****
The word “documentary” instantly sends me to my childhood, where anticipated time with Disney cartoons, adventures, or shaggy dog stories were replaced by (yawn) Disney wildlife films like An Hour in the Life of the Albino Cricket Snail of Missouri. Then, there was High School civic class and You Were There for what seemed an eternity with really bad actors revealing why events like the settlement of New Nederlandville were important (yawn). Today, documentary films are changing our landscape by relating topical information in a manner that’s stimulating and fascinating. Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room, is just this kind of documentary.
This multidimensional study of one of the biggest business scandals in American history is directed by Alex Gibney, and at 110 minutes roles by at breathtaking speed. Enron, the Houston-based energy trading and communications company, employed about 21,000 people before it went bankrupt in 2001. Through the ingenious use of "creative" accounting, Enron came to be listed as the seventh largest company in the country and seemed poised to continue domination of a field it virtually invented: the trading of securities in energy, communications, and of all things, the weather.
The films chronological order lays out, through cunningly captured interviews, congressional hearings footage and video clips, not a company that simply lost its way and panicked, but that was crooked from the beginning. Shocking material comes from internal Enron files, like a recorded phone conversation between two of the company's electricity traders working to create the rolling blackouts of California's "energy crisis" of 2001.
"There's plenty of power available - for the right f****** price." one of them observes.
"Let'em use candles," his colleague answers.
It's like listening in to the water cooler chat of concentration camp guards. Their duties weren't going to make them rich, but all along the general idea is that this was a corporate culture planted and carefully cultivated from the top down.
Ken Lay, Enron’s CEO, passed away last year prior to entering prison. Jeffery Skilling, Enron COO, is serving 24 years, but has well-paid attorney’s working day and night to reduce the sentence. Andy Fastow, Enron CFO, received a whooping six years, with two years probation. Others, like Lou Lung Pai, Kenneth Rice and Greg Whalley turned states evidence and walked away highly embarrassed, and in Pai’s case $243 million dollars richer. By the end of the film I was wondering just how many off-shore bank accounts still hold hundreds of millions of dollars of investors money.
In the final analysis, I can’t help comparing the main characters to the villains of Star Wars. With Ken Lay as Palpatine, the evil Emperor, and Jeffery Skilling; Darth Vader. There are moments in the film where I sensed that Skilling, a brilliant salesman, was never really in control of what he started. In the last days of Enron’s collapse, Skilling was found in the streets of Houston yelling wildly at other pedestrians. He really believed that he was creating a new world order. In the end I wonder if he’ll ever admit that he was not smart, just devious?
This is a great, fast look at American commerce and values at their worst and makes me want to go out and see a another good documentary right now
Monday, March 3, 2008
The "No Sticks" Season
In the movie business there’s the pre- Oscar season with all of the pre-Oscar parties, and the pre-Oscar rutting and promotional planting; this is a good time for movies. Then there’s the Oscar season itself and it floats into view like the monsoon’s with a torrent of last minute hopefuls strewn among those already expectant contenders. Afterwards, there’s what I call the “No Sticks” season. That’s the time when, if “good” movies were sticks you wouldn’t be able to find two to rub together to make enough friction to warm up a box-office, let alone set one on fire. We are in the “no-stick” season, so I dedicate this column to one of my favorite genre’s.
Magical realism is that quality in films that has to do with the concept of “heightened reality” or another dimension of reality that is visualized through the use of symbolic or metaphoric structure. This term, coined in 1949 by Alejo Carpentier as the “lo real maravilloso,” means “The Marvelous Reality,” and the Cuban historian meant reality as if viewed through the eyes of a child.
