Maxim’s Movie Reviews and Opinions Blog

The Proposal (2009)

Talented Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses, Step Up), a choreographer, an actress and a film producer, directed “The Proposal” – a romantic comedy starring Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.
The plot: Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock), chief editor or a publishing house, is a monstrous boss. When her visa application is denied ans she is threatened [...]

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Joyeux Noel (2005)

“Joyeux Noël” (”Merry Christmas” (UK/US title) or “Happy Christmas”) is a drama set in 1914 during World War I and is inspired by a true story. The film is an international project involving people and locations from France, Germany, UK, Romania and Belgium. The movie is in English, German and French, with English [...]

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I Love You, Man (2009)

“I Love You, Man” is a romantic comedy from John Hamburg (Along Came Polly, co-writer of Meet The Parents, Meet The Fockers, Zoolander) starring Paul Rudd (Knocked Up, Role Models, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Walk Hard, The 40 Year Old Virgin etc.) and Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall).
The plot: Peter Klaven [...]

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Revolutionary Road (2008)

“Revolutionary Road” is a drama set in 1950s based on Robert Yates’s novel and directed by Sam Mendes (Jarhead, Road to Perdition, American Beauty) starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and Kathy Bates.
The plot: A young couple living in mid-1950s in a Connecticut suburb is going through mid-life crisis while trying to raise [...]

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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 [...]

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Apocalypto (2006)

Apocalypto, 3-Oscar-nominated drama is written and directed by Mel Gibson and produced by his company, ICON Productions and distributed by Touchstone Pictures.
The plot: Before conquistadors arrived in America, the Mayan culture was already in decline. The priests convinced people that the solution to their problem is in building more temples and performing more [...]

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In The Valley of Elah (2007)

This crime drama is based a true story by Mark Boal and published in Playboy Magazine. Written, directed and produced by Paul Haggis (Letters from Iwo Jima Crash and Million Dollar Baby) and starring Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Josh Brolin and Jason Patric. 
The plot: When his son is reported [...]

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Another wonderful movie based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri directed and produced by Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding (2001), Vanity Fair (2004)) starring Irfan Khan and Kal Penn.
The plot: In the late 60s-early 70s Ashoke Ganguli (Irfan Khan) was traveling on the train to his grandfather in Calcutta and reading a book by Nicholai [...]

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Evan Almighty (2007)

A.k.a. “Bruce Almighty-2″, this is a sequel directed by same Tom Shadyac and starring Morgan Freeman as God and Steve Carell as TV anchorman-turned Congressman Evan Baxter.
The plot: Evan Baxter retires as Buffalo newscaster to become the Congressman for his state with the slogan “Change the World!”. Then magic begins to happen: [...]

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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 [...]

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The plot: Post-World War II Italy is going through devastating period of depression. A job is hard to come by. Antonio Ricci manages to get a job after two years of unemployment: to drive around Rome and put up posters of Rita Heyworth, and it requires a bicycle. His bicycle is broken and he [...]

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Road To Perdition (2002)

The plot: Mike Sullivan (Tom Hanks) works as a hit man and enforcer for crime boss John Rooney (Paul Newman), whom he views as a father figure. However after his son witnessed a killing he has done Rooney’s own sun (Daniel Craig) kills Mike’s wife (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and other son, [...]

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From the director of Mr. & Mrs. Smith and The Bourne Supremacy Doug Liman comes this action movie based on novel by Steven Gould.
The plot: David Rice (Hayden Christinsen, earlier Max Thieriot) discovers that he has a power to teleport himself anywhere on Earth. After having some fun with his power, he realises he [...]

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Click (2006)

Not a big fan of Adam Sandler, who always plays the same character: a good-hearted childish idiot. I’d never pay $10 for the movie ticket to see Adam Sandler, but I thought if I rent a DVD for less then a $1 he’d go well with my evening cup of tea.
The plot: Michael [...]

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This is a feel-good drama starring Hollywood sweethearts John Cusack and Amanda Pete based on a novel “Martian Child” by David Gerrold.
The plot: a widowed science fiction writer, who writes about Mars, decides to adopt a child. He picks a 6-year old who claims he’s from Mars. A series of events happen that make [...]

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