***Meditation on the nature of guilt and redemption with Billy Bob Thornton and Morgan Freeman*** Released in 2003 and written/directed by Ed Solomon, “Levity” concerns a man in the Great Lakes region (Billy Bob Thornton) who’s released from prison after 23 years of confinement. He returns to the big city where he murdered a 17 year-old cashier and finds lodging & work at a community house run by a priest with edge (Morgan Freeman). Seeking forgiveness, he pursues a relationship with the sister of the boy he killed (Holly Hunter) while helping a wild young woman who lacks adult guidance and is wasting her life (Kirsten Dunst). The meaning of the title, "Levity" can be traced to this conversation: “What are you thinking about?” “Gravity.” “It doesn't last long.” So ‘Levity’ is meant as the opposite of gravity and graveness. It stems from the Latin root ‘levis,’ which means "light in weight” or even "changeableness." It means "lightness” in every respect. Life is tragic and painful. We do senseless, unkind things to one another in various states of spiritual growth and immaturity. We spend our whole lives being dragged down to our inescapable end ("Gravity kills"). But we sooner or later must let go of this gravity and realize that there is joy to be had. Redemption is the return of that joy, that Levity. Critics argued that the flick could really use some levity in light of it being burdened by dour self-importance and a heavy-handed moral. The tone is similar to other spiritual movies, like “Grand Canyon” (1991) and “The Woodsman” (2004), but not as effective in overall quality. One problem is there’s a little too much ambiguity and another is the weakly executed subplot about the woman’s juvenile delinquent son and his violent gang proclivities, which comes off wholly contrived. Still, there’s enough good here to recommend to those who appreciate the kinds of films noted above, films that try to balance the reverence and beauty of life with the profane, foolish and ugly. I loved the way Dunst’ character rolled with the inner city youth. Actually, all four main cast members shine in their roles. The movie runs 1 hour, 40 minutes and was shot in Montreal. GRADE: B-/C+
Steven Seagal stars in this gritty, no-holds barred action film as an elite ex-cop with a gambling problem and a mountain of debt. When a mysterious man offers to clear his debts in exchange for the assassination of the city's most notorious gangsters, he make s decision that will change his life - forever.
Seagal plays a man with a dark and violent past, who seeks revenge for the murder of his son.
Teens P.J. and Goose get their thrills on BMX bikes, performing hair-raising tricks all across Sydney, Australia. Along with their new friend Judy, they discover a box of walkie-talkies - and find out that a gang of criminals intends to use them to monitor police signals during a bank robbery. When the young trio snatches the devices, it propels them on a hair-raising adventure in which their pedaling skills might just save their necks.
The murderous, backwoods Firefly family take to the road to escape the vengeful Sheriff Wydell, who is not afraid of being as ruthless as his target.
Newly-paroled former US Army ranger Cameron Poe is headed back to his wife, but must fly home aboard a prison transport flight dubbed "Jailbird" taking the “worst of the worst” prisoners, a group described as “pure predators”, to a new super-prison. Poe faces impossible odds when the transport plane is skyjacked mid-flight by the most vicious criminals in the country led by the mastermind — genius serial killer Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom, and backed by black militant Diamond Dog and psychopath Billy Bedlam.
From the mean streets of the Belleville district of Paris to the dazzling limelight of New York's most famous concert halls, Edith Piaf's life was a constant battle to sing and survive, to live and love. Raised in her grandmother's brothel, Piaf was discovered in 1935 by nightclub owner Louis Leplee, who persuaded her to sing despite her extreme nervousness. Piaf became one of France's immortal icons, her voice one of the indelible signatures of the 20th century.
The New York club scene of the 80s and 90s was a world like no other. Into this candy-colored, mirror ball playground stepped Michael Alig, a wannabe from nowhere special. Under the watchful eye of veteran club kid James St. James, Alig quickly rose to the top... and there was no place to go but down.
To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.
A corrupt CIA agent Sands hires hitman El Mariachi to assassinate a Mexican general hired by a drug kingpin attempting a coup d'état of the President of Mexico.