“My wife likes to say there are two kinds of people.Those who are chasing pleasure and those who are running from pain. Maybe she’s right. I don’t know. What I do know is this. Pleasure helps you forget. But pain, pain forces you to hope. You tell yourself this can’t last. Today could be different. Today, something just might change.”
This is what Russell Crowe’s (Gladiator, Cinderella Man) character (Lt. Cristofuoro) says at the end of John Polson’s 2007 drama Tenderness. It is an excellent quote that all of us can ponder and adapt to how we live our lives…Unfortunately, the quote makes you want to nap rather than consider this imaginably meaningful phrase as the movie concludes.
In The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson – Marley & Me, Midnight in Paris) reunites with his brothers Peter (Adrien Brody – The Pianist, The Jacket) and Jack (Jason Schwartzman – I Heart Huckabees, Fantastic Mr. Fox) for the first time since their father’s funeral one year ago. The hope is that he can lead them on a quest for spiritual enlightenment as they embark on a train trip through India in hopes of finding their long-lost mother. If this plot + Owen Wilson as the lead actor already have you imagining how dumb this movie might be, keep the imagination rolling because you aren’t even close.
Despite its title, 2001’s Ghost World is not a horror movie but rather is a movie about finding one’s place in the world or moving through the world as a ghost, unable to impact others despite one’s most honest intentions. Thora Birch (American Beauty, The Hole) plays the lead of Enid, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate trying to figure out what to do next in the months following her graduation. She has no plans for college or work. She barely knows what she will do for the day when she wakes up. A key member of her life is her best friend Becky (Scarlett Johansson – Match Point, Lost in Translation), who, at the beginning of the film, seems to share the same brain. Another is Seymour (Steve Buscemi – Reservoir Dogs, Armageddon), a self-proclaimed loser Enid befriends following a mean prank she pulled on him.
The Fighter is a true story about Mickey Ward, an American former professional boxer that stars Mark Wahlberg (The Perfect Storm, The Departed) and Christian Bale (The Dark Knight Rises, American Psycho). Dickie Eklund, Mickey’s older brother of nine years, taught his younger sibling everything he knew about the sport. The film is directed by David O’Russell, who has to his credits two other movies starring Mark Wahlberg (I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings). The backdrop for the film is the streets of Lowell, Massachusetts, a blue-collar, rundown town where everybody is interested in everyone else’s business, and addiction is rampant.
The King’s Speech is a true story based upon how King George VI became the King of England after his father, King George V, died and his older brother David decided to abandon the throne to be with the woman he loved. George VI (aka Bertie to his closest friend) reluctantly takes over as King of England despite his stammering problem and utter fear of speaking in public.
To help overcome his disability, Bertie (Colin Firth – A Single Man, The Importance of Being Earnest) tries various techniques and visits numerous specialists. It is not until the King meets speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush – Shine, Frida) that he begins to see progress. The two are very different from each other. The King is cold, aloof, often highly stressed, and short-tempered. It makes him unlikeable at times. On the other hand, Lionel is charming, friendly, funny, and patient. You like him from the moment you meet him. The contrast between the two characters makes them work well together.
“My wife likes to say there are two kinds of people. Those who are chasing pleasure and those who are running from pain. Maybe she’s right. I don’t know. What I do know is this. Pleasure helps you forget. But pain, pain forces you to hope. You tell yourself this can’t last. Today could be different. Today, something just might change.”
In The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Francis Whitman (Owen Wilson – Marley & Me, 
Despite its title, 2001’s Ghost World is not a horror movie but rather is a movie about finding one’s place in the world or moving through the world as a ghost, unable to impact others despite one’s most honest intentions. Thora Birch (
The Fighter is a true story about Mickey Ward, an American former professional boxer that stars Mark Wahlberg (The Perfect Storm, The Departed) and Christian Bale (
The King’s Speech is a true story based upon how King George VI became the King of England after his father, King George V, died and his older brother David decided to abandon the throne to be with the woman he loved. George VI (aka Bertie to his closest friend) reluctantly takes over as King of England despite his stammering problem and utter fear of speaking in public.