Maxim’s Movie Reviews and Opinions Blog

Transsiberian (2008)

The plot: An American couple, Roy (Woody Harrelson) and Jessie (Emily Mortimer) take a 7-day train ride from China, where they completed  a church humanitarian mission, to Moscow on Trans-Siberian railroad. On the train they meet another young couple, a Spaniard Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) and his girlfriend Abby (Kate Mara). Carlos may be running drugs, [...]

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RocknRolla (2008)

This is the first installment of director Guy Ritchie’s trilogy, also written by him.
The plot: When Russian mobster sets up a real-estate scam in London, all the underworld characters appear to get their share of the multi-million euro deal up for grabs. Some of those characters are small-time crooks like One-Two (Gerard Butler), [...]

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Pineapple Express (2008)

After Seth Rogen and his buddy Evan Goldberg wrote the script for Superbad when they were 15 years old, they also were itching to write a script for an action movie, but with a twist. Nobody has done this before: if an action movie married a stoner comedy and they had a child, and that [...]

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Enemy of the State (1998) DVD

Ridley Scott’s brother Tony directed this action flick starring Will Smith, Jon Voight, Gene Hackman, Lisa Bonet, Jack Black, Gabriel Byrne, and . He’s also known for producing series Numb3rs and The Company and films like Assassination of Jesse James by the coward Robert Ford and directing such movies as [...]

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The Bank Job (2008)

This is an excellent heist movie based on real events. Directed by Roger Donaldson (The World’s Fastest Indian, The Recruit, Thirteen Days, Dante’s Peak, Species etc.). Written by Dick Clement (Across the Universe, Flushed Away) and Ian La Frenais (also worked on the latter two movies). Starring Jason Statham. Lionsgate Films.
The plot: [...]

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I live in LA, and I remember a recent “episode” that was all over local news when a security camera noticed the ambulance pull over in Skid Row and dump a lady with head trauma with almost no clothes on the street. The lady was disoriented, didn’t know where she was and had bandages over [...]

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Beowulf (2007)

Just came out of the theatre. Saw it in both regular and 3D. This movie should only be seen in 3D! Completely different experience.
The plot is based on the only known surviving Anglo-Saxon poetry manuscript about a warrior Beowulf, hero of Geats (a.k.a. Goths, Swedes)  in 6th century A.D. who defeated three antagonists: the [...]

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This new classic in the gangster genre was directed by legendary director and producer Ridley Scott. Denzel Washington plays Manhattan drug-king-pin-turned-informer Frank Lucas, who was a driver, bodyguard and confidant for one of the Harlem’s crime bosses, and replaced him after boss died in the late 60s. Frank Lucas came up with a novel way to import and distribute heroin. Russel Crowe plays a NYPD officer Richie Roberts. Both men have something in common: each one are religeously following their ethical code, but on opposite sides of the law.
All performances were really strong, from main characters to every last supporting actor. Very entertaining film despite 2 hours 40 minutes run time. Soundtrack was awesome.

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Pretty good movie, with a lof of similarities to Mystic River - a novel also written by Denis Lehane. I recommend to see it. It could be the “Crash” of 2007.

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