Steven Spielberg’s – Munich (2005)
Steven Spielberg continued his successful run of historical period pieces with this spy/thriller of sorts following the Israeli reaction to 1972 Munich Olympic hostage massacre that not only captures the tension of assassination, but perfectly conveys the right vs. wrong of the Israel/Palestine conflict.
The film opens amid a flashback that we will re-visit throughout the film of the Palestinian terrorists group Black September infiltrating the Olympic housing and taking the Israeli athletes hostage. After following the press/public perspective of the event unfolding, leading up to the haunting line “There all gone,” on NBC’s broadcast. We next jump to a top secret meeting of Mossad in which lead by the Prime Minister of Isreal they compile a list of targets as part of retaliation and retribution of the terrorist attack. To lead this mission they recruit Avner, the son of a war hero and a former body guard of the Prime Minister. With the aid of four other specialized individuals, bombs, documents, clean up, and cars, he will eliminate the desired targets as all ties are cut from his connection to the government. Operating on cash out of a safety deposit box and names on a list Avner is at his own means to locate their targets and eliminate them. [Read more...]
The Decade's Best – Munich (2005)
The Decade's Best – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
David Fincher’s – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
David Fincher’s 2008 film stands up with any of his best films by telling a wonderful story, getting fantastic work out of his actors, and utilizing ground breaking special effects that are so good you don’t even know you are watching them much of the time.
The story of Benjamin Button is that of a child born of unusual circumstances. He was born old and as he ages his body gets younger. Born practically deaf, blind, and with arthritic bones as he ages all of these things get better becoming more youthful and spry as he ages. Raised by an adoptive mother, Queenie, he lives in the retirement home she manages and is surrounded by older people that look similar to himself at his young age. The story here is Benjamin’s life and the experiences he has, there is no great struggle, no horrible emotional issues over his condition, no real plot whatsoever. We just are along for the ride and that structure is really hared to grab on to as we experience this film for the first time. Films aren’t made in this fashion all that often, especially major studio fare like this, and the film only grows in richness on multiple viewings. [Read more...]
Review: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
David Fincher’s latest is an epic tale of the life of Benjamin Button and it is an amazing tale, fantastic production value, and a film that will only grow richer on subsequent viewings.
When Benjamin (Brad Pitt) is born he doesn’t look quite right, and upon further inspection by a doctor, he shows all the signs of an elderly person, wrinkled skin, arthritis, cataracts, hearing loss, he was born and old man and given little to no chance of survival. But his adoptive mother, Queenie (Taraji P. Henson), decides to take him in anyways and as the years pass Benjamin keeps hanging around and he slowly grows as an old man living as one among the elderly in the rest home Queenie helps run and manage. Benjamin learns a lot in this home, living with people reaching the end, while he is just discovering the world yet constrained to the view from the porch. But as Benjamin grows older, his body gains more strength and seems to be getting younger, and he also gains a friend of sorts in Daisy who is the granddaughter of one of the tenants at Benjamin’s home. Benjamin instantly held a connection with her and the two would cross paths throughout the rest of his life once he finally gets out and begins a life of his own. [Read more...]
