Here is an interesting article from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/ reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend. This follows this post about some of the movies from last week and THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed! This all follows this post about guidelines to choosing good movies to watch yourself!

Wknd Box Office: The Homesman, The Better Angels

By Debbie Schlussel
Nothing to recommend, this weekend, in new movies at theaters. The big holiday movies start coming at you next week, so stay tuned for my “Exodus” review and so on.

* “The Homesman“: Tommy Lee Jones–who stars in, directs, and wrote the screenplay for this godawful, horrible movie–calls it a “feminist western,” as does his fellow star, Horse-ary, er . . . Hillary Swank. I just call it crap. Or rather, great Gitmo torture material. They should force the few Gitmo detainees who remain, to watch this over and over again. I struggled to get through it once and fell asleep several times, missing absolutely nothin’.
The story: Swank is an older, single homestead and farm owner in the Nebraska territory, sometime in the 1800s. She asks any available single farmer in town to marry her. None takes the offer, telling her she is too ugly (the word “plain” is the one they use in this movie) and too bossy. So, because no one wants her and she’s desperate for something to happen, Swank reluctantly agrees when her church drafts her to transport three of the mentally insane wives/mothers in the area to take them to Iowa via horse carriage (and is promised to be paid a few hundred dollars when she successfully completes the mission). The women’s husbands and kids can no longer put up with these three women, and apparently, in Iowa, there is a pastor who can cure them.
As she is about to go forward on her transport journey, Swank runs into and saves the life of Jones, who is a lowlife squatter and petty criminal that was about to be hanged. She saves his life in exchange for Jones accompanying her and helping out on the journey. But soon she is also asking him to marry her. He also tells her she is too “plain” a/k/a ugly. Then, she begs him to have sex with her. He repeatedly declines but finally gives in and reluctantly lays there while she has sex with him outside in the wilderness as the three crazy wives/mothers watch. The next morning, Jones finds that Swank has hanged herself. So, he buries her and takes the women the rest of the way.
Along the way, Jones encounters James Spader, playing an Irish hotel owner, who refuses to let them stay and eat at the hotel, claiming he is expecting a large company of guests that night, so Jones takes the food and burns down the hotel. Then, he gets to Iowa with the women, where they are greeted and taken in by the pastor’s wife, Meryl Streep. Jones then spends the reward money on a hotel room, hookers, alcohol, drinking, and a young girl he’s trying to pick up. Soon, he is told that some of the money he has is drawn on a defunct bank and is worthless. So he drinks some more and dances a jig at the dock while he awaits a ferry to take him part of the way back to Nebraska. The end.
Believe me, I’m making this horribly boring, long, slow, depressing waste of time sound far better than it is. I would never recommend seeing this to anyone except my most wicked enemies. It’s just that bad. It’s the kind of movie liberal phonies and pseudo-intellectuals would fawn over for hours. Yuck.
“The Homesman” has at least one syllable in it that bears some resemblance to what its real title should be: “Stay Home.”
Who knew that “feminist western” was code for high-quality Gitmo torture material? Well, actually, it’s kinda obvious, isn’t it?
FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR OBAMAS PLUS FOUR MICHELLE LAVAUGHN ROBINSON HUSSEIN OBAMA IDI AMIN DADAS PLUS FOUR BETTY FRIEDANS PLUS FOUR ISIS BEHEADINGS



* “The Better Angels“: Anytime you see the name Terrence Malick in the credits of a movie, it’s a loud message: run like hell! The full name of this movie is, “Terrence Malick Presents The Better Angels.” He’s one of the producers of this movie, and it is completely in his long, boring conceit of a “style.” Malick movies are pretentious, aimless movies with no discernible plot and barely any story (see my review of his “Tree of Life”). Any attempt to watch them feels like a hipster time bandit is sticking a gun to your head as it steals valuable, unentertaining time from your life that you’ll never recover. And this is no exception.
Parading as a story about Abraham Lincoln’s childhood, it has a few of the basics right: that Lincoln’s family was poor, that his mother died from drinking milk from cows who ate poisonous weeds, and that his father married a stepmother whom Lincoln loved and who raised him. But that took me one sentence to tell you. This movie takes 1.5 hours that seems like eternity and tells you nothing in addition to that. The rest is just stream of consciousness, imagined scenes from the life of a kid who lived in the 1800s.
Yes, it is beautifully shot in crisp black and white and looks like an Ansel Adams photography montage or better. But it’s a total waste of time. This morning, when I was doing my weekly movie reviews on SiriusXM Patriot Channel’s “Mike Church Show,” I was feeling generous and gave this movie A QUARTER TO A HALF REAGAN. But I was outta my mind in being so nice. This really deserves at the very least . . .
ONE MARX



