Syriana
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mkilly
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Syriana
Seeing it for the second time tonight. A masterful, compelling film, superior to the director/co-writer's earlier Traffic[/ul] (to which it is similar). A
"It is really true what philosophy tells us, that life must be understood backwards. But with this, one forgets the second proposition, that it must be lived forwards." Søren Kierkegaard
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raisedbywolves
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I found Syriana to be really dry and dense (like old fruitcake), and almost spectacularly anti-climactic. I think it is all of these things intentionally, and a little difficult to follow, especially without Traffic's color-coding scheme that let you know which strand of story you were following. Honestly, I think maybe they were trying too hard. Its relative inaccessability, I think, amounts to some form of snobbery. It seems like a movie made for those people who like to loudly proclaim, "I only watch Discovery and History Channels." Like, something you can feel good about yourself for watching, even though it's just a movie, and a fictional one at that. I wanted to punch 90% of the crowd I saw it with, which is a good 5-6% higher than normal for me. I'm not saying you are this type of person, mkilly - just that it seems to be attracting people of that ilk. I'm sure, being a SongFighter and all, you are in the good 10%. C-
Aren't you the guy that hit me in the eye?
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jb
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I felt like they deliberately didn't tell me details about the various plots because they didn't care to let me follow along, they just wanted to dictate how I was supposed to feel. Like the whole "scandal" plot where Tim Blake Nelson gets to deliver his big speech and such-- wtf was all that about? I mean, I vaguely followed it, I think as much as they wanted me to, but I really could have known more about what was going on and been a lot more satisfied with the story.
It just seemed very sketchy and self-consciously avoided being heavy-handed when it was actually being totally heavy-handed.
And the personal touches did nothing for me. Damon's family, Basquiat's dad, it was all beside the point and didn't humanize them like the director wanted it to.
<b>C-</b>
It just seemed very sketchy and self-consciously avoided being heavy-handed when it was actually being totally heavy-handed.
And the personal touches did nothing for me. Damon's family, Basquiat's dad, it was all beside the point and didn't humanize them like the director wanted it to.
<b>C-</b>
blippity blop ya don’t stop heyyyyyyyyy
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Adam!
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I enjoyed this movie.
Most reviews I heard about Syriana had shit-all to do with the film; instead, they mostly had to do with the personal politics of the reviewer, or their private rebellion against whoever they perceive to represent the status quo. I was reminded of the backlash to Moore's F911, where it seemed that everyone was so busy reviewing each other's opinions that no one bothered reviewing the movie. So before I talk about Syriana itself I'm going to unravel a few layers of meta-criticism to reveal my own bias. I hate all that crap, although I do participate in it. Watching my friends confuse politics with film makes me strive to ignore the politics entirely and look for merit in the movie itself, and with that tint to my lens I tend to find it. That is my bias.
On to the movie itself: I found it alternately eye-opening and boring. I plead guilty to not knowing much about international oil trade, so I found some of the ideas presented (specifically about the subtle sociopolitical ways to keep the west's appetite for The Black sated) interesting and challenging. The fact that most characters in the movie don't show their hands until the last half-an-hour kept me guessing about their motivations and then rewarded me with a handful of "Ah ha!" moments. The Bad: I thought the movie was 25 minutes too long, which happens to be exactly how much screen time was given to the storyline of the young ex oil worker (no names because holycrap I don't remember them). Although his story hints at an underlying karmic theme in what would be a very bleak movie without it, it added little else (besides runtime). Clooney was good; the truth is that I saw this movie because I wanted my Clooney fix after seeing Good Night and Good Luck. Who ever played the idealistic prince did a fantastic job.
It doesn't hold a candle to GN&GL for clear, unbiased storytelling, but few movies do. If you liked Traffic or The Constant Gardener then this movie will probably be about your speed, with a few more explosions tossed in for the ADD crowd who walked into the wrong movie. Oooo, 'splosions. However, be prepared to be judged for liking it. A-
Most reviews I heard about Syriana had shit-all to do with the film; instead, they mostly had to do with the personal politics of the reviewer, or their private rebellion against whoever they perceive to represent the status quo. I was reminded of the backlash to Moore's F911, where it seemed that everyone was so busy reviewing each other's opinions that no one bothered reviewing the movie. So before I talk about Syriana itself I'm going to unravel a few layers of meta-criticism to reveal my own bias. I hate all that crap, although I do participate in it. Watching my friends confuse politics with film makes me strive to ignore the politics entirely and look for merit in the movie itself, and with that tint to my lens I tend to find it. That is my bias.
On to the movie itself: I found it alternately eye-opening and boring. I plead guilty to not knowing much about international oil trade, so I found some of the ideas presented (specifically about the subtle sociopolitical ways to keep the west's appetite for The Black sated) interesting and challenging. The fact that most characters in the movie don't show their hands until the last half-an-hour kept me guessing about their motivations and then rewarded me with a handful of "Ah ha!" moments. The Bad: I thought the movie was 25 minutes too long, which happens to be exactly how much screen time was given to the storyline of the young ex oil worker (no names because holycrap I don't remember them). Although his story hints at an underlying karmic theme in what would be a very bleak movie without it, it added little else (besides runtime). Clooney was good; the truth is that I saw this movie because I wanted my Clooney fix after seeing Good Night and Good Luck. Who ever played the idealistic prince did a fantastic job.
It doesn't hold a candle to GN&GL for clear, unbiased storytelling, but few movies do. If you liked Traffic or The Constant Gardener then this movie will probably be about your speed, with a few more explosions tossed in for the ADD crowd who walked into the wrong movie. Oooo, 'splosions. However, be prepared to be judged for liking it. A-
