Barney's Version

Barney's Version
"Take a ride through the life and memories of Barney Panofsky, a hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, foulmouthed 65-year old hockey fanatic and television producer, as he reflects on his life's successes and (numerous) gaffes and failures as the final chapters of his own existence come sharply into focus."

4.5 Stars

As the film opens, you may find yourself wondering if you have accidentally stumbled in an infomercial about DI-UH-BEET-US because, whether they meant to or not, the make up artists were able to age the initial antagonist Mark Addy into a spitting image of Wilford Brimley.  Now, if you don't understand that reference, don't worry because it wasn't that funny and, I have to admit, a little obscure.

But moving on, let's talk about the movie.  First and foremost it's important that you take the title of  "Barney's Version" into consideration when it comes to interpreting the accuracy of the events of the film.  Barney (played brilliantly in this case by Paul Giamatti) is an unreliable narrator who, although he never actually does a voice over, is giving the audience his recollection and the correlating interpretation of his life.  This intriguing framing device might be most evident in the scene where we see Barney fall in love with his eventual 3rd wife while at the wedding reception to his 2nd wife.  On the surface, it appears as though Barney falls in love with Miriam based on 3 simple criteria - 1) Her looks.  2)  Her appreciation a good Monte Cristo cigar.  3) Her thoughtfulness to update Barney on the final score of a Stanley Cup match he was missing due to the wedding.  Now, this may come off as relatively shallow and almost flippant when you consider the fact that a newly married man is pursuing another woman at his own wedding reception.  But, the romantic in me likes to believe that Barney is experiencing the extremely rare (if even possible at all) Love at First Sight.

Miriam, the object of Barney's affection is played by a surprisingly powerful Rosamund Pike.  I mean, let's be honest, Paul Giamatti can't seem to walk more than 10 feet without tripping over an Academy Award nomination these days.  But Rosamund Pike almost gave me the feeling that she was the critically acclaimed actor instead of the relatively green performer that she actually is.  And that's a conclusion I cam to in spite of the fact that I wasn't necessarily as infatuated with her as Barney was at their initial meeting.  But, even though it took me a little longer, by the end of the movie I was head over heels for her.

There are a lot of other impressive performances in the film too, like that of Rachelle LeFevre and Scott Speedman, but the one I feel I must point out as being superior to all the rest is Dustin Hoffman's.  He plays the boisterous, sometimes border-line inappropriate role of Barney's father Izzy to damn near perfection.  Izzy is a retired New York beat cop who spent 30 years patrolling the "mean streets" and persisted in the face very thinly veiled anti-semitism by administering his own (slightly law-bending) form of justice.  In spite of a hard life, he comes of as a wise, jovial man with no regrets and one I could probably listen to for hours over a glass of good bourbon.

Now, the film does come off as a little left-of-center, but I don't mean that in any sort of negative way.  Nor do I mean that as a code word to imply that this is a weird, artsy movie that only a certain niche of movie-goers are going to appreciated.  But rather, I guess what I mean is that there does not seem to be one particular, all-encompassing theme or direction for the film.  It does jump around quite a bit through various time lines, but the action is never difficult to follow, in fact it's quite the contrary.  This is a direct result of the excellent make up done to the aging characters.  Make up so good, in fact, that it was nominated for an Academy Award.

But, at its very core, I feel like this film is just a portrayal of the common experience we all share of being human and trying to find our own bliss.  Inherently, the mere fact that we are human means that we all have the imperfections and insecurities that have to come along with it, and Barney is no exception.  He is just a decent guy trying to do the best that he can, and this is his story.

