American Sniper

War brings glory, tradegy, and injustice with an imperfect outcome in every case. Clint Eastwood has directed an excellent perspective of Chris Kyles story as the highest killing sniper in the Iraq war and all of  US military history. The film tracks Kyle history from signing up as a Navy Seal through his deployment in Iraq and back to civilian life in Texas.

If you are looking for a traditional all action war movie then you have got it, in part only as it covers the effects of war on the individual and their life. Becoming a legend brings all sorts of other responsibilities that was not expected when joining the Seals. In much the same way he is not prepared for handling his home life and the changes that a career at war brings. Bradley Copper has done a good job here under Eastwoods direction which has been outstanding.

There is currently a lot of outrage in the arab/muslim world over how the locals were portrayed but as always I think they have to remember what the war was about. The producers have not gone out to humiliate or belittle the arabs or the muslim faith, they have produced a film showing the horrors of war from a soldier's perspective and done it well. 

The Book Thief

This is not your normal war movie, as it is the story of a young girl displaced from her family and living with a German couple, in a small village during the war years. Liesel arrives at the house of Hans and Rosa Hubermann and the story starts with the building of relationships and trust. Geoffrey Rush playing Hans is excellent, and quickly shows Liesel how to handle the brash but big hearted Rosa played by Emily Watson. 

Liesel ( Sophie Nelisse ) is intrigued by books and they become integral to the story with Hans teaching her how to read. At school she is befriended by Rudy her football mad neighbour. The story takes a very serious turn when the war starts and they have an unexpected visitor to stay. It then follows the family through the war years with sadness and joy.

I think the production of the movie was excellent with great costumes and realistic scenery, however it had little niggle with the dialogue. It is an English movie set in Germany however, to add atmosphere the script was peppered with unecessary short German words like "nein" or "und". The atmosphere was already very good with the costumes, setting, accents and did not need this script addition. Overall a very classy movie and very thought provoking,well worth the two hour plus investment.

Gravity

Out of this world is hardly adequate to describe this film.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney star as astronauts in orbit and disaster strikes when some satellites are destroyed and create a lethal wave of debris. 

Making repairs to the Hubble telescope Sandra Bullock plays a engineer/scientist Ryan Stone and George Clooney the veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski. In this role Bullock outshines Clooney in a big way. Women seem to like him but he cannot act as well as the leading lady. She has come a long way from the comedy role of Miss Congeniality and for me can be classed the best.

However the really big star of this movie is the special effects. In orbit around the Earth you experience the amazing views of our home. Early on it is explained that without air you have no sound, this phenomenon makes the disaster that follows really weird.

 Incredibly most of the film was shot in a green room and the actors had to act out looking at the spectacular sights without actually seeing it. This is where Sandra Bullock excels, she makes you believe you are there. Yes this is a movie that really should be seen on the big screen but it is not lost on the TV. Recommend you watch it as soon as possible, Apollo 13 was great this is just as good but with better effects.

Captain Philips

One thing you can always be certain of in the movie industry, if Tom Hanks is starring the movie will be worthwhile. With Captain Phillips this is an understatement, Tom Hanks plays a pirated captain with all his well known acting skills and more. This is an excellent story of modern day piracy and the difficulties of policing it.

On route from Djbouti to Mombassa Phillips and his crew are attacked by Somali pirates. Almost totally defenceless the pirates board the ship and take control. The rest and the majority of the story follows the struggle to resolve the hijack and get everyone to safety. I think it is very good at highlighting the impotence of the policing authorites in handling this very old crime. It seems to me we are still totally wrapped up in political correctness, we cannot defend ourselves, and then when we do take action we are always fighting against infringing "human rights", when none have been extended to us. It is a real problem today that we still do not have an answer to, and sadly this terrorist activity is on the increase under the guise of God?

Elysium

The world has divided with the rich leaving for an orbital habitat Elysium. The rest of the world has turned into a township/favela polluted and ridden with disease.

As a keen Sci Fi fan I was excited by the description of the film, in particular the lead casting of Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. My excitement did not last in fact I fell asleep, waking up just as the film ended. What I did see was very elaborate however the acting and script did not keep me awake - a poor sign for an action Sci Fi movie. I love Jodie Foster but this was a dreadful performance exaggerated by the accent she had to use. Some of the futuristic elements did not work, for example Matt Damon was working in a factory producing droids and pressing steel plate. Surely the droids should have been making the droids. They had the technology to cure disease and rebuild from injuries and this was standard fitment in Elysium, but was not available on earth. 

I cannot really make any further useful comments, except unless to want to see the CGI and other effects I would give this one a miss.

White House Down

White House Down and Olympus has Fallen two similar movies with same subject - The White House is attacked and defeated. I chose to watch White House Down with Channing Tatum and Jamie Fox starring.

Although you might say the plot is very predictable the film rises above that and entertains. The President ( Jamie Fox ) has just entered office and made some radical changes in troop deployments which some believe left soldiers to die unnecessarliy. Revenge for this act appears to be the motive for the attack which our hero Channing Tatum is involved. As part of the protection detail for the Secretary of State he decides to apply for the secret service and protect the President. Rejected he takes his daughter on a tour of the White House when all hell breaks loose.

The action is great, it may be a little far fetched but none the less very entertaining. For me this is one of the main criteria for a good movie, imagine going to the cinema and not being entertained, it would be a disaster. The disaster here is only on screen. 

The Walking Dead - Season 4 Finale

When I reported on the mid season break I thought it would be difficult for this series to get better. I was wrong, very wrong. When we left the group just before the break they had been fragmented into small groups trying to survive the fallout from the Governer's attack on the prison. Throughout the last few episodes the groups have headed in the direction of the Terminus with the promise of sanctuary. During this journey the survivors develop new relationships that earlier we thought would not have been possible, but it has been the reason for their survival.

In the finale Rick's group unexpectedly meets up with Daryl and his new "friends". Faced with certain death on Daryll and his group Rick turns "Walker" and bites out his attacker's throat. Even more blood flows but the outcome is positive with all the good guys staying in the game. As they reach Terminus Rick is ever cautious entering by the back door to check for anything dangerous. After introductions to they are offered a meal when Rick recognises a fob watch, and demands an explanation. This is when all hell breaks loose, coming under fire from their new hosts but importantly not getting shot. In the chase through the buildings and rooms we get a very brief glimpse of the problem with a pile of freshly butchered bones, human bones. Yes the hosts have turned cannibal, offered lunch was probably another arrival at Terminus. Cornered they are forced to enter a old railcar where they meet Maggie and Glen's group who are receiving the same hospitality. The show ends with Rick saying " they are screwing with wrong people"

Again I am left in suspense by the best show on TV and we have to wait until the Autumn for season 5, I hope.