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SPRING 2005 MOVIE REVIEWS
Dean's rating scale: **** Exceptionally good, ***Quite good indeed, ** I liked
some things about it, but found it to be something closer to average,* Not
recommended.
I need to point out that the ratings I give
may tend to be lower than what other reviewers give, but I am actually not as
critical as my reviews sometimes sound.
Generally, anything two stars or better is something I have enjoyed (and
could recommend to many folks), and even those to which I only give one star
have some aspects I find redeeming, though obviously less so than others.
Anything with less than a star (that is 0 or 1/2) is a nearly absolute
thumb’s down. Four stars are given less often and only to those
that have most moved me, most effectively depicted believability and/or given
me the most food for thought.
Downfall – (In German with
subtitles) – (Viewed 03/19/05, reviewed 04/17/05) -- The final days of
Adolph Hitler and his associates are shown in fascinating detail from the
viewpoint his secretary, Traudl Junge,
who lived years later to recount those days.
Bruno Ganz gives a convincing portrayal of
Hitler, and the film itself is perhaps the most compelling you’ll
see about the fall of the Third Reich.
In addition to Hitler, his wife Eva Braun and others who died in the
bunker, it seems that nearly all of Hitler’s most notorious lap dogs are
either present or accounted for in the film.
Some may object to the humanizing of such manifestly evil figures, but
the devil shows little sympathy for others and the film shows little sympathy
for the devil. Meanwhile, it’s hard not to pity some of those who surround him
for the predicament in which they find themselves after for so long buying into
Nazi propaganda, so much so that they remain steadfastly unrepentant and cannot
come to terms with their futile situation.
As with the response of people on any sinking ship – those in the
movie Titanic come to mind -- this is
a story as much about denial as anything.
Although essentially a dramatic portrayal, there’s
nothing like insanity and walls crumbling around you to make things feel
surreal, and thus, easy to deny. When
the Russians arrive to “liberate” Berlin, how surreal must it be to come face to face with the
nation’s enemy and wonder what will they do to you? It’s curious
how people ever do come to terms with their role in such a regime. Though not honored with the best foreign film
award, its nomination for it was well earned.
(Children – nope, due to intense violence, child killings, and
some nudity; Teens – recommended for historical content, but subtitles
move quickly) ***1/2
Enron – The Smartest Guys in the Room – (Viewed 04/30/05, reviewed 05/01/05) – Just 10
people sat opening day in the only theater in town viewing a film that one
might imagine would inspire more interest.
This should be mandatory viewing for anybody concerned with the future
of his or her own private pension or for that matter social security. Perhaps it’s
not surprising few are showing up for this film. Anybody who’s
heard of Enron already thinks they know enough and are sick of hearing about
it. Everybody knows that all the little guys lost their nest eggs.
Everybody knows a few big guys went to jail for
what will be a short time (relative to the impact they’ve had on people’s
lives) while still able to keep their millions.
But hold on!
It’s not as simple as that. There’s enough
human greed to knock your socks off, enough to make J.R. from Dallas look like Robin Hood.
There’s
enough to keep your interest for longer than the normal length documentary –
115 minutes. There’s plenty of
intrigue, character analyses and a disturbing look at human nature under a
culture of greed when a mere tone of authority can convince people to rationalize
with their conscience abysmal behavior. For
those of us who long ago learned to question authority but now find ourselves
more often then not following paths of least resistance, this is a great
reminder of the importance of Enron’s ironic slogan, “Ask Why!” There’s far more substance in this film
than you are going to get out of a typical Michael Moore smear fest, and as
propaganda (in the most admiring sense of that term) it is far more effective,
even if the subject matter doesn’t lend itself much to humor. Far too many people suffered from the misdeeds
of Enron executives and a host of other culpable captains of industry and
finance. The failure to pay adequate attention
to the victims of Enron is the principle weakness of the film, a mistake
Michael Moore would not have made but probably would have overplayed to
tackiness. Still, this is must-see
viewing for anyone who believes eternal vigilance is the price of liberty and that
it also pays also to keep an eye on those smart guys
with slight-of-hands on your wallet. (The
film is likely to be of more interest to adults, though some teens would be
wise to take note). ***
Million Dollar Baby
– (Viewed 03/25/05, reviewed 04/17/05) – It’s true
this is more than just another rags-to-riches boxing picture. A tragic turn gives the story some depth and
controversy. Still, for a film that has
much going for it, I was not as enamored as were members of the Academy, who
awarded it with Best Picture honors.
