atonement Tagged Articles at Cinematical

We're used to seeing women in peril on the big screen every day; Mary Sues, damsels in distress, call it what you want -- but the sad truth is that for most women, being victimized isn't just limited to the box office. The recent events surrounding Rhianna and Chris Brown have brought the issue of domestic abuse into the spotlight once again, and the disturbing fact remains that most young girls still have some very strange ideas about what constitutes abuse. So while most celebrities don't like to be role models (because they need role models themselves), it's nice to see someone in 'Young Hollywoood' take a stand. Keira Knightley is now starring in a PSA that will be shown on TV and in theaters in the UK about domestic violence for the charity Women's Aid.

The ad has Knightley leaving the set to come home to a jealous and abusive boyfriend, as the abuse continues you see the camera pull away with the tag line, "Isn't it time someone called cut?" as you hear Knightley screaming in the background. The shocking (but highly effective) spot was directed by Joe Wright, who directed Atonement and Pride and Prejudice with Knightley and everyone involved devoted their time for free for the PSA. The ad will begin airing in the UK on April 6th, with an extended version shown in theaters in front of over 15 films.

Do Wright and Knightley take things too far here in depicting domestic violence, or do you feel it's necessary to take things to a very nasty place in order to get the message across?

Over at USA Today, they've got a first look at Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx in The Soloist, due out November 21st. Based on a true story, Downey Jr. plays Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez, who discovers a schizophrenic music prodigy (Foxx) living on Skid Row. On this role versus playing a superhero in Iron Man, Downey Jr. notes, "I've loved every part of Iron Man. But the last thing you want is to be seen as that guy, who just does that role." Funnily enough, he says this as he's about to play another real-life reporter not long after he took on the role of Paul Avery in Zodiac. Next up for Downey Jr.? Well, Superman, of course -- this way he can play superhero and reporter! The perfect mix! The Soloist also stars Stephen Root and Catherine Keener, and it was directed by Joe Wright (whose Atonement popped up on all sorts of awards lists last year).

Whaddya think? Can you see Jamie Foxx as a homeless, schizophrenic music prodigy?

Are films political? Do they fall into left-wing and right-wing camps? I would imagine that not all films have an agenda. Some films can be considered "great uniters," in that they bring together agreeing audiences from all over, films like the $200 million hits I Am Legend (264 screens) and National Treasure: Book of Secrets (177 screens) or a critical favorite like There Will Be Blood (339 screens) that has pleased nearly everyone who has seen it. Of course, There Will Be Blood is about a snaky, sinister, blustery oil baron willing to sacrifice his family, country and humanity for the allure of black gold, which may or may not have a little something to do with current events. (Not to mention that director Paul Thomas Anderson dropped the word "Oil" from the title of the source novel and replaced it with the word "Blood.")

In recent years it has been determined that film critics are a liberal bunch, educated, well-read men and women of letters, who can see and comprehend the human condition in films from different cultures all over the world. Or, they're sometimes known as pompous, ponderous, pretentious, conceited, snooty know-it-alls, lacking in good old-fashioned horse sense. "Why can't you just enjoy the movie," is a question very often asked of critics. Rambo (201 screens) is a fascinating case. It's impressively violent, but very grim and not much fun. Rambo debuted and reigned during the Reagan era (Rambo: First Blood Part II grossed three times the amount of the new film, even with 1985 ticket prices). Bringing him back in a decidedly different political atmosphere didn't seem to work, though the film was screened for the press and earned a few good reviews. It's now starting a downslide, and it's still shy of breaking even on its $50 million budget.

Welcome back to another installment of Insert Caption -- recently hailed as the number one most addictive online game by the staff at Cinematical and Moviefone. Last week, we asked you to cuddle up next to James McAvoy and Keira Knightley (which one do you think hogs the bed?) and give us your best captions for a photo from Atonement. There was a DVD and two pretty awesome beach cruisers at stake for one lucky winner. Congrats to Shane M. for blaming the whole thing on a little girl with a big mouth (I guess it's better than blaming it on a little guy with big muscles).

