Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011)

Tom Hanks and Thomas Horn

Two months in a row with at least one post is no great achievement, but it's better than nothing! Here we present our review of Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close. It is rated PG-13 for some foul language (including a few fairly creative replacement curse words) and for emotional thematic material (specifically death and 9/11).

Dan - I have kind of a weird goal each year to watch all of the Academy Award nominees for Best Picture before the awards are handed out if possible. And while I have only accomplished it one time (in 2010), I still make an effort to watch all of the nominees at some point. This was the final movie of 2011's nominees that I had not seen. My expectations were not very high as everything I had read suggested it was a mediocre movie at best. To my surprise it was much better than mediocre.

This is the story of a boy whose father (played by Tom Hanks) died in the events of 9/11. The boy, Oskar, is fairly eccentric and has some OCD tendencies to say the least. Oskar finds a key in his father’s belongings and takes it upon himself to find the lock that to which it belongs. With only the word Black written on the envelope to go on, Oskar decides it must be a person’s name and sets out to visit all of the people with the name of Black listed in the NYC phone book.

This movie deals with a lot of emotions that occur in a mind too young and undeveloped to truly understand them, indeed many adults may struggle with also (I know I do). Oskar deals mostly with fear, loss, anger, and love. About halfway through the movie after a particularly angry argument that Oskar has with his mother, they both begin to process some of the feelings they have about losing their husband/father. Linda tells Oskar that why and how his father died "doesn’t make sense" so there is no point in trying to understand in the first place. She doesn’t know why it all happened nor does she have the answers to his questions, but nevertheless tries to help him understand that he may not ever find them.

My own mother passed away when I was barely a teenager from cancer and I still don’t know the "why" of a lot of things. I remember asking my dad why this was happening to our family and he didn’t know the answer for himself let alone for me. So I feel like I can relate to Oskar in some small way. Not completely of course, since it was my mother and not my father who died and I had several months to prepare for the inevitable while Oskar’s loss was sudden, unexpected, and the direct result of someone else’s actions. But the underlying emotions are still the same: fear, loss, anger, and love. I was just a kid trying to make sense out of something that does not.

There is a powerful scene where Oskar is watching TV at the moment when the first tower collapses, and just as it begins the camera cuts to Oskar collapsing to his knees in a similar way as he puts it together that his father didn’t make it out of the World Trade Center. The images of the towers collapsing are forever in my mind (as with most people), but that shot alone helped the movie resonate that much more and seemed to tie the tragedies of the story more tightly together.

I liked this movie. I liked the characters. They felt real to me. Newcomer Thomas Horn was quite impressive taking on a character like Oskar and pulled it off handsomely. Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock as parents bring home the reality that being a parent is not easy and they aren’t invincible to either emotional insults or even life itself. Even Max von Sydow (in an Oscar nominated role) who never speaks a word was a great character. He conveys so much with only his facial expressions that he seemed to feel the words he wasn’t speaking.

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. The emotions reflected in the characters and how they deal with loss is what resonated most with me. I am still amazed at how seeing videos and images of 9/11 still gives me chills, not to mention stories that are interwoven into those events (even if they are fictional).

Nerd Note: Director Stephen Daldry only has done four feature films in his career. All four of his movies have been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars (even though none have ever won) - Billy Elliot, The Hours, The Reader, and now Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.


Mark -

This movie is one of the most difficult for me to rate, and it all has to do with the main character of the film.  The main character of this film is portrayed by a new child actor appearing in his first film, Thomas Horn.  Horn plays the character of Oskar Schell, a nine year old boy who is extremely independent by nature but dealing with the loss of his one true friend, his father.  His father Thomas, played by Tom Hanks, loved to create elaborate puzzles for Oskar, testing his already high knowledge for his age, while encouraging Oskar to have to search deeply and abstractly at times for the simplest of solutions.  When Thomas is suddenly killed in the World Trade Center catastrophe, Oskar is left without the solution to the final puzzle that Thomas created.  A year after Thomas’s death, Oskar finds a mysterious key amongst Thomas’s belongings, and thus starts Oskar’s newest hunt for his answer.  The key is found inside of an envelope with the name Black written on it.  Oskar sets out to contact everyone in New York City with the last name Black, hoping to find the owner of the key, and in return answers from his Thomas.  

For me Oskar is one of, if not the most difficult character to try to relate to in all of the films I have seen.  By nature you want to root for him to find the answers he is looking for, but his awkwardness and often spiteful nature push you away from giving your full support to him.  I haven’t read the book, which I am assuming would give a more detailed description as to why he acts the way he does, but due to the lack of description in the adaptation, the audience is left with the little knowledge that Oskar was once “tested” for Aspergers, but the results were “inconclusive.”  I’m not trying to be insensitive in any way, but in order to try and give Oskar the benefit of the doubt in a lot of situations, I was left almost hoping that he had some type of mental or behavioral disorder so that there is an explanation and reason for his actions.  I wish that there was more explanation in the film about what if anything he is dealing with, because otherwise he just comes off as an extremely selfish, bratty kid with absolutely no filter on what he says or does.

In contrast to Oskar, the film’s supporting actors and actresses are amazing!  Max von Sydow plays a character known as The Renter, and it is one of my favorite characters of all time.  Von Sydow plays a character that is mute by choice, and that we later find out happens to be Thomas’s father, who abandoned Thomas and his mother at a young age.  Von Sydow was well deserved of his Oscar nomination for best supporting actor, and if not for being in the most competitive category the past few years, likely would have won.  Along with Von Sydow I thought the performances of Viola Davis, Jeffrey Wright, and Sandra Bullock were very good.