Don’t forget to hear my movie reviews first thing every Friday morning on “The Mike Church Show” on SiriusXM Patriot Channel 125 after 7:05 am Eastern and on “The Pat Campbell Show” on KFAQ 1170 AM Tulsa at 7:35 am Eastern. I do my movie reviews on both, as well as some discussion of current political issues and pop culture topics on both shows.

You might also like:

Movies I Didn’t Yet Review: Mao’s Last Dancer, Animal ...

The Policewomen of America’s Future . . . & the UK’s Present

Muslim “Accidentally” Shoots Himself “While Sleeping” (or ...

Did Obama Show Perverted “First Time” Sex Ad to Sasha and ...

Linkwithin

Wknd Box Office: Emperor, Dead Man Down, Oz The Great and Powerful – Another US War Hero Gets Defamed By Hollywood

Here is an interesting article from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/ reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend. This follows this post about some of the movies from last week and THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed! This all follows this post about guidelines to chosing good movies to watch yourself!

Wknd Box Office: Emperor, Dead Man Down, Oz The Great and Powerful – Another US War Hero Gets Defamed By Hollywood


By Debbie Schlussel



I can always tell when we’re getting closer and closer to the May start of the major movies of the year. It’s when the movies start to get better. And this weekend, I liked all three of the new offerings. But keep in mind that one of the “good ones” was good until I found out that it defames a great American soldier who served his country well in battle and got Hollywood crapping all over him in return.




* “Emperor“: I really liked this movie, until I went home and did some research, discovering that a major portion of the movie is not only a lie but a disgusting exercise in defamation against a World War II hero who is no longer alive to defend himself and set the record straight. The man who’s severely defamed here is Brigadier General Bonner Fellers, who served in both World War I and II and directed America’s psychological warfare efforts in World War II. Played by Matthew Fox (who is good in this role), he is the central character in this movie.



“Emperor” takes place just after World War II has ended. General Douglas MacArthur (Tommy Lee Jones–who is always excellent, even if he and I have had it out) is leading the efforts at rebuilding Japan and trying Japanese leaders involved in ordering the bombing of Pearl Harbor for war crimes. Originally, America has decided to leave Emperor Hirohito alone, but soon President Truman and the brass back at home decide they want the Emperor tried for war crimes and executed. Gen. MacArthur assigns Brig. Gen. Fellers the task of running the investigation and finding the evidence to hang Hirohito. But, as portrayed in this movie, Fellers feels that’s the wrong move, because the Japanese really respect and admire the Emperor. Fellers believes this would sow the seeds of rebellion and hurt any efforts at maintaining the peace and rebuilding Japan. The movie shows his investigation and his efforts to court Japanese officials in order to get to the bottom of things and save the Emperor from execution.




And, now, the giant lie: a major portion of the movie and its plot is focused on Fellers and his Japanese girlfriend from college. It’s at least half of the movie, if not more. The movie shows him spending a good deal of time on the job searching for his lost love. And the movie portrays Fellers as some sort of a traitor because of this, who compromised our war efforts by aiming our bombs away from important targets in order to save his girlfriend’s life. But none of that ever happened. In fact, there is no evidence in real life that Fellers ever had a Japanese girlfriend (although a cousin of his reportedly married a Japanese diplomat). There is no evidence whatsoever that Fellers ever aimed our bombs away from important Japanese targets during World War II. It’s just total fiction. The movie portrays Bonner as what I would call a “Nippon-ophile” (not sure if there’s a word for that so I made it up), who speaks Japanese and loves all things Japanese (because of this fictional girlfriend). I’m not sure if even that was true.



