Marty Millner

For those of you who know me, you already know how much I love to see movies.  I wanted to mention a couple of movies that I have seen recently, that although are very different, I highly recommend both of them.  

 

First, I saw The Blindside, with Sandra Bullock , Kathy Bates , and Tim McGraw .  I remeber reading about this story in Sports Illustrated, several months ago, and thinking then, what a great story it was.  It is a true story, about a teenager, surviving on his own, virtually homeless, who is spotted on a street in Memphis, in the middle of winter, by a lady who is part of a wealthy, local family.  Without a moments hesitation, this lady (played by Sandra Bulluck) takes in the teenager, and she and her entire family, basically make this young man a part of their family, despite the vast differences in their backrounds.  The teenage boy, whose name is Michael Oher , thrives, both in school and, eventually as an athelete.  He gets a college scholarship, and finally is drafted into the NFL, where he now plays for the Baltimore Ravens.

 

The great part of the story, is not only the impact that the family has on Michael, but how much the family discovers about themselves, becuase of his presence in their lives.

 

It really is a great story, and I absolutely loved the movie.

 

The other movie I saw, is Brothers.  Brothers is an unbelievably powerful story of two, very different siblings, 30 something Captain Sam Cahill and his younger brother Tommy Cahill, who are total oposites. Sam is a marine, happily married to Grace, with 2 kids and about to depart for his fourth tour of duty overseas.  Tommy, is a drifter, just out of jail, who has always gotten by on wit and charm.  Sam’s helicopter is shot down in the mountains, and he is presumed dead.  Tommy tries to fill the void left by the loss of his brother, and is drawn to Sam’s wife and the kids.  As it turns out, Sam is actually alive, having been captured by Taliban fighters.  The story switches from scenes of the horror that Tommy endures to survive and return to his family, and what is happening at home, between Tommy, Grace and the kids.  Sam does return, and he is suspicious of his wife and Tommy. 

 

I thought that Jake Gyllenhall , Tobey McGuire  and Natalie Portman , were excellent.  This is an emotionally charged story, and is very intense.  It definitely drives home the horrors of war, both on the battlefield, as well as in the mind.  Tommy survives the war, but can he survive himself, when he returns?  The movie is not always easy to watch, but I thought it was terrific, and definitely worth seeing.  Just as a heads up, it is R rated, basically becuase of language and war scenes. 

 

If you have seen either of these movies, I would love to know what you thought.