Two-fer Tuesday

A Double War Whammy

The Hurt Locker

After taking some of the more prestigious Academy Awards, my family decided that it was probably a good idea to check out this movie. I have to say that I thought it was amazing. It was the perfect match of story line, character development and intensity. And explosions. (Come on, don't tell me you thought he disarmed ALL the bombs.) I can't say exactly cause obviously I haven't experienced it, but I thought it was a good representation of these peoples' lives. Or at least a very interesting one. It really puts you into their shoes and gives you a look at how difficult a life of war is. Also, there is something to be said about movies without a real soundtrack. I mean, obviously I LOVE music, but in this kind of movie, the lack of music increases the intensity and really makes you pay attention to what is going on. Kind of like what Alfred Hitchcock did with "The Birds". He thought it made it scarier without music. Same with this movie. You're just sitting at the edge of your seat for the majority of the film. I don't want to give away the plot to those who haven't seen it yet, but I definitely recommend it. Kathryn Bigelow definitely deserved her award.

Brothers

This movie was completely different than I thought it was going to be. The way they advertised it in the trailers is a bit misleading, but I guess that is okay because you get a story you didn't think you would. It was an interesting surprise. I again don't want to give too much away, but instead of being a story about a woman's struggle choosing between two brothers, it was more about a man's struggle coming back from war. I can't say this was an amazing movie. I thought it ran a bit slow at times and some scenes were a little lengthy. Also it was really stressful at times when you're waiting for things to happen and they don't! But it was all part of the experience. Again, it puts you in a realistic story about those who return from war and what they have to deal with. My family watched this the night after we watched "The Hurt Locker" so we were a little stressed out seeing two intense war movies in a row! But overall if you enjoy these types of stories, I would recommend it.