F31: Monuments Men-Directed by George Clooney

"Let's get outta here."

I really wanted to love this movie, but it stunk. With a sterling cast including Matt Damon, John Goodman, George Clooney and Bill Murray, I had really high expectations for this film and it was a major disappointment. Historical drama is just about my favorite genre of film and this one plotted around the Nazi ransacking of Europe's most famous art treasures had the promise of being memorable. Memorable it was not. It had the feel of watching a M*A*S*H marathon, complete with a score that was abhorrently annoying. This biggest problem with Monuments of Men was that it lacked the gravity of what a picture on such a topic should have embraced. It was too fatuous, too disjointed and poorly edited.  It was a collection of scenes loosely stitched together, set in entirely in different keys. Drama? Comedy? Thriller? Character study? Bollocks. 

Frank Stokes (Clooney) assembles a team of art enthusiasts to tromp around Nazi Germany in an attempt to reclaim over 1,000 years of high jacked culture. The biggest prize being the Madonna and Child statue of Bruges sculpted by Michelangelo. Our team of heroes bumble around unearthing caches of paintings and do everything they can to restore rightful ownership. With the war coming to a close and news of Hitler's Nero Decree to burn everything looming, the treasure hunt becomes a race against time. About the only positive thing that I can say about this film was how it made you think of how demonically unstable Hitler really must have been. Here is someone who loved painting and truly enjoyed an affinity for art, only to become hell bent on eradicating many of the world's greatest artistic treasures. Outside of that thought, stay away from this movie. Don't even bother renting it.  Enjoy the trailer posted below and the unfulfilled promise of what could have been a great movie. C'mon Clooney, you are better than that. 

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CreneTs7sGs

B20: Occupy Nation by Todd Gitlin (320 pages)

"I was unprepared for their sheer sprawl and inventiveness. In rapid order or disorder,they produced a social phenomenon that did not feel like a fad, because a fad is a single style and Occupy was all kinds of movements at once, some more visible and some less."

Need an interestingly eloquent non fiction book that reeks of rebellion? Snatch up Occupy Nation by famed Sociology professor of Columbia University, Todd Gitlin. He tackles to chore of dispelling myths and misconceptions regarding the Occupy Wall Street movement. I really became obsessed with this protest after a heated discussion in one of my classes revolving around the Freedom of Speech. After a viewing a short informational video, link below, we dove into this protest, dissecting the parts that drove this ultimate demonstration of dissatisfaction. While its engine was flawed in many ways, the story of how it came together and what it hoping to achieve is definitely worth learning about. 

In the late summer of 2011, anti-consumerist and pro environment magazine Adbusters ran a graphic initiating the call for a protest against the greed of Wall Street and economic inequality that seeps from the veins of America. "What is our one demand?" it beckoned. Occupy Wall Street it stated. Bring tent. And that ladies and gentlemen, is how a revolution is born. First amendment exercisers unite! What followed was a spectacular year in which media and social media were set ablaze with images and misgivings tied to this movement. Gitlin is very informative in his writing and charmingly pens an insightful account of what this explosive movement was all about. He sheds light on the fibers that held the movement together and more importantly how the OWS movement compares with other equally ebullient gatherings of people who are a little more than pissed off with their government. While the success of OWS is still being debated over, there is no debate on whether this book is worth your time. It is. After all, we are the 99%. 

Video:
 http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2012/apr/13/occupy-seven-months-of-protest-video

F30: Lone Survivor-Directed by Peter Berg

"I've been around the world twice and talked to everyone once."

Whole-lee sh#&. This movie was incredible. It may not quite be movie of the year, but Peter Berg should win director of the year hands down. The former director of Friday Night Lights, despite his talent, sometimes has a suspect picker when it comes to screen plays (Hancock/Battleship). Not so with his latest release centered around true events of a clandestine mission in Afghanistan that went sideways. From the title we go into this movie knowing the ending, but what is unexpected is how craftfully this story is told. This film is beautifully vicious and savagely touching on many levels. It is filmed through a truly artistic prism and is a must see. I am very fond of the band Explosions In the Sky and Berg again taps them to haunt the score of his scenes. The cinematography is refulgent, the acting superb and the sequence where the troops spill down the side of a shale cliff is staggering to say the least. Anyone can make a simplistic military movie that blows everything up and leaves everybody wounded, but Lone Survivor will leave you thinking about war on a much deeper level.

