The documentary by filmmaker Eugene Jarecki mixes stock footage from a variety of sources with new interviews with a variety of people who are part of or affected by the war industry. During the course of the interviews we meet two U.S. Pilots who believe they dropped the first bombs of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, smart bombs that we will later find out missed their target. We will also meet various regular citizens who work to design and manufacture these smart bombs and will be told the image of the munitions as being precisely targeted is mostly manufactured (over half miss their targets). We also meet a retired policeman whose son died in the September 11, 2001 attacks and then led a successful campaign to have the dead son’s name painted on a bomb dropped in Iraq. We also meet an air force officer that resigned her position amid concerns of the propriety of military direction and a young man lost in debt who is enlisting in the army. Intertwined with these ‘ordinary Americans’ are interviews with notable social and political personages such as Senator John McCain and Gore Vidal, interviews with Eisenhower’s children and grandchildren, and a lot of generalized talk about the economic drive to feed money into the war industry. The end result is a mixed and muddled message. The main thesis gets through, but the thematic bouncing to and from various side stories serve to confuse and obfuscate rather than enlighten.

Eisenhower’s warning is of a future where government, military and the war industry are too closely related for fair oversight. This point is not (and possibly cannot be) directly proved, but the implication is strongly underlined by the statements of the various insiders and analysts. Case in point is the relationship between Vice-President Dick Cheney, who as Secretary of Defense before becoming vice-president, and who then became CEO of Halliburton, a company that has profited greatly from vast military contracts. The accusations and implications are deeply disturbing, raising concerns of an inherently corrupt system of government where the wealth of the nation (Tax dollars) are routinely directed toward corporate profit in the name of national security.

This argument is unfortunately muddled by over-generalized statements and unnecessary digressions. For example during a section where the United States is presented as “a militaristic nation” that routinely turns to violence as a method for conflict resolution a map of the world is animated with highlights of countries that have seen US military intervention. The voice-over speaks of support for violent and oppressive regimes and other unscrupulous acts of violence giving the impression that all the examples listed are of dubious character with no supporting information. While I did not recognize all the samples I do know some were instances were the US military brought humanitarian aid, not bombs. This left a very sour taste in my mouth and led to some distrust of the rest of the program. Likewise the regular cut aways to small children, usually huddled on a dirt floor and all presumably potential victims of US aggression stank of cliché emotional manipulation akin to crying ‘won’t someone please think about the children’. I was also annoyed by the way the ‘first bombs’ sub-story was introduced, then lightly touched on and not fully addressed until 1 hour, 20 minutes into the movie.

I found why we fight to be unfocused and not terribly compelling. I admit my expectations are likely biased by other documentaries that have greatly impressed me and raised my standard for documentary filmmaking (The Corporation (2003), Manufacturing Consent(1992)). I also believe that the movie sets too low an expectation on its audience resorting too often to images of prosperity and commerce next to poverty and the devastation of war instead of fact and analysis. The message is important and I would recommend watching the movie to raise awareness of our system of government. I somehow wish it could have been better though.

Included in the DVD are 5 scenes cut from the theatrical release, Q&A sessions with the Jarecki, appearances on The Daily Showand Charlie Rose, background on key people being interviewed, commentary by Jarecki and Colonel Lawrence Wikerson, and a theatrical trailer. The menus, bonus material and transfer are all of high quality making the DVD a worthy vehicle for the movie.

Farewell Address to the Nation given by Dwight D. Eisenhower on January 17, 1961

A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction…

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society.

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together.

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Writer Barrie Keeffe in his only produced film script delivers an intelligent and engaging gangster film in The Long Good Friday (1980). The movie, best known for bringing film notoriety to then TV actor Bob Hoskins (Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), Nixon (1995), Felicia’s Journey (1999)) spans a period of two days during which London crime boss Harold (Hoskins) is trying to secure a business deal with backing from the American Mafia. His efforts to woo his New York counterpart, Charlie (Eddie Constantine (Europa (1991))) are put into jeopardy by the unexplained assassination of Harold’s right hand man Colin (Paul Freeman (Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981))) and bombing of one of his restaurants. Eager to not loose the business opportunity and to find and punish those responsible for the attacks on his organization. To make matters worse one of the bombs has exploded in the car that took Harold’s mother to Good Friday mass leaving her traumatized and in the hospital. As Harold states later in the film “You don’t crucify people! Not on Good Friday!”

The style of editing, specially at the beginning of the movie, can be a bit disorienting, but this works for the movie putting the audience in a state of anxious unease over ‘what is really going on’ in the movie that reflects the mood of our protagonist. The empathy is helped by a strong performance by Hoskins that emphasizes the humanity and vulnerability of bad-guy trying to do good in his own way, Harold. Greater depth and humanity is supplied by Helen Mirren (2010 (1984), The Comfort of Strangers (1990), Gosford Park (2001)) as Victoria, Harold’s wife. In the retrospective documentary included in the DVD Mirren talks about how Victoria was originally written as a brainless gangster’s moll but she demanded script changes in order to agree to the part. We should be thankful to Ms Mirren for her demands and for the subdued yet engaging performance she gives forming Victoria into a strong and intelligent, yet still human and vulnerable equal and partner to Harold. Other performances are good though most are over-shadowed by Hoskins’ intensity. A curious note is an all but silent appearance by a young Pierce Brosnan in his first film role (he improvised an unscripted line on set).

