Movie Review: Fatima (2020)

 Hello, everyone!

Today is Holy or Maundy Thursday, so the beginning of Holy Triduum. Because of that I thought I’d do a review of a religious movie! It would still be appropriate for people of non-Christian or non-Catholic faiths, too. Let’s go forth to it!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


Fatima (2020):

Based on: As it says at the beginning, “Inspired by historical events and memories by Sister Lucia.”
In 1917 Lucia was visited by an angel and later, accompanied by her two cousins, saw the Holy Mother Mary herself. The Virgin Mary assigns them to be her messengers and to come back each month at the same time. Meanwhile they are to pray the rosary while  having to cope with the accusations made that they are making these stories up. Some believe and come from miles away while others try to stop what they think is ridiculous. With a war raging through the world is there some hope to hold on to?

“Professor, I can only give you my testimony. I don’t have answers for everything.”

Genres: Drama, Historical, Family, War.
Length: approx. 113 minutes.
Script: 9. There are no bad words! This doesn’t get a 10 because in one place a character says “seriously” under her breath and it did not fit the lingo at all and made me laugh. All of the accents were really impressive throughout.

‘“On the contrary, I’ve always been fascinated by opinions opposed to my own.”

“Well then, we do have something in common.”’

Crew: Directed by: Marco Pontecorvo.
Written by: Marco Pontecorvo, Valerio D’Annuzio, and Barbara Nicolosi.
Starring:
Stephanie Gil as young Lucia.
Sônia Braga as older Sister Lucia.

Alejandra Howard as Jacinta.
Jorge Lamelas as Francisco.
Lúcia Moniz as Maria Rosa.
Goran Visnjic as Artur de Oliveira Santos.
Joana Ribeiro as Virgin Mary.
Joaquim de Almeida as Father Ferreira.
Harvey Keitel as Professor Nichols.
Marco D'Almeida as António.
Ivone Fernandes-Jesus as Angel of Peace.
João Arrais as Manuel Santos.
João D'Ávila as Monsenhor Quaresma.

Costumes: 9. I liked the accuracy and small details that went into all of the wardrobes.
Cinematography: 9. I really liked the cinematography! My one complaint is that during a climactic point at the end it got confusing and I had no idea what was happening (I should’ve though, because it’s history). All of the visions were seamlessly executed. The atmosphere was convincing and I felt that I was actually in Fatima, Portugal.

Cinematography by: Vincenzo Carpineta.
Music: 8. Nothing too surprising, but I did like the credits songs.
Music by: Paolo Buonvino. Songs during the credits are performed by Andrea Bocelli.
Notes: I believe that there is a 1997 Italian movie that is also called Fatima about these same events. In addition to that there is one called The Miracle of Our Lady of Fatima from 1952. This is a popular topic, and for good reason.
Quotability: N/A, since I just watched this.

Content: 9. There are visions that include scenes of war including death and injuries, as well as visions of a demonic nature, but both are very tame. It gives you the gravity of the situation without being overly graphic.
Originality: 9. When books or movies are based on a true story I sometimes don’t rate them in this category because what happened, happened. Other times, it’s good to look at how well a book or film structured it, because or else you could just be watching a documentary. I liked the emphasis with Lucia’s connection to her family. Jacinta and Francisco are her cousins so she spends a lot of time with them. The story begins with her worrying about her brother, and it deeply looks at her relationship with her parents. It addresses how she has an earthly and a heavenly mother. The only thing that could’ve been expanded more or introduced better, I think, were her sisters. I didn’t even realize that she had older sisters until the movie was almost over!

