Richard Portnow

Richard Portnow

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Cafe Society Trailer


Café Society offers a glimpse in to the world of Hollywood in the 1930's. With its narrative following Bronx-born, Bobby Dorfman (Jesse Einsenberg) on his romantic journey following his dreams, in both Hollywood and New York.

At the beginning of the film Bobby works for his uncle in Hollywood where he falls in love with his charming assistant Vonnie, on finding out she has a boyfriend he settles for friendship. However when she breaks up with him Bobby wastes little time and proposes to her. All seems to be going well until an unexpected turn of events happen and Bobby ends up fleeing to New York heartbroken.

On returning to New York he works for his gangster brother Ben who is now the owner of a nightclub "Les Tropiques" which is where he is first introduced to Veronica. The couple marry and seem to be living happily until one night when Vonnie arrives at the club and events change once again. This film is charming in its diverse representations of the 30's from down town New York to the scandals of Manhattan's elite.

Oldboy - Clip


The latest clip from 'Oldboy' featuring a very unstable and mentally damaged Joe Doucett on his release from his 20 years imprisonment is now available to watch online. When Joe finds himself trapped in a cell with no window and barely more than a bed, a TV and a bible, it's only the beginning of a nightmare that would potentially be endless. He discovers that he is wanted as the prime suspect in the brutal murder of his ex-wife who leaves behind a daughter. All he can do is work out, grieve over her death and ponder the whereabouts of his beloved little girl. Eventually, 2 decades later, he is released with a wad of cash in his jacket though it seems he is not free from the taunts of his captor who forces him to wonder just why he was released.

'Oldboy' is a twisted thriller based on the original 2003 South Korean movie of the same name which was written by Garon Tsuchiya and Nobuaki Minegishi. This adaptation has been directed by the Oscar nominated Spike Lee ('Malcom X', 'Do The Right Thing') and written by Mark Protosevich ('I Am Legend', 'The Cell'). It is due to be released on November 27th 2013.

 

Oldboy - Featurette


'Oldboy' is an intense mystery thriller about a man who is locked up for 20 years before being suddenly released with a pocket full of cash and no explanation. Main star Josh Brolin, his co-star Michael Imperioli, director Spike Lee and screenwriter Mark Protosevich among others talk about the flick in a short featurette.

Continue: Oldboy - Featurette

Oldboy Trailer


When Joe Doucett suddenly wakes up one morning to find himself imprisoned in a cell with little more than a bed, a TV and a bible, his first thought is some sort of terrible nightmare. But things get worse when a news broadcast states that he is the prime suspect in the murder of his ex-wife and mother of his child Donna Hawthorne, and his daughter has been subsequently adopted. He spends his hours dwelling on Donna's death, working out, boxing, self-harming and talking to stray mice until one day, 20 years later, he finds himself climbing out of a trunk in a field very well-groomed and dressed smartly with a wad of cash in his jacket. He embarks on a mission to kill the man who took his liberty while falling in love with the beautiful Marie, who tries to help him re-build his life. However, he soon releases that he is less free than he thought as his captor continues to taunt him with questions of why he imprisoned him and why he let him go.

Continue: Oldboy Trailer

Hitchcock Review


Good

What could have been an intriguing look at how Alfred Hitchcock created one of his most iconic masterpieces is instead turned into a gently entertaining romp. We may enjoy watching the twists and turns as this troubled project takes shape, but the script simply never breaks the surface or gives its stars any real depth to play with. So in the end, the most engaging thing about the film ends up being the portrayal of Hitchcock's marriage.

The story starts with the 1959 premiere of North by Northwest, a hit that critics dismissed as more of the same from a master resting on his laurels. So Hitchcock (Hopkins) decides to give them something unexpected, and takes his first foray into horror based on the little-known novel Psycho, a fictionalised story about a real serial killer. Working closely with his wife Alma (Mirren) on every aspect of the film, he is in constant conflict with the studio chief (Portnow) and the chief censor (Smith), who both believe the material is too strong. Meanwhile, Alma is tired of him flirting with his leading ladies (Johansson and Biel), so she takes a side job with a writer (Huston) who wants to be more than friends.

