Green Zone

A complicated subject matter boiled down into a simple action adventure, conspiracy, goodish vs. evilish movie that would have benefited from a bit more story.

Paul Greengrass reteams with Matt Damon (both did the last two Bourne movies) to give us Green Zone, a story of one man trying to discover the truth about the reality of WMDs in Iraq while “the man” tries to keep him down for the greater good. If you liked the Bourne movies, you may not necessarily like this.  It’s about the gazillionth (ok, about sixth) attempt to strike box office gold with an Iraq war story.  This isn’t it.

THE SETUP:
Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) has repeatedly led his squad into hostile territory on orders to find WMDs. The search isn’t going well as the weapons don’t exist. (I’m not giving anything away here if you’ve been paying attention to the news for the past 7 years). Fed up with failure, Miller tries to get to the bottom of where the bad Intel is coming from and what the real agenda of his government is.  The path is covered with those that want to help (Brendan Gleason as a CIA agent), those that don’t (Greg Kinnear as a high-level government advisor) and those who want the real story to be reported back home (Amy Ryan as a reporter).

THE THOUGHTS:
This movie would have been sooooo much better had it been released about 2-3 years ago when the Iraq War was a bit more on the public’s mind.  Sad but true. The issue whether there were or weren’t weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and the reasons the U.S. went into Iraq have already really been played out in real life so there aren’t many surprises here. There have already been a few movies and documentaries on the war, and done better (Hurt Locker, Black Hawk Down) so this seems really out of date.

The characters in this all seem to be voices.

• Matt Damon (what the public should have been like at the time) – what the “F”?
• Greg Kinnear (government) – greater good, doesn’t matter how we got here.
• Amy Ryan (media) – we went with it because the government said they were there and now we feel all bad inside and used.
• Khalid Abdalla (Iraq) – what the hell are you guys doing here and why are you making things worse?

Each actor plays their part well if not predictably. Matt Damon, the catalyst for the movie, is very point A to point B.  Not a lot of acting range needed for the situation but he gets the movie where it needs to go.  Brandon Gleason and Amy Ryan are fantastic actors with not a lot to do here besides repeating how “this is all bad and stuff” and “we were all so naïve.” Greg Kinnear seems to relish the asshole role he’s given but the real stand out to me is Khalid Abdalla as “Freddy,” an Iraqi citizen just trying to look out for his country.  Passionate, disappointed, frustrated, overwhelmed. A great role and I hope to see him again in something.

The story was too basic.  There felt like there should have been more.  More explanation, more story, more characters, more information.  Just more. The simplicity is a negative when you’re telling a story we already know, have already been angry about it and moved on.  Why should we care now?  This movie wasn’t necessary.

GREEN ZONE RATING:

1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone. If you’re looking for a straight up war movie, than you will be entertained.  If you’re looking to learn something or feel something, not the movie for you.  Sorry Green Zone, too little too late.

Rating system:

½ ticket – rip up your ticket.
1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone.

2 tickets – good movie, take a friend. 
3 tickets – tell everyone you know.

Coming Attractions:
TRON Legacy (release date: December 17, 2010) – I’ve mentioned it before, I’m a kid of the 80s. So until they remake WarGames, I’m giddy for this sequel to TRON. They’ve brought back the original two actors Jeff Bridges and Bruce Boxleitner, used the latest in CGI and added 3-D. Oh and Olivia Wilde is in it who’s a special effect all by herself. So sweet your eyes will get diabetes.

Random Recommendations
Flash of Genius (2008) – Greg Kinnear is a small time inventor who comes up with the intermittent windshield wiper. Seems simple enough. Except that the car companies stole his idea and gave him no credit and no cash. A great story of perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds and the cost of that determination.  True story to boot.

Taxi to the Dark Side (2007) – if you want amazing stories of injustice and wrongs needed to be right, check out this documentary on the U.S. policies on torture during the Iraq War. A young Afghan cab driver is picked up by U.S. soldiers and detained and interrogated for no just cause…leading to an in depth look at the tortured, the torturees and those that didn’t want to know about it, just results. This will make you angry.

Invictus

A story of one of the boldest public relations moves in history.  Morgan Freeman gives the performance he was born to play in a movie that is captivating, both historically and in the narrative.

Most sports movies are about redemption, whether it’s an aging athlete trying to be relevant again, a team trying to prove itself or a coach showing us his vision of what makes a championship team.  This movie is none of that.  But it is a sports movie.  It is a story about healing (yeah I said it).  And it is an amazing historical snap shot of a country trying to come to grips with its past while forging ahead to a bright future.

The Setup:
Nelson Mandela (played by Morgan Freeman) has just been elected as the President of South Africa, this follows 46 years of national apartheid and 27 years of Mandela’s time in jail.  The country is divided…and that’s putting it mildly.  Against the recommendations of his advisors, Mandela puts the hopes and tolerance of his country in the national rugby team, led by Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon), and their chances of winning the 1995 Rugby World Cup.  Oh, and the team is not only wearing the colours of the previous apartheid regime, but they actually can’t play very well.  Can’t say Mandela wasn’t ballsy.  (I said Mandela and ballsy in the same sentence…awesome).

The Thoughts:
Sure Matt Damon is in this but it’s really the Mandela/Freeman show.  Freeman is so perfectly cast; you couldn’t imagine anyone else playing the former president.  Hell, if they did a movie on Morgan Freeman’s life, Nelson Mandela would probably play him.  The quiet dignity.  The strong character.  The powerful resolve.  Mix and match your thesaurus words with your adjectives and you have some sense of how easily this performance is suited for Freeman.

