Posts Tagged ‘writer /director’
A Perfect Getaway Discount.
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A Perfect Getaway
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- Amazon Sales Rank: #1238 in Movie
- Released on: 2009-12-29
- Rating: R (Restricted)
- Running time: 98 minutes
I’m just difficult to kill…I guess
“I’m just difficult to kill, I guess…” – as soon as one of the main characters of A Perfect Getaway utters these words, you KNOW someone will try to prove him wrong. And they DO (try ;o) ). The story seems simple at first: a couple is honeymooning in Hawaii, while news spreads thru the Islands of a brutal murder of another newlywed couple. The suspected murderers, a man and a woman, are still at large and likely still in Hawaii. As our city-dwellers hike thru the Park, alone and out of their element, can they trust the strangers with whom they inevitably cross paths? (OF COURSE, NOT!) And that’s when an interesting twist takes this story from predictable to… well… no spoilers here! ;o)
I did not have high hopes for this flick…I went to see it mainly because I have a secret crush on Milla Jovovich (if I were a lesbian, Milla and Mariska Hargitay from Law and Order would be my dream dates ;-P…). Was the film perfect? No. Nonetheless, to my utmost surprise, I enjoyed this thriller far more then I did many supposed “blockbusters” this year. It had some laughs, but was also quite unnerving, tense, and creepy with a light sprinkling of gore: everything a good thriller should have on offer. There were signs from the audience that I was not alone in my enjoyment. However, the film did develop its creep factor slowly as the initial 45 minutes were devoted mainly to character development. The story needed time before it graduated from “fluff” to “nail biter”. It worked for me. In the end, I felt the super plot twist more then made up for the wait!
Two names are worth mentioning (in addition to Jovovich): it was the first time I saw Steve Zahn competently playing a complex “grown up” character, a role totally different from the usual “doofus” types he seems to favour. Also, Timothy Olyphant surprised me with his performance. His acting skills often leave a lot to desire. Not here. He was PERFECT as the perennially confident and “difficult to kill” owner of a metal plate in his head…
PS: David Twohy, writer/director, also directed Pitch Black. Watch the chase scene at the end of A Perfect Getaway. It is identical in style to one of the chase scenes in Pitch Black…
Guys… that was a perfectly good story.
A Perfect Getaway: 7 out of 10: For a slow moving thriller that cheats… a little, A Perfect Getaway isn’t that bad. It has gorgeous cinematography and while it moves slowly, it successfully builds up tension with character development rather than relying on black cats jumping out of closets or severed body parts every ten minutes.
The tale is about three couples in Hawaii and one couple could be a pair of murders from the big island.
Our protagonist couple (Steve Zahn and Milla Jovovich) is a bit nerdy and a bit goofy. Jovovich in particular gives a wonderfully awkward performance in body language and facial expressions.
Trying to get into the Hawaii spirit our protagonist honeymooners attempt to do a favor for a second couple hitchhiking (Marley Shelton and Chris Hemsworth), but Hemsworth gives off such a bad vibe that the Zahn and Jovoich are naturally concerned about running into him on the trail again.
They take refuge with the “cool” couple (Timothy Olyphant and Kiele Sanchez). Olyphant in particular simply cascades charisma onto the screen even when attempting to convince others he has a plate in his head from his Special Forces days. But even the cool couple could just as easily be the killers (after all Olyphant seems to like fondling his special forces knife a bit two much and this is a movie.)
All this interaction is among well placed news reports that a non-nondescript couple is wanted for questioning for a murder and are suspected in being on the same trail as our plucky honeymooners.
Director Twohy isn’t back in Pitch Black form but he shows a surer directing hand than he did in Chronicles of Riddick and he gets better performances out of his actors than he did in Below. In fact for a movie with basically six people and very little action the film rests almost exclusively on the actor’s shoulders. The actors certainly hold up their end of the bargain across the board.