Also, it switches back and forth between 1917, when the events happened, and 1989 where Sister Lucia is telling the story. To me, it didn’t wrap it up as well as it could have. Who was the guy she was talking to? According to the credits his name is Professor Nichols. Why had he decided to write a book about it? He was there to offer some common questions when people talk about what happened at Fatima, but it felt very last minute and thrown together. I couldn’t follow the train of thought with the conversation that was carried and it had a sudden end with them that didn’t tie in. Maybe when I watch it again I’ll understand that part better.
Good For: Christians and Catholics, especially, but people of other faiths, too. Families.
Age Range: This is rated PG-13, but that seems extreme. As I mentioned in the content section, things are very mild. Still, younger viewers might not understand what is happening, so it depends on each person. Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta are 10, 8, and 7, so it can connect to people who are those ages

Overall Score: 9!
Worth watching?: Yes! I don’t know why I don’t know much about what happened at Fatima, so it was very educational to me. (Shout out to Megan Chappie who actually introduced it to me. She actually talks about this movie HERE, which she has quite brilliant thoughts so I recommend it. Spoilers for the movie are there, but then again, it is history).
Will I watch again?: Yes, I believe so. I think I want to watch it with both of my sisters eventually.

‘“I believe,”

“I believe,

“I hope,”

“I hope,”

“And I love God.”

“And I love God.”’

For the blogathon:
This is my entry in The Faith in Film Blogathon hosted by Pure Entertainment Preservation Society (PEPS). The Blogathon is going to run from the 2nd-4th of April, but since I'm taking a break from my computer tomorrow for Good Friday I'm posting it a day early. When Tiffany has the start of the Blogathon article up, the link will be HERE.

This Blogathon is about celebrating the representation of different religions in films, whether it is devoted to inspiring faith or if it just has a member of the clergy in it. Of course I wanted to join with my own religion!

This film has priests, nuns, bishops, you name it. With that, it looks at how beautiful faith and trust in the Lord are from a child’s point of view. I love it showed the struggle Lucia had with everything going on. It was interesting to see also how Francisco had a different experience while seeing the same things. My favorite was Jacinta, who was so pure, precious, and holy for being so young.

One of my favorite parts of the whole movie was when it flipped the prayer requests specific things into just asking to pray with someone. It was one of the most powerful parts of the film, to me.

I really like the cinematography, clothing choices, and overall aesthetic. It feels very authentic and reminds me of The Chosen, which makes sense because they are both faith related things, but there is more to it than that! Overall I really liked it and am very happy to have seen it.



Thanks to the Brannans at PEPS for hosting! Thanks to all of you for reading! What are your favorite films that represent someone having great faith? Have any of you seen this? Let’s talk about it! I wish a blessed Triduum to all of you.

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Hello, everyone.

Before I get into my review I want to say how deeply saddened I was yesterday when I heard that the world had lost Alex Trebek. His battle with cancer was so hard. Jeopardy! is one of my favorite game shows, and his reassuring presence will be missed more than I can say.


Last winter my dad, older sister and I got onto a kick of watching Best Picture Oscar winning war films. It was all my idea because I am trying to watch movies off of my 1001 Movies To See Before You Die list. We watched three movies: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) in October, Lawrence of Arabia (1962) in January, and Patton (1970) in February. After that we were really burned out because they were all multi-hour spectaculars, but we are thinking about starting another round as there are still many that we havenʼt seen. Iʼve reviewed the other two, so now itʼs time for the final one!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free! Which was hard to do, but I succeeded.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962):

Based on: The life of T. E. Lawrence, from Seven Pillars of Wisdom - by T. E. Lawrence. 

During World War I, T. E. Lawrence is given a new task from the British army. He is sent to talk with Prince Faisel about helping them with his army of native people against to Turks. To do that, Lawrence must journey through the desert. It is hard, but he bravely goes forward into the desert, befriending all whom he can and trying to collect various tribes into an agreement. He is known for his insolence and daring, and continues that as he ignores his orders and suggests new, daring, and reckless plans of attack. Is it possible for all of these people to follow him, and how will he accept the respect and admiration that he is receiving?

“Big things have small beginnings.” 

Genres: Biography, Drama, War.

Length: approx. 228 minutes. You read that correctly, this movie is so long itʼs crazy. We actually watched it in four parts over four nights because of that, with about an hour each time.

Script: 8, only one bad word and one time a name is taken in vain.

“It seems to me that you are free to choose your own name.”

Crew: Directed by: David Lean. Written by: T.E. Lawrence, Robert Bolt, & Michael Wilson.

Starring:

Peter O'Toole as T.E. Lawrence.

“Time to be great again.”

