WAR HORSE Movie Review

Speilberg does it again - beautiful cinematography, story, and meaningful characters - the trifecta of filmmaking.  I wish I could go back in time when we locked eyes at a popular Hollywood restaurant and thank him for this film.  WAR HORSE is so moving that I could hear many crying in the theatre at various parts.  I've found lately that it's hard to keep a dry eye when your heart is really open.

However, I feel the need to warn you about the violent war scenes in WAR HORSE.  This film is intense and tough to watch in parts.  I'm a huge horse lover and ride every week and I felt elements of this was a horse-lover's nightmare on screen because of what the amazing star of the film, Joey the horse, endures.  I typically won't pay to see a movie about war.  Yet watching the scenes of brutality made me remember how lucky I am and how blessed we are as Americans and for all of the little things we take for granted.  Leaving the mall and walking by a Coach store after seeing this film made me think about how silly the meaning of an expensive handbag is when there are men at war elsewhere in the world.  It also made me think about how silly war is when we each have the power of our voice, the brilliance of our minds, and the gift of our hearts to sit together and talk things out; something even a horse isn't given and yet can change the lives of many.

The beautiful part of this heartwarming story is that Joey the war horse is a symbol of many things.  He is a living metaphor for resilience, strength, brilliance, courage, support, hope, determination, and support.  He is a true solider and therefore has all of the qualities any solider needs to survive.  He is referred to as a magical and remarkable horse in this film.  He is really the glue in the center of World War I.

We follow Joey from a foal to a colt to an adult horse and though all of the lives he touches.  Spielberg does an amazing job at intersecting the storylines and the scenes through the journey of this powerful and magnificent horse.  The theme that I found most moving and inspirational was that Joey represents heartfelt connection.  He brings together a family, a small farming community in England, two brothers, sergents and soldiers, a grandfather and grandaughter, and most importantly two "enemies" from different sides of a war camp.  The love this horse inspires in many throughout the film is shared through his spirit and just looking at Joey can transform anyone to see the symbolism he represents.

The most powerful scene in the film is the one that signifies freedom from prison and the connection that happens when we put aside our differences and stand up for what is right from a place of love.  I won't spoil this scene because its one of the most touching and tender moments I've ever seen before in a film.  You will know it when you see it and it will remind you that a simple horse can end a war and connect us all, no matter what we believe.

I'm thrilled this film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture as it surely deserves that and is meant to be seen by the masses to communicate not only the preciousness of our animals but the meaning of hope, connection, and love.  I'm also grateful that no animals were harmed in the making of this movie.  I looked that up to make sure because its important to me that we treat our animal actors with kindness and respect.  In reading about this, I realized that Joey actually memorializes the almost 5 million horses that did give their lives in battle in WWI and he is a true hero in so many ways.

I hope you see WAR HORSE and share your thoughts and feelings with us here!  Its a powerful, mindful movie with heart and with a strong message.  Its a unique story and for all of you horse-lovers you will find it pulling at your heart-strings for days to come as we share a secret bond of knowing the magic a horse brings to the world.  Thank you Steven Spielberg for this film and for your love of horses.....may I see you holding another Oscar in the coming months!

Entertain - Enlighten - Inspire
Kate Neligan
Founder, Synergy TV & Mindful Media Entertainment LLC

WARRIOR Movie Review

WARRIOR is one of the most powerful and moving films I’ve ever seen and had the good fortunate of marketing for Lionsgate VOD & Digital.  It has become one of my top ten films of all time which was really a pleasant surprise.  The original push of the film was toward men and positioned as an MMA cage fight and I’m grateful I was given the chance to re-brand and re-position it to what it truly is: an inspirational sports & family drama with beautiful themes of forgiveness, redemption and victory.

This movie means many things to me and most of them are to be felt and not said but I’ll do my best to put it into words.  WARRIOR tells the story of a family broken apart by guilt, war, resentment, and alcohol.  The two brothers and father in this dysfunctional unit have broken hearts but are truly some of the strongest characters I’ve seen on screen in a while.  Nick Nolte’s acting is some of his best and rising stars Joel Edgerton and Tom Hardy are phenomenal.  I have my fingers crossed for their Academy nominations.  These three main characters each demonstrate an array of emotions on screen such as anger, deep love, courage, and compassion and are vicariously felt by the audience. 

