stupid film but it is also the kind of spectacle that you want to pull out and watch again with admiration nonetheless from time to time.


Related review:

Ron Howard: A Beautiful Mind (2001) - John Nash given the Epic Treatment

Brothers (in the film) Kurt Russell and William Baldwin in their fire uniforms

Watch the overly long trailer for the overly long Backdraft here

Budget: 75 mil. $
Box office: 152.3 mil. $
= Flop

What are your thought on Backdraft?