No End in Sight (Magnolia Pictures)
Written and directed by Charles Ferguson (debut)
Genre: Documentary, Politics
Plot Summary: Author Charles Ferguson looks at the war in Iraq and how the invasion and occupation was botched by the current administration.
Interview with Charles Ferguson
We've featured many political and Iraq-related docs in the Weekend Warrior in recent years, and if there's one that really stands out as being something unique in its approach, it's this doc by Charles Ferguson, his debut as a filmmaker after writing many books about information technology. It's an important addition to the string of Iraq docs because it doesn't point fingers and place blame for the wrong reasons why the U.S. got involved in the war, but instead, it's a grim and somber film that shows how things in Iraq might not be as bad as they are now if certain mistakes hadn't been made, and it does so by relaying the facts in a concise and logical way and backing them up with lots of interviews with those who saw these mistakes firsthand. Of all the documentaries made about the Iraq War, this is one of the few that is almost mandatory viewing because it doesn't just repeat a lot of the things we already know but it does a convincing job explaining how things went wrong, something which is rarely mentioned on the newscasts about bombings and terrorist attacks. It starts by showing some of the horrors but then cuts back to 9/11 and even before that to the Gulf War of the ‘90s to give a clearer picture of why the United State invaded Iraq and then shows how all the plans for a by-the-books turnover by ORHA (Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance) after the invasion was botched-up by a few rash decisions that turned the country into one ravaged by civil war and insurgency. So far, this is one of the best documentaries I've seen this year, and if you have any questions about the whys and wherefores of what's going on in Iraq, Ferguson's doc does an amazing job filling in the gaps of previous docs like "Why We Fight" and "The War Tapes." Here's hoping that Ferguson continues his career as a filmmaker, because this is the type of investigative journalism that we need to see more of in this crazy world driven by corporate media with their own issues and agendas.
Opening the film on Friday in New York at the Film Forum and in Washington, DC. at the Landmark E Street Theatres, Magnolia Pictures has also set up a special online app where you can share your own views of the war in Iraq with Ferguson, and the film is being promoted heavily through Netflix and other outlets.
(More limited releases after the jump)
Also in Limited Release:
Arctic Tale (Paramount Vantage) - National Geographic Films, who presented the Oscar-winning documentary March of the Penguins, returns with Adam Ravetch and Sarah Robertson's documentary set in the Arctic where polar bears, walruses and other creatures try to survive despite the threat of global warming. Narrated by Queen Latifah, the doc opens in New York and L.A. on Wednesday before expanding to other locations in the coming weeks.
Mini-Review: While one should commend the filmmakers and the amount of time and work that must have gone into this gorgeous exploration of how the animals of the Arctic survive within its food chain despite the impending dangers posed by global warming, but the chances of the movie being taken as seriously as other nature docs is fairly slim, because it tries way too hard to be cutesy and kid-friendly. It's not helped by the "oh, look at the adorable animals" tone in narrator Queen Latifah's voice and the inclusion of songs like Sister Sledge's "We Are Family," which are distracting from the story being told, as are the inappropriate scenes of walrus flatulence that tries to lighten what's ultimately a serious message about how global warming is affecting the area. It's a good message to push in hopes that kids will moved by the plight and survival of these Arctic animals to take action, but it spends far too much trying to subtly veil that message before hitting them over the head with a final public service message at the end. Despite its kid-friendly G rating, it's also fairly grim to watch the movie knowing that not all of its "stars" will actually survive, especially being on opposite ends of the food chain. "Arctic Tale" might be the type of movie younger kiddies will enjoy, as they're able to "ooh" and "aww" over the adorable animals, but adults looking for serious explorations of the dangers facing nature and how humans affect it would be better served renting "March of the Penguins" or "Grizzly Man" or even "An Inconvenient Truth." Review: 6/10
The Devil Came on Horseback (Break Thru Films) - Annie Sundberg and Ricki Stern's documentary follows U.S. Marine Captain Brian Steidle on his journey to expose the tragedy taking place in the African nation of Darfur, combining his tell-all pictures and footage with Email and journal entries that revealed the government-inflicted genocide occurring in the troubled land. It opens exclusively at New York's IFC Film Center on Wednesday.
Mini-Review: While this film does a decent job encapsulating the situation in Darfur, there's a certain point where it becomes more about Captain Brian Steidle, the man who shined the light on what was going on there, than it is about the victims of the violent attacks on villagers sponsored by the Sudan government. It's certainly interesting to see how Steidle's photos drew attention to the situation and got a lot of people interested in doing something, but the film is disjointed in the way it mixes his personal footage and photos of the gory atrocities with far more effective interviews with those who've lost loved ones. Frankly, Steidle is not a particularly charismatic or interesting narrator, although one could this film being used as the first step in some form of political campaign for the former Marine Captain, so in that sense, it does serve some purpose even if its primary mission isn't nearly as successful. Ultimately, it's a decent primer on the situation, but by no means definitive. Rating:7/10
The Sugar Curtain (First Run/Icarus Films) - Latin filmmaker Camila Guzmán Urzúa returns to the Havana home that she left in 1990 to look for childhood friends and explore what happened to the Cuban Revolution of her youth in this autobiographical documentary that plays at New York's Pioneer Theatre starting Wednesday.
The Camden 28 (First Run Features) - This documentary from Anthony Giacchino follows the 1971 case of 28 individuals, including four Catholic Priests, arrested and facing 47 years in prison for stealing files from FBI offices in protest of the draft instituted to support the Vietnam War. It opens at New York's Cinema Village on Friday.
Cash (Adlabs) - Anubhav Sinha's fast-paced Bollywood action-thriller takes place in Cape Town, South Africa where a con artist hires a trio of robbers to steal priceless diamonds for him, pitting them against a ruthless mob boss and a security agent. Opens in select cities.
Molière (Sony Classics) - This whimsical French period comedy from Laurent Tirard stars Romain Duris (The Beat My Heart Skipped) as the famed 17th Century comic writer who's shown to be a failed young actor named Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, who was jailed for years before returning to Paris as the legendary playwright Molière. It opens in New York and L.A. on Friday.
This is England (IFC First Take) - British filmmaker Shane Meadows (Dead Man's Shoes) tells a very personal semi-autobiographical tale of a 12-year-old lad (newcomer Thomas "Tommo" Turgoose), who falls in with a gang of skinheads after his father is killed in the Falklands War, only to get caught up in their violent racist endeavors. It opens at New York's IFC Film Center, in other cities and on IFC First Take.
Mini-Review: Shane Meadows brings his naturalistic filmmaking style to this riveting semi-autobiographical tale of youth during England of the early '80s, examining the world of the British skinheads that have been glamorized and glorified in song while also showing the darker world of racism and hatred, all seen through the eyes of a lonely young boy. Newcomer "Tommo" Turgoose does an amazing job carrying the film in that role, giving off the sort of youthful uncaring charm that only a first-time actor could purvey, but it's the rich multi-layered performance of Stephen Graham (Snatch) that really leaves an impact. As the head of a skinhead gang that must balance conflicting emotions of love and hatred, he delivers a performance that could be favorably compared to that of Edward Norton in "American History X." It takes a bit too much time for the movie to develop its plot and in trying to maintain the realism of the situation, some of its racist slurs might put some people off, particularly at the end, but the film shows a clear understanding of the era and the skinhead culture, using ska and reggae music to add another dimension to the story. It's one of the best movies about this troubled time in UK history, and a film that shows a noticeable improvement and growth in Meadows as a filmmaker over his last few films. Rating: 8/10
Interview with Shane Meadows (Coming Soon!)
