Change Your Image
valentinius-14566
Ratings
Most Recently Rated
Reviews
Bizarre Murders: It's a Lying Shame (2018)
Waaay different than the truth
The actual subject was Brett Ryan of Toronto. Actually, he was convicted of murdering his mother, two other brothers and attempted murder of another brother with a crossbow. It was his mother who was threatening to spill the beans to his fiance. Also, he didn't dress up like a mime, and he robbed banks, not convenience stores. He wore a wig, a fake beard and an arm sling and would give the teller a note with his demands written on it. He will be eligible for parole in about a decade.
Fury (2014)
Yet another movie with characters I don't care about...no matter how hard they tried
Seriously, I'd rather watch The Battle of the Bulge over and over again (despite its inherent flaws) than sit through this whole film again. I just go to YouTube every now and again and check out the battle scenes for Fury, because they're so darn good.
The Brad Pitt character. Awful. But, I never got why he's considered to be such a great actor in the first place. I hope to live long enough to see him with Tom Cruise in one of those movies they make for over the hill actors who go on one last adventure and relive their glory days.
The Pitt character treats us to mumbling German, and I don't recall a single German being like, "Hey, this Amerikaner speaks Deutsch!". No. They just expect American dog faces to speak fluent German.
Could Pitt ever be as cool as James Whitmore's character Sgt. Kinnie in Battleground? Not in a million years. But, lets have him do the brooding thing and put some fake scars on his back and that will make up for it. Oh, and shoot lots of "Krauts" that I guess had never been to a rifle range in their lives.
Pvt. Ellison, goes from being a rear echelon typist...to a tank crew. Uh, no. Those were highly trained men. To an infantry unit if needed? Sure.
The rushed romance between Ellison and the German girl was, uh, I can't describe it...comical? She was scared out of her wits when "Wardaddy" Collier (Pitt) and Ellison forced their way into her and her cousin's apartment. But just a little while later, Ellison playing the piano for about two minutes led to sex. No gift of chocolate or nylon stockings needed. Guess the Reich really was very low on manpower by then.
Also, why did Collier assume that some German woman looking out a window was a signal for him to go into her apartment with Ellison and look for...I don't know, German soldiers who hadn't surrendered yet? Snipers? Who knows. That scene in the apartment was (mercifully) ended when another GI came up to tell Collier that his CO needed to see him right away. One problem. The messenger was black and U.S. Army divisions were segregated back then. So, the director had to do some PC here I suppose.
The other characters? About as one dimensional and interesting as those in Saving Private Ryan (with the exception of Hanks' character which was well fleshed-out). Each one has a gimmick associated with him that takes the place of a personality.
The tank battle scenes were quite good. Though I do still wonder how a Sherman managed to survive TWO direct hits from the 88mm cannon of a Tiger tank. The uniforms looked quite authentic as did the equipment. But, as is typical in such movies, the Germans are bad shots. Also, I've seen lots of photos and footage of even Volkssturm volunteers carrying many Panzerfausts (basically they're RPGs) but the Germans in this movie seemed to lack that many of them, or be able to hit a tank 20 meters away. Also, this Tiger had absolutely no support which is not believable.
Another good thing about this movie was that it took place in a phase of the war that is usually not dealt with much in other WW II movies. That is, the fighting in western Germany. I suppose The Bridge at Remagen comes the closest as well as the German film The Bridge. Other films include portions of this time and theater of the war such as the beginning of The Sergeant (Rod Steiger), the end of The Young Lions and the last one or two episodes of Band of Brothers.
The last interesting thing about this film, and others in the latest wave of WW II movies (say, over the last 30 years) is the depiction of American military men executing POWs. But this, of course, gets drowned out with stuff like, "Well, they were worse!". This would not have been allowed prior to Saving Private Ryan, so now the floodgates are open on this issue (see Band of Brothers and Letters from Iwo Jima).
Les Misérables (2012)
Pretty awful
Had this film been made in the 1960s, it probably would have been glorious (and yes I know it hadn't been written yet).
What a disappointing film adaptation of a soundtrack I had been listening to for years, had seen on stage, and had long hoped someone would turn into a movie.
I had also seen Stage By Stage: Les Miserable on VHS many times, as well as the Dream Casts. When I saw this movie I was thinking about how nothing in it could begin to compare to so many performances done by so many years before.
Whoever was in charge of casting should have tomatoes thrown at them. I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters in this film.
I remember looking very much forward to the Master of the House number and then thinking afterwards, "What on earth did they do to this song?". So bland. It didn't sound at all like I had expected.
And the sex scene with Anne Hathaway playing Fantine...who's bright idea was that? Guess they figured they needed some "grittiness" in order to maintain some kind of integrity within the film owing to the dark nature of the novel, and keeping it real for a 21st Century audience. I don't really know.
Probably the most memorable scene was when Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) and the other prisoners were pulling a large ship into dry dock at Toulon by hand. I believe they showed part of that scene in the previews. They chose wisely, as that was about the only cool thing they had to show.
I don't remember much else about the film production. Very little sticks to the ribs.
This is one film that I would have no problem with being remade. Maybe someone someday will get it right.