Blue Valentine

Blue Valentine

"The film depicts a married couple, Dean Pereira (Ryan Gosling) and Cindy Heller (Michelle Williams), shifting back and forth in time between their courtship and the dissolution of their marriage several years later. Dean is a young high school dropout, working for a New York City moving company. Cindy is a medical student living with her unhappy parents and caring for her grandmother in Pennsylvania. They meet by chance and fall deeply in love in a matter of weeks. They rush into marriage after discovering Cindy is pregnant from a previous boyfriend, Bobby (Mike Vogel). The story of their courtship is inter cut with one disastrous weekend near the presumed end of their marriage. Dean is painting houses while Cindy works as a nurse and they care for their young daughter in rural Pennsylvania. In the hope of resurrecting their troubled relationship, Dean brings Cindy to a tacky romantic motel where they only fight more, and Cindy is called away in the middle of the night to work at the hospital. Dean shows up at the hospital angry, leading to a violent altercation which seems to doom their relationship and make divorce inevitable."

4.5 out of 5 stars

Now, this is what you call a rare and beautiful blend of powerful acting and inspired movie making. Blue Valentine will be one of the best movies you will see this year and, if it isn’t, please let me know what kind of stuff you’re watching because I'm going to need to accompany you to a few flicks. 

This is the type of film that should garner your respect for the sheer fact that it gives you respect in return. Unlike most of your mainstream love stories that have to cater to the dumbest of movie goers, this film trusts that the viewer is smart enough to figure out some things on their own. At times, a simple look is more than enough to convey to the audience what a character would normally have to actually say out loud. And the transition between scenes is peppered with just enough subtle hints to help the audience realize what may have just happened or where the character is coming from. You really do have moments where you forget you are watching a film and, instead, feel like you are sitting in the character’s living room watching their actual lives fall apart.

Truthfully, I haven’t seen Brokeback Mountain or Shutter Island, so I may be coming late to the party on this one. But, Michelle Williams has some legit dramatic acting chops, way more than I would have initially expected. I already knew this was true of Ryan Gosling (just see Lars and the Real Girl or Half Nelson). But she has absolutely no problem going toe to toe with her formidable co-star and, at times, making him blink first.

I should also take this opportunity to forewarn all the ladies out there, who seem to be so infatuated with Mr. Gosling, about his physical appearance. The film’s framing device is a constant switch back and forth from the beginning of the couple’s relationship to (what would appear to be) the probable end. Now, the reason that this may surprise a few of you, is that the makeup artists obviously aged him a few years with the help of a receding hair line and the addition of a few extra pounds. It isn’t something so drastic that it takes you out of the movie, but his multi-toned, 80s style sunglasses in the later scenes definitely make him border on child molester status. 

But back to the framing device. The director does an absolutely phenomenal job of moving back and forth between the time lines sparingly at first and then dialing up the frequency gradually as the tension escalates to a fevered pitch. By juxtaposing the time lines of these two immeasurably different points in their relationship, the director is able to give the audience a much more well-rounded and in-depth look at the characters. They, just like all of us, are flawed and somewhat damaged individuals. Sure, at the beginning of any relationship, things are wonderful and exhilarating. But what happens when we go past the point where most movies end? What happens after Richard Gere climbs up the fire escape to get Julia Roberts? What happens after Tom Hanks meets Meg Ryan at the top of the Empire State Building? 


Sure, we want to hope that they lived happily ever after, but life isn't always a fairy tale.  In fact, most of the time it's far from it. What this movie does is present a look at two people who found each other at a point in their lives where they each had substantial emotional emptiness that only the other person could fill. Does that connection alone create a strong enough foundation for a marriage to be built upon? Probably not. But is the relationship still an important one worth having?  Absolutely. At its core, this movie is just a raw, poignant look at two people who may have been right for each other at one time, but sadly may not be right for each other for all time.

Inception

Inception

"Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible-inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming."

4.5 of stars

This review is probably a moot point because it seems that everyone and their mother has already seen the film, but if you haven’t, here we go. I’m not going to hop on the bandwagon quite as hard as most people (the movie already has the #3 ranking of all time on IMDb). Not to say that movie isn’t good (it most definitely is), but let’s take a minute to let the hype die down before we start throwing out Oscars.

