Iron Man

Another excellent Marvel adaptation. Downey is excellent as Tony Stark. The CGI is fantastic.

Places to Eat in VA

Last week H and I traveled to Colonial Williamsburg for a vacation. I expected that we'd find loads of great places to eat, but was a little disappointed. Most of the places we found were OK, but not great.
There were, however, a few that stood out:
The Blue Talon Bistro in Williamsburg is one of the best places I have ever eaten. It is located on the outskirts of the historic district and looks pretty regular from the outside. Inside, the atmosphere is pleasant and relaxed. The wait staff was attentive without being in your face. We ate at the Blue Talon twice. The first time we stopped for a late dessert and coffee. The desserts were the perfect size - enough to be filling but not overwhelming. I got a chocolate torte with banana ice cream. The chocolate was lush and bitter. The banana ice cream added a nice balance. I could have done without the sauce added as a garnish, but it was subtle enough to not detract from the dish. The coffee was served in a French press and was also excellent. The following day we went for dinner. The dinner menu is small and interesting. I ordered the Mac & Cheese. As with the desserts, the portion size was ideal. The mac and cheese was superb. The pasta was just a tad al dente. The cheese was flavorful and creamy. The side of asparagus was perfectly steamed and peppered. They were firm with just a bit of bite.
Aromas, across the street from the Blue Talon, was also very good. The iced coffee was a little watery, but the other drinks were fine. They serve a diverse menu of food. I got a salad with chicken that was quite nice. H ordered a scallop dish that she enjoyed. Aromas is always busy and full of college kids.
Pierce's Pit, also in Williamsburg, is a great BBQ joint. It looks like a dive and is off the beaten path, but is worth finding.
The last find is a coffee place in Mechanicsville. We were on the drive down to Williamsburg I was jonesing for a coffee, so H fired up the GPS and located Coffee Lane Cafe in Mechanicsville, VA. The store was closing in 30 minutes and we were about 30 minutes away. We arrived with minutes to spare and the staff was cheery and made us great drinks. It was so good we stopped on the way home also. This time the owner and a jolly assistant helped us out. I got a non-fat, sugar-free caramel latte that was most excellent.

Rendition

We rented Rendition over the weekend on the recommendation of a friend. I don't feel like I wasted five bucks, but I feel like I could have spent the money better.
The movie had a number of problems:

• Meryl Streep's character was too cynical to be believable.


• Jake Gyllenhaal


• Reese Witherspoon's character was too earnest. Don't even get me started on the fact that she was pregnant also.


• The time phased love subplot was disconnected from the main action of the movie.

To sum it up: The movie was two movies. One was a trope about the out of control US security agencies in the age of Terror. This one was populated by transparently stock characters. They are either boring or over the top.
The second movie, which could have been a good movie, is a mystery about a father trying to solve a crime and find his daughter. The character's in this movie were sympathetic and interesting. If it had been pull away from the sad "message: movie and allowed to stand on its own two feet, this movie would have been an excellent movie.
Sadly, it was not.

The Counterfeiters

The Counterfeiters tells the story of a group of men who survive in a concentration camp by working as counterfeiters for the Nazis. Unsurprisingly, it is not a good date movie. Holocaust movies are rarely uplifting. Even when the protagonists survive, they are broken and their humanity has been stripped away. Even in victory they are defeated.
In The Counterfeiters, the choice of main character adds a twist to the standard narrative. He is a criminal whose humanity is already in question. We know, even before he is interred, that he will do anything to enrich himself. As the story progresses, he seems to gain humanity. In a sense, he becomes the nobel criminal. He uses his talents and questionable morals to help his fellow prisoners. He allows one of his mates maintain his honor and not become dehumanized.
I'd definitely recommend the movie; just not when you are in the mood for something light.

3:10 to Yuma

This remake of a spaghetti western is excellent. Christian Bale delivers a typically excellent performance as a down on his luck rancher. Russell Crowe also delivers a solid performance as the romantic bad guy.
The plot has all of the stock western elements. The pacing was a little slow in places, but overall excellent. The cinematography was also great.
It would have done much better had it not been released in the same year as No Country for Old Men and There Will be Blood. It was just of the same caliber.

There Will Be Blood

Daniel Day Lewis is an amazing actor. His portray of a megalomaniacal oil man is the best performance I've seen in years. It is up there with Philip Seymore Hoffman's Capote.
The long opening sequence with out dialog sets up the character perfectly.
The foil is well chosen and well played by a young actor.
The ending is brutally perfect.

Just see the movie!!

In the Valley of Ellah

In the Valley of Ellah is a political movie. Its catalyst is the horror of the Iraq war. At several points in the movie it states that what is happening in Iraq is worse than any previous war. It also hints that the military is more than willing to cover up bad behavior.
If this message is contrary to your politics, you will hate this movie.
If you can swallow the message, the movie has a lot to offer. Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron both put in solid performances. The pacing is excellent. The story is moving. The suspense is well maintained.
Jones plays a father trying to find out how his son is killed. He refuses to accept the easy answer offered up by the military and pushes Theron's character to investigate further. He does an excellent job of playing the regimented ex-MP. He is tough, but you can see the depth running bellow the surface.
Theron's single mom, run down, possibly sleeping with the boss, disrespected detective is well done. Theron seems to do her best work when she is playing a rundown everywoman. Perhaps we just give her a pass because that character is so far away from the scary hot reality that is Charlize Theron.