usmjam/movies

From the page: "Werewolf? There Wolf!"

As said by cathki rated 2 weeks agomovies "WOW that disappeared fast!"

From the page: "Watch Camp FEMA Online"

From the page: "Three years in the making, this cinéma-vérité feature from acclaimed filmmaker Joe Berlinger is the epic story of one of the largest and most controversial legal cases on the planet. An inside look at the infamous $27 billion Amazon Chernobyl case, CRUDE is a real-life high stakes legal drama set against a backdrop of the environmental movement, global politics, celebrity activism, human rights advocacy, the media, multinational corporate power, and rapidly-disappearing indigenous cultures. Presenting a complex situation from multiple viewpoints, the film subverts the conventions of advocacy filmmaking as it examines a complicated situation from all angles while bringing an important story of environmental peril and human suffering into focus. "

From the page: "TURNING INTO CINDERELLA MAN
Crowe began the process by immersing himself in the archives of photographs and
film reels that still exist of Braddock in his fighting heyday. He spent hours
meticulously analysing the fighter's every movement and facial expression in the
ring, dissecting his character's drive and persistence from the outside in. At
the same time, Crowe began to study the art of boxing - the sport known as "the
sweet science" for its multifaceted mix of grace, grit and strategy - with
trainer Angelo Dundee, who for 21 years trained the greatest champion of them
all, Muhammad Ali.

The next task was to whip Crowe into the highly conditioned shape of a hungry
pro boxer. But because Crowe was devoted to absolute authenticity, he didn't
want to use today's far more sophisticated training methods; rather, he wanted
to use the same bare-bones methods Jim Braddock would have used. From research,
Crowe learned that boxers in the 1930s rarely trained with weights, giving them
a less cut physique than current boxers, so his program studiously avoided
pumping iron. Instead, the emphasis was put on cardio and endless days and
nights of sparring, sparring and more sparring in the ring - which eventually
transformed the actor from 228 pounds of Master and Commander's Captain Jack
Aubrey to Braddock's fighting weight of 178.

Taking advantage of the actor's natural athleticism, Dundee brought in trainer
Wayne Gordon, himself a former Olympic boxer, to design a regimen that included
kayaking, swimming, running, biking, hiking mountains, skipping rope and working
a bag - all designed to build a naturally strong (but not overly muscular) body
built for power and endurance. Crowe trained with typical intensity, dropping
numerous pounds to better emulate Braddock's physique--the physique some said was
too light and too battered to ever even hope for a regional win, let alone a
heavyweight championship.

To better capture Braddock's unique pugilistic style, Crowe also worked on
choreography with Angelo Dundee, who was lucky enough to have witnessed Braddock
fight in person on several occasions. The trainer taught Russell to use the left
hook that Braddock developed to overcome the weakness of his right hand and even
how to carry his body as if he were several inches taller, as Braddock was.
Crowe's complete transformation took Dundee aback. "I would go so far as to
say Russell is Jim Braddock," says the venerable trainer. "I'm amazed the way
Russell picked up his mannerisms, his smoothness, the legs, the way he slides,
that slip, slide, block, slide, jab - boom! Like Jim, he has just about the
greatest left hook I've ever seen. He's got the speed, the rhythm, the
determination and especially the will. Best of all, he has learned to think like
a fighter. One thing about Braddock is that he was a smart fighter, and Russell
uses his noodle just like Braddock did. I do think if he wasn't an actor,
Russell could have been a great fighter."

"I've simply never seen anyone dedicate themselves to
a part with more intensity than Russell Crowe"

Despite having worked with Crowe before, Ron Howard was also surprised by how
Crowe used his physical changes to demonstrate Braddock's transformation as a
man. "What Russell has done so well is to let Braddock evolve during the course
of the movie - as both a fighter and as a person. Russell draws from what he
discerns and then reflects that back in a very detailed way. It's the root of
his immense talent. He has great instincts about what makes his character tick
and how to express it. The fights needed to be a reflection of Braddock's
character and Russell was able to do that. Once again as an artist he proved
himself to be superb."

Adds producer Brian Grazer: "I've simply never seen anyone dedicate themselves
to a part with more intensity than Russell Crowe."