Spectre

I went to see the latest 007 movie in the theater back in October and was so ambivalent about it, I have only just gotten around to reviewing it.  My blasé attitude and extremely uncharacteristic procrastination should speak volumes.  It’s not that Spectre is a bad movie, it is a perfectly respectable spy thriller containing all the requisite components.  But any Bond movie would have suffered in the unenviable position of following Skyfall.  The producers definitely knew this and nearly killed themselves trying making Spectre even more epic, more sweeping, with bigger explosions, more mayhem, Bond hooking up with not just one hot woman but two!, many, many action sequences and even going so far as to ostensibly connect all the previous Daniel Craig Bond films.  But despite this agenda, one car chase seemed more like a leisurely drive and in one memorable scene, Bond actually walks out on the hot girl before things get serious!

I should say I was biased against this film from the start, simply because they had offed Judi Dench‘s M (boo!) and replaced her with Ralph Fiennes.  He’s a perfectly good actor, but I loved Judy Dench as M so much that it made me a trifle wroth.  In fairness, there were quite a few parts of the movie I did like quite a bit.  The opening sequence during Mexico’s Day of the Dead was fantastic, for the costumes if nothing else.  It was a visual extravaganza and the cinematography and staging were fabulous.  I noticed in the credits a bit of it is referred to as ‘helicopter ballet’, which I thought was extremely apropos.  Of course, in this day and age it beggars the imagination to believe if a helicopter is going wacko above a huge plaza filled with revelers that NOT ONE OF THEM whipped out a smartphone and started filming the drama unfolding in the sky.

My favorite scenes in the movie were where Bond interrogates a mouse, which was extremely funny and spot on for the franchise, and also when James is driving another 00 agent’s car and the poor guy is portrayed as an extreme sad sack by means of his vehicle’s accoutrements  (to much hilarity, of course), although we never meet him in person.  Léa Seydoux was absolutely lovely as Dr. Madeleine Swann and it was kind of cool, if an unnecessary detour in the plot, to have Bond seduce an older woman, beautifully played by Monica Bellucci.  Christoph Waltz naturally delivered a great performance and it was nice to get a glimpse of Moneypenny’s everyday life (Naomie Harris).  But there were just way to many instances of eye-roll induced action sequences due to the extreme improbability, if not downright impossibility of such things actually happening.  Not that James Bond movies have ever been known for their realistic plots and stunts (Moonraker, I’m looking at you!), but some have been more believable than others.  All in all, I felt this was a very anemic Bond movie that was just trying way too hard and I sum it up with an apathetic meh!  – BETHANY

For more on Daniel Craig’s latest romp as the famous spy, visit the Internet Movie Database

Bond takes a stroll during the Day of the Dead festival.

Some of the fantastic costumes and set pieces from the sequence:

Oh James, did you crash yet another moving vehicle?

This looks like the least promising railroad stop ever.

                                      Hail Hydra!  Oops, wrong franchise.  Hail Spectre?

Helicopter ballet indeed!

Nice dress, Dr. Swann (Léa Seydoux).  Despite the fact we saw you get on that train in a different outfit with no luggage to speak of.

The new M (Ralph Fiennes) faces off with the unctuous C (Andrew Scott).

Here’s all you really need for a Bond movie:

Babes!

Crashes!

And Boys with Toys.

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of B24, Columbia Pictures, Danjaq, Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Sony (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

 

 

 

Person of Interest

I was reluctant to become invested in this show when it first aired because even though it’s a J.J. Abrams production, shows this good tend to get cancelled. But as it has been renewed for a fifth season, I think I’m safe to say I absolutely love it without jinxing it. This is totally unlike anything else on television, so don’t be fooled by its description as a crime thriller. Very apropos to the current goings on with the NSA, this show postulates a great what-if question. What if the government had an incredibly complex machine that spied on everyone for the purpose of thwarting terrorist plots against America? Harold Finch (played by Michael Emerson in a much more likeable role than Ben Linus on Lost) built such a machine but was distressed when the government chose not to act in order to prevent non-terrorist related violent crimes, calling them irrelevant. He recruits ex-CIA spook John Reese, brilliantly underplayed by Jim Caviezel, to help him deal with the never-ending stream of numbers and together they follow up on each one. Mr. Reese is very, very good at his new calling and he and the secretive Finch have an entertaining dynamic between them as they each stealthily try to figure out the other one.

