Undercovers

 It is the Obama’s meets Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Although a bit cliché and a little cheesy, it is cute and entertaining.

Although having been out of the business for a couple of years and decided to run a catering company instead, this couple seems to have jumped back in the undercover business just fine. This couple is smooth, attractive, and the best at what they do. Even though the pilot episode seems like it would have been better as a movie, I am interested to see how this series will play out and continue to keep my attention.

With their one liner bits of comedy and predictable action sequences, this show fulfill the basis of an entertaining action drama show.

The uniqueness of the show comes from our two main characters: being a happily married African American couple. Tell me please, when is the last time you honestly saw Alias go black? I love the fact that they are spies because I love that genre alone and also miss the beloved Alias series.

Here we have a wonderful example of an African American couple who are happily married, much like the Obama’s but they are super secret undercover spies like Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Or if you want another analogy, they are the black Sydney and Vaughn (from Alias). Either way we have a new show and a new couple on our hands.

So as we face this first season of Undercovers together, let us all go in with an open mind and enjoy the show. So far in this pilot episode my expectations have been met and hopefully throughout the series they will be exceeded. The show airs Wednesdays evenings at 8/7c on NBC.
 

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT!

WOW! OMG! I CANT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST WITNESSED!

With faucets running from my eyes, that was my reaction to the ending.

I have wanted to see The Boy in the Striped Pajamas ever since I saw the first trailer in theatres. The second it was finished I made it my goal to see that movie. Little did I know it would be a year later that I would get my chance to watch it.

When the movie begun, I already knew the story took place through the eyes of a German boy. I took it as one of those movies where they get one to understand the perspective of another. For example, Gone with the Wind was through the eyes of a beautiful Scarlett O’Hara who was a southern confederate. The movie gave detail of the civil war with a love story wrapped up. After watching Gone with the Wind, I [as a so called Yankee] was able to sympathize with the south even though I would change a lick of that history.

Mark Herman brings us an overlooked filmed where friendship and the kindness of humanity prevail all. The movie cover quotes, “Lines may divide us, but hope will unite us.” With those words said, that sums up the movie in a nutshell.

Although this story line takes place during World War II in Germany (supposedly enemy territory), the main character, [big blue eyed] Bruno has a curiosity about him that invites one in and places the world through his eyes. Even though his father is a Nazi prison guard, we are instantly sucked into a German family. As the plot progresses, the boy in the striped pajamas comes along and explores a brand new type of friendship with Bruno.

Herman adapted this screen play from John Boyne’s bestselling novel. I really picky when it comes to books but this was an excellent film and I can only imagine how awesome the book is in comparison.

The only reason The Boy in the Striped Pajamas got to me so bad was the ending. If anyone does not want the entire movie spoiled for him or her, now is the time to stop reading.

The plot comes winding down when Bruno makes a promise to Shmuel to help him find his father in the concentration camp. Bruno commits by covering his head and wearing a pair of striped pajamas just like his Jewish friend Shmuel. Once wandering in the camp, they were caught in a crowd headed to the gas chambers. Of course, the Jews and Bruno thought it was a shower when in reality it was a slow, inhumane, suffocating death. The moment where your heart sinks to the bottom of your stomach and melts is the moment his mother sees Bruno’s clothes on the ground with a hole under the fence realizing exactly what happened to her little boy. Knowing that Bruno, a non Jewish German, was killed in a gas chamber, with his father as Nazi guard himself, made me sick to my stomach. I just wanted to scream in anguish with the mother. I can only speak of my pain and the pain of thinking of a horrid situation like that but I can never feel a needle prick as to what Bruno’s mother truly felt. Here, her eight year old son who wanted to be an explorer and saw the good in all people (even Jews) and died in a gas chamber at a concentration camp.

This ending was so powerful because it was not the typical happy ending or hero ending. No! It was so real, it hurt, but I would not change a thing in the picture because it exceeded my expectations. It is sad how this movie was overlooked and not recognized by the Academy. Overall this movie would get a solid five stars. I highly recommend The Boy in the Striped Pajamas to anyone, especially those who have a love for history and drama.