See It Now

"We must not confuse dissent with disloyalty. We must remember always that accusation is not proof and that conviction depends upon evidence and due process of law. We will not walk in fear, one of another. We will not be driven by fear into an age of unreason, if we dig deep in our history and our doctrine, and remember that we are not descended from fearful men - not from men who feared to write, to speak, to associate and to defend causes that were, for the moment, unpopular... We proclaim ourselves, as indeed we are, the defenders of freedom, wherever it continues to exist in the world, but we cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home." - Edward R. Murrow

Fuckin' George Clooney.

Not only does he kick much ass in Stephen Gaghan's amazing "Syriana", he goes and makes the Edward R. Murrow/Joe McCarthy movie "Good Night, and Good Luck." He directed, wrote and co-stars in one of the year's best movies.

He makes a powerful statement, not only about McCarthyism, but also the current political climate.

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As I do my annual movie catch-up, here are a couple of brief movie reviews...

"King Kong"... too long, a bit slow and boring in some places. Peter Jackson could have cut 40 minutes from it without losing a thing.

"Brokeback Mountain"... while Heath Ledger gives a great performance, I found the story unremarkable. Perhaps it's from growing up in a progressive city. Other than the fact that the main characters were gay, this a fairly standard movie about romantic longing.

Next week I try to see "Capote" and "Munich".