An all-star cast. Great story. Obviously well acted. I admire George Clooney more every day. He is on my top five list of people I would love to have dinner with—-though I suspect he and I would argue a lot. Kudos to George for making this story into a film. It should be admired. There was one problem. This was not a great movie.

The Monuments Men is an drama about some middle aged men being drafted into a  World War II platoon to save great works of art threatened by Hitler and the Nazis.  Think Space Cowboys (2000)  meets Stripes (1981) without as much charm and humor.

My expectations were unfortunately huge for this film. It had been hyped more than Susan Rice pushed the ” Innocense of Muslims” for causing the Benghazi massacre.  The trailers have all the funny and interesting scenes. The rest is really a dramatic documentary, and for that, it has great value. TMG just walked out of the film feeling, “okay, nice film, let’s get dinner.”  Don’t get me wrong. The film and its story are monumental….literally.  But great movies are a different thing. This just was not a great movie.

I might have easily tolerated an another hour of this film, perhaps going into greater detail of the Nazi stealing machine or more behind the scenes action to save it—even the politics to make it happen. I was thinking more like Charlie Wilson’s War (2007). I would have gladly traded two hours of the wasted time  in The Wolf of Wall Street for more education on great works of world art.

The one great moral question this film posed was the value of human life versus the value of historic works of art. Clooney, as art warrior Frank Stokes, states unequivocally near the end that saving the artwork was worth men’s lives. I am not sure I am convinced. I think his statement that the men who died would have felt their effort was noble and just to fight evil like the Nazi’s was worth it, …but their lives for canvas with paint and carved marble?  TMG thinks human life is more scared and valuable. Reasonable efforts? Sure. But there will be more great artists and more great works made. Saving the past is hugely important, but not at the cost of my Dad’s life (who survived WWII)  or that of my son or daughter. This was a point well made in this film by the Army leaders who had already seen way too many young men and women die. They were not going to risk more lives to save pictures. I think their viewpoint may have been too dismissed in the film.

Go see this film. Support what it stands for. Take your children. Educate them on the meaning of guts, bravery, principals, evil, culture and goodness. Just don’t expect a great movie. But thanks George. TMG does appreciate the effort.

I know many folks will just freak out at TMG’s relatively low rating for this movie. After all, TMG is a huge Matthew McConaughey fan.  What he had to do to prepare for this role makes me admire him all the more. The story line is great. McConaughey’s personal performance is off the charts awesome. There are lots of good messages in this film. So what is the problem?  It is a movie. This is rare occasion I would say “a book would be better.”

McConaughey plays electrician and part time bull rider Ron Woodroof who comes down with AIDS. Ron is not gay, but likely contracted the disease through unprotected sex or drug use. The revelation blows his mind and his friends away. Lacking effective treatment in 1985, he forms a “Buyers Club” to import drugs from Mexico and around the world that show promise to at least mitigate AIDs symptoms. He is a modestly successful hustler at this effort. Access to experimental drugs, not approved b the FDA in the United States perhaps helped some, but at what costs of false promises? It also threatened the tradition medical research community and government law enforcement. I admired the David versus Goliath theme. I treasure any small guy that stands up to big government. But a 25 day film shoot and low budget came at a price.

TMG always says the measure of a film has to be whether after the credits go up, can you honestly say you enjoyed it. “Enjoy” takes many forms. A film might make your laugh; another make you jump for joy; inspire you; thrill you; educate you; frighten you; or make you cry and deepen your humanity. The latter is where this film came close….it just missed. I walked out of this film feeling bad and no better for having seen it.  Joy Lynn and I argued about this for hours. I just need to feel something more when I walk out of a film. No way would I sit through Dallas Buyers Club a second time.

How could this film have been better? A little comic relief for one. A little less stereotyping perhaps. (Not all guys who drink beer and enjoy rodeo are homophobic.) A little more balance perhaps. I did not buy into a successful, research doctor as hot as Jenifer Garner falling for a red neck, bigot with AIDS.

So my heartfelt apologies to Matthew for a performance of a lifetime for which he truly deserves and Oscar. ( I also feel his performance in Mud (2012)  deserved and Oscar along with the film).  A nod as well to Jared Leto for his performance as “Rayon”  a cross dressing gay, transgender wannabe. Leto was more than convincing and reached my heart and my compassion.  I still suggest this story would be better as a book instead.

