DVD Review – Control Room (2004) – Iraq from Al-Jazeera’s perspective?

Documentaries are a strange animal, sometimes they are eye-opening, occasionally the message can be fascinating, and at times they can be little more than average.

Unfortunately “Control Room” fits into the latter category for me. Here is

an unofficial tagline for the film.
for the film:

Startling and powerful, Control Room is a documentary about the Arab television network Al-Jazeera’s coverage of the U.S.-led Iraqi war, and conflicts that arose in managed perceptions of truth between that news media outlet and the American military. Egyptian-American filmmaker Jehane Noujaim (Startup.com) catches the frantic action at Al-Jazeera headquarters as President Bush stipulates his 48-hour, get-out-of-town warning to Saddam Hussein and sons, soon followed by the network’s shocking footage of Iraqi civilians terrorized and killed by invading U.S. troops. Al-Jazeera’s determination to show images and report details outside the Pentagon’s carefully controlled information flow draws the wrath of American officials, who accuse it of being an al-Qaida propagandist. (The killing of an Al-Jazeera reporter in what appears to be a deliberately targeted air strike is horrifying.) Most fascinating is the way Control Room allows well-meaning, Western-educated, pro-democratic Arabs an opportunity to express views on Iraq as they see it–in an international context, and in a way most Americans never hear about.

I think whether one gets the above impression from the film will largely depend on where you
are starting from. If you are a flag waving, fox news watching imperialist then the film would probably shock you intensely. Ironically, that demographic is also the least likely person to see this film. The film tries (and somewhat succeeds) to tow the middle ground – showing that just as Al-Jazeera have an agenda – so too certainly do our American Networks. Much of the most open journalism I’ve read about the ’situation/invasion/liberation(?)’ of Iraq comes from Australia and Europe. The film should hold something for everyone.

The film centres around the moments from the 48 hour warning afforded by Bush to Iraq after the U.N. security council was overruled through to the initial weeks of the troop movement into the country. Al-Jazeera seems to be very much in the media game, no less so than FOX/CNN/MSNBC – the spin factor applies on both sides of the equation. The common denominator (those truly affected by the hostilities) is the piece we are left to ponder as usual. The most interesting part of the film is where a US Marine spokesman who is meeting on a daily basis with a Al-Jazeera reporter – trying to manage damage control, semantics and to his credit – find some commonalities.

It’s a film that asks more questions that it answers. It now being 2007 we obviously can see the decisions made in real time were premature. Particuarly the bold statement of Iraq being under control the battle is over and won’ by GW all those years ago.

Sadly, the most natural way we could even begin to understand the media of the Arab world (which may or may not represent its viewers) would be to see it. That of course is not going to happen.

A good film, not a great one, it is one of the few chances on the market to see the other side of the coin in what has become the legacy of this decade.

Favourite line “Did he work for the BBC?” ‘yes’ “Ahh..ok….everyone from the BBC ends up working for Al-Jazeera later”. Also, someone said – let’s just give everyone an American passport and then this can all stop.

Business is business I suppose. The DVD is for sale on the site if you want to see it !

Cheers

undergrounddiscs.com film reviews – L.I.E.

L.I.E.
2001
Director : Michael Cuesta
Starring : Paul Dano, Brian Cox, Bruce Altman, Billy Kay

The Long Island Expressway, concurrently a thoroughfare of despair, opportunity and a proverbial road to nowhere. It’s one of the many underlying themes in this 2001 inaugural effort from director Michael Cuesta. The subject matter initially was qualified as unconventional, even taboo for some, earning it the NC-17 stamp from the MPAA.

The young protagonist, Howie (Dano, in a remarkable turn), feels his life unraveling as an adolescent even before he has a chance to fuck it up himself. His mother has recently passed, a victim of the titular roadway in a horrific auto accident (similar to Harry Chapin and Alan Pakula, as noted by Howie). Left with his philandering and unscrupulous old man (Altman), the young lead pisses his days away with friends bent on hustling, stealing and incestuous relationships. A promise of escaping to California with Gary (Kay), his sexually ambiguous best mate, prompts a proposed heist of gear from neighborhood pederast ‘Big John’ (Cox).

