Now Playing: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Since Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War has been so highly anticipated and has been made to live up to such high expectations. And when we saw the more disappointing followup to The Avengers that was Age of Ultron, we had to ask ourselves with wringing hands and shaking heads: could Civil War live up to the hype? Could it match Winter Soldier or even exceed it? The answer is yes. A thousand times yes.

Falcon and Scarlet Witch are Avengers. Bucky is running wild. We've recently met Ant-Man and Vision and now there is trouble brewing between the Avengers. Following the past few years of major destruction across the world due to the superheroes, the UN has created the Sokovia Accords which makes regulation of superheroes lawful. This includes deciding when, where, and how the Avengers act and making their uniforms and weapons government property. Ridden with guilt, Tony Stark wants to sign the Accords while Steve Rogers doesn't think it's an idea that promotes individual liberty and responsibility. The Avengers pick sides, teams begin to form, and soon we have, you guessed it, a civil war.

The Russo brothers have once again made a superhero movie that just stands out, not only in the MCU but in the huge vault of superhero movies in general. The story and technical aspects of Civil War were phenomenal and came together to make a near-perfect movie. And this is coming from someone who has never read a Captain America comic and for a long time didn't really enjoy comic book movies.

Civil War was bigger than Avengers in that it had so many more superheroes and these superheroes were actually fighting each other. With so many characters, this movie could have easily been a chaotic mess with no good focus on each character. Thankfully this was not the case. We delve deeper into characters we already know and love and are introduced to new characters that make us excited for Marvel movies to come. Most people, including myself, loved the new Spider-man and Black Panther. Tom Holland and Chadwick Boseman brought their characters to life and made us all fall in love with them. This is the Peter Parker we've needed and Black Panther is such a unique superhero; we haven't seen anyone quite like him before. Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther are future films that are already met with great anticipation because of the heroes' amazing appearances in Civil War.

The Russo brothers have also created this perfect formula for superhero movies that includes a good balance between action and character moments. With comic book movies, you expect big fight scenes and spectacle. There was plenty of that in Civil War. The stunt team has been praised highly since this film's release and they well deserve it. From Bucky's Legolas-esque motorcycle move to giant Ant-Man being taken down via Spider-Man's Empire Strikes Back suggestion, Civil War has incredible, edge-of-your seat action without being redundant or boring. Superhero movies suffer, in my opinion, when they are bogged down by fights and explosions. Humanizing these heroes is important, and that is another thing that this film does well. We get real moments with each character and learn about their motivations and sympathize with their feelings. I am not an Iron Man fan, but even I felt bad for him in this movie. We get so much more from the Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon than we have in previous films. For such a complicated comic book film, these moments are important in helping us understand why these great superheroes are fighting each other this time instead of a super-villain.

Like Winter Soldier, Civil War stands out from other superhero movies with cinematography and editing. People loved Winter Soldier because it reminded them of political spy thrillers from the seventies. Civil War also had that same vibe. Each time the movie cut to a different location or year, that place or time would be written in this great font and style that just fit the tone well and felt kind of retro. I also love the history of the Captain America movies and that was done well. We go back from the nineties to the present frequently and I think showing the Soviet Union juxtaposed with the States is important in understanding the story and ideological discussion behind Civil War. 

And that brings me to one of my favorite, if not my most favorite, thing about Civil War. Most superhero movies are relatively predictable, with a story that includes hero versus villain and the villains all have pretty similar reasons for becoming villains. There are bigger political and moral issues in Civil War that are presented through this creation of the UN Accords to start regulating superheroes. This film showed both sides of the argument well without tipping towards one or the other and without getting too preachy. It shows the cons and pros to both sides. Tony Stark meets the mother of a son he killed in Sokovia. The Secretary of State reviews the past few years (or past few movies) of mass destruction caused by the Avengers with the heroes themselves. I liked this part, because it finally addressed the trope in comic book movies in which an entire city gets destroyed but no one seems to care and there are no repercussions; that's all I thought about during Ultron. One can understand why Tony and his fellow team members would want a government check on their great and sometimes uncontrollable powers. But then Steve Rogers brings up the fact that the UN, and all governments of the world, are run by people with agendas. To put the Avengers' total fate into the hands of the government could lead to bigger problems and take away their basic freedoms. He states that sometimes property is destroyed and people are killed, and it isn't a good thing, but the Avengers always try to do the right thing in the end. As someone who is not a fan of either Iron Man or communism, I am on Team Cap. And I particularly loved how by the end most of the heroes joined Cap's side. Because he's right, of course. But no matter what side you are on, you have to admit that this film addressed both sides fairly. It's not often you leave the theater after seeing a Marvel movie and you're ready to have a philosophical discussion on morals and political ideology. But that's just the beauty of Civil War. 

