First the Review, then the Tribute
Ghost Writer – 8
You’ll like this movie if you
a. Like Roman Polanski
b. Like an intelligent, adult story
c. Like international intrigue
Not that this movie is at all believable. The first disconnect comes when you find that most of the movie takes place in the United States, in a Cape Codish New England Compound. It is distracting because I couldn’t help thinking, wait – did Polanski sneak into the U.S. to film this? How did he do this? It took me about 30 minutes to get over the incongruity. I was caught completely by surprise.
Then the story of international intrigue unspools for awhile, until the end when there is a big reveal and for me, the movie completely comes apart in the last 30 seconds, yes the last 30 seconds, with a ridiculous ending that strains all the credibility that has been built up for 2 hours.
Despite these bookend problems, the movie is actually well made and interesting. It involves a Tony Blair era British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan – very good here) who is being accused of war crimes as he employs a new ghost writer for his memoirs (Ewan McGregor - as bland as ever) after his long-time ghost writer has bit the dust in a wave of suspicious circumstances.
Polanski exhibits his usual polish. It ain’t no Chinatown, but what is? It’s got the requisite number of smoke screens and plot twists and you won’t fall asleep. You won’t believe it all, but you won’t be bored.
And now the tribute.
An era ended last week with the cancellation of At The Movies, which was chaired for so many years by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and then a succession of equally enthusiastic, although not quite as engaging, hosts. Each week the pair would review movies and the thing that you always got from them was their joy of discovery when they had found a masterpiece.
Life is filled with many coincidental relationships.
There’s the luck of the alphabetical draw, the high school friend you sit next to in class after class until you have a lifelong connection.
There’s the college friends you connect with through a fraternity, a class, or a shared passion for something.
There’s the fellow worker that you click with.
There’s the moment of luck that puts you at the same intersection with what will be the love of your life.
Then there’s a teacher who unlocks a lifetime hobby. For me it was that Film Introduction Class at the University of Southern Mississippi. The Teacher was Colonel Albers and I sat there enthralled as he took us through the history of film, much of it silent classics by DW Griffith and other long forgotten directors. The class culminated with a full screening of Hitchcock’s Rebecca, and I was done. I’d always liked movies, but now it became a full fledged useless, costly, but thoroughly enjoyable hobby.
That thrill that Siskel and Ebert felt became mine too. In the 70’s when I walked out of Chinatown, or The Exorcist, or Nashville, or Star Wars, or Annie Hall I had that same exhilaration, just like seeing a Broadway play, or a classic sports event.
Siskel and Ebert walked me through the movies. Almost every week I’d listen, learn, and follow. I learned that I often agreed with Siskel on drama and Ebert on comedy, but when their two thumbs went up, it was probably going to be good.
When Gene Siskel died suddenly I felt like I had lost a friend, and I remember how much he loved Saturday Night Fever, Fargo, and arguing with Roger.
When Roger Ebert’s voice was lost to cancer, I was so sad that I would never get to hear his excitement again. I remember his passion for Raging Bull and Apocalypse Now.
Roger wrote a beautiful piece last week about Sneak Previews/At the Movies and its demise as a syndicated show. Everything’s changing, but I had just assumed it would go on forever, even though I had to admit I didn’t watch much in the last few years.
So, my hat’s off to Siskel & Ebert and their successors. What a wonderful appreciation you’ve given us for one of the truly unique American products.
Hooray for you. Hooray for Sundance. Hooray for Hollywood.
Here's Roger:
http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2010/03/see_you_at_the_movies.html
And here's a real film critic's incredible take:
http://sunsetgun.typepad.com/
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