The Monuments Men ***

In the throes of World War II and its immense destruction in Europe, President Roosevelt authorized the formation of a small group of art professionals and artists whose task would be to save nothing less than the artistic legacy of Western civilization. "The Monuments Men" is the movie based on that endeavor.

The movie steps us through the process: the proposal by Frank Stokes, his formation of the group, their basic training and posting to Europe about the time of D-Day, and their detective work trying to find the priceless art looted by the Nazis and destined for Hitler's planned grand museum or the houses of his favorites. Stokes is played by a very competent George Clooney, but he also directed and shares a screenwriting credit with Grant Heslov. And all that may have been a bridge too far.

The movie suffers from a slackness and lack of focus in the first act. A charitable view might be that it reflects the insecurity of the group and their own lack of a concrete plan, but the audience should not share in their puzzlement. The group splits up for various missions, but once again there is a looseness that loses the narrative thread. Various incidents illustrate their semi-soldierly status, but are badly handled. The sacrifice in defending a major piece is staged to seem pointless, and the fatal wounding of a member of the group is cloaked in confusion. These seem to be directing, not writing problems. 

Eventually there is a major breakthrough that reveals the Nazi grand plan, the movie finally gains some momentum, and there is a rush to a thrilling conclusion, helped along with some manufactured suspense that is more Hollywood than history, Argo style. Overall it's a interesting effort highlighting a little-known aspect of the war, with some memorable moments from Cate Blanchett and Matt Damon.

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Live Action

Live action shorts, by definition, are more grounded than animated shorts, which create whole new worlds with strokes of a pen without regard for the heavy realities of the meat world. This year the nominated live action shorts include two very gritty and suspenseful entries, but there are three which manage, each in its own way, to slip the bonds of literal reality.

The more real ones:

"Aquel no era yo" ("That Wasn't Me")  ****
The most searing and brutal entry, from Spain, deals close-up with the horror of child soldiers in Africa. My pick for the Academy award.

"Avant que de tout perdre" ("Just Before Losing Everything")  ****
The French entry depicts a mother and her children in crisis in a film that in the midst of everyday life and work slowly reveals their circumstance and the source of their fears. I found it powerful.

And on the more fanciful side:

"Helium"  **
The janitor at a children's hospital strikes up a friendship with a young patient, relating a tale about the magical world of Helium. A bit cloying for my taste. From Denmark.

"The Voorman Problem"  ***
A doctor is called in to talk some sense into a prisoner who insists he is God, with, as they say, unforeseen consequences. Illuminated by the performance of Martin Freeman (the Hobbit). From the U.K.

"Pitääkö mun kaikki hoitaa?" ("Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?")  ***
A city couple with two young children oversleep and must rush around like crazy to make it to the wedding in time. Hilarious and surprising. From Finland.

Oscar Nominated Short Films 2014: Animation

Thanks once again to Shorts International for pulling together the Oscar nominated animated shorts this year, along with a couple of honorable mentions. It's a high quality group, as you can imagine, with interstitials enlivened this year with a running dialogue between two veteran animated actors, a seen-it-all ostrich and a blasé giraffe. These two tell insider stories about other animated actors, which were really funny - a nice surprise.

My take on the shorts:

"Get a Horse!" *** from Disney starring Mickey and Minnie, USA. This one I had seen before "Saving Mr. Banks" as I recall. It starts out as a classic-looking 'thirties slapstick tale of a bully in a motor car, then morphs into a full-color feature when the hijinks bust through the screen. The dialogue was apparently lifted from vintage cartoons (Disney himself is credited), and it did capture the look and feel of the old classics. However, it suffered from a lack of ideas beyond the usual knockabout, and the chases from black and white to color and back again were not original enough to keep the thing afloat.

"Mr Hublot" ***** from Luxembourg/France. In a steampunk world (see above) a mechanical man adopts a mechanical dog, with unforeseen consequences. For me, this was by far the most original and enjoyable of the shorts presented. Bravo!

"Feral" ** from USA. In a minimalist drawing style we see a feral child retrieved from the woods, who then uses the same survival tactics in the civilized world that he learned in the wild. The style and the story kept me at a remove from the piece.

"Possessions" *** from Japan. In a richly Japanese decorative flat style we meet a traveling tinker who takes refuge from a storm in a haunted house, where his skills are put to the test. It was entertaining and sweetly instructive.

"Room on the Broom" ** from the UK. Based on the children's book, it's an entirely predictable tale of a witch who collects a few friends and hangers-on in her travels. For the very young at heart.

The honorable mentions were amusing but not stellar. My favorite was from France, "A la Française," where we are treated to the full cast of characters at the Versailles of Louis XIV, all played by chickens. Also appearing is a near-photographic entry from Pixar, "The Blue Umbrella," which suffers from a lack of content, and "The Missing Scarf," from Ireland, which tackles some big themes in a short seven minutes.

I, Frankenstein IMAX 3D **

A so-so stab at creating another "Underworld," unfortunately "I, Frankenstein" is a dry and humorless exercise in myth-making. There are some visually arresting moments, especially in the battle scenes, and the thrill of flying with gargoyles, so the IMAX and 3D are not totally wasted.

