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I think this is a pretty political picture, and like most things political, there is a strong strand of narcissism.
Probably the best thought-out story-thread is the one where George-Clooney-is-Bob-Barnes-who-is-Bob-Baer, and, from a news junkie angle, this would be pretty fantastic.
(I almost read his book one time, and then I realized, what good is this? Do I really want to be a ground soldier in the CIA's war on terror? Hmmm. Not really. Well, where did I leave that shredder...)
But the thing is, this isn't really a story about people, it's a story about pretending you're learning lots of lots of Awesome Shit about the Middle East. (And you want the Arabs to be free, and you just f'ing **know** that Washington's policy of {intervention/non-intervention} was **specifically** designed to thwart Arab freedom...because Washington is Darth Vader, the Arabs are little Ewoks, and no-one has any control over their own destiny, because if they did, you'd be Emperor of Google and have {censored} every fifteen minutes.)
Its value as film & performing art is correspondingly diminished, and it's basically mostly mediocre.
Not least because there are way too many plot-threads and too many characters pretending they're all really awesome and developed, when they've basically all got about two lines apiece, like hobos on the street, sharing some pizza they dug out of the trash, talking about World Events as tho they were f'ing millionaires.
Long story short--who's really more awesome, Kayvan Novak, or Novak Djokovic?
P.S. Matt Damon did a good job with his role too, like he usually does, he really is a pretty good actor. The woman who played his wife also did a good job. And, although at the time I wouldn't have admitted it, I did gain some sense of nerdy pleasure/geeky victory at seeing Alexander Siddig (Julian Basheer!) become an Arab Princeling.
But all that doesn't quite make up for--how much time does Matt get to mourn his dead baby boy, and how much time does time does he spend listening to Julian say, you know--I wouldn't *have had to* lie to get into StarFleet Medical, if only if weren't for the stupid law that America made because of The Oil!!
(And no, it's not a accident that's mostly a story about men, because for there to be more feminine presence--it would have to be **a different kind of story**--.)
But, the thing is, and, yes--omg it's politics!--I'm just not so sure anymore that the Evil Empire is Out To Get the good doctor.
I'm not sure anymore...
{cue for Billy Joel's "Shades Of Grey"}
"Some things were perfectly clear, seen with the vision of youth, No doubts and nothin' to fear, I claimed the corner on truth..."
And anyway, it's a pretty icky movie, and I'm so sure anymore that all that ickiness was necessary to be all artsy and whatevs, as opposed to being important to keep it all nice and narcissist-y.
If you follow.
"And the only people I fear are those who never have doubts."
"The more I find out, the less that I know, there ain't no rainbow shinin' on me--shades of grey are the colors I see!"
{cue for a different song}
"There's trenches dug within our hearts..."
"...but I won't heed the battle call, it puts my back up, it puts my back up against the wall..."
{and back}
"Black and White was so easy for me, but Shades of Grey are the colors I see."
..........
*shrugs* It's true though.
{And I like Natalie Portman, but she disappointed me in "V for Vendetta", and I like Matt Damon, but he disappointed me in "Syriana", and maybe in one or two others, too.... And, it's funny, I don't really like Colin Firth nearly so well, but at least he read the novel, and was even in the 1995 version of it-- look, and see how false and true.... Reverse themselves!}
And: the more time that goes by, the more that I come to despise George Wi--! George Clooney. The more that I come to see him as a despicable phony, and as a really selfish bastard, *who would stop at nothing*, to make himself look good at everybody else's expense! And that's all that he ever does-- the bastard!
And, you know, if I can look at a movie that *Natalie Portman* was in-- "V for Vendetta"-- and say that it's basically just propaganda and not art-- then you can be pretty damn sure that that's also *exactly* what I think of "Good Night, And Good Luck", and "Syriana", and all that drivel and dross like that that he does....
Because fuck knows that George Clooney can't dance, and, to be honest, I've given up waiting for him to try....
(6/10)
