Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto stole the show.
353426
I have never been a fan of Matthew McConaughey but his amazing acting was convincing and mesmerizing. Jared Leto 'Rayon' was equally superb as an actor.  Additionally, even the usually lame Jennifer Garner was fantastic.  I couldn't find any weak spots in this movie.  It was a joy to watch this movie.  100% recommended.

Note:  There are a few Mnage  trois with hookers.  Also a few nipple shots.  Family with young children beware.
262991
With reality television, churn-out teenage soap-operas, and lazy sitcoms taking over the primetime programming schedule, people forget what a great show is. Because of this, great shows don't get watched and then producers and writers don't want to take the risk of doing something original since television demographics aren't quite intellegent enough to get it. Touching Evil had guts to put such an original and daring show on the airwaves run by ratings. Unfortunately, great shows don't always get rewarded.

Now cancelled after only a one season (a short mid-season show at that), the twelve episodes it had was filled to the fullest of quality, probably being the most original detective drama of its time. You know how someone says "detective drama" and you get that certain image in your head? Touching Evil is not that image. I shouldn't even be putting it in the genre. The show is also very visually intriguing, from hallucinations to schizo-fantasies, every episode is an eye-catcher. Not to mention being supported by beautiful, melodic yet trippy musical score by 12 Rounds' Atticus & Leo Ross.

The main character, Creegan, is lovable as the semi-sane detective adapting to every person he ever interrogates. Jeffrey Donovan plays it over-the-top, but in a good way. His energy reflects on the kinetics of the show and the unique storylines within each episodes. There is a few emotional arcs, and I was sad to see it go since I'm sure the second season would bring full story-arcs to plague our characters.

I can't find a good show that is currently starting this season, so I was heartbroken when I heard of Touching Evil's cancellation. Although, I'm sure it would have been picked up by another channel if producer Bruce Willis tried a little harder.

So our only hope to see this show again is the DVD. This show, now cancelled, needs to gain the cult status it respectfully deserves so it isn't forgotten. Even if you've never heard of this show, please sign up for the DVD so it gets released. You won't be sorry, trust me.
1015928
I read all of the reviews by the nay-sayers and I don't get it.  I really enjoyed the concept and the special effects.  Plenty of action imaginatively told.

If, however ,you are a huge fan of the MTV show, you won't like it.  Anyway, I thought it was great.
4280516
With Matthew McConaughey's excellent portrayal of a homophobic rodeo enthusiast who contracts AIDS, he has shown another side of his acting that should qualify him as an early contender for a Best Actor nod. The length he went to in losing weight to what seems like a dangerous point (and Jared Leto did as well) shows a willingness to portray a reality rarely seen (calls to mind Robert Deniros weight gain in Raging Bull or Vincent D'nofrios weight gain for Full Metal Jacket). These guys are serious about their craft and discipline in how far they go to be convincing. As for the subject matter, it is a depressive situation faced by too many and might make some cringe, but that is one of many societal issues that the recent and modern world decides to either deal with or sweep under the rug. The attitudes of the FDA and AMA showed a tendency at the beginning of the movie to lag behind the problem as is usually the case when dealing with pandemics. Whatever your opinion, this is a strong movie and McConaughey manages to carry the weight of the issues very well.
4975187
Best show ever. and the best movie they made.
218882
Our Idiot Brother is a dramedy about a family with undiscovered problems and the good-hearted idiot that goes to jail for selling pot to a uniformed officer. Quirky and risqu, it hits on all modern comedy cylinders. But what sets Our Idiot Brother apart are the surprisingly uncommon scenes: the horribly mismatched romantic subplot between Lady Arabella (Janet Montgomery) and Ned (Paul Rudd) that ends in a sudden but fantastic fashion, a horribly botched threesome, and the bond between dog and man-child.

Ned (Paul Rudd) is the only brother of three lovely but unknowingly tormented sisters. Zooey Deschanel plays a non-homosexual lesbian, Elizabeth Banks plays the quintessential job-obsessed shrew, and Emily Mortimer plays the non-sexy, clueless, stay-at-home mom. When Ned goes to jail for trying to help out a depressed uniformed police officer with a few ounces of weed at a local farmers' market, his rehabilitation and parole thrusts him into the lives of his sisters. Idealistic but clueless Ned stumbles through each of their lives, inadvertently exposing all the problems that rest just beneath the surface. Each encounter mixes the cute and goofy with the awkward and dramatic, and while the ending flirts with cheesy "only in the movies" perfection, it is hard not to smile and think, "that is how the world should work".

