Tag: 2014

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Movie Review

Lessons in Love (2014) Movie Review

Lessons in Love – Movie Review

Read a detailed review of the movie Lessons in Love, directed by Tom Vaughan. Explore the plot, cast, and runtime of this intriguing drama.

Director: Tom Vaughan

Writer: Matthew Newman (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A drama about a Cambridge poetry professor who begins to re-evaluate his life of Byronic excess.

Runtime: 1 Hour 39 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Lessons in Love starts as Cambridge poetry professor Richard (Brosnan) prepares to meet his young girlfriend Kate’s (Alba) parents. However, a chance meeting with Olivia (Hayek) turns his eye, but it turns out she is Kate’s sister.

Richard and Kate end up moving to America and starting a family. However, she ends up leaving him for another man, but they decide to stay in the same house to raise their kid. Richard tries to remain strong, but finds his green card expiring, which could see him separated from his son. Meanwhile, Olivia learns her husband has been cheating on her, proving both are struggling with love, until they spend time together.

Verdict on Lessons in Love

Lessons in Love is a romantic comedy following an Englishman who finds himself moving to America for love. However, after they have a child and divorce, he remains around his son and falls in love with his ex-wife’s sister. They must figure out how he can stay in the country and start a new life.

This movie plays into the idea that people can meet people at strange times in life. It shows how people can change but parents would want the best life for their parents. However, certain parts show a much shallow side to the human experience and the laughs miss more than they hit. Sometimes this film feels like it is trying to do too much, which takes away the focus of the most important storylines.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Lessons in Love is the standard romantic comedy.

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Movie Review

He Who Dares (2014) Movie Review

He Who Dares – Movie Review

Get ready for an action-packed movie review of 'He Who Dares'. Join us as we dive into the thrilling plot and intense SAS mission.

ABC Film Challenge – Set Un the UK – E (Ewan Ross)

Director: Paul Tanter

Writer: James Crow, Simon Phillips, Paul Tanter (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A group of ruthless masked terrorists kidnap the Prime minister’s daughter, fortifying themselves in an underground car park rigged with explosives. A crack SAS team are sent in and must take the building one level at a time.

Runtime: 1 Hour 22 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: He Who Dares starts when Holt (Phillips) leads a ruthless group of terrorists in kidnapping the Prime Minister’s daughter Alice (Bellavia). The gang take refuge in a car park rigged with explosives as they make their demands. Detective Carpenter (Ross) leads the hostage situation, while SAS soldier Christopher Lowe (Knight) has been called in with his team.

When Christopher’s team get inside, they face a race against time to save Alice. However, they face a host of problems as Holt refuses to give up his demands easily.

Verdict on He Who Dares

He Who Dares is an action thriller following a special SAS team who must save the Prime Minister’s daughter from ruthless kidnappers. The criminals take shelter in a multistorey underground car park, giving them the advantage against any rescue plans.

This movie brings an action story that keeps things simple, with the criminals taking hostages and a SAS unit needing to solve the problem. It uses the environment to maintain the tight combat situations within the park structure. Simon Phillips gives us one of the best-twisted villains, as you can see how psychotic his character is. This is an entertaining action movie, with a trimmed runtime, fitting the perfect late-night action movie traits.

Where to Watch

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JustWatch

Final Thoughts –He Who Dares is late-night action 101.

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Movie Review

Learning to Drive (2014) Movie Review

Learning to Drive – ABC Film Challenge – Romance – L – Learning to Drive – Movie Review

Learning to Drive – ABC Film Challenge – Romance – L – Learning to Drive - Movie Review

Director: Isabel Coixet

Writer: Sarah Kernochan (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: As her marriage dissolves, a Manhattan writer takes driving lessons from a Sikh instructor with his own marriage troubles. In each other’s company they find the courage to get back on the road and the strength to take the wheel.

Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Learning to Drive starts when Wendy (Clarkson) learns her husband Ted (Weber) wants to leave her. She is left in shock by the situation as she needs to figure out what to do with her life now. Her daughter Tasha (Gummer) has suggested she come to stay with her. However, Wendy isn’t ready to give up her life in New York.

When Wendy has a chance meeting with driving instructor Darwan (Kingsley), she takes the first steps in learning a new skill. Meanwhile, Darwan is dealing with his own problems with a new wedding planned for him. The unlikely new friendship shows the positives in moving outside of your own comfort zone.

Verdict on Learning to Drive

Learning to Drive is a romantic comedy following two lost souls in New York City. One is facing a divorce, while the other struggles to deal with an arranged marriage. As the two become friends, they learn to help each other with their problems to help them live better futures.

