Fruitvale Station

Posted in Biography, Drama with tags on January 7, 2014 by Mark Walker

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Director: Ryan Cooglar.
Screenplay: Ryan Cooglar.
Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer, Melonie Diaz, Ariana Neal, Ahna O’Reilly, Kevin Durand, Chad Michael Murray, Keenan Cooglar, Marjorie Crump-Shears, Trestin George, Joey Oglesby.

“I’m good, I’m good, I’m gonna be good“.

I have to admit that the true events that took place involving Oscar Grant on December 31st, 2009, weren’t all that familiar to me. I have vague memories of hearing something but there wasn’t very much UK media coverage about this day. As a result, I went into this film rather blind and for those that find themselves in the same situation as myself, I’d advise that they leave it that way. It makes the story all the more effective and hard-hitting but even if you are aware of this man and what happened, there’s still no denying how raw and effecting this film truly is.

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Blog’s 2nd Anniversary

Posted in Uncategorized on January 6, 2014 by Mark Walker

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January 6th, 2012… This was the day that I shared my love of film with all you other film fantastics out there and ventured into the world of blogging. It’s been quite an experience and one that I do not regret in the slightest… Two years down the line and I’m still at it.

And why?… Some of you may ask!

Well, the answer to that is simple… It’s just too much damn fun interacting and discussing movies with you guys.

Without your support and enthusiasm, Marked Movies would probably have folded a long time before now. So for that, I want to thank you all. As do, some of my favourite actor friends who recently joined me in celebration of my anniversary – (I took the photo, by the way)

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Last year, on my blog’s 1st Anniversary, I gave a particular shout out to my Top Five commenters and I’d like to do the same again. They are:

#1: Ruth from FlixChatter
#2: Eric from The IPC
#3: Chris from Terry Malloy’s Pigeon Coop
#4: Tyson from Head In A Vice
#5: Keith from Keith & The Movies

I’m sure these great bloggers are familiar to you all but if, for some odd reason they’re not, please give them some of your love too. You won’t regret it.

It’s always nice to celebrate milestones in blogging as I think we’re all aware of how much of a commitment it can be and how much work we put in but, ultimately, the intention of these few humble words is to thank all of you!

For those that visit, like, follow, comment or share, I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. It means a lot.
I may be driving this site, but it’s all of you, who keep the wheels oiled.

Much obliged my friends and here’s to another year ahead!!

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2013 in review

Posted in Uncategorized on January 1, 2014 by Mark Walker

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 57,000 times in 2013. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 21 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

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Don Jon

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags on December 31, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Screenplay: Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza, Glenne Headly, Brie Larson, Rob Brown, Jeremy Luke, Channing Tatum, Anne Hathaway, Cuba Gooding, Jr.

“There’s only a few things I really care about in life. My body. My pad. My ride. My family. My church. My boys. My girls. My porn“.

For anyone remotely interested in film, it’s been hard not to notice or monitor the rise of Joseph Gordon-Levitt over recent times. Sure, he started off as a child actor in 1988 and appeared in such television shows as “Family Ties“, “L.A. Law” and “Quantum Leap“. He made his film debut in Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It” before arguably becoming a household name in the brilliant TV show “3rd Rock from the Sun“. Since then, his meteoric rise has went from strength to strength in both independent and blockbuster movies. “Don Jon” now marks another achievement in Gordon-Levitt’s career; it’s his writing and directorial debut and it’s a very strong footing to start on.

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(500) Days Of Summer

Posted in Comedy, Romance with tags on December 30, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Marc Webb.
Screenplay: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Zooey Deschanel, Geoffrey Arend, Chloë Grace Moretz, Matthew Gray Gubler, Clark Gregg, Rachel Boston, Minka Kelly.

“No! Don’t pull that with me. This is not how you treat your friend! Kissing in the copy room? Holding hands in IKEA? Shower sex? Come on! Friends my balls!”

Before he was given big bucks and entrusted with reinventing the franchise of “The Amazing Spider-Man“, director Marc Webb cut his directorial teeth on this highly appealing and (un)romantic-comedy. For a debut it’s very impressively handled and brings a fresh approach to the tired old boy-meets-girl formula.

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TRIVIA TIDBITS

Posted in Uncategorized on December 23, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Hey folks, don’t know if you’ve noticed yet but it’s the festive season and something called “Christmas” is apparently upon us. During this time, gifts are supposed to be exchanged. As a result, I thought I’d gift you all with a Christmas themed trivia post as it’s been a while since I done some of these. So without further ado, this weeks Christmas Tidbits are…

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Le Samouraï

Posted in Crime, Film-Noir, Foreign Language, thriller with tags on December 19, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Jean-Pierre Melville.
Screenplay: Jean-Pierre Melville.
Starring: Alain Delon, Nathalie Delon, François Périer, Cathy Rosier, Jacques Leroy, Jean-Pierre Posier, Catherine Jourdan.