Maybe it was my early indoctrination into literary classics like the Jungle Book, or The Cremation of Sam McGee, or possibly it was the story about three, house building pigs trying to out-wit a wolf. Whatever it was, I grew up with an enjoyment of stories that use heightened reality or magical realism, and I tend to gravitate to those films that fill this need. Often, when I talk about this, people are suspicious that I am speaking about movies that only children would be interested in. They are surprised when I mention some of the classics, both current and past that they, themselves have found entertaining and enjoyable. Here are some of my favorites, and I’ll wager there are some listed that you have seen yet may not have considered the conveyance of magical realism.
The Adventures of Barron von Munchausen - It’s A Wonderful Life - American Beauty- Like Water For Chocolate - Amelie - Lost Horizon - Bagdad Cafe - Magnolia - Big Fish - The Milagro Beanfield War - Brazil - Naked Lunch - The Butcher Boy - The Never Ending Story - Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Chocolat - Once Upon A Time In Mexico - Cinema Paradiso - Queen of Hearts - Contact - Red Violin - Dead Man - Roxanne - Donnie Darko - Saca Una Foto - Edward Scissorhands - Singing In The Rain - El Norte - The Secret of Roan Inish - Eve’s Bayou - Spirited Away - Field of Dreams - Tiempo de Morir - Frieda - Unstrung Heros - Great Expectations - What Dreams May Come - Whale Rider
Surprised? A number of these are classic standards and offer those moments of heightened reality that we know float around waiting to happen; sometimes they happen right on the screen in front of us. If you enjoy this kind of movie almost any one of the above films is a good bet that can be found at the local video store. Pick one up on the way home, and you can begin your adventure into magical realism tonight
Magical realism is that quality in films that has to do with the concept of “heightened reality” or another dimension of reality that is visualized through the use of symbolic or metaphoric structure. This term, coined in 1949 by Alejo Carpentier as the “lo real maravilloso,” means “The Marvelous Reality,” and the Cuban historian meant reality as if viewed through the eyes of a child.
Maybe it was my early indoctrination into literary classics like the Jungle Book, or The Cremation of Sam McGee, or possibly it was the story about three, house building pigs trying to out-wit a wolf. Whatever it was, I grew up with an enjoyment of stories that use heightened reality or magical realism, and I tend to gravitate to those films that fill this need. Often, when I talk about this, people are suspicious that I am speaking about movies that only children would be interested in. They are surprised when I mention some of the classics, both current and past that they, themselves have found entertaining and enjoyable. Here are some of my favorites, and I’ll wager there are some listed that you have seen yet may not have considered the conveyance of magical realism.
The Adventures of Barron von Munchausen - It’s A Wonderful Life - American Beauty- Like Water For Chocolate - Amelie - Lost Horizon - Bagdad Cafe - Magnolia - Big Fish - The Milagro Beanfield War - Brazil - Naked Lunch - The Butcher Boy - The Never Ending Story - Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Chocolat - Once Upon A Time In Mexico - Cinema Paradiso - Queen of Hearts - Contact - Red Violin - Dead Man - Roxanne - Donnie Darko - Saca Una Foto - Edward Scissorhands - Singing In The Rain - El Norte - The Secret of Roan Inish - Eve’s Bayou - Spirited Away - Field of Dreams - Tiempo de Morir - Frieda - Unstrung Heros - Great Expectations - What Dreams May Come - Whale Rider
Surprised? A number of these are classic standards and offer those moments of heightened reality that we know float around waiting to happen; sometimes they happen right on the screen in front of us. If you enjoy this kind of movie almost any one of the above films is a good bet that can be found at the local video store. Pick one up on the way home, and you can begin your adventure into magical realism tonight
The New Mexico Italian Film Festival
****
By the time I was seventeen my total Italian film experience consisted twenty-two viewings of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. It wasn’t until much later in my life when I began to appreciate the finer accomplishments of Italian cinema. A showcase of thirteen Italian and Italian themed films, some considered the best in their genre, have been chosen as the roster for this years New Mexico Italian Film Festival, February 12 - 17; a fundraising event for UNM Children’s Hospital.