Captain America: Civil War has set a new bar of excellence for superhero films. It's a great addition to the MCU and the Captain America series, but even on its own, it still works as a great, exciting movie. And it makes me so much more amped for the future Russo-directed  Infinity Wars because I know it will be in good hands. If you haven't seen it yet, go and see it! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll delve deep into your personal moral psyche. Let the good times roll.

#TeamCap

  

Cult Film Friday: Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)

Before The Stuff. Before Big Ass Spider. Before Sharknado, there was Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Despite the small budget and initial negative reviews, this 1978 film had such a cult following it led to three sequels and is still considered a cult classic today. It's been a while since I've done a Cult Film Friday, but I saw Attack of the Killer Tomatoes for the first time in probably over decade and I had to write on it.

Spoofing disaster and monster B movies from the fifties and sixties, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes tells the story of evil tomatoes that grow gigantic and kill innocent people all over America. The government constructs a team led by Mason Dixon to save the country. Dixon must deal with spying newspaper reporters, government conspiracies, and bad pop music before he eventually destroys the fiendish fruit.

When I first watched Attack of the Killer Tomatoes as a kid, I thought it was funny just because it was such a bad movie. But it's actually a very cleverly written spoof of those awful films. This movie parodies everything from Jaws to Donny Osmond and is very funny. The tomato design was amazing as well. They talked but not in words, more like strange squeaky sounds. And they just rolled around. There was nothing really scary about them except they were big and rolled around. It was just great. It perfectly spoofs B movies, even though the film itself was made on a budget of less than $100,000. The lack of resources worked in this movie's favor.  There are some strange, non-PC moments in it (which is just reflective of the time), but overall it's a great comedy.

One of the aspects of Killer Tomatoes that makes it so funny is the music. It opens with the incredible theme song about tomatoes killing various people with a sound that reminds me of the old Zorro TV show theme. Again, watching it as an adult, I have no memory of all the musical numbers in it. The songs pop up as such random times and they're all so strange and funny. The song that the two main characters sing at the end is stupendous. It's a love song with clearly dubbed operatic voices. It's so over the top, it's amazing. The best song in the movie, the one I remember most, is "Puberty Love:" the loathed pop song that ends up being the weapon that destroys the killer tomatoes. In the film, "Puberty Love" is performed by the fictional Ronny Desmond (a wonderfully obvious spoof of Donny Osmond). The song is actually sung by Matt Cameron, who later grew up to be the drummer for both Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. Go figure.

Beyond the writing and music, I quite enjoyed the set design in this movie, oddly enough. I love movies that perfectly capture a certain era and this movie was so '70's. Every room was decorated and painted a certain way and I felt like I was in A Clockwork Orange or something. The rooms were painted bright orange or green and the furniture was very retro. I mean, just look at this office. Look at it.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is a very surprising and fun movie, and very deserving of its cult status. Its humor resembles that of other comedies made around the same time, like Monty Python and the Holy Grail or Airplane, but the film totally stands on its own as a weird, musical comedy. If you're in the mood for something bizarre and silly, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is perfect. But beware. You may be scared to eat ketchup for a while.

Now Playing: The Kid (1921)

I am quite fond of silent films, and you just can't go wrong with Charlie Chaplin. Recently I was able to see one his most famous movies for the first time: The Kid. This movie is less than an hour long, but it is packed with drama, comedy, some interesting special effects, and a whole lotta heart.