The movie does cheat a bit as I stated before but this is a thriller rather than a mystery (after all there are only three couples in the whole film) and the journey is more fun than the reveal. In fact the movie has such a relaxed pace and vibe you can easily forget it is a thriller at all. That’s when it gets you.
Lots of fun
At first I was worried about the gore level (not for me, for the rest of the audience) as hinted at by other reviews, but it’s really minimal. And this is a fun thrill ride of a film, with a doozy of a twist. I guessed it halfway through, but you might enjoy it more if you don’t – and even if you do, the exposition is still interesting. Likeable characters you can root for, a decent script, better acting than you might expect, a twisted plot and great action towards the end make this a movie to enjoy.
Stream Southland Tales Movie Online
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Stream Southland Tales Movie Online.
Movie Title: Southland Tales Southland Tales is available for streaming or downloading. |
SOUTHLAND TALES is, quite simply, bizarre. It resembles a futuristic silly book whose dismembered pages have been flung about the room, defying notion of a region, while providing some odd moments of entertainment mixed with metaphor and farce. If this grab bag understanding of a film doesn’t appeal, then skip this film. But for the adventuresome viewer this is a silly lollipop of a movie.
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July 4, 2005 and an atomic bomb explodes during the usual follies of the holiday. What happens from that point to the effects on contemporary Los Angeles is an amalgam of American responses to original events of potential annihilation of the country and the appearance of a lot of unusual characters whose minds are either tethered by amnesia or by corrupted views of reality, or who are simply out of sync with what is happening. The cast for this bit of acidic and sour fluff that resembles disconnected fragments of the fertile imagination of writer director Richard Kelly (‘Donnie Darko’) includes a magnificent Dwayne Johnson (suitable here!), Seann William Scott, Nora Dunn, Miranda Richardson, Jon Lovitz, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Mandy Moore, Justin Timberlake, John Larroquette, Christopher Lambert and many others. Objective don’t try to create sense of it and sit help and eye the crazy antics of a cast having fun with one concept of the apocalypse. It is though-provoking…Grady Harp, March 08
See, here’s the thing. This film is like 2001: a state odyssey; it’s meant to be “experienced,” preferably after two bottles of NyQuil.
It’s a hands down wonderful film. Well shot, paced, edited, cast, and scored.
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But it’s borderline insane. Observe with care, but don’t detest on the guy for being unusual.
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Streaming 11:14 Online
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Streaming 11:14 Online.
Movie Title: 11:14 11:14 is available for streaming or downloading. |
“11:14″ is writer/director Greg Marcks’ first feature film, and it is a fresh and riveting sight at the randomness of life, and how our lives interconnect amid the chaos of it. Starting with the imaginative titles, it’s keeps one’s interest for all of its 85 runt length. All the action takes status on a single night in “Middletown”, which represents any runt USA town, the kind that closes up by 9 PM. Only 10 characters (as well as an overworked policeman and 2 paramedics) are left to obtain a position so clever one can peek this film several times, and be entertained by it.
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The ensemble cast is astonishing, with Patrick Swayze (wearing a “tubby suit” to conceal his athletic physique) as Frank, the father of devious wench Cheri (Rachael Leigh Cook) and husband of Norma (Barbara Hershey) . There is honorable interaction between Buzzy and Duffy, 2 convenience store clerks, superbly played by Hilary Swank and Shawn Hatosy. Others in the graceful cast include Henry Thomas as Jack, Clark Gregg as the beleaguered cop, and Stark Sands, Colin Hanks, and Ben Foster, as 3 kids out for a night of fun and mayhem.