First off, kudos to Chris Nolan as both an artist and a business man. He hasn’t directed many films, but the few that he has (Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight) have all been truly worthy of both their critical and financial success. That being said, this film doesn’t stray from that model. We’re heading into the 4th week of Inception dominating the Box Office and, while it may slip, the money is going to keep rolling in. The main reason for this, aside from the film being entertaining, is the subject matter . . . . dreams. If you’re a person who likes to talk or get up and go to the bathroom during the movie, then you’re going to have a hard time watching this. Every scene is important and engages the audience in such a way that makes you feel like you’ve completed a “mental marathon” by the end. But don’t let the cognitive calisthenics scare you. While the subject matter is somewhat complicated, the direction and storytelling is at such a high level that I never had to stop and ask for directions. There may be a few scant moments where you need to repeat what you just heard to yourself to make sure you comprehended it, but then you’re right back in the action. And that’s really saying something seeing as how Nolan basically built this world entirely from his own brain. There aren’t a lot of “rules” once the characters enter the dream worlds, but once they do Nolan does a masterful job of making sure everyone adheres to them.

Character-wise the cast is pretty solid. I haven’t been a Leo-hater like some people. Aside from Titanic, he has had some impressive performances from a very young age (see The Basketball Diaries and The Quick and the Dead), and his portrayal as a tortured soul in this movie really could not have been delivered much better. He is constantly haunted by the appearance of his dead wife in his dreams (played by Marion Cotillard). Aside from her sexuality that almost drips off the screen, the choice of Cotillard as his wife is somewhat ironic. Christopher Nolan claims that this is purely coincidental, but the song that is played in the movie multiple times to alert the dreamers they are about to wake up is "Je Ne Regrette Rien". What makes this ironic is that Cotillard won an Oscar two years ago by portraying Edith Piaf who was the real life singer who made the emotional song so famous. And yet another case of happenstance is the face that she beat out Ellen Page for the coveted golden statuette. Ellen Page, in fact, plays the young architect who Cobb hires to design the world for this most intricate of heists. Now, at first I wasn’t a big fan of the casting choice. I love Page in the things she’s done, but I thought I was going to have a hard time taking her seriously for 100% of the movie. Let’s be honest, her bread and butter is a dead pan delivery of lines that would make John Belushi blush. Nevertheless, she proved to be more than capable of holding her own. I’m not saying someone else couldn’t have done just as good a job, but when I heard they initially wanted Rachel McAdams or Emily Blunt I was glad to see they decided on Page. Mostly because there was no stilted love story that had to be concocted simply because you had two attractive leads. Page is cute, but her age and relative plainness let me focus more in on what was going on around them rather than having to be bothered with the possibility that Leo and Ellen might have a scene where they were knocking boots.

As is often the case, I feel this movie may have a little less edge because it came out after the Matrix. The similarities are undeniable, but are in no way strong enough to really take you out of the movie. As much as I was intrigued that the “rules” Nolan developed for the dream worlds, I was almost as impressed with the things he left out. The basic concept of sharing a dream and the machine that makes it all possible is never really addressed, and it doesn’t need to be. We’re talking about an experience that is unique for everyone, so sometimes a storyteller just has to say ‘You just have to accept this’, and we do.

My only major strike against the movie is probably the lack of character development for the supporting cast. While we are invited to delve deep into Leo’s psyche and learn about his thoughts and experiences, we barely scratch the surface of any of the other characters. I felt like some more weight could have been added to the movie if we had a vested interest in the success of all the players instead of just Leo. But, sometimes, that’s just the way it goes.

At its core, this film really just is a typical “heist movie” wrapped in a mind-blowing blanket of the subconscious world. Set aside my objections about the relevance of time in dreams and a minor plot hole towards the end, and you will have yourself a movie that you are definitely going to watch more than once . . . and probably one more time after that when you’re on ‘shrooms. But the measure of a movie really comes down to whether or not you entertained the audience for the length of time you asked for their attention. And judging by the collective “Awwwww, come on!” that was elicited by everyone in my movie theater at the very end, I think Inception did its job.

