Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Body Of Lies Movie Review
PLOT Summary (no spoilers)
Imagine fighting a war against enemies that you cannot see. Enemies that you cannot hear. Enemies that you cannot predict. This is the type of battle that Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is attempting to fight. Ferris, an undercover CIA operative is stationed in the Middle East, and heads up the covert ops missions in the war on terror. Limited by whom he can trust and what he can do, Ferris is forced to lie and deceive his associates and allies in order to discover the where abouts of Islamic extremist mastermind Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul). Low and behold it turns out that living deceptive lifestyle doesn't always turn out the safest lifestlye.
Critical Review
Body of Lies takes you into the mind of those that are fighting the war on terror. Constantly on your toes, you never know when an RPG will be shot out of the surrounding buildings or when an extremist suicide bomber will be told set up camp right next to your post. This film really opens your eyes to the way in which modern war is different from the wars of out countries past.
This movie was entertaining but it never reached out and grabbed my attention. The acting was very well rounded and very well done. DiCaprio and Russell Crowe had an interesting relationship which tended to rub the audience the wrong way. This relationship was brilliantly represented by the cocky, confident, yet driven character of Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe).
Now this is my personal preference but I see Leonardo DiCaprio beginning to get more and more one dimensional in his acting. I see him being very particular in the movies that he chooses to take on (most of them being incredibly successful) but I feel like I am seeing the same character in Body of Lies, The Departed, Blood Diamond, and even Catch Me If You Can. And minus the occasional accent or makeup job, we are getting the same attitude, persona, and general character. The weird this is, I thoroughly enjoy all of the movies I just listed, so maybe he is doing this because it works?
The Plot was very deep, almost too deep. There was a lot of skipping around from continent to continent and with the Unique group of allies making a triangle that wasn't completely connected it proved hard to follow. If you were to have dozed off or been distracted for as little as five minutes, it would be very easy for you to become lost.
Overall the movie was good. The special effects and screen writing was very deep and really made you think. With good acting and mediocre special effects (some of them looked really fakey) the movie warrants a rental from your local movie hub.
PLOT Summary (no spoilers)
Imagine fighting a war against enemies that you cannot see. Enemies that you cannot hear. Enemies that you cannot predict. This is the type of battle that Roger Ferris (Leonardo DiCaprio) is attempting to fight. Ferris, an undercover CIA operative is stationed in the Middle East, and heads up the covert ops missions in the war on terror. Limited by whom he can trust and what he can do, Ferris is forced to lie and deceive his associates and allies in order to discover the where abouts of Islamic extremist mastermind Al-Saleem (Alon Aboutboul). Low and behold it turns out that living deceptive lifestyle doesn't always turn out the safest lifestlye.
Critical Review
Body of Lies takes you into the mind of those that are fighting the war on terror. Constantly on your toes, you never know when an RPG will be shot out of the surrounding buildings or when an extremist suicide bomber will be told set up camp right next to your post. This film really opens your eyes to the way in which modern war is different from the wars of out countries past.
This movie was entertaining but it never reached out and grabbed my attention. The acting was very well rounded and very well done. DiCaprio and Russell Crowe had an interesting relationship which tended to rub the audience the wrong way. This relationship was brilliantly represented by the cocky, confident, yet driven character of Ed Hoffman (Russell Crowe).
Now this is my personal preference but I see Leonardo DiCaprio beginning to get more and more one dimensional in his acting. I see him being very particular in the movies that he chooses to take on (most of them being incredibly successful) but I feel like I am seeing the same character in Body of Lies, The Departed, Blood Diamond, and even Catch Me If You Can. And minus the occasional accent or makeup job, we are getting the same attitude, persona, and general character. The weird this is, I thoroughly enjoy all of the movies I just listed, so maybe he is doing this because it works?
The Plot was very deep, almost too deep. There was a lot of skipping around from continent to continent and with the Unique group of allies making a triangle that wasn't completely connected it proved hard to follow. If you were to have dozed off or been distracted for as little as five minutes, it would be very easy for you to become lost.
Overall the movie was good. The special effects and screen writing was very deep and really made you think. With good acting and mediocre special effects (some of them looked really fakey) the movie warrants a rental from your local movie hub.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Bits and Boredom
"Crede Sought Twins"
Chicago Tribune reporter Mark Gonzales wrote in his blog yesterday that Joe Crede had a desire to become a Minnesota Twin last season while he sensed that the White Sox would not extend an offer his way.
“This is definitely a team that I wanted to be a part of," Crede said Sunday at a news conference. "Chicago didn’t express their interest, so coming over here was definitely a team that I really admired the way they play. I knew my style was going to fit in with this team. They’ve got a great group of guys here. They’re going to put a competitive team on the field, and as a player that’s all you can ask for, a chance to get to the postseason, and this team has got a very realistic shot at doing that.”
