Patrick Wilson

I don't tend to watch a lot of musicals because most of the time I find them rather ridiculous. But a friend of mine said it was good and although I don't usually take her advice of films, I willingly watched this after hearing a couple of good reviews about it. I have to say, I did enjoy it quite a bit.
The most notable part of the film would have to be that music. If that music doesn't get to you in some way then there is something wrong with you. It is just stunning.
I found it weird to see Gerard Butler as the Phantom. All his other work would suggest he just doesn't fit the part. And who knew the guy could sing. Well apparently he didn't either. According to my friend he auditioned for the sake of it and warned Andrew Llyod Webber that he couldn't actually sing. Turns out he's pretty damn good.
Another voice that shocked me a lot was Minnie Driver. I knew she could sing as I know she has her own band, but I had no idea she could sing like that. A stunning voice that would be perfect for the theatre, ergo perfect for this film.
One of Patrick Wilson's earlier films and it took me a while to recognise him because of the long hair and he's so much younger.
Emmy Rossum is amazing and for me was the star of the whole film. Her voice is just amazing. And to think she was only 17 is just mindblowing.
I wouldn't say there was a let down in the film but there was definatly a weak link that comes in the form of Jennifer Ellison. The bendy girl from Brookside. You'll only know what i'm talking about if your above a certain age and lived in the Uk about 10 years ago. For all the others she was a Scouse soap actress, and a below average one at that. Her voice wasn't strong enough to sing beside the rest of the cast and her performance was weak and forced in places.
A sad film that is a very good adaptation from the stage musical. Andrew Lloyd Webber was able to mental with the score which is why this film stands above any stage performance.
Definatly work checking out, even if you're not into musicals like me.

This film just blew me away. I had heard it was very good with powerhouse performances from both Ellen Page and Patrick Wilson but I really was amazed and surprised by it.
The plot is very mysterious as it starts off with two people chatting online. They agree to meet at a coffee shop and it is there that you discover that these two people consist of a 14 year old girl and a 30 something man. His motives are made immediately clear as he manipulates the girl into coming back to his house.
It's hard to write about this film without giving to much away, as it's the little surprises in this film that really make it.
Ellen Page's character is at first, made to appear grown up for her age, very intelligent and very confident. After he impresses her with his house and photography studio and allows her to drink, the director uses a stark change in styles to show the change in power between the two characters. Page goes from the one who is being taken advantage of with Wilson manipulating situations to make her feel more at ease and in control. The camera movement becomes very rapid as the drugs begin to take hold of him, the colour and picture becomes distorted as Page now becomes the one in control and Wilson turns into the 'victim'. It's hard to imagine that this is director David Slade's first film as he does such a brilliant job.
The film takes a dark turn and your loyalty to the characters is challenged. At first you feel very strongly in favour of Page's character but once she begins to carry out her obviously carefully organised plans. Initially no clue is given as to why she is doing this so you can't help but question her.
At certain points in the film there are times when you even feel but for Wilson's character. His performance is unbelievably convincing as the level of distress he portrays is amazing. You can't help but feel bad for what he is going through even though you know was he is capable of. There are even points in the film when you question his guilt, as you cannot be 100% sure that he did what Page continues to accuse him of.
The ending to the film is just perfect and i'm not going to say any more than that so as not to spoil it.
It's also very hard to say which actor did a better job because as much as I would prefer to say Ellen Page, they were both just so excellent it is hard to say which.
A terrific film that you should definatly check out if you've not already. It is very much worth it and is just another reason why you have to love Ellen Page.

Been wanting to see this for a while. Heard lots of good things about it although I had no idea what it was about. It was Patrick Wilson that drew me in, because i've been watching quite a few of his films recently and he's always brilliant. This really was no different.
The film is about two middle class people with partners that are very into their careers while they stay home and look after their children. Kate Winslet and Patrick Wilson meet in the local park and strike up and unusual relationship. They both doubt their love of their partners and want to achieve something more in life, although they're not quite sure what.
While this is all happening there is also Jackie Earle Hayley's character who seems a little pointless to the whole point of the film and yet I just loved it so much. It was unexpected and if he wasn't there it wouldn't affect the film much at all, except it would be a little duller. Last week I didn't even know who the guy was, and in the last week i've seen him in this and in Watchmen. In both he is just amazing. And totally deserved his Oscar nomination for this role. Definatly an actor I will be keeping my eye on.
Jennifer Connelly doesn't appear as much as I would have liked as she is a very good actress. But when she is on the screen she is very good.
The whole film is a little twisted as the characters discover who they really are and what is important to them. The ending is very anti-hollywood and I don't think many will see it coming, especially involving Haley's character. That was a big shock. Definatly a film I would highly recommend.

This film receive some pretty bad reviews so although i was slightly wary about seeing it, when I read the synopsis it dragged me in quite a bit.
There is nothing special or original about the plot, i'm fairly sure it has been done before. It's just the circumstances that surround that plot and the actors involved that make it stand out more than it usually would.
The plot follows a young interracial couple that move to the California suburbs. When their next door neighbour takes an instant disliking to them, things escalate to a point where things turn nasty.
Patrick Wilson hasn't been in many films as it stands but after seeing him in Hard Candy, he immediately caught my attention as a very capable actor. And he would have to be to stand up against the legendary Sam Jackson. This is a very good role Jackson, recently he's been going for the bad guy roles which is nice because it means we get to see a whole new side to his ability. Although Jackson does steal the scene whenever he on, Wilson does a damn good job at holding his own.
Kerry Washington also makes a nice addition to the cast as Wilson's wife.
The direction isn't bad. I feel LaBute could have done a slightly better job of building tension through camera work as it is the kind of film that should take full advantage of it situation.
Overall not bad at all, not nearly as bad as some reviewers have made out. It's a nice, neat film that is definatly entertaining if nothing else.

Okay, so some people hate it, some people love it, some people think it should have been better. Personally I thought the whole thing was pretty good but it had obvious flaws that I suppose in some ways, for the film, really couldn't have been helped.
I've yet to read the graphic novel, but after seeing this it has interested me, so perhaps at some point I will get round to reading it so I can do a bit of comparing.
The characters in the film are all amazingly written and the actors involved were all great choices. I don't think I could pick out one that let the side down. I can however pick out the actor that shawn the most out of the group , and that would have to be Jackie Earle Haley. He is such a terrific actor and i've only just discovered his work after first watching Little Children and then this. His performances are always so captivating and it's clear that after these two major films, the guy is going places. This was also his second time working with Patrick Wilson and I think as a pair they do a really good job with some brilliant chemistry as it's clear they are friends off screen as well.
I won't go through the rest of the actors but they really were all brilliant.
The thing that bugs me about the film was partly the length. Not that I have a problem sitting for three hours and throughout the film, there wasn't one moment where I was bored or not entertained. But I felt that even at that time length, they were trying to squeeze in as much as possible. Someone mentioned this film should have been a tv series. I don't think I agree with that as that would mean losing out on some of those amazing action sequences and losing out on the gore that gave it the NC-17 rating. I do however think they could have split it up and got a couple of films out of it. Even if they released them at the same time, like Kill Bill. Made to be one film, but released as two so as to fit everything in.
The plot of the film was brilliant although complicated, and at the beginning i was asking myself am I going to understand this even though i've not read the book. Fortunately I did. Once it gathered momentum everything became a lot clearer. I do believe they changed the ending a lot, which I would like to know more about by reading the book. Other than that, i'm aware the producers and script writers stayed very close to the original plot, probably so as not to piss of the fanboys.
It's one you're going to have to make your own mind up about. Everyone seems to have different opinions about it.