Filmed on a shoestring in 26 nights in Altadena, California, Marcks was only 24 when he wrote the script, and filmed it a year later. He is very explain, and the agreeable DVD extras include informative commentary by him, as well as a “making of” featurette, deleted scenes (the final one is terrific), and more. The music by Clint Mansell is also spacious and adds mighty to the film. Marcks says about the randomness of life that “perhaps there is a larger obtain…but we’re incapable of seeing it”, and the film is also about choices, whether or not one takes responsibility for those choices, and how they affect other people. Though some may pick up this film too bizarre, it is is a shimmering debut for Marcks, and I eagerly view forward to seeing his future work.
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Its a shame that I never even heard of this movie except by chance on amazon.com’s list of “best movies you’ve never even heard of” (or something like that) . As I read the list of actors in the film, I was surprised how this one fell through the cracks. It has Henry Thomas, Patrick Swayze, Barbara Hershey, Hilary Swank, Colin Hanks, Rachel Leigh Cook, and the always pleasant Sean Hatosy. With a cast like that, how did it not gain the kind of media attention that “Shatter” got?
Maybe because it was made by a debut “Generation X” director, Greg Marcks. Like “Donnie Darko” director Richard Kelly before him, Marcks got shafted on the publicity machine. I saw “Shatter” in theaters and really liked it. But for all its clever coincidences, I found the account quite unbelievably contrived (as the film characters are connected in surprising ways, which takes area in the grand megatropolis of Los Angeles) . When I read the description for “11:14″, it sounded a lot like “Demolish” but came out a year or two earlier. After watching it, let me squawk you…I have never had such a mind-blowing experience watching a film before. This film had me riveted as I watched how all the myth segments plunge into spot. By the raze of the movie, I was like “whoa!” Lustrous, man. Absolutely knowing!
Like the movie “Rupture”, this one involves a couple car accidents and the ways the people fervent are all connected to one another. To affirm any more is to destroy the film experience. All I can say is that the performances were really generous. I’ve been a fan of Henry Thomas since “E.T.”, since he is the same age as me and I related to his Elliot character serve then. He’s a first-rate actor who deserves to be in more films. Patrick Swayze in this reminds me of the cramped but pivotal role he played in “Donnie Darko”, which leads me to wonder why he’s playing in such minor roles, being directed by Generation X director. Barbara Hershey, another actress I like from the 1980s, seems to reprise her role in the film “Lantana”, but this role is simply too exiguous, but she manages it well. However, I assume this film showcases the talents of Sean Hatosy, who is becoming one of my well-liked actors by how well he makes his facial expressions. From “Soldier Girl” to “Faith of My Fathers” to “11:14″, I really hope his career launches into more leading man site or at least a buddy film. He is definitely the actor to witness.
When the final scene occurs and all the pieces drop together, I was so amazed by its brilliance that I had to glimpse it again, and then again with the director’s commentary track. This is a film that I would’ve seen in theaters had it been better publicized and distributed. As far as first films go, you can’t gather better than this. Like director Richard Kelly, I maintain Greg Marcks is another one to notice. If you enjoyed “Rupture” and “Memento”, you’ll probably worship this film as well. And memo to Hollywood…don’t be terrified to capture risks on unconventional storylines. This movie far exceeds the formulaic action/romantic-comedy/suspense films you dish out to audiences year after year. This film leaves a lasting impression and really blows your mind away with its implication. Its what every viewer wants to experience when they explore a movie.
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Infamous-Retail —-! Sale Only $2.99!
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Infamous-Retail —-! Sale Only $2.99!
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Infamous Description:
- Amazon Sales Rank: #8165 in Movie
- Released on: 2008-10-21
- Rating: R (Restricted)
- Running time: 119 minutes
Customer Reviews:
The other side of the story
In an incredible bit of misfortune, ‘Infamous’ will have to live with the stigma of being ‘that other movie’ about Truman Capote writing his masterpiece ‘In Cold Blood’. Over time that distinction may begin to wear off, but only time will tell. The trouble with this situation is that it is impossible to see 2006′s ‘Infamous’ without comparing it to 2005′s ‘Capote’ — even if you try. I promised myself that I would attempt to watch it with a fresh perspective, but within ten minutes I had decidedly broken that promise and started a list of differences and similarities in my mind. What is so unfair about this is that while ‘Capote’ is a very good movie, ‘Infamous’ is just a good one, making its faults stand out that much more by comparing it to its predecessor. Never before has being good not been good enough.