While the script takes chances that differentiate this movie from all others like it, the writing is really the cast that brings this film its joie de vivre. Paul Rudd plays the blissfully ignorant ideologue to a tee. In every scene his mannerisms and his character's love of life are captivating. Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel each bring a peculiar brand of comedy that seems to fit this movie perfectly. And Emily Mortimer's Liz bursts with heart. While each of these characters are a joy to watch, the bottle scenes where two or more of the characters are together really resonate, both comically and dramatically.

In Our Idiot Brother there were a few too many "bros" and "mans," in response to a confrontation, one character actually utters something akin to, "I'm only gonna respond to that with love," however, despite edging on too granola for a wide release, the real flaw to Our Idiot Brother is the transparency of the script. Each conflict is hinted at too early in the story: one sister's husband is a little too cold and distant from the onset, another sister is portrayed a little too straight to be gay, and the last sister's inability to have already fallen in love with her best friend is apparent to everyone but her (Spoilers, I guess). For a script that was refreshingly unique, these spoon-fed conflicts seem to indicate the filmmakers' hesitancy to push their audience too far. And in a movie with a shockingly frank portrayal of a threesome gone wrong, hesitancy must be abandoned.

Our Idiot Brother is the hilarious portrayal of a man who loves too much and the devastating effects it has on those he cares about. If you can handle the Woodstock hangovers (dreadlocks, communing with nature, and "man" included, sadly none of the music) and the not-so-subtle conflicts, the laughs are worth the price of admission. Stay for the credits. The bloopers of this cast that obviously enjoy each other, both in the film and out, leaves you parting without any ill will for the price of the ticket.
3302832
Great movie.  Very moving performances and of course, Jared Leto stole the show.  Well acted, written.
3725769
Overall, I have to concur with those reviewers who agree with the Hype; this is a modern masterpiece, and if it has a weakness, it is in the relatively shallow female characters.

Other than that, everything from the stunning cast (all of 'em) to the direction, cinematography, you name it, is top drawer. This is by far one of the most atmospheric productions of any type I have ever seen. I could easily see this building into the cult status of Blade Runner and the original UK version of The Wicker Man, which may have inspired the ritual animal masks etc.

I can understand a certain amount of disappointment with the ending, in that the show did not quite unfold as complex a story as it first appeared it would. Clearly, The Yellow King reference was a tip of the hat to the 1895 pre-Lovecraftian collection of short stories by Robert W.Chambers, called The King In Yellow, with its lost city of Carcosa. There is potentially enormous depth to the background story elements and they are not fully explored by the end. Nor are there any conclusions about the child sacrifice cult.

In the Chambers saga, the lost city of Carcosa is on a planet with twin suns, which suggests an influence on Lovecraft's Great Old Ones who came from the stars. If the references were to be taken literally rather than metaphorically, this ET connection and the hinted at child sacrifice cult echoes the theme of David Icke's controversial Children of the Matrix, in which he claims that many powerful figures in the world are involved in ritual child sacrifice as part of secret societies which serve alien shape-shifting rulers. Hey, don't shoot the messenger...

Many Conspiracy theorists and even some scientists have suggested that since 98% of our 'human' DNA is non-coding or 'Junk DNA', which appears to serve no biological function, this suggests some kind of genetic engineering of Homo Erectus to produce Homo Sapiens. If any such ET cult connection was actually being hinted at in TD, it was not developed or even acknowledged in the finale. Even if we assume the metaphysical slant on the cryptic lines from certain crazy and/or drug addled freaks, the finale only offers the taking down of a hillbilly who was nailing his sister and some vague reference to the public figures going unpunished.

Yes, the story leaves a few avenues unexplored, but Life itself is always going to leave some unanswered questions, and the Mystery is what makes it so compelling.

"It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between." (A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman)
624213
Armie Hammer played Ivy League twin brothers (he played both,of course) , whose program Zuckerberg alledgely stole. This was intertaining, pleasant to watch, and addd MUCH value to the movie.
3923809
There was so much hype about this film that it would be a pity not to watch it. Unfortunately, there was much hype to it.

Not a fan of the comic books, nor of DC Comics particularly, I came to this movie with eyes, ears and mind open. Suspenseful, dark and intriguing were all appropriate adjectives as the film got under way and it certainly required attention to keep track of the plot.

