Wednesday 7 September 2011

Download Courageous Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie : Courageous

Release Date : September 30, 2011

Studio : TriStar Pictures (Sony)

Director : Alex Kendrick

Screenwriter : Alex Kendrick, Stephen Kendrick

Starring : Alex Kendrick, Kevin Downes, Ben Davies, Matt Hardwick, Ken Bevel

Genre : Drama

Official Website : Not Available

Honor Begins at Home. Four men, one calling: To serve and protect.  As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, David Thomson, and Shane Fuller are confident and focused. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.


While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they’re quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.

When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a new found urgency help these dads draw closer to God … and to their children?

Filled with action-packed police drama, COURAGEOUS is the fourth film from Sherwood Pictures, the movie making ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia. Riveted moviegoers will once again find themselves laughing, crying, and cheering as they are challenged and inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.

Protecting the streets is second nature to these men. Raising their children in a God-honoring way? That’s courageous.

Let me start by letting you know that shortly after I became a Christian, I found myself unable to enjoy the comedy clubs, music and movies that I had once loved. It hit me one day that I had to put all those things away that were not glorifying to God…the crude humor, immoral innuendo, blasphemy and lyrics that promoted sin. Although I was dedicated to my new Lord, (I did put the stuff away), I reacted like Lot’s wife, turning back and looking…somewhat lamenting the loss of “fun” in my life. I resigned myself to the fact that I would never again enjoy jokes, movies or music.

Leave it to the Kendrick brothers to blow away that notion! One of the highlights of the movie, Courageous, is the side splitting humor sprinkled throughout, all of it clean and gentle. No one’s feelings have to be hurt by sarcasm for a joke to be funny, and gross vulgarities are not only unnecessary, but they truly ruin a good time.

In Courageous, we join a group of 4 sheriff’s deputies and a manual laborer named Javier. These men face daily dilemmas related to job and family and learn to rely on each other and God in this inspiring, but humorous flick. How will they respond when the ultimate tragedy befalls one of them?

But this review is not just about the entertainment value of Courageous, but rather the spiritual value. Let’s use three measuring sticks (you could pick several others, I’m sure), to try to judge the merit of this movie. Ultimately, the question is, should you spend the resources God has provided you with to see this flick? Or would your money be better spent elsewhere…there is certainly need all around us.

On Tuesday, May 10th, together with two co-workers, I headed down to Menomonee Falls, WI to attend a promotional screening of the movie Courageous.  Courageous is the fourth production of Sherwood Baptist in Albany, GA.  Sherwood’s previous productions are, “Flywheel,” “Facing the Giants” and “Fireproof.”

Facing the Giants was Sherwood’s first big hit, followed by the largely successful Fireproof.  Each movie has a particular emphasis and Courageous is no different.

Courageous endeavors to present in an attractive manner the theme of fatherhood.  The main plot surrounds five men, four of whom are cops.  Most are a combination of being mediocre dads, poor husbands or lukewarm followers of Christ.  An unthinkable horror strikes one of them, Adam Mitchell, forcing him into a six-week study of God’s design for fatherhood.  Mitchell shares the fruits of his study with his friends and unveils a “resolution” he created.  All five men agree to live out this resolution and are tested in their resolve.

Accompanying the central plot are various sub-plots that come together to demonstrate the concerns and desires of a father’s heart for his family and society.  This message reflects a larger ideology and movement that calls upon men to be authentic witnesses to manhood in Christ, though there is no clearly discernible link made in the movie with this larger movement.

As a Catholic, I must note the lack of a sacramental economy that pervades the movie.  Understandably, Sherwood sees through the lens of Protestant theology on sin and grace/faith and works and this intimately affects the plot of the movie.  Mercifully, this choice is not as prevalent as it could be and is primarily demonstrated in one scene, though undertones persist throughout the entire film.  This danger to faith and good morals might deter some viewers; however a well-catechized Catholic can easily identify these and ward others away from them.

Theological deficits aside, this movie has a lot of potential to arouse noble sentiments within the hearts of men and communicates many valuable conceptions on life and manhood.  Personally speaking, I laughed, I cried (sometimes back to back) and at the end, I felt in my own heart that the message had been received.  It is said that our culture has largely neglected or forgotten the true meaning of fatherhood.  I can say that as I truly felt edified after watching Courageous, I believe that other men will likewise be inspired to seek Christ more profoundly.


Overall, I would give Courageous 4 out of 5 stars as the story is well-written, moving seamlessly between gravity and levity, but the theological deficits are a cause for concern.
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Download Tucker & Dale vs Evil Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie : Tucker & Dale vs Evil

Release Date : September 30, 2011

Studio : Magnet Releasing (Magnolia Pictures)

Director : Eli Craig

Screenwriter : Eli Craig, Morgan Jurgenson

Starring : Alan Tudyk, Tyler Labine, Katrina Bowen

Genre : Comedy, Horror

Official Website : MagnetReleasing.com

The horror genre is over-saturated with killer hillbilly slasher films - ruthless psychopaths who have nothing better to do than torture unsuspecting innocents. As the horror genre progressed from B-movie terror to “torture porn,” we’ve seen plenty of vacationing families, law enforcement officials, and road-tripping college kids meet their maker in increasingly horrifying ways.


But what if all the blood and guts, all the decapitations and mutilated limbs, were just the result of an enormous misunderstanding - where a lack of communication leads to (horribly fun) disaster?

That’s the basic pitch of Eli Craig’s horror comedy, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, starring Alan Tudyk (Firefly) and Tyler Labine (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) as a pair of misunderstood hillbillies who, while vacationing at their summer home, find themselves cast as the villains in a gruesome set of events. But does newcomer Craig (fun fact: he’s Sally Field’s youngest son) succeed in delivering on this intriguing premise - or does Tucker & Dale vs Evil fail at both its comedy as well as horror aspirations?

Fortunately, Tucker & Dale vs Evil hits nearly every mark that it aims for - though it delivers significantly more comedy than horror - and plays on iconic slasher film staples as well as expectations to great effect.

As mentioned, the basic story follows the misadventures of Dale (Alan Tudyk) and Tucker (Tyler Labine), two hillbilly best friends who, while fixing-up their summer home, encounter a group of overly-anxious college kids. When the pair startle Allison (Katrina Bowden), one of the twenty-something girls, and she begins to drown in a nearby river, Tucker jumps in after her. With Allison safely inside the boat, Dale calls out to her classmates in reassurance, “We’ve got your friend!” - setting the teens into a panic and, subsequently, on an unfortunate and misguided rescue mission that results in a lot of pain and suffering for hillbillies and college kids alike.

Some moviegoers might think that the Tucker & Dale vs Evil premise sounds entirely absurd - and, to a certain extent, it is - but that doesn’t keep the film from delivering plenty of genuinely funny comedy moments as well as some palpable suspense and tension. That said, suspense should not be confused with scares - the “horror” in Tucker and Dale is more the blood and guts variety, not so much the jump scares that are used frequently in the film’s genre source inspirations. This isn’t to say that the film isn’t exceptionally entertaining - but it’s worth tempering expectations with regard to the tone of the project.

