The Soloist - Movie Review and Synopsis
In Los Angeles, reporter Steve Lopez (Downey Jr.) befriends Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), a brilliant but troubled musician and one-time Julliard student who currently lives on Skid Row. In a series of revealing articles, Lopez draws attention to Ayers’s remarkable story, while Ayers still dreams of a grand performance at Walt Disney Concert Hall.
In mid-October of last year, Paramount made the decision to push Jamie Foxx and Co. from their movie’s Oscar-friendly berth to this new date. Why? Crowded marketplace, I’m assuming (for now, though I’m digging for more info). Reports indicate P’mount might still let the film qualify for Oscars with a quiet, awards-qualifying release at year’s end, which, provided some nominations come through, could turn this into a springtime hit. Either way, it should be quite something to watch Atonement director Joe Wright deftly move between time periods in to tell Ayers’s remarkable story (get some background here). Bank on top-notch performances from Foxx, Downey Jr., and Keener (who plays Steve Lopez’s wife), as well as a layered screenplay from Susannah Grant (Erin Brokovich).
Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, some drug use and language.
Director: Joe Wright
Stars: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr., Catherine Keener
Studio: DreamWorks SKG
Release Date: 24 April 2009 (USA)
Genre: Drama, Biography, Music
NOTORIOUS is the story of CHRISTOPHER WALLACE who, through raw talent and sheer determination, transforms himself from a Brooklyn street hustler to become the greatest rapper of all time, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. This story charts his meteoric rise to fame and his refusal to succumb to expectation and redefines our notion of “The American Dream.”
One night at a bar, an old friend tells director Ari about a recurring nightmare in which he is chased by 26 vicious dogs. Every night, the same number of beasts. The two men conclude that there’s a connection to their Israeli Army mission in the first Lebanon War of the early eighties. Ari is surprised that he can’t remember a thing anymore about that period of his life. Intrigued by this riddle, he decides to meet and interview old friends and comrades around the world. He needs to discover the truth about that time and about himself. As Ari delves deeper and deeper into the mystery, his memory begins to creep up in surreal images.
For three years after being forced from office, Nixon remained silent. But in summer 1977, the steely, cunning former commander-in-chief agreed to sit for one all-inclusive interview to confront the questions of his time in office and the Watergate scandal that ended his presidency. Nixon surprised everyone in selecting Frost as his televised confessor, intending to easily outfox the breezy British showman and secure a place in the hearts and minds of Americans. Likewise, Frost’s team harbored doubts about their boss’s ability to hold his own. But as cameras rolled, a charged battle of wits resulted. Would Nixon evade questions of his role in one of the nation’s greatest disgraces? Or would Frost confound critics and bravely demand accountability from the man who’d built a career out of stonewalling? Over the course of their encounter, each man would reveal his own insecurities, ego and reserves of dignity–ultimately setting aside posturing in a stunning display of unvarnished truth.
After moving to San Francisco, the middle-aged New Yorker, Harvey Milk, became a Gay Rights activist and city politician. On his third attempt, he was elected to San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors in 1977, making him the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in the USA. The following year, both he and the city’s mayor, George Moscone, were shot to death by former city supervisor, Dan White, who blamed his former colleagues for denying White’s attempt to rescind his resignation from the board.