Purists undoubtedly take to ‘Capote’ as the superior film and lambaste ‘Infamous’ as a pretender to the throne, but what they are missing out on are the intriguing differences in perspective that the two films have. It is here that ‘Infamous’ earns its merits, but also where its defining flaw comes into play: that it is too afraid to risk making Truman an unsympathetic character. ‘Capote’ gets at the heart of the deviousness inherent in Truman’s dealings with Perry Smith and Dick Hickock (the killers on death row whose stories, along with those of their victims, comprise ‘In Cold Blood’) — how he used and abused their friendship and trust in order to write his masterpiece. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Truman Capote is an egotistical liar that sells his soul for his story, made sympathetic by Hoffman’s careful portrayal and by the fact that his cruelty causes him to spiral into drink, depression, and ruin for the rest of his life. The makers of ‘Infamous’ shy away from this aspect of Capote, choosing to go for sympathy instead. His deceit is only mentioned in passing — with the effect that you wouldn’t notice it if you weren’t looking for it. This Truman really cares for Perry Smith, and the film posits that what ruined him after the executions was the loss of the one person he had ever truly connected with. This Truman is a victim of his book’s conclusion rather than culpable in it. It’s an interesting theory, but it holds less weight and feels toothless. I don’t know enough about the facts to speculate as to whether or not the sexual tension that develops between the writer and the convict is accurate, but it does add an element of intrigue to the story.
The relationship between Truman and Perry in ‘Infamous’ adds a layer to the characterization of the author that was missing from ‘Capote’: that he was really a damaged, insecure man at heart, and had been ever since his childhood. The bravado, the confidance, the wit, and the eloquence that Manhattan’s high society adore him for is a mask that he has put on to hide how he really feels about himself. His entire personality is an affectation, and his carefully maintained social life is artifice. Other reviewers have criticized ‘Infamous’ for being too stylized, but I think that they were trying to show how fake his life in New York was — and in my humble opinion they succeeded. Toby Jones’ portrayal is, as such, less natural than Hoffman’s, but is perfectly suited to this intention of the filmmakers and succeeds in its own right. Had ‘Infamous’ come before ‘Capote’ Jones may have been more recognized for his work with an Oscar nomination of his own, but as I said earlier, timing has not been kind to ‘Infamous’. Anyway, Truman and Perry make a connection because they can be who they really are around each other: Perry can talk about his lonely, abusive childhood and desire to be an artist, while Truman can let his guard down and stop acting like a “wind-up doll” (to use a term from the movie). ‘Capote’ gets at the heart of Truman’s duplicity, but ‘Infamous’ gets at the heart of his insecurity.
The two film’s really work as companion pieces, then, so I would encourage everyone to get over their prejudice and look at the two film’s as two different sides of one of America’s most distinctive voices. It is fitting that a personality as outsized as Truman Capote’s couldn’t be captured by only one film, and he would probably be pleased to know that that is the case.
The story of a broken heart . . .
Based on interviews in George Plimpton’s oral biography of Truman Capote, this well done film offers a somewhat different take on the character we’d already come to know through the previous year’s “Capote,” which covers the same storyline – the writing of the author’s bestseller, “In Cold Blood.” Toby Jones gives a notable performance that emphasizes Capote’s vulnerability – reinforced by the actor’s diminutive size – compared to the more arch and self-centered Oscar-winning portrayal turned in by Philip Seymour Hoffman. While both films show how Capote is overwhelmed by the stress of composing this landmark book and waiting for its publication as the two killers are held for years on death row, “Infamous” wants us to believe that Capote fell deeply in love with one of them, Perry, who returned his affection and regarded him to the end as “Friend Truman.” That Capote never wrote anything of the caliber of “In Cold Blood” again and spent the rest of his years in a downward spiral of self destruction is used in the film as evidence that it was the fateful encounter with Perry that ruined him.
