Safe Haven

Movie Title--  Safe Haven

Release Year--  2013

Running Time--  1 Hour and 55 Minutes

Director--  Lasse Hallstrom

Cast--  Julianne Hough, Josh Duhamel, David Lyons, Noah Lomax, Mimi Kirkland, Cobie Smulders, Irene Ziegler

A mysterious woman arrives in Southport, North Carolina and after forming a bond with a widower and his children, must confront her dark past that she has been so desperately trying to escape from.

A young woman runs from her home after dropping a bloody knife, running to her neighbor's house looking for sanctuary.  She is then shown at the bus station with newly bleached, short hair.  She purchases a ticket and narrowly escapes the man chasing her.  The bus stops in Southport, North Carolina for a short break and after spending a few minutes there, she decides not to get back on the bus.

She finds a small house out in the middle of no where and then goes into town to pick up some supplies, where she meets Lexi (Mimi Kirkland), the daughter of the general store's owner and she introduces herself as Katie (Julianne Hough).  She then meets Alex (Josh Duhamel), Lexi's father, who immediately takes a liking to her and does small jobs for her to try to impress her.  Lexi takes an immediate liking to Katie but Alex's son, Josh (Noah Lomax), is resistant because he feels like she is trying to replace his mother.

Back in Boston, Kevin Tierney (David Lyons), the police officer that has been looking for Katie, uses his authority to put out an APB saying she is wanted for murder.  When Alex sees her picture at the police station, he confronts Katie.  He is angry that he has brought her into his life and around his children while all along she has been lying to him and doesn't even trust him enough to tell him what her story is or what her real name is.  He then tells her that she needs to leave.  Katie goes home and packs while her friend Jo (Cobie Smulders) tells her that she shouldn't just leave but Katie insists she has been in town for too long.  

Katie goes to the ferry where Alex finds her then admits that he has fallen in love with her and tells her that if she stays, he will protect her from anything.  She finally tells him that she is the wife of police officer Kevin Tierney.  She then goes on to say that she stabbed him in self defense and is on the run from him.  Meanwhile, in Boston, Kevin's boss has put him on unpaid leave because he has been drinking on the job.

Unknown to Katie, Kevin decides to take his time to search for her.  It is only a matter of time before Katie will find out if Alex really will be able to protect her or if she will be at the mercy of her cruel husband.

I enjoyed this film.  I won't lie, it is a chick flick, so it probably isn't going to be a choice that any of the guys out there that is looking for a film but for anyone looking for a love story, this is a pretty good one.  I feel like it isn't just a love story but also a story of overcoming your fears so that you can carry on with your life.  

This is based off the book "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks.  I am a fan of Nicholas Sparks, so I had a feeling that I would like this film and I wasn't disappointed.  I was already a fan of Josh Duhamel but other than seeing Julianne Hough on Dancing with the Stars, I haven't seen any of the other films she has been in, so I wasn't sure how I was going to like her performance in this film.  I can say for sure, that I thought she did an excellent job.  I was kinda blown away by the two children in the film, Noah Lomax and Mimi Kirkland, they did an amazing job and they are super cute.  

All in all, I think this film is just great.  As I said before, this may not be a film that a male would want to sit through but I think that it would be a great film to sit down to during girl's night.  Call your favorite girlfriends over for this one and Don't Forget the Popcorn!

The Duchess

Movie Title--  The Duchess

Release Year--  2008

Running Time--  1 Hour and 50 Minutes

Director--  Saul Dibb

Cast--  Kiera Knightly, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Simon McBurney, Aiden McArdle

A chronicle of the life of the 18th century aristocrat Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire.

Set in the late 18th century, the story starts when Georgiana is a young woman and is being set up to marry the much older William Cavendish, the 5th Duke of Devonshire.  The only stipulation is that she must provide him with a male heir.  After becoming the Duchess of Devonshire, she attends a political meeting with her husband but as the speeches are going on, he gets up and leaves.  She follows him out and asks if he is ill and he replies with politics bore him.  Feeling that someone needed to represent their donation, Georgiana goes back in and this becomes the start of her political career. 

Not long after the marriage the Duke brings a child into their home and Georgiana learns that the child is his illegitimate daughter.  The Duke tells Georgiana that she should practice her mothering skills with the girl and soon the two become very close.  The Duchess has two daughters but produces no sons, so the family goes away to Bath to drink the healing waters.  Once they are there, the Duke hits on a woman and Georgiana goes and introduces herself to the her, learning that her name is Lady Bess Foster.  They become fast friends and when it is time for them to return home, the Duchess gets the Duke to invite her to their home.