That said, Craig’s horror comedy is especially good at two things - 1) offering-up some genuinely disgusting death sequences (as any competent horror film should) and 2) presenting hilarious counter-points to each of the grisly kills by juxtaposing an iconic image (a chainsaw wielding psychopath) with an entertaining peek through Tucker and/or Dale’s perspective (a victim of a bee attack). While the stupidity of the college kids is ultimately responsible for their undoing, Tucker and Dale’s perception of, and reaction to, the unfolding events is very entertaining. As a result, the film owes a lot of credit to Tudyk and Labine’s performances, who, despite the number of people dying on their property (as a result of their inability to communicate the situation effectively), remain empathetic and likable characters all the way through.

The college kids, on the other hand, are the weakest aspect of the film - on a case by case basis. Katrina Bowden (30 Rock) is great as Allison - successfully maintaining a grounded balance in spite of the craziness that has put her at the center of an enormous and violent misunderstanding. Interestingly, with regard to her friends, and in keeping with flipping the slasher film genre on its head - the motivation of the college kids is about as thin as the motivation of most iconic slasher villains. Sure, most of the time they’re focused on rescuing Allison, but often, the way they approach a given situation is laughable and over-the-top - turning the team of polo-wearing twenty-somethings into one-note characters like Freddy Krueger​ or Jason Voorhees​. In general, they’re mostly (intentional) stereotypes that provide meat for the horror movie grinder, so the film doesn’t waste any time developing group dynamics or inter-personal relationships. Jesse Moss (Final Destination 3​) is given a bit more to work with as Chad (the group’s resident hillbilly expert) but can be a bit excessive - even for a movie that plays heavily on caricatures.

As a result, it’s fun to watch each of them create scenarios for their own undoing - especially since Tucker and Dale succeed in appearing so sympathetic. However, at times, the movie attempts to do a bit too much, tying the colored hillbilly horror past into current events as well as wrapping up Tucker and Dale’s character journeys - in favor of actually dealing with the emotional fall-out of the preceding events. Of course, Tucker and Dale vs Evil is mostly a comedy, so it’s better that it continues to offer laughs instead of deep-seated emotional complexity.

That said, it’s ultimately hard to rectify the balance of parody and resulting horror, given the number of “innocent” deaths that are presented on-screen - especially since no one, not even the surviving characters in the film, seem to care. Since there are no real scares or psychological horror in the film, these deaths don’t carry any weight or serve to build tension into the over-arching narrative - and exist only as laughable scenes from moment to moment. It’s not that it doesn’t work, but the final fifteen minutes of the movie are so tangled, that there had to be a more elegant and enjoyable way of uniting all the blood, humor, and story elements together. As a result, despite being entertaining, at times it can be unclear where Craig is flexing an expert parody muscle and where he’s just bitten off more than he can chew.


In the end, Tucker and Dale vs Evil is deliciously fun satire - and, once all the blood has been spilt, offers genuinely interesting commentary on the fine line between hero and horror villain. Sure, character motivations are unclear at times, and downright unbelievable at others points, but there’s no doubt that Craig succeeds in making some interesting observations in Tucker and Dale vs Evil - as well as delivering plenty of outrageous entertainment.
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Download Take Shelter Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie : Take Shelter

Release Date : September 30, 2011

Studio : Sony Pictures Classics

Director : Jeff Nichols

Screenwriter : Jeff Nichols

Starring : Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Shea Whigham, Katy Mixon, Kathy Baker

Genre : Drama, Thriller

Official Website : Not Available

With his sad-eyed intensity and a towering physicality almost like that of Frankenstein's monster, there's possibly no more mesmerizing American actor working in any medium today than Michael Shannon. His talents are put to exceptional use in writer-director Jeff Nichols' devastating Take Shelter.


Snapped up pre-Sundance by Sony Pictures Classics, this knockout prestige picture is a masterfully controlled piece of work on every level -- from its precise modulation of mood to its piercing emotional accuracy, its impeccable craftsmanship and breathtaking imagery. Rarely have electrical storms, cloud formations and glowering skies had such an unnerving impact or expressed such dark visual poetry.

While at times it conjures suggestions of vintage Polanski-style paranoia in rural America, this haunting psychological thriller is also a quasi-horror movie firmly rooted in slice-of-life reality. An allegory for the troubles of the world bearing down on ordinary people in an age of natural, industrial and economic cataclysms, it taps into pervasive anxiety more acutely than any film since Todd Haynes' Safe.

In his second collaboration with Shannon following Shotgun Stories, Nichols has written a role tailored to the actor's particular gifts in Curtis LaForche. From cinematographer Adam Stone's first arresting widescreen view of Curtis standing outside his small-town Ohio home, staring up at an ominous sky as clouds burst and oily rain falls, it's clear this man has disturbing thoughts on his mind.

He has a loving home life with wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and 6-year-old daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart), who has lost her hearing but is scheduled for corrective surgery. He also has job security as crew manager for a drilling company, working alongside his buddy Dewart (Shea Whigham). Without belaboring the point, however, Nichols reminds us that stability these days hangs on a tenuous thread.

Dreams and hallucinations portending violence increasingly plague Curtis, some of them perhaps even real. From flocks of birds like moving ink stains overhead, to walls of thundering clouds closing in on him, to levitating furniture that comes crashing down, these frightening visions are executed with stunning effectiveness by an ace visual effects team led by Chris Wells.

Keeping his inner turmoil to himself but leaving his wife and colleague to interpret his increasingly irrational and obsessive behavior, Curtis tries sedatives and counseling. During a visit to his mother (Kathy Baker) we learn of her history of paranoid schizophrenia, which causes Curtis to suspect that may be where he's headed too.

Unable to vanquish his fears, he takes a risky loan and illegally borrows equipment from work to expand the house's tornado shelter in preparation for the apocalypse.

While Nichols doesn't stint on powerful dramatic moments, he shows equal command of intimate observations -- the tenderness between mother and daughter; the frazzled affections of marriage; the relaxed camaraderie between co-workers; the stiffness between siblings when Curtis' concerned brother (Ray McKinnon) checks in on him. In Shannon's single scene with Baker, their cautious channels of communication provide a window into years of painful distance.

Chastain is heartbreaking as a woman wondering if the person she loves has become someone else, her face dissolving into wreckage as Curtis finally explains his fears.

But every performance is of a piece with a film that never wavers in its certainty of tone, its moments of dread and jolts of terror all enhanced by David Wingo's brooding score and by a muscular soundscape.

It's hard to imagine another actor bringing such unblinking conviction to the demanding lead role. One of many gifted stage actors to come out of Chicago, Shannon's profile has shot up recently with an Oscar nomination for Revolutionary Road and a prominent role on Boardwalk Empire.

His characterization grips like a vice as he shifts from softness to menace, stillness to panic, incomprehension to crazed, purposeful illumination. When Curtis explodes and starts prophesying doom to a community hall full of locals, it's among the film's most heated moments but also its saddest, played out in the scared, bewildered faces of the people present.

The unsettling final scene is wide open to interpretation. But it's clear that Nichols is less interested in the last word on Curtis' sanity than he is in conveying how fear has become an inescapable part of our world, and how family can endure, even in the face of disaster.