Sandra Bullock gives a wonderfully controlled performance as Capote’s lifelong friend Harper Lee, who after the success of “To Kill a Mockingbird” never published another novel and left New York to return to her childhood home in Alabama, where fate provided a much more congenial retreat from the limelight. “Who knows what the heart wants,” she remarks sadly at the end of the film, “and who can defend themselves against it?” And while the film treats its subject with a certain playfulness, reflected in a mostly cheerful and larky soundtrack, it is finally the story of a broken heart. The DVD has a very cogent and informative commentary by writer-director Douglas McGrath. Definitely worth watching, even if you’ve seen “Capote.” Side by side, they demonstrate nicely Capote’s own vision of truth as it’s found in creative nonfiction.
worth seeing first
Probably the best order in which to view the films on this subject is this version first, then last year’s, then the Robert Blake movie.
If CAPOTE is a sophisticatedly sec pinot grigio, INFAMOUS is a heartier, fruitier wine. The power of CAPOTE is its restraint, with the complex central character both monstrous and sympathetic in his cool-eyed pragmatism about needing the killers to die in order to complete his book successfully. INFAMOUS suggests that Capote is more emotionally torn by this conflict of interests between his attraction to Perry Smith and his ego as a writer. There’s more wallop throughout the more indulgent film, but CAPOTE’s refusal to provide easier emotional releases makes it the more mature work. That said, I’d be more apt to replay this version.
The opening scene, in which Gwyneth Paltrow struggles through the pain behind the lyric she’s singing, sets the overall approach of this film. It is dramatically effective, it’s well-played, and it telegraphs both the theme and the somewhat manipulative means this movie will rely upon. Similarly, the sexual relationship alleged in the prison sequences is carried off by excellent performances, is graphic as fantasy rather than likelihood, and distinguishes CAPOTE’s restraint as probably a more honest narrative choice.
The acting and period design are excellent–making favorable comparisons to similar ambitions of the period piece on George Reeves’ suicide. Audiences will appreciate INFAMOUS more if they’re aware of the history of Capote’s ANSWERED PRAYERS, the gossip fest that exposed the secrets of all his socialite “swans” and thus cost him their friendships.
It’s interesting that, in all three versions of this existential saga of meaningless virtue and shallow sophisticates, the Perry Smith performance particularly shines. In this instance, Craig all but steals the film as a Tommy Lee Jones-like hunk, though it must be noted that Segourney Weaver is fantastic at the Twist.
The murders at the eye of this maelstrom are depicted in all three versions of the story, and they remain chilling in each instance. (My companion at INFAMOUS was enraged, not having seen CAPOTE, that INFAMOUS treated such brutal killers so sympathetically–in Perry’s case, as a romantic fantasy–but she acknowledged that this film is excellent.) Based on the treatments of that central event, I’d recommend seeing the lighter (but not lite) INFAMOUS first, followed by the ascetically satisfying CAPOTE, and then the 1967 Richard Brooks original on the subject. The reverse order would not do INFAMOUS, well, “justice.”
Talhotblond Review.
