list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around No End in Sight on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/No_End_in_Sight/314989/default.aspx Title: No End in Sight
Year: 2007
Director: Charles Ferguson
Plot: On March 19, 2003, forces from the United States and a handful of allied nations invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power. American military leaders expected the conflict to last no more than a few months, and President George W. Bush declared that major military operations were over less than two months later. However, Iraq soon became a dangerous quagmire for American forces, and near the end of 2006, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, one of the key architects of America's strategy in Iraq, resigned from office due to public outcry and Bush declared he was "rethinking" his plan of attack in Iraq as the nation sank into civil war, with U.S. troops the frequent targets of attacks on both sides. How and why did America's leaders decide to invade Iraq? How did they formulate a strategy that went so far wrong? And can anything be done to salvage the situation? Filmmaker Charles Ferguson, a former advisor with the Brookings Institution, examines these questions in No End In Sight, a documentary on the War in Iraq which includes interviews with a number of figures involved in the conflict's decision-making process, some speaking on camera about the war for the first time. No End In Sight was screened in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 22
Number of Lists: 17
Number of blog posts: 26
Number of discussion threads: 4
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:14:44 GMTNo End in Sight2007Charles FergusonOn March 19, 2003, forces from the United States and a handful of allied nations invaded Iraq to remove Saddam Hussein from power. American military leaders expected the conflict to last no more than a few months, and President George W. Bush declared that major military operations were over less than two months later. However, Iraq soon became a dangerous quagmire for American forces, and near the end of 2006, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, one of the key architects of America's strategy in Iraq, resigned from office due to public outcry and Bush declared he was "rethinking" his plan of attack in Iraq as the nation sank into civil war, with U.S. troops the frequent targets of attacks on both sides. How and why did America's leaders decide to invade Iraq? How did they formulate a strategy that went so far wrong? And can anything be done to salvage the situation? Filmmaker Charles Ferguson, a former advisor with the Brookings Institution, examines these questions in No End In Sight, a documentary on the War in Iraq which includes interviews with a number of figures involved in the conflict's decision-making process, some speaking on camera about the war for the first time. No End In Sight was screened in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide22Tag Target (>10)172644http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/s314989.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/No_End_in_Sight/314989/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Community_Recommendations/Re_The_Way_We_Were/643/38756/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: csprague
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 12/23/2008 10:51:34 AM
Body: [quote user="rjsprague"] I just read an interesting article on Newsweek entitled The Way We Were. It begins: "If artists depend on angst and unrest to fuel their creative fire, then at least in one sense the 43rd presidency has been a blessing." That's probably true, and I wanted everyone to give an example of a film that was created in the past eight that exemplifies the era of our 43rd president. I would like to recommend: Why We Fight I feel that this documentary, while obviously biased, provides insight into the current era because docs were ridiculously popular, and because it provided me with parallels to help me understand what we were engaging in. It represents the speed with which we are able to "look back" at the direction our nation is headed, which is obviously significantly faster than ever before. [/quote] No End In Sight Although, now that we've got Barak coming into the White House, it looks like there might be an end in sight, or at least a plan for what we are doing and why.
]]>Tue, 23 Dec 2008 15:51:34 GMTcspragueCommunity Recommendations12/23/2008 10:51:34 AM[quote user="rjsprague"] I just read an interesting article on Newsweek entitled The Way We Were. It begins: "If artists depend on angst and unrest to fuel their creative fire, then at least in one sense the 43rd presidency has been a blessing." That's probably true, and I wanted everyone to give an example of a film that was created in the past eight that exemplifies the era of our 43rd president. I would like to recommend: Why We Fight I feel that this documentary, while obviously biased, provides insight into the current era because docs were ridiculously popular, and because it provided me with parallels to help me understand what we were engaging in. It represents the speed with which we are able to "look back" at the direction our nation is headed, which is obviously significantly faster than ever before. [/quote] No End In Sight Although, now that we've got Barak coming into the White House, it looks like there might be an end in sight, or at least a plan for what we are doing and why. http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_Iraq_War_Movies_That_Overcome_Iraq_Fatigu/190/36629/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: jmcnally
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 10/23/2008 5:02:26 PM
Body: Just off the top of my head, though this could change tomorrow... Dr. Strangelove M*A*S*H No End in Sight Why We Fight 3 Kings
]]>Thu, 23 Oct 2008 21:02:26 GMTjmcnallyTop 510/23/2008 5:02:26 PMJust off the top of my head, though this could change tomorrow... Dr. Strangelove M*A*S*H No End in Sight Why We Fight 3 Kings http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/16/35192.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/16/2008 12:01:20 PM
Body: (Image: Hisaharu Motoda’s “Neo-Ruins” via Pink Tentacle) The latest news from Wall Street seems to indicate that a complete financial meltdown is only a few weeks away. Before you violently horde every morsel of food from your local supermarket or begin a hostile take-over of your corner gas station, there are several movies you should watch in order to prepare for life after the downfall of Western civilization. There have been plenty of films in which the world we know is nothing but a burned out shell of its former glory. Nuclear holocaust and virulent plagues are common Earth-clearing disasters, but there’s no reason to think that a global economic collapse would be any less destructive. Let’s not forget that one of history’s most common causes for war is a desperate grab for resources during tough times. So without further ado, seven lessons from the movies, essential for surviving our impending doom: 1. Hoard gasoline! Plenty of people are already getting a jump on this one, apparently upping demand to the point where falling oil prices are not translating to the pump. If you think waiting 15 minutes in line to buy gas at $4.50 a gallon is bad, watch The Road Warrior again. From the opening sequence where Mel Gibson gingerly harvests every precious ounce of fuel from an abandoned vehicle to the final deadly battle over a tanker truck, it’s clear that in a post-apocalyptic world, gas is gold. Sure, we’re working on becoming less dependent on the stuff, but what good is a Chevy Volt going to do you if the power grid is in shambles? 2. Learn a trade that’s useful regardless of available technology! Farmers, builders, doctors, these people will always be useful, even if your society’s currency consists only of the teeth of your enemies. If your skill set is of a less practical variety, don’t worry, people will still need entertainment. One good model is Kevin Costner’s character in The Postman. Before he takes on the titular role as a letter carrier, he makes his way from town to town as a traveling minstrel. The Pony Express-style mailman gig he eventually gets is a good job as well, but it tends to be quite dangerous. 3. Do not take a job at a butcher shop! I can’t stress this one enough. History has unfortunately proven that when times get extremely tough, people will eat one another, it’s a natural consequence of human depravity. If you see an ad in the paper for a general labor position with a high turn-over rate at a deli specializing in fresh meat, don’t be foolish like Dominique Pinon’s character in Delicatessen. The dark comedy, from Amélie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, tells the story of a former circus performer who lands a job at a butcher shop with a less than wholesome supply chain. If McDonalds is still open when New York’s financial district is nothing more than a smoking ruin used to house gladiatorial death matches, be suspicious. 4. If you are fertile, be careful with your precious seed! The human race is notoriously tenacious, so don’t think the collapse of society means the end of our fair race––we’ll survive, somehow. But when things get really crazy, potential candidates for the new Adam and Eve need to be on guard. Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men is an excellent example of how post-apocalyptic citizens can go baby crazy. There are also a number of examples of post-apocalyptic fiction where a fertile man is a highly sought-after commodity in a female-dominated dystopia. A Boy and His Dog and Hell Comes to Frogtown both feature walking sperm banks charged with saving womankind (played by Don Johnson and Rowdy Roddy Piper, respectively). Also, SciFi Wire reported yesterday that Eagle Eye director D.J. Caruso’s next film will be an adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s amazing graphic novel Y the Last Man. The film will (presumably) star Shia LaBeouf as Vic, who is, you guessed it, the last human male on earth. 5. For God’s sake, save the library! This tip doesn’t concern personal survivability so much as a general service to humanity. When I was in school I was forced to watch the 1960 film adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine for some reason. I loved it. But I was also terrified by its vision of the future. My most vivid memory of the film is when our hero finds that future generations have not maintained the library, letting the entire record of human history literally turn to dust. It’s a good thing that people like Wired magazine founding editor Kevin Kelly are doing cool things like The Long Now Project, because digital storage of information is almost comically transient. Also, if you don’t think things this important can really be lost, watch the 2007 Iraq war documentary No End in Sight. The part about the looting of the National Museum and the burning of the Iraqi National Archives made me cry. 6. If you live in a temperate climate, head South! This one is simple enough, and it’s the premise of Cormac McCarthy’s 2006 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Road, the film adaptation of which will be in theaters this November, starring Viggo Mortensen. The story dispenses with the typical global catastrophe story line common to most post-apocalyptic tales, and focused instead on a man and his son attempting to avoid danger as they head South for the winter through a blighted landscape. This is the film I most look forward to this fall; it takes the genre in a very serious direction, so don’t expect any Mad Max-like car chases. For our purposes here, The Road really teaches two valuable lessons: one, even something seemingly simple, like heading South, can be potentially deadly; and two, it gives some great tips on scavenging through buildings that have already been picked over by looters. 