Oliver! (1968)
My personal favorite movie
The casting was phenomenal, especially considering that probably only Oliver Reed would have been familiar to American audiences on any level, and him and Ron Moody to British audiences.
Sometimes the very best movies have stars that are not so well-known, or unknown and they shine unbelievably in a production. Vivian Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind comes to mind. In Oliver! I'd say it was namely Shani Wallis. Beautiful woman, good actress and a great singer. Ron Moody's character was cast and played perfectly. Who can hear the name "Fagin" now and not think of Mr. Moody after having seen Oliver!?
Jack Wilde as the Arftul Dodger was played extremely well. As a child I was delighted to see him thereafter in H.R. Pufnstuff. One disappointment is that Mark Lester's singing voice was dubbed over by Kathe Green. No one could tell apparently.
I've listened to the original soundtrack and know that a couple of songs were omitted from the movie version. I still wonder how Bill Sikes' My Name would have fit into this production? They did use the melody. Guess we'll never know unless some omitted footage turns up some day.
I think that as far as the general public goes, Oliver! has lost much of its appeal over time. Even though Vietnam was in full swing when this film was made and released, so what? Did they stop making musicals because of World War II? No. That's probably when people need such lighthearted fare the most.
People have also become more dark and cynical in their tastes (in film, TV, and music). Sure, Oliver! and the other great musicals of the 1950s and 1960s have had to pass since then through the societal filters of The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, Platoon, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Roseanne, Married With Children, etc.
But it is a shame that many in generations since then have never seen this film, or if they do can't appreciate it because it's not "realistic" enough. Musicals aren't supposed to be realistic. We're asked to "suspend our disbelief" at so much else in entertainment, most of which can't hold a candle to this film, but musicals have finally reached the corny status.
One of the complaints about Oliver! was the death of Nancy at the hands of her boyfriend Bill Sikes. For me, that worked, even seeing it as a child. It didn't ruin the film at all, and helped to keep some of the original dark flavor of the Dickens classic. However, the Anne Hathaway (as Fantine) sex scene with the ship's captain in Les Miserables was over the top.
Gigi (1958)
One of the best musicals ever
An amazing cast, fantastic sets, beautiful wardrobe, great songs. A perfect 10.
Leslie Caron is so adorable in this role, especially when she's wearing her plaid skirt and wears her hair down. She's supposed to be a school girl, though her age is only very indirectly hinted at. I suppose the equivalent of a senior in high school? Considering that Ms. Caron was 27 when she starred in this film, that is quite a feat that she pulled off, and way better than the twenty-somethings trying to pass themselves off as high school teenagers we've all seen in so many movies and TV shows since then. She also had had her first child prior to the beginning of filming in the summer of 1957.
I didn't know until a few years ago that a different singer's voice (Betty Wand) was dubbed in for Ms. Caron's as they had done with Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady. Leslie Caron was/is an extremely talented actress, and you can see clips of her singing songs from this production in her own voice. She sounds fine. Not really sure what they were thinking of when they did that. But, even more astounding is how Ms. Wand was able to sing as if it really was Leslie Caron's voice!
As for the story itself, it is rather odd and the story (by Collette) is based upon an angle of sexuality. But I can imagine that Dickens would have thought it bizarre that someone (Lionel Bart) would have put his Oliver Twist story to music and the same with Shaw concerning his Pygmalion (as My Fair Lady). If one thinks on it more, many great musicals do come from pretty dark or less than light-hearted subject matter such as The Sound of Music, Oliver!, and Finian's Rainbow.
It is also interesting to note that this musical didn't appear on stage first, but was designed as a film version from the ground up. It's astonishing how quickly the music was written for it. Lerner and Loewe apparently didn't begin writing the songs until the spring of 1957 (though it is possible Loewe had a few tunes here and there rattling around in various parts of his mind as song writers often seem to have).
Westfront 1918: Vier von der Infanterie (1930)
One of the best war movies ever
Happened to catch this on TCM years ago. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I had not heard of this great film yet. I would love to see it in a theater. I get the feeling that doing so would make you feel like you were there, and mentally exhausted from viewing it. The scenes would come back to your mind for days after watching it, and that's just from seeing it on TV!
Constant noise, mayhem, dead people all over the place, shell shock, the constant explosions, the wounded, machine gun and rifle fire. What more needs to be said for the experience on the Western Front during WW I?
What I found interesting were a couple of rather long, continuous, uncut battle scenes. That seems so strange after watching highly edited more modern films all my life. Sort of reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick or Sergio Leone, but decades earlier.
An especially memorable scene was when the German soldier goes back home on leave-only to find his wife in bed with the local assistant butcher, no, not THE butcher, but his assistant. What a kick in the teeth! Then he has to go back to the hell hole of the Western Front after that. That scene was more heart-wrenching than the Dear John letters mentioned in war films since then, and right up there with the guy's wife in Jarhead who sends him the infamous VHS Dear John message.
This movie is definitely a must-see, and hopefully by writers and directors who plan on making war movies in the future. No, not a remake as that would be a travesty, but to learn something about how to make a real war movie.
