Tag: Heath Ledger

The Dark Knight

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 2:32 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Dark Knight
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Maggie Gyllenhaal, Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Warner Bros.
Release Date: 2008
Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Sure the teaser trailer doesn’t show a damn thing, in fact all it does is show the Batman logo with some audio between Alfred and Bruce Wayne, but we do know that Heath Ledger is taking the role as Joker, Aaron Eckhart is going to be Harvey Dent the District Attorney, and Maggie Gyllenhaal is taking over the role of Rachel Dawes from Katie, I mean Kate Holmes. The movie is almost a year away as I write this initial preview, the filming is currently going on in Chicago (I actually witnessed a truck with one of the Joker’s henchman in it a month or so back), and as long as the film folks keep things serious, like the “Batman Returns” movie, which I really liked but never did write a review, I think things should be fine.

More will come as we get closer to the film release date, but even without seeing anything from the film, I’m already looking forward to writing “The Dark Knight” review.

That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

The Brothers Grimm

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:58 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

The Brothers Grimm
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Lena Keadey
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Dimension Films
Release Date: 2005
Kiddie Movie: There’s some killing and a confusing story, so leave the younger ones at home.
Date Movie: Only if she likes Monty Python type humor.
Gratuitous Sex: Just some push-up outfits.
Gratuitous Violence: There is some killing going on.
Action: There is some chasing going on.
Laughs: A couple of chuckles here and there.
Memorable Scene: The mirror breaking was pretty cool.
Memorable Quote: “Trust the toad!”
Directed By: Terry Gilliam

I wasn’t in my “Monty Python” mode going in to see “The Brothers Grimm,” and it probably took me about half of the movie to switch to that mode, but after I did, I really began to appreciate “The Brothers Grimm” a little more. Not enough to really recommend it, but the weird humor that is Terry Gilliam began to surface and I could finally see where he was going. That’s too hard when going to a movie sometimes, and it’s too hard for this one.

In “The Brothers Grimm,” we get Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm. They’ve been making a living with a couple of other cohorts by exploiting old legends. For our introduction to them, they are convincing some townsfolk that they can get rid of the Mill Witch who has been terrorizing the town as of late. And so, with elaborate pulleys and costumes, they stage the destroying of the Mill Witch and collect the cash. But the French have invaded Germany, which is where our boys have set up shop, and aren’t to pleased with them. Facing death or helping the French, Wilhelm and Jacob decide to help the French calm down a town whose girls keep disappearing in the woods. With Angelika (Lena Headey) as their guide, and Cavaldi (Peter Stormare) making sure the brothers don’t try to run away, our heroes find themselves in some sort of enchanted forest, based upon the legend of an old witch. And so, with honest to goodness strange things happening around them, things like trees coming to life, a horse swallowing a girl, and roaches moving the covers off of crypts, well, our heroes find themselves in real-life weirdness that they have to solve, all along with fairy tale references being tossed around like candy (a gingerbread cookie, a Little Red Riding Hood, a “who’s the fairest of the all”, and a frog to kiss, just to name a few).

But this isn’t an easy comedy to get into, unless I guess you are a huge Monty Python-type fan, so it was kind of interesting sitting in the theater, hearing some groups of people laughing at nearly everything, with the other groups probably just wondering what they aren’t getting. Like I said, it took me too long to back into that comedy-style mode, and even then, it doesn’t seem to live up to that kind of humor I remember from other Terry Gilliam projects, I think, mostly, because it gets too bogged down in itself to just let the humor and fun be let out.

There were some good moments, and Matt Damon and Heath Ledger were actually very good in their roles, but unless you love “Monty Python” type humor, I really can’t recommend this one. It’s 2 stars out of 5. This one seems more like a good rental than spending your hard-earned cash at the box office.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Brokeback Mountain

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 2:14 Long
A Preview by:
– The Dude on the Right

Brokeback Mountain
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Randy Quaid, Anna Faris
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: Focus Features
Release Date: 2005
Directed By: Ang Lee

Well, I’ll give Ang Lee credit for the varying projects he has chosen to direct. You may have heard about him around the “Sense and Sensibility” time, but for most folks, if I say he directed “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” you would say you saw or heard of that film. He also directed “Hulk,” so we know he’s sensible, crouching, huge, and now, well, he’s directing a film that is catching lots of buzz because, first, it’s supposed to be a great movie, and second, it’s about two cowboys who, as one of the IMDB synopsis’ puts it, unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection. That’s the politically correct version to say that it’s the 1960’s and they are gay. The trailer shows this fact, why can’t they just say it?

Anyway, the movie is set at a time when being homosexual isn’t really a lifestyle you can tell your friends and neighbors about, so our two dudes, Jack (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Ennis (Heath Ledger) go about keeping their true love secret while living the lives of hetero’s.

Visually the movie looks great, and I’m sure some will have problems with the story subject, but in any case, this is sure to create buzz both because of it being a great movie, but also because of the topic. You’ll have to make it your own call if you want to see this one.

That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

Casanova

MPAA Rated – R
It’s 1:48 Long
A Preview by:
– The Dude on the Right

Casanova
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Oliver Platt
MPAA Rated: R
Released By: Touchstone Pictures
Release Date: 2005
Directed By: Lasse Hallstrom

Heath Ledger is Casanova. Hooray. Really, there’s not much more to say about this film. The trailer shows that Casanova falls for another dudette, yet she puts off his advances. Not good news for Casanova’s rep, but maybe he wants more in a relationship this time, instead of just being Casanova. Looks like an R-rated movie for the dudettes to me, for us dudes, all we can home for is that it’s Sienna Miller that gets naked and not Oliver Platt.
That’s it for this preview! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!