The core of this story is the relationship of the team assembled to take out a top Taliban leader. These men have a passion for living and dying for each other and all parts are played incredibly. Leading the charge is Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) flanked by his right hand man Marcus (Mark Wahlberg). The team is stranded mountainside and faces a quandary when their position is stumbled upon by seemingly innocent goat herders. Taking the moral approach, the team cuts loose the herders and aborts the compromised mission. However, a quick extraction quickly dissipates when all communications are lost due to rugged Afghany terrain. Sure enough, the Taliban learns of their presence and all hell breaks loose. Literally. The quiet, serene mountainside transforms into a battlefield as a flood of enemy fire engulfs our heroes. 

Say what you want about war time situations, but I my opinion this movie is a reminder that the men and women fighting abroad are human beings and have a remarkably unbreakable bond between them. I am not going turn this entry into a soapbox for my own feelings toward war, but when watching this film, it just struck a cord with how deep these relationships run. Much like the classics Band of Brothers and All Quiet on The Western Front, this movie with be talked about and remembered for a very long time. Berg ends things in a touching way that humanizes the violence committed and pays an emotionally tribute to the lives lost during the mission. See this, stat.   

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoLFk4JK_RM

F29: Philomena-Directed by Stephen Frears

"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." 

I liked this movie despite the absence of mind swirling action. There are no car chases and zero explosions. The ending will not send a jolt of excitement through your veins. In fact this movie is quintessentially the complete opposite of the last movie that was reviewed. What this film lacks in sexiness it makes up in depth of character and plot. It is like having a warm cup of coffee in a rocking chair on the porch of your mountain cabin. There is a sharp chill in the air that is beginning to weave its way through the blanket wrapped around your shoulders.  Quietly rocking, you look out over the tranquil landscape, and realize the allure of being trapped in this paradox. Beauty comes in different shapes and sizes and there are many wonderfully graceful moments to this picture.

On the surface the it seems to be a stuffy little story about a young girl who had a little too much fun at a local carnival in Limerick, Ireland. She goes on the give birth to a baby boy, Anthony, while entrenched in the town's abbey. Her future looks bleak as the nasty nuns who run the convent also just happen to have a small side business selling the children of the poor girls who live there to foreigners. They appallingly get the girls to give up their maternal rights, brainwashing them into believing that it is proper atonement for their carnal explorations. Oh the glory of God. Fast forward to modern times and our thrill seeking protagonist, played marvelously by the iconic Judi Dench, has decided that after 50 years of silence she must know what became of her beloved Anthony. She sets out on a quest with a former controversial news journalist that will ultimately lead her to the capital of the United States and the office of Ronald Reagan. 

This film is quite simple and in that simplicity I found it to be rather enjoyable. With all the bulky budgeted films out there and the anxious directors concocting the next big twist, seeing a movie that essentially plays out from a-z was refreshing. There are a few turns in the story and a couple of bumps in the road, but the real triumph of this film is the acting; specifically the interaction between Sixsmith the journalist and Philomena. Look for Mrs. Dench to garner several best actress award nominations in the coming months as her performance was brilliant. 

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2753669401/

F28:Catching Fire-Directed by Francis Lawrence

"Let it fly."

By no means is this a historic achievement in film. It is however damn entertaining and quite thought provoking. The scope of the computer generated affects is imposingly alluring and the world that is created therein swipes your attention from the first majestic sweep of dismal District 12. You immediately get lost in the dystopian world that is Panem. Jennifer Lawerence is back as Katniss Everdeen for the second installment of the ground breaking series of young adult novels, The Hunger Games. Young adult novels. Distrust, revolution, butchery and carnage. What great material for the youth of our world. I know I spoke to these same ideas for part one of the series and yes, children are exposed to violence everyday, but having such an rabidly violent story thrust into the minds of young kids doesn't get any easily to swallow. 

The story has everything that would be captivating for a middle school student and adults alike. Action, adventure, suspense and a zest of romance. Having the privilege of working with this age group of humans, I can ascertain that the undercurrents of defiance and governmental brazenness are not recognized as being the crux of what this story is about. When I asked my classes about it, they mostly mentioned the romance and violent aspects as being what they savored the most. It is not that they are incapable of dredging out to central theme, its just that mechanism used to deliver it it too tantalizing for them to see past it. Much like Animal Farm and 1984, when read at the appropriate age, the kaleidoscope of intention surely will become clearer. I strongly encourage all my students after enjoying them now, to revisit these books later on in their literary careers. 

