comment #1

dobbsy says ...

"But since the monster has no identifiable physical shape, it is not so easily defeated. While there are killers, liars and sadists to be found in this movie, there are not really any villains."

How wonderfully post-modern and situationalist.

There are no villains in the world, only terrible presidents and greedy corporations, otherwise it's a world filled with nothing but well-meaning, misunderstood children striving peacefully to make sense of their place on the planet.

At least that's the message I've gotten from every Hollywood film that has dared - or pretended to dare - to get into the troubling geopolitics of the moment.

comment #2

renorambler says ...

The more I hear about this film the more I want to see it.

Is it me or is this festival/awards season looking like one of the best in years? It seems like there are a couple dozen films working their way into theaters that I can't wait to see. Not just curiosities but highly anticipated films. Maybe 2007 won't be such a bad year after all.

comment #3

actionman says ...

I agree Renorambler. This is just one of many films I'm anxious to see this fall. So many quality-sounding movies to watch (and re-watch) in the next 3 months.

comment #4

jeffmcm says ...

Dobbsy, while I'm no fan of Haggis, it sounds like you would prefer a fairy tale with clear-cut good guys and bad guys. How pre-modern and juvenile.

comment #5

bmcintire says ...

I had no idea how crowded this weekend really is until I saw this was opening in limited release tomorrow. Duelling Sarandon performances (ELAH and execreble WOODCOCK), plus THE KINGDOM is sneaking Saturday night. THE BRAVE ONE, ACROSS THE UNIVERSE and EASTERN PROMISES - that's a full plate. Is their a busier weekend this fall? And is anyone actually going to see DRAGON WARS?

comment #6

Scott Feinberg says ...

This is a fabulous movie. If you're interested in more on it: http://andthewinneris.blog.com/2007/09/3/

comment #7

dawgzilla67 says ...

I'll see Dragon Wars if I can get my hands on some really good weed first ...

comment #8

Arizona Joe says ...

Among the many large problems with the war is that there was no sacrifice asked of the American public.

Since the war started, since 9/11, not much sacrifice has been made in the way of change. Civilians pretty much went about their consumeristic business. And if someone questioned the morality of the the status quo, they were shouted down as unpatriotic cowards.

There is a price for war in more than pecuniary terms, and films like this one are going to show the benighted masses how that works. It's a good thing too, because they might be drafted in the future.

The Bush administration's unscrupulous plan is to stick with the quagmire and the mediocre muddle of results until they can turn it over to the Democrats, who then can be blamed for quitting, and making the region a bigger mess.

A number of books have recently come out about the Bush Presidency, some written by conservatives. They describe him as intransigent, self-absorbed, sanctimonious to the point of being out of touch with reality.

If Al Gore were President, the domestic and foreign landscape would look a lot different, and the future would be brighter, or at least a lot less worrisome.

comment #9

dobbsy says ...

jeffmcm: quite the opposite. I'm pleading for an honest reading of the human condition and the situation we're in. "No villains" is a cop out, but saying that doesn't mean "give us cliche villains." It means, as the late Mr. Lennon once said, "Give me some truth." Have you seen the film that won Cannes? The guys who ran Romania were villains. The film is a pure piece of cinematic genius. See, it's possible to acknowledge evil, even acknowledge the often banal face of evil. But Hollywood seems to get mighty timid when it appears there might be evil outside the corporate boardroom. I'm just saying there might be. Shocking, eh?

comment #10

lazarus says ...

Arizona Joe, when you say that "no sacrifice was asked of the public", and that "civilians pretty much went about their consumeristic business", you're failing to mention the fact that gas went up about $2.00 a gallon since the pre-war days. I understand that Americans have been spoiled, and still probably have the lowest gas prices in the world, but that increase of over 250% didn't go unnoticed. It's something every American has to deal with on at least a weekly basis, aside from the rich people who don't shop around and gladly buy 93 octane gasoline regardless of how much it costs. I would find it hard to believe this didn't somewhat effect the 2006 election, as prices had spiked above $3.00 a gallon by then.

I agree that films like this will put a more human (albiet Hollywood's version of human) face on the issue, and will hopefully compound the more selfish reasons behind the growing sentiment against the war. which can't be a bad thing.

comment #11

Dave says ...

"Among the many large problems with the war is that there was no sacrifice asked of the American public."

What about the sacrifice of all our civil liberties?

You know, like the right to make long-distance calls to members of Al Qaeda without the government listening in? I think that one's in the First Amendment. Or perhaps it was the Sixth, I'm not sure.

I've always found it curious that the people who talk about the lack of sacrifice for this war are so often the same people who complain about being asked to accommodate wartime restrictions on their "liberties."

comment #12

Ponderer says ...

