Ed's Review Dot Com

Movie Rentals Releasing Tuesday July 5, 2011

• Of Gods and Men
• 13 Assasins – Japanese

Happy July 4th to all the U.S. readers. No post today, but we’ll be back tomorrow with some more new reviews.

Meanwhile, Enjoy the barbecue and the fireworks and relax and maybe watch a good movie!

–Ed of Ed’s Review

Renegade Pictures (I), ARO Entertainment, Barnholtz Entertainment

Brittany Murphy, Dean Cain, Mimi Rogers, Kristen Kerr, Peter Bogdanovich, Tim Thomerson, Tara Subkoff, Caia Coley, America Young

Mary Walsh (Brittany Murphy) drives her boyfriend Kevin Peterson (Dean Cain) to the hospital for outpatient surgery that is supposed to take about an hour. When she returns from the coffee shop, he’s gone, and no one has any idea what happened to him. She tries to piece it together only to find out that nobody by that name is on the record as having been there, the doctor who is performing the surgery is on vacation, and there is no nurse Amanda who she claims checked him in. Now her sanity is called into question as she is taking strong doses of an anti-depressant due to the recent unexpected death of her mother in a hospital. The hospital psychiatrist wants her admitted for 72 hours, but the police detective who happens to be in the hospital for a follow up appointment thinks maybe there might be something more sinister going on.

This is a very exciting thriller. This is Brittany Murphy’s last film, and the movie was dedicated to her. It’s not big budget Hollywood, but it’s suspenseful ride through sanity and insanity and there may be as few surprises along the way. This is movie like “Where are the Children” or “Shutter Island“. It’s a very good little film, and a great tribute to Brittany Murphy, a talented actress who is gone too soon. Mimi Rogers plays the role of the hospital administrator and does a great job and was a great add to the film. However I have still not figured out the shrink in this movie. He really creeps me out, and I can’t tell if he’s a psycho himself or just one of the weirdest doctors I’ve ever seen!

This film will keep you wondering throughout, and though parts are kind of hard to believe, don’t go into it trying to pick apart the logic. If you do that, you’ll be disappointed. Instead, just enjoy the ride. It’s like a long crime story on prime time TV, academy award material, it’s not. But if you’re curious to see Brittany Murphy’s last on-screen appearance, you’ll probably enjoy the suspense and mystery.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Edward R. Pressman Film

Michael Douglas, Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin, Carey Mulligan, Eli Wallach, Susan Sarandon, Frank Langella, Austin Pendleton, John Bedford Lloyd

Gordon Gekko (Michael Landon) from the first Wall Street was sent to prison for insider training. His Daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan) has cut him off after the suicide death of her only brother which she blames on her dad. Her fiance, Jake (Shia LeBeouf), tries to mend the relationship with her father, unbeknownst to her, while secretly setting up his own deal. His mentor, Lou (Frank Langella) has killed himself after his company failed due to the actions of new Wall Street star Bretton James (Josh Brolin). Jake tries to get Winnie and Gordon back together while trying to seek revenge for Lou’s death by bringing down Bretton James, but some people never change, and there is no one who isn’t out for himself. Set in the backdrop of the recent recession and bank bailouts, this is a good look at Wall Street and how it all came to pass.

This was a good film. It goes into details of the recent bank problems and how it all works. But it’s also a suspenseful thriller and handled very well. The acting is superb, and the story is very interesting. A good sequel to the first one, I enjoyed it a lot. It’s a very deserving sequel to the first film, and if you enjoy big business and are curious of how the big Wall Street tycoons operate, this is Banking 101.

Shia LeBeouf isn’t a great actor, but he’s passable in this role. He’s probably the weakest link in the movie. Eli Wallach has a small role, but as usual, he’s memorable. Winnie is certainly unlikable in this role, but that’s not her fault. It’s the role she’s asked to play. A lot of people took it out on her personally though, which I think is unfair. If you’re asked play a tight a**ed cold and heartless b**tch, what can you do. Of course Gordon Gekko is the star here, and Michael Douglas does it well. Many people hated this sequel, and I guess if you paid full price in the theater to see it, it might be a little disappointing, but on DVD, it was an interesting watch for me. I thought it was entertaining and informative.

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog

Paper Street Films, Tom Sawyer Entertainment, Back Lot Pictures

Josh Radnor, Malin Akerman, Michael Algieri, Zoe Kazan, Kate Mara, Tony Hale, Pablo Schreiber, Peter Scanavino, Richard Jenkins

On the way to meet his publisher aspiring novelist Sam (Josh Radnor) encounters Rasheen (Michael Algieri) alone on the subway. Rasheen follows him, and try as he might to get rid of him, he eventually follows him to the meeting with the publisher. Rasheen is a big part of the story, as Sam knows that he can’t just keep a kid that he finds on the subway, but he can’t seem to find a way to get rid of him. It’s Rasheen that helps Sam grow up. But this is not just the story of Sam and Rasheen. Actually about 6 people are friends and living in New York City. Malin Akerman is Annie, a girl with alopecia universalis, or total hair loss over the entire body. No eyebrows or eyelashes. This causes her to have very low self esteem and to tend to sabotage all her relationships or to pick very bad partners.

Zoe Kazan is Mary Catherine, a young woman in a relationship with a guy who dreams of leaving New York for Los Angeles. Mary Catherine doesn’t want to go, and may risk losing her guy unless they work it out. Kate Mara is Mississippi, a singer from Mississippi who meets Sam, but both of them have so many issues they can’t seem to get together. They sign a very bizarre contract, but both are so filled with issues, they’re going to have a hard time.

Described as “How I Met Your Mother” the movie, there are a lot of similarities and it’s probably a good comparison. Basically it’s a decent romantic comedy of 6 friends who are trying to grow up in New York, even though it’s long overdue for all of them. It’s a simple story and one that’s been told before, but the whole situation with Rasheen makes it rather unique. It’s not badly done, and the people are really interesting and so though it’s not a great groundbreaking new film, it’s got enough going for it to make it worthwhile to watch. If you’re a fan of romantic comedies, then Happythankyoumoreplease is worth the time watching it. Especially in the summer when the real “How I met Your Mother” is in reruns. 🙂

EdG – EdsReview Dot Com – A Movie Review Blog