The Monuments Men

Underrated war film directed, co-written, co-produced and starring George Clooney as Lt. Frank Stokes (loosely based on George L. Stout) who recruits six men to help him track down great works of art that Hitler has been stealing for a personal museum. With John Goodman and Bill Murray in tow, the movie easily hits most of its laughs with excellent timing, while at the same time also delivering sincerity in its message. Unfortunately, the moral of the story might be overlooked by the masses; you probably need to have a great appreciation for art or be an artist yourself to fully appreciate this movie. However, the film's greatest downfall is that the comedic moments do not segue well into dramatic moments, and vice versa. Clooney requested to have the release of this film pushed a couple of months, causing it to miss out on deserved Oscar buzz. Loosely based on the non-fiction book, THE MONUMENTS MEN: ALLIED HEROES, NAZI THIEVES AND THE GREATEST TREASURE HUNT IN HISTORY by Robert M. Edsel.