Category: Movies and Television Shows

Movie Review: The Counterfeiters (2007)

The Counterfeiters (2007)

3.5 out of 5 stars

Winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film

Terry and I avoided watching the actual Oscars Award ceremony last Sunday evening by watching a previously recorded to DVR copy of The Counterfeiters, an Austrian-German foreign language film that won an Oscar five years previously.

Synopsis from Wikipedia:

It fictionalizes Operation Bernhard, a secret plan by the Nazis during the Second World War to destabilize the United Kingdom by flooding its economy with forged Bank of England bank notes. The film centers on a Jewish counterfeiter, Salomon ‘Sally’ Sorowitsch, who is coerced into assisting the Nazi operation at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

The film is based on a memoir written by Adolf Burger, a Jewish Slovak typographer who was imprisoned in 1942 for forging baptismal certificates to save Jews from deportation, and was later interned at Sachsenhausen to work on Operation Bernhard.[2] Ruzowitsky consulted closely with Burger through almost every stage of the writing and production. The film won the 2007 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar at the 80th Academy Awards.

The Counterfeiters (film), Wikipedia article

Not an easy film to watch, of course.  Nothing focusing on the Holocaust and Nazi concentration camps is ever easy to watch and never should be.  Even with the handicap of having to read subtitles, I found it easy to keep up with the story.  But, in the end, I found it difficult to relate to any of the characters, so I failed to make a meaningful emotional connection.  I admired Burger, who kept sabotaging Sorowitsch’s efforts to counterfeit the dollar.

Movie Review: This Means War (2012)

This Means War (2012)

3.5 out of 4 stars

Fun and funny.  Terry and I laughed out loud several times in the near empty movie theater (#7 at the Legends 14 – my personal favorite spot to watch newly released action flix or science fiction extravaganzas) this past Sunday afternoon.

An interesting if a bit of an over-the-top twist on the old love triangle between two CIA agents (and best friends) who discover, date and fight over the the same woman (who is oblivious to their surveillance shenanigans or even to the fact they know each other until it’s nearly too late).

Some discrepancies that bugged me after I left the theater:

If Lauren loved classic rock so much, why is it she only ever danced or sang or exercised to pop or dance music?  Not my definition of classic rock.  And, if she really loved animals and specifically a canine rescue shelter, why did she not foster a dog or two in her apartment?

And since when does a Brit work for the CIA?  Is Tuck on loan from MI6?  Did he defect?  Did he seek political asylum?

That being said, I still enjoyed watching the movie with Terry.  I can’t say I’m entirely happy with the ending, but it still turned out well for everyone involved, excepting the cuts and bruises of course.

Movie Review: The Debt (2011)

The Debt (2011)

3 out of 5 stars

I have to agree with Roger Ebert on this one.  The time-shifting back and forth detracted from the plot.  I would have preferred the movie stay in the past, reducing the cast and the confusion.  As much as I love watching Helen Mirren work, I actually preferred the actors in the past timeline, especially Sam Worthington.

I learned something (yet again) about the Holocaust and Israel’s response (fictional? or based in fact? – I don’t know for sure) to some of it’s perpetrators of terror and torture.

I am glad I watched the film, but do not plan to rewatch it or add it to my permanent library.

Nebula Nominations for Dramatic Presentations

Today, the president, John Scalzi, of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA for short) announced via his Whatever blog this year’s (or last year’s depending on your point-of-view) Nebula Award nominations.  Sadly, I have yet to read any of the novels, novellas or novelettes nominated, but I will review my GoodReads friends’ reviews and ratings to see if any of them might appeal to me.

I was pleasantly surprised when I realized I had seen all but two of the nominations for dramatic presentations, one of which (Hugo) I had already added to my ‘to watch’ list and saved in my Netflix queue.

Here are the nominees for the Ray Bradbury Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation:

  • Attack the Block, Joe Cornish (writer/director) (Optimum Releasing; Screen Gems)
  • Captain America: The First Avenger, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely (writers), Joe Johnston (director) (Paramount)
  • Doctor Who: “The Doctor’s Wife,” Neil Gaiman (writer), Richard Clark (director) (BBC Wales) … I actually preferred a different episode last season, but here are my original thoughts on ‘The Doctor’s Wife’ when it aired last May.
  • Hugo, John Logan (writer), Martin Scorsese (director) (Paramount)
  • Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen (writer/director) (Sony) … I just watched this recently and you can read my thoughts on it here.
  • Source Code, Ben Ripley (writer), Duncan Jones (director) (Summit)
  • The Adjustment Bureau, George Nolfi (writer/director) (Universal)

I am completely unfamiliar with the first listing, so I plan to do some research on it and, if possible, add it to my queue.  Then, I can do my own internal voting and compare it to the results arrived at by members of the SFWA.