While I have reservations about a few of the choices for the festival there are numerous films in this lineup that deserve both thumbs up and consideration for viewing on one of the three large screens that will host the films. The following are my best picks:
The Bicycle Thief
This story, with it’s grainy black and white images, is as near a dream in film as Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Betê. Set in postwar Italy a man’s bicycle is stolen and with it his chance at one of the few available jobs. In a 2002 directors poll Bicycle Thief placed sixth on the list of greatest film ever made.
The Godfather - Part II
To the five people out there who haven’t seen this . . . go see it. Gangsters, acting and story telling at it’s best.
My Voyage to Italy
Martin Scorecesse scores almost perfectly with this documentary about the history of Italian film and the influence it had in his own work. Don’t let the two-hundred and forty minutes running time scare you; Scorecesse is such a fine host the time will fly.
Umberto D
A 1952 Italian neorealist film. Most of the actors were non-professional, including Carlo Battisti as the main character, but a more remarkable tribute to human resilience in film will be hard to find.
The Best of Youth
A long drawn out affair (6 hours) that will have you wondering who gave this director a camera and film. Then, during a strategically placed intermission, when you will be taken to a superb dinner at Scalos, it will suddenly hit you that you want to finish the story. It starts slow but eventually captures you.
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Not!
Okay, okay, this films not in the lineup, but it should be.
There are other films at the Festival worth seeing and some that might make you wish you had stayed home and gnawed your arm off. I won’t list these because after all, critique can be subjective and you may find a gem here that I viewed with a critic‘s eye. At any rate, the Festival is an entertaining event for an admirable cause, so make a week of it and . . . ricevere
By the time I was seventeen my total Italian film experience consisted twenty-two viewings of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. It wasn’t until much later in my life when I began to appreciate the finer accomplishments of Italian cinema. A showcase of thirteen Italian and Italian themed films, some considered the best in their genre, have been chosen as the roster for this years New Mexico Italian Film Festival, February 12 - 17; a fundraising event for UNM Children’s Hospital.
While I have reservations about a few of the choices for the festival there are numerous films in this lineup that deserve both thumbs up and consideration for viewing on one of the three large screens that will host the films. The following are my best picks:
The Bicycle Thief
This story, with it’s grainy black and white images, is as near a dream in film as Jean Cocteau’s La Belle et la Betê. Set in postwar Italy a man’s bicycle is stolen and with it his chance at one of the few available jobs. In a 2002 directors poll Bicycle Thief placed sixth on the list of greatest film ever made.
The Godfather - Part II
To the five people out there who haven’t seen this . . . go see it. Gangsters, acting and story telling at it’s best.
My Voyage to Italy
Martin Scorecesse scores almost perfectly with this documentary about the history of Italian film and the influence it had in his own work. Don’t let the two-hundred and forty minutes running time scare you; Scorecesse is such a fine host the time will fly.
Umberto D
A 1952 Italian neorealist film. Most of the actors were non-professional, including Carlo Battisti as the main character, but a more remarkable tribute to human resilience in film will be hard to find.
The Best of Youth
A long drawn out affair (6 hours) that will have you wondering who gave this director a camera and film. Then, during a strategically placed intermission, when you will be taken to a superb dinner at Scalos, it will suddenly hit you that you want to finish the story. It starts slow but eventually captures you.
The Good, The Bad and the Ugly - Not!
Okay, okay, this films not in the lineup, but it should be.
There are other films at the Festival worth seeing and some that might make you wish you had stayed home and gnawed your arm off. I won’t list these because after all, critique can be subjective and you may find a gem here that I viewed with a critic‘s eye. At any rate, the Festival is an entertaining event for an admirable cause, so make a week of it and . . . ricevere
The Lives of Others - DVD Review
****
Big Brother as the ultimate voyeur is not remarkable in the course of human history.
