Winter’s Tale ~ 2014

Winter’s Tale. 
2014.
PG-13.
118 minutes.
Starring Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, Graham Greene, Will Smith.
Directed by Akiva Goldsman.

A burglar falls for an heiress as she dies in his arms. When he learns that he has the gift of reincarnation, he sets out to save her. [IMDb]

I can sum up this movie in one single word: Silly. Normally, I’m a sucker for this kind of thing. I love fantastical whimsy. I also love a good period piece, especially a romantic period piece. But, the trailer really didn’t do expectant audiences any justice whatsoever. What was billed as something akin to Doctor Zhivago was actually more along the lines of The Neverending Story (pun intended).

I’m not sure if the book that inspired this film is any better at explaining the rather convoluted and very unbelievable plot (with so many holes it might as well have been filmed on Swiss cheese and not celluloid), but it can’t stand on its own. The idea that within each of us is a single miracle that is meant to change another person’s life (and by default the world) is a beautiful concept. But had they stopped there and not added in the whole good vs. evil face-off (with Crowe as a very unconvincing and underdeveloped demon and Will Smith as a horrendously miscast Lucifer), the film would have been much better off.

I will say that the chemistry between Farrell and Brown Findlay (of Downton Abbey fame) was believable. And, Farrell, who carried the weight of the movie on his shoulders, did a fine job despite this rather ridiculous “tale.” Ooh, I really woke up on the wrong side of the bed today, didn’t I?

The Monuments Men ~ 2014

The Monuments Men.
PG13.
118 Minutes.
2014.
Starring: George Clooney (director and screenwriter), Bill Murray, Matt Damon, Cate Blancett, John Goodman, Jean Dujardin, Hugh Bonneville, Bob Balaban, Dimitri Leonidas. 

An unlikely World War II platoon is tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their owners. (imdb) 

The Monuments Men is a mostly true, lightly fictionalized for the sake of cinematic purposes, story about a collection of men who were selected to cross enemy lines in order to rescue thousands of priceless works of art that were stolen by the Nazis. To think, looted art is still being found all over Europe. How much was lost to us, that will never be retrieved is staggering to think on. 

I am glad that Clooney managed to get this film made so that people who are unaware of the history, and the book that inspired this film, will realize what’s been lost…and found. He cast the film with many of his favorite actors to work alongside. The cast camaraderie was very evident. It was produced in way that was reminiscent of WWII-era films—from the stylization to the soundtrack to the pacing and dialog. There is some wacky slapstick now and again for comic relief, but this doesn't temper the overall message the film is trying to convey. Clooney once again proves himself a capable and worthy director who will, no doubt, continue to make not only entertaining, but important films. 

Woman in Gold ~ 2015

Woman in Gold. 
2015.
PG-13.
Starring Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds and Daniel Bruhl.
Directed by Simon Curtis.  

Maria Altmann, an octogenarian Jewish refugee, takes on the Austrian government to recover artwork she believes rightfully belongs to her family. [IMDb]

History shows what a horrific blight on humanity the holocaust was, and still remains. Genocide, unfortunately, still prevails in many parts of this ever-turning globe, doomed -- it would seem -- to repeat the mistakes of the past without learning from them. Maria Altmann's story is just one of the many that exist to prove how many injustices the Nazis committed during WWII. Injustices that, although a little too late, develop into modern restitution. Maria Altmann's well-to-do Viennese family included a painting of her Aunt Adele Bloch Bauer -- the subject of Gustav Klimt's inarguably most famous portrait "Woman in Gold." That portrait, like all of Altmann's familial possessions, was looted by the Nazi's during their occupation of Vienna. It came to Vienna's Belvedere Gallery through a legal technicality -- and remained in their possession until Maria Altmann pursued its rescue.

I wonder if there's anything Helen Mirren can't do, honestly? I entirely believed her portrayal of Maria Altmann -- from the perfect Austrian accent, to the stoic body language, to the no-brass-tax attitude. At times, I forgot it was Mirren on screen and I could swear she was one of my Germanic relatives. She certainly did her homework to nail this role. Ryan Reynolds, as Altmann's relative and lawyer Randol Schoenburg, also does a fine job. I wonder if people get how well-rounded Reynolds is as an actor. Since his resumption of action star status, Reynolds has been taking popular roles in lieu of meatier parts. He's not a one trick pony -- so it was a nice change of pace to see him in this film. 

This is an important movie that reveals in great detail the other forms of atrocity the holocaust wreaked on is victims. Year after year, pillaged works of art resurface. Each one has their own story. Unfortunately, not every story has the fortunate resolution of Woman in Gold. But, with each masterpiece that is returned to its rightful owners, the world gains back a little of its stolen humanity.   

The Imitation Game ~ 2014

The Imitation Game. 2014. 114 Minutes. Rated R. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kiera Knightley, Mark Strong, and Matthew Goode. Directed by Morten Tyldum.

During World War II, mathematician Alan Turing tries to crack the enigma code with help from fellow mathematicians. [IMDb]

Life is sometimes not fair. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? Life is "often" not fair. And, so it can be said of Alan Turing's life. That name should resonate as one of the most important names in modern history; unfortunately, it doesn't. But perhaps all that is changing, what with celebrated biographies; not one, but two recent films; and a posthumous pardoning by Queen Elizabeth in 2013, it's been brought to the forefront just how brilliant a mathematician Turing was and how very much our society owes him on so many levels. But, I'm getting ahead of myself.

The Imitation Game centers primarily on the era of Alan Turing's life during which he built the machine that would eventually break the Nazi enigma code, thus ending WWII approximately two years earlier than anticipated. His genius was such that his magnificent invention and the execution of it remained top secret until fifty years after the war. And, so, Turing lived in relative obscurity for the remainder of his life until some nosy detective unwittingly uncovered details Turing kept private. It may shock some of you to know that not very long ago people in the UK and other Western countries were put in prison or sentenced to mandatory chemical castration for acts of homosexuality, but that, in fact, is a very sad truth about our collective history. Such was Turing's fate. As a thank you for his service to his country, and the entire world ... not to mention developing what would become the computer... he was subjected to insane amounts of estrogen injections. He tolerated two years of this horrible sentence before he committed suicide. That's not a spoiler, btw. It's history.

Turing is brilliantly portrayed by the incredible Cumberbatch, who could sit on a folding chair on a blank set, read the phone book out loud...and audiences would still be riveted. He is, by far, one of this generation's most talented actors. And, therefore, justly deserves all the accolades he's received for this role. If Turing could see this performance, and I'd like to think he can, he would greatly approve. I hope it's some small recompense for how he was treated while he lived.