Movie Trailers: Anticipating Some SciFi Soon

I’ve seen three trailers in theaters in the past few weeks that have caught my eye.  I’m starved for a good science fiction film, especially since most of the reading I do is epic fantasy (which gets less screen time than scifi by a long shot) and I don’t care to read many science fiction novels (although I do indulge the occasional space opera).

Today, while waiting to see This Means War, we saw a trailer for Prometheus, a Ridley Scot film that looks amazing and is a prequel to his 1979 classic (and also amazing) Alien (it and it’s sequel Aliens are two of my favorite scifi movies and I will re-watch them, any part of them, any chance I get).  The trailer didn’t reveal much, beyond the stunning space and spaceship scenery.  “The plot follows the crew of the spaceship Prometheus in the late 21st century, as they explore an advanced alien civilization in search of the origins of humanity. … According to Scott, though the film shares “strands of Alien’s DNA, so to speak”, Prometheus will explore its own mythology and universe.”  Wikipedia Prometheus article.  Even if this film doesn’t add much, if anything, to the Alien mythos, I’m definitely looking forward to it’s release because I can rely on Ridley Scot to deliver a well told tale that will most likely knock my socks off.

Last weekend, while Terry and I waited to watch Red Tails, we saw the trailer for Battleship, a military science fiction film slated to be released later this year.  The Wikipedia article’s synopsis:  “In the Hawaiian Islands, an international naval fleet at Pearl Harbor engage in a dynamic and intense battle against an alien species known as “The Regents”. The aliens come to planet Earth on a mission to build a power source in the ocean. Upon their visit, they come in contact with the naval fleet. The film is also purported to show both sides of the story, from the aliens’ perspective, as well as the humans’ so the audience knows exactly where the opponent’s ships are.”

But the one film I’m really excited about this year is John Carter, billed as a epic science fantasy, and I’d agree with that assessment.   Terry and I saw the trailer back in late January while waiting for We Bought A Zoo.  Not only did they get the aliens and the alien animals correct, they used Led Zeppelin‘s iconic Kashmir as the audio backdrop, which gave me goose bumps.  I read Burrough’s A Princess of Mars five years ago and loved it.  The film is largely based on that same book, the first one to feature John Carter.  “In the novel John Carter is a former American Civil War Confederate Army captain who is mysteriously transported to Mars, known to its inhabitants as Barsoom. In the course of his adventures he learns that the planet is dying from the loss of its atmosphere and water, and that only a peaceful alliance of its intelligent inhabitants can save all the species of Barsoom from extinction.” — Wikipedia John Carter article. 

I’ve seen three movies thus far, in 2012, and each time I’ve seen a trailer for yet another movie I can’t wait to see.  Keep them coming!  Last year left me high and dry, so much so that I think the only movie Terry and I saw in the theater was the last Harry Potter film.

Movie Review: Red Tails (2012)

Red Tails (2012)

3.5 to 4 out of 5 stars

As an early Valentine’s Day dinner and a movie date, Terry and I dined at Red Lobster Sunday afternoon and visited the AMC Barrywoods movie theater to watch Red Tails on a ‘big’ screen.  Neither of us had been to this particular theater in years, since we prefer to watch the few movies we see each year on the biggest screen in the Kansas City metro area, #7 at the Legends 14 Phoenix Theater.  We enjoyed the close proximity of the handicapped parking though, something not readily available at the Legends.  We bypassed the concession stand, having just stuffed ourselves on seafood, and saved our pocket books from the incredibly overpriced snack items for sale (especially as compared to the prices at the Phoenix theater).

While I had heard of the Tuskegee Airmen, I knew next to nothing about their service during World War II.  So I cannot  verify the authenticity of the film with respect to historical facts.  I can affirm a well told tale with fantastic visuals, heart-thumping aerial dogfights and a bit of romance that overcomes race and language barriers.