The Duke and Bess begin an affair and upon feeling the sting of betrayal, she begins her own affair with a young politician named Charles Grey.  Georgiana then tells her husband that she would make a deal with him, he could have Bess as his mistress as long as she could take Charles Grey as a lover.  He then tells her that he does not need to make deals with her because he holds all the power.  He then demands that Georgiana give him a son.  What happens to her makes her become wreck less and after the birth of her son, she takes back up with her lover and she is forced to make the biggest decision of her life.

I really enjoyed this film.  I found myself being very sympathetic toward Georgina because of her situation; she was a woman whom had to raise her husband's illegitimate child, had two girls and finally a son, and had her only friend become her husband's live in mistress.  All of that is before she took a lover, was forced to give him up and the consequences that came with all of that.  It just seemed so cruel and unfair to her.  I think the saddest part is that this was based on a true story, although since men had more authority then than they do now when it came to how they controlled their marriages that seems to be the kind of things that happened back then to some upper class women, just not quite as publicly as Georgiana had to deal with it.

Kiera Knightly is beautiful in this film.  I do have to say that I hated her hair throughout the film but a lot of that was wigs and not really her fault.  I am also a big fan of Ralph Fiennes; I like him in just about any role but I think I like him best when he plays a villainous role.

I would recommend this film to anyone looking for a little historical dramatization.  Get a few girlfriends over for this one and Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Rush

Movie Title--  Rush

Release Year--  2013

Running Time--  2 Hours and 3 Minutes

Director--  Ron Howard

Cast--  Chris Hemsworth, Daniel Bruhl, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Marie Lara, Christian McKay, Pierfrancesco Favino

The 1970's rivalry between Formula 1 drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda

As the images of the racetrack and action in the garage from the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring on August 1, 1976 fill the screen, a voice begins to talk about the statistics of Formula 1 racing.  He then introduces himself as Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl) and informs the audience that people know him for two things, the first being his rivalry with fellow driver, James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and the second is the event that would happen to him that very day.

The rivalry begins in 1970 at the Crystal Palace circuit in England when the two make contact and Hunt goes on to win the race.  Words are exchanged in the garage between the two of them.  

Lauda has a falling out with his father over wanting to be a race car driver and when he realize that he doesn't have his father's backing, he takes out a loan himself and buys his way onto BRM Formula One team.  When he goes to test drive the car, he meets his teammate Clay Regazzoni (Pierfrancesco Favino) for the first time.  Meanwhile after Hesketh Racing, the team James Hunt is driving for, hears about Lauda buying his way into Formula One, they soon follow suit.  Regazzoni gets hired by Scuderia Ferrari and he takes his teammate Lauda with him.  Lauda wins the World Championship that year.

At the end of the season Hunt's team, Hesketh, team closes up shop because they have failed to pick up a sponsor.  At the last second Hunt learns that McLaren has lost their driver and he goes for an interview.  He picks up the ride for the year.

The start of the 1976 season saw Lauda winning more races while Hunt is struggling to catch him in the points.  When Hunt wins the Spanish Grand Prix, Lauda complains and Hunt is soon disqualified for his car being too wide after a post race inspection.  McLaren then has some trouble complying to F1 rules after this and they suffer a series of setbacks.  It is during this time that Hunt learns that his wife is having an affair.  After their divorce, Hunt regains the competitive spirit he thought he had lost and it is announced that after an investigation, his disqualification in Spain has been overturned and he gains back the points he had lost.  

At the German Grand Prix in 1976 the conditions are really bad for racing and Lauda calls a drivers meeting to discuss canceling the race with everyone.  Hunt then speaks up and persuades the room to continue with the race, saying that Lauda would be the only person to benefit from having one less race to run.

What happens on the track that day will determine the outcome of not only the race but the lives of Hunt and Lauda and the rest of the season.

I thought this film was just amazing.  It truly is one of the better films I have seen lately.  The story was put together so that it was interesting and action packed with very little filler.  It successfully told the story of two men and their legendary rivalry without becoming wordy and boring.  It is a little bit long but in order to do these two men justice, it is well worth it.