And as the movie ends, there are postscripts on what happened to each of those depicted in the film. The movie correctly notes that Fellers was demoted from Brigadier General to Colonel when he retired from the Army, making it seem as if he was demoted because of this disobeying of orders during World War II and mis-aiming of bombs and other weapons (which never happened). In fact, Fellers’ demotion in rank was a result of the military downsizing of the number of those holding the rank of general. It had nothing to do with his performance or any (fictional) disloyalty to America. His rank of Brigadier General was restored in 1948.



I hate when filmmakers pretend they are making a historically accurate movie, as this movie purports to–using real-life World War II footage and the real-life photos of the people portrayed within it at the end of the movie. I especially hate it when they do this by defaming a man who is a genuine hero and good guy and make him look like he was disloyal to this country, when he was anything but. This isn’t the first time Hollywood did that to a genuine war hero. See the defamation of Gene DeBruin–a genuine Vietnam war hero, who gave his life to save that of a fellow American soldier–in “Rescue Dawn,” which I noted in my review column on that movie.



The real life Bonner Fellers’ life was very interesting, more so than the falsehoods depicted in this movie. A military attache in Egypt, he made very detailed reports to his Army superiors, which were so vital that they were highly valued by the Army Chief of Staff. He was so concerned about security that he did not want his reports transmitted by radio, but his superiors insisted on it. And, as it turns out, his fears were well founded because the Axis spies intercepted his reports and used the reports to their advantage. Fellers earned a chest full of major medals for his service and went on to become active in American politics in an interesting way. He was active in the Robert Taft for President campaign and that of Barry Goldwater. He also worked for the Republican National Committee and was one of the early members of the John Birch Society. An interesting character indeed, but not in the way he was portrayed in this movie as some sort of pan-Japanese traitor.



I hate to say, “But other than that, it’s a great movie,” since the defamation is a major part of the movie, and it just isn’t true. But the movie–if you ignore the false, unnecessary love story–is in fact a good one otherwise. It’s interesting, and I think the portions of it showing the investigation of Hirohito and what happened with the Emperor are more accurate and an important and interesting part of post-World War II history. If you see this movie, just keep in mind that it is a travesty, a disservice to, and really a major crime against the reputation of Brigadier General Bonner Fellers, may he rest in peace.



If this well-acted movie hadn’t engaged in a major set of lies against Bonner Fellers, I’d give it THREE-AND-A-HALF REAGANS (and probably even FOUR REAGANS). But since it did and it’s the biggest part of the movie, I can only give it . . .



TWO REAGANS


* “Dead Man Down“:I really enjoyed this movie, despite the fact that it is violent and bloody (and I didn’t need to see a scene of some filthy gangster having sex with a prostitute). I liked the story, which was unusual and different for standard Hollywood fare. And the thing that’s best about this movie is that it’s about revenge against scumbags who deserve it and also about redemption. There is no moral equivocation in this film. As you dig into the film, you soon see that in this the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad and get theirs. The movie is riveting, suspenseful, and a taut thriller. And, for women looking for a chick flick, there is also a love story at hand, too.



I can’t give up too much of the plot because I don’t want to spoil the movie, but here’s what I can say. Someone is targeting New York City gangsters in a gang led by Terrence Howard. We soon learn that the murderer is secretly a member of Howard’s gang, played by Colin Farrell. At the same time, Farrell spies a woman (with a scarred face, which she’s gotten in a car accident) across the balcony from his apartment, and she spies him. The woman is played by Noomi Rapace. Soon, they get together and find that they are both seeking vengeance (for legit reasons in at least one of the cases). But one of them becomes unwillingly entangled in the other’s story. I wish I could tell you more, but it would give a good chunk of it away.



