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I had the good and timely fortune of catching this movie here in NYC just this Saturday, 11/15/08.

A documentary, it follows the discoveries of one young man, Garret, in his exploration of the workings of the human body, of our allopathic "treat the symptom" medical orthodoxy, and of the vast chemical and pharmaceutical interests whose perverse incentives perpetuate our abhorrent "health care" (read "disease care") system. By innocently following a thread to its logical conclusion, young Garrett uncovers not only a simple and efficacious cure for disease, but also exposes the ugly truth about the medical and chemical industries that thrive at the expense of our well-being, and their complicity with the government agency allegedly charged with protecting the public.

For anyone who has ever wondered why the FDA - the Food and Drug ADMINISTRATION - is not now, and will never be, called the FDQAD - or the Food and Drug Quality Assurance Department - this film can represent the beginning of wisdom.

Don't get sick until you see it.

Brilliant! A fully realized vision for Mr. Clooney, whose directorial and writing history I am unfamiliar with. He should be very proud of this masterful movie. Intelligent, intense, moving, at times very funny, the historical subjects are presented in this tight, focused and important film with never a wasted moment. I am in awe. I'll see it again and, when it's available, I'll own it.

Every performance was stellar and Strathairn will get an Oscar nod. Could Clooney be that good a director? Perhaps he'll get the nod also. Casting was impeccable and every camera angle augments the story telling.

Television "journalists" take heed. Will history remember you this well? Do you speak truth to power?

Don't miss this diamond of a movie. You won't be disappointed.

8

I entered with low expectations. My brother was a fan of the series and he reminded me for months via e-mail that the movie was coming out. In deference to his taste, I went opening night. I was not disappointed.

It was fantastic. Somehow they managed to make a movie after a series that completely stands alone - and yet still manages to augment the series it came from. It is a work of art.

The challenge: How can you make a two hour flick that simultaneously engages, informs, absorbs and entertains the first-time viewer as well as totally sating the hard core series fan - and do it without using narrative drivel, trite flashbacks or forced dialog alluding to the past. I am in awe.

The script crackles, the effects soar, the direction and cinematography are artful without being self-conscious and the acting is surprising in both range and depth. Inside of its own universe it is a fully realized sci-fi flick of the first order, both intimate and epic at the same time.

Catch it on the big screen if you can - the small screen if you can't - but catch it.

I'll see it again.

8

Much will be written about the performances and historians will no doubt quibble about minor details. They have nothing better to do. But you should see this movie. Everyone should see this movie.

The debate over whether or not it paints Adolf Hitler in too human a light is specious. The problem with high ranking members of the Third Reich, Hitler included, is not that they were inhuman. The problem is that they were quite human, and thus they show us what all human beings, ourselves included, are capable of being when devotion to a twisted ideology is carried to the right-wing extremes of fascism. To dismiss these people as easily recognizable monsters is to absolve ourselves from the duty of watching out for them in our midst.

The movie reminds us that Hitler didn't come to power as a result of some coup d'etat, nor did he fall from the sky. His party was elected and legally enacted the laws that led to their rise to power. Little by little the German people sacrificed their freedoms in the name of their "national security" and grandiose visions of their imagined global destiny, until the state had so much power, no one could speak up against it for fear of marginalization, imprisonment and, ultimately death. Do you see where I'm going? And silence in the face of growing horrors during time of war was considered patriotic, - then just as it is now.

Everything about the movie is first rate, the performances and direction are nothing short of stellar, and one can't help but feel better for having seen it. Pay particularly attention to the epilogues, which include a caveat from Traudl Junge herself, taped shortly before her death last decade. She reminds us that our naivete is no excuse.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. See this fine movie and never forget.

8

While charming in a way, and predictably dated, the lack of character development and a story line that boarders on schizophrenic make this feel like a promise unrealized.

The plot, what there is of it, or more correctly, certain plot elements, are good enough to consider doing a contemporary remake of. In fact, this is a film that Hollywood could have a lot of fun with, and one can't help but feel while watching it that, in the hands of a contemporary film studio, it has enough going for it to make the movie it should have been more than fifty years ago.

