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Flash Movie Review: Incendies
There are people walking this earth who are related to me, but I have no idea who they may be. With my family roots coming out of England, Lithuania and Russia, there is not a trail of records that would form a clear family tree of relatives for me. I wish there was a way to find these individuals and hear their life stories, let alone look to see if there were any physical resemblances that were passed down to each generation. To hear a different version of a family member you were familiar with would be a heady experience, I would think. As far as I know there have not been any relatives that had a secret spouse or child, but I have to assume anything is possible. This very topic was the heart of the story in this Oscar nominated movie. At the reading of Nawal Marwan’s, played by Lubna Azabal (Body of Lies, Coriolanus), will; her children Jeanne and Simon, played by Melissa Desormeaux-Poulin (Through the Mist, Taking the Plunge franchise) and Maxim Gaudette (Polytechnique, Cheech), discovered their father was alive and they had a brother they never knew existed. Per their mother’s wishes the two children set off on a harrowing trail that would lead them to some deep family secrets. This dramatic mystery grabbed my attention right from the start. The parallel stories were easy to follow and augmented each other with a buildup of drama. Even though the actors were speaking in a foreign language to me, I thought the actors’ acting came across vividly, with emotions easily pouring out of them. It especially added strength to the scenes that had a higher level of intensity. The directing was right on target; I only had a minor complaint of not always knowing what location was being shown at first. As I said it was not a big deal since the gripping story kept my interest in this film festival winning movie. How ever you define family, some people’s focus is solely on their family members; for others it is not a priority. This film presented an unbelievable option that never even occurred to me. This Canadian movie was spoken in French and Arabic languages with English subtitles.
3 1/2 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: The Book Thief
Some people determine their wealth based on how many books they have in their possession. I can absolutely understand the concept. Books are portals that let me visit different lands, times and people. Sitting in a crowded subway car does not bother me; knowing that as soon as I crack open the cover to my book, I will be off on an adventure down to a place such as the Amazon River. Another benefit that comes with books is the opportunity to share them with someone else. One of my favorite date nights is going to a bookstore, where we split up and seek out books we think the other person would enjoy reading. I consider the act of reading aloud to someone to be a sweet, loving gesture. You can now understand why the title to this dramatic movie, based on the best selling novel, intrigued me. The book thief in this story was a young girl named Liesel, played by Sophie Nelisse (Monsieur Lazhar, Esimesac). Set in Germany during the early stages of World War II, Liesel was sent to live with foster parents Rosa and Hans, played by Emily Watson (War Horse, Breaking the Waves) and Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise). As the horrors of war took place around her, Liesel’s love of books provided a safe haven for her and the people around her. Though I have not read the book, after seeing this film festival winner I have the urge to read it now. Besides the wonderful performance from Sophie Nelisse, I thought Geoffrey Rush did a great job with his role. The chemistry came across as lovingly real between the two of them. I did have some confusion on the circumstances that led Liesel to her foster parents, however. There were several other scenes that seemed rushed or without much emotional depth. This can be attributed to the script, for I found it to be uneven. Having the story told from a child’s perspective was something I found different then other films that dealt with the subject of Nazi Germany. One thing I found odd was the use of a narrator, especially towards the latter part of the movie where I felt the story was being quickly rushed to wrap things up. I liked parts of this film but the thing I really enjoyed was being reminded of a saying I used to hear when growing up–no one can ever rob you of an education. A few scenes had German spoken with English subtitles.
2 1/2 stars
Flash Movie Review: Emperor
The stranger standing ahead of me started yelling when he heard me tell the checker I picked Argo to win for best picture. He said the film was a total lie. I told him it was a movie not a documentary. In response to his claim that people would believe the movie’s story was true, I told him he did not have to worry; with people barely reading and writing these days, they would not remember the story. It was the perfect thing to say to him because he calmed down. As he walked away, the checker rolled her eyes. History lessons via movies are an acceptable form in my opinion. However, I understand the writers and director can take liberties with the story, to make it more compelling for the viewer. Like most things these days, one always needs a fact checker. From a historical standpoint, I found this movie’s story attractive. With Japan’s surrender ending WWII, the fate of the country would be determined by General Douglas MacArthur, played by Tommy Lee Jones (Lincoln, In the Valley of Elah). As supreme commander of the occupying forces, General MacArthur would have to determine if Emperor Hirohito should be tried as a war criminal. The job of finding evidence against the Emperor became the responsibility of General Bonner Fellers, played by Matthew Fox (We Are Marshall, Lost-TV). His job was complicated by his determination in locating Aya Shimada, played by Eriko Hatsune (Norwegian Wood, Spiral), the Japanese exchange student he met back in college. The movie had too much to handle in the story department. If it would have focused either on General MacArthur or on General Fellers’ story, the movie would have been more interesting. I do not know why people have been saying this was Tommy Lee’s best performance since LIncoln because it was absolutely not. I found him to be one dimensional, though part of the fault falls on the poor script. The scenes that had to do with history kept my attention. As for the rest it left me cold.
