Allied feels like a film noir spy romance

Movie Title:  Allied

Grade:  B

Rating:  R, 124 minutes

In a Nutshell: World War II offers the perfect backdrop for a romantic spy adventure, featuring two good looking actors who fall in love.  It has a cat and mouse, film Noir feel to it that makes it look old-fashioned and will remind you of some of the scenes from the classic movie Casablanca.

Uplifting theme: 

• Duty, love, honesty, patriotism, loyalty.

Things I liked:

• Brad Pitt speaks French and looks cool in every scene.
• Marion Cotillard is mesmerizing as Marianne Beausejour.  She really looks and sounds like she stepped out of the 1940's.  She hits the big screen again in a couple of weeks in the movie "Assassin's Creed."
• The CGI blends really well with real-life shots.
• There is a funny scene when Brad Pitt shuffles playing cards.  Marianne later says, “So, it’s in the cards for our chance to make history.”
• This is more romance than spy thriller.

Things I didn’t like:

• It’s a bit slow moving.
• The last time Brad Pitt was in a spy movie, he got a divorce.  Just sayin…
• There are a lot of subtitles, although sometimes French is spoken without subtitles so you have to guess at what is being said. According to the Duolingo app, I'm 11% fluent in French.  So there's that.  ha ha
• A guy throws up.  Ick.
• Some scenes could have been trimmed a bit to be more effective.
• There could have been more spy stuff. 

Interesting lines:

• “Who are you thinking about?” – Max

“My mother.” – scared soldier

“Don’t.  Think of your father.  He’s proud of you.” – Max 

Funny lines:

• “Salute me, first!” - George

“Go to hell.”  - Max Vatan

 This IS hell. It’s an office.” – George

Tips for parents: 

• You see the side of a naked Marion Cotillard and Brad Pitt’s rear end.
• A lot of F-bombs.
• It’s starts to get hot and heavy in a car, as well as in a bed.
• There are a lot of subtitles to read.
• Lesbians kiss.
• Shooting, violence, suicide.

Moneyball hits a home run with baseball fans and audiences

I was flying home on a 5 hour flight yesterday and finally watched the 2011 baseball hit, Moneyball.  Hey, better late than never, right? In this case, it was worth the wait and gets an enthusiastic endorsement from me, just in time for this summer's baseball season.

Movie Title:    Moneyball

  

Grade:   A-

Rating: PG-13, 133 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Based on a true story, this smart sports movie hits a home run.  The heavy-hitting cast includes Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman (I miss him), Robin Wright, and Chris Pratt.

Uplifting theme: 

• “Adapt or die.” – Billy Beane (Brad Pitt)
• “How can you not be romantic about baseball?” - Billy
• “I’ll change the game.  I want it to mean something.” - Billy
• Baseball is about people, not statistics.
• “There is an epic failure going on in the game to understand what is going on.” –Peter Brand (Jonah Hill)

Things I liked:

• Director Bennett Miller uses interesting camera angles to help you “see” things differently.  He also jumps from the roar of the crowd to complete silence to help you “feel” things differently.
• Writer Aaron Sorkin is a master at quick-talking deals and clever wit.  Some of the dialogue scenes are simply hysterical.
• Brad Pitt gives a stirring performance, even though most of the time he is snacking on something or chewing gum.  I know, I know...that's baseball.
• You hear the voice of sports announcers Bob Costas and Tim McCarver.
• There are some big game moments on the field, but also some big moments that happen in the heart.

Things I didn’t like:

• At times the flashbacks get jumbled up with the present day and break up the flow of the story.
• I hate it when brilliant, visionary protagonists get away with being jerks.  For example, Billy is constantly pushing over desks and throwing chairs in childish tantrums.
• If you’re not a baseball fan, you might be a little bored at first and not understand some of the references to legends and players.  Keep watching.