For a variety of reasons this movie isn’t going to be for everyone, but there are definitely some strong reasons to watch it.  While the tragedy of 9/11 plays a role in the story of this film, it is by no means the only, or the main, focus of the film.  3 ½ *’s out of 5

MY RANDOM THOUGHT FOR EXTREMELY LOUD & INCREDIBLY CLOSE:
Going off of my earlier comment about the nominated performances of actors in a supporting role, I would strongly recommend seeing all of the films from last years category.  Nick Nolte in Warrior, Jonah Hill in Moneyball, Kenneth Branagh in My Week With Marilyn, Christopher Plummer in Beginners, and of course Max Von Sydow in this film all gave amazing performances.

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Tom Hardy and Gary Oldman

For a slight change of pace, we decided to review Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. It is rated R for violence, language, and some brief sex and nudity. It was nominated for 3 Oscars, including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor.

Mark-
I went into this movie with really high expectations, despite not really knowing much about it.  Unfortunately my lack of background concerning this film is what deterred me from enjoying it more than I did. I’ve never read the book or seen the mini-series concerning this story, which having done would provide a much greater understanding of how this movie ultimately comes together.

The general plot of this film revolves around the British Intelligence during the Cold War. When an operation in Budapest goes wrong, the head of the operation team (Control), along with a senior member (Smiley) are forced to resign. When Smiley is approached a short time later by a rogue agent, he is informed that the true operative of the Budapest mission was to discover if there was a mole within the British Intelligence. Smiley agrees to explore and investigate the situation, working to determine which of four remaining senior agents may be the Russian mole.

There is no doubt that the acting in this film is unbelievable.  While Gary Oldman has received the majority of the notoriety for his portrayal as Smiley, the film would not be the same without its huge contributions of the supporting cast.  I expected a much bigger role from Colin Firth, but the real gems of the supporting cast for me were John Hurt, Toby Jones, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Strong, and Tom Hardy.

The unfortunate downfall for this film is that it was incredibly confusing.  There are a lot of inferences made about different situations and characters in the film, but there is little to no actual finality to the inferences. Sadly, I don’t feel that rewatching the film would provide any more answers, but instead the only way to really know what the inferences mean would be to read the novel, or possibly watch the mini-series from the 1970s.

I love a good spy movie, and especially love twists and turns, but the confusion of the plot was just a little too much for me. I still really enjoyed the performances of the cast, but they weren’t enough to help me enjoy the film more than I did.  3 ½ *’s out of 5.

MY RANDOM THOUGH FOR TINKER, TAILOR, SOLDIER, SPY: I don’t think that I’ve been as excited about the possibilities of an actors career as I am for Tom Hardy right now. I’m really hoping that he gets, and takes, the opportunity to have more roles like he did in this film, and not end up being known simply as a tough guy action star. It’s crazy how much he reminds me of Russell Crowe.

Dan-
Let me begin by saying that this movie seems like it would be the most accurate portrayal of espionage from the Cold War era ever shown in movies. There are no unbelievable action sequences like you would see in a James Bond or Jason Bourne movie and no fancy gadgets either. All of the action and intrigue is cerebral and internal because I never knew who to trust. And while it is to be commended for being grounded in realism,  it unfortunately did not make a great movie. The source material is a much beloved novel (unread by me) which was previously adapted into a successful BBC miniseries from the 1970s (unseen by me) starring the original Obi-Wan Kenobi himself, Alec Guinness, I hoped for good things. But sadly, my expectations did not meet the reality of the movie.

The plot of finding a Russian mole working inside British Intelligence in the midst of the Cold War made it sound intriguing, and the cast seemed like it couldn't miss. Unfortunately, the script just couldn't get into the unspoken details that surely were in the source material. There just isn't enough time in a two, or even three, hour movie to explain more. When the identity of the mole is ultimately revealed (don't worry I won't spoil it!) the problem for me was that while I wanted to know, it didn't quite have the impact that I thought it should have. Too much was left unsaid, too many details went unexplained, and too many questions were left unanswered. It perhaps requires multiple viewings to flesh out the characters a little better and catch details that went unnoticed the first time, not to mention trying to keep all the characters straight as there were so many that are involved.

It was a little difficult to jump right in to this story considering that the structure of the movie did not seem to flow for me, not to mention that there isn't much dialogue in the first 20 minutes of the movie either. A large portion of the story is told in flashback and the times when the scenes switched back and forth didn't work and were confusing. It became difficult to remember everyone's names and whether or not I had seen them in the flashback or the present, and what significance they held. There were several shots of characters staring at pictures as well as lingering camera shots of the faces of them as if I was supposed to be reading the mind of who was on screen at the moment. It also seemed like there was a homosexual subtext happening with a few of the male characters. Now I admit that I could be completely wrong about that aspect, but I doubt it.

Much is to be said about the strength of the cast, which made this movie very watchable so that I wanted to know what happened with all of them. Gary Oldman as George Smiley was nominated for Best Actor, but I found the other supporting characters more compelling, particularly Benedict Cumberbatch (best name ever!) as Peter Guillam, Tom Hardy (Bane himself!) as Ricki Tarr, and Mark Strong as Jim Prideaux. These characters were easiest to identify with and credit goes also to the rest of the big-name cast for doing so much with so little screen time, particularly Colin Firth, who has such an engaging screen presence in everything he does.

I give this movie 3 out of 5 stars, which seems high considering how much I didn't like it. The performances elevated this movie, but I couldn't figure out for the life of me the 'why' of it all at the end. I realize that some people enjoy this type of plot structure and screenplay because it is open to endless interpretation by the audience. And while this may work for a film studies class it did not work on an entertainment level.

Nerd Note: Of all the memorable characters that Gary Oldman has played, this movie resulted in his first Oscar nomination! This is the same guy that was Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight Trilogy, Sirius Black in the Harry Potter movies, as well as pure evil embodied as Stansfield in Leon: The Professional. He also has an amazing voice talent to further disappear into his roles and as a result I did not know he was British until after I saw an interview with him before he showed up in the Harry Potter movies. I don't think I've ever seen him look or act the same in any two movies that weren't part of a series. He is truly an original actor.

