Reel Movie Thoughts

The first 25 emails to reelmoviethoughts@gmail.com will win a complimentary movie pass for the screening of Universal’s SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD in Houston, TX on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. The screening will be held at the Edwards Grand Palace 24 (3839 Weslayan @ SW Freeway).

Please note that seats are not guaranteed, are limited to theater capacity and are on a first come, first served basis. No passes available after the first 25 emails.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is rated PG-13 for stylized violence, sexual content, language and drug references.

The first 25 emails to reelmoviethoughts@gmail.com will win a complimentary movie pass for the screening of Universal’s SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD in San Antonio, TX on Thursday, August 5, 2010 at 7:30 p.m. The screening will be held at the Santikos Silverado (11505 W. Loop 1604 @ Bandera Rd., San Antonio).

Please note that seats are not guaranteed, are limited to theater capacity and are on a first come, first served basis. No passes available after the first 25 emails.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD is rated PG-13 for stylized violence, sexual content, language and drug references.

The first 25 emails to reelmoviethoughts@gmail.com will win a complimentary movie pass for the screening of THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED in Houston, TX on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 7:30 p.m.

The screening will be held at the Angelika Film Center (510 Texas @ Bayou Place). Please note that seats are not guaranteed, are limited to theater capacity and are on a first come, first served basis. No passes available after the first 25 emails.

THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED is rated R for violent content, pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity.

Synopsis: Angelina Jolie stars in Salt, a contemporary action thriller from Columbia Pictures. 
As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt (Jolie) swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Salt’s efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues and the question remains: “Who Is Salt?” –© Sony

WHO’S WHO IN SALT

Starring: Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andre Braugher, Daniel Olbrychski

Director: Phillip Noyce

Writer: Kurt Wimmer

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Production Companies: Relativity Media, Di Bonaventura Pictures

Original Music: James Newton Howard

Cinematography: Robert Elswit

Film Editing: Stuart Baird, John Gilroy

Production Design: Scott Chambliss

Art Direction: Teresa Carriker-Thayer

Set Direction: Leslie E. Rollins

Costume Design: Sarah Edwards

MOVIE TRIVIA

Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Tagline: Who is Salt?

Runtime: 100 minutes

MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action.

Filming locations: New York (Albany, Lloyd Harbor, New York City, Long Island, Hudson River, White Plains), Washington DC

TRAILER: SALT

REEL MOVIE THOUGHTS REVIEW AND RATINGS:

In SALT, Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie) is a CIA agent accused of being a double agent by a Russian defector (Daniel Olbrychski). The film follows Salt’s mission to clear her name, prove her loyalties, protect her civilian husband (August Diehl) and prevent an international incident. The talented cast includes Liev Schreiber as Ted Winter, the CIA agent who believes Salt is innocent and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Peabody, the counter-intelligence official who doesn’t – sending out the troops to bring her in.

Jolie’s daredevil stunts and a pulsing and suspenseful score by James Newton Howard don’t quite make up for the unbelievable story but this espionage thriller is not an altogether unpleasant way to spend an afternoon. One of the film’s most compelling mysteries is whether or not Salt is, in fact, a double agent. Or maybe she’s even a triple agent? Regardless of who Salt is and what side she’s really on, the film works because Jolie is a plausible, intriguing and captivating action heroine.

Reel Movie Thoughts entertainment rating: 3.5/5

Reel Movie Thoughts award-worthy rating: 3/5

Sources: IMDb: SALT;  Rotten Tomatoes: SALT; Movie Poster: SALT

Synopsis: In the latest installment, Nanny McPhee appears at the door of a harried young mother, Mrs. Isabel Green, who is trying to run the family farm while her husband is away at war. But, once she’s arrived, Nanny McPhee discovers that Mrs. Green’s children are fighting a war of their own against two spoiled city cousins who have just moved in and refuse to leave. Relying on everything from a flying motorcycle and a statue that comes to life to a tree-climbing piglet and a baby elephant who turns up in the oddest places, Nanny McPhee uses her magic to teach her mischievous charges five new lessons.

WHO’S WHO IN NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS

Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Ewan McGregor, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Emma Thompson, Maggie Smith, Rhys Ifans

Director: Susanna White

Writers: Christianna Brand (books), Emma Thompson (screenplay)

Studio: Universal Pictures

Production Companies: Studio Canal, Relativity Media, Working Title Films, Three Strange Angels

Original Music: James Newton Howard

Cinematography: Mike Eley

Film Editing: Sim Evan-Jones

Production Design: Simon Elliott

Art Direction: Suzanne Austin, Bill Crutcher, Nick Dent, Gary Jopling

Costume Design: Jacqueline Durran

MOVIE TRIVIA

Genre: Comedy, Family, Fantasy

Tagline: You’ll Believe That Pigs Can Fly!

Runtime: 109 minutes

MPAA Rating: PG for rude humor, some language and mild thematic elements.

Filming locations: England (Hambleden, Buckinghamshire; London; Marble Hill House, Richmond Road, Twickenham, Middlesex; Senate House, University College London, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London; Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey)

OFFICIAL WEBSITE: NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS

TRAILER: NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS

Sources: IMDb: NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS; Movie Poster: NANNY MCPHEE RETURNS

Synopsis: Two men – one in his twenties, the other nearer forty, both intensely focused on the task at hand – line the inside of a transit van with plastic. Shopping, they buy a drill, a mattress and other supplies. In a small flat they assemble a bed for the mattress and staple foam insulation and board to the walls and windows of a bedroom. Then, their meticulous preparations complete, they kidnap a young woman. They drag her from the street into the back of the van and, with a bag over her head and a ball gag in her mouth, take her back to the flat, tying her to the bed in the room they have converted into a prison cell.

The kidnappers are Danny (Martin Compston) and Vic (Eddie Marsan), two ex-cons planning to make a mint on the ransom for the young woman. The younger, nervier of the two, Danny defers to the more experienced Vic, who acts with a steely conviction. Their hostage is Alice Creed (Gemma Arterton), daughter of a rich businessman, chosen by Vic and Danny as their passport to a better life. Terrified and immobile at first, it some becomes clear that Alice isn’t about to leet her captors use her as capital without a fight. As determined to escape as Vic and Danny are to succeed, Alice enters into a battle of the wills which strains the already fractious relationship between the two men. As the deadline for the exchange draws nearer, all three are brought close to breaking point, with Vic and Danny’s foolproof plan descending into a desperate struggle for survival.

A taut, emotionally intense thriller, the debut feature from writer-director J Blakeson eschews genre convention, generating tension from the sexual and psychological ties that bind captive to captors.

WHO’S WHO IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED

Starring: Gemma Arterton, Martin Compston, Eddie Marsan

Director: J Blakeson

Screenwriter: J Blakeson

Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment

Production Companies: CinemaNX

Original Music: Marc Canham

Cinematography: Philipp Blaubach

Film Editing: Mark Eckersley

Production Design: Ricky Eyres

Art Direction: Sally Black

Costume Design: Julian Day

MOVIE TRIVIA

Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense

Runtime: 100 minutes

MPAA Rating: Rated R for violent content, pervasive language and some sexuality/nudity

Filming locations: Douglas, Isle of Man

TRAILER: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED

Sources: IMDb: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED; Rotten Tomatoes: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED; Official website: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALICE CREED