Change Your Image
teewood
Reviews
Der Untergang (2004)
The Predator Becomes the Prey
The Nazis who preyed on so many for so long are now helplessly watching the tables turn. But even here, they're still not quite as desperate and hopeless as were their victims, who went in hunger and thirst to their deaths without the benefit of handguns and vials of poison.
The coldness of the Nazis is, at times, breathtaking. Their unquestioning nationalism, their devotion to and belief in Hitler, and their readiness to blow their brains out for the cause, now lost, are sickening. Twice we see parents taking not only their lives, but also the lives of their children.
Nowhere in the movie, as I recall, did Hitler accept blame (or anything remotely close) for what was happening. It was the generals' fault. He should have killed them as Stalin did his. Then it was the people's fault. They were weak. They deserved to die.
This film is depressing but almost impossible to turn away from. It is something that should be watched and remembered by adults everywhere.
Unprecedented: The 2000 Presidential Election (2002)
A Must See
Although certain statements in the film can be challenged, there's more than enough here to show the electorate got hosed in the 2000 presidential election.
The U. S. Supreme Court ended up with egg on its face for making a decision on broad principles (due process, common vote recount law), then restricting the decision to the circumstances at hand (case established no precedent). They knew the decision stunk, all in the interest of putting the Republican candidate in the White House.
And let's not even get into the blatant conflicts of interest three of the Supreme Court Justices had (Scalia, Thomas, O'Connor).
Sadly, both the Gore and Bush camps went parochial, sacrificing the truth for possible victory. The Gore camp should have insisted that votes in all counties be recounted by hand and that military votes out of compliance with the requirements of the law be dismissed. (Surely we can agree the military knows what rules are and what the consequences are of not following them or failing to document compliance.) The Bush camp, likewise, should have been insisted on a full and complete recount.
It seemed as if no one wanted to know what the voters of Florida actually voted. In the end, the people were denied the right to have their votes counted in a reasonably fair and accurate--by no means, perfect--manner. The loser won and our nation lost.
This film is well worth seeing.
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Some of the memorable things
Moore, for all his faults, does provoke thought. One thing that struck me early on was the apparent necessity to target a villain in place of Osama bin Laden. A sustained focus on bin Laden could have greatly damaged the Bush administration, given the hasty departure of the bid Ladens from the U. S. and the long-standing relationship and mutual financial interests of the Bushes and the bin Laden family.
Unfortunately for the administration, Saddam didn't do a good job in his role as the villain. He was nowhere near being the dangerous threat we were led to believe he was.
Several scenes really stand out: the somebody-please-tell-me-what-to-do look of President Bush in the Florida classroom after the WTC buildings had been hit, the anguish of those who lost loved ones in the war and the terrorists' attacks in the U. S., the grief-stricken Iraqi female calling on Allah to destroy us, and the frustration of the soldier at giving freedom and seeing hate in return.
I'm not sure this is Moore's best movie, but it is well worth seeing.
Bad Santa (2003)
Bad Santa, Bad Movie
Santa's foul language with children was sort of funny the first time, less funny the second time, not at all funny the third time, and hugely irritating thereafter. If you don't move in circles where the `f' word is used constantly, your senses will be assaulted by this movie.
But don't despair, there is relief. When Santa isn't cursing, he's doing broads--ugly, fat, pretty, whatever. It doesn't really matter. Really funny stuff here.
I can't really say much about the second half of the movie. Midway through, my grimace/chuckle ratio was running 10 to 1, and I decided I could spend my time better somewhere else doing just about anything.
Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War (2004)
The New Leadership
What members of the Bush administration said. Why it was all false.
Lots of words about weapons of mass destruction, nuclear weapons, biological weapons, chemical weapons, grave threats, and Al-Qaeda. Nothing about concern or freedom for the Iraqi people, something that came stage center only after the other reasons for the war were exposed as bald-faced lies.
Oscars to Mr. Bush and Mr. Powell for superior acting (lying in a most convincing fashion) and to Mr. Rumsfeld for a chameleonic performance (changing as the story changed).
This is a film every American and Briton should watch.
The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
A comedy with humanity
This movie differs from mainstream comedies in several aspects. There is little unrelated-to-the-story funny stuff put in just because it's funny. And unlike many comedies, the comedic happenings in this movie are--in the main--possible.
The actors do a superb job, and their humanity (nervousness, adaptation, incomprehension) shines through. You can sense their joy, their apprehension, and their fear as three unrelated stories come together into a coherent whole.