The show’s writers ask great questions of the audience, dealing with the ethics of government surveillance, do the ends justify the means, and whether or not a complex machine can be called sentient. All the characters are beautifully drawn and slowly become more complicated and fleshed out as the narrative unfolds. Kevin Chapman as good guy/bad guy Detective Fusco is excellent and get a look at Taraji P. Henson playing the complicated Joss Carter long before she played Cookie on Empire.  The introduction of Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi to the show is inspired, but since this is a story where it is better not to know too much going in, I’m being deliberately vague so as not to spoil it for you. Dramatic, wry, often surprisingly funny and deliciously intriguing, this cerebral sleeper is an amazing showcase of humanity in all its facets, running the gamut from the genuinely goodhearted to the truly despicable. – BETHANY

For more on this fabulous show, visit the Internet Movie Database

          How The Machine sees the world.

                                Jim Caviezel evidently kept his look from when he played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ.

                     Don’t you hate it when someone takes a call while throttling you, as if to underscore what a minor nuisance you are?

Look out, Cookie’s got a gun!  Taraji P Henson as Detective Carter.

  This is one guy I wouldn’t mind stalking me.  Hoo!

           The Machine keeping tabs on its ‘assets’.

                                  A rare smile from Reese.

Reese, known to one and all as ‘The Man in the Suit’.

Dang it, she stole a rocket launcher.  MY rocket launcher!  (Sarah Shahi)

When a payphone rings, you’d best pick it up.

Camryn Manheim as the mysterious ‘Control’.

        Paige Turco as high society “fixer” Zoe Morgan.

                        Just another day on the job.

Finch.  “I’m a very private person.”  (Michael Emerson)

Photos courtesy of Kilter Films, Bad Robot, Warner Bros. Television and CBS (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

The Chronicles of Riddick

This is one of the most wicked cool and visually stunning movies I’ve had the privilege to see in a very long time. I went into it expecting it to be in the same vein as Pitch Black, which to be honest was more of a horror/adventure movie with a bunch of good scares. This one was epic, huge and gloriously complex, so multi-faceted that I had to watch it twice to really understand what was going on. Riddick is still the laconic bad ass anti-hero he was in the first film but here the universe has expanded around him, spanning a galaxy and featuring one of the creepiest religion-based militaristic zealots ever. It was a real treat for me to watch a movie where every little detail of the plot isn’t spoon fed to you, where the world building is so fully realized and rich but then the camera just pans past it without ever addressing what you just saw.  The story is fantastically complex, with Riddick being the fulcrum in an ongoing war between the free peoples of the galaxy and the Necromongers, who espouse the ‘join us or die’ philosophy.  There’s some really interesting stuff about who Riddick is and where he comes from, but anything else I could say about it would be a spoiler in some way.

Gorgeous sets, divinely detailed locations, intricate costumes, astounding cinematography, wildly creative CGI and a riveting soundtrack, every shot was pure poetry in motion. And can I just say, what an amazing pool of acting talent! Judi Dench, Karl Urban and Thandie Newton, all in very unusual roles for them but each extremely well done. The ladies in The Chronicles of Riddick are all very attractive, to be sure, but they aren’t just decoration.  They are incredibly powerful each in their own manner, some more overt about it than others.  The design of the Necromonger culture is well thought out, their fashion and architecture subtly underscoring their beliefs. Superlative in every conceivable way, this movie is a die-hard fantasy and science fiction lover’s dream and I promptly added it to my DVD library. – BETHANY

Recognize a face in this movie and can’t think where you’ve seen it before?  Before your brain explodes, visit the Internet Movie Database and find out.