Hemsworth and Bruhl are absolutely wonderful in this film.  Their onscreen chemistry was excellent and from the beginning the two of them make you feel like you are actually watching this real life rivalry unfold in front of you.  They story sucks you in and that is the best kind of film; when you feel like you are really there that is when you have the best movie going experience.

Prepare your snacks early for this one because you aren't going to want to miss a second of it and Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Need for Speed

Movie Title--  Need for Speed

Release Year--  204

Running Time--  2 Hours and 12 Minutes

Director--  Scott Waugh

Cast--  Aaron Paul, Dominic Cooper, Imogen Poots, Scott Mescudi, Rami Malek, Ramon Rodriguez, Harrison Gilbertson, Dakota Johnson, Michael Keaton

A street racer, fresh out of jail after being framed for manslaughter by his wealthy enemy races across country to join a race with revenge on his mind.

Toby Marshall (Aaron Paul) is a down on his luck mechanic trying to make ends meet and hold on to the garage that had once been his father's.  He and his crew enters street races after hours to help supplement their income.  Toby's former rival, Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), comes into town and makes a deal with Toby to build a rare Ford Shelby Mustang that had been worked on but not completed by the late Carroll Shelby; the deal is Toby would receive 25% of the car's selling price of 2 million dollars.  Toby takes the job although his crew disagrees with the decision.

When the car is complete there is a big party where the car is put up for auction.  At the party, Toby meets Julia (Imogen Poots), an Englishwoman that is working as a broker and agrees to pay more than $2 million for the car if it goes over 230 miles per hour.  The next day, Toby drives the car for her and she clocks it going 234 miles per hour and agrees to buy it for $2.7 million.

After Julia leaves, Dino challenges Toby to a winner take all race; Toby will get Dino's 75% from the sell of the car if he wins but will lose his 25% if he loses.  The race is from the mansion Dino's uncle owns to a bridge just over Interstate 684.  Toby agrees and Dino tells him that they are going to be racing his uncle's Koenigsegg Ageras and upon seeing that there are three identical cars, Toby's friend and partner at the garage, Pete Coleman (Harrison Gilbertson) asks if he can participate in the race, Dino agrees.  During the race, Toby gets an advantage, putting him in the lead and Pete helps to keep Dino back so he can't take the lead away.  As they enter the bridge, Dino gets frustrated that he is being held back and bumps the back of the car, sending the car in the air.  It bursts into flames and flips off the bridge, landing in a ravine.  Dino disappears from the scene and Toby is sent to jail for manslaughter.  

Two years later Toby is released on parole but Toby can only think of revenge.  He contacts Julia and asks to borrow the Shelby Mustang and explains that he wants to enter the De Leon that will be taking place in California in two days.  She arrives with the mustang and Benny (Scott Mescudi), one of Toby's crew gets the gang together for the two day, cross country trip to enter the De Leon and avenge Pete's death.

This film was not a hit with the critics but I thought it was just great.  I really think that Aaron Paul did an awesome job in this film and the members of his crew (Scott Medcudi, Rami Malek, Ramon Rodriquez) did just as well.  The film had everything that a fast pace action film should have; car chases, car crashes, comedy and even a little bit of a romance.  That brings me to the main focus of the film; the cars.

The cars are just awesome.  I feel like the Shelby Mustang pales when compared to the other cars in the film, like the Lamborghini, Bugatti and McLaren but only slightly.  Come into this film to look at the fast cars and the cool chases because the stunt driving in this film is quite excellent.  I will admit that there isn't anything in this "car chase film" that you haven't already seen in films similar to it but I feel like it was still very enjoyable.

For this film I say bring your expensive, fast car enthusiast friends over watch this one for the cars and stay for the rest of the components this film has to offer and Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Turbo

Movie Title--  Turbo

Release Year--  2013

Running Time--  1 Hour and 36 Minutes

Director--  David Soren

Cast--  Ryan Renyolds, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Samuel L. Jackson, Luiz Guzman, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, Snoop Dogg, Michelle Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins, Ken Jeong

A snail that dreams of being a racer has a chance to race in the Indianapolis 500 after an accident causes him to gain super speed.

Theo (Ryan Renyolds) is a snail that dreams of being the greatest racer in the world and in private calls himself Turbo.  His obsession with all things fast has made him an outcast from the rest of his community and he tends to be a constant embarrassment to his older brother Chet (Paul Giamatti).  At night Turbo stays up in the garage and watches tapes of his idol,  Guy Gange (Bill Hader).  He finds a chance to prove how fast he is but it goes horribly wrong, so, feeling demoralized and depressed, he wanders onto the freeway.  Upon seeing a star, he starts to make a wish only to get blown around in traffic.  He lands safely on the hood of a car but it starts up and starts to drag race with another car.  Turbo gets sucked into the engine of the car and his body becomes engulfed in nitrous oxide.  