The Kid stars Charlie Chaplin as the beloved Tramp and Jackie Coogan as "the Kid" (he later grew up to star as Uncle Fester in the 1960's sitcom The Addams Family).  This movie has some interesting firsts. It was the first full-length movie that Charlie Chaplin ever directed and it made Jackie Coogan one of the first child film stars in history. It was a huge success when it was released, becoming the second highest-grossing film in 1921 right behind Rudolph Valentino's Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In 2011, it was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Today it is regarded as one of the greatest silent films of all time. The combination of great visual storytelling and Chaplin's talents make it easy to see why that is.

The film begins with a single mother who is struggling to take care of her baby. She leaves him in the backseat of a nice car, leaving a note explaining that she hopes the driver would be able to take of her child better than she could. She later regrets doing this and returns to find that the car and the child are missing, taken by thieves. The thieves later leave the baby on the street. The Tramp discovers him, and decides to care for him. Five years later, the Tramp and the kid, now named John, make their meager living as con artists. The movie shows their many misadventures as Chaplin tries his best to take care of John.

This story was very heartwarming. It was interesting to see the Tramp as a parental figure. Chaplin totally made it work. The movie had the dramedy formula down pat. In one funny scene, we see the Tramp fight a thug whose shirt was clearly stuffed so it looked he had muscles; in another scene, we are desperate for the Tramp and John to stay together as the police try to tear them apart. We also feel for John's mother, who had become a successful star while John was growing up. She does a great amount of charity work to overcome the guilt of losing her son. She even runs into John a few times with no clue that he is her son; these moments make your heart ache.

In the few Chaplin movies I've seen, I always love the Tramp. But in The Kid, I was super impressed with Jackie Coogan in particular. First of all, he was just the cutest kid. He had long hair and wore huge baggy pants just like the Tramp's. Coogan was able to keep up with all of the Tramp's comedic stunts and he was just overall a likable character. It was also just interesting to see a main character that is a kid in a silent movie. It does make sense that Jackie Coogan was one of the first successful child actors because you just really don't see a lot of kids in silent movies.

I really do have to mention the most entertaining and fascinating scene in The Kid. Towards the end of the film, the Tramp loses John; the child has been reunited with his mother but the Tramp doesn't know that. Distraught, he falls asleep on some steps and enters "Dreamland." Everything in the town changes. Flowers and fancy decorations appear on the houses and streets. People dressed in white robes with fake wings show up out of nowhere and start dancing and celebrating. Even John shows up with this new angel getup to greet the Tramp. The Tramp gains his own wings and robe but as this happens three men dressed in devil costumes enter the scene. They "tempt" a young woman to seduce the Tramp. They both begin to kiss as her boyfriend shows up; he is the thug who fought the Tramp earlier in the film. The devils then tell the boyfriend to be jealous and so he starts to fight the Tramp. A giant angel mob surrounds them and eventually an angel policeman shoots the Tramp dead. The Tramp is then awakened from this dream by a real policeman. This scene is captivating on so many levels. First of all I do just love the set design and costumes. The special effects are also amazing for the time. Everyone is flying; you know it's just strings, but it must have been cool to see back then. It reminded me of a silent film version of Peter Pan. They even put wings on a dog and made him fly around. The "Dreamland" also goes beyond just a regular ol' comedy movie. It represents the turmoil the Tramp is feeling. Not only is he always getting in trouble with John, but now he thinks he has lost John forever. Overall, I think this scene was just something really different and I loved it.

If you want to see some of the greatest American movies made, The Kid should definitely be on that list. It's a wonderful silent film, a wonderful Chaplin film, and overall just a fun movie to watch. I know that the idea of a silent movie seems boring to some people, but this movie was engaging all the way through. For an era in film that was starting to delve into real plots and real characters, The Kid stands out as one of the greats.

