The Act of Killing

In 1965, the Indonesian government was overthrown.  The government hired a group of gangsters to get rid of the opposition.  The gangsters became the most notorious death squad and are still prominent figures in Indonesia.  The gangsters, led by Anwar Congo, are proud to boast about their deeds and aren't worried about repercussion.

Director Joshua Oppenheimer invites the gangsters to talk about their experiences and reenact their killings in any way want.  He films their filmmaking experiences... and how the different gangsters handle reliving their past.


An interesting documentary... a brutal and honest look at men who have killed thousands of people.  They each view the acts in different ways, some are haunted by it and others try to justify it.  But do any of them feel remorse.  It is difficult to watch some scenes, such as their depictions of the murders along with detailed descriptions of the experience.  These scenes are interspersed with surreal moments, such as the dancers and waterfalls.

Over 50 years later and these men are still in power and wield a certain amount of fear.  It is interesting to watch the reactions of the people around them, and the fear that you can still see on their faces.

The film drew criticism for failing to talk more about the history of the 1965 uprising.  Regardless, it is a fascinating documentary, where the subjects talk freely with each other and Oppenheimer's team as they film.  I can't decide how I feel about it... but I'm not sorry I watched it.

EDIT: In 2014, Oppenheimer made a follow-up / companion film titled The Look of Silence. 

The Act of Killing (2013) 115 minutes
Director: Joshua Oppenheimer
Starring: Anwar Congo
Herman Koto

Blackfish

Never capture what you can't control.
Keeping orca whales in captivity causes serious consequences.  Orcas have caused the deaths and serious injuries of many people.  Sea World's Tilikum has been involved in the deaths of three people.  Tilikum was captured in 1983 and sold to Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia.  After the death of a trainer in 1991, he was sold to Sea World.  Other killer whales at theme parks have contributed to the deaths of their trainers, or caused serious injuries.


I had been hearing a lot about this film, and when I discovered that it was available on Netflix's instant streaming, I decided to give it a chance.  It is a powerful and emotional documentary, that relies heavily on archival footage and interviews with former Sea World trainers and Orca Researchers.  It was hard to watch, with some intense stories and footage.  At the end, I felt sick to my stomach and still feel that way about the film days later.  During my childhood, my parents took us to Sea World... but I genuinely do not remember the experience.

It's surprising that this documentary was not nominated for an Oscar this year.  Despite that, it continues to be in the spotlight, gaining popularity and outrage as more people watch it.  Sea World has refuted the documentaries claims, which continues to keep the film in the spotlight.

No matter which side you agree with, it is a powerful documentary that will stick with you long after you finish watching.

Blackfish (2013) 83 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic elements including disturbing and violent images
Director: Gabriela Cowperthwaite

Cottage Country

"I have a plan."
"Of course you do"

After a stressful week, Todd Chipowski (Labine) is excited for a quiet week with his girlfriend Cammie Ryan (Akerman) at his parents cabin.  He wants everything to go well, since he has the perfect plan to propose.  Cammie finds the ring and looks forward to the perfect proposal.  Their week of tranquility is ruined by the arrival of Todd's slacker brother Sallinger (Petronijevic) and his free-spirit girlfriend Masha (Punch) arrive and throw everything into chaos.

The next day, the brothers get into a fight, which escalates quickly and ends with Todd accidentally killing Sallinger.  Cammie is determine to not let this ruin their week and takes matters into her own hands.  With Sallinger's intoxicated / high friends crashing at the cabin, childhood friend Dov (Ayres) asking questions, and Officer Mackenzie (Grdevich) asking questions, can Todd and Cammie get their happy ending?


This movie is never what you expect it to be...  you can't predict the ending and most if not all of the characters surprise you.  I was expecting it have a tone similar to Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, which also starred Tyler Labine.

Labine was the main reason I watched this film.  I loved him on TV in Reaper and Sons of Tucson and in Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, so I decided to give it a chance (especially since it was on Netflix instant streaming).  I also enjoy Malin Akerman, she makes interesting film choices and I love her on TV in Trophy Wife, so this film seemed perfect.  Plus, Lucy Punch is hilarious in everything she does, so the cast as a whole was too good to pass up.

The film is interesting... unpredictable (which is refreshing) and slightly off-kilter.  I could do with a lot less cursing.  I don't know if I would recommend it, and I don't want to see it again, but it was interesting.  I just added director Peter Wellington's TV show Slings and Arrows to my Netflix queue, because I am interested to see what else he can do.