Like a rose which unfolds with exposure to the light and heat, the plot became more fleshed out and the pieces began to knit together with great promise but then at some point it began to lose it's way.

Whether the writers got too carried away with their own complications or whether someone figured that the machinations required some diversion to spice things up I do not know but the film sort of lost it's way and the homily of man as a savage beast faltered.

I tried to picture that the relationship which engulfed the two heroes was to establish their humanity as opposed to the continuous portrayal of the watchmen as the bearers of revenge or retribution or justice but then that really did not work as they were of less important than the omnipotent figure who had retreated from humanity to the empitiness of Mars. Neither did it make sense as a lustful coupling, it just did not seem to form a useful conjunction in the scope of the film as a whole.

As always with the DC mould, there was the explanation, dilema and resolution in the name of good at the end along with the juxtaposition of the savagery and destruction which took place. But by that time there was an element of the unfinished about the film, an aftertaste which was brought on by the films loss of direction shortly after the midpoint.

Entertaining and thought provoking to a certain extent, this film could, and should have, been a lot more than how it was presented on the big screen.
1704180
The character development of Blunt's role was a bit tripping, and the director's famous slow pace certainly didn't help the movie. The twist was quite amazing and the theme was truly deep. All of the main characters' performance were great. You can see an outstanding improvement of the balance of action and story-telling in his Blade Runner sequel comparing to Sicario. After all, this is a good movie, definitely above average, worth to spend the time, but not Denis Villeneuve's best.
2670350
I loved David Nicholls' book of the same name.  I love the work of Lone Scherfig (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Wilbur-Wants-to-Kill-Himself/dp/B00068S3IM/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself</a>,<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Italian-for-Beginners/dp/B00006ADFP/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Italian for Beginners</a>).  David Nicholls wrote the screenplay.  The ever-lovable Anne Hathaway stars in it.  This combination seemed like it added up to sure-fire box office success.  I saw the movie in a sneak preview and thought it delivered on all that promise.  To me, Nicholls had successfully boiled the essence of his novel into two hours of tight story-telling.

So much for sure-fire success: 'One Day' bombed at the box office.  There's no way to finesse that - you don't make a movie with names of this caliber, come away with less than $14 million in U.S. box office receipts, and pronounce yourself pleased with the results.

Why the pratfall?  I can think of a short list of things:

1) NOT your typical Rom-Com: Those who went thinking they'd get a light Rom-Com were in for a shock.  There's a far deeper, more serious tale taking place here.

2) Stunning, abrupt denouement: The twist of fate that suddenly befalls Hathaway's Emma isn't something mainstream U.S. audiences would expect of their romantic lead.

3) Dexter's sliding likability: Jim Sturgess's Dexter starts off likable - he's the popular man on campus.  Nicholls' book tracks Dexter's 20-year slide to dissolution, while Emma's path inexorably arches upwards past him, from ugly duckling to attractive, winsome success (Anne Hathaway's calling card for over a decade).  These dual, compelling transformations makes for compelling reading.  On screen, though, the adult Dexter becomes increasingly unlikable.

4) Anne Hathaway as a Brit: I'm an Anne Hathaway fan, but I never bought into her as British.  The whole time I thought: "That's Anne Hathaway trying on a British accent."  Never thought I'd say this but...Anne Hathaway, you're no Renee Zellweger.

For those of you who passed this up in the theater, I do recommend you check this out for home viewing...just don't expect an hour and 47 minutes of lighthearted fluff.
117882
Alexander is an ambitious project, whatever one may think of its shortcomings. The script has a hard time pinpointing what makes the great man tick--and it's certainly muddled when it comes to all the conspiracy theories surrounding his youth and manhood. His mother is played by Angelina Jolie as a conniving temptress with an uncanny control over snakes--a control she has over him as well, urging him to become the great leader in battles.

Colin Farrell does the best he can with the florid dialog, full of pomposity and Shakespearean grandeur, but it's not a part that he really embodies with any great conviction. He does a workmanlike job but never really becomes the character. Nor is his relationship with his lover (Jared Leto) ever given more of a hint than intense glances can convey, as if Oliver Stone was reluctant to let the homophobic aspects of Alexander's life interfere with the storytelling.

The battle scenes are realistic but fatiguing after awhile, following the accepted strategy of other action films by interspersing fierce battles with the quieter moments--but never too quiet since most of the dialog consists of arguments between Alexander and his army of dedicated fighters.

