Author Jaime Burchardt

My head's been consumed the art of movies & its creation ever since I was old enough to know what the word 'consumed' meant. The only way to reduce the pressure buildup is to write, edit, and direct. Chocolate milk also helps.

NP Approved
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Eastern Promises starts off with a gruesome murder on command, and it only spirals downward from there. A young pregnant girl named Tatiana is admitted to the hospital, under the care of a midwife named Anna (Naomi Watts). She dies giving birth, and Anna feels that it’s her responsibility to find the baby’s next of kin. Among Tatiana’s possessions are a diary that’s in Russian, and also finds a business card inside to a restaurant run by Seymon (Armin Mueller-Stahl), a nice but my serious man that shows great interest in the diary. At the same time his son Kirill (Vincent Cassel) and Kirill’s driver Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen) are fixing up a nearby mess, and their actions collide with some startling truths reveled from Tatiana’s diary. With the Russian mob becoming more interested in this, Nikolai is sent into Anna’s world, and neither are prepared for the consequences to the actions that the diary put into motion. Anything, and anyone, mentioned in it must be eliminated, at all costs.

NP Approved mononoki-2_rgb
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The tale of Princess Mononoke is one that already is worthy of your time, and admiration. A brave warrior named Ashitaka is placed under a wicked curse during battle, and in order to save his life, he must embark on a journey for the cure. During his travels, he finds himself in the middle of a horrific war between humans and the spirits of the forest. He believes both sides can come to terms, but instead they see him as an enemy meant to do harm to both of them. With the help of a beautiful princess who was raised by a wolf-god, they will try to end the suffering, one way or another.

Although all of Hayao Miyazaki’s films have a sense of wonder and are insanely gorgeous to look at, his filmography showcases something else that makes him unique: his ever-willing-and-able ability to change his tune of his vibrant whistle. With movies like Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, he captures the heart of a child-like fantasy world that we all deserve. With Princess Mononoke though, he dives head-first into a boisterous world that’s heavy on heart, adventure and the will to prevail through tremendous adversity.

Reviews howl_03
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Howl’s Moving Castle introduces us to Sofi, a young girl who doesn’t quite believe in herself. She works in a hat store and she enjoys it, but she just can’t find happiness outside of her workroom. Outside her window, the promise of a war involving humans and wizards grows bigger and bigger, and while she walks home one day, she encounters a wizard Howl, and things just spiral from that point. The Witch of the Wastes finds out about their meeting, and turns Sofi into a woman in her 70’s with the plan to lure out Howl so she can steal his heart. Sofi finds his home, a ‘moving castle’ where she meets some of Howl’s friends, Calcifer and Markl. Together they form a bond that has to last through the trials of war, Howl’s ever-growing inner burdens and the quest of turning Sofi back to normal.

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Bullhead is magnificent. We’re quickly introduced to Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts), a small but important player in his family business, which is the handling of illegal growth hormones for the cattle on their farm. They make a good living, and through a shady veterinarian, they soon form a deal with a trader in the beef game with a shady past. But the sudden murder of a police officer investing the ‘growth hormone mafia’ throws everything and everyone off their game. Jacky proceeds to handle the situation easily until a man named Diederik Maes (Jeroen Perceval) comes into his life. Noting is simple anymore. Jacky’s life and his thuggish ways are no longer a guarantee. The deal is about to explode, and nobody sees it coming.

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The Consul of Bordeaux is a something else; something it doesn’t deserve to be. It tells the true-life story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a simple man that made a life changing decision that helped saved the lives of 30,000 people during June 1940, at the height of World War II. Using the job of approving passports in Bordeaux, France, he went against tremendous odds and the strictest of orders to help many people reach a safe refuge, including 10,000 Jews. The story is told through the view of a young man at the time, which had the fortune of helping Mendes through this life-changing journey. This is an incredible true story, and to see the result of the motion picture dedicated to this is disheartening.

Home Entertainment
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Police officer Nick (Ryan Reynolds) is about to have a bad day. He’s done something against in morals in the hopes of building a better future for his loved one, upset a lot of people, and when he goes on a bust with his partner Hayes (Kevin Bacon), he runs into that pesky little thing called death. That’s right, Nick is dead, shot down in his prime. But instead of heading towards judgment, he’s forcibly recruited by the R.I.P.D. (Rest in Peace Department) by a mysterious boss named Proctor (Mary-Louise Parker). There, he’s assigned a new partner named Roy (Jeff Bridges) and together they are about to unlock a huge secret that separates the living and the dead…

Home Entertainment HanselGretelGetBaked-DVD-NS
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Fairy tales get retold or rebooted quite a bit; it’s a crazy world we live in. They get a fresh spin, or a more adult twist put on them sometimes. Hansel and Gretel Get Baked channels the original grimness of the classic tale of the brother-sister duo, but also adds some freshness to it. Modern-day Hansel (Michael Welch, Twilight) and Gretel (Molly Quinn, Castle) are all casually hanging out with Gretel’s boyfriend Ashton, smoking some good stuff and making gingerbread men. You know, their usual Tuesday. When they realize they’re out of said “good stuff”, Ashton runs out to go get some more from this old lady. Rumor is, she’s carrying. He meets Agnes (Lara Flynn Boyle), a feisty elderly woman that will gladly sell him some. Her one condition: don’t eat HER gingerbread house. Well, he does and…he really shouldn’t have. Agnes turns out to be something of a witch, and her capture of Ashton sets off a series of events that lead a crazy, bloody battle of wits, and the munchies (no joke).

Home Entertainment LovingStory-DVD-NS
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Whenever an event in history explodes and becomes something that defines importance, stories that you might not have heard about before might not get the attention they deserve. The Loving Story is such an example. Around the time when the Civil Rights movement was getting ugly, a love story was forming shape. Richard and Mildred met, and fell in love. It wouldn’t be such an ordeal, except this union was between a man and a woman of different races. Interracial marriage was illegal, and even though they were able to tie the knot, the law caught up with them, and so did the storm of racism. What follows is a lengthy and trying legal battle to not only be able get back home (they were kicked out of the state of Virginia as a result of their marriage), but also to get back their dignity, and the right to be happy.

NP Approved GWTW2.-1jpg
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Gone With the Wind is presented to us at the birth and stays after the death of the Civil War, an event that neutralized the world of O’Haras, a rich and strong Southern family in Georgia that truly believes the South will win the war within a month. Silly notions of war don’t phase Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh). She’s too preoccupied with winning the affection of Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard), although his heart belongs to another woman, Melanie (Olivia de Havilland). When Scarlett is turned down, her own personal girlish world comes crashing down, until her life follows suit. The war is nothing short of devastating, and as she tries to survive it, a blockade runner named Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) becomes a big part of her life. Whether it hurts or helps is up to Scarlett…

Reviews V-H-S-2
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V/H/S/2 begins with a private investigator team that is out on the town doing the usual deeds (filming unfaithful people, you know the fun stuff). As they’re about to call it a night when a juicy case falls on their lap: the sudden disappearance of a college student. As they follow the breadcrumbs they’re given, they discover a house that’s mostly empty, with the exception of the living room. It’s cluttered with VHS tapes and snow-filled TV’s. Maybe the tapes hold a clue of some sort. They begin to watch them… (Simon Barrett, writer of A Horrible Way to Die and the upcoming You’re Next directed this solid wraparound story).

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