Alec Guinness as Prince Faisal. 

Omar Sharif as Sherif Ali.

Anthony Quinn as Auda Abu Tayi.  

Jack Hawkins as General Allenby.

. 

Claude Rains as Mr. Dryden

Anthony Quayle as Colonel Brighton. 

Arthur Kennedy as Jackson Bentley.

José Ferrer as Turkish Bey.

Donald Wolfit as General Murray.

Michel Ray as Farraj.

John Dimech as Daud.

I.S. Johar as Gasim.

Gamil Ratib as Majid.

Zia Mohyeddin as Tafas.

Howard Marion-Crawford as Medical Officer.

Jack Gwillim as Club Secretary.

Hugh Miller as R.A.M.C. Colonel.

Notes: If you read anything about this movie, you know the craziness that they went through with casting. Almost every character was cast multiple times. They say that they tried so hard to make Alec Guinness look like Prince Faisel that while they were shooting the film in Jordan some people who knew the late Prince Faisel actually thought it was him. José Ferrerʼs role is so small that I barely remember it, but he had a salary of $25,000, which was more than Omar Sharif and Peter OʼToole put together had.

Costumes: 9, there are times when people arenʼt wearing shirts, but it didnʼt really bother me. In fact, one of my favorite parts was all about clothing (am I being vague? Yes, yes I am).

Not this part. But, first thing into the movie my dad said, "He looks like Maz Kanata."

Costumes by: Phyllis Dalton.

Cinematography: 10, guys, guys. GUYS. My sister and I were talking and wondering how much time they spent just filming this stuff because it is pretty incredible. These sweeping desert scenes are jaw dropping. There is a scene that is like, 10 minutes long, where we are doing nothing but staring at the desert. Iʼm not kidding (okay, maybe it isnʼt that much time, but itʼs a lot). Another scene where my sister and I just couldnʼt believe our eyes is kind of a spoiler to mention, so I wonʼt, but it was like nothing Iʼve ever seen. You have to see it to believe it.

This image doesn't do it justice.

Cinematography by: F.A. Young.

Music: 9, after watching it I had the score stuck in my head for days and would do nothing but hum it. I donʼt usually have that happen. Something about it is so gripping! You can tell that since then it has inspired lots of things. I especially noticed parts that reminded me of Aladdin (1992). Iʼm listening to it right now, and Iʼm sure Iʼll have it stuck in my head for another couple of days now.

Music by: Maurice Jarre.

Quotability: 5, I havenʼt quoted this at all since then, but thatʼs not to say that there arenʼt good lines. I sadly canʼt put too many because I canʼt read my handwriting when I took notes. Ooops.

“Yes general, you have lied most bravely.”

Oscars won: 7: Best Picture, Best Director (David Lean), Best Music Score -- Substantially Original, Best Sound, Best Art Direction -- Color, Best Cinematography -- Color, and Best Film Editing.

Peter OʼToole was nominated for Best Actor, and while he did a great job, Iʼm very happy that Gregory Peck won it for his role of Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird (1962). Whenever I talk about the Oscars Iʼm bound to mention the 1962 ceremony because so many good movies were made that year!

Content: 6, this movie is intense, and a lot of that comes from the content. There is a lot of death, killing, blood and fighting, as this is a war movie. Something that was talked about was enjoying killing people. I think that what they had to say was important, but it couldʼve been handled a slight bit better just to make one or two things more obvious. All the same, it is made to show how bad war is.

Originality: 9, I always feel obliged to give stories based on real people a high score here because their lives are all so different. In addition to that, it really ripped me apart more than most stories do. Points for originality there! About halfway through I felt where it was going. I didnʼt know the exact details, but I just had this feeling that I knew was what I was supposed to feel at the end.

Good For: History fans, fans of the actors, fans of amazing cinematography and music. Honestly, I think that this is one of those movies that everyone should see sometime in their life, if they are willing to spare that many hours. It is by no means a cheerful movie, but it is important.

