THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT (2018)

Written & Directed By: Lars Von Trier 
Story By: Lars Von Trier & Jenle Hallund 
Cinematography: Manuel Alberto Claro 
Editor: Jacob Secher Schulsinger & Molly Marlene Stensgaard 


Cast: Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz, Uma Thurman, Riley Keough, Siobahn Fallon Hogan, Jeremy Davies, Sofie Grabol, Ed Speleers 


The story follows Jack, a highly intelligent serial killer, over the course of twelve years, and depicts the murders that really develop his inner madman.

MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND (2006)

Directed By: Ivan Reitman 
Written By: Don Payne 
Cinematography By: Don Burgess 
Editor: Wendy Greene Bricmont & Sheldon Kahn 


Cast: Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, Anna Faris, Eddie Izzard, Rainn Wilson, Wanda Sykes, Mark Consuelos 


When a regular guy dumps a superhero for her neediness, she uses her powers to make his life a living hell.

HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS (2002)

Directed By: Mira Nair 
Written By: Laura Cahill (Based On Her Play) 
Cinematography By: Declan Quinn 
Editor: Kristina Boden 

Cast: Uma Thurman, Juliette Lewis, Gena Rowlands, Justin Chambers, Ben Gazzara, Anthony De Sando, Callie Thorne Two friends lament their unhappy single lives while searching for Mr. Right in 1980s New Jersey.

BURNT (2015)

Directed By: John Wells 
Written By: Steven Knight 
Story By: Michael Kalesniko 
Cinematography By: Adriano Goldman 
Editor: Nick Moore 


Cast: Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Bruhl, Omar Sy, Uma Thurman, Alicia Vikander, Matthrew Rhys, Lily James, Henry Goodman 


The film is beautiful to look at but that might be the problem in itself. It seems to strive for something deeper a character study inside an ensemble, but it is beautiful people living extravagently beautiful life's of leisure. While having dream careers and fighting against or for perfection. That it makes the Audience hard to feel sorry for the characters.

JEFF OF THE CINEFILES: HALL OF FAME: FILE #0017: TAPE (2001)

Directed By: Richard Linklater
Written By: Steven Belber (Based on his play)
Cinematography By: Maryse Alberti
Editor: Sandra Adair

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Robert Sean Leonard, Uma Thurman

BEAUTIFUL GIRLS (1996)

Directed By: Ted Demme
Written By: Scott Rosenberg
Cinematography By: Adam Kimmel
Editor: Jeffrey Wolf

CAST: Timothy Hutton, Natalie Portman, Uma Thurman, Matt Dillon, Michael Rappaport, Noah Emmerich, Lauren Holly, Mira Sorovio, Rosie O’Donnell, David Arquette, Martha Plimpton, Annabeth Gish, Max Perlich, Pruitt Taylor Vince, John Carroll Lynch, Sam Robarbs

THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN

Directed By: Terry Gilliam
Written By: Terry Gilliam & Charles McKeown
Cinematography By: Guiseppe Rotunno
Editor: Peter Hollywood

Cast: John Neville, Eric Idle, Robin Williams, Sarah Polley, Jonathan Pryce, Oliver Reed, Uma Thurman, Charles McKeown, Sting, Jack Purvis

While not the crowd pleaser his earlier works had been. This is truly watching a natural storyteller tell a story with all the materials he could get his hands on. It is quite a remarkable film a little long but definitely worth watching. The film is a feast of costumes, production design, make-up, mattes, models and special effects to tell a story.

This film s a epic yet very simple. It’s like a bedtime story that is adequate for children but made for adults who have a need to see sincerity for there mind to be open for wonder and imagination.

The plot is exactly as the title says we watch as Baron Munchausen a fantasy world traveler goes on many adventures trying to find members of his old gang to help him stop the sultan from attacking the town in which he is staying. As the film goes on though we see that there are stories within stories within stories.

The cast is all spectacular and while not all the adventures are exciting or interesting. They are there for a reason a piece of the puzzle that is needed to be completed. The fun of this movie is you truly never know what is going to happen next because whatever it is it could never be too outlandish.

