Forest Whitaker Becomes the First King of the Hour by Brad Balfour For Forest Whitaker, it’s been a long, strange ride from the start, creating the character of Idi Amin for his last film, The Last King of Scotland. With this year’s Best Actor nomination, he’s favored to win – something he never expected upon taking … Continue reading
Meryl Streep Walks With the Devil by Brad Balfour If there was one film from last summer that carried weight beyond the season’s froth it was The Devil Wears Prada. A snarky but loving stab at the fashion world and Vogue‘s editor in specific, the real secret to the film’s success was Meryl Streep’s propulsive portrayal of the Fashion … Continue reading
GIL KENAN MAKES A MONSTROUS HOUSE by Brad Balfour What a break for first-time feature animation film director Gil Kenan. After Executive producers Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis saw his live-action/animated horror-fantasy short, The Lark he was awarded the directing seat for Monster House – and now is nominated for a Best Animated Feature Oscar. The story goes something … Continue reading
Cate Blanchett Rewrites the Book On Scandal by Brad Balfour In Notes on a Scandal, a high-school teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) starts an affair with one of her students, Steven (Andrew Simpson), and is discovered and emotionally blackmailed by her colleague Barbara (Judi Dench, receiving a Best Actress Oscar nomination for this film). As adapted … Continue reading
Paul Greengrass The Director Flies UNITED 93 by Brad Balfour If you have seen director Paul Greengrass’s earlier docu-fiction feature, Bloody Sunday – which captures that fateful day in Derry, Northern Ireland, when thirteen unarmed protestors were gunned down by British troops sparking “The Troubles” there – you would know that he can handle this assignment. So despite all the … Continue reading
FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS (2006) Starring Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, Adam Beach, Barry Pepper, John Benjamin Hickey, John Slattery, Jamie Bell, Paul Walker, Robert Patrick, Neil McDonough, Melanie Lynskey, Tom McCarthy, Judith Ivey, George Grizzard, Harve Presnell, Len Cariou, Gordon Clapp, Tom Verica, David Clennon and David Rasche. Screenplay by William Broyles, Jr. and Paul … Continue reading
Helen Mirren Presents a Queenly Performance by Brad Balfour For Golden Globe-winning actress Helen Mirren, playing Her Majesty Elizabeth II in The Queen wasn’t such a stretch since she had already given a masterful rendition of another monarch with her uncanny portrayal of Elizabeth I in the 2005 British mini-series. The 61-year old Mirren’s experience in preparing … Continue reading
DREAMGIRLS (2006) Starring Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson, Eddie Murphy, Anika Noni Rose, Keith Robinson, Danny Glover, Sharon Leal, Hinton Battle ,Yvette Nicole Brown, Yvette Cason, Loretta Divine, Dawnn Lewis, Eddie Mekka, Jaleel White, John Krasinski and John Lithgow. Screenplay by Bill Condon. Directed by Bill Condon. Distributed by Dreamworks SKG Pictures. 131 minutes. … Continue reading
KEN WATANABE CINEMATIC SURVIVOR by Brad Balfour With Oscar-nominated Japanese actor Ken Watanabe playing General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in Letters from Iwo Jima, director Clint Eastwood assured audiences that he employed a actor equal in stature to the commander who held the island of Iwo Jima for several weeks against overwhelming odds. The Battle of Iwo Jima … Continue reading
Natalie Portman Takes Off the Mask With V For Vendetta by Brad Balfour Familiar with science fiction-themed films, actress Natalie Portman uses her character Evey in V For Vendetta to test both her acting skills and her political judgment while making a profound and timely statement. V For Vendetta details the story of a revolutionary who challenges the dominance … Continue reading
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