truth in politicians?

three murders: two connected and one seemingly unrelated.  or so the world thought.  State of Play - so it seems.

academy award winner russell crowe plays cal mccaffrey, a dc reporter assigned to investigate the death of his college roommate's, up-and-coming politician stephan collins (ben affleck),  research assistant.  stumbling upon suspicious evidence and withholding them from the police assigned to the case, cal along with colleague della frye (rachel mcadams) seek to find the truth.

placing a love triangle on the line is a risky move, even for cal mccaffrey.  does cal, who keeps focusing on his story use his friend and his wife as sources or is he trying to protect them?  or do collins and his wife use cal as their source and use the case as payback from cal using them in the past? 

in a normal world - finding truth may not involve jeopardizing friendships, careers and maybe even self dignity.  however, clearly when a "friend" who uses his own friend to cover up mistakes, especially when he is a public official, for personal gains is a definite no-no.

State of Play incorporates verbal and non-verbal communication to get the message across. cal and della pick up on puzzle pieces to solve not one, but three murders.  director kevin macdonald has definitely earned the title auteur in this work and should be placed on the right hand of steven spielberg and george lucas.  State of Play is the ultimate neo-noir film.

who's the hypocrite?

i give this film 4.5 stars out of 5.

retreat?

combine Independence Day with any other war movie inbred with War of the Worlds and you get Battle: Los Angeles.  aaron eckhart plays a Marine staff sergeant who fights demons from his past to lead a platoon dead set against him and follow orders only because of rank.  while i must praise eckhart for stepping out of his usual role as the male protagonist in stereotypical chick flicks to star in this action film, i must question the motives of director jonathan liebesman and writer christopher bertolini what was going through their heads when they planned this film. 

the film is great eye candy if you're a pyromaniac - however, the movie doesn't have much narration besides "survival" and taking back los angeles.  i think that if there was a relationship developing between staff sergeant nantz (who recently had his retirement approved and was forced back into the line of duty) and veterinarian michelle (played by bridget moynahan) the film would have been much better.  Battle: Los Angeles flirts with the idea but it didn't develop enough into a meaningful relationship other than a great admiration from michelle toward staff sergeant nantz. 

eckart exceptionally plays a character who we all hope every Marine is, a Marine through and through.  i have a cousin who is in the US Marine Corps and pray for his safety. 

Battle: Los Angeles is a movie worth watching once.  it is not worth the full price of a recently released dvd.  i'd wait until it is on sale for five bucks at wal-mart or target before purchasing it. 

hoorah! semper fi!

i give this film 3 out of 5 stars.

when legend becomes fact...

...print the legend.

john wayne and james stewart made a memorable film in The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence.  Story takes place when US senator, ransom stoddard returns for a friend's funeral.  ransom used his fame and "fortune" to propel his political prowess on the fact he shot and killed the meanest bully of the texan territory.  or did he shoot?

this friend tom doniphon was played by john wayne.  he was everything a woman would want in a gentlemanly cowboy.  he was loyal, strong, brave, honest and did everything for someone else, especially if that someone else is beautiful miss hallie.  tom doniphon reminds me of the current country song, winner in a losin' game, by rascal flatts.  tom sums up the chorus:

"Have you ever had to love someone
That just don't feel the same
Tryin' to make somebody care for you
The way I do
Is like tryin' to catch the rain
And if love is really forever
I'm a winner at a losin' game"

 tom doniphon is the man hallie should have married.  not to say hallie did wrong with ransom stoddard - but isn't ransom a fraud?  ransom finally told the truth about his deed to a newspaper man, who tore up his notes and threw them into the furnance.  ransom was shocked and questioned the act, to which the reporter replied, "when legend becomes fact, print the legend." 

as for me, if i were carrying around a lie and making a living off a legend, i'd feel pretty guilty for the rest of me life.  maybe ransom didn't quite have the same morals, or maybe...the public wouldn't allow him to tell the truth. 

tom doniphon is definitely a winner at a losin' game

i give this film 4.25 stars out of 5.

when life knocks you down

best fights are the ones we avoid.
- mr. han



director harold zwart's remake of the 1984 film Karate Kid starring jackie chan as mr. han and young jaden smith as dre parker wonderfully depicts the art of overcoming obstacles.  when dre's mother's job moves them to China, everything dre has ever known seemingly gets tossed out the window.  new language, new food, new (hopefully) friends and new life.  Karate Kid is a film that several of us can relate to, even if our experiences are not exactly the same as dre's. 

jackie chan's role as mr. han is almost an exact mirror of mr. miyagi's in the original film.  he takes in a young kid who is down on his luck and teaches him kung fu, possibly out of pity, or possibly because mr. han is down on his luck himself, mourning the tragic losses of his beloved wife and son.  dre's determination to learn martial arts has taught mr. han arguably the most important advice in film to viewers since yoda taught the youthful luke skywalker in Star Wars, "life can knock us down.  but we can choose whether or not to stand back up."

the artistic filming of nature and the great wall of China is incredible.  director of photography roger pratt potrayed the environment surrounding the subjects so perfectly to the point where i felt i was there besides dre and mr. han, sharing their struggles with them.  

mr. han's character arcs simultaneously with dre's, triumphing together as victors over language barriers, personal struggle and bullies.  kung fu is a tool not just to make peace with the enemies, but also to make peace within ourselves. 

what's more? dre gets the girl.

i give this film 3.5 stars out of 5. 

welcome

welcome to Movies & Popcorn: the Reel Barclay!  my name is michael barclay.  i would like to introduce the purpose of this movie review site.  before doing so, allow me to introduce myself.  i am deaf.  the movie experience for me will always be different than for someone who is hearing.  i will not be able to give reviews on diegenic and non-diegenic sounds (scores, underscores).  i will not be able to critique opening sequence music or lyrics if the song is not subtitled or captioned.

i do want to share that i will try my best to give critique on the films culturally - how the film affects me personally, someone i know, or if the film and its messages go hand-in-hand or contradicts general society around me or American culture.

this site i hope will help, prompt or inspire you to watch a dvd as part of your home dates if you have small children at home, or to see a movie in the dollar theater.  every now and then you may find popcorn recipes or candy recipes to go along with your home dates/movie nights.

if there are any feedback or suggested movies/film you think will benefit the readers (or me for that matter) feel free to contact me!  questions? comments?  snide remarks????  email me at reelbarclay@gmail.com and i will do my best to answer.

thank you for visiting Movies & Popcorn: the Reel Barclay!!! enjoy!!!!