Credit crunch film reviews. I review cheap but amazing films from the archives which people can get for a good night in during the Crunch.
25th Hour (2002)
“Can you change your whole life in a day?”
"...Undeniably beautiful..." Premiere
"...25TH HOUR is a riveting, emotionally resonant New York drama....Edward Norton is dynamite..." Rolling Stone
"...An impressive, affecting return to form from one of Hollywood's finest filmmakers..." Total Film
Director - Spike lee
Writer – David Benioff (Book & Screenplay)
Cast: Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brian Cox, Barry Pepper, Anna Paquin
Touchstone Pictures
40 acres and a Mule Filmworks
The recession, bane of the modern world and destroyer of capable societies, its hit as hard and we know it. Everything seems expensive yet money seems to be almost worthless; I can’t even get a penny sweet because they’ve gone up to 5 pence. I don’t like this, if there was a button I could press to say “Hey, I don’t like this”, guess who will be pressing it (listen up Facebook people, we want a dislike button, get on it!). I think it not only a privilege but a duty to help you through this difficult time. As you may have noticed, very rarely do I review new and up to date media outings, DVDs that are a couple of years, even months old are getting so cheap to buy. I’m going to help you get a good night of entertainment from the film archives at the cheapest price. I’m not one for advertising, so I’m not going to say where you can pick these up the cheapest but I promise you, no “Jungle” is too deep. Was that obvious enough?
Big budget films are commonplace in cinema, why make an epic when you can make an epic with explosions. It costs a lot to make a film, granted, but the budget is so high, ridiculously high some might say. Spiderman 3 (2007) had a supposed budget of $350 Million and a lot of that was due to the cost of filming in New York, which is $1,000,000 a day I might add, and re-shoots. The cast wasn’t cheap either, you don’t pay Kirsten Dunst pittance. I like films that have a reasonable budget but spend all of it on the acting talent. Movies don’t need to be big set pieces when you have high calibre talent behind the wheel. Take 25th Hour for example. Yes, it was set in New York but in hardly glamorous settings with no special effects. Just great camera work, a great script and the help of a great director.
Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) is going to jail for seven long years. Leaving the life of the Swankiest downtown joints behind is not something he wants to do but when you don’t have a choice, how will he spend his last 24 hours of freedom? Reconnecting with alienated friends Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Slaughtery (Barry Pepper)? Revitalising his relationship with the love of his life, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson)? Spending time with his Father (Brian Cox)? How about finding the person who gave him up to the cops? Being who he is cost him more than he could have ever imagined; his friends, his family and his freedom. With time running out and the Sun coming up, who will Monty be in his 25th Hour?
Edward Norton has always been my favourite actor so this film was a real pleasure to watch. The life he brings to the character Monty made me believe the feelings that were being sent through the screen, I felt the sorrow, the anger, the love. Norton has a habit for accepting the roles of slightly depraved, quirky characters; The Narrator in Fight Club (1999) is a prime example, but he plays them with such vigour. It was also nice to see Rosario Dawson; her allowance for broad acting horizons surpasses that of other people in her field. The role of Naturelle was hard to act, the lover of a soon to be convict, and she allows herself to sit comfortable within the role lovingly showing off the talent she really has. If you’re a Rosario fan like me, take the time to watch this film. It’s some of her best work, even if trying to play an 18 year old at one point seems a little far fetched.
It’s not hard to realise that Spike Lee was behind this little adaptation masterpiece. There is always an underlying storyline to his films and 25th Hour is no different, especially seeing as its based on David Benioff’s novel. For the very observant of you reading this, you’ll notice this film came out in 2002, a year after the tragic events of 9/11. With the rest of Hollywood seemingly denying what happened, Lee throws out the rule book and gives us an insight to the city of New York and its atmosphere in the months after the attack. A scene featuring Hoffman and Pepper overlooking “Ground Zero” is not only insightful; it’s also a haunting reminder.
25th Hour is a hidden gem. The feel, the flow and the realism is to a very high standard, an astute look at the world today and the not so bright side of crime in the 21st century. It’s a sparkling picture with suspense and wonder with some hard hitting home truths. A movie worthy of recondition in this colourless world we live in today.