Though Orwell’s 1984 warned about the evils of big government, and currently everyone’s all freaked out about the Patriot Act, saving our own skin for the sake of a philosophical/political belief, is not a new occurrence. Spying on one another and ratting out friends and family predates even Judas. And, during the darkest period of the Dark Ages folks regularly turned over entire groups of people to the Inquisitor. In our country this despicable act has names like The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. But, it is compelling to watch this unfold as human drama and the German film, The Lives Of Others, lets us be the voyeurs to this loathsome practice.
In East Germany, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gerd Weisler (Ulriche Muhe) is a captain in the Communitists’ secret police; the Stasi. His superior (Ulrich Tukur) orders him to install surveillance on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), a celebrated playwright who lives with the beautiful actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). While secretly listening in on the two, Gerd becomes addicted to the events in their lives. Gerd, a strict party man, leads a drab, solitary existence and while listening to these two he learns about love, relationships, corruption, power, deception and betrayal, and a metamorphosis takes place. He hides incriminating evidence and falsifies official records to help Georg and Christa, but eventually they are found out and him with them.
This Cold War political thriller that revolves around the state’s control of people’s lives is an intensely human drama that leaves one with the complete appreciation of the evils of communism. The script is subtle which leads to a feeling that the film is a tad long. But, the cast is superb and writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s touch is deft giving the film an atmosphere that creates an almost intense claustrophobia.
In the directors comments von Donnersmarck remarks, “As a young boy, I found it interesting and exciting to feel the fear of adults during our visits to East Berlin. My parents were afraid when they crossed the border…and our friends from East Germany were afraid when others saw that they were speaking with us.” That fear of being watched, judged and juried out of sight is conveyed so well in this film that it won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film last year. The Lives Of Others is must see film.
Big Brother as the ultimate voyeur is not remarkable in the course of human history.
Though Orwell’s 1984 warned about the evils of big government, and currently everyone’s all freaked out about the Patriot Act, saving our own skin for the sake of a philosophical/political belief, is not a new occurrence. Spying on one another and ratting out friends and family predates even Judas. And, during the darkest period of the Dark Ages folks regularly turned over entire groups of people to the Inquisitor. In our country this despicable act has names like The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. But, it is compelling to watch this unfold as human drama and the German film, The Lives Of Others, lets us be the voyeurs to this loathsome practice.
In East Germany, before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gerd Weisler (Ulriche Muhe) is a captain in the Communitists’ secret police; the Stasi. His superior (Ulrich Tukur) orders him to install surveillance on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch), a celebrated playwright who lives with the beautiful actress Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck). While secretly listening in on the two, Gerd becomes addicted to the events in their lives. Gerd, a strict party man, leads a drab, solitary existence and while listening to these two he learns about love, relationships, corruption, power, deception and betrayal, and a metamorphosis takes place. He hides incriminating evidence and falsifies official records to help Georg and Christa, but eventually they are found out and him with them.
This Cold War political thriller that revolves around the state’s control of people’s lives is an intensely human drama that leaves one with the complete appreciation of the evils of communism. The script is subtle which leads to a feeling that the film is a tad long. But, the cast is superb and writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s touch is deft giving the film an atmosphere that creates an almost intense claustrophobia.
In the directors comments von Donnersmarck remarks, “As a young boy, I found it interesting and exciting to feel the fear of adults during our visits to East Berlin. My parents were afraid when they crossed the border…and our friends from East Germany were afraid when others saw that they were speaking with us.” That fear of being watched, judged and juried out of sight is conveyed so well in this film that it won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film last year. The Lives Of Others is must see film.
Charlie Wilson's War
***
It’s not difficult for Hollywood to devise fictional, over-the-top characters to populate films. But, seldom do we see a historical recreation where the personalities display unmagnified character with such faithful observance to reality. In the impressively star-stocked celluloid, Charlie Wilson’s War, true-to-life characters abound and Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a roguish Congressional swashbuckler, gives weight to the old saw that fact is stranger than fiction.