Now Playing: The Right Stuff (1983)

I don't know why it took me so long to see The Right Stuff but I'm glad I did. This movie will speak to you whether you're into space or not, whether you're into history or not, or whether you're an American or not. The Right Stuff  was based off a 1979 book by Tom Wolfe and was released in 1983 with relatively unknown (at the time) actors such as Ed Harris and Dennis Quaid. It received critical acclaim, winning four Academy Awards. In 2013 it was preserved in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The Right Stuff  tells the story of the beginning of the Space Race between the United States and the USSR. It introduces the first Americans to go in space and covers the Project Mercury missions.

The story and character development were phenomenal in The Right Stuff. With such a long running time, it can be so easy for a movie to get dull in some parts. But I was honestly involved throughout the entire film. The filmmakers did a good job of interspersing drama with comedy, more character-driven scenes with sweeping shots of the flying airplanes and rockets. It is a movie that is both visually appealing and well-written. I really did love the moments of comedy; it made these incredibly amazing astronauts more relatable and more real. At times, however, it could also be very intense. Like a lot of the space movies that have come out recently, such as Gravity or The Martian, The Right Stuff illustrated how scary space can really be, how in any second you could die. This movie definitely had some of those thrilling moments that keep you interested. 

I've mentioned this before but I'll say it again: characters are everything in a movie. It could have been very possible to make these American heroes like John Glenn and Alan Shepard completely likable and near-perfect human beings. But instead we learned each character's flaws and fears, their shortcomings as well as talents. I especially loved the focus that was brought to the wives of the astronauts. John Glenn's wife Annie had a stutter, which made her scared to talk in public and all of a sudden people wanted to film and interview her all the time. Trudy, Cooper's wife, revealed the trouble in the marriage before he even became an astronaut. The movie did a good job of portraying the differences in each marriage, but overall how difficult it was to be not only an astronaut's wife, but also a pilot's wife. 

There were some great technical aspects to this as well. The interspersing of actual historical news footage into the movie was well done. The shots of the sky when pilots were flying or of space when the astronauts were orbiting Earth were also incredible. They filmed it at times so it was from your point of view. It felt like you were swerving through clouds or looking down on Earth. There was also some interesting coloration whenever there was trouble aboard a spacecraft. It resembled the panic and maybe what the astronauts actually saw if they were close to blacking out. It all added to the thrill factor. I also really enjoyed the score. I don't know what it is with space movies and great music, but I'm loving it. Bill Conti won an Academy Award for his Right Stuff score, and he certainly deserved it. Also, fun fact: he did the music for Karate Kid. So he is doubly awesome. 

I love history and I am also interested in space, so this movie was perfect for me in that way. The movie isn't flawless historically; there are some changes within characters and timing issues. The director Philip Kaufman tried to stick to the book as close as possible, but no book is perfect in historical accuracy. Even with the flaws, The Right Stuff is a great introduction into American history during the Cold War or history of the Space Race. Or if you just want to see a dramatized version of the stories you already love, this movie is great as well. 

What I think I love most about this movie is that it is thoroughly American. From the story itself to the music and direction to the acting, it's a very American film. It shows that Americans aren't perfect or the best at everything. We weren't the first ones to go into space; in fact, we only got really serious about space travel after Sputnik was launched. But there is an ingenuity and an innovation in American science and invention. When we want to do something, we do it. Those seven original American astronauts were not perfect. They were not supermen. But they were determined and smart and tried their best. Honestly that's what made them heroes. And for this reason, I don't think a film like The Right Stuff could be made today. But I am glad it was made. 

And just for kicks, here is a great scene from a Frasier episode which guest-starred John Glenn. 

Now Playing: Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1989)

I had seen gifs and screencaps of Little Nemo for years on Tumblr and had been wanting to watch it but never got around to it. My sister randomly bought it at a used DVD store and we finally watched it together. From the first few moments we both agreed: "This is our new favorite movie."

Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland is a 1989 Japanese/American animated film. Chris Columbus helped write the script, the Sherman brothers composed the music, and Mickey Rooney voices one of the main characters. The film (which is set in the year 1905) was based off the Little Nemo comic strip that ran from 1905 to 1911 and was created by Winsor McCay, Little Nemo is one of those wonderful films that fell to the wayside and I consider it to be a hidden gem. Even though it received positive reviews from critics, it was a box office failure. I definitely think more people need to see this film, especially now with, in my opinion, the severe lack of imaginative storytelling and style in animated children's films.

Nemo is a young boy who has incredible dreams every night; sometimes he even sleepwalks. One night, he is sent on a journey to Slumberland, a place in which he has been chosen to rule as the new prince. He befriends many people and goes on a lot of fun adventures before he eventually saves Slumberland from the Nightmare King. There isn't much backstory as to what Slumberland is or where it is, who the residents are, and why they know who Nemo is and why they chose him to the be the new prince. In fact, for a lot of the movie, it becomes unclear when Nemo is dreaming or awake. In this way it has a bit of an Alice in Wonderland or Wizard of Oz feel to it. My sister and I both made these connections while watching this film. We also felt that the animation had both a Miyazaki and Don Bluth vibe to it. But even with these observations, Little Nemo was altogether a unique film.

Obviously there's a lot I like about movies, but  for me, the two main things I think make or break a film are characters and visuals. And both these elements went above and beyond in Little Nemo. I don't get too caught up in a plot; honestly some of my favorite movies barely have one. Little Nemo had the potential to have a really convoluted plot, but it remained simple, letting the viewer use their imagination to decide what really happened. The characters and the animation won me over right away. First of all, when you have a little kid as the protagonist, he or she often walks that thin line of being really annoying. But Nemo was totally lovable. He was cute, he recognized his mistakes and apologized for them, and was courageous and loyal. All of the strange creatures he meets are also all so fun and appealing, even the more villainous or selfish characters. There's a tough princess, a cute animal sidekick, a giant king that loves to jig. What's there to lose?

The animation in this film was nothing short of incredible. I was engrossed in the film the whole time just because of the visuals. There were dreamy night skies and beautiful nature scenes. There were scary castles and circus-themed buildings and creatures. If the film was attempting to capture the imagination of a very creative child, it did a great job. Whether Slumberland was real or a creation of Nemo's active mind, it didn't matter. You just wanted to be there and there was so much to see. This is a film that you could definitely watch over and over; you could find something new every time you watch it.

I can't believe it took me so long to watch Little Nemo; Adventures in Slumberland. But I'm glad I finally did. I love finding a good animated film that I haven't seen before; I find that it's getting harder the older I get! And this movie definitely made me want to read the comic. It looks amazing, even from just the few pictures I saw online. Little Nemo is a great film and it only adds to my theory that all the best fantasy films came out in the eighties.

Now Playing: Hail, Caesar! (2016)

I was recently able to see the Coen brothers' brand new spankin' comedy Hail, Caesar! in theatres. Set during the 1950s, this film told the highly fictionalized story of real-life Hollywood fixer Eddie Mannix. He interacts with a cast of zany characters from actors to directors to the press, all while trying to figure out what happened to his studio's biggest star who has mysteriously disappeared.

This might sound obvious, but this movie was very Coen. It had a great cast, clever writing, beautiful cinematography, hilarious moments mixed with symbolism. The works. For all these reasons, I quite enjoyed Hail, Caesar! 

As always, the Coens have a wonderful collective cast, including Coen favorites like George Clooney, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton. The film also stars Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johannson, Jonah Hill, and Ralph Fiennes. Two surprisingly amazing performances come from relative newcomer Alden Ehrenreich and Channing Tatum. I'm usually not a fan of Channing but he was hilarious in this movie and I was quite impressed! All of these actors fell right into Old Hollywood. There was great chemistry and everyone was very funny.

