Category Archives: Chris Weitz

Operation Finale (2018)

Operation Finale, a film that chronicles the 1961 top-secret raid to capture the notorious Adolf Eichmann, the highest-ranking living Nazi official from World War II, is probably the best movie of 2018 that you’ll never hear about. Under-publicized and just a little north of neutral on Rotten Tomatoes’ aggregate film rating siteOperation Finale was released during a period (late August) when quieter movies don’t do so well at the box office. Plus, this movie doesn’t have an A-list headliner. While it is true that Oscar Isaac (Ex MachinaA Most Violent Year), who, in 2018, is one of our finest working actors, is not quite a household name. At least not yet. Sure, he plays the recognizable Poe Dameron in the latest Star Wars trilogy (episodes VII, VIII, IX), but a respectable actor must be more than that. And Isaac is in the actor circles but isn’t well-known enough to the public. And while he stars opposite a widely respectable actor in Ben Kingsley (House of Sand and Fog, Gandhi), his elder counterpart’s best years are far behind him. At 74, who knows how much longer his career will continue? If this is Kingsley’s final role, it’s a good one.
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A Better Life (2011)

a better life movie posterDemian Bichir (most recognized in America for his role as ruthless and corrupt Tijuana mayor Esteban Reyes in the Emmy Award Nominee Showtime series Weeds) is an undocumented Mexican immigrant named Carlos who works as a day worker, landscaping the yards of large yards in the affluent Los Angeles neighborhoods. He migrated from Mexico some 16 years ago after marrying. His 15-year-old son Luis (Jose Julian) is everything to him after his wife left him to experience a more exciting life in America that Carlos could not provide. A Better Life is exactly what its title suggests: a father trying to give himself and his son a better life.
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