                          Planet Helion Prime.

Riddick (Vin Diesel) and Air Elemental Aereon (Judi Dench).                   “There are very few of us who have met a Necromonger and lived to speak of it. So when I choose to speak of it, you should choose to listen.”

Dame Vaako (Thandie Newton) and Lord Vaako (Karl Urban), Necromonger power couple.

Lord Vaako seems to be fond of A) armor and B) guyliner.

Dame Vaako whispering something in Lord Vaako’s ear, something she does frequently.

“The first six Lord Marshals have called this home. Magnificent, isn’t it?”  “I might have gone a different way.”

Impending sunrise on Crematoria.  “If I owned this place and Hell, I’d rent this place out and live in Hell.”

        The terminator between day and night on Crematoria.

                                               Kyra (Alexa Davalos), a resident of Crematoria’s slam.

“It’s an animal thing.”

   Linus Roache as the Purifier.  Some of these Necromonger characters have questionable taste in headgear.  Nice skullcap!

But cool weaponry!

                               (image found at androidforums.com)

Colm Feore as Lord Marshal.

 

 

                                                   Dame Vaako’s outfits always seem to have an exoskeleton spinal thing going on.  There’s so much incredible fashion in this movie and if you’d like to study it in more detail, visit:  Naergi’s Costuming Site

 

Photos courtesy of Universal Pictures, Radar Pictures, One Race Productions and Primal Foe Productions

xXx

This movie is perhaps the very definition of gratuitous cinema. Ridiculously implausible with stunts that strain even the usual suspension of disbelief necessary to enjoy most action movies, and yet it somehow works. You can groan and roll your eyes as one unbelievable thing after another happens in glorious technicolor but still totally enjoy the movie. According to IMDB.com, this is Vin Diesel’s first time as the lead actor in a movie and it shows. Oddly enough, playing a straight up punk of a daredevil doesn’t sit as well on Diesel as his stellar performance as Riddick in Pitch Black. He seems to play broken anti-heroes better than James Bond-esque leading men, which means there is a slight hollowness to his performance here. He keeps wearing a ridiculous shearling coat throughout the movie and every time I saw it, it made me giggle and totally undermined the seriousness of whatever was going on in the scene.

Diesel is very good at dishing out smart-alecky snark and does so to great effect, particularly towards the beginning of the film. He’s kind of a rebel without a cause until he is scooped up by the NSA, who need an operative whom no one would ever suspect of being a spy. “You know, if you’re gonna ask someone to save the world, you’d better make sure they like it the way it is.” (Of course, the NSA doesn’t do international field work, as that is the bailiwick of the CIA, but never mind, as facts just get in the way of telling a good story.) With nowhere near the depth and refined plot characteristic of the 007 movies, this is still a fun thrill ride with plenty of eye-popping stunts that would make Evil Knievel turn green with envy. Samuel L. Jackson does a decent job of a role he later perfected as Nick Fury in the Avengers movies and Asia Argento does well making sure her character is more than just eye candy. A marvelous way to spend a few hours without having to use your brain, so give it a break and enjoy this movie for what it is – a fun but predictable romp filled with everything the action aficionado desires. – BETHANY

For more on this Vin Diesel movie, visit:  xXx on the Internet Movie Database

           It’s the coat.  See what I mean?  *snicker*

Those are some impressive tattoos.   (The Top 11 Best Movie Tattoos)

“I want you to meet some people and find out whatever you can about them.”   “What kind of people?”                                                                                                  “Dirty. Dangerous. Tattooed. Uncivilized. Your kind of people.” (IMDB.com)

                                   “See that guy there? In the suit made out of motel drapes? That’s a cop.”

According to IMDB.com, this ‘rocket launcher’ is nothing more than a slightly modified video camera painted green.

