Reel Reads
by grossm-676-75589 | created - 04 May 2013 | updated - 04 May 2013 | PublicMovies based on books that I have shown at the library I work at.
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1. The Soloist (2009)
PG-13 | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A newspaper journalist discovers a homeless musical genius and tries to improve his situation.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener, Tom Hollander
Votes: 55,390 | Gross: $31.67M
This was a truly wonderful and emotional film. Watched January 2011
2. Invictus (2009)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
Nelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South Africa, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng
Votes: 167,822 | Gross: $37.49M
Love, Love, Love!! The human power to grow, change, and adapt to any condition physical or political. Watched February 2011
3. The Box (I) (2009)
PG-13 | 115 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
With the press of a button, a wooden box bestows riches and death.
Director: Richard Kelly | Stars: Cameron Diaz, James Marsden, Frank Langella, James Rebhorn
Votes: 95,302 | Gross: $15.05M
Emotional, odd, unusual. Watched March 2011
4. The Natural (1984)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sport
A middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
Votes: 52,424 | Gross: $47.95M
A great baseball film! Watched April 2011
5. Secretariat (2010)
PG | 123 min | Biography, Drama, Family
Penny Chenery Tweedy and colleagues guide her long-shot but precocious stallion to set, in 1973, the unbeaten record for winning the Triple Crown.
Director: Randall Wallace | Stars: Diane Lane, John Malkovich, Margo Martindale, Nelsan Ellis
Votes: 30,555 | Gross: $59.71M
Loved!! Watched May 2011
6. The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio (2005)
PG-13 | 99 min | Biography, Drama
In order to support her ten children, Evelyn Ryan enters a commercial jingle-writing contest.
Director: Jane Anderson | Stars: Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Laura Dern, Trevor Morgan
Votes: 8,142 | Gross: $0.63M
Watched June 2011
7. RED (2010)
PG-13 | 111 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
When his peaceful life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last-ditch effort to survive and uncover his assailants.
Director: Robert Schwentke | Stars: Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Morgan Freeman, Mary-Louise Parker
Votes: 323,834 | Gross: $90.38M
Fun action-filled flick! Watched July 2011
8. Sphere (1998)
PG-13 | 134 min | Action, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A spaceship is discovered under three hundred years' worth of coral growth at the bottom of the ocean.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, Samuel L. Jackson, Peter Coyote
Votes: 112,482 | Gross: $37.02M
Mind-bending. Watched August 2011
9. 127 Hours (2010)
R | 94 min | Biography, Drama
A mountain climber becomes trapped under a boulder while canyoneering alone near Moab, Utah and resorts to desperate measures in order to survive.
Director: Danny Boyle | Stars: James Franco, Amber Tamblyn, Kate Mara, Sean Bott
Votes: 401,187 | Gross: $18.34M
I walked out after the film thinking...... "Amazing". Watched September 2011
10. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (1997)
R | 155 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A visiting city reporter's assignment suddenly revolves around the murder trial of a local millionaire, whom he befriends.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: John Cusack, Kevin Spacey, Jack Thompson, Irma P. Hall
Votes: 41,450 | Gross: $25.08M
Great look at Savannah, GA and spooky enough for pre-Halloween. Watched October 2011
11. Charlie Wilson's War (2007)
R | 102 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama
A drama based on a Texas congressman Charlie Wilson's covert dealings in Afghanistan, where his efforts to assist rebels in their war with the Soviets have some unforeseen and long-reaching effects.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams
Votes: 124,847 | Gross: $66.66M
Watched November 2011
12. The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009)
R | 94 min | Comedy, War
A reporter in Iraq might just have the story of a lifetime when he meets Lyn Cassady, a guy who claims to be a former member of the U.S. Army's New Earth Army, a unit that employs paranormal powers in their missions.
Director: Grant Heslov | Stars: Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges
Votes: 137,533 | Gross: $32.43M
Funny, Hilarious Watched December 2011
13. Fair Game (I) (2010)
PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Thriller
CIA operative Valerie Plame discovers her identity is allegedly leaked by the government as payback for an op-ed article her husband wrote criticizing the Bush administration.
Director: Doug Liman | Stars: Naomi Watts, Sean Penn, Sonya Davison, Vanessa Chong
Votes: 51,041 | Gross: $9.53M
Really great film, however no action. Watched January 2012
14. The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A lawyer defending a wealthy man begins to believe his client is guilty of more than just one crime.
