Carlos

Movie: Carlos

Cast: Édgar Ramírez (Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, aka 'Carlos')

Genre: Biography, historical drama

I saw it on: December 29, 2010

Synopsis: It seems that this was originally shot as a 3-part miniseries by a French production company. It has apparently been released or shown in various lengths.  The one I saw in the theatre is the full length 5½ hour version. The beginning of the film goes to great lengths to explain that most of the movie is a fictionalized account of the life of Carlos - the famous terrorist from the 70’s and 80’s.  Sprinkled throughout the movie are what appeared to be actual news footage of some of Carlos’ exploits.

Carlos wrecked havoc in the 70’s.  He is probably the most famous – or infamous – terrorist in history.  He was the mastermind who took the oil ministers of OPEC captive during the 1975 OPEC meeting in Austria. Although he was born in Venezuela, much of his terrorist efforts were on behalf of middle east regimes. When two of his operatives were captured by the French, he “declared war” on them with a series of terrorist bombings.  The film chronicles his rise to world-wide fame along with his decline to being little more than a figure of historic interest.

My two cents: This was a fascinating story of a fascinating figure in history.  His exploits in the 70’s are just one more historically significant event from the 70’s that I seemed to have been oblivious to when it happened.  The first I remember hearing the name “Carlos” was in the 1997 Bruce Willis version of the movie “Day of the Jackal”.

The utter disregard Carlos had for life was shocking.  No matter how often I hear about terrorist attacks, I can never grasp the justification for killing innocent people over ideological differences.  To punish the French government fro putting his operatives on trial, he did stuff like blowing up a high-speed passenger train – full of people who had nothing to do with him or his operatives.  The arrogance of people like Carlos astonish me – to be so sure that they know what is right for the world and feel it is perfectly acceptable to kill hundreds or thousands of innocents to further what they think is right.

This movie is well-worth seeing, but I would suggest waiting for it to come out on DVD or on TV as a miniseries.

Four Lions

Movie: Four Lions

Genre: Dark Comedy

Cast: no one I have ever heard of

I saw it on: December 28, 2010

Synopsis: A group of Muslims living in London decide they want to be suicide bombers.  None of these men are Mensa material.  They would need to go to school to rise up to the intellectual level of Curly, Larry and Moe.  Two of them go to Pakistan for terrorist training, but are forced to return after only a few days after an embarrassing incident. We get to follow them as they try to make bombs, blow some sheep, a crow and one of their group.  The movie reaches its climax as the remaining group members try to blow up the London Marathon.

My two cents: A pretty funny movie.  The stupidity of these men is truly astonishing.  You have to wonder how they managed to reach adulthood. An example of the humor – the men are in the marathon in disguise.  At one point British snipers are ordered to shoot one of them disguised as a bear.  After the runner is shot, the two snipers start arguing whether the dead runner was a bear or actually a wookie.  One of the “terrorists” has a unique way of determining if he is confused: he takes his own picture with his cell phone and then looks at the picture to see if he has his ‘confused face” on.

If you get a chance to see this on TV, I would give it  a shot.  I am not sure I would recommend going to a theatre to see it.  If you do see it, be sure to watch the stuff that is shown during the credits – its pretty funny.

Little Fockers

Movie: Little Fockers

Cast:    Ben Stiller (Greg Focker)

            Robert De Niro (Jack Byrnes)

            Teri Polo (Pam Focker)

            Owen Wilson (Kevin Rawley)

            Dustin Hoffman (Bernie Focker)

            Barbra Streisand (Roz Focker)

Genre: Comedy

I saw it on: December 28, 2010

Synopsis: If you have seen the first two Focker movies, you know what to expect.  The Fockers have settled into married life with two kids in Chicago. Pam’s parents (the Byrnes) are coming for a visit.  Due to health problems, Jack Byrnes has decided to pass the role of family patriarch on to Greg Focker – to anoint him the GodFocker.

Of course, Jack is not convinced of Greg’s worthiness and is continually spying on him.  Teri’s old flame (Kevin) shows up.  Kevin is filthy rich and can do no wrong in Jack’s eyes.  He is the one who should have married his daughter.

The movie follows Greg get into trouble with a pharmaceutical rep (Jessica Alba), Jack having a long-lasting reaction to some ED medicine he steals from Greg, Greg trying to get on the good side of his daughter.  And of course, Greg’s parents join the mix for the grand finale.

My two cents: I think I have had enough of the Fockers.  I will grant you that there are a lot of really funny situations.  My problem is that I am just tired of Jack Byrnes and his unending conviction that he knows what is best for everyone and will stop at nothing to make what he wants happen.  I also could have done without the whole Jack vs the 4-hour-curse of a misused ED medication.  The Owen Wilson character is also wearing a bit thin.  I did enjoy the Jessica Alba character – something new for a change.