Texas Congressman Wilson is portrayed as a two-fisted womanizer who stays in touch with his constituency, doesn’t make unnecessary waves in Congress, votes “Yes,” a lot and in return possess a significant number of I.O.U.’s. In reality, this is exactly what the real Charlie Wilson was like. Known as the “Liberal from Lufkin,” he fought for utility regulation, Medicaid, rights for the elderly, the Equal Rights Amendment and was one of the few Texas politicians who supported pro-choice. He was also a notorious drinker, earning the nick-name “Good Time Charlie.”
Under the direction of Mike Nichols, the film reveals how Wilson, with the aid of CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and support from Christian socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), successfully maneuvers the Unites States into a covert war with Russia. Personally gripped by the struggles of the poorly armed Mujahideen of Afghanistan against the devastating might of the Russian Army, Charlie devises a clandestine operation that eventually leads to defeat of the Soviets in their own Vietnam style war. From Wilson’s Capitol Hill escapades to his series of odd political bedfellows everything about this legendary story is engaging.
Other than a couple of animation voice-overs (The Ant Bully, Charlottes Web), this is Roberts first film outing since 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve and she’s wonderful in the role of a woman who’s not only rich but on a mission. Since seeing this film I’ve read a bit about Charlie Wilson and Hanks nails the pirate charm of Wilson right to mast. Along with these two Golden Globe nominations the third is Philip Seymour Hoffman in what I believe is one of his best rolls ever, but I say that every time I see him on screen.
This story of Cold War politics harkens back to a day when all we had to worry about was the 28,240 nuclear warheads Russia had aimed at us. It’s a funny story right up to the end when we are reminded that if our efforts to help the Afghan people had extended past weapons, maybe to schools, infrastructure, health and industry, we might be living in a brightly different world today.
It’s not difficult for Hollywood to devise fictional, over-the-top characters to populate films. But, seldom do we see a historical recreation where the personalities display unmagnified character with such faithful observance to reality. In the impressively star-stocked celluloid, Charlie Wilson’s War, true-to-life characters abound and Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks), a roguish Congressional swashbuckler, gives weight to the old saw that fact is stranger than fiction.
Texas Congressman Wilson is portrayed as a two-fisted womanizer who stays in touch with his constituency, doesn’t make unnecessary waves in Congress, votes “Yes,” a lot and in return possess a significant number of I.O.U.’s. In reality, this is exactly what the real Charlie Wilson was like. Known as the “Liberal from Lufkin,” he fought for utility regulation, Medicaid, rights for the elderly, the Equal Rights Amendment and was one of the few Texas politicians who supported pro-choice. He was also a notorious drinker, earning the nick-name “Good Time Charlie.”
Under the direction of Mike Nichols, the film reveals how Wilson, with the aid of CIA operative Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and support from Christian socialite Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), successfully maneuvers the Unites States into a covert war with Russia. Personally gripped by the struggles of the poorly armed Mujahideen of Afghanistan against the devastating might of the Russian Army, Charlie devises a clandestine operation that eventually leads to defeat of the Soviets in their own Vietnam style war. From Wilson’s Capitol Hill escapades to his series of odd political bedfellows everything about this legendary story is engaging.
Other than a couple of animation voice-overs (The Ant Bully, Charlottes Web), this is Roberts first film outing since 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve and she’s wonderful in the role of a woman who’s not only rich but on a mission. Since seeing this film I’ve read a bit about Charlie Wilson and Hanks nails the pirate charm of Wilson right to mast. Along with these two Golden Globe nominations the third is Philip Seymour Hoffman in what I believe is one of his best rolls ever, but I say that every time I see him on screen.
This story of Cold War politics harkens back to a day when all we had to worry about was the 28,240 nuclear warheads Russia had aimed at us. It’s a funny story right up to the end when we are reminded that if our efforts to help the Afghan people had extended past weapons, maybe to schools, infrastructure, health and industry, we might be living in a brightly different world today.
