FILM

Thomas wants to know just how bad my taste in movies really is. To that end. . .

Total number of films I own: four, three of which were donated from a friend. Yes, they’re videocassettes; we watch them on an ancient VCR and an even more ancient television, both donations from friends as well. We usually rent movies. Given the clutter in our house, renting is definitely the way to go.

At the Oswego library sale last year I bought three video tapes put out by the Judicial Conference of the United States and WQED on famous Supreme Court cases (McCulloch, Marbury and Fletcher v. Peck). Do these count? I’ll lend them to you if you’re interested.

The last film I bought: The Fog of War. It’s also the first (real) film I’ve ever bought. See the answer to the first question, above.

The last film I watched: At home: Pieces of April (charming). In the theaters: Sideways (I now try to drink less).

Five favorite films I either watch frequently or that mean a lot to me (in no particular order): It’s heavy on the Germans. First three: Wings of Desire, Mephisto, the Lost Honor of Katharina Blum. Fourth is probably Insomina, the Christopher Nolan version, and for fifth place, Dogs of War beats out You Can Count on Me. (I know that both Anita and Thomas will be disappointed of me for that choice. But, really, Christopher Walken with a grenade launcher vs. Laura Linney with a beautiful, compelling, conflicted sibling relationship? I think we know who wins on that one.)

Wings of Desire aims at making you live more intently. And it’s got Peter Falk. Mephisto is about the seduction of evil and the relationship between individual ambition and moral compromise. Both are about Berlin, which for me is important because it is the first city that I fell in love with.

I’ve written about Lost Honor before. The most fascinating part of the film is its deep moral ambiguity – the heroine shoots a reporter and it seems right that she has done so. Why? I’m still not really sure. And the movie portrays both journalism and fears of terrorism in a way that Americans in particular would be wise to consider.

Even though they share the same basic plot and character structures, Insomnia by Christopher Nolan and Insomnia by Erik Skjoldbjaerg really could hardly be more different as movies. What draws me to Nolan’s version is the refusal to acquiesce in simple moral bleakness. Consider the parting lines of Al Pacino’s Dormer, “Don’t lose your way,” spoken to a young protégé who is on the verge of compromising the truth in order to protect her mentor. Compare this with the shot of Stellan Skarsgard’s eyes glowing as the credits roll. The first is more dramatic, more in the Hollywood compulsion for a good and tidy ending, but also more hopeful about human connection. This, in a movie about the ways that individual demons and fear of the truth lead to the destruction of human relationships. One needs to counterbalance that basic theme, I think, and Nolan does it well.

Dogs of War: a young, post-Deer Slayer Christopher Walken as a mercenary who decides to take on one last mission. A motley band of his comrades train a rebel army for a coup in an African country. But who has really hired them, and why? And how will Walken’s experiences with political dissidents in the country influence the outcome of the coup? Skip the Frederick Forsyth novel, buy a six-pack and watch this movie. Yeah.

Christopher: it’s your turn. Try not to admit how embarrassed you are at my choices. . .

MORE: I also pass this on to Steven Taylor, James Joyner, Loxia (der - oder die - sich doch fuer Filmen zu interessieren scheint; auf deutsch geht's auch) and Tim and James at Ahab's Whale.