Pilots of Doom

Just a reminder: The Hamburg Cell, Antonia Bird’s brilliant portrait of the men behind 9/11, is out on DVD at last. Not only was this TV movie made way before anyone else had the guts to tackle the issue, but it is infinitely bolder and more insightful than the two horrible 5th anniversary re-enactments, United [...]

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I See Dead People

As Jack Bauer sinks deeper into his own private hell, Fox executes a political about turn with Season 5 of 24, just out on DVD. If you ask me, it was high time. Ever since Day 2, when the series jumped on the Bush bandwagon, I’ve had serious issues with its politics. I’ve dwelled on [...]

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Pulling the Strings for Intifada

“What happens afterwards?” a Palestinian suicide bomber asks his recruiter in Hany Abu-Assad’s Paradise Now. “Two angels will pick you up.” “Are you sure?” “Absolutely. You’ll see.” Nothing is simple with this remarkable little film. There are no foam-mouthed jihadists, no hapless victims, no cathartic plot twists. No attempt is made to sway your opinion [...]

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Why We Fight

Everybody remembers Stephen Gaghan from Traffic, but he also wrote Rules of Engagement, a hawkish Friedkin actioner which basically says that when push comes to shove, you can massacre civilians and wipe your ass with the Geneva Agreement. I don’t want to be a party pooper, but I think it’s useful to bear in mind [...]

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Oops, wrong reality

Seen Munich yet? Ever wonder where Spielberg got the idea to stage the opening attack the way he did? I’ll tell you where. He lifted it from a 20-year-old TV movie — almost shot by shot.

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The Trouble with Steven

I have a confession to make: Well before I went to see Steven Spielberg’s Munich, I started a post detailing how and why this film is a failure. Titled "The Trouble with Steven", the post went like this:

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The Jack in us

The fourth season of 24, just out on DVD, left me with a warm, fuzzy feeling and a cold sweat, all at the same time. I loved the storyline, the characters, the cliffhangers and sudden gusts of cinematic energy. And I hated the politics. They fucking stink.

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Wanted: a 9/11 story

Now that an Oliver Stone 9/11 project has been officially announced, it’s time to take a look at what filmmakers have managed to come up with on the subject in the past four years. Not a whole lot. Of course, the collapsing towers cast a long shadow over almost every political thriller in the works [...]

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