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Talhotblond
Product: Talhotblond Review. List Price: —- Amazon Price: $3.99 Add to cart to see low price@ Availability: In Stock Usually ships in 24 Hours Free Shipping Available |
- Amazon Sales Rank: #1702 in Movie
- Released on: 2010-01-06
- Rating: R (Restricted)
- Running time: 76 minutes
thought provoking
i watched this on MSNBC, recorded it on DVR and watched it again. Last night it was on yet again and i watched a short bit of it, which sent me off on yet another internet search to read more about the case. The story is appalling and fascinating. While it seems utterly bizarre, at the same time, the film illuminates the fact that this kind of thing probably is going on all the time, not the tragic outcome that this story is about but the situation that led to that outcome–these must be rather common, people much like these people in this true story, similar situations and feelings. The internet has taken over the role that TV once played, where almost everyone was glued to a TV set in all their spare time, to fill those empty places in life, to entertain and distract, to excite and uplift, to experience vicarious or pseudo-adventures, to blur the line between fantasy and reality. Increasingly everyone is on the net and many are engaged in the activities these people were involved in, in other words, it’s fairly normal. In this case, a serious anger management impulse control problem (not that uncommon in society) came into play resulting in a tragedy. So this story carries cautionary lessons, but one of the loose ends that the story leaves me with is, what could be done to prevent something like this from happening? I’m not sure. The film raises far more questions than it answers.
Who’s Fooling Who?
An interesting tale spun by life’s reality. This true story speaks volumes about today’s sex absorbed, self conceited immoral culture. We’ve killed God, so we have only our own bankrupted moral codes to guide us, and they are sorely inadequate.
A Chilling Cautionary Tale About The Dangers of Internet Chat Rooms and Romance
Anybody who loves lurid, real-life homicide cases with mind boggling revelations will crave this skillfully made documentary about a cyberspace femme fatale who turned two grown men against one another. These two guys participated in Internet chat room sessions with an 18-year old hottie. Forty-seven year old factory worker Thomas Montgomery, currently serving a 20-year stretch in Attica Correctional Facility in New York, was an unhappily married man with two daughters aged 12 and 14-years old. Montgomery was suffering from impotence when he met Jessica in an Internet chat room purely by accident. Montgomery masqueraded as an 18-year old battle scarred Marine sniper named Tommy when he learned that Jessi was a West Virginia high school senior. He fooled the poor teenager into believing that he had deep feelings of love for her. Jessi reciprocated similar feelings of affection. The web-based romance began in May 2005. Jessi sent him photos of herself in a bathing suit, videos of herself set to a ballad, red-lace panties, and a sterling silver “key to my heart” chain. Their chat sessions degenerated pornographic prattle. Meanwhile, Montgomery’s suspicious wife Cindy discovered her husband’s perfidy and contacted Jessi with the truth about Montgomery. Before long Jessi hooked up with a college student named Brian. Eventually, this twisted relationship incorporated all three and Montgomery learned that Brian worked part-time at the same factory, the tool plant, Dynabrade in Clarence, New York, where he had been working for 12 years. One evening while 22-year old Brian sat in his truck in the factory parking lot, Montgomery approached the vehicle without warning and fired three shots from a .30-caliber gun into the driver’s side door, killing Brian. The jealous older man was stunned when he learned the truth about sexy young Jessi and how she had lead him on in a bizarre love triangle. This is a chilling cautionary tale of what can occur when you chat will the wrong folks in cyberspace. First-time writer & director Barbara Schroeder does a splendid job of assembling the facts in a piecemeal fashion with the actual participants, including candid, on-camera interviews with convicted killer Thomas Montgomery, clinical psychologist and attorney Dr. Rex Julian Beaber, Erie County prosecutor Ken Case, Erie County Sheriff Ron Kenyon, Oak Hill, West Virginia Sgt. Lee Kirk, Tim Shieler, and the father of the Internet teen vixen. The revelations here will curl your toe-nails and make you think twice about entering an Internet chat room. Indeed, truth is again stranger than fiction! “Talhotblond” received the Best Documentary award at the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival. Incidentally, the title refers to the screen name that Jessi used in Internet chat rooms.
The Magdalene Sisters Movie Streaming
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The Magdalene Sisters Movie Streaming.
Movie Title: The Magdalene Sisters The Magdalene Sisters is available for streaming or downloading. |
I impartial finished watching this movie and I am extremely scared. The record is filled with so worthy dislike and so distinguished blatant bigotry that my hands are actually shaking as I sit here and type this. No movie has ever touched me as “The Magdalene Sisters” did.