Across The Universe
****
In my mind, musicals like Moulin Rouge, First Night and Once are Nuevo Musicals. This fairly new thing of mixing pop music with narrative story telling is not really the creation of a musical, in the order of the recently released Sweeny Todd, but still, these films are musical in their intent. If you like Nuevo Musicals, the Beatles, and didn’t flat line during the ’60’s then director Julie Taymor’s (Frida, Broadway’s The Lion King) “Across The Universe” will leave you flying high.
The film opens with some of the early Beatles tunes paying homage to what I believe is the best of the Fab Four. One scene here is even shot in the old Cavern Club, famous as the Liverpool home stage to the group. From that point it’s your regular boy-meets-girl story taking a quick turn when we meet Prudence, a sexy high-school cheerleader whose lesbian desires are revealed during her rendition of I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Throughout the story the primary characters are either named after a Beatles song: Lucy (Even Rachael Wood) Lucy In The Sky, Jude (Jim Sturgess) Hey Jude, Sadie (Dana Fuchs) Sexy Sadie and Jo-Jo (Martin Luther McCoy), or they represent an historical character or composite of characters from that period.
The narrative portion of the story is fairly remedial, but what is one supposed to do in the daunting face of dealing with music from the greatest band of all time and some of the best music ever written. Taymor does what she does best. Rather than spending a lot of needless time trying to out write or out maneuver the music she gets creative where she’s the best and that’s the musical numbers. There is some awesome talent with this young cast and Taymor finds a way to use everyone’s talent in the musical numbers that run from simple to the psychedelic absurd.
Along with the superb cast is a portfolio of cameos that includes Salma Hayek as five different nurses (as if one wouldn’t be enough), Bono as Dr. Roberts, Joe Cocker in three different roles and Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite. Nuevo Musical or not, he respectful manner which Taymor and the cast perform this endearing music makes you want to search out your old peace sign necklace put it on and flip a few peace signs. Peace.
In my mind, musicals like Moulin Rouge, First Night and Once are Nuevo Musicals. This fairly new thing of mixing pop music with narrative story telling is not really the creation of a musical, in the order of the recently released Sweeny Todd, but still, these films are musical in their intent. If you like Nuevo Musicals, the Beatles, and didn’t flat line during the ’60’s then director Julie Taymor’s (Frida, Broadway’s The Lion King) “Across The Universe” will leave you flying high.
The film opens with some of the early Beatles tunes paying homage to what I believe is the best of the Fab Four. One scene here is even shot in the old Cavern Club, famous as the Liverpool home stage to the group. From that point it’s your regular boy-meets-girl story taking a quick turn when we meet Prudence, a sexy high-school cheerleader whose lesbian desires are revealed during her rendition of I Wanna Hold Your Hand. Throughout the story the primary characters are either named after a Beatles song: Lucy (Even Rachael Wood) Lucy In The Sky, Jude (Jim Sturgess) Hey Jude, Sadie (Dana Fuchs) Sexy Sadie and Jo-Jo (Martin Luther McCoy), or they represent an historical character or composite of characters from that period.
The narrative portion of the story is fairly remedial, but what is one supposed to do in the daunting face of dealing with music from the greatest band of all time and some of the best music ever written. Taymor does what she does best. Rather than spending a lot of needless time trying to out write or out maneuver the music she gets creative where she’s the best and that’s the musical numbers. There is some awesome talent with this young cast and Taymor finds a way to use everyone’s talent in the musical numbers that run from simple to the psychedelic absurd.
Along with the superb cast is a portfolio of cameos that includes Salma Hayek as five different nurses (as if one wouldn’t be enough), Bono as Dr. Roberts, Joe Cocker in three different roles and Eddie Izzard as Mr. Kite. Nuevo Musical or not, he respectful manner which Taymor and the cast perform this endearing music makes you want to search out your old peace sign necklace put it on and flip a few peace signs. Peace.
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