He wakes up with incredible speed but before he gets to show everyone what he can do, an accident that he helps to facilitate causes the foreman to fire both him and his brother.  While they are arguing, a crow flies down and scoops up Chet so Turbo uses his new super speed to keep up with them and save his brother.  They are then caught by Tito (Michael Pena) and taken back to the Starlight Plaza to take part in a snail race that the employees of the plaza are having.  During the race he shows off his super speed and it gives Tito as idea about how to attract customers.  

Needing a better way to attract customers, Turbo gives Tito the idea to enter him the Indianapolis 500.  Tito pitches the idea to everyone in the Starlight Plaza and they all finally give in, all except his brother.  They load up the taco truck, take the $20,000 entrance fee and head to Indianapolis to not only join the race but try to win.

This film is only OK in my opinion.  Don't get me wrong, there are some really cute parts but overall, it really wasn't my cup of tea.  The story was just boring and way too far fetched, even for a cartoon.  I generally tend to like Paul Giamatti but in this film I did not.  It seemed like all his character ever did was yell and be negative and I just didn't enjoy his character.  I really feel like the characters in this film are very flat and perhaps not completely thought out.  Even Guy Gagne  tends to be exactly like the typical villain, only this time he happens to be in a driver's suit.

I know that this film is not going to hold the attention of a small child but I am not sure about an older children.  If you want to have movie night with the children in your life, I would suggest maybe skipping this one and digging out a Dreamworks classic (since after all, this film was produced by Dreamworks) and Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Senna

Movie Title--  Senna

Release Year--  2010

Running Time--  1 Hour and 45 Minutes

Film Type--  Documentary

Cast--  Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost, Sid Watkins

The story of Ayrton Senna; his career and untimely death in Formula One.

This film begins with Ayrton Senna's arrival to Formula One in 1984.  It then briefly focuses on his time with the Toleman and Lotus teams before shifting it's main focus to his time with the McLaren team.  

Senna joined the McLaren team in 1988, partnering him with fellow driver Alain Prost.  1988 is the year that Senna won his first World Championship with a little bit rivalry between him and Prost.  The next year however, the rivalry grew larger and more significant between the two men.  It soon became a political game, as Prost was close friends with the then head of FIA, Jean-Marie Balestre, and all the backlash tended to fall on Senna.  At the deciding race of the championship, there was an accident between Prost and Senna; Prost got out of the car and left the track and Senna reentered the race.  As soon as Prost saw this, he went straight to the top of FIA.  Senna went on to pass the leader after a pit stop repaired the front of his car and win the championship but it was then determined that he was disqualified for going back onto the track, giving Prost the win.  

The following year at the same track where Prost and Senna had collided, Senna made the pole but the start was changed to the dirty right side of the track and second place Prost, got the better position, on the high side of the track.  Prost needed to win this in order to take the championship.  When the race started, Prost quickly pulled ahead of Senna but at the first turn, Senna did not yield, spinning both cars out and making Senna the winner of the World Championship.

The following year, he won his third world championship, making him the youngest three time winner.  He left McLaren at the end of 1993 and moved on to the Williams team in 1994.

The 1994 season saw changes to the regulations.  The years before had seen new electronics placed in the cars and FIA thought it would be more for some of the less wealthy teams if most of the electronics were stripped from the cars.  The rule changes banned active suspension, ABS and traction control.  Senna often spoke of his discomfort when it came to the handling of his car.  

His final race was the San Marino Grand Prix in Imola, Italy.  Senna had not done so well at the first few opening races of the season and declared "This is where my season will start".  That Friday he landed the pole for the final time.  He complained that the car was generally worse after the engineers worked on it.  That Friday found his friend Rubens Barrichello in a bad accident, leaving Barrichello with a broken nose and arm.  That Saturday during qualifying, Roland Ratzenberger, a rookie from Austria was killed when his car hit a concrete wall.  Senna's friend Sid Watkins, the Medical Chief Professor, suggested to the very upset and tearful Senna that he should quit and go fishing but Senna replied that he could not quit.  These accidents very clearly had an effect on Senna.

