Pretty Darn Good German

One thing becomes evident almost instantly while watching The Good German: Steven Soderbergh REALLY loves Casablanca. The look, the sound, the poster, the ending and a lot of the plot elements mirror the 1942 classic and, while its nowhere near as memorable as that film (how could it be?), it makes for some favorable comparisons..

Shot in black & white and using vintage cameras, The Good German emulates the films of the time in which it takes place: WWII era Berlin, post-surrender/pre-Potsdam Conference. It’s a daring visual experiment that captures the viewer’s attention for the course of the film, the homage never stepping into gimmick territory. It would be a shame to not mention Thomas Newman’s Oscar nominated score which is as good as anything produced in the early days of cinema and helps sell the movie’s old fashioned conceit.

The plot itself twists and turns with the motives and morals of its characters. George Clooney, in a role that showcases his timeless movie star charisma, plays an American journalist that gets entangled with a mystery after discovering that his assigned motor pool driver (Tobey Maguire) is romantically involved with his former mistress (Cate Blanchett, lit like she was born to be filmed in black and white). Torn between conflicting Russian and America agendas, Clooney’s character soon learns that morality in the world following the fall of Berlin is as grey as the film’s color palette.

I remain purposefully vague in the plot details as to not spoil any of the film’s surprises, which are numerous. The plot is complex and not for casual viewing, but even those who lose the plot halfway in may still find themselves in the film’s grip. The Good German is not quite guilty of style over substance (I can’t in good conscience brand a film with a story so intricate and so much to say with that distinction), but the success of its visual/audible elements ultimately overshadows what is still an above-average noir tale.

9/10

Transformers Clip Up on YouTube

As a follow-up to Jacob's post concerning the upcoming Transformers film, I am posting a new clip from the film that has been posted on YouTube.

Optimus Prime vs. Bonecrusher

Maybe If The Film Was Called Go-Bots, I’d be More Excited…

A sad realization came over me the other day while enjoying my lunch-“

There is an Autobot logo on a bottle of soda…and why am I not geeking out about this?”

The truth is that I’m just not excited for this summer’s Transformers. And as a dyed in the matrix Insecticon, this is very troubling to me.

When the film was first announced, I was juiced. Spielberg was a producer, they’re throwing some money at it…so what if that hack Micheal Bay is directing—he can direct action and as long as the film’s fun… And alas, that’s what I’m worried about—the fun. After the teaser trailer was released last year, I’ve had this sad feeling that a movie based off of a cartoon that was created to sell toys is taking itself far too seriously. I don’t care that the robots look different than their cartoon counterparts (ok, Optimus Prime having a mouth is a little troublesome…but I’m fine with the general look of everything else) or that Megatron doesn’t turn into a handgun—it’s that I’m worried that a film that probably needs to be a little tongue-in-cheek will instead be using that tongue (Optimus Prime’s, presumably) to speak self-important cliché’d dialogue: "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings."

In all honesty, I think Brett Ratner would have been a better choice. Yup, I can’t believe I typed that either, but his slight camp sense-of-humor is the sensibility I think Transformers needs…and I think the action in X3 holds up to any blockbuster.

I generally don’t like to judge a film before I see it, and I’ll give the film a chance once it’s released. Even if it is the worse thing ever, I’ll still have Transformers: The Movie.

Still, I thought I would vent about my apprehension. It could still be good-it’ll just need a little energon…and a lot of luck.

'Jima Thing'---Letters From Iwo Jima is a WWII Great

Halfway through last year, Clint Eastwood’s film about the battle of Iwo Jima, Flags of Our Fathers, was getting loads of press, healthy buzz, and was considered to have a good shot at serious Oscar consideration. Barely any ink was spent writing up the companion piece, Letters from Iwo Jima, Clint’s experiment in balancing one war film with another from the opposing side—ultimately providing a potent anti-war message that the films themselves barely touch upon. When Flags was released, many (this critic included) found the film uneven (a total shift in narrative 2/3rds of the way through definitely didn’t help), heavy-handed, and a bit over-acted. Even the title was snooze-temptingly square. While the story, following the soldiers from the famous photograph of the flag-raising at Iwo Jima and suggesting that propaganda was as much of a weapon in winning World War II as nuclear armament, was unique and worth telling—the film itself was flawed, far from a bad film—but nowhere near the masterpiece it was anticipated to be.

Undoubtedly there are unlimited tales to tell about World War II, but in a post-Private Ryan world, it was beginning to feel like the cinematic well was running a bit dry.

Maybe not---as it turns out Eastwood’s Letters, released at the end of last year for Oscar eligibility after Flags’ hopes diminished (a gamble that paid off with best picture/director/screenplay nominations and a best sound editing win) proves to be one of the best war films ever made.

Told from the perspective of several Japanese soldiers, Letters from Iwo Jima is much smaller in scale than its American counterpart—much of the action takes place in small bunkers where the soldiers argue with one another in close quarters. The film gets to know its characters intimately, through the letters written to family back home and the interactions the soldiers have with one-another all the way down the chain of command.

By far the most interesting aspect of the film is how, when complimented with Flags, it makes both separate pieces better than they are alone. Letters offers insight into Japanese culture by displaying the soldiers’ willingness to sacrifice their lives if not for each other, than for honor. Contrasting this to the often selfish acts of the soldiers in Flags and we’re left with a (possibly unintended) dig at American values and priorities. The film is almost subversive in that, while we never out-right root for American soldiers to die, we sympathize with the Japanese and the Americans—heroes of hundreds of WWII films before—become the faceless enemy.

Letters from Iwo Jima highlights Eastwood’s strengths as a director: austere, poetic storytelling and the ability to evoke subtle nuanced performances (especially from Ken Watanabe as General Kuribayashi). In offering a tragedy much less complex than Flags, Eastwood is able to deliver a touching war film that displays the similarities of soldiers on opposing sides of a battle, while also challenging us with the differences.

10/10

*The film deserves much better than the lame Dave Matthews reference in the headline...but I couldn't resist

News That Ruins My Day: BSG Is Finishing

It was reported on the LA Times website today that officials at the SciFi Network have announced that Battlestar Galactica will be done after this next season (2008). Its a great show that I have enjoyed immensely and its conclusion seems a bit premature. I have said previously that I thought this show had five seasons worth of story, but the creators disagree and who am I to stop them. This news means that BSG will only have four seasons.

While disappointed as a fan, I cannot complain that the show was given an unfair shake - it wasn't. Four full seasons is infinitely better than, say, the half season that Fox's mis-handled Firefly was given. Still, anyone who has watches the show knows that it was an intelligent, well-handled show; it is one of the best on television. It will be a shame to have it go off the air.

This news pretty much ruined my day, certainly my lunch break. While I am not completely surprised by the news, I didn't want to hear it this soon. Now all we have left is a TV movie and 22 episodes to wrap this story up. The good news is that this show won't drag on too long and start to sour like some shows do. Best to remember shows at their peak, rather than when they ran out of steam. And if we go on the words of show creators Ronald Moore and David Eick, this last season will be full of big things. They released the following statement to the Times:

"This show was always meant to have a beginning, a middle and finally, an end. Over the course of the last year, the story and the characters have been moving strongly toward that end and we've decided to listen to those internal voices and conclude the show on our own terms. And while we know our fans will be saddened to know the end is coming, they should brace themselves for a wild ride getting there –- we're going out with a bang."

Read the LA Times article here.