Age Range: It is rated PG but I should note that this was before there was a PG-13 rating, so it would probably get that nowadays. It is grueling to watch this because it is so long. I have a hard time paying attention for that long and Iʼm sure most little kids are the same way. Just because of that I would say it is best for 15 and older, but there is a possibility that it could be a good history lesson to someone a little younger, too.

Overall Score: 8.

These two were my favorites.

Worth watching?: Yes, Iʼm very glad that I watched it. The way that the orphan boys Daud and Farraj treated Lawrence (and said his name) was so cute. As I said, this movie will really tear you apart because of how intense it is. Iʼm feeling all destroyed just thinking about it. This was the middle film that my dad, sister, and I watched, and I liked it in the middle. I didnʼt love it as much as The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957), but I didnʼt dislike it and find it as boring as Patton (1970).

Will I watch again?: My younger sister has never seen it, so I think that Iʼll show it to her some day, but maybe years from now.

For the blogathon:

This is my entry in The Third Annual Claude Rains Blogathon hosted by Pure Entertainment Preservation Society!

I havenʼt been able to join in the last two years, so I made sure of it this time. When looking through the list of films that Claude Rains made I saw this and decided that it was perfect timing.

The amazing thing about this movie is that most of the characters are based on real people! There are some fictional characters in here for the sake of the story, but they all feel like they couldʼve been real as well and some were based on a few different real life characters and just combined into one.

The “real life” characters are:

E. T. Lawrence, Prince Faisal, Auda Abu Tayi, General Allenby, General Murray, Daud and Farraj, and Talal. (I know this thanks to Wikipedia).

The “fictional” characters are:

Sherif Ali, Mr. Dryden, Colonel Brighton, and Jackson Bentley. (Check out Wikipedia HERE for more details on who they are based on)

As you see, Claude Rainsʼs character is fictional, but all the same he is important to the movie. We donʼt get a lot of screen time with him, but you could say that he initiates Lawrenceʼs inciting incident. (Can you tell that Iʼm in the craziness of NaNoWriMo and am very focused on all those technical phrases?). Mr. Dryden is from the Arab Bureau and he is the one who suggests that Lawrence is the one to do the job concerning Prince Faisal, even though others werenʼt sure that he was the right person. After that he appears a few times throughout the film. He is the person who sends other people to do the work and just pulls the strings.

His character wasnʼt particularly likable to me, but the portrayal was so well done by Claude Rains! This was close to the end of his career. Every time that I watch a new movie with him I am astounded by the depth to his acting abilities. It is great to watch!

In fact, so many of the actors in here were so great! I do get that it is historical and that it is war and because of that there arenʼt many, er...ANY female roles, which I didnʼt notice until right now. Anyway, the actors who stood out to me were:

Alec Guinness: He is flat out amazing in everything, and this is no exception. Iʼm sorry, but he was my favorite part.

Omar Sherif: As soon as I saw him I thought, “Oh no! Itʼs Doctor Zhivago!” I actively loathe that movie, so thank you for reminding me. “While youʼre at it, why donʼt you give me a nice paper cut and pour lemon juice on it?” (Sorry, I couldnʼt help myself...). But, I was really shocked by how strong his acting was. From the beginning I disliked him, but he just continued to grow on me and ended up being my second favorite from Alec Guinness. Did you know that Omar Sherif spoke six languages? That is incredible! Here I am struggling with two...

Peter OʼToole: Yes, I will admit that the way he played Lawrence was really moving. Sometimes it moved me in weird directions that I had no idea was coming. This was one of his first roles and I was glad to see it because I like some of his later ones. 

Arthur Kennedy: This was the most different role that Iʼve ever seen from him. Iʼm so used to seeing him as the “baddie” in westerns, that I wasnʼt prepared to have him play a newspaper reporter. He did a great job!

Whew, with that Iʼm going to start wrapping this up! I guess that the longer the film the longer my post about it. Thanks to the Brannans for hosting! Check out the other blogathon entries HERE.

Now tell me, what is the longest movie that youʼve ever watched? Do you ever get burned out on a certain genre? Thank you so much for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)

Hello, movie lovers!