7. If given the opportunity to travel back in time to thwart the collapse of civilization, do not fall in love! If you are the one chosen to save humanity via time travel, it’s important to avoid the retro sex appeal possessed by the single people of the past. This is no time for love! Two films illustrate this, one is a remake of the other. The 1962 French short film La Jetée uses a montage of stunningly beautiful black and white stills to tell the story of a time traveler distracted from his mission by romance. It’s one part French New Wave, one part killer sci-fi, and an absolute classic. Terry Gilliam expanded the story with his 1995 adaptation, 12 Monkeys. If you’ve seen either film you know that the missions to the past are not exactly successful, although it’s debatable whether or not romance is to blame. Nevertheless, if the future of humanity is in your hands, stay on task! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 16 Sep 2008 16:01:20 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/16/2008 12:01:20 PM (Image: Hisaharu Motoda’s “Neo-Ruins” via Pink Tentacle) The latest news from Wall Street seems to indicate that a complete financial meltdown is only a few weeks away. Before you violently horde every morsel of food from your local supermarket or begin a hostile take-over of your corner gas station, there are several movies you should watch in order to prepare for life after the downfall of Western civilization. There have been plenty of films in which the world we know is nothing but a burned out shell of its former glory. Nuclear holocaust and virulent plagues are common Earth-clearing disasters, but there’s no reason to think that a global economic collapse would be any less destructive. Let’s not forget that one of history’s most common causes for war is a desperate grab for resources during tough times. So without further ado, seven lessons from the movies, essential for surviving our impending doom: 1. Hoard gasoline! Plenty of people are already getting a jump on this one, apparently upping demand to the point where falling oil prices are not translating to the pump. If you think waiting 15 minutes in line to buy gas at $4.50 a gallon is bad, watch The Road Warrior again. From the opening sequence where Mel Gibson gingerly harvests every precious ounce of fuel from an abandoned vehicle to the final deadly battle over a tanker truck, it’s clear that in a post-apocalyptic world, gas is gold. Sure, we’re working on becoming less dependent on the stuff, but what good is a Chevy Volt going to do you if the power grid is in shambles? 2. Learn a trade that’s useful regardless of available technology! Farmers, builders, doctors, these people will always be useful, even if your society’s currency consists only of the teeth of your enemies. If your skill set is of a less practical variety, don’t worry, people will still need entertainment. One good model is Kevin Costner’s character in The Postman. Before he takes on the titular role as a letter carrier, he makes his way from town to town as a traveling minstrel. The Pony Express-style mailman gig he eventually gets is a good job as well, but it tends to be quite dangerous. 3. Do not take a job at a butcher shop! I can’t stress this one enough. History has unfortunately proven that when times get extremely tough, people will eat one another, it’s a natural consequence of human depravity. If you see an ad in the paper for a general labor position with a high turn-over rate at a deli specializing in fresh meat, don’t be foolish like Dominique Pinon’s character in Delicatessen. The dark comedy, from Amélie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, tells the story of a former circus performer who lands a job at a butcher shop with a less than wholesome supply chain. If McDonalds is still open when New York’s financial district is nothing more than a smoking ruin used to house gladiatorial death matches, be suspicious. 4. If you are fertile, be careful with your precious seed! The human race is notoriously tenacious, so don’t think the collapse of society means the end of our fair race––we’ll survive, somehow. But when things get really crazy, potential candidates for the new Adam and Eve need to be on guard. Alfonso Cuarón’s Children of Men is an excellent example of how post-apocalyptic citizens can go baby crazy. There are also a number of examples of post-apocalyptic fiction where a fertile man is a highly sought-after commodity in a female-dominated dystopia. A Boy and His Dog and Hell Comes to Frogtown both feature walking sperm banks charged with saving womankind (played by Don Johnson and Rowdy Roddy Piper, respectively). Also, SciFi Wire reported yesterday that Eagle Eye director D.J. Caruso’s next film will be an adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan’s amazing graphic novel Y the Last Man. The film will (presumably) star Shia LaBeouf as Vic, who is, you guessed it, the last human male on earth. 5. For God’s sake, save the library! This tip doesn’t concern personal survivability so much as a general service to humanity. When I was in school I was forced to watch the 1960 film adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine for some reason. I loved it. But I was also terrified by its vision of the future. My most vivid memory of the film is when our hero finds that future generations have not maintained the library, letting the entire record of human history literally turn to dust. It’s a good thing that people like Wired magazine founding editor Kevin Kelly are doing cool things like The Long Now Project, because digital storage of information is almost comically transient. Also, if you don’t think things this important can really be lost, watch the 2007 Iraq war documentary No End in Sight. The part about the looting of the National Museum and the burning of the Iraqi National Archives made me cry. 6. If you live in a temperate climate, head South! This one is simple enough, and it’s the premise of Cormac McCarthy’s 2006 Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Road, the film adaptation of which will be in theaters this November, starring Viggo Mortensen. The story dispenses with the typical global catastrophe story line common to most post-apocalyptic tales, and focused instead on a man and his son attempting to avoid danger as they head South for the winter through a blighted landscape. This is the film I most look forward to this fall; it takes the genre in a very serious direction, so don’t expect any Mad Max-like car chases. For our purposes here, The Road really teaches two valuable lessons: one, even something seemingly simple, like heading South, can be potentially deadly; and two, it gives some great tips on scavenging through buildings that have already been picked over by looters. 7. If given the opportunity to travel back in time to thwart the collapse of civilization, do not fall in love! If you are the one chosen to save humanity via time travel, it’s important to avoid the retro sex appeal possessed by the single people of the past. This is no time for love! Two films illustrate this, one is a remake of the other. The 1962 French short film La Jetée uses a montage of stunningly beautiful black and white stills to tell the story of a time traveler distracted from his mission by romance. It’s one part French New Wave, one part killer sci-fi, and an absolute classic. Terry Gilliam expanded the story with his 1995 adaptation, 12 Monkeys. If you’ve seen either film you know that the missions to the past are not exactly successful, although it’s debatable whether or not romance is to blame. Nevertheless, if the future of humanity is in your hands, stay on task! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/2/34658.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/2/2008 4:00:50 PM
Body: The Democratic National Convention is over, and all the ecstatic party members have left Denver to go back to their zombie-esque lives (Bob Hope said it, not me). But after four days of celebrating what it means to be a Democrat, some may not wish to settle down and calmly wait out the next two months until Obama’s (possible) win, let alone the next five months waiting for the candidate to (possibly) be sworn in as President, participating in the normal non-specifically-Democratic, non-self-congratulatory activities that most of us are content with. So, one thing excited Democrats can do is watch movies that will continue to inspire and encourage their beliefs and politics. As Karina already wrote, The American President is one movie that just barely may allow Obama fans to relive his DNC speech. Also, beginning yesterday, the Oscar-nominated documentary No End in Sight will be available in full on YouTube through till Election Day. Of course, there’s always other anti-war and anti-Bush docs for free viewing online, at such sites as SnagFilms and FreeDocumentaries.org. And since there are so many docs out there that can make a Democrat giddy with the want for change, I’ve decided to limit today’s list to fictions and dramatizations, because they are more about feelings than facts, and that’s all you really need for political inspiration these days. As usual, I’m leaving out a lot of picks, both obvious and obscure, so feel free to tell us what movie make you feel most proud to be a Democrat. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town - Never mind that Frank Capra voted Republican or that ultimately this film has rather conservative messages regarding traditionalism, privatization and self-sufficiency; all the allusions to the New Deal are strong enough to excite any Rooseveltian liberal. In its time it may have fooled the population by seeming pro-FDR, but today it can still be appreciated by Democrats for demonstrating the President’s Depression-era programs in a way that may be celebrated by those who believe in them. Just concentrate more on screenwriter Robert Riskin’s influence and contribution and ignore Capra’s underlying and conclusive ideology. Cradle Will Rock - Another Depression-era film, though this one was made 63 years later and is actually pro-New Deal, directed by the openly liberal actor/filmmaker Tim Robbins. In a way, it’s probably more left-wing than even some Democrats can agree with, but a general appreciation for government-funded and supported arts, as well as a hatred of conservative-pressured cuts to similar programs, should allow most in the party to enjoy the film. The People vs. Larry Flynt - You can’t have a Democratic film marathon without at least one title celebrating the First Amendment. Feel free to substitute with Lenny, or just add it to the list. Roe vs. Wade - A TV movie, sure, and not even a great one, but when it comes to films about women’s right to choose, you’ve either got great foreign films (Vera Drake; 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), which don’t exactly represent U.S. politics, documentaries (which don’t qualify the list), and satires (Citizen Ruth would be a decent inclusion, maybe, but it kind of ridicules all sides). So, here’s the direct dramatization of the court case that made history. Thirteen Days - JFK’s presidency is well-enough renowned by the Democratic Party, but this specific portrayal of one of his greatest moments in office is also important viewing for fans of RFK and Adlai Stevenson. Dick - It’s possible to get excited while watching All the President’s Men and celebrating the outcome of Woodward and Bernstein’s investigation, but Dick is a little more anti-Nixon, at least in a lampooning manner. Plus, as great as Redford and Hoffman are in AtPM, I prefer Will Ferrell and Bruce McCullough as the journalists who helped to take down the corrupt Republican. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - And if you prefer Dan Hedaya’s humorous portrayal of Nixon in Dick to Anthony Hopkins in Nixon, you’ll likely enjoy James Adomian’s caricature of George W. Bush in this Harold & Kumar sequel. It’s a little jokingly apologetic, but it will tide you over until W. comes out — if you’re even eager to see a full biopic about your worst enemy, that is. Inherit the Wind - Based on the infamous 1925 trial of science teacher John T. Scopes, who was convicted for teaching evolution in a state allowing only creationism to be taught, this 1960 adaptation of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s play continues to be significant in the ongoing debate regarding science vs. religion and the division of Church and State. To Kill a Mockingbird - Since I can’t decide on any movies to include that directly deal with the Civil Rights Act, here’s the movie based on the book that inspired me most about civil rights when I was young. It should be required viewing (and the book should be required reading) for all kids of impressionable age. Three Kings - I certainly wouldn’t vote for somebody solely based on his or her movie tastes, but I will admit to liking Bill Clinton a little bit more, post-presidency, after learning from his guest appearance on Roger Ebert & the Movies that he loved Three Kings. And, the other way around, I had an even greater appreciation for the film after Clinton’s endorsement, which included a reading of the film, which goes as follows (thanks to Salon for the quote and lead-in): He saw the movie as an indication that we need to face up to society’s “oldest, most primitive problem, our tribalism, our tendency to go beyond a natural pride in our group, whether it’s a racial or ethnic or religious group or whatever,” which results in “fear and distrust and dehumanization and violence against ‘the other.’” Of course, just because Clinton liked Three Kings doesn’t mean other Democrats will. Or vice versa. Ronald Reagan was apparently a big fan of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, which hasn’t made me any less of a fan. So, I’ll ask again, differently, since the Democratic Party is anything but completely united: what movies are most relevant to your politics as a Democrat? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:00:50 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/2/2008 4:00:50 PMThe Democratic National Convention is over, and all the ecstatic party members have left Denver to go back to their zombie-esque lives (Bob Hope said it, not me). But after four days of celebrating what it means to be a Democrat, some may not wish to settle down and calmly wait out the next two months until Obama’s (possible) win, let alone the next five months waiting for the candidate to (possibly) be sworn in as President, participating in the normal non-specifically-Democratic, non-self-congratulatory activities that most of us are content with. So, one thing excited Democrats can do is watch movies that will continue to inspire and encourage their beliefs and politics. As Karina already wrote, The American President is one movie that just barely may allow Obama fans to relive his DNC speech. Also, beginning yesterday, the Oscar-nominated documentary No End in Sight will be available in full on YouTube through till Election Day. Of course, there’s always other anti-war and anti-Bush docs for free viewing online, at such sites as SnagFilms and FreeDocumentaries.org. And since there are so many docs out there that can make a Democrat giddy with the want for change, I’ve decided to limit today’s list to fictions and dramatizations, because they are more about feelings than facts, and that’s all you really need for political inspiration these days. As usual, I’m leaving out a lot of picks, both obvious and obscure, so feel free to tell us what movie make you feel most proud to be a Democrat. Mr. Deeds Goes to Town - Never mind that Frank Capra voted Republican or that ultimately this film has rather conservative messages regarding traditionalism, privatization and self-sufficiency; all the allusions to the New Deal are strong enough to excite any Rooseveltian liberal. In its time it may have fooled the population by seeming pro-FDR, but today it can still be appreciated by Democrats for demonstrating the President’s Depression-era programs in a way that may be celebrated by those who believe in them. Just concentrate more on screenwriter Robert Riskin’s influence and contribution and ignore Capra’s underlying and conclusive ideology. Cradle Will Rock - Another Depression-era film, though this one was made 63 years later and is actually pro-New Deal, directed by the openly liberal actor/filmmaker Tim Robbins. In a way, it’s probably more left-wing than even some Democrats can agree with, but a general appreciation for government-funded and supported arts, as well as a hatred of conservative-pressured cuts to similar programs, should allow most in the party to enjoy the film. The People vs. Larry Flynt - You can’t have a Democratic film marathon without at least one title celebrating the First Amendment. Feel free to substitute with Lenny, or just add it to the list. Roe vs. Wade - A TV movie, sure, and not even a great one, but when it comes to films about women’s right to choose, you’ve either got great foreign films (Vera Drake; 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), which don’t exactly represent U.S. politics, documentaries (which don’t qualify the list), and satires (Citizen Ruth would be a decent inclusion, maybe, but it kind of ridicules all sides). So, here’s the direct dramatization of the court case that made history. Thirteen Days - JFK’s presidency is well-enough renowned by the Democratic Party, but this specific portrayal of one of his greatest moments in office is also important viewing for fans of RFK and Adlai Stevenson. Dick - It’s possible to get excited while watching All the President’s Men and celebrating the outcome of Woodward and Bernstein’s investigation, but Dick is a little more anti-Nixon, at least in a lampooning manner. Plus, as great as Redford and Hoffman are in AtPM, I prefer Will Ferrell and Bruce McCullough as the journalists who helped to take down the corrupt Republican. Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay - And if you prefer Dan Hedaya’s humorous portrayal of Nixon in Dick to Anthony Hopkins in Nixon, you’ll likely enjoy James Adomian’s caricature of George W. Bush in this Harold & Kumar sequel. It’s a little jokingly apologetic, but it will tide you over until W. comes out — if you’re even eager to see a full biopic about your worst enemy, that is. Inherit the Wind - Based on the infamous 1925 trial of science teacher John T. Scopes, who was convicted for teaching evolution in a state allowing only creationism to be taught, this 1960 adaptation of Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s play continues to be significant in the ongoing debate regarding science vs. religion and the division of Church and State. To Kill a Mockingbird - Since I can’t decide on any movies to include that directly deal with the Civil Rights Act, here’s the movie based on the book that inspired me most about civil rights when I was young. It should be required viewing (and the book should be required reading) for all kids of impressionable age. Three Kings - I certainly wouldn’t vote for somebody solely based on his or her movie tastes, but I will admit to liking Bill Clinton a little bit more, post-presidency, after learning from his guest appearance on Roger Ebert & the Movies that he loved Three Kings. And, the other way around, I had an even greater appreciation for the film after Clinton’s endorsement, which included a reading of the film, which goes as follows (thanks to Salon for the quote and lead-in): He saw the movie as an indication that we need to face up to society’s “oldest, most primitive problem, our tribalism, our tendency to go beyond a natural pride in our group, whether it’s a racial or ethnic or religious group or whatever,” which results in “fear and distrust and dehumanization and violence against ‘the other.’” Of course, just because Clinton liked Three Kings doesn’t mean other Democrats will. Or vice versa. Ronald Reagan was apparently a big fan of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, which hasn’t made me any less of a fan. So, I’ll ask again, differently, since the Democratic Party is anything but completely united: what movies are most relevant to your politics as a Democrat? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/3/32056.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/3/2008 11:00:39 AM