Funny lines:

•  “I’m not going to fire you.” – Billy

“F-You!” – Grady Fusion (Ken Medlock)

“Now I am.” - Billy

• “Who’s Fabio?” – John Poloni (Jack McGee)
• “That sounds like fortune cookie wisdom to me, Billy.” – Grady

“No, that’s just logic.” – Billy

•  “I asked you to do 3 evaluations.  How many did you do?” – Billy

“47.  Actually, 51.  I don’t know why I lied just then.” - Peter

• “Do you want me to speak?” – Peter

“Yeah, when I point at you.” – Billy

• “It’s not that hard.  Tell him, Wash.” – Billy

“It’s incredibly hard.” – Ron Washington (Brent Jennings)

• “Good meeting.  Every time we talk, I’m reinvigorated by the love of the game.” – Billy, sarcastically to Art Howe (Phillip Seymour Hoffman)
• “What’s your biggest fear?” – David Justice (Stephen Bishop)

“A baseball being hit in my general direction.” – Scott Hatteberg (Chris Pratt)

“No. Seriously.” – David

“Seriously, that’s it.” - Scott

Billy’s advice:

• “When you get the answer you’re looking for, hang up.”
• “You may not look like a winning team, but you are one.  So, play like one tonight.”
• “Is losing fun?  Then what are you doing having fun?”

Tips for parents:   

• 2 F-bombs.  Wait, this is PG-13 movie, right?  According to the MPAA, PG-13 movies are only allowed 1 F-bomb, unless a vote earns a two-thirds majority saying it’s ok to have more.  Lame.
• There’s a scene where a baseball player starts to take his pants down and dances on a table, but you don’t see anything.
• It’s actually a really safe movie for kids, although they may be a bit bored with all of the talk of statistics and economics of the game.

World War Z will quicken your pulse

                                                  by Trina Boice

                                          www.TrinaBoice.com

 

Brad Pitt.  Need I say more?  Well ok, if you're a guy, you're going to want more out of this June thrill ride than just staring at the aging, yet still handsome half of Brangelina.

 

World War Z is a fun summer blockbuster about a zombie apocalypse, loosely based on the popular book that my sons devoured back in 2006 entitled "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War" by Max Brooks. I wonder if Brad Pitt's kids also read the book when it came out and clamored for pop to film it. His production company, Plan B Entertainment, quickly secured the screen rights for it in 2007.

                                    

Rumor has it that the budget for this flick chewed up over $400 million with some post-production re-writes that caused its later release. In fact, the last 40 minutes of the movie were completely remade. Some critics claim the post-production troubles make the movie a bit choppy, but as long as you have popcorn in your mouth, you're going to be entertained. The zombie craze still seems to be alive and well, so ticket sales look promising.

 

Brad Pitt is confident it's going to do well and told US Today, "Listen, I'm pretty proud of this film.  It's just big and fun and this is the most intense thing you're going to see all year." He said it was the most intense thing he's done, and he certainly has skin in the game on this one...so to speak.

 

Brad Pitt plays Gerry Lane, a retired UN employee who gets called in to help find the origins of the undeadly strain that is turning humans into rabid zombies.  Gerry Lane is properly motivated to search the globe for a cure in return for his family's safety and protection on one of the few floating ships turned safe zones in the ocean.

 

Combine Gerry Lane's effective survival skills with Brad Pitt's golden locks and you get some action scenes that even hard-core preppers will admire. It's challenging enough to survive the slow-moving zombies in "The Walking Dead", but these creepy corpses "turn" in only 12 seconds, race after you at very quick speeds, jump onto the high walls surrounding Jerusalem, and even pull down a helicopter. Your heart will pound in suspense and you'll try to quiet your breath when you learn that loud sounds attract the rabid humans.

 

Gerry Lane counsels a family locked up in a New Jersey apartment after the chaotic outbreak that "movement is life." His former experience getting in and out of hot zones helps him come up with resourceful survival ideas, saving himself and others along the way, including a female soldier in the Israeli army.

 

If you loved the popular TV show "Lost", you'll get a kick out of seeing Matthew Fox as one of the parajumpers that fights to protect those seeking a cure.  Audiences will be introduced to Mireille Enos, who plays Brad Pitt's frightened and dutiful wife. 

 

The special effects are amazing and pretty believable.  As my kids say, "It could happen."

 

The movie is being released in 2D, RealID 3D, and IMAX 3D. While I love a good 3D experience, this particular film doesn't work well in 3D because of the camera's shakiness, so see it in 2D and you won't get dizzy.
 

Grade = A-