The impulse to protect one’s family is strong. But what happens when that impulse becomes an addiction, when the growing sense of dread about your family’s well-being becomes so overpowering and all-encompassing that you risk losing the very family you’re trying to protect? That’s one of the questions at the heart of Take Shelter. I have started this review at least half-a-dozen times. Some versions of the review delved right into a discussion of the plot, which focuses on Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon), a man who begins acting in a way increasingly perplexing to his family and friends because of his private visions of impending doom. Other versions began talking about the finesse with which director Jeff Nichols manages to take a thriller-type film and turn it into a study in paranoia and psychosis. And still other versions jumped into the technical aspects of the film, particularly its absolutely gorgeous cinematography. Ultimately, the problem I’m having is that there is so much I love about Take Shelter that I just don’t know where to begin or how to unpack it.

It’s been a few weeks now since I’ve actually seen the film (Take Shelter is one of the screenings that Dustin and I took in at Sundance last month). Having had time to reflect on it, many things stick with me, but what sticks with me most is the overall performance of Michael Shannon. Although it’s only February, and we won’t even know who will take home the Oscars from last years slate of films for another few-odd days, I have no problem predicting that Shannon is a lock for a best actor nod next year, and any actor will be hard-pressed to deliver a performance this year more deserving of taking the prize home. Because Shannon’s performance is fantastic. As the film opens, Shannon’s Curtis is having darkly disturbed dreams, which appear to border on visions, of a coming Storm. Curtis wants nothing more than to protect his family, wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and deaf daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart), and as his dreams become more realistic and begin to bleed into his waking life, he begins to take action. This eventually leads to him putting his family into a precarious financial position as he starts building a shipping-container-based shelter under their backyard.

But the thing is, Shannon’s family has a history of mental illness. Is there really doom, which Curtis is somehow having premonitions of, or is he simply succumbing to a genetic predisposition? Curtis, himself, is unsure of the answer, yet he is unable to stop himself from moving forward, and it’s in this murky internal conflict that the film lives and breathes. And Nichols offers an amazing insight into Curtis’ perspective — the thrill of this thriller isn’t any action, but in absorbing and feeling Curtis’ own growing paranoia. It’s both riveting and stifling.

Shannon is, of course, this hulk of a man, and he is fully capable of using that to his advantage, portraying Curtis in a way way that absolutely terrifies. But Shannon’s performance offers so much more, particularly when he plays against his build, portraying this beast of a man who feels so afraid and broken because he’s not sure he can even trust his own mind anymore, nor is he sure he can do the one thing he cares about, keep his family safe. And speaking of that family, Jessica Chastain is lovely as Curtis’ wife. Samantha could have been written simplistically, taking the easy way out, but the movie makes her much a stronger, loving character — Chastain believably portrays a wife who is afraid yet resolved and understanding, and she may very well garner some award attention of her own this time next year.


As I’ve said, Nichols manages to toe the line between actual thriller and psychological thriller splendidly. The writing is deceptively complex, and visually, the film is both as wide and expansive as the farm plains of Ohio, and as narrow and taught as a collapsing mind. The cinematography is particularly gorgeous, especially during the repeated rain storms that may or not actually be taking place over the course of the film. Some may find Take Shelter’s intensely ambiguous ending a disappointment, but it’s really the perfect and only way to end the film. I can’t really say more about that ending, but it’s great, as is the film as a whole. Take Shelter is simply a stunning film.
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Download Margaret Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie : Margaret

Release Date : September 30, 2011

Studio : Fox Searchlight Pictures

Director : Kenneth Lonergan

Screenwriter : Kenneth Lonergan

Starring : Anna Paquin, Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, J. Smith-Cameron, Matthew Broderick, Jean Reno

Genre : Drama

Official Website : Not Available

A 17-year-old New York City high-school student feels certain that she inadvertently played a role in a traffic accident that has claimed a woman's life. In her attempts to set things right she meets with opposition at every step. Torn apart with frustration, she begins emotionally brutalizing her family, her friends, her teachers, and most of all, herself. She has been confronted quite unexpectedly with a basic truth: that her youthful ideals are on a collision course against the realities and compromises of the adult world.


A young woman (Anna Paquin) wrestles with powerful emotions after witnessing a catastrophic bus accident in this drama from Academy Award-nominated writer/director Kenneth Lonergan (You Can Count on Me). Though production on Margaret wrapped in late 2005, the future of the film came into question when Lonergan's original edit clocked in at approximately 180 minutes and Fox Searchlight executives balked at the titanic runtime. Lawsuits ensued, and eventually a series of filmmakers including Martin Scorsese came aboard to help produce an edit that would both preserve the filmmaker's artistic vision and satisfy the studio's demands for paring the story down

Margaret movie trailer has made sure to highlight the best of drama element and when looking at this amazing and striking Margaret movie trailer viewers feel this motion picture will be an engaging and haunting cinematic venture. One of the most interesting highlights of this movie had been the leading lady Anna Paquin. She will be starring in such a fine role and her performance can expect to be convincing and believable. The former mentioned actress starring in the key role of will be joined by Matt Damon and Mark Ruffalo and in addition to that this motion picture will also make sure to deliver some wonderful and marvelous piece of acting to entertainment of audience. 30th of September has been set as the release date of this venture and when looking at Margaret movie trailer viewers feel this latest addition to the genre of drama movies is going to be a crowd puller of a flick. Rest assured this will be a remarkable theatrical venture to watch out and look forward with wide eyed awe.

Margaret is a film that we were really starting to think wouldn’t ever see the light of day. Despite boasting a quality cast in front of the camera and a talented filmmaker in You Can Count On Me’s Kenneth Lonergan behind it, the drama has been caught up in legal issues and release date delays for years. But now the trailer has arrived online over at Apple.

Lonergan began making the movie for Fox Searchlight back in 2005, and while the shoot seemed to go smoothly, nothing has since then. The movie got bogged down in the editing room and sparked two lawsuits about costs and delivery.

The wrangling has overshadowed the movie itself, which features Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, Matt Damon, Jean Reno, Matthew Broderick and more, and tells the story of Lisa, a 17-year-old school girl whose life starts to fall apart when she witnesses a fatal bus accident and deals with the guilt of lying to the incident inspectors. Her fears that she’s partly responsible for the accident bubble to the surface and start to take their toll. Eventually, she comes into conflict with the bus driver (Ruffalo) and tries to soothe her feelings by kicking off an affair with a teacher (Damon).

Martin Scorsese and his usual editor Thelma Schoonmaker have been working on a final cut for the film, which hits US cinemas on September 30. There’s no word on when – or even if – it’ll arrive on screens over here.

Six years ago, an all-star cast got together to feature in Kenneth Lonergan's second film, a teenage legal drama about a girl who believes she's responsible for a deadly bus accident. Unfortunately, editing issues, creative disagreements and its own legal wrangling buried the film on a dusty shelf.

And so the public never got to see Anna Paquin, 23 at the time, playing the 17-year old girl, or Mark Ruffalo as the endangered bus driver, or Matt Damon as the understanding teacher who takes advantage of his position.

Dakota Fanning has been cast as Princess Margaret in upcoming movie Girls' Night Out, reports Variety.

The Ecosse Films project takes place on V.E. Day in 1945 and sees princesses Margaret and Elizabeth sneak out of Buckingham Palace to join the celebrations.

The Last Station's Michael Hoffman is directing the film from Trevor De Silva's script, which is inspired by actual events.