I've Loved You So Long

I've Loved You So Long

"Former medical doctor Juliette Fontaine travels to Lorraine to live on probation with her younger sister Léa and her family. The bitter, introspective and reclusive Juliette has spent her sentence without any visitors and totally forgotten by her family and now she has problems interacting with her brother-in-law Luc and her nieces. She has to visit every other week her probation officer Captain Fauré and seeks a job to rebuild her life. As days go by, Juliette gets closer to the family of her sister and befriends Luc and Léa's friends, specially Lea's colleague Michel. She slowly changes her behavior until the day Léa discovers the truth."

4.5 Stars

Well kids, it looks like you’re going to have to rely on my review for this movie because Robyn decided to read a synopsis before watching it. I usually do the same thing, but the synopsis she read unfortunately gave away an integral plot point that pretty much ruined the whole thing for her.

That being said, I would highly recommend that you avoid reading anything similar before you watch the movie because you really will be robbing yourself of a great film. You probably need to be in a certain headspace when you watch it as well. The pacing is somewhat slow, but it doesn’t really hurt. In fact, I actually think it adds a great deal to the depth and seriousness of the subject matter. The average viewer’s attention span is so short these days that many movies speed through a characters development in an effort to keep the audience interested. All too often, in my opinion, the pace is so fast that it makes development unbelievable. A character can’t be suckin’ dick for blow in one scene and then be driving the kids to soccer practice in a mini-van 10 minutes later. Sorry, was that analogy a little too on the nose? If a movie asks us to buy into a character they have to make his or her development believable.

But don’t think that you will be bored waiting for something to happen in this film. The mystery and intrigue are very strong and the director does a good job at only revealing small bits of information at a time leaving the viewer desperate for the next piece of the puzzle. When the truth is finally revealed, it is definitely a WHOA moment and one that truly causes an introspection by the viewer as to what they would have done in the same, tragic circumstances.
Now, I don’t say this too often, but no one really could have played this role but Kristin Scott Thomas. Aside from the fact that she had to speak in French for the entire movie, the role was so emotionally complicated only a veteran actress like her could even attempt to take on the material. Needless to say, I think she did an exceptional job (one very worthy of the Oscar nomination).

There aren’t a lot of films today that really make you think the way that this one does. You may have to work a little bit for it, but the reward in the end is definitely worth it.

Scent of a Woman

Scent of a Woman

"Charlie Simms is a boy from Oregon who attends Baird School a Boys boarding school. Not unlike most of the other boys who come from affluent backgrounds Simms is there on a scholarship. He hangs around with George Willis, who's a daddy's boy, and his friends. Now George's friends decides to pull a little prank on the pompous headmaster. The headmaster learns that Charlie and George know who pulled the prank and they refuse to say who. He gives the Thanksgiving Holiday to think about it. He also tells Charlie that he's recommending him to an Ivy League College. Charlie then goes off to a Thanksgiving job--taking care of retired Colonel Frank Slade who's blind when his family goes to visit some family for Thanksgiving. After they leave Slade tells Charlie that he's taking him to New York for his own Thanksgiving celebration."

4.5 stars

Lt. Colonel Frank Slade: Clear them little bottles off. And when I get off the phone here, call the bell man and tell him I want it wall to wall with John Daniels.

Charlie Simms: Don’t you mean Jack Daniels?

Lt. Colonel Frank Slade: He may be Jack to you son, but when you've known him as long as I have...

This was one of the quotes from the first 30 minutes of this film. Needless to say, after this line I WAS IN. Not only does Lt. Colonel Slade (Al Pacino) appreciate the finer things in life like the decadence of a hotel room at The Plaza or the taste of a freshly cut Montecristo cigar, he shares my infatuation with all the mysteries that are women; the way they move, the way they laugh, and (most important to a blind man) the way they smell.

