Lincoln

Lincoln – 150min – PG-13

Some movies are made in such a way that the only appropriate description is "epic". This is one of those films. This movie takes a look at a specific point in President Lincoln’s life toward the end of the war and the beginning of a new way of life for all of us. Lincoln’s impact on our history can’t be disputed. This movie takes you through that pivotal turning point for our country. It really speaks volumes to the filmmaker who can take a historical event and make it engaging and suspenseful. The performances were outstanding and I was completely entertained through the entire film. This movie gets a green light from me. I am also pleased to say that not one vampire was seen in this movie.

President Lincoln,(Daniel Day-Lewis) is trying to pass the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution which would formally abolish all slavery in the country. He is trying to use the war as a selling point to the population. His Secretary of State, William Seward,(David Strathairn) warns that if the war ends, this legislation will not pass because the people are not behind it. They decide to use help from some vote hunters. They employ Robert Latham, Richard Shell and W.N. Bilbo (John Hawkes, Tim Blake Nelson and James Spader). They must use any means short of bribery to get the votes needed to pass this through Congress. Politics is not the only battle that the President has to deal with; he also has to manage his family. His son, Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), wants to serve his country and join the Army. The President has to balance his son’s desire to grow up and be a man with the fears of his wife (Sally Field) at losing another child. They really added a depth to this historical figure by showing us the wonderful relationship he had with his youngest son (Gulliver McGrath).

Historical movies have their own spoilers written into every American history book. Unless you are going to play fast and loose with the facts you are never going to surprise someone about the outcome of your movie. Steven Spielberg is a master storyteller in as much as he made the vote a nerve-wracking event. I had a moment when I was unsure if they would get the votes needed. Even though I knew the outcome when I went into the theater, they made me fidget because it was a close vote. Well done sir, well done.

Some other really noteworthy performances are Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens, the Republican who was outspoken about his anti-Slavery beliefs. His performance of a man who “would say anything” to get his legislation passed is exceptional.

This movie does make me think of where the Republican Party went astray, I was surprised at how much of a contrast in views the Republican Party of this time is with today’s version of itself. I am not going to get deep into politics here, but I am looking at a party that fought hard for the belief in equality of all men before their creator. Where are they now?

Warning Spoilers!!!!!! Only if you Vote YEA to this movie click on this link!!!!!!!!

I really only have one spoiler that I wanted to talk about. In the previous Lincoln movie, I really wanted the President to go to the theater. I was hoping that the theater was the next thing we would see, but this version I really was dreading the inevitable. I did not want to see this President die. Spielberg is marvelous at manipulating the emotions of the viewer. We do not see the assassination. We see the announcement and the reaction from his youngest son. That scene was way more heartbreaking than having to watch the event itself. Again, well done sir, well done.

The other point that was made by Rich, my brother in-law, is that they could have ended the movie with The President walking away and fade to black and it would have still been just as powerful an ending. I agree, the rest of the ending could have been skipped. It was well done but not needed. We all know what happened.


What historical event should Mr. Spielberg bring to life next?

Men in Black III

Men in Black III – 103min – PG-13

The Men in Black are back, and this “time” it’s personal. The team, for the most part, are back and are performing at the level we saw in the original MIB. It’s about time (no pun intended, that time). It has been way too long between films and I was beginning to think we were done with the series. I really liked the first one and was completely let down by the second one. I was afraid that the second one was such a stink burger that they decided to let it die and pretend the series never existed. I am happy to say that they have brought this series back, I am unhappy to say that it was really only as good as the first one. This is a yellow light film.

The moon has a prison for all of the aliens that the MIB uses for its most dangerious criminals. Among them is a one-armed Alien, Boris (Jemaine Clement). He breaks out and seeks revenge on the MIB agent that took his arm in his arrest, Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones). Agent J (Will Smith) and K are doing their job when they realize that Boris has set a trap for them. Boris decides that the best way to get rid of K is to go back in time and alter it so that he saves his arm and take out K. J realizes that something is bothering his partner so he investigates who Boris is and what why he wants to harm K. During the investigation K gets ripped out of time and J is the only one who can remember him. The new head of MIB Agent O (Emma Thompson) tells him that whatever has happened K is in the middle of it. J rushes back in time to save his friend and runs into K as a young man (Josh Brolin) together they work to save the earth and K of the future.

