Lions for Lambs

Released in 2007, Lions for Lambs is an interesting time capsule with regards to the War on Terror at the six year point. While not the critical darling those involved probably had hoped it would be (the film currently holds a 6.2 /10 on IMDb), it does star a good cast who all give respectable performances. Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise and Andrew Garfield all make the film watchable and it is an interesting approach with Meryl Streep playing a liberal reporter, Tom Cruise playing a Republican senator, and Robert Redford playing a college professor that served in Vietnam. However, it just doesn't capitalize on it's own premise and the majority of movie consists mostly of people just sitting in offices talking about morality and philosophical view points regarding the war. If done just a little better it could've ben compelling but, as is, it ends up feeling like a series of lectures and it wears thin after about 45 mins with the movie never really going anywhere. 

I give this one a 2 out of 5

The Conspirator

The Conspirator is a 2010, American Civil War era, courtroom drama Directed by Robert Redford. It follows the trial of Mary Surratt, a widow who owned a boarding house and was accused of being connected to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. There's a lot to like about this movie but it isn't without some notable faults. Now, as always, I'm taking the movie at face value and ignoring any historical inaccuracies because;

 A) This is a movie review.

-and-

B) I don't like doing research.

Where it works: 

I think it's a well made,and mostly well acted film. Even though I'm not a big James McAvoy fan, I though he was solid in this film. Also, this isn't one of those historical stories that's been done a million times. Sure, the death of Lincoln has been done a lot but not so much the trials afterwards (at least not that I've seen) so I was intrigued throughout.

Where it doesn't:

Despite having a solid starring cast and Redford directing, the film did give me a bit of a TV-movie vibe. It's paced a little oddly; slow and methodical overall, but yet breezing though some of the story's more interesting details. Also, even though he's not in it much, whenever Justin Long would enter a scene it would completely take me out of the movie. I just think that was a bad casting choice.

Overall, The Conspirator isn't the best or most tense of courtroom dramas and it isn't a film that I see myself re-watching over and over again, but I still found it entertaining enough. I wouldn't recommend this movie to everyone, but it's worth a watch for any history buffs out there.

2.5 out of 5

Today's Movie: Brubaker

Released in 1980 and starring Robert Redford, Brubaker is one of those really good movies that no one ever seems to talk about. Fun Fact: It also happens to be one of Morgan Freeman's first films (though he's only in it for a few minutes).

At the start of the film Henry Brubaker (played by Robert Redford) enters Wakefield State Prison as an inmate and almost immediately he identifies a slew of problems at the prison. Some of the issues include a doctor charging inmates for medical attention, inmates being tortured, and food with maggots in it. It's soon revealed that Brubaker is actually the new Warden and he plans to turn things around. Of course not everyone is on board with the reforms. Local businessmen had been benefitting from the free labor the inmates were forced into by the previous Warden. Then a political scandal begins to unravel when Brubaker confronts a group of politicians over corruption, repairs that are long overdue, the eventual discovery of several unmarked graves on the prison's property. 

Overall, I think this is a really solid, well-crafted movie. A few of the characters are slightly underdeveloped and the film does drag just a little bit at times, but none of that ruins the movie for me. I recommend checking this one out if you've never seen it.

4 out of 5.

80's Month Day 5: The Natural

The Natural is a 1984 sports movie starring Robert Redford as a baseball player named Roy Hobbs.

The film starts out with a young Roy playing baseball with his father on their farm. Later, Roy's father dies under a tree and that evening the tree is struck by lightning. Roy decides to carve a baseball bat from the damaged tree and even burns a lightning bolt and the name "Wonderboy" on the barrel. Jump ahead a few years to a now 19yr old Hobbs who is on his way to a tryout with the Chicago Cubs. Along the way, while at a carnival, Hobbs is challenged to strike out one of the Majors top hitters,"The Whammer" (played by Joe Don Baker) and much to everyone's surprise he does.

Soon after, Hobbs meets a woman named Harriet who lures him to her hotel room. Harriet then shoots Hobbs and commits suicide. It turns out Harriet had been killing rising star athletes, and two others had already been murdered.

Jump to 16 years later. Hobbs now 35, and no longer a pitcher but now playing right field instead, has just been signed by the last-place New York Knights. The move that frustrates the team's manager Pop Fisher (played by Wilford Brimley) who isn't thrilled by the signing of a middle-aged rookie. After riding the bench for some time, Hobbs eventually gets his chance to play and, along with his bat 'Wonderboy', stars to turn the season around for the Knights. There's a lot that goes on between this point in the season and the Knights winning the pennant at the end, which you know early on is going to be where the film ends up. Hobbs' old gunshot injury causes him problems, Pop Fisher loses his ownership of the team if they fail to win the pennant, Hobbs refuses a bribe to throw the season, there is (of course) a love interest, there is a sports writer played by Robert Duvall desperate to find out anything he can about Hobbs' past, Hobbs helps the bat boy make is own bat which will come back later on in the film... It's not a movie that throws any real surprises at you, but it's all done really well

Overall, it's an entertaining movie and a must-see for baseball fans.

I give it a 4 out of 5.

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Western Wednesday: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid is a 1969 Western starring Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy and Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid. The film has a unique blend of comedy and all the common things you'd expect from a film in this genre.

The plot is straight forward and entertaining: Butch and Sundace, as well as their gang (The Hole In The Wall Gang) are outlaws who are quite fond of robbing trains. It's decided early on that they'll rob a Union Pacific train on both its eastward and westward runs, thinking that no one would expect a second robbery of the same train.The first robbery goes as planned but, unfortunately the second train robbery does not. Butch accidentally uses a bit too much dynamite to blow open the safe, and ends up blowing up an entire baggage car. While the whole gang scrambles to pick up the money that has been blown everywhere, another train arrives. This one is carrying a group of lawmen, so Butch and Sundance make a run for it. Unfortunately for them, the team of lawmen is being lead by a legendary Indian tracker. So, Butch convinces Sundance  that they should escape to Bolivia, where they do actually become successful bank robbers. But it's only a matter of time before the law catches up to them.

 On it's own the plot would make for a decent Western, but it's the chemistry between the two leads (Newman and Redford) that really takes this film from good to great.

Overall, I highly recommend this one and I give it a 4.5 out of 5.


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