American Sniper Is Very Well Made Propaganda

Clint Eastwood finally managed to make a film that didn't bore me to tears. But that doesn't mean American Sniper is %100 just or fair.

American Sniper is the true life story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper). Known as the deadliest killer in US military history, Kyle's obsessive nature pulls him back again and again to a war where the casualties frequently exist in the form of young children and mothers. Families stuck between a rock and a hard place. But Kyle always remains true to his values... in war that is. His home life is a different story altogether.

While I'll happily commend the caliber of filmmaking (I really do like it when filmmakers prove me wrong), I cannot ignore just how one-sided this picture is. At no point is the war questioned, rather it is always remarked upon with the utmost of import... Kyle constantly streams out lines explaining how this war is protecting his family, though there is no imminent threat on his home, wife, or children. And while in most cases, such a strong character opinion could be left as just that, a character's single opinion, American Sniper manages to make this message ultimately seem unquestionable. Even as his wife Taya (Sienna Miller) denounces Kyle's decisions to return to war,  she seems to never feel the need to state any truly strong opinions against the overall operation. This struck me as odd. But it wasn't enough to shortchange the overall film. It was just well made. Interesting. Entertaining. And while war films usually miss the mark for me, this one managed to shoot straight.

I suppose what makes this such an interesting piece is the mythological nature of it. By the time Chris Kyle has returned for his second tour of duty (pretty early on) he has already achieved myth status. To the men around him he is frequently referred to as "Legend" and so the film seems to go with his character as well. There is never a weakness in him. There is never a miss or a misstep... outside of one home incident. And even that is cleaned up in such a way that we are expected to feel nothing but respect for every aspect of the man's life. And I agree he is a true hero. But something about this approach to his character feels strikingly like propaganda straight out of the 1950s.

Regardless of that opinion, Bradley Cooper gave a clear and concise performance. I really think he's coming along as an actor and it's cool to watch him grow here. I've never had a problem with Sienna Miller and to be honest, she's having a booming year. After this and Foxcatcher I think she's gonna start turning more heads and getting more attention from critics and awards groups alike.

American Sniper may not tell the whole story, but the story Jason Hall's script chooses to tell is good enough for now. If this film were viewed from a strictly neutral position with only the intention of being quality entertainment, it would succeed in droves. Even so, I still walked away liking the flick. And with a much greater respect for the people involved in making it to boot.

Marvel's The Astonishing Guardians Of The Galaxy

I caught a midnight screening of Guardians of the Galaxy last night, and I've gotta admit, I'm still flabbergasted.

This is the lesser known story of a team of superheroes that no one ever really thought of as major players. They're the misfits... the B team with A team powers. And they're a strange kind of comic relief in the Marvel Universe... because they actually can fight and win and their quirk is just a part of what makes them lovable. But the idea of putting these guys on screen in their own major motion picture event... well that would have seemed unbelievable only two years ago. Yet Marvel dug deep and decided, at some point they'd have to start using their lesser known characters. Well they had already established that Thanos was gonna be a major part of the Avengers story line... come the third Avengers movie. So at some point they would have to start dealing with areas beyond Earth... and Asgard. So logically, Guardians of the Galaxy was that next step.

What James Gunn (Super, Slither) has accomplished here is nothing short of a miracle. He's taken a team that no one had ever heard of and turned them into a legitimate franchise in their own right. Even greater, he's given people an almost new property (this current Guardians lineup is only six years old in the comics) to sink their teeth into and get invested in. Suddenly the Marvel Universe feels so much bigger... and anything and everything is possible. Because this film has proven that they CAN introduce fifty new characters and twelve new worlds without the audience ever having to skip a beat. Like I said, I'm flabbergasted.

Chris Pratt is so likable as Star Lord. He's quirky and charming and just plain gets the job done. It's so exciting to watch this guy succeed because that's all he's been doing for the last fifteen years is proving he's the guy... and finally here he is leading a superhero squad on a most amazing adventure. Zoe Saldana likewise fits her role, Gamora, perfectly and has been building on a young but impressive career. To include Bradley Cooper as Rocket Raccoon is just perfect casting and I'd venture so far as to say I think I'd rather see Vin Diesel as Groot than any other Marvel superhero. Dave Batista's Drax is sadistic and wonderful... and that's the whole team. They all rock.

Then you get the other guys, Lee Pace is just entertaining as Ronan and Michael Rooker's Yondu feels like exactly what that character should always be. Karen Gillan does a great job as Nebula, and while Djimon Hounsou didn't get nearly enough screen time as Korath, he was still damn cool. John C. Reilly is fun and down to Earth here as well. He fully understands what this movie is supposed to be. And let's not forget about Glen Close, Benicio Del Toro, and Peter Serafinowicz all of whom admirably fill their roles with quality. It's impressive to see the lengths Marvel was willing to go to in casting this film. Every other character is played by a star. And that's gotta be a piece of their formula for success here... or maybe it's just that everybody wanted to be involved because they all believe in what Marvel's doing.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Guardians of the Galaxy is the biggest movie Marvel's ever made. Yes. It's bigger than The Avengers. It spans a galaxy and the stakes are high. The cast is so massive and well rounded that it almost makes the Avengers team look small... almost. Just saying, I can't wait to see these guys show up again both in their own movies and likely in Avengers 3.

David O. Russell Makes A Better Movie Than I Expected In American Hustle

It's true.

Unlike most people, I did not enjoy his previous film, Silver Linings Playbook.

It simply fell flat for me. And at no point did I find the concept worthy of a full-length feature. So when the trailers came out for American Hustle I was seriously nervous. Mostly I found myself mourning his earlier works, Three Kings and I Heart Huckabees and The Fighter. But then I saw the movie.

American Hustle is gripping. It does just enough at every turn to keep you paying attention. And it is very very well cast.

Christian Bale does an excellent job. He seems to work well with everybody. Amy Adams is a treat. It nice to see her getting an opportunity to show a few sides of herself she really doesn't get to express that often. Bradley Cooper is very serviceable and has some hilarious sequences with Louis C. K. (so glad he's in this one by the way). And Jennifer Lawrence, in tandem with Christian Bale, has legitimately the best scene in the entire film. That really only leaves Jeremy Renner. If I were to rate his performance scene by scene he would get an A for Acting nine times out of ten. But that final scene was so completely discombobulated that it leaves a bad mark on the rest of his work. It's really too bad too. I don't even think it was his fault to be honest. It feels as though in post, the scene got torn up and left in pieces on the cutting room floor. Perhaps those additional pieces just didn't fit the rest of the film. Oh well. Too bad so sad.

David O. Russell doesn't really strike me as a sentimentalist anyway.

But American Hustle as a whole is a very solid movie. The twists are actually twists and the concept is fun and always interesting. After a massive success with what I see as a completely overrated film, David O. Russell came back and made a movie actually worth watching. Kudos to that.