“Cinematography is the most important of all arts” V.I.Lenin
I watch a lot of movies. (If you are reading my blog by going to my site you can see my Blockbuster Online rentals in the left sidebar). Some time has passed since my last movie post and I have nothing better to do on this Sunday morning than share some of my impressions.
 |
Charlie Wilson’s War – great movie for those who are interested in the recent history and, according to my post-movie research, fairly true. It was always my understanding that the most really world-shattering deals are done by a few unlikely white guys in a hot tub surrounded by strippers and blow. That’s why I don’t really care who is elected president – it’s irrelevant. This movie just goes to prove that one more time. It tells the story of how Charlie Wilson, an unknown congressmen from an obscure district in Texas, pulled all the right strings to finance and ultimately win the Afghani – Soviet war of 1978-89. My understanding is that the whole affair cost the US a billion dollars and no American casualties. Compare it to our spending and loss of lives in Iraq on a war that will never be won. Tom Hanks, P.S.Hoffman, Julia Roberts – great and revealing movie. In the end, congressman Wilson tries to capitalize on the victory and finance some reforms and rebuilding in Afghanistan for a small part of what he was easily able to procure for the war, and is being laughed at for asking for the money. I hope the people who thought it was so inappropriate were sitting in Twin Towers on 9/11. |
 |
911 in Plane Site – another conspiracy documentary about 9/11. I am one of the people who believe that Government didn’t come clear on the facts about 9/11 and left too many questions unanswered for whatever reason. That said, this movie is just bad and boring and the narrator keeps repeating the same statement over and over. There are better conspiracy movies out there, not sure how this one made it to DVD. Not recommended even if this is something you are interested in. |
 |
The Hebrew Hammer – I get Jewish humor, but this is not that funny and boring. Could have been better but it’s not. Not recommended whether you are Jewish or not. |
 |
Hitler’s Jewish Soldiers – turns out that some Jews were drafted and served in the German Army in WWII. Some of them were of mixed Jewish ancestry, the others were not raised Jewish but were still aware of their heritage. For many it was the only way to survive and not be sent to camps and some of them are interviewed in the movie. All swear that they didn’t know about atrocities. The amusing fact in the movie is that the poster of a “perfect German warrior” you see on the cover is actually a Jew. Interesting and telling, recommended if you like historical documentaries. |
 |
Vitus – (subtitled) – an excellent movie about a wunderkind who is not only a world-class musician but is gifted with everything else he touches. Unwilling to be treated as an exceptional child and deal with all the attention, he fakes being normal. Great movie, don’t be scared off by subtitles, you can do it! |
 |
An Affair of Love – I watch a lot of foreign movies but I didn’t care for this one. I even gave it a chance to redeem itself by including some nudity to make it less dreadful and even that wasn’t that good. Not recommended. |
 |
And Now for Something Completely Different – Monty Python doesn’t need my recommendation. This is worth renting just for the lumberjack song and the dead parrot skit. I still don’t get some of the humor but definitely a lot more than I did 15 years ago when I tried to watch it for the first time. |
 |
The Diving Bell and The Butterfly – is a hard- to-watch movie about amazing true-life story. After a stroke, Jean-Dominique Bauby, then the editor of the ELLE magazine, was left completely paralyzed but fully conscious. With the help of the speech therapist he dictated a book by using the only functioning part of his body – his eyelid. Sometimes I regret following up on the movie by reading a few articles after I am done watching it. Apparently the movie misrepresented the role of Bauby’s ex-wife and his girlfriend during the last year of his life. Not that it’s so important and may have been needed to make the movie more dramatic, but I prefer stories based on true life to stick to it. It’s dramatic enough. Some people complain about this movie being subtitled but my copy was in English albeit with the French accent. Highly recommended. |
 |
The Hudsucker Proxy – a strange movie with Tim Robbins. After watching it I noticed that it was made by Coen Brothers. Their movies are hit-and-miss with me and this one was neither. I thought it was OK. Paul Newman is in it too. |
 |
Brokeback Mountain – my co-workers were hoping that watching this movie will turn me gay, cowboy, or both. Neither happened, but I liked the movie. It has a better love story than some straight movies I watched, it’s well acted and thankfully they didn’t crank up the gayness, that would have turned me off. Besides the main story that develops over the years, the movie shows how closeted homosexuality affects the lives of friends and family members. Recommended if the subject is not a taboo with you. |
 |
There Will Be Blood – reviews split on this one but I liked it, maybe because I can’t ever be as ruthless and driven as the main character played by D.Day-Lewis but I always wanted to be. Not guaranteed to please but I’d still go ahead and recommend it. |
 |
Molière -(subtitled) – This movie places Molière as one of the characters in his own play. It’s a romantic comedy, nicely done and well-acted. Recommended, don’t be afraid of subtitles, or just learn French. |
 |
Death at the Funeral – situations comedy from Britain that’s actually funny. Not Will Ferrel retarded-funny but clever-funny. And it has a gay midget. Highly recommended. |
 |
No Reservations – American remake of the German movie Mostly Martha. All the movie snobs scream how the original is better. I’ve seen both and if you don’t care for subtitles this one will do. If you don’t mind try watching the German version. Not too bad. |
That’s it for today. In case you rented the movie based on my review and didn’t like it I will refund all of the money you paid me to watch and review movies for you. I guarantee it.
Pingback: More Movie Reviews with the Russian Accent
Pingback: Movie Review With The Russian Accent: Europa Europa | Kansas City With The Russian Accent