The Barbarian Invasions

I haven’t seen Arcand’s 1986 “Decline of the American Empire”, in which some of these characters first appeared, but I understand that it concerned a group of 1960s lefty intellectuals in Canada trying to deal with the 1980s.   Now it’s 17 years later and one of their group, a promiscuous academic, is dying of cancer.   Friends and relatives gather.   The film’s assessment of the modern period seems to be that intelligence is dead and nothing has any value except for what it can fetch in the marketplace.   (For example, the dying man’s estranged son has never read a book, but he does know a lot about how to manage financial risk for oil companies and thus is richly rewarded by society).   Still, the film is an affirmation that ideas have value even if they won’t make you rich, that they survive although people die.   I loved this movie.   It’s one of those pictures that makes you say, “oh yeah—that’s what film CAN be”.   Incidentally, it’s up for the Oscar for best Foreign Language film (it’s in French).

- Feb 11, 2004

The Fog of War

Morris has given us such classic documentaries as ‘The Thin Blue Line’, ‘Gates of Heaven’ and ‘Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control’.   Here he turns his attention to the career of noted cold warrior/war criminal, Robert S. McNamara, who presents 11 lessons from his life.   McNamara was defense secretary for Kennedy and Johnson and is considered the “architect” of the Vietnam War (which he now admits was a mistake).   Some critics have said that Morris lets McNamara get away with too much “hemming and hawing” and is overly fair to his subject.   Granted, but it’s still a fascinating look at the quintessential intellectual in the service of power.

-- Feb 3, 2004

Cold Mountain

Oscar-mongering films aren’t usually my cup of tea, but I enjoyed this one.   By now the critics have thoroughly limned its literary allusions to the likes of Homer and Twain and praised the performances.   This film is an interesting evocation of the Civil War era, the legacy of which is still with us.

- Jan 27, 2004  

Monster

This film is based on the true story of prostitute/serial killer Aileen Wuornos.   Although I expected it to be good, I was not prepared for this one.   Its power surpasses that of anything I’ve seen in a long while.   Charlize Theron’s performance as Wuornos is simply uncanny (I don’t think Ebert was being hyperbolic when he recently called it “one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema”), and Christina Ricci is excellent as her young lover.   This is a disarmingly affecting piece of work.   

- Jan 19, 2004  

The Battle of Algiers

I’m embarrassed to say that I’d never seen this 1966 classic before, so when the newly restored 35mm print came to town I didn’t hesitate to leg it over to the theatre.   Gillo Pontecorvo’s documentary-style film about the resistance of Muslim Algerians to French colonial rule in the 1950s is startlingly powerful, complex and relevant.   It’s interesting to note that ‘The Battle of Algiers’ was required viewing for the Black Panthers in the ‘60s, and that it was screened at the Pentagon last year.   Resistance groups as well as imperial planners hope to gain insight and understanding from the film. - Jan 13, 2004