no end in sight
I'm a very naughty girl. I have The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford sitting in its Netflix envelope on my coffee table, untouched. I caucussed yesterday, so maybe I have an excuse? I'll try to get to it tomorrow; tonight, Captain Crash and I are catching an advance screening of Taxi to the Dark Side.
I did see No End In Sight this weekend, though. The critics all seemed to love it (a rare "A" rating from Entertainment Weekly and a 94% on the Tomatometer), and Mark Harris of EW's back page feature wrote a full column just on why this movie was a must-see. That's generally more than enough to get me to throw it on my Netflix queue, but then it got its very own Oscar nod for Best Documentary Feature. OK, done deal.
I don't know what I was expecting. This was the year I saw Sicko and Ghosts of Abu Ghraib... so I was braced for another angry documentary, bellowing for political change. Instead, it was more like a cool-headed History Channel presentation. No End In Sight walks the viewer carefully, methodically, almost dispassionately, through the myriad mistakes that transformed the liberation of Iraq into a violent insurgency, and then civil war. There was no political posturing, just a cold recounting of events. Of course it made me angry (how could it not?), but the facts were presented in such a calm, matter-of-fact way that the anger came from inside me, not from the words of the filmmakers.
Even if you have what Mark Harris calls "outrage fatigue", you've got to see this movie. It's not outrage ... It's just chilling, distilled truth.
P.S. The press are reporting that Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose from prescription medication. We all knew he wouldn't have left his little girl on purpose, but it's nice to have it confirmed. Such a devastating tragedy... there will always be a Heath-shaped hole in American cinema. Rest in peace.
I did see No End In Sight this weekend, though. The critics all seemed to love it (a rare "A" rating from Entertainment Weekly and a 94% on the Tomatometer), and Mark Harris of EW's back page feature wrote a full column just on why this movie was a must-see. That's generally more than enough to get me to throw it on my Netflix queue, but then it got its very own Oscar nod for Best Documentary Feature. OK, done deal.
I don't know what I was expecting. This was the year I saw Sicko and Ghosts of Abu Ghraib... so I was braced for another angry documentary, bellowing for political change. Instead, it was more like a cool-headed History Channel presentation. No End In Sight walks the viewer carefully, methodically, almost dispassionately, through the myriad mistakes that transformed the liberation of Iraq into a violent insurgency, and then civil war. There was no political posturing, just a cold recounting of events. Of course it made me angry (how could it not?), but the facts were presented in such a calm, matter-of-fact way that the anger came from inside me, not from the words of the filmmakers.
Even if you have what Mark Harris calls "outrage fatigue", you've got to see this movie. It's not outrage ... It's just chilling, distilled truth.
P.S. The press are reporting that Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose from prescription medication. We all knew he wouldn't have left his little girl on purpose, but it's nice to have it confirmed. Such a devastating tragedy... there will always be a Heath-shaped hole in American cinema. Rest in peace.
February 6, 2008 at 3:03 PM
Hm... a movie blog, sounds interesting. I can't figure out what exactly gender of movies you like, but seeing 4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile in your go see thingy made me proud. why proud? Being Romanian and seeing people actually interested not in our orphans or gypsies but us as a people who can evolve and have something interesting to say. The movie is sublime, to put it in one word and might not get the right idea about what's it trying to say... Oh, have you seen Gadjo Dilo or Arizona Dream or any film done by Kusturica? Requiem for a Dream, the Fountain? The Boss of it all? Dancer int he dark?
Keep up the good work!
February 6, 2008 at 4:14 PM
George,
Thanks for your comment! I enjoy movies in almost every genre (except horror), but my favorites are independent and foreign films. Of course Romanians have something interesting to say; I think every nation does. One of my favorite things about movies is the opportunity to see the world from varying perspectives. And, of course, I'm not alone in my regard for Four Months... it won the Palme d'Or at Cannes! Definitely something for Romania to be proud of.
I saw The Fountain several months ago, and really liked it, though it was quite trippy.
Hope to see you on this site in the future!
February 6, 2008 at 5:27 PM
I've been avoiding Iraq war movies for three years now because I am already pissed off about the war and don't want to get more depressed during the 2 or 3 hours a week I get to actually relax. But you make a convincing case - I'll add it to the queue.
February 6, 2008 at 10:20 PM
I meant to see No End in Sight in theaters, but never had the chance. It will happen.
Nice to see your worldly readership!
February 7, 2008 at 10:28 AM
erin, you definitely should. At the very least, you'll come out of it smarter than when you went in... so you'll have a better idea WHY you're so upset. That's what happened to me.
fletch, I know! I was excited too. The more worldly my readers are, the better, I think. Actually, I'm thrilled that ANYONE is reading this, considering I've been doing this less than a month!