One of the warriors, Tommy (Tom Hardy), appears as a dark figure in both language and dress.  You are led to believe that he has a tainted past and has caused a lot of havoc and damage.  His character appears downright difficult and mean at times.  Yet you soon learn that Tommy is a true hero and that he loves deeply but doesn’t know how to show it.  You can’t help but love this man even though he remains mysterious through most of the film.  I drew comparisons to my own family because my brother is similar and in the past has been so angry with our dad yet I know he cares deeply about our family.  I think one of the beautiful parts about this film is that we can all relate to the emotions displayed and the family dynamics portrayed.

It's easy to feel compassion for the other brother and warrior, Brendan (Joel Edgerton) who is a likable, stand-up family man and respected teacher until he starts to fight at clubs to make money so he can keep his family’s home.  We start to see Brendan as the underdog that just wants to provide for his family the way most men do.  You can’t help but root for him to win the big MMA tournament!  As with all sports movies, the underdog theme runs rampant but it’s also the first time most of us will root for both opponents to win.

Nick Nolte’s character, Paddy is heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time.  Every scene with him grabbed me and surfaced emotion.  Here is a man that has chosen to go sober and wants a relationship with his sons despite their intense resistance.  You can tell he is a tough, ex-marine that has probably caused a lot of drama and pain but is now a man that loves deeply and just wants to connect.  He tries so hard to show love even without knowing how.  I also couldn’t help but think of my own Dad and how he struggles to let go of his past, tough Irish conditioning and show his love for my family.

There are literally moments in this movie when I couldn’t breathe and not because I was on the edge of my seat but because of intense emotion.  The film grabs you by the throat and heart and holds on.  Most people will admit to crying at a couple different scenes when you viscerally feel the variety of emotions in this family, knowing as a human that many of us have been through these same feelings.  In the end, I really understood the Ram Dass quote  ‎"The only emotion remaining in a totally realized being is infinite, unbearable compassion."

I know many have spoken about the healing nature of films and their inherent messages.  The tears I shed in the screening room were impossible to hold back and through them I felt a deep healing like no other movie has provided to this date.  I felt as though I healed a painful part inside of me that lifted and cleared for good.  I felt an open space in my heart where a block had been before the film.  I felt so good for the rest of the day and so at peace, knowing I had no choice but to be compassionate to everyone I met.  Thats the power of love!  This sort of gift that can be received through watching a movie is priceless and important and more films of this nature need to be created and shared.  I applaud the director, Gavin O'Connor, for creating mindful entertainment with messages that need to be heard, seen, and felt.

Besides the themes of brotherly love, compassion, persistence, endurance, and underdogs, the most brilliant theme throughout the film is the one of forgiveness.  Forgiveness is not just a spiritual principle but a human necessity.  I didn’t understand what this word truly meant before my Master’s Degree at USM but I knew it was important.  Forgiveness starts with two things – compassion and a focus on our own judgments.  You can see the baggage that Tommy, Brendan, and Paddy carry in this film.  It’s palpable.  Yet forgiveness will set them free.  They have each put so much pressure on themselves and each other and while you think they are directing anger at each other – it’s also apparent that they are full of self-rage.  You can see that they beat themselves up for the choices they have made and yet they were always doing the best they could with the resources they had available to them.  This is where the forgiveness comes in.

I’ve heard forgiveness referred to as God’s cosmic delete button and I love to think of it this way.  Any judgment or any resentment can be cleared with the simple willingness to open our hearts in compassion and to forgive ourselves for anything we have done or said or for judging someone else’s actions.  We drop the hot coal we want to throw at someone else and we no longer burn our own hand when we choose to forgive.  The act is inherently healing and clearing.

In the end, love conquers all.  Nothing can beat love, not a series of punches, nor guilt, or jail or anger.  It redeems and is victorious and that is the true lesson we are left with at the end of the film.  I implore you – please give this film a chance.  It deserves your hard-earned money; I assure you that you won’t be disappointed.  Please let me know what you think of it after you see it!  These are the films America is ready for and needs.  These are the films destined for Synergy TV.  As a society, let’s commit to telling stories that heal, uplift, and transform us to be even better than we are right now.  Let’s all become warriors!

Entertain - Enlighten - Inspire

Kate Neligan, Founder of Synergy TV & Mindful Media Entertainment LLC

P.S.  WARRIOR made #6 of Heartland's Truly Moving Pictures Top 2011 List!
http://www.trulymovingpictures.org/blog-post/were-announcing-the-top-10-tmpa-winners-of-2011/