Million Dollar (television brand) Baby Movie Review
No commentsBy Milton Sykes
Nominated for 5 Golden Globes and 7 Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the Year, Million Dollar Baby opened to widespread critical acclaim and excellent audience reviews. Director Clint Eastwood, whose career spans multiple decades in Hollywood, creates perhaps his greatest film to date, and co-stars Morgan Freeman (Shawshank Redemption) and Hilary Swank (Boys Don’t Cry) light up the screen with their deft character portrayals and unique charisma. Combining all the inspiration of Rocky with all the drama of a Greek tragedy, Million Dollar Baby is well-deserved of its Best Picture victory (despite the many protests of competing directors who think Eastwood won based on nostalgia for his heralded career and his personal likeability)…
Million Dollar Baby focuses on tough-skinned boxing manager Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood), proprietor of a local training gym who has long been estranged from his lone daughter and seems to have only one friend of note - Eddie “Scrap-Iron” Dupris (Morgan Freeman). Eddie lives in and helps manage the gym, and he was once one of Frankie’s fighters. With Big Willie Little (Mike Colter, who once appeared in ER) under Frankie’s management, the gym hosts the daily workouts of a legitimate heavyweight title contender. But Frankie’s reluctance to move Big Willie along prompts him to switch to a less conservative manager, and Frankie must watch his years of hard work pay off for someone else. Meanwhile, 30-something Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) has scraped together the pennies and nickels necessary to train at the gym on a daily basis. Despite Frankie’s advice to quit making a fool of herself, she borrows equipment from Eddie and works out until all hours of the night…
With Big Willie out of the picture, Frankie finally confronts Maggie and agrees to train her. Over time, the two develop a close relationship akin to father/daughter. Maggie rises in the ranks of the female circuit until she reaches the title fight where a cheap sucker punch leads to tragic consequences… With emotional depth and colorful characters, Million Dollar Baby brings one of the most controversial issues of modern society into the forefront for an up-close-and-personal glimpse of the conflict and struggle experienced by trauma victims and their loved ones. Hilary Swank’s Oscar winning performance is on full display, and Morgan Freeman is his usual mesmerizing presence…
In the end, Million Dollar Baby beat out a number of excellent films in order to claim the Oscar for Best Picture - Finding Neverland, Ray, Sideways, and The Aviator (which prompted director Martin Scorsese to flee the awards ceremony in a huff). A case could be made for each of these fine films, but needless to say, Million Dollar Baby’s victory is highly indicative of the film’s enduring value. Each of the main characters comes across as likeable, the relationships as believable, and the storyline as inspirational and stirring. Million Dollar Baby is one of those rare films that stays in your head for hours on end long after you’ve walked out of the theater. Its subject matter is serious fodder for debate, and few viewers will fail to develop a strong emotional connection to Eastwood, Swank, and Freeman as they spring to life on the big screen. Quite simply, Million Dollar Baby is one of the best films of the decade and one you won’t want to miss…
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Movie Review Gladiator
By Homer Molina
Winner of five Academy Awards including Best Picture, and nominated for an additional seven, Gladiator is one of the best produced and directed films of its time. Reminiscent of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart, it creates a world so seemingly realistic, you find yourself drawn backward in time to the glory days of Rome. The musical score, colorful costumes, and intricate sets combine to create the illusion that one is actually witnessing the trials and travails of human existence in early millennial Rome.
The film opens with a sobering display of ancient warfare’s equivalent of “shock and awe” as the Roman legions advance on a band of rebels resisting the empire from the outskirts of Gaul. From the moment the legion commanders signal attack, the fury of hell is unleashed as flaming arrows and iron bars batter a unified front of rebel fighters. The scene is more comparable to Desert Storm than an ancient battlefield, and it visually illustrates the overwhelming power once embodied in the Roman legions.