At the start of the race, there was an accident right away when a car stalled on the track and another slammed into it from behind.  The pace car was sent onto the track and on lap 6 the race resumed.  Senna quickly set a fast pace however when he was rounding a turn during the 7th lap, his car left the race track and slammed into the wall.  He was removed from the car and was given car-side medical treatment and although he was airlifted to the closest hospital, his friend Sid Watkins, who was part of the onsite medical  crew, said he knew that Senna would not make it because he could tell that his brain stem was inactive.  After this accident, Sid Watkins was put in charge of safety for the sport.  Many safety improvement have been made since that weekend.

This film was amazing.  There is little to no formal commentary to this film, it is comprised of footage from the different racing events and from family home video.  There are points in the film where it doesn't actually feel like you are sitting through a documentary.  Although most people know what the outcome to this film is going to be, the way the information is presented is exciting.  It really did hold my attention the entire time.

I think this man was amazing.  It was almost as if he had speed in his veins.  He truly was a national treasure to his country and treated him like so.  The people of Brazil were captivated with him and he always showed pride for his homeland.  To me though, throughout the film when they showed him, he always seemed a little bit sad, especially toward the end.  Don't get me wrong, he always seemed to be smiling or generally happy but it always seemed like there was just a touch of something in his eyes that made my heart ache for him slightly.

I think that one of the best edited parts of the film is also the saddest.  At the San Marino Grand Prix, Senna had a camera in his car and it shows the entire lap until just a second before he spins out of control and hits the wall, at that point it switches to an on track camera.  Although I knew what was coming, I still cried.  It was sad to see this man that meant so much to his nation and that had done so much in a sport that he loved meet his end in this way.

Anyone that is a Formula One fan or even just a racing car far would enjoy this one.  It is a lot more fast paced than a normal documentary due to all the race footage that is in it.  Be warned, if you sit down for this one, prepare to do some reading (since after all, Formula One is more of a European sport), I would guestimate that more than half of the interviews are done in languages other than English but Don't Forget the Popcorn!

P.S.--This year on March 21 would  have been Ayrton Senna's 54th birthday and Google did a Google Doodle for him.  It was only seen in a handful of countries, so for the ones of us that did not get to view it, I am posting it below for all to enjoy.

Drive

Movie Title--  Drive

Release Year--  2011

Running Time--  1 Hour and 40 Minutes

Director--  Nicolas Winding Refn

Cast--  Ryan Gosling, Bryan Cranston, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Oscar Issac, Christina Hendricks, Ron Perlman, Kaden Leos

A Los Angeles wheelman for hire finds himself in trouble when he tries to help his neighbor.

An unnamed Driver (Ryan Gosling) works as a part time Hollywood stunt man and mechanic during the day and a getaway driver for robberies at night.  As a getaway driver, he only gives the robbers 5 minute window to do the entire job and reach his car before leaving the scene.  Both of his day jobs are managed by owner of the auto shop, Shannon (Bryan Cranston).

After the Driver befriends his new neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), he falls for her but things get complicated when her husband Standard (Oscar Isaac) is released from jail.  Standard gets beaten up after he is released because he owes money to the mob for being protected in prison.  Standard is told that he has to rob a pawn shop in order to keep his family safe and Irene's son, Benicio (Kaden Leos) reveals to the Driver that one of the men that beat his father threatened his life by telling him to hold onto a bullet.

The Driver, wanting to keep Irene and Benicio safe offers to be the getaway driver for the pawn shop heist but things go terribly wrong, forcing the Driver into a dangerous game for his life and the lives of the two people he loves.

I did not like this film.  Maybe I didn't understand it but it just wasn't enjoyable at all to me.  More than once I found my mind wandering away from the screen.  There wasn't a whole lot of dialogue in this film and I think that is one reason the film really didn't hold my attention.  I feel like it took about 40 minutes to develop into anything worth watching and the rest of that turned out to be very graphically violent.  Don't get me wrong, I am not a prude that complains about violence but it was as if they were trying to achieve something with this film and when they couldn't the next best thing seemed to be fill it with violence.  (I will admit that I have not read the book that this is based off, therefore I can only imagine that the books reads pretty similar to the plot line of this film but I can not say for sure, so I do apologize if my comment is out of line.)

I feel like I can't even judge the acting in this film because I disliked it so much.  To me, everything just fell flat.  About the time the love story developed it was brought down by the return of the ex-con husband which kills the developing love and turning it into a longing by both parties that decide to do the honest thing by not pursuing their feelings for each other.