It’s a fun ride with it’s unpredictability A scene could be violent, Funny, Heartbreaking or magical. It would almost be perfect for the whole family though some scenes may not be appropriate for younger children. Plus the film may be a little too visceral for the kids even though it has a childlike innocence.

It bombed when it came out I can see why some might not like it.

This is a film I remember all the commercials and posters when it came out. I really wanted to see it but was worried it was a little too arty for me. I was 11 at the time.the commercial/preview which is included on the DVD made it seem like a fantasy comedy filled with tons of one-liners and I still remember to this day the vision of Uma Thurman coming out of a shell barely clothed. It was her entrance onto the screen and into my mind as she still is a screen goddess. The star John Neville should have become a star off of this film. At least a more respected actor as this is one of the only times he played a lead role.

This film is amazing and just the scope of it amazes you to the imagination it took to make this film and come up with this story that gives you a partial Don Quixote like hero. This was in the days when director Terry Gilliam could still get budgets to match his imagination and make it come true. He was at his creative peak. Which I now wonder if it has wavered over his last few films and dealing with studios to make it or has his imagination just gone too far to alienate conventional storytelling and entertaining audiences that at this point he only makes sense to him and his collaborators.

Either way and I don’t throw this term around lightly the man is a genius and I always await news of his new projects with excitement

This is Definitely one for the home library.

GRADE: A-

GATTACA (1998)

Cast: Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Elias Koates, Loren Dean, Alan Arkin, Jude Law, Blair Underwood, Gore Vidal, Xander Berkley, Maya Rudolph, Mason Gamble, William Lee Scott, Ernest Borgnine, Tony Shaloub, Ken Marino,

Written & Directed By: Andrew Niccol
Cinematography By: Slawomir Idziak
Editor: Lisa Zeno Churgin
Original Music By: Michal Nyman
Production Design: Jan Roelfs

The Scary thing about this movie is the thought that the film’s world is coming closer to being a reality. In the search for our planet to become a utopia instead of leaving things natural and up to chance or nature we constantly find ourselves wanting to control everything in our life and world. This film explores a world with those choices available and what it can do to people who strive for more then what has been decided for them.

The film is a eye opener just from a art direction stand point everything is post modern and clean. Nothing is out of place. The acting is phenomenal it is the film Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke fell in love on. Uma with her statuesque beauty was a natural for this film. This is one of the first times Ethan Hawke really impressed me as a actor it is also the first time I saw Jude law act. And it reminds me of what a wonderful actor he can be.

This is Andrew Niccol’s first film he wrote the Truman show and followed this film with the film S1mone and just like that film he is attracted to cold surreal images devoid of too much color very precise and very clean and clear. While having vivid ides and creativity and unforgettable surreal images like paintings

The film is one that is very unappreciated over time I would have hoped it would have become more popular but it is still a undiscovered gem. I like it as a sci-fi story that says more about the human spirit and humanity then it does about actual science. Then it also involves a murder mystery detective storyline. It does keep the story moving but it could have been dropped and still been a interesting film.

This is a film more for you to discover then me tell you too much about it just trust me see it I’m sure you will enjoy it. I could complain about the lack of minorities in this future but hey you have to pick and choose your battles and I don’t feel this film is overtly racist it just is what it is and as usual forgets about that component totally.

The story follows Ethan Hawke’s character who is deemed a genetic failure since he was born the natural way whose parents decide there next child will be designed. In his teens he runs away from home and ends up a janitor his future decided for him but he wants to become a astronaut so he goes underground and buys someone else’s identity and cells so that he can achieve this dream even going through painful and time consuming plastic surgery just to achieve it. He has the smarts for it but not the physical aspects and stamina says science and while he is going through preparations for his launch a murder happens at the facility and into his life a pair of detectives investigating it. It’s almost like CSI Where anything biological can give you away a spare hair, skin, Sweat. The enemy in this film that will betray you is your DNA

GRADE: A-