First, let me honest say that all the men in this movie are disgusting, frightening COWARDS!! The men can do no infamous while the ladies have to sacrifice for no apparent reason. That is terribly unjust.
The Magdalene House is a jail-like home. It’s urge by pedophile priests that like taking advantage of handicapped ladies and sadistic nuns that gain personal pleasure out of abusing the ladies that live there.
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The movie revolves around 3 young ladies that were sent to a Magdalene House; each for different reasons. One of the young ladies was raped, another was too shapely, and another had a child out of wedlock. What exactly was their crime that caused them to be locked up for years and years you might be asking? After all, they were being punished and told that they were good-for-nothing sinners! Their crime was: female sexuality! Apparently, the Catholic Church of Ireland found that to be the ultimate crime. And, as a result they punished these awful young ladies mercilessly.
There is only one knowing light in this very injurious movie. That is at the very extinguish when two of the young ladies hasten. They were gallant enough to net out and free themselves of all beatings, despise, and sexual abuse.
Thousands of women more were enslaved in these concentration camps until their pitiful deaths. Words along cannot represent this tragedy.
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This movie is a right record which took set in Ireland. Thank you to Peter Mullen for making a movie about this topic.
“The Magdalene Sisters” is a fact-based memoir of three young Irish women who were imprisoned in a Magdalene Laundry in Dublin in 1964. The fresh purpose of the ten Magdalene Laundries that were established in Ireland in the 19th century was to reform prostitutes. Women were imprisoned by the Status and Church and expected to do penance for their sins through hard work and prayer. By 1930, instead of being populated by musty prostitutes, Ireland’s Magdalene Laundries were occupied primarily by unwed mothers whose families had rejected them. An estimated 30,000 Irish women were detained in the Laundries during the 20th century, until the last one closed in 1996, and were mature as a slave labor force, working from dawn until dusk to turn a profit for the Order that administered the Laundries.
“The Magdalene Sisters” tells the stories of Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff), who is sent away from her home after being raped at a family wedding, Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone), whose caretakers at the orphanage where she grew up banish her to the Laundry to prevent her superb looks from causing any pains, and Rose (Dorothy Duffy), who is scorned by her family after bearing a child out of wedlock. These three teenagers near at the Magdalene asylum at the same time and together absorb its abuses and indignities over the course of years. The three lead actresses give exquisite performances. Geraldine McEwan and Eileen Walsh give stand-out performances as Sister Bridget, chief administrator of the asylum, and Crispina, a mentally challenged inmate, respectively. The film does recount the Irish Catholic Church in a unpleasant light -at least the little allotment of it that we watch. But the Church fares no worse than the government that supported the imprisonment of women who had committed no crime or, even more appalling, the self-righteous, hideously self-absorbed parents who delivered their children into imprisonment and slavery because they were fearful of what the neighbors would assume. “The Magdalene Sisters” presents enchanting intertwined stories about a very sad chop of Irish history.
The DVD: This disc’s single bonus feature is the inaptly titled 50-minute documentary “Sex in a Chilly Climate”. This is an current British documentary film which inspired writer/director Peter Mullan to write “The Magdalene Sisters”. The documentary features the stories of three women who were confined in Magdalene Laundries in their youth, and one woman who grew up in an orphanage that adjoined one of the Laundries. It’s unclear to me whether these women were the basis for the characters in the “The Magdalene Sisters” or not. Their stories are similar enough to those in the movie to manufacture me judge so, yet they differ in timing and details. For the feature film, subtitles are available in French and Spanish, and captions are available in English. Dubbing is available in French. Four unavoidable “public service” spots precede the film, narrated by movie stars and aimed at women with anorexia, alcoholism, self-esteem, and spousal abuse problems. What will we have to sit through next?
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