nomadreader

The basics: Matt Damon plays Roy Miller,a warrant officer leading teams on tactical missions to discover the weapons of mass destruction we all now know were never there. My thoughts: If you're been paying attention for long here, you know I'm not a big fan of war films (the notable exception, of course, being The Messenger , which is both the best war film I've seen and the best film of 2009.) I almost always enjoy Matt Damon, and his films with Paul Greengrass have been smart, action thrillers, so I was still eager to see this film. Green Zone take place, not surprisingly, in the Green Zone of Iraq. It's a contemporary war film, a genre that often has trouble gaining traction. If you're a person who goes to movies to escape reality, then you probably don't read my blog; if you're a person who goes to movies to gain a deeper understanding of the world, contemporary or not, and also to be entertained, then you might just find yourself in love with this ...

The backstory: True Grit  is nominated for two Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best  Supporting Actress, Hailee Steinfeld, and Best Actor, Jeff Bridges. The basics: Based on the novel by Charles Portis , True Grit , is not a remake of the John Wayne version of the film . It is a new adaptation and true to the gritty roots of westerns. Young Mattie Ross ventures to the big city to claim her father's body and vows to get vengeance from the man who murdered him. My thoughts: I used to freely admit I didn't like westerns. I thought they were outdated and sexist. After seeing True Grit , I'm woman enough to admit it: I like westerns. True Grit  is a delightful mix of modern and classic. Hailee Steinfeld is a revelation. Yes, she is just as bad-ass as she appears in the ads, but the true beauty of her performance are the times she shows her fear and vulnerability. She is fourteen, and she looks fourteen, she mostly doesn't act fourteen. Her courage is admirable, as well as...

Welcome to my Monday morning recap of my fabulous Friday night movie at the Spectrum Theater and dinner at New World Bistro Bar! Invictus: I was thrilled Invictus finally came out. I love sports movies, and I am quite a big fan of Matt Damon. Throw in Morgan Freeman, and I was sold. I wanted so badly to like it, but it was only okay. The movie opens with some sensationally remade news footage of Nelson Mandela (with Morgan Freeman inserted) to provide backstory. Mandela takes over the presidency of a very divided South Africa, and he tries to unite the country around its rugby team. As the story begins, the white fans cheer for the Springboks, while the black fans cheer against them, no matter what team they're playing. Matt Damon plays the rugby team captain, Francois Pienaar. The good: The acting was good, and at times great. Morgan Freeman completely captured Nelson Mandela's frailty and disposition. Matt Damon was good, although I didn't think he had too much to...