Now, I realize this is an old movie, but I have really never seen the entire film. Sure, I have caught pieces of it while flipping through the channels on a Sunday afternoon, but that is the television version. A version, apparently, that director Martin Brest has disowned because it suffers from censorship and time editing. That’s why I wanted to watch the unabridged, unadulterated version to see what the fuss was all about. Needless to say, the movie did not disappoint. Everything worked in this movie ranging from the setting (New York, New York) to the writing to the music to the acting. Pacino was superb in his portrayal of a tortured War Hero and was able to evoke scenes of such raw emotion that I found myself going 3-4 minutes without blinking. I do feel that I was slighted a little bit just because I am so late to the party in viewing this film. His exclamation of “Hoo-wah!” and unique speaking style in the movie have been emulated and parodied so many times since the movie was released in 1993 that it almost elicited a comedic reaction for me at several points that should have come across as more dramatic. But I can’t place any blame on him because if I had seen the movie when it actually came out I probably would have had a more appropriate response. Then again, I was only 8.

The only two complaints I have with the film are relatively minor. For about 2 hours of the movie, I thought that Chris O’Donnell was the perfect casting choice for the role of Charlie Simms. His boyish demeanor and glaring insecurities were consistent with that of a small town kid from the wrong side of the tracks trying to assimilate into the world of over-privileged children and their powerful families. But the whole point of the movie is to witness Charlie’s transition from adolescence to manhood. While I think O’Donnell did the best he could, the transition is supposed to be exhibited in the penultimate scene of the movie. Well, Pacino definitely puts forth his all and THEN some in the scene, but O’Donnell just doesn’t dig quite deep enough and it left me wanting. My second complaint is about the nature of the “crime” itself. The final scene has a great message about leadership and integrity, but I felt like the actions of Charlie’s colleagues could have been more sinister and, in turn, produced a more complicated and powerful moral dilemma for him. As it stands, the “crime” is just pouring paint on the car of the Headmaster.

Nevertheless, it is a great film worthy of our time and appreciation, if only for the appearance of Gabrielle Anwar. Honestly, I thought she was going to be in the entire movie based on her billing and the fact that she is the main thing I remembered about the movie before watching the entire version. It turns out she is only on the screen for literally 5 minutes. But, needless to say, she makes the most of them.

Pacino basically personified the term “pimp” when it came to his dealings with women in this movie and I think every guy out there would admit either openly or just to themselves that his swagger is something we all want to have. This personification may best be described in the advice he give his cat when Charlie and he are about to leave the house for New York. “When in doubt . . . fuck.”

Amelie

Amelie

"Amélie is looking for love, and perhaps for the meaning of life in general. We see her grow up in an original if slightly dysfunctional family. Now a waitress in central Paris, she interacts curiously with her neighbors and customers, as well as a mysterious Photomaton-image collector and one of his even more mysterious photo subjects. Little by little, Amélie realizes that the way to happiness (and yet more subtle humor) requires her to take her own initiative and reach out to others."

4.5 Stars

If I had to describe this movie in two words, it would be “Wonderfully Weird” because that pretty much sums it up. I haven’t seen a movie make so much out of just the simple pleasures of life in a long time. The director really does a great job of seamlessly intertwining the simplicity of the real world to the fantasy world that Amelie has created in her head. But I think one of the best things about the movie is that it doesn’t take the daydream aspect too far. True, there are some strange fantasy sequences here or there, but they don’t overpower the story SO much that you forget what the film is really all about . . . taking chances.

Like many of us, Amelie watches television, movies, and most importantly the lives of other people. She becomes very interested in how people react to situations and, in turn, each other. She maintains a childlike curiosity of the human condition and how it perpetually defies predictability. Amelie also take on a personal mission to better the lives of those around her through both direct and indirect contact. But, as the movie goes on, we start to realize how sad she may really be inside. While she is always surrounded by people, she never truly seems to be connected to any of them. When it comes to relationships she really plays the role of observer more than participant.

This longing for contact manifests itself through the games she plays with a man whose scrapbook she has found. She is in love with him (or at least the idea of him) and decides to engage in a playfully romantic game to learn more about him and hopefully bring herself closer to actually making a true human connection. She tries to convince herself that she is being brave and taking risks that other people wouldn’t dare take, but she is really just fooling herself. I say that because when it finally comes time for the wild goose chase to meet its end, she balks. She hasn’t built up the courage to finally put herself out there and, just like the metaphorical “girl with the glass of water” that her shut-in neighbor struggles to paint, she acts cowardly.

