December 28, 2005
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WEDNESDAY MOVIESFor the grown-up Christmas outing to the movies, it was Munich, Spielberg’s take on the follow-up to the 1972 Munich Olympics when 11 Israeli athletes died at the hands of Palestinian terrorists. In the film, Golda Meir, then Israeli Prime Miniister, ordered a Mossad force to track down the masterminds behind the plot and kill them in return for the crime. I still don’t know whether that actually happened in the way the movie relates it, but the bottom line is that as the handful of agents begins to find and kill their targets, they start to morph into the terrorist mentality – never rest, someone will always be returning the favor. Terrorism breeds more terrorism, never peace. Spielberg stays pretty neutral in terms of taking sides (though the lead actor is the Israeli agent who leads the unit). I guess I was a little disappointed. Except for the lead character, none of the other actors are really fleshed out so you never really care about them. The world of Eye for Eye is getting pretty damned old as a movie plot or a real-life place to live and as far as I can see, no end to it is in sight.
For the whole family Xmas fare, we saw The Chronicles of
Narnia, which is also about war and peace. Thankfully, it has exquisite visuals – scenery, costumes, technical effects; gorgeous and natural child actors, and a stunning villain. Tilda Swinton is the perfect White Witch, though at moments I swear her enjoyment of torture and killing seemed almost too poisonous. In one scene, she backhands one of the children across the face – a moment I thought could easily have been left out. As for the Christian symbolism everybody’s been talking about, I really couldn’t see anything in-your-face at all. Oh yes, the Lion resurrects by doing a good deed – but that’s pretty standard fairy tale fare. Another moment that didn’t fit for me was at the end when the children now grown are galloping through the forest hunting a stag (after all their history with darling little beavers and foxes and such). But those kvetches aside, I thought it was totally wizard. Who could resist that lamp post gleaming in the snow just beyond the wardrobe door?
Deep Thought: “If I was the head of a country that lost a war, and I had to sign a peace treaty, just as I was signing I’d glance over the treaty and then suddenly act surprised. “Wait a minute! I thought we won!”
Today I am grateful for: Castles
Guess the Movie: “Why don’t you pass the time with a game of solitaire?” Answer: The Manchurian Candidate, 1962.
Winner: eneventure.
The Most Valuable Progressives of 2005
by John Nichols
It is hard to complain about a year that began with George Bush bragging about spending the “political capital” he felt he had earned with his dubious reelection and ended with the president drowning in the Nixonian depths of public disapproval.
But the circumstance didn’t just get better.
A handful of elected officials, activist groups and courageous citizens bent the arc of history toward justice.
Here are this one columnist’s picks for the Most Valuable Progressives of 2005: (Rest of article here.)
Comments (13)
I’d like to see them both!
thanks for the review on Narnia, I still would like to see it.
Movie: Manchurian Candidate.
Very good – and it’s the original 1962 version of MC.
I love the article on the progressives, there were some surprises there. What I still don’t understand is why our own media swept the downing street memo under the rug?
Supposedly, the Dalai Lama said, “War is obsolete.” I agree totally with that statement.
Last summer, both my husband and I read the Chronicles of Narnia and both of us thoroughly enjoyed the read. I look forward to seeing the movie soon.
I recall enjoying reading the Narnia series and like the parts about Narnia and Christianity where the common people are better than the tyrants. I still have hopes for religion and the good it can bring when applied correctly.
Oh thanks for the movie reviews. I think I’d like to see the Chronicles of Narnia but can wait on the other till it comes to the regular networks for tv watching. LMAO @ your deep thought. Would be nice to see that just once.
your deep thought is quite funny
I cannot wait to see The Chronicles of Narnia
this week…I have heard only good reviews
I read somewhere that Spielberg meant to show the terribleness of terrorism. That descent into that realm, however well-intentioned (which sounds very odd, but you see what I mean, I hope), turns you into that which you seek to destroy. So while possibly necessary (I think the article mentioned that Spielberg did believe the response to Munich was right), it comes at an awful human cost.
Hey Andrea I didn’t get to tell you Happy New Year; I went to see Narnia I loved it. I went to see Chronicals of a Gisha too thumbs up on that one. How about lunch or coffee, Judi
Munich was a film I had been contemplating but this makes sense…
Was glad to read this as both movies are on my list. Happy new year.
I’m lookin forward to seeing Narnia… I one that favors the special effects… taking me to a place beyond the realm of reality, I love Sci-fi! Not always the blood curdling stuff… but the stuff that dreams are made of, castles, maidens, love in depths so deep, minds unable to let the unbelievable go just at that…etc!
I just purchased the Brothers Grimm and found it very good… I didn’t listen to others, but formed my own opinion. I’m thinking that others didn’t follow the storyline.. it was filled with the “tales” they had written. I enjoyed seeing the tales unfold upon the screen, taking me back to my childhood, reading them upon pages faded from bedtime stories gone by!
Hope your New Year brings you peace, warmth and all that you desire to bring a smile!