Yelena (Asia Argento) and Xander Cage (Vin Diesel).

Kirill (Werner Daehn) – a sniper henchman.

                                 This, uh, vessel actually appears in the film.

                                               In real life, women seldom talk on the phone while wearing lingerie and stand in an open window!  I guess Yelena does.

                           Martina Smuková doing her best Princess Diana impression for a role entitled ‘Female Czech Cop’.

‘Garçon, we’ll take all of this.  Put it on my tab and wrap it up to go.’  Yelena and Xander.

                                 Reason to watch this movie:  Huge harpoon gun!

Big bad Yorgi, played by Marton Csokas.

        Samuel L. Jackson as Agent Augustus Eugene Gibbons.

           Vin Diesel’s Xander Cage is definitely an adrenaline junkie.

For example, he drives this perfectly good Corvette off a bridge!

Motorcycles!  Explosions!

      And for the coup de grâce, a not-at-all subtle nod to the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me.

 

The trailer for xXx:

 

Photos courtesy of Revolution Studios, Original Film and Columbia Pictures

 

Note:  Finding pictures from this movie to post here was not an easy task.  I had to wade through tons of nasty stuff that regrettably matched my ‘xXx movie’ search.  I think I’ll just go rinse my eyes out with bleach now …

Crossbones

This isn’t a terrible show by any means. It’s shot in gorgeous locations, has astonishingly detailed sets and costumes and features an avalanche of British acting talent as well as David Hoflin, a Swedish actor with an Eric Northman vibe (Yay!). The story is interesting but a great deal of the action is cerebral in nature, battles of wits, etc. The language employed in the dialogue is superb and I’m so pleased they do not underestimate the viewer’s acumen or vocabulary. But for all this show has going for it, its weak point is oddly enough its highest billed star John Malkovich. When he was younger, Malkovich was a master of playing scary smart villains (see Con Air) but as of late his talents have been blossoming in comedy (see the RED movies). He’s just better at being funny now, so his performance as the evil incarnate pirate Blackbeard makes the character seem a bit ridiculous. You shouldn’t ever be able to snicker at Blackbeard but it’s hard not to when Malkovich gives him an effeminate accent and tries to menace people with a head full of acupuncture needles.

Fortunately the real main character is not Blackbeard but Tom Lowe, a British agent of some sort on a mission from the Crown, posing as a surgeon to infiltrate Blackbeard’s island republic, Santa Compaña. The good doctor is played brilliantly by Richard Coyle and oh happy day, we also have Claire Foy playing the wife of an exiled Scottish nobleman. There’s a rich cast of characters like Nenna, a stunning woman who is also a cut-throat pirate and talented thief, and the somewhat inept surgeon’s assistant, Mr. Fletch. I also particularly enjoyed seeing Julian Sands as the vindictive William Jagger. Lots of plots and subplots are nicely juggled by the narrative and there’s enough of interest going on to keep me watching.

Unfortunately, a show about pirates implies plenty of action, but as I must reiterate, much of it in this one plays out in the minds of the two leads.  One character even points this out as Blackbeard and Lowe walk side by side on a beach, saying it may look like they’re not doing anything, but make no mistake, they’re two sharks circling each other.  But despite this attempt to “hang a lantern on it” (“A screenwriting device where special emphasis is put on an obvious narrative flaw, so as to render it invisible.” – http://hangalanternonit.blogspot.com/), doing so certainly doesn’t make the fault more entertaining.  Amongst the other characters there’s also lots of maneuvering and double-crosses, as well as not one but two very predictable love triangles.  The writers try to add interest by having everyone chasing after a mechanical device that would allow ships to “navigate this great emptiness with a precision never before known”, and thus avoid pirates like Blackbeard and other hazards.