We all know the story of the Hunger Games and if you don't, shame on you. Take a week and hammer through the series. If not for your own interest then to stay in the loop with what has already become a world wide phenomenum. I would say my favorite facet of these books/films is that is it getting our youth reading and thinking. Yes they are strong in content and revel in themes that may be beyond their reach, but kid's interest in reading them has reached a feverish pitch. Is it better to read violence or to not read at all? Also, I love that the protagonist is a strong willed, obstinate female. It is refreshing to have a heroine that the kids are conversing about in their inner circles. Overall, Catching Fire is a good movie and will jump in rank if you have read the series. I thought the director stayed true to the writing and I fancied the gritty approach to telling the tale of the Quarter Qwell. Philip Seymour Hoffman makes a nifty appearance as Plutarch Heavensbee, while Stanley Tucci's role as Caesar Flickerman is simply awesome. See for your self what everybody is talking about and watch this movie. The revolution will not be televised.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9stT8tcwHZk

B19: Seiobo There Below-By Laszlo Krasznahorkai

"...in this case music-comes into being, is born, unfolds but then it's all over, no more, what must come as has, the realm dies away and yet lived on in this divine form, for all eternity its echo remains, for we may evoke it, as we do evoke it to this very day and hall evoke it for as long as we can, even if as an ever more faint reflection of the original, a tired and ever more uncertain echo..."

This is more than a book. This is not just a collection of stories that seemingly wonder along a worldly landscape, ping ponging from country to country. Or just a shallow breeze that reminds you of an intricate plot twist, crawling with indelible characters. Seiobo There Below is a work of art. It is Picasso. And Dali. And Pollack. It is perfectly random and beautifully carved out of words that will resonate throughout your library for years to come. In fact this might just be the most exquisite book you will ever own. Owning it is a must, as the depths of its contents surely will morph and transform with life's passing moments. Very rarely have I come across a piece of literature that has moved me the way this book has and I highly recommend it. 

Each chapter, numbered in the Finonacci sequence, tells a different story that connects to much bigger supposition. Determining what that abstraction is will vary from reader to reader; much like the interpretation of a fine work of art. Some will see tragedy, others triumph. All will grasp the value of the artist that is the main congruent vehicle throughout the book. In most cases, each of the independent stories are about something or someone that is laboring to create something. A heron struggling to sustain it's place in the food chain, a Japanese mask maker short on inspiration and a tourist blinded by the beauty of his life long dream to experience the Parthenon, to name a few. While each chapter is unique and has its own cultural backdrop, the stories are held together by hope itself. Anticipation of beauty can take many forms and does in this work.

Seiobo There Below is a challenge to read. The author's style uses essentially no periods and has the dream like feel of a single stream of thought. I found that reading a chapter then stopping helped me digest what my eyes were absorbing in the pages and I will be returning to re read certain chapters in the future. This book is packed with both a practical philosophy and a spiritual substance that is decidedly worth the journey. The title itself refers to a Japanese Shinto Goddess and her tree of immortality; appropriately named considering the lasting effect of reading this book. Holidays are right around the corner and this book will make for the perfect gift to anyone who loves erudition or has an infinity for thought provoking literature. Krasznahorkai has penned a true epoch and I feel fortunate that  I was listening to NPR last month when it was mentioned in book releases. Shout out to the Motherland, Hungarians rule.

F27: Prisoners-Directed by Denis Villeneuve

“Complete the final maze and you can go home.”

Wow. I think I have lockjaw. You will sit on the edge of your seat, you will clench your teeth and your heart will race. Being a new dad, I figured that a movie in which two small girls are kidnapped would keep my blood pumping, but I was blown away by this movie. A hybrid of Winter’s Bone, Ransom and Seven, Prisoners is definitely worth seeing.  Hugh Jackman’s sheer presence and intensity is unnerving. He was born to play the role of hell bent-daddyoh-where the hell did you hide my daughter. His rage bleeds through the screen on his mission to locate his kidnapped daughter.

It is Thanksgiving time in Pennsylvania and two girls have gone missing. They were last spotted playing around a conspicuously corroded RV. The motorhome has been located and the apparent owner, Alex Jones (Paul Dano) has been apprehended. With the IQ of 30, it is becoming increasingly clear that Alex was incapable of masterminding and executing such a terrible crime. He seems to know something though, and that something will head Keller Dover (Jackman) to take matters into his own hands. Jake Gyllenhaal plays the hardnosed Detective Loki assigned to finding the girls, a role that he nails.

Overall, the acting is stellar, the action it top rate and the ending is well…..fantastic. I loved all the twists and turns of this flick and strongly recommend it. Will the Wolverine find the girls before it is too late?  How far will he go to get them back? Enter the maze of Prisoners and find out for yourself. Good luck trying to sleep after the show.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWhS0xN3C0g