Basic Plot: The account of a high school football coach and the developmentally challenged man he took under his wing. Inspired by a 1996 Sports Illustrated article.

Ourburst: Have your daredevil kids skip the opening credits; the movie begins with a ‘don’t try this at home’ moment. This film is formulaic and conventional. You’ll find no innovations in directing, storyline, or editing but they did a pretty good job considering they created a movie out of everyday life. The end result is that the quality of this film hinges solely on the acting ability of Cuba Gooding Jr, whose performance is unfortunately inconsistent. The overall impression is of mediocrity, with brief moments of genius-level acting ability.

— Fairly innocuous as a family movie, hinging on topics of prejudice, bullying, and how we treat the mentally disabled (and, to some extent, African-Americans) in our society.

Official Site: Radio
Original Article from Sports Illustrated: Someone to Lean On
Real Life vs. Reel Life: A Comparison of Factual Events to the Movie on ChasingTheFrog.com

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Basic Plot: The story of two ballet dancers, one who quit the stage to have a family and the other who decided to forgo family for the life of a prima ballerina.

Outburst: It’s a very realistic look at the conflicts between the personal and professional lives of women. The film has held up well over the years and remains relevant to the choices modern women face between career and family. However, as with many older movies, expect it to progress slowly. Though only minimally present, there are some positive role models for young male dancers as well.

— This is a dance drama. You won’t like this movie unless you like both kinds of movies, and it helps to like ballet as well. So while I think it is a wonderful film, it also has a small target audience.

Wikipedia Entry: The Turning Point

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IMDB: Made in Britain

Basic Plot: Juvenile delinquent and skinhead is sent to an assessment center where his social worker attempts to reform him.

Outburst: This is a fairly honest portrayal of how young violent skinheads think about their world. I was torn between admiration for the main characters courage in standing up to The Establishment, disgust at his racism, and pity for his delusional ideas about society. It is pretty scary if you think about this, and doesn’t pull any punches.

— Tim Roth is amazing, the music is punk, and this is a very grim version of the after-school special. There are a lot of social commentary takeaways, if you are of that mindset.

Wikipedia Entry: Made in Britain

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Basic Plot: A young dancer who is HIV+ finds solace in the arms of an older man.

Outburst: Well if you are looking for a series of great dance numbers you aren’t going to find them here, because these are primarily actors and not ballet dancers. This is movie about connections between people, and it is real and funny and poignant and honest.

— Don’t watch if you are put off by male nudity or gay male sex. A very well done movie about relationships within a dance troupe and between two male lovers.

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Basic Plot: A delusional man wakes up in a mental hospital under the belief that he’s been cryogenically frozen and it is now the future.

Outburst: It’s a run-of-the-mill Denis Leary performance, which means he’s fucking brilliant as a dark, witty, cynical crazy person. The entire movie, probably through budget constraints, is a minimalist series of therapy sessions with delusions and flashbacks that attempt to put movement into a dragging script. The hospital is depressingly close to real; the blues music riffs stave off film entropy. And just when you think he’s got a handle on crazy, shit starts to get truly weird.

— Denis Leary fans will really enjoy this film. It’s him exponentiated — darker, deeply cynical, and painfully stark. It’ll leave the rest of the world feeling apathetic.

Basic Plot: In a future where feeling emotion is illegal, an enforcer who goes off his medication rises to overthrow the system.

Outburst: This is a gem of a film, full of original action sequences and a winning combination of gun and sword fighting. There are many illogical points, but you won’t notice because you’ll be so engrossed in the story. Afterwards, you’ll be left saying, “wait, that part didn’t make any sense” along with “I wanna learn gun-fu!”

/CULT – Classic theater fodder. Despite inconsistencies, it absolutely will keep you entertained.

Wikipedia Entry: Equilibrium

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Basic Plot: Coming-of-age story about a rabbi’s daughter who chooses to delay marriage in favor of studying at a Jewish seminary. When paired with another independent female as caretakers for a mysterious dying woman, they embark on a journey into forbidden realms.

Outburst: I was delightfully pleased to recognize Fanny Ardent, but in truth all the young unknown actresses displayed talent. Even though it is a drama, none of the girls are portrayed as martyrs, victims, or drooping violets. The watcher of this movie gets to discover a whole host of life’s mysteries along with the girls and it feels fresh and new when they do.

— Nothing happy is going occur when girls from an oppressive society try to speak their mind or explore their sexualities, but this is not a tragic tale of doom-and-gloom. Lovely drama.

Official Site: The Secrets

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IMDB: Devil’s Double

Basic Plot: Based on the autobiography of Latif Yahia, the body-double for Saddam Hussein’s sadistic son.

Outburst: There’s no doubt Uday Hussein was a monster, but this movie tries to portray him as both cruel psychopath and spoiled brat. Looking back on real footage, I’ve come to believe his character closer to Thulsa Doom than Cobra Commander, and his movie persona was altered to ensure no one would idolize an insane despot. This is the same canned movie they parade to mainstream audiences under a different veneer. If you are going to make a biography, have it hold to truth; if you want to make Hollywood-tripe, why bother using real people? Violent temper tantrums, scantily-clad women, and inane humor make this a pubescent boy’s dream — minus a few car crashes and big explosions. The end drags; the last fifteen minutes could be lopped off entirely.

— While I’d like to believe the mainstream public doesn’t want to see the same pap recycled into yet another movie, I’d be wrong. Millions of hoo-rah wannabes are desperate to see this and don’t know it yet. It’s one star from me, and two for overgrown boy hordes.

Official Site: The Devil’s Double
Wikipedia Entry: Uday Hussein

Basic Plot: An industrial worker who is unable to sleep begins to question his sanity.

Outburst: That the man is nuts from sleep deprivation isn’t in question. One is simply left wondering which things are real and which are hallucinations. It’s another classic Brad Anderson; also known as a “mind-fuck movie”.

— If you like being disturbed, you’ll love this one. Note that Christian Bale became emaciated to better look the part, so if looking at bodies of starving people is too much for you, do not watch this movie.

Wikipedia Entry: The Machinist

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IMDB: The Passion of Joan of Arc

Basic Plot: A chronicle of the trial of Jeanne d’Arc on charges of heresy. Silent film, originally French but with texts subtitled to English.

Outburst: This has the most amazing and powerful soundtrack I’ve heard EVER, tied masterfully into a film that is only slightly better than average silent-movie fare. Falconetti is a wooden and wide-eyed Joan (which is supposed to portray a girl touched by God, but looks simply bizarre to me); the ecclesiastical judges are natural in their contempt. The bloodless torture sequence is genius, and has the added benefit of improving Falconetti’s acting afterward as she is now playing the “near-death Joan.”

— For a silent film, this is way ahead of its time.

Wikipedia Entry: The Passion of Joan of Arc
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In truth, I think the soundtrack is one of the best elements of this movie. I highly recommend it for those into classical, opera, or religious music.
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