Valkyrie

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Plot Valkyrie is a war story about a coup against Hitler in 1944. It follows the conspirators making preparations, and shows the scheme unfolding and then collapsing. Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Tom Cruise) leads the coup and there are many other generals involved in the political plot twists. Stauffenberg's wife (Carice van Houten) and kids are in the story, but not enough. The movie focuses on setting up the conspiracy, and not on war-movie action.

Review: Valkyrie is a serious and suspenseful movie, and it is about a serious subject -- that it takes on with grim determination. The film would have been better with a deeper understanding of von Stauffenberg's motivation. It is not enough for Singer to invoke 20-20 hindsight; why were these people ready to sacrifice all they held dear? It is the style of war movies to feature tough guys with wooden delivery, but this great story was ruined by the weak script and stylized acting.

Cast and crew:
Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh; directed by Bryan Singer

Rating
2.0

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Very suspenseful -- for a movie where you know the ending in advance.

Doubt

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Plot Doubt is the story of child abuse in a Catholic school told from the point of view of the school nuns. More than that it is a character study of Sister Aloysius, (Meryl Streep) who is the school principal in her battle to drive the abusing priest from her school. She has a steely manner, but is so limited by the subservient role of women in the 1960's era Church. The priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is abusing a black student, and the young teaching nun, Sister James (Amy Adams,) does not know what to do.

There is a subplot concerning the doubt of the innocence of the priest and it is paired with the doubt in the faith of the church. Sister James believes in God and maybe somewhat happier. Sister Aloysius doubts the faithfulness of Father Flynn and also God.

Review: The movie is about a straight-forward story of protecting boys from abuse, but it is so well done, and the women are so courageous, that the story is consistently gripping and outstanding. The nuns that run the school are feared by the students, but are nearly powerless to protect the students against the priests. There is a powerful scene with the boy's Mom, that you will talk about after the movie. Meryl Streep gives restrained and powerful performance. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives a nuanced performance as the perpetrator, who is portrayed as a failed, but honorable man.

This is a simple, powerful movie. Clearly the best of the 2008.

Cast and crew:
Meryl Streep, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams; written and directed by John Patrick Shanley

Rating
4.0


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As good as Juno; superior to Wall*E

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

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Plot form IMDB The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a fairy tale about a man (Brad Pitt) that is born old and grows younger as he ages. It is told as a love story with a girl (Cate Blanchett) who he meets as a child, loves as an adult, and then who cares for him in his infancy when she herself is old.

Review: Benjamin Button is a tear-inducing tragedy about the losses in life. I had been reading about Greek tragedies and how they helped the Greeks come to grips with the toughness of life, so I was mentally prepared for this film. I think that the sadness of the movie: the war, the loss of memory, the loss of beauty, the continuous loss of friends, is in keeping with the dour mood of our country. While this is not the finest movie of the year, and is a bit of melodrama, it is refreshing, serious and different.

The aging of the actors is gimmicky and distracting, but necessary since movie audiences expect images. The story has a grand epic sweep like Forest Gump wrapping in the history of the twentieth century. The movie's plot is substantially different from F. Scott Fitzgerald's original which concerned Benjamin, his father, and his son (not daughter) rather than a love story, however, the movie plot was satisfying and well-adapted to the cinema.

Cast and crew:
Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Julia Ormond; directed by David Flincher; screenplay by Eric Roth; loosely based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Rating
2.5
1/2

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See the movie next to a row of teary-eyed, teenage girls for the complete experience.

Slumdog Millionaire

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Plot form IMDB Slumdog Millionaire is the story of Salim (Madhur Mittal), a Mumbai orphan street child who grows up to be a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to be a Millionaire. There are flashbacks of his childhood, his friendship with a girl, Latika, (Freida Pinto), encounters with gangsters, beggars, and tourists. The movie also has a feel-good love story. The film shows how Salim learns the answers to each question that he is asked through incidents in his childhood -- usually griping, dangerous or gruesome ones.

Review Slumdog Millionaire is about class warfare and discrimination in India, that is told in a fast moving, character oriented style. There are several memorable scenes including blinding children, the scene about rescuing Latika from the brothel, and the police torture. The music is good, the dialog cuts back and forth from English to another language (Is it Urdu?).

So if this movie is so good, then why isn't it Four Stars? Well, it is fun to watch and has interesting characters, but it is not about a big issue. It is genre picture without a universal message. To me, that sacrifices half a star.


Cast and crew:
Madhur Mittal, Freida Pinto, Dev Patel; directed by Danny Boyle and Loveleen Tandan; based on the novel by novel Q & A by Vikas Swarup

Rating
3.5
1/2

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Memorable, character-driven drama with a feel-good love story. Recommended.

Australia

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Plot form IMDB Australia is the story of Lady Sarah Ashley, an
English Aristocrat (Nicole Kidman) who becomes an Australian cattle rancher, falls in love, fights in World War II, and who loves the Wizard of Oz. Key scenes are the arrival in Australia, the ride out to the ranch in the outback equivalent of a hillbilly truck, the cattle drive, the cattle stampede, the Governor's Ball, the rescue at the mission, and the killing of the bad guy in the final scene.

Review Australia is a big splashy popcorn movie that weaves its way from genre to genre as it crunches its way from Western to Romance to War Movie and occasionally to Comedy. You are best off just lightening up and watching the movie. The soundtrack has some outstanding moments --why haven't they released the album?? Nicole Kidman is a wonderful actress, and Hugh Jackman carries his weight.

Cast and crew:
Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman, David Wenham, Brandon Walters; written and directed by Baz Luhrmann

Rating
2.5
1/2

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A big splashy, sloppy, brimming up over the top, popcorn movie

Frank Miller's Sin City

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Plot form IMDB

Review
Sin City is a colorized, live-action comic book; sometimes frame-by-frame from Frank Miller's dramatic graphic novels. There are a few story lines involving Superheroes, struggling cops, and brave hookers. The story is less important than the bold, dramatic art direction and photography. The black and white photography is gripping, and made more so, but a few painted, colorized items in a scene.

The movie is just for fun, and it revels in violence and shocking scenes. Obviously it degrades women; And men and civilization too. Of course it was fun to watch in visceral sort of way. The movie is relentlessly violent. It is of also a visual and cinematic masterpiece.



Cast and crew:
Many stars; directed by Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez

Rating
2.5
1/2

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What is the opposite of chik-flik? what is the opposite of date-movie?

Transiberian

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Plot
Transiberian: Two couples meet on the Transiberian Railway crossing Asia to Moscow. Roy (Wood Harrelson) and Jesse (Emily Mortimer) are missionaries; Abby (Kate Mara) and Carlos (Eduardo Noriega) are more mysterious and worldwise. As the ride progresses, Roy and Jesse get dragged into flirtation, drug running and murder leading to Russian Mafia thugs and corrupt police.

Review
The train ties the locations and people together, and traps them so they can't leave. The drug smuggling and the surprise killing keep everyone on edge during the latter half of the movie. It is marvelously suspenseful.

Woody Harrleson and Ben Kingsley are excellent and Emily Mortimer is solid. The photography and art direction are solid -- perhaps better in the theater instead of on video.

Cast and crew:
Starring: Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Eduardo Noriega, Ben Kingsley, directed by Brad Anderson

Rating
3.0


MoreSolid edge-of-the-seat thriller