The script is engaging, the dialogue fresh and the story intriguing. I found myself wanting to figure out what was really happening from the beginning of the film to the conclusion. The tension is established from the opening scene and the clues dolled out equally to the audience and to the characters making a real connection between the two. The movie represents a departure from style of 50s and 60s Noir and 70s action, building on these genres and establishing new grounds that will give foundation for the Grifter and Con movies that followed in the 80s and 90s. For that reason alone The Long Good Friday should be watched by those interested in film history and genre theory.

The movie is being released today, April 4th, in a new Special Edition DVD that has a wide-screen presentation of the film and includes a commentary track with director John Mackenzie, an hour long retrospective featurette, talent bios, a still gallery, two trailers, a Cockney slang glossary, the screenplay (on DVD-ROM) and an 8-page booklet. The documentary warns the viewer to watch the movie first in order to avoid spoilers, I would take this to heart and suggest the viewer not watch the trailers first either as they will also give key points away. The digital transfer is bright and crisp though the color scheme and visual style follow a 70s aesthetic that I personally find distasteful. The single, usually standard, feature that I really missed was the absence of subtitles. Lines are sometimes delivered in low tones and often with thick British accents that makes them hard to make out. Subtitles solve this problem for U.S. Audiences but are not included in this release.

Which one did I get? Why
You scored as Jayne Cobb. The Mercenary. You are in this for the money, plain as that. You like things simple that way, but mainly as anything else confuses you. You get the job done, and don’t care what people think. Not as long as you get paid anyway.

Which Serenity character are you?
created with QuizFarm.com

Of course.

A documentary about kids going to the national spelling bee, how interesting could that possibly be? As it turns out: Very. Spellbound (2002) introduces and briefly follows eight kids as they obsessively train to become the regional spelling. Through interviews with the kids, their families, teachers and bits of other footage we get a glimpse of the lives of the champions and of the mounting excitement as they draw closer to the national championship.

The first two thirds of the movie are interesting enough, I particularly enjoyed the übergeek impromptu humor of Harry Altman, but the real payoff comes in the increasingly tense moments of the last rounds of the competition. Close ups of the kids faces show the relief of being given a word that was studied and remembered, the panic of hearing a word for the first time, the relief of surviving to see the next round and the inevitable agony of defeat for all but one of the contestants. Inter-cut with commentary by anxious parents and spelling coaches the young faces contorting in concentration speak volumes about inner struggle and closely checked emotion. Caught up in the moment I found myself literarily on the edge of my seat remembering I was watching a short movie about a bunch of kids spelling out words.

A news article in Dark Horizons reports that:

The Jim Henson Co. has set animated series creator Genndy Tartakovsky (”Samurai Jack”, “Star Wars: The Clones Wars”) to direct “Power of the Dark Crystal,” sequel to 1982 fantasy film “The Dark Crystal”

The sequel will place the Brian Froud designed characters in CG background and is set to start production summer of 2006.

Apple has posted a movie trailer for The Notorious Bettie Page (2005). The lead role had originally been ear marked for Liv Tyler but went to Gretchen Mol. I have respect for Ms Mol and wish her success in the role, but I must admit disappointment at the casting change. I would really have loved to have seen Liv Tyler give the performance the devotion and enthusiasm she expressed in early interviews.

It has only been two days since Steve Jobs sold Pixar to Disney and the merger is already having healthy effects. Disney, which had previously announced they were going to make “Toy Story 3″ without Pixar (read as in ‘milk the franchise for all the money they could get out of it’) has reversed itself. Disney employees working on the project were recently told that:

the ‘Toy Story 3′ production will end effectively [Tuesday]. They said that sequels should only be made if there is a really great story that demands it, and should be the domain of those who created the original film.

Thank you Steve. God bless you for saving us from a direct to DVD crappymation version of Toy Story.

will shut down this fall and programming from both will be used to launch a new network aimed mainly at young and minority viewers.

. The move is not terribly surprising given the similarity in programming and demographic between the two networks.

Pixar Animation Studios, creator of “The Incredibles,” and The Walt Disney Co. are rumored to be on the verge of a deal — either a new distribution pact between the longtime partners or the possible sale of Pixar to Disney.

According to the Los Angeles Times, two sources close to the deal said ongoing talks have been turning to Disney acquiring all or part of Emeryville-based Pixar. In that case, Jobs, also CEO of Apple Computer, would become a major Disney shareholder and possibly the company’s chairman.

Lets see what happens….