Pierce Brosnan

The Thomas Crown Affair

  • Title: The Thomas Crown Affair (1999)
  • IMDb: link

1999’s remake of the 1968 film about a multi-million dollar heist is certain an improvement on the original trading in a lackluster bank heist for stylish museum thefts of fine art. Casting Pierce Brosnan is the middle of his James Bond run as the bored rich man who steals art for his own amusement, the film never hits the Ocean’s 11 level of cool but it certainly has some cachet. Opposite our thief we get Rene Russo as the insurance investigator suspicious of Thomas Crown who also starts dating him (first for access but later feelings do develop as the pair consistently trade barbs).

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The Thursday Murder Club

  • Title: The Thursday Murder Club
  • IMDb: link

Adapted from the novel of the same name, The Thursday Murder Club is more notable for its setting (an outrageously opulent retirement home) and for its cast than its mystery. Through newcomer Joyce (Celia Imrie) we’re introduced to Cooper Chase and a group of retirees who spend their time solving old cold cases. Calling themselves the Thursday Murder Club, Joyce is invited to join Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), and Ibraim (Ben Kingsley) first offering her medical expertise on the group’s latest unsolved case and later the current death of the property manager which, thanks to coincidence of the most outlandish degree, will be linked together before all is said and done. 

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The Unholy Trinity

  • Title: The Unholy Trinity
  • IMDb: link

Set in the late 19th Century, the town of Trinity is presented to us through the unassuming eyes of Henry Broadway (Brandon Lessard) who has just watched his estranged father (Tim Daly) hung for a crime he didn’t commit. Trinity is your typical Old West town with raucous inhabitants, a sheriff struggling to keep order, and justice often coming from the end of a rope or a gun. Mistaking the current sheriff for the one who framed his father, Henry has a run-in with Gabriel Dove (Pierce Brosnan), although the misunderstanding is quicky resolved. 

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The Best Movies of 2010

This wasn’t a year to wow you. 2010 may have been somewhat of an off year for movies, but there are several quality films that hit theaters this year which are worth noting. A couple things struck me as I was putting together this list. First, how actresses stepped up huge this year. Whether in lead or supporting roles, it was a year dominated by the performances of the fairer sex. And second, 2010 was a year of raw emotion, almost visceral, brought to screen. You might argue that one or two of my choices didn’t have elaborate plots, but each delivered on an emotional level.

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The Ghost Writer

  • Title: The Ghost Writer
  • IMDB: link

Historically not all of Roman Polanski’s choices have been good ones (and I’m not just talking about Pirates). Say what you want about the director’s personal life, the man knows how to tell a story and how to build and hold dramatic tension without relying on unnecessarily cheap plot twists.

Adapted from the Robert Harris novel The Ghost, The Ghost Writer begins with the death of a ghost writer working on former British Prime Minister Adam Lang’s (Pierce Brosnan) autobiography.

Into the fray steps the new Ghost (Ewan McGregor), never referred to by name, who soon has second thoughts about taking the job. Our new writer’s job is made more complicated by his subject being charged publicly with war crimes, a sneaking suspicion of other dark secrets hidden in the shadows, a media frenzy, and a growing paranoia of his over his safety.

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