I don’t blame her, though. The reason she acts cowardly is the same reason that most of us might act the same way, because we don’t want to be let down. While the lives of the people around her really shouldn’t be described as sad, they are (for lack of a better word) real. They aren’t like the fantasies she has. The lives are real and are subject to all the disappointments and heart breaks that are a part of life. And that is what scares her most, that when the bubble bursts, will what is left be enough? Luckily her shut-in neighbor gives one final piece of advice and makes her realize that if her heart is never subject to BOTH the joy and pain of love, then it will become just as dry and brittle as his old body.

Now, this movie is visually dazzling and the music does a lot to support the fantasyland motif, but I take something different away from the film. For me, it makes you feel good about believing in the hope of true love. Now, that’s not to say that Amelie necessarily found it. The movie ends where most romantic films do, with a picturesque montage of the happy couple. And you really hope that they ended up staying together for a long time and had a great life, but there is no way to be sure of that. Then again, that’s life and no one can ever really know. That’s why I think this film is saying that it is important to continue to have that hope. Things may not always end up the way we dreamed or planned, but if we continue to put ourselves out there, then hopefully we will eventually get what we need.


Robyn's Response
5 Stars

I love this movie. This movie provides everything the movie-going experience should: visually and musically beautiful, with a unique storytelling style and characters you can't help but fall in love with. Todd said it best when he wrote that this movie does so much with the simple pleasures in life.

Defiance

Defiance

"On the run and hiding in the deep forests of the then German occupied Poland and Belorussia (World War II), the three Bielski brothers find the impossible task of foraging for food and weapons for their survival. They live, not only with the fear of discovery, contending with neighboring Soviet partisans and knowing whom to trust but also take the responsibility of looking after a large mass of fleeing Polish Jews from the German war machine. Women, men, children, the elderly and the young alike are all hiding in makeshift homes in the dark, cold and unforgiving forests in the darkest times of German occupied Eastern Europe."

4.5 Stars

This is what a film should be. From top to bottom, this is one of the best film’s I have seen in a long time. There are so many layers and aspects to the story that come together beautifully.

It has sort of a Lord of the Flies feel to it, except this story is actually true and not about children. It could almost be a study in sociological behavior. What happens when everything is taken away from you by an evil adversary? How far would you go to survive? Would the situation actually arise where it might be necessary to sacrifice your own humanity to save the lives of others? These questions and many more just scratch the surface of the moral dilemma that permeates through the plot of Defiance.

I really felt like this could have been a novel because there were so many different story lines. The most obvious was the nature of humanity and its perseverance in the form of a community. These were real people and no one was perfect. Mistakes were made by everyone even Tavia (Daniel Craig). So many times in movies we are used to seeing the infallible leader who may have a slight crisis of confidence, but conveniently enough is able to overcome it just before his defining moment. That isn’t really the case here. Tavia actually falters in several of his key moments and falters BIG, but his brothers are able to pick up the slack when it’s needed and the group pushes on, the group does the only thing it can do, it survives.
I think there are an endless number of topics that can be debated on what occurred in these majestic woods. Just how far do people need to go in order to survive when they are being persecuted by a tormenter that has absolutely no regard for their life? Is that even a valid question? Should the immediate response be that there is no limit? As sophisticated as we may like to think we have become as a society, we all have basic animal instincts for survival and that may be one of the few times that our true characters are exposed. At one point, Tuvia shoots and kills a man in front of the group because he was conspiring against him. First off, the situation is much more complicated than it sounds so you have to see the movie. But in this case I think the military state he had created in this community was necessary. Any faction or flicker of fracture within the leadership may have had devastating effects on the morale of the group and, in turn, their future. And it’s easy for us to debate the fact now, when we are so far removed from it. Truth is, these people stared into the face of death everyday and had only one choice, to lower their heads at death and move forward.