This is a nice movie that gets to show you that you can always find a new path in life. It is about the people around you that change you, showing you things, you never imagined seeing. There is plenty of heart in the story and the performances from Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley only make the movie even more entertaining.

Final Thoughts – Learning to Drive is an entertaining treat about finding passion in life.

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Movie Review

Hungry Hearts (2014) Movie Review

Hungry Hearts – ABC Film Challenge – Romance – H – Hungry Heart – Movie Review

Hungry Hearts

Director: Saverio Costanzo

Writer: Saverio Constanzo, Marco Franzoso, Daniela Merlo (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: The relationship of a couple who meet by chance in New York City is put to the test when they encounter a life-or-death circumstance.

Runtime: 1 Hour 49 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Hungry Hearts starts when Jude (Driver) and Mina (Rohrwacher) meet in New York. The pair get involved in a romance, get married and start a family. However, once they have their first child, tension starts to grow between the pair.

Jude wants to make sure their baby is healthy by seeing medical professionals, while Mina wants to raise the baby her way. However, this leads to problems that could cause deadly consequences for the pair.

Verdict on Hungry Hearts

Hungry Hearts is a romantic thriller following a couple whose relationship falls apart after they have their first child. It shows how the different beliefs in early childcare can cause massive problems between the two. This puts their child’s health at risk, as they try to figure out the problems.

The movie gets to tackle the serious problems that can be caused by differences of opinion in a relationship. When the child’s health is the most important part of their lives. It shows the dangers involved with everyone involved. Adam Driver stars in this movie and it is strange seeing in another movie where a relationship breaks down.

Final Thoughts – Hungry Hearts is a tense thriller showing a disturbing side to toxic relationships.

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Movie Review

Seal Team Eight: Behind Enemy Lines (2014) Movie Review

Seal Team Eight: A Behind Enemy Lines Action Movie Review

ABC Film Challenge – Action – V (Vic)

Seal Team Eight: A Behind Enemy Lines Action Movie Review

Director: Roel Reine (Hard Target 2)

Writer: Brendan Cowles, Shane Kuhn (Screenplay)

Writer: Brendan Cowles, Shane Kuhn, Roel Reine (Story)

Cast

Plot: Tom Sizemore stars in the most explosive Behind Enemy Lines yet! Seal Team 8 must fight their way through the Congo to defuse one of the greatest threats the world has ever known.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Seal Team Eight: Behind Enemy Lines starts when Ricks (Sizemore) sends his teams of Seals on an extraction mission. Case (Shrapnel), Jay (Oseyemi), Bubba (Everson), Vic (Meriel) and others must rescue Zoe Jelani (Meriel). She had been captured by a ruthless leader who posed a massive threat to the area.

However, the mission takes a turn and now the unit finds themselves trapped behind enemy lines. They must use their strengths to learn the true operation to save the locals. However, it comes at a cost for the soldiers.

Verdict on Seal Team Eight: Behind Enemy Lines

Seal Team Eight: Behind Enemy Lines is an action movie following a group of Navy seals set on a mission. They must travel behind enemy lines to rescue a prisoner. However, not everything is as it seems and they must fight against the odds to escape.

This is a movie that uses the title of a popular war movie to grab a few more headlines. At the core of the story, it does everything right to give us a simple and entertaining story of soldiers needing to overcome the odds. However, none of the soldiers get enough time to shine and feel flat. It is all generic and while it entertains, it won’t stick with you for very long afterwards.

Where to Watch

JustWatch

Final Thoughts – Seal Team Eight: Behind Enemy Lines is a typical late-night action movie.

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Movie Review

Times Out of Mind (2014) Movie Review

Time Out of Mind – Movie Review

Time out of Mind

Director: Oren Moverman

Writer: Oren Moverman, Jeffrey Caine (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: George seeks refuge at Bellevue Hospital, a Manhattan intake center for homeless men, where his friendship with a fellow client helps him try to repair his relationship with his estranged daughter.

Runtime: 2 Hours

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Time Out of Mind starts when George (Gere) lives off the streets. His life has fallen apart around him and now he doesn’t know where to search. He wants to reconnect with his daughter Maggie (Malone) hoping she can help him find his feet.

George struggles to deal with the changes in his life and accepting help from anyone around him even more. However, he tries to remain positive throughout his desperate times.

Verdict on Time Out of Mind

Time Out of Mind is a drama that shows the struggles a newly homeless person faces. They have been through a lot and need to understand the process of helping him back on his feet. He wants to reconnect with his estranged daughter but everything in his life has become difficult.

