SMT Weekly Flick by Paul Krismanits
Goats and Good Movies
Men Who Stare at Goats (Rated R) 93 mins.
“More of this is true than you would believe.” That is the disclaimer offered by the director before the opening credits of the new movie The Men Who Stare at Goats. Unfortunately for them, as weird as the movie is, it’s not that unbelievable. Doubly unfortunate for them, it’s not that funny, or clever, or intriguing either.
The Men Who Stare at Goats begins promisingly enough. Ewan McGregor plays young reporter Bob Wilton, who accidentally stumbles across a story about an Army psi-ops division. Of course, he doesn’t quite understand what he’s onto yet, so he makes no move because the “little man” inside of him is, well, a coward. It isn’t until his wife leaves him for his one-armed editor that Bob decides to take some real risks with his career, and so he sets off to Iraq in search of some major stories. What he finds there is Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), the once-upon-a-time number one recruit of the New Earth Army, the top psi-ops division of the military. Lyn is more than a few eggs short of a full basket, but he also possesses some unique intuitions that captivate Bob’s attention. Bob decides to follow Lyn into Iraq on a secret mission, and along the way he learns about Lyn’s past with New Earth. He learns about founder Bill Django (Jeff Bridges), the man who knew there had to be a nonviolent alternative to fighting wars, and found such while engaging in numerous drug trips during the 70’s. He also learns about Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey), the man who was talented but not as talented as Lyn, and whose jealousy fueled him to bring down the hippie Army movement.
Goats is often hilarious throughout the first 45 minutes, but then it takes a serious nosedive into something less than mediocre. The plot, which seemed promising, hits a bump that it never recovers from, and the movie bumbles its way to the end. I can’t even tell you when it happened, but suddenly the jokes stopped hitting, and suddenly there was nothing interesting left during the viewing. It’s a shame because the talent here is a better collection than most movies ever possess, but sadly these actors are not given enough to use to fill the whole movie. Your best off leaving this one for DVD, or if you have a life where movies are difficult to fit in, just forget it altogether.
Now with 2009 coming to a close the end of the decade is nearly upon us, and as your trusty local critic I decided to compile the best 10 films of the past 10 years. From here on out, I will be writing one or two reviews a week (depending on what new releases come out) of these older films, and I heartily endorse seeing any of them that you have missed so far. Yes, I am assuming that none of the following films of the year will make the top 10, and I’m confident in that estimation. But if I’m wrong, I’ll let you know! So without further ado:
10a. I couldn’t cut one of these out of the top 10, so the first film at number 10 is 2006’s James Bond recreation, Casino Royale. As crazy as that may sound to those who haven’t seen it, this film belongs here. Royale is far and away the best Bond film ever made. As a prequel, here we see Bond at his most human, a glimpse of the man we had never been given before. He is far from being always cool and collected, he has a temper that often gets the best of him, and he is prone to making mistakes. He also actually falls in love, not just the lust we are used to seeing from him. As well as being fully entertaining, Royale elicits emotion from us, it creates some of the most suspenseful movie scenes of the past ten years, and it makes a legendary character more real and likeable to us than he had ever been in the previous four decades. For its fearless attempt at remaking a tried-and-true formula and subsequent uber success, Casino Royale is un-missable.
10b. Now rewind further to 2000, when Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic blew audiences away with its no-holds-barred look at our nation’s war on drugs. Traffic makes us look at the near hopelessness of the situation, but it also makes us realize how it is a war we cannot stop fighting, even if it is never won. Traffic reminds us that everyone is affected one way or the other by those sickos behind these life-altering drugs, and it makes us realize how dangerous those who are willing to compromise their morals for money or escape can be. Altogether Traffic is one of the most powerful films ever made, and it is one that no one should ever be allowed to ignore.
Score: 2 out of 5