The movie was not your typical thriller. It’s, in some ways, odd and weird. But odd and weird as in this movie make for a cool and interesting movie. It’s different. Yes, there are a few holes in the plot, the most gaping of which is a person trusting another on an important item, where such trust would simply not attach. But other than that, it’s worthwhile. A caveat: if you shy away from violent movies, this is not for you, even if–as in this movie–most of the violence is the good guys doing what’s just and right.



THREE REAGANS


* “Oz the Great and Powerful“: While the story and plot of this movie are just okay, the visuals are fabulous and stunning and it’s worth seeing just for that. There are very few movies for which the extra price for 3D glasses is worth it, and this is one of them. The three-dimensional computer-generated graphics are a virtual binge of eye candy. It’s based on the L. Frank Baum books about Oz.



James Franco plays a magician in the early 1900s traveling circus or carnival. He’s a con artist of sorts and a womanizer who is on the run from a fellow carnie whose girlfriend he hit on. He runs away in a balloon which ends up in a tornado and lands him in Oz. When he lands in Oz he meets a good witch, played by Mila Kunis, but she is not necessarily what she seems. She and her sister, another witch played by Rachel Weisz, say that legend has it that a wizard will come to Oz and save them and the Emerald City from the evil witch. And, naturally, this con artist magician pretends he’s the Wizard who can perform the miracles of the legend. Soon, however, the faux-Wizard Franco meets the real good witch (Michelle Williams), and with her and a china doll and a monkey busboy, they help save Oz. The story is sort of like a prequel to the original “Wizard of Oz” movie, but not nearly as good. Not even close.



This movie was the largest of those financed by the Michigan Film Tax Credit boondoggle and was shot entirely inside a studio in Pontiac, Michigan, which is struggling to survive (sadly, the studio is financed by bonds from Michigan pension funds). While the movie is cute and has its funny moments, it’s not worth having Michigan small business and taxpayers give away $40 million to Hollywood (which they did). Also, while entertaining, it’s quite slow and a little boring and long. It’s also a little scary for young kids (but given the times, maybe not). Still, it’s not bad, has a great old Hollywood/1940s starlet feel to it, and it’s worthwhile if just for the stunning visuals. Make sure to see it in 3D.



ONE-AND-A-HALF REAGANS

Wknd Box Office: Bourne Legacy, The Campaign, Hope Springs

Here is an interesting article from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/ reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend. This follows this post some of the movies from last weekand THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed! This all follows this post about guidelines to chosing good movies to watch yourself!




Wknd Box Office: Bourne Legacy, The Campaign, Hope Springs

By Debbie Schlussel



If you see one new movie, this weekend, make it BOURNE! It’s the movie I really liked of the new releases in theaters today.



* “The Bourne Legacy“: Jeremy Renner does not disappoint in this latest installment of the “Bourne” movies. In fact, I like him far better than loathsome lefty (but good actor) Matt Damon. If you like a good thriller with semi-believable, fantastic stunts and non-stop, heart-pounding action, this is your movie. It’s my kind o’ movie. Although it’s a little confusing at the beginning, you quickly learn what’s going on. And I liked it a lot despite the fact that I don’t like Rachel Weisz (mostly because you can tell she’s a Brit faking an American accent in every movie she does, and it grates on me, plus I don’t buy her acting).You don’t have to have seen any of the previous Bourne movies to see this, although there are brief references to characters and happenings in the previous Bourne movie, “The Bourne Ultimatum” (read my review).





Renner plays a government-created agent, who was previously a U.S. soldier who “died” in the Iraq or Afghanistan war (I forget which). He’s training and going through tests in the cold wilderness in the middle of somewhere, when he runs out of the government-supplied pills that keep him alive and is suddenly being targeted by drones. Soon, he seeks out the scientist (Weisz) who works in the government lab where he was undergoing tests and blood work. She’s the lone survivor of a mysterious massacre at the lab.



I don’t want to tell you much more because it would spoil the movie. But it’s full of the usual stuff you’ve come to expect from Bourne movies and their mix of “Three Days of the Condor”/“The Parallax View” (read my review) style government conspiracies. Though I don’t believe our government actually engages in these kinds of massacres (unlike Truthers and other such nuts), it doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a good conspiracy theory movie, especially one that’s well done and full of suspense.



