True Grit

Some of you might remember the older "True Grit" with John Wayne playing "Rooster" Cogburn.   But I was surprised on how well this remake was done.   

The story goes something like this:    Mattie Ross' father is shot and killed by hired hand Tom Chaney, and her mission is to see him hanged.  But the 14 year old needs a man with "True Grit" to track down the criminal.  That man? U.S marshal "Rooster" Cogburn.  An alcoholic who knows how to capture a fugitive.  Or at least kill him in the attempt.  A Texas Ranger also joins the hunt, trying to bring Chaney to justice for shooting in Texas.

The film keeps you engaged throughout and makes you feel as if you were really in the setting.   The fighting scenes are intense, and the interchanges between the characters are interesting,although maybe a little hard to follow.   This film also boasts of good acting by Matt Damon and Jeff Bridges.

Warnings:   There is some pretty bloody scenes and the marshal is drunk in a some parts.  There is also a few swear words scattered throughout the film. 

I loved this movie and liked it even better than the old version.   4 1/2 stars for a mans "True Grit".   

 

U-571-WWII Film

1942:  U-571 is the name of an advanced Nazi U-boat (submarine) that has the "Enigma".  A German encoding device that makes the Nazi ciphering unbreakable.    U.S command has ordered that it must be captured under any circumstance. 
The Americans deploy in an old U.S submarine and an elite sub crew to do the job.

Things become complicated when another Nazi U-boat intercept them while they are boarding U-571.

This film is exciting and intense and may remind viewers of "The Hunt for Red October".  It will keep you engaged through the whole film with the battle scenes.  And as tensions rise between the members of the crew, the new captain must show leadership as well as courage and daring. 

Now as you probably already know I love history. And while this film is not fully accurate  it was WWII and as the acting was done very well so I still enjoyed it.   
Warnings: 
There is quite a bit of swearing throughout, and some of the fight scenes are pretty bloody.

Overall my rating is 4 stars for the exciting and intense U-571. 

Valkyrie- movie Informative and thought provoking.

The mission, to kill Hitler. The man Col. Stauffenberg. A man that has given an eye, three fingers and a hand for the motherland-Germany.

Valkyrie is a code-name for a plan to assassinate Hitler and seize control of the government. Col. Claus von Stauffenberg {played masterfully by Tom Cruise} is the one who must kill Hitler.

The film is intense all the way through and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Pretty clean for a WWII film as well, with a few swear words and some executions/suicides at the end. Stauffenberg kisses his wife a few times and that is about it.

It's very historically accurate and based on actual events. So I'm going to give the exciting and accurate "Valkyrie" 4 stars. { There is one thing I did not like, the accents were British instead of German, and Tom Cruise sports no accent at all.}

"Inception"

This movie is great if you like high action, high suspense, and a great plot. If you don't like violence you will not like this movie.

Christopher Nolan { writer, director } has put together the best written and directed movie I have ever seen. And the acting is also superb. The Movie is VERY hard to follow and you will probably have to watch it a few times to get it all.

So what is "Inception?" It's planting an idea in someone's mind through his dream without leaving any trace of the planter. To accomplish that goal the planter must get into his dream- within a dream- within another dream. Like I said it's hard.

Now I would've given this movie at least 4 1/2 stars, but it has a lot of language. { explosive in some parts} There is some immodesty mostly in the main character's { Dominick Cobb played by Leonardo DiCaprio } wife. There is some suggestive material in the film as well as a lot of intense violence and some blood, not really a movie for younger people.

So I give the intense, well written though rather questionable "Inception" 4 stars.

The New Chronicles - "The Voyage of The Dawn Treader"

Now I must start by saying that I was disappointed by the last movie in the Chronicles of Narnia because it did not stay close to the book, although I must admit that the graphics and battle scenes were very well done.

However the latest movie, The Voyage of The Dawn Treader, pleasantly surprised me. Disney { the makers of the last two films } handed the making of any future films off to 20th Century Fox.

The movie stays at least close to the C.S Lewis book, although they do give twists to the original story line. The "twists" are done very well however and it makes the movie exciting almost all the way through. The acting is admirable and they represent their characters as they were in the book. On the other hand, there is not a lot of deep dialogue in the movie and it doesn't have the greatest theology.

There is, of course, the lovable "Reepacheep" that every person will enjoy watching. {Unless you're afraid of mice}

The only warning I will give is that some parts in the film would be scary for little kids and there is a good amount of violence throughout the film. There is also a lot of magical content at which some people might take offense.

Over all I enjoyed the movie all the way through and the fighting scenes and graphics are great. So I give 3 1/2 stars for the rather inaccurate, but enjoyable "Voyage Of The Dawn Treader."