Riveting. Best film of the year.  Best war tribute since Saving Private Ryan (1998). This movie will grind your humanity to the core and keep you cringing in your seat as you experience the reality of war with no lines, no clear rules of engagement, no clear outcomes…just the clarity of life and death. If you don’t applaud, cry and then go hug a soldier after seeing this film, you may be from Boulder or just over drugged, … or both (apologies for being redundant).

Last night was pretty full.  I read part of Robert Gates book, Duty and then attended the funeral of a good friend named John— a WWII hero. I saw John’s  purple heart, his bronze star. You don’t get those things for sitting on the sidelines in college philosophy class. John survived to raise many fine children and inspire others. My Dad the same. No combat decorations for my Dad but the jungles of New Guinea were not exactly a day in the basement playing Xbox and eating pizza. Then I headed off to see Lone Survivor. My conclusion: War sucks big time. It may be necessary,  but everyone from the President on down better be on board 180%. We don’t put young men and women in harms way unless we are in extreme jeopardy of life and liberty. Because some men (and women)  survive, some do not. The survivors carry their fallen comrades for life, one way or another.

The film is  based on real life account of Marcus Luttrell in “Operation Red Wings”  Afghanistan, 2005. The operation tasked four members of SEAL Team 10 to kill Taliban leader Ahmad Shah. They are poorly supported with communications more faulty than a Comcast cable box. These were regular young guys with girlfriends and a life at home and everything to live for. America’s best young men. Then they encounter and old man, a young child and several goat herders at the wrong place at the wrong time. Now everyone’s life is in jeopardy. Suddenly duty, honor, country, right, wrong ….and basic human instincts to survive get very confused. Another great film, Casualties of War (1989) came to mind.

I do not recommend this film for the weak of heart or for parents of current soldiers. Horrors of war should left off the table for some folks. This is not a film for the under 14 crowd. But every politician and wimp in this country that thinks political tricks and traffic jams are more important than our soldiers and ambassadors from Benghazi to Bagram should be strapped in a seat and forced to watch this film four or five times. I’ll buy Hillary a ticket.

God Bless America tonight. God bless these self described “hard-bodied, hairy-chested,rootin’- tootin’ shootin’, parachutin’ demolition double-cap crimpin’ frogman.” You have to have that type of attitude and sense of humor to face what they face. Remember that and say a prayer for them next time you take a free walk in your local park. And go see this film. Not up to it?  Contribute a few hundred dollars to The Wounded Warriors Project.

A TMG rating of 6.0 is being generous with an emphasis on this movie could have,  and should have, been a whole lot better. How? Listen to an editor and cut about 1.3 hours of pure crap and meaningless scenes from the film. Tossing a pile of hundred dollar bills on top of naked women is funny and outrageous once, but unless you are the guy getting to do it, it is one and done. After twenty scenes of  butt, booze and debauchery on film, you pretty much start thinking of just a good beer, a brat and reading the Wall Street Journal.

This film was Wall Street (1987) on Geckko steroids and quaaludes. It was less about the corruption or inner workings of Wall Street and much more just about unbridled Hedonism. It was a more The Hangover Part III (2013) outtakes meets Catch me if You Can (2002). Basically,  it was a cheap film with bad writing, marginal acting with lots of cash, drugs and T & A—not meaning tax and accounting.

The only real bright spot was the always fun and ingenious acting of Matthew McConaughey. His role was priceless,  but all too short.

This mostly misguided attempt to make an epic was as badly executed as DiCaprio and Scorsese’s effort in Gangs of New York (2002)—a film that made my pet squirrel fall asleep on a pile of acorns. If you have not seen this film yet, skip it. Go home.  Have a quaalude yourself. Pull out a Penthouse magazine and throw some dollar bills in the air.  You will pretty much get the same experience. And if not overly obvious, don’t take your kids or Mom to this one.

While Brad Pitt proves he can act marvelously in his sleep, he is the only redeeming quality in this otherwise worthless piece of trash film.  The only purpose of the film I could come up with was a medium for Cameron Diaz to once again prove she is the sluttiest woman in Hollywood. Job well done.

This film starts out contorted and totally disjointed. It makes no sense in the beginning, the middle or the end. The opening scene is totally ridiculous and only explained by Michael Fassbender paying off writer Cormac McCarthy big time. I guess it just foreshadowed we were all going to be going down big time before the movie was over.

Director Ridley Scott obviously forgot to lay off the cocaine while directing. I cannot even imagine what the plot or storyline was supposed to be. There is no likable character. There are no laughs. There is no suspense. You just get plenty of sweaty Mexicans and gore.  The message? Lay off drugs whether practicing law or directing a film.

