Posts Tagged ‘David Strathairn’

The Under-Ranked: Sucker Punch

25, Mar 2011

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This week, director Zack Snyder releases his fifth film, Sucker Punch. This film marks Snyder’s first wholly original work, after 2004’s Dawn of the Dead and his adaptations of the famous graphic novels 300 and Watchmen and the children’s book, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole. In Sucker Punch, Baby Doll, played by Emily Browning is left in a mental institution where she will receive a lobotomy in five days. Along with four other inmates, Baby Doll uses her imagination to create worlds that will help her and her other captives escape. But before going to see Sucker Punch this weekend, check out some of these under-ranked films from the film’s stars.

Along with Browning’s Baby Doll, Vanessa Hudgens as Blondie, and Jamie Chung’s Amber are Jena Malone and Abbie Cornish as Rocket and Sweet Pea, respectively. Both actresses have done some great independent features that are worthwhile to check out.

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Reel Rumbles #26: “The Spiderwick Chronicles” vs. “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”

16, Dec 2010

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In This Corner…

Following the success of Peter Jackson‘s Lord of the Rings trilogy (the third installment of which went on to become only the second entry in that elite “Billion Dollar Club”), it seemed like every studio wanted to jump on the fantasy-adventure bandwagon. And increasingly, the inspiration for such films has seemed to come from books targeted primarily at younger readers. The more popular franchises to arise from this trend were the Harry Potter and Chronicles of Narnia series. (The seventh and eighth Potter films are in theaters now and next summer, and the third Narnia film hits in December.)

But for those tired of the big franchises and looking for more one-off adventures, there is a pair of films that were produced by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies in the past decade that offer plenty of thrills and spills, and entertaining journeys into fantastical realms. They are clearly targeted at family audiences, but it is my opinion that there’s plenty to enjoy in them for adults as well, and I like them both more than the average Potter or Narnia film. So step into the Reel Rumbles ring for a battle of fantastic proportions as we take on The Spiderwick Chronicles vs. Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

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