War Horse (2011)

Tom Hiddleston, Geoff Bell, Joey, Jeremy Irvine, and Peter Mullan

After a rather lengthy hiatus, the Movies for Lunch Guys are back! Thanks to Dan for switching offices this blog has suffered greatly, and for that we make no apologies but merely set a new goal for reviewing two movies per month. For our return we watched War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg. It is rated PG-13 for sequences of war violence. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Dan -
I have never tried to hide the fact that I love Steven Spielberg movies. I think I’ve seen almost every one of them. And hearing that he was making a movie like this, it should go without saying that I was excited to see it. I had no idea what the story of this movie was since the preview only seemed to show a horse running in various locations during World War I. What I did know was that the play War Horse won 5 Tony Awards last year, including best play, and I thought the movie was an adaptation of the play. I have since learned that both the play and the movie are based on a book. So with an award-winning play already adapted and a supremely talented director set to take the reins, I had very high hopes for War Horse.

This is the story of a remarkably strong and smart thoroughbred horse named Joey who is purchased (unwisely it first seems) to work on a farm in Northern England just prior to World War I. After the Great War begins, the horse is sold to the British infantry, and then changes hands/owners several more times throughout the movie. Meanwhile the boy who trained him, Albert, joins the army and longs to be reunited with Joey.

I am not an animal person. I've never had a pet, and between my wife and I we are allergic to just about every domesticated animal. That being said, the best thing this movie has going for it is Joey and, surprisingly, I found myself emotionally attached to him. I was rooting for him. Each time Joey changes owners is practically an emotional travesty - he is sold to the British Army by Albert’s father in order for them to keep their farm and is subsequently captured by the Germans. He is then discovered by a young French girl and is captured again by the Germans when they march through her farmland, and then ultimately escapes from the grueling clutches of the German army to what would seem almost a worse fate. Simply stated: Joey is put through the ringer, and so was I as I watched this horse endure trial after trial.

If I had one complaint about this movie it is that it feels, for lack of a better word, stagy at times. Not to the point of excess, but rather in the feel of it. For example, the lighting in the first half hour of the movie seemed phony and didn’t look natural at all. There is also a scene toward the end of the movie where a German soldier and a British soldier meet in No Man’s Land and carry on a rather polite conversation. This unlikely situation almost took me out of the movie if it wasn't for the scenes with Joey leading up to it that completely invested me emotionally in the outcome. But it serves the plot and artistic license must be taken (after all, it’s only a movie).

I give this movie 4 out of 5 stars. I wanted to love it more than I actually did, so there was a slight letdown. It took a while to get into it, but as soon as the war started I was hooked. This is a good movie and is in my top ten for the year 2011, but I was expecting and hoping for more.

Nerd Note: This is the second movie released in 2011 (the other is The Adventures of Tintin) that composer John Williams wrote the music for with director Steven Spielberg and the 25^th in total that the two have worked on together. Williams was nominated for an Oscar for the music for both War Horse and Tintin, raising his total Oscar nominations to 47! He is second only to Walt Disney who has 59 nominations. The next closest living nominee: Woody Allen with 23.

Mark-
War Horse tells the story of an amazing horse named Joey.  The film tells the story of Joey’s interactions with a number of individuals during a few months preceding World War I, and following through the duration of the war.  Joey’s journey begins when Ted Narracott ,a lowly farmer, sees great promise in Joey and purchases him for an above average price at auction.  Ted‘s son Albert shares in the faith of Joey, and takes it upon himself to train Joey into the horse that lives up to, and exceeds, expectations.  Due to unfortunate circumstances, Joey is forced into the war, with the hope and promise that Joey will be well taken care of, and returned to Albert when the war is over.  The events of the war bring Joey into contact with a variety of individuals, finding promise in the eyes of the English, German, and French.

Luck, for lack of any better term to use, is a prevalent theme throughout this film.  Unfortunately not all of the luck is good.  From the very beginning it could be argued that Joey had good luck in being bought by the Narracott‘s, but the Narracott‘s dire circumstances could also be termed as the bad luck that forced Joey into the war.  Throughout the war it could be termed good luck for Joey that in each of his interactions, he comes into contact with individuals who continue to see promise and respect in Joey.  The unfortunate bad luck in these circumstances is that many of these new interactions come about because of the demise of the previous interactor(s).

A clearly conveyed message of this film is that of support, and that each of the characters that came into contact with Joey were made better for it; not only better, but Joey was able to bring out the best in them.  Joey is also able to learn from each of the characters that care for him, and thus the support and kindness is shown between each of the characters and Joey.

The one thing I found somewhat interesting prior to viewing the film, is the notion that Steven Spielberg made a big budget film with virtually no star actors or actresses.  Granted there are plenty of distinguished supporting actors in the cast, but the absence of any big names actually helps the film more than any other detail in my opinion.  By having lesser known stars, and primarily only minor characters; the film is able to show and maintain that the major focus and star of the film is Joey.

Overall I enjoyed this film, to the extent that I would likely put in my top 10 movies for 2011, but not so much that it would make it in my top 5.  There are unfortunately a few parts that are slow, but there are also extremely compelling and gripping moments (my favorite being the meeting of the English and German soldiers between enemy lines).  4 *’s out of 5.  

My Random Thought For War Horse: My random thought for this film is really more of a random bit of trivia, courtesy of imdb.com.  There were a total of 14 horses that portrayed Joey in this film with the main horse, Finder, also having starred as Seabiscuit in its film.

Top 10 Sports Films

We here at Movies For Lunch are proud to present another installment of the top ten list. Ever since our review of Coach Carter, our minds have been plagued by the thought of what would be considered the best sports movie. Since there are so many to choose from that are great in different ways we came up with a list. We came up with these movies individually which may explain why some movies are on both of our lists. So here are the top ten sports movies.

