Displaying items by tag: Leighton Meester

THE ROOMMATE

US, 2011, 98 minutes, Colour.

Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet, Aly Michalka, Frances Fisher, Billy Zane, Nina Dobrev.

Directed by Christian E. Christensen.

The Roommate is a thriller, released in 2011, panned by critics, but very popular with audiences – and still circulating on Netflix 14 years later.

The film has a college setting, the central character, Sara, Minka Kelly, coming from interstate, meeting a group of friends at a club, Tracy, lively and outgoing, and Stephen, playing in the band. Tracy opens Sara to outgoing nightlife and enjoyment. She has a romantic relationship with Stephen.

Sara is waiting for her roommate. This is Rebecca, Leighton Meester, seemingly retiring, somewhat alienated from her parents (including Frances Fisher as her mother). She forms an attachment to Sara, becoming more and more preoccupied, being with Sara, learning more about her family.

While Rebecca does take Sara to see her parents, she is somewhat hostile to them.

What follows then is an attack on the various people in Sara’s life. There is a violent attack on Tracy in a shower. Stephen continues to protect Sara, defends her, is standard by Rebecca and taken to hospital. There is an art professor, played by Billy Zane, who is very sympathetic but then revealed to be flirtatious with a range of students. Rebecca has an interview with him, feigns a sexual attack by him which gets him dismissed. Sara also has an art friend, Irene, and goes to stay with her for safety, but Rebecca attacks and ties up Irene.

And, needless to say, there is a confrontation at the end, Sara saved, Stephen surviving, Rebecca doomed.

RIVER WILD

US, 2023, 91 minutes, Colour.

Leighton Meester, Taran Killam, Adam Brody, Olivia Swann.

Directed by Ben Ketai.

River Wild is a popular action pastime adventure. It is a credit to the 1994 at the River Wild with Meryl Streep and Kevin Bacon, keeping the basic plot outline of the journey on a river and the menacing by a criminal. However, the rest of the characters are different, as are their interactions.

While the initial focus is on Joe, Leighton Meester, she joins her brother and a group of young women eager to go on the river. She is not expecting an associate from childhood, Trevor, Adam Brody, who has been in prison on drug charges, has a sense of menace, is revealed as psychopathic as the film goes on, an injury to one of the women, an attempt to get help and the psychopath shooting the Ranger, developing drama, including a hiker trying to help the group, building up to a final confrontation and plenty of scenes on the river and, especially, on the rapids.

In fact, Leighton Meesterand Adam Brody and her husband and wife in real life – an opportunity for them to be in a heightened dramatic situation on screen.

1. The title, the basic screenplay from 1994? Variations on characters and events?
2. The mountain scenery, the river, rapids? The musical score?
3. The initial focus on Joey, her personal worries, joining the group, her relationship with her brother, meeting the young women, her antipathy towards Trevor? The initial interactions, on the river, the personalities of Grey his guide, the young women and their background? Camping, the incident with the young woman, her injuries, the allegations that Trevor attacked her?
4. The crisis, to help the young woman, the decision to go during the night, to seek the Ranger, the dangers in the right, people falling out of the boat, continuing on?
5. The episode with the Ranger, Trevor and his reaction, the Ranger putting the gun, the fight, his death, Trevor wanting Grey’s support, memories of going to prison for him in their drug days?
6. The girl, her injuries, dying, the decision to bury her, Trevor taking control, tying people up, his plane to escape to Canada, seeing the hiker on the bridge, Joye attracting his attention? The continuing of the riot, the plans, the night, the hiker returning, Trevor shooting him, another burial?
7. The confrontation with Grey, the viciousness of the fight? The knife, the two women free, the visitor running away, getting help? Joey, the pursuit, jumping from the cliff, returning to help grey, his injuries, boats, falling out, generally reaching out, the fight with Trevor?
8. Joe, surviving, her medical knowledge, bandaging herself, the helicopter, the rescue?