The cast have some really great material to work with, the story is a solid formula based on the first one, a good mix of humor, effects and action. Brolin’s spot-on impression of a young K is worth the price of admission. But it seemed like they were trying to find their feet with these characters again. It almost seemed forced. There was nothing wrong with it but it did seem to come off as rediscovering the roles after 14 years.
 
Barry Sonnenfeld (director) made this seem to keep the same pace as the previous films. Etan Cohen (writer) took the original material as a base and took it in a new direction. This attempt was at best a reawakening of the series, now they need to use this momentum in the series in a bigger and brighter direction. I hope they don’t wait another 14 years to make another one.

Spoiler warning!!! I will flashy thingy you if you click on this link!!!!!

Time travel is a problem. For instance the guy who gives J the time travel devices say oh you must have been there that’s why you can remember, tell me all about it when you get back. If J goes back in time he is going to rewrite the future why would the guy know anything about what he did in the previous timeline? I know I am a geek and should really not look at stuff like that.

The technology they used was a bit too high tech for the past, I see where they did try and cover the fact that the technology should be high tech but really old. The motorcycles were way to advanced and should have been different.

The way they cover up the fact that Rip Torn is no longer in the series by having he die was perfect it gave Emma Thompson a chance to elegise in a different language. Very funny work, but mostly because of J’s reaction, And K’s eulogy was perfect.

Maybe my expectations are too high to expect that a third installment should have been better than the previous films. Do you expect movie sequels to be better than the previous film or are just meeting the expectations of the previous films ok?

Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger – 124min – PG-13

Captain my captain; you have come into your own as a movie. MAN I loved this film; it was a perfect example of what a superhero film should be. It made the best of humor and action and told us a story of how a scrawny kid from Brooklyn with a huge heart made a difference in World War II. This movie is one complete origin film that makes a huge springboard for next summer’s The Avengers. The people at Marvel have an excellent crew of film makers who understand that humor, action, drama and excellent story telling are key points in film making. This movie gets a green light from me and is a great action ride that is a ‘do again’ just to let the movie wash over you. I am going to go see it again because it’s a movie that looks good on the big screen.

The movie is about Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), a little guy, who does not know how to give up. He has tried several times under different names to get enlisted in the Army. He receives a 4F at every attempt. He gets into fights because he stands his ground for what is right and does not like bullies. He is observed by a Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanly Tucci) who is working on a secret project to make super soldiers. He gets accepted into the program and gets transformed into the Hero we know as Captain America. Hitler was also working on a same kind of project which spawned Red Skull (Hugo Weaving) and resulted in the two titans fight over the fate of the world.

Some notable characters in the film are Col. Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) he is an Old Military man who has a basis in practicality. Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) is the Capitan’s Handler and confidant. Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) is the financial and technology master in this team. They were well cast and top notch performers.

Joe Johnson as the Director was a good fit, his films in the past have been over all good, but not really notable. I think this win will definitely make him a more notable player in movies. After looking at all of his films he has a very heroic flavor to his style. He did The Rocketeer, and I fell in love with that setting and the hero genre. This movie is set in the same time period and reflects some of the same quality work with the subject matter and era.

One of the biggest effects that were done in a seamless way was making Chris Evans a skinny guy. I have to admit it looked spot on and it was hard to pick out the digital effects. More importantly I stopped looking for the effects and was completely bought into the character. It did so much to add more appreciation for the character; you had to go from little guy with a huge heroic streak, to the big and bulky Captain America.

The one message in this film was that ‘good of spirit can show through’ and even though they changed the outside of Steve Rogers the same person remained in all of that new muscle.

Spoilers Warning: Top Secret Eyes Only!!

There are two scenes that made the movie for me. One is the scene where Steve uses his head to get the flag down. And the other is where he throws himself on the grenade. That right there was the best spots in the movie for me. Showing the depth of heroism in the little body of Steve really made me a fan of this character.

I loved Tommy Lee Jones’s character in this film; he added so much comedy at just the right moments. Both the actor and the character are a joy to watch. And the “I’m not going to kiss you” line was classic.

I also like how they brought him into the modern era. That transition was well done and good at leading right into the next movie. The end of the credits is worth a look. I can’t wait until next summer.

Another part that really struck home for me was when he took his war bonds show to the troops and they were completely unimpressed with him. It took him to actually act like a hero for them to get behind him. I liked how he had to prove himself before he was accepted.

Why do you think that Marvel movies are done so much better than DC movies? Yes, the recent Batman movies are an exception. Aside from them, why did Green Lantern just rate an ok while Captain America seemed so much better? Or is it just me? Tell me about it.