I was four episodes in when I first wrote this and I’ll admit that I nearly gave up after the pilot. I only carried on out of morbid fascination and also because I hate it when people write reviews after only watching a single episode. Worthwhile but with quite a few flaws (such as historical inaccuracy and the aforementioned difficulty with the character of Blackbeard), this was cancelled after one season, so we’ll never know how it all turned out. – BETHANY

For more on Crossbones, visit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2400631/?ref_=nv_sr_1

Edward Teach, a.k.a. Blackbeard, as “Commodore” of a pirate republic.

*snicker*

Tom Lowe (Richard Coyle) and Mr. Fletch (Chris Perfetti).

Filming on location in Puerto Rico (image courtesy of http://www.thelocationguide.com)

What all the fuss is about.  It looks very steampunk, doesn’t it?

Yasmine Al Masri as Selima El Sharad, an agoraphobic scholar who seems to have a Stockholm syndrome relationship with Blackbeard.

Nenna Ajanlekoko (Tracy Ifeachor), who’s very quick to draw a blade.

Charlie Rider (David Hoflin, center), Blackbeard’s second in command.

                                                  Rose, one of Santa Compaña’s ladies of the night (played by Natalie Hoflin, real life spouse of David Hoflin, above).

Claire Foy as Kate Balfour.

Julian Sands as William Jagger.

I came to the small screen only to get cancelled?

Photos courtesy of P + M Image Nation, Mr. Cross, Universal Television and NBC

The Musketeers

Swashbuckling without the obligatory pirates, The Musketeers is everything you could want in a television show. Very much in the same vein as the 1993 film starring Charlie Sheen, Kiefer Sutherland and Chris O’Donnell, this is a highly addictive romantic adventure spiked with plenty of intrigue and infused with an indefatigable spirit of ebullience, wit and humor. Lots of sword play, hilariously elegant wit, heaving bosoms and despicable treachery, I defy you to watch even one episode and not instantly fall in love with this show. I’m delighted to see Santiago Cabrera (Aramis) again after his stellar performance as Lancelot on BBCAmerica’s Merlin. Once again he’s playing a romantic hero with a sword and I couldn’t be happier. Peter Capaldi has a tough act to follow, as who can hope to top Tim Curry as the nefarious and downright evil Cardinal Richelieu, but Capaldi plays him with more dimension than just a straight-up bad guy. It leaves the door open to interesting possibilities as to whether or not he’s really all that bad, because frankly the King really is an idiot and needs a minder to help him do complex tasks, like blowing the royal nose. His Majesty dresses in infantile popinjay clothing and is a completely useless human being who likes to shoot birds at point blank range because “they’re born to be shot, like rabbits and poets”. The Queen, on the other hand, is quite brilliant and a great addition to the cadre of strong intelligent women in the cast of characters. Infectious music, magnificent horses and so many scoundrels, some loveable but others just plain villainous. I really don’t know why the blurb on Netflix says this is a “contemporary take” on Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel as that implies a similar plot in a modern setting. This is set in the 1600s, as it should be, and is very much in keeping with the spirit of the book. Every episode is an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride, exciting, exhilarating and unbelievably entertaining. – BETHANY

For detailed cast information, visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2733252/?ref_=nv_sr_1

D’Artagnan, Porthos, Athos and Aramis

The beautiful horses!  And their equally beautiful riders!

His Dark Eminence, Cardinal Richelieu

  Their Royal Majesties Queen Anne and King Louis

Heartthrob Aramis (Santiago Cabrera)

Constance Bonacieux                 Constance and D’Artagnan

Milady de Winter winding His Royal Idiotship around her little finger (among other things)

Photos courtesy of BBC Worldwide and BBC America

D.E.B.S.