Producers are still searching for an actress to take on the role of Margaret's elder sibling Elizabeth. The princess ascended to the throne in 1952 as Queen Elizabeth II following the death of her father King George VI.

Fanning recently starred as Cherie Currie in The Runaways and can next be seen in Breaking Dawn.

This month, the Mead Program continues its celebration of diversity and awareness with the Margaret Mead Film and Video Festival at the Museum of Natural History. The annual festival features documentaries that share the stories of people around the world, and this year, for the first time, a Margaret Mead Filmmaker Award will be presented to the documentarian who captures this diversity with creativity.

One of the award contenders is Boris Bertram, the Danish filmmaker behind Tankograd, a documentary about the dancers of the Contemporary Dance Theater of Chelyabinsk, a Siberian city suffering the after effects of the Soviet Union’s nuclear program during the Cold War. The film captures the beauty life has to offer, even in such dismal settings. It captures hope for a brighter future through interviews with those who have been told that things will only get worse, medically. My only qualm is that we never get to see the finished piece that the dancers have been practicing and preparing throughout the documentary. Nonetheless, Tankograd was an eye-opening experience that will give you a new perspective on life.

With new power, comes new responsibility…The canvassing is over, the campaign trail has finished, and we are now presented with our first coalition government since World War II. The timing of Margaret on DVD is therefore unexpectedly fortuitous, looking back on another political milestone, the career of the Iron Lady herself, Ms Thatcher, just as a new era begins.

The drama itself begins at the start of the 90s, with Lindsey Duncan’s Maggie under fire from dissenters in her own Conservative party. Desperate to hold onto the power she has gained by clawing her way up the ladder, the nail in the coffin would seem to be the resignation of Geoffrey Howe (John Sessions). A hilariously beetle-browed Michael Heseltine (Oliver Cotton), almost a stand-in for the traditional Hollywood villain, establishes himself as Margaret’s biggest threat, but can she even trust her closest advisers, namely foreign advisor Charles Powell (James Fox) and Philip Jackson’s press secretary, Bernard Ingham? Jumping neatly back and forth in time, we soon establish Thatcher’s drive as she worked her way to the top of a male dominated environment. The only constant is her loyal husband Denis (sensitively played by Star Wars’ Ian McDiarmid).

Rather than taking the dry, reverential route, scriber Richard Cottan (Wallander) and director James Kent paint instead in brooding, shadowy tones, full to the brim of (surely exaggerated) skulduggery; a caption at the outset advises that although the public events depicted are real, licence has been taken with the more intimate details. Yet this works to its favour, dramatically enhancing the power-play that went on behind the doors of Whitehall during an especially difficult time in British politics. It’s not so much history as historical impersonation, putting a cinematic face on real characters and situations, Dominic Muldowney’s agitated score driving it along at a fair old clip. Not all of it works: the decision to reduce John Major (Michael Maloney) to a whispering, Gollum-esque figure waiting in the wings is certainly an odd one.

Yet with those parameters in mind, it becomes much easier to enjoy the excellent performances from a jaw dropping ensemble cast, chief amongst which is, of course, Duncan’s commanding, ball-busting central performance, bringing to life the girl amongst the boys who (for better or worse) showed how women could grab the reigns of politics. Yet it’s the quieter moments that are more arresting: Thatcher’s neglect of daughter Carol (Olivia Poulet) or admitting that entering the testosterone-fuelled House of Commons ‘has always frightened her’.


Her increasing difficulty in hiding any display of weakness from McDiarmid’s devoted husband is ultimately extremely moving, reminding us ever so slightly that the Iron Lady was indeed a fallible beast herself. It’s something to be reminded of in our cynical modern climate of spin and media heckling.
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Download What's Your Number? Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie : What's Your Number?

Release Date : September 30, 2011

Studio : 20th Century Fox

Director : Mark Mylod

Screenwriter : Jennifer Crittenden, Gabrielle Allan

Starring : Anna Faris, Chris Evans, Zachary Quinto, Joel McHale, Andy Samberg, Dave Annable, Ed Begley Jr., Thomas Lennon

Genre : Comedy, Romance

Official Website : WhatsYourNumbermovie.com

What’s Your Number is about a woman who has had 20 relationships in her life, and suspects that one of the men she’s been with is her true love, and now she has to figure out which one is.


Anna Faris plays the lead character of Ally Darling, who decided that her limit on number of men she would sleep with in her life is 20. After banging her 20th dude, she has to go back through her list of conquests and figure out if one of them is her one true love. As these films often go, she revisits he all of her previous boyfriends, and they’re all nightmares, except for one guy, with whom she has chemistry but could never see herself with. But, with a little Hollywood magic, they see past their differences and realize that they’re made for each other.

And the crowd goes mild.

Parents need to know that although What's Your Number? is a romantic comedy, it promises to include plenty of raunchy sexual content and strong language. Anna Faris stars as a twentysomething woman who's been unlucky in love and wonders whether one of the guys she wrote off in the past could have been her soulmate. So she attempts to track them all down, giving each a second chance and trying to fix past mistakes along the way. Because the film's plot centers on relationships, the sexual content is likely to be strong; the main character's neighbor is also a ladies' man who apparently has several one-night-stands. Expect a lot of adult language and dialogue as well.

For a beleaguered, seemingly hopeless romantic, Anna Faris has a pretty enviable dating record. But then, even the most dysfunctional guys are Hollywood stars in the world of romantic comedies.

Faris stars in the new rom-com "What's Your Number?," a flick about a woman long on relationships but short on anything meaningful. As she goes through a string of her exes -- from the likes of puppeteer Andy Samberg to a gay Anthony Mackie to real-life husband Chris Pratt -- in search of The One, she finds that she may have what she's looking for just across the hallway.

Of course, most ladies don't have Captain America living in their apartment building.

Coincidentally, Faris met husband Pratt on the set of "Take Me Home Tonight," an 80's-set comedy that they shot three years ago but just recently hit theaters. Pratt plays an ultimately failed love interest for Faris in that film, as well.

The movie is about a woman who looks back at her past twenty men she’s had an affair with and tries to find whether she did not miss the Mr. Right of her life.

This is the story of Ally who tries to find the Mr. Right but is too scared to go for new relations so she looks back at her twenty odd boyfriends whom she had dated to find the Mr. Right.

Well the plot seems to be simple but the teaser promises that the movie is going to be one hell of a comic flick. So check out the teaser and tell us about the movie, whatever you feel about the movie.

Scripted by Gabrielle Allan & Jennifer Crittenden, this is based on Karyn Bosnak's “20 Times a Lady”, and focuses on Ally Darling (Anna Faris) who embarks on a quest to find the best “ex” of her life...by any means necessary, when she reads a magazine article warning that people who have had 20 or more relationships have missed their chance at true love.