The Coen brothers also have an incredible ability to perfectly capture the essence of a certain decade, if they are making a period film. It's one of the reasons I love O Brother, Where Art Thou? (my favorite Coen creation). The Coens don't just give us one or two characters to focus on and expect to represent a generation or part of a generation. We get to explore many facets of 1950's Hollywood. After seeing the film, I looked up Eddie Mannix and learned he was a real person. I also didn't know that a fixer was a real, legitimate job. A Hollywood fixer is someone who is paid to clean up after the scandals of the studio's talent. In this film, the studio "owns" many of these actors and Mannix makes sure that they have their chances in the spotlight, that their records are clean and their images maintained. In this Cold War-era and family values-oriented world, it seems to be a pretty important job in the entertainment industry. From the eyes of Mannix, we get to see what it was like to make a movie in the 1950's. First, we see all the different jobs and technology that was being used. We also see all the different types of films that were being made at once in one studio. Hail, Caesar! covers all the basic Old Hollywood movies that were popular: a Roman epic; a Bette Davis or Cary Grant-esque drama; a musical complete with Fred Astaire tap numbers; a performance piece with a live orchestra and synchronized swimmers; a fun and action-filled Western. Within each film, we learn more about the people within them. Actors who struggle to transition from genre to genre, how actresses were treated differently than actors, directors trying to create art versus directors trying to make a cash grab that will garner guaranteed audience favor. In fact, this is one of the themes in the film, but we will come to that later.

This journey through Old Hollywood shows us both the good and the bad. The film's most profitable actor, played by George Clooney, is kidnapped by Communist writers. This was such a great take for the film and I love how the Coens didn't tell us right away that they were Communists. The Coens never pander to their audience; they want us to figure out the clues for ourselves. With mention of the hydrogen bomb and emphasis on public image, the addition of Communism and the Red Scare rounded out the film. Like I said before, the Coens are great at showing us all angles of a decade, the good and the bad, the ugly and the pretty. There was no mention of blacklisting at all, but I still think this secret society of Communist ex-Hollywood writers made the film more historically accurate and interesting. If you are already familiar with American history, the movie is all the more entertaining.

As with most Coen brothers' movies, there are always several themes or questions being raised and the symbolic imagery and cinematography helps establish those themes or questions. There is no doubt that there was a big religious theme in Hail, Caesar! The films opens with a statue of Christ on the cross. In the beginning and towards the end of the movie, Eddie Mannix is in confession with an impatient priest who believes Mannix visits him too often. Mannix is concerned about the accuracy of the Roman epic about Jesus Christ, and, wishing not to offend anyone, asks leaders from different faiths to view the film and give him their opinions. It is clear that Mannix is very religious, however, this part of his character juxtaposes with his job. Being a fixer includes a lot of lying; it's a very dishonest job. And yet, at the end of the film, Mannix claims that he thinks that what he does is right. I was reading some reviews and analyses on Hail, Caesar! and someone wrote that Mannix is himself a Christ figure, which is very interesting. Just as Jesus Christ had taken the sins of the world upon Himself, Mannix takes the sins of the studio's actors upon himself. This idea is very evident in a particularly beautiful shot in which Mannix stands on the set of the Roman epic film. He is silhouetted and stands before three silhouetted crosses. The last shot of the film is also very curious. There is a heavenly light that shines over the Hollywood film studio; the water tower says "Behold" on it, and then the camera moves up and zooms into the sunlight in the sky. The Coens could be saying a number of things here. Hollywood, either old or new, is one of the least spiritual places there are; this particular shot is a contradiction. It could also be criticizing the "worship" of the entertainment industry and the celebrity. But I think it raises a few important questions, some that are addressed in the film: is making movies about creating art or making money? And can you truly be religious in Hollywood, when so many jobs (including the most obvious: acting), involve lying, and sometimes other questionable behavior?

The humor, the acting, the cinematography, the history, the story itself all made Hail, Caesar! a good movie. But what the Coens really do well and they did very well here is show all different angles of a specific time period, place, or profession. Old Hollywood is very classy, fun, and beautiful, but it deserves criticism. The Coens did this wonderfully; making important statements all while putting in those silly moments that make us remember why we love the Coen brothers so much. Was Hail, Caesar! the best film I've seen in the past year? No. Was it even my favorite Coen brothers' film? No. But it had all the ingredients, to me, that made it an enjoyable and meaningful Coen film and period piece, in general.