Although they as I give Clint Eastwood credit for delving shallowly into
subject matter ready made for right wing criticism, I figure that given
Eastwood’s leanings, he can get away with it, sort of like Nixon going to
China. Hillary Swank
goes through an impressive physical transformation, and that seems to be the
new standard for winning Best Actress these days (as it was last year for Charlize Theron in Monster),
but aside from one scene where Swank evokes some passion, I thought her
portrayal was rather flat compared to her work in Boys Don’t Cry. Even Morgan Freeman, Best Supporting Actor,
impressed me less than in other films I’ve seen
him in. I don’t
know what it is about Eastwood’s films.
A man of few words, his own on-screen persona has always been largely
dispassionate, from his Westerns, through Dirty Harry to his role in this film
as a fatherly boxing trainer for an ingénue fighter. So, if he extracts a
moment of passion out of his actors, as he does with Swank when she demands his
honesty and releases some of her own, it seems as if one such moment is all he
wants to put in a film. Last
year’s Mystic River was similarly confined by Sean Penn’s over-the-top
tirade, over which the rest of the film paled in comparison. Rue Paul’s flamboyant performance was
the show stopper in Eastwood’s Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Each of his films sort of
have a “make my day” moment, and much of the rest of the time
leaves me wanting. Well, I’m
overstating my disappointment a bit, because this is generally a worthwhile
ride, but among the films nominated for Best Picture, my preference would have
been The Aviator, commercial as it
was. On the other hand, Million Dollar
Baby may be the best of Eastwood’s films. (Children – mature ones only due to
graphic violence and adult subject matter)
**1/2
Off the Map – (Viewed and reviewed 03/26/05) – Given my job
as a cartographer, anything with the word “map” in it gets my
attention, sort of like the word “sex”. This gentle spirited film is also a rather
odd eclectic tale of a family who try to live off the land in the wilds of New Mexico. The father is
suffering from a deep chronic depression, and his precocious young daughter
narrates her perspective of the family’s ordeal with him, an ordeal that
turns odder when an IRS agent shows up to audit them. The whip smart daughter, both ingratiating
and annoying, is sort of an Anne of Green Gables in blue jeans with an Annie
Oakley sense of self. Meanwhile, it’s hard to tell what has turned the father into such
a shell of a man, but having dealt with my own depression and witnessed it in
friends and family, I can say that Sam Elliot gives one of the better portrayals
I’ve ever seen of it. The film is
more uplifting than depressing, however, and while its unpredictable twists
give it a fun, quirky feel, I couldn’t help but
feel wanting for a point more than mere entertainment, as with so many films
these days. (Kids – perhaps
acceptable for the more mature ones, though there is one scene of nudity) **
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill – (Viewed and reviewed 03/20/05) -- A documentary that would be better suited to the
small screen, this is nevertheless an enjoyable
distraction, particularly for bird watchers and animal enthusiasts in
general. What makes the film
particularly interesting is the eccentric (though he denies it) lead character
Mark Bittner whose abiding interest in a flock of wild parrots that hover over
San Francisco’s Telegraph Hill is juxtaposed by his own personally
fascinating story. Somehow, Bittner has
managed to survive unemployed for many years almost exclusively on the kindness
of neighbors. Filmmaker Judy Irving
perhaps planned to do an animal documentary, but Bittner’s story turns
the film more toward an anthropological focus with a delightful surprise ending
in the last frames. (All ages –
nothing objectionable, but perhaps moves a little slowly for some). **
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