tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post1081939382075239624..comments2024-01-30T04:32:47.585-05:00Comments on The Cooler: Misty Watercolor Memories: Waltz With BashirJason Bellamyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-78453381364722999592009-03-03T20:08:00.000-05:002009-03-03T20:08:00.000-05:00Ha! Good point, Daniel. I hadn't thought about tha...Ha! Good point, Daniel. I hadn't thought about that. And yet, obviously we're protecting <I>how</I> things are revealed in this film, rather than <I>what</I> things are revealed.<BR/><BR/>After writing my review, I was surprised at how freely critics mentioned that final scene. For me, the surprise was a significant element of its power.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, yeah, it's sad to think of all the men and women who will be trying so hard to forget in the coming years.<BR/><BR/>The horror. The horror.<BR/><BR/>Tragic.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-32148049092835204622009-03-03T16:07:00.000-05:002009-03-03T16:07:00.000-05:00You guys are sure sensitive to mentioning spoilers...You guys are sure sensitive to mentioning spoilers for a movie based on an actual event!<BR/><BR/>Wow, what an excellent review of this movie - much better and more thoughtful than many others I've seen. I think you really get to the heart of well the animation works or fails here. I didn't think about it, but not being able to see their actual eyes really <I>does</I> take away from the emotion of it.<BR/><BR/>For me, the real horror, as you know, is the reality that so many more soldiers our age will be suffering like this in a couple of decades.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05222052132452709301noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-67199693550159885942009-02-15T08:07:00.000-05:002009-02-15T08:07:00.000-05:00Fox: Yeah, I thought of our discussion when I was ...Fox: Yeah, I thought of our discussion when I was writing this review. I don't think that "Road" <I>should</I> blur the lines, because it's obvious (or should be) that only the talking-head interviews are "real." But I can understand how the simple-minded could get confused. On that note, there's no line-blurring with "Bashir" because the same simple-minded people won't be able to comprehend that the animated movie is in any way truthful. Follow me? By virtue of the animation, the film draws an unmistakable line between <I>representation</I> of "truth" and <I>absolute</I> "truth."<BR/><BR/>Fletch: (CONTINUED SPOILER ALERT) I agree. Though I do feel strongly that "Bashir" would be much improved with less portrayal of two guys sitting in a room chatting, I'm ambivalent about the ending. As you imply, it's the surprise implementation of that last image that gives it so much power. On the other hand, the power of that image does have a way of undermining the process, as if an admission that animation alone couldn't carry enough emotion. A good film to ponder.Jason Bellamyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18150199580478147196noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-34616862181362432482009-02-15T03:18:00.000-05:002009-02-15T03:18:00.000-05:00Excellent piece, Jason.SPOILERS AHEADI think it's ...Excellent piece, Jason.<BR/><BR/>SPOILERS AHEAD<BR/><BR/>I think it's six of one, half dozen of the other for Folman, and it's a win-lose either way. If he had used actual footage earlier in the film, the importance of the final shots would have been lessened, even if they might have served the purpose of driving home the message a bit more. As it stands, I like that both he and the uninformed viewer (like myself) were both a bit unsure of what the massacre entailed until the final bell rang. It made for a loud thud, which in the end, gives the film more impact and a unique quality most docs can't claim.Fletchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17299302086449086987noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1163321594858726822.post-5199365431848900682009-02-15T01:43:00.000-05:002009-02-15T01:43:00.000-05:00This movie still hasn't opened here, but I plan on...This movie still hasn't opened here, but I plan on seeing it when it does. I may be wrong, but I don't remember an animated documentary existing before this... am I right? I know you say it's more of a docudrama, but I'm interested in how in an animated form it can color my perception (no pun intended). <BR/><BR/>Anyways, this sounds like a film that could continue our doc. discussion. But I hope it's not like <I>Road to Guantanamo</I>. I felt that that movie dangerously blurred the lines with its reeanactments, not to mention showing the softest version of a Taliban infested Afghanistan that I have ever seen.Foxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08067136509248849744noreply@blogger.com