As in "Underworld," which shares a writer and three producers with this film, there is a war hidden from humans that has gone on for centuries. This one is between the demons from below, and God's army of flying gargoyles based in a cathedral. Both sides can pass for human, and seldom show their true identities.

Eckhart performs well in the many fight scenes, and got lean and ripped for the part, but his clenched teeth one-note performance fails to convey the torment of the creature that the writers were aiming for. Bill Nighy plays a sophisticated demon in an expensive suit quite well. Yvonne Strahovski provides a decorative presence as a lovely doctor and researcher caught up unawares in the demons' plot, and Miranda Otto projects a regal decisiveness as the queen of the gargoyles.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit IMAX ***

A passable popcorn spy thriller, with current tech gadgets and savvy links to the social media zeitgeist, fight and car-chase action, and a hero who uses his brain. It's Chris Pine's appeal that holds it all together, with fine work from Kenneth Branagh and Kiera Knightly. The story is clear enough, although a murder attempt out of nowhere, while exciting, is not explained or particularly logical. Other than that, the plot makes sense, and we are told just enough to keep up the suspense and to provide those satisfying aha moments.

This latest incarnation of the Tom Clancy characters starts with an extended introduction to the Chris Pine version of Jack Ryan, who interrupted his doctoral dissertation after 9/11 to fight in Afghanistan. Gravely injured in a helicopter crash where he showed bravery and selfless concern for his men, he met a lovely doctor in training (Kiera Knightly) during his agonizing rehab. Clearly the kind of smart patriot who would be of use, he's recruited by the CIA in the person of naval officer Thomas Harper (Kevin Costner) to finish his studies and get embedded on Wall Street.

Ten years later, he's a trusted analyst on Wall Street in a firm with Russian partners and living with the lovely doctor. Something odd is going on with the Russian accounts, so Jack goes to Moscow to audit. It's this trip that changes his job description from desk worker to operations. The scheme is ambitious and a huge threat to the U.S. The Russian company is led by a cold operator with deep ties to the government (an excellent Kenneth Branagh, who also directed). Their showdown in Moscow is the heart of the movie and deftly handled. With the machinery now clearly in place, I wouldn't mind seeing another episode.

The Legend of Hercules 3D **

In this gladiator version of the Hercules legend Kellan Lutz looks the part, performs well in the fight scenes and passably in the romantic interludes, but is clearly out of his league when any real acting is required. In those scenes his lieutenant Sotiris (a competent Liam McIntyre) steps in, and in a crucial scene convinces their owner that they should go back to Greece for a big fight and the chance to earn their freedom. There's little of the clever trickster Hercules here, or of his pansexual prowess either for that matter.

The Hercules story gets a just war twist as Alcmene, the mother of Alcides/Hercules, goes to Hera, jealous wife of Zeus, for help to quell her husband's wonton warring. So instead of trying to keep Zeus from her bed, Hera names the offspring that will come to Queen Alcmene. And the boy will come after his brother, not as a twin, which I guess could get too complicated to deal with in a fight movie. Strangely then, Hera, normally the tormentor of her husband's illegitimate son, becomes a promoter of Hercules.

The story becomes one of rival brothers, the weak older Iphicles (a lackluster Liam Garrigan) promoted by his murderous father King Amphitryon (a fiery Scott Adkins). When Iphicles takes credit for the slaying of the Nemean lion, it's clear he's a vain and duplicitous coward. The story also borrows freely from the Christian tradition as there is a Samson-like scene, and supernatural powers are granted to Hercules when he acknowledges Zeus as his heavenly father.

After a slow first half the action picks up, and several of the fight scenes add some punch to the proceedings. Gaia Weiss as the princess both brothers love is beautiful in a mostly decorative part, and as Alcmene Roxanne McKee (of "Games of Thrones") is a comparative standout in a mediocre movie.

August: Osage County ***

A Southern gothic family tale transplanted to the plains of Oklahoma, "August: Osage County" has the sweaty heat and long-hidden secrets worthy of Faulkner or Williams. As the Weston clan gathers for a funeral there are more than enough pills, liquor, and wine to keep the tongues of the three sisters and the woman who raised them wagging.

Considering the time we spend with the brutal Violet (a scenery-chewing Meryl Streep), it's something of a wonder that her daughters turned out as well as they did. There's Barbara (a very strong Julia Roberts) whose marriage has hit a rough patch, Karen (a tarted up Juliette Lewis), and poor Ivy (a long-suffering Julianne Nicholson). There are plenty of revelations, and the men in their lives, played by an able stable of actors - Chris Cooper, Dermot Mulroney, Ewan McGregor, Benedict Cumberbatch - have their share of secrets as well.

The screenplay is adapted by the playwright of the original himself, Tracy Letts, but as so often happens, attempts to open up the play still leave the remnants of the fourth wall and a stuffy literary atmosphere. Remarkable mostly for the performances of Streep and Roberts, who do break free from the constraints imposed by the structure, "August: Osage County" delivers some strong emotions, a good dose of humor, and portraits of four fearsome women.