1. "I think we should blame it on Briony. What could she possibly do to get back at us?" -- Shane M.

See full image and all captions

And speaking of little guys and big muscles, this week we're taking a look at a photo from the very funny Run, Fat Boy, Run (which hits theaters on March 28), starring the always-reliable Simon Pegg as a guy who takes on some serious training in order to win back the girl he let get away. And if that doesn't look exactly like me when I'm at the gym -- wow, it's like staring into a wimpy mirror. Maybe I should shut up now. Anyway, winners of our three favorite captions will run, not walk, away with one Run, Fat Boy, Run poster, one sports bottle, one sweat band, one pair of running shorts and one Nike jacket. C'mon, it's officially Spring -- time to climb out of that cave and get into shape! Sound off below fitness freaks.

Read the official rules for this contest

Despite all the awards attention it received, Joe Wright's Atonement still sounds too much like a lushly romantic period melodrama for my personal taste. Still, it's one of those movies you probably need to experience yourself before deciding if the praise was too lavish (Ryan Stewart thought it was a "stunning achievement") or the criticism too harsh. The DVD from Universal Studios includes deleted scenes, two "making of" features, and an audio commentary by the director.

From all that I've read, Southland Tales sounds like an astonishing train wreck. Nick Schager began his review for Cinematical by writing: "Let me present Exhibit A in the case against granting talented young filmmakers extensive creative autonomy." Given my perverse nature, that makes me want to see Richard Kelly's futuristic epic even more. The DVD from Sony Pictures includes a "featurette" and an animated short.

Steep presents thrilling footage of big mountain skiers who swoosh down incredibly steep slopes. As I noted in my review, though, I felt it raised more questions than it wanted to answer. The DVD from Sony Pictures includes an audio commentary by director Mark Obenhaus with some of the skiers, photo montages, and an additional interview with one of the sport's masters.

Though it was ignored during last fall's awards season, Mike Newell's Love in the Time of Cholera might be ripe for discovery. (On the other hand, Jeffrey M. Anderson really didn't like it.) Javier Bardem and Benjamin Bratt star in an adaptation of the novel by Gabriel García Márquez. The DVD from New Line includes an audio commentary by Newell, a "making of" feature, and deleted scenes.

Welcome all to another unbelievable edition of Insert Caption (as seen on the widely popular Cinematical.com)! Last week, we asked you folks to put on your best Jerry Seinfeld impersonation for an image from the comedian's animated flick Bee Movie (now out on DVD). While we got a lot of captions with the words 'honey' and 'what's the deal with ..., ' I don't believe we received any that went something like, "What's the deal with honey?" Yeah ... so what's the deal with that? Congrats to David L. for providing us with a winning caption ... about nothing.

1. "It's not so much that he talks, dear, but that he's actually talking about NOTHING!" -- David L.

2. "Yes, I get it dear, "Bee Mine." But this, this is my freakin' Valentine's Day
gift???" -- Eric S.

3. "I'm sorry sweetie, were you talking? I was just thinking about my enormous chin." -- Eric A.

See full image and all captions

This week we have something very cool (and healthy!) in store for you. Not only will you get to take home a copy of the brand spanking new Atonement DVD (out March 18), but one lucky winner will also ride away with super cool his and hers beach cruisers (as pictured below -- click to enlarge)! With only a few months before summer hits, why not make it so you'll be hittin' the beach in style. Check 'em out folks ...

... now all you have to do is give us your most wittiest caption for the photo below from the hit Oscar-winning movie Atonement, starring the very lovely Keira Knightley and equally as lovely James McAvoy (guys can be lovely if they have an accent, right?). Remember, Atonement hits DVD on March 18. Now sound off below ...

Read the official rules for this contest

Analyzing the weekend box office returns, Leonard Klady of Movie City News saw "no great Oscar box office surge," though No Country for Old Men enjoyed an upward swing; based on his estimates, Best Foreign-Language Film Oscar winner The Counterfeiters (Sony Pictures Classics) topped the indie charts. Hailing from Austria, The Counterfeiters tells "one of the most interesting stories to come out of World War II," wrote Christopher Campbell, though he felt it was "not quite a great film." The Counterfeiters averaged $12,330 per-screen at the seven locations where it played.