“Can you change your whole life in a day?”
"...Undeniably beautiful..." Premiere
"...25TH HOUR is a riveting, emotionally resonant New York drama....Edward Norton is dynamite..." Rolling Stone
"...An impressive, affecting return to form from one of Hollywood's finest filmmakers..." Total Film
Director - Spike lee
Writer – David Benioff (Book & Screenplay)
Cast: Edward Norton, Rosario Dawson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Brian Cox, Barry Pepper, Anna Paquin
Touchstone Pictures
40 acres and a Mule Filmworks
The recession, bane of the modern world and destroyer of capable societies, its hit as hard and we know it. Everything seems expensive yet money seems to be almost worthless; I can’t even get a penny sweet because they’ve gone up to 5 pence. I don’t like this, if there was a button I could press to say “Hey, I don’t like this”, guess who will be pressing it (listen up Facebook people, we want a dislike button, get on it!). I think it not only a privilege but a duty to help you through this difficult time. As you may have noticed, very rarely do I review new and up to date media outings, DVDs that are a couple of years, even months old are getting so cheap to buy. I’m going to help you get a good night of entertainment from the film archives at the cheapest price. I’m not one for advertising, so I’m not going to say where you can pick these up the cheapest but I promise you, no “Jungle” is too deep. Was that obvious enough?
Big budget films are commonplace in cinema, why make an epic when you can make an epic with explosions. It costs a lot to make a film, granted, but the budget is so high, ridiculously high some might say. Spiderman 3 (2007) had a supposed budget of $350 Million and a lot of that was due to the cost of filming in New York, which is $1,000,000 a day I might add, and re-shoots. The cast wasn’t cheap either, you don’t pay Kirsten Dunst pittance. I like films that have a reasonable budget but spend all of it on the acting talent. Movies don’t need to be big set pieces when you have high calibre talent behind the wheel. Take 25th Hour for example. Yes, it was set in New York but in hardly glamorous settings with no special effects. Just great camera work, a great script and the help of a great director.
Monty Brogan (Edward Norton) is going to jail for seven long years. Leaving the life of the Swankiest downtown joints behind is not something he wants to do but when you don’t have a choice, how will he spend his last 24 hours of freedom? Reconnecting with alienated friends Jacob (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Slaughtery (Barry Pepper)? Revitalising his relationship with the love of his life, Naturelle (Rosario Dawson)? Spending time with his Father (Brian Cox)? How about finding the person who gave him up to the cops? Being who he is cost him more than he could have ever imagined; his friends, his family and his freedom. With time running out and the Sun coming up, who will Monty be in his 25th Hour?
Edward Norton has always been my favourite actor so this film was a real pleasure to watch. The life he brings to the character Monty made me believe the feelings that were being sent through the screen, I felt the sorrow, the anger, the love. Norton has a habit for accepting the roles of slightly depraved, quirky characters; The Narrator in Fight Club (1999) is a prime example, but he plays them with such vigour. It was also nice to see Rosario Dawson; her allowance for broad acting horizons surpasses that of other people in her field. The role of Naturelle was hard to act, the lover of a soon to be convict, and she allows herself to sit comfortable within the role lovingly showing off the talent she really has. If you’re a Rosario fan like me, take the time to watch this film. It’s some of her best work, even if trying to play an 18 year old at one point seems a little far fetched.
It’s not hard to realise that Spike Lee was behind this little adaptation masterpiece. There is always an underlying storyline to his films and 25th Hour is no different, especially seeing as its based on David Benioff’s novel. For the very observant of you reading this, you’ll notice this film came out in 2002, a year after the tragic events of 9/11. With the rest of Hollywood seemingly denying what happened, Lee throws out the rule book and gives us an insight to the city of New York and its atmosphere in the months after the attack. A scene featuring Hoffman and Pepper overlooking “Ground Zero” is not only insightful; it’s also a haunting reminder.
25th Hour is a hidden gem. The feel, the flow and the realism is to a very high standard, an astute look at the world today and the not so bright side of crime in the 21st century. It’s a sparkling picture with suspense and wonder with some hard hitting home truths. A movie worthy of recondition in this colourless world we live in today.