A kitschy pseudo-spy romp spiked with gratuitous lipstick lesbianism, this movie wisely doesn’t even try to be realistic. Really, the whole thing is just an excuse to put pretty girls in short plaid skirts, have them tote around guns and play at being teenage “spies”. D.E.B.S. stands for Discipline, Energy, Beauty and Strength, not exactly qualities I would say were necessary to make a decent operative but it does make a cute acronym as well as being the reason why all the girls look like models.  Each of them were found by a secret test embedded in the SAT that quietly flags girls suitable to join a paramilitary organization dedicated to using pretty young things to take down bad guys.  The movie has a comic book vibe to it, complete with somewhat vaudevillian stuff like a villain removing huge bags with dollar signs painted on them from a bank vault. It panders to every cliché in the book but in a satiric sort of way. This isn’t avant-garde cinema and is definitely not meant to be taken seriously. It’s light fluff entertainment that will probably appeal to some more than others. Although this might look a bit like Charlie’s Angels, it is in fact nowhere near as sophisticated and believe me, using the word ‘sophisticated’ in the same sentence with ‘Charlie’s Angels‘ might just have given some poor soul apoplexy. This is a ridiculous spoof of female crime fighting that winds up being more than a little demeaning to women in general. I gave it two stars because it isn’t terrible and does have some entertainment value but it is probably best to go into this with rather low expectations. – BETHANY

For anything else, consult:  http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367631/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The D.E.B.S. in “action”  See how they have cleverly concealed themselves behind this completely inadequate pillar to escape detection!

Photos courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films, Destination Films, Anonymous Content and Screen Gems

Dr. Strangelove

“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here! This is the War Room.” This should give you a very good idea of the tone of Dr. Strangelove, a black satiric comedy that glibly makes fun of the then-current era when the world teetered on the brink of annihilation. According to IMDB.com, while shooting aerial footage over Greenland for Dr. Strangelove, the second unit camera crew accidentally filmed a secret US military base. Their plane was forced down and the crew held under suspicion of being Soviet spies. I remember when I was in 1st grade doing the nuclear attack drills when Ronald Reagan had just been elected president and although I only caught the tail end of the Cold War, it was enough to give me a healthy respect for what the world had endured. However, this movie takes all the paranoia, angst and tension of the day and channels it into an inspired satire. I’m not a fan of Stanley Kubrick, but Peter Sellers was such a comedic genius and having him play three different roles saves the movie from being too dark. There’s so much subtlety in this movie that I think it’s a good idea to watch it more than once in order to really appreciate it. Sellers’ performance as Dr. Strangelove (a kraut by any other name …) is inspired, with his manic fixed grin, a hand that keeps trying to give the Nazi salute and committing a glorious Freudian slip by calling the President of the United States “Mein Führer”. Hysterically funny on so many levels and a cutting portrayal of what, but for the Grace of God, could so easily have happened. Highly recommended for those who don’t know the significance of calling absolutely anything “a communist plot.” Fluoridation, anyone? – BETHANY

For more on Dr. Strangelove and to see Peter Sellers’ other movies (highly recommended) visit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057012/?ref_=nv_sr

Peter Sellers in his first role as Lionel Mandrake, a British RAF exchange officer, and Sterling Hayden as Brigadier General Jack D. Ripper (not kidding), the man who started the whole mess.

Peter Sellers in role #2, President Merkin Muffley.

Sellers in role #3, the titular Dr. Strangelove.

The War Room – no fighting in here!

George C. Scott as General Buck Turgidson.

The famous shot of Slim Pickens as Major T.J. “King” Kong riding the bomb.

                          Filming with a model B-52 (image found at flashbak.com)