As far as this film goes, I would advise skipping this one.  Sitting through this one may actually make you die from boredom during the first half or the violence in second half will give you a heart attack.  Either way, I would not recommend this one.  Until next time, Don't Forget the Popcorn!

The Fast and The Furious

Movie Title--  The Fast and The Furious

Release Year--  2001

Running Time--  1 Hour and 46 Minutes

Director--  Rob Cohen

Cast--  Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jordana Brewster, Rick Yune, Chad Lindberg, Johnny Strong, Matt Schulze, Ted Levine

Police officer Brian O'Connor is sent undercover to break up a series of street racing groups but soon must decide where his loyalties lie after going in too deep and becoming a member of Dominic Toretto's gang.

The Toretto gang, led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), is under suspicion of hijacking and robbing tractor trailers of the expensive electronic equipment.  Police officer Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) is sent undercover to find out exactly who it is stealing the equipment before the truck drivers resort to their own brand of vigilante justice.

Brian becomes very fond of Dom's little sister Mia (Jordana Brewster) which gets him in hot water with Toretto's gang but wanting to prove himself, he shows up with his car at an illegal street race.  He doesn't have the money for the buy in, offers up the pink slip to his car.  Brian gets a boost toward the end of the race but in the last minutes he loses to Dom.  The police arrive, breaking up the race and causing everyone to run.  Toretto's gang leaves Dom behind but Brian finds him and picks him up before the cops do.  This gesture helps to bring Brian into Dom's gang, much to the disapproval of one of the members of the gang.

The closer that Brian gets to the gang, the more he doubts that Dom is involved and his superiors believe that he is too close to the situation to see Toretto's gang clearly and encourage him to get results fast.  They go to Race Wars in the desert and when Brian sees Dom and the gang leaving, he realizes that he has been wrong the entire time and confesses to Mia that he is a cop.  Together, the two of them race to find the gang and try to stop them before it is too late.

This is another film that I felt needed to be on this list.  In my opinion, this film is what started all of the modern day street racing films.  When a person thinks street racing film, this one is the first to come to mind.  

This is a pretty good film.  I am a fan of Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker and I think they both did a great job in this film.  The story is a good story, the love stories are a little on the lame side but other than that it holds together well.

If you are feeling a little nostalgic, I say check this one out again and Don't Forget the Popcorn!

Days of Thunder

Movie Title--  Days of Thunder

Release Year--  1990

Running Time--  1 Hour and 47 Minutes

Director--  Tony Scott

Cast--  Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Michael Rooker, John C. Reilly

A young stock car driver gets the chance of a lifetime when he is gets to compete at the top level in stock car racing.

Tim Daland (Randy Quaid) visits former NASCAR crew chief Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) to recruit him to come back to NASCAR and be the leader of the pit crew of his newly formed NASCAR team.  Harry tells him that he can not have a race team without a driver and at that point in the season there was no driver available but Tim tells him he has found a young man from California that has experience with open wheel cars and his original aspiration was to win the Indianapolis 500.  Harry is skeptical hearing that the young man is from California and tells Tim that he needs to see the man in the car first.

Tim purchases some practice time at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and asks to borrow NASCAR star Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker) car to test drive in.  Soon, the young driver, Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise), arrives and sets a quicker time than Rowdy had run it.  Harry agrees to build a new car and lead the pit crew while Rowdy decides to make a rival of Cole.

Cole has difficulties adjusting at first but after he admits to Harry that he doesn't understand the terminology they are using to refer to the cars, Harry forces him to go through some rigorous training, which pays off at Darlington when he wins his first race.  

Cole and Rowdy's rivalry intensifies during the season, ending in a crash in Daytona that destroys both of their cars.  They are hospitalized and while they are recovering Cole develops an intimate relationship with Dr. Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman).  During this time Cole and Rowdy go from rivals to very good friends.

While Cole is recovering Tim hires hot shot Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes) to  drive for the team but when Cole is released to drive, Tim announces that he has created a second team and he is keeping Russ on to drive for the new team.  Cole is unsure of himself since his big crash but soon he is showing signs that he is finding his old self again but Russ makes it a point to intimidate his teammate and play unfairly any chance he gets, shaking Cole's confidence.  