Another intriguing aspect was that of the Baglia brothers and their family dynamic. They were brothers in every sense of the word, but had plenty of both similar and conflicting ideologies. Tuvia was more concerned about maintaining a sense of humanity while Zus wanted revenge (and rightfully so) for a slaughtered wife and daughter. But in the end, their mutual respect for one another led them in different paths, but helped them to learn crucial lessons.

The character study in this movie was just amazing. There wasn’t enough time to delve into the complexity that was these people lives and emotions. One of the first things to be wiped away was social status, they were no longer poor or rich, educated or not, spiritual or apathetic, they were just people who came together in an effort to survive. And no one, to me, was predictable. They were so human. Yes, as in real life, you can tell when certain people will make particular choices over others, but that wasn’t always the case here. I couldn’t fit any particular character into a box and stick a label on them because it was too hard. Just when you thought you had a character pegged, they would do or say something that just left your head spinning. You start to think about what you may have done, but I think that’s impossible. Seeing what these people lived through is so harrowing that I don’t think anyone could walk a mile in their shoes.

The movie hit all the aspects of basic human nature like food, shelter, community, and love. But one area that I thought wasn’t touched on enough was sex. Now before you think I just wanted to be a voyeuristic horn dog, hear me out. It is actually touched on (ever so slightly) in the movie a couple of times, but it is never really explored. Pregnancies were forbidden in the group. Now, that may sound harsh, but it was necessary because they could not accommodate a child in their surroundings. But some of the undertones hinted that they were having sex. And they HAD to be. They were in the forest for 3 years and it’s only human nature to want to act on sexual desires, especially when your existence seems to be getting continually more primal. On character does mention briefly that “She knows what it expected of the women.” But that is all that is said. I honestly think the movie would have been a little more well rounded if the physical relationship between the men and women was explored a little more. Even the emotional side was only touched on enough to satisfy a need for the audience to have hope.

Anyway, by the length of my review so far, I bet you can tell that I could probably go on and on about this because there is so much to discuss, but I will spare you and let you decide for yourself. In closing I will touch on the only real objections I had to the movie, and there weren’t many. Some critics have come out saying that some of the details were left out concerning the possible brutality that the Briglias implemented to raid from the local farms. I don’t think it’s that big a deal, though. This wasn’t a documentary; it was a movie with the purpose of telling a story and, in that, I think they fully succeeded. The final battle scene did feel a little forced a couple times and a little predictable, but that happens. By far the rest of the movie does not feel formulaic and I think that is what is so refreshing.

Taking Chance

Taking Chance

"In April, 2004, casualties mount in Iraq. At Quantico, choices focus on increasing troop strength or only replacing casualties. Lt. Col. Mike Strobl crunches numbers. Stung by his Superior's rejection of his recommendation because he lacks recent combat experience, Strobl volunteers for escort duty, accompanying the remains Pfc. Chance Phelps, killed at 19. From Dover to Philadelphia by hearse, from there to Minneapolis and on to Billings by plane, and then by car to Phelps' Wyoming home - person after person pays respects. Kind words, small gifts, and gratitude are given Strobl to deliver to the family on this soul-searching journey. What are his own discoveries?"

4.5 stars

If it has been a while since you have reminded yourself of the amazing capabilities of our men and women in uniform, then you need to do yourself a favor and go see this movie like . . . yesterday. Now, before anyone gets their panties in a bunch with their own opinion of the war in Iraq I have 4 words for you, "Shut the Hell UP!" That is not what this movie is about in the slightest. In fact, its apolitical nature is one of the big reasons that I am so high on this film.

You might initially think that this movie is going to be nothing but praise for a fallen soldier, and to some extent you may be right. But in reality the movie is not about Chance Phelps, it is about the internal struggle of Lt. Col. Mike Strobl (Kevin Bacon). We all have friends or know someone that has friends in the military , so we know that no one is perfect. But I still have to think that there is a certain amount of inherent respect that comes with being an American soldier, and that realization is not lost on Strobl. The movie covers his round-a-bout journey with Chance's body from Dover AFB to Chance's hometown in Wyoming. And at every turn Strobl makes it his highest priority to ensure that Chance's body is treated with respect and dignity.