You can look at this movie two ways.  In its historical context or as a public relations exercise.  Either way, it works.  This little known story really brings a sense of the divide between the black and white populations of South Africa.  Obviously this is an issue that is far deeper and varied than one movie can cover so Clint Eastwood (director man) focuses the country’s perspective through the world of rugby lens.  The whites support the white rugby team, the blacks support whomever they are playing against.  Tough job getting both sides on the same side…but then, who doesn’t like to rally behind a sports team?  If only the Canucks could unify us…or win a playoff game…at all.

This is a very good movie.  The acting is fantastic.  Direction is straightforward with some great rugby action near the end.   And the emotion is there.  “Invictus” is a short poem by the English poet William Ernest Henley. The title is Latin for “unconquered”. Mandela had this on the wall of his jail cell.  TAKE THAT EMOTION!

Oh and Matt Damon’s in this too.  Beyond taking his shirt off, playing some rugby and nailing the accent, there wasn’t much for him here but he’s just fine.

Invictus Rating:

2 tickets – good movie, take a friend. If you like sports movies, if you like Morgan Freeman movies, if you like historical movies, if you like true story movies….blah blah blah, this is your movie. Sure it’s a renter but everything is better in the theatre.

Rating system:

½ ticket – rip up your ticket.
1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone.

2 tickets – good movie, take a friend. 
3 tickets – tell everyone you know.

Coming Attractions:

Wonderful World (release date: January 8, 2010) – Sappy?  Yes.  But we’re talking emotion this week and any chance I have to watch Matthew Broderick be snarky, I’m happy.  (I thank/blame Sarah Jessica Parker)

Randomly Recommended

Bronco Billy (1980) – Director, producer, songwriter, composer, delicatessen owner, Maytag repair man…there’s not much Clint Eastwood can’t do.  And one of the things he’s really good at is playing a character that is from another time.  In Bronco Billy, a movie he’s often quoted as saying it’s his personal favourite of his movies, Clint plays a old west carnival show performer who’s the master of a dying art.  Clint likes it, so should you.

The Power of One (1992) – Another South African story starring Morgan Freeman.  This is set in the 30s and 40s as apartheid is forced on the nation.  Also, starring Stephen Dorff and Daniel Craig (his first movie), I was really impressed when this first came out and it holds up over time.

Informant!

And yes, it is with the exclamation mark!  Steve Soderbergh, director of the hit and miss (Oceans 11 through 13; Full Frontal; Sex, Lies and Videotape; and Bubble), teams up with Matt Damon for a “true story” type movie…but it’s a comedy.  About corporate greed.  Giggling yet?  When Soderbergh is hitting (Out of Sight), he’s pretty damn good and Damon has been really consistent for a while now sooooo off to the movies I go.

The Setup:
Mark Whitacre (Damon) has the money, the house, the adoring family and the pot-belly that comes with it.  He’s a fairly successful guy that decides one day that the mega-million dollar corporation he works for are bad guys and he’s the white hat.  Lone crusader vs. greedy, price-fixing money machine.  Well yes and no.  This is one of those movies where they only give a piece at a time to complete the whole picture.  You just get the edge pieces to frame the story while Whitacre gradually fills in the rest…and not willingly.

The Thoughts:
Matt Damon is awesome in this.  And yes, that is Matt Damon…bad toupee, love handles, porn mustache and golly gee wiz attitude.  He’s hilarious as the guy who just doesn’t seem to understand the circumstances he’s put himself in.  What makes the movie is his voiceover.  No matter what’s going on, whether he’s lying to the head of security, spilling his guts to the FBI or walking into the office after things have “hit the fan,” he’s got the greatest case of A.D.D. I’ve ever witnessed.  It’s brilliant.

*I’m saying Oscar. Sshhhh, if it happens I’ll look like a genius.  If it doesn’t, you probably won’t remember you read it here.

The rest of the cast are pretty good.  Scott Bakula (I’ve had a soft spot for the guy since Quantum Leap) and Joel McHale (from Talk Soup and new show Community) are great as the friends/FBI agents who want to help but can’t seem to believe it themselves how bad it gets.  Tony Hale is great in everything and he’s no exception here.  Great movie.  Just when you think it might be getting a bit too much with the reveals, it wraps up.  It’s like that girlfriend/boyfriend you break up with juuuust before any big fight.  Only good memories.  Any longer and I can’t say I’d like you.

Informant! Rating: 2 tickets – good movie, take a friend.

Rating system:
½ ticket – rip up your ticket.
1 ticket – go, but don’t tell anyone.
2 tickets – good movie, take a friend.
3 tickets – tell everyone you know.

Coming Attractions:

Where the Wild Things Are – If you’re anywhere near my age, this book was a staple of your childhood.  There’s talk of Spike Jonze going waaaay over budget and spending way too much money but I DON’T CARE.  The last movie I heard that about was Apocalypse Now and that turned out all right.  So yes, Where the Wild Things Are is Apocalypse Now for children.  Want to see it even more don’t you?

Randomly Recommended

Rounders – For a Matt Damon movie, I wanted to go with Good Will Hunting but who the hell hasn’t seen that?  No, I went with a movie that may not be as popular but has a special place in my heart.  Texas Hold’em, Ed Norton, John Malkovich as an Oreo-loving Russian with a bad accent, and Gretchen Mol.  Enjoy.  Die happy.

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism – A documentary any journalism class should see.  It was either this, The Corporation, or Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room for a portrait of real life corporate corruption.  Any are good viewing but Outfoxed was my favourite of the bunch.

I’m always on the look out for good documentaries…any ideas?