There's simply too much out right now to devote all my time to one, so unfortunately I gotta divvy things up a bit. It's been another busy week, and since I gave Doubt a full review I'll have to give the next three flicks short shrift.
Frost/Nixon: If it wasn't for Frank Langella's AMAZING performance as Tricky Dick Nixon I don't know how I'd feel about this film. Ron Howard's adaptation of the Peter Morgan play hits most of the right notes, establishing Nixon as a desperate but wily veteran willing to gamble everything to save his own reputation. David Frost, a somewhat flamboyant talk show host is similarly cast as a man risking what little reputation he has for a second shot at the big time. But I never felt that they gave Frost the attention he deserved. Most of our time is spent between Frost's research buddies(Sam Rockwell is wasted in particular) and the fascinating Nixon. I can't blame Howard for that. Langella is so perfect here in his portrayal that whenever he wasn't on screen I felt the film took two steps backwards. However when the interviews are actually taking place, the film was instantly captivating, as Nixon plays his competition like a fiddle up until that final moment. If only the entire movie had been that, rather than the time wasting stuff beforehand.
7/10, mainly for Frank Langella. Give that man an Oscar nom!
The Reader: Frankly, I've grown bored of films with anything to do with the Holocaust(especially after The Boy in the Striped Pajamas) but I still found something intriguing about parts of this. Kate Winslet(doing her best Nazi with the stiff upper lip impression) plays Hanna Schmidt, an woman who has an affair with a teenage boy, Michael. He spends his time reading to her when not in the process of having sex. Many years after the two split, he is shocked to discover that she was a Nazi who in particular was on hand during the infamous Death March after the evacuation of Auschwitz. Realizing belatedly that Hanna was illiterate, a now grown up Michael continues to read to Hanna through audio tapes while she is away in prison. A decent enough film but ultimately lacking in any real heart. It hinges on whether or not you buy into the real feelings perpetuated by Hanna and Michael in the first half of the film, but the very nature of the relationship doesn't lend itself to that. Hanna's feelings are questionable at best, and the actor portraying Michael doesn't have the range to present his suitably. That leads to a somewhat numbing second half with Michael as an adult and Hanna in prison and there just isn't enough there emotionally to make me care all that much.
6/10
Valkyrie: By all rights, this should be a horrible film. Tom Cruise as a Nazi who bears a striking resemblance to Nick Fury of the Howling Commandos? Sounds like the stuff jokes are made of. Color me shocked when Valkyrie turned out to be one of the most enjoyable thrillers of the year for me. Cruise, who wisely decided to ditch any attempt at a German accent, plays Claus von Stauffenberg as a force of nature. Singlehandedly turning around the "secret" movement to overthrow Hitler into a legitimate force by the sheer strength of his will and determination. If only his compatriots had the same conviction. This film hits almost every note perfectly and makes a wise decision in not wasting our time showing us why Hitler was a monster and needed to be dispatched. We know all that already. We also know how the plan turns out, but the interesting stuff is how it got to that point, and that's what the film focuses on. A wonderful cast(Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard) fills out an intelligent script that had me literally on the edge of my seat. No friggin' kidding. I haven't liked Tom Cruise this much since Magnolia. Put your preconceived notions aside and go see this film. You will not be disappointed.
8/10