The awe inspiring thing is that he doesn't have to go to the lengths that he does. Most of the time, no one is around that knows military protocol. So, he has no reason to stand at attention whenever the casket is moved or stand watch over the body by night when he is forced to spend an extra evening in a Montana airplane hanger, but he does it anyway.

And it's not just Strobl. This movie was based off of his own journal that he kept, so most of it is true. That's why it makes me so proud to see how the everyday citizens reacted to seeing Strobl and the mission he had undertaken. The respect and admiration that they treated Strobl and the casket with makes you really want to step back and appreciate that, while people piss us off everyday, most of us are inherently good and we know the right thing to do.

There are so many moments in this movie that you just get lost in, and Kevin Bacon does a great job of conveying the fierce internal struggle of a conflicted man without saying much at all. Soldiers are just people too and it doesn't make them any less committed to really just wanting to be with their families. So, you really feel for this guy who is just beating himself up inside while everyone else around him is putting him up on a pedestal.

From the marines who take care of his body, to the people Strobl meets on the way, to the family and friend that loved Chance so much, there are just so many points in the film that you just get goosebumps, and if you DON'T get them, you need to check your pulse.

The Seventh Seal

The Seventh Seal

“A Knight and his squire are home from the crusades. Black Death is sweeping their country. As they approach home, Death appears to the knight and tells him it is his time. The knight challenges Death to a chess game for his life. The Knight and Death play as the cultural turmoil envelopes the people around them as they try, in different ways, to deal with the upheaval the plague has caused.”

4.5 stars

If you consider yourself a movie buff, this is a movie you have probably seen. If not, you need to put it on the top of your list because you don’t know shit about the history of cinema until you have experienced this film. The fact that this move was made in 1957, literally dumbfounds me. Everything about it from the cinematography to plot elements are light years ahead of its time. It is the calling card and first major success of the legendary director Ingmar Bergman. If you don’t know who that is, then I suggest you go sit quietly at your desk and put your head down until the bell rings.

This movie literally wrote the book on the use of lighting and shadows for all subsequent films. I’m serious; you would be hard pressed to find any film school worth its salt that doesn’t show this as an introductory requirement. The film comes off (like its director) as very pretentious, but in a good way. The story is very straightforward, but it tries (successfully) to be so much more. A disillusioned Knight returns from the crusade angry and confused. These feelings are further manifested by the fact that he is returning to homeland ravaged by the plague where people are dying by the thousands. He then engages in a lengthy game of chess with Death (both figuratively and literally). And that’s really the entire story; there is not much more meat to the plot than that. But it’s Bergman’s exploration through the human condition and dissection of the human psyche that leave you thinking about the movie days after you’ve left the theater.

And the themes really are timeless. How many different generations can identify with the questions about the futility of war and the morality questions that go hand in hand with it? Or the inevitability of death and, to an extent, life’s own inherent futility? Even the most opinionated amongst us would find themselves at least thinking twice about their own beliefs on life and death. Most of the time you go to the movies just to be entertained, but every once and a while you see a film that really makes you think. THIS is one of those movies.

SPOILERS: The Knight makes his journey home and, along the way, meets a wide array of characters that facilitate him reexamining his own purpose in life. He really does come full circle from a person who believes in nothing to a person that believes in the most powerful of human ideas . . . hope. Unfortunately not even his transformation can save him from an inevitable end. So, he shares a ‘Last Supper’ with his new found brethren and accepts his fate. The last scene is beautifully eerie and ends with the only words spoken the entire movie by a mute girl. She looks into the eyes of death and chillingly whispers, “It is finished.”

It really is a tale that, again, we can all identify with. I say this because, as much as we try to avoid losing our own game of chess with Death, in the end it seems Death wins . . . as it always does.