Oddly, neither director Gervasi (Anvil) nor writer McLaughlin (Black Swan) seems interested in getting beneath the surface of their central character, so Hitchcock is little more than the jovial caricature we saw in his TV anthology series. Hiding under layers of prosthetic face and body fat, Hopkins is good but never seems to break a sweat in the role. Which leaves Mirren to steal the film as Alma, mainly by departing from reality to create a more intriguing movie character instead. And Collette adds some spice as Hitchcock's assistant. But as the cast of Psycho, Johansson (as Janet Leigh), Biel (Vera Miles) and D'Arcy (Anthony Perkins) are only given small details to define them, which leaves them lurking uninterestingly around the edges.

Continue reading: Hitchcock Review

Hitchcock Trailer


Alfred Hitchcock was in his sixties and struggling to come up with a fresh idea for a new movie; that was until the notoriously terrifying story of 'Psycho' by Robert Bloch came along in 1959. Arguably one of his best ideas for a movie to date, the Oscar nominated Hitchcock set to work pulling it together despite the extreme scepticism of his wife Alma Reville and Paramount Pictures who disapproved of the degree of horror the movie maker was planning to utilise. In fact, he was so confident that he was willing to pour in thousands of dollars for the film to be made when he was refused his usual budget from the studio; an action that Alma found irresponsible and rather worrying.

'Hitchcock' is drama biopic strongly focused on Alfred's often strained though very loving relationship with his wife and has been based on the book 'Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho' by Stephen Rebello. Directed by Sacha Gervasi ('Anvil: The Story of Anvil' documentary) and written by BAFTA nominee John J. McLaughlin ('Man of the House', 'Black Swan'), this is story of how 'Psycho', one of the greatest films of all time, was made including its inspiration from real-life Winconsin murderer and grave robber Ed Gein. It is set for release on February 8th 2013 in the UK.

Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Hopkins, James D'Arcy, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, Ralph Macchio, Toni Collette, Judith Hoag, Danny Huston, Michael Wincott, Kurtwood Smith, Richard Portnow, John Rothman, Tara Summers, Helen Mirren.

Continue: Hitchcock Trailer

Double Bang Review


OK
It's double the Baldwins and Double the Bang in this insanely great direct-to-video flick!

Er, well, would you believe it's not that bad? Now that your expectations are appropriately middling, you might be able to appreciate Double Bang, a reasonably entertaining cop drama about an NYPD officer (William Baldwin) who gets all upset when he crooked partner (Adam Baldwin) ends up dead. Billy heads out on a vigilante mission, interrogating the usual suspects and dishing out his own brand of justice by turning the bad guys against their own.

Continue reading: Double Bang Review

Happy Accidents Review


OK

Recovering co-dependent Ruby Weaver has such bad luck with men that she and her girlfriends keep a shoebox of photos called "The Ex Files."

In the beginning of "Happy Accidents," writer-director Brad Anderson ("Next Stop Wonderland," "Session 9") shows us a comical montage of progressively eccentric examples: The Bad Actor, the Artist, the Fetishist, the Frenchman, the Junkie and the Abductee, who thought he'd been kidnapped by aliens.

Ruby (Marisa Tomei in an amusingly harried performance) hopes she's seen the worst of this trend and is, with the help of her intrusive therapist (the wonderfully wry Holland Taylor), beginning to curb her pathological urge to try to fix men that are beyond repair.

Continue reading: Happy Accidents Review

Richard Portnow

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Richard Portnow Movies

Cafe Society Trailer

Cafe Society Trailer

Café Society offers a glimpse in to the world of Hollywood in the 1930's. With...

Oldboy - Clip Trailer

Oldboy - Clip Trailer

The latest clip from 'Oldboy' featuring a very unstable and mentally damaged Joe Doucett on...

Oldboy Trailer

Oldboy Trailer

'Oldboy' is an intense mystery thriller about a man who is locked up for 20...

Oldboy Trailer

Oldboy Trailer

When Joe Doucett suddenly wakes up one morning to find himself imprisoned in a cell...

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Hitchcock Movie Review

Hitchcock Movie Review

What could have been an intriguing look at how Alfred Hitchcock created one of his...

Hitchcock Trailer

Hitchcock Trailer

Alfred Hitchcock was in his sixties and struggling to come up with a fresh idea...

Happy Accidents Movie Review

Happy Accidents Movie Review

Recovering co-dependent Ruby Weaver has such bad luck with men that she and her girlfriends...

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