***** Note: the following observations should not be considered spoilers, as they reveal nothing about where the story might lead. *****

For example, one of the plot elements revolves around a coin operated "riding academy" which could, were it remade today, easily and delightfully morph into a contemporary "virtual riding arcade". Another recurring theme is our concerned protagonist revisiting the hotel phone located at the bar which results in a temptation to drink. An updated treatment of this theme could be quite funny.

Some of the dialog is pretty good, and certain situations arise that were certainly worth incorporating into a movie, but the aggregate falls far short of it's potential, even by 1948 standards.

While it may be worth it to sit through to the end, you're more likely to be envisioning the film this could have been, rather than completely enjoying the film this turned out to be.

8

It's worth stating from the outset that I tend to notice things that others don't, and as such, I'm often "taken out of a movie", in other words, while I'm there to suspend disbelief, if some gross continuity error or obvious implausibility strikes me, and they often do, it takes me out of the experience just long enough to remind me that I'm just watching a movie, which tends to lessen the experience for me.

That said, what follows are a couple of brief and early-occurring spoilers which have nothing to do with the plot and will soon be forgotten if you should happen to see this flick, i.e. you can read the following comments without it affecting your appreciation of this movie.

There are a couple of scenes early on that appear in night clubs where the singers and/or musicians are not in sync with the soundtrack and dancers are not in step with the beat of the music. This is always a problem for me, but even more than usual when I have unrealistic expectations of Scorcese's work. Isn't making these things right part of film editing? And didn't this film just get an Acadamy Award for film editing? What's wrong with this picture? And, if that weren't' enough, in one of the aforementioned scenes, we are led to believe that two people will order dinner and eat in a ballroom which seems to be in a perpetual confetti snowstorm. Yum! ??? !! Soup with extra schmutz!

The glaring faux pas notwithstanding, there is much to recommend this film. The performances are at times great, the effects occasionally spectacular, the cinematography above average, the dialog often crackling and the overall experience well worth the effort of watching. It gets better and better, (and tighter), as it goes along.

You will enjoy this movie. Just don't expect it to be flawless.

8

I was unexpectedly delighted by this movie for many reasons, and it can be considered successful on many levels. Screenplay, direction, cinematography, performances, pace and dialog are all above average throughout the movie, and occasionally brilliant. And laughs are abundant.

Better still, or worse perhaps, is that I related closely, too closely, to some of the characters, leaving the theater not only feeling entertained, but edified as well. So my satisfaction was multi-layered.

While much will be written, justifiably, about Giamatti's performance, as it was superb and he was perfectly cast, great attention should be paid to Virginia Madsen's efforts here. In a relatively small role, she manages to be at once understated and intense, delivering her lines with the conviction and depth of "being" her character, far beyond any recollection I have of her work.

I predict her performance will not go overlooked and we'll soon see her in bigger budget movies, plumbing the depths of her considerable talents.

Good job to all those involved. Don't wait for the DVD. This one's worth the price of admission.

8

I've seen this movie only twice. Once when it first hit commercial television, and again about 15 years ago, and it is unforgettable. It's great to see I'm not alone in my appreciation. I think it's a classic . . . . a "must see" for anyone who considers themselves a cinefile.

The two leads, Tushingham and Reed, are at the height of their powers and both give brilliant performances. (no hyperbole) The story is well conceived, well developed and executed to perfection. It holds together. The movie is a little gem.

Considering when it was made, the budget it was made under, and the politics of the time, (you couldn't find "real" Native American's in the actors union), it is an extraordinary work.

To criticize this movie for using an Italian "Indian" is like dismissing "Saving Private Ryan" because of a half-dozen glaring continuity errors. It means you've missed the point. Close your mind and open your heart. You will be rewarded for watching it, if in no other way than to witness, deeply and completely, the archetypes of what the masculine and feminine essences are in the universe.

Tushingham (Eve) IS the frightened rabbit that Reed (Jean) says she is. She has been torn from civilization to witness all manner of horrors of life in the wilderness. And what can be said of Reeds LaBete? Even those who laud this actors genius underestimate him.

While we're on the subject, how is it possible that during the Acadamy Awards Ceremony, when Reed's last movie "Gladiator" won BEST PICTURE, that he was overlooked when they did their eulogizing segment on those important figures who had passed away during the previous year? Conspicuous and tragic was his omission from that roster.

Do yourself a favor. See "The Trap". And then . . . . see it again.

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