Good, but I don't think it will ever be a big hit. 

Cottage Country (2013) 91 minutes
Director: Peter Wellington
Starring: Malin Akerman as Cammie Ryan
Tyler Labine as Todd Chipowski
Lucy Punch as Masha
Dan Petronijevic as Sallinger Chipowski
Benjamin Ayres as Dov Rosenberg
Sabrina Grdevich as Officer Mackenzie

The Monuments Men

"If you destroy their achievements, their history, it's like they never existed."

During WWII, the fighting is putting valuable art work in harms way: destroyed by the war or looted by the German soldiers.  American Frank Stokes (Clooney) convinces the president that the art needs to be protected and returned to their rightful owners.  He assembles a team of 7 artists and art historians to enlist in the army and find the Nazis stash of art.  His team consists of Metropolitan Museum of Art curator James Granger (Damon), engineer Richard Campbell (Murray), sculpture Walter Garfield (Goodman), art historian Preston Savitz (Balaban), British drunk Donald Jeffries (Bonneville), and French Jen Claude Clermont (Dujardin).  They are soon joined by Sam Epstein (Leonidas), who serves as their German translator.

They split into groups to cover the most ground.  Granger is sent to France to connect with Claire Simone (Blanchett) who has information about where the Germans have stored the art.  The rest are at the front lines trying to convince the Allied soldiers to allow them access to the art.  With the end of the war in sight, they have to race against the Russians to reach the art first.  Can they accomplish their mission?


I was excited about this film from the first time I heard about it.  It is an interesting story and comes from actual events.  With George Clooney in the directors chair, I had high hopes for the film (this is his 5th time in the directors chair), and the all-star cast didn't hurt.  I saw the film with a good friend, and we loved it.  It was a nice mix of serious and humor.  But apparently many critics were less impressed.

The film is based on the book "The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves and the Greatest Treasure Hunt in History" by Robert M. Edsel, which is a true story.  Edsel interviewed many of the men and women who were Monuments Men to record their story.  The book sounds very interesting, and it is no surprise that this story sparked the attention of Hollywood.

Clooney and Grant Heslov wrote and produced the film and filled it with great actors.  Each of the actors works well in their role and has a strong presence in the film.  They work well together and in small groups.  Cate Blanchett is the only female character (there are others, but she has a name and personality and screen time), and holds her own among her male co-stars.  It was nice to see Downton Abbey star Hugh Bonneville on screen, and playing a very different character.  I also appreciated Jean Dujardin, who I loved in The Artist and in the OSS 117 films.

It was an intriguing story, and perhaps some things could be done better... but it was an enjoyable (and historical) film.

The Monuments Men (2014) 118 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some images of war violence and historical smoking
Director: George Clooney
Starring: George Clooney as Frank Stokes
Matt Damon as James Granger
Bill Murray as Richard Campbell
John Goodman as Walter Garfield
Jean Dujardin as Jean Claude Clermont
Bob Balaban as Preston Savitz
Hugh Bonneville as Donald Jeffries
Cate Blanchett as Claire Simone
Dimitri Leonidas as Sam Epstein

20 Feet from Stardom

Backup singers need to blend into the background while still providing a foundation for the leads.  Director Morgan Neville shines a light on some of these extraordinary performers as they share anecdotes about their experiences working with music legends on now iconic songs.  Well-known musicians also sing their praises and share their own memories of these performers.

Most of the women were pastors daughters that learned to sing in church.  They were hired to bring the "black sound" to songs.  Many tried to go solo, after their backup work was lauded, but failed to become household names.  A beautiful, emotional, mesmerizing documentary.


After watching this film, you will never listen to music the same way.  It is a powerful film, making you rethink the songs you love.  The women at the center of this documentary are captivating and great storytellers, with incredible voices and experiences.

Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, Claudia Lennear and others recall how their vocals were used in memorable songs... but their debut solo albums didn't work out as well as they hoped.  The film also focuses on Judith Hill, who was on season 4 of "The Voice" (which was filmed after this documentary), who is trying to kick start her solo career.

This is my pick for the Oscar for Best Documentary feature.  Powerful stuff and lots of good music.