Black Swan

Movie: 

Cast:    Natalie Portman (Nina Sayers)

            Mila Kunis (Lily)

            Vincent Cassel (Thomas Leroy)

            Barbara Hershey (Erica Sayers)

Genre: Drama

I saw it on: December 25, 2010

Synopsis: Nina is a ballerina in a New York City ballet company.  Her entire life is dedicated to ballet.  Adding to her drive is the incessant pressure from her mother, Erica.  The director of the ballet is holding auditions for an updated version of Swan Lake.  He tells Nina that she would be his choice for the lead if it was just the role of the White Swan; but he needs the same dancer to dance the role of the Black Swan as well as the White Swan.  He is not convinced she has the passion and emotion to handle the Black Swan.  Also in the competition is the new girl, Lily.

When Nina – much to her surprise – gets the lead, she starts to crack under the unrelenting pressure she feels.  Some of the pressure is from the director, but a lot of it is imagined.  To add to her problems, Lily is steadily trying to undermine Nina.  One of the ways Nina deals wither stress is incessant scratching – to the point of self-mutilation. As opening night approaches, Nina goes downhill faster.  On opening night, everything comes to quite a spectacular head.

My two cents: My first reaction to this movie was to get my daughter on the phone and demand she take my granddaughter out of ballet.  How dancers can put them through this torture is beyond me.  To put it mildly, this is a dark movie. 

At first Nina’s mother comes across as a nice, supportive mother.  Midway through the movie you start to see that she is not so much supportive as a failed dancer living vicariously through her daughter’s success.

Then there is the problem with Lily.  Is Lily a conniving backstabber – or is Nina just imagining it.  One of the frustrating things with this movie is you are never clear as to what is really happening and what Nina is just manufacturing in her imagination.

I thought the acting of both Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis was top notch.  You feel so sorry for Natalie that you just want to put your arm around her and comfort her.  Mila Kunis absolutely captured her character.  I kept alternating between thinking she was an absolute bitch to thinking she was being really supportive and just misunderstood by the increasing psychotic Nina.  My problem with Vincent Cassels is that I so disliked his character and his arrogance and the way the heartless way he manipulated his dancers.  But I guess that means he did a pretty good job of acting.

My bottom line: some good dancing, some good acting  - but be prepared to do a lot of wincing and squirming when Nina starts up on herself.  A good movie – but not a feel-good movie.  When I walked out at the end, I was pretty subdued.

True Grit (2010)

Movie: True Grit (2010)

Cast:    Jeff Bridges (Rooster Cogburn)
Matt Damon (LaBoeuf)
Hailee Steinfeld (Mattie Ross)

            Josh Brolin (Tom Chaney)

Genre: Western

I saw it on: December 23, 2010

Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross is town to collect the remains of her father.  Her father was murdered by the evil Tom Chaney.  Mattie hires the U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn to track down Chaney and bring him to justice.  Cogburn is old, over-weight and drinks too much – but he is for hire and has a reputation for ruthlessness that convinces Mattie he can do the job.  Rooster is less than happy that Mattie expects to accompany him.  He tries unsuccessfully to ditch her, then is resigned to her accompanying him.

Texas Ranger LaBoeuf has been tracking Chaney for over a year for the murder of a Texas politician.  He offers his services to Mattie, who turns him down.  He strikes a separate deal with Cogburn and joins the two of them in hunting Cheney.  Things get a bit dicey during the hunt, with a number of shootouts culminating in a showdown/shootout between Cogburn and four members of Chaney’s gang.

My two cents: A good old fashioned western.  Jeff Bridges makes a great Rooster Cogburn.  I was particularly impressed with Hailee Steinfeld (Mattie Ross) – she was only thirteen when this film was shot.  I would imagine for someone her age it would be a bit intimidating to work with two Oscar winning actors.  If she was intimidated, Hailee hid it pretty well.  I thought she put in a great performance and more than held her own in the movie.

The depiction of the west was definitely grittier (no put intended) than most westerns.  I get tired of westerns where the worst the cowboys get is little dusty, and usually but manage to look like they just got dressed in new clothes and had a shower and shave.  In this movie, you have to wonder how many months it has been since Cogburn has changed his clothes.  It was also nice to see that not all good guys always hit what they shoot at.

I don’t really remember much from the John Wayne True Grit, but I think it would probably rank as a little better than this one.  That said, I had a lot of fun with this movie.  The dialogue is especially enjoyable.  It makes you realize just how much a movie can be improved with great dialogue. There are a lot of laughs to be had.  I found myself looking forward to the next exchange between Mattie and whoever had the misfortune to cross verbal swords with her.