What's Your Number? — the not-your-average-rom-com rom-com spotlighted in The New Yorker's recent Anna Faris feature about the lack of opportunity for funny women in Hollywood — isn't trying to completely burn down the genre-trope farm. (Wait, is "burning down the farm" an expression anywhere other than in our heads? Sorry, let's just move on.) For one: You know in the first ten seconds whom Faris's unlucky-in-love character will end up with, and that person is a flawed-but-easily-redeemable really, really handsome guy with a big heart. But mostly everything else about this, admirably, feels new, most of all that Faris comes off as truly odd; not cutesy and appropriately eccentric, but fully weird in an occasionally unsettling way (as in: "My British accent was rusty and I went full Borat"). More important: This thing is actually funny! So funny, in fact, that we're going to try to figure out a way to work "I'm marrying a scientist, too; he doesn't look smart either" into casual conversation by this afternoon. And most important: If this thing makes Anna Faris a big-time star, are we retroactively forgiven for totally loving both Scary Movie 1 and 2?
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Download Dream House Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie : Dream House

Release Date : September 30, 2011

Studio : Universal Pictures

Director : Jim Sheridan

Screenwriter : David Loucka

Starring : Daniel Craig, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Marton Csokas, Elias Koteas, Jane Alexander

Genre : Suspense Thriller

Official Website : DreamHousemovie.net

Dream House is a relatively familiar horror story. A man moves his family to an idyllic ‘dream house’ only to discover that it is the site of a few grisly murders.


Don’t you hate how that always happens? It’s his own fault though. The first thing you check anytime you move somewhere new, or stay in a hotel, or buy a car, or take a bath in a new tub, is whether or not a murder has taken place there.

Anyways, Daniel Craig is playing Will Atenton, a publisher who moves his family from the big city to enjoy a quiet life. After moving in, the family discovers that a woman and her children were murdered there, and the killer has not been apprehended, though the whole town thinks that the woman’s husband, who survived, must have killed them. As the family unravels the whole of the murderous history, they find that it may not be safe for them in the house, as the killer may have them in his sights.

Some say that all houses have memories. For one man, his home is the place he would kill to forget. A family unknowingly moves into a home where several grisly murders were committed...only to find themselves the killer's next target. Successful publisher Will Atenton (Craig) quit a job in New York City to relocate his wife, Libby (Weisz), and two girls to a quaint New England town. But as they settle into their new life, they discover their perfect home was the murder scene of a mother and her children. And the entire city believes it was at the hands of the husband who survived. When Will investigates the tragedy, his only lead comes from Ann Paterson (Watts), a neighbor who was close to the family that died. As Will and Ann piece together the disturbing puzzle, they discover that the story of the last man to leave Will'sdream house will be just as horrifying to the one who came next.

Thrilling, was the reaction when I got to see this trailer. Yes when you see the trailer you feel that it is a bit on the lines of the masterpiece from Martin Scorsese “Shutter Island”. But that’s what you don’t expect from the Oscar nominated director Jim Sheridan who gave us the very good movie In The Name of the Father and many others.

The movie has to have something more than Shutter Island. And if it does that then surely it will be a success. And Jim has great cast in his hands with Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Naomi Watts in the lead. The trailer really gives you a vibe that its going to be an exciting thriller movie. The Dream House comes to the theatres this year on September 30th.

Watch the trailer below and also read the Plot synopsis of this movie:

As we know all Houses have memories, some sweet some bitter and some of the haunted past. But when you shift in a new house you expect any of the above, but what you don’t expect that your past resurfaces from that home.

Dream House is the story of a man who soon after moving into his new seemingly idyllic new home, with his family. He learns that a brutal crime had been committed in their house and was done by the former residents of the dwelling. But what he doesn’t know is that he was the former resident of this house. What will he do when his dark past gets revealed?

First look at the intense thriller Dream House, starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Naomi Watts.  The suspense film centers around one man who would kill to forget about his previous home.

Will Atenton (Craig) moves his family to the small New England town, but they soon discover that their perfect home is a murder scene of a mother and her children.  Everyone believes it was the husband, who survived.  Will starts to investigate and uncovers some very strange information.

His primary source of information is a neighbor, Ann Paterson (Watts) who knew the people shot.  As they try and piece together the puzzle, they realize things are very different than they seem.


The trailer show a story wrought with inconsistencies and very strange occurrences. It looks like a psychological thriller at its best.

Dream House is set to hit theaters on September 30, 2011.
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Download 50/50 Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie : 50/50

Release Date : September 30, 2011

Studio : Summit Entertainment

Director : Jonathan Levine

Screenwriter : Will Reiser

Starring : Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anjelica Huston, Philip Baker Hall

Genre : Comedy, Drama

Official Website : 50-50themovie.com

When I first downloaded the just-released poster for the upcoming movie 50/50 (left), the image came up on my phone screen jumbo-sized. The only thing I could see was Seth Rogen’s face/classic stupid expression. It made me chortle. But when I zoomed out and saw Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays a 20-something cancer patient struggling with his diagnosis, shaving his head and clearly having an emotional moment, my face fell. I think that’s pretty representative of what my reactions will be throughout the entire movie.


Tackling cancer with humor requires a tricky balance. The Big C does it very elegantly, but what particularly interests me about 50/50 is that Gordon-Levitt and Rogen are going to attract a younger crowd, who, much like the characters in the movie, don’t often view cancer as a threat to their age group.

Prior to working at EW, I was writing feature stories for a newspaper near my home town. One day, I found myself working on a story about an uninsured 20-something guy who was battling Leukemia with the help of his family and closest friends. In the time I spent with them — in particular, his knuckle-headed group of buddies — they often swapped stories about their many adventures before their friend was sick, the time when they thought they were invincible. But after his diagnosis, they had to learn how to grow up and help their friend with sometimes awkward tasks like going to the bathroom or bathing. The best way to get through it was with humor, they said.

I was reminded of these guys and their late friend upon looking at the poster today. The moment captured here happens more often than I once realized, and it never hurts to make people more aware of illnesses that can plague anyone of any age. The fact that 50/50 comes with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a bonus — that’s awesome.

Summit Entertainment has released the first trailer for the dramedy 50/50.  Screenwriter Will Reiser based the story on his own battle with cancer. The trailer is fantastic and does a great job of balancing some funny jokes with the gravity of a guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) dealing with cancer.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer and the first images along with Steve’s thoughts on the film.  50/50 is directed by Jonathan Levine (The Wackness), also stars Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard, Angelica Huston, and Phillip Baker Hall star.  It opens September 30th.

Steve recently saw the film and while he’s embargoed from writing a full review, he thought all the performances were great and said “the film does a fantastic job telling a realistic story about cancer.  Also, 50/50 never tries to Hollywoodize the story, which makes everything more powerful.  Finally, like The Wackness, Levine uses some great music including one of my favorite Pearl Jam songs.  Definitely recommended.


Inspired by personal experiences, 50/50 is an original story about friendship, love, survival and finding humor in unlikely places. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen star as best friends whose lives are changed by a cancer diagnosis. Rogen also serves as producer, along with Evan Goldberg and Ben Karlin. Jonathan Levine directs from a script by Will Reiser. “We worked with Will on Da Ali G show, and it was shortly after that we learned he was sick.” Rogen recalls. “As shocking, sad, confusing and generally screwed up as it was; we couldn’t ignore that because we were so ill-equipped to deal with the situation, funny things kept happening. Will got better, and when he did, we thought the best way to pull something good out of the situation was to get him to write a screenplay. Ideally we wanted to make a film that would be as funny, sad, and hopefully as honest as the experience we went through. As soon as the script was completed, it quickly became a passion project for all of us. It helped us come to terms with Will’s struggle as well as our own experiences.” 50/50 is the story of a guy’s transformative and, yes, sometimes funny journey to health. 50/50 draws its emotional core from Will Reiser’s own experience with cancer and reminds us that friendship and love, no matter what bizarre turns they take, are the greatest healers.
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Tuesday 6 September 2011

Download Dolphin Tale Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie : Dolphin Tale

Release Date: September 23, 2011

Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: Charles Martin Smith

Screenwriter: Karen Janszen, Noam Dromi

Starring: Harry Connick Jr., Ashley Judd, Kris Kristofferson, Nathan Gamble, Cozi Zuehlsdorff, Austin Stowell, Morgan Freeman

Genre: Adventure, Family

Official Website: DolphinTalemovie.com

As a crowd-pleasing family film, Dolphin Tale takes few risks but will still most likely be enjoyed by its target audience.


