Movies, Drama
Biographical films often stumble precisely because they try to cover an entire lifetime. The viewer finds it disorienting when multiple actors play one and the same person during childhood, teenage years, adulthood and old age. Just when you have gotten used to a person and learned enough to feel a connection with her, a new actor severs the emotional tie you have developed to the character. Compressing a lifetime into 120 minutes makes it difficult to cover any period in sufficient detail that you feel you learned enough about the character to understand his or her actions. The Namesake solves these challenges by only covering the first 30 years of GogolThe Namesake
Movies, Drama
Shooter is a reaction to the shenanigans of the Bush administration. Inspired by the deeds of Dick Cheney and his neo-conservative fellow travelers, the film suggests that a few powerful officials can manipulate the entire machinery of government to pursue policies that would never be condoned if the public truly understood what is going on. In Shooter, a senator gets away with organizing the assassination a foreign leader who is sitting next to the president. Recruited to help protect the president, a former special operations soldier (the shooter, aka Mark Wallberg), is getting framed for the assassination. When justice is not available to the Shooter, he follows the West traditions and takes justice his own hands, killing the conspirators. The premise of the entire film is unrealistic. Now that the public has realized that it was duped into believing the IRAQ war was necessary, the Bush government would not succeed in getting the U.S. into an unnecessary war.Shooter
Movies, Drama
Breach chronicles how the mot damaging traitor in the history of the FBI was caught. This film has non of action sequences that made Shooter suspenseful. Robert Hanssen, who sold very important secrets to the Soviet Union, is portrayed as deeply religious catholic man who goes to church every day. The film implicitly suggests that no direct link exists between religiosity and moral behavior. What the film cannot answer, perhaps because such a question cannot be answered at all, is why a person like Hanssen would betray his country and send American spies in the Soviet Union to their death. One is left with the realization that human behavior in some cases defies all explanation. For a culture that prizes coming up with reasons for everything this is a bit hard to swallow.Breach
Movies, Drama
Many people claim that it is harder to make good friends when you are an adult. I am not sure if this is true. Adults, perhaps having been disappointed more than once, may be less open than the average child to let a new person into their lives. The film celebrates the power of friendship and the human imagination. Leslie, the daughter of two writers, has a mind so fertile with imaginary images that she can teach Jesse how to leave behind reality and create their own make-believe. The two become best friends until something tragic happens. It is a great film for children, but it also has some sad moments that might be a bit depressing for too young children.Bridge to Terabithia
Movies, Drama
The film starts out slow and seems predictable. But after thirty minutes it takes unexpected turns. Beautiful landscape photos of China and a novel approach to fixing relationship problems give this movie considerable charm. This is the second film version of W. Somerset Maugham novel by the same name. Naomi Watt now has the role that was played by Greta Garbo in the 1934 film.The Painted Veil
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