Saturday, January 14, 2006

Film Review: Munich

Saw Munich this afternoon. I really liked it; it wasn't perfect, but nonetheless it was better than 90% of the movies out there. Spielberg seems to now produce two different types of movies:

Type A: Star-riddled, expensive blockbusters of questionable quality ("Opiate of the Masses Type")
Examples: Jaws, the Indiana Jones series, Jurassic Park, War of the Worlds

Type B: Historical, emotional, well-made epics ("Really Good, Underappreciated Type")
Examples: Empire of the Sun, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Munich

As you can see, this man is obviously a financial genius. He shows the studios that he can make a big, successful, "summer blockbuster" that can pack the seats, but more importantly, he gains their trust so they let him make something that is rather hard to find in modern culture, or at least something that's hard to find in the truest sense: art. I firmly believe that film can be art, but not all films are art. Art has to reflect truth, and it has to be made in a very intentional way. There are a myriad of books on aesthetic philosophy, so I won't try to go into it here, but the point is that we have to savor true art when we can find it.

PS--Let me know whenever you've found it.

3 comments:

Bored Housewife said...

Thanks for your comment on my story. That's one of my favorites.

I've watched a few independent films lately, for a project I'm working on. I would recommend "Grizzly Man"--footage from a guy who spent 13 summers living with Grizzles in alaska, then got eaten by one. No, the attack is not on film, ya sicko. :)

Brian South said...

I actually read about that...sounds hilarious (in a tragic sort of way).

Bored Housewife said...

Exactly!! I'm having the hardest time writing about it without including, "He wanted to become a bear, and he sort of got his wish..." He was a good man with a few screws loose, but hey, I'm not one to judge...

all hail 24!!!! thanks for the reminder...

(my verify word has "bj" in it. yes, I'm a 13 year old boy. why do you ask??? call me beavis.)