Body: My version of The Godfather would open with a voice in the darkness saying, “I don’t believe in America. The American Dream is a once-beguiling fairy tale; show’s over, y’all.” But The Dream is still real to many people, and the violence that powerful private interests have done to it in the last century pains them like a kidney punch. Gonzo journalism pioneer Hunter S. Thompson was one of the wounded, and so is Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Taxi to the Darkside), the far more straight-laced director of the entertaining documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson. They share a proprietary sense of outrage over abuses of power they’ve witnessed in their times. For them, America’s Nixons, Enrons and Bush-Cheneys have desecrated the church, the front lawn. For all their passionate trouble-making, there’s no denying that Gibney and the late Thompson, two white males who came up through America’s hallowed institutions (Thompson through the U.S. Air Force; Gibney through Yale), are insiders. When I went to interview Gibney about Gonzo, I remembered the film’s procession of leathery right-wingers and elites, former Thompson nemeses, who have warm, friendly things to say about “Dr. Gonzo” now that he’s dead, now that his caricature as a gun-toting drughead has endured beyond his politics. I wondered if, in the end, being inside got the hole dug any better than chucking rocks from outside. STEVEN BOONE: On the way over here I was reading the introduction to John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, and the person mentioned that, with the publishing of The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck had his greatest fame, his greatest success. With that, you’d think he would have found some comfort, but he was actually a bit in despair that he was being embraced by the very elite forces he was critiquing. Of course, you have Hunter Thompson with his downward spiral… For you, with this recent run of success, is there any kind of… ALEX GIBNEY: Despair? (laughs) SB: (laughs) Well, regret…? Second thoughts? “Where do I go from here?” AG: I have to be honest with you. I haven’t experienced that. I haven’t reached that kind of– I mean, first of all, okay, I won the Oscar. I feel great, believe me. Walking around with that statue, you feel like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. But I feel like there’s so many other interesting things to do. One of the salvations is to keep having a next project to do and you focus on that, even as you’re looking back. So you don’t spend all day looking your name up on Google. SB: Well, I do, but– AG: (laughs) But not all day, maybe 12 or 13 hours. SB: (laughs) Right. But I look at your body of work and I see a certain political conviction behind it. AG: Right. SB: It’s critical, but it is from the perspective of an insider, sort of like your colleague Charles Ferguson with No End in Sight. You came up through Yale, you came up through UCLA, you have your Oscars and your Emmys. You have your… sanction from certain institutions. Does it complicate matters for you going forward? AG: I understand what you’re getting at and I think it does, to some extent. The danger part always comes with celebrity, you know? You end up going out on the circuit, to some extent and then you get comfortable hanging around with other celebrities and then suddenly– it’s like being an insider journalist in Washington. Hunter talked about that in the campaign trail book [Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72]. He said, “I’m just gonna blow in here and blow out. I don’t have to worry about being here four, five, six years from now, trying to play a game, make sure that this person’s comfortable, that person’s comfortable.” It’s a little bit easier when you go in and out. But I do think, you know, I’ve had great opportunities. I’ve had a private school education, I went to a good university, I went to a good film school and I know a lot of powerful people. It turns out that that is a good advantage for me because I tend to do films about the perps rather than the victims. When you try to get inside and see what’s going on with the people who are committing these grand crimes, it helps to have access to those connections, sometimes because otherwise you don’t get in the door. But the question is, at some point, do you become one of those people? (laughs) SB: That’s the question. AG: That’s the question. Well, you’ll see. You’ll be my judge, and you’ll let me know. (laughs) SB: But do you ever feel that inner conflict, with maybe posing a certain question or, I don’t know, just bringing a bad vibe into the room…? Have you ever felt yourself back away because, “Hey, this is a nice guy, a decent person.” Sort of like when Hunter Thompson was in the car with Nixon, said he was a pleasant guy to talk football with. AG: Right. Well, you you always have to kind of separate. One of the big things I’ve learned is… My sister in law once said it: “Everybody’s nice.” And you sit with people in a room and sometimes they’re total assholes and you say, “Well, fuck them,” right? But sometimes they’re very nice and solicitous and charming and it is true: When you get close, your tendency is not to–almost kind of a Stockholm Syndrome takes over. But you realize that there are a lot of nice people out there who do horrible things. SB: How do you contrast yourself with other filmmakers at your level of success dealing with similar subjects– let’s say Michael Moore or Nick– AG: Everybody’s got their own style. Everybody always asks me about Michael. I always say that Michael does his own thing. There’s no illusion when you go see a Michael Moore film. You know it’s a Michael Moore film and you’re getting what you get. The only people that piss me off are the one that try to hide stuff, pretend to be doing one thing and doing something else. SB: Like who? AG: Well, um… Trying to think now… There was, a number of years ago, somebody doing a film about the civil rights movement and they actually faked some archival footage of the movement. They did a re-creation but they intercut it freely with actual footage from the events. SB: Whaa? Fox News? AG: No, no. It was on HBO. And there was a big hue and cry over it because it wasn’t like a re-creation where you know the filmmakers shot this with actors. That I have a real problem with. SB: Well, I was a little uncertain at some points in Gonzo. Actually, I’m pretty sure that when we were listening to audio tape of Thompson and his attorney on the road to Vegas that what I was seeing was a re-enactment. AG: Right. SB: But it was pretty slick. AB: It was. Two things I’ll say about that. First of all, we’re trying to do some fun stuff like Hunter did, like claiming Muskey’s high on this drug called Ebogaine. This kind of tall tale telling. But at the beginning of the film, you see this photograph of Hunter with a gun pointed at a typewriter. Zoom into his hand, where it hard-cuts to a real hand firing the gun. I think its a clue to the audience, you know, “Buyer beware, there’s gonna be some wild stuff.” We’re going to be playing around. Even with that [road trip] sequence, which I love… We shot it with actors who look a lot like Hunter and Oscar. We had the audio tape and we’d go out and shoot Super 8, kind of a home movie. But the deeper into that home movie you get, suddenly you start to see the action from three or four different angles, and you gota be thinking, “This is not a home movie.” SB: Sort of mirroring Hunter’s techniques, sliding in and out of reality. AG: That’s right. SB: Drawing out the people who are really reading closely. AG: Right. There’s a moment where it’s ambiguous. That’s okay, as long as you resolve that moment at the end. SB: It kind of reminds me of a documentary I saw a few years back, How to Draw a Bunny, about the artist Ray Johnson. AG: Oh, I heard about that one. Was that a good film? SB: It’s a good film, and in style it’s playful and kind of a series of stunts in the way that Johnson’s work was. [A moment of giddy Netflix chitchat ensues, and then:] SB: What would Hunter Thompson have to say about these times we’re living in now, or can you speak for him? AG: I don’t know if I can, but he got very depressed when Bush won in ‘04 and not long after that he committed suicide. I think it’s too much to say that that’s what drove him to suicide. There are lots of other factors that are not so pretty. But I think he would say that we’re seeing the triumph of fear and loathing over that other part of the American character, this sense of idealism. Bush represented to him that aspect of the United States that goes back to its inception. At the same time, he was a big Bobby Kennedy fan and big McGovern fan. I think he’d be an Obama guy now. He would say, “Here’s somebody who understands the need for a prime actor in the theater of American politics. A “together Hunter”–as his wife says– not the drug-addled drunk. The other Hunter would have something to say about it. SB: Would you be with him on that Obama support? AG: I am. I like Obama and I think he does speak to a better possibility. My only concern is, will he end up being… Will he make too many compromises once he’s in power? But you know he’s been through the rough and tumble of Illinois politics, so I’m sure he knows better than I how to navigate that stuff. He stirs peple’s idealism in a way that few people have done in the last 30 years. SB: That’s what ties you to Hunter in my eyes. I view it with a little bit of awe, this kind of idealism underneath it all. Far from cynicism, it’s an idealism that’s been abused– a real sense of connection to America as a concept, American values. AG: At least that possibility. Not always the reality, but at least the dream. He was always obsessed with the American Dream. I share with Hunter the love of that novel The Great Gatsby. The green light at the end of the dock. It’s destructive because there’s the illusion of mobility and possibility that can be very damaging. That’s why [Thompson] set the death of the American Dream in a casino, where it seems like you can roll the dice and win the big one and then you’re the rich man who gets the penthouse, when in fact you’re always playing against the house and the house always wins. At the same time, that green light at the end of the dock is also a sense of real possibility. There are moments when America makes good on that myth. You can get angry when people abuse that myth and only pretend that it’s so, but you can also celebrate that, from time to time, it’s for real. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:00:39 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/3/2008 11:00:39 AM My version of The Godfather would open with a voice in the darkness saying, “I don’t believe in America. The American Dream is a once-beguiling fairy tale; show’s over, y’all.” But The Dream is still real to many people, and the violence that powerful private interests have done to it in the last century pains them like a kidney punch. Gonzo journalism pioneer Hunter S. Thompson was one of the wounded, and so is Alex Gibney (Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Taxi to the Darkside), the far more straight-laced director of the entertaining documentary Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S. Thompson. They share a proprietary sense of outrage over abuses of power they’ve witnessed in their times. For them, America’s Nixons, Enrons and Bush-Cheneys have desecrated the church, the front lawn. For all their passionate trouble-making, there’s no denying that Gibney and the late Thompson, two white males who came up through America’s hallowed institutions (Thompson through the U.S. Air Force; Gibney through Yale), are insiders. When I went to interview Gibney about Gonzo, I remembered the film’s procession of leathery right-wingers and elites, former Thompson nemeses, who have warm, friendly things to say about “Dr. Gonzo” now that he’s dead, now that his caricature as a gun-toting drughead has endured beyond his politics. I wondered if, in the end, being inside got the hole dug any better than chucking rocks from outside. STEVEN BOONE: On the way over here I was reading the introduction to John Steinbeck’s The Pearl, and the person mentioned that, with the publishing of The Grapes of Wrath, Steinbeck had his greatest fame, his greatest success. With that, you’d think he would have found some comfort, but he was actually a bit in despair that he was being embraced by the very elite forces he was critiquing. Of course, you have Hunter Thompson with his downward