These comments coming from Crede make me feel even better about this acquisition. Not only is he an All-Star 3B but he wants to be a part of a classy tight knit organization. Potentially shows you a little bit of who Crede is as a person. One thing is for sure...The signing of Crede has Twins fans and players in an uproar. The fact that the best option on the market landed in MN is something that we are not used to here.
Here is a link to the full blog mentioned above:
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/02/crede-sought-twins.html
Chicago Tribune reporter Mark Gonzales wrote in his blog yesterday that Joe Crede had a desire to become a Minnesota Twin last season while he sensed that the White Sox would not extend an offer his way.
“This is definitely a team that I wanted to be a part of," Crede said Sunday at a news conference. "Chicago didn’t express their interest, so coming over here was definitely a team that I really admired the way they play. I knew my style was going to fit in with this team. They’ve got a great group of guys here. They’re going to put a competitive team on the field, and as a player that’s all you can ask for, a chance to get to the postseason, and this team has got a very realistic shot at doing that.”
These comments coming from Crede make me feel even better about this acquisition. Not only is he an All-Star 3B but he wants to be a part of a classy tight knit organization. Potentially shows you a little bit of who Crede is as a person. One thing is for sure...The signing of Crede has Twins fans and players in an uproar. The fact that the best option on the market landed in MN is something that we are not used to here.
Here is a link to the full blog mentioned above:
http://blogs.chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports_hardball/2009/02/crede-sought-twins.html
Monday, February 23, 2009
Spring Optimism
What a weekend in MN sports?!?! The Gophers win, Wild win Twice, and Crede signs with the Twins! After spending most of the winter in the doldrums of loserville USA, Minnesota sports fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief and start sipping the kool-aid out of that "half-full" glass!
Minnesota Twins
Contrary to the actions of the Twins in the past, the upper management took a plunge this weekend and signed 3B Joe Crede to a one year $2.5 million contract with heavy incentives that could max out around $7 million. This Twins fan is extremely excited about this signing.
Even though Crede has been limited to 144 games over the past two years and is coming off of his second back surgery in two years, at $2.5 million his upside is worth the risk. Last season, before his injury, Crede was having an All-Star season. If he can come back this year and provide half the production that he had last year it will be an upgrade from the 3B position last year.
The Twins continue their attempt to fill the holes in their lineup after the Crede success by going after Arizona relief pitcher Juan Cruz. Reports are that the Twins have offered Cruz a contract, through his agent, and are waiting to hear back so they can arrange a sign and trade deal with the Diamondbacks. However Lavelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune is reporting that getting this deal done is a long shot. The Twins are still waiting to hear back from Cruz and his agent regarding the teams offer. If Cruz accepts the offer the Twins will then have 48 hours to work out a trade with the Diamondbacks which may be the most difficult part of this transaction.
The Arizona Republic is reporting that the Diamondbacks have not had any conversations with teams regarding the sign and trade option of Juan Cruz. However they have disclosed what the Diamondbacks may be looking for in return, draft picks and most likely high ones. We all know how successful the Twins farm system has been in the past and can only assume that they would be hesitant to give up valuable draft picks. Yet the Twins reached out to Cruz to initiate this deal so maybe the times have changed and the organization may be adopting a more "win now" attitude than before.
Minnesota Twins
Contrary to the actions of the Twins in the past, the upper management took a plunge this weekend and signed 3B Joe Crede to a one year $2.5 million contract with heavy incentives that could max out around $7 million. This Twins fan is extremely excited about this signing.
Even though Crede has been limited to 144 games over the past two years and is coming off of his second back surgery in two years, at $2.5 million his upside is worth the risk. Last season, before his injury, Crede was having an All-Star season. If he can come back this year and provide half the production that he had last year it will be an upgrade from the 3B position last year.
The Twins continue their attempt to fill the holes in their lineup after the Crede success by going after Arizona relief pitcher Juan Cruz. Reports are that the Twins have offered Cruz a contract, through his agent, and are waiting to hear back so they can arrange a sign and trade deal with the Diamondbacks. However Lavelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune is reporting that getting this deal done is a long shot. The Twins are still waiting to hear back from Cruz and his agent regarding the teams offer. If Cruz accepts the offer the Twins will then have 48 hours to work out a trade with the Diamondbacks which may be the most difficult part of this transaction.
The Arizona Republic is reporting that the Diamondbacks have not had any conversations with teams regarding the sign and trade option of Juan Cruz. However they have disclosed what the Diamondbacks may be looking for in return, draft picks and most likely high ones. We all know how successful the Twins farm system has been in the past and can only assume that they would be hesitant to give up valuable draft picks. Yet the Twins reached out to Cruz to initiate this deal so maybe the times have changed and the organization may be adopting a more "win now" attitude than before.
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