Cin’s Movie Critiques

Memphis Belle

Matthew Modine, Sean Astin, Harry Connick Jr. Rated PG-13 for language and war themes. 1990, Action/Drama. Cin’s Critique: 4 *

This is the story of the “Memphis Belle”, a WWII bomber plane with a crew of ten young men who make dangerous bombing missions into Europe. The plot is focused around the idea that they will be making their 25th mission, and if they complete it successfully, they will be finished with their duty in the war and go home. The story hovers around the young men, their fear that their luck will run out, and the way they work together.

Full of action, drama, and moving relationships, Memphis Belle is one to put on your list of movies to watch. This one has stood out in my mind since I first watched it in high school. It is inspired by true events, but many facts were changed in the movie. Read more about the real Memphis Belle on wikipedia.com.

The Bridge on the River Kwai

William Holden, Alec Guinness.  Rated PG for mild war related material.  1957, Drama.  Cin’s Critique: 3 *

Am I going to get a ton of grief for giving this movie only three stars?  Probably.  It’s on every variety of the top one hundred movies ever made list.  It was a good movie, don’t get me wrong, I just don’t think I’d ever sit through the 161 minutes of it again.  And it’s just so darn OLD.  1957, in my opinion, had some cheesy acting.  Aahhh, I’m going to get bashed for saying that too.

The movie did however, have a fantastic moral to the story.  When a British Colonel and his soldiers are sent to a Japanese POW camp, they are forced to build a bridge across…you had it…the River Kwai.  Instead of letting his men sabotage the building of the bridge, the Colonel demands perfection and discipline from his men, thus instilling a sense of pride in them.  This accomplished a couple of things: one, they were building something that would outlast each and every one of them.  And two, that even when you are in the worst of circumstances, you have the ability to bring forth your integrity, to be honest and hard working, which is more to be proud of than anything you could build.  The movie does have a second story line, which is vital, but those of you that have seen The Bridge on the River Kwai, know what that is and how the movie ends.  And I won’t spoil it for those of you that haven’t seen it.

Although it is old, this is one I’d recommend watching at least once.  It doesn’t get onto those lists without being a powerful movie.  Try to overlook, or should I say overlisten, the music, which got very annoying very fast.  They just didn’t have the good rock and roll soundtracks they have nowadays!

U-571

Matthew McConaughey, Bill Paxton, Jon Bon Jovi. Rated PG-13 for war violence. 2000, Action/Drama. Cin’s Critique: 4 1/2 *

WARNING: If you are a nail biter, be sure to tape your fingertips before watching this movie or you will chew them down to a bloody pulp!

Not having seen this movie since it first came out in 2000, I had forgotten how severely intense it was. As I watched it last night, I found myself holding my breath several times, or wringing my hands together. This all began with the opening scene of the movie and continued up through the very last minute. Turn your phone off, use the little boys or girls room beforehand, trust me, you will not want any interruptions!

U-571 is the story of a US submarine crew sent on a mission in WWII to intercept an immobilized German submarine. Their mission is to arrive incognito, pretending to be the Germans that were dispatched to help. In fact, they intend to board the sub and recover the Enigma cipher machine, which will help the United States in breaking the German code, which ultimately would help in winning the war.

Action, drama, suspense…if you haven’t already, give this one a try, you won’t be sorry.

Flyboys

James Franco. Rated PG-13 for war action. 2006, Action/War. Cin’s Critique: 3 ½ *

Spiderman’s James Franco leads this World War I story about the Lafayette Escadrille, the young Americans that volunteered for the French military before the United States entered the war.

These young men join the war to learn to fly airplanes. Once there, they are surprised to find that the life expectancy of a fighter pilot is six weeks. The movie quickly gets through their training and spits you right into the aerial fighting in the war. There is a little side plot of romance, but the main focus is the combat these Americans volunteered for.

Overall, this movie was better than I expected it to be. I enjoyed the dogfight scenes, it’s hard to imagine what it would have been like fighting a war in some of the first airplanes ever invented. Also, this movie credits itself on being inspired by true WWI heroes.

A Few Good Men

Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore.  Rated R for lanuage.  1992, Drama.  Cin’s Critique: 4 *

This one should have been called “A Few Good Looking Men!”  All those men running around in uniform, whew!

Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee is called onto a team to defend two Marines who have been accused of murdering a colleague.  They insist they were only following orders, and the death was an accident.  As Kaffee digs to uncover the truth of what happened, he realizes he must ultimately confront The Colonel (Nicholson) in a courtroom showdown that has become a legend as one of the most intense courtroom moments in movie history.  (Sounds dramatic huh?)

A Few Good Men is an intelligent and involved film that is well worth the 2 ½ hours it takes to watch.

The Final Countdown

Kirk Douglas, Martin Sheen. Rated PG for language. 1980, Drama/Science Fiction. Cin’s Critique: 3 *

This is yet another movie I remember my older brothers watching when I was very young. I was very surprised to be able to rent it from Blockbuster Online, and on DVD no less, for as old as it is. (Another good deed done to me by Blockbuster by the way, you really should check them out!)

