Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Megamind To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

krocheav I'm sure Mr Clooney had some good intentions for making this work but did he really have to set his hand to writing and directing? These tasks he has done rather poorly and drags much of his good intentions down to the level of a typical Dirty Dozen meets Oceans 11 type - this story needed more respect. It's also getting to be overly obvious that George 'casts' his cigarettes as closely as his co stars - everything he does features smoking as a major influence to the story (looks ominously like payola unfortunately?) His big cast are also pretty much your Hollywood HBO TV variety and their characters are underdeveloped to the point of creating little empathy. Pity, as the initial-based-on-fact story is worth a far stronger treatment. A good documentary could have covered this more convincingly. I'd recommend taking another look at Frankenheimer's "The Train" to get a better understanding of the significance of this whole Nazi 'Art theft' business. George was fortunate to get his big budget back but, I suspect many might have been somewhat disappointed with the end product considering such a costly input.

The Movie Diorama Films set in World War Two are incredibly popular and the genre has become saturated. There is no room for mediocrity anymore. In comes George Clooney and his famous Hollywood friends to add to the exclusive list of excellent war movies...Ha! Based on the true story of a group of historians going into Europe to recover artistic masterpieces that the Nazi's stole. The film does not do those historians justice, at all. Quite simply this was a mess, narratively speaking. I was hopeful at the start as Clooney and Damon hire the assistance of other historians. Then the movie kicks into second gear and the group are disbanded to various cities across Europe. The narrative consistently shifts between five (...yes five!) different parties of the same unit. This constant switching was ridiculously jarring and I couldn't maintain focus on what the heck was going on. It wasn't a cohesive narrative, it was like watching five separate stories in one film. Not to mention that nothing here was engaging or compelling. Character development was minimal, editing was rushed...this could've, and should've, been executed better. Even the acting felt bland, hardly any acting at all! Only Blanchett and Dujardin felt immersed in the story. Everyone else was just themselves but in costume. Clooney clearly focussed on his directorial efforts and it showed. I honestly think his directing style is great. It's clean, sharp and he isn't afraid to let the actors do their job. I appreciate the light hearted atmosphere, rare these days in a war film but it felt like Dad's Army instead of Saving Private Ryan. There were glimpses of humour, particularly with the land mine scene where our characters actually interacted. But ultimately it was too little too late to save this. Mediocre at best.

Enchorde A few selected men, picked for their knowledge in different areas of art, form a special unit that will try to rescue the art presently being looted by the Nazis all over Germany.As I said in the title, I found the movie both funny and depressing. But I could add to that, that it is interesting. It is based on real events. Although I get that many scenes and events had to be altered for dramatic effect, it doesn't change that the fact that many of the described pieces were in fact stolen and recovered. Not by a handful men as in the movie, but by a designated unit.The depressing part is that, as the movie shows, many pieces of art were lost and are still missing, their fates sometimes unknown. For example the Amber Room, which is still searched for. But perhaps the most depressing was a scene were the men find a barrel full of teeth gold. However depressing, this needs to be remembered.But with a cast that contain known actors with a comedian flair like Clooney, Murray and Goodman. And supported by accomplished actors like Damon, Balaban and Blanchett there is not much to want for in the acting department. And there are a few gems, a few scenes with a distinct comic touch to lighten up the mood.In all it was a very likable movie. A very different war movie. Some, but not much action, so if you expect grand battles, explosions and heroism under enemy fire, you will get disappointed. However, if you expect heroism of another kind, and a Little food for thought as well as Entertainment, this might be for you.7/10

HelenMary Set in WWII the MM's were specialists sent to Europe to save priceless works of art from Nazi stockpiles/destroyers. Real men women, were responsible for finding stashed collections and protecting art galleries and museums and returned family heirlooms to Jewish owners when they were taken by Hilter's men. Well acted, with a star-studded cast, the sets, costumes, locations and everything about the film was excellent. Damon, Goodman and Blanchett were stand out. There was a little comedy to keep the story rolling along, and realistic and poignant enough to be a valid war film but without all the gore and graphic tragedy. Some of the most heartbreaking scenes were of burning of pictures and books, one of the horrors of war which rarely gets much press. Based on a true story, possibly directly true but for film it needed a little more suspense and less contrived quick solution... for my money. Interesting spectacle of history, however.