It tells the “based on true events” story of Winter, a dolphin that lost its tail after getting caught in a crab trap off of the Florida Gulf Coast. After rescue and recovery, Winter learns to swim anew, in part thanks to a first-of-its-kind prosthetic dolphin tail.

To craft a movie around this core story, a fatherless, alienated young boy is employed as the film’s protagonist. He makes initial contact with Winter and develops a bond with her as well as the animal rescuers who facilitate her rescue and care. As we expect in this kind of film, the experience transforms the boy from a quiet, anti-social, wounded loner who is disengaged in school into a happier, gregarious, conservation nerd who rallies his community.

To its benefit and eventual detriment, Dolphin Tale only develops the supporting characters as necessary. We rarely stray from the foreground and the movie is more efficient in its storytelling because of it. That being said, I can’t help but feel that this is a case where an additional five minutes of character development for one or several characters would have elevated the film considerably.

As the chief marine biologist and director of the marine conservation center / aquarium where the majority of the movie takes place, Harry Connick Jr. is vastly underutilized in a role that could have been meatier and memorable. Likewise, Kris Kristofferson and Ashley Judd get little time to exercise their acting chops even though they deliver sincere energy to their limited roles. Even Morgan Freeman, who gets one brief scene to shine a tad more than the basic plot demanded, feels like he is there to simply lend the film’s credits some extra starpower.

So while competently made and engaging, the makers of the movie ultimately chose to take few risks. Of the film’s subplots (of which there were 4 by my count), one was at least partially successful in lifting the movie beyond its cliches and emotional manipulations. Without going into too much detail, the film shows how one character who sustains a major physical disability through war finds inspiration through the shared challenge faced by Winter, the injured dolphin. In the film’s closing credits, we see footage of the real-life rescue of Winter and also see how several people with disabilities interacted with Winter, creating templates for scenes that made it into the film.

An additional flaw to the movie is its lack of ambition toward providing any sort of ocean conservation messages. Even though the source of the movie’s plot is the direct result of a crab trap and fish nets, we never hear these matters given even a moment of discussion. Given that the movie portrays the enchanting appeal, magic, and sense of place for a conservation center / aquarium as well as any film I can remember, its an odd choice not to even give a token mention along the lines of “hey, our oceans are in pretty bad shape. We should protect them.”

In a post-Cove world, this is surprising for a set of filmmakers that obviously care enormously for their subject matter and bask it in a positive glow that will make many kids want to work with animals. The stakes are high for our oceans, and yet the film loses an opportunity to actually connect the dots for both children and adults. Sure, the movie isn’t intending to break new ground, but I felt happy that my 3 year old daughter was watching the film with me, and yet also felt like the kid-gloves were a little too soft for even her eyes.

As something of an aside, Ashley Judd has become an outspoken environmentalist in recent years. Most recently she has worked to end destructive mountaintop removal coal mining. I wonder if she is also disappointed that the movie opted to take a pass on providing some conservation messages beyond its intrinsic appreciation of dolphins and the natural world.


All of these criticisms standing, most people who go to see Dolphin Tale are going to be happy with what they get. It’s a film that doesn’t set its sights too high, but also energetically and competently tells a story that many people will  enjoy.

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Download Puncture Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie: Puncture

Release Date: September 23, 2011

Studio: Millennium Entertainment

Director: Adam Kassen, Mark Kassen

Screenwriter: Chris Lopata

Starring: Chris Evans, Mark Kassen, Brett Cullen, Marshall Bell, Michael Biehn, Jesse L. Martin, Roxanna Hope, Tess Parker, Kate Burton, Vinessa Shaw

Genre: Drama

Official Website: Puncture-the-movie.com

While most audiences are looking forward to Chris Evans this summer as a Nazi-fighting superhero in Captain America: The First Avenger, there’s another film that may slip under the radar. Puncture tells the true story of Mike Weiss (Evans), a young Houston lawyer who seems dedicated to his profession and the clients he works for. There’s a catch though: he’s a drug addict with a seedy lifestyle.


The combination of his ethics when it comes to doing his job and Evans’ charisma make him surprisingly likable. But things get much more serious when he decides to take on the case of an ER nurse (Vinessa Shaw) who contracted HIV three years prior when she unsuccessfully attempted to give a shaking patient an injection. She’s been given worker’s compensation for this horrible accident, but her lawsuit has to do with the medical supplies groups’ refusal to purchase new, safer syringes invented by her friend, Jeffrey Dancort (Marshall Bell).

At first, him and his law partner, Paul Danzinger (co-director Mark Kassen), wonder why the companies don’t simply use these safer devices that would prevent 800,000 accidents per year. But they soon uncover an industry that is run by the wealthy who put dollars ahead of saved lives.

Though they fight for what’s absolutely the right thing, they have little support due to the financial influence the larger corporations wield. The movie effectively shows the painfully meticulous steps that need to be taken by the two lawyers representing Dancort in order to establish this as a legitimate case. As the film goes on, one roots for them to keep making that extra step which will hopefully place these syringes in every hospital in America. A slimy executive (Brett Cullen) defending the big businesses acts as a human representation of their biggest obstacle: the man with the money often comes out on top.

This is a story that we’ve seen before (Erin Brokovich, for example), but we rarely – if ever – get a crusader for the greater good that’s as flawed as Weiss. The commitment he has for his profession is very much real, but drugs often put the case and his career in jeopardy. We get some of the broader strokes of how it affects him: he’s late for a meeting, his wife leaves him, and there’s the risk of being caught by the police.

But it’s the finer details that drive home how dangerous his addiction can get. While Evans is in good physical condition, he always has a haggard, sick look in his face, and getting caught doing drugs by a Senator almost gets him off the case. This adds an extra conflict to everything, and gives the movie a more personal edge that it may have otherwise lacked.

Directors Adam and Mark Kassen both display incredible skill making their feature directing debut. Much of the work done with focus and shot placement/composition would be impressive for those making their fifth movie, let alone first. Unfortunately, not every choice made by the duo works. There’s the occasional stylistic flourish, such as shots that try to emulate his drug-induced state, or music choice that feels too obvious. These feel like mistakes that new directors are bound to make and gives them room for improvement with future features.

And that sums up Puncture as a whole: the problems here are noticeable, but much of the film impresses to the point where those flaws are an undercurrent in the lean tale. I’m glad that a true, inspiring story such as this one didn’t get a movie adaptation that glossed over the main hero’s flaws. Due to both Evans’ charismatic performance and confident direction from the Kassens, our lead remains an endearing human being, keeping a vital link with the audience.

