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May 21, 2014 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 25
‘Monuments Men’ save masterpieces in midst of war
by Dennis Seuling
“The Monuments Men” (Sony), based
on a true story, is a tale of rescue -- not of
human beings, but of treasure. The Nazis
have plundered art treasures from museums
and private collections. The war is winding
down and there is danger that these mas-
terpieces, scattered to various locations
in Europe, will be either destroyed as the
Allied invasion intensifies or lost forever.
Intelligence has revealed that Hitler will
order the destruction of this art if Germa-
ny’s defeat becomes inevitable.
A group of art historians, museum cura-
tors, and professors is assigned to locate
these works and ensure they are protected
and returned to their rightful owners. Under
the leadership of Frank Stokes (George
Clooney), the team arrives in Europe and the
members spread out to track down various
leads. James Granger (Matt Damon) heads
for Paris, where he looks up the imprisoned
Claire Simon (Cate Blanchett), believed
to be a Nazi collaborator. The others (Bill
Murray, Hugh Bonneville, John Goodman,
Jean Dujardin, Bob Balaban) pursue leads
that take them to Belgium and Germany,
where battles are still raging.
The two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack
contains deleted scenes, background on
the real art rescuers, and the featurette “A
Woman Amongst the Monuments Men.”
The film is also available in a single-disc
DVD edition.
“Her” (Warner Home Video) is a roman-
tic comedy set in Los Angeles in the near
future. Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix) works
for a company called beautifulhandwritten-
letters.com composing intimate letters and
notes of love, desire, loss, and other heart-
felt emotions for people who are too busy to
express their thoughts themselves. Despite
the company’s name, no hand ever touches
a pen. The letters are composed on the com-
puter in script.
Though he is very good at pouring out
greeting card-style expressions at work,
Theodore has trouble with his own relation-
ships until he buys a new operating system
for his computer with built-in artificial
intelligence -- a disembodied voice (Scar-
lett Johansson) called Samantha.
Samantha initially helps organize The-
odore’s online files and reminds him of
appointments, but soon picks up emotions
in Theodore’s voice and senses his moods.
Turning into a sort of in-home therapist,
she begins to have conversations, provide
opinions, ask questions, and take a per-
sonal interest in Theodore. As the bond
between Theodore and Samantha deepens,
he becomes immersed in a relationship
without the responsibilities of a human-to-
human bond. Samantha is there at his con-
venience and for his convenience. He likes
this arrangement. The relationship develops
in odd and then bizarre ways.
Johansson does an amazing job with
only a vocal performance. Her delicate per-
Matt Damon, Hugh Bonneville, and George Clooney in ‘The Monuments Men.’
formance makes believable the intimacy of
the relationship that develops.
Science fiction movies often underplay
ideas in favor of special effects. In “Her,”
director Spike Jonze’s theme of human
detachment is what grabs viewers and
keeps them involved. Three featurettes
are included as extras on the Blu-ray/DVD
combo pack.
“Vampire Academy” (Anchor Bay)
is based on Richelle Mead’s best-selling
series. The film relates the legend of Rose
Hathaway (Zoey Deutch) and Lissa Drag-
omir (Lucy Fry), two 17-year-old girls who
attend Saint Vladamir’s Academy, a hidden
boarding school for Moroi (mortal, peace-
ful vampires) and Dhampirs (half-vampire/
half-human guardians).
Rose, a rebellious guardian-in-training,
and her best friend, Lissa, a royal vampire
princess, escape from the school but are
captured and returned to the very place
they believe their lives may be in jeopardy.
Thrust back into the perils of Moroi society
and high school, Lissa struggles to reclaim
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