Fort Bliss

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source: Fort Bliss

Never heard this one before, accidentally found it on local cable TV today and it got my attention. I was expecting more military action, but then I realized this film is not about war, it's about emotions. Very good acting by all the actors (not only by Michelle Monaghan) - that's something rare lately! She was awesome in the role, despite the story wasn't too.... vivid. Despite I was expecting to see something more from this film, yet, I was not disappointed at the end. My rating: 7/10

One of the better portrayals of a soldier by an actor in a long time. Monaghan reveals the struggles a patriot faces with the call to duty and having a family behind. Although I am retired Marine, I see similarities between the soldier and Marine experience and the challenges faced.

After a 15 month tour in Afghanistan, decorated Army medic Maggie Swann (Michelle Monaghan) returns to a cool reception. Her ex-husband Richard (Ron Livingston) is engaged to his pregnant girlfriend Alma (Emmanuelle Chriqui). Her son Paul doesn't remember her and views Alma more of a mother figure than her. She is still struggling with traumas from the tour and regular life is hard for her. I really love Michelle Monaghan's performance as the hardened Maggie. Her relationship with her son is compelling. In fact, I prefer the movie just concentrating on that and leave out the romance. There's nothing wrong with the love story but it feels common. The mother-child story feels fresher. It takes the often-repeated story on a less traveled road.

Having sat on the sidelines of various action movies and thrillers, including but not limited to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Source Code, Mission Impossible: III and this year's True Detective, it's great to see Michelle Monaghan lead a good meaty drama. It's a premise also explored this year with Clint Eastwood's American Sniper but arguably one more interesting through a mother's eyes. Returning home from duty, medic Maggie Swann (Monaghan) finds herself replaced in her son's eyes by her (Ron Livingston in a good small role) ex-husband's new wife (Emmanuelle Chriqui). As a result of her frequent absences, he doesn't even recognize her. Taking custody back from her ex, she tries to reinstate herself as her son's mother, starting their relationship with a fresh slate. Fort Bliss captures the anxiety of the fact that we can get to a point where we can no longer catch up, no matter how close we should be. Maggie thrives in service more than motherhood. She's not a bad mother by all means, but sometimes she simply lacks the patience. Monaghan plays it stern but sensitive, holding her cards close to her chest only revealing aspects of herself when necessary. It's a very controlled and layered performance that shows what she can do when given the leading opportunity. I just wish the kid actor, Oakes Fegley, wasn't so unbearable. Sure, the kid is a brat, that's the point, but it's near intolerable. His performance is not well measured, or guided by writer/director Claudia Myers into a passable unrestrained performance like Noah Wiseman in this years The Babadook. The film hinges on the kid and as he lacks charisma the goal of bonding with him is not an enticing one. The plot glides perhaps a little too smoothly, though it is very character orientated. For instance, Maggie suggests whether her son wants a bigger room to run around in and the next minute they've moved house. The writing often lacks a sensitivity to consequence when the tone of the performances and photography suggest otherwise. It could have benefited from a lot more focus as assorted characters and flashbacks drift in and out of Maggie's life without enough development to justify their prominence. Although it needed various trimmings, the power of its main ideas remains stark. Besides the idea of losing touch with those you should be closest to, it subverts the mother and father role in this context, questioning why when men have to work it's fine yet when women have to it means they're a bad mother. It puts you in a very interesting, if justifiably confrontational perspective. The film isn't all agenda driven arguments with a few tense Hurt Locker style passages to reveal more about the why of Maggie. Combined with the great performances, it has an appropriately desert bleached and subdued shaky-cam cinematography mixed with a Gustavo Santaolalla-esque score to give it a rugged aesthetic.Fort Bliss is an often intimate and involving film, but it doesn't offer enough to be completely satisfying unless you relate to it in a very specific way. But this is the Monaghan show and it's is essential viewing for any fans of her work so far. If only she could get some kind of awards traction, it would be thoroughly deserved. 7/10 Read more @ The Awards Circuit (http://www.awardscircuit.com/)

Strong and moving...... Don't be fooled by the synopsis. The movie is cute, but her conquest for her son's love is too fast. The great point of the film is not about conquest but choices. Led by a moving performance by Michelle, the film carries weight with sensitivity, more interested in the pains of post-service reentry than the usual pressures of a war zone.

Oakes Fegley is Disney's latest breakout young talent. Having been thoroughly impressed by his wonderful performance in the remake of Pete's Dragon, I have decided to check out his filmography and keep up to date with his projects. Oakes isn't the only one, there's a few young stars I'm keeping track of. This is Fegley's first feature film, so I was looking forward to seeing it. While not perfect, the move for the most part is quite good. But it makes some boneheaded choices that cost a good review. Fort Bliss is a contemporary war film that embraces the soldier and shows their lives outside of combat. We don't get much of those films anymore. The beautiful Michelle Monaghan plays a decorated American soldier who just got back from a 15 month stint in Afghanistan. She tries to rebuild her relationship with her young son (Oakes Fegley) who she has not seen for a large part of his life. Her son does not remember her at all. She tries to fight for custody while still dealing with the pressure of her military unit. The movie was going for a Kramer vs Kramer-meets-The Best Years of Our Lives kind of feel. All seemed to be going smooth. She developed a relationship with a mechanic and that subplot is very generic. Not bad, but not great either. Watchable stuff. Her time spent with the unit is also dull. The movie really needed to focus on the rekindling relationship between mother-and-son. This is where the real emotion lies and where the vast majority of the originality is held. So these flaws diminish the film into a movie that is no more than good. Not bad by any means. If this is on TV, it's worth a watch. On Netflix? Check it out. I'm getting ahead of myself now. She is assigned to go back to Afghanistan for a period of 9-15 months. She wants to stay with her son, but her personal pride of her profession has her thinking that maybe she should. An alternative needs to be in tact. But no! The very last scene, last for less than a minute had me so angry that is just wanted to punch my screen! The scene right before that was so good too. I developed a hatred for her character in just a few seconds and my my thumbs up for think instantly turned down. I know that this is a war movie and they didn't want to cop out with a cheesy ending, but...wait why not!? It wouldn't be a cheesy ending if you made it work! It pretty much took everything that the movie had been saying for the past two hours and threw it out the window! It made her one of the worst mother ever! Maybe I'm a little too "Brady Bunch" but family greatly outweighs profession. Remake this soon and learn from the mistakes. 2/4

Great performances from the whole cast but especially Monaghan. Also, good to see John Savage again - in a small role as Maggie's father. Movie deals more than just with the situation facing returning vets, also with the complexities of modern families.

I spent several years stationed at Bliss while living In El Paso, and in the back of my head I expected more video of the installation. Nevertheless it was a good movie; Michelle and Manolo's performance was remarkable. I'd like to see a Fort Bliss 2 but I don't think it would be as good as the first.