You could swear, curse the fates, but when it comes to the end, you have to let go.

[elschmo]

Two movies for this weekend, because I can: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Valkyrie.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

1. The first thing I did after the movie ended was to turn to Sis #2 and ask for some tissues ... because some tears, they were shed. It was so sweet and touching! I choked up a lot during the movie, most of all when a character died, but when there was that monologue of Benjamin about how people are destined to become certain things ("Some became mothers ..."), coupled with the ending of the backwards clock (which set the tone of the movie perfectly) being left alone in a basement and flooded by water from the hurricane, I just broke down. Now, I do cry during movies, but only when I do so at home ... so this was the first time ever that I cried as much as I did in a cinema.
   
   
2. The only problem I had with this was that it was too long. I give the filmmakers credit for being able to develop a story that was a mere 30-odd pages into a three-hour movie, but damn, its pace crawled. I grew restless halfway, and resorted to shifting around in my seat and shoving fistfuls of popcorn in my mouth to keep myself from falling asleep.
   
   
3. I loved, loved, loved the movie's visual treatment. Plenty of shots were framed and done beautifully, and the colour palette used was simply exquisite, the movie being dominated by lush hues of blue and yellow.
   
   
4. Something else I loved: how the movie studios' logos in the beginning were made out of buttons. It made the movie feel so much more special and ... whole. Ugh, I'm such a sucker for whenever filmmakers do things like this. (Think the two recent Batman movies, Kung-Fu Panda, and Transformers.)
   
   
5. HOLY SHIT, BRAD PITT AND CATE BLANCHETT: GORGEOUS, MUCH?
   
   Shallowness aside, Cate was wonderful in this. I thought her character was so-so in the beginning, but she grew on me as it went along. One of the reasons I felt like there was something in my throat throughout was when she moved in to the retirement home and spent all her time with Benjamin.
   
   
6. I knew Thomas [Button] knew that Benjamin was his son from the beginning!
   
   
7. MORE QUEENIE, PLEASE!
   
   
8. I thought the breaks in between to return to the present with Daisy and Caroline was unneeded. Granted that it became a means of telling people that Caroline was a Button, but eh, it detracted from the main story, much like Keri Russell's search for the ~truth~ in Grimm Love.
   
   
9. The movie spoke of time's preciousness and how we must treasure the present, for we never know when it might slip out of our hands. Brilliant.
   
   
10. 8 DAYS griped about how Benjamin never questioned his condition, choosing instead to frolic about merrily - which was a little petty, I think. The book never once brought up why he was the way he was, nor did he express any intention of finding out. Also, the movie is conveying the message of living your life to the fullest, and that age can be nothing more than a number if you let it.
    
    
11. This reminded me of Big Fish a lot in terms of its fantastical nature and the people Benjamin met in his life.

Valkyrie

1. THOMAS: UNF UNF UNF UNF UNF UNF UNF.
   
   That is all.
   
   
2. Okay, no, really. I liked the movie, and I admit that my bias was key in that opinion of mine. For one, this review wouldn't be written if he wasn't in it ... because I'd have never seen it. Secondly, me anticipating his scenes stopped me from tuning out. (That, and the fact that the movie was really engaging, but I digress.) Thirdly, any movie that has Thomas being cranky ("What are you waiting for? I said, 'MOVE THE MEN!'"), and looking so damn fine in uniform - and with gloves! - gets a instant thumbs up from me.
   
   I'd underestimated his role in this, but he ended up having a lot of screen-time - which made me happy, of course. Every time anyone mentioned putting the Reserve Army on standby (as is required of the operation), I was like, "Oh, please do."
   
   
3. I worship you, Bill Nighy and Terrence Stamp.
   
   
4. There are so many fulcrums in the movie, for it's a movie about making decisions! (Even von Stauffenberg mentioned something about it.)
   
   
5. Thank God the movie moved fast. (Unlike the one above ...) It's rather suspenseful ... And yes, I know I'd find the entire story in a history textbook, but where's the fun in that? And Thomas?
   
   
6. So okay, Tom Cruise wasn't all that bad as von Stauffenberg. Neither was his hair.
   
   
7. I loved the text titles! I thought the transition from German to English in the beginning was a nice way of telling people, "Imagine they're speaking in German, even though they're using English." But if that's the case, the text in the movie and the lounge singer's performance should be in English too, to maintain some consistency - since we're, you know, supposed to replace the English with German in our heads. Of course, never mind that most of the actors spoke with British accents. It's like how in Romasanta (Spain) and Perfume: The Story of a Murderer (France), everyone spoke with thick British accents.
   
   
8. "Do you recognise my voice?" came off sounding creepier than it should.
   
   
9. von Stauffenberg's bloody eye staining the sand was a neat effect. Neat, but a little squickful. Heh.
   
   
10. "Wolf's Lair" is a cool name for a place.
    
    
11. To be honest, I don't have much to say about Valkyrie (other than how sexy Thomas was in this and his body in the swimming scene holy shit and the gloves and the uniform, dayum! But I do that on a daily basis, so I'll zip it). It did as it set out to do - tell the story of the plot to assassinate Hitler - and nothing more. I found it enjoyable, and for some reason (not necessarily Thomas-related), something I could see myself watching again.
    
    
12. ... Speaking of watching something again, I now have a burning desire to re-watch Thomas's interview on Jimmy Kimmel. And another movie with him in it. Oh, Thomas. ♥

Simply, yesterday was a good day for movies. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was a moving piece about growth, while Valkyrie was a good thriller that's sure to raise awareness of this event in the second World War. That's all. I'm not so verbose today, surprisingly.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button: 4/5
Valkyrie: 4/5