Hey all,
Sorry for the lack of reviews. I've been out traveling this week. I'll be out next week as well, so there won't be many updates. Unless, of course, there's something interesting on the flight.
I may have something this weekend. Otherwise, I'll catch you in September.
Die Fälscher won the Oscar this year for best foreign language film. In English, the title is The Counterfeiters. I don't know why they changed it because Die Fälscher is much cooler to say, especially if you do your best Schwarzenegger impression. Try it. You agree with me now, don't ya?As you may have guessed, the movie comes out of Austria and is about a Jewish counterfeiter in Nazi Germany. As far as Holocaust movies go, it's nice to have a story that's unique. I haven't checked, but it seemed like a true story, so that makes it all the more interesting.
Another fascinating aspect is that the main character, the Jewish counterfeiter, is a jerk. In most other WW2 movies, the Jews are portrayed as gentle victims. The guy is a victim here as well, but when the Nazis comes busting down his door, we're not exactly talking about Anne Frank, if you know what I mean.
But, of course, this sets you up for a great character journey. Since this isn't a Hollywood movie, you don't get a Hollywood ending. Instead, you get a real, natural, human ending. By the credits, I had an emotional connection with the guy and I got to wondering what I would do if I were put in his shoes. Few movies do that and it's nice to come across those that do.
This is obviously a serious drama, so make sure you're in the mood for it. And for a bit of reading, unless you speak German. But definitely catch this one in the near future.
Grade: A
Guy Ritchie has become famous for two movies: Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Both bring dry British humor to your basic mob movie. So what happens when you make a Guy Ritchie movie without Guy Ritchie? You get In Bruges.The story is somewhat original. At least to me, anyway. You've got two hitmen laying low in Bruges after a botched job. Where's Bruges? It's not really a spoiler since any of you can Google the place, but if you don't know, it's a funny point in the movie so keep your Googlin' to a minimum.
The movie stars Colin Farrell and another guy you probably recognize from a bunch of other movies, but don't know his name. I guarantee you'll say, "Hey, that's that guy from Harry Potter, Braveheart, Beowulf, and a bunch of other stuff. But I can't remember his name." They're both great and have a surprising gift of comedic timing. Who knew Colin Farrell could be funny?
I enjoyed the characters so much that I'm really hoping another movie comes out. Maybe one showing them on a job rather than laying low. Their personalities conflict in ways that only work in British comedies, but watching these two on a hit would be a riot.
By the end, the director tries to piece things together to make a point, but mostly it comes off as a "I see what you did there" moment. It's not bad, but it's not as earth-shattering as the director maybe thought it was gonna be. Perhaps Guy Ritchie would have had better luck.
This movie isn't the best British movie you've seen, but it's worth a rental if you're in the mood.
Grade: B
Remember that scene in Return of the Jedi where Admiral Akbar turns to the camera and says, "It's a trap!" That scene has turned into an internet meme and is very applicable to Strange Wilderness.What should have been a very entertaining movie about nature flicks (mocking Steve Irwin, Blue Planet, March of the Penguins, and others) is actually ninety minutes of dick and fart jokes. In other words, "It's a trap!"
Here is a selection of "jokes" in this crapfest:
- A man gets his junk eaten by a wild turkey
- Another man sews his package back together with yarn
- A wilderness guide is named "Dick"
You got an idea of what this movie is about? So why have today's "comedies" turned to full frontal male nudity for laughs? Between this, Superbad, and Walk Hard, I've seen enough sausage on screen to make Oscar Meyer jealous.
The biggest thing these movies have in common is that all the lead characters are losers - high throughout the movie with no dreams, goals, or motivations past the next hit. Are these movies an attack on masculinity, or just a reflection its impotence in today's America?
Whatever the case, I still long for an intelligent, witty comedy. And one day, I hope John Wayne comes back.
Grade: F
Remember The Animatrix from a few years ago? The Matrix producers got some artists together to make a collection of short stories around that universe. If you've never seen it, go check it out. Especially since most of the stories are better than the sequels.
Since that project turned out to be so popular, Batman Begins and The Dark Knight get the same treatment in Batman: Gotham Knight. I'm not certain, but it looked like many of the same animators returned for this disc. That's a good thing, since these guys all have a unique style to their art and are famous for a reason.
So does it all work for Batman like it did for The Matrix? Well, sorta. There are six stories (as opposed to nine in The Animatrix), and I felt like I wanted more. While still very good, the styles of the artists are too similar. In The Animatrix, variety in the art gave each story a new sense of freshness that didn't solely rely on the writing.
Unfortunately, the stories here miss more than they hit. The first one is great and there's a story centered around the cops from The Dark Knight that's interesting, but the rest are kind of bland. One is especially boring and makes very little sense in the Batman lore. Batman: Chakra Knight (or whatever it's called) shows up in the middle and really killed my interest in the rest of the disc.
I'd recommend this only for the diehard Batman fans.
Grade: C+
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