Director: Brad Furman | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy
Votes: 253,644 | Gross: $58.01M
Great story and truly unexpected twist. Watched February 2012
15. Water for Elephants (2011)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Romance
Jacob takes a job as an animal caretaker in a traveling circus. There he meets Marlena, a beautiful circus performer. Their shared compassion for a special elephant Rosie leads to love, but Marlena's cruel husband stands in their way.
Director: Francis Lawrence | Stars: Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider
Votes: 120,383 | Gross: $58.71M
Watched March 2012
16. Moneyball (2011)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 464,273 | Gross: $75.61M
Pretty good baseball flick. Watched April 2012
17. The Hurt Locker (2008)
R | 131 min | Drama, Thriller, War
During the Iraq War, a Sergeant recently assigned to an army bomb squad is put at odds with his squad mates due to his maverick way of handling his work.
Director: Kathryn Bigelow | Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce
Votes: 473,621 | Gross: $17.02M
I did not like this one and tend to agree with many of the military critics I have read regarding the unrealistic interactions between military personnel. Watched May 2012
18. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
PG-13 | 149 min | Mystery, Thriller
A murder inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno, Ian McKellen
Votes: 458,635 | Gross: $217.54M
Very good movie, of course most of Tom Hanks' projects are great. Watched June 2012
19. The Descendants (2011)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Drama
A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.
Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause
Votes: 251,727 | Gross: $82.58M
Heart-wrenching. Watched August 2012
20. The Iron Lady (2011)
PG-13 | 105 min | Biography, Drama
An elderly Margaret Thatcher talks to the imagined presence of her recently deceased husband as she struggles to come to terms with his death while scenes from her past life, from girlhood to British prime minister, intervene.
Director: Phyllida Lloyd | Stars: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Susan Brown
Votes: 113,599 | Gross: $30.02M
Despite what some of the critics have said, I truly thought this was a great film. Watched September 2012
21. The Mist (2007)
R | 126 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher
Votes: 340,080 | Gross: $25.59M
I hated the end of this film, however I have read that Stephen King fully endorsed it and wished he had thought of the end for his book/story. Watched October 2012
22. John Carter (2012)
PG-13 | 132 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Transported to Barsoom, a Civil War vet discovers a barren planet seemingly inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Woola and a princess in desperate need of a savior.
Director: Andrew Stanton | Stars: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Samantha Morton
Votes: 286,113 | Gross: $73.08M
Disney is starting to branch into Scifi. Interesting, although the marketing was bad. Watched November 2012
23. My Week with Marilyn (2011)
R | 99 min | Biography, Drama
Colin Clark, an employee of Sir Laurence Olivier, documents the tense interaction between Olivier and Marilyn Monroe during the production of The Prince and the Showgirl (1957).
Director: Simon Curtis | Stars: Michelle Williams, Eddie Redmayne, Kenneth Branagh, Julia Ormond
Votes: 89,586 | Gross: $14.60M
Watched December 2012
24. One Day (2011)
PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Romance
After spending the night together on the eve of their college graduation, Dexter and Emma are shown each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, and sometimes not.
Director: Lone Scherfig | Stars: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Patricia Clarkson, Tom Mison
Votes: 167,599 | Gross: $13.84M
Loved and cried! Watched February 2013
25. The Help (2011)
PG-13 | 146 min | Drama
An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.
Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard
Votes: 492,564 | Gross: $169.71M
Much better than I expected. Watched March 2013
26. Anna Karenina (I) (2012)
R | 129 min | Drama, Romance
In late-19th-century Russian high society, St. Petersburg aristocrat Anna Karenina enters into a life-changing affair with the dashing Count Alexei Vronsky.
Director: Joe Wright | Stars: Keira Knightley, Jude Law, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Matthew Macfadyen
Votes: 106,487 | Gross: $12.82M
While the filming style was odd, it was a pretty good story. Watched April 2013
27. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011)
PG-13 | 124 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
British retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.
Director: John Madden | Stars: Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson
Votes: 99,436 | Gross: $46.41M
Generational gap for sure. I have heard that this is a really funny film, however I did not find it so. I think this is because I'm a good 30-40 years younger than the characters and had a very little to relate to in the film. Watched May 2013
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