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Movies / On DVD / Julia
Julia

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Julia (2008)

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Reviews Counted:47

Fresh:34

Rotten:13

Average Rating:6.3/10

Consensus: Tilda Swinton delivers a powerful performance in Julia, a tense thriller and a dark character study.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for perverse language, some violent content and brief nudity.

Runtime: 2 hrs 25 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:May 8, 2009 Limited

Synopsis: Tilda Swinton stars in this intense drama as Julia, an aging alcoholic who spends her nights drinking in the company of strangers, and her days making excuses for herself. Beginning in a sleek Los... Tilda Swinton stars in this intense drama as Julia, an aging alcoholic who spends her nights drinking in the company of strangers, and her days making excuses for herself. Beginning in a sleek Los Angeles nightclub, the film shows Julia as she would like to be seen, beautiful and intoxicating. But by morning when Julia wakes once again in bed with a man she doesn’t know, the flattering light of evening has worn off, exposing the harsh reality underneath. Julia’s life knows no real friendships and no real meaning. Any shred of normalcy has slowly been eaten away by the constant pull of alcohol, which has replaced all other drives as the guiding force of Julia’s life. When Mitch (Saul Rubinek), her only friend and a recovering alcoholic, pushes her to attend an AA meeting, she meets her neighbor, Elena (Kate del Castillo). From there, Julia finds herself facing unexpected temptation as Elena shares a highly flawed plan to kidnap her own son, Tommy (Aidan Gould), from the wealthy grandfather he is living with. Elena promises money, and Julia can’t resist, embarking on a messy and sadistic journey that goes wrong at every turn and grows more complicated as her relationship with Tommy develops. French Director Eric Zonca provides an ample platform on which his lead can display her many talents. Never shying away from serious, complex roles, Swinton carries the film with her nuanced and heart-wrenching portrayal of an out-of-control drunk. While it can be hard to watch at times, viewers will find themselves sucked in as Julia’s life spins speedily downhill. With her piercing stare and undeniable screen presence, Swinton demands our attention, whether we like it or not. [More]

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Saul Rubinek, Kate Del Castillo, Aidan Gould

Starring: Tilda Swinton, Saul Rubinek, Kate Del Castillo, Aidan Gould, Jude Ciccolella, Bruno Bichir, Horacio Garcia Rojas, Gaston Peterson, Mauricio Moreno, Kevin Kilner, John Bellucci, Ezra Buzzington

Director: Erick Zonca

Director: Erick Zonca
Screenwriter: Aude Py, Erick Zonca
Producer: Francois Marquis, Bertrand Faivre
Studio: Magnolia Pictures

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Release:

Aug 18, 2009

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Widescreen - 2.35

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 2.0 - English
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Julia

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Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
09/08/09
Pete Hammond
Pete Hammond
Hollywood.com

Charles Bukowski would have loved this foul-mouthed, fiery, reckless woman. Against all odds and common sense, you will, too.

Full Review Source: Miami Herald | comment Comment
08/27/09
Rene Rodriguez
Rene Rodriguez
Miami Herald

The plot is over-the-top, but Swinton makes you stay with the film long after the writer/director loses credibility.

Full Review Source: CNNRadio | comment Comment
08/18/09
Paul Chambers
Paul Chambers
CNNRadio

I salute the film's bravery for rushing off at full force on its own stream-of-consciousness logic, but for me, I found the final stages perhaps a tad too far-fetched.

Full Review Source: UGO | comment Comment
08/11/09
Jordan Hoffman
Jordan Hoffman
UGO

I recommend going to see it, but don't blame me when you feel like you've downed a fifth of vodka afterwards.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
07/11/09
Beverly Berning
Beverly Berning
culturevulture.net

In a sense, it goes to all the places a sensitive character study might have gone, but more dramatically, convincingly and vividly.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
07/10/09
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A nerve-wracking thriller with a twisty plot and startling realism.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
07/03/09
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Swinton is mesmerising as a messed-up drunk.

Full Review Source: Eye for Film | comment Comment
07/02/09
Amber Wilkinson
Amber Wilkinson
Eye for Film

a tonally-consistent, lively thriller that is very much of the filmmaker's own little corner of the world

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
06/16/09
Chris Cabin
Chris Cabin
Filmcritic.com

This is not really sure what it wants to be, an out-an-out thriller or a character portrait, but it exels at both in parts.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
05/28/09
William Thomas
William Thomas
Empire Magazine

Julia is a mix of fantasy and tragedy, with the violence amped up and the background noisy and lurid.

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
05/21/09
Cynthia Fuchs
Cynthia Fuchs
PopMatters

This is Zonca's second feature. His first, The Dreamlife of Angels, was extraordinary. Rent that one instead.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
05/15/09
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
Christian Science Monitor

Boasts an electrifying, brave performance by Tilda Swinton and has a thrilling initial half, but eventually becomes tedious and convoluted while lacking plausibility and insight into the titular character.

Full Review Source: NYC Movie Guru | comment Comment
05/11/09
Avi Offer
Avi Offer
NYC Movie Guru

Zonca's Julia is a difficult movie to stomach, but entirely worth the emotional unrest it puts through you.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
05/11/09
Marcy Dermansky
Marcy Dermansky
About.com

We never get a good look at her demons, just the havoc they wreak.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
05/08/09
Betsy Sharkey
Betsy Sharkey
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Picture Fargo played with no sense of comedy, and you'll get some idea of the absurdity of this drunken floozy, clicking and wobbling on high heels, often with bits of her anatomy hanging out, trying to pull off the perfect crime.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
05/08/09
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Like any beautiful, heartbreaking wreck -- we can never take our eyes off Julia. Or the fierce and uncompromising actress bringing her to awful, astonishing life.

Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
05/08/09
Stephen Whitty
Stephen Whitty
Newark Star-Ledger
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A bungled thriller that starts out badly and never recovers.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
05/08/09
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

Ms. Swinton doesn't have Ms. Rowlands' tenderness, but, damn, she has just about everything else you need or want.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
05/08/09
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[Director] Zonca’s merely feeding off Swinton’s manic performance, which starts out tough to watch, then becomes gripping.

Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
05/07/09
Noel Murray
Noel Murray
AV Club
 
 
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