According to the International Movie Database, Michael Greenspan’s debut movie, Wrecked grossed under $5,000 at the box office. For its lead star, Adrien Brody (Best Actor Academy Award for 2002’s The Pianist), this is a far cry from the early part of the decade when his movies like The Village (2004) and King Kong (2005) were each earning over $110,000,000 at the box office. Brody has made some terrible movies since 2005. These have included The Darjeeling Limited, The Brothers Bloom, and The Experiment. The trailer for Wrecked looked intriguing enough. I also wanted to know if Brody had the ability to do what Tom Hanks (Cast Away) and Will Smith (I Am Legend) were able to do successfully…star in a movie in which he is (for a majority of the film) the only actor. After watching the film, there is a reason why Cast Away and I Am Legend each earned $233,000,000 and $256,000,000 at the box office, respectively, while Wrecked brought in less than $5,000.
Category Archives: Suspense
Leaving (Partir) (2010)
Subtitled movies don’t bother me as much as they used to. There used to be a day when I would only watch a subtitled film if someone forced me to watch one in one of my high school classes. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I seek out movies with subtitles, but I no longer instantly reject them. In fact, before watching Leaving (Partir), I watched two other Kristin Scott Thomas French subtitled movies (Tell No One) e le Dis à Personne and (I’ve Loved You So Long) Il y a Longtemps que Je T’aime. I was a huge fan of I’ve Loved You So Long. I would have enjoyed Tell No One more had I been paying more attention to it. I may be willing to give it another chance one day. This brings up my next point with subtitled movies. If you hope to get anything out of a subtitled film, you’ve got to devote your 100% attention. I did that with I’ve Loved You So Long, and I did that with 2009’s Leaving as well.
Drive (2011)
Original review – September 18, 2011 | Updated review August 12, 2013
Updated review****
This movie is a classic. I had a couple of original problems based on my initial view. The preview made it seem like it would be a completely different movie. I hadn’t prepared myself for the violence or all of the overlapping storylines that were going on. I thought I would watch Ryan Gosling drive bad guys around and avoid the police. The movie trailer is essentially the film’s first five minutes (nothing more, nothing less). I expected something different, which is why my initial review was lower than it is now.
I loved Gosling and Mulligan. I loved the way the unspoken attraction they had for one another. I loved how Gosling did everything he could, not getting attached to somebody he couldn’t just walk away from in five minutes, but how circumstances kept driving them together to the point where he would do anything to keep them happy and safe.
Rosemary’s Baby (1968)
Roman Polanski’s (The Pianist, Chinatown) first American film, 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, is a classic film that has held the test of time and should be viewed by every film fan at least once. Though classified primarily as a horror film, it isn’t scary compared to today’s movies. However, it does have a certain eeriness that only the legendary film directors (such as Alfred Hitchcock in Psycho and others) could capture in that day and age. It’s neither the darkness nor the freaky-looking characters that establish the fear. Instead, the fascinating, web-weaving storyline captures the audience’s interest for the film’s duration.
The Crazies (2010)
I had one primary reason for watching this movie: Timothy Olyphant was the star. Olyphant was an actor I had not even heard of one year ago. F/X had a new show this season called Justified, and Olyphant was the star. I gave the show a chance. It hooked me from the first scene in the first episode. There are many reasons why I like the television show, but one of those is Olyphant. He plays the role of US Marshall well. So, I have been looking back at Olyphant’s filmography and saw he had the leading role in The Crazies. I like Olyphant, and horror movies generally perk my interest, so checking this film out was a no-brainer.