Movie Review: Midnight in Paris (2011)

Midnight in Paris (2011)

3 out of 5 stars

Terry and I watched this over a week ago, on a Monday evening.  We were interrupted a couple of times by telephone calls from our children, so the flow of the movie suffered a bit.  I believe we also paused the DVD while we made dinner.

As with all of Woody Allen‘s films, I take time to absorb his presentation and vision.  In the case of Midnight in Paris, however, additional time did not endear me to the film.  I guess I felt it a bit too obvious.

If I had not read a recent FilmCritic blog post on the past year’s mediocre scifi Academy Award scarcity by John Scalzi, I doubt I would have ever watched this film.  Since Scalzi claimed Midnight in Paris actually masqueraded as a time travel tale, it intrigued me enough to place it at the top my Netflix queue.

As stated at the Wikipedia article, “the movie explores themes of nostalgia and modernism.”  Woody Allen tapped into the ‘Golden Age’ vibe for each succeeding character, leading us down the path of impending disillusionment, liberally laced with nearly every famous author or artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who conveniently converged at midnight in Paris (insert appropriate year here … and there’s the beauty of time travel as a plot device).  But not all this famous name dropping could elevate this film to greatness, at least for me.

Movie Review: We Bought a Zoo (2011)

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

4 out of 5 stars

Terry and I saw this in the theater about a week ago (on a Monday afternoon, since I had the day off from work). Matt Damon played the bereaved widower, Benjamin Mee, excellently but failed to convince me of his anguish as the widowed parent of a teenager. MacFadyen and Church provided some great comic relief, but Scarlet Johansson, as the lead zookeeper Kelly Foster, didn’t really click as the romantic interest for Damon’s character.  Although, she totally captivated me while trying to convince Benjamin to ‘let go’ and euthanize a seventeen-year-old Bengal tiger.  A good family film and a pleasant afternoon spent laughing and crying at the local movie theater.

Movie Review: Like Dandelion Dust (2009)

Like Dandelion Dust (2009)

4 out of 5 stars

I found this a difficult drama to watch.  I could sympathize with both families.  I could empathize to some extent with the gracious biological mother.  I can’t say I was completely satisfied with the ending.

I originally wanted to watch this movie to follow Barry Pepper’s acting career (the last film I’d seen him in happened to be the remake of True Grit wherein he reprised the role of Ned Pepper well).  His performance as Rip Porter, the stereotypical alcoholic abusive anger management posture child, met my expectations, but paled beside Mira Sorvino’s performance as his wife, Wendy Porter.  Her character convincingly portrayed grace, forgiveness, resilience, perseverance and unclouded unconditional love on a scale I can only imagine and probably will never achieve.

The other couple (the affluent Campbells) got less sympathy from me, but that could have been intended by the filmmaker.  Or perhaps a result of less convincing performances by Cole Hauser and Kate Levering.

If you’ve ever been in the position, as a woman, and needed to ask and answer the question “Do I abort my baby, or give it up for adoption?” you may find some surprising insights in Like Dandelion Dust.

Movie Review: Point Blank (2010)

Point Blank (2010)

3.5/4 out of 5 stars

Summary from IMDB:  Samuel Pierret (Gilles Lellouche) is a nurse who saves the wrong guy — a thief (Roschdy Zem) whose henchmen take Samuel’s pregnant wife (Elena Anaya) hostage to force him to spring their boss from the hospital. A race through the subways and streets of Paris ensues, and the body count rises. Can Samuel evade the cops and the criminal underground and deliver his beloved to safety?

I added this film to my Netflix streaming queue yesterday morning because after reviewing the DirecTV guide for Sunday the 15th, I could not find anything worth watching.  Initially, I did not fully grasp the fact that the movie was filmed in France and had English subtitles.  This did not put me off, though, as most action movies tend to have less dialog and I read very fast.  Being able to pause and rewind also helps get the entire experience (not just the read dialog, but the body language of the actors).

That being said, this film impressed me.  The story, the action, the stunts, even the acting, were every bit as good as movies made in Hollywood.  In fact, it outshone many of those.  This is by no means a ‘new’ twist on the ‘old’ crime thriller.  It had all the usual suspects: organized crime henchmen and bosses, dedicated detectives and their bad apples (corrupt cops), innocent bystanders who push the moral envelope to ransom their kidnapped loved ones.  Tons of tension and thrills abounded and I had no trouble staying riveted to the screen.