Now Playing: Secrets of War (2014)

A few weeks ago I watched a movie I had never heard of before. No expectations or anything. I'm glad I took a chance on Secrets of War because it turned out to be an amazing movie and one of the best foreign language films I have ever seen. Secrets of War was released in the Netherlands in 2014. It is set during World War II and tells the story of three kids whose friendship is threatened due to different secrets pertaining to their identities, families, and participation in the war. Tuur's (Mass Bronkhuyzen) family is involved in the resistance against the Germans; Lambert's (Joes Brauers) father is the mayor of the village and is very close with the Nazis; and Maartje (Pippa Allen) is a Jewish girl in hiding.

There are a lot of technical and artistic aspects I really loved. I first must mention the acting. I really appreciate good child actors and all three of the leads in this film were incredible. You fell in love with each of the characters and felt for them. My favorite, though, and quite surprisingly, was Lambert. I feel like most people who would watch this film would identify the rebellious Tuur who only wants to do good and help his friends, or Maartje, the friendly girl who is trying her best to survive. Lambert is the son of the collaborating mayor, whose big brother is a very active Hitler Youth. Lambert feels ostracized from his two friends when they decide they cannot trust him, and yet he has no desire to be in the Hitler Youth like his brother. Joes Brauers performance was heartbreaking; you wished he could know the secret of Maartje's true identity and yet you fear for her safety.

This leads into another reason why I really liked Secrets of War: the cinematography and direction. There were just incredible moments that were captured on camera and I wish I could show some of them here but, really, you should just go watch the film! There are several montages during critical scenes where they switch between characters so you know what each child is doing during a certain event. I think it was very representative of the war. There will be a scene where Maartje is being taken away by the Germans, then we will see Tuur trying desperately to find her and figure out what is going on, and then we will see Lambert just happily playing with his trains. World War II affected people in so many different ways. Some were hurt directly, some had friends or family that were in danger but were not in danger themselves, and others did not seem to really know or care what was going on. In fact, it's almost like the world in general. While someone's house is getting bombed somewhere, we're over here complaining about slow Internet. But anyways, I digress. The cinematography and direction, in particular, were very critical to the storytelling in this particular film. There was one scene that really struck me. We see Lambert's side profile, staring straight ahead, and behind him are a bunch of out-of-focus Hitler Youth posters on a wall. (While they are out of focus, it is pretty obvious what they are). It is almost like we are looking inside Lambert's brain: his father's and brother's constant ravings for the Hitler Youth program are inescapable. Eventually he walks on and the posters come into focus.

If you know me, you'll know I really love a movie with good costumes. The clothes in Secrets of War were amazing. There was such variety and you could really see the difference in clothing between adults, teenagers, and children. In a war film, costuming is very important. The Stars of David and the Hitler Youth uniforms revealed the era and the conflict. The subtle differences between school clothes, play clothes and church clothes were also interesting. Basically, everyone just seemed to dress a little nicer back then!

There were so many things I loved about Secrets of War. The acting, the story itself, the writing, the cinematography - the list goes on. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. If you have seen that film or read the book, you'll know that childhood innocence during wartime is a central theme. It's the theme in Secrets of War as well. The adults in this film go to great lengths to keep the gritty details of the war from the children, but the children find themselves learning these things because the war directly affects them. We see a loss of innocence throughout the film. In one of the first scenes, we see Tuur and Lambert in a bomb shelter with the village during a German night raid. For the children, it is exciting. Every time a bomb drops, the adults worry more. Tuur and Lambert just smile and laugh. Later on, when Tuur discovers that the trains he always sees are carrying people and not rocks, the mood changes. It raises the question of how much should we keep from our children when they are all wrapped in tragedy, In Life is Beautiful, for example, the answer is "as much as possible." I think Secrets of War claims it is nearly impossible. Children are curious and smart and it is difficult to hide big, important things forever.

This became a very dark and deep discussion, but whatever you believe, I do hope you will see this movie. It will make you laugh and cry and think, and that's what you want from a movie, right?