Tron: Legacy: 3D IMAX

Movie: Tron: Legacy: 3D IMAX

Cast:    Jeff Bridges (Kevin Flynn / Clu)

            Garrett Hedlund (Sam Flynn)

            Olivia Wilde (Quorra)

            Bruce Boxleitner (Alan Bradley / Tron)

            Michael Sheen (Castor / Zuse)

Genre: Sci-Fi

I saw it on: December 21, 2010

Synopsis: In this sequel to the 1982 Tron, we start with a flashback to 1989 with Kevin Flynn telling his son Sam a story before he leaves for work – never to return.  Back to the present.  ENCOM, founded by Kevin before he disappeared, is now the largest gaming/software company in the world.  Kevin’s son Sam is the largest shareholder in the company, but only shows up once a year. 

Kevin’s former partner, Alan Bradley, gets a page from Kevin’s old office in Flynn’s Arcade – vacant for 20 years.  Alan convinces Sam to meet him at the arcade.  Sam gets there first and finds the equipment his father used 20 years earlier.  He pushes some buttons and the next thing he knows is he has been sucked into the Grid.

Sam is immediately captured by Clu.  Clu is a renegade program written by Sam’s father.  Clu has taken over control of the Grid and is plotting to escape to the real world and taking control of it.  Sam is rescued by a friend of his father - Quorra.  Quorra takes Sam to reunite with his father.  The rest of the film follows Sam and his father as they try to defeat Clu and escape from the Grid and get back to our world.

My two cents: I kind of feel the same way I did about the original.  Fabulous special effects, but the basic premise takes a really big jump of faith.  The fighting and action sequences were great fun.  The IMAX speakers really enabled you to feel the action.  The 3D effects were also first rate.  Olivia Wilde was a nice addition to the cast.  Michael Sheen was unforgettable as Zuse – although I had to check the credits afterwards to figure out it was him.

If you liked the original, you are sure to like this one.  It is a little like Lost – you are going to get a headache if you spend too much time trying to make sense of this movie; you are better off just sitting back and enjoying the music and action.

The King’s Speech

Movie: The King’s Speech

Cast:    Colin Firth (Prince Albert, later King George VI)

            Helena Bonham Carter (Queen Elizabeth – wife of King George VI)

            Michael Gambon (King George V)

            Guy Pierce (Prince Edward, later King Edward VIII)

            Geoffrey Rush (Lionel Logue)

Genre: Historical Drama

I saw it on: December 20, 2010

Synopsis: The movie opens with King George V making his Christmas speech over the radio in the 1920’s.  When his younger son – Prince Albert – tries to make a public speech, we find that he suffers from a near-crippling stammer.  We find later that he has had this steamer since a very early age.  We also learn that Prince Albert’s loving wife (Elizabeth, the mother of the future queen) is trying to find a way to help him with his stammer/  To this end, she convinces him to try Lionel Logue – a therapist with rather unconventional methods.  Although Lionel is able to help him some, he and the Prince part ways following an argument.

Meantime, we learn that Prince Albert’s older brother (Edward, Prince of Wales) is the next in line for the crown.  Unfortunately, performing his official duties is not high on Edward’s list of things to do.  He is more interested in having fun, especially with the soon-to-be twice-divorced Wallis Simpson. 

Finally things come to a head when King George V dies and the Prince of Wales becomes King Edward VIII.  Albert tries, unsuccessfully, to convince him to take his duties seriously. When the King makes it clear that he intends to marry Wallis Simpson, the crisis has arrived.  Rather than give up Simpson, the King decides to forsake his monarchy and abdicates the throne.

Now Albert, so to be crowned King George VI, goes back to Lionel.  He has to overcome, or at least gain some control over, his stammer in time for the coronation.

My two cents: This is a fabulous picture.  I knew nothing about Edward other than he abdicated the thrown.  If this movie is as accurate as it seems, Britain was better off without Edward.  It is heartbreaking to watch Prince Albert’s struggle with his stammer.  It turns out that both his father and brother made fun of him growing up.  He was terrified of public speaking, but had to face the prospect of addressing the entire British Empire (which comprised 25% of the world’s population at the time).  The kind of pressure he faced and struggled with is almost inconceivable.  And he never tried to shirk his duties.

The interaction between Lionel and Albert is great to watch.  Lionel insisted they be on a first name basis.  He was Lionel and the Prince was to be “Bertie”.  Lionel’s family was kept in the dark as to the identity of his mystery patient.  The scene where his wife comes home unexpectedly to find the Queen of England in the waiting room and the King in her husband’s study is priceless.

I also loved the relationship between Albert and Elizabeth.  You could tell they truly loved each other and that Elizabeth was also Albert’s best friend.  She is instrumental in convincing him to go to Lionel.  It is also great fun to watch the love both of them have for their children – and feel free to show it.  This is all something I have never seen any sign of with the current royal family.

This movie is definitely a must-see.  I predict a best picture Oscar nomination for the movie and a best actor nomination for Colin Firth.  In my humble opinion, Colin Firth is the finest actor on the big screen right now.