In other movie news, I apparently chose the wrong Spielberg movie last Christmas. It turns out I rather like The War Horse (which I declined to see in theaters after experiencing the disaster that was TinTin.)
Yeah, it's schmaltzy, but - um - it's a story about a boy and his horse. A little schmaltz is appropriate. It's got the sensibilities of a movie made in the 30's or '40's, total innocence and little cornball, and it's told in a movie style which reminds me of that time period of movies - plus it's rendered like a beautiful story book.
In fact, it reminded me of nothing so much as an old 50's Disney film - if Disney had better production values, great casting, and a fantastic cinematographer.
This is hardly the first time Spielberg has schmaltzed a war story. Revisit Empire of the Sun if you want some real Spielberg schmaltz. And Saving Private Ryan was not entirely unschmaltzy either, ya know.
The War Horse is a darned good Boy and His Horse tale. I surprisingly recommend.
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