Sunday, April 17, 2016
Period piece
World War II came to many people many different ways.
For me, in a quiet rural mountain town, it did not come until my Dad enlisted in the Navy. Then it was a serious matter.
He came home from the War but he was never the same. Touched in some way that none of us could understand.
Today's film is from another angle. A kid, Christian Bale, gets separated from his family during the invasion of Shanghai. His War was spent in a refugee camp run by the Japanese.
Steven Spielberg's somewhat overblown film of the boy's experiences.
This was the first film I saw John Malcovich and, without realizing it, Ben Stiller.
It is pretty good but Spielberg overdoes. He cannot cut. He hangs on to long intervals with a kind of elbow nudge that is almost insulting. A form of "look at me" which is not attractive.
But I still enjoyed this movie. I watched in two sections because it is 2.5 hours long. Too much for me in one sitting.
Very entertaining for the most part. I have seen it before but it is still a 4 out of Netflix5. I might see it again if it passes my way.
The best thing was to see the start of Bale's career and to realize that he is charismatic in a way that few other child stars ever were. Of course, he has become a consummate actor and has given more than his share to our cinematic life.
Labels: best films, films
