George Clooney's epic about second world war art theft gets the true story of these art sleuths right, but needs to be liberated from too much material and a wayward plot
• George Clooney calls for Mona Lisa to be returned to Italy
Monuments Men (2014)
Director: George Clooney
Entertainment grade: C
History grade: B
The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives programme was a group of men and women in the Allied armies who protected and preserved treasures during the second world war, and later found and returned art stolen by the Nazis.
Art
It's March 1943. Belgian monks hide their altarpieces, a swastika flag flutters in front of the Eiffel Tower, and Adolf Hitler is pilfering art from all over Europe to build a collection for his planned Führermuseum. Meanwhile, in the Us, museum curator Frank Stokes (George Clooney) tries to persuade American commanders that European art is worth saving. "This is Da Vinci's Last Supper,...
• George Clooney calls for Mona Lisa to be returned to Italy
Monuments Men (2014)
Director: George Clooney
Entertainment grade: C
History grade: B
The Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives programme was a group of men and women in the Allied armies who protected and preserved treasures during the second world war, and later found and returned art stolen by the Nazis.
Art
It's March 1943. Belgian monks hide their altarpieces, a swastika flag flutters in front of the Eiffel Tower, and Adolf Hitler is pilfering art from all over Europe to build a collection for his planned Führermuseum. Meanwhile, in the Us, museum curator Frank Stokes (George Clooney) tries to persuade American commanders that European art is worth saving. "This is Da Vinci's Last Supper,...
- 2/20/2014
- by Alex von Tunzelmann
- The Guardian - Film News
Since taking to the director’s chair, George Clooney has presented both intellectually stimulating and unashamedly entertaining pieces of cinema. However in his latest endeavour, The Monuments Men, he seems to have disregarded the former, taking a real life story, and dumbing it down somewhat. Remaining frustratingly conventional and littering his title with archetypal Hollywood tropes, such an approach does nothing but detract from what is a completely fascinating set of events.
Set towards the latter end of the Second World War, Clooney plays Frank Stokes, who is tasked by President Roosevelt to form a platoon of ageing art historians and collectors, to head off to Europe and identify – and then capture – extremely renowned and valuable pieces of art that the Nazis have stolen. Stokes manages to persuade the likes of James Granger (Matt Damon), Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), Walter Garfield (John Goodman) and Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban) to assist him,...
Set towards the latter end of the Second World War, Clooney plays Frank Stokes, who is tasked by President Roosevelt to form a platoon of ageing art historians and collectors, to head off to Europe and identify – and then capture – extremely renowned and valuable pieces of art that the Nazis have stolen. Stokes manages to persuade the likes of James Granger (Matt Damon), Richard Campbell (Bill Murray), Walter Garfield (John Goodman) and Preston Savitz (Bob Balaban) to assist him,...
- 2/11/2014
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Review Ron Hogan 10 Feb 2014 - 06:03
George Clooney wrote, directed and starred in The Monuments Men. Ron reckons that might've been too many jobs for one person
Throughout World War II, as the Nazi war machine brought Europe to its knees, the highest levels of the Fuhrer's government had ideas on home decoration that were almost as evil as their plan for the Jewish people. Europe is home to some of the world's most beautiful art, masterpieces like the Ghent altarpiece, the Mona Lisa, the Madonna and Child, and thousands of other painting, sculptures, and buildings that are irreplaceable markers of human achievement and mankind's ability to create something beautiful out of pigments in oil or a block of marble.
At the highest levels of power, the Nazi government decided to use the world's greatest art museums as their personal shopping mall, except they didn't pay for their art and...
George Clooney wrote, directed and starred in The Monuments Men. Ron reckons that might've been too many jobs for one person
Throughout World War II, as the Nazi war machine brought Europe to its knees, the highest levels of the Fuhrer's government had ideas on home decoration that were almost as evil as their plan for the Jewish people. Europe is home to some of the world's most beautiful art, masterpieces like the Ghent altarpiece, the Mona Lisa, the Madonna and Child, and thousands of other painting, sculptures, and buildings that are irreplaceable markers of human achievement and mankind's ability to create something beautiful out of pigments in oil or a block of marble.
At the highest levels of power, the Nazi government decided to use the world's greatest art museums as their personal shopping mall, except they didn't pay for their art and...