Anyone who really, really, loves movies has most likely heard of the Oscars. And it is likely that they want to watch all of the Best Picture winners to see why they got that award. Well, that's how it is with me. I am always super excited to watch a Best Picture winner that I haven't seen before. About a year ago I watched the movie that I am reviewing for you today, and I've been mulling it over in my mind ever since. And boy, it deserved Best Picture. I hope that you enjoy my review!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free!


The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957):

Based on: The Bridge over the River Kwai - by Pierre Boulle.

"You mean, you mean to uphold the letter of the law, no matter the cost?"

During World War II, part of the British army was advised to surrender instead of lose their lives and now are in a Japanese POW camp. They are given orders to be a work force to build a bridge. They are also ordered that officers will be working alongside the men, but one of the commanding officers, Colonel Nicholson, is firmly against this because by the Geneva Convention they are exempt from that, and are supposed to just be leaders who help direct and command. The fight is against Colonel Saito who hates any resistance in his outpost. One soldier makes plans to escape from this place, but the odds are highly against him. Will the bridge be built on the River Kwai?

"Do not speak to me of rules, this is war!"

Genre: Adventure, Drama, War.
Length: approx. 161 minutes.
Script: 9, I'm giving this a tentative 9 because I can't remember any bad words, and I didn't write down that there were any, but there may be one or two.

"Colonel, do you suppose that we could have a cup of tea?"

Crew: Directed by: David Lean. Written by: Carl Foreman, Michael Wilson, & Pierre Boulle.
Starring:
Alec Guinness as Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson.

William Holden as Commander Shears.

Sessue Hayakawa as Colonel Saito.

Jack Hawkins as Major Warden.

Geoffrey Horne as Lieutenant Joyce.

James Donald as Major Clipton.
Andre Morell as Colonel Green.
Peter Williams as Captain Reeves.
John Boxer as Major Hughes.
Percy Herbert as Private Grogan.
Harold Goodwin as Private Baker.
Ann Sears as Nurse.
Heihachirô 'Henry' Ôkawa as Captain Kanematsu.
Keiichiro Katsumoto as Lieutenant Miura.
M.R.B. Chakrabandhu as Yai.

Costumes: 7, there are quite a few times when guys are walking around without a shirt on and there are pictures of people wearing scanty clothing.

Cinematography: 10, there is a weird quality to this cinematography, but whatever it is, it is very memorable! I love watching movies with my dad because he notices a lot of things and points them out. With this movie, he pointed out in one scene when it was supposed to be night, you could tell that they filmed it in daylight and then put a filter over it. Kind of nifty! I couldn't find a picture of it, so you'll just have to keep an eye out for it when you watch this movie.
Cinematography by: Jack Hildyard.
Music: 9, the "Colonel Bogey March" is the "Comet" song! My sisters and I have known this little ditty for as long as we can remember. I knew that it came from the film, but still, watching the opening is so incredible and powerful and moving with this tune included.

Music by: Malcolm Arnold.
Quotes: 7, I won't give it away, but the last line is quoted a lot. For the rest of the lines, I think of them from time to time, but I don't actually say them out loud.

"That man's the worst commanding officer I've ever come across. Actually, I think he's mad."

Oscars won: 7!: Best Motion Picture, Best Director (David Lean), Best Actor (Alec Guinness), Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, Best Scoring, Best Cinematography, & Best Film Editing.
Content: 7, while this is a war movie, it is about a prisoner camp so there isn't active fighting as there would be in a normal war movie. But, there is still killing, death, and some abuse. In addition to that there is smoking, some suggestive things, and crude humor.

"Poor brave lad."

Originality: 9, as I said, most war movies include a lot of action with a lot of fighting, and it was something new for me to see something different. It was still such an intense and gripping film, but in different ways, while still having some similar elements. It was especially interesting to me because I don't hear a lot about something from WWII that wasn't happening in Europe. To see part from Asia was fascinating.
Good For: Any Alec Guinness fans, anyone trying to watch all the Best Picture winners, anyone and everyone.
Age Range: So much happens in this movie and it is just so incredibly thought provoking that I think if I was any younger than I was when I watched this my brain would have stopped working from an overload of information. To me, there was never a dull moment through the whole thing, but for little kids it might be different. I'd say the average age for someone to understand this film (what am I talking about? I still don't understand it fully!) would be at least 15, but it depends on each person's level of interest.