Soon Cole's whole team is fired and Cole finds himself without a job.  He gets on final chance to prove himself on the track when asked by Rowdy to drive him car in the Daytona 500 but Cole's confidence has been shaken and self doubt may stand in the way of his getting back into a car.

I feel like you can not have a week about racing cars and not include this film.  This film was released in 1990, so it still has the same feel as a big 1980's blockbuster when it comes to the music and the underdog story that the 80's tended to see often.  There is never a boring moment in the film and there is always story happening with no awkward pauses or long periods of no action to get in the way of the progression of the film.

This film takes place during a big time for NASCAR; during this time period, NASCAR was becoming more noticed in the media, causing not only an upswing in new fans but also more companies began to notice and put sponsorship on cars.  I was only a small child when this film was released but I do remember that when it came out it was a big deal.  I am from a NASCAR family; my family has been fans since the beginning and my grandfather worked on a team in the 60's and early 70's.  To this day my brother even still has the die cast cars that came in the Hardee's happy meals.  

I did watch this film again, after not seeing it in years and even now I still enjoyed it.  I am a little bias however since as I mentioned above, I have a lot of nostalgia when it comes to this film.  This is a good genre to watch Tom Cruise in, he is still new and has not yet proven how crazy he actually can be.  It is said that Tom Cruise requested Nicole Kidman for the role of Claire after he had seen her in a different film.  

If you are looking for a early 90's classic film with action, fast cars and a splash of romance, you will find it with this one.  Grab your favorite race fans and take a second look at this film but Don't Forget the Popcorn!  

I am  leaving you with a few pictures of the stars of the film...the cars.

The Rite

Movie Title--  The Rite

Release Year--  2011

Running Time--  1 Hour and 54 Minutes

Director--  Mikael Hafstrom

Cast--  Colin O'Donoghue, Anthony Hopkins, Ciaran Hinds, Alice Braga, Rutger Hauer, Toby Jones, Marta Gastini

A young man chooses to attend seminary school instead of become a mortician like his father but after a crisis of faith, he is sent to Italy to take a course in exorcism.

When Michael Kovak (Colin O'Donoghue) decides that he doesn't want to follow in father's footsteps and become a mortician, he knows the only other choice for a man in his family is to become a priest.  Michael is accepted into seminary school and upon completion of he plans to abdicate his vows and would therefore get a free education.

Four years later and Michael is becoming ordained at the seminary and afterwards writes to Father Matthew (Toby Jones), his superior, to resign from the priesthood, citing a lack of faith.  Father Matthew, on his way to talk to Michael,  sees him and runs to catch up with him when he stumbles into the street.  A truck to swerves to miss him and instead hits a cyclist.  She is critically injured and when she sees Michael in his clerical garb, asks him to absolve her of her sins before her last breath.  Although he is hesitant, Michael does not refuse the woman; as Michael calmly says the prayer of absolution, Father Matthew notices this and later tells Michael that he will not accept his resignation.  He then adds that if Michael still chooses to leave that the church could decide to turn his scholarship into a student loan, costing him $100,000 for his 4 years of college.  Father Matthew then goes on to say that exorcisms are on the rise and he is interested in sending Michael to the Vatican in Rome to attend a class on exorcism.  He tells Michael that if he attends the class and still has his doubts, they would discuss letting him go.

Once Michael starts his class, he meets a woman named Angelina (Alice Braga) and learns that she is a journalist and is taking the class to cover an article that she is trying to write.  It doesn't take long before the teacher, Father Xavier (Ciaran Hinds), realizes that Michael is a skeptic, asks him to go visit a friend of his, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), a welsh priest known for performing exorcisms.  Michael goes to Father Lucas' house and meet a pregnant 16 year old girl named Rosaria that Father Xavier exorcising.  

After witnessing a few preternatural events Michael is still not a believer but when Rosaria's condition worsens and she tries to kill herself, things begin to change, forcing Michael to decide to also make a change or continue with the way things are going.

This film is classified as a thriller film but when I think of a thriller I think of scary and this didn't really scare me.  Sure, I jumped a few time but I think it was mainly due to build-up in the story and the background score.  I did enjoy this film.  

Colin O'Donoghue did a great job in this film and I thought Anthony Hopkins did an excellent job, as usual.  I have always enjoyed these type of films, perhaps it is the thought of the unknown that intrigues me but either way, I think anyone looking for an exorcism film wouldn't be disappointed by sitting through this film.  Turn off the lights and cuddle up with a blanket for this one and Don't Forget the Popcorn!