THE BOOK THIEF (2013)

I said it before and I'll say it again: War is ugly at the best of times. And this is demonstrated so well again in this film. It gives us a peek at the "other side" of Hitler's WWII Germany and how it affected ordinary peace loving folks who did not necessarily supported the Fuhrer and his crazy ideas. And, as usual, it is the children that are the worse for wear.

Liesel (brilliantly portrayed by Sophie Nelisse) is adopted by an elderly couple, the Hubermanns (equally as brilliantly done by veterans Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson) after her own mother could no longer care for her. Initially it seems as if the War is a thousand miles away and has no direct impact on their way of living. But then, when they take in a young Jewish fugitive and hide him from Nazi authorities, everything change...

Despite the relatively low age restriction and the fact that the story is largely about children, this is definitely not a movie for children. In fact, some of the more violent scenes might even upset sensitive adults. But this does not distract from any of the brilliance of this small masterpiece. If anything, that is what makes it authentic and credible.

I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.

Trailer link:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dRuGwS1gWU

 A collage of scenes from the movie

GOOD NEWS!!!
From now on reviews will also include links to trailers of movies under discussion (depending on availability)

It will also be attempted, in time, to find and add such links for all movies already looked at on this blog. So, it might be worth your while to page through older posts as well. I hope this will enhance your experience of my blog.

 

THE NEXT BEST THING (2000)

Madonna is not exactly known for her acting abilities but in this romantic film she acquits herself quite well of her task.

Abbie (Madonna) and Robert (played by Rupert Everett) are best friends. She wants a baby but is not very lucky at love. And Robert is gay. Then one day, after yet another break-up, Abby seeks solace from her best friend. However, after one cocktail too many, one thing leads to the next and nine months later a baby is born. And this leads to unexpected consequences for the two otherwise devoted friends and parents.

As far as romance movies go, this one is quite good. Madonna is quite convincing in her role as friend, lover and mother. And so is Rupert Everett as caring friend and father. Director John Schlesinger also manages to effortlessly shift the mood from playful to serious and from happy to sad and back. Even the gay theme is totally underplayed. This DVD is therefor recommended not only for Madonna fans but to all who are romantic at heart. I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. 

Trailer link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmec0w5G4xA

Scenes from the movie

JACK AND THE BEANSTALK (2009)

Most everyone grew up with the familiar tale of Jack and the Beanstalk. And over the years many version of the story made it to both the big and little screens. This particular movie is just one of two more recent renditions we're looking at today.

In this one, Jack (as portrayed by Colin Ford of The Dome fame) sets out to prove he is hero material. Although the plot broadly follows the accustomed recipe it has some interesting twists to the usual spiel. For instance, the "cow" Jack trades for the magic beans is not quite what you'd expect and neither is the goose that lay the golden eggs. In fact, the whole thing is done very tongue in the cheek and one gets the impression that the star studded cast had much more fun making the film than those who are intended to watch it.

Although it is clearly aimed at the little ones, you might enjoy it as well, especially if you are in the mood for a bit of silliness. And it is with that intended audience in mind that I rate this movie 3 out of 5 stars.

Trailer link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vh3bQsEhgoE

Chloe Grace Moretz, Gilbert Gottfried and Colin Ford

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER (2013)

This second rendition is a bit more serious and a lot more violent (no pillow fighting ninjas in this one!). And with a PG rated age restriction it is obviously also aimed at an "older" audience.

Again, this film follows the basic premise of the original fairy tale but here too artistic license is liberally applied. In this version, Jack (here portrayed by Nicholas Holt) volunteers to help rescue the princess after she has been spirited away up into the heavens by the magic beanstalk. Once the rescue party reaches the top, they find themselves in the Land of the Giants. However, this is not the first encounter between man and giant. Legend has it that they clashed before and it was then that man banished the giants to dwell in this place in the sky. Obviously this does not bode well for our intrepid hero's as giant has an ax to grind, so to speak.

As mentioned above, this movie is much darker and contain some real grizzly moments. But overall it was done very well with epic battle scenes and impressive special effects. This film too has a stellar cast with the likes of Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci and Ian McShane. I rate this one 3 out of 5 stars as well.  

Trailer link:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ng9rjC8MOgU

 

Ewan McGregor, Nicholas Holt and Eleanor Tomlinson  

JUMPING SHIP (2001)

Heartthrob brothers Joey, Matt and Andy Lawrence performed individually and together in movies and television series and films since the mid 1980's. Think of series like Blossom (1990-1995) with Joey and the animated Recess (1997-2001) with the voice of Andy as Theodore. Matthew is maybe best known for his role as Chris in the award winning movie Mrs Doubtfire (1993). And then of cause there was the moderately successful TV-series Brotherly Love (it ran for only two seasons between 1995 and 1997) which starred all three of them.

In this Disney feature the three brothers appear together yet again. Michael Woods (Joey) invites his cousin, Tommy (Andy) to join him on a luxury boat trip. However, when they arrive at the marina they are shocked to see that their "luxury charter" is nothing but a rusty old fishing trawler. And to add insult to injury their would be captain (played by Matt) is an audacious teenager who despises all rich people. Eventually they do go on board and get underway, little knowing what great adventure lays in stall for them.  

This is basically a modern day pirate story but, as usual, the folks at Disney manages to dish it up fresh and palatable. So it is not only for the young ones. Mom and dad will enjoy it equally with them. I rate it 3 out of 5 stars. 

Trailer link: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiP7memQSL0

 The Lawrence brothers then...                          ...and now