Val Killmer gives a vigorous performance as his father Michael, almost unrecognizable in his one-eyed make-up and red beard. Anthony Hopkins serves as a one man Greek chorus, narrating the tale in the manner of a bad DVD commentary. Christopher Plummer does a nice job as Aristotle, teaching the Greek youths about their mission in life.

On the plus side, the background score by Vangelis is strikingly effective, as is Rodrigo Prieto's gorgeous cinematography. The look of the film is one of its strongest assets with authentic detail in costumes and settings. But the script is a yawner, going back and forth in time to fill in gaps that were intended to fill the viewer in on some missing points. It's a technique that tries the patience several times throughout the lengthy running time.

This should find favor with a very limited audience of history buffs.
3889335
Better than Hamilton, excellent acting, writing and directing using real locations. Paul Giamatti nailed the role.
2236244
I will admit that the casting here is delicious (that applies, right?) and so my appetite was wet and my interest was peaked long before sitting in the theater.  George Clooney, at the time, was one of my favorite actors (he's suffered from overexposure for me; 2005 did it for me) and you can't deny the charm and appeal of actors like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and the undeniably brilliant Julia Roberts.  Add to the mix funnyman Bernie Mac as well as brilliant actors like Andy Garcia and Don Cheadle, not to mention a slew of young actors like Casey Affleck (who would have ever thought he'd rise from this to become `Robert Ford'), Topher Grace and James Caan's son Scott and you have yourself guaranteed success; right?

I would think you, so sadly there is just something about this movie that doesn't work.  I think the main issue is that when all is said and done `Ocean's Eleven' is just not that memorable.  Sure, the cast is great and everyone does a superb job.  Sure, the plot is decent and the dialog and funny, but in the end it all just kind of rests there, never `popping' so-to-speak.  I just expected to be wowed and I truly wasn't.

It was kind of dull.

The plot revolves around Danny Ocean, recently released from prison, who bands together with his ten partners in crime to knock off three successful Las Vegas casinos.  Sure, the money is a huge bonus, but the real reason for the caper is to win back Ocean's ex-wife Tess who is now attached to the owner of these casinos, Terry Benedict.  Benedict is not only money hungry but he's ruthless and thus it makes the job all the more difficult for Ocean and his crew.

Director Steven Soderbergh is good at extracting wonderful performances from his cast (just look at the effortlessness that permeated the sets of `Traffic' and `Erin Brockovich') and here is no different.  George Clooney is his charming, natural self (I much prefer this side of him to his over praised dramatic work) and Brad Pitt is actually quite funny.  Julia Roberts is really the heart and soul of this film though.  From the minute she walks on the screen the film turns on its head.  But even she can't save it from mediocrity.  The film as a whole just doesn't do anything special, it doesn't become anything memorable.  In the end it is nothing more than a decent buddy flick with some laughs.  It's not a movie you can really enjoy multiple times, which is sad to say since the cast alone should have guaranteed the films longevity.

I have yet to see the two sequels, yet I hear this is the best of the three so it's not a good sign.  A lot of people enjoyed this movie, but it appears after reading many of the reviews that they feel as I do.  Sure, this film has its moments and it is in no way shape or form a bad movie.  It is fun and it is enjoyable, but when it's over you won't be aching to watch it again.
633188
I absolutely loved this movie.  It created such a realistic world and did it with no excuses or failures.  The nostalgia of the scenes, the plot and the acting truly made this movie.  If you have a good audio system, crank it to watch.  There are scenes that just come alive with both visuals and sound (no spoilers... ;)  )

The acting was much more than I'd expected from a teenage group of actors. Obviously thier direction was superb, but few would have pulled off what this group did.

If I had more than two thumbs, they'd all be up.
564913
I saw this in a theater and loved it. My friend and I exited the theater looked at each other and then very nearly turned around and went back in to watch it again. Would've done so if we weren't totally starving and in need of supper.

Not an action thriller, not a mismatched buddy comedy, but with many of the signs of both. Viewers looking for the pacing of either of these genres are going to be disappointed. Instead the Guard rewards appreciation of great characters, bone dry humor, carefully observed culture clashes, beautiful cinematography and production design. And to top it off music by the amazing and fierce Calexico helps to open up atmospheric space for surprisingly emotional impact.

Brendan Gleeson is sheer nonstop delight. Don Cheadle is makes a great, slightly befuddled foil. Made me want to go out and see everything Gleeson's in.