Edward Zwick does not disappoint in his newest epic direction, Defiance starring Daniel Craig (James Bond, Casino Royale & Quantum of Solace), Liev Schreiber and Jamie Bell (King Kong, Flags of our Fathers, Jumper).

The movie gives us a glimpse of the struggles of survival, humanity, and loyalty as Three Bielski brothers, Tuvia, Alexander, and Asael manage to escape into the Belarussian forests after their family was killed in the ghettos of a Nazi-occupied Poland in the winter of 1941. The Eldest brother Tuvia (Daniel Craig) and youngest brother Asael (Jamie Bell) lead a group of Jewish survivors in an effort to stay alive and outlast the war while facing such hardships as starvation, extreme cold, mutiny, and the impending German army on their heels as word spreads of the growing number of Jews within the area. 

The middle brother, Zus, is seemingly driven by retribution and revenge rather than aiding the helpless and creates a Jewish freedom fighting force that joins with the red Russian army in an effort to sabotage, pillage and otherwise distract the Germans by creating another war front devised to occupy and divide the powerful German army from a single, seemingly invincible force.

Quite a lot of subplots and themes surround the central story told in this adaptation of Nechama Tec’s book “Defiance: the Bielski Partisans”, a true story based on actual events surrounding the war.  Some may say that this is overwhelming or difficult to conceive in a single film, but I believe Edward Zwick made a noble effort to not exhaust or otherwise distract from the central arch of this film.

One complaint could be a skimming or diluted feel of character development among supporting actors, but the strong performances and development portrayed by the central characters more than compensates for this when there are time constraints to deal with and don’t want to lose a captivated audience.

If you’re simply expecting an action flick, this movie is subpar at best. In retrospect, it is not simply another rehashed holocaust story, though many of the themes are similar. The prison in this case is not concentration camps but a lack of morale, food, warmth, hope and other resources prying the very fibers of humanity from these people who try to cope as best they can while adhering to their faith and culture to survive.

John Patrick Shanley must be very proud of the superb writing and directing of his adaptation of the Broadway play Doubt. In his first direction since his debut over 18 years ago in the mediocre comedy Joe versus the Volcano starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, Mr. Shanley has captivated Oscar worthy performances by both Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman.

The stage is set in the fall of 1964 at the St. Nicholas Catholic School in the Bronx borough of New York City. Winter and Christmas are rapidly approaching and an alluring Father Brendan Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) is acknowledged by both his students and congregation as a charismatic, well-received community leader. Father Flynn has a seemingly appealing agenda: to modernize some of the school’s strict customs and policies in concurrence with the changing of the culture. In many ways, there is truth and luster to the ideals behind his tolerance and understanding with his congregation. He wishes to add a secular song such as It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas to the school Christmas play and takes the school’s first black student, Donald Miller (Joseph Foster), under his wing.

Enter the stern, largely disliked and feared Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep), Principal of the school and protector as well as enforcer of the customs of old. A largely pessimistic character who believes that Frosty the Snowman is a pagan and barbaric rendition of the exploitation of witchcraft and magic as well as the opinion that ball-point pens promote laziness and will compromise; perhaps even destroy the penmanship of America. Sister Aloysius seems overbearing and a glimpse of her humanity can barely be seen even amongst her peers in the sisterhood.

It is brought to Sister Aloysius’ attention by a young Sister James (Amy Adams) that Father Flynn perhaps has been paying a little too much attention to Miller and even held private meetings with him during her history class.

The result is a clash of ideals and integrity leading to an inevitable showdown of what could either be an act of lunacy as Sister Aloysius seemingly crusades with a personal vendetta against Father Flynn that will stop at nothing short of his removal from the church or an act of courage as a Nun stands up to the leader of the community who has a terrible dark secret and is a metaphorical “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.

This film is both compelling and riveting as the audience becomes engaged and sways from believing and pulling for one cast member over the other and back again. The title of this movie fits the theme perfectly as both the audience of the film as well as the characters within it cannot be sure of anything with certainty. The cinematography and acting in this movie were stunning. Doubt is a roller coaster ride of heartfelt emotion and drama. Don’t be surprised if this movie is nominated for a plethora of awards this upcoming year.

The Duchess was a refreshing costume drama that managed to set aside what one might typically expect out of a period drama, biography, or documentary and instead, focus on the context of Georgiana’s (Keira Knightley) private and social life. This approach tells a story of the woman behind the title, nothing more, and for that, it should be appreciated. If you are expecting a history lesson or biographical account of Georgiana and her contributions, you will find yourself disappointed. Instead we are invited to share the experiences, hardships, and a plethora of emotions that barrage this woman’s life as she struggles to find her place and be at peace with herself within the confines of the Duke of Devonshire’s (Ralph Fiennes) domineering, patriarchal household.

The atmosphere of the film flows well with the undertones and situations of the story. The humor is subtle and flavorful, the tension at times truly thickens right out of the picture making you uneasy. The brooding, passion, and pain are heartfelt and I am pleased to say that the performances from these actors were quite compelling, Knightely specifically, as she immersed herself completely in the role. It was very refreshing to see her play a much more serious, believable character after a hiatus of popcorn flick roles in films such as the Pirates of Caribbean trilogy, Domino (Harvey) and King Arthur.

Rachael Portman scores the movie well and the costumes, sets, and locations are lavishly delivered and visually stunning. Saul Dibb delivers an entertaining and emotional flick that suits its genre quite well.