The Last King of Scotland

The Last King of Scotland: Forest Whitaker gives a stellar performance as Idi Amin, a brutal Ugandan dictator that reigned in the 1970’s. The story actually centers around another character, Nicholas Garrigan (played by James McAvoy). Garrigan is a recent medical school graduate from Scotland. He chooses to go to Uganda for two reason, for one – he wants to make a difference in the world and secondly he wants to get away from his egocentric father who is also a doctor. While working at a mission in Uganda, Garrigan treats Amin after a mild car accident. Amin is intrigued by Garrigan who is from Scotland, a country he greatly admires. Soon after, he invites Garrigan to come work at his hospital in Kampala and to also serve as his personal doctor. The naïve Garrigan accepts. The plot thickens as Garrigan becomes Amin's most trusted adviser as he slowly gets deeper and more involved in the inner workings of Amin's regime. The film is one very “tense” ride which can be credited to Whitaker 's stellar portrayal of Amin. He creates such a mad man on screen, a loose cannon if you will. I sat in my chair, palms sweating, literally afraid of him. On top of that, the story is engrossing from start to finish. By the time the credits rolled I felt exhausted. Bravo to Forest Whitaker and to all involved in this film! Check this one out.
* * * and ½ or Grade: B+

If this movie had parents they would be: Hotel Rwanda & Match Point

With a running time of 121 minutes
This film is rated R

Letters From Iwo Jima

Letters From Iwo Jima: Clint Eastwood found himself so immersed in the story of Flags of Our Fathers, that he figured the only way to do the whole story justice was to tell it from both sides. The film depicts the battle at Iwo Jima from the Japanese perspective (told in Japanese with English subtitles). It opens up with the Japanese military on the island preparing for the American invasion by digging out caves and ditches. The Japanese commander, General Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) is informed upon his arrival that supplies, ammunition, food, and soldiers are running low and would not be replenished or reinforced. His mission, along with all of the Japanese on the island, is to hold the Americans from taking control of the island all knowing very well it is not a matter of winning, but delaying the inevitable. They all made the ultimate sacrifice to keep their homeland sacred if only for a few extra days. The beauty of the movie is its ability to show that neither side was a “dark enemy”. Both sides were doing what they felt was right. The movie itself is shot in a blue gray tint, with very little color, showing how colorless and cold blooded war is. I did however find the story to move at a slow pace, keeping me from becoming too emotionally involved. It also failed to “wow” me at any point – going into a film like this you expect a “wow” moment. Along with Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima is an excellent account of a historical battle, but I found myself wanting a little more from both.
* * * or Grade: B-

If this movie had parents they would be: Flags of Our Fathers & Tora! Tora! Tora!

With a running time of 140 minutes
This film is rated R

Notes on a Scandal

Notes on a Scandal: Cate Blanchett and the “Dame” Judi Dench star in this very tense and exciting thriller. I love when such good acting in films forces you to feel uneasy as you watch. The acting performances by both lead actresses here is nothing short of spectacular. The story centers on Mrs. Hart (Blanchett), a new art teacher to a school who is befriended by one of the veteran teachers, Barbara Covett (Dench). Mrs. Hart begins an affair with one of her male students (only 15 years of age) and Barbara Covet becomes aware of the scandal. Barbara decides that she will not notify the authorities, as long as Mrs. Hart ends the affair. After their agreement, Barbara and Mrs. Hart form a stronger friendship, but Barbara has a secret agenda. I was very impressed with the writing in this movie. The characters and story are so well written – not a cliché in sight and engrossing right from the start. Dench, Blanchett, and the writer of the novel of the same name (Zoe Heller) did their homework on this one and developed characters that are so unique and believable. They are real and not at all over the top caricatures that we’ve come so used to seeing in these types of movies. The plot keeps getting more intense with every scene, building up to a final confrontation that is remarkable to watch. This is a small, focused story that is told EXTREMELY well – Make Note of it!!!!!
* * * * or Grade A

If this movie had parents they would be: The Talented Mr. Ripley & Single White Female

With a running time of 98 minutes
This film is rated R

DreamGirls

DreamGirls: Based on the Broadway musical of the same name, DreamGirls comes to the silver screen with some star-power. The film is loaded with good performances, but the two that really standout are Eddie Murphy as James “Thunder” Early and Jennifer Hudson as Effie White (I see Oscar nods for both). Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, and even the washed up Danny Glover all turn in terrific performances to round out the cast. The story spans roughly 8 years, as it follows 3 female soul singers from their breakthrough to the point when they are on top of the pop charts. Of course with success you always have some turmoil between the ranks. The turmoil between the girls and their manager (Foxx) is the meat of the story. For all that the film does right, it does wrong as well. Take the musical numbers for instance – there are many good ones, but they crammed too many of them in making me want to hit the fast forward button on the last few. The story which starts so well becomes very cliché, which I felt watered down the drama of the main plot. The film as a whole should have been 20 minutes shorter. I think director Bill Condon got a little too excited with the material and went over the top for the knock out punch when he did not need to. The good does outweigh the bad however, therefore I still recommend DreamGirls, it is just a case where “less could have been more...”
* * * or Grade B-

If this movie had parents they would be: Chicago & The Jacksons: An American Dream

With a run time of 131 minutes
This film is rated PG-13