adamgehrke.com

In 1995 Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) was serving his first term as president for post apartheid South Africa. With a country torn and what appeared to be insurmountable problems on his shoulders, Mandela saw Rugby as a way to tie the nation together, in particular the rugby World Cup. On several occasions with gentle guidance and compassion Mandela would meet with the team captain for South Africa’s rugby team, Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), in an effort to support the team and unite the nation in what was a politically exciting and difficult time.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, the film takes on a classic approach to cinematography without fancy moves and edits and focuses more on drama and humanities rather than action and what could be misconstrued as a sports film. Also a heavy hitter in the acting department this weekend, both Freeman and Damon do justice to the individuals they are portraying, although perhaps a little more time could have been spent in the accent coaching. And, in at least one point perhaps Eastwood could have chosen better music to underscore a fairly dramatic point instead of a mediocre pop song that stands out like a sore thumb in what would otherwise be a decent film. All this aside, the film serves as a well produced an interesting recent history lesson. Perhaps good as a matinee, Invictus is rated PG-13.

Director Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You For Smoking) knocks another one out of the park in this down to earth romantic comedy. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) is a traveling  consultant versed in the ways of politely firing employees. In addition to being one of the best in his line of work, Ryan also happens to be fixated on living on the road, living in hotels, airports, and airline lounges. But, when Ryan meets the lovely Alex (Vera Farmiga), his world and desires start to change. What was a passionate city by city affair becomes something deeper, or does it? Will Ryan ever settle down and how will he prevent young efficiency expert Anna (Natalie Keener) from grounding him in Omaha? An artful script is crafted with just the right amount of comedy and reality to create a fascinating look at all the well developed characters. Great performances from all of the actors involved also makes for a fun watch; Clooney’s twist on his usual bravado laden alpha male persona in particular is even more impactful when mated with Farmiga’s equal alpha female. Overall, this fresh examination of relationships will give viewers plenty to talk about later. Worth seeing, Up In The Air is rated R.

Based on the acclaimed Danish film of the same title, Brothers is a haunting look at family dynamics during a time of war. When favored son and Marines Capt. Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) is shot down and presumed dead in Afghanistan his wife Grace (Natalie Portman) is left grieve and  raise two little girls by herself until bad seed brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal) steps up to help out. As life returns to a more normal speed Tommy tastes what life as a family man might really be like and begins to change his colors. Months later, when Sam is actually found alive as a P.O.W. and retuned to his family roles are reversed and it’s Tommy who must do the heavy lifting in the family, but will his efforts be in vain? Powerful acting from all of the actors makes for strong drama with several stand out moments for Maguire. And, a polished script that remains honest and riveting will keep viewers engaged from start to finish. Also worth seeing, Brothers is rated R.