- 2/8/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
George Clooney’s “The Monuments Men” is processed cheese. It is a film that has been rewritten, edited, and refined until it has lost all sense of purpose or identity. There’s no flavor left. It is a film that defies genre; not quirky enough to have a comedic personality despite a cast that almost always supplies edge and not engaging enough to work as drama or thriller.
With awkward editing that belies a long post-production, a frustrating screenplay, and a cast that looks as bored as you will be at times, you may not see a more star-studded disappointment this year.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
In a horrendous bit of framing that feels added post-test screenings, Frank Stokes (George Clooney) explains the impact of war on art to a receptive Truman near the end of World War II. While the focus clearly needs to be ending the conflict and saving as many lives as possible,...
With awkward editing that belies a long post-production, a frustrating screenplay, and a cast that looks as bored as you will be at times, you may not see a more star-studded disappointment this year.
Rating: 1.5/5.0
In a horrendous bit of framing that feels added post-test screenings, Frank Stokes (George Clooney) explains the impact of war on art to a receptive Truman near the end of World War II. While the focus clearly needs to be ending the conflict and saving as many lives as possible,...
- 2/6/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Actor Bill Pullman and director Yung Chang attended the Us premiere of the film The Fruit Hunters at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Environmental documentaries come in all shapes and sizes, but chances are you have not seen one as appetizing as this sensual and seductive tribute to nature’s sweetest bounty.
There is a reason that so many painters have turned to the bowl of fruit for inspiration, and if filmmakers have been slow to follow suit, Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze; China Heavyweight) is quick to make amends. Inspired by Adam Leith Gollner’s book of the same name, and accompanied by a motley group of fruit fanatics including the Hollywood actor Bill Pullman, Chang explores a wider, weirder world of fruit: stinky durians, cherimoyas, icecream beans.
Adventurers Noris Ledesma and Richard Campbell scour the jungle for rare mangos, hoping to intervene before the plants are steamrolled by industrialization. Pioneering scientist Juan Aguilar races to breed bananas resistant to a deadly fungus that threatens the worldwide crop. And fruit detectives including Isabella Dalla Ragione investigate Renaissance-era paintings for clues, hoping to rediscover lost varietals. Pullman’s efforts to seed a community orchard in the Hollywood hills are interspersed with juicy historical titbits tracing cultivation across centuries and continents.
There is a reason that so many painters have turned to the bowl of fruit for inspiration, and if filmmakers have been slow to follow suit, Yung Chang (Up the Yangtze; China Heavyweight) is quick to make amends. Inspired by Adam Leith Gollner’s book of the same name, and accompanied by a motley group of fruit fanatics including the Hollywood actor Bill Pullman, Chang explores a wider, weirder world of fruit: stinky durians, cherimoyas, icecream beans.
Adventurers Noris Ledesma and Richard Campbell scour the jungle for rare mangos, hoping to intervene before the plants are steamrolled by industrialization. Pioneering scientist Juan Aguilar races to breed bananas resistant to a deadly fungus that threatens the worldwide crop. And fruit detectives including Isabella Dalla Ragione investigate Renaissance-era paintings for clues, hoping to rediscover lost varietals. Pullman’s efforts to seed a community orchard in the Hollywood hills are interspersed with juicy historical titbits tracing cultivation across centuries and continents.
- 1/7/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Interview Conducted By: Mark Julian Back in December I had the chance to catchup with actor Clark Gregg (Agent Phil Coulson) to discuss The Avengers and we talked about the importance of his character and what the future holds for the fan-favorite S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. Here's the remaining balance of that conversation where I ask about the different directorial styles of Jon Favreau, Kenneth Branagh and Joss Whedon, whether we'll get more "One-Shots" and if he's talked to Marvel about stepping behind the camera for one of their features. Clark Gregg Filmography Actor 2012 Ultimate Spider-Man as Agent/Principal Phil Coulson 2012 The Avengers as Agent Phil Coulson 2011 Mr. Popper's Penguins as Nat Jones 2011 Thor as Agent Phil Coulson 2011 The New Adventures of Old Christine (TV) as Richard Campbell Sr. 2010 Iron Man 2 as Agent Phil Coulson 2009 (500) Days of Summer as Vance 2008 Iron Man as Agent Phil Coulson 2006–2010 The New Adventures of Old Christine...