“There is no greater solitude than a samurai’s, unless it is that of a tiger in the jungle…perhaps…”

When a film is revered as a classic of world cinema by viewers and critics alike, it’s only so long before you have to check it out for yourself. In the case of Jean-Pierre Melville’s “Le Samouraï”, I did just that, and I didn’t regret it for a minute. It’s entirely understandable why this policier features on many people’s lists of favourites.

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Prisoners

Posted in Crime, Drama, Mystery, thriller with tags on December 17, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Denis Villeneuve.
Screenplay: Aaron Guzikowski.
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, Terrence Howard, Maria Bello, Melissa Leo, Dylan Minnette, Zoe Borde, Erin Gerasimovich, Kyla Drew Simmons, David Dastmalchian, Wayne Duvall.

“Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst“.

In 2011, Canadian director Denis Villeneuve’s “Incendies” received an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language film. For that, he depicted a family that ventured on a journey of discovery. In “Prisoners“, Villeneuve turns his eye to another bleak family drama where ‘discovery’ is, once again, the driving force behind his characters’ motivations.

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Prince Avalanche

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags on December 16, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: David Gordon Green.
Screenplay: David Gordon Green.
Starring: Paul Rudd, Emile Hirsch, Lance LeGault, Joyce Payne, Gina Grande.

“True love is just like a ghost – people talk about it but very few have actually seen it“.

David Gordon Green is a director who’s work I’m largely unfamiliar with. I’ve never been drawn to the comedies “Pineapple Express“, “Your Highness” or “The Sitter“. However, I’ve heard that he’s done some good dramatic material in “George Washington“. Before this, the only film I had actually seen, that he was involved in, was Jeff Nichols’ “Shotgun Stories” – on which Gordon Green only served as producer. That being said, if “Prince Avalanche” is anything to go by, then I reckon I could find some enjoyment from his previous outings, as well as future endeavours that he might be involved in.

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Europa Report

Posted in Science Fiction with tags on December 5, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Sebastien Cordoro.
Screenplay: Philip Gelatt.
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Sharlto Copley, Christian Camargo, Anamaria Marinca, Embeth Davidtz, Daniel Wu, Karolina Wydra, Dan Fogler, Isiah Whitlock Jr, Neil deGrasse Tyson.

“Compared to the breadth of knowledge yet to be known… what does your life actually matter?”

Being released in the same year as the big-budgeted and visually stunning “Gravity” would normally hinder the successful chances of any other film in the science-fiction genre. However, Sebastien Cordoro’s “Europa Report” actually manages to find it’s own niche and invigoration by relying purely on a strong premise and confidence in it’s delivery. It will, most certainly, not pull in the revenue or audience of “Gravity” but it’s proof, yet again, that coughing up the green isn’t always necessary when venturing into the cosmos.

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One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

Posted in Drama with tags on November 27, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Milos Forman.
Screenplay: Lawrence Hauben, Bo Goldman.
Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Brad Dourif, Sydney Lassick, Will Sampson, Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, William Redfield, Scatman Crothers, Vincent Schiavelli, Michael Berryman, Nathan George, Marya Small, Louisa Moritz, Phil Roth, Mwako Cumbaka, William Duell, Delos V. Smith Jr, Tin Welch, Dean R. Brooks.

“In one week, I can put a bug so far up her ass, she don’t know whether to shit or wind her wristwatch“.

In 1934, Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night” made Academy Awards history by becoming the first film to win all top five Oscars: Best Picture, Director, Actor, Actress & Screenplay. 80 years on, this is an accomplishment that has only been achieved twice since that time. Most recently was in 1991 with Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs” and the other (that’s the most deserving of them all) is this 1975 adaptation of Ken Kesey’s radical novel.

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Gravity

Posted in Adventure, Drama, Science Fiction with tags on November 22, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Alfonso Cauron.
Screenplay: Alfonso Cauron, Jonas Cauron.
Starring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney.
Voice of: Ed Harris.

“Clear skies with a chance of satellite debris“.

In 2009, director James Cameron opened the floodgates on the innovation and possibilities of stereoscopic filmmaking when he delivered “Avatar“. Since then, it has been experimented and tinkered with by many filmmakers but now, four years later, Mexican director Alfonso Cauron has set a whole new benchmark.

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The Family

Posted in Comedy, Crime, Drama with tags on November 21, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Luc Besson.
Screenplay: Luc Besson, Michael Caleo.
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, John D’Leo, Jimmy Palumbo, Domenick Lombardozzi, Stan Carp, Vincent Pastore, Jon Freda.

“It was a time when I had it all. People would ask me, “What was it like being untouchable?” The question they really should’ve asked was “What happens when it’s all over?””

During the 1990’s, Luc Besson was a director that I kept a very keen eye on. He delivered the dynamic French thriller “Nikita” before moving on to the kinetic and striking “Leon“. He followed this up with an outrageously unique Sci-Fi in “The Fifth Element” before tailing off with more obscure art-house and animation fair. “Angel-A” in 2005, was the last time I seen anything good from him and his latest in “The Family” would suggest that I’ll have to wait a little longer before he finds his feet again.