spiral… For you, with this recent run of success, is there any kind of… ALEX GIBNEY: Despair? (laughs) SB: (laughs) Well, regret…? Second thoughts? “Where do I go from here?” AG: I have to be honest with you. I haven’t experienced that. I haven’t reached that kind of– I mean, first of all, okay, I won the Oscar. I feel great, believe me. Walking around with that statue, you feel like Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings. But I feel like there’s so many other interesting things to do. One of the salvations is to keep having a next project to do and you focus on that, even as you’re looking back. So you don’t spend all day looking your name up on Google. SB: Well, I do, but– AG: (laughs) But not all day, maybe 12 or 13 hours. SB: (laughs) Right. But I look at your body of work and I see a certain political conviction behind it. AG: Right. SB: It’s critical, but it is from the perspective of an insider, sort of like your colleague Charles Ferguson with No End in Sight. You came up through Yale, you came up through UCLA, you have your Oscars and your Emmys. You have your… sanction from certain institutions. Does it complicate matters for you going forward? AG: I understand what you’re getting at and I think it does, to some extent. The danger part always comes with celebrity, you know? You end up going out on the circuit, to some extent and then you get comfortable hanging around with other celebrities and then suddenly– it’s like being an insider journalist in Washington. Hunter talked about that in the campaign trail book [Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72]. He said, “I’m just gonna blow in here and blow out. I don’t have to worry about being here four, five, six years from now, trying to play a game, make sure that this person’s comfortable, that person’s comfortable.” It’s a little bit easier when you go in and out. But I do think, you know, I’ve had great opportunities. I’ve had a private school education, I went to a good university, I went to a good film school and I know a lot of powerful people. It turns out that that is a good advantage for me because I tend to do films about the perps rather than the victims. When you try to get inside and see what’s going on with the people who are committing these grand crimes, it helps to have access to those connections, sometimes because otherwise you don’t get in the door. But the question is, at some point, do you become one of those people? (laughs) SB: That’s the question. AG: That’s the question. Well, you’ll see. You’ll be my judge, and you’ll let me know. (laughs) SB: But do you ever feel that inner conflict, with maybe posing a certain question or, I don’t know, just bringing a bad vibe into the room…? Have you ever felt yourself back away because, “Hey, this is a nice guy, a decent person.” Sort of like when Hunter Thompson was in the car with Nixon, said he was a pleasant guy to talk football with. AG: Right. Well, you you always have to kind of separate. One of the big things I’ve learned is… My sister in law once said it: “Everybody’s nice.” And you sit with people in a room and sometimes they’re total assholes and you say, “Well, fuck them,” right? But sometimes they’re very nice and solicitous and charming and it is true: When you get close, your tendency is not to–almost kind of a Stockholm Syndrome takes over. But you realize that there are a lot of nice people out there who do horrible things. SB: How do you contrast yourself with other filmmakers at your level of success dealing with similar subjects– let’s say Michael Moore or Nick– AG: Everybody’s got their own style. Everybody always asks me about Michael. I always say that Michael does his own thing. There’s no illusion when you go see a Michael Moore film. You know it’s a Michael Moore film and you’re getting what you get. The only people that piss me off are the one that try to hide stuff, pretend to be doing one thing and doing something else. SB: Like who? AG: Well, um… Trying to think now… There was, a number of years ago, somebody doing a film about the civil rights movement and they actually faked some archival footage of the movement. They did a re-creation but they intercut it freely with actual footage from the events. SB: Whaa? Fox News? AG: No, no. It was on HBO. And there was a big hue and cry over it because it wasn’t like a re-creation where you know the filmmakers shot this with actors. That I have a real problem with. SB: Well, I was a little uncertain at some points in Gonzo. Actually, I’m pretty sure that when we were listening to audio tape of Thompson and his attorney on the road to Vegas that what I was seeing was a re-enactment. AG: Right. SB: But it was pretty slick. AB: It was. Two things I’ll say about that. First of all, we’re trying to do some fun stuff like Hunter did, like claiming Muskey’s high on this drug called Ebogaine. This kind of tall tale telling. But at the beginning of the film, you see this photograph of Hunter with a gun pointed at a typewriter. Zoom into his hand, where it hard-cuts to a real hand firing the gun. I think its a clue to the audience, you know, “Buyer beware, there’s gonna be some wild stuff.” We’re going to be playing around. Even with that [road trip] sequence, which I love… We shot it with actors who look a lot like Hunter and Oscar. We had the audio tape and we’d go out and shoot Super 8, kind of a home movie. But the deeper into that home movie you get, suddenly you start to see the action from three or four different angles, and you gota be thinking, “This is not a home movie.” SB: Sort of mirroring Hunter’s techniques, sliding in and out of reality. AG: That’s right. SB: Drawing out the people who are really reading closely. AG: Right. There’s a moment where it’s ambiguous. That’s okay, as long as you resolve that moment at the end. SB: It kind of reminds me of a documentary I saw a few years back, How to Draw a Bunny, about the artist Ray Johnson. AG: Oh, I heard about that one. Was that a good film? SB: It’s a good film, and in style it’s playful and kind of a series of stunts in the way that Johnson’s work was. [A moment of giddy Netflix chitchat ensues, and then:] SB: What would Hunter Thompson have to say about these times we’re living in now, or can you speak for him? AG: I don’t know if I can, but he got very depressed when Bush won in ‘04 and not long after that he committed suicide. I think it’s too much to say that that’s what drove him to suicide. There are lots of other factors that are not so pretty. But I think he would say that we’re seeing the triumph of fear and loathing over that other part of the American character, this sense of idealism. Bush represented to him that aspect of the United States that goes back to its inception. At the same time, he was a big Bobby Kennedy fan and big McGovern fan. I think he’d be an Obama guy now. He would say, “Here’s somebody who understands the need for a prime actor in the theater of American politics. A “together Hunter”–as his wife says– not the drug-addled drunk. The other Hunter would have something to say about it. SB: Would you be with him on that Obama support? AG: I am. I like Obama and I think he does speak to a better possibility. My only concern is, will he end up being… Will he make too many compromises once he’s in power? But you know he’s been through the rough and tumble of Illinois politics, so I’m sure he knows better than I how to navigate that stuff. He stirs peple’s idealism in a way that few people have done in the last 30 years. SB: That’s what ties you to Hunter in my eyes. I view it with a little bit of awe, this kind of idealism underneath it all. Far from cynicism, it’s an idealism that’s been abused– a real sense of connection to America as a concept, American values. AG: At least that possibility. Not always the reality, but at least the dream. He was always obsessed with the American Dream. I share with Hunter the love of that novel The Great Gatsby. The green light at the end of the dock. It’s destructive because there’s the illusion of mobility and possibility that can be very damaging. That’s why [Thompson] set the death of the American Dream in a casino, where it seems like you can roll the dice and win the big one and then you’re the rich man who gets the penthouse, when in fact you’re always playing against the house and the house always wins. At the same time, that green light at the end of the dock is also a sense of real possibility. There are moments when America makes good on that myth. You can get angry when people abuse that myth and only pretend that it’s so, but you can also celebrate that, from time to time, it’s for real. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/dibot/archive/2008/3/25/26607.aspx Post By: dibot
Post To: dibot Blog
Post Date: 3/25/2008 10:54:03 PM
Body: Dark Ride is one of the After Dark Horrorfest movies from 2006. And, I gotta tell you, it's just not that scary. A group of college kids who never utter a word of realistic dialogue, take a detour from their spring break vacation to visit a carnival ride in the middle of the night. Great idea. The kills are sort of good . There are a couple of creepy moments, but this was pretty much one ridiculous thing after another. Penny Dreadful is another of the After Dark movies, but this one is actually really good. A girl who has an intense fear of cars takes a trip with her doctor to try and over come her terror. They pick up a hitchhiker and things go very, very wrong. This movie is creepy and extremely tense. The acting was pretty good. Rachel Miner ("Tooth & Nail") really sold the anxiety and the fear. Loved it. Night of the Iguana is based on a Tennessee Williams ("The Yellow Bird") play. So, of course, it's quite a bit messed up. A minister, Richard Burton ("Nineteen Eighty-four"), freaks out on his congregation and ends up leading tours of Mexico for church groups. A young girl in the group keeps coming onto him, and , despite his efforts to rebuff her, her crazy, harpy guardian is sure he's taken advantage of her. Burton hijacks the tour and they end up at a remote villa where things come to a head. The acting is top notch. The dialogue is great, and the emotions are out of control. Very interesting, but not always easy to sit through. People freak out a lot. Poltergeist II: The Other Side is actually pretty good for a sequel. The original players are back and the story picks up right where the first film left off. The ghosts have gotten a taste of Carol Anne, and they want some more. Creepy, creepy man (Julian Beck, "9 1/2 Weeks") who is enough to give me nightmares, comes after the family and Will Sampson ("Firewalker") who always plays the sage Indian, tries to protect them. The effects at the end of the movie are pretty dated, but everything up to there is quite good. No End in Sight tries to tell the story of how the U.S. got into the Iraq war, and, once there, how we botched the operation. There's a lot of information to examine. The filmmakers did a good job of presenting it and of trying to be fair. Many of the top people involved in the Iraq decision making declined to be interviewed for the film, and I think that would have made it a more enlightening experience. As it was, the film made me think. And that's always good.
