The Debt

My View: The Debt (2011) In 1966, three Israeli agents track down a Nazi war criminal in East Berlin. Their mission is successful, but at a price – a price that is revealed and haunts the agents thirty years later. This is an intriguing and exciting story that has many twists and turns, some I didn't expect. Helen Mirren plays the female agent in 1997 who has to relive the mission because her daughter writes a book about the operation. But, the main reason to see this film is Jessica Chastain (The Help) who plays Helen Mirren’s character in 1967. She lights up the screen as the Mossad agent who is on her first mission and has to survive in Communist East Berlin with her fellow agents who use their cunning and wit.  My Rating: Full Price   The Debt website

The 50 (a movie from my best/worst film of all time)

#35 Worst Film

Heaven’s Gate (1980) This is the movie that brought a studio to its knees. Fresh off his award-winning direction of The Deer Hunter, Untied Artists threw the bank at Michael Cimino to make a Western about the land wars of Wyoming. Sparing no expense, Cimino filmed probably the most accurate looking Western ever made, but also one of the most boring with a running time that exceeds four hours.  Christopher Walken plays a cowboy who looks like he has arrived on set without really learing his lines.  Kris Kristofferson plays his role as if he hasn't recovered from his hangover from shooting A Star Is Born, and Isabelle Huppert, as the love interest, has such a strong French accent you almost need subtitles to understand her. This movie is summed up by the pivotal scene that takes place in a roller rink…a roller rink!  Heaven's Gate Info

Forgotten Film: Angels & Insects  (1995)  William (played by Mark Rylance) is a naturalist in Victoria England  who has come back from exploring the Amazon after losing everything in a shipwreck. He is befriended by a rich, amateur insect collector, who hires him to catalog his vast collection with the help of the family governess (played by Kristin Scott Thomas). The shy William meets his benefactor's daughter (played by the lovely Patsy Kensit), a recent widow.  Much to his surprise, she shows interest in him, and they get married. But, all is not well in the household, and there are many secrets in this privileged world that William has married into. Don't think that this is your ordinary Victorian costume drama as there are some rather explicit sex scenes that caused quite a stir when the film was released in 1995.    Angels & Insects Info

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD): X-Men: First Class  This was one of the better films of the summer and certainly the best from the "comic book" films, including Captain America and Green Lantern (ugh). This is really a first-class story about the origins of the X-Men, both good and bad guys. The two things that mostly stood out for me were the performance by Jennifer Lawrence as Raven  (soon to be named Mystique) and the chemistry in the bro-mance between Charles Xavier (soon to be Professor X) and Erik Lehnsherr (soon to be Magneto). My Rating: Full Price   X-Men: First Class Website

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers but Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): Paranormal Activity 3  This movie is a prequel to the first two Paranormal Activity films. Do we really need to see more scary things in the room under low light? Isn't that what the Sarah Jessica Parker movie is going to be?   Paranormal Activity 3 Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Don't Be Afraid of the Dark: Creature Voices - Guillermo del Toro

Flictionary (a Definition of a Film Term) Grip: Grips are lighting and rigging technicians on a film. Their responsibility is to build the rigs to mount lights or cameras on.  Camera Grips help move the camera during a shot if a camera is mounted on a movable base, such as a dolly.

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Ides of March  Director/Actor George Clooney brings this political drama to the screen. Clooney plays the front runner candidate for President, and Ryan Gosling plays his hot shot media consultant. Gosling learns something about Clooney that makes him question  his candidate and the political system, itself. This film has a great supporting cast with Paul Giamatti, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Marisa Tomei.   Ides of March Website

Until Next Time!