Review: Valkyrie (2008)

Director: Bryan Singer (The Usual Suspects, X2, Superman Returns)

Cast: Tom Cruise (Mission:Impossible, Jerry Maguire, Minority Report), Kenneth Branagh (Hamlet, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), Bill Nighy (Love Actually, Pirates of the Caribbean), Tom Wilkinson (In  the Bedroom, Michael Clayton), Eddie Izzard (The Riches), Terence Stamp (Yes Man, Smallville), Jamie Parker, David Bamber 

The Deal: Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) is afraid that Europe and Germany will be destroyed if someone doesn't kill Hitler (Bamber). He joins a resistance alongside General Friedrich Olbricht (Nighy), General Ludwig Beck (Stamp), and his adjutant Lieutenanat Werner von Haeften (Parker), and devises a plan to alter Operation Valkyrie, Hitler's emergency continuity of government plan, and then kill Hitler to siege control and save Sacred Germany.

Thoughts: The film is based on the real-life actions of Stauffenberg, and does a good job of providing great pace and tension. Even at his height of power, some of Hitler's own countrymen felt he had gone too far and needed to be stopped, and I really enjoyed watching it all unfold on screen. Despite knowing that their attempt at assassination would fail, the film really keeps you tied in and hoping that they can pull it all off.

Ever since Cruise started all his hysterics and scientology ramblings, I've really been turned off by all of his performances, including this one. Thankfully for the film, the rest of the cast does an excellent job, one that completely overshadows my feelings towards Cruise. Despite their commitment to the cause they view justified and necessary, the actors all mixed just the right amount of fear into their performances, and it made their characters so much more believable.

The one thing that nagged at me the whole film, and it's not something the film is at fault for, is that I don't understand how they couldn't pull of a kill. Stauffenberg was repeatedly within arms reach of Hitler, and instead of devising a plan involving sneaking a gun in to do the job, they devise a more complicated plan that relies on too many variables. If they really were committed to stopping Hitler, and were willing to sacrifice their lives for the cause, it would have been a hell of a lot easier to die putting a bullet in Hitler's head, and then letting the rest of the plan follow.

Verdict: Cruise is overshadowed by the rest of the cast to the benefit of the film, and it has a compelling and entertaining story. It's well worth a rental. ☆☆☆1/2

Review: The Wrestler (2008)

Director: Darren Aronofsky (The Fountain, Requiem for a Dream, Pi)

Cast: Mickey Rourke (Sin City), Marisa Tomei (Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, My Cousin Vinny), Evan Rachel Wood (Across the Universe)

The Deal: Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Rourke) lives for the thrill and admiration of his wrestling fans, but his glory years were in the 80's and the turmoils of his job have started to catch up with his body. After a near-fatal heart attack leaves him questioning his life, he seeks to make amends with his neglected daughter Stephanie (Wood) while also trying to strike up a relationship with Cassidy (Tomei), an aging stripper who's best years also seem to be behind her.

Thoughts: This really was the perfect role for Rourke to prove he still had plenty of talent left in him. His portrayal of The Ram is effortless and so believable and honest. His look is exactly like one would imagine a pro wrestler who's past their prime, and Rourke acts the part in the same manner. It's these types of roles that will really allow Rourke to blossom on screen, and hopefully he finds more like it.

Unfortunately, outside of Rourke's performance, there is little else to rave about. Tomei was alright as a stripper, but she just didn't have much presence on screen. Wood's role was very underdeveloped and prevented her from ever getting the chance to stand out. The story was decent, about what you'd expect for a film about a washed up wrestler, but the viewers most likely to connect with The Ram are middle school boys who haven't quite realized how bad pro wrestling is.

The biggest things that jumped out to me while watching the film were the poor scene transitions. They were incredibly abrupt, instantly cutting away from one scene and into a completely different one. It made to flow very choppy, and was a big turn off for me. It reminded me of when I first started editing videos for YouTube and hadn't learned the transitions yet, so all the clips were directly butting against each other.

Verdict: Rourke's performance was wonderful and carried this film, pretty much everything it was touted to be, but it's not enough to distract from the underwhelming supporting cast and slightly better than average story. Worth seeing, but no need to rush. ☆☆☆1/2

Review: Gran Torino (2008)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Cast: Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby, Unforgiven), Bee Vang, Ahney Her, Christopher Carley

The Deal: Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) is a disgruntled, hard-nosed, and racist Korean War vet trying to cope with the recent death of his wife. After his neighbor Thao (Vang) attempts to steal his 1972 Gran Torino on a dare, Walt finds himself in possession of Thao for a week as a means to work off his wrong doing. As Walt gets to know Thao and his sister Sue (Her), he finds himself warming up to his neighbors, and personally takes on the task of protecting them from the escalating gang violence in the area.

Thoughts: Walt is about as racist as a man could possibly be, to the point where you almost find yourself laughing at the severity of his racism. As the film moves forward, it does a good job of showing that Walt actually is a good man, and that most of his problems stem from regrets and experiences in his past. Eastwood has no problem selling this role, it's as if he's right at home with the character.

The story does an excellent job of using Walt as a source for humor, whether it was intended or not. I found it quite funny that when he ran out of chores for Thao to do, he had Thao fix up the house across the street because he was tired of looking at a "dump" from his porch. Thao and Sue are both very well developed, and the relationship they have with Walt really jumps off the screen. These casting clearly worked very well together.