10 Things I Hate About You

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:37 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

10 Things I Hate About You
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Kiddie Movie: Nah, it’s really for the older teen crowd.
Date Movie: Okay, even though I like the movie, it’s probably more for the teen girls.
Gratuitous Sex: Actually some pretty frank talk.
Gratuitous Violence: Some Fighting.
Action: Nah.
Laughs: Lots throughout, in the teen genre kind of way.
Memorable Scene: I would have to say the well-timed punch.
Memorable Quote: Kat to Bianca: “I warned him that if he told anyone, the cheerleading squad would find out how tiny his dick is.”
Directed By: Gil Junger
Blu-Ray Cool Things: The extras are kind of lame, but get it for the Blu-ray because it does look better.

“10 Things I Hate About You” is one of those movies that I can somehow watch over and over again, and for whatever reason, even though I’m ten years older than when it was originally released, I still enjoy it.

The story, hey, it’s simple, you know, based on that Shakespeare dude and his story “The Taming of the Shrew.” In this one we’ve got Julia Stiles as Kat. She’s the rebellious teen, weary of the boys, and with a younger sister, Bianca (Larisa Oleynik), she who wants to be able to date boys, and be kind of cool, and be unrebellious. But here comes Patrick (Heath Ledger). He’s the transfer student, kind of mysterious, and with a multitude of twists and turns, Cameron (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wants to date Bianca but can’t because Bianca isn’t allowed to date because her sister, Kat, doesn’t date, so it’s time for Patrick to date Kat, thus allowing Bianca to date, thus allowing Cameron to find happiness with Bianca.

Okay, I made that a little more complicated than it should be, but pretty much “10 Things I Hate About You” is about kids in high school, and I think, as the years go on, the story pretty much plays out the same.

So what sets this movie apart from other teen movies? Well, for one, look at the list of people starring in this movie, from the great Heath Ledger in the movie that really launched his career, to Julia Stiles who has become one of the premier female actresses, to Alison Janney, a staple of experienced actress. But what really makes the movie stand out is that the writing was smart, witty, and adult enough for teens to get without being condescending.

In any case, I still liked “10 Things…” after watching it again over the years, and again for this review for that matter, and after all of these years I still think the movie holds up, so, with that, it’s a solid 4 stars out of 5.

Now, the reason for this review is because the movie has made it to the 10 year mark, and they put it on Blu-ray and “Anniversary Edition” DVD. The problem is that for this special edition, there isn’t that much special about it. I mean, there is a little bit of a retrospective and looking back featurette, some deleted scenes, and the standard commentary track, but really, this DVD is just for having the movie for having the movie sake, and sure, everything looks better on Blu-ray.

A Knight’s Tale

MPAA Rated – PG-13
It’s 1:42 Long
A Review by:
– The Dude on the Right

A Knight’s Tale
Movie Stats & Links
Starring: Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, Shannyn Sossamon, Alan Tudyk
MPAA Rated: PG-13
Released By: Columbia Pictures
Kiddie Movie: It’s cute but the jousting is a little violent.
Date Movie: She might find Heath dreamy.
Gratuitous Sex: A scene with some perky nipples.
Gratuitous Violence: The jousting gets pretty good.
Action: Just the fighting scenes.
Laughs: Chuckles here and there and the speeches by Chaucer are usually pretty funny.
Memorable Scene: Nothing really.
Memorable Quote: Nah.
Directed By: Brian Helgeland
Produced By: Todd Black, Tim Van Rellim

Leaving the theater, a couple of girls in their early teens were in front of me. Their simple comments: “That movie was great.” “He was soooo cute.” And those comments really sum up “A Knight’s Tale.” Don’t get me wrong, I did like the movie, even with things that had no place being in the movie, but it was a cute film, had some nice action, a story that you could figure out from a mile away, and I laughed a couple of times. So, let’s get to the story.

William (Heath Ledger) grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, or at least on the wrong side of town. It’s the medieval times and he wants to compete in the jousting and sword tournaments. Bad news for him – he’s not a man with a royal family line. Then, as the story would have it, his master, a jouster, dies. Seeing his chance to change his fate he dons the old man’s armor, nearly gets his head taken off in the joust, but still wins. William decides that he can compete, his companions, Roland (Mark Addy) and Wat (Alan Tudyk), aren’t so sure but go along for the ride, and they run into Jeffrey Chaucer (Paul Bettany), naked as a jaybird, who can forge some papers saying William is of royal lineage.

Well, William starts to compete, keeps winning, mostly because his best competition is off fighting a war, and falls in love with Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon). The climactic finish comes at the jousting championships in London where William is exposed as a fraud, his past coming to haunt him yet his fights coming back to save him, and all’s well that ends well.

Most things in this movie are of the normal cookie-cutter variety. You’ve got the love story which you know how it will end; You’ve got the tournament side which you know how it will end; and You’ve got the foreshadowing point which you know will save our hero. Mix into all of that a rock soundtrack that seems strangely out of place yet still works and well, you get “A Knight’s Tale.”

In the end “A Knight’s Tale” was stupid yet cute, and if it wasn’t for the humorous orations of Jeffrey Chaucer, well, “A Knight’s Tale” would have fallen flat on its face. If you’re looking for an intriguing story, suspenseful action, and a movie that makes you think, well, “A Knight’s Tale” won’t be for you. But, if you just want to see a generic movie with some action, a nice love story, and some humorous ramblings, well, you’ll probably like it.

I’m giving “A Knight’s Tale” 3 ½ stars out of 5 because it is exactly what you would expect it to be.

That’s it for this one! I’m The Dude on the Right!! L8R!!!