Valkyrie

Is It Fun When You Know How It's Going To End?

Valkyrie has all the great set pieces to be a great film. It has a fine filmmaker at the helm, and star power actors such as Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branaugh, and Tom Wilkinson, and an assassination attempts to top all assassination attempts. The one thing it doesn't have, unfortunately, is an unpredictable, gripping ending that will keep you on the edge of your seat... YOU KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO END. The film is shot well enough, the acting is formidable, but you just can't feel really invested or on edge when you know whether they're going to succeed or not. The story is important and I agree that it needs to be told, but I couldn't help but think it would have been better suited for a made-for-tv film or a documentary, not a full-fledged Hollywood film. With that being said, the film accomplished what it set out to do, and you are brought into the world and people's lives involved in this heroic attempt to overthrow a tyrannical leader.

Slumdog Millionaire

Who Wants To Be Entertained?!?!

What makes Slumdog Millionaire work so well is that it seamlessly combines a foreign film, an underdog story, and hollywood fairy-tale all into one. The story is shot beautifully following a young “slumdog” from Mumbai who rises to be a national gameshow tv star on the Indian version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. The story keeps the audience interested from beginning to end, and I think the reason this film hits home with American audiences is that truly is entertaining. You are captivated by the questions and answers on the gameshow and keep watching to see how he came to know the answers from his journeys. As great as the film is, the one problem I had with the film is the ending. It all seems to wrap up all “cutesy Hollywood” with a giant ribbon at the end. Because of this, it seems to suck out the raw reality that is depicted in the other 90% of the film. In terms of good filmaking, however, this one is tops, especially in the technical department, rivaling City of God.

Doubt

No Doubt About It

What makes Doubt so great is that the title says it all. It fully embodies the subject matter of the film in one, simple word. It's very rare that a film can accomplish does this, but here, it passes with flying colors. The casting of this film is pitch perfect with Hoffman and Davis really captivating the screen with intensity in every seen. Streep and Adams are also very well in tune with their characters and their motivations. The dialogue in this film is so great. It's handled so delicately and just when you think you fully understand what's going in each character's mind, you get pushed a different direction. I love that this film is simple, to the point, but yet leaves you with SO many questions. I found myself thinking about this film, it's characters and motivations many days after the film screening and I can't wait to see it over and over again to catch more after each viewing. The film truly is open-ended and makes you doubt what you know, and what you think you know. No doubt about it.

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

Forrest Gump He Isn't...

It's clear to see that TCCOBB was written by the same writer as Forrest Gump. The two stories have many parallels to one another from the epic, episodic storytelling, to the narration of a singular character who takes us along for a unique ride like no other. The premise is much like a folktale, and boy do I like a good folktale. What I liked most about this film is the passing of time and how one relates to it at different points in their life. It touches on our feelings at these critical points in life and I imagine that this film would speak differently to 5 different people at seperate stages of their lives, much as Arthur Miller's Death of Salesman does the same. I think that Pitt and Blanchett were exceptional in their roles, which were key to the film being a success. I absolutely loved the scenes between Pitt and Swinton. They had great chemistry together and it makes me hope that they pair again in a future film. TCCOBB is an epic film that might not be for everyone, but SHOULD be for everyone. One must go into the film with open expectations and find how they relate to Pitt's character at different stages of his life. If this can be attained, a greater appreciation for the film will exist.