The central figure of the film and leader of the opening battle is Maximus (Russell Crowe), a Roman general adored by his men and admired throughout the empire for his impeccable character. While visiting the battlefield, the aging Emperor Marcus Aurelius (Richard Harris) reveals to Maximus his secret plan to appoint the general caretaker of Rome upon his death, with the understanding he will restore the Senate and eliminate the dictatorial rule of the Caesars. But unbeknownst to both men, the emperor’s overly ambitious son Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix) learns of the plan. He murders his father and demands the allegiance of Maximus. When the general refuses, the new emperor calls for his execution, seeking to eliminate all who stand in his way. But the plan goes awry when Maximus escapes, setting the stage for the central conflict of the film as Maximus the gladiator grows in legend and Maximus the slave challenges the authority of a Roman emperor…
Crowe is cast well in the roll of the classic hero, but it’s the supporting cast which puts Gladiator in another dimension of cinematic excellence. Joaquin Phoenix dominates the screen with his impassioned portrayal of the darkly ambitious Commodus, providing film lovers with an early glimpse of his now apparent acting genius. Richard Harris is his usual charismatic onscreen presence, while Connie Nielsen, Oliver Reed, and Derek Jacobi lend excellent complimentary support to the role of Maximus as their characters unveil the driving life force and internal motivations of the larger than life Roman hero. To this end, the strength of the cast creates a synergy reflected in the overall quality of this memorable film.
As a work of entertainment, Gladiator is second to none. The gladiatorial battle scenes provide endless thrills, and the dialogue between the characters is wrought with political intrigue, lust for power, and conflicting realities. Russell Crowe is superb in his role as the hero Maximus. Noble in his intentions and powerful as a leader, Maximus represents the ideal of honor and chivalry. One of those rare films which offers its audience a true emotional stake in the outcome, Gladiator is fraught with high-octane suspense and thrilling action sequences. If you liked Mel Gibson’s Braveheart or The Patriot, then you’ll simply love Gladiator…
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Finding Nemo Movie Review
By Nestor Riddle
Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, Finding Nemo continues the Disney tradition of producing high-quality, blockbuster films that entertain audiences of all ages. Featuring the wonders of the Pixar animation technology, the film is a breathtaking window into the future of animated pictures, with borderline 3-D visual effects and the introduction of original animated film techniques certain to influence future masterpieces. Boasting a slew of talented voiceovers such as Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, and John Ratzenberger, Finding Nemo is certain to maintain a place in the hearts of children of all ages for generations to come…
The epic story begins somewhere in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Australia. A clown fish named Marlin (Albert Brooks) lives a wonderful life in a peaceful underwater colony of fish and other fascinating sea life with his wife. However, that serene setting is demolished when a vicious predator attacks their home, killing his wife. Distraught, Marlin takes comfort in the egg left behind which grows into his son, Nemo (Alexander Gould).
Because of this early trauma, Marlin is extremely overprotective when it comes to Nemo. He follows a step behind everywhere his son goes, makes Nemo stay in the house whenever possible, and remains quite apprehensive about his son going to school. Marlin’s fears are realized when Nemo is captured on his first day of school and taken away to live in a fish tank on land. Intent on freeing his son, Marlin sets out on a bold and daring quest to retrace the path of the abductor’s boat.
Wandering through the ocean depths, he meets up with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) - an absent-minded, yet friendly - fish who remains determined to help her new friend recover his lost son. Together, they encounter a pack of sharks and a countless array of diverse and fascinating underwater creatures.
Meanwhile, Nemo is plunged into a dentist office fish tank overlooking Sidney Harbor where he meets a number of new and exciting friends. The other aquatic life, long confined to the tank themselves, initiate Nemo into their fraternity, revealing the history of their attempts to escape. Enlisting Nemo as their point man (or fish), they concoct a number of schemes such as clogging the tank’s filter so they can make a break for it when they’re taken out for the tank cleaning. With the threat of the dentist presenting Nemo as a present to his nerdy niece, the stakes are raised for our young hero and time is of the essence…
Sporting one of the best written animated screenplays of all-time and a breathtaking original score by Thomas Newman, Finding Nemo is a pleasurable affair for both parents and children. The writers pull off an admirable job of combining adult and kid humor throughout the script in such a way that it doesn’t detract from the experience for either age group. With a number of likeable characters, the audience will find itself rooting for Marlin, Nemo, and all their friends to accomplish the task before them. Overall, this is a must-see film for all age groups, not only because of the great story and artful performances, but if anything, simply because the animation is a wonder in-and-of itself…
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