Dan - I’m not quite sure where to begin this list. I will list them alphabetically since it seems unfair to compare movies that are so different. I admit that I have not seen what some would consider great and classic like Raging Bull, Bull Durham, or Eight Men Out. I like all of these movies and it is fair to say that I found all of them to be uplifting and inspirational. Some of them are Oscar winners (The Fighter, Million Dollar Baby), and others clearly are not (Happy Gilmore). One could argue that many of these movies may not even be about sports, but use sports as a theme to simply tell a great story (see Field of Dreams). So without further ado, The Lists:


 Cinderella Man (2005) - Russell Crowe and Ron Howard had previously collaborated with the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind, and re-teamed here for the based on a true story of boxer Jim Braddock. This is a fantastic movie about a broken man (at times literally) who lived during the Great Depression and was struggling to make enough money just to feed his family, much like the rest of the country during that period. There are some really cool boxing scenes with several point of view shots on the receiving end of a few punches which made it seem like I was participating in the ring instead of just watching. The story itself is ultimately so triumphant that I’m going out on a limb here and calling it not only the best movie of 2005, but the best boxing movie I’ve seen.


 Field of Dreams (1989) - Have you ever noticed that some of the best sports movies aren’t so much about sports? There is hardly any baseball in this movie and the focus is not on an individual player or a team’s quest to win the championship. It is the story about a man’s (Kevin Costner) discovery he makes about himself before he understands why he is compelled to do such strange things as make a baseball diamond in the middle of his corn crop ("If you build it, he will come). The whole movie leads up to the realization of his own father’s regrets of the relationship (or lack thereof) with his son. And this one line: "Hey, dad? You wanna have a catch?" This line alone is responsible for making many a grown man cry (including me). Every time I hear this I think of the times when I was a kid and used to play catch with my old man. Hopefully you do too.


 The Fighter (2010) - I would have never guessed that this scrappy movie about a scrappy boxer would almost be the best boxing movie I’ve ever seen. It sucked me in right from the start (maybe it was the catchy soundtrack). This is another movie where the boxing is only a part of the greatness of it. The rest lies in the compelling portrayal of the family relationship between Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Melissa Leo, the latter two winning Oscars for their work here. Bale and Wahlberg play boxing brothers with Leo is their mother/manager. While the boxing is exciting in and of itself, it is the family dynamic that is the real meat of the movie. Leo is the ultimate manipulator and Bale is so convincing as a crack addict that I believed him to be this actual person and not an actor. Just watch it. You will be surprised how slyly you are drawn into their world. But be warned that there is a fair amount of language (especially the F-bomb).


 Happy Gilmore (1995) - The funniest sports movie on the list by far. The ridiculous plot follows a hockey player (who doesn’t know how to skate!) entering the equivalent of the PGA tour because his slapshot translates well on the golf course. You might recognize Happy’s love interest Virginia from the current TV comedy hit Modern Family as high-strung mom Claire Dunphy. A fact which I did not notice until my wife pointed it out me. Two scenes make me cry from laughing so hard: The scenes with Bob Barker, and the missed putt where Happy launches a profanity-laced tirade that the broadcast TV censors try to edit. This movie is quoted almost as much as Tommy Boy in my circle of friends. Keep a sharp eye for Ben Stiller as a slave-driving retirement home employee. Please, please remember to not take it seriously, and just laugh at how absurd it really is.


 Hoosiers (1986) - This movie is the first movie about basketball that I ever remember seeing and it has yet to topped as far as basketball movies go. I watched it with my dad and brothers when we were kids. Hoosiers to me is the quintessential basketball movie. A new coach with unusual methods shows up and teaches the players fundamentals, physicality, and how to play with confidence. It takes place in a small town in Indiana where most of the players are farm boys without a lot of amazing talent except for one guy, and the movie wisely does not focus on him but keeps it about the team. Gene Hackman as the coach gives a performance that makes you as the viewer want the team to win as much for him as for themselves. And it’s based on a true story. What’s not to love?


 The Karate Kid - I’m talking about the original here, and not the crappy sequels (except for Karate Kid 2) or the modest re-make. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso all the way. I used to call myself Daniel-san and attempt the crane kick whenever my friends and I wrestled each other. This story of a kid who is bullied and learns to defend himself is even more relevant today, especially as one hears of teens ending their own lives as a result of bullying. The best way I can think to describe this movie is uplifting. Watch it and be uplifted. There are portions that may seem a little dated, but it certainly doesn’t detract from the message. And Mr. Miyagi was nominated for an Oscar!!


 Million Dollar Baby (2004) - I had no expectations going into this movie. This was the first movie that Clint Eastwood directed that began my understanding and appreciation for how great of a filmmaker and actor he really is. After watching this I went back and re-watched some of his previous movies like Mystic River and Unforgiven. The guy’s an incredible talent on both sides of the camera. Anyway, I had read a few reviews of it and heard it was good, but I was blown away. I don’t know how Eastwood did it, but he took a movie about boxing and made it about so much more. There was a lot of flak about the second half of the movie (which I will not reveal/discuss here), but I realized that this isn’t so much about what decisions are made as it is about the feelings/motivations behind them, or the "why" of it all. And as the relationships between the characters is observed it becomes clear why these people do what they do, like why Hilary Swank wanted to become a boxer in the first place, and why Eastwood didn’t want to manage/coach any more boxers.


 The Natural (1984) - I love how fitting the title of this movie is. Robert Redford stars as Roy Hobbs, who was literally on his way to be "the best there ever was" playing baseball before suffering a horrific setback. The rest of the story is about how he still makes it big. The more I think about it, the more I love how this movie comes together. Everything seems to be going against Redford to keep him from being successful from the owner of the team he plays for betting against his own team to being distracted by Kim Basinger, all the way to his beloved bat breaking when he needed it the most. It’s the journey of this guy that becomes so compelling, almost more than his talent for baseball. And the last scene is a spectacular contrast to the rest of the movie’s pizzazz.


