Sunday, Aug 30, 2009

Monday’s Movie: The Soloist

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I invite everybody to participate in the weekly MEME and write about any movies, television or big screen, that you’ve seen over the past week and write about it.  Please feel free to use the above logo photo in your post and/or link back to the site.  I will post every Sunday Night or Monday Morning on the movie I’ve seen from the past week.  I’m hoping that there are other movie buffs out there who will enjoy the MEME as much as I’m hoping to!  The only small request that I have is that you rate the movie out of 5 bags of popcorn (so, 1 bag out of 5, 2 bags out of 5, and so on). 

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Movie:  The Soloist

Starring:  Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey, Jr., Catherine Keener, Nelsan Ellis

Genre:  Drama

Runtime: 117 Minutes

MPAA Rating:  PG-13

Directed By:  Joe Wright

Based on a true story, Jamie Foxx portrays Nathanial Ayers, a homeless Julliard-trained musician.  Ayers is significantly mentally ill and unmedicated.  Apparently schizophrenic, or suffering a similar disorder, Ayers has been unable to live a “normal” life despite his brilliant mind and amazing talent.

Robert Downing, Jr. plays Steve Lopez, a Los Angeles Times reporter who takes an interest in Ayers.  Through his published articles, Lopez brings to Los Angelinos Ayers’ story and the reality of the homeless problem in the city.   Some of the scenes from this movie were actually shot in “Skid Row,” Los Angeles, which is known to be home to one of the largest stable populations of transient persons in the United States.

The movie fills the ears and souls of its viewers absolutely gorgeous music.  The film is shot with such precision and beauty that the images that this movie creates will remain in your mind long after the movie is over. 

Although the film is slow-moving, it is painfully beautiful, poignant and moving.  It brings the considerable sadness of our nation’s homeless problem to the forefront of your mind.  Foxx and Downey, Jr. deliver award-worthy, superb performances.

For the genre drama, I will rate this movie  4 bags o’ popcorn.  I understand that “real life” Nathanial Ayers is filmed in the front row of one of the performance scenes within the film.  I wish I had known that prior to watching it!

 Please add your reviews into Mr. Linky!

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