If I had any criticism, it’s that the ending felt like “not the end” to me, but then, they do that to you so you’ll pay money to see the sequel. I felt like I’d sort of seen just half of a movie. But it was a fun “half,” and I enjoyed it immensely. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time, once it got going. Some of the stunts, particularly those with a motorcycle go beyond stretching credulity. But as with the Bourne, Bond, and other such movies, you know this is part of the package.



Fun, exciting, and worth it.



THREE REAGANS



* “The Campaign“: This movie had a lot of funny lines (and campaign commercials), and it had such potential and was hilarious and fun at the beginning. But it quickly degraded into a silly, crude, sophomoric exercise in stupidity. Plus, it’s a not-so-veiled attack on the conservative Koch Brothers, known for their donations to Republican candidates and SuperPACS. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis are both their usual very funny selves in playing two candidates running against each other in a North Carolina Congressional race. Ferrell is philandering, sleazy Democratic Congressman Cam Brady, and Galifianakis is the effeminate, underachieving son of a racist rich guy. He is recruited by two very wealthy brothers, Dan Aykroyd and John Lithgow, who get him to run as the Republican opponent, so they can bring Chinese workers to the district to make their cheap products (they call this “insourcing.” The Motch Brothers are clearly supposed to be some sort of parody of the Koch Brothers–it’s quite obvious. And, of course, there is no George Soros figure in the movie to balance things out.



I wouldn’t pay ten bucks to see this, but I might rent the video, if only to see the very campaign commercials that Cam Brady (Ferrell) makes, bragging about his extramarital affairs (comparing himself to Bill Clinton) and touting his opponent as an Al-Qaeda member because he has a mustache.



But, mostly, the movie is dreck peppered with some humor.



ONE MARX


* “Hope Springs“: This should’ve been called, “TMI: The Movie.” Old people talking about their dysfuncational sex life to a counselor? Eeeuuuwww. Not fun, not entertaining, and definitely NOT worth two hours and ten bucks of your respective time and money. Not even close. Oh, and it’s your typical anti-male movie, where the bad person is the man in the relationship. He’s your typical “bete noir” bad, insensitive husband who is mean to his wife and insults her consistently. It’s what Oprah–if she still had a major daytime talk show and anyone still cared what she had to say–would be touting to her viewers as “the feel good movie of the year.” Guys, do yourself a giant favor and skip this at all cost if your wife or girlfriend insists on seeing it. Do anything else, instead. It’s that insufferable. I guarantee you will squirm in your seat if you don’t take my advice. You were forewarned. This is painful to watch. And I don’t just mean plain painful. I mean, dentist-yanking-out-all-your-teeth-without-painkiller-or-anasthesia painful. I hated this movie. Hate-hate-hated this movie. It’s the worst of feminist propaganda.



Meryl Streep plays a housewife, whose husband, Tommy Lee Jones, is the typical Hollywood narrative of husbands–insensitive, rude, and doesn’t share a bed with her. They haven’t had sex in several years and sleep in separate bedrooms. She pays $4,000 of her own money and drags her husband to New England for a week-long intensive set of sessions with a marriage counselor, played by Steve Carell. Don’t let Carell’s presence fool you. He is not funny in this movie and plays the role in a serious and straight manner.



I can’t understand why on earth anyone would pay to see such marital strife and melodrama, when they can see a much more entertaining version for free in divorce court. I don’t know what happened to Tommy Lee Jones (regardless of the fact that he’s a big liberal), but he definitely checked his testicles at the door before acting in this movie apparently written by the ghost of Betty Friedman.



Avoid this like the plague. Trust me, when the credits role, your hope won’t spring. It committed suicide in the first five minutes of this high quality Guantanamo Bay torture material on film.



