Showing posts with label Olga Kurylenko. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Olga Kurylenko. Show all posts

Oct 13, 2014

Kevin Finnerty From Show Biz Junkies Talks Gone Girl and Ben Affleck

from Kevin Finnerty.......

Gone Girl’ Film Review

Gone Girl Film Review
Ben Affleck in ‘Gone Girl’ (Photo © 20th Century Fox)
“As you all know, my wife Amy Elliott-Dunne disappeared three days ago. I had nothing to do with the disappearance of my wife. I have nothing to hide,” says Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) to a crowd of volunteers, press, and police who’ve gathered for a candlelight vigil in support of Nick’s missing wife in Gone Girl.
On his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick returns home from the bar he manages and owns to discover his glass living room table shattered and no sign of his wife. He reports it to the authorities and volunteers to work with them to help find Amy. As the search for Amy goes on, Nick starts following clues to try and locate Amy – not always filling the police in on what’s going on. The search for Amy becomes a media circus with Nick’s wife turning into America’s Missing Sweetheart and Nick, with his aloof manner and strange behavior, quickly falling under suspicion by the police, media, and neighbors who are all questioning whether this man could murder his wife.
Dark, stylish, and clever, Gone Girl is an effective mystery/crime thriller with some strong performances. Ben Affleck gives his best performance since the film Hollywoodland as Nick Dunne, the husband whose behavior doesn’t seem to match the norm for these particular circumstances and who quickly comes under suspicion of foul play. Carrie Coon delivers the best performance in the film as Nick’s smart-aleck, loving and supportive sister who never liked Amy but even starts to fear the worst when she discovers one of Nick’s secrets. She has great chemistry with Affleck and every scene they share feels real. Here’s hoping she’s remembered during Oscar nominating time for Best Supporting Actress consideration.

Tyler Perry is perfectly cast as Nick’s high profile attorney Tanner Bolt who has made a career of defending unwinnable cases and coming up victorious. He adds some much needed humor and levity to an extremely ominous film. Unfortunately, Rosamund Pike is only effective in the role of Amy during certain sections of the film (relax, I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read the book by revealing too much). She has zero chemistry with Affleck in scenes that show Nick and Amy’s playful and steamy early romance. Neil Patrick Harris delivers what just might be the worst performance of his career as Desi Collings, a man from Amy’s past who may or may not be a person of interest in her disappearance. It’s a rigid and awkward portrayal of a character who seems more like a plot device than a real person.
The sleek direction and pacing of the film is steadfast creating a mystery and revealing it’s twists and surprises at just the proper moments. The soundtrack is wonderful with the music heightening the suspense of every scene rather than overpowering it.
Foreboding and crafty, Gone Girl is an intriguing mystery that will keep the audience guessing the outcome almost up to the very end.
GRADE: B-
Gone Girl is rated R for a scene of bloody violence, some strong sexual content/nudity, and language.
– Reviewed by Kevin Finnerty

Thanks, Kevin, for filling us in on Gone Girl.....here is a link to more movie reviews from Kevin and his web page Show Biz Junkies.......
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Kevin Finnerty

Professional film critic since 2003 and a member of the San Diego Film Critics Society. Host of “The Movie Guys” radio film review show from 2007 through 2013. Film and television critic for Showbizjunkies.com and a movie buff since 1973.

Oct 2, 2014

Kevin Finnerty Talks 'The November Man' and My Favorite Spy Pierce Brosnan


Kevin Finnerty

Professional film critic since 2003 and a member of the San Diego Film Critics Society. Host of “The Movie Guys” radio film review show from 2007 through 2013. Film and television critic for Showbizjunkies.com and a movie buff since 1973.

Movie Review: ‘The November Man’ Starring Pierce Brosnan

The November Man Movie Review
Pierce Brosnan and Olga Kurylenko star in Relativity Media’s ‘The November Man’ (Photo Credit: Aleksandar Letic © 2014 No Spies, LLC All Rights Reserved)
“He’s probably the best friend I’ve ever had,” says Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan). “All your friends try to kill you?” asks Alice (Olga Kurylenko). “Eventually,” replies Devereaux who’s being hunted by a CIA assassin he trained before retiring from the spy game in the dramatic action film, The November Man.
Ex-CIA operative Peter Devereaux has been enjoying a quiet, peaceful life in Switzerland when an old colleague, Hanley (Bill Smitrovich), reaches out for his help on one last mission. A mutual friend of theirs, Natalia (Mediha Musliovic), needs to come in from the field and has become so paranoid she’ll only trust Devereaux to bring her in. Still having a soft spot for Natalia who he had more than just a “working” relationship with, Peter agrees to help.
Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned and Natalia’s cover is blown during her attempted extraction. She gives Devereaux the name of an important witness who needs protection: Alice Fournier (Olga Kurylenko). Not long after finding Alice, Devereaux discovers that they’ve both been marked for death by the CIA due to information Alice has involving the CIA and the Chechen War. If that wasn’t bad enough, to make matters worse Devereaux’s old protégé, David Mason (Luke Bracey), is leading the hunt.
With both CIA and Chechen assassins hunting them and growing suspicions that there is a mole in the agency, Devereaux finds himself on the run with no one to trust and a slim chance of survival.
Gritty and suspenseful, The November Man brings ex-007 Pierce Brosnan back to the big screen in a darker, more serious spy thriller. Brosnan is perfect as Devereaux, the retired master spy who reluctantly gets pulled back into the world of espionage and soon realizes that even he is in way over his head.

Devereaux is a colder, older, and highly experienced spy who knows how to survive in the Cold War. Finally, Brosnan is given the opportunity in November Man that he didn’t have in the Bond series: to portray a seasoned, refined, and extremely lethal secret agent straight, without the tongue-in-cheek dialogue. And he does it wonderfully.
Also a Bond franchise veteran (although from a different era than Brosnan), Olga Kurylenko is extremely effective in the role of Alice. Kurylenko portrays her as both an overwhelmed, terrified and mistrusting target and at times a sexy, willful and determined woman. Kurylenko and Pierce have solid chemistry which comes across strong in the few quiet moments they have together on screen in between the fighting and chasing scenes.
The action scenes are thrilling, with car chases, multiple shoot-outs and a few cat and mouse on foot chases. The scene where Bracey as Mason is hunting Devereaux through the streets of Belgrade while talking to him on a cell phone is sure to be a crowd-pleaser, with Devereaux taunting Mason with lines such as, “So kid, tell me about your target.”
The November Man‘s realistic dialogue and strong cloak-and-dagger tone is due to the terrific direction by Roger Donaldson working from a script by Michael Finch and Karl Gajdusekvc. The cinematography and production of the film looks stunning, and benefits from being shot on location in Belgrade and Montenegro. Perhaps the only drawback to the film is the slowing of the pace at the midpoint in The November Man, but that picks back up as it heads toward a suspenseful finale.
Gripping and action-packed, The November Man is a first-rate spy thriller that’s sure to entertain Pierce Brosnan and espionage movie fans.
GRADE: B
The November Man is rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, language, sexuality/nudity and brief drug use.
– Reviewed by Kevin Finnerty
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Thanks, Kevin, for your very insightful movie review...here is a link to Kevin's webpage and more movie reviews: