Monuments Men

A joyride through WWII, with a light and frivolous Hollywood touch. Oh, yes, there are a couple of deaths here and there, but mostly this motley crew of artists and intellectuals traipses around the countryside as if the war is simply a convenient plot backdrop. It all boils down to that old chestnut of the United States as the protectors of the world’s culture, heritage, and freedom. Team America, World Police.

It is indeed an interesting story, and one worth remembering. Here’s a brief synopsis: Hitler stole (and destroyed) a plethora of artworks and cultural artifacts, and a group of Americans were enlisted to help prevent this plunder and restore the artwork. It’s too bad it was treated in such a superficial manner, almost like an art heist movie.

Box Office Bottom Line: Meh. If you like these actors, and like war movies without the death and violence, then by all means. Otherwise, it’s a pass.

Ip Man

If you like martial arts movies, don’t miss this one!  Ip Man was the martial arts master who taught Bruce Lee.  This semi-biographical films starts before he was one of the greatest martial arts teachers.  Ip Man was a wealthy man in a small town in China.  He was known to be the best martial artist in town, but he refused to take students.  Then, the Japanese invaded China in 1938.  They took everything, and to survive, he agreed to fight Japanese soldiers for a bag of rice.  Things go from bad to worse, so Ip Man and his family flee to Hong Kong. Ip Man’s son was consulted for this film, unlike the Grandmaster which is in theaters now.  There is a sequel to be reviewed soon…

Box Office Bottom Line: This is a must-see for martial arts fans. And, a pretty good film for everyone else, too.

Zero Dark Thirty

Oh, violence. How I love you and hate you.

In some twisted way, this movie makes me really feel like “America! Fuck Yeah!” and also meta-horrified at my nationalistic response.

I could definitely understand the criticism of the opening scene glorifying and justifying torture, since apparently that’s not what lead to information about UBL’s (oh, yeah, and now I’m hip to intelligence acronyms and jargon) location and killing. I could feel myself becoming numb to the evil of torture as I sat watching it.

A couple of high points for me:

• Jessica Chastain telling off her boss, and then telling the CIA Director “I’m the motherfucker who found this, so yeah.”
• Chris Pratt and Joel Edgerton as Navy SEALS. With big bushy beards. Playing horseshoes in the desert.

Box Office Bottom Line: Recommended for war movie fans.