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Formula 51

You’ve got one chance to save your life. Do you take it? Or do you hope for something better to come along? That’s the choice Dakota (Emily Mortimer), a killer for hire, faces. Elmo McElroy (Samuel L. Jackson), still in his kilt, has her by the wrist, dangling off the side of a building. He offers her $1 million to call of the hit or he’ll drop her. She counters. Ah well, life is short.

Once a deal is reached, she lands on a ladder while a crooked cop gets the drop on Elmo. Always interested in what’s up a Scotsman’s kilt, the cop asks as the fabric rises. Little does he know that it may be his last wish.


Director:  Ronny Yu
Writer:  Stel Pavlou
Cast:
Samuel L. Jackson -  Elmo McElroy
Robert Carlyle -  Felix DeSouza
Emily Mortimer -  Dakota Phillips
Rhys Ifans -  Iki
Meatloaf -  The Lizard
Ricky Tomlinson -  Leopold Durant
Sean Pertwee -  Detective Virgil Kane
Jake Abraham -  Konokko
Michael Starke -  Arthur
Mac McDonald -  Mr. Davidson
Aaron Swartz -  Mr. Yuri
Nigel Whitmey -  L.A. Highway Patrol
David Webber -  Mr. Jones
Christopher Hunter -  Lawrence
Robert Jezek -  Priest
Michael J. Reynolds -  Mr. Escobar









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Femme Fatale

What lengths would you go to in order to make the kind of money that will set you up for life? Would you betray your crew? Would you go on the run and leave your tidy life behind?

Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) likes women. At a film premiere, she makes a move on one with a caress and a whisper. But it’s not to be as the woman flinches and stomps out. Alas, it is just a ploy for she has lured Veronica (Rie Rasmussen) for a bit of girl-on-girl in order to steal a diamond encrusted body piece and other jewelry. The caper goes awry when a bodyguard decides too much time has passed and goes to investigate. Laure gets away but not before her colleagues swear revenge.


Director:  Brian De Palma
Writer:  Brian De Palma; Marina Gefter
Cast:
Rebecca Romijn-Stamos -  Laure Ash/Lily
Antonio Banderas -  Nicolas Bardo
Peter Coyote -  Bruce Watts
Eriq Ebouaney -  Black Tie
Edouard Montoute -  Racine
Rie Rasmussen -  Veronica
Thierry Frémont -  Serra
Gregg Henry -  Leonard Shiff
Fiona Curzon -  Stanfield Phillips
Daniel Milgram -  Pierre/Bartender
Jean-Marc Minéo -  Seated Guard
Jean Chatel -  Cannes Commentator
Stéphane Petit -  Bodyguard One
Olivier Follet -  Bodyguard Two
Eva Darlan -  Irma
Jean-Marie Frin -  Louis









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Fierce Creatures

Rod McCain (Kevin Kline) is a blustering billionaire who buys and sells just for the buzz it gives him. Management of one of his recent acquisitions, a British zoo, is in the hands of Rollo Lee (John Cleese), who is tasked to squeeze a 20 percent profit from the place or else. His idea to succeed is to posit the theory that violence is the only thing that sells and decides to purge the zoo of all but the dangerous animals.

His approach is complicated by the arrival of two Americans; newly hired marketing expert Willa Weston (Jamie Lee Curtis) and McCain’s lout of a son Vince (Kevin Kline redux) who plans to transform the zoo into a corporate and celebrity sponsored theme park. Toss into the mix, Adrian ‘Bugsy’ Malone (Michael Palin), a zoo employee who is an obsessive walking encyclopedia chattering incessantly. Along for the ride are the staff who try to save their charges by convincing Rollo that the animals are dangerous, leading to some very creative misdirection.

I was quite taken by this movie once I realized that the reviews it got were undeserved and any salaciousness should have been reserved for the film editing.


Director:  Fred Schepisi; Robert Young
Writer:  John Cleese; Iain Johnstone; William Goldman
Cast:
John Cleese -  Rollo Lee
Jamie Lee Curtis -  Willa Weston
Kevin Kline -  Vince McCain/Rod McCain
Robert Lindsay -  Sydney Lotterby
Michael Palin -  Adrian ‘Bugsy’ Malone
Ronnie Corbett -  Reggie Sea Lions
Carey Lowell -  Cub Felines
Bille Brown -  Neville
Derek Griffiths -  Garry Ungulates
Cynthia Cleese -  Pip Small Mammals
Richard Ridings -  Hugh Primates
Maria Aitken -  Di Harding
Michael Percival -  Ant Keeper
Fred Evans -  Flamingo Keeper
Lisa Hogan -  Sea lion Keeper
Choy-Ling Man -  Parrot Keeper









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Finding Nemo

The father-son dynamic is a tricky one. Growing up, your dad was the incarnation of Superman. As time passes, that image tarnishes as you realize his superpowers aren’t quite what you thought them to be. Until you figure out he is just a guy trying to do his best by you. Through these years, dad wants you safe and not to suffer the vagaries of life that he did. Trying to find a balance between both of you is the toughest bit in order to end up with mutual respect and admiration. Often there is a hiccup or two along the way. Just ask Marlin (voice of Albert Brooks) who grips the controls a smidge tightly until his son Nemo (voice of Alexander Gould) feels suffocated and starts to rebel and is caught up in the net of pet shop tropical fish collector. Marlin gird up his fishy loins and takes off into unknown waters to find his son.


Director:  Andrew Stanton; Lee Unkrich
Writer:  Andrew Stanton; Bob Peterson; David Reynolds
Cast:
Albert Brooks -  Marlin (voice)
Ellen DeGeneres -  Dory (voice)
Alexander Gould -  Nemo (voice)
Willem Dafoe -  Gill (voice)
Brad Garrett -  Bloat (voice)
Allison Janney -  Peach (voice)
Austin Pendleton -  Gurgle (voice)
Stephen Root -  Bubbles (voice)
Vicki Lewis -  Deb/Flo (voice)
Joe Ranft -  Jacques (voice)
Geoffrey Rush -  Nigel (voice)
Andrew Stanton -  Crush (voice)
Elizabeth Perkins -  Coral (voice)
Nicholas Bird -  Squirt (voice)
Bob Peterson -  Mr. Ray (voice)
Barry Humphries -  Bruce (voice)









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The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Practically everyone has another that they imbue with the traits they admire and hope to emulate. Not all of them live up to the standards and some pass before their admirer expects. How do you cope with such a change? Most go on with a pall hanging over them.

Frodo (Elijah Wood) and the others are forced to travel through the Mines of Moria. They are attacked by Orcs and a Troll, and run into a Balrog, an ancient demon of shadow and fire, while attempting to cross the Bridge of Khazad-dûm. Gandalf (Ian McKellen) faces off against the Balrog on the bridge, letting the others escape, while he falls with the creature into the abyss below. What is Frodo to do?


Director:  Peter Jackson
Writer:  J.R.R. Tolkien; Frances Walsh; Philippa Boyens; Peter Jackson
Cast:
Elijah Wood -  Frodo Baggins
Sean Astin -  Sam Gamgee
Sean Bean -  Boromir
Cate Blanchett -  Galadriel
Orlando Bloom -  Legolas Greenleaf
Ian Holm -  Bilbo Baggins
Ian McKellen -  Gandalf
Christopher Lee -  Saruman
Viggo Mortensen -  Aragorn
Andy Serkis -  Gollum
Billy Boyd -  Pippin
Dominic Monaghan -  Merry
John Rhys-Davies -  Gimli
Liv Tyler -  Arwen
Marton Csokas -  Celeborn
Ian Mune -  Bounder