Overall Score: 9! I'm really rounding up because of how much I enjoyed it!

Worth watching?: Yes! This movie isn't absolutely historically accurate, and you can tell in places where parts where added for drama, but even with that it is a superb (huh, I don't think I've ever used that adjective) story.

Will I watch again?: You bet I will! This is one of those things that you don't watch every few months (like my favorite movies), but something that you see every few years and really ponder it each time. I intend to have my younger sister watch this with me someday, and even after that I'll be watching it from time to time.

Bonus thoughts:

"There are some times when you realize you are nearer the end than the beginning."

Wow, where to begin? I don't say this often, but this is a movie that everyone should see at least once in their life. After watching it my dad, older sister, and I stayed up late just talking about what had happened in the film. Warning, this movie makes you conflicted. By the end you feel torn apart, and that is its purpose. It makes you question many things, and most notably for me, pride. Do you sometimes feel that you are doing something that will help, when it will be the opposite for others? It plays with the questions of who is right, and who is wrong? Who is good, and who is bad? With a war dividing people this question is much harder than initially thought.

Alec Guinness is marvelous in this. The way that he cheers his men and they respect him made me teary. In fact, I was really emotional through the whole thing. Even though William Holden got top billing in the credits, Alec Guinness won the Oscar which is why I put him first. I have not seen Sessue Hayakawa in many things, but this performance was wonderful. So much tension is built by how he and Colonel Nicholson are fighting each other.
I can't give this movie as much recognition as it deserves. Really, you all have to go watch it for yourselves and have your hearts be ripped to shreads by the events.

"Well, I must be pushing on."

WHEW. Just writing this review made me think so much about it and be all emotional. I've been wanting to write this review ever since I saw it, and I'm so happy that I finally did! A shoutout to Keturah Lamb who sent me pictures from this back in March asking me if I knew what film it was! That really threw me into gear to write this review, even if it took seven months...

Thank you so much for reading! Please, if there is anyone else who has seen this, let me know! And if you haven't seen it yet, you should at the next opportunity, then we can talk. Tell me about your favorite Best Picture from the Oscars movie! Favorite war movie?

MovieCritic

Movie Review: Patton (1970)

Hello, everyone!

I hope that you are all staying safe! I have another movie review for you today, to squeeze one last on in while it is still April! I have been trying to watch a lot of Best Picture winners (Award given from the Oscars), and today I will be talking about the 1970 one! It was rather long, and not really my favorite but I'll let you read my review before I get ahead of myself.

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning. This is spoiler free.


Patton (1970):

Based on: The true story of George S. Patton Jr. Along with Patton: Ordeal and Triumph - by Ladislas Farago & A Soldier's Story - by Omar N. Bradley.

'"Where were we?"

"We were talking about a simple old soldier."'

World War II is fully on and is raging across Europe. The U.S. has gotten involved and General George Patton, while under General Eisenhower, is in charge of hundreds of soldiers. His temper keeps knocking him down as he gets in trouble for various things, but he continues to plow on and comes up with strategies that seem impossible, but he pulls them off. The opposing side watches him constantly. Has war gotten into him?
"There's one big difference between you and me, George, I do this job because I was trained to do it, you do it because you love it."

Genre: War, Biography, Drama.
Length: approx. 172 minutes.
Costumes: 7, standard army uniforms, nothing extra.
Script: 4, there is a lot of swearing, name calling, and name taken in vain in here. I know that it is all supposed to be about Patton's "character" but yikes, there's a lot.
"Compared to war, all other forms of human endeavor shrink to insignificance."
Crew:
Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffner.
Written by: Francis Ford Coppola, Edmund H. North, Ladislas Farago, & Omar N. Bradley.
Starring:
George C. Scott as General George S. Patton Jr.. "I'm my favorite general."

Karl Malden as General Omar N. Bradley.

Michael Bates as Field Marshal Sir Bernard Law Montgomery.