 Remember the Titans (2000) - This movie always strikes me as an important sports movie, if there is such a thing. Denzel Washington is appointed as the head coach of a football team in Virginia that becomes one of the first schools to integrate after the Civil Rights Movement. The resulting racism from both sides makes for a compelling movie on its own, but throw in the egos of young athletes who think they are better than everyone else and you’ve got a movie ripe with conflict to be resolved. I don’t know how much of this "based on a true story" movie is fictionalized, but it was done in such a way that I feel as uplifted as I do when I watch the original Karate Kid. This is an inspiring movie. Watch it and be both uplifted and inspired to never judge people by the color of their skin. And just for fun, look sharp for before-they-were-famous stars Ryan Gosling and Kate Bosworth.


 The Sandlot (1992) - This is the quintessential kid-sports movie about pickup games and having fun. There is nothing spectacular about the plot to get back an autographed baseball signed by Babe Ruth from a giant dog holding it hostage other than seeing all of the ways the kids come up with to retrieve it. I think movies like this are great because they remind me of similar experiences from my own childhood. Not that I ever had anything this exciting happen, but I seem to remember something like it. I loved just getting the chance to go play with my friends every day during the summer. I guess nostalgia is a big reason that I continue to enjoy this movie as an adult as opposed to just when I was a kid.

Mark -
My own criteria in determining this list had as much to do with what films I really enjoy, as compared to films that I think were really well made. In order to make the list for me these films all receive a yes to the question of "If this film is on, am I going to watch it?" I don’t care if it’s on TV or DVD or something else, if I see the film, the chances are that I’m going to watch at least part of it. Having said that, here are my favorite/top sports films in no particular order.

1) The Fighter - Even though Mark Wahlberg plays the main character in this film, Christian Bale easily steals the focus and attention anytime he is on screen. This film reminds me of a terrible accident that you had to look at, but at the same time you simply can’t help but look and be amazed at the horrifying results.

2) Cinderella Man - I have to admit that I am a big fan of Russell Crowe, and thus this movie easily makes my list. I know a lot of people who hate boxing, but have loved this movie simply because of the plot centered around the struggles endured during the great depression.

3) Field Of Dreams - Of all of the films on this list, this is the film that I have watched more times than any other. It got to the point a few years ago where no one could stand to be in the same room as me while I watched this film, simply because I could repeat the entire dialogue. This is one of the few films that is equal to or better than the book in my opinion.

4) Hoosiers - For me this is by far the best basketball film ever made. Dennis Hopper and Gene Hackman both give amazing performances. There have been a lot films that try to depict the same underdog defeating the giant scenario, but none of them do it as well as Hoosiers.

5) Rocky (as the series, minus Rocky V) - You simply can’t talk about sports movies without mentioning the Rocky films. One of the best parts about these films is still the music. I’m glad that Stallone decided to make Rocky Balboa so that the franchise didn’t have to end on the mess that was Rocky V.

6) Caddyshack - My bias again comes out with this selection because I think that Bill Murray is one of, if not the, funniest comedians in film. Murray’s role as Carl the groundskeeper is one of the funniest things I have ever watched. This film amazes me even more after learning how much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors. Harrold Ramis and Bill Murray really made some great movies together.

7) The Sandlot - The characters, and especially their nicknames, are some of my favorites ever. This film really does remind me of what it was like to simply be a kid and get together with friends to play baseball, or any other sport, after school or during the summer. I can still remember my group of friends determining who was which character from this movie. Just for the record I was Smalls, although my favorite character is Squints.

8) Major League - Its impossible for me to watch a baseball and not think of "just a bit outside" anytime a wild pitch is thrown. The revelations of Charlie Sheen actually taking steroids for this film, and Wesley Snipes being incredibly slow only seem to add to the lore of this film in my opinion. Seeing where those two actors are now in their lives what is perhaps even crazier is the notion that these revelations don’t seem shocking at all.

9) Million Dollar Baby - Clint Eastwood deserves all of the praise and recognition for this film. No other actor could have played the role that he did in this film. Hilary Swank was definitely good and deserved her praise as well, but this movie would not have been the same without Eastwood.

10) The Rookie - I figure that this film is one that not many others would pick for their own list, but it is one that I really enjoy. Dennis Quaid plays such an easy character to like that it’s hard not to enjoy this film in my opinion. One of my favorite lines also comes from this film which is, "Sometimes you have to stop doing what you want to do, and start doing what you were meant to do."

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, and Ed Burns

Here for your reading is our review of Saving Private Ryan. This is the first movie that both of us gave the same star-rating. It is rated R for intense, prolonged, and realistically graphic sequences of war violence, and for language. It is not for the squeamish or faint of heart. The violence does not exist for a gross-out factor, but is meant to accurately depict the ravages of war.

Mark -
It’s very difficult to write a review for a film where regardless of what you write it will never really do it justice. If nothing else this film has given me an even greater appreciation for the individuals who have fought for the freedom of this country and freedom around the world. I have no military experience myself, and as such I am certain that I don’t fully understand or appreciate the sacrifices as much as I probably should.

This film portrays events surrounding the invasion of Normandy and its nearby areas. After storming the beaches of Normandy, a small group of soldiers are asked to perform a locate and rescue mission for one specific soldier.

Its difficult, if not impossible, to not cringe at the realistic nature that Spielberg portrays in this film. There have been many films made about war, but none have shown the brutality in quite the same way as this film. It’s not only the images that are disturbing, but in order to capture the full effect, the sounds that accompany the images intensify each horrific scene.

I have no idea how this film got so lucky, but it definitely did with its casting. Each of the actors in this film plays their character remarkably, and you get the sense that each of them realized that there really were no true stars in this film, but that the entirety of it was for a greater good.

Although this isn’t a film that was necessarily enjoyable to watch, I’m glad that I have seen it, and have a little bit more of an understanding of the hardships that took place during WWII. I can’t imagine most people wanting to watch this film on a regular basis, and can support those who wish not to see the graphic nature of this film altogether. 5 *’s out of 5

My Random Thought For Saving Private Ryan: If you were to look at this one role in particular, its hard to image that Vin Diesel would become what he did after this film. Hard to imagine the possibilities of what may have been, just as it is hard for me to imagine that is actually 44.

