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Valkyrie (2008)
10/10
Bryan Singer, my hero
26 December 2008
Warning: Spoilers
"But what about the coup, sir?" "You idiot, we ARE the coup!"

This movie blew me away. Everything worked for me.

There is no black and white here, I enjoyed that very very much. Just humans, trying to make sense of an insane situation. Make-up was astounding, CGI flawless and understated, editing, wow, score and use of score and use of silence, holy sh*t. And let's mention the actors, because I forgot I had a body after five minutes. Tom Cruise is a genius, there's nothing he can't do. Bill Nighy, Christ, this is as far from Love Actually as you can get, and he nailed it. Tom Wilkinson, wow, such a performance, every single one of the sideline acting without lines, every single one flawless, the girls at the communications office, the secretary, the young man with curly hair. Wow. Script is awesome, directing is the stuff dreams are made of. Remember, this story is about one of the failed attempts to murder Hitler from within his own ranks, in the middle of a war. No one is calm anywhere in the movie. Acting is all on the brink of whatever emotion, most commonly hysteria. Eddie Izzard, you own my soul. Kenneth Branagh, endless quality, Terence Stamp, man, he's just pure class. I love the absence of fake German accents in English. Everyone speaks their natural dialects. Hitler was fabulously portrayed, he was not a physically imposing man, but his awesome power as head of state of a brainwashed regime in war, wow, they really pulled it off. Everything slowed down when Hitler was in a room, his every movement was watched by all, there was the complete sense that you could not guess what his next move would be.

So, yes, this movie worked very well for me. Yes, I knew the ending. I kept telling myself I did as my heart tried to pound its way out of my chest. Great storytelling kept my nails trimmed none the less.

You remember that masterpiece about the bridge in Burma? Where the guy who lives has the line "Madness. Madness!" yeah, that's pretty much it. I'd say this is not about oooh evil Nazis vs. look white hats! so much as a study in which really is which. There are few characters in this movie who don't wear svastika and eagles on their clothes after all, so how do you tell the difference? This is not a movie you watch only for the beginning, middle, end. I say very well done, Mr Singer.
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Once a Thief (1996–1998)
My kind of show!
14 May 2005
I love this series! Based on the trio antics of the movie by John Woo, this is a Canadian produced action comedy series. Li Ann and Mac try to get out of the Hong Kong Triad, Vic is set up by his dirty cop colleagues. Li Ann and Mac are separated, Mac ends up in jail, where he's approached by a slick high status woman with a proposal; come and work for her secret agency or rot in jail. Li Ann and Vic have gone the same route as Mac does, accepting the offer, and the three are put together as a team, with the woman, The Director, as a puppet master and boss. Cue adventures and intrigue.

It's a series driven by great actor chemistry, one-liners, timing, and the occasional hey-let's-do-martial-arts stuffing. My tastes exactly. A little cliché at first, perhaps, but some episodes are freakishly good. Ivan Sergei and Nick Lea work great together (how great? ask any slasher out there), Jennifer Dale is my GOD, the weird Agency that's always empty of people, camera and lighting, there's so much to love! And only one season's worth of episodes. *sobs*
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Sarafina! (1992)
Genuine and resourceful
20 September 2001
Sarafina! is all about strength, about people lacking it and people overflowing with it. Sarafina herself is a Soweto girl with great hopes for the future, despite her family's poverty and her mother's (Miriam Makeba) work away from home, forcing Sarafina to take care of her younger siblings. This is South Africa, Johannesburg, during the Apartheid regime, Mandela is in prison and the black children are forbidden to speak their own language, Xosa (you know, the click language... :)). Yet, Sarafina dreams. Her world brightens up when her class get a new teacher (Whoopi Goldberg), who teaches them about their worth and to be proud of their heritage. I fully recommend this movie, the actors, young and practically unheard of, are fantastic, the script is sharp, and the music! See this movie for the music alone. No Makeba, but lots of powerful political Soweto tunes. Go Sarafina!
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