Legion

Archangel Michael has a six pack and he is bad-ass. He knows martial arts and can handle all kinds of weaponry.

Don't believe me? Just watch Legion and you will see.

Archangel Gabriel is also kind of bad-ass and I am pretty sure that he has a six pack underneath all that armor, as well. Alas, we never get to see him shirtless.

But back to Michael, who has fallen (jumped?) from heaven because there is one task God asked of him that he is not comfortable with. You see, unlike the Lord, Michael has not lost faith in humanity and would rather save a baby than kill it. Yes, this here God is a vengeful one.

The setting for most of the film is a diner in the middle of nowhere (from the proximity to LA I would guess in the Nevada desert). The people inside get there first taste of the pending apocalypse when a little old lady comes in ordering steak that is practically raw. Then she tells the waitress that her soon-to-be-born baby (the one Gabriel is sent to kill) will 'burn', insults another customer (for constantly complaining) and bites the husband defending his wife's honor in the neck.

Shortly after, Michael comes, arms everyone and they all defend the diner. Or actually, Charlie, the soon-to-be-mother-of-the-coming-savior. There is some religious talk and lots of gunfire against the swarms of possessed (?) people surrounding the diner. It's like Feast, but without the humor and with a prettier cast.

Then, after the baby is born, there is one epic bar fight between Michael and Gabriel. The latter has the advantage of his armor and the wings, that appear to be sort of like an extra shield and kills his ex-colleague. But instead of dying like 'one of them' he dissolves into ashes and light to return a bit later, having earned his wings back and defeats Gabriel...but does not kill him.

So full of pathos and religious mumbo-jumbo but oh so awesome.

And did I mention Michael's six pack?

7/10

The Master

I must admit that the first 30 minutes of this were rough for me. It seemed all so tedious and I was waiting for the film to get going. Not what I expect from a Paul Thomas Anderson movie. He is one of my favorite directors and has in the past spoiled us with his works. Hence, I was a bit cautious at first.

However, as soon as Philip Seymour Hoffman enters the stage (so to say) the film does become the master piece (no pun intended) it is by so many said to be. For a long while it was lauded as the best film of 2012 and groomed as a sure thing for award season. But the film year is a long one and the attention span of the members of various academies and associations is rather short. What it did get, in the end, at the big one (Oscars), was recognition for the stellar acting of the main characters. Of course, they never stood a chance and the Academy did not dish out any surprises this year.

This is the story of a lost young man named Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), disillusioned after the war and prone to violence and his unlikely friendship and devotion to Lancaster Dodd ('The Master'/Hoffman), who may or may not be fashioned after L. Ron Hubbard. The cult (no, no, not a cult, surely) is known as The Cause and it doesn't seem to do any actual harm but enthralls the followers in regression therapy and lulls them with words spoken (made up?) by Dodd. There is some minor legal trouble of the financial kind, of course, but then there always is.

Dodd now wishes to help Freddie through his aggression by having him repeat either answers or short walks from one end of the room to the other and loudly stating what the wall or the window feel like when he touches them.

The scenes with Hoffman and Phoenix in them, mostly in conversation, are wonderful to watch and are what makes this film so special.

Joaquin Phoenix really is a gorgeous man and Philip Seymour Hoffman sings!

8/10

Amen. aka Der Stellvertreter

The film Amen. is about an officer of the SS, aided by a priest, trying to alert the catholic church, opposing nations, anyone of the atrocities commited on the Jews in WWII Germany. It is based on true events, although the accuracy of the portrayal of the catholic church is under some scrutiny.

The film does spare out the actual gassing of Jews and is generelly very sparse on grisly imagery. Instead, it shows German military officials, well off people and religious figures having lavish meals as well as hurried meetings.

The cast is from across Europe, heavy on the German side (and it is always strange to hear Germans talking to other Germans in heavily accented English). The SS officer is played by Ulrich Tukur (wonderfully so) and the priest is portrayed by Mathieu Kassovitz (handsome, so handsome). The evil side is represented by the late, and always brilliant, Ulrich Mühe.

The most impressive images, for me anyway, are shots of trains going through scenery with empty cattle cars, followed by closed - and supposedly full - cars a few minutes later. This is repeated throughout the whole film to represent the incomprehensible numbers of people being transported to the concentration camps and - for most - to their deaths.

6/10