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Moon

Posted in Drama, Science Fiction with tags on November 20, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Duncan Jones.
Screenplay: Duncan Jones, Nathan Parker.
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Dominique McElliogot, Benedict Wong.
Voice of: Kevin Spacey.

“I hope life on Earth is everything you remember it to be“.

Being the son of legendary musician David Bowie must put a lot of pressure on you, especially if your chosen profession is also to entertain. However, this is a pressure that director Duncan Jones seems to relish. His talents are used in a different medium from his father but equally as impressive with this relatively low-budget debut and he produces one of the finest science fiction film’s for quite some time.

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The Departed

Posted in Crime, Drama, thriller with tags on November 18, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Martin Scorsese.
Screenplay: William Monahan.
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Mark Rolston, David Patrick O’Hara, Kevin Corrigan, James Badge Dale, J.C. MacKenzie, Robert Wahlberg.

“When I was your age they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I’m saying to you is this: when you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference?”

Despite Martin Scorsese directing consistently good films since the 1970’s, the well deserved Academy Award always eluded him. He was snubbed for such classics as “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” but he finally got his hands on that long-awaited gong for this remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film “Infernal Affairs“.

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Jackie Brown

Posted in Crime, Drama with tags on November 13, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Quentin Tarantino.
Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino.
Starring: Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Robert DeNiro, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Chris Tucker, Michael Bowen, Tommy “Tiny” Lister, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Hattie Winston, Sid Haig.

“AK-47. The very best there is. When you absolutely, positively got to kill every motherfucker in the room, accept no substitutes“.

After Reservoir Dogs in 1991 and Pulp Fiction in 1994, Quentin Tarantino was hailed as the new wunderkind of contemporary American cinema with his triumphant originality and seemingly effortless ability to excite audiences. However, there were still claims of him borrowing heavily from other movies and despite the second feature from a new filmmaker predominantly being the “tricky one”, it seemed that it was Tarantino’s third that posed this problem for him. Added to which, he still had a few doubters wondering if he could emulate his previous successes.

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Mad Dog & Glory

Posted in Comedy, Crime, Drama with tags on November 8, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: John McNaughton.
Screenplay: Richard Price.
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Bill Murray, Uma Thurman, David Caruso, Kathy Baker, Mike Starr, Richard Belzer, Tom Towles, Jack Wallace.

“Women, you can’t live with them and you can’t kill ’em.”

Whatever happened to director John McNaughton? Not since the Matt Dillon/Kevin Bacon neo-noir, “Wild Things” in 1998 have I heard his name mentioned. Apparently he’s still making stuff but he seems to have fallen into television obscurity despite showing some early potential with his brilliant, yet brutal and violent debut, “Henry: Portrait of a serial killer” in 1990.

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The Way, Way Back

Posted in Comedy, Drama with tags on November 7, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Screenplay: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.
Starring: Liam James, Sam Rockwell, Steve Carrel, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Rob Corddry, Amanda Peet, AnnaSophia Robb, Maya Rudolph, River Alexander, Zoe Levin, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash.

“I’m afraid I’m gonna have to ask you to leave!… You’re having way to much fun. It’s making everyone uncomfortable“.

Nat Faxon and Jim Rash may be familiar to some but they haven’t really been household names over the course of their careers. They are both sometime, bit-part, performers having appeared in numerous TV shows but it wasn’t until 2011 that they earned some well-deserved attention by winning an Oscar for their screenwriting duties on Alexander Payne’s “The Descendants“. Now, they turn their hand to directing and it’s apparent that they’re just as comfortable when calling the shots themselves.

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The Conjuring

Posted in Horror with tags on November 5, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: James Wan.
Screenplay: Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes.
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, Kyla Deaver, Shannon Kook, John Brotherton, Sterling Jerins.

“Want to play a game of hide and clap?”

Having already had a hand in fuelling the string of torture porn horrors when he began the “Saw” franchise in 2004, director James Wan opts for a more retrained approach to his latest horror. “The Conjuring” harks back to vintage horror movies of the ’70’s where atmosphere takes precedence over shock tactics. As a result, it manages to be one of the more successful horror movies of recent times.

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Sunshine On Leith

Posted in Drama, Musical with tags on October 23, 2013 by Mark Walker

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Director: Dexter Fletcher.
Screenplay: Stephen Greenhorn.
Starring: Peter Mullan, Jane Horrocks, George MacKay, Kevin Guthrie, Antonia Thomas, Freya Mavor, Jason Flemyng, Paul Brannigan, Emma Hartley-Miller, Daniela Nardini.

After recently enjoying the debauched underbelly of Edinburgh in Irvine Welsh’s “Filth“, I was curious to see Scotland’s capital feature again in a more lighthearted film. As a general rule, I avoid musicals at all costs as I’m just not that keen on people bursting into song every few minutes. However, I was impressed by actor Dexter Fletcher’s impressive directorial debut “Wild Bill” in 2011 and couldn’t resist the urge to see a musical featuring the fantastic songs of The Proclaimers.

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