War Horse

When I saw the trailer for this movie, admittedly I got excited. One of my all time favorite directors has a new movie out with the score done by none other than the maestro himself, John Williams. The movie, the cinematic retelling of the smash Broadway hit of the same name which was adapted by the novel by Michael Morpurgo of the same name, War Horse looked like it was going to be thrilling. The trailer had all the elements of what looked to be an exciting movie. I mean really, who doesn't love a good horse story and by that same vein who doesn't love a good war movie? And if you've seen Saving Private Ryan you know Steven Spielberg is a master of the war movie genre. The trailer was stirring, horse racing past barbed wire while explosions lit up the night, the soaring score, the aerial shots of the lush countryside, the trailer had me hooked. Sadly though upon seeing Spielberg's latest offering I have come to the conclusion that the trailer was leaps and bounds better than the actual movie in my opinion.

War Horse had a cast of so many faces that I didn't recognize and a lot that I did thanks to Harry Potter. Cast members like David Thewlis and Peter Mullan hail from the Potter canon while Eddie Marsan is in two winter movies this year. He is in this film as well as being in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The rest of the key members of the cast includes the immensely talented Emily Watson and Jeremy Irvine in his first film as Albert Narracott, the boy that loves his horse. The rest of the cast comes and goes in the movie as they come into contact with the horse. It's more an ensemble piece which I think takes away from the movie. There are so many people that come into contact with this horse that's been taken from Albert once England goes to war with Germany that there aren't any real emotional ties to any of the characters. Do you care about the little French girl who's sick or her grandpapa doing his best to keep her alive? Not really? Do you care about the two young deserters from the German army who only want to get home back to their mother? Nope, not really.

Don't get me wrong, this movie WILL tug at your heart strings unless you're a cynic like me. In that case you'll wonder why everyone around you is crying their eyes out and you're not. You may wonder what is wrong with you. I am here to assure you that there's nothing wrong with you or those crying and blowing their nose into tissues and handkerchiefs. Spielberg, the master manipulator he is pulled out all the tricks for this movie. The blazing sunsets, the closeups, the music, the war torn country sides, the evil Germans, the heroic Brits it's all here in here. Wrapped up for you in a nice bow and in two hours and twenty six minutes. There were good scenes, really good scenes, gripping even but there weren't enough of them to make a good movie. If Spielberg focused on Albert doing his part in the war and on the horse doing his part then maybe this movie would have hit the bulls eye but as it is, it's not even a flesh wound. The only significant emotional storyline is between Albert and his drunkard of a father Ted played by Peter Mullan. Ted has been through war and according to Albert's mother Rose his father drinks to forget all the killing and dying he's seen. Albert doesn't believe it but he soon finds out what war is like and how it can break a man. He comes to see his father in a completely different light towards the end and that's touching.

Cinematically the movies is beautiful to look at. Like I mentioned, the aerial shots, the sunsets, and scenes of war are impressive but nothing was better than the horse himself. I don't know how many horses were used in the making of this film but if it was just one, he was magnificent to look at. He's a pretty good actor as well. Spielberg has Janusz Kiminski as usual doing the cinematography and it appears Janusz has lightened up a bit. His look is usually very bleak bordering on black and white images but this movie is full of color which seems like a departure for Kaminski. The score is, well do I even need to mention the score? It IS John Williams after all.

If you're a sentimentalist then bring tissues and if you're not, don't bother. For that matter only see this film if you're a Spielberg fan, if you're not then skip it and wait for the DVD and I'll see you at the theater.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

If you liked anything about the first Guy Ritchie directed Sherlock Holmes movie then catch the first steaming thing you can find and see the sequel. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is by far a better movie in every way. Where the first Holmes movie was the set up pitch, the appetizer, the second is without a doubt the main course. The chemistry between Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law where in the first Holmes movie was cute, here it flows on a far deeper level. These guys should do more movies together and hopefully there will be a third Holmes film.

Now Robert and Jude had some great company in this movie much like the first one. The usual cast of characters are back like Rachel McAdams playing Irene Adler, Kelly Reilly who finally becomes the wife of Watson, Eddie Marsan as Inspector Lestrade, and Geraldine James who plays the befuddled maid of Holmes. The new additions to the cast this time around raise the bar. Noomi Rapace fresh off her turn as Lisbeth Salander stars as Madam Simza Heron, Stephen Fry as Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock's older brother, Paul Anderson as the lethal Colonel Sebastian Moran, and Jared Harris who plays the diabolical Professor James Moriarty.