All goes well as they procure antique pistols designed to finance the jaunt west, until John catches the scants mid-crime, clutching a piece of Howie’s clothing as they flee. After John shakes down Gary, a former member in his stable of willing teenage victims, Howie is confronted. Befriended by John, speaking French, claiming ties to his late mother, another victim is seemingly acquired. After discussing reparations the two embark on a haunting collaboration involving the desire of sexual favors for John, and the desire of acceptance and safety for Howie.

The tenor of the union between the two changes, and takes on a dynamic of father/son, or protector/protected. There’s an evolution that suggests ‘Big John’ is not the disgusting sex offender he’s reputed as. As other aspects of Howie’s life deteriorate, Dad is hauled off to prison for embezzlement, Gary makes tracks for California sans best friend after robbing Howie’s dad, John emerges as the only constant. He cares and nurtures, concealing his ache to defile this boy. Scotty, the live-in boy buffet for John, clearly sees it, and tries his best to completely creep Howie out and hopefully scare him off. It doesn’t work and a completely strange sense of normalcy is achieved. Until Scotty re-emerges, gunning down John as he, the ultimate chickenhawk, preys for more willing participants in his sexual deviancy at a rest stop on the, you guessed it, L.I.E.

Howie is abandoned again, mired in uncertainty. Sexually confused, overall befuddled, lost and alone staring out and over this bastard road that adversely affects his existence.

Click Here To purchase this DVD 

-undergrounddiscs.com
03 Mar 2007

DVD Review – “Click” / Sandler & Beckinsale

Here in the bunker of Underground Reviews we will focus primarily on Independent Films, hard hitting dramas, and releases just off the radar. But, from time to time we will be obliged to review a blockbuster or a comedy just to keep things interesting.

To that end, I wanted to review ‘Click’ the most recent Adam Sandler effort where our boy is an overworked father of two who doesn’t have time to balance work, family and the rest of his daily chaos. That is until he decides a universal remote control (not where I would start restructuring things…but there you have it) can somehow make life 75% easier.

Thus, he visits Bed Bath and Beyond – while there he chances upon a back room where he meets a curious inventor/employee (?) ‘Morty’ (Christopher Walken) who provides him with a state of the art universal controller that will change his life. Turns out the remote can do essentially anything – pause/fast forward/mute/replay every moment of your life. Thereby the story follows Newman (Sandler’s) obsession with his new toy.

The film is overall quite a strong effort – Kate Beckinsale plays Sandler’s ever-patient wife – and offers a pretty impressive (if a tad proper) Brooklyn accent. My favourite aspect of the film was the casting of the supporting cast. Walken, who is under rated in comedic roles, adds a certain nuance of oddity and danger to his role. Henry Winkler and Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson) play Sandler’s parents with great subtlety. The two lesser characters that actually made the film for me were Sean Astin – who has his own designs on Sandler’s wife and David Hasselhoff as his career obsessed boss.

The picture has some great visual gags – and makes you wonder what you might do with the same remote control that Newman now owns. Too much swearing might ruin it for your pre-teens – but otherwise nothing to shy away from. The film at times tries to cram far too much into 107 minutes, which is my only major criticism. Not the world’s biggest Adam Sandler fan but I enjoyed the supporting cast enough to say this is an above average comedy – really pretty good. Best moments were when Sandler uses the remote’s SAP foreign language button to learn that his prospective Japanese clients (he’s an Architect – a la Mike Brady?) really want to leave the swanky restaurant he is trying to impress them with and just hit a TGI Fridays and drink some shots.

Anyway – a busy comedy – lots of special effects – and finally it may remind you of people who spend so much time working that they’ve forgotten why they work. If you are one of those…watch it.