Valkyrie at the Landmark Embassy Cinema

Valkyrie is the story of Col. Stauffenberg; injured in the war, Col Stauffenberg eventually recovers and leads a plot to assassinate Hitler. Stauffenberg is played by Tom Cruise and if you look up Stauffenberg's picture online there is an eerie resemblance. I always thought Tom Cruise looked like a Nazi. Typically, I try not to reveal too much of the plot in my reviews, but you already know the end to Valkyrie. Hitler lives and eventually dies at his own hands in a bunker. Throughout, Bryan Singer's movie there is a feeling of foreboding that hangs over the heads of the characters. The audience knows where this is all leading. Singer is able to build suspense anyway. During the failed bombing, the camera flashes back and forth between locations as the tensions build. The pace of the cuts quickens building the suspense. The movie is written by Christopher McQuarrie, the writer of the Usual Suspects. The script picks up right away and holds your interest up into the tragic ending. Valkyrie surpassed my expectations for it and I thought Singer's direction elevated it from typical historical drama into something special.

Shoot the Piano Player at The Brattle

Alright a quick disclaimer before I go into reviewing Shoot the Piano Player. The movies subtitles were in white and since the movie was in black and white, I could only read about 60 percent of what was on the screen. So this might have effected my understanding or appreciation of the film more than I would know. Shoot the Piano Player is Truffaut's second film, shot right after his widely successful 400 Blows. Considered a disappointment at the time, but highly regarded now, Shoot the Piano Player is a weird little film that is parts comedy, part French new-wave and part film noir. The film follows Charlie Koller, a piano player whose brother is in trouble with thugs, as he gets entangled in his family's mess. The mise-en-scene is perfect as you would expect from Truffaut. But compared to some of his other classics, Shoot the Piano Player fell a little flat for me. Shoot the Piano Player lacks focus and personalty. At times it just seems like rather than allowing the story to flow, Truffaut takes it in unnatural directions. But overall this is still a nice send up to film noir, that shows Truffaut's strength as a director.

Twilight at the Chestnut Hills Cinema

In Twilight, a new girl in school Bella Swan falls for a dreamy vampire named Edward Cullen. Luckily for Bella, Edward isn't a real vampire. He's some sort of gay vampire. Rather than living on human blood, he hunts deer and other wild animals. Also unlike most vampires, he doesn't burn up in the sun. He sparkles like some well-lubed asshole. It's not that Twilight is a bad movie. I actually kind of liked it. I just don't think I'm in its target demographic. The movie is a sentimental little thing made for teenage girls who want to get lost in some sort of vamp romance. As far as teenage romances go, Twilight is relatively smart and well written. The characters are interesting and dynamic. Overall, Twilight doesn't really expand and invigorate the vamp genre, but it is a fun little flick that your girlfriend will dig.

Milk at the Coolidge Corner Theater

I don't like biopics. But I really liked Milk. Most biopics are pretty predictable, they routinely involve 1.) impressive acting performances with 2.) scripts that repeatedly try to show you the importance of their protagonist and 3.) typically have uninspired direction with little or no creativity. 1.) Milk features Sean Penn in an expected great performance. 2.) The script by Dustin Lance Bass continually reminds you of what Milk was able to accomplish in his time as city supervisor, which sometimes is boring. 3.) But, and this is a big but, Gus Van Sant directs the hell out of this picture distinguishing it from most of the biopics I've seen in the past. The pacing throughout the movie is perfect and the camera flows with ease from scene to scene. Van Sant perfectly blends news footage, old videos, and the actual movie, splicing it all together perfectly. I went with Carlson who also really enjoyed it, so I'm not completely crazy. Go see it!

Slumdog Millionaire at The Coolidge Corner Theater

Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of Jamil, an impoverished boy from the Mumbai slums who grows up to be a contestant on India's "Who Wants to be a Millionaire." Each question on the show reveals a portion of his life from his brother to his lost love, Latika. A cinematic fairy tale, Slumdog Millionaire is unapologetically sentimental and romantic. Some have decried its portrayal of India stating that it is unfair and simplistic. However, I think Danny Boyle has created a very impressive pseudo-universe based around the slums and locals of India. If at times the movie seems unfair to India, I don't think that it was Boyle's intent to make a realistic picture of the country. Through his dramatic angles and grainy film, Danny Boyle is creating a Dickens-esque story of great expectations- a story about a boy with an unshakable faith desperate to be reunited with his lost love. Slumdog Millionaire is very hyped. But it's also very good.

The General at the Harvard Film Archive

Beautifully shot in black and white, The General is an impeccably directed film by John Boorman. More stripped down than most of his other movies, Boorman's pacing from scene to scene and the way in which he frames the action couldn't be any better. The General follows Martin Cahill (Brendan Gleeson) from local thug to criminal genius. Cahill has a great irish sense of humor when it comes to his misdemeanors. Beneath his frivolous exterior, Cahill is a complicated man. When the police retaliates and kills all of his pigeons, he tells his son to smile, to not show any weakness. For the most part, Cahill tries to present as a man with abundant strength. Hiding behind his hands or a big hood, Cahill can't bring himself to face his accusers. Boorman was in attendance for the screening. He was presented with a life time achievement award and took part in a question and answer. Typical of most Q&As, the questions were fairly asinine. For the most part, Boorman was pretty abrupt, answering questions with little interest. Overall though, the movie was great and it was exciting to get a glimpse at one of the most unique living filmmakers.

Synecdoche, New York at the Kendall Square Cinema

Synecdoche, New York is a difficult film. Based on some of the reviews I've read prior to this screening, too difficult for some people to enjoy. I have a barometer for difficult films. I don't necessarily need to understand them. And I don't fully understand Synecdoche. But I do need to enjoy them. And I did enjoy Synecdoche. Although some of the images may be beyond my understanding, the general theme of the movie and the ideas that Charlie Kaufman toys with kept me interested and actively involved throughout. In Synecdoche, play director Phillip Seymour Hoffman thinks he is dying. His wife leaves him just before he receives a significant grant to create his masterpiece. He begins to create a play based on his world and the world of those around him. Reality and theater blend together and become confused. Typical of a Charlie Kaufman movie, the characters are presented as harsh and realistic, which contrasts with the more surreal scenes and imagery. In the first movie he has directed, Charlie Kaufman attempts to capture all that life encompasses from dating to death and he succeeds creating a film that has both a significant amount of depth and detail .