- 3/25/2012
- ComicBookMovie.com
Andy Schleck won at the highest finish in Tour history, but Thomas Voeckler clings on to the yellow jersey by 15 seconds
Stage 18: Pinerolo to Col du Galibier (200.5km)
Three of the Tour's nine hors category Alpine climbs loom ominously between the riders and the finish line today in a stage that should go some way towards sorting out the men from the boys ... unlike several other stages we predicted would do so, only for the Gc to remain more or less the same.
First up is the Col Agnel (2,744m), the third-highest pass in Tour history, followed by the Col d'Izoard (2,360m) with an average ascent of 7.1%. Finally, an exhausted field must tackle the Col du Galibier (2,645m), where the first rider to the summit will stand on the stage-winner's podium at a higher altitude than any competitor in Tour de France history.
The highest summit finish the Tour...
Stage 18: Pinerolo to Col du Galibier (200.5km)
Three of the Tour's nine hors category Alpine climbs loom ominously between the riders and the finish line today in a stage that should go some way towards sorting out the men from the boys ... unlike several other stages we predicted would do so, only for the Gc to remain more or less the same.
First up is the Col Agnel (2,744m), the third-highest pass in Tour history, followed by the Col d'Izoard (2,360m) with an average ascent of 7.1%. Finally, an exhausted field must tackle the Col du Galibier (2,645m), where the first rider to the summit will stand on the stage-winner's podium at a higher altitude than any competitor in Tour de France history.
The highest summit finish the Tour...
- 7/22/2011
- by Barry Glendenning
- The Guardian - Film News
Versatile founder member of Fretwork, the group that gave English music for viols an international appeal
Richard Campbell, who has died unexpectedly aged 55, was a multifaceted musician best known as a founder member of the viol consort Fretwork. From their London debut in 1986, they shook the dust off the English consort repertoire and gave it international appeal as concert music.
Richard played the treble viol, and later the tenor, in the group, which quickly established a global reputation for fastidiously crafted interpretations of consort music from the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods through to Henry Purcell, combined with a creative drive to commission new works that exploited the ensemble's exotic sound-palette.
He featured in 31 recorded albums, on Virgin Classics and Harmonia Mundi, as well as on film soundtracks including Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) – Richard's constant companions – and The Da Vinci Code (2006). The group won two major recording prizes: a French grand prix...
Richard Campbell, who has died unexpectedly aged 55, was a multifaceted musician best known as a founder member of the viol consort Fretwork. From their London debut in 1986, they shook the dust off the English consort repertoire and gave it international appeal as concert music.
Richard played the treble viol, and later the tenor, in the group, which quickly established a global reputation for fastidiously crafted interpretations of consort music from the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods through to Henry Purcell, combined with a creative drive to commission new works that exploited the ensemble's exotic sound-palette.
He featured in 31 recorded albums, on Virgin Classics and Harmonia Mundi, as well as on film soundtracks including Coffee and Cigarettes (2003) – Richard's constant companions – and The Da Vinci Code (2006). The group won two major recording prizes: a French grand prix...
- 3/14/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Back in January, it was confirmed that Clark Gregg will reprise his role as S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Phil Coulson in director Kenneth Branagh's adaptation of "Thor" in addition to his return in "Iron Man 2."
And while Gregg's role in the first "Iron Man" film was relatively small, it appears that his character will be playing a much bigger role in "Thor."
"I just have been in New Mexico where I was a little more busy, dealing with the arrival of a certain Norse god," revealed Gregg during an interview with Superhero Hype. "I get to do some exciting things in some of the new stuff."
"Agent Coulson was one of the guys who wasn't really in the comic books, and he [had] a very kind of small role in 'Iron Man,'" added Gregg. "And I was just very lucky that they chose to expand that character and chosen...
And while Gregg's role in the first "Iron Man" film was relatively small, it appears that his character will be playing a much bigger role in "Thor."
"I just have been in New Mexico where I was a little more busy, dealing with the arrival of a certain Norse god," revealed Gregg during an interview with Superhero Hype. "I get to do some exciting things in some of the new stuff."
"Agent Coulson was one of the guys who wasn't really in the comic books, and he [had] a very kind of small role in 'Iron Man,'" added Gregg. "And I was just very lucky that they chose to expand that character and chosen...
- 4/28/2010
- by Blair Marnell
- MTV Splash Page
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