Now I liked Mark Strong's Lord Blackwell in the first film but he has NOTHING on Jared Harris' Moriarty. Both men were hell bent on world domination but where Blackwell wanted to trick his way into that with Black magic, Moriarty takes a more head on approach by trying to start the first world war. And where Blackwell was no real match for Holmes, Moriarty is more of a worthy opponent. If you've seen the first movie you know how skilled Holmes is as a fighter, Moriarty is equally as skilled in the art of pugilism and gives Holmes a serious run for his money here. Moriarty has France and Germany on the brink of war and only Holmes and Watson can foil his plan for it takes someone as crazy as Holmes to defeat someone as crazy as Moriarty.

Visually the movie is stunning and I am sure there will be some awards handed out, especially for the chase through the woods segment. That was not only fun to watch, it was intense as well. There are the usual Guy Ritchie flourishes here and there if you know his movies. Every director has their trademarks and Ritchie is no different though he refrains from over doing it. I must also mention that there is a hilarious donkey ride that set to the music from the Clint Eastwood western classic Two Mules for Sister Sara. Guy said regarding the first Sherlock Holmes movie that it was his most accessible movie to date, well this then is his second and also his best.

Armed with a great story to work with, a great cast to direct, a budget that I am sure far exceeded the first one, and Hans Zimmer outdoing his old score by leaps and bounds Guy delivers a movie, a sequel that far outshines it's predecessor. One I would see it again in a heartbeat. Maybe I'll see you online and if not, I'm sure I'll see you at the theater.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

"To say I was looking forward to seeing this movie is an understatement". That's the line I started the blog entry for David Fincher's last film the social network and I was right for using it then as I am right for using it now. David Fincher has directed yet another masterpiece and he has, in my humble opinion moved himself into the same rarefied aid of Spielberg, Scott, Scorsese, Jackson, and Nolan. His latest offering, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo far surpasses the original Swedish film adaptation of the book by the same title. The book, originally entitled Men Who Hate Women is clearly shown in many aspects of both films but Fincher pulls no punches in his rendition and Rooney Mara falls so deeply into Lisbeth Salander that you'd think she had been waiting to play this role all her life.

Noomi Rapace played Lisbeth in the Swedish versions and she has since become a star thanks to that role. She is currently in the latest Sherlock Holmes film and is also in the eagerly anticipated upcoming movie Prometheus directed by Ridley Scott. She chose not to reprise her role for Fincher's version which was smart on her part. I personally don't see how anyone could have played Lisbeth twice, the demands are so great. That opened the door for Rooney Mara who was also in Fincher's the social network. She was the young lady at the table in the beginning of the movie with Mark Zuckerberg played brilliantly by Jessie Eisenberg where she dumps him. Hard to believe that's the same young actress when you see her in Tattoo.

She is surrounded by an exceptional cast in this movie starting with Daniel Craig who actually shows his acting skills. Playing James Bond I guess doesn't allow for such nonsense as say acting. Rounding out the cast is the exceptional Christopher Plummer playing the patriarch Henrik Vanger, Steven Berkoff who I have always been a fan of since first seeing him in Beverly Hills Cop, Stellan Skarsgard, Joely Richardson, Robin Wright, and a Goran Visnjic sighting. For those that loved the show ER in it's AC days (After Clooney) know who he is. Throw that talented lot into a pot along with a screenplay written by the Oscar award winning screenwriter Steve Zaillian, Oscar nominated cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth, and Fincher and you are bound to have a superior movie.

Since Stieg Larsson's books have been out for years now I won't get into plot detail but I will say that what makes Fincher's Tattoo better than Niels Arden Oplev's version is that in Fincher's film Lisbeth seems more fleshed out. Granted there are times when she's robotic in her actions and seems almost Vulcan in her showing emotion but Fincher not only makes that work, he plays upon it. Where Oplev's version ends with the death of the bad man, Fincher shows the complicated yet blossiming friendship between Lisbeth and Blomkvist. He also shows how wily and talented a hacker Lisbeth is by illegally accruing a fortune. I am really hoping Fincher will do The Girl who played with Fire which is the second book in the trilogy and my favorite of the three.

The score, put together by the Oscar award winning duo that won for the social network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are back at it again and while this score isn't as dynamic as network, it is far moodier and darker than their last one which fits this film perfectly. I think they will be working with Fincher for as long as he is making films because they seem to be on his wavelength. It'll be like the pairings of Speilberg/Williams and Nolan/Zimmer. When you see it's a Fincher film you will instantly know Reznor and Ross will be doing the score.

Go see this movie, you won't be sorry you did and I'll see you at the theater