Dan -
I should preface this review that it will further solidify my standing as a movie nerd. I am not ashamed to admit it, but rather have come to embrace it. I’d like to think it helps me understand movies better, but I could be completely wrong and I come across as an obsessive geek in the worst sense of the word. Either way I submit the following review.

I don’t know where to begin, so I will start randomly with my adoration of this movie. It is technically amazing in every way. The most memorable aspect to me is the cinematography. It seems like this was the first movie to introduce the shaky-cam technique, giving you the feeling that you are actually in the thick of the action. This is one of the few movies that it actually works but is not overused. I heard when this movie was first released that the opening sequence was so realistically portrayed that it was triggering post traumatic stress disorder for some veterans that had similar experiences.

One scene that stands out to me technically speaking is where the rain begins to fall at the beginning of the mission to find Private Ryan as the men come upon their first battle. I didn’t notice at first, but each drop of rain coincided with a gunshot. It was faint at first with only a few drops and pops here and there, but as the rain came down harder the gunfire picked up the pace as well and you begin to hear machine guns instead of single shot rifles. This was simply masterful editing and sound mixing that deserved the Oscars they earned for it. While I didn’t get to watch this in surround sound, I did the next best thing and watched it with headphones (so as not to offend co-workers with the foul language and loud violence). It created such a close feeling that I almost felt like I was dodging bullets with the guys on screen.

I am a huge fan of movie soundtracks, specifically the scores of movies, and John Williams is one of my favorites. The guy has written some of the most famous movie music there is from Star Wars to Superman to Indiana Jones. There is not a whole lot of music in this movie and it is subtle when it does appear. Until the end credits. The track is called Hymn to the Fallen, it runs only during the end credits, and it is one of the most stirring pieces of music ever in a movie. It just seems like such a payoff to the emotions I felt throughout the movie.

This happens to be one (of admittedly many) movie that makes me cry. The strange thing is that each time I’ve watched it I cried at different parts. This time the emotion came just after the beach invasion when Private Mellish finally releases his own emotion and has a chance to relax. I thought of how I would react in a similar situation. Another time was when Medic Wade had been shot, everyone was trying to save him, and he begins to cry out for his mom.

This movie did an incredible job of getting me to feel just what the men of the movie feel. They question why they must risk their own lives for someone that they have never met and hasn’t done anything to "earn" his ticket home. From the anger of the men sent to get Private Ryan to the frustration and confusion of Ryan himself as he hears that he is supposed to go home I swear I felt every emotion the characters were feeling.

In addition to the unforgettable battle scenes, there are several quiet moments that give this movie the depth required to make it great. There is a scene right before the final battle where the men are sharing stories of their lives at home with each other and laughing about them. It seems unremarkable and almost out of place until I realized the point of it was to illustrate that these were ordinary people asked to do extraordinary things. I think of a similar scene in the church after finding the wrong Private Ryan. And in the brief exchange of a look between Ed Burns and Matt Damon before the first shots are fired of the final stand. No words, but an understanding that they will fight together against the enemy.

I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars. I still wonder how Shakespeare in Love could have won Best Picture over this movie. Without question this is not only the best movie about World War II, but it is the best war movie period. I saw this the summer I turned 18 and remember being completely affected by it. Having seen it a few times since then, I have grown to love and appreciate it more upon each subsequent viewing. This movie also helped me appreciate more fully the sacrifice made by the men and women of the Armed Forces.

Gosford Park (2001)

The entire cast of Gosford Park

Here we have the Oscar winner for best original screenplay from 2001: Gosford Park. It is rated R for a few F-bombs and a very brief sex scene (there are racier sex scenes in some PG-13 movies). Honestly though, if it was released today it may only have been rated PG-13. Neither of us could understand why it was rated R. Maybe we're too desensitized.

Dan- 
So this movie was directed by Robert Altman, most famous for directing a bunch of movies that are beloved by critics and elitists such as MASH, Kansas City, and Nashville, none of which I have seen. But having now seen this movie and a couple of his others (Cookie's Fortune and A Prairie Home Companion) I have noticed two things are common throughout them. One: The dialogue will almost always overlap in order to necessitate multiple viewings for a full appreciation of what is happening, and Two: There are a LOT of characters in his movies who are connected in unlikely ways. Imagine if all of the people in the picture above have dialogue (which they do) and are referenced by name throughout (which they are) and you will have some idea about how much one needs to pay attention. And I still don't know who half of them are! I did find it easy to remember some characters as I had seen them in other movies and they just stood out better, like Clive Owen, Ryan Phillippe, Kelly MacDonald (the Scottish girl) and Maggie Smith.

But that's not to say the movie isn't well-made. It is. And the screenplay is fairly brilliant. I'm just not smart enough to catch everything or fully appreciate how witty and clever this movie is after just one viewing. Hint: turn on the subtitles. Movies like this are designed for repeat viewing, which is both good and bad. Good because it can make a good movie into a great one, like Shawshank Redemption. And bad because it can just get taxing if you don't like the movie and with each subsequent viewing you stretch further into boredom, like Gangs of New York.

This could almost be considered a comedy, but the last 15 minutes of the movie shift the tone toward more of a drama. I'm calling it a dramedy because there was so much humor in it (See: Stephen Fry's bumbling inspector who reminded me of Inspector Clouseau from Pink Panther fame). I was appreciative of my oldest brother who lived in London for several years and gave me some instruction in the art of British humor. People behave in odd or terrible ways and the stuffy Brits just ignore it as if nothing is wrong, because to acknowledge it would be to encourage it (See: Maggie Smith in just about every scene she's in, deserving that Oscar nomination for supporting actress).

I would like to see this movie again to see how much more I can catch and follow, but it won't be anytime soon. To paraphrase Roger Ebert, this is a movie that is about characters and the situations they are each in as opposed to a structured plot. The difficult part is that there are so many characters that you don't seem to get to any of them well enough to care about what happens to them. And the ones you do get to know turn out to be not what they seemed.