Photos courtesy of Columbia Pictures and Hawk Films

The Monuments Men

I fell in love with this movie within the first ten minutes and decided to buy it long before the credits rolled. This magnificent film is a masterpiece, a work of art itself and one of the best movies I’ve seen all year. If you’re expecting a war drama like Saving Private Ryan, you’ll be disappointed as this film isn’t so much about graphic combat as it is an intellectual story about the importance of art and its place in society. I loved getting to know all these unsung academic heroes who put their lives on the line to save priceless art looted by the Nazis and most importantly return it to the rightful owners. Screamingly funny one minute and deadly serious the next, each scene was well crafted and I was utterly riveted throughout the whole thing. The script is subtle, quietly dramatic and deeply moving and all the actors gave truly superlative performances. Think of this as Ocean’s Eleven meets The Thomas Crown Affair, set in World War II. Given the subject material, the tone isn’t as dark as most movies in the genre but make no mistake, the realities of the war are in no way glossed over and there are some truly heartrending moments. Generally when I see a film receiving harsh treatment from the critics, I take it as a good sign that the movie will actually be quite good and this is no exception. In this case, I can see how this film wouldn’t appeal to everyone, just as not all people enjoy spending an afternoon in a museum or lost in a good book. But for those of us who have a deep regard for the historic and cultural value of art in all its forms, this film will touch something deep in your soul. George Clooney, I salute you for placing the integrity of the story first instead of trying to chase after awards and give you a standing ovation for your skill as a director. Full of wit, humor and dignified gravitas, this is entrancing from start to finish and I can’t remember when I have been so viscerally satisfied by a movie. – BETHANY

For more on this very underrated movie, visit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2177771/?ref_=nv_sr_1

The boys looking all spiffy before things get messy.  (Matt Damon, Hugh Bonneville and George Clooney as Lt. James Granger, 2nd Lt. Donald Jeffries and Lt. Frank Stokes, respectively)

Recovering valuable objet d’art from Nazis caches.

Lt. Granger and Claire Simone (Cate Blanchett).

Check out the beautiful statues in the background!

Everything you need for a World War II movie – uniforms, helmets, guns, Jeeps and rubble.

Sgt. Richard Campbell (Bill Murray) and Pvt. Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban) receive some welcome Christmas gifts from home.

Harry Ettlinger, one of the real ‘Monuments Men’ at the film’s premiere.  (Image found at http://www.heyuguys.com)

That’s Ettlinger on the right, looking at a stolen Rembrandt.

Another cache of stolen art rescued by the real Monuments Men.  (Image courtesy of www.monumentsmenfoundation.org)

The official trailer for The Monuments Men:

Photos courtesy of Columbia Pictures, Fox 2000 Pictures, Smokehouse Pictures, Obelisk Productions and Studio Babelsberg (unless otherwise noted)

Everyman’s War

Probably the only World War II movie I’ve seen that made me feel as though I was there. This is a film that tells small stories about a random group of GIs embroiled in the famous Battle of the Bulge, rather than trying to tell some giant sweeping epic. A novel approach that imbues the movie with a sense of realism very difficult to achieve. Everything was a little unclear, sometimes confusing, disorienting and unnerving, perfectly capturing the uncertainty sometimes called the “fog of war”. No carefully choreographed fight sequences covered by a million cameras, this was instead up close and highly personal. Sudden lightning fast flurries of combat that make you jump out of your skin interspersed with heartbreaking introspective narration. I found myself getting lightheaded and realized I was repeatedly holding my breath. I nearly asphyxiated myself during the scene with the lone soldier running across a snow covered mine field. This is a beautiful tapestry of hundreds of seemingly insignificant acts or in some cases, deliberate inaction. I was alternately moved, horrified, sickened, hopeful and deeply proud of these superb examples of what is rightly called The Greatest Generation. My personal favorite introduction was that of Heinrich, who says in a regrettable German accent, “I’m not a Kraut. I’m an American!” Plenty of grit and gore but none of it feels gratuitous, simply an accurate portrayal of combat. I had a grandfather and 11 great uncles that served in World War II and while they’re all gone now, every one of them came home safely. Movies like this are a wonderful tribute to those who have fought and died for the freedoms we often take for granted today. A gorgeous film that deserves every accolade. – BETHANY

For more on this deeply personal labor of love, visit: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1209319/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

                                                 I decided against putting captions on these pictures because pretty much anything I could say would detract from the image.

Photos courtesy of One-Eighty Films, Virgil Films & Entertainment and X-Factor Entertainment