]]>Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:54:03 GMTdibotdibot Blog3/25/2008 10:54:03 PMDark Ride is one of the After Dark Horrorfest movies from 2006. And, I gotta tell you, it's just not that scary. A group of college kids who never utter a word of realistic dialogue, take a detour from their spring break vacation to visit a carnival ride in the middle of the night. Great idea. The kills are sort of good . There are a couple of creepy moments, but this was pretty much one ridiculous thing after another. Penny Dreadful is another of the After Dark movies, but this one is actually really good. A girl who has an intense fear of cars takes a trip with her doctor to try and over come her terror. They pick up a hitchhiker and things go very, very wrong. This movie is creepy and extremely tense. The acting was pretty good. Rachel Miner ("Tooth & Nail") really sold the anxiety and the fear. Loved it. Night of the Iguana is based on a Tennessee Williams ("The Yellow Bird") play. So, of course, it's quite a bit messed up. A minister, Richard Burton ("Nineteen Eighty-four"), freaks out on his congregation and ends up leading tours of Mexico for church groups. A young girl in the group keeps coming onto him, and , despite his efforts to rebuff her, her crazy, harpy guardian is sure he's taken advantage of her. Burton hijacks the tour and they end up at a remote villa where things come to a head. The acting is top notch. The dialogue is great, and the emotions are out of control. Very interesting, but not always easy to sit through. People freak out a lot. Poltergeist II: The Other Side is actually pretty good for a sequel. The original players are back and the story picks up right where the first film left off. The ghosts have gotten a taste of Carol Anne, and they want some more. Creepy, creepy man (Julian Beck, "9 1/2 Weeks") who is enough to give me nightmares, comes after the family and Will Sampson ("Firewalker") who always plays the sage Indian, tries to protect them. The effects at the end of the movie are pretty dated, but everything up to there is quite good. No End in Sight tries to tell the story of how the U.S. got into the Iraq war, and, once there, how we botched the operation. There's a lot of information to examine. The filmmakers did a good job of presenting it and of trying to be fair. Many of the top people involved in the Iraq decision making declined to be interviewed for the film, and I think that would have made it a more enlightening experience. As it was, the film made me think. And that's always good. http://www.spout.com/blogs/usesoap/archive/2008/2/10/24944.aspx Post By: usesoap
Post To: usesoap Blog
Post Date: 2/10/2008 9:20:58 PM
Body: Even though the writers have apparently settled on a deal to end the strike, there is still a great deal to fear on the Oscar broadcast set for Feb. 24, that can be summed up in three simple words (two if you hyphenate correctly):Oscar-winner 'Norbit'.That's right. While many wrestle with the fact that their favorite films have been left off the nominee list (I understand, though don't agree with, the love-fest called Juno, but even my friends who are the most ardent supporters of the film agree that it has no place in the Best Picture and Best Director category) a film that was universally loathed like 'Norbit' has a shot at earning the most coveted trophies in the biz.Here to give you an edge on the office ballots, I have opted to fill this column with a handy guide to this year's nominees, chock-full of winner predictions. (Plus, you can check out some of the shorts on your computer, links provided, free of charge. You're welcome!)Best picture“Atonement”“Juno”“Michael Clayton”“No Country for Old Men”“There Will Be Blood”Winner: “No Country for Old Men. A sweeping 86 wins from various awards programs, coupled with the Academy's love for the Coens, means the “Old Men” should have a lot of life in them on Oscar night. Best Director“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Julian Schnabel“Juno” Jason Reitman“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy“No Country for Old Men” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas AndersonWinner: The Coens again will be awarded, not only for this film, but for their decades of impressive contributions to cinema, whereas the runner-up, Anderson, seems to be just beginning his remarkable run.Best ActorGeorge Clooney in “Michael Clayton”Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah”Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”Winner: Daniel Day Lewis. Of the film's 45 award wins, the majority have gone to Lewis, whose Daniel Plainview could have easily been the embodiment of evil, were it not for the actor who shades the character with the tiniest sliver of humanity. Best ActressCate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”Julie Christie in “Away from Her”Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”Laura Linney in “The Savages”Ellen Page in “Juno”Winner: Christie. Winning nods from coast (New York, D.C.) to coast (San Francisco, San Diego), to all parts in between (Arizona, Houston, Phoenix), as well as a BAFTA from overseas, Christie is a lock. Best Supporting ActorCasey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men”Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War”Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild”Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton”Winner: Bardem. Who knew a bowl-cut could be so bad-ass? Bardem's emotionless killing machine is the embodiment of evil in “No Country.” Best Supporting ActressCate Blanchett in “I’m Not There”Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement”Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone”Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton”Winner: Blanchett. Unless her two nominations this year cancel each other out, Blanchett is the best thing in an otherwise decent, but rather convoluted movie. Best animated feature“Persepolis”“Ratatouille”“Surf's Up”Winner: “Ratatoille.” Unless the Academy chooses to show its indie credibility with selecting “Persepolis,” the little guy should go to Pixar's latest masterpiece, and one of its most technically lavish and emotionally mature works in its canon. Best documentary feature“No End in Sight”“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience”“Sicko”“Taxi to the Dark Side”“War/Dance”Winner: “No End in Sight.” My only hope is that an Oscar win will bolster this film's chances of being seen, since it is far and away one of the most insightful documentaries concerning the war in Iraq out there. Art direction“American Gangster”“Atonement”“The Golden Compass”“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”“There Will Be Blood”Winner: “There Will be Blood.” Only because “No Country for Old Men” didn't make it, the Academy will toss “Blood” a bone here. Cinematography “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Roger Deakins“Atonement” Seamus McGarvey“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Janusz Kaminski“No Country for Old Men” Roger Deakins“There Will Be Blood” Robert ElswitWinner: “There Will Be Blood.” For true cinema geeks, this is the most exciting category of the evening. Deakins, whose work in “Jesse James” is nothing short of poetic, adequately captures the harsh dust bowls in “No Country.” But in “Blood,” there are entire stretches of time where not a word is uttered and we can drink in the sumptuous images captured by Elswit. Costume design“Across the Universe” Albert Wolsky“Atonement” Jacqueline Durran“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” Alexandra Byrne“La Vie en Rose” Marit Allen“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Colleen AtwoodWinner: “Atonement.” After sweeping up at the BAFTA awards last weekend, the period piece that is perhaps more notable for its costume over its content. In particular, Kiera Knightly's green dress in act one may cinch the prize alone.Best documentary short subject“Freeheld”“La Corona (The Crown)”“Salim Baba”“Sari’s Mother”Winner: “Sari's Mother.” Look for director James Longley's tale of a mother in Iraq trying to get health care for her young AIDS-afflicted son to take the prize. It helps that he's earned such prior praise with his doc “Iraq in Fragments.' Editing“The Bourne Ultimatum” Christopher Rouse“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Juliette Welfling“Into the Wild” Jay Cassidy“No Country for Old Men” Roderick Jaynes“There Will Be Blood” Dylan TichenorWinner: “No Country for Old Men.” Perhaps more than any other technical category, “No Country” earns its stripes for its near-perfect slicing. Foreign language film“Beaufort” Israel“The Counterfeiters” Austria“Katyń” Poland“Mongol” Kazakhstan“12” RussiaWinner: “Beaufort.” In a rather weak field, “Beaufort” is the only film that seems to be making any critical waves. And if Borat had done enough to sully the name of Kazakhstan, “Mongol” has been doing a bang-up job on its own. Makeup“La Vie en Rose”“Norbit”“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”Winner: “Pirates.” So help me, Rick Baker has been a pioneer in real-life visual effects, but if he walks with one for transforming Eddie Murphy into a gargantuan shrew, I'm out, man. Game over. Original score“Atonement”“The Kite Runner” Distributed by Paramount Classics) Alberto Iglesias“Michael Clayton”“Ratatouille”“3:10 to Yuma”Winner: “Michael Clayton.” Where