DVD Review: Good Night, and Good Luck by CD

Title: Good night, and Good luck
Starring: David Strathairn, Robert Downey Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise, Frank Langella
Directed By: George Clooney
Produced By: Steven Soderbergh, Jennifer Fox, Ben Cosgrove
Genre: Drama and Biopic
Release Date: October 7th, 2005
MPAA Rating: PG for mild thematic elements and brief language.
Distributors: Warner Independent Pictures


Taking place during the early days of broadcast journalism in 1950's America, a chronicle of the real-life conflict between television news man Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. -Yahoo movies.com

So the other night I was sitting up watching the news and I got sickened. Not by the news segments themselves, but more by the fact that the news is no longer the news. So I put it in my head that I wanted to witness a telling of when the news was still “news”.

Good night, and good luck is just that. A peek into an era that 90% of America today couldn't live in. Edward R. Murrow was a man who believed in shooting straight and telling the people what needed to be said. Senator McCarthy was a man bent on criminalizing anyone who thought that the country was being run the wrong way. Granted the communist element was present and needed to be addressed, but McCarthy resorted to “Witch Hunts”.

This movie reminded me of what I learned in History class. If we don't pay close attention to history we are doomed to repeat it. If you look at todays media and pay close attention to the events taking place in our country and the war on terror it's not too dissimilar.

Murrow was a man conflicted. He wanted to uphold his own personal standards in telling the viewing public the truth. Unfortunately, speaking your mind or the truth in those days made you, your family, and you bosses a target. He was however backed by the president of the network, a very rare thing. Granted he was told that if anyone in his staff even possibly had ties to the red party in any way that they would be fired. Murrow had a great team and he didn't want to see anyone go, but he understood the position it would put him and the network in.

All parties involved acted wonderfully in this film. Say what you may about Clooney, but I think his view of what took place was pin point perfect. You can tell that there was a relationship between the actors and that they all understood the time period and the turmoil that was in the air.

Biopics are not everyones cup of tea, but if you would like a better understanding of what was going on in our country at that time this movie is defiantly worth seeing. Especially since they used a lot of stock footage for the courtroom scenes and the scenes where McCarthy was trying to attack Murrow and crew.

Only a few scattered special features. Commentary tracks by Clooney and his producer Grant Heslov. Also there is a companion piece that shows more of what was happening during the trials and news casts.

I am only gonna put up one quote from this film, but I believe it speaks volumes.

Edward R. Murrow: “We will not walk in fear of one another. “


It's been Odd

Chris Dunahm
Crobertdunham@yahoo.com

DVD Review: American Splendor by CD

Title: American Splendor
Starring: Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, Judah Friedlander, Harvey Pekar, James Urbaniak
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini, Bob Pulcini
Produced by, Ted Hope, Julia King
Genres: Drama, Animation, Adaptation and Biopic
Release Date: August 15th, 2003 (LA/NY, Cleveland)
MPAA Rating: R for language.
Distributors: HBO Home Video

American Splendor is the story of a little-known working-class everyman, and first-class curmudgeon Harvey Pekar. Pekar finds love, family and a creative voice through the underground comic books he creates, but still can't manage to find the quicker supermarket checkout line. Ordinary life is pretty complex stuff. - DVD Case

The film opens with a scene from 1950 of a bunch of kids on a porch at Halloween. You see Superman, Batman, Robin, The Green Lantern, and a child with out a costume. When asked who he is supposed to be he replies, “I'm Harvey Pekar, I ain't no superhero lady. I'm just a kid from the neighborhood.” This sets the tone for Harvey's life and for the film.

Paul Giamatti plays Pekar to perfection. At times it is very hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. Pekar is an interesting man if only for the fact that he doesn't seem happy, even when he is.

Harvey works as a file clerk in a VA hospital, drowning himself in his work and his compulsions. He collects Jazz records and comic books, scours garage sales for new treasures, and just lives his life.

During one of his excursions through the tables at a sale, he bumps into a buddy who offers to introduce him to a guy named Bob, saying that they have a mutual love for comics and jazz. This is when Harveys life is forever changed. “Bob” happens to be Robert Crumb, the soon to be “King” of underground comics.

Harvey has no notions of being famous, his comics reflect the real life. A poor schlub just trying to get by in a mundane world filled with normal people and their interestingly uninteresting lives.

This movie is more of documentary than it is a biopic, mainly due to the cut scenes with the actual Harvey Pekar narrating. You see a lot of the real Pekar and his wife Joyce through out the film, they become the foundation for which Giamatti is able to build his performance from. An interesting take on the whole biopic genre.

Special features include a making of entitled Road to Splendor, which is a look at the films debut at the Sundance Film Festival to its premier. There is also some downloads and commentary tracks, also there is a song by Eytan Mirsky called American Splendor.

It's been Odd
C. Dunham
Crobertdunham@yahoo.com