I feel like I want to, and should, give this movie another chance but it won't be anytime soon. I probably would like it more upon repeat viewings. I'm giving this movie 3½ out of 5 stars, with an option left open to increase the rating upon subsequent viewings.

Side Note: I would suggest watching it all at once so it becomes easier to keep track of everyone. As you all may be aware, each movie we watch is in 1 hour or less increments so as to fit into our lunch break at work.

Mark-
Let’s just start by letting you know that in my opinion this film was very over-hyped and didn’t live up to its expectations. The tagline for this movie is "Tea at four. Dinner at eight. Murder at midnight.", and sadly if you were to consider this film in terms of being 24 hours long, entertainment wise nothing really happens until just before the 24^th hour. If you were simply to go off of the tagline for this movie you would most likely feel deceived at the movie; I know I did. I would have preferred much more of the focus to have been on the murder, and much less on the tea and dinner.

This film takes place in the 1930s in an English countryside manor, and details the lives, relationships, and interactions of two distinct groups of individuals. The first group is upstairs individuals, which comprises friends and family of a well-off estate holder. The upstairs group seem mostly lost without someone else there to do everything for them, and thus we have their interactions with the downstairs individuals. This second group is comprised of the cooks, butlers, maids, menservants, and drivers.

My biggest criticism for this film is that it simply lacks a sense of flow to it. The first 3/4 of this film takes so long to set up the last 20-30 minutes, that it caused me to lose interest and miss some of the very important points I was supposed to be paying attention to.

I will give a lot of credit to the actors and actresses in this movie. It no doubt helped that there are a lot of very well known and respected actors in this film, and each of the characters did an excellent job at portraying the role they were assigned. The interactions between the two groups is interesting to view, although I wouldn’t necessarily go as far as to call it entertaining. I love how they are able to bring everything together at the end, but it would have been nice to have a little more of the characters backgrounds during the first part of the movie, and not have to try to make sense of so many convoluted messes at the end.

Last of all would be a little suggestion for anyone considering watching this movie. Dan and I turned the subtitles on while we watched this film and it helped immensely. It was difficult to follow the dialog at times due to accents and the numerous conversations which have everyone speaking over one another. 2 ½ * out of 5

My Random Thought For Gosford Park: I can’t think of another movie where all of the characters play such balanced supporting roles, and no one in particular has a starring role.

Michael Clayton (2007)

Tom Wilkinson and George Clooney

Now here is a movie that you probably have heard of: Michael Clayton. It stars George Clooney and was nominated for 7 Oscars, with Tilda Swinton winning for Best Supporting Actress. It is rated R for some coarse language and some brief violence.

Mark -
This is a movie that I have been meaning to watch since shortly after it was released on DVD but have just now gotten to. George Clooney plays the lead character of Michael Clayton, an attorney in a large New York law firm, who’s role is to be "the fixer". Basically the easiest and simplest way to describe his role would be that if someone else screws up, its Clayton’s responsibility to make things right. The main focus of the movie involves a multibillion dollar personal injury/wrongful death lawsuit in which the firm is representing the defendant. As lead counsel, Arthur Eders (Tom Wilkinson), has a relapse of manic-depressive behavior during the middle of a deposition, Clayton is called in to work his magic in stabilizing both Eders and the unsettling incident which Eders created. Clayton does his best to mitigate the damage from the situation, but little does he know that the firms client has decided that they also need to take matters into their own hands. Events turn dangerous for all involved.

Wilkinson gives a great performance and is more than worthy of the best supporting actor nomination he received. Clooney also gives a great performance, but to show how good of an actor he has become, his role as Michael Clayton doesn’t seem to be all that different from many other roles which he has played. The film does a nice job of showing the ethical and moral dilemmas attorneys sometimes face, and how paths of good and bad are chosen by different attorneys.

The film received a lot of praise and deservingly so, however it is far from a perfect movie in my view. To begin with, I hated the ending. The film engrosses you so much into the role and life of Clayton, and unfortunately delivers nothing but speculation and questions in the end. My other major criticism is that I actually feel like there were too many minor characters thrown into the movie. The minor characters and minor subplots in many ways create more confusion and distraction than contribution to the movie.

Having said that I still thought this was a very good movie and would recommend it for anyone who has not seen it. 4 * out of 5

My Random Thought For Michael Clayton: Tilda Swinton won the Oscar for best supporting actress for her role in the film, and all I can really say to that is that is this goes to show how weak the performances really were that year.

Dan -
I don't know what it is about movies that involve the legal system, but they are made on a regular basis and a lot of them are really good. I am puzzled by this because from what I know about the legal system, which is more than the average guy but less than a lawyer, legal battles and such are extremely boring. Especially court hearings. Side note: In reality, there are no surprises in the legal system due to the rule of disclosure. Hollywood allows such things to make a movie more exciting, and really, can you blame them?

Back to the movie at hand. Mark explained the plot in his review, so read the summary above. All I will say is that what gets this movie going is one man's reaction to the answer of this question: What happens when the client you are representing, who has generated literally tens of millions of dollars in revenue, turns out to be the enemy? This movie isn't about the legal battle itself or the courtroom drama and there isn't any of the latter. This billion dollar lawsuit is on the verge of settling when Clooney comes in to fix problems created by the lead counsel on the case.

Performances: Tilda Swinton was weak. How she actually won the Oscar can only be chalked up to a year of weak performances in this category overall. I could still hear her Scottish accent peeking through some of her lines. It simply was not a remarkable performance to me. But who knows, maybe I missed the point, and the genius behind her performance is that I would expect a woman in her position to have a strong dose of confidence and she chose to play it a little apprehensive. Maybe her strength is conveying the fear and uncertainty of an experienced attorney who ends up (mild spoiler alert!) crossing the line. Her most fascinating scene is where she is crouched in the bathroom, drenched in sweat, and agonizing over the decision she has just made. That helps to suck you right in to her character, so credit is given where credit is due. And Tom Wilkinson was brilliant. Of all the nominees in Supporting Actor that year, he could have easily been given the Oscar among his fellow nominees (Javier Bardem actually won for his creepy killer in No Country For Old Men). He gives a crazy character some unexpected depth. And every scene he's in with Clooney is simply terrific. Two experienced actors playing well off each other with great dialogue.

