Movies I've seen recently...
Milk (2008) A
Just from the first opening scenes, you can already tell that "Milk" is going to be an "important" movie to see. One of the things that "Milk" preaches is to not be prejudice against homosexuals, and this film itself tests your resolve in that by having it's gay characters be very visually open about their sexuality in the movie. Ofcourse the true appeal here is to see Sean Penn's acting as Harvey Milk, because wow did he do an excellent job. You won't be forgetting Penn's character and his performance anytime soon after watching this. While the movie itself can be relatively straight forward as biography films goes, it is undeniably fascinating. Watching Harvey Milk transform from somebody who just had opinions about the gay community in America, into somebody who becomes a leader for the American gay community is quite engaging. The movie is also surprisingly educational, because you will actually observe the political process, and it's amazing to see even Harvey Milk embrace how ruthless and conniving a politician can be. "Milk" is a powerful and thought provoking film to watch, and kudos needs to be given to director Gus Van Sant, writer Dustin Lance Black, and the great performance by Sean Penn.
Valkyrie (2008) C+
As a movie about an attempt to kill Adolf Hitler by a secret German resistance against Nazi Germany, director Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" is just adequate. The movie has a strong cast of actors, from Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, to ofcourse Tom Cruise whose character Colonel Claus Von Stauffenberg is the story that we are following. It is Stauffenberg's obsession to end Hitler's reign that we are suppose to symphatize with, and overall you can't help but feel the sense of paranoia with the other characters as to whether they will be captured and killed for treason, as they try and attempt this seemingly impossible coup. "Valkyrie" is pretty much a "caper film" though, with the crux of the motivation to see it resting on finding out whether they pull it off or not. While I admire the heart and idea to get this story on film, I can't help but feel like it could have been a better movie. One point that was emphasized in "Valkyrie" was in showing how not all Germans were like Hitler, and they at least definitely got that point across spectacularly here.
Resident Evil : Degeneration (2008) C-
Out of all the Resident Evil movies that has been released, it figures that it would be the non-live-action film that would be the one closest to the feel of the actual video games themselves that the franchise has adapted. But is that necessarily a good thing? "Resident Evil : Degeneration" is clearly only meant for the fans, because as a movie itself it is just passable and easily forgetable. The fans will appreciate having video game characters Claire Redfield and Leon S Kennedy together again in a story, and the "infected" enemies are more or less what is expected from the game. Unfortunately it's got general issues. As an action movie, it's not that exciting. As a zombie horror movie, it's not scary at all. In terms of just the story, it's not that interesting. The biggest disappointment I have however is with what is clearly suppose to be the movie's strong suit, the CGI work of the film, which feels like it literally is just an expanded cut scene from the games. The character design and animation is simply not on par with other CGI films out there, and this really does belong in the "straight to video" market. I'm still waiting for that good Resident Evil film...
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