What is really weird is this film was billed as a “thriller.” The only “thrills” were the action between Penelope Cruz’ legs and Cameron Diaz and the windshield of a sports car. But frankly, the way Diaz pulled it off and the way Bardem later described the encounter might make any straight guy consider going gay.

Everyone in my theatre got up and shook their head or wanted their money back. I have had a better time draining my dogs anal glands or playing around on the Obama Care website—all three of these experiences will leave you feeling pretty disgusted.

Funny, very funny and often just “effing”hilarious.  Comedy is tough business and there was definitley some comedic genious at work by McCarthy. The “F word”  flies as fluidly as in  The Big Lebowski (1998) and the humor is all adult so this is no film for kids, but mature adults will laugh…and laugh a lot.

More later . . .

A few laughs, slightly cute and little more. Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn can do this bit with no script and half asleep. I am pretty sure they did.  This movie has few ad placements other than the usual Apple Mac computer promo spots. The fact is, this movie IS a paid advertisement for GOOGLE, by GOOGLE and certainly paid for by GOOGLE, with a few dollars thrown in by the University of Phoenix. I hope this is not a road map of crappy, cheap comedies to come.

Boneheaded, forty-something watch salesmen Nick (Wilson)  and Billy (Billy) lose their jobs and apply for a competitive internship competition at GOOGLE with a flocks of 20 year old super nerds. Back to School (1986) with Rodney Dangerfield this movie is not. I believe the set up but I don’t believe that Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn have not a single gray hair at their ages. Both need to start taking parts their own age.

This film portrays GOOGLE as the breeding ground for world class nerds and lost romantics. Okay, at least it is truthful. One philosophy I found most provocative is that on the GOOGLE campus, all the food and lunches are free.  However, it is a major violation at GOOGLE to take any food home. In other words, you only get food if, and while, you are working. For a bunch of bleeding heart liberals from California, this message seems about as anti-immigrant, anti-welfare as one can get.  On the other hand, perhaps it is a message of communism–work for us and do as we say and we shall feed you. Stray and you shall starve. It seems strange because GOOGLE is the poster child of capitalism in America. Come up with a cool idea and make a few hundred billion dollars. But then the masses must kiss your ring and bow art your door. Worse, if you want to work there you are forced to engage in many circus like stunts and court jester antics—hardly a self esteem building exercise for the low esteem “Noogles.” There are lots of mixed messages in between the all too rare guffaws in this film.

I suggest googling “laughs” and see what turns up instead.

The only thing relevant about this movie is that after seeing it YOU will want to purge….hurl, puke …and perhaps ask for your money back.  The first big clue you have that this movie is a huge rip-off and of zero worth is that it was made by the producers of Paranormal Activity.  The next is that whatever the screwball message of this film,  you can be certain it was anti-Christian, anti-Republican,  anti-Capitalism, anti-White, anti-Success and racist beyond belief. The fact that it was made by a bunch of elite, white, rich people from Hollywood is just a nuance they don’t want you to notice.

The movie is so far fetched that Direct James Mather sets the scene in 2022.  We are expected to believe that the U.S. Government has then been taken over by super smart folks who think they know better than anyone else. They allow killing without recourse for 12 hours once a year.  This new U.S. Government thinks it can purge the country of those that don’t believe the way it does, and that the way to peace and a civil society is to let thugs vent once a year by killing their neighbors. So far-fetched because you quickly realize with the NSA and the IRS and radical Muslims allowed to kill with no recourse, this isn’t 2022, this is the Obama Administration!  (Small matter I suppose that such a low budget film could not even afford cars that looked like 2022 models to even try to fool you.)

The after movie conversation turned quickly from what was the message in the film, to who did the writers want you to hate the most. For me that was easy—the film distributor of course! Film school 101 is you must have at least one  likable character in a movie. Ethan Hawke plays the Dad, James Sandin as a detestable security exec who cares more about his sales bonus than raising his kids. Wife Mary simply looks like she is preoccupied by a bad case of hemorrhoids. Daughter Zoey is a clueless, oversexed teen and son Charlie plays the role of a unisex moron who occasionally could be mistaken for an ill-trained Pomeranian. Who wants to save this family or care if they all die? In this film, you are simply hoping they all get killed off quickly so you can get home and lock your own door and be safe. Unfortunately, you realize your phone is tapped, the IRS is out to get you, and the President has buddies in the Muslim brotherhood who patrol streets looking for white people to kill. The only real solace you can find is in the nightly news when the U.S top National Security adviser assures you not to worry  “it is just a film.”  Yes indeed, perhaps it is time to purge?