Reviews

This is what Indie films are all about. An excellent flick, acting, plot, script, and all else very well done. On HBO this movie is billed as PU-239 so keep an eye out for it, but be careful what you inhale while watching it!

Having been a physics major I can state that as far as the science goes the movie is loyal. Science, however, is just background. This movie is really about the human spirit continually battling against despair; the human condition and the lengths we will go to kill one another and to love one another; human ignorance and human intelligence, but without humility, and the trouble it will get us all into; and "in the end, everything decays into lead", like bullets, and the fact that no one gets out alive.

Having served in the US Army-Europe in Germany it was easy to see that this work was an accurate depiction of the world as Germans saw it in those years. Going to the IMDb database confirmed that it was filmed in Wurzberg, a city I visited many times. One can not help but wonder what memories and nightmares came back to life for the German people in this movie, or the ones who viewed it, or even witnessed the movie being made. The film is so very realistic in script, acting, and setting that some must have almost thought WWII was alive again. For those that lived through WWII in that country it must have seemed as if those days were repeating themselves. Every detail of this movie is accurate as far as I could tell. It does not employ overused stereotypes, no action heroes, no earth shaking grand and glorious finale, it simply depicts a period of time in all its' tragedy and irony in a most realistic manner. This work deserves more praise and exposure than it has received. A must see for every WWII researcher and historian.

Actually, I lied. I did not see the entire movie, could not stand more than twenty minutes. Then went to take a shower and wash it off. You too will question your sanity, and the sanity of anyone involved with this movie, after only twenty minutes. The best actors in this movie crawled around and had antennas sticking out of their heads! At least they were naturals for the part. How about those people who stood around, talked, and then stood around some more, and then they stood around some, talked, and then, they stood around and talked. They finished the scene by standing around and talking. By that time they had said everything that was important in this movie, and that is not saying much! If this movie even comes near your TV screen you should cover your eyes, run around in circles, and hide under the bed!

If you can't see the excellence in Drumline, well..you just can't see at all. Think how difficult it must have been to produce this movie from start to finish. We aren't talking about Andre and his buddy having a conversation, or Arnold jumping around in front of a blue screen, this is hundreds of people placed in an artistic enterprise and they end up producing an Oscar caliber performance. What talent, what energy, what a show! It avoids many of the typical pitfalls of a black - white movie. This movie is about people everywhere who are working to overcome the nature of being a human being and the baggage we all carry, no matter our color. These young actors, screenwriters, producers, directors, choreographers, and dancers have come together and what we see is how it really is. At least on some days, with some lives, if you are lucky.

After a long hard week behind the desk making all those dam serious decisions this movie is a great way to relax. Like Wells and the original radio broadcast this movie will take you away to a land of alien humor and sci-fi paraday. 'Captain Zippo died in the great charge of the Buick. He was a brave man.' The Jack Nicholson impressions shine right through that alien face with the dark sun glasses and leather jacket. And always remember to beware of the 'doughnut of death!' Keep in mind the number one rule of this movie - suspension of disbelief - sit back and relax - and 'Prepare to die Earth Scum!' You just have to see it for yourself.