It doesn't glorify war. Quite the opposite. It shows how sickening and disgusting it is.
A Midnight Clear (1992)
Barely watchable
There are many, many REAL stories about American servicemen (and probably British, German and civilians as well) who fought in the Battle of the Bulge. Something like 20 U.S. soldiers received MOHs for their heroic actions during this battle. But, no films about them.
Good cast, and obviously a lot of financial backing for this production. Other than that, not much else is favorable about it.
For some reason Hollywood (and British studios) just can't make a film just about WW II battles and campaigns any longer. At least with much embellishment and disappointing nonsense in many cases, they did try back in the '60s with movies like The Longest Day, The Battle of the Bulge, the Battle of Britain, and the Devil's Brigade.
This story could have been told with just about any modern war as its back drop. Could have been Russians wanting to surrender to Germans.
The part that stands out the most for me was when the one GI was speaking to the German officer in Yiddish, and when the German officer realizes the GI is a Jew he pulls out his pistol. Laughable. Pretty sure the Germans knew there were one or two Jews in the American Army. He most likely would have been like, "Oh , you speak Yiddish because you're Jewish. I see. Well, as I was saying..."
The basic story is a huge contrivance. If the Germans wanted to surrender, they simply would have like hundreds of thousands before them. And, believe it or not, their families weren't rounded up by the Gestapo and sent off to death camps.
Another thing that galls me is the title. I personally hate it when the writers (or director, studio heads, whoever) come up with a cutesy title. Reminds me of Reindeer Games or the Santa Clause (cringes).
Oh, and another thing...they don't smack a dead serviceman's dog tags in between his teeth with a mallet.
Wunderland (2018)
Has its flaws, but still watchable
Overall I liked this movie. It seems that since Saving Private Ryan came out, film directors of war movies are quite aware that the horrible, unrealistic Foley editing of weapons fire of decades past are loooong gone. Also, the attention paid to German uniforms and equipment has also greatly improved The post-fall of France Wehrmacht Volksgrenadiers and SS uniforms were not as regimented as in the beginning of the war. I didn't see in the credits where any re-enactment groups were involved, so it would seem that the production team did indeed have people on board who advised those in charge of wardrobe well.
Tom Berenger did a very good job playing the battalion commander. I liked the two main characters, Lieutenant Cappa played by Steven Luke, and Sergeant Rock played by Mikeal Burgin. I cared about what happened to those characters.
Some of the scenes (filmed in Minnesota and Illinois) highlighting the natural flora was excellent, though those great scenes weren't really tied into the story line effectively. They were just kind of...there.
As for the weather, seems to be the same problem they had in filming The Battle of the Bulge. Production schedules. But, it can be snowy in one area and a mile away it can be bereft of snow. Actually, I don't think there was any snow at the beginning of the German attack in World War II?
The script was horrible. Especially painful was much of the dialogue between Lt. Cappa and Sgt. Rock. It seemed very rigid when they were addressing deep issues like what they thought about the war and how long it would last. The last scene made me chuckle. Perhaps it was supposed to be an homage, but the dialogue between Cappa and Rock was very much like that between Lt. Weaver (James MacArthur) and Sgt. Duquesne (George Montgomery) after they were captured near Malmedy in The Battle of the Bulge.
The CGI effects were terrible. See other reviewers for details. It would have been better without them.
The Germans getting mowed down left and right,,,cringeworthy I believe is a term the youngins use nowadays? The losses of the Germans were indeed much higher than those of the Allies in this battle, by around 40,000. I would put that down mostly to them being on the offensive and eventually being hit by Patton's armor and then massive air power when the weather cleared.
I would think the first thing you would do if shot at is hit the dirt, then seek cover, most likely on your belly. At least the Germans did return fire. Being in defensive positions I wouldn't expect too many of the GIs to be hit, especially since the Germans were surprised. They probably really didn't expect resistance in certain areas. But, the standing up and shooting thing just didn't seem right at all.
Something quite good in the film was a rather extended scene towards the end showing many Germans repeatedly loading and firing their bolt-action Mauser rifles. This seemed to cement in the viewer's mind how much less the average German rate of fire was compared to American infantrymen armed with the semi-automatic Garands. This contrast also explains why the Germans experienced higher losses and affords some forgiveness for the "turkey shoots" the Germans were repeatedly subjected to in this work.
The Germans did indeed attempt frontal assaults against Bastogne in which they suffered heavily casualties, so what is shown in this film is probably not too much of a stretch.
The comment Berenger made about the loss of Allied manpower to trench foot was something that showed attention paid to historical detail.
That an SS man could be religious was an interesting idea to include in the script. I've never read that Germans somehow became atheists because NSDAP gained control of their government, so I found this to be a refreshing attempt to bring some kind of three-dimensionality to the German side. The problem is, that this character (the German Believer) closed out the final scene of the movie and was thrust into a moral quandary that could in no way be exploited further nor resolved. There was really nothing he could do though he recognized Cappa as the American officer who spared him from captivity. It just leaves you hanging. Also, doing this shifted the focus away from Cappa and Rock to this nameless SS man all of a sudden at the very end of the film. Awkward.