Dear White People (2014)

Justin Simien's debut film is not as funny as I was expecting--to be sure, it is a comedy-drama, mostly drama.  And I think that is a bit of a detraction from the film.  At times in the middle, the movie takes itself a little too seriously.  Granted, this is serious material, but some of these dialogues are a little too blunt and soapbox-y. Maybe Simien is a little too intelligent, assuming his audience is at the same level.  Most of the movie, however, is very tactful in getting its message across.  That message is very important and much needed.  Race is a touchy subject in this country, but Simien stares unflinchingly at this issue and confronts race in the context of our top universities.  Simien is brutally honest about the systemic racism that pervades our population.  Simien's message is helped along by a strong cast.  Tyler Jesse Williams is perfect as a black homosexual student and Tessa Thompson is excellent as a charismatic student activist and host of "Dear White People," a campus radio show that just might be what our schools need in 2015.     

American Sniper (2014)

The opening scene of American Sniper is intensely suspenseful. We have already seen the opening in the trailer and still I sat at the edge of my seat.  However, I was a little disappointed when the scene abruptly cut to a flashback before Chris Kyle enlisted and then the movie works its way forward in time till it returns to the opening scene.  I admit the second time around was not as suspenseful.  But every scene in the war zone of Iraq is suspenseful, not knowing what awaits behind the door or when the sniper is going to pull the trigger. Including a battle scene in the middle of a sandstorm, in which at times its even a little difficult to tell what is going on. Much like the soldiers, all we see is sand and can barely make out shadows.

War takes a harrowing toll on the human body and mind.  Kyle does several tours in Iraq and the scenes in the United States between tours give the audience a glimpse at the suffering returning soldiers face. Even those physically unharmed are haunted by post traumatic stress.  It ends back at home away from the battlefield, but these soldiers haunted by PTSD bring the war home.  And in war, anything can happen in an instant.  The ending is just as abrupt as the beginning.  This is very much an anti-war movie, highlighting the destruction, physical and mental, wreaked by war.

Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in US military history. He nails the Texas drawl and does a good job showing his post traumatic stress emotionally.  The scene in which he sits in a bar alone speaking on the phone with his wife is surely the reason for his Oscar nomination.  The movie also takes us into the mindset of Kyle.  Despite many protests from his wife Taya, Kyle keeps going back to Iraq.  Kyle is not alone in his mentality. Many soldiers, dare I say most soldiers, go to battle to protect their brothers in arms.  Though they may fight in the name of democracy and freedom and protecting the USA, their true motivation and core desire is to protect their fellow soldiers.  Clint Eastwood captures this mindset of a killing machine and thoughtfully asks his audience to ponder: why do we go to war?