Film Screening 18th August, 2007

Poster for Reign Over Me

Reign Over Me 

8:00 PM, 18th August, 2007

  • M
  • 124 mins
  • 2007
  • Mike Binder
  • Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland

Not many movies have been able to successfully combine dark comedy and current event drama, but this one does it pretty well. I wont bother rehashing too much plot here because I think the less you know about the movie makes it more enjoyable to watch. That said, Adam Sandler's performance was refreshing and real. He was funnier than a lot of his recent comedies and Don Cheadle was believable as always.For those who'd like a basic run-down, Reign Over Me was written and directed by Mike Binder (The Upside of Anger) and is based on the chance encounter of two former college roommates at precisely the right moment in each man's life. Alan Johnson (Cheadle) is a successful Manhattan dentist who is overwhelmed by the responsibilities he has to his family and business partners. Charlie Fineman (Sandler) is a formerly gregarious guy who now endlessly plays videogames, refurbishes his kitchen and rides around on his motor scooter, blasting 1970s music through his headphones to block out the world after the tragic loss of his family.This film is not the stuff of legend, but it is well acted, including some interesting supporting roles by Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows and Mike Binder himself, and the soundtrack is great. It's definitely better than Saturday night re-runs!'

Tamara Lee

Poster for Perfect Stranger

Perfect Stranger 

10:04 PM, 18th August, 2007

  • M
  • 109 mins
  • 2007
  • James Foley
  • Halle Berry, Bruce Willis, Giovanni Ribisi

Rowena (Berry) is convinced that her best friend was killed by the shifty advertising executive Harrison Hill (Willis), and decides to work for him as a temp to get the evidence she needs to put him away. Discovering his penchant for online flirting, she also approaches him in internet chat rooms with the help of her tech-savvy associate Miles (Ribisi). With a paranoid wife, an attractive lesbian minder, and Miless not-so-hidden crush on Rowena thrown into the mix, there's no telling who really dunnit until the final reveal.Those of you who wouldn't mind the potential of seeing Halle prance around in Victoria's Secret lingerie have something to look forward to. Plus there's a few mildly thrilling scenes here and there. Throw in a finale that manages to out-ludicrous the finale of Gothika and a lot of computers doing things that computers can't do, and you've got an experience that should be quite enjoyable, for all the wrong reasons. '

Simon Tolhurst