Ashley Judd - Blog Posts

Smoke (1995) by Wayne Wang & Paul Auster

Cinematography by Adam Holender

The original story was written by Paul Auster, "Auggie Wren's Christmas Story" is a story written n 1990 for the Christmas edition of the New York Times.

LOOK WHAT I FOUND

For my birthday today I went on a shopping spree (idk if buying 7 clothing items at a thrift store counts as a "spree" but oh well lol) and I decided to quickly peruse the movie section. I restricted myself to only buying a movie if it was a Ewan one so that I didn't go over budget. I wasn't expecting to find anything cuz I was already at the bottom shelf and BOOM! I COULDN'T BELIEVE MY EYES!!!!!

I screamed! I couldn't help it! I was so surprised and excited that one of my FAVORITE Ewan movies was for sale!!!! Plus, this was one movie that I figured I'd NEVER find in store especially not on DVD. Hands down this single handedly made my birthday PERFECT! 🤗

17. Ewan McGregor Movie Review: Eye of the Beholder (1999)

Well, we're here. We finally made it to Ewan's last movie of the 1990's. Seventeen. That's how many movies our fave did in the 90's. That's not including tv shows and short films. Seventeen. Movies. Let me put this in perspective. Ewan's big screen debut was in 1994. In the span of FIVE YEARS he did SEVENTEEN movies! Five years, y'all! Out of those seventeen he starred in eleven! Who else is putting up these kind of numbers? Do y'all realize how astounding a career start that is? He wasn't a child actor. He didn't have insider connections. He was a nobody 22 year old with a dream. I'm sure even he never imagined that he would experience that insane amount of success in such a small amount of time. There's a lot that had to go into his success that I could ramble about for hours. But what I will say is that he has got to be the luckiest actor alive.

Genre: Thriller/Mystery

Rating: R

Director: Stephan Elliott

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ashley Judd

Movie Synopsis: A British spy know as "The Eye" is sent on a mission to gather intel on his target. When he witnesses his target's murder at the hands of a mysterious woman, he feels an immediate connection to her and strives to keep her from getting caught. His strange compulsion turns into obsession as he secretly follows her and devotes himself to protecting her no matter the cost.

Ewan Review: Ewan plays the character Stephen Wilson aka The Eye. Stephen is a quiet and withdrawn person. He is emotionally and mentally fragile ever since the abrupt loss of his daughter and still sees her everywhere. When he first sees the mysterious woman, he feels a paternal instinct ignite inside him and believes she can fill the hole left by his daughter. I think Ewan gives a good performance in this role. The character is subdued yet intriguing. His motivations are just as mysterious as the woman he stalks which pulls you in. He doesn't have a love interest. He gets into two fights and beats someone bloody in one of them. He doesn't have any nudity but Ashley Judd does. Truth be told, the draw of this movie truly is the acting. Both Ewan and Ashley Judd's performances are amazing. Watching him fall deeper into his obsession is disturbingly mesmerizing. You wonder how far he will go and how long he can keep this up. If you're into yandere and Ewan McGregor then this was made for you.

Screentime Percentage: Ewan McGregor is on screen for a grand total of 48 / 102 minutes making his SP 47%.

To Ewan or not to Ewan: Is the movie worth watching for Ewan content alone? Yes. Is it worth watching in general? Yes.

Warning Before Watching: This movie features a lot of violence with much of it being bloody. There is also an attempted rape scene where the victim is beaten and drugged.

Where to Watch: You can watch "Eye of the Beholder" for free on Peacock. It is available for rent on YouTube, Google Play Movies and TV, and Fandango at Home. You can watch it on the following streaming platforms if you have a subscription: Starz, YouTube Primetime, Hulu, Sling TV, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube Premium, and Philo Premium.

Closing Thoughts: This movie was not a commercial success yet I consider it to be a diamond in the rough. It's high on my list of favorite Ewan movies. On YouTube, there is fascinating behind the scenes footage on the film-making process that made the movie that much more endearing to me. It's called "Documentary about making Eye of the Beholder with Ewan McGregor" on the account "Ewan McGregor Vault".