'Tis the Movie Season

I've been to a couple of good movies lately, and since there are so many great flicks out right now, I plan on going to more. In the spirit of the Golden Globes and the upcoming Oscars, I thought I would offer up some mini movie reviews. Feel free to weigh in if you've seen these!

Slumdog Millionaire

Most of you have probably heard about this movie by now, as it’s cleaning up at the awards shows. It started out as an independent film out of India, and features mostly Indian actors. The premise is that a young man from the poorest part of Mumbai (previously Bombay) wins a seat on the popular gameshow “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” and gets to the final question, for the ultimate one million dollar prize. Of course the buzzer sounds and the audience must be held in suspense until the next day. Since he comes from the slums (i.e. he’s a “slumdog”), he is accused of somehow cheating and is arrested as he walks out of the studio.

At the police station, after being coerced not-so-gently…the officers finally sit him down with a taping of the show and ask him to explain, question by question, how he knew the answer. Thus begins a series of vignettes from the man’s life, starting as a child, and demonstrating the sometimes humorous, sometimes devastating events that led to his knowledge of the answers. We learn about the young man’s relationship with his brother and a very special woman (yes this is also a love story), against the backdrop of the very turbulent history of India.

GREAT movie, well deserving of the accolades, and it’s always nice to see an underdog (slumdog?) come through with the big awards against all of the high-budget movies. The soundtrack is also amazing. It was a satisfying movie experience – I was moved, I was shocked, I ultimately left with a smile. Stay for the credits, or you’ll miss a nice surprise at the end.

4 of 4 stars

Valkyrie

I probably wouldn’t have gone to this movie if not for Husband, who was familiar with the topic and interested in seeing the movie. Before it came out it was probably most famous for being the controversial pet project of Tom Cruise, who plays the lead character, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg. The movie brings us into the height of WWII, where von Stauffenberg plays a key role in a plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, whom he and others believe is corrupting the true and sacred Germany. A series of failed attempts leads to a well-planned scheme of which von Stauffenberg is the lynchpin. A blast ensues and he believes he has succeeded, launching the Valkyrie operation to seize control of the German government and overthrow the S.S. It’s no historical secret that Hitler was not assassinated, so I’m not spoiling anything here. But through the ups and downs, hopes and fears that follow the hours after Valkyrie is expedited, one cannot help but wonder what would have happened had things gone just a bit differently; if decisions had been more expeditiously made.

There is enough tension in the movie to keep things interesting, and there is definitely a compelling human element – a military man who is a patriot of a different path, willing to risk his own life and the safety of his family to protect and restore the integrity of his country. Although I found some parts of the movie slow, as my Husband reminded me, “it’s a historical movie,” based on actual events, so I guess that gives it license to be a bit plodding. Cruise delivers a solid performance, and I do find historical epics fascinating in that I can appreciate the amount of research that was done to piece the story together. I learned a lot about this particular slice of history, and what I liked most is that it gives a German perspective that isn’t often considered – that not all of Germany supported Hitler. As an American of German heritage, I find this comforting. The German people were as much victims to Hitler’s insanity as the rest of the world.

3 of 4 stars