20 Feet from Stardom (2013) 89 minutes
Rating: PG-13 for some strong language and sexual material
Director: Morgan Neville
Starring: Darlene Love
Merry Clayton
Lisa Fischer
Judith Hill
Tata Vega
Claudia Lennear
Gloria Jones
Janice Pendarvis
The Waters: Oren Waters, Maxine Waters, Julia Waters
Stevvi Alexander
Jo Lawry

The Croods

"I can't believe your family has never seen rain!"
"We don't get out much."

The Croods live in a constant state of fear.  They spend most days in the security of their cave and only venture out to hunt as a family.  It is this fear that has kept them alive for years, but daughter Eep (Stone) longs for something more.  One night she leaves the cave to investigate a strange light.  While out, she meets a strange man, Guy (Reynolds), who lives out in the open and can create fire.  He tells her about "the end" and then leaves with his companion Belt (Sanders).

All of Guy's predictions come true and the cave is destroyed.  The Croods have no choice but to venture into the wild world.  With Grug's (Cage) protective instincts and Guy's worldly knowledge, can the family make it to "tomorrow"?


An interesting premise, that gave the animators free reign to let their imaginations run free.  They used that freedom to create many color creatures with bright color schemes.

The story follows a close knit family that gets along well.  Even when they disagree, they still function as a cohesive family unit, which was refreshing.  Each member of the family fills a role within the family, although as characters they are a little flat.

A cute family film.

The Croods (2013) 98 minutes
Director: Kirk De Micco & Chris Sanders
Starring: Nicolas Cage as Grug
Emma Stone as Eep
Ryan Reynolds as Guy
Catherine Keener as Ugga
Cloris Leachman as Gran
Clark Duke as Thunk
Chris Sanders as Belt
Randy Thorn as Sandy

The Quiet Man

"He'll regret it till his dying day, if ever he lives that long."

American Sean Thorton (Wayne) moves to the small Irish town of Inisfree.  He plans to buy the property that used to belong to his family.  He purchases the land from the Widow Sarah Tilane (Natwick), causing friction with his new neighbor Squire Will Danaher (McLaglen).  He also falls for Danaher's fiery sister Mary Kate (O'Hara).

Thorton hires matchmaker Michaleen Flynn (Fitzgerald) so he can court Mary Kate, who returns his affections.  Will is opposed to the match and refuses his consent.  To help the pair, Michaleen teams with Catholic priest Father Peter Lonergan (Bond), Protestant Reverend Cyril Playfair (Shields) and his wife Elizabeth Playfair (Crowe).  Can the couple find happiness or will Thorton have to knock some sense into Will?


When John Ford and John Wayne teamed up for this film, they were best known for Westerns or action films.  It was considered a risky picture, causing the studio to insist that Ford and his stars also make a Western (Rio Grande).  The risk paid off, garnering 2 Academy Awards (Best Director and Best Cinematography) out of 7 nominations.

The film was a family affair for Ford and his stars.  Ford's brother Francis Ford plays Dan Tobin (the elderly man) and his son-in-law, Ken Curtis, has a small role as the accordion player.  Wayne's 4 children (Michael Wayne, Toni Wayne, Patrick Wayne, and Melinda Wayne) all have small roles in the race scene.  Maureen O'Hara's younger brothers also had roles in the film: Charles FitzSimons as Hugh Forbes and James Lilburn as Father Paul.

Wayne and O'Hara have excellent chemistry and often collaborated together, normally with Ford as the director.  They are supported by an intriguing group of characters, who each get funny moments to shine.  The film is best remembered for the epic, comedic battle between Wayne's Sean Thorton and Victor McLaglen's Will Danaher.  It is also remembered for Wayne dragging O'Hara from the train station to her brother's home, with the entire town following along.  It is beautifully filmed and very funny.

The Quiet Man (1952) 129 minutes
Director: John Ford
Starring: John Wayne as Sean Thorton
Maureen O'Hara as Mary Kate Danaher
Barry Fitzgerald as Michaleen Oge Flynn
Victor McLaglen as Squire "Red" Will Danaher
Ward Bond as Father Peter Lonergan
Mildred Natwick as The Widow Sarah Tillane
Francis Ford as Dan Tobin
Arthur Shields as Reverend Cyril Playfair
Eileen Crowe as Elizabeth Playfair
Charles FitzSimons as Hugh Forbes
James Lilburn as Father Paul
Jack MacGowran as Ignatius Feeney

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