Speaking of dialogue, this is really a great script that could really have been confusing, but Tony Gilroy (who wrote the Bourne movies) did a superb job at not spelling everything out and leaving things up to the audience to figure out and/or interpret for themselves. If I have one complaint, it's that I was slightly sidetracked by a couple of subplots that involved Clooney. One was his relationship with his son, and the other is that he is trying to square away a large debt he incurred while trying to open a bar. At least the overall point of the latter ties into the main plot easier than the former.

Here is one of the best movies released in 2007, although I do know of other people who did not like it as much as me, like the lady who gave me her DVD that she bought at my recommendation, and Mark (see above). It made my top ten of 2007, coming in at #4 and I give this movie 5 out of 5 stars.

The Hurricane (1999)

Denzel Washington as Rubin "Hurricane" Carter


At the end of 1999, "The Hurricane" was released starring Denzel Washington. It was a modest hit, but maybe you have never seen it. It is rated R for language and violence.

Dan-
I have been wanting to see this movie for a really long time, but have never taken the opportunity to see it. It finally made its way up the Netflix queue (after more than 2 years I think) and I finally got the chance to see it. As cliche as it sounds, this is one of Denzel's best performances. He was nominated for an Oscar for it, but lost to Kevin Spacey in "American Beauty" (how he won against Denzel AND Russell Crowe for The Insider is beyond me). I also think this was a better performance than his role in "Training Day", for which he actually did win the Oscar.

Back to the movie. This is "based on the true story" of boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter who, at the peak of his career, was framed for a murder he did not commit and imprisoned for more than 20 years. I use the true story term loosely because this is Hollywood, and naturally there will be some artistic license taken to create drama, conflict, and/or motivations. The movie implies that a single racist cop is the one responsible for all his troubles, which may have some truth to it, but there is likely a lot more to the story. While in prison, Carter writes a book about his life and wrongful conviction. There is also a black teenager named Lesra who is taken from a poor neighborhood in New Jersey to live with 3 white people in Toronto to be educated and given an opportunity he may not have otherwise had. Lesra reads Hurricane's book, shares it with his 3 educators, and they all take the cause to free the Hurricane from prison.

There were two things that sucked me in emotionally to the movie: 1- After Hurricane is sent to prison and refuses to wear the prison uniform he is sent to solitary confinement. There he has an argument with two versions of his personality, one that is weak and one that is strong. This became the point where Denzel's performance really started to shine. Prior to that the character is cocky and arrogant, and this begins to show the vulnerability of Hurricane. And 2- When he asks his wife to stop visiting him and walk away. "I'm dead. Just bury me." It's the emotion in his voice that resonates the most with me.

This is a strong legal drama of a movie. The bad point about real life and the good point of movies is that these appeals and court proceedings literally take years, but can be shown in much quicker so we as the audience continue to feel a sense of urgency. Even after Lesra meets Rubin Carter, the process takes years to get the final appeal heard in court. The movie tries emphasize that fact as there is one point where the attorneys that have been assigned to the case since the beginning of his appeals comment to Lesra's educators that many people have offered to help over the years, but due to the slow process and apparent lack of progress they felt they were making, abandoned the cause.

While I thought this movie was compelling and well-made, I think I loved Denzel's performance the most about this movie. There is a great line that Carter writes to Lesra: "Do not write me. Do not visit me. Find it in your hearts to not weaken me with your love." I'm fascinated by a man who wants to be so strong, but knows he will not appear as such if he gets close to anyone. He gains hope and loses it every time he goes to court.

I give this movie 4½ out of 5 stars.

Mark-
Sadly this movie seems as though it has been overlooked by many people. I don’t know what it is about movies about boxing or boxers, but they continually seem to be some of the best movies produced. My own wife is among those who hate boxing, yet she has admitted on numerous occasions how good movies such as Million Dollar Baby, and Cinderella Man were. I have to add The Fighter and The Hurricane to that list as great movies that have come out in the last 15 years focused in some way around boxing or boxers. This film portrays the personal and judicial struggles that Rubin "Hurricane" Carter endured, as well as a friendship developed between Carter and a young man named Lesra. Rubin Carter overcame many hardships and difficulties in his life to become a boxing champion, before being what eventually was determined a wrongful imprisonment for three murders. The theme of racial injustice is prevalent throughout this film as is the case in many of Denzel Washington’s movies, but these are also his greatest films and roles. When I think about the roles Denzel has played I think of the movies: Cry Freedom, Glory, Malcolm X, The Hurricane, and Training Day (only because he finally won his best actor Oscar for this movie). All of the above films and roles deal directly with racial differences, and you could of course add Remember The Titans and The Great Debaters to the list. Denzel Washington has been among my favorite actors for a long time, and this is in my opinion his best acting performance. Denzel became Rubin Carter for this film! The most obvious observation of this fact is the physical shape that Washington got into for this role. Although he has never been unfit in anyway, it is clear to see that he devoted himself to learning the skill of boxing, and getting for lack of a better word "ripped" for this role. Just as, if not more, impressive is the amount of emotional and psychological toil that Washington allowed himself to be subjected to. There are so many details of this movie that I could give, but I’m the type of person that would rather see the events for myself, rather than have someone tell me all about it. This is truly a great movie and was in my opinion much much much better than American Beauty which unfortunately won best picture the same year. ***** out of 5
My Random Thought For This Movie: Liev Schrieiber appears in this movie, and my random thought is that I’m beginning to wonder if he ever really ages. He has bulked up a little more than his earlier years, but with that exception I would claim that he still looks virtually the same.