Though I will not spoil the ending, I find it pleasantly ironic that a racist man like Walt, who is surrounded purely by immigrants, becomes so respected in the neighborhood. He went through a large transformation through the film, and his discussions with Father Janovich (Carley) really show those changes.

Verdict: A very strong effort by Eastwood, worthy of the accolades critic's have been bestowing upon it. The story was compelling and the acting was good. One of the best films of the year, and a must see.☆☆☆☆

Movie Rewind: The Fall (2006)

Director: Tarsem Singh

Cast: Lee Pace (Pushing Daisies), Catinca Untaru, Justine Waddell, Robin Smith, Jeetu Verma, Leo Bill, Marcus Wesley

The Deal: Roy Walker (Pace) is in a hospital after a fall during a movie stunt, and to top it off, he's heartbroken  because his girlfriend left him for the leading man. Alexandria (Untaru) is in the hospital after breaking her arm in a fall while working in an orange orchard. On the verge of suicide, Walker befriends Alexandria and begins to tell her a story about four heroes in hope of persuading her to get him some morphine to help him "sleep."

Thoughts: Filmed in over 20 countries from around the world over a span of 4 years, and sporting little to no CGI, this quite possibly is the most visually stunning film I've ever scene. I marveled at the beauty and grandeur of the sets, mesmerized by the thought that the images on screen appear exactly as they are in real life. 

The acting was very good despite a cast of relative unknowns. Anyone who has seen the show "Pushing Daisies" will be delighted to find Pace in yet another unique and interesting role, one which he performs believably. Untaru is perfect as Alexandria, displaying the perfect amount of childhood innocence and wonder at the fantasy tale. Most every actor in this film had duel roles, one in the real world hospital, and one in the fantasy tale, and their real life appearance influences their fantasy appearance.

The story was quite good, a very engrossing fantasy tale aimed at adults. I thought the script could have been a little sharper, but compared to most films in this genre, it is in the top tier. The real and fantasy elements bled nicely together and tend to feed off of and influence each other flawlessly.

Verdict: Worth seeing for the visuals alone, the strong acting and solid script make for a dynamite fantasy adventure. I recommend you get a nice big TV, and then just sit back and enjoy.☆☆☆☆

Liked It? Try These: Pan's Labyrinth (2006), The City of Lost Children (1995), Big Fish (2003), MirrorMask (2005)

Summer Movie Picks: May

With May about a week away, we are fast approaching the summer movie season, so here's a look at my top picks for the month.

Must See: Star Trek (May 8th)

The Deal: Director J.J. Abrams (Cloverfield, LOST, Alias) brings a new vision to the Star Trek universe with his chronicle of James T. Kirk (Chris Pine, Smokin' Aces) and his early years in Starfleet and ascension to U.S.S. Enterprise captain. Also starring Zachary Quinto (Heroes, 24) as Spock, Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) as Scotty, Karl Urban (The Lord of the Rings) as Dr. Leonard McCoy, and Eric Bana (Troy, Munich) as Nero. Leonard Nemoy will be playing "Old Spock."

Why: Abrams is a hot director coming off of his recent success with the film Cloverfield and the wildly popular TV show LOST. From what I've seen from the movie trailers, he's done his best to make a Star Trek film that will appeal to both Trekkies and the casual movie viewer. The visuals I've seen so far are great and very promising for the film. From what I've previously seen of the Star Trek world, the show was corny and the films all sucked (I am aware I just pissed off a very very large community). That aside, this looks like the first big-budget summer blockbuster that will prove both entertaining and satisfying to movie goers and Trekkies alike looking for some overblown CGI, a familiar cast, and a movie that even if disappointing should provide enough entertainment to justify the ridiculous theater prices.

Sleepers

Angels & Demons (May 15): Tom Hanks returns as Robert Langdon in the sequel to The Da Vinci Code, and joining him this round is Ewan McGregor. Though many found The Da Vinci Code somewhat disappointing, the books are very popular and this installment should prove enjoyable enough. Personally, I felt Angels & Demons was the better of the two books, so here's to hoping Ron Howard's new film follows suit.

Terminator Salvation (May 22): Christian Bale takes a crack at John Connor in a film I believe many are overlooking. Though likely to sadly meet the chopping block, FOX's Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles proved that the Terminator universe had not run its coarse and that there were plenty of interesting things that could still be done. We all heard Bale's outburst from the set of this film, so here's to hoping that the writers and McG took things just as seriously.

Up (May 29): Hopefully the next great Pixar film, Up is the first to be filmed in Disney Digital 3-D. Pixar really isn't in the department of making bad movies, and from the little bits I've seen, this could be another decent one. It looks to have some humor, but I'm guessing this will be an adventurous movie. With or without raving reviews, this is Pixar, and it's also the first family-friendly summer "blockbuster."

Aaaaaand Action!

I like movies. I like TV shows. I like reviewing and discussing movies and TV shows. Now that that's settled, I can get to work on what this page is all about. Old, new, and upcoming movies and shows are all fair game, and I hope to have a fair mix of the lot. Since this isn't a job and I'm not getting paid, I can't promise reviews on all of the latest movies hitting theaters. Though my motto has always been "I'll watch any movie once," that doesn't mean I don't have my preferences. I'm a big fan of sci-fi/fantasy, action, and comedy, but every genre has its gems. Well, that's that. Enjoy!