French master Jacques Rivette's latest, The Duchess of Langeais (IFC Films) struck Ryan Stewart as similar to La Vie en Rose "in that it works just well enough to support a dynamic performance but contains too many structural oddities, fights too many directorial idiosyncracies and stifles its own momentum too much to succeed on the whole." Rivette's fans came out at both theaters where it opened, averaging $11,250 per screen, according to Box Office Mojo.

Well, the Oscars are a wrap. You can see all the winners right over here.
Cinematical staff did pretty well with our predictions, and so did our readers. You guys picked the winners for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Actor, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Adapated Screenplay -- the same categories we got right. We missed Best Doc and both actress categories. Not bad overall.

What do you think about this year's Oscars? Did you think Jon Stewart did a good job with the hosting? Aside from the part where he kind of disappeared for the last hour, but I guess they usually do that towards the end when everyone wants to wrap it up already and get to the parties. What were the big surprises of the night? Any huge disappointments? (Go ahead, anti Diablo Cody contingent. You can say it.)

Oh, and who looked awesome, and who didn't? I thought Marion Cotillard, Helen Mirren, Jennifer Garner and Anne Hathaway had the best looks of the night among the ladies. On the guy's side, Johnny Depp and George Clooney both looked hot, and so did Denzel Washington. And Glen Hansard ... yeah, he was adorable too. I'm just saying.

Time for your thoughts on Hollywood's big night -- discuss away!

If you still haven't seen all the Oscar-nominated films, you're not alone. I still haven't seen a number of them, and I have less excuse than most people. After all, I live in a city in which pretty much every nominee has played. Some major contenders I haven't gotten around to -- with little reason for not -- include Atonement, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and Into the Wild, all of which are still in theaters and are probably best to see on the big screen.

Apparently, at least according to Variety, a lot of people are seeing the Oscar nominees on the big screen compared to in previous (recent) years, as cumulatively the five Best Picture contenders have seen a significant bump at the box office since the nominations were announced. I would be extremely excited if I didn't believe the truth is that Juno's tremendous success has elevated the Best Picture box office average. The comedy is showing on far more screens, is much more accessible to a wide audience and has so far earned twice as much money domestically as the next highest-grossing Best Picture nominee. Variety also this week had published a story about how Juno is the one movie that may save the Oscar telecast's ratings, since it's the one movie people have actually been able to or bothered to see. One thing I will note, though, is that Best Picture nominee Michael Clayton came out on DVD this past Tuesday and yet there was still a significant number of people seeing it in theaters through the week. Additionally, I would be interested to know how many people took advantage of yesterday's AMC Theatres-hosted Best Picture marathon.

Forget about the nuances of cinematography, the precision requirements of editing, the challenges of costume design, and the dazzle of visual effects. All we really want from a movie is a great quote! I'm kidding, of course -- we want more than quotes -- but every screenwriter dreams that one of his lines will join the immortals ("Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," "Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown"). What are the best candidates from this year's crop of Best Picture nominees?

There Will Be Blood surely must have the edge so far. Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) explains the facts of life to Eli Sunday (Paul Dano) and utters the memorable rejoinder: "I... drink... your... milkshake!" The quote has already taken on a life of its own.

Juno has so many it's hard to choose. Paulie (Michael Cera) says, "I still have your underwear" and Juno (Ellen Page) replies, "I still have your virginity." I also like Juno's dad (J.K. Simmons): "Thanks for having me and my irresponsible child over to your house. "

Michael Clayton is epitomized by George Clooney's line as the titular attorney: "I'm not the guy you kill. I'm the guy you buy!"

Atonement caught my attention when young Briony (Saoirse Ronan) confides in a friend: "What's the worst word you can possibly imagine?"

No Country for Old Men is more about atmosphere and landscape than dialogue, but it's hard to resist: "You can't stop what's coming," spoken by a weather-beaten yet wise Barry Corbin.

Now it's your turn. What are your favorite quotes from this year's Academy Award nominees for Best Picture?