[movermike] movermike: Movie Review: In the Valley of Elah

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Posted by movermike:
Movie Review:  In the Valley of Elah
http://www.movermike.com/posts/1193116647.shtml


   Bev and I saw In the Valley of Elah, directed by Paul Haggis, tonight
   at The Laurelhurst. The opening says the movie is based on true
   events.

     [1]Hank Deerfield (Tommy Lee Jones) is a retired military police
     officer. He and his wife Joan (Susan Sarandon) have raised two
     sons, both of whom followed him into the service. The older son was
     killed in a military training accident in the States. The younger
     one, Mike (Jonathan Tucker), has served in Iraq for 18 months. When
     Hank gets a phone call informing him that on his first weekend
     home, Mike has gone missing and is reported AWOL, he decides to
     travel to New Mexico to help locate him.

   Tommy Lee Jones does a great job playing the by the book, intelligent,
   ex-police officer. You can read all his emotions in his lined, baggy
   face. Two great scenes, one of Jones bearing up as his wife cries over
   the phone and the other when Joan collapses against him. Charlize
   Theron plays a cop. This absolutely fearless woman plays against her
   stunning beauty, in so many movies. She is a treat to watch.

   In many ways this is an anti-war, Hollywood, propaganda movie. Let's
   see how bad we can make our troops look, under the guise of look how
   hard war is on soldiers. If I had a son or daughter in Iraq or
   Afghanistan, would I want their sacrifice represented this way? No
   way! The film didn't show anything good done by our troops, just how
   fucked up the war is and how it corrupts our young men.

   Coming up is Rendition, a movie that shows how corrupt is the CIA and
   how bad is the U.S., in the way we justify torture.

   Michael Clayton is another Hollywood movie, this time bashing the
   agricultural chemical business.

   I get tired of propaganda.

   In the Valley of Elah is based on the David and Goliath story and
   really asks the question, why would any of us willingly go into the
   valley, overcome our fear, to battle a formidable foe? We should thank
   God there are those who choose to do it.

   [2]In the Valley of Elah [3]Movie Review [4]Mover Mike

References

   1. http://www.spiritualityandpractice.com/films/films.php?id=17398
   2. http://technorati.com/tag/In+the+Valley+of+Elah
   3. http://technorati.com/tag/Movie+Review
   4. http://technorati.com/tag/Mover+Mike