War Horse

Movie: War Horse

Genre: war

Synopsis: The movie starts out shortly before World War I in England.  Albert (Jeremy Irvine) forms an unbreakable friendship with a thoroughbred horse (Joey) his father bought. When World War I breaks out, the horse is sold to the army.  As soon as he is old enough to enlist, Jeremy goes off to try and find his beloved horse.  The movie follows the ups and (mostly) downs of Joey’s army career.  Joey has unimaginable courage and drive.  We also follow Albert in his quest to re-unite with Joey.

My two cents: A pretty good movie.  The horse really has unbelievable courage and drive.  What will keep some people from really embracing this film is the violence.  There are a lot of scenes showing the horrors of trench warfare.  What I found hardest to take was the punishing life Joey had in the army.  Horses were considered totally expendable, They were basically worked until the dropped and then executed and replaced.  The worst scene, for me, is when Joey broke free and went charging through the battlefield.  I won’t give any more away – but be prepared to cringe by the time Joey’s charge is done.  If you can deal with the animal suffering, you should enjoy this movie.

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The Artist

Movie: The Artist

Genre: romantic comedy

Synopsis: The movie is set in 1927.  George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is the biggest silent film star of his time.  When his studio switches to motion pictures with sound and dialog (“talkies”),  George.refuses to make the transition.  This begins his lifes’s downward spiral.  On the other side of the coin is Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo).  Peppy started out as an extra in George’s last movie.  She is a natural, especially for talkies.  Her meteoric rise as an actress sis a steady and quick as George’s descent.

My two cents: I absolutely loved this film.  With the exception of two scenes, it is a silent film.  I really enjoyed the rare experience of watching a silent film.  Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo were both great in their roles.  I The only actor in the movie that I recognized was John Goodman as the studio head.  This movie was so different than any movie I have seen, that it is difficult to explain exactly why I liked it so much.  I was sorry to see it end.

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