The Final Countdown is about an aircraft carrier is caught in a time warp and sent back in time to December 6, 1941, the day before Pearl Harbor was attacked. Once the crew realizes and accepts what has happened, they are faced with the difficult decision of whether or not to interfere with history. Their knowledge and technology would be a powerful weapon to prevent the attack and defeat the enemy.

Wow, Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen are just young pups in this movie! For a minute there I thought I was watching Charlie Sheen, not Martin. This was a novel idea for a time travel movie with decent special effects for being almost thirty years old.

The thing that I didn’t like about this movie, which only earned it an “okay” in my rating system is this: even though the plot and dialogue were very engaging, I was disappointed in how the moral to the story was dealt with. Yes, all questions were answered, all conflicts were resolved, but I just didn’t feel satisfied after all was said and done. I needed a little more “umph” as to the why things ended up the way they did.

I may have rated this movie a little higher if it hadn’t been for Owen Wilson’s nose.  It is so distracting!  You would think that someone with that much money would invest in a nose job!  Okay, that’s a little harsh, I suppose his sense of humor compensates, but still…On the other hand, I guess he deserves applaud for refusing to alter his flaws for the sake of cosmetic beauty.  Okay, on with the movie review!

Behind Enemy Lines

Owen Wilson, Gene Hackman.  Rated PG-13 for violence and some language.  2001, Action/War.  Cin’s Critique: 3 ½ *

A pilot is shot down over enemy territory when he veers off course and photographs something he shouldn’t have seen.  He is then ruthlessly pursued as he tries to make it back to safe ground, while his commanding officer battles with the chain of command in order to get his boy back home.

This one has some tension as Mr. Wilson narrowly escapes death several times and uses his training and wit to make it back to safe territory.  Some notes at the end of the movie lead the viewer to believe that this movie is based on actual events.  I conducted a little research on Wikipedia.com.  The actual person in question supposedly filed a lawsuit against the producers for making a movie about his experience without his permission.  The movie also strikes a resemblance to the fictional book “Point of Impact”.  So, who knows?

Anyway, give this one a try if you haven’t already.  It feels realistic without being too graphic, which in my opinion is great.  I’m not one who can handle much in the gruesome reality of war department.

Top Gun

Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis.  Rated PG for language and a love scene.  1986, Action/Drama.  Cin’s Critique: 4 ½ *

I was in fourth grade when this movie came out.  I remember my best friend being all twitterpated about Tom Cruise (she had an older sister), and I didn’t yet know the meaning of twitterpated.  When I finally saw the movie a few years later, I understood…

A fighter pilot attends an elite flying school and competes to be the best in his class.  He struggles to overcome his own shortcomings and the shadow cast by his dead father, while he strikes up a romance with a beautiful civilian instructor.

Top Gun is the movie that made me want to be a pilot.  Matter of fact, every time I watch it, I still want to fly a fighter jet, what a rush!  This movie is action packed with lots of sound barrier breaking scenes and a little romance on the side.

The soundtrack for Top Gun is also very good, even if it is almost twenty years old now, with “Danger Zone” and “Playing With the Boys” by Kenny Loggins, and ballad “Take My Breath Away” by Berlin.  (Geez I feel old, I remember music that came out twenty years ago…)

Today is Armed Forces Day. Between now and Memorial Day, I will blog with a theme in mind. Military movies are abundant, and the material within them scatters from very realistic war scenes, to hero plots, to court room drama, to comedy. With my nephew, Blake, leaving yesterday to serve a year of duty in Iraq, my heart is a bit tender towards all those who serve their country in the name of freedom. I thank them, and Blake especially, I pray for your safe return.

Hunter lost his first tooth tonight!  Bottom tooth in the middle, only a gaping hole remains.  And now he is tucked away in bed, while visions of sugarplums danced in his head…wait…wrong occasion…visions of the Tooth Fairy fluttering her translucent wings and gently lifting his pillow, finding the precious treasure and leaving something monetary in return.

What does the lovely lady do with all those teeth anyway?  I’ve always believed that she uses them to build her castle, and everything in it… furniture, dishes, statues, fountains, walls surrounding the palace, the roads…everything, a glistening white estate in the sky.  And where does she get all the money to pay for these teeth?  Maybe she sells some of her creations to other fairy tale characters.  I really can picture Rapunzel needing a ladder made of teeth to help her out of that tower once she cuts her hair…

Darkness Falls

Chaney Kley, Emma Caulfield.  Rated PG-13 for terror and horror images, and brief language.  2003, Horror.  Cin’s Critique: 1 *

When he was a young boy, Kyle woke up when the tooth fairy entered his room, and she tried to kill him.  All grown up now, Kyle’s childhood friend calls him for help.  Her younger brother has been hospitalized with night terrors, and she thinks that he is experiencing the same thing Kyle went through when he was a child.

There is a legend in the town of Darkness Falls.  In the 1800’s children would take their lost teeth to a woman who gave them a coin in return.  The woman was later hanged, and became the tooth fairy.  But not the sweet cozy fairy tale we all know, she became an evil vengeful spirit that killed anyone who saw her.

This was a typical pathetic movie, just as all horror movies based on legends seem to be.  Agonizingly long and drawn out films that are dotted with unforgivable acting and phony villains that make me want to cry with boredom rather than scream.  Don’t waste your time, the only reason I wrote this review is because it’s the one movie I’ve seen that has a tooth fairy in it!