breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com
Drug dealers and gangs are two things that typically go hand in hand. Usually one relies on the other, or at least that's how it's portrayed in various films and shows. Whether or not they're sympathetic is another question entirely, but in general they all have one goal in mind and that's to make money. It's never been known to be a clean or a nice business to be a part of and yet plenty of people par take in it all the time because how loaded they get from it. But what happens when someone finally wakes up and realizes that this life is no longer for them? Well this is what happens to someone who at first looks like an ordinary man, only to soon understand it can be very difficult to escape one's past. That is the story that takes place here and it is certainly one interesting film to watch solely for the purpose of execution.As a narrative, it's strongest point is displaying just how insane someone's problems can get. Not long after the film begins, the plot begins to tail spin and continues to do so until the end. To see a story do that is astonishing because it's amazing how long it lasted. Married man and architect Casey (Thomas Jane) is living his life with his wife Christine (Paula Marshall) as normal as can be until an old friend drops by. The acquaintance is Nick (Aaron Eckhart), a former partner of Casey's past in California. What Casey's wife doesn't know is that he and Nick were drug dealer's in California. And when Casey recognizes a certain briefcase, he knows Nick has brought his "work" with him. To his misfortune from there on, Casey is bombarded by several associates of Nick while his wife is out on business related travel.Written and directed by Skip Woods, the script's lesson on how sometimes leaving the past behind you isn't as easy as one would think is a significant one. On top of that, seeing how skillful Nick and his pack are at being criminals is shocking too. To evade the authorities for so long seems almost impossible, but they somehow do it. However, the fact that Casey hides his former profession from his wife does not make him entirely a sympathetic character. There are some redeemable traits like him not hurting anyone he comes across but considering he still lies is not a good idea either. Woods also includes a scene where Casey is forcibly raped by Dallas (Paulina Porizkova), a cohort of Nick's. Like in other movies that have depicted this, these kinds of scenes are not necessary to show. They add nothing for the viewer except making them uncomfortable.Thankfully Skip Woods didn't bother to make this a trend and include it in all of the later projects he contributed to like Hitman (2007), X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), The A-Team (2010) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013). Another thing that was left unresolved was Casey's oh so important project that he was working on before Nick arrived. It is mentioned a bunch of times throughout that he's trying to make something that even his wife isn't aware of, yet it is never revealed what it even is or if it affects the plot. Oh well. To their credit though the cast act well in their roles. As much as Casey isn't a role model protagonist, Thomas Jane does his best to give him some charm. The same goes for Eckhart who's constantly grinning. Even Porizkova as Dallas is quite convincing. There's also appearances from Michael Jeter and CSI: Investigation's Gary Dourdan.Camerawork for this picture wasn't all that noteworthy however. Covered by Denis Lenoir, the cinematography throughout this feature is for the most part standard and but nothing out of the ordinary either. Much of the shots feature the house Casey lives in, which isn't all that big to begin with. It's just your regular suburban two story house with bland colors and the typical set of rooms. Lenoir also worked on films like Control (2004) and So Undercover (2012). Lastly the music for this movie was provided by an artist by the name of Luna. The music itself is a mix between soundscape type music, rock and goofy comedy music. Being that this is a black comedy of sorts, they all fit in their places but they do not give the film itself a signature to it. It's just a hodgepodge of various kinds of music that work within its context.There are parts to this film that do not add substance to the plot and it is difficult to truly feel any kind of empathy towards the main character. Yet with an unusual premise, credible actors and appropriate music, this black comedy will manage to hold its audiences' attention at least for one viewing.
videorama-759-859391
I hadn't seen this movie for years. I saw it the other night, and realized just how frickin' entertaining it really was. The likable Jane gives a true meaning to the word reformed. Now a talented architect, his past catches up with him, in the form of his ex partner in crime (Eckhart) This Thursday is hell day for him. Eckhart, who at the start, can't decide which coffee to have, and the female cashier is Indian, so you know what that means, marks a great ambiguous start to Pulp Fiction'ish flick. Unlike Jane, Eckhart hasn't changed his tune, and brings down a tonne load of trouble on Jane, making this Thursday, the worst one he's ever had. After Eckhart takes Jane's loaner car out, Jane's day gets worse quick, when trouble keeps coming through his door, some of his visitors, including hottie Prosnokova (where has she been all these years?) are real nasty and unbalanced pieces of work. She delivers a real sexy performance, and a sexy telling of her experiences when watching lesbo porn, where James Le Gross, is just outright sick, the sickest one. Plummer's fun, as wannabe Jamaican rap artist/drug dealer and in this case, hit-man too. He's very generous when it comes to sharing his gunja, where Jeter's impelling as Jane's marriage adviser, whatever. Even bad apple detective (Rourke) makes an entrance, with a severed head in a box no less. Be prepared, Thursday has some pretty heavy shock violence, but it's very unrealistic too. Thursday has something going for it though, where this owes a lot to it's characters in their good performances, especially Prosnokova. It's short sharp sweet, and never boring, and Jane is great as the lead, where 84 minutes couldn't be better spent at the video shop. Slick, it is, as the way it ends, with the underused Paula Marshall, as Jane's girlfriend. Thursdays have never been more exciting. For Jane fans. especially.
bartverberne16
Casey (Jane) abandoned is old rogue life in LA and started a new suburban life somewhere in Houston, TX. Unsurprisingly, on a Thursday, his old partner-in-crime Nick (Eckhart) drops by to bring back some old memories. All is happy, but, as criminally active as Nick still is, he involves Casey in an icky situation that he was not waiting for. The rest of Casey's Thursday is one of multiple rendez-vous with his old life and doubts about his old friend's intentions.'Thursday' surprised me, but couldn't convince me in terms of quality. The plot has interesting twists and keeps your focus to the film, much like Tarantino's movies often do. However I found the characters too shallow and the dialog's's too simple for the movie to ever become really good. A pity, because I think it had great potential. The fact that the film kept me focused on the story had the negative effect that I got a little annoyed by the simplicity of the characters. 'Thursday' to me is much like another 'Pulp Fiction' rip-off, but then original enough to be taken serious. If the dialogs were not so over-the-top as they are the movie would be a lot better then it is now.
thedairylanddon
ONE GOOD THING: This hidden treasure of a crime drama is incredibly entertaining from beginning to end. An example of low-budget film making at it's best, writer/director Skip Woods uses seemingly everything he could find (ex: Lamborghini, super model, cow phone) and an ear for dialogue to add levels of satire to the plot and all of his camera set-ups.ANOTHER GOOD THING: This movie seems to be made for the DVD era, with several segments that comprise a larger story (similar to the work of Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's Desperado). Each "chapter" of the film features Thomas Jane's main character spending one day at home encountering quick and memorable performances by Aaron Eckhart, Glen Plummer, Mickey Rourke, Michael Jeter, James LeGros, and an unforgettable role by Paulina Porizkova.EVEN ANOTHER GOOD THING: Not exactly a "good" thing, but incredibly shocking and memorable... Every person who sees this movie remembers one important scene. Much as Deliverance will always be remembered for it's awful rape of Ned Beatty, Thursday will go down as the movie where a woman forcibly rapes an unwilling man. Unforgettable.ONE BAD THING: The title makes people think it is somehow related to (or derivative of) the "Friday" series of films featuring Ice Cube.GRADE: A+