2 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Lebanon
There are some skills I have been trained in that I hope I will never have to perform. Every year I must be re-certified in CPR if I want to continue teaching my cycle and yoga classes, besides keeping my fitness certifications current. I only hope an opportunity will never present itself to me, where I must utilize my CPR training. Speaking to a coworker who had to perform CPR on a member, he said his body was flooded with adrenalin as everything became quiet around him. The only sound he heard was his counting as he preformed chest compressions. He kept the member alive until the paramedics came and took over, saving the member’s life. In this intense war drama, the soldiers’ training did not prepare them for the real battle. The time was 1982 during the first Lebanon/Israeli war. A small group of soldiers operating a tank accompanied a platoon of paratroopers to a bombed out town, to flush out any remaining resistance. The entire movie was filmed from inside the tank. Starring relative newcomer Yoav Donat as Shmuli, Zohar Shtrauss (Eyes Wide Open, Things Behind the Sun) as Gamil, Oshri Cohen (Agora, Bonjour Monsieur Shlomi) as Hertzel and Itay Tiran (The Debt, Die Lebenden) as Assi; the atmosphere inside the tank was a simmering stew of fear, sweat, horror and confusion as they entered hostile territory. I thought the acting was gritty and taut between the characters. With only having an optical periscope to view the outside, the effect worked for me; I felt myself constantly being drawn into the small world of the tank soldiers. This multi nominated, winning film depicted a soldier’s harsh reality, showing a disconnect between one’s duty and morality. No matter how much training a person receives, it does not always prepare them for the real world. Scenes with blood. Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles.
3 1/4 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: Bless Me, Ultima
“Do not drink milk when eating citrus fruit” and “Eat raisins to prevent the growth of cysts” are some of the old sayings I heard growing up. I have no idea where I even heard them; I just remember thinking they were such odd tales to be handed down from generation to generation. In story telling I know when a story is repeated from person to person it can take on a whole new definition. I only trust something that is solid and concrete like my great, great grandfather’s silver wine cup. It is the oldest family heirloom I have in my possession. Like an oversized thimble with filigree style etching across its tarnished finish, I can only imagine what type of man he was since I never met him. That cup is my connection to the country where he was born. My fascination with family history was stoked by this mystical drama, set in New Mexico during the 1940’s. Before I knew this film was the screen adaptation of author Rudolfo Anaya’s novel of the same name, I remember the movie made me feel as if I was being read an old folk tale. The story concerned a young boy who would learn about good and evil forces in the world, when an old medicine woman came to live with his family. Luke Ganalon (The Man Who Shook the Hand of Vincente Fernandez) played the inquisitive boy. The brilliant choice of Miriam Colon (Scarface, Gun Hill Road) as the medicine woman Ultima made this film extra special. The mix of magic, folk lore, family traditions made for an enchanting movie watching experience; despite having a few heavy-handed scenes. Because I find religion to be a personal and private matter, I felt the religious aspects to the story were being foisted on me. As the narrator finished the telling of his story, I found myself wishing I had more living relatives who could tell me about our family history. Part Spanish with English subtitles.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Redacted
With this gripping film, we return to a theme I covered previously: Are some people simply born evil or is it something they learn? When the media covers a story, depending on the spin; we can believe a person is innocent or guilty. I find especially true these days, a news story gets twisted in a positive or negative way based on the news station’s affiliations. One of my favorite directors, Brian De Palma (Scarface, The Untouchables) wrote and directed this intense docudrama about a group of soldiers manning a military checkpoint in an Iraqi town. I had a hard time remembering this was a fictional piece; it seemed so real to me. The idea of having soldier Angel Salazar, played by Izzy Diaz (If I Had Known I Was a Genius, several various TV show episodes), documenting his time by video taping it, was brilliant. We were able to see what Angel was recording through his viewfinder. It was fascinating to see how some of his informal scenes were later covered by the media. Witnessing fellow soldiers B.B Rush’s and Reno Flake’s, played by Daniel Stewart Sherman (The Briefcase, Mr. Popper’s Penguins) and Patrick Carroll (several various TV show episodes), heinous behavior was disturbing. I wondered if they always had that type of behavior or if it came on due to the environment. One of my best friend’s brothers never spoke of his time overseas during the Viet Nam War. I was always curious what life was like for him. In truth, the only ideas I have of military life in battle is what I have seen on the news. After watching this movie, should I assume war nourishes the seeds of evil in some individuals? Blurring the line between fact and fiction, this haunting story could easily be someone’s nightmare. Bloody, violent scenes.
3 stars — DVD
Flash Movie Review: For Greater Glory: The True Story of Cristiada
Looking back in history, it seems as if religion usually played a role in war. At least that has been my belief. Without any prior knowledge I was shocked I had never heard of the Cristeros War (1926-1929), that took place in Mexico. Simply put, this was a war against the Catholic Church. Mexico’s secular government was led by President Plutarco Elias Calles, played by Ruben Blades (Safe House, The Devil’s Own), who essentially declared war on the Catholic Church with the help of the government he set up. For example, church property could now be seized whenever the administration saw fit. There was a ban on all religious orders besides the elimination of any foreign born priests–even if it meant killing them. Civil war broke out led by Catholic rebels called Cristeros, Christ fighters. To solidify their ranks and become more like a disciplined army, the Cristeros enlisted the help of war hero Enrique Gorostieta Velarde, played by Andy Garcia (City Island, Smokin’ Aces). I felt the writers did a disservice to this historical based film. With this chapter already played out in Mexico’s past, the writing should have only elevated the dramatic moments or bridge the gap between story lines. Clocking in at 2 hours and 25 minutes, the movie was way too long, much in need of some serious editing. It would have given several parts more impact. A surprise to me was Andy Garcia’s poor acting; I expected better from him. What a shame to take a David and Goliath type of story and turn it into a mediocre soap opera. This movie had several graphic scenes.
1 3/4 stars
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