This is a drama that shows just how hard life can be for someone adapting to homeless life. It highlights how many hurdles they must overcome to get their lives back, without much support in the system. We are thrown into a bleak world that never feels like there is a light at the end of the troubles.

Final Thoughts – Time Out of Mind is a bleak look at how homelessness changes everyone someone worked for.

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Movie Review

Bermuda Tentacles (2014) Movie Review

Bermuda Tentacles – ABC Film Challenge – Action – B – Bermuda Tentacles – Movie Review 

Bermuda Tentacles – ABC Film Challenge – Action – B – Bermuda Tentacles - Movie Review 

Director: Nick Lyon

Writer: Geoff Meed (Screenplay)

Cast

 

Plot: When Air Force One goes down over the Bermuda Triangle, the Navy sends its best rescue team. But in saving the president, the team awakens a monster which threatens America’s entire Eastern Seaboard and, ultimately, the world.  

Runtime: 1 Hour 29 Minutes  

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review 

Story: Bermuda Tentacles starts when Air Force One goes down in the Bermuda Triangle. The President escapes to safety, but he does need rescuing. Admiral Linda Hansen (Hamilton) brings a military fleet to the location to rescue the President. However, they come under attack by tentacles coming from the ocean.

The military team looks to explore what could be in the ocean and what they find could answer the question about the Bermuda Triangle. As they get deeper, the mystery seems to reveal more answers to questions left open for centuries.  

Verdict on Bermuda Tentacles

Bermuda Tentacles is an action sci-fi following a military rescue operation in the Bermuda Triangle. They are in search of the missing President and find themselves facing an alien species living below the surface. However, the mission sees them fighting against an enemy they are unaware of how to defeat.

This does everything we would have come to expect from a low-budget action movie. It has a big name in Linda Hamilton and delivers a simple concept of America needing to save the day. While the effects are not breathtaking, they are good enough to make the enemy feel like an unpredictable threat. 

Final Thoughts –Bermuda Tentacles is an easy-to-watch low budget sci-fi movie.

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Movie Review

Rage (2014) Movie Review

Rage – Movie Review

Rage

Director: Paco Cabezas

Writer: Jim Agnew, Sean Keller (Screenplay)

Cast

  • Nicolas Cage (Gone in Sixty Seconds)
  • Rachel Nichols (Star Trek)
  • Max Ryan (Death Race)
  • Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon)
  • Peter Stormare (Armageddon)

Plot: When the daughter of a reformed criminal is kidnapped, he rounds up his old crew and seeks his own brand of justice.

Runtime: 1 Hour 38 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Rage starts when reformed criminal Paul Maguire (Cage) sees his life turned upside down. His good work in the neighbourhood doesn’t mean anything when somebody kidnaps and kills his teenage daughter.

Local detective Peter St. John (Glover) promises to find answers for Paul. However, Paul decides to reconnect with his criminal friends in search of answers. This sees Paul leaving bodies laying as he stirs up people from his past, causing gang wars around the city.

Verdict on Rage

Rage is an action thriller that follows a father that goes on a rampage into his past to figure out who killed his daughter. This leads him down a dangerous path into his past, one that will open old wounds as he searches for answers.

The movie gets to put a lot on the table when it comes to dealing with criminals out of the game. It brings back memories they aren’t prepared for. As well as people who have wanted the chance to get their own revenge. This is part of Nicolas Cage’s run through mostly average action movies that don’t go very far. They want to be edgier, however, they end up being pretty run-of-the-mill by the end.

Final Thoughts – Rage is a by-the-books thriller that offers little new to the genre.

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Movie Review

Men Women & Children (2014) Movie Review

Men Women & Children – Movie Review

Men Women & Children

Director: Jason Reitman

Writer: Chad Kultgen, Jason Reitman, Erin Cressida Wilson (Screenplay)

Cast

Plot: A group of high school teenagers and their parents attempt to navigate the many ways the Internet has changed their relationships, their communications, their self-images, and their love lives.

Runtime: 1 Hour 59 Minutes

There may be spoilers in the rest of the review

Story: Men Women & Children starts by taking us into the world of many different families. The parents have their own problems with their relationships, which sees them facing new challenges. Elsewhere, their teenage children are also facing a range of challenges in their lives.

Verdict on Men Women & Children

Men Women & Children is a comedy-drama following the lives of multiple families. They have their own problems in life and have found solutions in their own way. However, not everything has gone as smoothly as they had hoped for both adults and teenagers.

This highlights the changes in how relationships happen. How technology has taken over most people’s lives leading to them becoming distant from the rest of the world around them. It highlights the importance of human interaction and how empty their lives have become.

Final Thoughts – Men Women & Children does a great job of highlighting the changes in relationships with technology.