Edward Binns as Major General Walter Bedell Smith.
Lawrence Dobkin as Colonel Gaston Bell.
Stephen Young as Captain Chester B. Hansen.
Michael Strong as Brigadier General Hobart Carver.
Frank Latimore as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Davenport.
Lionel Murton as Third Army Chaplain.
Morgan Paull as Captain Richard N. Jenson.
Karl Michael Vogler as Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
James Edwards as Sergeant William George Meeks.
David Bauer as Lieutenant Gen. Harry Buford.
John Barrie as Air Vice-Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham.
Richard Muench as Colonel General Alfred Jodl.
Siegfried Rauch as Captain Oskar Steiger.
Paul Stevens as Lieutenant Col. Charles R. Codman.
Gerald Flood as Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Tedder.
Jack Gwillim as General Sir Harold Alexander.
Peter Barkworth as Colonel John Welkin.
David Healy as Clergyman.
John Doucette as Major General Lucian Truscott.
Tim Considine as Soldier.
(I know, this cast looks huge, but I can't put a face to most of these names. Maybe only about five of them?)

Cinematography: 7, it is war, so a lot of explosions and things, which can get old, but there were some things that I thought was interesting. The most famous is the opening scene where it is Patton standing addressing soldiers with a huge flag behind him. I wasn't as impressive as I had expected, but okay.
Cinematography by: Fred J. Koenekamp.

Music: 7, I really like it, but it was hardly used! We got it during the opening and a little at the end, but that's pretty much it. I feel like if they added it more it would have given a bigger punch.
Music by: Jerry Goldsmith.
Quotes: 6, I was able to write several down, but since I watched this movie I haven't wanted to use any.
"Give George a headline and he's good for another 30 miles."
Oscars won: 7: Best Picture, Best Actor (it won, but George C. Scott refused the award), Best Director, Best Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced (well, that's a long category title), Best Sound, Best Art Direction, & Best Film Editing.
Content: 7, there are scenes with blood, some disgusting descriptions, smoking, death and killing. Being a war movie, you rarely can get away without those things, and there were some gruesome parts.
"It's too bad jousting has gone out of style."

Originality: 6, I don't know, I'm kind of burned out on war movies right now (I had been watching a lot of them). On all of the others there were bits that I liked, but with this...everything seemed like I'd seen it before, just not drug out to almost 3 hours. It is based on the real life of Patton, which was interesting to know about it now.
Good For: George C. Scott fans, anyone looking to watch all of the Best Picture winners, anyone who likes this genre.
Age Range: This is rated GP (which is equivalent to PG), and while the war elements aren't that bad, there is a ton of swearing. Maybe bump it up to PG-13 just for that. Plus, I don't know how many kids would be interested in this (I'll admit, it was pretty boring to me).
Overall Score: 5.

Bonus thoughts:
Sigh, I don't even know what to say about this. I don't like comparing movies to others (who am I kidding? I love to do that! This is why I'm a critic!) but that's what I'm going to do. The other two Best Picture winner war movies that I saw near this were The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) (I loved this one! A review will be coming!) and Lawrence of Arabia (1962) (was interesting, and I have thoughts).
All of these focus on the idea of how war can corrupt you. But, this one didn't do it as well.
My dad always talks about how great an actor George C. Scott is and wants me to agree with him, but I can't because I've only seen him in two movies (I have a system on who can be my favorite actor, a post on this is coming. Man, I have a lot of posts I need to get cracking on!) and from what I've heard of him, he's not really acting. He refused the Oscar for Best Actor claiming that the Oscars were "a two-hour meat parade, a public display with contrived suspense for economic reasons." His words, not mine. That sounds like Patton, so it doesn't sound like he was acting. It was an interesting character, of how Patton was so fascinated with history, and how he claimed to be a rather religious man but twisted what he thought was "God's will" into his own. One part he says that he has to be part of this war because God made him for this. This is actually the same fault and motivation that one of my favorite villains Claude Frollo (from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)) has, so it was interesting to see a whole movie about him.
It's not a bad movie by any means! I just am spoiled because I saw such other good ones first, hehe. You'll probably be surprised by this based on my ranting, but there were a few parts that touched me. My favorite part was General Omar N. Bradley, we was so great! He was there so you could compare his character arc to Patton's. He is such a sweet guy, I really liked him. You are probably beginning to see my pattern of how minor characters are almost always my favorite...
Overall, I'm glad that I can cross it off of my list, but I don't ever plan on seeing it again.



