The Milwaukee Post

May 2, 2014 • Milwaukee County Post • 17 Wartime drama joined by Spider-Man sequel By TOM JOZWIK Special to The Post MILWAUKEE – The World War II drama "Walking with the Enemy" wraps up its first week in area theaters Friday, the same day "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" pre- mieres. The following are reviews from both films: "Walking with the Enemy" (124 minutes, PG-13) Mark Schmidt's directorial debut film compares favorably with another recent release addressing Nazi anti-Semitism, "The Book Thief." At the same time, Schmidt is no Steven Spielberg and his depic- tion of the plight of Jews in 1944- 45 Hungary doesn't hold a candle to a movie Schmidt's more closely resembles – "Schindler's List." Few films on any topic come up to "Schindler's List," of course. "Walking" is a basically good motion picture (good and long, too; pruning 20 to 30 minutes would've improved the product), with decent acting. For better or worse, "Walking" features a good deal of gunplay, a sufficient quan- tity of sad music (sounds of "rat- a-tat-tat" occasionally vie with instrumental crescendos) and ample explosions, human tears and picturesque photography. The movie, reality-based, stars longtime British television actor Jonas Armstrong as Elek Cohen, a civilian who adopts the guise of a Nazi officer to spare many in Budapest from concentration camps. The Dublin-born Armstrong is a likable performer, although difficult to accept as a Hungarian Jew (the accent he's fashioned hardly helps). Then again, it's said Armstrong's real- life counterpart, named Rosenbaum rather than Cohen, readily passed for a Gentile. Women, particularly, should enjoy watching Armstrong's eye candy Oskar Schindler, while moviegoers in general are likely to appreciate this wartime cat- and-mouse story highlighted by heroic actions undertaken across religious and ethnic lines. Death camp scenes are neatly under- played; in one, victims' screams, muffled, are heard, while the suf- ferers are seen through a peep- hole by a dyspeptic-looking German soldier (but not by the audience). Commendably restrained, too, are the perform- ances of Ben Kingsley as Hungary's regent and Charles Hubbell as Adolf Eichmann. Elements evoking the Spielberg classic – Cohen's bemoaning not having done enough for his fellow citizens, the casting of Kingsley in a pivotal part, a bona fide Holocaust-monu- ment epilogue – cry "copycat" rather than hollering "homage." For the film's waning minutes, bordering on maudlin, too many previously introduced Hungarian characters seem to have moved to New York City – and not to have aged a day in 13 years. But if "Walking" is more deriv- ative than groundbreaking, and a tad sappy to boot, it's also a taste- fully engaging take on one of civi- lization's sorriest stories. Rating: 3 stars "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" (152 minutes, PG-13) Marc Webb, director of 2012's "The Amazing Spider-Man," has returned for the followup with several familiar faces: Andrew Garfield as "Spidey," Emma Stone as his girlfriend, Sally Field as his aunt and, in cameos, Martin Sheen, Denis Leary and the comic book superhero's co-creator, Stan Lee. New to the franchise are Paul Giamatti and Jamie Foxx. I like the cast well enough, although Garfield and Stone are too old to play recent high school graduates. I like that "Spider-Man 2" scenes put me in mind, inad- vertently or not, of scenes from "Citizen Kane," "Apollo 13" and "A Streetcar Named Desire." I like the song that accompanies the closing credits and I like 3-D and the other cinematic techniques that made me feel a bit more than an onlooker at times – and rein- forced my fear of heights. I like the humanizing of Spidey, also. Less impressive are instances of clichéd and corny dialogue ("Maybe everyone has a part of themselves they hide – even from the people they love"); some over- ly fast talking and nearly-too-fast- to-follow actions (while some courtship tableaus, and the movie as a whole, go on too long); and a several-pronged story line that's less engaging than the special effects. Rating: 3 stars Submitted photo Jamie Foxx, left, and Andrew Garfield as Spider-Man are shown in a scene from "The Amazing Spider-Man 2." By JULIE MCHALE Post Theater Critic MILWAUKEE – There's a lot to enjoy and to ponder in the companion piece, "Laundry and Bourbon" and "Lone Star," under the umbrella title "1959 Thunderbird." Set in the 1970s in a small town in Texas, the two pieces portray a taste of female and male perspectives in the culture of that era. In "Laundry and Bourbon," three mar- ried women gather on a hot summer day to share stories and bourbon highballs, some- times a dangerous combination. Elizabeth is bemoaning her husband Roy's disappear- ance, apparently a common phenomenon since he returned from Vietnam; Hattie is taking a temporary escape from her three demanding children; and Amy Lee, a reli- gious snob and not too well liked by the other two, drops by unexpectedly to deliver a filter for Elizabeth's defunct air condition- er and hawk tickets for a benefit pancake breakfast to support the starving children in South America. What was most interesting to me was the revelation of the many reasons why women marry – romance, children, financial sup- port, avoidance of spinsterhood and loneli- ness. Times have changed; times have not changed. We're still looking for the "per- fect" life; in most cases we're not finding it. The way we live with our imperfect lives and the disconnect with our expectations defines our strength, our character and our creativity. All three of these women are barely coping and have obviously settled for far less than they had envisioned. Elizabeth defines herself as the ever faithful wife who stands by her man no mat- ter what; Hattie, by her devotion to her chil- dren despite her dislike of child rearing; and Amy Lee by her husband's status in the community and her good works. We meet two of these three husbands in the companion piece, "Lone Star." Roy is crazed with anger and disappointment over finding that nothing is the same as it was before Nam, including himself; his brother Ray, supposedly less talented, puts up with him because he's the loyal younger brother; and Cletis (Skeeter), who envied Roy while they were growing up because Roy was smarter, better-looking and more athletical- ly gifted, continues his cowering obse- quiousness toward him, though Roy is now a colossal jerk and Cletis has made some- thing of himself, sort of. The 1959 pink Thunderbird is the symbol of all the grandeur and brashness of youth when one's exuberant dreams ran high and one's judgment low. We all had unrealistic notions that moved us forward, and in some cases, are now holding us back from enjoy- ing the realities of the present. Sad, but true. Though this pair of plays have some humor in them, they are really more upset- ting than uplifting. Outstanding performances from Libby Amato as the heartbroken Elizabeth; Lindsey L. Gagliano as the strident, feisty realist Hattie; Matt Koester as the explosive Roy; and Rob Maass as the sincere, some- what simple younger brother Ray. The sec- ond play was more engaging; the first, more depressing in a subtle way. Both were impressive productions. Fine set by the versatile Rick Rasmussen, effective lighting by Ross Zentner and able direction by Jane and Chris Flieller. The well-written script by James McLure must have been fun to work with. Dreams, judgments collide in '1959 Pink Thunderbird' At a glance "1959 Pink Thunderbird" runs through May 18 at the Tenth Street Theatre, 628 N. 10th St., Milwaukee. For show times and tickets, call 414- 271-1371 or visit www.intandemtheatre.org. Submitted photo From left, Mary McLellan and Libby Amato are shown in "1959 Pink Thunderbird."

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