Our civil liberties weren't sacrificed; they were stolen and sold for scrap.

Sacrifice, as it would be intended here, means willingly giving up something of value for the preservation of a larger ideal. The cronies and fools in charge here gave up the ideal, instead.

Or as old Benny Franklin liked to say, "the man who trades freedom for security does not deserve, nor will he ever receive, either."

Pretty sharp, that old philanderer.

comment #13

KeithNYC says ...

"Our civil liberties weren't sacrificed; they were stolen and sold for scrap.

Sacrifice, as it would be intended here, means willingly giving up something of value for the preservation of a larger ideal. The cronies and fools in charge here gave up the ideal, instead.

Or as old Benny Franklin liked to say, "the man who trades freedom for security does not deserve, nor will he ever receive, either."

Yeah Ponderer, the government is just listening in to your conversations. You have such an interesting life. So what freedoms of your's have actually been eroded since 9/11?? None. Oh wait, you have to get to the airport a little earlier. Grow up and embrace logic. Stop using Ben Franklin quotes to make yourself look smart and actually make a substantive argument. Our "freedom" worked against on 9/11. People like you are the reason we are still searching little old ladies in airports. Cant offend the ACLU although it may get us all killed. Yeah, the feds are really wasting there time listening in to international phone sex calls.

comment #14

Geoff says ...

Ebert loved this film and most of all he loved Jones' performance, which is the main reason I want to see this. He also says it's not really anti-Iraq.

comment #15

Rob says ...

It is a great film until the last five minutes, when Haggis' Crash instincts take over.

comment #16

JeffGP says ...

Score one for scientology.

comment #17

lazarus says ...

Well, at least the studio heads convinced him to change the title "In the Valley of Xenu".

comment #18

christian says ...

"Our "freedom" worked against on 9/11. People like you are the reason we are still searching little old ladies in airports. "

you can thank the right wing's anti-regulatory and free market madness for the ease in which terrorists took over planes -- in a sane world there would be security on every plane and steel doors. try taking over a plane in israel.

instead the conservative answer to plane terrorism is to arm the pilots. and for schools, the teachers. and for churches...

and our tall target buildings have no real means of escape or emergency access in case of fire or terror. and no civil defense in our communities. nothing. costs too much! that's the sacrifice.

comment #19

bents75 says ...

"Stop using Ben Franklin quotes to make yourself look smart and actually make a substantive argument."

Keith, I interpreted that more as him trying to make Ben Franklin look smart. You going to tell me he wasn't? How unpatriotic of you!

And what's with this "although it may get us all killed" stuff? All of us? Really? Even that little old lady you speak of?

I thought conservatives were the ones who were supposed to believe we're the greatest country in the world and we can kick anyone's ass like it's our job. And yet you're the ones shivvering like a bunch of pussies at the same time.

comment #20

Fudge Ripple says ...

Finally, a Paul Haggis movie we can all agree on.

comment #21

Arizona Joe says ...

Lazarus, yes, gasoline did go up significantly, but that has not been efficacious in getting people to drive smaller cars or use alternative sources of energy. By most accounts, not one bit.

A Democratic President would have incrementally phased in an additional gasoline tax. People might have complained, and it would have been politically risky. But we would be at approximately the same price per gallon we are now, but also giving less revenue to the people in Saudi Arabia who are indirectly trying to kill us.

And wouldn't that make more sense than an expensive, ineffective war in Iraq, a country that had nothing to do with 9/11?

In Norway, the third largest oil producer in the world, gasoline costs over $8 a gallon. Few complain about the government's involvement with the oil industry.

Other than those people whose sons and daughters are fighting in the middle east, Americans have not sacrificed in the least, it's business and shopping as usual. And no healthcare for the majority, like the Norwegians receive.

comment #22

BurmaShave says ...

"you can thank the right wing's anti-regulatory and free market madness for the ease in which terrorists took over planes -- in a sane world there would be security on every plane and steel doors. try taking over a plane in israel."

Excellent, excellent point.

comment #23

lipranzer says ...

Getting back to the movie for a minute - I thought Tommy Lee Jones was brilliant (he even pulled off the overly symbolic bedtime story scene by making it funny), but the film was still frustrating because it could have been so much better. Theron's character seemed more of a plot device than anything else, and while Haggis is subtle in some ways here (what Jones may have passed down to his son in terms of values), he goes over the top in others (the ending might have worked for me without the song playing over it).

comment #24

le corbeau says ...

Filthy Republicans, making it possible for families to go to Disney World inexpensively. Fuckers.