the hell was Jonny Greenwood's eclectic, haunting orchestration for “There Will Be Blood”? Because of some lame technicality, it was left off. None of the other candidates here are even in the same league, but Clayton's is the only score that I can still recall after seeing the film, so it gets my vote. Original song“Falling Slowly” from “Once”“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted”“Raise It Up” from “August Rush”“So Close” from “Enchanted”“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”Winner: “Falling Slowly.” Sure, there's overwhelming odds that “Enchanted” could pick it up here, and it deserves some love, but more for a nomination for its lead Amy Adams, not in its cheeky, but slight, soundtrack. Best animated short film“I Met the Walrus” (trailer)“Madame Tutli-Putli” (full film)“Même les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” ( full film)“My Love (Moya Lyubov) for Natalie” (Channel One Russia) (full film, part 2's link is provided after film)“Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films)Winner: My Love. Like a Renoir painting come to life, this is one of the most lavish 2-D animated films in quite some time.Best live action short film“At Night” (clip)“Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (full film)“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (full film)“Tanghi Argentini”“The Tonto Woman” (trailer)Winner: “Il Supplente.” Comic gold and a great punchline.Sound editing“The Bourne Ultimatum”“No Country for Old Men”“Ratatouille”“There Will Be Blood”“Transformers”Winner: “No Country for Old Men.” It could be a toss up with “There Will Be Blood,” but I have a feeling that the cold thud of Javier Bardem's pneumatic air gun gives it a slight edge. Sound mixing“The Bourne Ultimatum”“No Country for Old Men”“Ratatouille”“3:10 to Yuma”“Transformers”Winner: Transformers. Kevin O'Connell and Greg P. Russell have a combined 32 nominations in their career. It's time Oscar paid them for their labor for their work literally making heavy metal. Visual effects “The Golden Compass”“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”“Transformers”Winner: Transformers. Was there a part of this film that was not a visual effect? “Compas” flopped, “Pirates” sailed off with the trophy last year, plus, wouldn't it be cool to have a statue that morphed into a robot that would blow up screenwriter Diablo Cody's prize?Adapted screenplay“Atonement” Christopher Hampton“Away from Her” Sarah Polley“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Ronald Harwood“No Country for Old Men” Joel and Ethan Coen“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas AndersonWinner: “No Country for Old Men.” This one will be swept up in the Coen fever that will take hold on Oscar night, though I think “Blood” will have a longer shelf life with repeated viewings. Original screenplay“Juno” Diablo Cody“Lars and the Real Girl” Nancy Oliver“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy“Ratatouille” Brad Bird“The Savages” Tamara JenkinsWinner: Diablo Cody for Juno. I think the Academy members have a stake in the merchandising of the T-shirts, since the entire script seems ready to be ironed on to the front of clothing, line by agonizing line.
]]>Mon, 11 Feb 2008 02:20:58 GMTusesoapusesoap Blog2/10/2008 9:20:58 PMEven though the writers have apparently settled on a deal to end the strike, there is still a great deal to fear on the Oscar broadcast set for Feb. 24, that can be summed up in three simple words (two if you hyphenate correctly):Oscar-winner 'Norbit'.That's right. While many wrestle with the fact that their favorite films have been left off the nominee list (I understand, though don't agree with, the love-fest called Juno, but even my friends who are the most ardent supporters of the film agree that it has no place in the Best Picture and Best Director category) a film that was universally loathed like 'Norbit' has a shot at earning the most coveted trophies in the biz.Here to give you an edge on the office ballots, I have opted to fill this column with a handy guide to this year's nominees, chock-full of winner predictions. (Plus, you can check out some of the shorts on your computer, links provided, free of charge. You're welcome!)Best picture“Atonement”“Juno”“Michael Clayton”“No Country for Old Men”“There Will Be Blood”Winner: “No Country for Old Men. A sweeping 86 wins from various awards programs, coupled with the Academy's love for the Coens, means the “Old Men” should have a lot of life in them on Oscar night. Best Director“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Julian Schnabel“Juno” Jason Reitman“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy“No Country for Old Men” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas AndersonWinner: The Coens again will be awarded, not only for this film, but for their decades of impressive contributions to cinema, whereas the runner-up, Anderson, seems to be just beginning his remarkable run.Best ActorGeorge Clooney in “Michael Clayton”Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”Johnny Depp in “Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”Tommy Lee Jones in “In the Valley of Elah”Viggo Mortensen in “Eastern Promises”Winner: Daniel Day Lewis. Of the film's 45 award wins, the majority have gone to Lewis, whose Daniel Plainview could have easily been the embodiment of evil, were it not for the actor who shades the character with the tiniest sliver of humanity. Best ActressCate Blanchett in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”Julie Christie in “Away from Her”Marion Cotillard in “La Vie en Rose”Laura Linney in “The Savages”Ellen Page in “Juno”Winner: Christie. Winning nods from coast (New York, D.C.) to coast (San Francisco, San Diego), to all parts in between (Arizona, Houston, Phoenix), as well as a BAFTA from overseas, Christie is a lock. Best Supporting ActorCasey Affleck in “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford”Javier Bardem in “No Country for Old Men”Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Charlie Wilson’s War”Hal Holbrook in “Into the Wild”Tom Wilkinson in “Michael Clayton”Winner: Bardem. Who knew a bowl-cut could be so bad-ass? Bardem's emotionless killing machine is the embodiment of evil in “No Country.” Best Supporting ActressCate Blanchett in “I’m Not There”Ruby Dee in “American Gangster”Saoirse Ronan in “Atonement”Amy Ryan in “Gone Baby Gone”Tilda Swinton in “Michael Clayton”Winner: Blanchett. Unless her two nominations this year cancel each other out, Blanchett is the best thing in an otherwise decent, but rather convoluted movie. Best animated feature“Persepolis”“Ratatouille”“Surf's Up”Winner: “Ratatoille.” Unless the Academy chooses to show its indie credibility with selecting “Persepolis,” the little guy should go to Pixar's latest masterpiece, and one of its most technically lavish and emotionally mature works in its canon. Best documentary feature“No End in Sight”“Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience”“Sicko”“Taxi to the Dark Side”“War/Dance”Winner: “No End in Sight.” My only hope is that an Oscar win will bolster this film's chances of being seen, since it is far and away one of the most insightful documentaries concerning the war in Iraq out there. Art direction“American Gangster”“Atonement”“The Golden Compass”“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street”“There Will Be Blood”Winner: “There Will be Blood.” Only because “No Country for Old Men” didn't make it, the Academy will toss “Blood” a bone here. Cinematography “The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford” Roger Deakins“Atonement” Seamus McGarvey“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Janusz Kaminski“No Country for Old Men” Roger Deakins“There Will Be Blood” Robert ElswitWinner: “There Will Be Blood.” For true cinema geeks, this is the most exciting category of the evening. Deakins, whose work in “Jesse James” is nothing short of poetic, adequately captures the harsh dust bowls in “No Country.” But in “Blood,” there are entire stretches of time where not a word is uttered and we can drink in the sumptuous images captured by Elswit. Costume design“Across the Universe” Albert Wolsky“Atonement” Jacqueline Durran“Elizabeth: The Golden Age” Alexandra Byrne“La Vie en Rose” Marit Allen“Sweeney Todd The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” Colleen AtwoodWinner: “Atonement.” After sweeping up at the BAFTA awards last weekend, the period piece that is perhaps more notable for its costume over its content. In particular, Kiera Knightly's green dress in act one may cinch the prize alone.Best documentary short subject“Freeheld”“La Corona (The Crown)”“Salim Baba”“Sari’s Mother”Winner: “Sari's Mother.” Look for director James Longley's tale of a mother in Iraq trying to get health care for her young AIDS-afflicted son to take the prize. It helps that he's earned such prior praise with his doc “Iraq in Fragments.' Editing“The Bourne Ultimatum” Christopher Rouse“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Juliette Welfling“Into the Wild” Jay Cassidy“No Country for Old Men” Roderick Jaynes“There Will Be Blood” Dylan TichenorWinner: “No Country for Old Men.” Perhaps more than any other technical category, “No Country” earns its stripes for its near-perfect slicing. Foreign language film“Beaufort” Israel“The Counterfeiters” Austria“Katyń” Poland“Mongol” Kazakhstan“12” RussiaWinner: “Beaufort.” In a rather weak field, “Beaufort” is the only film that seems to be making any critical waves. And if Borat had done enough to sully the name of Kazakhstan, “Mongol” has been doing a bang-up job on its own. Makeup“La Vie en Rose”“Norbit”“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”Winner: “Pirates.” So help me, Rick Baker has been a pioneer in real-life visual effects, but if he walks with one for transforming Eddie Murphy into a gargantuan shrew, I'm out, man. Game over. Original score“Atonement”“The Kite Runner” Distributed by Paramount Classics) Alberto Iglesias“Michael Clayton”“Ratatouille”“3:10 to Yuma”Winner: “Michael Clayton.” Where the hell was Jonny Greenwood's eclectic, haunting orchestration for “There Will Be Blood”? Because of some lame technicality, it was left off. None of the other candidates here are even in the same league, but Clayton's is the only score that I can still recall after seeing the film, so it gets my vote. Original song“Falling Slowly” from “Once”“Happy Working Song” from “Enchanted”“Raise It Up” from “August Rush”“So Close” from “Enchanted”“That’s How You Know” from “Enchanted”Winner: “Falling Slowly.” Sure, there's overwhelming odds that “Enchanted” could pick it up here, and it deserves some love, but more for a nomination for its lead Amy Adams, not in its cheeky, but slight, soundtrack. Best animated short film“I Met the Walrus” (trailer)“Madame Tutli-Putli” (full film)“Même les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)” ( full film)“My Love (Moya Lyubov) for Natalie” (Channel One Russia) (full film, part 2's link is provided after film)“Peter & the Wolf” (BreakThru Films)Winner: My Love. Like a Renoir painting come to life, this is one of the most lavish 2-D animated films in quite some time.Best live action short film“At Night” (clip)“Il Supplente (The Substitute)” (full film)“Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)” (full film)“Tanghi Argentini”“The Tonto Woman” (trailer)Winner: “Il Supplente.” Comic gold and a great punchline.Sound editing“The Bourne Ultimatum”“No Country for Old Men”“Ratatouille”“There Will Be Blood”“Transformers”Winner: “No Country for Old Men.” It could be a toss up with “There Will Be Blood,” but I have a feeling that the cold thud of Javier Bardem's pneumatic air gun gives it a slight edge. Sound mixing“The Bourne Ultimatum”“No Country for Old Men”“Ratatouille”“3:10 to Yuma”“Transformers”Winner: Transformers. Kevin O'Connell and Greg P. Russell have a combined 32 nominations in their career. It's time Oscar paid them for their labor for their work literally making heavy metal. Visual effects “The Golden Compass”“Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End”“Transformers”Winner: Transformers. Was there a part of this film that was not a visual effect? “Compas” flopped, “Pirates” sailed off with the trophy last year, plus, wouldn't it be cool to have a statue that morphed into a robot that would blow up screenwriter Diablo Cody's prize?Adapted screenplay“Atonement” Christopher Hampton“Away from Her” Sarah Polley“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” Ronald Harwood“No Country for Old Men” Joel and Ethan Coen“There Will Be Blood” Paul Thomas AndersonWinner: “No Country for Old Men.” This one will be swept up in the Coen fever that will take hold on Oscar night, though I think “Blood” will have a longer shelf life with repeated viewings. Original screenplay“Juno” Diablo Cody“Lars and the Real Girl” Nancy Oliver“Michael Clayton” Tony Gilroy“Ratatouille” Brad Bird“The Savages” Tamara JenkinsWinner: Diablo Cody for Juno. I think the Academy members have a stake in the merchandising of the T-shirts, since the entire script seems ready to be ironed on to the front of clothing, line by agonizing line. http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/1/7/23606.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 1/7/2008 4:00:34 PM
Body: An email from AJ Schnack reveals that he, in partnership with the Toronto Film Festival’s Thom Powers and Indiepix.net, are launching a new range of awards for “excellence in non-fiction filmmaking.” Prompted in part by general disappointment in the doc community over the Oscar shortlist, a panel of twelve film festival directors have produced a short list of 15 films, which will be eligible for nominations in nine categories. There are four films common to both the Oscar shortlist and this new list: Lake of Fire, No End in Sight, Sicko and Taxi to the Dark Side. The nominations, and the official name of the awards, will be announced at a press conference at the Sundance Film Festival, which you can be sure the Spouties will try to attend. In the meantime, you can peruse the panel, the shortlist, the categories, and AJ’s blog post about how the awards came to be. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina
]]>Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:00:34 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog1/7/2008 4:00:34 PMAn email from AJ Schnack reveals that he, in partnership with the Toronto Film Festival’s Thom Powers and Indiepix.net, are launching a new range of awards for “excellence in non-fiction filmmaking.” Prompted in part by general disappointment in the doc community over the Oscar shortlist, a panel of twelve film festival directors have produced a short list of 15 films, which will be eligible for nominations in nine categories. There are four films common to both the Oscar shortlist and this new list: Lake of Fire, No End in Sight, Sicko and Taxi to the Dark Side. The nominations, and the official name of the awards, will be announced at a press conference at the Sundance Film Festival, which you can be sure the Spouties will try to attend. In the meantime, you can peruse the panel, the shortlist, the categories, and AJ’s blog post about how the awards came to be. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » karina http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/1/7/23604.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/7/2008 4:00:23 PM
Body: An email from AJ Schnack reveals that he, in partnership with the Toronto Film Festival’s Thom Powers and Indiepix.net, are launching a new range of awards for “excellence in non-fiction filmmaking.” Prompted in part by general disappointment in the doc community over the Oscar shortlist, a panel of twelve film festival directors have produced a short list of 15 films, which will be eligible for nominations in nine categories. There are four films common to both the Oscar shortlist and this new list: Lake of Fire, No End in Sight, Sicko and Taxi to the Dark Side. The nominations, and the official name of the awards, will be announced at a press conference at the Sundance Film Festival, which you can be sure the Spouties will try to attend. In the meantime, you can peruse the panel, the shortlist, the categories, and AJ’s blog post about how the awards came to be. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 07 Jan 2008 21:00:23 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/7/2008 4:00:23 PMAn email from AJ Schnack reveals that he, in partnership with the Toronto Film Festival’s Thom Powers and Indiepix.net, are launching a new range of awards for “excellence in non-fiction filmmaking.” Prompted in part by general disappointment in the doc community over the Oscar shortlist, a panel of twelve film festival directors have produced a short list of 15 films, which will be eligible for nominations in nine categories. There are four films common to both the Oscar shortlist and this new list: Lake of Fire, No End in Sight, Sicko and Taxi to the Dark Side. The nominations, and the official name of the awards, will be announced at a press conference at the Sundance Film Festival, which you can be sure the Spouties will try to attend. In the meantime, you can peruse the panel, the shortlist, the categories, and AJ’s blog post about how the awards came to be. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/paul/archive/2007/12/21/23077.aspx Post By: paul
Post To: paul on spout.com
Post Date: 12/21/2007 4:15:45 PM
Body: Kevin and I get emotional about No End in Sight, a documentary on the Iraq war in theaters now. The controversy surrounding this film is the product of how comprehensive it is. The 11th Hour–starring Leonardo DiCaprio–opens tonight. Karina Longworth asks if Leo and activism go together like icebergs and boats. Download FilmCouch #33 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for “filmcouch” or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday. Join the FilmCouch group Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Paul
]]>Fri, 21 Dec 2007 21:15:45 GMTpaulpaul on spout.com12/21/2007 4:15:45 PMKevin and I get emotional about No End in Sight, a documentary on the Iraq war in theaters now. The controversy surrounding this film is the product of how comprehensive it is. The 11th Hour–starring Leonardo DiCaprio–opens tonight. Karina Longworth asks if Leo and activism go together like icebergs and boats. Download FilmCouch #33 or subscribe in the iTunes store (search for “filmcouch” or click here to launch iTunes) and a new free episode will download every Friday. Join the FilmCouch group Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Paul http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/war/MemberTagFilms.aspxwar
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