Adam and Mark Kassen direct Puncture, which is based on a true story, that seems made for the big screen. Mike Weiss (Chris Evans, Captain America) and Paul Danziger (co-director Mark Kassen) are two struggling lawyers when they happen upon a case involving a nurse who was accidentally stuck with a contaminated needle. Through representing the designer of a safety needle, Mike and Paul slowly realize that this case is becoming much more than they ever anticipated.

Lets look at the bright spots. Brett Cullen. When is he NOT fantastic? This guy has been flying under the radar for so long. You’ve seen him in tons of stuff. He’s a great supporting actor and I really look forward to seeing him as a lead in something big. Marshall Bell. (He played Kuato, the guy with the alien in his belly in Total Recall.) He’s another one that’s been around forever and never gets enough credit. Oh! Michael Biehn! Wait. You’re only in the movie for like, 10 minutes. Oh, bother. (Yes, that’s a Winnie the Pooh reference)

Chris Evans lost me, especially in the courtroom scenes. I just couldn’t buy him wearing those clothes or as a drug addict. He tried to tone down his charm and in doing so, it didn’t feel authentic.


I really get annoyed when films try to be what they’re not. Puncture starts out like a regular drama about two lawyers, but as time goes by, it’s really more about another very crucial issue that effect everyone in the world. Safety needles! Why fictionalize that? It’s actually a very interesting story. There are some films like Erin Brochovich or A Civil Action that are about events in real life, but they effect smaller amounts of people and of a more isolated incident. Their stories are ripe for the big screen. This however, should have been a documentary and would have had a much larger impact. My favorite part of the film was the text at the end when they explained the truth of what actually happened. That was the movie I wanted to see.
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Download Killer Elite Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie: Killer Elite

Release Date: September 23, 2011

Studio: Open Road Films

Director: Gary McKendry

Screenwriter: Gary McKendry, Matt Sherring

Starring: Jason Statham, Clive Owen, Robert De Niro, Yvonne Strahovski, Dominic Purcell, Aden Young, Ben Mendelsohn, Lachy Hulme, Firass Dirani, Grant Bowler, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje

Genre: Action, Thriller

Official Website: KillerElite.com

Well, maybe not, but that’s more a reflection of the strength of competition (one word for you: Chipwrecked) than the levels of nuttiness on show in the new trailer for Gary McKendry’s action thriller. In particular, watch out for Jason Statham duffing up Clive Owen and Clive Owen’s silly little moustache while still tied to a chair.


Killer Elite purports to be based on a true story, although liberties must surely have been taken to fashion some of the snippets of action on show in the just-released trailer: the aforementioned chair assault; the Stath appearing to beat up Adebesi from Oz using a car seatbelt; Clive Owen and Clive Owen’s silly little moustache knifing what looks like a sickly Santa Claus.

It almost looks like a spoof of the Bourne movies (a Meet the Spartans to the Bourne franchise’s 300, if you will), with the sense of madcap nonsense being further amped up by the soundtrack’s use of Rock You Like a Hurricane, by those poodle rockers incarnate the Scorpions. Also worth noting is the appearance of Robert De Niro as mentor to Statham’s rogue special ops man, just confirming that Uncle Bob’s recent stint as Cannes jury president didn’t signal an end to his last-decade stint of sleepwalking his way through idiotic films. Thank goodness.

Not even yesterday’s first look photo of Robert De Niro and his great big bushy beard could prepare us for the non-stop macho action in the trailer for the Jason Statham-Clive Owen starrer Killer Elite, which hit the web today. After the jump, watch the wealth of punches, power kicks, explosions, gunshots, inventive action moves, and unabashed man love on display in the span of a minute and forty seconds. Then mark your calendars for September 23.

Director Gary McKendry makes his feature debut with Killer Elite and co-scripted with Matt Sherring, adapting the 1991 novel The Feather Men by British writer and adventurer (and third cousin to Ralph and Joseph) Ranulph Fiennes. The title is similar to Sam Peckinpah’s 1975 film The Killer Elite, which starred James Caan and Robert Duvall but featured a different story about dueling spies.

The plot goes something like this: Evil, mustachioed Clive Owen takes beardy De Niro hostage to coerce Jason Statham to come out of retirement; complications ensue, and soon Statham is doing backflips onto Owen while strapped to a chair before jumping out of a second-story window. Somewhere along the lines there’s a pretty girl, windows explode, De Niro throws ‘bows — and did Statham just punch Owen in the nuts?

I believe that a film’s accompanying music, even in trailer, isn’t to be taken lightly. Therefore, when ’80s anthem “Rock You Like a Hurricane” by the German metal band The Scorpions starts playing halfway through the trailer, it sends a clear message to the audience. Namely: This movie, with its direct-to-DVD-worthy title, might just be the most fun you have with meaty, old fashioned man vs.man action you have in theaters until The Expendables 2 comes out.

Love him or loathe him, you know where you are with Jason Statham. The Londoner has packed more violent actioners into his 13 year career than you or I have had hot dinners, and they’re still coming fast and hard.

Whilst sharing its name with a 1975 picture starring James Caan and Robert Duvall and directed by Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs), the film is based Sir Ranulph Fiennes’ book The Feather Men (which is based on a true story). Despite this, the plot feels all too familiar; former SAS man Danny Bryce (Statham) springs into action when his mentor Hunter (Robert De Niro) is kidnapped by the villainous Spike (Clive Owen). Cue a vast array of OTT violence, chases and dialogue, all accompanied by a booming soundtrack.

The trailer itself encapsulates all of this and more, kicking off with Statham tied to a chair, the menacing Owen looming over him. There is a wonderful sense of ridiculousness evoked when the trailer follows a shot of Statham crashing through a second-story window (still tied to a chair) with the words ‘Based On A True Story’. Accompanying the action, we hear German heavy metal/rock band Scorpions with their 80s hit ‘Rock You Like A Hurricane’.


One thing is for sure, Killer Elite won’t go easy on the clichés; however if you’re a fan of what Statham does best, get ready for another wild ride.
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Download Machine Gun Preacher Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie: Machine Gun Preacher

Release Date: September 23, 2011

Studio: Relativity Media

Director: Marc Forster

Screenwriter: Jason Keller

Starring: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Kathy Baker, Madeline Carroll, Michael Shannon, Souleymane Sy Savane

Genre: Action, Drama

Official Website: MachineGunPreacher.org

Gerard Butler can surely surprise anyone with his choice of movie, one day he does a 300, then the other day he does The Bounty Hunter. But when he is at his best he does an action flick and that is what he is going to do. But his next movie is not an out and out action flick. It has drama and emotions too, and I am surely looking forward to see Gerard Butler in this movie.


The trailer which is a theatrical trailer is really very good and gives us a very good idea about what the movie will be about and the movie has been directed by the director of movies like Monster’s Ball and the bond flick Quantum of Solace. The movie stars Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, and Michael Shannon. The trailer gives us a rough idea that the movie basically is a true story of a man named Sam Childers and his dealings with his past where he was a drug dealer and who now wants to change his life so he goes to Sudan and there he saves the lives of hundreds of children there.

Watch the trailer here and let us know what do you feel about the trailer. Give your views in the comments section below and also read the plot outline below. The Machine Gun Preacher hits the theatres on September 23rd 2011 and the lucky few people who will attend the Toronto Film Festival will see an early World Premiere at the Film Festival.


