Quick Review: American Sniper

This is long-overdue, delayed due to my usual procrastination and recent return to work. But for the last two days our computer and phone systems have been out of service and I'm running out of ways to amuse myself, soooo...

I can't wrap my head around the chatter over American Sniper, the Clint Eastwood-directed tale based on the autobiography of Chris Kyle, the Navy SEAL who was the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history (because of 160 confirmed kills during four tours of duty in Iraq). There's a lot of controversy over (and this is my general impression because I haven't really kept up with it all) whether it has a biased point of view because of its depiction of Iraqis and/or whether it's a pro-war film. This strikes me as misguided.

The film is so focused on Kyle (Bradley Cooper, who dioes well) specifically -- how his father taught him to hunt, how terrorist attacks inspired him to join the military, the cumulative effect of his time in Iraq and all those he killed -- that even his wife (Sienna Miller, wasted) is a minor character. There's no room in this tale for the bigger issues -- whether the war was just, our treatment of Muslims, how we do or don't take care of returning vets. And Eastwood clearly wasn't trying to delve into these issues. He wasn't trying to do what he did with his Flags of Our Fathers/Letters from Iwo Jima films.

And because of this, for me the film itself is a bit lacking, six Oscar nominations (including Best Picture) notwithstanding. There are tense moments but overall I wasn't very moved. It came off as a little too matter-of-fact. My grade: B.

Simpsons Already Did It (GOP Version)

Wow, Republicans, not only are you about 70 years behind the rest of us philosophically, but you're even 10 years behind South Park...

Quick Review: Hereafter

There are three parallel plots running through "Hereafter," directed by Clint Eastwood. The first involves a French TV journalist who is nearly killed by the Indian Ocean tsunami (graphically depicted, by the way; I can't imagine the horror of trying to survive that). She has a near-death experience that isn't very specific. She just sees bright light and shadowy figures. She tries to return to her normal life but is so affected by what she saw that she takes a leave of absence to research a book on the subject of the afterlife. The second plot features twin brothers in London, one of whom is tragically killed. The survivor, who by now is in foster care since his drug-addicted mother is hospitalized, desperately misses his brother and tries to find someone who can help him contact his brother. The third revolves around George Lonegan (Matt Damon), who lives in San Francisco and is making a meager living in a factory, to the consternation of his brother (Jay Mohr). George, you see, is psychic and can communicate with the dead. He used to give readings professionally, but couldn't cope with the reunions of loved ones with their dearly departed, or something, so he quit. It doesn't seem to be that bad, except for his annoying brother trying to push him back into giving readings. Naturally, predictably, there has to be a way for these three storylines to come together into one. It's well-acted but doesn't really go out on a limb spiritually about what exactly happens to us after we die. I expected a little more. My grade: B-minus.