FOUR MARXES PLUS FOUR BETTY FRIEDANS

Wknd Box Office: Men in Black III, Bernie, Headhunters [Hodejegerne]

Here is an interesting article from http://www.debbieschlussel.com/ reviewing some of the movies that came out over the past weekend. This follows this post some of the movies from last week and THIS POST about some movies that have been released over the past few years that you might have missed! This all follows this post about guidelines to chosing good movies to watch yourself!

Wknd Box Office: Men in Black III, Bernie, Headhunters [Hodejegerne]


By Debbie Schlussel



It’s a miracle. I liked every new movie, this weekend.

* “Men in Black III“: I normally don’t like sequels, but this is the best of the three Men in Black installments . . . by far. It’s funny, it’s cute, it’s endearing, and it’s very cool. I enjoyed this fun movie, every step of the way. It’s got action, humor, aliens galore, and fantastic special effects, plus a time-travel back in history to the astronauts launch to the moon in the late ’60s.



Will Smith (Agent J) and Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K) are back as the secret agents who fight alien criminals on earth. But one of the most hardened aliens escapes from his imprisonment in Lunar-Max. And he travels back in time to kill Agent K before Agent K shoots his arm off and arrests him. Agent J (Smith) goes back in time to save his partner, Agent K–who is then decades younger and played by Josh Brolin. Brolin’s impression of Tommy Lee Jones is so spot on, it’s uncanny.


The movie is touching, entertaining, engaging, and fine for your family (though some violence with aliens and a weird kiss by the alien with his very long tongue are not suitable for young kids). One drawback: the movie co-stars anti-Israel Emma Thompson who supports boycotting Israel and its actors.



Otherwise, a great Memorial Day weekend flick destined to be a blockbuster. If you didn’t like the first two Men in Black movies, don’t worry. You’ll like this.



THREE REAGANS


* “Bernie“: This weird, but funny and light movie, is playing mostly in arthouse theaters. But it’s worth a look. It takes place in Carthage, a small town in East Texas, and stars Jack Black as an assistant funeral director. The movie is based on a true story. I’m not much of a Jack Black fan, but his acting in this is pretty good. I did not like what seemed to be a faint anti-Christian vibe, but overall it is a positive, funny portrayal of small town America and the South, which we rarely see in Hollywood. The people are smart and insightful, not dummies or backward (well, at least, most of them). And they are endearing. Matthew McConaughey plays the District Attorney.



Black’s “Bernie” is a single, effeminate man who likes to sing and dotes on all of the mourners of those who’ve died and have their funerals at the local funeral home. Bernie is well-liked and beloved by everyone in town. He particularly befriends the old widows and takes a shine to the widow of one of the town’s richest men, who is loathed by nearly everyone. She (Shirley MacLaine) takes a liking to Bernie, and soon convinces him to leave the funeral home and travel with and work for her full time. At first, he enjoys living the high life of the rich and famous. But, soon, he can no longer take her cantankerous ways.



To say what happens next would give it away.



ONE-AND-A-HALF REAGANS


* “Headhunters [Hodejegerne]“: This is a Swedish movie with English subtitles. But I recommend it, as it’s a very entertaining, funny thriller, with twists I’ve never before seen in caper movies. And as caper movies go, this is pretty good. It’s based on a novel by writer Jo Nesbo (who is, FYI, a leftist). It’s an adult movie and definitely not for kids because it’s a tad bloody and violent, and it has brief sexual themes and nudity. But it’s a smart movie and thrilling every step of the way.



Roger Brown is a short man with a Napoleonic complex. He’s married to a tall, slender, beautiful blonde woman who looks like a model and believes he’s a wealthy guy. He’s bought her an expensive home and an expensive art gallery. But he’s really not so wealthy. He’s a headhunter by profession, and uses his position to scope out valuable art of the CEO candidates he interviews. Then, he and a partner in crime rip off the artworks, replacing them with forgeries and selling off the real goods on the black market.



Soon, though, he is trying to figure out how to steal the art of a mysterious, handsome former CEO and mercenary, whom he is also trying to place in a job and whom he sees as a threat to his marriage. Can’t tell you more, or it would spoil the fun. If you can’t find this in theaters, definitely check it out when it’s released on video.



THREE REAGANS