Movie #36 - Munich

"The world was watching in 1972 as 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the Munich Olympics. This is the story of what happened next."

One of the best films ever produced by Steven Spielberg, probably ranking in his top 5 on his resume. The script written by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth made this film great to watch. Spielberg surrounded this film with the very best - utilizing John Williams to create a very dramatic score and casting an incredible ensemble, not of names, but of quality actors.

I still don't understand why in 2005-06, Eric Bana didn't at least receive a Globe or Oscar nod for his role, probably one that will never be topped by his films. Bana really captures the presence of the character of Avner, one of five men chosen by the Israeli government to eliminate the men responsible for Black September at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

The graphic scenes of this film are captivating. The various murder scenes and bomb sequences are wonderfully shot and remind me of the efforts made by Spielberg in Saving Private Ryan to really set the tone of the film - dark and dramatic.

Clever castings in this film include Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush. Both men are known for more prominent roles in other films, but both add a unique touch of intensity in their roles for Munich. You don't equate Craig as James Bond here and that's a good thing. Rush definitely accomplishes an evil villain type of role as Ephraim.

On my lifetime "to do list," I definitely need to find the time to read the book from which this film was adapted - "Vengeance - The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team" by George Jonas. I'd bet its a great book... if I ever try to read books for pleasure again, this is obviously a high priority book on my list.

Movie #35 - Lucky Number Slevin

"Wrong Place. Wrong Time. Wrong Number."

I have one more phrase to add to this movie tagline... "Wrong Movie." This is one of those films that falls under the definition of "money grab." Not only are there too many big names in this movie, but there are even knighted actors - Sir Ben Kingsley.

The concept of the movie is quite clever, however, as the movie progresses, it becomes quite predictable. Despite every attempt by the filmakers to deceive the audience, you anticipate the ending of this movie - which is what is supposed to make this a good film.

Maybe its because of Josh Hartnett, but ever since Pearl Harbor, I cannot stand this guy as an actor. He's been matched up with some of the major stars over the years, but there are only a handful of accomplishments that I care to include in his repetoire. Mainly, its Blackhawk Down, but only because its a beautifully shot war movie, but not because Hartnett stole the show. In actuality, he lost the show in that movie to Eric Bana.

The same goes here as does with every other movie of Hartnett's career. He gets overshadowed by the cast or by a stronger performance. With Slevin, none of these factors took place - but having Hartnett as the centrepiece of this big star film really was a poor decision.

Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, and Sir Ben Kingsley... normally, when you hear those names together, you're thinking blockbuster. But add Josh Hartnett to the front of that list... and from the word go - this movie is a bust.

The only thing that was positive from this film is the use of Hollywood North locations. Fort Erie racetrack is profiled... I grew up watching horseraces at this location, so it was fun to see it restored to its hey day. Also, there are some obvious locations in Toronto that were used for the main sets, but its not like anyone pays attention to that level of detail.