sjeannep

Although the format, music, etc. of this documentary are numbingly characteristic of every Erroll Morris documentary, MacNamara's commentary and the tapes of conversations he had with LBJ and JFK are extremely compelling. This highly controversial, famously arrogant mover and shaker is surprisingly self-critical and wise in this interview. In so many ways that is what makes it powerful. There is nothing knee-jerk about his thoughts. He has spent a life time effecting the outcome of world events and then solemnly looking closely and objectively at them. The lessons he learned and shares with Erroll Morris are extremely relevant and powerful. A must see for anyone one with even a mild interest in history, politics and diplomacy.

The critics loved this non-linear, realistic film about the convergence of three lives due to a tragic accident. The non-linear format contributes greatly to the suspense and mystery of this heavy drama, unfortunately it also causes it to drag. There are some very impressive performances by Sean Penn, Benecio Del Toro and Naomi Watts that make this ambitious effort worth watching. The themes are compelling; however, in the end, the director ultimately missed an opportunity to actually make a statement about true Christianity, revenge and grief. In a way, the title is similarly failing. I knew what 21 grams referred to before I saw it, but the more I heard the title "21 Grams," the more meaningless it became. I kept having to remind myself that it doesn't refer to drugs.

This is a strange and disturbing experimental movie. A rare and great performance by Madonna. She actually can act under the control of the right director. Although, I hear she hated. It seems ironic that she finally makes a good movie and doesn't even realize it. I guess she made some complaints that she thought her character was going to be stronger. (Funny, if she wants to be a Feminist Avenger, or some kind of role model of strength, maybe she shouldn't have made a career out of exploiting herself for fame and the all mighty dollar. Okay, now I'm ranting, but isn't funny how men are especially really down with the NeoFeminist Bull about how it's actually empowering for women to exploit themselves.) Ferrara plays with the autobiographical nature of the subject matter. The plot centers on a film director who compartmentalizes his personal and professional life, until the secrets of his professional life overwhelm him.