The Machine Gun Preacher is an original story of a man named Sam Childers who was a former drug-dealing biker man who accidentally found the meaning of life and God and from  then he became a kind of crusader for the hundreds of Sudanese children who’ve been forced to become soldiers and they can’t do anything about that.

Machine Gun Preacher is based on the true story of Sam Childers, a former biker and drug dealer who found God, went to Africa to help children, and went on to kick some bad guy butt.

War torn Sudan is essentially a crap hole. Children are forced at a very young age to join small military groups and start hurting people, and other bad crap. Well, Sam Childers, aka badass, decided that enough was enough. The mulleted hero went down to bring peace and hope to these poor kids, but the church he builds is burnt down by rebels. He decides to rebuild. But only after he shows these punks what’s what.

At least, that’s what I got from the trailer and a short bio of his life. Apparently the dude is pretty awesome. Oh, and he’s supposed to a Southern tough guy. And Gerard Butler hasn’t quite gotten the accent down. That should add some unintentional humor to the film.

Coming to theaters next month, Machine Gun Preacher is a movie that will appeal to some Christians because of its subject matter. It will also turn off some Christians . . . because of its subject matter.

The movie, opening in limited release on September 23, is based on the true story of Sam Childers, a drug-dealing hell raiser as a teen and young man who began to turn his life around after finding Jesus. Today, he spends much of his time in Sudan and neighboring countries, allegedly fighting pockets of the LRA (Lord's Republican Army) with his own band of gun-toting rebels while sweeping up orphans who have been left behind -- and then putting them into orphanages that he has built in the area.

Some Christians will love the film for showing Childers' path from rebellion to redemption. Others may avoid it for the same reason; the first 15-20 minutes are as in-your-face and gritty as anything you'll see in an R-rated movie (which it is), with a sex scene, drug dealing (and taking), brutal violence, and foul language. Even after Childers -- played terrifically by Gerard Butler -- finds God, he's still got some rough edges, and his flaws stick with him through the rest of the movie. Sounds pretty realistic to me, and I appreciate the filmmakers' boldness in showing those character flaws. But it's also a bit much for the "safe-for-the-whole-family" folks who prefer their "Christian" movies to be G-rated fare.

Relativity Media, which is distributing the Marc Forster-directed film, realizes this, but knows it's also got a film on its hands that can have terrific crossover appeal -- for Christians because of the redemptive arc of the tale, and for secular audiences who appreciate character development woven into what is in many ways an action movie, with Childers as its real-life action hero.

In an attempt to reach both audiences, Relativity has released mainstream and faith-based versions of the movie poster. They also plan to release "exclusive" clips for the faith-based market in a week or so. Stay tuned.


Here are the two posters -- "secular" on the left, "faith-based" on the right. Both include the phrase, "Hope is the greatest weapon of all." In the latter, the cross motif is evident, but seems forced, especially as it cuts off Butler's forehead. But there seems to be a clear focus on the children -- the main motivation for Childers' work -- in the background.

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Download Abduction Full Movie in HD/DVD Quality

Movie: Abduction

Release Date: September 23, 2011

Studio: Lionsgate

Director: John Singleton

Screenwriter: Shawn Christensen, Jeffrey Nachmanoff

Starring: Taylor Lautner, Lily Collins, Alfred Molina, Jason Isaacs, Maria Bello, Denzel Whitaker, Michael Nyqvist, Sigourney Weaver

Genre: Action, Thriller

Official Website: Abductionthefilm.com

Johnnie To returns to home field after the past two years spent on making romance-oriented movies. Here, he’s the producer and let one of his long-time students and frequent ADs (Law Wing-Cheong) take the task of helming the movie. And this time, they took the opportunity to subject the themes of kidnapping and ransom to envision familiarity in new angles.


First things first, I must say that this is possibly the most powerful movie to have been made from Milkyway Image to date. It’s clear to me that To wanted to make big changes with his new output, for which he has successfully accomplished. To and co attempted something new and daring here in that they hit the stride big-time in terms of reaching viewers emotionally through a story and its’ characters. It’s very seldom you get to sympathize with characters of this scale in Milkyway movies, due to To and co usually being in high favor of visualized and stylized storytelling. Punished changes that and marks a new era which may probably be made into a tradition from here on.

The movie is strictly story/character-driven without any need to excess the narrative. Apart from the main antagonist (whoever the actor is), whose intention behind the kidnapping and ransom he got and his decision to take someone’s life remained unclear and left his characterization less fleshed out, every other central character is well-written and given enough screen-time to clear their emotional states and further motivate their actions. There’s even hints of character development in other characters that are aren’t crucial to the story, such as the tycoon’s manager (Charlie Cho, most famous for portraying the annoying lawyer in Police Story 1 and 2) and the tycoon’s son (played by Anthony Wong’s real-life son, Wong Yat-Yat). But most importantly is the underlying message of everything which is impulsiveness and determination in people: it asks you what these can cause, how you can prevent things from happening, and whether or not it’s a good or bad thing. As we follow the currents of the tycoon (Anthony Wong), the bodyguard (Richie Ren), the tycoon’s daughter (Janice Man) and wife (Maggie Cheung Hoh-Yee), the bodyguard’s shady assistant (Candy Lo), and the kidnapper’s accomplices, you will see how all this is told and resolved. Overall, these instances show a significant makeover in choices being made to produce a Milkyway movie that I hope will continue in the future.

Two things stood out the most to me though and what makes Punished totally worth seeing. The first is the acting. Props to everyone that got casted in the movie but my attention was turned to Anthony Wong and Richie Ren. Ren is someone I came to admire in Breaking News and he has since grown into a fine actor in his own right. But I think it wasn’t until Accident that he started to show major improvements and here he keeps that up playing Wong’s loyal bodyguard who will do anything to get things done fast while keeping up with his own private life outside the job. But the icing of the cake is none other than Wong himself. I haven’t really been a fan of his roles in recent movies because I feel he always plays the same cool, calm character with very little variety of acting. But he seemed to really give insanely more effort in this movie than any other ones I’ve ever seen from him – here portraying a hot-headed character who goes through alot to decide what to do and what he will gain out of the messy situation – which shows in every single scene he appears in. Big bravura for both!

The second is the soundtrack. Punished marks a step further when it comes to the music composing (done by Guy Zerafa, Dave Klotz and Chung Chi-Wing) in Milkyway movies as well. Usually in Milkyway movies, the soundtracks consist of various instruments that wholeheartedly reflects the quirkiness/peculiars of To’s personal storytelling (the reason why I love the music in his work) but as far as conjugating the music within the emotional context of the story/characters it’s mostly non-existent because it was always about the beauty of the narrative. For Punished, To made sure that story/characters were main priority so he decided to use different instruments for more intensified and gripping effect. The music ends up somewhat conventional compared to other soundtracks but it’s highly serviceable and pays off having a new sound to it still and fitting perfectly in the movie’s dramatic scenes.


After seeing alot of changes and evolution with To and co in not just film styling but also them growing big balls of their favorite actors (first Lau Ching-Wan in Mad Detective, Simon Yam in Sparrow, now Anthony Wong in Punished), it’s really incredible to see that Hong Kong still got talented people who can produce great movies and keep the HK style of film-making away from declining.
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