Reviews
The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara (2003)
Nothing Knee-Jerk About This Movie
Although the format, music, etc. of this documentary are numbingly characteristic of every Erroll Morris documentary, MacNamara's commentary and the tapes of conversations he had with LBJ and JFK are extremely compelling. This highly controversial, famously arrogant mover and shaker is surprisingly self-critical and wise in this interview. In so many ways that is what makes it powerful. There is nothing knee-jerk about his thoughts. He has spent a life time effecting the outcome of world events and then solemnly looking closely and objectively at them. The lessons he learned and shares with Erroll Morris are extremely relevant and powerful. A must see for anyone one with even a mild interest in history, politics and diplomacy.
21 Grams (2003)
Revenge, Grief, and Christianity
The critics loved this non-linear, realistic film about the convergence of three lives due to a tragic accident. The non-linear format contributes greatly to the suspense and mystery of this heavy drama, unfortunately it also causes it to drag. There are some very impressive performances by Sean Penn, Benecio Del Toro and Naomi Watts that make this ambitious effort worth watching. The themes are compelling; however, in the end, the director ultimately missed an opportunity to actually make a statement about true Christianity, revenge and grief. In a way, the title is similarly failing. I knew what 21 grams referred to before I saw it, but the more I heard the title "21 Grams," the more meaningless it became. I kept having to remind myself that it doesn't refer to drugs.
Snake Eyes (1993)
Madonna Hated This Movie
This is a strange and disturbing experimental movie. A rare and great performance by Madonna. She actually can act under the control of the right director. Although, I hear she hated. It seems ironic that she finally makes a good movie and doesn't even realize it. I guess she made some complaints that she thought her character was going to be stronger. (Funny, if she wants to be a Feminist Avenger, or some kind of role model of strength, maybe she shouldn't have made a career out of exploiting herself for fame and the all mighty dollar. Okay, now I'm ranting, but isn't funny how men are especially really down with the NeoFeminist Bull about how it's actually empowering for women to exploit themselves.) Ferrara plays with the autobiographical nature of the subject matter. The plot centers on a film director who compartmentalizes his personal and professional life, until the secrets of his professional life overwhelm him.
The Shape of Things (2003)
Labute: Postmodern Hitchcock
I just saw The Shape of Things by Neil Labute: I think he may be the Hitchcock of this age. (Not in the beautiful-genius-cinematography, masterful-lighting way wherein every still is a perfect and artful photograph.) Labute brings all of the disturbing psychological warfare to the forefront, to the dramatic plot with spare, unobtrusive cinematography and subtle lighting. What was scary about Hitchcock was that although most couldn't relate to a situation where your spouse may or may not be plotting to kill you, many could relate to the underlying fear that you may not be able to totally trust your loved one. This dynamic was magnified which raised the stakes for suspenseful purpose, but I contend it also, at least on the conscious level, distanced it, made it a comfortable journey of anxiety and then terror: one could clearly see, this doesn't look like my life, nor does sound like my life. In watching The Shape of Things, I found myself soothing my nerves with the phrase, "this is only a movie." You see, it looks very much like many people's lives. It's commonplace in our culture to date/befriend people we know nothing about. We never meet their families. We take them at their word with regard to what they do for a living. We take them at their word that they have no other motive than wanting to get to know us, perhaps get close to us. The Shape slowly unwinds a yarn, letting the viewer slowly suspect, while the protagonist remains innocent and hopeful. It is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen, because it reveals how vulnerable we really are.
The Whole Wide World (1996)
Beautiful, Sad and Revealing
This film dramatizes and explores a fascinating mystery of life: Great creative genius often comes paired with great mental distress and illness. It also addresses the value of genre (fantasy, horror, etc.) writing and its potential to be as valuable as any type of literature. Vincent D'Onofrio excels as the exciting, strange, romantic and troubled Robert E. Howard, author of the Conan novels and brings him to life: writing, struggling, physical, angry, powerful and dominated by his manipulative and sick mother. It is one of my favorite performances I have ever seen. Renee Zellwegger creates a smart, strong and sensitive seeker in the role of Novalyne Price. This is what great drama should aspire to.