Your turn! Have any of you seen Patton (1970)? If so, I would love to discuss what you like and dislike about it! For the rest of you, what is your favorite Best Picture winner? Thanks for reading!

MovieCritic

Movie Review: The Monuments Men (2014)

Hello, all!

Today I am going to be reviewing a star-studded movie. I'm always super interested in books and movies that give you a different look at a war, or show you an element that you never thought of, and today's movie is about war and art!

My guarantee: On ALL of my reviews there are NO spoilers unless I give you warning.

The Monuments Men (2014):

Based on: the true story, and loosely based on a non fiction book by Robert M. Edsel and Bret Witter.
With World War II raging, the Nazis are trying to eliminate different cultures. A group is formed to find lost pieces of art and return them to their original owners. They call themselves the Monuments Men and are specialists in art, architecture, and sculptures. There are only a few of them and there are thousands of artworks and it is a dangerous job, can they ever find them?

"This mission was never designed to succeed."

Genre: Drama, War.
Length: approx. 118 minutes.
Costumes: 7, the uniforms are very official, but nothing special.
Script: 8, there are only one or two bad words.

"'Why don't we keep this to ourselves.'

'I think that's best.'"

Crew:
Directed by: George Clooney.
Written by: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Robert M. Edsel, and Bret Witter.
Starring:
George Clooney as Lt. Frank Stokes (loosely based on George L. Stout).

Hugh Bonneville as 2nd Lt. Donald Jeffries (loosely based on Ronald E. Balfour).
Bill Murray as Sgt. Richard Campbell (loosely based on Ralph Warner Hammett and Robert K. Posey).
Matt Damon as Lt. James Granger (loosely based on James Rorimer).

John Goodman as Sgt. Walter Garfield (loosely based on Walker Hancock).
Bob Balaban as Pvt. Preston Savitz (loosely based on Lincoln Kirstein).

Jean Dujardin as 2nd Lt. Jean-Claude Clermont.
Dimitri Leonidas as Pvt. Sam Epstein (loosely based on Harry L. Ettlinger).

Serge Hazanavicius as René Armand (loosely based on Jacques Jaujard).
Cate Blanchett as Claire Simone (loosely based on Rose Valland).
Sam Hazeldine as Colonel Langton.
Miles Jupp as Major Fielding.
Justus von Dohnányi as Viktor Stahl.
Zahari Baharov as Commander Elya.

(Source for who's based on whom).
Cinematography: 7.
Cinematography by: Phedon Papamichael.
Music: 8, not a really memorable score (to me), but I love the choice of song (I think there's only one) that they put in there.

Music by: Alexandre Desplat.
Quotes: 7, "Fortunately I'm fluent in French."
Storyline: 6, there is death, a suggestive thing (which is handled really well), drinking, and a lot of smoking. I am some one who is really bothered by smoking, and this is one of the movies that has the most of it that I've seen. I know that it is going for accuracy because most people did it at the time, but I still don't like it. A few times people say "I don't smoke!" but then do it anyone which makes a little sick to think about. Just a warning for anyone who is like me.
Good For: Anyone who is interested in art, anyone who has a tough job to do, fans of any of the stars.

Age Range: It is a war movie. It isn't gory, but there are a few deaths. It is also rated PG-13, but I didn't understand it even when I watched it for the first time, so I would even recommend a little older. It is perfectly clean besides the things I mentioned, so it depends on the person.
Overall Score: 7.5.
Bonus thoughts:
I thought that this was a really good movie. Some times when you have a lot of really famous actors together the movie is mediocre, but they all did great jobs in this! As I said, it is a part of World War II that I hadn't thought about, but a really interesting one. Art is an important part of cultures because it is a way of expressing our feelings and brining people together. If you haven't seen this, I would really recommend it!

Thank you so much for reading! Have you seen this? How do you think the actors did?

MovieCritic